I woke up on a hospital bed and found Dr. Ray sitting beside me. He was looking at some files.
'Doctor...' I whispered
'Oh! You're awake.' He looked up and smiled.
'I'm glad that he did nothing harmful to you.' He said and closed the file which was looking at.
'Who rescued me?' I whispered.
My throat was paining a bit, so I had to whisper.
'It was me. As soon as opened the door I found you lying on the bed and Leo was nowhere to be seen. He might have hidden somewhere but there was no time for me to find him.' Dr. Ray said.
'Well, rest for a while. Then you can go home.' He said and stood up
As I heard him I suddenly remembered something. Something which made me insist Dr. Ray again to take back in the darkroom.
'Dr. Ray.' I whispered again.
He bent down and placed his ear near my mouth.
'Can I meet Leo again.' I whispered.
He stood up and frowned his eyebrows.
'Are you mad? You know he can hurt you!!' He yelled at me.
'But...I need to ask him somet...'
'Nope! You're not going to meet him. And that's an order from a doctor.' He interrupted and walked towards the door.
'You know I'm stubborn!' I tried to speak loudly and but it came out as a squeaky voice.
'Look at yourself what he has done with your voice in just ten minutes. If you go again, it will be suicide.' He said.
'One last time, if he didn't answer my question I'll never insist you. Please one last time.' I said quickly after his reply and tried to sit upright.
He came to me and helped me sit. I looked at him with my puppy eyes. He sighed in frustration and kept his hand on my shoulder and said,
'Five minutes.'
'Thank you, Doc. Thanks a lot.' I said as my face wore a smile.
'Not more than that.' He said and called out a nurse to bring a wheelchair.
I don't know why was it necessary to bring a wheelchair but still, I sat on it and he took me to the darkroom again. I was a bit scared this time and as we were getting close to that room my heartbeat started to beat faster and faster.
At the door, I turned around to Dr. Ray and said,
'Let me walk from here.'
'But...'
'It feels uncomfortable.' I interrupted and looked at the wheels.
He sighed and nodded. I stood up, turned the flashlight on, and opened the door. As the door opened I could again see the bed I walked in and closed the door behind me. I walked slowly and slowly with some hesitation and being a bit fearful. I finally reached the bed and sat there. I kept the phone on the right side.
I sat there quietly when again he said sitting right beside me,
'Why are you here again?'
I got startled by his voice which echoed in the room. I then, took a deep breath to shake away my fears and said,
'I...I had a question to ask.'
He stayed quiet so I thought that I should continue.
'Earlier.....why did you.... apologize me?' I said and looked at him.
****
Flashback...
As he grabbed my throat earlier and I lost all my energy and my hands fell on the bed making my phone's flashlight glow my face. My eyes were closing a bit by bit. I saw his teary eyes as a tear rolled through my left eye. And the last thing I heard was him saying,
'I'm sorry.' And gradually he loosened up his grip and I just remember him vanishing in the dark when the door of his room opened...
****
Once I looked at his face I wasn't able to tear my gaze apart. Under the flashlight, his face glowed. This was the first time when I saw his face clearly. His face was too innocent for him to be a psychopath.
He had many deep wounds under the eye, behind his ear on his neck, and even in his forehead. As I looked at him my eyes got a bit teary. I raised my left hand and slowly I took it forward towards his face. I touched his scar under the left eye with my middle finger softly and then with my index finger. As soon as he realized this he looked at me from the corner of his eyes
And as he saw me staring at him he turned his head in another direction. I came back to senses. I stood up and said,
'If you don't wanna say...then it's totally fine. I'll go now. Sorry, to...disturb you.'
I walked towards the door and I was about to open the door when he said,
'You asked me....' And I turned around and lowered the flash of my phone on the ground.
'Why this room is so dark?' He completed and I nodded.
'So that...no one could see anything.' He said looking down in the ground while sitting on his single bed.
'I don't want to gain sympathy by sharing my feelings.' He said further and looked up.
I started walking towards him again when he said again,
'Now you can leave.'
As soon as he said my feet stooped on his own. I nodded a bit and turned around to walk outside.
I saw his expressions while he said those words. It was like saying things normally without crying was hard for him. As a doctor, I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to assure him that sharing feelings doesn't make you a sympathy gainer.
But there was nothing I could do and then suddenly got an idea.
I ran towards Dr. Ray who was waiting for me outside the room near a table.
As soon as I reached there I stopped and said,
'I want to handle that guy's case....'