Chapter 23

The Riddler had specific instructions about how he wanted Butch and Tabitha to be handled. Butch was to be completely mummified in duck tape, tied to something heavy, and sunk to the bottom of the pier so that he wouldn't be discovered for at least the next... thirty years. And as for Tabitha, he'd promised Barbara that he'd keep her alive - but he never said for how long. Tabitha had gone out angry, and he knew that if he didn't get rid of her, that she was likely to come back for revenge. He couldn't have that happen. So he'd cooked up an elaborate plan to suspend her from the underside of one of the bridges leading to the Narrows, with nothing more than a pair of handcuffs around her ankles. If she managed to squeeze herself out of the cuffs, there'd be an ninety percent chance of her falling to her death. Either that or remain suspended, and the blood rush to her brain would first give her a stroke, then shut down in three days.

Butch's corpse had been sent off with two grunts. And as for Tabitha, Nygma intended to handle her alone, for the cautionary reason that she might wake up mid-journey, plus he didn't want to have any witnesses. He never fully trusted hired hands. Money would always make their tongues wag. Getting her into the trunk of his car however, wasn't something he was particularly enjoying. The woman didn't look as heavy as she felt in his hands, and he was dragging her around for the most part.

"What the hell is this?" Selina came face to face with Nygma at the elevator, an unconscious Tabitha at his feet.

"Kitty cat," he replied with a sheepish smile, wondering if she'd be trouble. He knew Selina had recently been following Tabitha about, but she'd never made it clear which side she was on. "In case you're wondering, Tabby's just taking a nap. I'm about to take her for a car ride."

"Whyyyy?" Selina followed him as he proceeded to drag Tabitha out of the elevator.

He stopped moving to take his handkerchief out of his pocket to dab the beads of sweat off his forehead. "Because, this relationship between Barbara and Tabitha isn't working out. I'm sure you already know that."

"I do," Selina agreed. "But why is she unconscious? Who did this to her?"

Ed hesitated, then decided to go with a half-truth. "I did, but I only did that to protect her."

"What?"

"Look, Barbara found Butch and Tabitha conspiring against her in the filing room. If I hadn't knocked Tabby out, she'd be lying at the bottom of the river with her boyfriend right now, alright? I did her a favor."

Selina crossed her arms across her chest, she seemed to buy most of what he'd said. "So what do you plan to do with her now?"

"Drive her as far away from Barbara as possible," lied Ed, picking Tabby up again by the shoulders.

"I'll come with," offered Selina, picking up Tabby's feet.

"No, you will not. I'm doing this alone," he insisted.

"I'm not leaving Tabitha, you'll take me to wherever you're taking her."

"No I won't."

"Yes you will, otherwise we'll be standing here till Tabby wakes up." She clung firmly to Tabitha's feet. Ed attempted to drag her away from Selina, but found that the three of them rooted to the same spot, swaying back and forth like some mad game of tug of war.

"This is ridiculous!" he finally blurted out.

"It is what it is."

"Fine! You can come. But you best make sure she doesn't return here. I don't think she'd survive another encounter with Barbara."

"That much we can agree on." Selina began moving in tandem with Nygma, noticing the spot of blood left on the ground when Tabitha was moved. "Take us to a hospital Ed, Tabby doesn't look like she's doing so good."

Ed rolled his eyes. Selina was vastly ruining his original plans for Tabitha. Still, he had to admit that he was quite ready to switch his plans if it was going to take Tabitha off his hands. "Hospital? Nah. I happen to know a talented someone who'd do a bang up job for nearly no money at all, and she'd be living in the Narrows."

She stopped moving again. "You kidding me, Nygma?"

"Dr. Lee Thompkins," he replied with a snarky smile. "I recently discovered that she's moved into the Narrows, and has opened a free clinic. No paperwork involved. A strict doctor-to-client confidentiality relationship. And she's still the same good doctor as before."

"Dr. Lee Thompkins, like the one with Detective Jim Gordon?"

"Well, they aren't together anymore, but that's quite another story." He began tugging on Tabitha again, though he found Selina un-moving, lost in her thoughts. "Are you coming?"

"I am," she said, and together, they loaded Tabitha into Nygma's backseat with Selina seated at her side.

---

"Yooo hooo!" Nygma sang out as both he and Selina carried Tabitha through a sea of sick people, jam packed into a little office on the ground floor of a block of apartments.

"Hey, you'll have to wait in line," a youth in jeans and a spiked up-do said from behind a desk. Nygma could only assume that she was hired as the assistant.

"Emergency situation," shrugged Nygma with a smile. "What can you do, am I right?"

A large man in a baseball shirt stepped into his way. "Everyone here's an emergency case, you're not the only one." He pointed over Ed's shoulder. "To the back of the line."

Nygma dropped his smile, and pulled out a revolver. "You were saying?"

One of the female patients pointed directly at him and said with a gasp, "Isn't this The Riddler?"

"Thank you!" said Ed out loud. "Someone with half a brain. Now all you plebs, time to leave."

"You can't do that," argued the assistant, even though some of the patients were already starting to make their way out of the clinic.

The door behind Ed opened, and Lee stepped out. "Everyone freeze!" she commanded authoritatively. The room turned to her. She pointed to Ed and Selina. "The two of you, get in here. The rest of you, stay."

Ed put away his revolver and carried Tabitha into the doctor's office, just as her previous client; a young girl and her sickly mother, shuffled out nervously.

"I appreciate you not scaring my patients," chided Lee, shutting the door behind her. Ed and Selina placed Tabitha on what looked like a stolen stretcher, all wrapped up in plastic. The room itself felt a little more spacious than the waiting space outside, but only because it was much too crowded there. A quick glance allowed Selina to spot all the cabinets full of medicine that Lee had built into the walls. There was a movable table full of surgical equipment as well, one of those mobile surgical lamps, and a tap in the corner with rubber gloves hung on the corner. For a low budget, Lee had really taken the effort to prepare for every eventuality. She was impressed. "Now what's the problem here?"

Selina did a backhanded point at Nygma. "This guy knocked Tabitha out. I saw that she's bleeding in the back of the head, so I thought she should be checked out."

Lee shot a disapproving look at Ed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Anyway, I did my job, now she's in your hands," Ed said to Selina, and made a little wave with his fingers. "Toodeloo!" With that, he marched out of Lee's office and headed back to his car.

"You hanging out with the likes of him?" Lee asked her as she turned Tabitha over to study the wound.

"Let's just say, he's the acquaintance of an acquaintance."

Lee nodded in understanding. "Well, she has a mild concussion, but with a little rest, I think she should be just fine."

Selina stood up gratefully, and thought about moving Tabitha on her own, remembering suddenly that Nygma had just left. "Lee, is there anywhere we can hang out till Tabby wakes up on her own?"

"Yeah," she said pointing to a backdoor. "There's a little room at the back with a bed. It's kinda noisy, but I don't exactly think Tabitha will mind."

"No she won't," Selina replied with a smile.