BAB 9 SHOULDERS THAT SUPPORT
Less than twelve minutes after that terrifying emergency call, the roar of a black SUV came speeding down the road and screeched to a sudden stop in front of Ayusari’s gate. Its tires squealed against the rain-soaked asphalt.
The car door flew open, and Max leaped out. He didn’t care at all about his appearance—he was wearing nothing but a plain black T-shirt, casual jeans, and shoes that were far from presentable. Max ran through the drizzle and rushed through the front door, which stood wide open.
“Ayu! Where’s your mother?!” Max called in a loud, steady voice.
“In the bedroom, Max! Inside the bedroom!” Ayu called back from the hallway.
Peter hurried into the master bedroom. Without the slightest hesitation or wasting any words, Max knelt beside the bed. With swift yet measured and gentle movements, Max slipped his strong arms beneath Mom Tita’s back and the bends of her knees. The tall man lifted the stiff, frail body into his arms, making sure Mom Tita’s head was safely supported against his chest.
“Ayusari, get your mother’s medication bag! Putri, lock the front door! Yasa, come with me to the car!” Max ordered, his voice radiating such powerful authority that it instantly swept away the panic in the house.
Max carried Mom Tita out of the house and carefully laid her across the spacious back seat of his SUV. Ayusari climbed into the back seat at once, cradling her mother’s head and holding her cold fingers tightly. Putri and Yasa sat in the front beside Max.
Throughout the eight-kilometer drive to the ER at Rumah Sakit Pusat, Max drove at high speed while remaining completely in control. He turned on the hazard lights and pushed through the drizzle and the deserted night roads. In the rearview mirror, Max’s eyes repeatedly glanced backward, watching Ayusari sob as she whispered prayers into her mother’s ear.
When they reached the hospital ER entrance, Max jumped out before the ER staff could approach. He shouted for the medical team in firm Indonesian, “Doctor! Nurse! The patient has a complex partial seizure and dementia. She needs oxygen and anticonvulsants immediately!”
Max helped transfer Mom Tita onto a rolling stretcher, then ran alongside the nurses as they pushed it through the ER’s glass doors and up to the boundary of the sterile area.
Hours passed in the cold, disinfectant-scented ER waiting corridor. The red light above the emergency treatment doors was still on. Ayusari sat weakly on a metal bench, both hands covering her swollen face. Putri and Yasa slept beside her from exhaustion and shock.
Max did not leave for even a second. The obscenely wealthy man who was usually surrounded by assistants and bodyguards stood faithfully in the ER corridor. He walked to the vending machine and bought three bottles of mineral water and a cup of sweet hot tea.
Max knelt in front of Ayusari and placed the warm cup of tea into her trembling fingers. “Drink a little, Ayu. Your mother is being treated by the best medical team. She’s a strong woman. She’ll get through this critical period.”
Ayusari looked up at Max’s face, which appeared exhausted yet filled with sincerity and boundless concern. All this time, Ayusari had been the sole pillar carrying her family’s entire burden by herself—protecting her girls and her mother without ever having anyone to turn to or lean on.
But tonight, when her defenses had completely collapsed, the unfamiliar man before her stood by her side without caring about his own comfort.
Ayusari broke down all over again. She lowered her head, and for the first time in eight years, she let her forehead and chest rest against Max’s broad shoulder. Her hands gripped the man’s shirt sleeve, releasing all the fear and exhaustion she had kept buried. Max said nothing more. He simply wrapped his warm arm around Ayusari’s shoulders, offering solid protection amid the cold of the hospital night.