A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. I'm so glad I have so many people invested in this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and find that it is worth the wait.
CC sighed as she watched two small sparrows fly outside the window of her bedroom. As she watched the two birds dance around each other, she wondered what she would do if she was blessed with the freedom that the birds had been given. Instead, she was trapped in a room with bars on the window. She wondered how many patients, before her, held onto the bars and tried to pry them from the wall. She was distracted by knock on the door and released a noncommitted grunt. "Come in," she answered as she heard the doorknob turn. Dr. Bort, clad in a dark grey pinstripe suit that made her look incredibly taller, thus, more intimidating, entered the clean room. The therapist gracefully sat down at the edge of the bed opposing CC's.
"Hello, CC," Dr. Bort said resting her black binder on top of her knee length dark grey skirt. "How are you feeling today?"
The patient wanted to say "painfully bored" or "desperate to get out of this hell hole." Instead, she muttered a simple "fine." Dr. Bort nodded as she opened the black binder and flipped to an empty yellow page in her notepad.
"CC, I heard about your mother visiting. Would you talk about that?" Dr. Bort asked. CC straightened her posture as she glanced at the two birds that were continuing to flit outside her window. She merely nodded as she turned her attention from the small animals.
"Okay," Dr. Bort said as she tapped her pen on the yelloC pages,"how did you feel after your visit with your mother?"
CC shook her head as she tried to recall the exact emotion she had experienced. She had been proud of her accomplishments, but she felt so vulnerable that she wanted to vomit. "I'm not sure," she answered honestly, "I mean I knew I did something right in my life for once, but I almost had an anxiety attack afterwards." She watched the therapist's pen dance across the page as she wondered what Dr. Bort was getting out of her emotions.
"Well, I am very proud that you stood up for yourself," Dr. Bort said with a small smile. "I know that must have been hard on you. Was it difficult defending yourself?"
CC laughed and replied, "I've been doing it for so long that it was almost natural." Dr. Bort wrote CC's response down as she released a soft chuckle.
"That's possibly a good thing," Dr. Bort said closing her black binder. She looked down at her watch and grimaced when she noticed the time. "Niles should be here shortly so how about we walk to the patient recreation area?" CC nodded and scooted off the bed. Closing the door behind her, CC followed the therapist down the hall. She took a seat on the floral patterned couch as Dr. Bort sat in the red plastic chair in front of the couch. It wasn't long until Niles sat beside CC on the couch.
"As you both said, you two have communication issues so I would like you to tell one another how the others' actions make you feel," Dr. Bort explained. Niles and CC glanced at one another. Niles arched an eyebrow as if he doubted the therapist's methods would actually work. CC bit her lip as she tried to comprehend what Dr. Bort wanted them to do.
"What?" CC gasped.
"I mean, for example, CC would say 'Niles, when you do this, you make me feel this'. Understand?" Dr. Bort explained as she opened the black binder and pulled out the notepad and a black pen out of the pocket of the binder. "Niles, why don't you start?"
Niles glanced at CC and casually shrugged. He tried to determine whether to reflect on the blonde's cruel words or when she demands a drink. Coming to the realization that he would have more than one oppurtunity to discuss her behavior, he gathered his courage and said. "When you treat me as just a butler, I feel worthless and angry." He looked at Dr. Bort in order to see if he performed the excercise correctly. The woman gracefully nodded her large head.
"CC, it's your turn," Dr. Bort said.
"This should be easy," CC mumbled under her breath. Truthfully, she had no idea how to start. His insults were too easy and they thoroughly discussed them already. She could talk about how being physically maimed by his mischevious pranks made her feel less than a human. She crossed her arms against her chest and tapped her foot against the floor. "Niles, when you tamper with my work, I feel angry and disrespected," she said after releasing a soft sigh.
"Now, when have I ever done that?" Niles inquired with a sly grin. His blue eyes twinkled as Dr. Bort quickly wrote down how the man was behaving.
"Boobcock," CC replied narrowing her eyes as the man, sitting beside her, emmitted a soft chuckle.
"Niles, your turn," Dr. Bort said as she raised her beady brown eyes from the yellow pages of the notepad. He nodded as he continued pondering how CC's actions affected him. Realizing her actions didn't always immediately affect him, he would have to think about her personal decisions.
"When you flirt with Maxwell Sheffield in front of me, I feel..." he trailed off as he met the women's inquiring eyes; however, he wasn't sure exactly how CC's actions made him feel. Yes, watching her fawn all over his employer made him incredibly angry and feel resentment towards his boss. He was also hurt that CC would choose Maxwell over him. He realized the emotion he felt was jealousy, but he couldn't say that in front of CC Babcock. Unfortunately for him, he had to be incredibly honest if he was going to be any help to her. "Jealous," he finally said, "incredibly jealous."
"Why?" CC asked dumbfounded.
"Well, until very recently, I thought you had actual feelings for him, and I couldn't see why he would have captured your heart," he responded without any further description. CC slightly bit her lip. The idea that Niles cared enough about her to be jealous endeared the blonde woman. Although she knew he wasn't telling the full truth, she turned her attention to the therapist busily writing in her notepad.
"Your turn, CC," the therapist said nonchalantly. "Perhaps, try a more positive emotion."
CC tried to remember a time where she was truly happy being with Niles. He spiked her drinks with dirty gym socks and made jokes in front and behind her back. She recalled the temporary alliance between the butler and the socialite. She helped with his dishes, and he made her a tissue holder for her bathroom. "When we spend time together without trying to kill one another, I feel geniunely happy and relaxed."
The two continued the excercise for half an hour until CC said weakly, "When you turn from a friend to an enemy, I feel like you hate me." Not even Dr. Bort expected that confession from the blonde patient, who was fighting tears from her deep blue eyes. Niles's pale blue eyes widened from shock and was unsure how to react. He wanted to put an arm of solace around her shoulders or gently plant a kiss on her forehead; however, he couldn't bring himself to show her how he truly felt about her.
"Oh Babs," he said gently touching her hand, "I never knew I made you feel that way. I never meant..." Although he perfectly understood her emotion from being in counseling sessions with her, he began to think Fran, and their friendship and dislike of CC Babcock, had caused him to lose a chance at a relationship.
"Alright," Dr. Bort said after clearing her throat, "Next week, we will discuss what you two like about one another. Your homework is to bring a list about each other's positive qualities." The therapist put the notepad in the pocket of the binder and rose out of her chair. "I will give you two a few moments alone to talk." Like a mightly hawk, Dr. Bort swept out of the room and walked over to the nurses' station. After giving instructions to the peppy nurse with brown hair, the therapist was no longer in sight.
"So does anyone miss me in that house?" CC asked as she studied the painting of the brightly colored flowers on the wall.
Although Niles could have easily said, "Who would miss you, Miss Babcock?", he merely looked down at his hands that had touched hers and said, "Of course, Fran and Max are worried about you."
"And the children?"
"They never had the pleasure of meeting the woman behind the scathing comments and business suits," Niles remarked with a smile. He placed a comforting smile around CC's shoulder. He noticed that she seemed to be deep in though about something other than the children or the painting.
"How long have I been here?" she asked. Her big blue eyes met his.
"About two months. Why?"
"It seems like I have been here longer," she answered coolly as she glanced at the magazines at the table then at Niles. "I wonder if I will ever get to go home. Although, I don't have much to go back to."
"Are you that worried about what will happen after you get out of here?"
Before she could answer, the peppy nurse in bubblegum pink scrubs announced it was time for Niles to leave. He pulled himself from the couch and followed the nurse out of the room. He looked over his shoulder to see CC get off the couch, and he desperately wished he was able to finish their conversation.
