Chương 21: Chapter 21: Riddle Me This
What is always on its way here but never arrives?
Since the fates apparently hated him, Danny's first case back on the job was not outside of Gotham.
"Riddle me this, Johnson, what belongs to you but is used by others?"
Danny was ready to purposefully crash the car if it meant an escape from the constant stream of words flowing from the Riddler's mouth. It was like dealing with a kid on a sugar high, just a continuous babble that never stopped. He wasn't even registering the words anymore.
"My patience," he hissed lowly, answering his riddle but not with the answer he knew Nygma wanted.
Thank god Danny could drive with one hand, because his other hand was now clenched onto that damned cane of Nygma's after the man had tried to poke him with it. "Try me," Danny hissed, sparing a second to glare at the Riddler with narrowed eyes.
Riddler slouched back in the passenger seat. "You're as much fun as Bats."
Danny rolled his eyes. This was quickly feeling more and more like a babysitting gig. He wanted nothing more than to ignore the snide remark, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't affect him at all. Being cooped up for so long had definitely worn his patience down, and he was very aware that being this bitchy meant he now acted very similar to Batman. It wasn't something he was proud of, but there were worse things he could be compared to.
"I'm touched, really," Danny replied flatly as he pulled the car into the parking garage. He was surprised he made it the entire trip without exploding. "Do you remember the rules?" They were not going to step foot inside until Danny knew Nygma was going to behave. It wasn't that he was incredibly dangerous or anything, but the criminal was a loose cannon, and as much as Danny hated to admit it, he was not anywhere near healed yet.
"Yes, yes, I know: no scavenger hunts, no unsolvable riddles, no explicitly criminal activity– we've been over this." To his ire, the Riddler had already opened the door and climbed halfway out before he had even fully stopped the car. "Let's go, Johnson!"
Danny sighed as he rushed to follow after the eccentric man. Nygma was one of the few that insisted on wearing their entire costume, and his green suit certainly drew attention as they walked into the building, no matter how normal this routine had become. He tried to ignore the flashing phone cameras as the passed through the Children Hospital's lobby, knowing that his movements were now being followed by thousands online. Despite knowing that the Justice League (read: Batman) was monitoring everything that was posted, it still unsettled him.
Today they were here to talk to a young cancer patient who had recently lost his eyes in preventative surgery. His new lack of vision hadn't stopped the boy's passion for reading, and that's why Edward Nygma had been requested to read aloud the next few chapters from some popular young adult mystery series. Danny honestly wasn't sure which of them was more excited for today.
"Mr. Riddler! I've got the book picked out already!" A happy voice called out once the two of them finally found the hospital room they were looking for.
Danny and Nygma both peered curiously at the boy sitting in the hospital bed as they entered his room. "Well done, Harrison," Nygma grinned as he clapped. "But how did you know it was me?"
The boy tilted his head more accurately in their direction, allowing them to better see the bandages over where his eyes had been. "Easy," he chirped cheekily, "I've been saying that to everyone who's walked in this morning."
"I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness," the Riddler began as he made his way over to an empty seat next to Harrison's bed. "I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscle, yet I rule two hemispheres. What am I?" He poked at the boy's leg with his cane.
"Two hemispheres, four lobes– that's a brain!"
"Correct!" Nygma leaned back in satisfaction. Danny knew that he respected intellect similar to his own, which is why he so enjoyed going after Batman. The wittiness of this kid had definitely raised his expectations of the visit. "And you've got a particularly clever one. Now, what'll we be reading on this fine day, Mr. Harrison?"
The two of them were clearly going to be fine on their own, and so Danny pulled a chair next to the door and sat down as well. There was no reason he couldn't enjoy the story, too.
What is always on its way here but never arrives?
The Riddler had read four chapters– maybe five, Danny wasn't sure, they were long and blended into each other– before the criminal and child patient had begun a heated debate about who really was the traitor in the book's boarding school. There were lots of hand gestures, Harrison had come close to accidentally slapping Nygma in the face with his movements, voices were raised passionately, and a nurse who was checking in stopped by to comment that he hadn't been this lively in weeks.
All of that had come crashing to a halt with Harrison abruptly paused and muttered, "My head hurts," before collapsing back limply onto the bed. The nurse rushed forward to check his vitals while shouting "CODE BLUE!" into her radio. Danny vaguely knew what a code blue was, and as Harrison started to shake, his assumption was confirmed. He grabbed Nygma– who hadn't moved– by the arm and dragged him out of the room just as a number of medical personnel flooded in.
"He'll be okay," Danny said as they both collapsed against the opposite wall in the hallway. He knew the words were empty (because he had no idea if the boy was alright) but with how tightly Nygma's hand was clenched around his cane, he felt the need to say something to help.
"What is always on its way but never arrives?" The Riddler whispered after the two had stood in silence for several minutes, waiting for the majority of the doctors and nurses to emerge from Harrison's room. He looked at Danny with a haunted shadow in his gaze. "Something tells me you've encountered this dilemma many times before."
Danny looked away from him, trying to fight back tears that threatened to leak free. "Tomorrow," he answered lowly. "Tomorrow never arrives for some of these kids."
"And for Harrison?"
Danny didn't answer at first. How could he answer? They didn't know what was going on in that room. "He will," he finally answered. "He'll make it," he repeated, this time with some strength to his voice.
By some miracle, Danny was right. They'd waited 15 more minutes before Harrison's door had opened, and by the relieved expressions on everyone's faces, he was going to be alright. A nurse had ushered them both back in to see for themselves while the boy was still awake, and Danny had watched Nygma lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder and promise to come back the next day to continue reading.
"We have many more tomorrows to finish reading," Nygma had said, and Harrison's smile back made Danny's day.
To the many of you that have asked for the Riddler: it took me a few years but he's finally here! Thanks for the continued reviews and views, glad y'all enjoy it as much as I do.
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