Chapter 21 : Grabbing Away Her Medicine
Nigel clenched his fists. If he found out the hospital had used excessive or violent treatment, he would not tolerate it.
While he sat there, wound up with mixed emotions, a pop-up suddenly appeared on his screen. It showed a patient strapped to a chair, twisting in pain during electroshock therapy. He closed it immediately.
Then he noticed an article explaining that electroconvulsive therapy was considered a standard procedure for treating psychiatric conditions. His furrowed brows softened.
Feeling relieved, he tried to comfort himself.
If it were an approved medical treatment, then Allison hadn’t been abused. Since it was used on patients, it couldn’t possibly be harmful.
With that thought, whatever guilt he still felt toward Allison faded away.
“Nigel! Look what I found!” Sherrie suddenly jumped up, turning her laptop toward him.
He quickly closed his search window before looking at Sherrie’s screen. Ruth put down her book and walked over as well.
Nigel’s eyes widened. “Can the Alphasirox pills treat asthma?”
Ruth was so overwhelmed with relief that she burst into tears and hugged Sherrie tightly. “My poor Sherrie is finally saved!”
Downstairs, Ruth’s sudden sobbing was so loud and unexpected that even Ronan and Allison were startled.
Ronan was about to go upstairs to check, but before he could move, Nigel, Ruth, and Sherrie were already rushing down toward him.
Just as Ronan was about to speak, Nigel and Ruth brushed past him and went straight to Allison. Only Sherrie stayed behind, her voice trembling with sorrow as she asked, “Did you come to see my sister, or did you come to see me?”
Ronan’s face showed his guilt, but he quickly hid it. “Of course, I came to see you.”
Sherrie’s eyes turned red once again, and her voice trembled with pain. “You forgot there are cameras everywhere in the house…”
Every moment he spent here, every person he talked to, was recorded.
Before Ronan could explain, Sherrie lowered her head and walked away. She looked utterly disappointed.
Ronan stood there blankly, awkward and embarrassed, feeling as if he’d been caught sneaking around. He pressed a hand to his forehead and rushed after Sherrie. As he approached them, he heard Nigel start questioning Allison.
“Ally, the Alphasirox pills can cure Sherrie’s illness. Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
The Alphasirox pills?
Ruth grabbed Allison’s hands, tears of joy streaming down her face. “Ally, I always knew you were a good child! You were thinking of Sherrie all along and even got this medicine for her. I don’t even know how to thank you…”
Nigel, smiling in relief, added, “Mom, we’re family. There’s no need to thank her. It’s only right for Allison to help Sherrie.”
Allison ignored the dramatic pair and glanced directly at Sherrie.
Looking into her eyes, Sherrie smiled softly. “Sister, thank you for preparing the Alphasirox pills for me.”
Ronan, still confused, pulled Sherrie aside and asked, “Alphasirox pills?”
Nigel replied, “It’s a newly developed special medication for asthma. With this, Sherrie will finally be able to live like a normal person.”
But Ronan frowned. “The Alphasirox pills aren’t available for sale yet. Even my family’s hospital can’t get them. How would Allison have them? You must be mistaken.”
Allison stayed silent as she lowered her eyes.
The moment Nigel mentioned the pills, she knew this was Sherrie’s scheme. She couldn’t deny having them, because she really did.
As expected, Ella had already run to her room to search.
Her room was small. She couldn’t hide it from them.
“Found it! I found the medicine!” Ella rushed back, waving the pillbox proudly.
Nigel’s and Ronan’s attention went straight to the box. No one seemed to notice Ella’s blatant invasion of privacy.
When Ella handed the pillbox to Nigel, she shot Allison a proud, arrogant glance, with satisfaction beaming in her eyes.
Allison stared at the pillbox as they took it away. Her voice trembled as she slowly stood up. “That’s my life-saving medicine… It’s not for Sherrie.”
Nigel gave her a brief look, then brushed her off. “Allison, don’t be selfish. Sherrie’s condition is more urgent.”
With that, Nigel and Ronan began examining the Alphasirox pills, carefully checking if they were real.
Earlier upstairs, when Sherrie said Allison had the medicine, he hadn’t thought much of it. But now, after Ronan’s reminder, Nigel suddenly began to question it.
As Ronan had said, this medication wasn’t on the market yet. Even the powerful Lopez family couldn’t obtain it. So how could Allison, who barely ever left the house, possibly have it?
Ronan examined the box for a moment, then shot Allison a sharp look and asked, “Where did you get this medicine?”
Nigel realized something. “So, it’s real?”
Ronan gave a slight nod. “A friend asked me to find a box of this medicine, but no matter how many connections I used, I couldn’t get one.”
His eyes on Allison grew even more complicated.
But Nigel wasn’t interested in any of that. The only thing he cared about was whether the medicine was real.
He grabbed the box from Ronan and pushed it into Sherrie’s hands. “Sherrie, quick. Take it now. Once you do, your illness will be cured.”
Allison watched the small box of medicine land in Sherrie’s hands. Disappointment flickered across her face.
Ruth saw her reaction and quickly grabbed her hand with a bright smile. “Ally, Mom will make something delicious for you tonight as compensation. What would you like? Chicken drumsticks, perhaps?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. She made the decision for Allison. In a cheerful voice, she called out, “Ella, go buy some chicken drumsticks. Oh, and pick up some candy for Sherrie, too. She can’t stand the bitterness of medicine.”
Allison looked at Ruth’s smiling face, but all she felt was a deep emptiness in her chest. It was like a freezing void that cut straight through her. The pain was sharp and intense.
Her daughter was going to get better, and Ruth was overjoyed. She never once thought about the fact that her other daughter would lose her only lifeline because of it.
Allison had just learned something new. Chicken drumsticks could be used as rewards. Her life was worth nothing more than a few pieces of chicken. Ha.
Her eyes shifted to Nigel.
He was the same as always. He was so good at being generous with things that weren’t his. Every time, with his so-called kindness, he made decisions for her and gave everything that belonged to her to Sherrie.
Her dresses. Her gifts. Her room. Her identity. And now, even her life-saving medicine.
Maybe her stare was too sharp because Nigel finally frowned at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
It was just a box of medicine, yet she was acting like the whole world had betrayed her. How childish.