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Chapter 32 - Park Row

The drive to Leslie�s clinic was a quiet one, Lucy placed securely between Bruce and Selina in the backseat of the Bentley, Alfred piloting the big car through late-morning traffic across the RKM Bridge into Gotham. Lucy was quiet. When she spoke at all, it was with a hesitant whisper. The child seemed tense and Selina really didn�t want to ask her what was wrong. She was tired of prophecies of doom.

Bruce hadn�t spoken since his few words to her in the bedroom that morning. He stared unseeing out the window. She worried for him, her mouth drawn in a tense line. Lucy kept hold of her hand.

They finally reached Leslie Thompkin�s Park Row Clinic, stepping out onto the trash-lined streets of the East End from the expensive car. Selina was surprised by how little the neighborhood had changed in the four months she�d been living in Bristol. Life at Wayne Manor seemed to have taken place on another planet. Here, in her real home, a gang of young black youths eyed them from across the street, wondering how quickly they could boost the Bentley and get the car to a chop shop. A bag lady wheeled slowly by, pushing a shopping cart filled with all her worldly possessions. Limited hope and endless despair were so intertwined in the East End that they made Selina�s eyes and heart ache for this place, ache for Gotham.

Lucy slipped her small, warm little paw into Selina�s hand, tugging her forward. The child�s limp was more pronounced today, the ever-present stuffed animal still in her arms. Watching the small girl pick her way across the East End street, Selina was reminded of the first time she�d met Holly. Holly had been ten or eleven, getting the shakedown from one of the East End vice cops. She�d turned four tricks in one hour and had made less than a yard (this was before Selina had explained the economics of prostitution to Holly) and Selina had charged in recklessly, stealing the money and helping Holly to escape from the GCPD flunky. Lucy had that same look Holly had worn all those years ago, that hopeful sadness so prevalent among the lost children of Gotham.

Dr. Thompkins greeted them at the reception desk, disappearing quickly into an examining room with Bruce. Selina thought Lucy might be interested in the collection of toys, games and puzzles offered by the clinic�s child-friendly waiting room but she seemed content to sit with Selina on the molded plastic chairs, the stuffed animal (Selina wasn�t certain now that it even was an animal) in her lap. She hadn�t let go of Selina�s hand once.

Nearly an hour later, Bruce and Leslie exited the examining room, Bruce�s arm encased in hard plastic. Selina caught Leslie�s eyes and she knew immediately the doctor was as concerned for Bruce as Selina was.

�Hi, Lucy,� Dr. Thompkins said, crouching down before the little girl. Lucy didn�t respond, her face open and curious, waiting.

Dr. Thompkins cocked her head to one side and stroked the fur of the bedraggled stuffed animal. �That�s a lovely elephant, Lucy. What�s his name?�

�Mr. Pickles,� the child replied, sliding her hand out of Selina�s grasp to touch Leslie�s face. The doctor didn�t move.

Bruce tensed, stepping forward a little. Leslie waved him off. After a moment, Lucy nodded and returned her hand to Selina�s.

�You�re going to help me,� Lucy said. �Like you helped all the other kids.�

�That�s right,� Leslie smiled encouragingly. �Come with me,� she requested. Lucy slid off the chair and followed her into the examining room. Leslie shut the door behind her.

Selina and Bruce settled back to wait, not looking at each other.

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Much later, Leslie reemerged, closing the door softly. She spoke quietly to Selina and Bruce, who stood.

�Join me on the roof,� she invited. �I need some fresh air.�

Selina, Bruce and Leslie climbed three flights of stairs onto the clinic�s roof, the early April breeze fresh and cool on their skin. It was sunny outside, the pale blue sky lacking both winter�s chill and the hazy summer heat which made seasonal rooftop meetings so uncomfortable in Gotham otherwise. Selina turned her face to the sun, awaiting Leslie�s verdict.

�Do you want the good news or the bad news first?� the doctor asked them.

�There�s bad news?� Selina asked, her heart in her throat.

Leslie shook her head. �Anything I can�t quantify is always bad news.�.

�How is she, physically?� Bruce asked.

Leslie sighed, folding her arms across her small chest, her white lab coat flapping in a sudden gust of wind. �There are obvious signs that she is the product of incest,� she said quietly. �Two ribs are missing from her lower left side. It�s affected the way her spinal cord has developed. I�m afraid the limp is permanent.�

Bruce nodded. Selina�s eyes widened but she said nothing.

Leslie continued with her diagnosis slowly, looking out across the East End neighborhood. �Lucy is small for her age. Malnourishment, I think, rather than something at the genetic level. But she is extremely bright and possesses more self-awareness and control than children twice as old.�

�You�ve confirmed her status as a metahuman?� Bruce asked bluntly. Leslie nodded, knowing why he�d asked: he�d wanted Selina to know.

�Telepathy, telekinesis, advanced intellect�I�ve run every test I know of and she�s off the charts for everything. STAR Labs would be able to give you a more detailed account of her abilities, but yes, Lucy is a metahuman. A powerful one for such a young age. Telepathic ability, even in metas, isn�t usually manifested until early adolescence. I expect her powers will grow exponentially as she matures. Her mother was powerful?�

Leslie met Bruce�s eyes and something passed between them that Selina didn�t quite understand. He bowed his head and Leslie turned from him, wanting so badly to take the big, strong man in her arms and allow him to cry. She�d known for a long time that Bruce was incapable of such an easy release.

�I suppose the question now becomes what to do with her,� Leslie began. Selina and Bruce both spoke at the same time.

�I think that we�ll-�

�Lucy should-�

They each halted in mid-sentence, glancing uncertainly at each other. Leslie smiled, nodding at Selina. �You first,� she said gently.

Selina folded her arms, taking an adversarial stance. �I don�t want her in an orphanage,� she said quietly, deliberately, staring at Bruce. �Or treated like a lab rat at some glorified metahuman prison. Clark told me what happens to metahuman children in places like that.�

Bruce nodded in agreement, surprising her. She�d thought he�d want to put Lucy on a boom tube to STAR Labs immediately.

�Would you want her?� Leslie asked Selina carefully. Selina closed her eyes and Leslie continued softly. �Lucy trusts you. She says you�re quiet.�

�Obviously she wasn�t listening to me snore last night,� Selina joked, her eyes much more serious than her tone. Leslie shook her head.

�Lucy tried to explain it to me. She says you�re �dark�. I think she can read people�s thoughts very easily. When she touches anyone but you all of their emotions flood in. She sees their pasts and futures. It�s overwhelming, to say the least. You�re closed to her.�

�And Bruce?� Selina asked, looking at him. Leslie frowned but Bruce nodded, wanting to hear it.

�He disturbs her,� Leslie said softly. �Lucy doesn�t really know why.�

Bruce seemed unmoved by Leslie�s comment. He faced Selina directly. �Would you want her?� he asked, repeating Leslie�s question.

Selina swallowed. �I�d care for her until someone more suitable could be found,� she replied, watching Bruce. Leslie�s eyes widened.

�You�re suitable, dear,� she said, alarmed that Selina believed she wasn�t qualified to care for a child.

Selina shook her head. �I�m not willing to play den mother, Leslie,� she told her. �Bad track record.�

�Holly-�

Selina clenched her fists, her eyes tight and angry. �I left Holly on the streets ten years ago, Leslie! When I became Catwoman, I decided Holly was a liability and I dumped her in a convent with Maggie. She never made it off the streets because I wasn�t willing to inconvenience myself enough to take her with me when I escaped. And then what happens? Somehow, she manages to forgive me, the Black Mask kidnaps her and Maggie, and then Holly ends up shooting someone because I failed her. Again.�

Selina breathed deeply, bringing her confession into check. She glanced at Bruce, wanting, needing, to see censure in his eyes. He only stared at her blankly. Selina continued, more slowly this time. �Ask me how I am with kids, Leslie. We don�t mix. I refuse to put another child through the blender.�

�What if it�s a choice between you, STAR Labs and Gotham Family Services?� Leslie asked Selina, knowing the woman was being too hard on herself. She�d been barely seventeen when she�d left Holly.

�Nothing permanent,� Selina said flatly.

Leslie nodded, knowing that was as much as she could expect from Selina. Commitment had never been Catwoman�s strong suit.

�Bruce?� she asked, her heart sinking. They�d spoken quietly about Lucy as she had plastered his arm.

�She doesn�t belong in state care or a metahuman lab,� he told the women. �Ideally, she belongs in a secure home with people who understand her condition but her ability to cope psychologically with the visions will deteriorate. Lucy will never be a normal child,� Bruce concluded. �She needs special care. Until we can determine exactly what that would entail, Lucy stays with us.�

�Us?� Selina asked, looking up. �At the manor, you mean?�

Bruce nodded. Selina looked out at the city, then back to him.

�I was going to move back here,� she told him quietly. �I�ve been away from the East End for too long, Bruce.�

�I need you for patrol,� Bruce told her. �Robin and Batgirl can�t handle it alone, and I�m out of commission for at least a week-�

�Five,� Leslie corrected him. �That�s the third time you�ve broken that arm, Bruce. Five weeks rest, minimum.� Her steely gray eyes and firm demeanor booked no refusal. Bruce didn�t try to argue with her, which was troubling in itself.

�You want me back in the manor, Bruce?� Selina asked him point-blank. He nodded. She kept her eyes on him. �For Lucy, for the mission, or for you?�

He could stand losing her, Bruce realized, if it could happen slowly. If he could hold her and watch it take place gradually, unwinding over long years. Everyone who had left his life had been taken without warning. It needed to be different with Selina. He knew she would go eventually, driven away from him because he was cold, calculating, cruel. But not like this. He refused to lose her by omission.

�Stay,� he uttered roughly, not caring what Leslie witnessed. Selina bent her head.

�You know I can�t. This was a one-night stand that�s lasted well beyond its expiration date.�

�You don�t believe that,� he countered. �And neither do I. We belong to each other, Selina.�

She straightened, facing him directly. �And what does that say about us as people, Bruce? Is this all we ever get?�

It�s more than I�ve ever had, he wanted to say, knowing that it wasn�t true for her. She had something more waiting for her.

Bradley.

Bruce tightened his jaw, crossing the roof to touch her, the sun strange on his face. Leslie watched them both, her expression soft and sad.

�I need you, Selina,� he whispered.

For a moment she was reminded of something that had happened between them during the No Man�s Land a few years ago. Batman - and he was firmly Batman then - had wanted Catwoman to steal a computer disk and bring it to him. She�d asked him how he could possibly pay her to do such a thing and he�d kissed her hungrily, promising payment with his body. The sheer arrogance of the move had shocked her: the computer disk had to be valuable and Selina doubted even Batman was that good. She�d broken his kiss and asked, �What else?�

Selina couldn�t quite shake the feeling that he was trying the same thing again. She looked into his eyes, half-expecting to see Batman�s cowl firmly in place. Instead, in the warm spring sunshine, Bruce Wayne stood before her, his eyes open and honest. He�s a boy scout, she reminded herself. He has nothing to gain if you stay. That last thought had the strongest ring of truth, at least to Selina�s ears. He wanted her. Loved her, maybe. Before she could reconsider, Selina Kyle made perhaps the biggest mistake of her life. She said, �Yes.�