Everything was normal.
Thank goodness.
<
Walking down the stairs, I overheard some
nurses gossiping.
“That poor kid. The doctor said he was fine,
but the dad wanted to give him a shot of penicillin anyway.”
“Yeah, the head doctor even came. He’s
acting like he can’t hear anything. I think that kid is stuck with a monster for a dad.”
“Ugh, being born into that family? That kid’s
life is over.”
They were full of pity, but helpless to do
anything.
I got suspicious and followed them to the pediatric ward.
I could hear a baby crying inside.
An older lady looked in at the door, shook her
head, and walked away.
“Talking about his son being sick, what a load of bull! Is he actually giving a baby penicillin? What’s wrong with him?”
My heart skipped a beat.
I peeked inside.
It was Jake with a baby, demanding
medication from the doctor.
“Give him a shot. Three shots… no, five shots
of penicillin! My son is sick, and you won’t
give him medicine? Fine! I’m taking this
somewhere else!”
The doctor tried to reason with him. “Sir, penicillin can’t be randomly given, it could kill him, especially because he is one month old.”
“I’m his father, so I can do whatever I want
with him.”
He turned to the other patients in the clinic. “Come on, everyone, look at this, a fancy hospital won’t treat my son! They’re playing favorites! They are looking down on us poor
people!”
The place was going crazy.
I faked surprise. “Jake? What’s going on? Is
the baby sick?”
When he saw me, he backed away, trying to
shield the baby.
“It’s nothing. I just thought he had a cold.
How are you here?”
I walked closer, pretending to get a good look at the baby. “I’m picking up my brother’s checkup report. You know how babies get
sick easily.”
He got jumpy, forgetting everything else. “What’s wrong with him? What did the doctor
say?”
He looked so funny, ditching his own kid to
worry about someone else.
I waved the paper around. “He’s fine, healthy
se can be Your kid…”
as can be. Your kid…”
Jake reached for the paper, but when he saw
I was close to the baby, he scooped him up
and rushed out.
“He’s fine. I just wanted to make sure. He’s
not picky.”
The other parents glared at him.
“What kind of thing is that to say? That’s a
human!”
He acted like he didn’t hear them, and hurried
away.
He thought he was insulting my brother.
Too bad it was his own son.
Chapter 2
When Mikey turned one, Aunt Carol brought
over an expensive gift.
She’s usually so cheap, but this time she was
being extravagant.
She waddled in, dressed in a red and black
outfit that made her look even bigger, and put
a thick gold chain around Mikey’s neck.
Mom tried to refuse. “He’s too young! We
can’t accept something so expensive!”
Aunt Carol scowled. “Don’t say that. Kids
should be spoiled. Look how happy he is!
Take it, Mikey. Grandma will get you more
later.”
Mikey grabbed the chain and wouldn’t let go.
“Mikey’s a little star! He deserves all the gifts
in the world.”
She eyed Mikey’s sneakers, which were
fabric.
“Baby stuff doesn’t cost much, Mom. Spend a little, you won’t regret it. You got to make
sure to keep the baby happy.”
Grandma looked pleased, gushing, “That’s
right. Mikey is the heart of our family. Money
is no problem!”
I had to admit, Mikey looked adorable in that
moment.
Aunt Carol held Mikey for the longest time,
<
kissing him and acting like she didn’t want to
let go.
“Mikey’s so cute, he’s as handsome as a
model. I wish he was mine.”
She was so convincing that everyone started teasing her, telling her to just take him home.
Soon, Mikey got sleepy, so the nanny took
him upstairs to rest.
Aunt Carol followed them.
Shelly went along with Aunt Carol. Her baby
looked thin, almost skeletal, and lifeless.
This was the baby that had been initially
switched.
L
Aunt Carol’s grandson.
I asked, trying to be polite. “Is that your
nephew? I haven’t seen him much. Why is he
so skinny?”
“Nanny, grab some of Mikey’s formula and vitamins. Shelly can take them home.”
Shelly looked at me nervously, but didn’t say
anything.
Aunt Carol laughed. “No need. This kid was
born too early, always weak. No point in
wasting stuff on him.”
“They say that bad names have good luck.
Let’s just call him ‘Lucky‘. Like a dog, it will
be fine.”
Then she reached for the baby.
