Ian Garber looked at Jason for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, I know that, from my informant."
Jason looked at the old man longer and this time sharply.
"What do you mean, your informant? What do you want from Valiant? Don't you think this is suspicious? He is just a little intern, what makes you so interested in him?"
Ian held his breath for a moment, leaning back in his chair.
"I'm still figuring it out. When I'm sure, I'll tell you. Wait for the right time," said the old man.
For a moment, Jason looked at his grandfather; this old man was much more stubborn than him. If he didn't want to talk, it would be very troublesome and time-consuming to force him. It required a strong will, as strong as his grandfather's. He continued his work.
"Then you shouldn't have said anything from the beginning. I don't want to know either."
Ian Garber chuckled, seeing Jason's very serious face.
"Hey, this kid, why are you so impatiently? The time will come. But, what's wrong with that kid? My informant only knows that he back and forth to the hospital and does this and that test. Once, he went to another hospital outside the city to check his condition, maybe seeking a second opinion. But it's very strange, no one wants to tell me voluntarily, either because my informant is incompetent or what, maybe I should just fire him, such a useless," the old man grumbled.
Jason clenched his fists. That was it, he had no idea what was going on, besides Rio and Val, no one else knew. This couldn't be allowed; he shouldn't have waited idly without doing anything. Right now, Val needed him; he had no family left, if not him, then who? But that kid had driven him away, not considering him his boss, let alone his friend; he truly didn't acknowledge his existence.
Ian noticed Jason's distress. He looked closely at his face.
"I don't know what happened, but you have to do what you think you want to do, whatever it is. Because we don't know if time will be on our side, and even though I'm also worried about her, right now, my hands are tied. Wait for the right time," said the old man.
Jason suddenly stood up from his seat.
"Then, when is the right time? That brat, I'm going to teach him a lesson for driving me out."
Without heeding his grandfather, Jason grabbed his suit and rushed towards the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ian asked.
"Where else? I'm off. It's evening, you shouldn't linger here because everyone else wants to go home too," said Jason before heading to the door.
Jason's words before leaving made Ian purse his lips.
"What does I'm being here have to do with other staff wanting to go home?"
The old man thought until finally he stood up from his seat.
"Hmm, yeah, that's right, they'll all probably feel awkward leaving early, I'd better just go home now," the old man said, limping slightly due to his old bones, slowly rising from his seat and walking towards the door.
"Hmph, that ungrateful kid. He doesn't think about his grandfather anymore," he grumbled all the way to the door. "Oh, these bones."
**
The VIP ward was already filled with flowers and dolls from Val's colleagues who came to visit that afternoon. Anwar, Alex, Roger, and even Ria and the HR team had come in droves to see him. Val couldn't stop smiling, hearing stories from others during his absence from work. He had only been in the hospital for two days, but missed too many funny stories.
"Yeah, they said they challenged us to play basketball again this Friday, but since you're not well, they said to postpone it until next week, at least until you recover," Alex said.
"Yeah, Val, if you're not there, the boss won't join either; if you guys aren't there, the marketing team will definitely be completely crushed," Anwar added.
"Last time they lost, they still haven't treated us to lunch, they just bought bubble tea, saying he hadn't had time to treat us yet," added Gina, a sweet girl from the HR team. They were talking about the Finance team, who were indeed very busy, so they would visit Val by the other day. The hospital was not far across from their office building.
"Hey, that's not bad, bubble tea alone costs more or less the same as lunch," said Alex.
The rather lively atmosphere in Val's room prompted Doctor Rio to enter.
"Cough, cough, thank you for stopping by, guys," Val said, coughing occasionally, although the story is so fun, he can't keep up with them.
Ria rubbed Val's back.
"Rest well, we'll come again tomorrow. Besides, the hospital is just across the street, we'll stop by anytime."
Rio entered and stopped in front of the bed.
"Pardon me, but I'm worried you guys can't come too often. Val's condition is quite vulnerable; you'll only bring germs from outside and make him sicker," said the doctor.
His words sounded sharp. Anwar and the others exchanged glances.
"Does he mean we smell?" Anwar whispered, and one by one they started sniffing their own clothes.
Doctor Rio approached, raising the bed rail so that Ria and the others would step back and not stand too close to Val.
"Forgive me to say that, that's not what I meant. Val is so weak, and even a little germ will truly make him sicker. As his friend, I hope you understand what that means," Rio added.
Ria and the others pursed their lips, looking at each other. Although it sounded quite cynical, the doctor's words might be true.
"Alright then, we'll just say hello through the group message. Don't forget to reply, Val," Ria said.
Val nodded.
"Yeah, thank you, Ria."
Rio put both hands into the pockets of his white coat, watching his colleague Val leave the room. He turned back to the bed and picked up the teddy bear next to Val's pillow.
"This is also full of germs; we don't know what's in it."
He carried the cute, adorable doll away and placed it on the couch, a little far from the bed. Rio returned and bent down to check Val's condition.
"You know how your condition is now; just getting too hot or too cold can put you in danger. You should be able to take care of yourself, rest regularly, and not forget to eat. I don't see you trying to do that. Are you tired of living, Val?" said Rio.
Rio pulled the oxygen tube and helped loop it behind Val's head and insert it into his nostrils.
"I've tried, Doc, but lately there's been a lot of work. I can't ignore it, I've been taking my medicine regularly and also reducing staying up late, going straight to sleep after coming home from the office. Cough cough."
Jason, who had rushed from the elevator towards the room, stopped, standing in his spot not far from the door, looking into the room.
Rio looked at Val's face for a moment. He took off his stethoscope and examined Val's chest.
"Does your chest feel heavy?" asked the doc.
Val looked at the doctor briefly. He nodded.
"Cough, yes, it feels tight."
"Fluid might be starting to enter your lungs. I'll give you a sleeping pill and drain the fluid from the side; you could get pneumonia if it's left too long."
Val held Rio's hand as he was about to leave.
"Doc, I've slept too much, let me stay awake."
Rio pursed his lips.
"It can't be like that. This procedure is quite painful; you'll be in pain if you don't sleep. Hang in there. When you get better, you can be discharged from here. This is just a small procedure."
Val still held Rio's hand until the doctor straightened up. He smoothed Val's hair behind his ear.
"Stupid kid, if you don't love your own life, who will?"