Chapter 65: Anger Management

Sometime after the two government agents left, Red Deer Rhos sat alone in the consultation room.

Nothing about the room had changed. Morning light still poured through the exterior windows and fresh air continued to circulate through the vents. However, its atmosphere felt different.

It was far removed from the warm and welcoming atmosphere it usually had. At least, according to Rhos.

It had become tense. The silence became suffocating, every tiny sound was irritating, even the sound of distant footsteps of the hospital staff passing was getting on his nerves.

Rhos sat hunched forward with his elbows resting on top of the wooden table. His darkened amber eyes were hidden by deep crimson hair that hung loosely over his face.

He hadn’t moved for a while now, trying to calm himself down. He had been trying ever since Tedd and Kay walked out of the room, but every attempt made the furnace beneath his ribs burn even brighter.

That damn woman.

The moment Tedd mentioned her name, everything Rhos carefully constructed throughout the interrogation went to shit!

His acting was perfect until that damn woman was brought up.

The frightened survivor. The cowardly young Ranger traumatized by the destruction of his Division. A boy ashamed of abandoning his duties but otherwise harmless.

Rhos carefully controlled what information he provided, how quickly he answered and when he allowed himself to hesitate. Every lie had been wrapped around enough truth that contradicting him would be difficult without knowing exactly what happened beyond the Biome.

He only lost control of everything when questions concerning Nimra came up.

He stopped cooperating and his entire demeanor changed instantly. Any and all questions they asked after were answered with silence.

That was a stupid move.

Rhos squeezed his eyes shut.

That was so fucking stupid!

After everything he’d done to keep their suspicions under control, he practically handed them a bright red sign announcing exactly where they should start digging.

Rhos dragged both hands down his face in frustration. The credibility of anything he said was probably damaged now.

"I might as well kill myself right now. I’m so stupid!"

Mistakes were a natural part of life. Everyone makes mistakes. That’s understandable.

But Rhos hated mistakes that happened because someone had allowed emotions to override common sense.

That was exactly what Nimra had done to him.

The moment he learned she was alive, the memory of her throwing him toward the Wrath returned with such clarity he could almost feel himself falling backward again. He remembered the confusion before understanding struck. He remembered seeing her retreating figure...

...leaving him for dead.

People chose themselves when death came close enough. Rhos understood that better than most people. So why?

Why did just hearing her name make him want to put his fist through something?

"She’s alive"

He muttered as crimson wisps of spiritual energy curled from his shoulders

"The bitch is actually alive"

Rhos lowered his hands to the table, however, the instant they touched its surface, the entire table shattered.

Wood exploded beneath his palm, breaking apart so suddenly that splinters scattered on the floor.

"Kyaah!"

Rhos was snapped out of his thoughts by the sudden scream of a woman, his spiritual energy dispersing.

His head shot upward and saw a nurse standing at the entrance.

She held a clipboard against her chest and stared at what remained of the table with wide, shaking eyes. Then she raised her gaze to meet the young man’s.

Rhos immediately broke away from it.

"Shit"

The nurse swallowed before managing a nervous smile.

"Mr. Sherlock requested I check on you after they finished speaking with you. I apologize if I’ve caught you at a bad time, Mr. Red Deer. I did knock, but you didn’t seem to hear me, and the door was already partly open, so I thought perhaps–"

"No, don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be apologizing"

Rhos immediately stood before regretting that. Standing so quickly like that probably wasn’t helping the terrified woman. He raised his hands to assure her he meant no harm.

"I’m fine, really, much better than I was before. I just lost my temper for a second"

He crouched and started collecting the larger pieces of the destroyed table.

"Sorry about the table. Do you know much about one of these costs? I can pay for it once I find work"

The nurse blinked, watching him trying to clean up the mess he made. She hesitated before approaching him. Instead of helping with the wood, she dropped to her knees and reached for his hand.

"Please let me see"

"I’m not hurt. I promise"

"I would still prefer to check"

Rhos stopped when she took his wrist and turned his hand over, checking his palm and fingers before looking toward his chest.

"You aren’t experiencing any pain around your sternum? Tightness in your chest, dizziness, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness?"

"No, nothing like that. My body feels good actually"

Rhos gave her an awkward smile. The nurse released his hand and studied him for a second. Her expression softened.

"Are you all right?"

That question and soft tone it was delivered in made Rhos pause just when he was about to give an automatic answer.

The look in her black eyes told him that she was concerned. Rhos’s eyes moved to the demolished table.

"I just... got a lot on my mind. That’s all. Nothing you should be concerned about"

"I don’t mind. If something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it. Patient wellbeing isn’t limited to whether your wounds have closed. You’ve survived something serious. Becoming upset afterward isn’t unusual"

Her expression became solemn.

"Of course, you don’t have to tell me anything, but you shouldn’t convince yourself that keeping everything inside means it isn’t affecting you"

Rhos felt strangely at ease now. A small smile crossed his lips.

"Thank you, but I’m fine. Really. It’s something personal that I need to deal with myself. It isn’t going to affect my health. Not physically, anyway"

That earned him a genuine smile from her. She took the pieces he had collected from his hands and stood up.

"Leave this for the cleaning staff. I’ll note that the table was damaged accidently, and nobody is going to hand you an invoice before you leave. For now, I’d much rather you worry about yourself, Mr. Red Deer"

Rhos watched her slim figure for a moment before standing up as well.

"Yea, I’ll do that. Thank you, and I’m sorry again"