On the way back, Allen was in the passenger seat, and Anna was in the back watching the children.
The police car sped out of the Narrows and stopped next to the brightly lit golden arches sign of a McDonald's in the Burnley District.
"Here, go inside and get something to eat." Jay pulled out an olive-green twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Allen. "You can get the toys."
The two rookies exchanged a glance, then opened the car doors, taking Harper and Cullen with them. The cold wind rushed in. Harper instinctively hugged her brother tighter.
He watched the two officers walk the children toward the restaurant, then thought better of it, rolled down the window, and shouted: "You two can get toys too!"
The steps of the four instantly became joyful and eager as they quickly ran towards the bright lights under the arches.
The car door closed, shutting out the external noise.
The silence inside the car was magnified several times, leaving only the sound of his own heavy breathing and the faint static from the dashboard.
Jay dialed a number on his phone. After a few rings, an enthusiastic yet unprofessional voice answered.
"Hey, brother. You finally remembered me?"
"To be honest, I kind of did miss you," Jay sighed. "I brought two rookies with me this afternoon. They're nowhere near your level. I really didn't think there were people dumber than you."
"Of course, I'm… wait a minute!" Wilson suddenly stopped talking, seeming to contemplate something. "That doesn't sound right. Are you… complimenting me?"
"Uh… of course. Let's not worry about the details. I need you to do me a favor."
Jay quickly changed the subject. "I just finished a follow-up visit for a domestic violence case I handled in the Narrows. Do you remember?"
"I remember that godforsaken place, of course… but I can't recall the guy's name. I just remember him being a drunken mess. He probably doesn't remember his own name either."
Wilson sounded quite interested. "Taking two rookies to the Narrows is dangerous. What do you need me to do? Mentor them?"
"No, I took his two children out and need to find a place to put them."
"Are you crazy? According to protocol, you have to report it to CPS immediately! Otherwise, if they accuse you of kidnapping or… some other, worse crime…"
"I know it's not protocol. But you should also know. In the past five years, at least over twelve hundred children handled by CPS have gone missing due to 'technical destruction' of their files."
Jay interrupted Wilson. "For the six thousand dollar placement bonus per child, who knows where they shove these kids."
The phone line went silent, only Wilson's heavy breathing audible.
After a long moment, a heavy, helpless sigh came through, as if letting go of a massive burden.
"Shit… damn it… you're right, I know." He paused. "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
"Have your girlfriend Lisa… any Lisa! Call the Gotham Gazette or Gotham TV anonymously. Tell them the East Precinct uncovered a child abuse case and the victim children are in tragic circumstances. They'll be interested."
"That's fine, but you'll need a legitimate medical certificate." Wilson mused for a moment. "Do you want me to try and charm one of the female doctors at the general hospital?"
"Damn it, shut up and listen to me." Jay felt like he was having a heart attack. "You once gossiped to me about Dr. Leslie Thompkins at the Gotham Charity Clinic having a history with Detective James Gordon at Central. Is that news accurate?"
"Absolutely! It's true! Everyone knows Dr. Leslie is a good person. I bet Gordon's the asshole!" Wilson instantly livened up. "Listen to me, they were once—"
"Thanks, bye! Get on this thing I asked you to do!"
"Hello… hello?"
Listening to the busy signal, Wilson looked disappointed.
"I heard they were in the precinct locker room…"
He sat in the car for a while, watching the four people—two adults and two children—walk out of the warm glow of McDonald's, each clutching a teddy bear toy.
"You guys all ate Happy Meals?"
"Yeah, they have limited edition toys right now." Anna carefully handed over a small, separate paper box. "Officer, we brought you an apple pie too."
"Ah? Oh, thanks." Jay placed the pie on the passenger dashboard, not wanting to open the messy glove compartment.
"Listen up, both of you. Take a taxi back to the precinct immediately." He pulled out two more ten-dollar bills and handed them over. "Anna, when you get back, immediately give the photos you took to the forensics unit to be developed.
Allen, go straight to the Chief, tell him everything that happened today. Also tell him that the media has already been informed, and I'm taking the children to the Gotham Charity Clinic for a medical assessment. He'll know what to do."
"Yes, Sir!"
The two saluted him and got out of the car with the camera.
Jay checked the back seat. "Are you secure?"
"I think so, but Officer, you have to drive slowly." Harper gripped the door handle with one hand and hugged her brother with the other. "If you drive too fast, my head will be sliced off by the seatbelt."
"OK, I'll be careful."
Jay slowly started the car, joining the traffic flow at the lower limit of the speed restriction.
Thanks to his police status, not many cars dared to aggressively honk behind him. They crept along for over an hour before finally stopping in front of an old clinic in the Old City.
Under the clinic's broken neon sign, James Gordon stood in the cold wind, his face looking slightly blue from the chill. He seemed to have been waiting for a while.
When he saw Jay leading the two children out of the car, he hurried over.
"Hi, J… Officer," Gordon looked a bit embarrassed. "You're looking for Dr. Leslie?"
Jay nodded towards Harper and Cullen. "I need a medical health evaluation for them."
"Right, right… uh…" Gordon walked ahead, rubbing his hands. "I heard your speech at Central this morning… I'm sorry. I… I misunderstood you before. I thought you were also someone who would be bought by Falcone… hmm… but now I know…"
"I am definitely the kind of person who would be bought, he just offered too little and we couldn't reach an agreement."
"Huh?"
Ignoring the stunned Gordon, Jay led the two little ones through the clinic door and asked the receptionist, "Can I see Dr. Thompkins?"
The nurse at the front desk nodded. Gordon quickly rushed in behind them. He looked like he wanted to argue, but then he noticed the unhealed bruises on the back of Harper's hand clutching Jay's coat.
Finally, he just wearily wiped his face: "…Les is on the second floor."
"Ha!" Jay raised an eyebrow at him, a smile touching his lips. "'Les' is on the second floor!"
"That was… that was all in the past."
"Yes, that was all in the past," a voice chimed in from the top of the stairs.
Jay looked up. A female doctor in a white coat stood there, smiling at them.
She might have had some Latin heritage, as her skin was slightly darker. Beneath her short black hair, her delicate features held a hint of resolve.
Although faint crow's feet had gathered at the corners of her eyes, it didn't detract from her unique blend of resilience and tenderness.
"Hi, Jim." She nodded to Gordon, her tone as flat as greeting a casual colleague. Then her gaze shifted to Jay. "And this is…"
"Uh… Hi, this is my colleague from the East Precinct, Officer Jay Li." Gordon awkwardly reached out his hand. "Hi, how… how have you been lately?"
"I'm fine. How are you and Sarah?"
Thompkins walked calmly down the stairs and shook Gordon's hand briefly. "Jay Li… May I call you Jay? Leslie Thompkins. You can call me Leslie. It's nice to meet you."
"The honor is mine, Dr. Thompkins." Jay tried to make his handshake firm and respectful. "I have a very urgent matter that requires your professional help."
"I know. Jim mentioned on the phone that two abused children need a health assessment."
She crouched down, gently rubbing Harper and Cullen's faces with the back of her hand. "Hi, little ones. Don't be scared, it's safe here. You can call me Dr. Leslie. Can you tell me your names?"
"I'm Harper, and this is my brother Cullen." The little girl pulled her brother forward, but the boy shyly recoiled.
Harper sighed and shook her head at Thompkins. "You see, you can never count on boys."
"Not always, Harper." Thompkins couldn't help but laugh, holding the little girl's hands in her own. "Aren't there reliable people like Officer Jay and… Officer Gordon?"
"Are there?" Harper looked suspiciously at Gordon, then suddenly asked: "You just asked how you and 'Sarah' were. Who is Sarah?"
"Whoa, whoa!"
The three adults present were momentarily speechless, sinking into an awkward silence.
Gordon's face was beet red, and his eyes darted around nervously.
Jay took a step forward and changed the subject. "Doctor, regarding them, I have another request.
I haven't officially notified Child Protective Services yet.
I need your medical report to prove that if these two children are taken away by CPS, or leave the direct supervision of the police station and myself, their lives will be under an… 'immediate and severe' risk."
"You… you haven't notified CPS yet?!" Dr. Leslie abruptly stood up, the warmth on her face replaced by shock.
She looked at Gordon, who also looked incredulous.
"No, Jay, medical personnel have a mandatory reporting obligation. I must—"
"Police personnel do too, Doctor." Jay cut her off. "But I also believe you know what the hell Gotham's CPS is like."
"…"
Thompkins opened her mouth but failed to say anything. Under the pale light of the clinic, she paused before insisting:
"The law is the law, Jay. I… must legally notify CPS tomorrow. But before that… I will very, very 'thoroughly' examine their situation."
She heavily emphasized the word "thoroughly." Jay didn't quite grasp it.
But Gordon beside him understood the subtext: Leslie was implying she might be "creative" with the report.
His expression changed drastically. He immediately reached out and grabbed Dr. Leslie's arm.
"No, Les, that is a serious violation of regulations.
I know CPS may have many problems, but if every one of us acts like this, making private arrangements based on personal preferences, based on 'feelings,' it will lead to greater chaos and more shady dealings!
Allowing child traffickers to bypass official jurisdiction simply by claiming distrust of CPS?"
He cast a suspicious look at Jay. "And where are you going to put them? The police station doesn't meet foster care requirements! Besides, there are tons of abused children in Gotham. Why are you only focusing on these two?"
"Because they are the only two I personally took out. They are from my case, you son of a—" Jay forcefully let out a breath, suppressing his inner frustration. "I will find a suitable and trustworthy place for them."
"No, we can't make private arrangements for them. We have to let CPS take over.
We can act as case monitors, overseeing every step of the CPS process to ensure they are properly placed!
This is the only legal way, and the only way to maximize the protection of their future."
Gordon said, pulling out his phone, ready to dial.
Jay scoffed, then nodded helplessly. "Fine, Officer Gordon, you're right."
He pulled open the door of an empty examination room nearby, bent down, and smiled at Harper. "Hey, Pingu, could you take your brother inside and wait for a bit? Just a little while. I need to talk about adult things with the doctor and Officer Gordon…"
Harper looked at Jay, then nodded vigorously. She walked into the room, one hand holding the teddy bear, the other pulling Cullen.
Jay gently closed the door.
Click.
The moment that sound fell, the helplessness and defeat on Jay's face shattered like a mask.
He abruptly turned, lunged forward, and his right hand, like an iron vise, snatched the collar of Gordon's trench coat.
THUD!!!
With a muffled crash, Gordon was slammed violently against the wall of the clinic. The immense force rattled his brain. His cell phone flew out of his hand, clattering to the floor.
"James Gordon, seriously, I am sick of you, you self-righteous fool."
Jay stared fiercely into his eyes. "You want to monitor the CPS process? So, are those children who accidentally go missing every year your intentional doing?
After CPS takes them, what happens?
In the middle of the night, you suddenly feel something is wrong, decisively strike, conduct meticulous investigation, and finally, through layers of flawless deduction, you find their whereabouts in some brothel in Eastern Europe.
So, you bravely travel across the ocean, valiantly storm the gang hideout, and rescue them from being child prostitutes."
"The gang is destroyed, the children are rescued, corruption is punished, the police station is praised, and you achieve lofty, legitimate, and procedural justice, admired by all."
"And all of this," he suddenly let go, tossing the limp Gordon onto the floor like trash, looking down at his body curled up in a fit of coughing. He spoke every word like an ice pick hitting bone: "Could have been avoided! From the start!"
"Both of you calm down! Don't act like two hotheaded teenagers!" Dr. Thompkins rushed over the moment he started.
She desperately squeezed between the two, pushing Jay's rock-like body with all her might, like a mantis trying to stop a carriage.
"Enough! Are you going to keep fighting until one of you ends up in the hospital or jail, or listen to my solution?"
She stood in front of the violently coughing Gordon, looking up angrily at Jay.
Jay silently stepped back. Gordon, clutching his throat, climbed up from the floor, instinctively reaching for his sidearm.
"Jim! You better not make things worse!"
Dr. Thompkins immediately noticed Gordon's movement, spun around, and spread her arms between them. "He's right! We shouldn't take this risk!"
Gordon's hand froze near his holster. He looked at the burning anger and uncompromising persistence in Leslie's eyes, then glanced at the tightly shut examination room door, and wearily stepped back two paces.
"Officer Jay," Dr. Thompkins turned to face him, her voice returning to a calm tone. "I will issue a medical certificate that meets your requirements.
It will certify that Harper and Cullen's lives are in a state of 'extreme danger' and that they temporarily cannot leave a specific medical supervision environment.
But I want to be clear: doing this is not an endorsement of your rule-breaking methods!"
"It is because my clinic," she stated, enunciating every word, "the Gotham Charity Clinic, possesses legitimate, standard qualifications for emergency shelter and short-term custody.
Under Article 17 of the Gotham City Emergency Child Protection Ordinance, under specific conditions, a doctor has the right to provide emergency shelter for a child in 'immediate and severe danger' for no more than 72 hours.
During this period, the clinic is fully qualified to take them both in! I will personally be responsible!"
Oh ho! The plan succeeded!
Jay nodded expressionlessly, all his previous rage instantly vanishing without a trace.
"Thank you, Dr. Thompkins." His voice was calm and steady. "I apologize, Detective Gordon. You… you're a good man, but…"
He shook his head, gave a cold smile, and turned to walk towards the clinic door.
James Gordon stared at his retreating back. Only when the sound of the police car engine started again outside did he turn to Thompkins and ask:
"Les, you know I'm right, don't you?"
"Yes, Jim, you are right." Dr. Thompkins smiled at him, then slowly led Harper and her brother upstairs. "Good night, Jim. Get some rest and sleep well."
"Good night."
James Gordon replied softly. He looked out the clinic window.
Under the cloud-shrouded night sky, only the cold wind carried a series of moans, seeming to mock him in unison.
"You're right, Jim, but this is Gotham."
——————
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