How Little You Care

Chapter 6.

SMACK!!

Suddenly, a familiar, clammy hand collided with her cheek, throwing her neck to one side. A grunt followed shortly after.

Keith and Micah had just finished with the meeting when they caught Rachel striking herself. Alarmed and confused, both men cringed as she stood there with a sore hand and cheek, forming tiny pools of tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Rachel...!" They called in unison, but Micah was distinctly louder.

Keith ran up to her, reaching his arms out just in case she'd faint, while her husband loomed closer to her making sure she was okay.

The woman stood her ground, took a few deep breaths, and noticed that both men came to her aide.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," She announced tensely, throwing her arms out, "I just had to make sure I wasn't dreaming...a-a lot's going on that it just feels so unreal. I'm sorry for the scare."

The presence of a larger, darker shadow did not help unnerve her in any way. Rachel avoided Micah's stare at all cost, his overwhelming size at that proximity was more than daunting for her, and it was practically making her sick.

"Rachel, relax...relax." A deep voice tried to soothe her. "Breathe, okay? In for three and out for three...just like the therapist said."

Keith hesitated as he watched her hyperventilate. He had juggled what he could do to try to comfort her but with her unpredictable behavior, there was nothing more he could do now. He could only stand by to make sure she didn't hurt herself but ensure a medical team was on standby.

Meanwhile, Micah decided to keep his movements slow knowing that his size must be overwhelming her right now.

With a gentle voice and a smile that he hopes would help ease her somehow, he spoke up again.

"Rachel, will you look at me?"

His wife pursed her lips and struggled to keep her eyes from slamming shut. The anxiety reminded her repeatedly that she and Isabel should not be here. What just happened earlier proved her right. Isabel could've died and there was nothing she could have done.

It wasn't safe.

They weren't safe.

He wasn't safe to be around.

"Rachel?"

"S-shut up!" She demanded, panting loudly like a parched hound, "...I-just—I need some space...it's just too much all at one time, okay?!"

As hard as it was to watch her unravel, Micah remained collected as best as he could. He even went as far as leaning away further in hopes that it would calm her down some.

"It's okay...take all the time you need." He whispered, "You're gonna be alright. Nobody's rushing you."

Keith uttered something unintelligible, thinking drolly, Pfft, the only person trying to rush outta here is her!

Rachel took deep breaths into her nostrils, hoping that it would fill her core with courage. At this point, she hadn't met face to face with her husband, as she was just too afraid to see him. But when she finally mustered everything, she gazed upwards and was met with a worried expression of his own.

And that's where it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Micah's appearance didn't change at all.

He still looked the same.

Human.

Rachel swore that she caught enough features on him that was drastically altered after the explosion. She expected monstrous qualities like fangs and claws or something straight out of the Twilight Zone. But he only stood abnormally tall and had a five o'clock shadow coming in. His blue eyes still striking as the day she met him, devoid of mal intent. As she detected earlier from afar, it seemed that chemical reaction blessed him with a muscular body. Other than the obvious details she noticed, Rachel finally calmed down enough to realize that her husband had pretty much remained the same and was currently looking more and more anxious as the stillness between them was starting to get to him.