Chapter One

She had no choice when it came to the medication. Doctor Anderson had ordered it. And what the good doctor said went, no matter what.

Save for her former husband, Adam, and her current husband, Nick, few people believed Sage Newman to be a mentally stable woman. Only Nick knew the truth. It was all a lie, an act, a ruse. Inside the walls of Fairview, Sage felt she could better spy on the woman. How else was she to prove that Doctor Anderson's intentions were less than honorable? There had to be a reason why she was so invested in Nick and Sage's life. It was something she was determined to find out.

Nick had warned her of the tactics she might use. Isolation, as she had done with Sharon, and medication were the two biggest concerns.

There was no fighting the medication when it first was ordered. Sage had to get Doctor Anderson to believe she trusted her. Of course she would take the medication, she had said. Sage presented it as an idea she thoroughly welcomed. That wasn't the case at all. Her least favorite times of the day were when the pills were being doled out. What was worse was the way they made sure Sage had taken it. One had to drink water. One had to present their mouth after consumption. She truly was forced to take it.

The days melded together. The routine at Fairview was meant to provide stability for the unstable. For Sage, the monotony of the routine did the opposite. She often found herself staring at the clock, hoping the next surefire event would be delayed by even a half an hour. This rarely happened, to her dismay.

She felt particularly on edge one day when Doctor Anderson came to check on her in her room. Something about the mere sight of her made Sage's skin crawl.

When the doctor's phone began to ring, Sage immediately sprang up from the bed. "Who is that?"

"That's really none of your business, Sage." Doctor Anderson still took the time to look down at her phone.

"It's Nick, isn't it?" she asked in a demanding tone, getting closer.

"Sage, please."

"I bet it is!" Reaching out, the patient snatched the phone from the doctor's hands and looked at the screen. It wasn't Nick calling. In fact, the number had no name attached to it.

Doctor Anderson grabbed the phone back from Sage. "How dare you."

Sage knew she had to act quickly. "Sorry." It wasn't the most convincing apology.

"No you aren't. Your paranoia is growing to be an alarming problem, Sage. I'm taking action." She turned.

"What does that mean?"

Instead of saying anything further, Doctor Anderson left the room. Sage advanced towards the door and tried to pull it open. She found that it was locked, a first for her during her stay. Sage began to pound on the door.

"Let me out!" she yelled.

As loud as it was, it just wasn't enough. No one came to her aid.

Five minutes passed before Doctor Anderson returned. Sage had stopped her pounding and yelling, having chosen the approach of sitting on her bed and panicking.

When the door opened, Sage turned. She saw Doctor Anderson walk in with an orderly following her. In her hand was a syringe.

"What's that?" Sage asked.

"I think it's time for you to get some rest. You're agitated," Doctor Anderson informed her.

"I am not agitated! And it's highly illegal to lock patients in their rooms. Wait until Nick finds out."

"Sage," Doctor Anderson interjected. "I don't know what you're talking about. Your door hasn't been locked. I see you delving deeper into psychosis, and we can't have that. You're regressing rapidly. You've left me no choice." She then removed the cap from the syringe.

"No!" Sage said. "I don't want that."

Doctor Anderson didn't address her patient. Instead, she nodded to the orderly. He approached the bed and held Sage down on the bed. She struggled as Doctor Anderson pulled her sleeve up and injected the medication in her. Sage immediately felt the fuzziness set in.

"Thank you," Doctor Anderson said to the orderly. When he was gone, she busied herself with getting Sage situated in bed. Sage didn't want the help, but she had no choice. It felt as though she was not in control over her own body.

"You're going to thank me for this one day," she said to her half-asleep patient. "I'm doing this for your own good."

Doctor Anderson left just as the drowsiness overtook Sage. When the door was shut, she stood for a moment. It was time for the harder drugs, for drastic steps. She had to do everything in her power to subdue Sage. How else would she get Nick all to herself?

[A/N: I know we're getting to actually see Sage in Fairview. I didn't think we could. I've got some ideas of what I think will happen over the coming weeks, and I think it's different than how the Y&R writers are going to take it. So I figured I would write my version of things. Let me know what you think!]