“What’s so important, Doctor? Don’t scare me.”
Liam stopped dead.
Dr. Arman’s eyes behind those clear glasses were far too intense. The seriousness in his expression suddenly made Liam’s throat go dry.
The deserted seventh-floor hospital hallway felt even more ominous.
The only sounds were the occasional hum of the air conditioner and the footsteps of a few nurses in the distance.
Dr. Arman let out a short sigh.
Then he motioned for Liam to follow him away from the front of VIP Room 701.
The middle-aged man walked several steps before finally stopping.
He lowered his voice.
“Mr. Liam, Yuni’s condition is quite unique from a neurological standpoint.”
Dr. Arman pointed to his own temple.
“Although her body is rigid and her eyes remain closed in a vegetative coma, her sensory nerve and auditory responses are actually still highly sensitive.”
Liam fell silent.
Dr. Arman continued.
“In some cases of severe traumatic brain injury caused by an accident, hearing is one of the functions that can survive the longest. Yuni may still be able to hear the sounds around her.”
Liam’s heart began beating faster.
“She can hear?”
“Yes.”
The answer came firmly.
“She can also feel touch. Her brain may still be recording what’s happening around her. The only problem is that her body is unable to produce a motor response.”
A chill ran through Liam.
“You mean Yuni can hear me when I talk in there?”
“Exactly.”
Dr. Arman looked him straight in the eye.
“That’s why I’m warning you personally.”
He paused for a moment.
“Mr. Adrian may see you as nothing more than part of the family agreement. A status symbol or a formality in a transaction.”
The doctor’s expression grew even more serious.
“But from a medical perspective, the presence of someone close to her who interacts with her regularly could stimulate her brain.”
Liam swallowed.
“So what should I do?”
“Don’t treat her like a dead thing.”
The words hit Liam harder than he expected.
“Talk to her.”
Dr. Arman gently patted Liam on the shoulder.
“Talk as if she were sitting right in front of you and truly listening.”
Liam stared at the doctor without blinking.
“Who knows,” Dr. Arman continued, “maybe that sincerity could be one of the stimuli that helps bring her consciousness back.”
Dr. Arman then turned around.
He walked down the hallway without adding another word.
Liam remained standing where he was.
The doctor’s words kept spinning through his mind.
Yuni could hear him.
All this time, behind that perpetually closed, pale face, there might be a consciousness still trapped inside.
Maybe Yuni could hear her family’s voices.
Maybe she could hear the doctors.
Maybe she could even hear every conversation taking place beside her bed.
And perhaps.
She had heard every word Liam had said all this time.
With slightly trembling fingers, Liam reached for the doorknob.
Click.
The wooden door to the VIP room opened.
The smell of antiseptic greeted him immediately.
It mingled with the fragrance of fresh lilies filling one corner of the room.
Liam stepped inside.
On the large hospital bed, Yuni still lay there in silence.
A ventilator tube rested gently against her lips.
Several monitor cables were attached to her body.
The line on the monitor moved steadily.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Liam let out a long breath.
He took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack.
Then he pulled a padded wooden chair over beside the bed.
For the first time since all that madness had begun, Liam looked at Yuni’s face without feeling awkward.
There was no longer any shadow of Mr. Adrian.
No longer any billion-rupiah figure.
No longer any contract.
All that remained before him was a young woman lying there alone.
Yuni’s face looked incredibly clean.
Her long black hair was slightly tousled across the pillow.
Her cheeks looked thinner than in the photographs Liam had once seen.
Liam opened his bag.
He took out a small nail clipper he had deliberately bought on the way to the hospital.
“Excuse me, Yun.”
Liam’s voice was soft.
He reached for Yuni’s right hand, which lay on top of the blanket.
Her skin was cold.