A Shadow Of A Man

Part Five~ The Best Thing

Megan's jaw dropped "Rebs, is that"?

Rebecca span around, eyes on the garden of the asylum "Yeah, he got brought out of isolation, apparently the Rowlan's thought it was time, even gave him a hair cut and shaved his beard by the looks of it" looking back at her sister she shook her head "I know what you're going to say and no i'm not helping you see him"

"Please, I won't reveal anything, you know it's like my dream, please Rebecca, i'll do your laundry for a month" she pleaded, eyes blinking fast

"And my washing"?

"Yes, fine that too" she rolled her eyes "So can I"?

"Fine, but don't make it obvious, come on" holding her key card against the gate she tugged her in "You have less than five minutes, understood"?

"Yes boss" Megan made her way over to Aditya, clearing her throat she watched as he turned to face her "Hi"

Puffing on his ciggarete he smirked "Hello, can I help you"?

"I, I just wanted to say that I know you didn't do it, kill your wife I mean"

"I know, she's alive so how could I have killed her" his eyes glowed with humour "Anything else"? He turned his head back to the road

"I know, i'm her friend"

"Oh are you now"? The corner of his lips curled "And yet you didn't remind her of the greatest thing to ever happen to her, that isn't good friendship"

"Actually, I can't, if you push her to remember she may shut down, doctors warned us not to so we just allowed her to believe what she choose, her boyfriend filled her in on his version of events"

"Oh yeah and what are they"? Finally peaking his interest he turned to face her

"Um, just that she was on medication that made her forget, but that she has always been with him, there's probably something you should know, see i've been watching your life for some time" she spoke nervously, he had such an aura about him, trying to maintain his attention was hard

"Oooh my very own stalker, did you want my autograph"? He winked, chuckling when she blushed so her cheeks matched her hair

"Well I wouldn't say no, I really respect your work, but you should know that her boyfriend is Carlos Igniato" Megan looked down at her trainers and pulled her hoodie over her hands

"You know" he laughed "Carlos had to wait for her to lose her memory to even get her attention, i'm back in the game now and we all know he can't take me" he rolled his shoulders then looked up at the blue sky

"But he burnt her, aren't you worried that-"

"How do you know that"? Aditya's eyes narrowed "Exactly who are you"?

"M-Megan, my name is Megan, I swear I don't mean any harm, I want to help, I swear" she held her hands up

"You got a pen and paper"?

Grabbing her pen and notebook from her rucksack she held it out to him, watched as he wrote something, fag hanging out the corner of his mouth then gave it back. "Is this your autograph"?

"You're a fan, I assume that's what you wanted, sell it, you'll get thousands" he shrugged then looked back at the road

"Well I am, but I also want to help" she stepped so she was infront of him "So what can I do"?

"Hit me, hard, as soon as she gets out of her car, she won't even ask you why, she's already angry at me"

"But won't that make her more angrier at you"?

"That's how she likes it, trust me I know how to win her over, ready when you are" Aditya's face flew to the side, slight blood where her nails had scraped beneath his eye. "Doc, look at the abuse i'm getting over here" he pouted holding his cheek with his cuffed hands

Zoya crossed her arms "Meg, you shouldn't be here, you and I need to talk" grabbing his arm she dragged him to the corner

"Oooh, look at you ordering me around, I quite like bossy Zoya, careful" he hissed as she span him around "I am an injured man, you just can't keep your hands off of me can you" he wiggled his brows

"Look, yesterday night my boyfriend did get hurt, I don't know how you managed it but it cannot happen again"

"Did he die"?

"No he didn't die" she gasped loudly

"Oh, just my dream then, let me guess, you want to tell me it can't happen again and you're finally going to come back and give me therapy aslong as I don't hurt him again"?

"Uh, yes, how did you, you know what it doesn't matter" she huffed loudly "So, can you promise me it won't"?

"Yes Sir" he saluted "Now, let me take you in, look how tight that skirt is, you wore it just to catch my eye didn't you"?

"Don't flatter yourself Mr Hooda, I don't dress up for-"

"Men, I know, you dress for yourself"

"No, I don't dress for my patients, I do dress for my boyfriend though, a man who I love dearly"

"Sorry I don't hear rubbish, selective hearing, anyway are you going to kiss it better"? Aditya tapped his cheek and leant forward

Narrowing her eyes she scoffed "Sorry, I don't hear rubbish, selective hearing" with that she walked away leaving Aditya with a smile on his face.

[~~~]

Aditya bit into his apple, leaning against the door of the corridor he fell into pace with Zoya, though as she read while she walked she hadn't yet noticed. "What you reading"? He leant over her shoulder

A small squeal left her and the file fell from her fingers, she shook her bandaged left hand and stepped back against the wall "Mr Hooda, I was actually hoping to catch you"

"Oh yeah, and why's that"? He stepped closer and raised a brow

"Well, my behaviour of late hasn't been professional, I just wanted to apologise" somewhere she knew that the way she spoke to him was wrong, but honestly she didn't like him very much. But she had a job to do, a job she wouldn't allow him to get in the way of. Bending down she picked up her file then turned back to him "Excuse me"

For just a second he frowned "You don't like me do you"?

"I, you're my patient"

"But still, you don't like me, you wish you had picked someone else" he wasn't sure how to process that information. Did he continue to try or let her go free? Clearly his previous plan had not worked how it should have, the fact that Carlos was dating her and building things was a cause for concern, until he knew she was safe he wouldn't leave her side.

Zoya still hadn't answered, instead she looked down and held her file against her chest "You have left me in a position where even though I am uncomfortable I must remain your therapist to ensure the safety of the people around me" looking up she sighed "You have the upper hand here Mr Hooda, why does it matter what I feel"?

"Because I don't want you to hate me, that wasn't what this was meant to be about" Aditya looked down at her hand "I didn't know it was you or I wouldn't have-"

"But you would have hurt other people, that's the problem Mr Hooda, even if you do not mean to harm me, you are, by threatening me, infact you know how it feels to have decisions made for you, you know how it feels to fear sexual assault, yet that is what you made me fear" she sighed loudly again

"I wouldn't have gone through with it Zoya"

"How do I know that"?

He was stumped as how to answer "You have my word, i'll be the model patient from now onwards" he shook his head sadly "I'm sorry I mistook you for someone else, my wife is dead, I know that now" and he did, physically she was alive but emotionally she was not that person anymore, maybe it was for the best. He had walked a few steps away when he heard her speak again

"I am truly sorry for your loss"

The faintest smile came to his lips "Me too, she was, she was the best thing to ever happen to me"