Compassion for a Crane (A Jonathan Crane/ Scarecrow story)

Chapter 7 - A Gentle Touch

"We meet again Miss Hayes...How was your first day here in Gotham's finest madhouse?" He asked in a pained voice. Through the slight slurring caused by the anaesthesia, Carmen picked up on the strain in his voice and made a mental note to herself to check his chest and ribs.

"You seem to be in a rather light spirit, considering you condition" she noted as she rifled around in the bag for a cloth to clean the blood away.

"This? Oh I've received much worse than this at the hands of The Dark Knight" He tried to sound resolute as he spoke but the pain from his side was leeching into his voice. Either the guards were more heavy-handed than they used to be, or the constant beatings were beginning to take effect on his body.

"Try not to talk Dr Crane" Carmen recommended as she donned a pair of blue gloves. Her voice was softer than Crane was used to hearing in this place and he was surprised she had addressed him as 'doctor'. "You could have a cracked rib" she continued as she went over to the sink in the corner and ran the cloth under the water, waiting for it to heat up.

"If you're waiting for it to heat up you'll be waiting forevermore" Crane commented, raising his head momentarily to check what Carmen was doing. The simple gesture made him feel slightly dizzy so he placed his head back onto the bed. It didn't help he no longer had his glasses either. He felt ridiculous strapped to this bed, left at the hands of some nurse at least 7 years his junior who probably didn't know what she was doing.

"I guess they don't want you getting too comfortable here" she closed the tap and rung the water out of the cloth before kneeling down beside his bed. "I'm going to clean your face off first, let me know if It hurts" she warned before pushing his hair away from his clammy forehead. The soft gesture felt alien to Crane who had become accustomed to the rough handling of the other medics in the asylum, even when he was complying. "You've burst a blood vessel in your left eye" she noticed quietly as she ran the cool cloth over his skin, re-arranging it so she would not simply spread the blood across his face. She grabbed a small flash light from the bag and turned it on by twisting the top. "I'm just checking your pupils-"

"For a concussion. I know what you're doing. I am a doctor"

"Was" She corrected quietly "And Of psychology, not medicine, to my knowledge" Crane had no retort for this. "I need to check your chest and your ribs" she told him once she was confident his pupils were reacting appropriately.

"If you must Miss Hayes, but I can assure you I know what a broken rib feels like" He stared at the ceiling determinedly as Carmen unbuttoned the top of his orange jumpsuit and examined his chest and rib area, checking for any indication of serious injuries. She felt his stomach muscles tighten and his body tense as she gently pressed the area unsure if it was pain or uncomfortableness that had cause the reaction. She was impressed by his prediction as she found no indication that he had sustained any serious injury to his rib cage or chest, just some bruising. She was however slightly worried about his overly thin frame and was about to ask him if he had any trouble eating as her hands moved up to examine the bottom of his neck. She was cut off when he yelped and swore, his back arching from the bed momentarily as an intense pain spread through his upper body.

"I'm sorry" Carmen withdrew her hands quickly but calmly from Crane and she swore she heard Boles chuckling from his place in the doorway. "Well you were right on the money with the ribs Dr Crane but I'm afraid you've broken your left collar bone" she diagnosed, tucking some layers that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. "I'll give you some painkillers and strap up your arm to limit your motion. I'll be able to get you some sleep medication to if you have trouble sleeping from the pain" She explained, smiling softly.