Two Villains

Ch. 43- Rose and Thorns

My office telephone rang from the table; the director was calling me. I knew for sure that Rhys had called him to find out my whereabouts. Furious, I decided to go to his office.

When I opened the door to his office, my heart sank. Rhys stood there, dressed all in black, with significant dark circles under his eyes and messy hair.

Then I realized, it had been almost 15 days since I last saw him.

"Kaya, you never mentioned that you are in a relationship with Mr. Rhys Volkner?" the director mumbled, but I couldn't hear properly. Seeing Rhys in that shattered condition broke my heart into a million pieces.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in a year," Rhys said, as if he was pleading for water like a parched sailor stranded on a deserted island.

"Dr. Kaya is one of our most dedicated and hardworking doctors. You should be very proud of her contribution to this hospital. She has been working tirelessly since the metro blast," the director babbled humbly once more.

"When was the last time you ate anything?" Rhys asked me. I couldn't even remember when I had last eaten anything. But he looked sleepless and erratic.

"When was the last time you slept at all, Rhys?" I asked him instead of replying. He seemed agitated by my question.

"There's a lot going on," he tried to say, but he looked so tired. Rhys turned to the director and asked if it was possible to grant me three days of leave from work and roster duties. The director was surprised to discover that I had been volunteering extra hours on duty.

So, against my wishes, he granted me five days of leave to impress Rhys Volkner.

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"You should not have done it," I remarked to Rhys as we buckled our seatbelts in the car. Rhys had come alone with two additional security vehicles, but they were merely escorting us; we were alone in the car.

"Kay, you look like a ghost. You need a break, some rest, and some sleep," Rhys protested. I shrugged at his suggestion.

"You look like a ghost," I insisted. He sighed at my remark and gave me a sad look.

"A lot has been going on for the past few days."

"Brett told me about the Phosphorus Bomb. Is that true?" I asked him. Rhys nodded slowly, and my heart sank at the revelation.

"How did they do it? I always heard of these types of bombs being dropped from planes or fired via rockets. How did they manage to plant such a thing in that small gap without raising any suspicions?" I asked him, but he didn't reply. Instead, he started to drive out from the basement of our hospital.

"Rhys?" I asked him again.

"Kay, I am driving, will you just let me drive in peace for fuck's sake?" He yelled at me.

His eyes were hazy and watery, as if he had been sleepless for a few nights. The headlights from other cars illuminated his depressed mental state.

My nagging had clearly irritated him, and in turn, his behavior infuriated me. So, I decided to ignore him for our awfully long one-hour car ride. I expected him to ask whether he should put on some music in the car or not, but he remained silent and utterly miserable behind the wheel.

I had no idea when the dark scenery outside lulled me into sleep.

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When I woke up, the car's engine was turned off, but the heater was on. Rhys was still seated in the driver's seat, his head slightly tilted towards my side, still sleeping. The cabin was dark, and I couldn't see outside.