The Worst Thief (An Academy Ghost Bird Fanfiction)

Chapter Six: A Night With A Doctor

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Academy series (Ghost Bird or Scarab Beetle). All rights go to C.L Stone.

RATING: K+ for violent themes, mentions of abuse and language. Nonagon-ic relationships between Sang and her nine boys- (Owen Blackbourne, Dr. Sean Green, Nathan Griffin, Dakota 'Kota' Lee, Gabriel Coleman, Lucian 'Luke' Taylor, North Taylor, Silas Korba, and Victor Morgan)

WARNING: May contain triggers for some viewers. Read at your own risk.

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~Chapter Six~

A Night With A Doctor

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Doctor Green rolled over on the ancient pink couch stuffed under the window, in a small groove in the wall. Being next to the bathroom door, I barely used the cropped sitting area, but I often stored things on the lumpy sofa. The folded things that had been on it were now laying on the kitchen table with my other things.

It was late, a little past midnight my last check of the clock confirmed, and I couldn't sleep. I worried about having one of my nightmares while sleeping in a room with another person- about how Doctor Green would react to whatever it was I did in my sleep when I had one. I learned long ago not to cry out, but I worried that maybe thrashed or mumbled, something that would be very embarrassing to do in front of someone I didn't know. But I also thought over why Doctor Green had insisted he stay the night.

When the sun had set and I had gone about my usual before-bed routine, I had expected Doctor Green to say his goodbyes and head back to his own place. But he had instead ordered up a few extra blankets from the lobby and helped me move all of my things from the sofa as he explained how rough the location of my hotel was.

We turned off the lights soon after. But I failed to find sleep.

I didn't really understand why Doctor Green would care even if I stayed in one of the more rundown parts of the city. It wasn't like I didn't know how to take care of myself. I often carried around pepper spray when I left my room- and although I didn't know many people around the area, I knew that the police presence was heavy.

In the dark, the only light coming from the half open bathroom doorway, I startled when Doctor Green let out a startled yelp and fell to the floor. I sat up, gripping my blanket as the man tumbled from under the blankets to pull his phone from his sweatpants pocket. Groggy and half asleep, he answered with a croaked "Hello?".

Doctor Green gave me a half smile when he seen me looking, but said nothing as he listened to whoever had called. He asked a few clipped questions and shook his head when he didn't get the answers he wanted. Doctor Green adapted a stern look, and it got more so intense as he finished the call.

"I'll be there in twenty." He glanced once more to me as he sat up.

"What's wrong?" In the silence, my voice was barely a whisper, but it seemed to break the peace that had gathered in that one quiet moment.

Doctor Green's light green eyes seemed to dim as he stood from the pile of blankets that had fallen from his cocoon. "That was Erica, my nurse. She's on call tonight, but she needs a doctor to come down."

"You have your own clinic, don't you?" I asked, pushing the sheet to my knees so I could turn to look at him. "Getting a call this late must mean there's someone that needs attention?" It was more of a question then a statement, but it was nice to know he was hesitant on leaving. Having someone willing to stay was an odd concept. "You should go."

Doctor Green's eyes seemed to dull for a moment. He carried forward until he was close enough to lean over the two feet of bed separating us. In the dark, his hair and silhouette were illuminated, but I couldn't quite see the details on his face. He smiled a bit- just the smallest upturn of his lips as he watched me- then leaned in quickly to press his lips once again my cheek.

Stunned, I could do nothing as he picked up his bag from the floor and made his way into the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me in the dark. I could only stare at the closed door. My mouth open, no idea what to think of the man in the other room.

That had been my first kiss, the thought was like a big neon sign flashing in my head. Would a kiss on the cheek really be considered a kiss? I thought it did. I'd never had any kind, so Doctor Sean had taken a first from me, that was for sure. What he meant by it, too, flashed up next to the first sign in bright purple.

Was It Really A Kiss?What Did He Mean?

I heard Doctor Green's voice through the door, but not what he said. I was too embarrassed to pay attention. It was only when the door opened again did I realize I had been blankly staring at the door. I flinched back, looking from his now button-down clad chest to his hair- where I usually looked while talking to customers.

"I don't know when I'll be back." Doctor Green smoothed back his hair. I watched with rapt attention as he crossed the room, stuffed his phone into his pocket and opened the door. "One of the others is coming by, if that's alright. I don't like you being alone here. See you in the morning!" He gave one of his big, sunny smiles and closed the door behind him.

Still stunned and a bit unsure of what had happened in the past ten minutes, I fell back on the bed with a huff of disbelief. Those boys were going to be the death of me! Not only would they barge into my life and make a mess of things, they would also offer to help put them back in a more precise order. I just wasn't sure if that was a good thing yet.

Yesterday, Mr. Blackbourne had told me I wasn't a good liar. It was the same thing my mother used to say before she punished me. Even though I normally told the truth with her, she still went ahead with her punishments. And I was sure, if she hadn't gotten sick she would still be dealing them out. Calling me a liar. Screaming about sex, drugs, murder. It didn't matter to her. As long as she had that control.

But the boys. They were different. They wanted to 'help'. They wanted everything and seemed to give that everything to me, too. I didn't know what it was yet, but somewhere deep in my heart, I knew I wanted to find out. I wanted to say yes to their promises and their ideals. I wanted to tell Mr. Blackbourne I wasn't lying.

Yet. At the same time, I had no way of knowing what kind of life I would live after saying yes.

There was a quick knock at the door. I sat up, pulling back the covers, when the door opened. I squeaked, completely shocked that someone had opened the door without my key.

In a pair of basketball shorts and a tee shirt, Nathan stumbled into the room. He rubbed at his eyes, swayed, then spotted the couch at the back of the room. "Score." He mumbled, closing and locking the door behind him as the tall boy grabbed the blankets from the floor, draped them across his shoulders and 'flumped'- it was the only word I could think of to describe the way he fell onto the couch- with a quick "Goodnight."

Nathan didn't snore, but the way the blanket bundle moved on the couch told me he was very much asleep only moments later.

Flummoxed, I stared. What in the crow had I gotten myself into.

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I know this chapter is a bit shorter than most... but whatever. Hope you guys like.