When she regained consciousness, Wendy woke up in the hospital and found Travis sitting by her side. When he asked her if she was okay, Wendy ignored the questioned and asked him about the baby. Travis told her the baby was all right, but he was more concerned about her. He didn't care if she was carrying the child of that stupid fucking clown, but he didn't dare say it to her face. He was torn about how he felt about the situation and letting her know how he really felt about her, but decided to hold his tongue and just make sure Wendy and the baby were taken care of. He stayed with her while she was recovering and offered her to stay with him for a couple of days. During that time, they learned that Arthur Fleck had been incarcerated and convicted to Arkham State Hospital. Travis helped her get out of Gotham once things quited down and stayed in touch with Wendy through letters and the telephone. Before she left, Wendy told Travis to make her a promise: that they would meet up back in Gotham City in five months and tell Arthur the truth.

On April 10th, 1982, Wendy Tallman, having changed her surname back to her legal birth name, walked alone into Arkham State Hospital. She asked an orderly where she could talk to somebody about visitation. He told her to go to the top floor. She took the elevator and went up and got off and walked down to the service window surrounded by a metal grate. A black man was standing behind the window. The ID on his shirt said his name was Carl.

"Excuse me", said Wendy. "I'm here to visit a patient."

"What's his name?" Carl asked her.

"Fleck", Wendy told him. "Arthur Fleck."

Carl didn't like the sound of that, but hid his fear and concern from the auburn-haired woman and asked her, "Are you his relative?"

"No", Wendy answered. "I was with him before all the craziness happened. I just need to see him for a few minutes."

"Can I have your name, miss?"

"Tallman. Wendy Tallman."

"Miss Tallman, you realize I can't let you visit him unsupervised. You'll have to have an escort. We have cameras in every room, but this is just for your own protection."

"No, I understand."

Carl nodded and told her, "All right. Just wait here a minute, will you?"

"Okay. Thank you."

The minute Carl left, Wendy turned around and looked over at some of the patients sitting out in the hallway. One of them was a young man with innocent blue eyes and a crop of slightly curly brown hair. He didn't look dangerous and seemed pretty harmless, but then she noticed the healing red markings around both his wrists. The young man made eye contact with her and gave her a friendly smile. Wendy looked away, not wanting to see him. She made sure her heavy coat was zipped up all the way, hiding the five-month-old bump that continued to grow with child. Wendy looked to her left and saw a middle-aged man was being pushed around in a wheelchair by a blonde female orderly. There was a stitch on the side of his head, showing he was a victim of lobotomy. He was pretty much a living vegetable. In some way, his face reminded her of Jack Napier.

"Miss Tallman?"

Wendy looked back and saw Carl had returned with another black man wearing an orderly uniform. He was six foot tall and strong as an ox.

"Miss Tallman, this is Vince. He'll take you to see Arthur. He's in Room 287 in 24 South Wing G."

They took the elevator to another floor and walked down the long hallway. There were several doors on either side, each one with a small plexiglass window. As they came to the end of the long hallway, Wendy heard the familiar sound of somebody cracking up and turned to the room on her left and looked through the small window, looking in on a man standing in the middle of a clean, white room. There wasn't much in there, save for a bed, a small dresser, and a chair. On the dresser, there was a piece of paper, a pen, a half packet of cigarettes, and an ashtray. He didn't even know she was watching him, for his back was facing her.

Vince took out a ring of keys and unlocked the door, opening it. He walked in first and said, "Hey, asshole. You got a visitor."

The man didn't bother to turn around and just kept on going with his laughing fit like it was nothing. He snorted and chuckled softly, taking a deep breath, then taking a long drag from his cigarette and breathing smoke out through his nostrils. He smiled and started laughing again. The smoke from his cigarette floated around his head in a cloud of foul-smelling mist, like a small gray balloon.

Wendy walked in slowly and said in a gentle voice, "Hello, Arthur."

Arthur laughed again and turned around and looked over at the auburn-haired woman. He ceased his laughing and stared at her, observing her like she was some mystic painting of angelic art. She looked more beautiful than last time they met. There was a radiant blush to her cheeks, giving her face a heavenly glow. Wendy noticed that he, too, was different. His face was pale and stubbled. His eyes were a darker shade of green. The emerald color of his dark hair was washed out long ago. His clown outfit had been striped away, forcing him to reduce his wardrobe down to a simple white hospital T-shirt, pants and shoes. There was also a smile on his face. He showed no trace of pain or suffering from his laughing fit. There were no tears in his eyes. If anything, he seemed like he enjoyed it. A rare occasion. He was holding a cigarette between his index and middle finger.

"Hello, Wendy", said Arthur. His voice was soft and scratchy, like he hadn't used it much.

Vince placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder and said, "I'll be standing over here in case he tries to do anything stupid."

"Thank you", said Wendy.

Vince closed the door and walked over and stood in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. Wendy kept her eyes on Arthur, who blinked and lowered his gaze and inhaled another drag, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth. Wendy went over and sat down on the bed, wrapping her arms protectively around her stomach and hoping Arthur wouldn't notice her bump.

Arthur turned and walked over to light another cigarette with the burning end of his previous one and doused the used-up one into the ashtray. He held the other cigarette between his lips and grabbed the chair and dragged it over so he could sit down on it. There was more than enough room for them to sit down on the bed together, but he didn't want to. Although he tried to keep her away after giving himself over to Joker, Arthur still felt angry at Wendy for deserting him. He didn't blame her for hating him after the trouble he had caused, but it would have been nice if she let him know she was still alive. He continued to smoke his cigarette while he talked to her.

"How did you know I was here?" Arthur asked her.

"Everybody saw you kill Murray Franklin on TV that night, Arthur", Wendy reminded him. "Where do you think people like you end up? You're lucky you're not in jail. How have you been?"

"I've had better days", said Arthur.

Wendy leaned forward and asked him, "Are you back on your medication again?"

"Some of them", Arthur answered. "Actually, they put me on some new drug last week. Thorazine, I think they call it."

"Have you been sleeping well?"

"Yes, Wendy. Everything's better now. How have you been sleeping? Alone, I hope."

Wendy sighed and leaned back a bit. "I haven't been sleeping too well these last few nights. I've been having nightmares and suffering from back pain."

Arthur didn't say anything, but nodded his head and took another drag, breathing out smoke. He laughed quietly and told her, "They put me in electroshock treatment yesterday."

Wendy shrugged, asking him, "And? What do you want me to do about it? Take off my clothes and spread my legs so you can light me up like a Christmas tree?"

Arthur let a high-pitched laugh, thinking it was legitimately funny, but still mocking her dry sense of humor.

"Maybe you should write that one down in your journal", Wendy told him, sarcastically. "I'm sure your fans would just love to hear that one."

"Unfortunately, I lost my journal that day I went on Murray Franklin's show", Arthur admitted. "You haven't seen it, have you?" He chuckled at his own statement, imagining her reaction upon seeing the dirty pictures.

Wendy said nothing and looked at him, sadly. Deep down inside, Arthur was still the same old person, but she didn't think there was any going back for him. Not for a long time, at least.

"Don't give me that look, Wendy", said Arthur, taking a drag and breathing out smoke. "You know what you were getting involved with when you met me."

"You're a murderer, Arthur", said Wendy. "I don't care if you killed Penny or Murray, but those three young men didn't deserve to die. They had families, for Christ's sake."

"How can you even say that? You weren't there, Wendy. You didn't see what happened. You didn't even know them."

"Neither did you. I'm sorry for what they did to you, but you could have handle this another way without pulling a gun out on them."

Arthur looked away from her, shaking his head while he took another drag. He breathed smoke out through his nostrils. "I had to defend myself, Wendy", he said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be sitting here right now, would I?"

"You wouldn't be locked away, that's for sure", said Wendy. "You got yourself into this mess, Arthur, and only you can get yourself out of it. Maybe if you cooperate, the system will let you back out in a few years."

Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head again. He took another drag from his cigarette and breathed out more smoke. "The system? Fuck them. The system doesn't give a shit about me, Wendy. They never did."

Wendy sighed heavily and added, "Can I ask you a question?"

Arthur blinked and looked at her again. "I think you just did."

"Whatever happened to Gary?" Wendy questioned. "Did you kill him?"

"No, of course not", Arthur answered, truthfully.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Wendy asked him, sounding suspicious.

"Gary was a good person. He never did anything to hurt me. I don't know what happened to him after that night. For all I know, he might have left Gotham and joined a circus. Maybe he fell in love with a tightrope walker."

"Stop it, Arthur!" Wendy ordered him. "You're not listening to me. I'm very worried about you. You're acting like I'm the bad guy here, and yet you're the one who committed murder and swallowed the key to your cell."

Arthur smiled again and laughed incredulously, asking her, "What is it about me you hate so much?"

"You killed Sophie, didn't you?" Wendy asked him, feeling a tear coming on.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't", said Arthur. "Why do you care? You never liked her anyway."

"But you killed an innocent woman", Wendy informed him. "You killed Sophie the night before you went and killed your own mother!"

Arthur's smile faded. His glistening green eyes darkened. "Penny Fleck was not my mother", he said. "She was a whore, and she had several men fuck me at once. She was a bad person. She broke my fucking heart."

Wendy stayed silent, her lower lip trembling. She never realized how much hatred could take such a sweet man like Arthur and turn him into a harsh, cold, and distant monster.

Arthur flashed her a devilish smile and asked her, "You're scared of me, aren't you?"

"I'm not scared of you, Arthur", Wendy lied to him.

"Then why don't you admit the truth, Wendy? You're obsessed with me. You still love me, but you won't say it, will you?"

"I want to, but I don't know if I should. I thought I could trust you. You said you'd never hurt me."

"I never did, Wendy. I scared you, but I never so much as scratched you or laid a finger on you. Besides, you came onto me first. I thought you loved me."

"I don't know what that means anymore", said Wendy, feeling a tear escape from her eye and roll down her cheek. "It was Arthur Fleck I fell in love with, not the Joker. I loved you, faults and everything. But not like this."

Arthur lowered his gaze again and took another drag of his cigarette, blowing out smoke and thinking what else to say. He blinked and looked at Wendy and asked her, "Did I tell you I was committed here once before?"

"I think you mentioned it at one point", Wendy answered. "What happened?"

"I swallowed a whole bunch of pills trying to kill myself", Arthur explained. "One day, I just couldn't find the strength to go on with my life anymore. Penny found me unconscious on the floor and called the hospital. I almost died, but somehow, I survived. I was locked up here for six months. Six months, but eventually, they let me go. I acted as if it never happened. I still struggled to find a meaning in my life, but then a couple of weeks later, I met you."

"And look what it led to, Arthur", said Wendy.

Arthur lowered his gaze for a moment and took another drag from his cigarette, blowing out smoke and saying to her, "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm gonna die in here anyway. So what's the point?"

"What do you mean you're gonna die in here?" Wendy questioned him. "You're not going to do anything stupid again, are you? Because if that's how you feel, Arthur, I might as well walk out of here right now."

Arthur blinked and looked at her with disapproval. "You're not really listening to what I'm saying to you, are you? I'm not suicidal, Wendy. I told you I tried killing myself once before, but it didn't work. What I'm telling you is they won't let me out of here anytime soon. Let me put it this way: by the time I get out of here, I'll be seventy-five fucking years old. I'm not a young thing anymore, and I know you won't stay beautiful forever either. I know I fucked up, but I needed to do what I had to to protect myself. You don't know what I went through in life, Wendy."

For the first time since she got there, Wendy finally had to look away from Arthur. She understood everything he did and why he had done it, but it was too much for her heart to bare. More tears filled her sad brown eyes.

Arthur chuckled and said, "Speaking of old men, how's dear old Uncle Jack? Are you still living with him?"

Wendy looked at him again and slapped Arthur hard across his face. Vince stifled back a laugh.

"Don't say that!" Wendy screamed. "You don't know what he's done to me, Arthur. What he tried to make me do! Jack Napier may be my uncle by blood, but he means nothing to me anymore. I left him a long time ago."

For a moment, Arthur seemed to snap out of his lunatic, homicidal illusions. He looked at Wendy with confusion, like he had just woken out of a trance. He noticed the tears in her eyes, but chose to ignore them. He blinked and lowered his eyes again, bringing the cigarette to his lips. He took a drag and breathed out a puff of smoke. "Is that the same way you feel about me?" He asked her, solemnly.

"I wish I could say the same thing about you, but I can't", Wendy admitted. "I still love you too much to hate you, Arthur. I understand the world has done wrong to you, but this? I never wanted you to end up like this. Whoever you were that night, I wish you never found him. I saw that look in your eyes that night. I don't ever want to see that look again."

Arthur brought the cigarette to his lips again, taking a short inhale and breathing out smoke. He stayed silent for a moment, then he blinked again and looked at her.

"Did you ever think it would end up like this, Wendy?" Arthur asked her. "Me here in this cage and you out there trying to fend for yourself with all the werewolves running loose every night?"

Wendy shook her head and answered, "No."

Arthur flashed her a creepy smile, then took one last drag and purposely blew cigarette smoke into her face. Wendy coughed instantly and tried to wave the smoke away. Arthur tilted his head back and pretended to howl at the moon. It was fucking weird. He then went into a laughing fit about it.

"All right, that does it!" Vince came forward and tried to threaten Arthur, but Wendy stood up at once and told him, "Sir, please. That's not necessary."

"Why the fuck you want to waste your time with this punk anyway?" Said Vince. "The justice system should have given him the injection and be done with it."

Wendy sat back down and looked at Arthur, who continued to laugh for a moment and told her, "I think it's time for you to go now, Wendy. Things are about to get pretty ugly in here."

Wendy sniffled and wiped away the tears from her burning eyes. "Before I go, I want to give you this", she said, reaching a hand into her coat pocket and pulling out an envelope, setting it down on the bed. "Don't open it until after I'm gone. Okay?" Wendy then stood up and kissed the top of his head. "Goodbye."

Wendy walked over and opened the door, walking out. Vince glared over at Arthur before existing the room and shut the door behind him, locking it.

Once they were gone, Arthur dropped his cigarette on the floor and crushed it with his foot. He pushed his chair back and stood up and picked up the envelope. It had his name written in fancy lettering with a little heart next to it. He looked over at the door to make sure nobody was looking, then opened the envelope and took out what he thought was a letter, but it only turned out to be a grainy image of something he couldn't quite make out at first. It was almost completely black, save for a strange-looking figure outlined in gray. It looked humanoid. It had a bulbous head, plus tiny arms and small legs. Arthur didn't understand. He knew what he was looking at, but didn't know what to make if it. Turning the photograph over, there was a hand-written message on the back: Congratulations, it's a boy! Love, Wendy.

Arthur suddenly felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces, his body shaking with grief. A small smile formed on his face, which turned bright red as he started to chuckle a bit. His eyes burned with tears, blinding his vision as he lost his smile and went into a heartbreaking laughing fit. He clutched a hand at his throat, dropping down on the bed as he held the ultrasound picture to his chest. Wendy was carrying his child and he wouldn't even be allowed to see him be born. This is what she tried to tell him five months ago. If he had known sooner, Arthur never would have given himself over to the monster clown he became that night. There were tears spilling out from his eyes, but the laughing fit he was having would not allow him to display his real emotion outside from the obvious discomfort of his condition. His body locked up, and for a while, he struggled to breath.

Wendy could hear Arthur laughing down the hall as she waited for the elevator, his voice echoing throughout the entire ward. She stepped in at once and the doors closed. She went down with Vince, who looked at her with sympathy and tried to offer her some comforting words. Wendy ignored him and pushed a button, getting off on another floor and running away down the hallway. She heard him call out to her, but turned a corner and found a door that led down a stairwell. She ran down about halfway and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She lowered her face and placed a hand over her pregnant stomach. She thought back to the morning she woke up in Arthur's apartment, remembering the song he sang to her. She then started to sing softly to their unborn offspring.

"Smile...though your...h-heart is aching...Smile...even though it's...breaking...When there are clouds...in the sky...you'll get by-"

Wendy couldn't finish the song. She lowered her face and placed a hand over her mouth and started sobbing quietly. She was letting her emotions get the better of her. She needed to be strong and stay calm for the sake of the baby. It wasn't healthy for either one of them. She sniffled and placed her hand over her heart and took a deep breath. She felt movement inside her stomach and ran her free hand over her bump, rubbing it gently.

"It's okay", Wendy whispered to the baby. "It's okay. Your Daddy's gonna be okay. It's all right." She nodded her head and vowed, "We'll wait for him. One day I'll come back and I'll bring him home. I promise."

When she finally came out of Arkham Sate Hospital, Wendy looked over at the parking lot and saw Travis leaning up against the taxi cab with his arms crossed. He was right in the exact same place where she'd left him.

Wendy sighed deeply through her nose and walked over to Travis, who noticed she had been crying and pulled her into his arms for a warm, comforting hug. They stayed that way for a long time.

"How did it go?" Travis asked her.

"I got what I expected to hear", Wendy answered.

Travis released Wendy and wiped away her tears before turning to open the back door for her. "Did you tell him about the kid?"

Wendy looked at Travis and answered, "I think he got the picture." She stepped into the back of the cab and Travis closed the door and walked around and got into the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot and drove off. They drove carefully through the crowded streets while Travis took Wendy down to the bus station so she could go back to her hometown, which was only about two days away from Gotham City.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Travis asked her.

Wendy shook her head and answered, "No. Mostly, he was just talking nonsensical."

Travis blinked and glanced at her in the rearview mirror, then returned his gaze forward.

"You all packed up?" Wendy asked him.

"Almost", Travis answered. "I should be out of this city by the end of the week. I've been meaning to get out of here for a long time."

"I look forward to seeing you there", said Wendy.

Travis formed the faintest smile on his face and said, "I've never been to Metropolis before. What's it like?"

"It's kind of like New York, and it's sort of like Gotham City, but it's cleaner and there's not as much crime. I think you'll fit right in."

"You really think they'll release him one day?"

Wendy knew he was talking about Artur and answered, "I hope so."

"How long will you wait for him?" Travis dared to ask her.

"I can wait forever", Wendy answered. "No matter how long it takes for him to get out, I'll wait for him."

Travis looked over his shoulder at Wendy, then looked forward again and continued driving slowly through the traffic.

Wendy turned her head to the left and looked out the window for a moment, seeing a homeless man lying on the sidewalk, either asleep or dead. There was a clown mask right by his feet. She looked away, thinking about Arthur and all the trouble he caused. She knew why he did what he did, but she did not want to become part of it. His legacy would leave an impact on the city for a long time, but they would never get over it. Worst of all, Bruce Wayne was made on orphan because of Joker. Wendy could still see Arthur in his Joker ensemble, laughing like there was nothing in the world that could hurt him. That was his life. Nothing more than a joke.

Arthur was not getting out any time soon, that much she knew. Joker might have died for now, but he was still very much alive. Somehow, in someway, some tiny measure of dread told Wendy that the Crown Prince of Crime would most certainly never die. He would return to Gotham City one day, but it would not be in the form of the man she loved. The Joker would live again. Another man would follow Arthur's example. Several would. It would only be known in the unforeseeable future who the next Joker would be, something Wendy feared to know. Nevertheless, she wondered if there was still a chance she and Arthur could be together. One day, if he was ever released from Arkham, Wendy would be there for him. She would come back for Arthur Fleck.