“Yes. Yes,” he groaned. “I won’t hit him again.”
The rush of feet behind them announced the arrival of security.
Rian thrust the man away, staggering back, unable to keep his hands from shaking now that he had nothing left to hold. Little tremors pulsed through him, spreading before he could stop them. His body trembled like it was going into shock. The beat of his heart transformed into a speedy gallop, threatening to rip right out of his chest. He turned, stiffening when saw Aditi watching him, her clear brown eyes muddied with emotions he was too afraid to guess.
His stomach plummeted. For a second, he wondered if she would hate him now that she’d seen how violent he could get. Would she fear him? Would she let him explain?
“Doc,” he gulped, barely choking the word out.
“Come with me,” she ordered, taking his hand in hers.
Rian didn’t know whether she was going to show him the way out of the hospital or elsewhere. All he could do was follow her, each step heavier than the last. A minute or so later, he found himself being pulled into an empty hospital room. The click of the door felt absolute and he waited for judgement, like a criminal about to be sentenced for his crimes.
“Are you okay?” Aditi stepped closer, one hand brushing up his forearm and it took everything in him not to grab her.
His vision went blurry. “I couldn’t help it, Doc. I didn’t mean. . .”
He gasped, struggling to take another breath in. His voice was barely above a whisper but even that had been too trying an attempt.
“Hey,” she cupped his face, bringing her attention to him. “Breathe, Rian.”
“What you saw–,” he tried again, unable to continue. To his horror, the burn in his throat shot up and the pressure behind his eyes increased. “Aditi,” he whimpered, his wheezing loud and hollow in the otherwise silent room.
She directed him to sit on the clean bed nearby, standing between his spread knees.
“I saw, Rian. I know it must have been hard for you. I’ve had problems with that man before. I understand.”
He raised a trembling hand to wipe the sweat that had collected above his lips. The air in his lungs seemed trapped, and he could feel his panic rising.
“Don’t hate me,” he choked out, the knot within him tightening with each passing moment.
A split second later, Aditi threw her arms about his shoulders, gathering him close.
Before he could hold it in, an agonised sob erupted from his throat, hot tears leaving a damp trail down his cheeks. Maybe he wept for five minutes, or perhaps it was fifteen. Eyes shut, he buried his face in her chest, letting her scent, the steady rhythm of her heart, and the gentle strokes of her hand against his head and back calm him.
“Feel better?” she asked kindly when his body finally stopped shuddering. She cupped his cheek to look at him. Her thumbs swiped in a delicate arc over his cheekbones, flicking away the remnant dampness.
“My chest hurts,” he croaked, fisting her coat on either side of her waist. He wasn’t ready to let her go.
Sensing his distress, Aditi adjusted his arms to loop around her waist, giving him full control of how close or far he allowed her to go. “Breathe for me,” she coached him, blowing cool air on his forehead.
She glanced down into the tense face of the man she adored, her heart breaking for him. She knew the history of the little boy with Down syndrome very well. Seeing him being mistreated would have brought back a lot of unresolved trauma for Rian. His burst of violence, and his subsequent breakdown confirmed her suspicion. To keep him from dwelling on it, she asked him something that had been on her mind for a while.
“Bugs, why do you never speak about your dyslexia?”
As suspected, the change in topic and the unexpected question had him glancing up.
“How did you know?”
Aditi shrugged, letting her hands smooth the jacket at his shoulders. She brought one hand up and gently sifted through his hair, twirling a finger around a wavy lock. The action was as calming for her as it was for him.
“You said school was tough. I noticed that you take a lot of voice notes, tons of reminders also. You also asked me to read for you. You’re constantly using speech apps. I saw you using a dyslexia font on the computer in your home office. Wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”
“Yeah.”
Her brows met in the middle, confused by that answer. She peered down at him, lips pursed.
“Yeah? I want to know how you’ve coped.”