Chapter 131: Toma’s Memories (6)
Police sirens continued to flash across the quiet street. Neighbors watched from behind the barricades as officers escorted the arrested criminals out of the abandoned hideout.
The man in his early thirties walked between two officers with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Although arrested, he wore an arrogant smile. His eyes slowly scanned the crowd. Then...They stopped on Toma.
The little girl stood beside Aiden’s father, wrapped in a police blanket after her rescue. She looked exhausted, her small hands still trembling from everything she had endured.
For a brief moment...
The criminal’s smile disappeared. His face twisted with rage. "It’s all because of her..." he muttered under his breath.
One officer noticed. "Keep moving."
The man remained silent.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Suddenly....He planted one foot firmly on the ground. Before anyone realized what he intended to do, he violently shoved one officer away with his shoulder.
"What....?!" The second officer lost his balance for a split second. "Stop him!"
The man broke free. Ignoring everyone else, he sprinted directly toward Toma. His face burned with fury. "You little piece of shi*!!" Everything happened in seconds.
"Toma!" Aiden shouted.
The man reached her before anyone could intercept him. With all his strength, he shoved the frightened little girl.
Toma lost her balance instantly. She stumbled backward.
"No!" Aiden’s father lunged forward. But he was too far away.
Toma fell onto the hard pavement. Her head struck the ground with a dull sound.
For a single terrifying second... No one moved.
"TOMA!" Aiden ran toward her.
The little girl lay completely still. Her eyes remained closed.
"Toma..."
No response.
The criminal laughed hysterically. "This happened because of you, bitc*!! You ruined everything!"
Several officers immediately tackled him to the ground. "Get down! Don’t move!"
He struggled wildly. "LET ME GO!"
Four officers pinned him down. Metal handcuffs were tightened even further.
One officer shouted, "Control him!"
Another officer quickly checked Toma. "She’s unconscious!"
Aiden dropped to his knees beside her. "Toma... Wake up..." His small voice shook. He gently held her hand. It felt cold. Aiden’s breathing became uneven. "No... No..."
Aiden’s father quickly knelt beside the unconscious girl. His years of experience allowed him to stay calm despite the situation. He carefully checked her breathing. "She’s breathing." He let out a small breath of relief. "But she’s unconscious." He looked toward an officer. "Call an ambulance!"
Before the officer could react... He had already taken out his own phone. His fingers moved rapidly across the screen.
The call connected almost immediately. "This is Nathan." His normally calm voice became urgent. "We have an unconscious child with a head injury. Send an ambulance immediately. The location has already been secured by police. Yes! As fast as possible." He ended the call.
Then turned toward another officer. "Clear the road. I don’t want the ambulance delayed by traffic."
"Yes, sir!" Several officers immediately rushed toward the nearby intersections. Police motorcycles sped away with flashing lights.
Meanwhile...
The arrested man continued struggling. "You idiots! You have no idea who my father is!"
One officer forced him back. "Stay down. You’ll regret this! My father owns people like you! You think these handcuffs will keep me here?" He laughed loudly. "You’ve all messed with the wrong family! When my father hears about this... Every single one of you is finished! You hear me?! Finished!"
One younger officer looked uneasy.
The man noticed. His grin returned. "That’s right. Be scared. You have no idea what you’re dealing with."
Aiden’s father, Nathan, slowly walked toward him. Despite wearing an expensive business suit, his calm presence immediately silenced the surrounding officers.
The criminal glared at him. "And who are you supposed to be?"
Nathan’s expression remained cold. "I’m the man whose friend’s daughter you kidnapped."
The criminal smirked. "My father will have every charge dropped."
Nathan looked at the lead officer. "Officer."
"Yes, Mr. Nathan."
"Arrest him on every applicable charge."
The officer nodded firmly. "Yes, sir."
Nathan continued, "Kidnapping, illegal confinement, child trafficking, assaulting a child. Assaulting police officers. Resisting arrest. Add every charge the investigation supports."
"Understood."
The criminal’s confidence began to crack. "You... you can’t do this!"
Nathan stepped closer. "No matter who your father is, the law doesn’t change."
The officers immediately dragged the shouting criminal toward the police vehicle.
"I’ll get out! My father will destroy all of you!"
Nathan said," Don’t worry the police got your files."
The criminal’s confident expression finally changed. "What? You can’t.... You have no idea who...."
Aiden’s father looked directly into his eyes. "The law applies to everyone."
The criminal clenched his teeth. "You’ll regret this."
"No." Aiden’s father answered quietly. "You will."
The officers immediately lifted the struggling man to his feet.
He continued yelling. "You think this is over? My father will get me out! You’ll all lose your jobs! I’ll make sure of it!"
His voice echoed across the street as officers forced him into a police vehicle. The door slammed shut. Even inside, he continued shouting threats.
Nathan ignored every word. He turned around and rushed back to Toma. He knelt beside the unconscious little girl while Aiden held her hand with tears in his eyes.
Police officers immediately rushed to block traffic as the sound of an approaching ambulance echoed through the streets.
Aiden’s attention never left Toma. She still hadn’t opened her eyes. "...Please wake up." His voice was barely audible. He remembered her smiling. Playing together, eating ice cream, laughing. Now...She wasn’t moving at all.
Aiden felt helpless.
One officer placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She’ll be okay."
The boy nodded weakly. But he wasn’t convinced.
Every passing second felt like an hour.
Then....A distant siren echoed through the streets. It was the ambulance.
"It’s here!"
Police motorcycles immediately blocked every intersection. Traffic came to a complete stop. The ambulance sped through the cleared road without slowing. It stopped beside them. The rear doors flew open.
Two paramedics jumped out carrying emergency equipment. "Where’s the patient?"
"Here!" Aiden’s father pointed.
The medical team immediately knelt beside Toma. One paramedic gently examined her. "Breathing is stable."
"Pupil response... Pulse normal."
The second paramedic carefully secured her neck with a medical collar. "Let’s move."
Together they carefully lifted her onto a stretcher. Every movement was slow and controlled.
Aiden stepped closer. "Can I go with her?"
One paramedic smiled gently. "Of course."
But before he could climb inside... Aiden’s father placed a hand on his shoulder. "I’ll come too."
The boy nodded. His eyes never left Toma. The ambulance doors slowly closed.
Outside... Police officers continued collecting evidence from the hideout. Detectives photographed every room.
The arrested criminals were transported to separate police vehicles.
One senior officer looked toward the judge. "Sir... The files recovered earlier have already been transferred to the evidence department."
He nodded. "Good. Keep them under maximum security. Those documents may become the strongest evidence in this case."
"Understood."
Inside the ambulance... Machines quietly monitored Toma’s condition. The rhythmic beeping filled the small compartment.
Aiden sat beside the stretcher. He gently held her hand. "...You promised we’d play again. ...So don’t sleep for too long."
The ambulance accelerated toward the hospital under a full police escort. Behind them, the flashing blue and red lights slowly faded into the distance
The ambulance came to a screeching halt in front of the hospital’s emergency entrance.
The rear doors flew open.
"Move! Make way!"
Doctors and nurses rushed forward with a stretcher. Without wasting a second, they wheeled Toma through the emergency doors.
Aiden tried to follow. But a nurse gently stopped him. "I’m sorry, little one. You can’t go any further."
The doors to the emergency operating room closed.
A bright red light above them switched on.
SURGERY IN PROGRESS
The hallway fell silent.
Aiden stood frozen, staring at the closed doors.
Nathan stood beside him with his arms crossed, trying to remain composed. Although his face showed little emotion, his eyes revealed how worried he truly was.
Minutes passed.
Then half an hour.
Doctors and nurses hurried in and out of nearby rooms, but no one came out of Toma’s operating room.
Inside, the surgeons carefully treated the injury to Toma’s head. Bright surgical lights illuminated the room as the medical team worked with complete focus.
"Vitals are stable."
"Suction."
"Gauze."
"Careful... there."
The lead surgeon remained calm. "Good. Continue."
Outside, every passing minute felt like an hour.
Aiden kept staring at the operating room door. "...She’s going to be okay... right?"
Nathan looked down at him. "She has excellent doctors taking care of her." Although he spoke confidently, he silently prayed those words would prove true.
Just then... The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"Toma!"
"Toma!"
A man and a woman rushed into the waiting area, both breathing heavily. Their faces were filled with panic. It was Toma’s parents.
The moment Toma’s mother saw the operating room, tears began streaming down her face. "Where is our daughter?! What happened to her?!"
She tried to rush toward the operating room, but a nurse gently stopped her. "Please, ma’am. The doctors are still operating."
Toma’s father stood frozen, unable to process everything.
Nathan walked over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Calm down." His voice was steady. "I know this is difficult. But you need to stay strong." He gave his friend a firm pat on the shoulder. "Your daughter will need both of you when she wakes up. Right now, you have to keep your strength."
Toma’s father lowered his head, struggling to hold back his tears. "I... I should have protected her..."
Nathan shook his head. "Don’t blame yourself. Right now, let’s trust the doctors."
Toma’s mother quietly cried beside the waiting room wall while Aiden stood nearby, silently praying that the operating room doors would soon open with good news.
Comments