Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Chapter 30: Together

Cody

The soft beeping of an EKG monitor woke him up. It began as a soft whine before becoming an annoying wail in his eardrums. He blinks a few times to shake the sleep from his eyes. But light blinded him, so he quickly shut his eyes again. The beeping increases for a second before easing back to a smooth rhythm.

"Cody?" spoke up someone. Their voice echoed around him but it felt soothing.

The light he could see through his eyelids disappeared. Cody opens one of his eyes to peek at what or who was in front of him. "Hmm?" he groaned. Standing over him was Adrian. And he looked more awful than he did before.

"Adrian?" Cody asked hoarsely. His throat felt like sandpaper and it hurt to breathe. He coughed and hacked until his throat cleared, but he felt even more sore.

He takes in Adrian; the man looked like he was put through the ringer. A puffed up left eye with black and blue surrounding it, a split lower lip, and a purple nose. "What happened to you?" Cody asked jokingly. Honestly, Cody believed he looked worse than Adrian.

"Morris followed us after talking to Emily. He bursted through the door just as you collapsed. I've never seen such horror on his face." Adrian said. He lifts both of his hands to brush a strand of hair from Cody's face. That was when Cody noticed the handcuffs. "Why are you handcuffed?" Cody asked as his eyes widen. "Morris arrested me." Adrian answered simply.

Cody's eyes widened in surprise. "For what?" he asked though knowing the answer. "I was holding a bloody knife and standing over a body. What do you think?" Adrian asked. "He beat me to the ground and put me in handcuffs." he said as he shows off the bruised wrists. "After a lot of arguing with the bastard, we all brought you to the hospital as he called in he crime." he finished. "Thank god, he let me stay. But I got a lot of strange looks due to being handcuffed."

Adrian's hands were warm in comparison to Cody's chilly ones. The thin blanket that Cody had over his body wasn't enough. "How long have I been here?" Cody asked. "Is Sarah and Michaela alright?"

"Michaela suffered a few cracked ribs and a minor fracture to her wrist. Sarah just has bruises and a sprain on her ankle." Adrian said. "They went to the precinct to make their statements after being cleared by the doctors." he added. He began to fiddle with the cuffs, Cody noticed that something small was in between his fingers. "They wanted to stay until you woke up but I promised to keep an eye." With a satisfied click, the handcuffs come off and he sets them down on the bed.

If Cody could laugh without feeling pain, he would've. Of course Adrian knew how to get out of cuffs. The sight of the cuffs made Cody realize something.

"If you're arrested, wont they search your background? In fact, how did you even become a medical examiner if you killed your dad?" Cody asked. He has been dying to know exactly how Adrian got away with the murder. Adrian was a kid then and somehow managed to escape the police. The psychopath would obviously be the prime suspect.

Adrian let out a chuckle but glances at the door to make sure there wasn't anyone there. "To be honest, I didn't just run away. I went to my grandparents. They let me stay with them because they've been trying to get custody of me ever since they noticed the bruises." Adrian explained. "When the police came, my grandparents defended me. Plus, I cleaned up so fast that they couldn't find any evidence on me." he said with a smile. "I cleaned off the blade before I fled the scene, also it was my own blade that I found in an alley so no paper trail." he added.

Adrian had this look in his eyes that Cody has never seen before. The look of fondness was a surprise. Not even Cody got that look. (He didn't think Adrian was able to feel anything but sadistic pleasure.)

"Also, I changed my birth certificate. My real name is Johnathan. I went by my middle name, Adrian, my entire life. After killing my father, I legally changed it to Adrian since he was the one that named me John."

Before Cody could speak his surprise, the door opens.

Aaric walked in with a file in his hand. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Adrian was free of his cuffs. "How did you get out of those?" he asked accusingly. "Paper clip." Adrian answered bluntly as he tosses a thin, twisted piece of metal on the hospital bed. "Next time, don't dig the cuffs so deep into the wrists."

Annoyance was on the older man's face but he focused on Cody. "It's great to see that you're awake, Cody. I just got news about Willow Branch." he said as he opens the file. Both Adrian and Cody listened with big ears. "Apparently, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age ten, and her stepfather never got her proper care for her condition. She had a history of violence and was abused most of her life from these hospital reports." Aaric listed off.

"So all of her behavior was because of her abusive life and her mental state?" Cody asked. He knew that some criminals had mental problems but he's never witnessed it. (He will not count Michael. That man was a sociopath.) "We had a profiler analysis the evidence we collected and pretty much said the same thing. The more abuse she endured through her life, the more unstable she became." Aaric said as he finally shuts the file close.

Adrian and Cody stared a brief look. It explained Adrian's own behavior. Only, he had somewhere to hide and was able to keep in his rage enough to not get noticed. (His father's murder aside.)

"When will I be able to leave?" Cody asked abruptly as he struggles to sit up. His body screamed in protest. His head pounded painfully. His vision made him see twos for a moment before clearing up.

"That's for the doctor to find out." Aaric said in both amusement and worry. "Rest, Cody. You had a tough week. You don't have to worry about anything anymore." he assured Cody. "Just don't do anything stupid." Aaric added, giving Cody a stern glare.

"Speaking of stupid," Adrian pipes up. "Where am I on the arrest?" he asked as he hands Aaric back his handcuffs.

Aaric's face twisted as he puts the handcuffs back in their case. "I talked to the captain. She said that since it was an act of self defense that you won't be charged for first degree murder. But you'll have to talk to her and file out the paper work." he said. "I must say, Nighte, I didn't think you had the guts to kill someone. But then again, you do work with dead bodies." he complimented with a frown. His eyes squinted to show his displeasure toward Adrian.

"You know me, Aaric. I wouldn't let innocent people die by a killer's hands." Adrian said with a big smile. "Though you didn't have to beat me." he said grudgingly as he rubs his swollen cheek. "Just be glad I didn't shoot you." Adrian growled before leaving.

"Wow." Cody said after a few moments of silence. "He really hates you." he stated the obvious. "Yeah, well," Adrian began with a laugh. "He's just angry I caught the bad guy again." he finished. Cody rolled his eyes at Adrian's statement. 'Yet he doesn't know that Adrian is a bad guy.' he thought.

"Cody," Adrian started in a rather serious tone. Cody gives Adrian's his attention and notices that the killer was staring directly into his eyes. "I was wondering if you would like to . . . go out." Adrian finished, his cheeks turning to a noticeable red color.

Cody's jaw almost dropped but he kept it shut. 'Is he . . . nervous?!' Cody thought in shock as he takes in Adrian's words again. "Are you asking me out on a date, Adrian?" Cody asked for clarification. He couldn't help but smile at how nervous Adrian was. "Well . . . we've never actually gone on a date when we were together. I thought that we could try again after all we've been through." Adrian explained as his face grew redder and redder. The man was just embarrassed.

Slipping his fingers through Adrian's own, Cody gave his hand a squeeze. "I'd love too, Adrian." he said honestly.

A smile grew on Adrian's face as the embarrassment quickly disappeared. He leans in and presses his lips against Cody's.