(In the ICU, Yet Again)
Fatigue had long set in. Everyone who had been standing for hours, waiting for Doctor Zein to show any sign of improvement, had finally succumbed to exhaustion.
They now sat in the ICU waiting area alongside Nurse Alfi, their shoulders slumped, their expressions weary.
Only Captain Lenny remained on her feet, her sharp gaze fixed unwaveringly upon Doctor Zein.
'I still can’t quite believe that the man lying before me could be involved in that horrifying case…'
'If he truly was involved, if he was, in fact, the mastermind behind that massacre, then that would make him a criminal.'
'And I… A police officer… saved his life?'
The thought unsettled her, gnawed at her very core. Captain Lenny was well known for her unyielding sense of justice.
Within police circles, her name commanded respect, whispered in admiration or, at times, apprehension.
There was no one else quite like her, an officer so fiercely dedicated, so utterly relentless in her pursuit of the truth.
And yet, despite her usual composure, something within her snapped. Her frustration spilled over, raw and unfiltered.
"Hey! Doctor Zein!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the sterile quiet of the ICU.
"Why won’t you wake up already, huh? Do you have any idea how much I suffered donating my blood for you? You don’t know what it was like seeing that damned needle!"
A scowl twisted her lips as she crossed her arms, glaring at him.
"They say you’re strong, but from where I’m standing, you’re nothing but weak. A mere injury like this and you’re out cold? What a pampered brat!"
The others turned to stare at her, wide-eyed. Did she really just say that?
If she weren’t a police officer, she would have likely found herself at the receiving end of a merciless beating from Doctor Zein’s fiercely protective female companions.
And then...
"You’re being incredibly noisy," a low, drowsy voice muttered. "I was only trying to get some sleep."
A stunned silence fell over the room.
Then...
"Aaahhhhh!!!"
Everyone shrieked in shock, scrambling towards the hospital bed as Doctor Zein stirred.
"You’re all so loud… My ears hurt," he grumbled, eyes still shut.
"Filzev… Filzev, you’re awake?!" Heendon gasped, stunned but undeniably relieved.
Doctor Zein let out a sigh, still refusing to open his eyes.
"I wasn’t unconscious when you three dragged me in here," he said flatly.
The room remained still for a moment before...
"You little...!"

Captain Lenny clenched her fists, her eye twitching. She had poured out all her frustration, only to be met with this?!
Smack!
“What?!” Heendon exclaimed, her temper flaring as her palm connected sharply with Doctor Zein’s head. “Do you have any idea how worried we all were?!”
Her words were tinged with frustration, her voice trembling with the lingering echoes of anxiety.
Yet, as the shock of the prank wore off, Heendon sagged in exasperation, the breath leaving her body as she realised she’d been played by Doctor Zein once again.
“Oi! That hurt!” Doctor Zein grumbled, rubbing the spot where she had struck him.
“Are you trying to put me into a real coma now? And, by the way, who told you to worry about me? I was just having a laugh with all of you!”
He spoke casually, almost nonchalantly, as he reclined back into the bed, hands tucked behind his head as though it were nothing more than an afternoon nap.
“At first, I did think I might die, considering the amount of blood I lost," he continued, his tone deceptively light.
"But I was fully conscious. I could feel someone transfusing blood into me. So, I thought, why not keep up the act? By the way, who has the same blood type as me? That’s quite impressive.”
Heendon, unable to contain her mounting fury, clenched her fists, "You absolute idiot, Filzev. That was beyond cruel. You almost gave us all a heart attack! If it weren’t for Captain Lenny donating her blood, you’d still be unconscious, or worse, dead!"
"Hmm?" Doctor Zein opened his eyes lazily, scanning the room as though he’d just woken up from a pleasant nap. "Captain Lenny? Who’s that?"
His gaze fell upon a woman standing among the others, dressed in a police uniform.
“Oh, so you’re Captain Lenny?” he said, nodding appreciatively. “I thank you.”
"When you’re fully recovered, you’re coming with me," Captain Lenny said, her voice steady yet sharp, her eyes fixed on him with a determination that bordered on stern.
“We need to talk.”
“Oh, a private conversation?” Doctor Zein raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “Very well.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up with an ease that startled everyone.
Without so much as a wince, he pulled the IV drip from his arm, the action so casual that it seemed almost too unnatural.
The room fell silent, the sight of him defying the norms of recovery sending waves of disbelief through everyone present.
“So,” Doctor Zein said, his gaze now locking onto Captain Lenny with an intensity that almost seemed to shimmer, “What exactly do you want to discuss?”
Captain Lenny’s breath hitched as their eyes met, a strange unease curling in her chest. It was as though the air had thickened, and she was left gasping, unsure of what to make of the man before her.
'Who is he?' she thought, her mind racing.
'What is this feeling? Why can’t I speak?'
Sensing her discomfort, Doctor Zein shrugged it off and turned toward the door, his expression unreadable.
“Mr. Widodo, I’m going to the room next door,” he instructed calmly.
“Make sure no one enters. If any of the hospital staff try to interfere, fire them immediately. And as for you ladies…” his gaze flicked over to Doctor Zelena, Zara, Heendon, and Melati, “I don’t need any interruptions. Stay out of this.”
Without waiting for a response, he walked out of the ICU, leaving behind a flurry of questions and confused expressions in his wake.
The women could only exchange uncertain glances, their minds struggling to comprehend what had just transpired.
Why was Doctor Zein giving orders to Mr. Widodo, the director of Derisa Hospital, as though he were the one in charge?
Captain Lenny, still stunned into silence, found herself reluctantly following him, her feet moving of their own accord.
*****
(Moments Later)
The weight of her thoughts felt heavier than ever, her mind consumed by the strange tension that had inexplicably built between them.
Doctor Zein and Captain Lenny sat in heavy silence, their gazes locked in a battle of wills, as though each sought to unravel the other’s thoughts.
Neither moved, neither spoke. The air between them was taut, thick with unspoken words, until at last, Doctor Zein broke the stillness.
“I was the one who did it,” he admitted, his voice composed, almost indifferent, as if he had long anticipated the purpose of Captain Lenny’s visit.
“Is that why you have come?” he continued, his expression betraying neither guilt nor regret.
“You are correct, Doctor. I was sent here for that very reason,” Captain Lenny replied, her voice even, measured.
“Then if I have confessed, do you not think it best that I surrender myself?” Doctor Zein mused, his lips curling into the faintest trace of a smirk.
Captain Lenny narrowed her eyes. “That would be the proper course of action.”
Doctor Zein leaned back slightly, regarding her with an air of amusement. “And do you believe that to be just?”
She frowned, “What are you implying?”
“If there were people intent on destroying your home, what would you do, Captain?” he asked, his tone calm, deliberate.
“I would arrest them, of course,” she answered without hesitation.
“You would arrest them because you are a police officer. But what if you were not? What if you were an ordinary citizen, and one of this city’s most powerful officials sought to raze your home to the ground?”
Captain Lenny’s expression did not waver. “Then I would report them to the authorities, just as any law-abiding citizen would.”
Doctor Zein chuckled softly, “Would you, truly? Forgive me if I find that difficult to believe. After all, not even your Commissioner, that corrupt bastard Wawan, would dare to move against Dony Arjito.”
Captain Lenny stiffened at the mention of her superior’s name. Her fingers twitched slightly, though she held her ground.
“You speak of Commissioner Wawan as though you know him personally,” she said, a hint of suspicion creeping into her voice.
Doctor Zein merely inclined his head.
“I know of him,” he said smoothly. “And I know that he owes his position entirely to Dony Arjito. Tell me, Captain, do you truly believe he would ever turn against the man to whom he owes his career?”
Captain Lenny clenched her jaw. His words, though spoken with infuriating nonchalance, carried a weight she could not ignore.
“I understand what you are insinuating,” she admitted. “But mass murder cannot be justified. No matter your reasoning, you have taken lives. You must answer for that.”
Doctor Zein exhaled, shaking his head slightly, “Your laws, Captain, are written for the poor, for the powerless. But for those in the highest echelons of society? They could butcher an entire nation and still walk free.”
“That is enough!” Captain Lenny snapped, her patience fraying. “I will not stand here and debate morality with you. You will come with me.”
Doctor Zein tilted his head, studying her with quiet amusement. “And if I refuse?”
Captain Lenny reached for her pistol, her hand steady as she levelled it at his leg.
“Then I will take you by force,” she declared.
There was no warning. No time to react.
One moment, he was in her sights. The next, he was gone.
A breath hitched in her throat. A presence loomed behind her.
Something cold, metallic, pressed lightly against her throat.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
“This is no ordinary pen,” Doctor Zein murmured, his voice low, measured. “And if I so wished, you would lose your head before you could even draw your next breath.”
She was utterly, completely at his mercy.
*****