No One Can Know || Victor Zsasz

thirty nine

Novella awoke to a pounding headache and a severe need for her dog. She sat up halfway in her bed and looked around the room. It didn't take long for her to guess where she was if the white walls and green recliner weren't enough of a tell, then the loud machines that were now beeping like crazy was a dead give away. She was in the damn hospital . . . again. It didn't take long for her thoughts to drift to two entirely over-protective men she knew -Vic and Jim.

The sigh she let out was nothing short of exasperation and the nurse that walked in while she was letting it out could tell.

"I'm guessing you just realized that you're gonna have to deal with a worried father and boyfriend." The short red-head let out a laugh as she began to check Novie's vitals.

"Well it won't be the first time," Novella said. She had completely disregarded the way the nurse called Jim her father, it happened a lot and was an honest mistake. "Lay it on me miss, whats amiss?"

Novella's lame joke got a small chuckle from the nurse, but pulled a loud laugh from the doorway. She jerked her had quickly to the side, earning a burning sensation up her neck which she ignored, and laid her eyes on her hit-man.

"You're funny when you're all doped up on drugs," he said and then took a sip from the coffee cup in his hand. She had a strong feeling that it wasn't actually coffee.

"Yeah well enjoy it buck-o because I'll be boring ole' me before long." She felt her speech start to drag a little bit a wondered if it had been like that sense she woke up and she just hadn't noticed it due to the whole ordeal of being in a hospital.

"You aren't that boring," Victor said as he walked toward her. As soon as he got close enough she could smell the strong aroma of the whiskey that was in his coffee cup. "Your baking makes up for it anyways."

He leaned down to kiss her but she turned her head quickly and put up her hand.

"You aren't kissing me with whiskey breath."

"C'mon muffin, it isn't even that bad." He shot a pleading look at his girlfriend and then at the nurse who was checking a few of the machines.

"I'm sorry Mr. Zsasz, but I can smell it over here." The nurse shook her red bob out a little as she laughed.

Novella realized, as everyone was cutting up, that she had no idea why she was in the hospital. All she remembered was getting ready for the fundraiser at the orphanage, and then blanks. It was like someone had stolen the information right out of her head. She knew something had been there, but she just didn't know what.

"Hey Vic?" She grabbed his cool hand in hers and pulled his attention to focus on her. Despite the obvious alcohol intake that she knew had gone on, he seemed completely unaffected.

"Yes muffin?" She grimaced at the nickname, but ignored it - for now.

"Why am I here?" Her question caused all the playfulness to disappear from his face, but he didn't answer her. Instead he shewed the nurse out and told her he had to go grab Jim before he could explain everything.

So she waited in that room for twenty minutes by herself. She counted the tiles on the ceiling and then pulled at various threads on her blanket. If she hadn't been a little drugged up then she probably would've gone out of her mind, but she just got mildly bored.

•*•*•*• 

Victor was internally loosing his mind, more than he had when he first decided to become an assassin. He knew exactly what had happened three nights ago at the orphanage. Between Jim Gordon and Penguin, he'd gotten the gist of it, but just to be sure he snuck into Arkham to interrogate the Pyg. All in all he'd gotten everything he needed out of all sources available to him on short notice.