Nicholas was feeling optimistic.
It was in his nature to feel so. Even after all the horrors that had taken place during this year and a half, it hadn't taken long for his natural optimism to take over when things seemed to be getting better.
And now they definitely were.
He could see the change in Sky every time he visited her. When he looked at her, he could see the girl she had once been, the girl before the heartbreak, before the drugs - Hell, she almost resembled the girl she had been before Kat had died, and that was something Nicholas had thought he'd never see again. Lately, there had been joy in her, joy and laughter and hope - and if that wasn't big enough reason to feel optimistic, Nicholas sure didn't know what was.
It had been the right decision to bring her here, Nicholas thought humming cheerfully as he walked in through the front doors of the rehab facility and approached the front desk. He noticed the green and white floor tiles, the potted plants in the corner, smelled the scent of disinfectant and that blasted herbal tea, and it all was familiar now, after almost four weeks. This had been a good place for Sky - but now it was time to start discussing when she could come back home. Not quite yet, Nicholas suspected, but maybe in a week or two. It was now December 15th, and Nicholas was hoping to see Sky home by Christmas.
"Good afternoon," he happily greeted the receptionist - Nancy, said her name tag - and leaned his elbows on the counter.
"Here to see Sky, right?" She asked, and Nicholas agreed as he picked up the pen, preparing to sign his name in the visitor form that Nancy laid on the counter for him.
"It's so nice of you to visit her every day," Nancy spoke. "She's a lucky girl to have a family that cares so much about her. Not all the patients here have that. And that brother of hers - such a nice young man he is! You must be so proud."
Nicholas frowned. Brother? Now, this was awkward. Why were these receptionists always mixing up patients? It was so unprofessional, in his opinion.
"Sorry– what?"
"Sky's brother is here," Nancy replied, clearly oblivious to Nicholas' confusion. "He arrived some 20 minutes ago. Didn't you know?"
Nicholas let the pen fall from his fingers, as a cold suspicion gripped his chest. He raised his gaze to the receptionist and said very slowly: "Sky does not have a brother."
"But— but I don't understand." Nancy blinked a couple of times. "He's been here almost every other day. And he had the form with your signature on it—"
"Let me see that," Nicholas growled, and as soon as Nancy had found the form from a thick folder, he yanked it from her fingers almost knocking over a small cactus in a terracotta pot. He barely noticed that only Nancy's fast reflexes saved the plant from being thrown to the floor - he only had eyes for the damn paper in his hands.
Cody O'Brian said the name on the paper, and under it, on the bottom line, was Nicholas' signature - or at least something that very much resembled his signature. He cursed out loud, slamming the paper back on the counter, his hand trembling with anger.
"That's not my signature," he said pointedly. "It's forged."
The receptionist looked truly horrified, as she picked up the form to take a look at it. Her face went pale, but Nicholas was past caring. He was already running down the hall, barely hearing how Nancy left her spot on the counter and followed him, calling his name, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.
Cody O'Brian indeed - Nicholas was fuming, muttering curses as he went. He had a pretty good idea who this "Cody O'Brian" was, and it made his blood pressure shoot through the roof.
"Doctor O'Brian, wait—"
He didn't wait. He had reached the end of the hallway and fiercely shoved open the door of Sky's room.
"Sky Elizabeth O'Brian, how dare you—!"
That sentence died on his lips as he froze in the doorway.
On the bed, on his back, his jeans pushed down to mid-thigh was Cody. And Sky was on top of him, straddling the boy in a way that left nothing to the imagination, even if she - thank the Lord - was wearing an oversized T-shirt that hid the joining of their bodies. Her naked thighs were on both sides of Cody's hips, her fingers gripped the front of his T-shirt with a white-knuckle grip.
Sky shrieked, Cody cursed and Nicholas stumbled back, yanking the door close.
With his heart in his throat, Nicholas leaned his back on the wall and pressed his palms hard on his eyes, trying to burn away the sight he had just witnessed, but it did little good. Neither did the list of heated curses he let fall off his lips. Dear God. He really wished he had knocked. He wished these doors had locks on them. He wished he could get a drink, or a dozen.
"Get dressed–!" he yelled through the door when he trusted his voice enough to speak again. "Both of you!"
Nancy had caught up with him by now, and from the look on her face, Nicholas realized she had figured out what was happening in the room. She didn't look happy - not that Nicholas particularly cared about her feelings at the moment. As he took a deep breath, then another, he heard through the door how Cody and Sky conversed with silent, muffled voices and his anger stirred again. He clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times. Oh, he was going to strangle that boy. And Sky. He was going to strangle them both—
As soon as they had their clothes on. Then he would strangle them.
"Dr. O'Brian—" Nancy said with a very displeased voice, and Nicholas forced his attention to her. "Are you telling me that boy is not Sky's brother? And that they have been lying about this for weeks?"
"Oh he definitely isn't her brother," Nicholas noted dryly.
"In that case, you must understand what this means. This isn't a prison - everything here is built on trust. We can hardly help a patient who doesn't respect the rules. If there is no trust—"
"Well my trust in your abilities to keep my daughter safe isn't that great at the moment either," Nicholas snapped. "I'll take her home tonight."
Nancy sighed, clearly relieved that Nicholas wasn't putting up a fight.
"Do you wish for me to call the authorities?" She asked. "Forging a signature on an official health form is a crime, after all."
Nicholas glanced at Sky's door and let out a sigh. He could still hear the teenagers talking to each other with soft, whispering voices and even if he couldn't make out the words, it was clear they were scared. That softened the edge of his anger, but only a little bit - he still wanted to strangle the kids, but he was pretty sure that bringing the police into this, would do none of them any good.
He rubbed his forehead and let out a frustrated sigh. "No, I'll handle this myself."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." He turned his back on Nancy, knocked on Sky's door, and called out: "Are you decent?"
"Yeah, you can come in," came Sky's defeated voice, and Nicholas stepped in, leaving Nancy in the hallway.
Sky sat on the bed in faded jeans and the same, green oversized T-shirt she had been wearing just moments ago, her hair a mess and her cheeks burning. Cody stood on the other side of the room - as if to make a point that he was as far from Sky that was possible in this small room - leaning his back on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the floor. They both looked absolutely miserable.
It didn't soften Nicholas' heart. He was pissed beyond belief and he let it show on his face as he walked inside. How could they do something this stupid? How could they risk Sky's recovery like this, how could they throw away her spot in this place as if it meant nothing to them?
"Pack your bags," Nicholas glared at Sky, and his voice was harsh and cold. "By smuggling in your boyfriend, you've managed to get yourself kicked out of here. Well done."
Sky's lower lip began to tremble. "He's– he's not my boyfriend."
Nicholas couldn't help but notice the look of agony that crossed Cody's face at those words. He looked as if Sky had slapped him. At any other moment, he would have felt sympathy for someone who was so clearly in pain, but not now.
"I don't care what you call him," Nicholas growled, turning to look at Sky again. "He has no business being here, interfering with your recovery! I can't believe you would go along with something this incredibly stupid and self-destructive! You were supposed to be here at least until Christmas, and now what? They're kicking you out of here, and I have to take you back home. How could you, Sky? How could you just throw away everything I've done for you?!"
Sky started crying silently. Her tears fell to her cheeks, and despite his anger, Nicholas felt horrible for shouting at her. It was beneath him - he rarely raised his voice with her, and he knew he had crossed some unspoken line by yelling at her like this.
"I'm sorry Dad," Sky sobbed. "I didn't mean to— I wasn't thinking—"
Nicholas sighed, his voice was still harsh in his throat when he replied: "We can talk in the car. Now, pack your things."
Sky knew better than to argue. Slowly she stood up from the bed and started gathering her things.
Nicholas turned his eyes to the boy who was still leaning on the wall on the other side of the room. Cody's cheeks were dark red all the way from his sharp jawline to his protruding ears, his posture was stiff and he looked incredibly uncomfortable, as he should. In front of Nicholas' death stare, he lowered his gaze to the floor.
"You and I are going to have a little talk," Nicholas said, his voice sharp and cold.
Cody's glance snapped up. He looked horrified, as did Sky, who dropped the bag she'd been holding in her hands. It fell to the floor to her feet, as she turned to Nicholas. "Dad, please, this is not his fault—"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure this is his fault."
"Dad, come on—"
Nicholas had a sharp reply on the tip of his tongue - but it was Cody who got to speak first.
"It's okay," he sighed, turning to look at Sky. He looked defeated, his shoulders were sagging and he swallowed hard before continuing. "I know what I did. I'm sorry. I never meant to cause you trouble—"
"Enough." Nicholas interrupted him harshly and pointed towards the door. "Outside. Now."
Cody swallowed the rest of his sentence, gave a sharp nod, and followed Nicholas out of the room.
This chapter was getting too long, so I cut it in two.
What do you think Nicholas will say to Cody?