TST, 2020
“My daughter has been poisoned?” Freddie said.
“Sir, we can talk in my office.” The doctor said.
“Where were you when she was being poisoned?”
“It’s ricin poison, sir—”
“I don’t care…. It’s your job to take care of the patients.”
“I’m sorry sir.”
“Sorry?”
The doctor managed a deadpan expression.
“Sorry isn’t a verb, don’t expect it to fix things for you.”
“We’re working hard to save her life.”
“Tell me she’ll survive.”
The doctor droop his head.
“She can’t die, doctor.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“Tell me she’ll wake.”
“Sir, ricin poisoning has got no cure.”
Freddie clenched his fist.
“Doctors are now working hard getting ricin off her body.”
“Is the poison that lethal?”
“Ricin works by getting inside the cells of a person’s body and prevent the cells from making proteins they need. Without the proteins, the cells die.”
Freddie took a handkerchief. He covered his face.
“We are giving her supportive medical care to minimize the effects of the poisoning.”
“Will she wake up, doc?”
“She may but I’m not sure when.”
“Doc—”
“Sorry sir, I need to go and continue with her.”
Freddie nodded. The doctor returned to room 201. Freddie tried calling SJ, he couldn’t reach her. Her behavior was eccentric recently. SJ wasn’t staying at school as she used to. She was coming home late and poignant enough, she was undeniably hiding something and she didn’t want to talk. He knew SJ had been acting peculiarly recently but that wasn’t the big deal then. His daughter was on the bed, in a coma, and poisoned. At that moment he realized that family is not an important thing, it’s everything. He didn’t have many funny moments with his daughter. He was always busy with works. His heart was aching. Tears slowly seeped over his face. Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold.
Freddie sat. He took his phone.
“Warden…” Freddie said.
“Yes sir…”
“Find the best detective in the country as fast as you can. Someone has just poisoned my daughter and I want to know who.”