Three hours later
She made Gabriel as comfortable as possible. When his eyes first opened, Gabriel thought he had been moved to a hospital bed. The soft blankets were tucked up to his chin and his head rested on two stacked pillows. Gabriel felt warm and relaxed.
Then his entire body ached all over all at once.
"I knew you would get off on that, Gabriel!' Harley said joyously.
Through the pain, Gabriel looked Harley in the eyes. "Get me some aspirin."
"Sure pudding!"
Harley returned with a glass of water and the medication. "You know, Harley, I did enjoy our fight."
"You did?' Harley was surprised at the confession. She had punched her new found love pretty hard.
"It made me think."
"About what?" she asked.
Gabriel gently, but swiftly, embraced and kissed Harley Quinn. The zipper on her red and white bodysuit came down as a wave of confusion moved through Harley.
"No..no.." she murmured, as she pulled back in a panic. "You can't...I'm..."
Gabriel drew her back and the top of the suit fell away, revealing bare shoulders and arms and breasts, all of which Gabriel caressed softly. Harley removed her jester's cap and Gabriel reached to untie her black eye mask.
"NO!" she blurted, grasping his wrists. Her eyes burned into his. Then she guided his hand back to her body, where Gabriel completely removed her body suit. Harley was occupied removing his jeans.
9 a.m. Saturday
When Harley woke and rolled over, she found Gabriel sleeping soundly. Kissing her lover, she played with his hair for a minute until he opened his eyes. He took her in his arms.
"Gabriel, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are we...friends?"
Gabriel was surprised by the question. "Yes, we are!"
"Good! Because I really enjoyed last night. I wondered if I could come over sometimes...when I feel.."
"Lonely?" asked Gabriel, gently, realizing that a notorious criminal, wearing nothing but her eye mask, had just proposed they get serious.
"Yeah...that too! And we could do stuff together...I mean, not just this."
"Of course, Harley! I like you a lot." He kissed Harley Quinn and real happiness consumed Harley for the first time in many years.
As Gabriel sat on the side of the bed, pulling on his socks, asking Harley what she wanted for breakfast, she hugged him warmly from behind. "And we can play rough, Gabriel?"
"Any time you want!"
"Great!" blurted Harley.
The first neck chop put Gabriel in a KO daze. He wasn't asleep but he was not awake when he slumped on Harley's chest. Tilting his head sideways, exposing the throat, Harley kissed a spot below his ear and delivered a second blow. Gabriel settled into prolonged knock out.
When Gabriel recovered, all traces of Harley Quinn were gone.
6 p.m. Monday
Going straight to the Amazonia Boxing Club from work, Gabriel saw a small crowd around the front entrance, where an ambulance had backed up. Three EMTs rolled out an unconscious woman secured in a gurney. The disheveled blond hair looked familiar to Gabriel, so he got closer, only to see his ex, Kim, clad in her usual skimpy shorts and top, being loaded into the ambulance.
"What happened?" he asked his friend Peter, who was watching.
"Someone jumped Kim in the women's locker room." explained Peter. "Decked her good."
"Probably another pissed off girlfriend." Gabriel suggested.
8 a.m. Thursday
Five police cars, lights flashing, were lined up by the jewelery store across from his apartment. A woman told him the store had been hit overnight.
"Cleaned it out completely," she added, wondering what Gabriel was smiling about.
4 p.m. Friday
A gift box was sitting on the custodian's desk. It had been delivered for Gabriel, the door man explained
Placing it on his own desk a few minutes later, Gabriel read the note on the lid.
"This is for you, puddin!" it read. "See you at ten!"
Damn yes!, Gabriel thought, lifting away the lid.
A stream of red and white gas issued from the box, covering Gabriel's face. It was quick.
Gabriel felt very relaxed and light headed. He couldn't even fight to keep his eyes open for long. Gabriel dropped to the carpet, content and unconscious, exactly where Harley revived him four hours later.