The Rogue Test Results

Alicia strolled around the room, her quiet steps hard to hear over the not-so-soft rug covering the floor. She had her hands on the dial pad of the phone, making yet another futile effort to call her friend. Gloria showed no indication of picking up the call as it rang and went off. Alicia felt so agitated.

"C'mon. Pick up the phone already," she murmured, biting her thumb nervously.

"Calling her seems pointless. Let me give Bryan a call. Hopefully, I'll get to speak with him at the least."

She walked over and sat on her bed, laying her head on the headboard. The call kept ringing once again. Thankfully, she was connected to the other line on the third ring, unlike the earlier failed attempts.

"Uh... he-hello?"

She heard the dopey version of the curly head's voice.

"Bryan! It's me, Alicia!" She let herself know, and she heard a repressed yawn on the other side. She felt terrible calling him at this hour. It was nearly half past eleven at night.

"Ms. Anderson?"

She heard him clear his throat, as if regaining consciousness.

"Yes. It is I. Please excuse me for reaching out to you at an inopportune hour. I was restless, not knowing Diego's situation. And... and including Edgar's too."

"Oh, no, Miss, it doesn't matter. I'm at the hospital right now. I just met the doctor a short while ago."

At the conclusion, there was a pause as if he was waiting for her to say something.

"What did the doctor tell you?" Alicia managed to make out the words with a lump forming in her throat at the thought of her staff.

"It's still unclear. I was told to head back home, and I'm supposed to meet the pathologist the following morning along with his past health reports." There was a brief pause before she heard him take in a deep breath as if he was finding it hard to elaborate on it.

"They told me that once they'd completed the post-mortem report, they'd call me. Perhaps after the reports, they'll go over a couple more things in depth." His tone sounded so dim and distant.

Alicia bit her lips, not knowing how to respond.

"Well, how long will it take for them to get the report done?"

"I'm afraid; I'm not aware of it, Miss. Perhaps a week or two?" It hung on rhetoric.

After a long silence, Alicia questioned, "What about Melissa? Is she there?"

"I send her off to her home, miss. Her father paid a visit to the hospital."

"Thank you, Bryan. You did well today. I feel sorry to leave you in that state."

"Please, don't be so, miss. It is my very duty to do so, and I'm more than willing to do it."

"I'm in no state to come, visit at this hour, you see. My mother isn't aware of this situation, and I haven't planned to let her know anytime soon."

"I see..." Bryan hummed and cast a sidelong glance at the bustling pathology lab.

As he looked over his pal through the impenetrable glass wall, he tightened his hold on the phone.

Several forensic pathologists who were totally masked and wearing green and white lab coats were examining the deceased body intently as they discussed something in particular, but it could not reach his ears.

"I guess the cafe's under the police's observation," he stated suddenly out of the blue.

He heard her let out a long sigh as he brought out the topic of their café.

"We are going to close the cafe for a few days or so," she admitted. She sounded powerless. Abundantly, it was obvious in her remarks.

"Were you able to reach out to Gloria?"

"No, miss. I assume she's at the emergency department. I'll be heading there as soon as I submit the health documents."

"I tried to phone her, but she appeared to be busy. The phone switches to voicemails."

Alicia was quite nervous, not knowing what was up with Diego or why she hadn't been picking up her phone. She felt bad letting Gloria go. The girl was guilt-struck. Leaving her all alone was not that sort of a good idea. But Alicia was helpless.

If she were to tell her mother, her mother would have freaked out to the seventh heaven, thought Alicia.

"Bryan, could you please let me know as soon as you get in touch with her?"

"Rest assured, miss," he reassured, and shortly before he could cut off the phone call, they exchanged a few greetings once more.

He went to the receptionist and set down the documents before double-checking them. He had to pay the bills off too, but he paid no big heed to it.

To him, Edgar was more like a brother. He was an orphan with no family other than himself.

Just like how they had quickly developed a close bond, their time of departure came too soon, thought Bryan sadly as he walked passed the dimly lit corridors.

As he glanced at the circular Analog clock that was hanging on the wall. His eyes widened in disbelief and a gasp left his lips.

"Uff... tonight seems so long," He murmured keeping his gaze fixated on the old and boring clock.

It was twelve-forty-six in the morning.

He knew he was on the verge of drowsiness, but he was very determined to go to the emergency depo.

As he made the lengthy steps toward the emergency room, he could feel his head throbbing violently. Fortunately, the department wasn't too far from the reception; therefore, it only took him two turns through the halls and a few stairs to get to the ward.

He didn't know where exactly Diego was admitted, but as soon as he spotted the familiar figure wailing silently in rich clothes, seated on the off-white hospital bench, he knew he was heading right.

Who in the village hasn't heard of Mrs. Marino, the wealthy and well-known tailor? The woman was a hard worker who had established a solid professional wall for herself and launched by herself a small business in her late teens.

Bryan made an attempt to approach Mrs. Marino, but before he could, Mr. Samuel and another doctor, who appeared to be of the same age as him or so, pulled open the glass door to what he believed must be the room where Diego had been admitted.

They seemed so engaged in some serious talk as their gaze lingered on the pale blue file that was held by Mr. Samuel.

"Mrs. Marino," he heard Mr. Samuel call, while his gaze was still on the file.

Bryan found himself so curious to know what was actually on that file that it had both the doctors immerse themselves in it. He wondered if it was about his friend Diego, and prayed for everything to be normal and for nothing more serious than it already was.

Mrs. Marino stood up from the creaky bench as soon as she heard her name being called, not even bothering to look down at her handbag, which fell off her lap. But not a proper step taken ahead, she lost her balance in her bustle out of the concerns laid on her lovable son.

"Mrs. Marino!" shrieked Bryan and sprint forward in hurry.

He sped up before she could land on the floor and supported her by her shoulder.

Mrs. Marino side glanced at him. A look of shock draped on her face, but she stood up as if nothing had happened, and proceeded to head toward the doctor.

The woman looked quite weak and frail, her skin had turned so pale, thought Bryan, he shook his head and stood closer to her, just so the woman wouldn't have to lose her balance by any chance.

Diego's mother was never a friendly person. She always had her cold shoulders on him and his friends at the cafe. But the reason was puzzling. No one knew what exactly was the reason for her cold shoulder.

"Marino," called out Mr. Samuel, this time glancing away from the file and not so formally.

He handed the file to the other doctor and snapped his gaze at Bryan. Not a word passed by, there seemed to be an eye conversation exchanged between them.

Bryan nodded his head and left the two with some privacy. The young doctor stood a little away from them too with his hands inserted in his white coat pocket.

Bryan attempted to strike up a conversation by saying, "Hi," with the intention of learning more about his friend's problems. He leaned forward and held out his hand, "I'm Bryan, Diego's pal."

The young doctor instantly reached out his hands and extended them as well. They greeted one other by shaking hands.

The doctor introduced himself as "Christon."

He looked past Bryan and back at him and then, continued in a warm, composed voice, "About your friend, he'll have a terrible time recovering. Before determining whether he is fine, a few additional tests need to be performed. His arm has a little fracture too. So, we'll just have to wait," he replied.

"That needs to be verified following the test findings. A rogue's bite often has a high likelihood of infecting the victim and resulting in blood loss. But any of the symptoms of infections have not yet shown, despite the fact that your friend has been badly bitten and sucked an excess amount of blood."

Bryan gritted his teeth. Whatever the young doctor was telling was anything but a positive response.

"We are quite surprised that he has survived in this condition for longer than an hour or so given that he is a human. There's no saying he's on the safer side yet. We still need to confirm everything. We will need to wait for the test results, as I have already stated to you. Keep praying for him with patience."

He gave a tight smile before giving a consoling pat on Bryan's shoulder, and he walked past him.

A frown marred as his gaze shifted to the phone that kept vibrating on the bench but still didn't bother to pry into it.