The Estuary of Desire Baruna
Eps. #60 Find Answers

"Ardila...."

Only that word was always spoken from Alfin's weak lips. His face grew pale, blood still continuing to flow from the gunshot wound on his chest. Alfin's already very weak hand slowly reached Ardila's face and rubbed it.

"Hold, Om! Now Daniel's been caught and papa's here too. We'll get you to the hospital soon." Ardila continued to look into Alfin's eyes which were only able to half open.

"Alfinu...." Arkha crouched down next to Alfin. With both hands, Arkha lifted Alfin's shoulders and leaned Alfin's back against his knees.

"Hold, Al. Ambulance is soon here" Arkha said, staring fixedly at the face of his childhood friend.

"Arkha.." said Alfin lirih. "I want to apologize for all my mistakes and thank you so much for raising my daughter so well. I'm gonna leave Ardila to you forever. Please keep him like your own son" he continued in an increasingly weakened voice.

"Don't say that, Al," Arkha cut off not wanting Alfin to continue with his words.

"Your daughter?"

Both Ardila's eyebrows instantly snapped together upon hearing Alfin's words.

"Tell me what's this all about, Pa?" Ardila shook her head as she looked at Arkha's face and Alfin alternated with a look of question marks.

"Ardila, before a-I die, I have one wish. I want you .. You call me papa just once," said Alfin weakly.

"No.. This is impossible!" ardila said as she continued to stare at Alfin's face and shook her head in disbelief.

"Tell me, is it true that this Om Alfin is my papa?" Ardila turned towards Arkha who could only quietly not know what to say hearing Alfin's confession.

"Come, Pa... answer my question!" Ardila held Arkha's hand while shaking it very much hoping Arkha would answer his question.

"Dila, actually ... actually ... Alfin is ..." Arkha's tongue cannot speak.

"Ardila. You are my daughter. Livina and I are your real biological parents" Alfin cut into a very slow and barely audible voice.

"What?!" Ardila again gasped at Alfin's confession.

"So, Papa Arkha isn't my birth father? Means all this time I was just an adopted child in the Waradana Family?" Ardila's eyes are round. Without being prevented, her tears instantly flowed profusely from the two black beads.

"Papa hope you don't misunderstand me, Dila. For now, we don't have to talk about it! Later, I'm sure you'll tell me everything to you" Arkha said. "You see, Alfin is in dire need of help. We need to get her to the hospital!" arkha said he did not want Ardila to keep asking him again.

"Randy!" Arkha called his assistant.

"Yes, Boss!" Rendy approached Arkha and crouched down next to Arkha.

"Help me get her in the car! It's an emergency, we don't have time to wait for an ambulance anymore!" arkha's orders.

"No need, Kha!" reject Alfin. "I knew my life would not survive. Before I die, I just want to hear Ardila call me papa just once" he asked.

"No, Pa. You must have survived. We'll take you to the hospital soon" Ardila said with sobs.

"Ardila. You're papa's only biological daughter. Forgive me, Son! Papa loves you very much" Alfin tried to smile as he grabbed his daughter's hand and held her tightly.

"Lad...." Ardila rubbed Alfin's face and clasped his hand tightly with a haru feeling.

"Thank you, Ardila. Papa is very happy. Finally before papa no papa still had time to hear you call me Papa."

"Don't say that again, Pa. Papa can't leave me!" Ardila hugged Alfin's body and continued to cry.

"Papaa..........!" Ardila shouted as she felt Alfin's body no longer move and her eyes were tightly shut.

"No, Pa. Nokk.... Don't leave me!" Ardila cried so much that her body shook violently when she felt Alfin's body in her arms cold and did not react anymore.

At the same time, the roar of ambulance sirens also sounded clearer and now stopped at that place. Several medics pulled out stretchers from the ambulance.

"Already, Dila. Alfin should be taken to the hospital immediately!" Arkha touched Ardila's back to release her embrace from Alfin's already motionless body.

"Lad....." Ardila was unable to hold back her sobs. He then rushed into Arkha's arms and was only able to look at Alfin's body which had now been raised on a stretcher and taken into an ambulance.

"Now we take Alfin to the hospital, Dila. Hopefully, Alfin can still survive," Arkha said comforting Ardila who looks very sad and also shocked to know who her real father is. He felt very sorry to see Alfin's state. But also do not want to see Ardila, the girl who had been considered as his biological daughter was now sad.

"Una, you're going to the hospital too!" arkha's orders to her son.

Baruna who had just been able to quietly watch all the newness earlier, a little surprised. "Good, Pa!" he approached Ardila.

"YES...." Ardila let go of Arkha's embrace and turned to embrace Baruna.

"Relax, Brother. Everything must be fine." Baruna hugged Ardila and tried to comfort her.

"We have found the answers we are looking for in this place, Una," Ardila said.

"Yes, Brother," replied Baruna briefly.

Their initial goal of figuring out who Alfin really was was was finally answered after the poignant incident occurred.

.

At the moment when all the novelty happened, Diaz quietly approached Flo and whispered something to her sister.

When all the focus was diverted to Ardila and Alfin, Diaz pulled Flo's hand and led her running away from the place. In fact, Baruna's attention was diverted from him. Thus, he does not realize that Flo has disappeared from next to him and has now been taken away by Diaz.

"Sister, where are we going? Why should we avoid them? My brother was also injured. Brother should go to the hospital so that brother's wounds can be treated!" sergeant Flo, not understanding Diaz's purpose in taking him away from that place.

"There's not much to ask first, Flo. Later, I will explain everything to you. Now you just follow me. We have to get out of this city, "tank Diaz while continuing to hold her sister's hand and take her faster.

"But where should we go, brother?" Flo was very confused by her brother's attitude that night.

"Where, Flo. The important thing is we need to get away from this town!"

"Hurry, Flo. Don't let those people see us!" diaz orders while pulling Flo's hand and continues running.

They had gone far enough away from the scene before, and now they were on the edge of a large road and were quite crowded by the traffic of large vehicles, truck-truck containers and tank cars with state-owned petroleum mining logos.

Diaz's eyes were fixed on a truck loaded with sembako parked on the side of the road.

"That truck can definitely take us out of this town without anyone knowing us, Flo." Diaz smiled broadly and approached the truck.