The Pride Game

Chapter 3

"Excuse me!" A woman in a white uniform came rushing into Samuel's room. Aunt Judith and Samuel turned to the source of the voice. The woman who had just entered their room looked so pale, and her shoulders shook as she tried to make a sound. 

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" 

Aunt Judith and Samuel asked simultaneously, fear creeping into their hearts as they both stared at the nurse in front of them. The nurse stammered, "Are you two colleagues of Mr. Benjamin?" Her eyes stared intently at Aunt Judith. Her large breasts moved to follow the movement of her breath, that had been gasping for air. Samuel glanced briefly at Aunt Judith; her heart beating fast and her face looked extremely worried. Samuel can see clearly that Aunt's footsteps trembled as she approached the nurse.

"Yes. Yes, me. I am Mr. Benjamin's wife." The nurse swallowed a moment before saying, "Mr. Benjamin had an accident. He is now in the ER. You'd better come with me," but the woman couldn't ask old Aunt Judith to come with her. 

Was Aunt Judith able to hear Mr. Benjamin's actual condition? thought the nurse. 

"May I just take a look at my Uncle's condition?" Samuel offered himself, he tried to get up from the bed, tried to get up, but he immediately shouted "Aaa!" when the position of his body tried to try to wake up. 

"No, no." Aunt Judith immediately walks to Samuel. "I'll go, you stay. I'll tell you whatever happened to Benjamin. You'd better get some rest." Samuel could sense the sadness and doubt that escaped Aunt Judith's mouth. Cursing inwardly, Samuel took a deep breath. 

What's wrong with Uncle, Samuel whispered to himself. "Okay, Auntie. I'm sorry I can't replace Auntie." An air of anxiety hung over them. While Aunt just limped along and said, "Don't worry. I'll be right back." After saying that, the door closed, and the backs of Aunt and sister immediately disappeared from view.

Samuel could hear only the faint sound from outside. "Excuse me." The door opened and revealed another nurse coming to Samuel. "I brought you breakfast; before you take your medicine, make sure your stomach is full. The doctor prescribes antibiotics; you have to fill your stomach first, then you can take your medicine," the nurse informed; she brought a breakfast tray. "We also have an order form, and you can choose the food for tomorrow." The nurse was still talking. Samuel's door was not completely closed. Aunt Judith and the nurse who had gone with her stopped right up ahead, and Samuel could still see them. "What!" cried Aunt Judith, covering her mouth, quickly wiping her face roughly with her old hand, but the tears seemed to keep flowing from Aunt Judith's face, causing the old woman to lift her arms, wiping the new tears off her aging face. The nurse standing in front of Aunt Judith held Aunt Judith by the shoulders, trying to calm Aunt Judith. What happened? asked Samuel as his chest tightened. He sensed that something terrible had happened to Uncle Benjamin. "Patience, Ma'am," the nurse's faint voice could be heard as far as Sam was. 

"Do you want me to put your plate on this table? Can you get up?" the nurse bargained, which ended by asking. Andy was nervous. He can't put food in his mouth when he's like this. 

What happened to Uncle Benjamin? Where is he now? And is he getting better? Does Auntie have any reserves to pay for the hospital fees? thought Samuel; he was nervous about all this. 

The Suter in front of Samuel was still waiting for an answer from him; Samuel slightly cringed when he saw a curvy smile from the woman. "Eh? What?" Samuel asked nervously. He wasn't listening to her; Samuel's mind was full of questions about Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Judith. He lay helpless in this room while his two loved ones were there. Aunt Judith with trembling legs, and Uncle Benjamin, who was lying weakly, Samuel did not know whether Uncle Benjamin was still alive or not at this time. All thoughts came together in Samuel's mind, making him uneasy. "I can do it myself," Samuel finally answered, and he was sure he had seen the sneer on the nurse's mouth.

"There's no way you can do it all yourself; I read your records that there is a broken bone in your body; how can you take something for you with a broken bone like that." The nurse continued to express her opinion until Samuel replied, "Okay, please put the food here. I can't do it alone. You are so kind and caring." When Andy swallowed, he just realized that he had said so much. The nurse was silent, but a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Did you know there was an accident nearby?" Samuel asked the nurse while the nurse prepared food on Samuel's bed. The woman was already an expert in her field, so it didn't take long for everything to be done, and the patient was able to eat right away. "How do you know?" she asked casually. 

The nun's image who brought the news was still vivid in Samuel's memory. She came in a hurry, carrying nothing with her. It was inevitable that an accident had occurred. Samuel whispered in his mind with no file in the nurse's hand, indicating that she was walking and not treating patients in the ER. All these sentences seemed to appear in Samuel's mind, and events after events were like episodes rolling in the producer's hands. Samuel could imagine everything so clearly. Someone opened the emergency room door with a panicked face, and he was immediately informed that there was an accident around the hospital. The victim must be on his way to the hospital. Something made the victim fall, and something dangerous happened there, but eyewitnesses who ran to the emergency room did not touch the victim; the proof was that there was no trace of blood on the nurse's clothes who came a few minutes ago. This means that the nurse has not made contact with the patient. She immediately asked the paramedics to take the victim; a few minutes later, the victim was directly taken to the ER to be examined by the doctor on duty. Someone searched for identity and found the name of the guardian of this room's patient. Samuel could tell that an accident had indeed occurred in this place from his analysis. "Just guessing," replied Samuel, "how is the victim?" Samuel hoped that the nurse in charge of nutrition could give a good answer, but her face immediately changed. "Some have died, some say."

Prang! 

The spoon fell onto the plate underneath. His mouth was open with a blank stare straight ahead. The image of Uncle Benjamin laughing at him, chatting and asking, "What can I do to get you custody of your child," echoed in Samuel's mind. "No, Uncle. No need. Let Haykal stay with Caroline for the time being. Once I get a decent job back, I'll take custody of Haykal immediately." Samuel smiled warmly at Uncle Benjamin. A smile graced Uncle Benjamin's face, and his smile touched the corners of Uncle Benjamin's eyes. Patting Samuel on the shoulder, Uncle Benjamin said again, "You know that Uncle has acquaintances in the law department. He is like a brother to me. He even wants to provide his services for free to you. Uncle's friend said, so you don't worry about trouble. Finances. He will work for you for free." Samuel wiped his tears. Uncle Benjamin is a father figure who has been a real presence in Samuel's life. He was like a father to Samuel. Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Judith were like parents to Samuel. Hearing the news of this accident made the hope in Samuel's heart that was initially still there then slowly dim and almost disappeared. "Is it an old man who died?" asked Samuel again, his voice shaking, and the cold air hit him hard. He didn't think he would eat the food in front of him. The spoon that had been in his hand just slipped away and landed on his plate. "According to the news, I heard it was like that. It was an old man who died. It's a pity, that old man. He came on a motorbike, heading to the hospital. According to eyewitnesses, this was a series of accidents." Samuel's hand fell limply, right on the plate of food, making the rice that was on the plate overturned and spilled on Samuel's clothes and bed. 

"Oh my gosh! What happened! You're all right! Hello, Sir! What's going on!" Samuel's mind was blank, and his heart sank; his heart seemed to stop for a moment, even he felt the air in his lungs had been forcefully snatched away from him. "Hello, Sir. It's okay, and you can say anything if you need help. Sir ... Sir ... Sir! Don't joke me!" The circumstances around him were dark, and he did not have a single bright spot in his life.