045 Cancer

If you can go back and change one thing in your life, what will you do?

Studying better for an exam? Saving a life? Investing in bitcoin? Preventing covid?

For me, there is only one answer.

Saving my mom's life.

In my previous life, when I was in school, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, it was diagnosed late and we lost her within a year. It was a big blow to us. My previous life would have been far better if she were alive.

I had absolutely no plan to let it happen again. So a few months ago, I made plans to make her check for breast cancer.

About two months ago, I decided to force mom to go to the hospital for a check for breast cancer. This was made possible through Anu.

The first thing I did was slowly planting the idea of cancer in Anu's mind. Although she is an intelligent girl, she is still a kid. So with just a few days of random chats, she firmly believed that cancer is a very dangerous disease.

My idea was to send Anu on a hunger strike. I planned to make her demand mom go to the hospital to get herself checked for breast cancer.

This wasn't an easy task as Anu was weak against hunger. So I wasn't expecting success on the first try. My actual aim was to bring the attention of my parents to this probability.

As planned, Anu made her demand on a Saturday morning. Mom and dad were a bit surprised to hear words like 'cancer' coming out of the mouth of a child. They naturally ignored her. Then, as planned, she went on a hunger strike. We all thought that she would give up within hours.

Unfortunately or fortunately, we all underestimated her willpower.

She managed to skip breakfast and lunch.

After a lot of arguments and promises, mom agreed to get the test done. This surprised me a bit. I never thought that my parents would give in to her childish demands. But later, I learned why they agreed.

Usually, Anu gets punished whenever she starts an issue like this. This time, dad believed that Anu deserves to be taken seriously as her demand this time was not for herself but for the wellbeing of her mom.

I will skip the boring details.

There were multiple tests and it took a few weeks. In the end, mom was diagnosed with the earliest stage of breast cancer.

This was a big shock to dad and mom. But for me, it was a great relief. Since we were able to identify it at the earliest stage, the tragedy that happened in my previous life could be avoided.

Dad felt guilty for no reason. So he decided to take leave from his job for six months. They also made multiple visits to the hospital. Unfortunately, they left me at home with a babysitter or aunty whenever they went.

In my previous life, mom's cancer was diagnosed late. This was one of the biggest tragedies in our life. Just by sending Anu on a hunger strike, I managed to avoid it. I was pretty happy with the result.

The next tragedy I wanted to avoid was a scandal in Lakshmi aunty's hospital.

Lakshmi aunty's dad, Bose inherited the hospital from his father. He was a cunning man. He used the excuse that Lakshmi aunty was a doctor to get the hospital from his father. His brother Sekhar got the pharmacy and his sister inherited the canteen. Strangely, his brother agreed to this arrangement.

Unfortunately, Bose didn't know what his brother was planning.

Sekhar found a way to make a quick profit through the pharmacy. He was selling counterfeit medicine through the pharmacy. In the future, one nurse from the hospital would find the secret and she would expose it. She did it with good conscience. But the incident blew out of proportions and ended with the hospital being taken over by the government.

When things were going wrong, dad used all his connections to protect Lakshmi aunty. This also affected his political career.

This happened when was I was studying in school. So the ideal thing to do would be to wait for a few years and then secretly inform dad about the scandal. I just have to collect some evidence and then send it to dad from a fake email id. He won't suspect me and he will handle everything properly.

But you see, I am not a saint.

Sekhar is not a good man either. So I have no reason to let him make money for the next few years. Also, I am making many changes to the future. So I might have inadvertently made some changes that would expose the scandal ahead of schedule.

I cannot take that risk.

So I decided to expose the scandal as soon as possible.

According to my calculations, he started selling the fake pills about a year ago. I made a lot of calculations and made multiple plans to expose it.

One day, when mom was preparing to go to the hospital, I started making a lot of trouble. Mom tried her best to leave me with aunty. But I threw a tantrum and managed to go to the hospital with them. Once I was at the hospital, I wriggled out of dad's hand and went to the consulting room of Lakshmi aunty. Dad and mom followed me and they were pretty surprised that I knew the way.

Lakshmi aunty was free and sipping coffee when I arrived.

"Achoottii..." She happily picked me and placed me in her lap. Achu and Achootti were my pet names.

"He was throwing a tantrum and we had no choice but to bring him." Mom complained.

"Did you want to see Lakshmi aunty?" Lakshmi aunty asked me playfully.

"Yes." I replied innocently. But I was feeling a bit guilty. Because I was going to make the day horrible for her.

"Uuu... Why did you want to see me?" She pinched my cheeks.

"Lechuu.. beautiful." I answered with simple words.

Lakshmi aunty almost choked on the coffee. She coughed multiple times before she could breathe properly again. Mom and dad were shocked.

"Hahaha... You little rascal. You think I am beautiful?" Lakshmi aunty was suddenly happy.

I nodded.

"Who told you to say that?" She asked me.

I acted confused.

"Did your iyamma or appa tell you to say this?" Lakshmi aunty asked again.

I knew why she was asking. I was less than two years old could barely make sentences. Also, the concept of beauty may not exist in a baby.  So she suspected that someone made me say it.

"We didn't. Probably it was Anu." Mom answered.

"By the way, what did you call me?"Lakshmi aunty stared at me with a fake angry face.

"Lechu..." I called her again with a wide smile.

"Don't call that. She's your aunty." Dad suddenly corrected me.

"I think Anu has a classmate named Lakshmi. So... she might have told him about that name." Mom explained quickly.

It was fun to see my parents panicking. But I didn't understand why they were so panicked and trying to explain the situation. Unless that was the name dad used to call her when they were dating.

"If my husband hears it, he might kick your little ass." Lakshmi aunty scolded me.

Unlike her words, her lips were curved to the extreme. She couldn't hide her happiness even a bit. This was similar to the situation when I called mom by her name. Adults, especially women like it when babies address them by their name. They like it even more if it is a pet name. For example, mom loves to hear when I call her iyamma.

My parents and Lakshmi aunty chatted for a bit. Then they decided to leave for the doctor.

"You can leave him with me. I am not meeting any patients today."  Lakshmi aunty urged mom and dad to leave me with her. She was spending the day checking files. She hated that job and so wanted to spend time with me.

Once mom and dad left, I started messing around.

"Achutti... stop trying to flip the sofa."

"Don't scare the fish."

"Don't take off your clothes."

"No... Leave the phone alone."

I ran around the room and created a mess. Lakshmi aunty followed me and stopped me every time. She pretended to be annoyed. But the smile on her face betrayed her words.

"Hello..." I picked her land phone and started talking.

"Hello?" A confused sound came from the other sound. I froze for a moment. Then I realized that it was an interphone and the person on the other side was probably the nurse who was the assistant of Lakshmi aunty.

"Two... Two biriyaani." I gave the order. I have no idea why I did that. I was taken back after hearing a sound from the other side.

"You want two biriyanis?" The sound on the other side was a bit confused.

"Yes." I replied and hung up.

"Where did you learn that from?" Lakshmi aunty stared at me in awe.

I smiled proudly.

"Can you sit down now?" Lakshmi aunty asked me.

No. This is where my plan begins.

I felt uncomfortable. After all, I was going to make the day a lot harder for her.

I apologized to her in my mind. Then I ran out.

"Stop there." Lakshmi aunty started chasing me.

I ran out of the room and hide behind the chairs for patients.

"Alex, come back. If you make trouble, I won't play with you ever again." Lakshmi aunty was finally serious. Unfortunately, I was just beginning.

I ran again.

I wasn't running aimlessly. My target was the pharmacy.

"Hey... please catch him." Lakshmi aunty tried to get the help of the people at the counter as I slipped into the pharmacy.

I managed to run around a bit in the pharmacy before they caught me.

"You little rascal... I'm going to lock you up in the room." Lakshmi aunty was clearly angry.

"No... no..." I protested.

"If you don't behave, then there will be punishment. Since you want to run, I will lock the door next time."

"No..."

"What's in your mouth?" Finally, she noticed something in my mouth.

"Aahhh.." I opened my mouth wide and showed her the pill in my mouth.

"What... How did you get it?" In an instant, her face changed. Her face paled in horror. Then without waiting for even a second, she forcefully opened my mouth and took out the pill.

"How... Did you eat more?" She was panicking.

I was in her care and I ended up eating random pills. This was something she absolutely didn't want to happen. Yet it happened. I understood how scared she might be. I apologized to her once again in mind.

Within seconds, she took me to a doctor. Lakshmi aunty was scared and angry. She called for multiple doctors and nurses. Within a minute, half the hospital was in chaos. But for me, it wasn't that bad. I was on a soft bed surrounded by beautiful nurses and doctors.

"Doctor please calm down. This is a vitamin-C tablet. Nothing will happen even if he eats one of it. Still, we can observe him for some time and make sure it won't cause any issue." A senior nurse consoled Lakshmi aunty.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just tasted the pill. It's easy to identify." The nurse assured. I agreed with the nurse. After all, my tongue was still tingling from the orange flavor of the pill. I decided to help her a bit and ease the situation.

"Lechu..." I called Lakshmi aunty and moved towards her.

Everyone in the room looked at me dumbfounded.

Lakshmi aunty is the only daughter of the owner of the hospital. Even the most senior doctor had to be respectful in front of her. Yet, a bed pooping baby was calling her by a pet name in front of everyone! Everyone looked away. They didn't want to face Lakshmi aunty when she was embarrassed.

I ignored others and tried to feed her a pill.

"What... How do you have more pills?" Lakshmi aunty took the pill from my hand instead of eating. She also checked my pockets for more pills.

"Can I see that?" The nurse immediately took the pill. After checking the shape and color, she was absolutely sure about the pill.

"That's a relief. Someone go to the pharmacy and call those people. There is no harm in being a bit more sure."

"Let me see if I can find the pill." The nurse took her phone and started searching. Clearly, she was the most experienced when it comes to pills.

"Here, this is xxxx. It's a very common vitamin-C tablet. You can check it with the pharmacy if you want to be sure." She passed the phone to Lakshmi aunty.

The person who went to the pharmacy returned with the manager at the right time.

"Why are you people so irresponsible? How can a baby take pills from the pharmacy within just a few seconds?" Lakshmi aunty glared at him.

"Madam, he was your responsibility. Are you trying to shift the blame to us?" The manager responded. I was surprised. Unlike others, his words clearly didn't have any respect.

"I have no plan to shift my responsibility. Whatever happened was my mistake. But I want to know how the hell did he manage to steal the pills from the pharmacy in front of all of you." Lakshmi aunty suppressed her anger and replied.

"There is no proof for that. Also, where we store the vitamin pills are not reachable for him. So he got the pill from somewhere else. Not our pharmacy. If you want someone to vent your anger, then try some nurse. Otherwise, come back with some evidence." He replied without a shred of respect. I understood what was happening. This guy works for Sekhar. So Lakshmi aunty is not his boss.

"Why are you so sure about the storage of vitamin pills?" Lakshmi ignored the disrespect in his words and asked him about the pills. Clearly, her priority was my safety.

"Our doctors prescribe a lot of vitamin pills. So we have those on the counter in plastic jars. I am sure that he didn't climb on the table."

"Fine. Get me a strip of this pill." Lakshmi aunty didn't want to argue with him anymore. She passed him the phone and asked him to get the pill so that she can confirm it.

"We don't sell this." He returned the phone after one look.

"How can you say that without asking in the pharmacy? Have you memorized everything in the pharmacy?" Lakshmi aunty was annoyed even more by his behavior.

"I don't have to memorize everything. That pill is the cheapest one available in the market. We are not doing charity here. So we don't sell it." the manager replied coolly.

"That's fine. Thank you for the help. I apologize for the trouble he caused." Dad walked in with a smile and interfered without giving any chance for Lakshmi aunty to speak.

A shiver ran through my body. I got up and ran to Lakshmi aunty.

Normally, dad won't punish us. But if she is even in a situation where he is angry and yet smiling, then the best course of action will be to run away. I learned that from my previous life.

"Finally, someone knows how to talk properly." The manager looked satisfied.

"Sorry again. I will compensate for your trouble later." Dad apologized to the manager again.

"Good." He looked at Lakshmi aunty and left the room.

"Where are the remaining pills?" Dad turned towards me and asked. Clearly, someone informed him of the situation. I was a bit surprised that among a room full of nurses and doctors, no one remembered to look for the remaining pills.

"I think he dropped it somewhere." Lakshmi aunty replied.

Dad ignored her and glared at me. I stood absolutely still. He approached me. "Where is the medicine?" He asked again.

I shrugged.

Then, with no regard for my privacy, he pulled down my trousers.

"Nooo..." I screamed and covered my peepee. How can he do this to me in front of all these beautiful nurses!

Dad ignored me and took out the strip of the tablets I hid in my trousers.

"How did you know he was hiding it there?" Lakshmi aunty was surprised.

"That's the first place you should be looking when you search a baby." Dad said while checking the strip.

'No... That's absolutely not true.' I screamed in my mind as I pulled up my trousers.

"Only two pills are missing. It's also the same pill that you took from him. He ate a part of the first one and the second pill is on your hand."

Dad checked the strip and said. With that, my plan went into the drain. My plan was to hide the strip and send them looking for it. Unfortunately, dad found the strip and he even found that I ate only a part of one pill.

"That's a relief." Lakshmi aunty sat down.

"Wait... It's not xxxx. So this one could be from our pharmacy. I have to talk to that manager again." Since the main issue was solved, Lakshmi aunty decided to get back at the arrogant manager.

"Leave it. I think he stole it from Riya's medicine box. I will contact Jeemma and confirm." Dad took his phone and contacted his elder sister. Jeemma was the pet name I gave to aunty. I was spending a lot of time with her. She tried her best to make me call her 'peramma'. That's the traditional local Christian name for father's sister. But I wasn't that happy with that. So I joined her name with 'amma' and started calling her Jeemma. Everyone loved that name. So dad also started calling her that. Thanks to the name, she was proud and more eager to take care of me.

Dad talked with Jeemma. They also checked with mom's prescription and confirmed that I took the strip from mom's box before we left home. With that, my plan completely failed.

"But I was sure that it was xxxx." The nurse was downcast. She couldn't accept that someone with her experience would make such a mistake.

"Don't worry. You have helped us a lot. Thank you. Please visit us this weekend with your family. I would like to treat you." Dad invited her home.

"She was just doing her job." Lakshmi aunty wasn't happy.

Dad's invitation was clearly to reward her. As a politician, he was well used to these kinds of rewards. But she was an employee of Lakshmi aunty. So this was against her work ethic as well as the rules of the hospital.

"Thank you, sir. But I didn't do anything special. Any nurse with a bit of experience can identity this pill. So it won't be fair to accept your invitation." The nurse politely rejected dad's invitation.

"No. I insist. Also, my wife can use the help of an experienced nurse. So Why don't you take a day off and help us today?" Dad continued with his unreasonable demand.

"Sorry I ... " The nurse tried to reject dad.

"Don't worry. I will talk to chairman Bose and get permission. It's just for one day."

"Why are you doing this?" Lakshmi aunty was displeased. Although she had control over the hospital, the chairman was still her dad and he had the ultimate decision-making authority.

Dad ignored Lakshmi aunty and started making calls.

While dad was busy with the phone, a young and beautiful nurse entered the room. She passed a parcel to Lakshmi aunty.

"What is this? Where were you all this time?" Lakshmi aunty glared at the young nurse. Her job was to assist Lakshmi aunty and yet she was missing throughout the trouble.

"This... is chicken biriyani. I went to buy it." The nurse replied confusedly.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. The young girl thought the playful order I gave on the phone was from Lakshmi aunty and she brought two biriyanis.

"What are you laughing at? If you don't eat it I will spank your little ass with a chair." Lakshmi aunty was furious. She was angry at me for making all the trouble. Now, on top of that, the food I ordered also arrived.

"Doctor..." The nurse called for Lakshmi aunty.

"It's 280 rupees."

"..."

I had to applaud the girl's courage. The other nurses in the room were signaling her to keep quiet. But she was pretty dumb and failed to read the situation.

In the end, dad paid the nurse. She still had no idea why everyone was acting weird.

"Alex... What did you do?" A soft sound came from behind me.

"Eeekkk... I cried and ran to Lakshmi aunty again. This time, I climbed on her and tightly hugged her neck.

"Just wait till we get home." Mom threatened me.

I'm screwd!

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Thank you for reading.

In the next one week, I will be editing the published chapters. Please ignore if you get any notifications for old chapters.

Thank you.