Sleeping Rooster

4. Dark Time

Dion saw Ardan's body lying helplessly on the floor. Seeing the anxious face of Linda who continuously swayed Ardan's body but no response from him made Dion immediately swiftly carrying Ardan's body aided by Linda.

They sit Ardan's body on Dion's motor sport and tie him with a blanket to Dion's body to keep him from falling. Dion turned on the motor.

"How are you?" ask Dion

"Lu don't have to mind the cave, the most important thing is that Ardan can be conscious first" Linda replied.

"But you?"

"Pliss Dion just this time, don't think of the cave. Please take Ardan to the hospital now. If anything happens to Ardan, the cave won't excuse you." Linda Pinta.

Dion sets off on his bike leaving Linda alone on the porch of Ardan's house. Linda was inexhaustible, she went straight back to Dion's room to pick up the keys to her sport bike and also took Ardan's motorcycle jacket.

Linda is very compatible with Ardan's jacket, but rather oversized on his body.

Linda wears Ardan's helmet and rides her motorcycle on the porch. Drove his motorcycle through the twilight sky following Dion.

Dion lowered Ardan and carried him from behind. Calling the doctors and nurses there to save Ardan.

Two male nurses brought a gurney and rushed Ardan to the ER room.

"Please wait here."

One of the nurses then closed the door to the ER room. Dion waited on the hospital bench while occasionally looking outwards.

Linda has not yet followed. Inner Dion

Suddenly a doctor came out and asked the whereabouts of Ardan's family.

"The Ardan patient family."

Dion got up from his seat and approached the doctor.

"You're a patient's family?"

"I'm a friend of Doc's. How's my friend doing?"

"He's not papa. But there's a problem in the patient's heart."

"Doctor mean?"

"Your friend has stage 3 liver cancer."

"What??!!"

Dion gasped in shock at what he heard from the doctor who examined Ardan.

"Cancer liver doc."

"Yes. So it must continue to be monitored his health because his liver cancer has spread throughout his organs. You also need to continue chemotherapy. If so, excuse me first." said the doctor after that left Dion.

Dion entered to meet Ardan inside who was looking at the sky of the hospital sky while lying on his bed.

"Lu don't papa?"

Ardan turned his head for a moment then turned his gaze back to the sky of the hospital sky.

"Why did you bring the cave here? The cave doesn't want to be here. The cave does not want to be checked. Better cave bed at home. This pain can go away on its own later." annoyed Ardan.

"What's not sane? The cave and Linda found you lying on the floor. Don't say thank you for grumbling yourself." snapped Dion.

"Linda, why is he here?"

Dion wanted to answer but the person he was looking for finally appeared from behind the door.

A woman came in Ardan's jacket. Linda ran towards Ardan's bed and immediately hugged him.

"Lu don't papa, right? Is anyone sick?" Linda took off her arms and looked at Ardan's body.

"Cave no papa Linda. Why are you here?" ask Ardan.

"Gua....gua.." he answered in a brick.

"He's worried about you." said Dion.

Linda turned her head for a moment to Dion and looked back at Ardan.

"Thank you for worrying about me." said Ardan.

Linda's cheeks suddenly blushed because of what Ardan said to her. He could not hide the hue of his face before Ardan. Linda smiled at her own smile.

"Linda, you're not papa, are you?" ask Ardan who saw the hue of Linda's face flushed like a tomato.

Linda was still unaware that Ardan asked her.

"Linda......"

Suddenly his shoulder was patted by Dion and it made him instantly aware of his beautiful daydream.

"Lu daydreamed earlier." answered Dion briefly.

"Oh yeah. What did the doctor say?" Linda switched the conversation.

"The doctor said that Ardan." said Dion immediately disconnected by Ardan.

"If the cave is just Linda's tiredness." cut Ardan. Ardan gives Dion a code to keep her illness a secret.

"Oh, thank goodness then." Linda then took a chair and sat down next to Ardan's bed.

The ringing of the phone from Dion's phone made him have to go out for a while to answer the phone.

"Two out for a second."

Linda answered him with a nod but Ardan just silently watched Dion leave his place.

"Are you related to him?" Ardan pointed at Dion by advancing his chin.

"What the hell are you. I have a relationship with Dion. He's my own brother because our father used to be a close friend in High School." Beber Linda even told her closeness to Dion.

"Thank God." grumbled Ardan.

"What did you say?" linda asked because she didn't hear what Ardan said.

"Religious. It's nothing" replied Ardan

"Linda let's go home. Your parents are looking for you now." Dion approaches Ardan's bed and takes Linda home.

"Well, I don't want to go home." linda whined to Dion.

"Go back Linda, it's getting dark." Ardan

Linda who initially did not want to directly obey said Ardan to go home.

"Ardan, take good care of yourself." said Linda while tidying up Ardan's blanket.

Ardan nodded then they left Ardan alone in the hospital.

He almost forgot it was time for Ardan to work at Pak Herman's meatball shop now. If he does not work then he will not get a wage to pay the electricity and water bills in his house and his daily needs.

Ardan waited a few minutes for Linda and Dion to leave the hospital. After that, Ardan rose from his sleep despite still feeling pain but not as bad as before. Ardan released the infusion stuck in his hand and hurriedly left the ER room.

Before that, he had to pay his hospital bills so he stopped at the hospital reception desk.

"Suster on behalf of Ardan's patient. How much is the bill?" ask Ardan to the nurse who is watching.

"Ah.. On behalf of the patient Ardan for the bill has been paid by his friend mas." replied the nurse.

"Thank you, sus."

Ardan left the reception desk and headed to the parking lot. Fortunately, the key to her motorcycle was left by Linda on a small table next to her bed.

Ardan turned on his bike and drove him to Pak Herman's meatball shop.

The atmosphere was the same as usual. Many with many factory workers who are taking a short break while eating at the shop of Mr. Herman.

"Assalamualaikum sir."

"Waalaikumsalam. Please help your mother in the kitchen. Mr. Ardan replied that he did not turn his face away because he was serving the buyers.

"Ready sir."

Bu Farda looks very difficult to take care of orders that accumulate from customers. Ardan immediately jumped to help Bu Farda. Ardan's arrival makes Bu Farda not overwhelmed alone take care of customer orders.

After the stall seems to have arisen with the crowd of buyers. As usual Bu Farda gave food to Ardan before going home and he went home first because the distance of Mr. Herman and Bu Farda's house is not far from the stall.

Stay Mr. Herman and Ardan both at the stall. After cleaning the dirty bowl bowl, Ardan sat down to eat the meatballs that had been served by him.

"Son"

"Yes sir" replied Ardan

"If you have a problem or something. You are ready to hear it and give me a solution for you. Because you already think like your own father." said Mr. Herman as if he knew that Ardan had problems in his life.

"Yes sir." while continuing to eat the meatballs.

"Don't make you sorry for not knowing the problems you're having, son."

Ardan did not feel eating with teardrops that continuously fell in his bowl of meatballs. Only this time he got the love of parents that he had not been getting. His biological father was crazy with work to abandon Ardan alone. Also his mother who is crazy with work because of her father's mane.

Ardan was discovered by Mr. Herman when he was 7 years old and cried on the sidewalk alone. Then Mr. Herman took Ardan to his stall and that's the story of why he got to work at Pak Herman's stall. Mr. Herman and Bu Farda were not given children until the age where Bu Farda was declared manoupuse.

Mr. Herman was not disappointed in Bu Farda. Maybe one day he finds a child he can foster with his wife. His prayer felt granted when Mr. Herman found little Ardan crying on the sidewalk.

Seeing Ardan sobbing, Mr. Herman hugged Ardan's body like he was hugging his own son. Ardan's mouth chewed food but his eyes let out unrelenting tears.