Chapter 350: Apology

Mina had explained to Rebecca her reasoning behind asking her to express regret toward Dom. She was not asking the woman to apologize for calling him an idiot after he blatantly asked to sleep with her, but she was telling the woman to explain how she felt, and to phrase it in such a way that it made it appear as though she were apologizing.

It did not take long for Rebecca to catch on to what Mina meant. The woman was teaching her how to mask her displeasure within her words which would help the other party understand what had triggered her anger, while also sounding remorseful for her outburst. It was not a sincere apology, but Mina told Rebecca that knowing the appropriate time to apologize would come with time.

After Mina's brief lesson, Rebecca made her way into Dom's room, hoping that she did not fail in a case of the blind leading the blind. She did not know if she believed that Mina was mimicking emotions, but if there were a slim chance, Rebecca wanted to learn to do it too.

Rebecca did not like the fact that all the men around her seemed to think Mina was better. In her opinion, there was nothing Mina possessed that could not be explained away by science, and when you stripped all those things, it left Mina with nothing.

Mina did not enter Dom's room. She stood outside the doors, just in case things went south and she had to intervene; pretending to be casually strolling by. Twenty-three had been given a sedative to keep him asleep long enough to treat his dehydration, so Mina did not worry about the man waking up in her absence.

"Cedrick, may we speak?" Rebecca opened, and Mina felt her breath catch. It was one of the worst ways to start a dialogue. It held too many connotations, but Mina could see why Rebecca chose to use it; it was literal and exactly what she wanted to do.

"What did I do?" Dom asked, and Rebecca paused. She almost wanted to turn around and ask Mina for advice, but she refrained.

"Eleven years ago, you asked me a question I did not like, so I responded in a way you would not like. Since then, you and I have not been friendly, but I want to assure you that I did not prescribe you an antidepressant for revenge. In my medical opinion, it seemed like the best option, it was also why I came to check on you often. However, I neglected to consider our history, and for that I apologize. I should have mentioned the possible side effects to you beforehand, and I should have explained the importance of honesty between a doctor and a patient."

Dom found himself sinking into his mattress. He was absolutely terrified, and while he knew he could fight Rebecca off if he had to, he was not in his best condition, and she could exploit his broken limbs as a weakness. He was left with only one valid option.

"Help!" Dom shouted loudly, which made Rebecca jump; even Mina was frightened.

"What is it? Are you having a hallucination?" Rebecca asked, not realizing that she was the one triggering Dom's fear.

"Stay away from me," Dom said, and Rebecca's face turned pensive.

"Cedrick, it is me. Doctor Rebecca Witt." Dom knew who the woman was. He was not crazy, but he was so put off by her apology that he wanted to get up and run away, but running was out of his ability with his leg in a cast. "I will leave," Rebecca said, and Dom called out to her.

"Tell me what you want? If it is in my ability, I will do it, but stop being weird." Rebecca's back was to Dom so he could not see her smirk. Mina was right; the average person read meaning into words that held no real meaning. She had only stated facts, and Dom was taking them emotionally, all because she used the word apologize.

"I just want to follow you around the way Mina does," Rebecca stated, and Dom nodded his head. The woman left the room, making eye contact with Mina before disappearing into another corridor. Mina used the opportunity to talk to Dom herself.

Dom was holding his head in what looked to be pain, but Mina knew he was being over dramatic. She spoke before she moved closer to him; not wanting him to believe he was having an episode. As soon as he saw her, he recalled the conversation he had with Doctor Rebecca which he was unaware she had heard.

Mina did her best to pretend to be shocked, which was not hard because she was shocked by Dom's reaction. Not just his reaction, she was shocked by the fact that he had agreed to help the woman. Mina did not understand how it could be possible if he were being removed from the Lee's employment, in her mind, that meant Dom was going to be blacklisted from contact with all the people he had trained with over the years.

Mina asked Dom about President Lee's words, and the man shot her a perplexed expression. He looked genuinely confused and he produced his phone, his badges and ID's for Mina to examine. He reminded her that he had been transferred to a better recovery ward, and he told her that he had all of his qualifications restored. Mina felt her face growing dark, President Lee was doing it again, the mental torture.

Dom looked at Mina whose face had become too serious for her to have misunderstood or for her to have been joking. He wondered if his boss was some sort of sadist, who enjoyed Mina's discomfort. He and President Lee had a detailed conversation regarding keeping Mina safe and how they planned to work together with no secrets, but now Dom was wondering who ended up on the losing end of that deal. He wondered if he had sold Mina out to the enemy.

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Rebecca was in the process of using Mina's humility lesson on every person she had issues with. Not every scientist within the Lee group had a super high IQ, some were just extremely gifted in their field, and lots of times, Rebecca clashed with those men and women. She made a mental list of people she needed to work on first, as they were the people she saw the most use for, and to her surprise; Mina's method worked almost every time.

Of course, there were some who found her 'apology' suspicious, but with those people, Rebecca had modified her newly acquired technique to help alleviate the suspicion she was facing. She told them that she realized that they could get more work done in a harmonious environment, which was not a lie, and for many those words were all they needed to let their guard down.

In keeping good faith, Rebecca had a space cleared in the cubical where Twenty-three worked. It was one of Mina's requirements for helping, and it was nothing to Rebecca. All Mina wanted was for the man to be transferred back into his workstation before he awoke. She also asked for a note she wrote for the man to be posted on the glass.

As far as Rebecca was concerned, the gesture was futile, but whether or not Mina wasted her time on a lost cause was none of her concern.