ELVAM

Early last evening, Zack arrived at my apartment half drunk. He said he told Kaley about his feelings, but she doesn't feel the same way. His mood swings were disturbing, one moment he would be angry and then upset, then almost manic. It made me wonder if he had more than a few drinks in him.

I didn't know what to do exactly to comfort him, so I did what I know best. I tried to distract him with some video games and sobered him with large amounts of Chinese food, and eventually, he calmed down and looked fit enough to go home. I've never been in love with anyone, and I'm kind of glad it's been that way for me after seeing him go through that experience.

Zack was already at the studio when I came in this morning, and Kaley arrived a few minutes after me. The atmosphere turned awkward when they faced each other, even when no words were exchanged. I put on my headphones, trying to keep a neutral attitude to the situation. She then grabbed her laptop and a box of supplies and closed herself in the meeting room. Her presentation with Face is in a few weeks, but I'm sure she did it to avoid looking at Zack. After the door closed, he let out a shaky breath. It went unnoticed by everybody else, but I know well enough he's trying his best to not break down.

An email forwarded by David arrives in my inbox and I open it to find a design brief for a logo of a new mental health hospital. The timing couldn't be worse with everything we are going through. Even though I'm still going to my weekly therapy, I feel I'm not making progress. My negative thoughts and abandonment issues seem to be at their worst in the evenings. Alone in my apartment, I realize that I have no one, no family, and the relationship of the most stable people in my life is falling apart. The pills make me drowsy and I eventually fall asleep, but my dreams constantly replay scenes from the day he told me to never come back, his hands choking me, and most recently his denial of my existence. I close the file and search for something more cheerful to work on when the meeting room door opens. Kaley's shocked face makes me turn around and see Owen walking in. His nose is swollen and has a mix of purple and red splotches with a wide gap across the bridge, his mouth doesn't look any better.

"Jeez, what happened to your face? Are you okay?" She places her hand on his arm.

"It's nothing," he mumbles. "I'll be okay."

Two men dressed in police uniforms enter our studio and David walks to them.

"Owen, the agents need to talk to you," he says, surprise on his face.

"Owen McKay, you have been accused of assault. We need you to come down to the station with us."

Owen nods and walks with the policemen outside. We are all glued to our places with our mouths open watching the scene. Owen stops at the door and looks at David.

"Tell Nathan this is about Ciara."

Shortly after, I manage to move and run to the door as the police drives away with Owen in the back seat of the patrol car.

NATHAN

If my mother wants things to be this way, then fine. I don't care anymore. She has closed herself in her room and only comes out when I have retired to mine. Her behavior is childish and the times I have tried to talk with her she raises the volume of the television to deafening levels. I'm glad I can escape to work. Can't wait to get behind my workstation, put some music on and do something productive.

The moment I enter the studio I know something is wrong. David and Kaley speak in hushed voices while Elvam and Zack seem deep in thought.

"What is going on?" I ask cautiously.

"Owen got arrested a moment ago. The police came here looking for him on assault charges. Someone bashed his face," Zack says.

"Nathan, he said to tell you it is about Ciara. Who's Ciara?" David asks.

The breath I was holding comes out loudly. Telling Owen's secret is for a good cause, saving his reputation.

"Ciara is Owen's 15-year-old daughter. Some months ago, she ran away with her 21-year-old boyfriend. Owen and I found her unconscious at a party and brought her home. I'm assuming Owen had more than a talk with the boyfriend."

If the situation weren't so serious, it would have been comical with the way their eyes widen and their mouths drop open.

"Owen has a daughter? Why he didn't tell us?" Kaley shakes her head.

"He was afraid that you wouldn't hire him or that you will fire him. You won't, right?" I feel suddenly worried I might have made the situation worse.

"Of course not," Elvam says. "We need to help him. What should we do? He can't go to jail."

"I think I should go to the station and give them a statement. I know the exact conditions we found her and that might help."

"Please, Nathan, keep us posted," Kaley says. I give her a nod and head out to the police station.

This place is terrible. Everything looks gray and worn out and a strong smell of burnt coffee permeates the air. I walk to the policeman sitting at the reception.

"My name is Nathan Larsen. I'm here to give a statement in favor of Owen McKay and bail him."

The man takes his time while he shuffles papers around. When he finds what he is looking for, he motions for me to take a seat. A drunken guy handcuffed to a bench bolted to the floor gives me a yellowish grin. Owen doesn't belong in this place at all.

After a few minutes that feel like an eternity, another policeman asks me to follow him. The greasy looking chair he invites me to sit on makes me uncomfortable but I do it anyway. He types away at a computer while I tell him all I know about the situation with Owen and Ciara, and the night we found her at the party. The man spends some time reading my statement and then leans back in his chair.

"I know I must remain impartial during procedures, but I could see immediately that he's too decent to have done what he is accused of without provocation. Give me some time to speak with the boss. You can wait outside."

I stand up and shake hands with him, then head to the door.

"I don't blame McKay for what he did. I also have a daughter, and would have done the same or more to that bastard. I will waive the bail."

I nod and feel relieved, since I didn't give a thought on where I could get the bail money. The yellow-teethed drunk is nowhere to be found as I sit on the hard bench in front of the reception. I want to send a message to the team saying I did my part and now I'm waiting, but the sign in front of me prohibits it.

"Nathan?"

Owen's appearance shocks me. I recover as quickly and stand up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, they let me go without bail."

We walk together in silence to my car. It's obvious he feels embarrassed about what just happened. I don't know how he will react to my next action, but instead of driving him to his house or the studio, I take a detour and bring him to the hospital.

Owen accepts the destination without a protest. The nurse at the reception looks at Owen and let us inside immediately. While the staff is busy checking his vitals and treating his wounds, I write a message to the team.

Owen got released without bail. I brought him to the hospital to get checked and will bring him to his house afterwards.

The replies arrive almost immediately with get well soon wishes. I walk around the hallways and grab me a bland coffee from an automatic machine. After spending a long time with my mother at this place, I feel restless and can't sit. Owen walks out of the treatment room with a dressing over his nose and a butterfly stitch on his lip.

"Let's bring you home. I informed the team I will do so."

A hint of panic appears in his face. "I can't. I have a lot of work to do for Pure Bliss."

"Don't worry, I'll see what I can do to speed the project when I go back to the studio. Here, you can read the messages I got from them saying it's okay. I also told them about Ciara and they are fine with it. You won't lose your job."

"Thanks, Nathan," he says while scrolling through the messages.

"Did you get in a fight with the ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I did. He got Ciara pregnant."

"Pregnant? But she's still a kid!"

"When I confronted him, I only wanted him to realize what he did, but he denied it, called Ciara a whore basically. Things got out of hand after that. I only regret not giving him more than a black eye if I knew I would get arrested. Sean is now facing statutory rape charges."

"This is life changing for her, for both of you."

"Indeed," he sighs. "I'm still getting used to the idea. Thirty years old, and I might be back at changing diapers."

"So, she will keep the baby?"

"I don't know yet. She's still thinking about her choices."

"Owen, please, let me know if I can help you with anything."

"Thanks, man. You've done more than enough already, but it's good to know someone has my back," he smiles.

"Someone has to. I mean, you are almost a grandpa, an old man and everything."

Owen laughs and then winces from the stitch on his lip.