Kas wasn’t fully cured yet, but he’d taken the first few steps, and...I no longer feared he’d slip. He loved me. His heart was now mine, and I had no doubt that loyalty would keep me safe, even if he had setbacks.
“No.” I shook my head, confident and regal. “The initial moments when he hurt me were never directed at me, but more at the past he couldn’t face.” I shrugged. “I’m not justifying his behavior or saying I accept it, but I am willing to forgive because I’ve seen firsthand the growth and healing he’s already made.”
“So, you’re saying you feel safe in his company now?” Her eyes narrowed. “Even though you still barely know each other?”
“I know him better than anyone.” My spine locked into a stiff line.
“Yet you asked our medical team to treat you together. Why did you not want to be separated? Did he command you to do that? Does he allow you out of his presence? You can be honest with me, Gemma.”
I smiled thinly, trying to stay open instead of prickling on Kas’s behalf. “That was for other people’s sake, not mine.”
She tilted her head. “You’re saying he’s a danger to others?”
“I’m saying he’s endured more pain, damage, and suffering than anyone can understand. He hadn’t talked to a single person in eleven years before I found him. He’d shut down. He’d become part animal. My intrusion into his life was the biggest upheaval he’d had since he was abducted. Again, I’m not excusing his behavior nor denying that he struggled having me in his home to begin with, but what I am saying is, he’s fought so hard to be human again. He’s awed me and amazed me at how much he’s fought to deserve some resemblance of happiness.” I leaned forward, my tone slipping into firmness. “If you’re going to ask if my feelings are misplaced, let me assure you they are not. I fell in love with him, that’s true. I fell for a man who many will see as dangerous. But...he’s not. Not anymore.”
Silence fell between us for a while, her eyes never leaving mine.
Finally, she said quietly, “I appreciate your ferocity defending him. The situation you would’ve found yourself in—caring for a man with deep-seated trauma—cannot have been easy. I also appreciate that true feelings have arisen between you both, and I’m not diminishing that in any way.” She smiled. “He’s lucky to have you.” Her smile fell. “But I do have to warn you that men who have endured pasts, such as the one you’ve mentioned Kassen has lived, can cause irreparable harm. It can make them volatile, even when they seem healed. He might always have triggers. Moments when he forgets and is transported back to a time that makes him violent to escape.”
She patted the file in her lap. “I’ve read his notes. Dr. Wright has diagnosed him with PTSD as well as a severe concussion, mineral deficiencies, and a general lack of care. Are you prepared to continue looking after a man who will need to lean on you possibly for a long time, who will take everything you have to give before he’s able to give anything in return?”
“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s already given me what I’ve given him.”
“Affection?” Her eyebrow rose.
“Loyalty.” My hands balled. “Love.”
She sniffed. “You’ve done an admirable job saving his life, Gemma. If I may call you Gemma?”
I nodded. She’d already used it enough not to need my permission.
“A concussion of his degree can take years to fully heal. He’s looking at a substantial length of rehab, therapy, and other medical treatments before he’ll be back to normal.”
Normal?
What was normal for Kas?
I didn’t think even he knew.
“Whatever he needs, I’m willing to pay for.” I crossed my arms. “Money isn’t an object.”
“That’s very generous of you.” Dr. Mary smiled. “And I’m sure he appreciates it greatly. But I need you to know how difficult caring for a partner with mental trauma can be—especially one who is so new to life and being back in a society.”
“I’ll ask for help if necessary.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She smiled again, thoughts clouding her eyes.
“Anything else?”
She licked her lips, her professional façade falling a little. “I’m not going to say I don’t understand. I, myself, fell for a man who’d survived a traumatic event in his youth. It was what led me to become a psychiatrist and volunteer the time I could to helping women escape from situations where their own and their children’s lives are at risk. I understand the deep satisfaction you’ll earn each day Kassen wakes up calmer, happier, and more centered. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I cleared you both for discharge without fully making you comprehend the levity of what you’re taking on. The rehabilitation of a man who, by all accounts, has no name, no history, and no family won’t be easy.”