Jokers child

Shopping at Trotters

One. Two. Three.
Deep breathe.
Upward dog. Hold for thirty seconds. Clear mind. Open chest.
Incoherent babbles from the other room.
One. Two. Three.
Deep breathe.
Downward dog. Hold for thirty seconds. Clear mind. Open chest.
I could hear Lucy's walker as she entered the sunroom. She dumped into me and babbled some more. I opened my eyes and smiled. "Luc Luc!"
She screamed happily. Relaxing from the yoga pose, I sat in front of her and spun one of her toys that was attached to her walker.
I remember spinning.
Spinning around on a rope.
For a crime.
On a pole for the Joker.
Stop it, Harley.
Where'd Lucy go?
I blinked and looked around the room, "Lucy?" She squealed in the kitchen, I could hear her spin something on her walker and squeal again. She's such a piggy, she always makes her way into the kitchen.
After rolling up my yoga mat I went into the kitchen, "Well, Luc, it's snack time!" Her bright green eyes turned to me, they had small wrinkles around them.
I grabbed some fruit off the counter and began slicing it up.
Slice up the Bat.
No. No. No.
Dice the Bat?
Fry the Bat?
Canola oil or vegetable oil?
Stop it.
Taking a deep breathe, I grabbed a handful of strawberries and sliced them. Then a banana. I threw all the fruit in a bowl and grabbed some baby granola, then picked up Lucy.
"Okay," I wiped some drool off her bottom lip. "I read in one of the baby books that this is the perfect time to start table training you." I snickered and set her in her stripped high chair and placed a small bowl of fruit and granola in front of her.
She babbled to me as we ate our snack. And until she fell asleep and I laid her down in her crib upstairs.
I slouch on the couch, the phone rang from the kitchen. Ugh. I got up and answered the phone. This yoga wasn't helping with the lack of energy. "Hello,"
"Is this Dr. Harleen Quinzel?" The voice was raspy and heavy, the other end of the line was eerily.
"Yes, but I've instructed all patients, and anyone in need of my profession service, to use my office number only." I sat on the kitchen counter and twisted my finger in the cord of the phone. "May I ask how you got this number, sir?"
"I'm not a current patient." The voice hissed.
I sat up straighter, what the hell? "Who is this? I don't just give out my number."
The voice laughed, wait.
Oh god
Is it?
He doesn't sound like him though.
Does he have a brother?
"My current Doctor isn't cutting it." The voice laughed again and the line ended. I held the phone to my ear, listening to the silence on the other end. But the laugh still playing in my head. My heart rate was increasing unusually fast, and at a unhealthy rate. My eyes searched the house, and all of a sudden I didn't like all the big windows that it had.
I headed upstairs and checked on Lucy.

Trotters was busy as always, whether it was moms that were shopping for their kids or moms shopping for someone else's kids. However, we were all shopping for the same thing; Halloween outfits.
Lucy was playing with a rubber hammer while sitting in her stroller, I was going through a rack of monster costumes, not amused with what was available.
The rack next to it was labeled "Mythical", which is where I found an adorable mermaid costume with a green tail and blue top. I glanced around the store, there should be costume jewelry around here, right?
We moved to the next rack labeled "Goodness, Ghosts", I pulled a white dress covered in sparkles with a hood. I laughed and hooked it on the stroller along with the other outfit I picked.
"One more Luc Luc and then we'll try them on, hu?" I peeked down at her, she glanced up at me and shook the hammer.
"What a beautiful baby." I looked up and saw an elderly women bending down to get a closer look at Lucy.
"Thanks." I said dryly. I never liked random people touching all over Lucy, especially considering who her father was. And that our whole life was suppose to be hidden. This attention for long periods of time is never good.
"Do ya want a lolli? A purple lollipop?" The women asked, I tried to get a better look at her but she was wearing a large sun hat covering her face.
She pulled her shaky hand out of her purse and held out a purple lollipop out for Lucy to take. She whispered something.
"Whoa," I pulled Lucy's stroller away from the woman and stepped in between. "Hey lady, you can't go handing out candy to people's kids. It's not even Halloween yet, ya old coot."
I went through another rake and picked out a all black witches outfit, part of it was lace and sparkly. I hooked it on the stroller and tried to push past the woman to the rack labeled "princess or princes?".
The woman didn't move. She looked up at me, her face in a painful smile that literally stretched from ear to ear. I gasped and she laughed.
"Why don't you want to give the baby a candy?" She tilted her head.
"You're barmy lady, ya know that? Can't spoil her appetite." I pulled her hat over her eyes and pushed Lucy away. The woman grabbed onto my arm and screamed.
"Don't take my baby. That's my daughter. Don't take her." Her hat fell off and her hair flew all over the place. "Help. Someone help, she's taking my child."
I pushed her down, other moms ran over to observe. "Blasted woman, stop it." She grabbed onto my arm again and I fought with her grip, that was tightening.
Kill her.
She's threatening you and Lucy.
Slit her throat.
Don't! She just crazy.
Harley, you're a doctor!
Help her!
End her- no.
She grabbed at Lucy's stroller, knocking it over. I gasped and slapped the woman hard. Lucy began crying.
"You blubbering bastard." I yelled at the old woman and went to Lucy. She was still strapped into the stroller, wiggling around, I unstrapped her as the manager walked over, and picked her up. The manager, a woman with long black hair, was wide eyes and confused.
"I'm sorry, but what is happening over here?" She wore a shirt that said, "Is this your first Halloween?"
"She's stealing my baby!" The older woman cried, her nose was bleeding from where I had hit her. She was still on the floor, her hair was all over the place, and her shirt hung off her shoulder.
"You're a nitwit. Lucy is my daughter. You came up to us trying to offer her candy." I couldn't believe she was still trying this with me. I looked at the manager, who has known Lucy and I since I've moved here from America.
"Excuse me, miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This instance."
The old lady looked at her, then at the rest of the crowd of mothers, her face still stuck in that horrid smile. She began to laugh uncontrollably, she didn't move just kept laughing. The manager ended up calling the Coppers, and as they were pulling her out of the store, she was screaming about filing a missing children's report. Still claiming that Lucy was her child.
I groaned. I hate shopping.
"Ms. Quinzel?" It was the manager, I looked at her, holding Lucy close to my chest. She was asleep now, she always falls asleep after she cries.
"Yes?"
"Those four costumes? Just take them. I'm sorry your visit was less than satisfactory." She offered a smile.
I laugh. Less than satisfactory.
Sure, let's call it that.
I grabbed the purple lollipop too.