Lucian was preparing himself to go out. He didn't take too much with him since he was expecting to just stay for a few minutes. His keys and phone were enough. His father messaged him the name of the hospital Nathan was currently staying in.
'It will take at least 20 minutes to get there… Should I just call a cab?' Lucian started frowning. 'It's expensive, though.' Flipping through his phone, he contemplated the first number in his recent calls. He decided to give it a call.
"Hello–" whispered Lucian with a mischievous tone before being interrupted.
"What do you want?" answered the person on the other end of the phone with a calm and indifferent voice.
"Don't sound so bothered," Lucian exclaimed with surprise, pouting his lips, "You should behave like a more sensible friend…"
On the other side of the phone was John, preparing himself to finally sleep. After all, he couldn't completely relax because, as a matter of fact, the company he was working at was definitely a dubious company. As one of the newcomers, they made him work double.
"So…" added John, unbothered, while pinching his eyebrows, "what is it?" It was already bedtime for John, so he couldn't help his tired demeanor.
"Well… it just happened that my dad called me and–" He was suddenly interrupted.
John, quite surprised and worried, said, "What?! What did he want?! Money again?"
"No, no!" answered Lucian with a hurried voice, trying to clear up the situation rapidly. "He just… the thing is that I need to go to the hospital to pay someone a visit." He was clutching his clothes. "Can you please, please give me a ride?" he concluded in a sweet tone.
John couldn't say no to his friend even if it was 10 PM and he was finally about to dive into bed. The urge to refuse was high, but having behaved like a jerk to him before while drinking, and being reprimanded by Linda, he couldn't help but accept his fate and give his lovely friend a ride.
"Fine," he gasped, "I'll give you a ride. At 10 PM."
John was thinking while grabbing his car keys, after this, he couldn't not be considered a good friend.
"Thank you so much, John! Really!" Lucian said. Now he only needed to wait for him.
"Mm," muttered John, ending the call and putting on his jacket.
Outside Lucian's apartment, it was really dark. One couldn't hear any sound but the croaking of a frog. It was truly peaceful. Just a few lights were on, and as he was approaching the side of the street, he saw a dark car. Its long shape gleamed.
It moved smoothly, looking very expensive and fancy. Everything about it spoke of pure luxury.
As the owner lowered the window, Lucian muttered, "I must admit that this was the only good thing your father ever gave you." He was bewildered by the beautiful car.
John frowned. "Just get in!" He opened the car door and hurried the other inside.
"Where are we going?" asked John while adjusting the car mirror and starting to drive.
"To Daren Hospita–"
The car suddenly stopped abruptly.
"Eh?! To Daren Hospital?! Who are you even visiting?! That's expensive as heck!" he responded, surprised.
John knew that Lucian didn't know any wealthy people. In fact, almost all the people he knew were broke.
"Just… just an old friend," muttered Lucian. "His family was always pretty wealthy…"
"Ah, yeah, I could tell!" John said while trying to keep his calm, focused on the road. He was in disbelief, but not because his friend had such an important connection, but because he had never told him about knowing someone like that. Not even after five years of friendship.
The air was filled with silence. Neither was making a sound, as if they couldn't bring themselves to say anything else. Without uttering a word.
"…"
"So this may be your next boyfriend… How fast." Mumbled John.
"Oh, please, just shut up! It's not like that," blurted Lucian, annoyed about the bold statement.
For him, talking about that family was almost like a taboo. And he perfectly knew that it was the same for them.
"Then what else could it be?" replied John, smirking. "You really move fast. Not even a day without finding another partner." He was laughing almost as if to mock the other.
"It's not like that. I'm serious." Lucian was gazing outside the window. The weather was cold.
"If you say so," John lifted both of his shoulders, trying to appear convinced.
Neither of them uttered a word after that.
Once at the hospital, Lucian was left on his own. The automatic doors slid open with a whoosh, and his eyes started scanning the lobby. The lighting was really bright, almost clinical. People moved with a purpose, some hurrying, their faces a mixture of worry, exhaustion, and quiet determination. After asking one of the nurses for the room number, he went directly to meet that person.
His steps were nervous with anxiety. He didn't want to face that family again. From what he could remember, they only ever brought bad times to him. His father, on the other hand, always incentivized Lucian to continue meeting with them because he thought he could gain something from them, making a "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", even if Lucian didn't feel comfortable.
'If he really is confined to bed, then what kind of accident did he have? Is he really hurt? How bad is it?' Lucian sighed nervously, and he couldn't keep his heart at ease. 'Ten years is a long time indeed. What kind of expression should I make? More importantly, what kind of expression are they going to make when seeing me?'
Just as he was thinking all of that, he arrived at the door. '203… this should be the one,' he murmured. '… okay, let's go!' He opened the door.
The room had a subtle, sweet, vanilla-like smell. The window was open even at that time of the night, letting all the sounds from outside be heard. The place was spacious, and at one end of the room, there was a double wooden bed with a sleeping handsome man. At his side, there was an old woman holding the young man's hand. She was contemplating him with sweetness, her eyebrows twitching, making her face sorrowful. She slowly turned her head around, looking at Lucian who had just entered.
"You're here," she said with a quiet voice, getting up from the chair.
Before Lucian could say anything, she signaled him to follow her outside of the room. He obediently followed her. They were walking side by side and entered what seemed like a well-maintained garden.
Mrs. Hilman took a glance at him, noticing he was impatient and worried as well. "You must want to know what happened, right?" she muttered with an indifferent face.
Lucian, surprised by her words, blurted anxiously, "Ah? Yes!! I mean—" he was carefully choosing his words, "I'm sorry for everything that's happening, Mrs. Hilman."
She gave him another look, this time sighing helplessly. She was giving the young man a sorrowful gaze. She couldn't help it; she didn't consider him a worthy person to even pay them a visit. Nevertheless, as if having no other choice, she contained her emotions.
"You surely haven't changed one bit since last time." Her complexion suddenly paled, remembering some episode from the past, worrisome enough to make her clench her teeth.
At the sight of that angry woman, Lucian couldn't do anything to change her feelings, which was why he had surrendered years ago. As if snapping out of it, he remembered his purpose for being there and asked the old lady, "Nathan… what exactly happened to him?" with a subtle tone of concern.
Mrs. Hilman, now with a sad expression, started explaining everything.
"Nathaniel, he… he was found two days ago at the side of the sea. The doctor said that he had anoxia." Her eyes started to get watery. "He could have almost died… If not for some locals who noticed him displayed at the shore." She started to cry, her face turning ugly and all red. For a mother to almost lose her son, she was devastated. Not long before, she had also lost her husband, and now all kinds of problems were surrounding her family and their business.
Lucian, while listening to the whole story, started to get watery eyes as well. Even though he hadn't seen him in a long time, he still held a close relationship with him before. He was still someone important in his life. Someone who helped him go through several difficulties and gave him his most innocent advices when he needed it the most.
With a little hesitation and a trembling voice, he asked, "How is his condition right now?.. Is he well enough now?.." He looked attentively at her. But to his surprise, she turned her face away and angrily replied to him.
"His brain suffered too much damage!" She complained, "Too much damage that when he finally woke up, he couldn't… he couldn't remember anything!" She finally shouted.
Lucian, with a confused face, thought, 'He can't remember anything? What does "anything" mean?' He gave her a stunned and confused look, and as a result, she answered him desperately.
"He couldn't remember his name, his family, his work, nothing!" Mrs. Hilman turned around again, but this time to look Lucian directly in his face with eyes filled with anger. "Nothing but you…" she murmured.
"Ah? He can remember me?" Lucian was even more surprised. He couldn't believe the words that kept appearing from her mouth. He was tightly gripping the end of his shirt.
"As soon as he woke up, he panicked, and as if lightning struck his mind, he muttered your name and started asking for you."
"…" Lucian didn't know what to say. He was already at a loss for words. The only thing he could do was return the old lady a sad and exasperated face.
"Ahh… I don't know what to do anymore. You just try to talk to him as soon as he wakes up, and try to knock some sense out of him. I don't care what you have to do to achieve it, but…" she scrutinized him up and down, "bring my son back to me, and who knows, maybe I'll give you some remuneration."
She finished, turning away, not letting Lucian, like when they first met today, time to say a thing.
Lucian couldn't process a single thing. He still couldn't believe what Nathan's mother had just said to him, but as if unconsciously following her orders, as he always used to do, he started going back to the hospital room.
As soon as he opened the door, a fast and light whisper of air passed through him. Through the window, small, light pink petals were now entering the room. One of them landed softly on the bed, and Lucian, following with his eyes, noticed the man who was now sitting, watching outside.
He was awake.
Nathan, noticing a presence, turned around, looking at the other man directly in his eyes.