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.
"Brother Franklin! Wake up, Brother! You have to take Vina to school."After a day full of exhausting activities, Franklin now stretched his body.He looked towards his younger sister who had woken him up."What time is it, Vina?"Vina widened her smile. "It's half past five, Brother .""Why did you wake me up? Your school starts at 7, Vina."Franklin shook his head."Hehe... I also want to say goodbye to Mom first, Brother . With a parent's blessing to their child, everything a child does is believed to go smoothly without any obstacles."Franklin sighed; his sister would never want to be left behind."Alright then. Wait a moment. Let me get ready first."Franklin left, grabbed his towel, and went to the bathroom."In that case, Vina, warm up the food Brother bought last night. So, we can have breakfast together, okay?"Franklin cleared his throat briefly from the bathroom.About 10 minutes later, Franklin was now dressed neatly in his courier uniform."Let's go, Brother ! Let's hav
“Franklin?" Franklin muttered to himself, immediately reminded of a certain woman. Who else could it be but the owner of the package that made Franklin hesitant to deliver it?However, Franklin shook his head, trying to push that thought away. It seemed impossible for her to have his phone number.Soon, another notification popped up, but this time it wasn't from an unknown number. It was from his boss.Mr. Tio [The client whose package you're going to deliver, named Clara, asked for the courier's number. So, if you receive a call from an unknown number, it's likely Clara, Franklin.]Damn it!Now, there was no more doubt. Franklin immediately replied to his boss, confirming his understanding.As Franklin exited the chat with his boss, he noticed the unnamed contact was typing."[Don't just read it. At least reply so I know where you are right now.]"Franklin decided to ignore the message, putting his phone back in his pocket."It's okay! Just deliver the package and then I'll leave, n
Franklin shook his head. Not a single word uttered by Clara could sway his decision. Just as Franklin stood firm in his choice, so did Clara.Not once did she give up on her situation."I know you must also need more money. Are you sure the money you earn as a courier is enough to meet all your needs?" Clara asked, staring intently at him.Faced with such a question, Franklin would certainly say no. After all, what courier could feel satisfied with their meager earnings?"I'm sure you never feel content and satisfied with your job. Roaming around in the heat of the sun, only to be paid a meager salary," Bella chimed in, joining in to influence Franklin's thoughts. Of course, both women were deliberately invited by Clara to help sway Franklin's mind."Think about it again. If you decide to work with Clara, I'm confident you'll never experience injustice. Clara will definitely pay you a fair salary for your hard work," Aura added her persuasion. Franklin realized it was all just their m
"Your job is really easy, Franklin." Clara smiled thinly. "You don't need to exert much effort in this job. Your safety is also guaranteed."Franklin became more confused, he saw Clara with her arms folded. The smile on her face made the man doubt for a moment that he had agreed to work with Clara. However, remembering that he had to pay off the hospital debt, Franklin nodded in agreement."How about it?" Clara asked again.Franklin shook his head, not refusing but rather confused. "How can I work if I don't know what to do?"Clara walked over to a room that was always kept tightly locked. Shortly after, she returned carrying an item that Franklin knew was a bundle of tea."Take this." Clara handed the item to Franklin.Hesitantly, the man took it. For a moment, nothing seemed strange about the bundle of green tea. Yet, this was where Franklin's life took a disastrous turn."Do you want me to deliver this tea?"Franklin thought Clara had a business in that field. Although, when he tho
Franklin parked Clara's car nicely. Although it had been a long time since he had driven a four-wheeled vehicle, Franklin was still able to control the car well.He immediately ran to the administration room and paid off his mother's medical expenses. The room at the very end with basic facilities indicated that Franklin was a lower-class person who couldn't afford much."Mom, after this you'll be taken care of properly." Franklin went to the administration desk and faced the hospital staff who had always handled his payments."Good afternoon, Mr. Franklin." The staff was always friendly to Franklin. Perhaps because the man, who was the son of the old woman in the corner room, was very kind and always kept his promises."Good afternoon." Franklin replied with a smile. "I've come to pay off my mother's treatment. And her medications too." The female staff nodded, "You've received the payment invoice, haven't you?"Franklin nodded, taking out cash from a brown envelope. He slowly took
Early in the morning, Vina was already ready with her school supplies. Franklin was also getting ready, putting on his uniform as a package delivery man. As usual, he would go straight to delivering packages to customers."Did you prepare food for Mom?" Franklin asked as he put on his helmet.Vina, his younger sister who had been eating more lavish meals than usual for the past few days, nodded with a smile."Yes, Brother."As Vina got on her vehicle and Franklin rode off on his motorcycle, the man said, "How about when I get off work, we go shopping for household essentials?""Has Brother received his salary this month?"Franklin immediately agreed. Although it wasn't from his main job and he got the money from a side job, Franklin didn't tell the truth."It seems your job is going well. Yesterday, Mom said Brother paid for moving her to a different nursing room," Vina remarked. "Isn't that quite expensive?"Franklin immediately replied, "Nothing is too expensive when it comes to Mom
"The route is making it harder for me to breathe," Franklin muttered.Franklin resigned himself. He went to the parking lot and drove the red sports car according to Clara's directions. This time, the destination was an elite area that Franklin had never visited before.Although it was an elite area, getting there was quite a test of his adrenaline. It was a luxurious place, but Franklin knew it was the center of one of the major cartels in his country.Clara [I'm sure you can use a weapon. Choose one, there are some behind the steering wheel.]Franklin's eyes widened as he read Clara's message. That woman always surprised him in every way. Now, she was even asking Franklin to involve weapons in the green tea delivery operation.Clara [All those weapons are officially certified. Don't worry, Franklin.][What's your plan? Why didn't you tell me about this?]Franklin wondered, while driving he was using his phone to exchange messages with Clara. The woman began frequently directing Fran
Drugs, one word that made Franklin unable to breathe easily. The man who always stayed in his comfort zone, now had to taste the glitz of life surrounded by threats and risks.The man went to the apartment of the woman who had thrown him into the dark world. Cold sweat poured down his entire body. His legs walked weakly into the elevator and down the hallway to the apartment unit on the high floor.As before, Clara knew when Franklin would come. Before the man rang the bell, Clara would open the door with a beaming smile."Hi, Franklin!" Clara greeted again.Franklin handed over Clara's car keys. With a drooping face and slouching shoulders, it made Clara furrow her brows.She immediately asked, "What's wrong? I heard they've accepted the tea from you.""You know, the weapons in the car were used according to the conditions there," Franklin revealed. "I didn't expect that I could do it."Clara smiled, but Franklin spoke again and managed to silence her again."Someone there said there