The Treatment
“Take this medicine and spray it onto yourself twice a day. This should help take care of the infection.” The doctor said oozing warmth and comfort.
“Thank you so much doctor.” The patient replied in an earthy voice that did not sound overly reassured. “What about the temperature rise and the mood swings that I have been experiencing lately sir. Will this medicine cure me of that as well?” The patient asked as she walked up from the examination bed in the clinic to the chair across the doctors table.
“I think it should. Otherwise, otherwise…we have stronger medicine.” The doctor said, avoiding his patients eyes. He stood up to wash his hands vigorously with soap and wiped his hands on his coat, letting his body heat evaporate the lingering moisture.
The patient sat silently for a while, contemplating the doctors statement.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. What about your other two patients, our neighbours? You cured them of the infection without using…the medicine.”
“Your neighbors were running extremely high temperatures due to a disease acquired by being too close to my assistant, Ms Ray.” The doctor replied with a grimace. “She has that effect on people who get too close to her. Their diseases were not even remotely similar to yours”
“Why don’t you, you know…” the patient whispered “…get rid of her?”
The doctor paused for a second from the notes he was scribbling on his notepad and looked up sharply at the patient.
“Thank you for your counsel madam. But you should know that Ms Ray also happens to be my daughter. And for all her radioactive toxicity, I do love her a lot.”
The patient, mortified over her faux pas looked ready to apologise but the doctor forestalled her with raised hands.
“I understand your concerns madam. Unfortunately, one never gets a choice in relatives now do they?” The doctor said, all the while looking pointedly at the door where the good lady’s husband could be seen peeking in.
“What is it Mr. Moon?”
Out stepped a diminutive man with a pockmarked and misshapen face that surprisingly had a radiance around it that for some strange reason seemed to inspire the dormant poet in the doctor.
“Ahem. Sorry to interrupt doctor. I didn’t mean to intrude but I was anxious to know about my wife’s diagnosis. Will she be ok?”
The doctor stayed silent for a while, debating internally whether to admonish him for breaching patient – doctor confidentiality or to just answer his question. Kindness won the moment.
“Your wife is exhibiting a higher than expected body temperature due to an infection that I haven’t come across anywhere else yet. And, as you may remember this is the second time this has happened to her.”
Mr. Moon reacted violently at this revelation. Before he could say anything, the doctor hurriedly continued.
“This strain, however, is different from the previous one. It exhibits characteristics that make it simultaneously more dangerous and more vulnerable than the previous one. Given the extent of the infection, I am slowly increasing the dosage to gently remove the infection from your wife’s body. And no, I don’t think we will have to indulge in lobotomizing your wife again as we had to 250 million years ago.”
Mr. Moon looked visibly relieved with the doctor’s statement. Drawing strength from the doctors calm confidence, he asked what would happen if his beloved wife’s health didn’t improve?
“Don’t worry Mr. Moon. I have other tricks up my sleeve. Rest assured, one way or the other we will get rid of this infection from her system one way or the other.”