"Yes ma'am," Rick replied immediately, as if he had been eagerly awaiting her dismissal. He pushed his chair back and stood quickly, shaking his head with a hand pressed to his forehead. Recounting the story just now had been the first time Rick had ever actually said the whole thing aloud, and now he could tell exactly why he'd never wanted to before. He felt sick, ready to go home and fall asleep until he forgot everything.
"Look, I'm sorry," he said again, "You shouldn't have heard all that. You can't handle all that. I'm sorry." His tone was tough, almost aggressive, but his eyes were sad, always giving him away. With a final shake of his head, Rick moved past her, heading the way of the front door. They both needed time to be sick, far away from each other, and at least there was the comfort that he'd never have to talk to her again.