The Void In My Heart - 6. FANGS OF PAST

The next day, Joey woke up early, a habit he had since his high school days. He opened the windows and took a deep breath. Though, he missed the serene beauty of his hometown, but the garden adorned with a variety of flowers made him feel good. All the rooms had attached bathrooms. He took shower and got dressed up. He was still curious to know why Felix had not told the truth to his brother.

Joey went downstairs and asked one of the staff members if the doctor had arrived. Upon learning that he usually came at 9 am, he started walking back to his room. As he was walking, he received a call from his mom.

"Hey son, how are you? Hope you are not facing any problems there" Clara asked.

"I am fine Mom. How are you?" the boy replied.

"I miss you son. House feels empty without you. I wish that all things go smoothly and you come home real soon" she knew it would take patience to bear this phase but she had not given up.

"Just take good care of yourself. I will be fine here", Joey knew that the wait for him was going to be long.

"Take care son. We will visit you soon", Clara said.

Joey came back to his room and sat on his bed, waiting for the clock to strike 9.Before he could leave the room at nine, he saw Felix coming towards his room. He was wondering why the doctor was being so courteous, despite his misbehavior with him, the day before.

"Good Morning buddy. I heard you were inquiring about me. Is there anything I can help you with?” Felix asked him politely.

"I need to ask you something", Joey paused for a moment and then spoke “why did you lie to Adam?"

"What lie are you talking about? Why would I lie to him about anything?” the doctor sounded surprised.

"As if you don't know. Why did you tell him that the two of us had dinner and didn't mention about my misbehavior? Are you trying to prove that you have the kindest heart here?", the boy was rude in questioning the doctor.

Felix took a deep breath and said "look buddy. I don't have anything to prove. I have taken your responsibility as long as you are here and above all, you are my friend's brother. I admit I lied but I did it so that Adam doesn't feel bad because of your misconduct. He is already worried about you. "

"That's ok but I want to make one thing very clear. If you are thinking that making good gestures and being benevolent on me would earn you friendship with me, then it's better you stop thinking about it. I don't want any friends. I don't even know why you people are making efforts when there will be no positive outcome", the boy was fighting a tussle between optimism and pessimism.

"Joey, you need to believe that you can make friends again. Life is very tough to be lived alone. It's always shattering to see someone close to us leave the world, but life never stops. We have to make efforts and live again. Being aloof from the world would do no good. It will only make your life miserable", the doctor tried to explain things to the boy.

The boy lost his cool once again as he blurted out "you don't even know what it is like to lose someone. So, you have no right to tell me how to make my life better."

The doctor had been patient even in direst of circumstances and kept his cool when he got rude replies from teen, but this time , Joey's comment had gone overboard.

Felix held the boy by his arms and shook him, saying “you feel you are the only one who has problems in life? What made you say I never suffered pain or never went through a bad phase? You don't even know me Joey. I have every right to tell you how to come out of the sorrows and live normally again. You know why? That's because life has to go on. I, too have lost someone, someone so close to my heart. Everyone suffers pain. It is upto us how to overcome it."

Teens from nearby rooms gathered at the door. They had never seen such reaction of Dr.Felix. Joey was equally shaken by the sudden change in the temperament of the otherwise calm doctor. Regaining his composure, the doctor hastily got out of the room. Joey sat down on his bed, unable to gulp down what had transpired between him and Felix, moments ago. He saw other teens who had gathered outside his room. Fuming with anger, he shut the doors with a loud bang. He felt humiliated in front of other teens. His heart again delved into the past. It had been a while since someone had told him to stop living in the past. At first, he thought of telling about the spat to Adam but he restrained himself. Enraged with the doctor, he decided to meet Dr.Reeves. He locked his room and went to the head office. The doctor was sitting and doing some paperwork when he heard knock at the door. He saw the young boy standing there, seemingly in a terrible mood.

"Come on in Joey. How are you doing this morning?” he asked the boy to take a seat. The boy was fuming with anger and spoke "I want a different doctor for me. Can you assign someone else?"

The doctor was astounded and said "what happened Joey? You can tell me. Dr.Felix is one of the best and most loved doctors we have. Teens want him to be their mentor. Moreover, he is your brother's friend. Why would you ask me to discharge him from your case?"

"He humiliated me in front of all teens this morning. Everyone saw it. He even held me by arms. You call it a decent behavior? I don't want him to be my mentor. I request you to either assign another mentor or ask my family to take me home.

Dr.Reeves knew Felix very well. They had mutual respect for each other. Though, Felix was 20 years younger than him, Reeves knew he was mature enough to handle difficult situations which were a norm in the place they were in.

He knew there was no point in explaining things to the teen who wasn't ready to listen to anything. "Ok, are you sure you want to have another mentor?”

"Definitely yes", the boy gave a blunt response.

"Meet me post lunch and I will give you the details. Is that ok?” the doctor said.

"Alright. I will meet you later", the boy stood up and just when he reached the doorstep, he collided with Dr.Felix who was about to enter the room. He gave a hostile look to the doctor and left the room.

"Ah, Felix. Come on in son. I was expecting you. Have a seat", the doctor had full faith in one of the most humble doctors working at the center and knew that something must have sparked anger in him.

There was silence for a while as the young doctor sat, keeping his eyes focussed on the table. "Felix, I know one aspect of today's incident. I want to know the other one from you. Before you blame yourself for the sudden outburst, let me tell you that you are still the same doctor to me who has done so many noble deeds and help make this center a reputable one", the senior doctor said.

Felix was overwhelmed with emotions as he told what made him shout at the boy. "I care about him. I really do. I never wanted to scold him or raise my voice. He is my friend's brother and I treat him like my friend. You know about my history Sir and the fierce statement by Joey refreshed wounds which had diminished with the passing time", the doctor had not looked so sad since a long time.

Dr.Reeves patted the young doctor's shoulder and said "you didn't do anything wrong. Anybody in your place would have done that. Handling teens is not an easy task, but you have shown tremendous patience while dealing with these troubled teens. They love and respect you." He took a brief pause, "Felix, after all we are all humans and no one is perfect. I know what you have gone through in distant past. Joey knows the reality but has not come to terms with it. He came here to change his mentor."

Felix was surprised to know this and asked "what did you tell him then?”

"I have no doubt on your capability but it seems that we will have to change his mentor unless someone from his family denies the change. For now, I have told him that I would consider his request", Dr.Reeves replied.

"I will talk with Adam about this matter", Felix said.

He thanked Dr.Reeves for moral support and left the room, wondering why Joey disliked him so much.