"Wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You clearly didn't go on the mission, so why was Morne hit by the suspect's car?"
"We actually did go on the mission, but… but I remembered the address wrong, which is why Morne got hit. I'm sorry."
Uncle Sean let go of Leon and stepped back in pain, irritably scratching his head with both hands.
Leon watched Uncle Sean uneasily from where he stood. Suddenly, Uncle Sean rushed forward, grabbed Leon's collar, and said fiercely, "Take me to Morne right now. If anything happens to him, I'll make you pay. Move!" With a forceful shove, Uncle Sean pushed Leon ahead of him and toward Morne's location.
Leon stumbled forward, shouting urgently, "Sean, Morne is still in another emergency room. We can't see him right now. We have to wait for him to come out!"
"This is a hospital, please be quiet! If you have a conflict, please take it outside, alright? Otherwise, I'll call security. Thank you!" a passing nurse warned them.
"Alright, nurse. We'll be quiet," Uncle Sean said, covering Leon's mouth and pulling him aside into the hallway.
"Listen, you go stand guard at Morne's emergency room door right now. Tell me the moment he comes out, understand?"
"Yes, understood, understood!"
"But, do you have something else urgent to do, Sean?"
"I have to wait here for Rick to come out of the emergency room. If you understand, then get over to Morne's place. Don't stay here, now move!" Uncle Sean glared at Leon after speaking, and Leon hurried off toward Morne's emergency room.
Time passed quickly, and before long it was already noon.
The light above the emergency room in front of Uncle Sean finally turned off. The doors opened, and Rick was wheeled out.
"Who are the patient's family members?" the doctor asked the crowd.
Uncle Sean rushed forward, looking first at the unconscious Rick, then at the doctor. "I'm his friend. I brought him in. His family will be here soon. How is Rick?"
"The patient is currently out of life-threatening danger. We've removed the bullet fragments from his body, but the bullet punctured his lung, so he will require a long recovery period. We cannot guarantee when he will regain consciousness," the doctor said slowly, exhaustion evident in his face.
"Now we will move him to a ward. Please urge his family to come and stay with him as soon as possible."
"Alright, doctor," Uncle Sean replied, holding back tears as he watched the nurse push Rick away into the ward.
"Sean, Morne is out," Leon's voice drew his attention. He hurried toward Leon. "Let's go. Take me there quickly."
Uncle Sean followed Leon to Morne's bedside. Seeing Morne lying unconscious, he asked, "How is Morne?"
"The doctor said that because Morne was hit inside the car and the vehicle rolled, his internal organs suffered varying degrees of damage. Fragments from the shattered windshield pierced his body. Although they didn't reach his organs, they caused significant blood loss and shock. He will remain unconscious for a long time, and it's uncertain if he will wake up," Leon explained, his voice trembling.
"No… no… no! How can this be? Rick is like this, and Morne too… one mission left both of them injured like this. How am I supposed to tell Lori and Carl?" Uncle Sean collapsed, clutching his head as he crouched down, muttering to himself.
Leon stood nearby, not daring to speak, silently watching.
After a long while, Uncle Sean stood up again. "If we weren't living in a society ruled by law, I'd really want to blow your brains out, Leon," he said calmly, as if stating something trivial.
"Get out. I don't want to see you right now." He turned and left to make arrangements for Rick and Morne without looking back at Leon.
After Leon left, Uncle Sean finished organizing everything and drove the same police car he had shared with Rick toward Carl's school.
In front of the school, many parents stood in small groups chatting while waiting for their children to finish classes.
"I know that look. You go quiet whenever something's wrong. Do you want to talk about it?" a woman asked Lori.
"We had a fight this morning. It was bad… very hurtful."
"I'm sorry, dear. Men can be difficult sometimes."
"The problem is… if I'm being honest… the problem isn't him."
"I see."
"He was just trying to be rational, but that only made me more upset…"
"Sometimes I just wish he would argue back… lose his temper… even call me names if that's what I deserved."
"Instead, he just…" Lori's expression tightened, unable to continue.
"Don't blame yourself," the woman comforted her.
"Shouldn't I? Getting angry at my husband just because he doesn't get angry at me… it doesn't make sense."
"Tom and I don't have that problem."
"But you still love him."
"Yes. I love him… at least I hope so. We just go along with things."
"I admire how practical you two are."
"Do you still love Rick?"
"I've asked myself that many times. I think I do… but I'm trying to find that feeling again. Maybe the real issue is that we were too young when we got married… almost influenced by Rick's older brother. It's…"
A police siren suddenly cut through the growing noise of engines, drawing Lori's attention.
"Excuse me," Lori said, then walked toward the police car.
As she approached, the door opened and Uncle Sean stepped out. His eyes were red, his hands resting stiffly on his belt. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Rick is still alive, right?" she asked, looking past him, but she didn't see the person she expected.
Her lips began to tremble.
"Mo… where is Morne?" Even her breathing grew unsteady.
"Lori…" Uncle Sean's voice was choked. "Rick… he was shot in the left ribs… it punctured his lung… and Morne… he was in the car when it crashed… his internal organs were injured and the windshield pierced his body, causing hemorrhagic shock… both of them have fallen into a coma. We don't know when they'll wake up."
"How could this happen?" Lori struggled to speak.
"Dispatch reported two suspects, but there was actually a third. Someone made a mistake. Someone also sent Morne to the wrong interception point. I made mistakes too. It's all my fault."
Lori remained silent.
She thought back to earlier that day, after her argument with Rick. Morne had said he would invite them to eat the Chinese food he had been researching, hoping to ease the tension. He had always taken care of her, Rick, and Carl, almost like the head of the family. And now…
Ding, ding. The school bell rang. Lori turned toward the gates as students began pouring out, Carl among them.
"I'll tell Carl," Lori said.
"Mom! Uncle Sean! Let's go home quickly. Brother Morne must have finished cooking and is waiting for us!" Carl called out excitedly the moment he saw them.
"Carl…" Lori stepped forward to meet him.
"Mom, hurry! I want to see how Brother Morne's new Chinese dish turned out. It's always delicious. Why aren't we moving?" Carl tugged at her hand.
"Carl…" Lori's voice trembled as tears began to fall.
"Mom?" Carl looked up, suddenly panicked.
"Carl… you're a big boy now. Be brave, okay? Your dad… and Brother Morne… they had an accident. They're in the hospital. Don't cry. We're going to see them now. They'll get better soon. Believe Mommy, okay?"
Lori tried to steady herself while explaining. Carl's tears began flowing uncontrollably, but he still nodded bravely.
"Let's go, Carl. Let's go see your dad and Brother Morne."
"Mm!" Carl nodded firmly and followed her.
"Sean, let's go. We're going to the hospital," Lori said.
"Okay." Uncle Sean quickly got into the car, started the engine, and drove off.
At the hospital, Lori and Carl first went to Rick's ward to speak with the doctor, while Uncle Sean went to check on Morne.
After speaking with both doctors, they arranged for Rick and Morne to be placed in adjacent rooms for easier care.
Later, the three of them gathered in the hallway outside the wards.
"I just spoke with Rick's doctor. His condition needs recovery, and it's uncertain when he will wake up. Having someone talk to him frequently might help," Lori said.
"Sean, how is Morne?" she asked.
"Morne's condition is slightly better. He's young and has stronger recovery ability. Although his internal organs were injured, his physical condition helped prevent further damage," Uncle Sean replied.
"Finally… some good news."
"Sean, thank you. If possible, please come and talk to Rick more often."
"Of course."
A week passed quickly. During that time, Uncle Sean frequently visited Rick, speaking to him in hopes of waking him. But Rick showed no reaction.
"Hey, Rick… you really need to wake up. Every time I come here, I hope I'll see you sitting up, saying something like, 'Sean, good to see you again. I thought I'd never wake up.' Or maybe you'd just open your eyes and tell me to be quiet."
"Lately, there have been reports of riots in multiple places. They're spreading more frequently. Is this turning into some kind of nationwide crisis? Haha…"
"Alright… that's enough for today. Rest well, buddy. I'll go check on Morne."
Another calm day began. The sun rose over King County, yet the quiet was broken by distant screams, gunfire, and the constant roar of engines.
Soldiers arrived in large numbers, transported by trucks and helicopters.
At the hospital, Uncle Sean rushed in, navigating through soldiers and vehicles. The entrance was crowded with military trucks and helicopters, with wounded being carried in and out.
The hospital itself looked like a battlefield.
As he moved inside, Morne's voice came from a nearby ward. Uncle Sean hurried toward it.
"Nurse… could I get some water?"
"Is anyone there?" Morne struggled to sit up. "Uncle Rick?" No response followed.
Just as he tried to get up, the door opened briefly and closed again.
"Uncle Sean? Could you at least get me some water first? I need energy before I figure out why you're acting like a thief," Morne said weakly, managing a faint smile.
Uncle Sean looked around, grabbed a vase, emptied the flowers, filled it with water, and handed it to him.
"That was a joke… you didn't have to make me drink tap water, Uncle Sean," Morne said, his lip twitching.
"No time for jokes. Things are bad outside. Drink up. After that, we'll go find Rick and leave."
"Alright."
Morne quickly drank the water and set the vase aside.
Uncle Sean opened the door slightly, checked outside, then signaled Morne to follow. Morne quietly obeyed.
They moved carefully through the hallway, crouching as they went. The hospital was in chaos. Morne followed without making a sound until they reached Rick's ward.
Entering the room, Morne froze.
"What happened to Uncle Rick? Why is he lying here?"
Uncle Sean said nothing. He stepped forward, called Rick's name, and tried to wake him. When Rick didn't respond, he began disconnecting the machines, intending to move him.
Suddenly, the heart monitor flatlined.
Uncle Sean quickly leaned in, trying to listen for a heartbeat, but heard nothing.
"No… no… Rick… wake up…" He shook him again before collapsing onto the bedside.
Morne rushed forward, but his injuries flared, and he fell to the floor in pain.
Uncle Sean helped him up. "Rick and you were both in accidents the same day. He was shot in the lung. I checked… there's no heartbeat. We have to go. Rick is gone."
"No… impossible." Morne pushed him away and leaned over Rick, pressing his ear to his chest. Outside, gunfire echoed through the ward.
"How can this be? Impossible…"
"We have to take Uncle Rick out!" Morne said urgently, trying to lift him, but he lacked strength.
"Morne, calm down. Your body hasn't recovered. We need to go. Rick is gone. We can't take him."
"No… it can't be!"
"Calm down. We still need to protect Carl and Lori. We have to go."
Uncle Sean pulled Morne up and supported him as they walked out.
Morne still muttered under his breath, struggling to accept reality. Uncle Sean helped him lean against the wall, then moved a hospital bed to block Rick's room.
"Morne, the door is blocked. No one will go in and disturb Rick. Let's go."
With that, he supported Morne once more, and together they slowly left the hospital.