On the way back, Alan sat in the passenger seat while Anna sat in the back watching the kids. The patrol car sped off the Narrows and pulled up beside the gleaming golden arches of a McDonald's in the Burnley District.
"Here." Marco pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Alan. "Go in and get something to eat. You can get the toys."
The two rookies exchanged a glance, then opened the doors. Harper and Cullen climbed out after them. A gust of cold wind blew in, and Harper instinctively pulled her brother closer. Marco watched the four of them head toward the restaurant, hesitated, then rolled down the window and called out, "You two can get toys too!"
Their footsteps immediately turned into excited bounces as they hurried toward the bright lights under the arches. The doors shut, sealing out the noise. The silence inside the car grew several times louder, only his breathing and the faint electric hum from the dashboard remained.
He pulled out his phone and dialed. After a few rings, an enthusiastic and irreverent voice came through.
"Hey, buddy. You finally remembered me?"
"Honestly, I kind of did miss you," Marco sighed. "I trained two rookies this afternoon. They're way worse than you. I didn't think anyone could be dumber than you."
"Of course I'm..." Darnell suddenly cut himself off. "Something feels off. Are you... complimenting me?"
"Sure. Let's not get hung up on details. I need a favor." Marco hurried to change the subject. "I revisited that domestic violence case we handled before, in the Narrows, remember?"
"That hellhole? Of course I remember... but I can't recall the guy's name. I only remember him being drunk out of his mind. Probably doesn't even remember his own name." Darnell actually sounded amused. "Taking two rookies to the Narrows is pretty risky. What do you need? Advice for them?"
"No. I took his two kids out. I'm looking for a place to settle them."
"Are you out of your mind?" Darnell's tone shifted immediately. "By protocol, you have to report to CPS immediately. Otherwise, if they accuse you of kidnapping or... something even worse—"
"I know it breaks protocol," Marco cut him off. "But you also know that in the past five years, CPS lost track of more than twelve hundred kids because their files had 'technical damage.' For a six-thousand-dollar placement reward per kid, who knows where they're dumping them."
Silence.
Only Darnell's heavy breathing on the line. After a long moment came a weary, burdened sigh.
"Shit... damn it... you're right. I know. Tell me. What do you need?"
"Have your girlfriend call the Gotham Gazette or Gotham TV anonymously. Tell them the East End Precinct uncovered a child abuse case and the victims' situation is tragic. They'll be interested."
"No problem. But you need legal documentation from a medical institution." Darnell hesitated. "You want me to go hit on some doctor at the general hospital?"
"For fuck's sake, shut up and listen." Marco felt a headache coming on. "You once told me gossip that Dr. Thompkins had a thing with Gordon. True?"
"Of course it's true! Absolutely! Everyone knows Dr. Thompkins' a good person, my guess is Gordon was just a jerk!" Darnell perked up instantly. "Back then the two of them—"
"Thanks, goodbye! Just do what I said, ASAP!"
"Hey... hello?"
Hearing the dial tone, Darnell sounded disappointed. "I heard they were in the precinct locker room—"
---
Marco sat in the car for a while, watching the two rookies and two kids walk back out of the McDonald's glow, each holding a teddy bear toy.
"You guys all got Happy Meals?"
"Yeah, there's a limited-edition toy right now." Anna handed him a small paper box. "Sir, we brought you an apple pie."
"Huh? Oh, thanks." Marco put the pie on the dashboard. "You two, take a taxi back to the precinct right now." He gave them two ten-dollar bills. "Anna, take the photos you just took to Tech so they can develop them immediately. Alan, go straight to the chief and report everything that happened today. Then tell him the media already has the tip, and I'm taking the kids to Gotham Charity Clinic for medical assessment. He'll know what to do."
"Yes, sir!"
The two saluted and left with the camera. He glanced at the back seat. "You two okay back there?"
"I think so, but Officer, you have to drive slowly." Harper gripped the door handle with one hand and held her brother with the other. "If you drive too fast, the seatbelt will cut my head off."
"Okay. I'll be careful."
Marco slowly started the car, merging into traffic at exactly the lower speed limit. Thanks to his badge, not many drivers honked at him too aggressively. They crawled along for more than an hour before finally stopping in front of an old clinic in the old district.
Under the flickering neon sign, Gordon stood in the cold wind, looking pale from the wait. Seeing Marco get out with the two kids, he hurried over.
"Hi, Officer Vitale," Gordon said awkwardly. "You're here to see Dr. Thompkins?"
Marco jerked his chin toward Harper and Cullen. "I need them to get a medical health assessment."
"Okay, okay... uh..." Gordon rubbed his hands as he led them inside. "I heard your speech at headquarters this morning... I'm sorry, I... misunderstood you before. I thought you were someone Falcone could buy off... but now I know..."
"Oh, I can be bought," Marco said flatly. "We just couldn't agree on a price."
"What?"
Marco didn't wait for Gordon's reaction. He led the two kids inside and asked the front desk, "Can I see Dr. Thompkins?"
The nurse nodded. Gordon hurried to catch up behind them. He opened his mouth to protest, but then he saw the unhealed bruises on the back of Harper's hand that clutched Marco's coat. In the end, he only rubbed his face in defeat.
"She is on the second floor."
"Jim?"
A voice responded from the top of the stairs. Marco looked up. A woman in a white coat stood there, smiling at them. She had striking features, possibly some Latin heritage, with short black hair framing fine, strong features.
"Hi, Jim." She nodded to Gordon. Then her gaze shifted to Marco. "And this is...?"
"Uh... hi. This is Officer Marco Vitale from the East End Precinct," Gordon stammered, suddenly awkward. "How... how have you been lately?"
"I've been fine. How are you and Sarah?" Thompkins descended the stairs with calm steps, briefly shaking Gordon's hand. "Marco... may I call you that? I'm Leslie Thompkins. You can call me Leslie. Very nice to meet you."
"It's an honor to meet you." Marco tried to make his handshake firm and respectful. "I have an urgent matter that requires your medical expertise."
"I know. Jim told me that two children suffering domestic abuse need a medical assessment." She crouched down, gently brushing the backs of her fingers against Harper's and Cullen's cheeks. "Hi. Don't be afraid. This place is safe. You may call me Dr. Thompkins. Can you tell me your names?"
"My name is Harper, and this is my brother, Cullen." The girl tugged her brother forward, but the little boy shyly shrank back. Harper sighed and shook her head at Thompkins. "See? You can never rely on boys."
"That's not always true." Thompkins couldn't help laughing and took the girl's hand in her own. "Don't you have Officer Vitale and Detective Gordon here? They're reliable, aren't they?"
"Really?" Harper glanced suspiciously at Gordon, then suddenly asked, "You asked how he and 'Sarah' were doing earlier. Who's Sarah?"
"Whoa... whoa!"
The three adults froze, unable to figure out how to continue. Gordon's face turned crimson, his eyes darting helplessly. Marco stepped forward, shifting the topic:
"Doctor, regarding these two kids, I have another request. I haven't officially reported to Child Protective Services yet. I need your medical statement affirming that if these two children are taken by CPS, or removed from direct supervision by the precinct or myself, their lives will face an 'immediate and severe' risk."
"You haven't notified CPS?!" Thompkins shot to her feet, the warmth in her expression instantly replaced by shock. She turned to Gordon, who looked equally stunned.
"No. Medical personnel have a mandatory reporting obligation. I have to—"
"So do police officers, Doctor." Marco cut her off. "But I also trust you know exactly what kind of mess Gotham's CPS is."
Thompkins opened her mouth, but no words came out. Under the clinic's harsh pale lights, she hesitated for a moment before saying firmly, "The law is the law. I will have to notify CPS tomorrow, as required. But before that... I will examine them very, very thoroughly."
She emphasized thoroughly, and while Marco kept his expression neutral, Gordon immediately understood, Thompkins was hinting she could "adjust" the report. His expression changed, and he grabbed her arm sharply.
"No, Leslie, this is a serious violation of procedure. I know CPS has problems, but if everyone acts based on personal judgment, we'd create even more chaos. Then anyone trafficking kids could bypass authority just by claiming they don't trust CPS!" He shot a suspicious glance at Marco. "And where will you even place them? The precinct doesn't meet adoption standards! And Gotham has plenty of abused children, why only these two?"
"Because they're the ones I pulled out myself," Marco said. "They're from a case I handled—"
He exhaled hard, suppressing his frustration.
"I will find a suitable and trustworthy place for them."
"No. We cannot handle them privately. CPS must take over. We can follow the case as supervisors, monitoring every step to ensure they're properly placed. It's the only legal and most protective long-term solution."
Gordon pulled out his phone to dial. Marco gave a small, exasperated laugh and nodded.
"All right, Detective Gordon. You're right." He opened the door of an empty examination room and leaned toward Harper with a smile. "Hey, could you take your brother in there for a few minutes? Just a little while. The doctor, Detective Gordon, and I need to discuss grown-up things."
Harper looked at Marco, then nodded vigorously, holding a teddy bear in one arm and dragging Cullen with the other. He gently shut the door.
Click.
The moment the latch fell, the helplessness and resignation on Marco's face shattered like a mask. He spun around, lunged forward, and grabbed the collar of Gordon's trench coat.
BANG!!!
Gordon's entire body slammed against the clinic wall. His vision burst into stars, his phone flying from his hand and clattering onto the floor.
"James Gordon, honestly, I've had enough of you self-righteous idiots." Marco glared straight into his eyes. "You're going to 'follow up with CPS'? So are you the one deliberately losing track of those children every year? After CPS takes them, what then? Do you lie awake some night, sense something's wrong, spring into action, conduct a flawless investigation, and finally find them in some brothel in Eastern Europe? Then you heroically cross the ocean, storm the gang's lair, and rescue the kids who've been turned into prostitutes? The gang destroyed. The children saved. Corruption punished. The department praised. And you gain a noble, lawful, procedure-approved justice. Beloved by all."
He suddenly let go, tossing Gordon to the floor. Gordon collapsed, coughing violently. Marco leaned over him.
"And all of this could have been avoided. From the very beginning."
"Both of you, calm down! Stop acting like reckless teenagers!" Thompkins had rushed over the moment Marco moved. Now she squeezed herself between them, pushing against Marco's frame with all her strength.
"Enough! Do you plan to keep fighting until one of you ends up in the hospital or in jail? Or will you listen to my solution?" She shielded the gasping Gordon, glaring up at Marco, who stepped back silently. Gordon struggled up, clutching his throat, his hand instinctively moving toward his waist.
"Jim! Don't you make this worse!" Thompkins immediately noticed and swung around, arms spread to block them. "He's right! We can't take that risk!"
Gordon froze, hand hovering near his holster. Seeing the fire and resolve in her eyes, then glancing at the closed exam room door, he slumped back, defeated.
"Officer Vitale," Thompkins said, turning toward Marco. "I will issue the medical certification you need. It will state that Harper and Cullen are in 'extreme danger' and cannot be removed from a controlled medical environment for now. But I want to be perfectly clear, this does NOT mean I support your rule-breaking. It's because my clinic, the Gotham Charity Clinic, legally holds emergency shelter and short-term care qualifications. Under Article 17 of the Gotham Child Emergency Protection Act, in specific circumstances, a doctor may provide up to seventy-two hours of emergency shelter to children in 'immediate severe danger.' During that time, the clinic is fully licensed to house both of them. And I will personally take responsibility."
Everything's going according to plan.
Marco nodded expressionlessly. All his fury vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a faint glimmer of relief deep in his eyes.
"Thank you, Dr. Thompkins. And I'm sorry, Detective Gordon, you're a good man, but..."
He shook his head, gave a cold laugh, and turned toward the clinic door. Gordon watched his back as the patrol car's engine started again outside. Only when Marco disappeared did he turn back to Thompkins.
"You know I'm right, don't you?"
"Yes, Jim. You're right." Thompkins smiled at him and began leading Harper and Cullen up the stairs. "Good night. Get some rest. Sleep well."
"Good night," Gordon replied quietly. He looked out the clinic window. Under the cloud-choked night sky, only the wailing wind answered him.