Chapter 2: Étrange

It’s been 5 days since I came here, and I really want to take a shower. Today as I open the window and trying to see the surroundings outside, people get busy with their respective things to do, the nurse was walking around, taking one patient to another patient, or the mother who looks sad because her kid has to stay here for a few days.

This is why they said health is an expensive thing, yet you only realize it when you get sick. I walk back to my bed, looking at the clock, it is 10 am now. The nurse always takes my blood in the early morning so they will wake me up even though I hate waking up earlier. This morning the nurse didn’t know where she has to take my blood anymore, my both hands full of needle marks as they take it twice a day, and it means in these 5 days there are 10 needle marks that I got. My left hand is swelled and they finally transferred the IV to my right hand to avoid getting bigger, and another good news is my fear towards the needle is suddenly gone nowhere. I face it twice a day so what?

“Good morning”

I turn my head to see who is coming. There’s Arthur with his grey hoodie, I can see he is wearing a white t-shirt inside.

“Morning” I look at him suspiciously. “What’s bring you here?” I added.

Arthur laughs and sits in the visitor chair, he probably knows that I will ask this as he always visits me at noon, yeah he doesn’t like to wake up in the morning. What a lazy ass!

“Nope, I just missed you”

This guy, 100% is going to tease me. His eyes meet mine, for a second I feel insecure because I haven't showered and undoubtedly when he looks at me like this, I look really ugly. I could never look at him for long, I turned my gaze to the plastic bag he was carrying, there are apples and oranges there.

“Is it only you who missed me or I have anyone else? I guess they don’t care” I replied.

Arthur giggles hearing me say that.

“I should’ve known that you won’t satisfied with me. I am the one who is missing you, I really want you to get back and pay your losing bet” he laughs so hard and I throw a pillow at him. I was hoping he’ll forget about that bet.

A day after arrived in this village, he and I made a bet about who will be the first to be involved in the love affair here, at that time I held Kathy's name, while Arthur held Anneth. And now it was clear that it was Anneth who had a chance to have a scandal with Dave. My defeat required me to accept all of Arthur's orders for 3 days. I don't think it's going to be difficult, considering that Arthur also always wakes up at 1 pm so there won't be a lot of orders.

But why do I feel like he's going to ask me something weird? Crap, he better don’t do that.

“Arthur, you can’t do it to a patient” I smile at him, try to convince him that I will be a bad errand type.

“It’s okay, only me who knows it. Plus, I can keep a secret” he winks.

“Asshole, go away!” I answer immediately.

His laughter filled the room, he must be happy that he successfully teases me. What a jerk. Arthur opened the plastic bag and took out one orange from there, he slowly peeled the skin and cleaned it before handing one to me.

“You have to eat the fruits. Why don't you finish your food?” he glanced at my food which was almost 80% untouched.

I took a deep breath, how can I explain again that the food in this hospital doesn't taste good at all.

“I don’t like it”

He looks at me intently as I just said something weird. But, indeed, I don’t like it.

He keeps giving the fruits to me and talks about how consuming a lot of good food will make me recover quickly. I wonder is it a template for everyone who visits their friend in a hospital. He is saying the same thing as Ivan said a couple of days ago, these guys didn’t have any other idea to convince me to eat properly.

“I can get out of here the day after tomorrow. The doctor said my condition was much better and I could only take outpatient care” I said to him.

I'm still chewing on the orange he gave me, noticing his expression when I tell him this information.

“Seriously? Does anyone already know?”

“Nope. I also just found out this morning when they took my blood” I showed my hands to him, there are a lot of needle marks in there. Arthur smiles, almost laugh.

“I guess you are no longer afraid of needles, huh? It’s all over your body now” Of course, he will remember the day I feel so afraid when the nurse will do a blood test for me, I have held his hand very tightly at that time. He takes my right hand to see the marks.

“Is this hurt? He asked.

I think for a while, hmm it does hurt though. I nodded, “however, I have to do the blood test twice a day. How can I think about the pain?”

Arthur still staring at my hand, it's fat as it is full of IV fluid.

“How long it takes to get my hands back to the actual size? Look, it's very full” I furrowed my brows, expressing my displeasure at these stocky fingers.

Arthur gently stroked my hand, and I was stunned. A touch he didn't normally do. I'm kind of feeling so awkward, but he still did it anyway. Is he momentarily unconscious? Oh this bastard, he made me almost lost my heartbeats.

Actually, I don't mind being in this moment, it's just that the problem is the fact that I haven't showered in days and I'm sure I must look terrible right now. For a moment we let this silence continue, creating various questions in my mind why Arthur was acting this melancholy.

“You alright?” I ventured to ask him.

He didn’t answer. His eyes stare at mine, His two eyes flashed a shady and piercing gaze which made me not move from my position who was also looking at him.

“May I” he suddenly asked.

Damn.

I'm Freezing.

This jerk, What does he mean?