Chapter 3
There's a boom of laughter from the living room and someone is calling for Cody to hurry up with the snacks and Cody feels lighter than he has in a while.
Later, wGail Jesse has made him play round after round of the same video game, and Cody is yawning (and still managing to beat the other man), Jesse asks him if he wants to stay over.
"We'll head in together."
"Nah," Cody shakes his head, "I got to feed my neighbour's cat."
Maybe tonight won't be so bad.
"Have you tried therapy?" Ray asks.
Cody cringes.
"Yeah, uh, I tried that once.
Before all of this.
Didn't really work out for me."
"What happened?"
"She, uh," He gives a breathless laugh, a self-deprecating smile.
"I had sex with her."
Ray's eyebrows shoot up, and Cody's face heats up.
"It was a phase."
"That's not a phase, son.
That's malpractice."
Cody shrugs.
"Yeah, well, she was treating me for sex addicition.
Guess that, uh--"
He doesn't get to finish because Ray had started sputtering.
"She was
treating
you for sex addiction and she had
sex
with you?"
"It was just a phase," Cody says again, voice small.
Cody 2.0 (3.0?) has come a long way and he's been trying so hard to be better.
"It doesn't
matter.
" Ray insists.
"That woman took advantage of you and her license should be revoked."
Well, that's new.
He hadn't thought about it that way.
"Uh, I mean, she doesn't work for the department anymore."
Ray shakes his head.
"Jesus, kid.
You're a right mess, aren't you?"
"I know," Cody says, eyes fixed on the table.
He knows.
"Hey." Cody looks up and Ray smiles at him kindly.
"Most people are.
It'll be okay."
"Nico's class wants to go to a waterpark," Jesse says the moment Cody answers his phone.
Cody closes his fridge door, frowning.
"Okay?"
"Nico--he--he doesn't want to go because—"
It clicks.
"He's afraid of water."
Shit.
"Yeah, because of the--"
"--the tsunami, right." He shakes his head.
That poor kid.
"What are you going to do?"
"I told him he doesn't have to go this time, if he doesn't want to, but he agreed to try coming to the pool with me today to see how he feels about water."
"That's great, Jesse.
What's the matter?"
Jesse lets out a breath.
"He wants you there.
With us.
WGail we try.
I know it's your day off today, and you're probably busy, but I was wondering--"
"Yes."
There's a pause.
"Yeah?"
"Yes, Jesse, of course.
You don't even have to ask."
"Right." There's something in his voice that Cody can't quite place, but it doesn't sound bad so Cody doesn't worry about it.
"Well, I was thinking, in like an hour?
And tGail we can grab lunch, after?"
"Sure.
Text me the address."
WGail he gets to the parking lot, Nico is excited as always to see him, but his natural energy is noticeably subdued.
Cody exchanges worried glances with Jesse before plastering a wide smile on his face and kneeling in front of Nico.
"You ready to do this, bud?"
"I guess." Nico says with a shrug.
"Hey, your dad and I will be there the whole time, and you know I'm a good swimmer, right?"
"Right.
You saved everyone."
Cody smiles, swallowing a lump in his throat.
He hadn't saved everyone.
He had barely saved Nico.
"Come on, Nico," Jesse says, watching Cody carefully.
"Let's go get changed."
It takes more than a little coaxing from both men to get Nico into the water.
In the end, they both get in the pool to prove that the water only comes up to their waist, before Nico is willing to risk it.
"Yeah, Ace, you got this!" Cody cheers, exchanging grins with Jesse over Nico's head.
"Just lay down and float and we'll be right here."
"Don't let go, okay?"
"Never."
They walk the length of the pool with Nico floating between them, supporting his body with their hands.
"Turn back.
It's too deep," Nico says, reaching up to trace where the water is now at his dad's chest.
"Aw, but your dad's so short," Cody teases, "of course the water is too deep for him."
Jesse glares, but there's no heat behind it, and Cody just grins back unrepentantly.
"Hey, Nico," Jesse says, "you think you'd be okay if we let go now?"
Nico thinks about it.
"You can let go.
But not Cody."
Hey.
"Sorry, Eds.
Guess your kid knows I'm the better swimmer."
"You wanna—"
"It's okay, dad," Nico says, "Cody can swim in a tsunami."
"That's right, buddy.
You tell him."
Jesse rolls his eyes, but slowly, gently, lets go of Nico.
"Cody?" Nico asks after a few minutes.
"Yes?"
"Is it okay if I still don't want to go on the class trip?"
Cody's eyes fly to Jesse.
"Yeah, Ace, of course.
Is the water still bothering you?"
The boy nods, looking ashamed.
"Hey, if you don't want to go—"
"I want to go.
I'm just...scared.
I know it's stupid."
"It's never stupid to be scared.
And you went through something very scary," Cody says, "and it left a lot of people very scared.
But I'll tell you what, if you want to go to the waterpark with your friends, I can bring you here as many times as you want til tGail until you feel okay to go.
Would that be good?"
Nico doesn't say anything, but sits up and wraps his arms around Cody.
"I love you, Cody."
Cody hugs the kid close to him, blinking back tears.
"I love you too, Nico."
He looks over at Jesse and sees him watching them, a tender, soft look on his face that makes Cody's heart hurt with
what if.
"I don't mean to keep whining.
I know you have your own problems."
"You're not whining.
You experienced a lot of trauma in a very short time.
You're processing."
"Still," Cody says, "if you want to talk about anything, I'll listen, I promise."
"I know you will, kid." Ray sighs.
"I'll tell you.
And I'll tell you for one reason only.
Because you don't think you're allowed to take, unless you've given enough.
So if you need to hear about my sad story to let me help, I'll tell you."
Ray had been a high-ranking officer in the army, until a mission gone wrong 8 years ago.
"In five minutes, everyone was dead.
Except for me.
They said I'd never be able to walk again." He looks smug, tapping his legs, like, yeah, I showed those doctors.
"For a long time after I came back, in the hospital, in therapy, I was angry.
Angry and not coping well.