THE FORMER SHADOW
39. Sobbled

"Your hands are bleeding" said Arshaka in a panic, after breaking Badrina's grip. Immediately Arshaka pressed the nurse call button.

The turmoil of worry and anger coalesced within Arshaka. The man flipped his body. "Hafez, the cave asks you to take this attached grandma out, before the cave drags!" angrily Arshaka walked towards the door while pointing at Poppy.

"What did you say! You don't realize, you're not a good man for my nephew!" poppy sprayed as Hafez pulled his body towards the door.

Arshaka sat next to each other and threw his eyes away in the other direction, unwilling to meet Poppy.

"After Badrina knows how you really are, she must hate you so much!" scorn Poppy with pressure on every word that is thrown. "Even disgust at you. Catch that!" Poppy is completely fed up with Arshaka who is ostensibly masked behind fighting for Badrina.

The man shook his head, his body stiffened for a moment. Some time later, his hands clenched while the other side opened the door so that the two uninvited guests would get out as soon as possible.

Not long after the sisters arrive to check on Badrina, Hafez and Poppy are completely out of the inpatient room.

"How can Mother's infusion be missed? And your clothes are covered in blood?" asked the sister named Hayati put a sense of wonder full of suspicion.

"E. um...."

Badrina was at a loss to explain, there was no way she could have said there was a quarrel earlier. "So Badrina's mother was too eager to hug me, Sister," replied Arshaka lightly. "Not until it's like this" he continued, his piety sounding far-fetched.

Badrina's eyes widened to hear the words of her ex-husband who arbitrarily stated the reason for the nurse. Sister Hayati smiled at Arshaka's words.

After the infusion was reassembled, Hayati reminded Badrina to be more careful in making movements so that similar things do not happen again.

After Hayati was escorted out by Arshaka to the door, the rest of the emotions in Badrina's mind rose again.

"You're being disrespectful to my aunt" lontar Badrina threw the charges as Arshaka returned to the patient's bed.

Badrina stared at Arshaka's nyalang. "Call aunty with the attached grandmother and yell at her. Not very classy!" objurgation. His mood as fast as lightning changed.

Arshaka, who planned to peel the apples, put them back on the nightstand. "You're fighting, hm?" asked Arshaka by putting his hands in both pants pocket, his eyebrows up to swoop next to him.

"How long have you been his nephew, not feeling his attitude is more worthy of being called an enemy in a blanket?" arshaka Ejek. "You're the gaslighting victim who always sees your appointment right and you're the one who always has to adjust to it. If there's a mismatch, you blame yourself. And. I must act as you do, no - will," grumbled Arshaka pointing at himself and Badrina with a detailed explanation.

"I'm talking about your attitude, Shaka. So, is your way right?" cibir Badrina.

"That's her name defending herself, Rina. He who comes here is angry indistinctly, playing punches and kicks, even to the point of making your infusion loose," Sosor Arshaka with a high tone. "I kept quiet and didn't reply, but he kept going. You can't see the real nature of the interview?" insinuated Arshaka, Badrina still insisted that the man was wrong.

"After all, he's my aunt. Who nurtured me from the baby" said Badrina did not accept Arshaka's excuse.

The man clucked loudly. "In your eyes he is always right. Mahbenar. Open the eyes --"

Not to mention Arshaka finished his words, the sound of his phone interrupting their conversation, then he approached the nightstand.

As the phone rang, Badrina turned to her bed. He can read the name of the caller on the screen. Name of a woman.

"In the meantime, I'm out first, pick up the call" said Arshaka, his voice low.

Badrina tried to be ordinary. However, the name somewhat intrigued his mind because several times the same name had contacted Arshaka, when he was still a wife.

Badrina shook her head trying to get rid of her curious mind about who Maulidya was, the name on Arshaka's phone.

"Hello," said Arshaka as she was coming out of Badrina's room.

"Good Lidya. What's the matter calling?" ask Arshaka straightforwardly.

"Lama Mas did not visit the apartment, nor did he give any news," Maulidya replied in a riled tone.

Arshaka chuckles to justify the word Maulidya. "Yes, I'm busy working and taking care of Badrina too" the man said truthfully without covering up the facts.

Hearing the name Badrina, there is an uncomfortable sense of shame in Maulidya.

"Taking care of Badrina. What's wrong with Badrina, Mas?"

"Badrina was hospitalized for exhaustion. Dehydrated too. Now I'm in the hospital" he said.

Maulidya was silent to Arshaka's words. There is a feeling of discouragement in Maulidya.

"Yes already, Mas. Do not forget to take care of your health. Eat on time," Maulidya ordered without bothering to ask Badrina's condition further.

"Thank you Lidya, you always pay attention to me" Arshaka said.

Screeching warmth in the face of Maulidya ayu. Thank goodness it was invisible to Mas Shaka, his inner self. Their conversation is over, Arshaka returns to Badrina's room.

"Want me to peel an apple? Had breakfast, right?" arshaka asked as she walked towards the nightstand next to the bed. He took an apple and a knife and sat down next to the patient's bed to peel the fruit.

Arshaka knew Badrina's habit of eating apples, her skin had to be removed because she liked it less.

Badrina only gave a nod in response to Arshaka's question.

"Who's Maulidya?" asked Badrina turned to Arshaka.

Arshaka's hand stopped. His pupils were moving in thought looking for answers.

"not nobody. No need to discuss," said Arshaka calmly. He peeled the apple back and handed the piece to Badrina.

"It's almost noon, you're not going to the office?" badrina asked as she chewed on an apple, she raised another topic of conversation.

"Izin," replied Arshaka in a short, flat tone.

A few seconds they were both in silence until the sound of Badrina's laughter blared. "Izin's? For what? Caring for me?" Badrina's tears to the point, she still blurted out.

"Before, time was still a wife if I was sick.you said what 'health food is maintained, if pain can be troublesome' so, 'right," badrina's taunts with a made-up voice meant to ridicule Arshaka.

"Later a sprain of apples just know the taste. I told you this was all for-"

"Cantara," continued Badrina was still amused and glanced at her ex-husband who instead ate an apple that was supposed for Badrina. Arshaka convulsed, he is uncomfortable changing himself discussed by Badrina.

"I'm going to the administration room first and change clothes. This you continue on your own" he said, handing over a plate containing a knife and pieces of apples that were still skinned.

"Loh, caring for the sick takes totality, loh. Is it me who's been peeling?" ledek Badrina's. Along with these words, Arshaka came out of the room with the echoes of Badrina's innuendo laughter to him.

"Female base," decak Arshaka as she touched her unusual beating chest.