Silence in the Storm

Ophthalmo.

My morning started hectic for a reason that I vaguely remember; the amount of registered appointments for physical evaluation almost reached the horrifying count of thirty. And being by myself in a clinic made everything feel worse. Maláka!

By the time I finished attending the last patient it was mid afternoon; I haven't eaten a single crumb of food; not even a cup of coffee. My mood was beyond bad because of it, not to mention the tiredness.

I dragged myself out of the office, dreading the fact that I'd had to walk to the cafeteria to get something to eat... And walk all the way back to my barrack. What a nightmare.

As I locked the clinic door, I smelled the delicious aroma of coffee with cream. At the other side of the hallway, Soap was sitting casually while keeping a tray full of food over the waiting bench. Once my presence been noticed he beamed up; straightened his posture before getting up from his seat to greet me.

- Aye, Angie! How's your day gone so far?

- Hi Soap... - I sounded exhausted. - If I can be honest, I overworked right off the bat... I'm ready to pass out.

- I heard about that. - he pointed the food tray. - And because of it, I brought some hearty scran to sneak into your room, eh.

- Efcharistó, Soap! That's so sweet from you!

- Ah, it's just a friendly courtesy! And I'll carry for ye, of course!

I couldn't help myself; my cheeks were obviously pinkish and I was smiling. In terms of chivalry and kindness, they undubitably were my 'emotional kryptonite'; I've always melted over a romantic man. But I needed to avoid such closeness with Soap, because not only was off-limits of the professional camaraderie but also Elise's threatening glare flashed up in mind. I quickly recollected my thoughts and kept walking, with him catching up to my speed while carrying the food tray.

- I hope you don't mind me entering into your personal space.

- Not a problem, Soap.

- You can call me Johnny!

- Are we on that level? - I chortled over my own sarcasm.

- What level you're talking about?

- Level of affinity, of course.

- Ah, only two people outside my immediate fam calls me Johnny. You're the third with that privilege.

- I assume that the other two you're referring to are Ghost and Satan?

- Bullseye.

We arrived at my barrack, and he cautiously entered it, placing the food tray over my study desk. He seemed extremely curious, looking at my belongings like he was studying them. I purposely cleaned my throat, and he suddenly snapped out of his curiosity trance, reacting all flustered. Whatever he was trying to do, I preferred to interrupt to not create anything awkward between us.

- Thank you once again for the courtesy, Soap...

- Heh, you're welcome, Angie! I guess I'll see myself out... You must be aching for a hot shower!

- Indeed I am. See you later! - I waved.

As door slid shut, I sighed loudly. I was honestly tense seeing him acting so nicely towards me. Not that I didn't like the gesture he had pulled out, but I was weary of his intentions. His feelings shared with Elise were still a serious red flag to me, and that could cause situations where my position on the team can be jeopardized. After all, I'm just a foreign medic who barely stepped foot in their turf.

I went for a hot shower after nibbling a turkey sandwich and a sip on the orange juice. I've let the water run down over my body for a while, easing the soreness of my tired muscles. I took the chance to brush my teeth while in shower, to save myself some time and go straight to bed.

As I left the bathroom, something was eerily off in my room. My lights were all turned off; only a bed side lamp was on. A feeling of heaviness took over my chest as I walked cautiously towards the light switch. I promptly turned the lights back on, only to see nothing unusual. "I'll have the maintenance crew to check things out tomorrow...", I thought to myself.

I've laid down with the feeling of being watched, but not really sure of why or who. I forced my eyes to keep it shut until I fall asleep.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

My alarm clock blared at 5:00am, and I've opened my eyes lazily. I looked at the barrack's roof trying to muster some motivation to get out of the bed, but my mind was tired and still hovering over what happened.
What reason could've really caused for the lights to be off...? Was someone here? But who?
Maláka...! That cycle of paranoia would hinder my entire day, maybe the whole week! But it was eating me alive not knowing exactly what occurred. I had no other choice but to get out of the bed and start my day. At that point it was all I could do, and maybe the appointment with the maintenance would ease my rashness.

I ate some leftover snacks from last night's food tray, took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and sprayed a bit of my favorite perfume. As I got ahold of my white coat and stethoscope, I was ready to face the unpredictable world around the base. Walking through the hallway on my way to my clinic, I bumped into Elise and Ghost. Their interaction seemed marvelous, but they were the most dangerous operatives around here. I immediately got tense as I passed by them, avoiding any eye contact. I wasn't ready to have my day ruined just yet, but... Gods damn it.

- Good morning, Angie!

- ...Kalimera, Elise; Lieutenant Ghost.

While Elise was being bubbly and friendly, Ghost didn't replied to my greeting but he was just there by her side, staring at me to the point of making me feel uncomfortable. Whatever reaction he was trying to bring it out of me, he wouldn't have it. My chest was heavy, my anxiety urging to kick in, but I wouldn't budge. His light brown eyes were haunting my peripheral vision, making me fight for my sanity. I instantly had to interrupt the small talk and head straight up to my clinic. I wasn't thinking straight anymore.

- ...Probably we will be at your clinic later, Doc! See ya!

- I see you there, then. Chaire! - I lined out a downward grin and left.

As I clumsily entered my clinic, I was gasping for air. Such tension nearly had put me into panic! Ghost's psychological tactics were horrifying, and he was clearly using on me just for fun. I didn't know if he was like that to everyone as defense mechanism or he was a prominent bully.
I was desperately seeking out for water from the mini fridge, gurgling down half of the bottle. I took a deep breath, trying to recollect myself from such heavy feelings. I sat down on my desk chair and check any appointments; it had at least five of them... And to my despair, Ghost's name was right there. Simon Riley...
I couldn't unsee that. I started the day the worst way possible...