It was almost midnight when Kathryn Bigelow and Janette Johnston rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.
Downstairs, in the hospital building where the emergency room was located, several police cars and ambulances were still flashing their lights, and a few private cars were scattered nearby.
Without time to look for a suitable parking spot, Kathryn parked her car in an empty space downstairs at the hospital and got out with Janette, walking towards a middle-aged white police officer not far away.
"Officer, hello, we are friends of Simon Westeros," Kathryn and Janette introduced themselves to the middle-aged officer and then eagerly asked, "How is Simon now?"
The middle-aged police officer, hearing Kathryn's introduction, looked at the two elegant women in front of him with surprise and said, "I am Charles Heck, ladies, please come with me. Also, do you know how to contact Simon Westeros's family?"
Kathryn and Janette followed Charles Heck into the hospital building.
Hearing his question, Kathryn hesitated for a moment before saying, "Simon should be an orphan; he doesn't have a family".
Both Janette and Charles Heck were stunned by Kathryn's words.
Although Simon had revealed enough information during their few interactions, Janette still found it hard to believe that such an outstanding young boy was an orphan.
She had always felt that many of the things Simon said might just be jokes.
The middle-aged police officer also hadn't expected this situation.
After thinking for a moment, he began to explain to the two women as they walked, "The thing is, we received a report and found him in an alley near Elmhurst Street.
According to the scene, Simon Westeros was probably cycling through there when he was attacked by five youths.
However, when we arrived at the scene, Simon Westeros had already passed out.
So, ladies, do you know why he was cycling through there alone late at night?"
In the phone call a while ago, Kathryn had only heard a police officer say that he saw her contact information in Simon's address book and that Simon had been sent to the hospital because of a fight.
At this moment, hearing that Simon was ambushed by five youths, Kathryn's heart immediately leaped, but she still patiently explained, "Simon told me that he's been working at a 24-hour convenience store recently".
The middle-aged police officer nodded upon hearing this, "That makes sense.
A 24-hour convenience store, shift change at 11 PM, the time matches perfectly."
"So," Kathryn pressed again, "Mr. Heck, how exactly is Simon?"
The middle-aged police officer shook his head and said, "When we arrived at the scene, he was in a very bad state.
However, the doctors are still examining him for the specific situation".
Janette finally interjected, "Were the culprits caught?"
The middle-aged police officer glanced at Janette, nodded, and with a peculiar expression on his face, said, "They were caught; all five of them, not one escaped".
As he spoke, the three of them arrived at the emergency room of the medical center.
In the emergency room lobby, Kathryn and Janette looked at the five youths lined up on stretchers, all with their right legs in slings and moaning frequently.
They immediately understood why the middle-aged police officer had that expression just now.
Kathryn looked at the scene, couldn't find Simon anywhere, and her expression grew even more worried.
Janette, however, had her eyes wide open, ignoring the doctors and nurses still busy in front of the stretchers, as well as several middle-aged men and women who were clearly family members.
She clicked her tongue, then leaned in to examine each of the five suspended right legs.
Noticing that the last youth not only had his leg in a sling but also had one side of his face severely swollen, while half of his lip was sunken in like an old woman without teeth, Janette shivered slightly.
Turning and running back to Kathryn's side, Janette's face was flushed with excitement, and she mumbled, "So violent, so violent, truly so violent".
Kathryn had retrieved Simon's backpack from the police.
Seeing Janette approach, she took her hand and said, "All right, Jenny, let's go to the CT room. Simon is there".
Just as the two women were about to leave the emergency lobby, several doctors and nurses pushed a stretcher out from a nearby corridor; Simon was lying on it.
Kathryn and Janette quickly walked over, and just as they were about to ask the doctor about Simon's condition, the middle-aged men and women who had been gathered around the five youths aggressively converged.
One woman, with tear stains on her face, yelled and tried to lunge at Simon.
The police officers guarding the lobby quickly ran over.
When the woman rushed towards her, Janette wasn't to be outdone; she reached out and pushed the woman hard, shouting, "Hey, what are you doing?!"
The woman staggered back a few steps, was supported by her husband, and seeing that several police officers were already between the crowds, she had to abandon her attempt to lunge again.
However, she glared fiercely at Simon on the stretcher and said, "Murderer! I won't let him off! I'll send him to jail!"
"Ha, murderer? Are you kidding me?" Janette heard these words, pulled her hand away from Kathryns grasp, and pointed at the five youths on the stretchers not far away.
"You are the murderers! Five against one, and you all got your legs broken! Not only are you murderers, but you're also a bunch of useless cowards! Won't let him off, huh? We'll see about that, let's see who won't let who off!"
Kathryn saw Janette getting more and more worked up, so she had to step forward again, take her hand, and quietly try to calm her down with a few words.
Only then did Janette follow Kathryn, accompanying Simon's stretcher as it left.
After the small skirmish, the hospital dared not keep everyone in the emergency lobby together.
A ward was quickly arranged, and Simon was settled in.
After two more hours of various busy activities, Kathryn and Janette finally sat one on each side of Simon's hospital bed.
Looking at Simon, who was still unconscious and on an IV drip, Janette propped her chin on her hands like a little girl, leaning over the bed, and said, "He's really tough; so many injuries on his body, but not a single bone is broken.
Those five useless guys all have commuted fractures, their bones are shattered.
Our little boy is really strong.
I heard it might take several surgeries for them to recover, tsk-tsk quite impressive".
Kathryn looked at Simon's sleeping profile, but her heart wasn't as optimistic as Janette's.
Several hours had passed, and Simon still hadn't woken up, which wasn't a good sign.
Moreover, the doctor had just told Kathryn that although Simon's superficial injuries were not severe, due to the numerous attacks, it was difficult to determine if he would develop internal bleeding symptoms.
He would need at least a week of hospitalization for observation.
Seeing that Kathryn didn't agree with her, Janette followed her gaze to Simon's face and then said with relief, "Good thing his face isn't injured; the little boy is still so handsome".
As she spoke, Janette even reached out and touched Simon's face, then slid her hand under the sheet.
"Wow, so strong."
Kathryn glared helplessly, "Jenny, can you stop messing around?"
"Alright, alright."
Janette shrank her neck and sheepishly withdrew her hand.
After waiting for a moment, seeing that Kathryn was no longer staring at her, her other small hand slipped directly under the edge of the sheet.
Since Simon was in a rather dishevelled state when he was brought to the hospital, his clothes had been cut off and discarded by the doctors.
At this moment, the boy was only wearing a temporary paper brief.
However, this time, just as Janette's small hand touched Simon's body, she suddenly felt a large hand tightly gripping her wrist.
Janette was startled, let out a cry, and tried to pull her hand back, but she ended up pulling Simon's entire arm with it.
Feeling her wrist being gripped tightly like by a pair of pliers, and as she struggled, the force tightened even more, Janette's face quickly turned red with pain.
"Waaah, little boy, you're awake, aren't you?
Let go of me quickly, it hurts so much!
Let go, or I'll bite you!
I really will bite, you know!
Hmmph, hmmph, Kate, come help me, boo-hoo, it hurts!"
Kathryn watched the scene unfolding, initially thinking Janette was playing another prank, until tears started falling from her eyes.
Only then did she quickly move around to the other side of the hospital bed.
After examining Simon's hand that was holding Janette, Kathryn even tried to pry it open, but found that her strength couldn't budge even a single one of Simon's fingers.
She could only turn to the boy on the bed: "Simon, are you awake?
Quickly let go of Jenny, it hurts a lot".
Simon on the bed, however, showed no reaction, clearly not having woken up.
With the commotion, doctors and nurses rushed over, and the two police officers who were still at the hospital also appeared in the ward.
The small ward suddenly became lively.
"Kate, boo-hoo, I think I'm going to die.
When this little rascal wakes up, tell him that I'll come and talk to him every night from now on.
Boo-hoo, also, tell my family that I'm not going back to Melbourne, I want to be buried in Los Angeles, I love the sunshine here, boo-hoo."
"Doctor, can you think of something?"
"Madam, relax a bit, don't struggle.
This is the patient's stress response; the more you struggle, the tighter he grips".
"When we found this child, he was holding a baseball bat in his hand.
Just like this, it was very difficult for us to get the baseball bat out of his hand".
"Boo-hoo, you little rascal, this is my hand, not a baseball bat".
After a while of such chaotic struggling, Simon's hand holding Janette showed no sign of letting go.
Looking at Janette's tear-streaked face, Kathryn turned to Simon again, suddenly remembered something, and raised her hand towards everyone, signalling for them to be quiet.
Then, Kathryn went to the bedside, leaned over to Simon's ear, and gently whispered in a warm tone, "Simon, can you hear me? It's Kathryn. You're safe now, everyone is here with you, everything is alright…"
Kathryn patiently murmured various comforting words, and everyone quietly watched.
After several long minutes, when Kathryn stopped murmuring, everyone came back to their senses, and Janette realized she had unconsciously escaped Simon's 'clutches'.
However, Janette's originally fair wrist was now red and swollen.
After going with the doctor for a check-up, Janette returned with two ice packs on her hand, glared resentfully at Simon, who was still asleep, and seeing Kathryn sitting nonchalantly at the head of the bed reading a magazine, she complained even more: "This little rascal, I should have bitten him just now, he's so detestable".
Kathryn looked up at her, smiled, and said, "It's all your own fault".
"Waaah, you're actually taking his side, Kate, I'm jealous!" Janette accused.
Seeing Kathryn's unresponsive expression, she then 'instigated', "I think this little rascal is definitely a violent maniac at heart; we should stay away from him from now on".
"No, he's not," Kathryn shook her head, looking at the boy on the bed with a gentle expression and a hint of pity, saying, "He probably just lacks a sense of security too much".