Chapter 6

Franklin waited outside, specifically on the long bench usually designated for waiting.

About 15 minutes passed, and Clara was already inside the room being attended to by the doctors and nurses there.

It wasn't surprising that after this, Clara would likely be admitted. Because she had lost a lot of blood before.

Whatever happened, one thing was certain, Clara was definitely not in good condition.

Srett! The sound of the door being dragged opened, showing the doctors and nurses coming out of the room.

"Are you the patient's relative?" the doctor asked Franklin, who was standing there responding to him.

"I'm her friend, doctor."

Doctor Roby nodded slowly.

"At the moment, the patient's condition is starting to improve. Fortunately, the patient was brought here promptly, otherwise, she would have lost more blood."

Franklin nodded. "And what about the patient, doctor? I mean, does she need to be hospitalized here?"

The doctor looked at the whiteboard containing notes from examining the woman.

"For a few days, it's better for the patient to stay here. It depends on the patient's physical recovery. If the patient recovers quickly, she might be discharged earlier."

"Alright, doctor. Please prepare the patient's medications for pickup later. For payment, I'll settle it directly at the administrative desk." Franklin nodded, accepting the doctor's prescription given to him.

After all the medical staff left, Franklin finally stepped into the room.

The pungent smell of medicine was no longer unfamiliar to his sense of smell, as his mother also lived in the hospital.

"Miss Clara?" Franklin called softly, but the woman still seemed to be asleep.

Seeing her pale face evoked pity in Franklin's heart.

"Should I leave the package here? It's also Non cash of delivery ."

Franklin began to consider leaving, as the woman still hadn't opened her eyes.

Just as Franklin was about to place the package beside Clara, suddenly Clara's hand gripped his.

"Wait. Don't go yet!"

Franklin was almost startled; the woman was really testing his heart's strength.

The package Franklin was about to give was then put back into his crossbody bag. It seemed her pale lips were trying to say something.

"I don't have anyone here. Can I ask for your help to pick up the medication the doctor told you about? And also, please pay my administrative f*e for the next few days."

Franklin stared intently at the woman, unsure whether to provide assistance or the opposite.

"But, I..."

"Just a moment."

Clara reached into her pants pocket, taking out her phone.

She then opened the phone case, revealing an ATM inside.

"Take this. You can use it to pay. There's nowhere else for me to ask for help."

Seeing the pleading look in her eyes, Franklin couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"I have to take that medicine. I want to recover quickly. I really don't like being in the hospital for too long like this."

Franklin nodded, rushing out to fulfill all of Clara's requests.

After Franklin left the room, Clara lay back down, finding the most comfortable position, closing her eyes while waiting for the man to return.

About 10 minutes later, Franklin returned to her room.

"Miss? Miss Clara?"

Franklin gently shook her body.

Sensing someone by her side, Clara opened her eyes and smiled.

"You can drink the medicine now, Miss Clara."

Clara nodded, helped by Franklin to take her medication.

A warm smile appeared perfectly on Clara's face now.

"Please have a seat."

Clara invited the man to sit on the visitor's bench.

"No need, Miss. I'll just continue working after this."

Franklin wasn't entirely lying; his boss had indeed sent a message asking him to work overtime. There would be a bonus for Franklin to take.

"Just a moment. You must be very tired too."

Reluctantly, Franklin complied.

"Oh, by the way, I want to say thank you so much to you."

Clara smiled again, grateful for the help. If it weren't for Franklin, she might not have survived.

"It's only right for us as fellow humans to help each other, Miss ," Franklin replied with a logical statement.

"Yes, you're right. By the way, what's your name? You probably already know mine because it's on the package."

Franklin nodded, confirming the woman's words.

"So, what's your name?" Clara asked again, demanding the man to tell her his name.

"I'm Franklin, Miss ."

Clara smiled. "What do people usually call you?"

Clara seemed casual. "Anything, Miss. Franklin is fine too."

"Alright. Franklin. I'll call you by that name."

Franklin nodded, not minding the discussion about his name.

Soon, silence began to envelop the atmosphere in the hospital room.

Franklin's curiosity about what had happened to Clara, leading to the laceration on her arm, suddenly prompted him to speak up.

"Sorry, Miss, but may I know what actually happened earlier? Why did you get injured like that?"

As if a sentence that could shatter everything. Clara suddenly fell silent, as if losing her words to respond.

"Miss? Miss, do you not want to talk about what happened earlier?"

Clara's gaze now seemed to remain straight ahead, empty, whatever was actually on her mind.

Realizing that his sentence wouldn't be answered by Clara, the man finally decided to leave the room.

"Well, maybe Miss Clara needs some time alone first. In that case, I'll take my leave now, Miss. Miss, I hope you get well soon. Oh, wait, the package."

Clara seemed to turn her head, staring intently at the man.

Observing every movement made by Franklin as he opened his bag again, giving back the package belonging to her.

"I'm truly sorry as well, Miss, if there was any delay in delivering the package."

Clara nodded slightly, indicating that she hadn't told Franklin everything.

Just as Franklin was about to put his bag back on, Clara stopped his movement.

"Just a moment."

Clara raised one hand, took out a red bill, and handed it to Franklin.

"What's this, Miss? Your package is Non cash of delivery. So, you don't need to pay for it."

Clara shook her head softly. "This is for you. Consider it my gratitude to you. It's not much, but hopefully it'll be useful for you."

Franklin refused the money. "No, Miss. I'm happy to help, Miss  Clara.

"I'm also happy to give you this money."

Franklin finally accepted the money, then bid farewell to the woman to leave.

Although there were so many questions lingering in Franklin's mind about the woman, he ultimately chose to try to forget about them.

"I have no connection to her whatsoever. It's all just a coincidence. She and I don't know each other at all. I don't need to think about her," Franklin muttered to himself.

The man seemed to shake his head, smiling when he received a message from his boss about a package that needed to be delivered and overtime for him.

Of course, Franklin would get a commission, at least he could use it for transportation, to buy food for his younger sibling.

"At least, Vina will be happy tonight because she'll have a good meal."

Franklin then put on his helmet and rode his vehicle towards his office.