Biosystem Awakening: From Bastard To Badass

Chapter 6

While the back and forth  between the nurse and Tristian was ongoing, his mother could not help but feel deeply worried. Fear sat heavily in her chest as she watched the situation unfold, scared that it might escalate further or that Tristian might lose his temper and end up hitting the nurse, which would definitely bring serious consequences. She knew her son too well. She knew how quickly his anger could rise whenever someone talked down on her or humiliated her. 

There had been many times in the past when customers had insulted her at her small fruit shop, speaking harshly and disrespectfully, and Tristian had almost stepped in to fight them because of it. That was the kind of son he was, he was protective, sensitive, and unable to tolerate disrespect toward his mother.

She was relieved as she watched the nurse leave and  was glad that Tristian held himself back this time and did not act out of anger.

“Mom, how long have I been here? And how did you even get me to the hospital?” Tristian asked, his tone more stable now as he tried to understand everything that had happened.

As soon as he asked that question, his mother immediately became slightly nervous. Her hands tightened together as she looked at him with worry.

“You are fine, right?” she said quickly, her voice filled with concern. “As long as you are okay, you don’t need to worry about anything else. If you don’t feel fine, just tell me. If you are uncomfortable anywhere, just let me know immediately. I can call the doctor for you, or even take you to another hospital if necessary.”

“Mom, I’m fine,” Tristian said again, this time more firmly as he slowly stood up from the bed and took a few steps to show her. “See, I’m fine. You really don’t have to worry.”

Growing up, Tristian did not have a normal childhood like most children. His mother could not always afford proper meals for him, and because of that, he did not grow as strong or as physically developed as others his age. When she was breastfeeding him as a baby, she was often starving herself, barely having enough to eat, which meant she could not produce enough milk for him because of that, Tristian grew up weaker and smaller compared to most children around him but right now, it was different because he was not pretending and was actually fine.

His mother let out a deep breath of relief, as though a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest. Tristian had been unconscious for about four days, and during that entire time, her fear had only continued to grow. She did not fully understand how he was suddenly awake and acting fine, but she chose not to question it too deeply. All that mattered to her was that he was alive and okay.

Tristian walked back toward the bed, removed the IV line  from his hand, and stood up properly as though he was preparing to leave.

“Let’s go,” he said simply.

His mother’s eyes widened instantly in shock.

“What? No, we can’t leave like this,” she said quickly, stepping closer to him. “You just woke up and are still weak. The doctor needs to check you properly. You need to stay here for at least a few more days to recover.”

But Tristian only shook his head. “No,” he said firmly. “We’re leaving.”

After everything that had just happened with the nurse, after the disrespect and humiliation, there was no way he was going to stay in that hospital any longer than necessary.

Soon after, both of them walked out of the ward together. As they stepped into the corridor, they immediately saw the same nurse again. She stood there with a cold, irritated expression on her face, and the moment her eyes landed on them, her expression darkened even more. Without hesitation, she raised her voice deliberately so that others around could hear her clearly.

“Look at them,” she said loudly, her tone dripping with disdain. “A poor family trying to act like they can afford hospitalization. If you don’t have money for the hospital, then go to a small clinic where those quack doctors can treat you. That is all you can afford anyway.”

Tristian felt anger rise instantly within him but he took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm. He said nothing because he knew that if he responded, it would escalate into something bigger, and people would start gathering, and the situation would only get worse.

So he stayed silent and walked past her without reacting. When they finally got home, his mother made sure he rested properly and for the next two weeks, she did not allow him to go anywhere.

She watched over him closely, making sure he ate well, slept properly, and recovered fully. In her mind, it did not make sense how someone who had been hit by a car and was unconscious for four days could suddenly just be “fine.” So she insisted on making sure he was truly okay before allowing him to step out again.

After two weeks, it was finally time for Tristian to return to school because his break was over. He had already applied for his master’s degree, and because of how fast the academic system worked, it was scheduled to begin just two weeks after graduation. So now, he had to go back to school and a new chapter of his life was about to begin

*******

Tristian stood in front of the school gate, taking a long, deep breath as he looked ahead.

“Tristian, get yourself together,” he muttered to himself quietly. “Everything that happened between you and Lyra is in the past now. For your mom’s sake… you need to move on. You are not allowed to be looked down on again, and you cannot allow anyone to look down on your mother either so you must do everything possible to get your life in order.”

After giving himself that mental reassurance, he slowly walked into campus and towards where his lectures for the day would take place. It was around eleven in the morning, and the campus was unusually quiet because most students were already in class.

By the time he reached his lecture hall, he was already late and that was because earlier,  he had stopped by his mother’s shop earlier that morning to help her before coming to school.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Tristian said as he stood at the door, slightly out of breath.

The lecturer, a middle-aged woman with a calm and understanding expression, simply looked at him for a moment and nodded gently without making an issue out of it, allowing him to come in.

As soon as Tristian stepped inside the classroom, every single eye turned toward him, only then did he remember something important. He was not the only one who applied for the master’s program and almost all of his former classmates had also applied. In their field of study, continuing to a master’s degree was very common, as it gave them a better chance at securing stable and high-paying jobs compared to only having a bachelor’s degree. In their country, and especially in the city, education was taken very seriously.

So now, the same people he had graduated with were once again sitting in the same room with him and were his classmates again.

Some of them looked at him with pity, some with curiosity, some were judging him with subtle disgust on their faces and some were mocking him but Tristian ignored all of them.

He walked straight to his seat and sat down. On his right side, in the seat that was originally meant for Lyra, someone else was already sitting there and it was Caleb. 

Caleb had been in the same class as Tristian since their early college days, and over time, he had become the only real friend Tristian had. The reason they became friends was actually because despite Tristian’s effort, his academic performance had always been poor. He struggled to understand most things, and he was usually among the lowest performers in the class.

But Caleb was different. He  never seemed serious, rarely studied, often joked around, and acted like he didn’t care about academics at all. Yet, whenever exams came and results were released, Caleb was always among the top students. 

As soon as Tristian sat down, Caleb turned slightly toward him. In a low voice, he asked, “Are you okay? Where have you been for the past two weeks? I tried calling you, but your number wasn’t going through.”

“I’m fine,” Tristian replied calmly. “I was just resting.”

Caleb stared at him for a moment, clearly not fully convinced, but he didn’t push further.

“I know what happened between you and Lyra,” Caleb said quietly instead. “I still can’t believe she did that to you. But listen, don’t dwell on it too much. You deserve better. If it will help, we can go out after class, just to clear your head a bit but don’t get used to it, I’m only doing this once.”

Tristian couldn’t help but smile slightly and for the first time in a while, he actually felt a bit lighter.

At least, in the middle of everything, he still had someone who stood beside him.