The Blood

"What are you doing there? You could slip and fall," Val exclaimed.

Jason came closer, pointing at Ilyana.

"Look at what you did, the girls look so depressed."

Val took a deep breath, looking at Ilyana's face from where they were standing, her eyes looked a little red and puffy.

"Is it because of me, boss? Who knows, it is because you give her too much job."

Jason patted Val's arm.

"Don't joke around, talk and persuade her to stay away from there, you have to take responsibility"

While scratching his head, Val somewhat unsteadily headed towards Ilyana.

"Boss, do we need to stay here? We still have a lot of work," said Anwar. 

Jason patted Anwar's shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Your friend is in trouble, and you're thinking about your job, just wait, this won't take long."

Alex secretly laughed at Anwar. 

"Feel that"

Anwar is still complaining.

"She's always been like that, it's nothing new, right?"

The wind was blowing quite hard mid-afternoon, Val was confused about how to persuade Ilyana, he didn't understand how the situation suddenly became like that.

"Hi Il, you're here, everyone is worried about you, let's get in, Boss is afraid you'll jump"

Ilyana did not turn her head, instead she bowed her head deeply.

"Val, am I ugly?"

Val frowned.

"Hah? You? He, how could you be ugly, who said that?"

Ilyana raised her head and looked at Val deeply. Val was speechless, he should have known because perhaps he had accidentally hurt the young girl's feelings and was the reason the girl looked depressed now. For a while, he kept sending her texts but Val answered simply. The girl called him several times but Val didn't pick up, as if he was avoiding her, even at the office. This was her first day back at work after Ilyana had been absent for the last few days due to illness. And Val didn't even ask how she was doing, at all.

"Uh, forgive me, Il, I.."

Ilyana smiled. Wiped her tears quickly. She turned around, but instead, she staggered because of the gust of wind and almost fell.

"Il!"

Everyone including Jason, Alex, and Anwar held their breath, Val reflexively held her hand and hugged her tightly.

"Be careful!"

Long, the scene where Val hugged Ilyana tightly made everyone silent.

All eyes looked as if there was a romantic song played suddenly complete with the wind blowing Ilyana's short skirt in Val's arms.

"Wow" amazed Alex and Anwar.

But realizing quickly Ilyana pushed Val away.

"Let go of me!"

Val stumbled backward, stopping himself from falling with his hand which accidentally scratched the edge of the piece of iron on the building's guardrail.

"Akh"

Jason came closer when Ilyana walked passed him to the door.

"Val, are you alright?"

Val just stood still looking at his palm which was bleeding.

"Oh, look at you, you're so careless, look at the blood." Jason took out his handkerchief to wrap Val's palm which continued to bleed dripping onto the floor.

"Use this to stop the bleeding"

Ilyana stopped right in front of the door, turning towards where Jason and the others were crowding the Valiant. The girl wanted to get closer, wanted to see how Val was doing. All those feelings kept pushing to jump out of her chest, it felt so painful, but she couldn't, even though she wanted to, she couldn't. She knew all of her feelings would be in vain, because there was no her in Val's heart, as the young man was in her's.

"Um," she turned around and continued her walk towards the door.

"Come on, let's go down and treat your wound," said Jason.

Val bit his lip. It's so hurt.

"Wow, seriously Val, it looks like we have to go to the hospital, the blood won't stop" Even the handkerchief that was given earlier was red and completely wet with blood.

"Boss" Val grabbed Jason's shoulder as he became so exhausted. Jason was shocked and reflexively held Val.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Looks like I'm out of blood, Boss" 

Jason grabbed Val's hand and pulled him down.

"You, you might run out of blood just because you get scratched, don't joke Val"

Val tried to smile, Jason might think he was acting, but actually, he was almost unconscious earlier, thank goodness it didn't happen in front of the man.

"Thank you, Boss"

"Let's go to the hospital, okay?"

...

That night, at the Argent Heart Center hospital.

Jason was standing in front of the window answering an incoming call from his grandfather.

"One of my staff, Grandpa. He was hurt so I will stay with him at the hospital. After the examination is complete, we will go home."

At the end of the phone, Ian Garber was seen sitting and reading his newspaper, halting his hand movements.

"Oh yeah? Which one?" he asked sitting up.

"Val, it's not a big wound, it's just that the blood hasn't stopped since then."

"The new kid?" The old man waved his hand at his assistant who was standing not far away near the door.

"It's a shame, I just bought bird nest soup and have already prepared it for you to come home. Um, how about this, tell me where you are. I will send someone there, and give this soup to you and him, poor child."

For a moment, Jason pursed his mouth, pulling the phone from his ear seeing that he wasn't mistaken that he was talking to his grandfather now.

"No need Grandpa, I'll take him home after this. The soup will still be good until tomorrow morning, right?"

"It will be less fresh. Just tell me where you are. Just wait there, okay?"

Not long after the phone was turned off. Tyus stood in front of Ian Garber who thought for a long time. His face looked serious.

"Don't fail, and don't let Jason get suspicious, I have to confirm it myself," said the old man. Tyus, the middle-aged man nodded.

"Yes, sir"

Dusk. After waiting for a while, the nurse finally came in to take Val's blood to carry out further examinations. Jason, who was almost asleep in his chair, woke up.

"Hey nurse"

The young nurse smiled. Seeing Jason who looked tired but was still faithfully waiting in the room.

"How much you guys need his blood? Wasn't it just being done before this afternoon?" Jason asked. The slightly blue marks from the syringe are still visible on Val's arm. The nurse was not the same person who came this afternoon.

"Yes sir, this is a normal procedure, we need the blood to carry out further examinations."

Jason looked at the nurse a little suspiciously. However, the nurse looked like the other nurses there, maybe she had changed shifts with the nurse that afternoon.

"Hasn't the doctor come yet?" Jason asked.

The nurse smiled.

"It just so happens that the doctor who usually treats patients is having a seminar out of town, and soon the replacement doctor will come to examine him. Please wait, sir."

Jason pulled his lips in annoyance. It's very strange, a patient comes in a worrying condition like this but not a single doctor appears to examine him, what are these doctors doing?

"Heh, how strange"

The nurse smiled, took the tray with Val's blood tube, and excused herself from the room.

"Excuse me, sir"

Outside the room, a man dressed in black was already standing beside the door. Saw the nurse and glanced into the room. The nurse nodded, passed the man who took the tube filled with blood put it straight into his pocket, and walked away in another direction.