A MAN IN THE HOSPITAL BED

Yogyakarta, RSUP Dr. Sardjito, Paviliun Cendrawasih

The man slowly opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. He had never seen that kind of ceiling before, with white and blinding light filling up the room. The man tries to move his body, but for some unknown reason his body feels weak and heavy. He tried to lift his head but there were no results, his head also feels heavy. 

The man gave up, he tries to remember the last moment before he suddenly woke up in that room; but nothing comes to his mind.

Although his body feels weak, his sense of smell picked up a strange yet familiar scent. The smell of the sun, freshly washed mattress sheets, air freshener and medicine filled up the room creating a nostalgic scent.

'Am I in hospital?'

The scent reminded him of the time when his grandfather was hospitalized. 

That memory still sticks with him clearly. He was the one who looked after his grandfather in the hospital before he passed away. 

Although his grandfather is already gone, he still remembers it like it was yesterday. The strange scent reminded him of memories he didn't want to remember.

'What exactly happened to me?' The man bit his lips.

While he was still confused about what was happening, the door to the room suddenly opened. A woman, in a green nurse uniform came into the room. She stood at the door, staring at the man before she finally decided to walk towards the man's bed.

Standing beside the man, the woman bent over and spoke.

"Are you awake sir?" Said the nurse.

The man then blinked, as if to signal that he had regained consciousness.

With a nonchalant look, the woman then proceeded to check the IV bag beside the bed. She took a closer look at it before starting to tap at the IV bag tube. 

After confirming that nothing was wrong, she said, 

"Can you move your body sir?"

The man didn't give a reply. The nurse felt strange by the man's response, adds.

"Alright sir, let me call the doctor first."

The man was taken aback by what he heard.

'What? Doctor? Am I really hospitalized now?' he exclaimed, disbelief etched across his face.

The nurse then came out of the room, leaving the confused man behind. After a while, the nurse came back; accompanied by a young man in his semi casual outfit. It was the doctor. 

They seemed to be talking to each other, but the man in the hospital bed couldn't hear what they were talking about. The young man nodded his head while listening to what the nurse was saying.

Upon reaching the hospital bed, the doctor observed the patient's pale face. Without sensing any issue, the doctor continued to examine the man's body. 

"Hmm, everything is fine, can you move your body sir?"

The man blinked twice while looking confused. He can't move his body; his body feels heavy and weak.

"Try to move your head sir, you should be able to."

The man tried to move his head to the left and right. It was a great effort for him, but just like the doctor said, the man was able to move his head. 

The man looked up to the doctor's badge. Dr. Hendra Pratama was written on it. It's the doctor's name.

"Good, everything seems normal." Doctor Hendra gives a relieved look.

"Mr. Satria Kusuma Wijaya." Doctor Hendra then put a bit of a smile on his face.

"Yes." The man replied.

"Do you have any family members who can take care of you?"

"My parents," the man hesitated for a second, "they should be at home."

"Alright, we're gonna inform your parents about your current conditions."

The man nodded. 

The doctor then signaled the nurse to inform the man's parents. The nurse walked outside. The man could hear the nurse talking to her coworkers behind the door.

Still full of questions, the man decided to ask Dr. Hendra.

"Doctor, what happened to me?" The man looked at the doctor with a confused look.

"Mr. Satria, your body must feel weak and heavy; you should rest first." Doctor Hendra didn't give a proper reply.

"Please, I want to know what happened." The man said it in a pitiful tone.

His eyes were hoping that the doctor would tell him what had happened.

"You should rest sir."

"Please. I beg you."

"..." The doctor went silent. He seems to have a lot in his mind.

The Doctor also didn't know whether it's because of sympathy as human beings or Satria's pitiful appearance. While still being hesitant, he said.

"Sir, it's hard for me to say it sir," the Doctor carefully chose his words, "unfortunately, you got hit by a truck sir."

"!?"

Flabbergasted, the man unconsciously threw out a question.

"What? A truck?"

"Yes, it was hit and run." The doctor replied.

"The accident took place this midnight, and the witnesses brought you here."

The man bit his lips.

'A truck? What the hell.' 

As he couldn't believe what he had heard, the man continued to ask questions.

"I see, but why does my body feel so weak and heavy?"

"..."

"I.. also can't feel anything in my arms."

"You should rest first, Mr. Satria." Doctor Hendra advised, his tone reassuring.

"That's not all isn't it?"

"..." The doctor was at a loss for words.

He didn't want to tell the man what had happened to his body; he hesitated. The man is still confused but he stares at the doctor, wanting for an answer.

A few minutes of silence fell upon that room. The two men stare at each other. One of them looked hesitant, and the other, looking all pitiful.

Giving up on the man's pitiful look, Doctor Hendra decided to tell him what had happened.

"We tried our best to save your life, but."

"But?"

"We are unable to save both of your arms."

"What? Arms? My Arms? Both my arms?"

"Yes." The doctor replied.

The man just froze. Everything is blurry. The man barely hears what Doctor Hendra said after. It was a shock for him, a big one.

"When I took a look at your arms, it was already beyond saving sir; it was also within my authority."

After the doctor said that, the room went silent once again.

With his eyes wide open, the man in the hospital bed couldn't proceed with what he had heard.

"Your arms are in such bad condition that I have to remove your arms to save your life. My apologies." Doctor Hendra adds.

The man starts to tremble.

"I'm sorry." The doctor apologized as he failed to save the man's arms.

The man struggled to get up. He refuses to believe what the doctor said. The doctor seems to know what the man's intentions are, and tries to help him. 

As he got up on the bed, the man looked left and right. Disbelieved by what he saw, the man starts to tear up. He just lost both of his arms.

"MY ARMS, MY ARMS IS GONE." The man was screaming.

He screamed loud enough for the people in the hallway to hear him. The man screamed, screamed and screamed whatever words came to his mind. 

After a while, unable to swallow the shock, the man tired and lost his consciousness.

*

It was a beautiful night. The moon shines brightly. The cloudless night captures the beauty of the Milky Way, but that's not the case for Satria. The man in the hospital bed struggled. 

A strange man in black clothes sitting atop his body, stretching his hands towards him. The strange man grabbed Satria's neck, choking him with all his might. Satria couldn't resist the man almost twice his size.

The nurse and his dad were there. The nurse was confused and didn't know what to do, she could only tremble. His dad tried to shake the man twice his size off the bed. 

Satria, who lost both his arms, can't do anything except gasping for air.

"THIS IS FOR RUINING MY LIFE YOU ASSHOLE." The strange man shouted.

Satria, who struggled to breath, didn't hear what the man said. He was trying his best to catch a breath.

The strange man then lowered his head and placed his mouth near Satria's ear.

"You will go to hell, I'll make it so." The man whispered.

"STOP IT SIR, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO MY SON?" The dad shouted at the man while trying to shake him off.

"SHUT IT YOU OLD MAN, THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF HIM."

"STOP IT!"

"NO! IT'S MY REVENGE!"

They fought fiercely. 

Satria's dad can't do anything, he can't shake the man twice his size of the bed. Not to mention, the strange man is really strong. He doesn't even budge no matter how much Satria's dad shakes him.

After a few minutes of scuffle, the door burst open. The hospital guards, the doctor, and Satria's mom came. One of the guards then kicked the man out of the bed. 

THUD.

The man fell and coughed from the pain. The other guard rushed to the man, trying to restrain him. The room shakes as the guard jumps on the strange man.

"Do not resist! You need to come with us." Said one of the hospital guards as he grappled with the man.

"HAHAHA." The strange man just laughed.

The guard hit the man's head, trying to make him unconscious.

The mom then quickly checked his son and screamed his name.

"Satria, are you alright?"

But there is no answer.

Doctor Hendra quickly rushed to Satria and proceeded to check his condition; but something was off. The doctor then climbed to Satria's bed and started doing CPR. 

In the midst of all this, the man was taken by the guard out of the room while still laughing.

"Hahaha, it's done, you deserved it." The man said.

It seems that the guard failed to make him lose consciousness, but was still able to restrain him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA."

The man laughed as the guard dragged him out of the room.

Doctor Hendra, who is now atop Satria, tries his best in doing the CPR. Even so, there are no response.

After a few minutes, the nurse switched places with the doctor who was tired. Then after a few more minutes, another nurse switched her place.

There is still no response. Refusing to give up, now they called the interns to switch places. 

The mom can only cry while watching his son. The dad holds his wife while trying to calm her down. 

Satria is gone. Everyone knows it, but they still try to do whatever it takes to bring him back. Then, after some futile efforts, they stop. 

Satria's parents start crying, louder than before as they watch their son's body.

"NO, MY SON SATRIA."