Jason stood in the middle of the crowded hospital corridor.
"Val is gone, more precisely, he ran away from my apartment."
Ian's eyes widened, he raised his hand to Ernest, his housekeeper, a middle-aged man who was standing not far from the kitchen area.
"How could that happen? What did you do to him?" shouted Ian.
"Why does everyone always ask that? Am I someone who would do bad things to Val?" shouted Jason, annoyed.
"Yeah, I know how you are!" said the old man loud and clear.
"Just give me the damn phone number," said Jason, irritated.
Ernest approached Ian.
"Yes, Sir"
"Ernest, please take the ledger from my room, all the phone numbers are there, Jason is asking for the phone number of the orphanage in Karby," said Ian.
Ernest, who had been the head housemaid of the house for decades, frowned.
"But sir, have you forgotten that the orphanage was closed five years ago? The number of children had decreased, and no one wanted to take care of them anymore; we had stopped the aid since then," said the middle-aged man.
Jason listened to Ernest's words.
"Just give me the address, I'll go look there, who knows, maybe Val is around there, where else could he be?" said Jason.
"But Jason, you heard it yourself, that orphanage has been closed for five years, Val might be the last kid to leave there, where will you look for him? Karby, though not big, you can't possibly search from house to house, right?"
Jason looked anxious. He pushed back the hair that had fallen on his forehead, taking a deep breath, tired and worried after half a day of searching everywhere Val could have gone.
"Grandpa, just give it to me."
Jason's voice sounded unenthusiastic. Ian fell silent; it seemed they really had no other choice. Soon after, Jason received a text message and a location map to the Karby orphanage, located very far outside the city of Argent, about five to six hours by road on the main highway, or by train. There were no flights in that direction, and the nearest airport was also about three hours away, which was more or less the same distance. After confirming the route, Jason stepped out of the hospital, but Rio's hand stopped him.
"I'm coming with you. Val's condition might be serious; I need to be by his side," said Rio.
Jason looked at the doctor who always followed him around.
"I'll take Val home after I meet him; it won't be more than one day."
But Rio's hand was still holding Jason's arm.
"But you heard from your grandfather that the orphanage is closed, what if Val isn't there?"
Jason looked at the doctor. He was about to agree until a nurse approached him in a hurry.
"Doc, your patient is in the ICU, his family brought him here, he fell in the bathroom and was bleeding heavily," said the nurse, looking in a hurry.
Rio looked at the young nurse. Why at a time like this? He then looked at Jason.
"Bring Val back as soon as possible, don't let him stay out there too long," the doctor said before leaving Jason there and rushing towards the hallway.
....
The small house was located on a hill near a small river, with water flowing from a large stream. The house was about sixty square meters with several separate rooms, including two bedrooms for Mrs. Jema and several small children she fostered. In the front and back yards, several small chickens and other small animals were huddled in the corner of the coop, seeking warmth in the very cold night air. The night atmosphere was very quiet, almost no sound was heard except for the small animals like crickets and frogs. It was very silent, unlike the city of Argent, which was always filled with the sounds of vehicles and all sorts of things. Val couldn't stop smiling as he received two sets of thick blankets from Mrs. Jema for him to sleep in the living room.
"Forgive me, my room is small, not spacious enough for you all to sleep, so sleep here tonight. Tomorrow I will clean the storage room near the kitchen, then you can sleep there," the woman said.
Val was busy cleaning the floor, which was wide enough for him and his guest to sleep on, at least for that night. He smiled broadly.
"This is good enough, Ma'am, don't worry, my friend will only stay here for a short night, he will leave early tomorrow morning."
The man stood behind the door, borrowing Val's phone to contact his people to pick him up immediately.
"Yes, tomorrow is fine. I will give them the location."
Mrs. Jema glanced at the stranger. She whispered to Val.
"Is he the friend you often talk about?" she whispered.
Val was about to answer, seeing the tall man, who, after cleaning himself and putting on clothes from Mrs. Jema, looked quite handsome, even very handsome. He was definitely not a local; his skin was fair, his hair was beautiful, and his movements were as refined as most city people.
"Uh, that…" Mrs. Jema would surely scold him if he knew that he had only met the man an hour ago, and invited him there; he wasn't even sure if the person had bad intentions or not. Val only relied on his instincts.
The man approached, extending his phone to Val.
"Here, thank you, it seems I have to stay overnight tonight, my driver is on his way here, maybe he will arrive early in the morning," said the man.
Val looked up at the man. The man saw two mattresses that had been prepared on the floor; it was a cold floor, and the mattresses were also thin. Could he sleep there? The man looked around. There was a sofa, but with his tall and large body, far exceeding the sofa, could he sleep there? Would it be better if he just looked for an inn? But, he had no money, no phone either, how could he pay for an inn? And that place, he wasn't sure there was an inn nearby. He took a deep breath; it seemed he didn't need to sleep that night, it wouldn't be a problem, he could sleep in his room.
"What was your name again? Young man?" asked Mrs. Jema. He hadn't actually asked the man's name, and Val hadn't introduced him either. Val listened carefully. That's right, he didn't even know his name. The man was probably the same age as his boss. Uh, he shouldn't think about his boss anymore. He decided to leave quietly because he would definitely not allow him to leave.
The man smiled. He extended his hand to Mrs. Jema.
"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? I'm James Carlton, just call me Jamie."
Mrs. Jema smiled. He was a handsome, clean man, and his hands were also soft. Mrs. Jema seemed to understand the meaning of the man's facial expression when he looked around. Just by looking at him, she knew that the man came from a rich family; he wouldn't normally live there, but, for Val's sake, he might be willing to come there.
"Oh, coincidentally, I'm cooking sweet potato soup, it's perfect for tonight's weather, I'll prepare it in a moment."
Val was about to stand up to follow Mrs. Jema, but just as he stood up, his vision suddenly went dark, and he almost stumbled and fell if it weren't for the man holding him.
"Akh."
Val looked exhausted, his face pale. He had been sitting on the bus all day and hadn't had time to sleep. He hadn't eaten anything but bread this morning and a piece of ice cream, which wasn't good for his stomach anyway. How could he not be weak? He smiled as the man helped him sit back on the sofa behind him.
"Oh, thanks"
"Hey, are you okay? Look, your face is pale, haven't you eaten all day?" the man asked. Val's face was very sweet and gentle, seeing it from a very close distance, like warm water washing over his chest, instantly chasing away the cold air. The man released his grip; his heart could jump out of his chest. This was very strange. What was happening to him?
Val smiled.
"Heh, yes, it seems so. I'm just hungry."
The man looked at Val, straightening his body.
"You sit here and don't move, I'll get you some food, okay?" said the man.