Free Extraordinary Losers 3 by Jessica Alejandro

Hospital!”
    Uncle Andy instantly slung Mundi over his shoulders and laid him on the stretcher. The paramedics wheeled him out to the ambulance while Clandestino and I half-carried Janice out. There wasn’t much space in the ambulance so they had to lay Mundi and Janice side by side. Meanwhile, the two kidnappers had slowly gained consciousness. The policemen had handcuffed them and were escorting them out of the house.
    â€œAh Kiat! You should have locked the house properly! I am never going to marry you!” the woman scolded.
    â€œIt is not my fault! That man was supposed to come back for the boy. Please, dear. Those ugly children are going to get it!” Ah Kiat sobbed.
    As soon as the ambulance whizzed off, a silver Lexus pulled up at the house. Mrs Sakdipa stepped out hurriedly and tore towards the policeman.
    â€œWhere’s my son? Oh no, where’s my son?”
    â€œMa’am, your son is fine. He is just sleepy. He is on his way to the hospital at the moment. Tan Tock Seng Hospital!’
    Without saying a word, Mrs Sakdipa hopped back into the car, rattled off some instructions and sped off. The policeman wanted to take our statements, so the three of us and Uncle Andy had to stay behind. The man and woman were taken to the police station.
    â€œWe didn’t do anything! Ah Kiat, tell them!” the woman kept asserting while being led away.
    â€œYeah, it was that man. He paid us to do this!”

CHAPTER 12: THE MASTER MIND
    We arrived at the hospital in Uncle Andy’s pick-up. He had blasted his Chinese opera songs the whole way, singing unabashedly along. He must have been so happy to find Mundi!
    We walked into the children’s ward, where the walls were adorned with paintings of teddy bears. Outside Mundi’s room, Madam Siti and Mr Grosse were giving statements to a policeman. We charged towards Mundi’s bedside. The doctor was giving him an intravenous drip to flush out the sedatives in his body. His mother was sitting by his side, fretting.
    Janice was already up and about, her injured hand in a bandage. As soon as Mundi was hooked up, she uttered, “DONUT?”
    After a few moments, Mundi opened his eyes. He was first greeted by the face of his mother. “Mundi, are you alright?” She planted a kiss on his forehead.
    â€œHi, buddy!” I said, jumping right in. I initiated our girly handshake but Mundi didn’t have enough strength to do it.
    â€œHi, Mama, my friends rescued me,” he said, turning to all of us. “Thanks, guys, no?”
    â€œNo sweat, Mundi.” Adam winked.
    Mundi was a little stunned. “What is-is-is-is he d-d-doing here, no?”

    â€œDon’t worry! Adam had agreed to help us look for you,” Clandestino assured him. “He was quite kind.” He turned to Adam and smiled wryly.
    Mundi’s mother replied graciously, “Yes, they are nice, aren’t they?” Then she stroked his wrist and noticed something different. “Who gave you this watch, Mundi?”
    â€œOh… Un-Un-Un-Uncle Andy, no?” Mundi shifted his cracked spectacles in nervousness. “He gave it to me this morning.”
    â€œWoah, Uncle Andy gave you that watch? It is the latest watch phone,” I remarked. “So that was why you were so secretive this morning.”
    â€œYeah, he-he-he got it in a lucky draw and didn’t know how to use it. He has no children, no? So he wanted me to have it. But-But-But he told me not to te-te-tell anyone.”
    â€œNo worries, Mundi, it is okay.” His mother didn’t look amused but she tried to hide her displeasure. I guessed she didn’t like the idea of her son accepting expensive gifts from other people.
    â€œI used that watch to SMS, you know?” Mundi quickly added. “Where’s Janice?”
    â€œI am here,” she declared, raising a donut with her hand encased in a cast.
    Clandestino turned to her and said, “We