“Siberian? Are you kidding me, huh?” Luke giggled softly and instantly his stomach hurt, so Luke stopped him.
"Not. Later, I thought about this. You're almost seventeen and you have tan—Ulfa meant, you're not a kid anymore. Also some of the events of the last few weeks. I don't think Hydra Cost is safe enough for you, Luke.”
Ulfa grabbed Luke's palm that used to itch. Caress it gently.
"Does it still itch, honey?"
"No longer."
Ulfa was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you felt anything strange in your body lately?"
"Yes. The bottom of my chest has been a bit sore since Mrs. Bowles—”
"That's not what I mean. But nevermind. You go to sleep, I hope you'll be better tomorrow."
***
Luke is confused. This feeling is empty. Luke is out of the hospital, but Luke still has to deal with the Adam Bowleans problem. About the law. Actually, it had started on the second day since Luke was in the hospital.
So, it was Ben talking to an officer outside the ward. At first, Luke thought they were in the room, but it seemed they were in the corridor outside the ward. Luke wanted to get up to see who had come, but because his stomach was still hurting and Ulfa's sleeping head was lolling on a part of Luke's bed, Luke couldn't move. As a result Luke lay back down and listened carefully.
Luke heard Ben say, “… even though Luke had told Larson to take care of everything. I'm going to sell the house or whatever, as long as this case doesn't spread. We moved—”
"What else can we do. What Luke did was seen by many people. Okay, forget about the first incident. But what about the second incident? That's really bad, Ben. Many witnesses against Luke…” heard Ben's interlocutor sigh, “I've seen that kid. Adam Bowles. He had a severe concussion and was expected to be in a coma for a long period of time. You know, the doctor said that one of his lungs was ruptured and his hipbone was dislocated. His vital organs were also badly damaged. Incredibly, fortunately he was still alive, or… maybe it was really unlucky that he had to survive in a condition of permanent disability. The victims who are still alive can be more burdensome than the dead, Ben."
“Shit…” Luke heard Ben curse in a growl. “Why did this have to happen to Luke? Can't you do it anymore? One more time, like we did for Ulfa? Come on… after that I'll take Luke and Ulfa far away. Ulfa says there's a safe place in Siberia. I should have obeyed from then on.”
“That's different, Ben. The Ulfa incident was decades ago, but now we live where news travels faster than air. After all, I'm too old. We're both too old to—"
“Ben…Jeremy. Can't you speak in a quieter voice? My sleep is disturbed because of you.”
Luke was surprised when he heard that Ulfa was gone by the bedside and the ward door had also been opened. Since when was Ulfa there? And why didn't Luke notice when Ulfa changed places?
There was the sound of Ben and someone called Jeremy apologizing and their footsteps walking into a further aisle. Ulfa walked back to the ward and their eyes met. At that time, Luke wanted to ask the last topic that Ben and his interlocutor discussed, but what came out of Luke's lips was;
"Ulfa, is it true that Adam will be disabled for the rest of his life?" Luke's tears came out like a leaky faucet that suddenly dripped without warning. “Is it because of me? Am I going to be put to death, Ulfa? How is this Ulfa? I… I've troubled you all? I embarrassed you guys, right? How about this?"
"Dear…"
Ulfa only said that one word and didn't continue it anymore. He hugged Luke tightly while occasionally wiping the tears that made his cheeks muddy. Half of the rest of the night, Luke spent crying. It stopped, then sobbed again. Stop again, sob again. It went on and on until Luke finished two boxes of tissues and started wiping tears and snot with a hospital blanket. That same night, both Ben and Ulfa tried to calm Luke down. Said that everything was just an accident. Ben even promised he would do his best to reduce the possibility of punishment he would receive.
“Listen, son. I'm your grandfather. I won't let you get into any more trouble than this. Trust me."
But even though he had been given such encouragement, his feelings did not improve until morning came. After knowing the fact that someone will spend a lifetime with an abnormal body condition, it makes Luke very, very guilty. Luke knew Adam Bowleans wasn't a good person, but even hearing him critically into a coma like this didn't make his feelings any better.
Could Luke be a would-be psychopath? Or is Luke just a jinxed child? Who knows.
It had an impact on many things and he took it out on other people because Luke couldn't possibly take it out on him.
“Luke,” Ulfa called from behind the curtain. “Your friends came to visit—”
"Tell them to leave."
"What?"
“I said, send them away, Ulfa. I'm… I don't want to meet anyone.”
“But, they already—”
" Please , Ulfa," Luke pleaded as he pulled the blanket to cover his whole body.
"Okay."
Luke thought they wouldn't come because he had refused, but apparently they did come again and again and again. Amy, Andrew, Rei and Valentina. Sometimes they come together, sometimes they come alternately. So disturbing.
"These are from your friends, Luke," Ulfa said as he put the basket of fruit and snacks on the table.
Even souvenirs like that didn't make Luke excited and instead Luke wanted to be very angry. So he grabbed the fruit basket and threw it towards the curtain until the curtain broke.
"Kan, I told you not to let them come again!"
As the curtain fell, Amy, Andrew, Rei, Gerald and Valentina stood there. Their faces looked shocked. The fruit basket that was wrapped in the curtain hit Valentina's body, causing her to bend down. Andrew asked if Valentina was hurt.
“ No. No. It's okay. I'm fine. ”
Oh, look. Even though Luke is conscious, he can hurt his own ex-girlfriend. Even though Luke had to admit that Luke didn't hate being around him, but didn't mean to hurt him. This made him feel even more guilty and the more guilty Luke felt, the more Luke wanted to be angry.
“Go away, damn you all!” the words just slipped from his lips.
"Luke, calm down ," Gerald lowered his voice, smiling a little. "We just wanted to see if you were okay—"
“Do I look okay?! Do you think I'll be fine after crippling one person for life?!”
Amy interrupted, her tone slightly awkward, "Luke, you—"
“Shut up! You shut up, Amy! Do you know what I'm going through? You just keep busy dating Andrew!”
Amy's mouth fell open and her brow furrowed.
“ What are you talking about? What does our relationship have to do with your condition?”
"There is no! But I hate seeing you two! Get lost!”
Luke knew that it wasn't the right thing to blame anyone else for this. What's more, Amy was right, her relationship with Andrew had nothing to do with her current situation. So, yeah… they had such a big fight in the ward that people peeked in and some nurses came over. they bickered, starting from the discontinuity of their relationship with the condition she was experiencing to the past where Amy did not accept it when Luke said;
“Because of you, we are considered a bet! If you wanna be a bitch, be a bitch alone! Don't invite me!”
"What?!" Amy screamed loudly and was about to come towards me, only to be stopped by Gerald and Andrew. “What did you say, damn it?!”
“Relax, Amy. Calm. Luke isn't well," Gerald hissed.
“Yes, I'm not feeling well! So, get away from me right now !” Luke screamed with all his might as he slammed the pillow. “Stop pretending to care about me. You all suck! And don't look at me like that Kit! You're just as annoying! None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you, you know?! You're just a crazy girl who cares too much for me, right?! Are you a lesbian, huh?!”
“Luke!” Amy shouted interrupting Luke's words.
"Kids, you'd better go home," Ulfa, who had been silent all along, was now pushing them to leave. "I am really, really sorry…"
“Ulfa, don't apologize to them!”
“…and I also didn't expect that Luke would be this angry. go home.”
Then, Amy's head appeared along with her annoying face. He said;
" Well , at least we know you're half crazy!"
And Luke threw the covers at her, just as Amy pulled her head back and was nowhere to be seen.
***