I am a man of vehement disposition, with violent enthusiasms, and extreme immoderation in all my passions.
Maine woke up eager to work and happy. It had been four months since Richard arrived at the facility, and his progress was moving along smoothly. He could take short walks by now, can already feed himself so long as his food was already cut into pieces. She read books to him, patiently guided him to learn how to write again. She taught him how to play chess to improve his concentration and stimulate his thinking process, which he learned quickly probably because he played the game before. She took him to the pool every afternoon as part of his therapy to walk without a cane and trigger memories of his sport.
"Good morning, pogi. How's my baby boy today? Did you sleep well?"
He responds with a smile. Goodness, the effect of a simple smile on her. That dimple, the way it transforms his face is priceless. She could never get used to how handsome her patient was. Sometimes, Maine could not help the stirrings of attraction felt for her patient. It was difficult to remain neutral when she touches him as part of their rehab activities. But the bond between her and Richard was steadily growing stronger. He now responded to her jokes with a laugh, he dutifully followed her instructions in their therapy sessions, even if he struggled with them sometimes. He was an ideal patient, always cooperative even on his bad days. He showed an innate desire to overcome his condition and be back to normal as soon as possible.
His communication skills were also improving. He could communicate with a few words already, could write short paragraphs and compose sentences in writing all by himself. The Pokemon experiment was working. Ever since she reintroduced the game to him, he performed better in their rehab sessions. Pokemon provided the right brain stimulation to trigger memories, including some of his basic functions that were now slowly coming back. He rarely used the wheelchair now, his determination to walk unaided was paying off.
Today she was getting Richard ready for his morning exercises, guiding him to a park bench to sit. She gave him the blue stress ball, to practice his coordination. A simple game of catch went a long way for him. With this activity, she could gauge if his physical and mental processes were coordinating together.
Someone suddenly grabbed her from behind, pulling her away from Richard. On reflex, she struggled to break free.
"Missed you hon." She felt a kiss on her neck. She struggled to break free but the arms just tightened around her waist.
"Jake stop it," She pushed at his arms around her waist and shoved him away from her. "We're done, or have you forgotten?"
"Galit ka pa rin ba? Hirap mo naman suyuin. " He attempted to hug her again but was pushed away.
"Look, first of all, I'm working. Show some respect, I'm in my workplace. And second, yes, galit pa rin ako. Tapos na tayo so get out."
"Smile na hon. I drove a long way to see you. "
"Jake, just because your mother happens to be my boss doesn't mean we can bend the rules here. I can't entertain you now. Give me a little respect, let me work."
Jake's smile vanished, replaced by a sneer. He pulled her by the arm, bringing her face close to his.
"Yabang natin ha. This job you so love? I can take it away from you, just like that." He snapped his fingers close to her face. "You know, I still remember when you were a nobody in our batch. Pangit ka pa noon eh. Gumanda ka lang naman kasi napabarkada ka sa amin. Fucking promdi."
Suddenly, something hit Jake's face hard. Maine saw the blue stress ball roll away, as Jake cupped his cheek . She knew who threw the ball and hoped Jake didn't see who did. He let go of her arm and walked angrily away.
Maine felt the hot tears of shame and self-doubt fall. She did not want Richard to see her this way. Shaken, she sat beside Richard to compose herself. She was over Jake, that's for sure. But as always, he still managed to make her feel like so small and insignificant. He always succeeded in leaving her self-esteem in shards, like broken glass.
A hand reached out to dry her tears. A gentle thumb traced the path of her tears, wiping them away, caressing her cheek. She looked up to see Richard looking at her, his brown eyes full of concern.
"Thank you," She whispered, taking his hand in both of hers.
He pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly, her first physical connection with a warm body in months. It felt good to be hugged, it felt good to have someone care, for a change.
-------
He hated the man. Loathed him, felt the stirrings of violence in his blood.
Yet, he could not understand why. Was he influenced by Maine's reaction to Jake?
Maine.
Pretty. Friendly. Loving.
Sweet. Gentle. Funny.
Love her laugh. Love her smile.
Love her face. Love her smell.
Love her.
LOVE HER.
He loved Maine. It was strange how lucid his mind has become, ever since she handled his rehab program. And now this guy Jake is hurting the woman he loves.
Hate Jake.
HATE JAKE.
Must stop Jake. Must save her.
Damn Richard. Damn accident. DAMN.
And then he knew. He found a way to stop him. He remembered how to channel his power, a meditation technique he used for swimming. To concentrate, to pool all his strength in his arms.
Just one arm, Richard.
Hit Jake.
One. Strong. Arm.
He concentrated.
Gripped the stress ball. Raised his arm.
He threw the ball at Jake. Really hard.
Jake's head snapped back from the impact of the ball hitting his face. He was so angry, but the pain of the blow overpowered the desire to retaliate. Richard wondered if Jake saw him throw the ball. He didn't really care. Jake stomped off away from Maine.
Good job Richard.
Richard controlled the urge to laugh. He was proud of himself for hitting Jake. He made Jake go away.
But Maine was crying. She approached the park bench and sat beside him.
He reached out to wipe her tears. It was a gesture of friendship.
Companionship. Empathy. Love.
And she accepted it. She thanked him.
She held his hand. He hugged her.
