Kongpob's POV
For a moment it felt as though the road was nothing but a blur. Images of Wad being beside him and slowly fading away played like a slide show in front of his eyes. Ever since he remembers, M and Wad have remained his constants. He might be the gang leader, the future heir to the vast properties, the to be CEO of Suthilak Enterprise, it no doubt had gained him minions and people who devoted their supposed loyal work towards him, but Wad and M had been beside him when he was nothing but a neglected child.
They were the only ones who had him supported in his ups and downs, best and worst. They were the ones who loved him when nobody else did. They were the only family he has had all his life.
Unlike M, he wasn't good with words. When M could openly show his concern when P'Arthit broke the news about Wad's accident, all he could do was feel numb, his mind had stopped speaking complete, there was nothing but a hollow echo of his heart beat palpitating, rushing all the blood to his head and draining it out.
He knew how strong Wad was, he knew how valiant a fighter he was, and he believed he wouldn't give up that easily. Hang in there buddy!
He knew Wad's parents had to be informed, he was here in Bangkok , away from home, just because of Kongpob and it was his responsibility to make sure he was alright, not only as the alpha of the gang, but also as a friend.
He had never drove any faster. With every passing moment the load of his shattered platter of responsibility was sinking further into him.
In a blink of an eye the car in front seemed to be more vivid and he had to pull the bike into a sudden stop. A hand was gripping onto his shoulder tightly, and he realized he couldn't risk any accident when Arthit was there with him. But neither could he settle his mind without thinking about how Wad was doing, and what he would tell to his parents. His parents who had left Wad under his wing of responsibility.
Unable to contain the thought inside him anymore, he let it out quietly to Arthit. Though he was supposed to be the one stronger and much more composed, being the leader and thus giving strength to the rest of the gang in return, he couldn't help but worry about his best friend. He was human too!
If it was anybody other than Arthit, he probably wouldn't have shown his vulnerable self. Arthit always felt like someone who could see through him, as if there was no use trying to hide himself.
He felt the warm hands on his shoulders, when Arthit pressed it tightly.
"he is alright kong, he is fine.. He will be fine, I'll be there with you. " the words cocooned him even in the middle of the road, with honking traffic everywhere. And for the moment, the load seemed a lot lighter. Arthit was the strength he needed.
He'll be with me!
Those words seemed to work its magic and they arrived the hospital without being patients to any accidents themselves.
When they reached the ICU, a worried face greeted them. P'Prem seemed rather too anxious and troubled, pacing outside the ICU, his cream shirt laced with blood.
"Arthit, you came " he spoke up like a lost child on seeing them arrive.
" Prem, are you hurt too...? All these blood.. " P'Arthit asked concerned.
" No..no its..just Wad... I... I couldn't do anything Arthit, i was there...i was just too late... Too late to reach out to him.. Will he be alright? " his face ashening with the passing time.
Since when did P'Prem and Wad become friends!
" he will be fine... He will be fine" Arthit said assuring him, and they seemed to pass some hidden message just via their eyes.
"how long is he inside? " kongpob asked.
" nearly an hour... I informed Arthit as soon as i could, so that you could inform his parents " Prem said.
M joined them just at that moment.
" how is he? " M asked nervously.
" he is still inside... He had lost a lot of blood at the spot itself.. I.. I couldn't.. Help him..luckily the ambulance arrived on time" Prem answered.
Arthit rubbed his hand on Prem's shoulder,to offer him some comfort.
"P' can you tell me what exactly happened..?" kongpob asked, this was important to know.
"It was after the lunch hours, we had our scheduled practices and every player was asked to come to the practice right after class. When i saw Wad missing, i tried calling him multiple times, which went unanswered. He did not mention anything about skipping practices earlier. When i went out to buy some refreshments for the rest of the players , i saw him drive past. So... So i followed him to see what was keeping him busy. " he paused for a moment before continuing.
" he was just a few bikes ahead of me.. As it wasn't a very busy hour, there were less vehicles on the road and.. It was difficult to keep the distance and not be seen by him. I was.. I was so focused on him.. I did feel a car whiz past me, but didn't pay much attention to it. It closed the distance speedily and hit him from behind . The next thing i know... He was lying on the road.. Away from the bike.. Covered in a pool of blood. The car didn't stop for a moment after hitting him. " he said, pain clearly marked on his face.
" I rushed towards him.. He was already unconscious , people started to gather around, i called for the ambulance, which did arrive on time but... But seeing him that way....i was scared Arthit... I was so scared. If only I'd stopped him before... If only i did not wait for confronting him later.."
"It isn't your fault Prem...don't feel guilty for this, it was an accident " Arthit said.
" hold on. P' did you say the car approached from the same side as yours and Wad? " kongpob asked...
" yes.. Wad was in his bike a few meters apart, i was on my bike behind him.. And the car sped past me. "
" And you also said the traffic was light at that time? "
" yeah... Only a few bikes and cars were around, it wasn't a busy time. But why? "
Oh my god! This wasn't just an accident. It was attempted murder.
M looked up at the same time, as realization struck him too.
Anger had started to blind him. He was determined to find out who was behind it all and see the end of him or her. He knew it was inly matter of time before he found out about the person, and he swore to himself he wouldn't rest until he did.
"Did you see the car? The number? " M asked.
" No i didn't get a chance, all i know is, it was a silver Dodge Caliber. "
This really was his fault too. Kongpob knew the whole thing was related to the gang and its activities. Which means he was directly the cause of Wad's condition at the moment. It was his responsibility to take care of every member and he failed, not only as a gang leader, but also as a friend. He failed every way.
The guilt had suddenly taken a gargantuan form and started gnawing inside him. He did not own anyone, why would others have to pay with their lives.? In return of all the loyalty..all the love and care Wad had shown towards him since always, he got this as a reward!
The air seemed too suffocating and he wanted some time alone. But just when he was about to leave, a hand kept him fixed at his place. Arthit was holding on to his hand and when he looked up at him he offered him a kind look of concern.
After waiting for about an hour or two, the door of the ICU opened and out came the doctors.
Everyone was worried sick by that time, all of them wanted to know how Wad was doing.
"How is he? " P'Prem and M asked together.
" I am afraid the news isn't very good. There was heavy loss of blood, due to the wound on his chest along with internal bleeding due to the ruptured spleen. Luckily no damage has yet been spotted in the head which i assume was due to the helmet. What I am worried about is the spleen. If we are not able to stop the internal bleeding, he might go into coma. We will keep him under observation for 48 hours before coming to any conclusion."
Kongpob kept his gaze fixated down, at their intertwined hand, as if it was giving him strength to bear whatever he was hearing. Every word seemed to strike Kongpob like a thousand swords. All of this was his doing. It was nothing but his fault. Wad didn't deserve to be there, it wasn't his business at all. It was kongpob's, and if anybody was supposed to go through it, it was no other than him.
" can we see him? " Prem asked further.
" yes you can, but please let him rest. And his parents need to be informed, as it is a case of an accident, i have already informed the police, now if you'll excuse me. " the doctor left with a tight lipped smile.
Prem looked sick hearing all the news , Arthit was holding on to his Arm rubbing it softly.
They approached the observation unit. Seeing Wad lying still, strangled in tubes and chords that connected to all the devices around him, kongpob had a hard time to believe he was the same Wad. He was mostly covered in bandages.
M rubbed a trickling tear from his eyes, Prem looked visibly shaken and held on to Arthit. Even P'Arthit looked pale.
"how soon can his parents be here? " kongpob asked to M.
" they'll be here shortly, Mr and Mrs. Lohnan were already here in Bangkok today morning, for some business . "
Kongpob nodded and prepared himself for the consequences which were waiting . Wad's parents would be here soon , and so would the cops. He knew, the cops would dig into the matter and if the gang was exposed it would directly affect the company. But at the moment he was more worried about Wad. His parents would demand answers which he didn't have. Perhaps he deserves whatever was inevitably going to follow along with the involvement of the police. He was incapable as the leader of a gang and a company.
Shortly afterwards a woman's anguished voice could be heard.
"My baby... Where is my child? " Mrs. Lohnan barged in along with Mr. Lohnan equally shaken.
The moment her eyes caught the unconscious man laying in front, her hands went over her mouth as she cried uncontrollably.
Mr. Lohnan though was trying to calm her down, looked sick himself. It was as if he had aged years just in a few hours.
"you.. You are the reason my Wad had to leave home. " he said turning to Kongpob, anger clearly lashed on her eyes. Only if she knew kongpob was to be blamed for reasons greater than just that. Wad was in this condition just because of him.
" You call yourself the future heir of Suthilak's, when you can't even do justice to your responsibilities." she scoffed still crying.
Kongpob couldn't speak a word. He knew whatever she was saying was true.
"karnchana stop it, Junior master has nothing to be blamed of, it was an accident. " Mr. Lohnan said to her, looking apologetically towards kongpob. The loyalty he was still showing towards him, was burning a hole in his heart. He didn't deserve it.
" you still believe it? You believe this was just an accident? He might be your master, he might be your future boss, but to me he is a person who pulled my son into the pithole of danger. My poor child "
" Mrs. Lohnan neither Wad nor me, were ever forced to do anything. kongpob had often asked us to leave the gang and go after what we aspire instead of sticking to him. This is what we want. This is what my dad and Mr. Lohnan would do for their friend, kongpob's father, the late CEO. And what our grandfathers would do for his grandfather." M said, looking up at him. This is what he had,.
two loyal friends and in return all he could give was life risks to them.
"M, stop it! " kongpob said.
" Mrs. Lohnan, i am solely responsible for Wad's condition. I'll make sure the best Doctors of Thailand attend to him, all the medical procedures will be taken care by me. I know you don't need my money for your son, but i still want to do this. And... And i am ready to accept any decision you further take in this matter."
Just then they were interrupted by the two policemen . This was it. Though it would expose the gang, it was important to know who was behind the accident. Kongpob wouldn't just rely on them though, he was determined to find it out himself. And once he did, he would see the end of the person.
" we are here to investigate about the accident. Are you Wad Lohnan's parents? " one of the cop asked looking at Mr. And Mrs. Lohnan.
" yes, M take her near Wad " Mr. Lohnan said to M, who nervously followed his orders. Taking Mrs. Lohnan's, who was still crying profusely he moved nearer to Wad and away from them.
" we would need the sentence of the witness along with some details, to start the investigation. " the cop said turning to Prem. It wasn't difficult to identify who was the witness, given the stains on his clothes.
" sure.. " Prem said, only to be cut by Mr. Lohnan.
" I thank you for your time officers, but i don't think any investigation will be needed. I as a parent, know how recklessly my son drives, i would not like to file any case"
Everyone looked at Mr. Lohnan with shock. Kongpob was about to say it was not just an accident, but the moment he opened his mouth and tried to approach them, Mr. Lohnan signaled him to stop.
"If you don't file a case then we can't help, think about it. " the cops pestered, even they knew something was wrong, with the way Mr. Lohnan behaved. But he handled the situation without faltering.
" It is okay, i am sorry for wasting your time here. " and saying so he dismissed them.
Once they left, kongpob tried to talk to him about it, but Mr. Lohnan was the one to talk first.
" the company is as dear to me and other employees, as it is to you, junior master. It requires a lot of perseverance. Think before acting everytime. " he simply said and went to join his wife and son.
So Mr. Lohnan knew it. He knew it was related to matters of the gang and inspite of that he didn't lodge a complaint. He practically saved kongpob from defamation.
He didn't know why, but all this kindness was hurting him at the moment. Seeing a mother cry for her child who is battling with danger, a father worried over a young son yet helping him, he who was to be blamed for the situation. There was nothing but remorse for himself budding inside him. He was angry at himself and at his incapabilities.
He left quickly..making way to the furthermost corner of the corridor which was luckily empty, and banged his fist against the wall, unable to contain it anymore. When it didn't help, he banged it again and kept doing it till the point it hurt.
Soon someone caught his uplifted hand mid way. And soothed away the pain by rubbing on it.
"kongpob, what are you doing? "
" P'Arthit, don't be near me.. I.. I don't want you getting hurt too P'. I am responsible for this condition of Wad... I couldn't fulfill the duty of a friend... I am just a bad person at the end of the day, i bring nothing but unhappiness... "
" Sush sush... Quite now... " and just like that he was pulled into a hug.
It was as if for a moment Kongpob could breath again. He calmed down a bit, Arthit was like the instant balm to his anxiety. Like in his arms, he could stay without having to worry about being pitied or judged or feeling guilty. It was like his safest shelter, like the true sense of home.
" i don't understand what has happened, i dont know why Wad's dad did not file the case, i dont know why you are feeling guilty... But one thing i know for sure.. " Arthit said still holding on to him, looking at his eyes.
".... That you are nothing like what you said, you are a great guy Kongpob ... A kind person and a good friend ... I have seen the way you were worried about Wad. Dont punish yourself like this. "
" you don't know anything about me P'Arthit... " he said bitterly.
" i don't need to, i can feel it" Arthit answered immediately, staring right at him, his eyes shining with sincerity.
"it was suffocating in there. " he blurted out, unable to say anything else. Unable to thank Arthit enough for his support.
"do you want to get out of here for sometime? Wad's parents are here, M is staying too, I forced Prem to go home and change, though he'll come back soon. "
" I can't leave him alone. "
" We can come back at night and stay with him. Let's go. "
Arthit pulled his hand and they made way through the corridor passing through the other wards. They crossed a familiar cabin door and suddenly it struck him.
Tum was not only in the same hospital, but also in the same floor.
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Hey dearies. Here is another update.
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