The Doctor

Chapter 22: A New Profession

It has been a couple of weeks since the... moment at the club. Neither of us has brought anything up since, and I'm most definitely not gonna start said conversation. However, I have noticed that Joker has been way more cuddly since then. Which has been difficult on my heart with arms suddenly wrapping around me. Lots of stress involved, luckily he has been easier to get along with as well. Like, for instance, I was allowed to go on an outing with Rose. I was so glad that Joker finally let me have a day out. Well, at least one without him. Rose came by this morning and asked if I wanted to go to a new café in town. After some tense moments and pleading on Rose's part, we headed out. The café was pretty quaint with only a couple of sitting areas, but it tasted amazing. We stayed there for around an hour before we started making our way home. At the moment we are wandering around the shopping district, not wanting to end the day yet. However, our conversation was cut short by some scuffling in an alley we were passing.

"Let's go see what that was." Rose urged, grabbing my arm and yanking me towards it. Digging my feet into the ground, I stopped her pursuit.

"I really don't think we should do that. It could be some bad people... or just a rat, and I don't want to see either." I protested.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She thankfully muttered, moving away. Of course, her steps were stopped short when a cracked voice sounded out of the alley.

"H-help... please". With a gasp, Rose yanked me into the alley before I could stop her.

"Hello? Where are you?" She said loudly, dragging me in further.

"Rose, please. This is a bad idea." I whispered sharply, trying to stop her movement. Sadly, with another gasp, she ran to the other side of a dumpster.

"Hurry, Alex! They need help." Rose shouted, and with a shiver, I made my way over to her. When I walked over, I saw a man slumped against the dumpster. He looked really pale, with a puddle of blood underneath him. My instincts kicked in and I quickly crouched down.

"Don't worry sir. I'm a vet so I might be able to stop the bleeding." I told him as I started lifting up his shirt. Suddenly, his hand shot out and wrapped into my hair. I let out a yelp as I was yanked down. Rose screamed behind me and out of the corner of my eye, I saw three other men come out of nowhere.

"Well, well, well," One sneered, obviously the leader with his eyebrow cocked and a swagger to his step.

"What have we here? A couple of little mice out here. All alone." He snickered, flicking his hand towards Rose. Another man darted forward and grabbed her arms as she started to scream. Panic settled in my gut as I watched her cry, but my gaze was broken when the man holding my hair stood up and took me with him. I hissed in pain, grabbing onto his wrist in my hair.

"We got lucky today brothers. This one here has medical experience." The man behind me said, releasing my hair and pushing me forward.

"Please," I heard Rose whisper, voice cracking. Their smiles only grew.

"Don't hurt her." I snarled, stepping forward to grab Rose. A hand met my face with a slap and I stumbled sideways. Shaking my head to clear my vision, I glared at the leader in front of me. I have to at least get Rose out of here. With a shout, I dove towards the guy holding her, kicking him in the crotch and dragging Rose away. The leader cursed at me and grabbed my hair once again, yanking me backward painfully. Luckily, I pushed Rose towards the alley exit.

"Run! Just go! I'll be fine." I yelled at her as one guy started stalking towards her. With one last desperate look towards me, she bolted the other way.

"I'll go get help." She yelled as she turned a corner. Now, It was just me and the four guys. All that was left was a primal need to escape. I clawed at the leader, kicked wildly, and slammed my head into his nose. I managed to make one or two of my blows count. The hold left my hair and I scrambled to get my footing, turning wildly to the side, and aiming myself toward the exit and the freedom just beyond. A solid weight slammed me into the ground suddenly, knocking the wind from my lungs. Shrieking, I twisted, teeth bared as I kicked and raked at whatever presented itself to me. It was the guy who grabbed me first. The other three guys came toward me and I screamed again, wishing that Joker was here. But he wasn't. Run! I've never listened to anything more in my life. Escape! One guy forced my arms behind me, wrists pressed together until my bones shifted, his hand pressed against the back of my neck to keep me down. I struggled to break free, screaming and yelling the whole time. A prick on my neck made me thrash harder, but my muscles slowly relaxed. Tingling sensations flowed through me as tears started leaking out of my eyes. With one last pitiful whine, I went limp and the world went dark.