Lee explains to Daisy that she's taking her to see a colleague of hers named Dr. Emerson. He's a otolaryngologist, which apparently is an ear, nose, and throat doctor that specializes in diseases in those regions. Lee claims that Dr. Emerson is the biggest expert on the vocal cords and larynx of anyone she knows in the area, so hopefully he'll be able to help her.
Rather than take one of the squad cars with an officer like Daisy expected, instead they're in Dr. Thompkins's personal vehicle by themselves. Considering Detective Gordon's skepticism, the girl is fairly surprised that there isn't any kind of escort keeping an eye on her. Although, with the Maniax running loose, the GCPD probably needs all hands on deck. And besides, it's not like Daisy has really presented herself as a threat, especially after she realized everything she thought she knew was a lie.
Daisy shakes her head, trying not to delve back into the heart-wrenching thoughts that would inevitably consume her as soon as she stopped moving. She's more than grateful for the distraction Lee is providing in the form of the doctor's visit, not to mention the potential that she may actually be able to speak should things go well.
The young girl spends the ride staring out the window, listening to Lee's commentary as she points out important buildings on the nicer side of Gotham. Daisy's never really been out of the area surrounding the slums and the Narrows. Even the orphanage she ran away from was on the bad (worse) side of town.
She marvels at the sparkling skyscrapers and sprawling shopping centers as they pass by her window, being unable to recall ever seeing something similar. After all, Jerome took her to his work building in the dead of night, and when they left for the cottage, they went back through the slums to exit Gotham, and Daisy was paying more attention to the handsome ginger beside her than the view outside the car anyway. The thought makes her red with shame, considering she's in love with a murdering psychopath.
She already admitted to herself that she loves—well, loved?—her daddy—Jerome, she corrects herself—before she was taken by Detective Gordon. While her newfound knowledge doesn't necessarily turn her feelings off, Daisy knows she's in love with a man that doesn't exist—a lie. She has no idea how she would react if she ever saw Jerome again. She honestly doesn't know if she even wants to see Jerome again.
The logical part of her, the one that's tried to remain in charge since she found out the truth, knows that she should be terrified of Jerome and never want to see his face again. If she were smart, she would ask Lee to drive her far away from Gotham and leave her somewhere.
But I'm not, she thinks grimly. I'm a fool. A naive little girl in love with a criminal's pretend persona. He played me like a fiddle and I hung onto his every word.
But despite everything, Daisy desperately still wants to believe somehow that it was all legitimate. Because it felt real. While in hindsight he was definitely keeping things from her, their actual interactions never felt fake or forced. Hell, even the whole 'Daddy' thing didn't seem like a put-on.
The man may have been fake, but the experience, the things he did and, for the most part, said, were real.
When Daisy hears Lee say something she doesn't quite catch, she snaps out of her pondering and signs, What?
"We're here," Lee repeats with a kind smile.
Daisy blushes lightly and unbuckles her seat belt, exiting the car and following Lee into a glass building. Inside, the doctor consults a directory before leading her to the elevator and hitting the up button.
They get off on the third floor and Daisy sits down in an upholstered chair in the waiting room while Lee checks them in. Thankfully, since the doctor is a friend of Lee's, they don't have to wait long. A nurse calls them back and guides Daisy to sit down on a bench covered in sterile paper.
Soon after, a middle-aged man in a lab coat enters, and Daisy assumes this is Dr. Emerson. Lee moves forward to remind her colleague of the situation, and the man nods before moving forward, greeting Daisy with a kind smile.
"Hello there, Daisy. I'm Dr. Emerson, and I'm here to take a look at your vocal cords and larynx to see if there's anything that can be done," the doctor says. "I understand you have some issues with communication, so I'm going to try to be as straightforward as possible and only ask yes or no questions."
Daisy nods and smiles, thankful for Dr. Emerson's thoughtfulness.
"To make this go as quickly as possible, I'm going to skip standard checkup procedures, with your permission, and just focus on your throat. Is this alright?" Dr. Emerson asks. At Daisy's nod, he continues. "Wonderful. If you could tilt your head back just a bit and open your mouth, I'll get started."
She does as asked, hoping briefly that her breath doesn't smell. The doctor pulls a small flashlight from his coat while Lee watches the proceedings a bit anxiously from her seat beside them.
"Alright. Breathe deeply for me," Dr. Emerson directs as he shines the flashlight down her throat.
Daisy takes some deep breaths, the doctor studying her vocal cords through the first layer of open flaps. He frowns a little, starting to get an idea of the issue.
"Could you try to speak or hum? Do you know how to try?" Dr. Emerson wonders.
After a moment, the girl nods, clearing her throat and then trying to make sound come from her vocal cords like she has many times before. And yet again, no vocalizations come from her throat.
While Daisy frowns, the doctor smiles in understanding, pulling away and clicking off his flashlight.
"I think I know what the issue is. I've never seen something quite like it, but I think it can be fixed. It should hopefully be a relatively simple procedure," Dr. Emerson informs the women.
"So what's wrong?" Lee asks for them both.
"Well, the vocal cords are stretched horizontally across the larynx, and when a person tries to vocalize, the vocal cords vibrate and produce sound. However, it seems that Daisy's vocal cords aren't stretched tight enough across her larynx. As a result, the vocal cords lay lax across the larynx and can't vibrate and produce sound as they should," Dr. Emerson explains.
"So what do you plan to do?" Lee wonders, brows furrowed.
"My plan is to try and shorten the vocal cords by stretching the cords until they're tight, folding over the excess, and surgically sewing them in place. As long as she takes it easy using her voice, especially in the beginning, the stitches should hold just fine until the cords heal to each other around them," the man outlines, and though Daisy doesn't follow very well, she understands enough by thinking of her vocal cords as sheets of too-long fabric.
"How long would the procedure and recovery time be?" Lee inquires.
"I could probably do the surgery in less than hour, but regrettably not right now since I have other appointments. If you come back in about two and a half hours, though, I could get it done if you so choose," Dr. Emerson informs them. "As for the recovery time, I'm really not all that sure. I would definitely take it easy for at least six weeks, but I have no idea when her voice could actually start working. It remains unseen if early use would cause damage, either, though I would not recommend attempting use within the first two weeks. I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but I don't have very much information to work with."
Lee smiles kindly. "Don't worry, Sam, I really appreciate you doing this much. Could you give us a minute to talk it over?"
Dr. Emerson nods in acceptance and leaves the room, allowing the girls to discuss their next steps.
Daisy, however, has already made up her mind. Any chance is better than none.
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A/N
Happy Saturday! Daisy's condition (and accompanying fix-it) is completely fictitious (as this is a work of fiction), but I've researched the structure and function of the vocal cords, so hopefully it's at least a little realistic. More info about this update on my wall. Hope you enjoyed, and see you next week!
Gingy
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Rapunzel <J. Valeska>
Fanfiction"What's the matter gorgeous? Cat got your tongue?" So, after the breakout, Jerome found a mysterious blond girl on the street and decided he wanted to keep her. He's got issues, but she's got some too, though maybe not the same kind. Jerome must ha...
