Stitches || Scarecrow

Ch.19

Julia remembered the day when she first stood on Jonathan's doorstep. It was autumn then and now, and just like last time, she hesitated. Some leaves swirled down the street, making her jump. The buildings on either side of the house in front of her loomed menacingly, casting their shadows on the road.

She remembered when the risk of being recognized was too great, and she packed her belongings and brought Arkham with her as she moved in with Jonathan. Those months were filled with happier memories. They were almost normal lovers besides doing acts of crime throughout Gotham.

She raised her hand and knocked three times. It echoed and then she heard a loud meow. She smiled as she recognized Arkham, it sounded like he knew it was her.

Then she heard footsteps and the door opened suddenly, letting out an orange square of light, blinding her temporarily.

The first thing she noticed was that Jonathan looked like mess. His hair was disheveled, shirt wrinkled, and his glasses were no where in sight. He looked like he hadn't slept for days, and maybe he hadn't. But right now he just stared in shock as she stared in surprise. Arkham interrupted them as he started to rub against Julia's leg. She picked him up while stroking his head.

"Will you come in?" Jonathan asked in a daze. His blue eyes searched her hazel ones desperately for an answer.

Julia nodded hesitantly and strode past him to the couch. Journals and books were piled everywhere in hazardous piles, with a couple of broken vials in the corner.

Jonathan sat next to her on the couch, leaving enough space between them that made her heart ache painfully. While he just kept looking at her with his calculating gaze. She shifted subconsciously and put Arkham down on the ground.

"Hey." she said softly.

His blue eyes suddenly grew slightly hard. "You've been gone for a month, and all you can say is hey?" he asked coldly.

"Jonathan I... Nothing can take back that I left... That I left you. But I was scared of telling you why. And I didn't know what you would do."

"I loved you Julia. I would've listened."

"I know. And I'm so sorry. But I didn't know how to tell you!"

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I should've told you and I hope that you can forgive me."

His eyes softened somewhat. But his voice was still cold. "Care to tell me the reason then?"

She looked down at her lap and softly whispered, "I have cancer..."

She was surprised to feel his arms suddenly wrap around her, pulling her close to his chest. She sobbed as he slowly rocked her back and forth.

"I'm scared." she whispered.

"Don't be." Jonathan said in her ear. "I told you I would protect you always and I would never lie to you. You hear me? I will always be there."

She could hear the sadness in his voice as they sat together on the couch. "I don't have long, Jonathan. They gave me three months at the most."

"Don't listen to them. I am a doctor also and I will find a cure or I'll invent one if needed."

"I think they're more qualified than you." she laughed weakly. "They know more about health than you do."

"Damn their knowledge!" he said suddenly.

Julia pulled back in surprise. "Did you just swear?" she asked. "I've never heard you swear before..?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "Out of our whole conversation on how long you'll have to live, you only pay attention to the part that I swore?"

She smiled as her tears dried, and grabbed his hand tightly. "I want to remember the good moments. Not the ones where I'm sobbing my eyes out like a child."

His eyes were guarded. "I will cure you."

"I have no doubt you'll try."

...

"You feel any different?"

"No." Julia said slowly. "But I'm hungry."

Jonathan sighed. "Is food more important than your life at the moment."

"It is if I'm starving. Plus I'm supposed to be eating three meals a day and it's past lunch."

"Junk food is not a meal."

"It is to me." with that Julia got up and left him in his study.

Jonathan stared sullenly at his latest cure. None of them were having the effect he wanted. But what was eating at the back of his mind was that he was a villain. A person who created a substance to break people's minds. Not cure people from cancer.

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. As he was about to put his glasses on, he noticed his hands were shaking slightly. Fascinating he thought, how emotions affected you mentally and physically.

A clatter interrupted his musings and made him jolt to his feet. But when he heard Julia talking to Arkham, who must have knocked something over, he sat back down and put his head between his hands.

This wasn't going to work. And through the next two months and a half, nothing worked. Everything he made just wouldn't work.

And somewhere in the back of his mind, he already knew he couldn't save her.