Daily Drama

It can't be; it would be something completely improbable, but...

Quickly taking the pill, I turn off the kitchen light as I head towards my room.

It was a very slim possibility; many things would have to happen one after another, causing this mistake. With the help of my handheld flashlight, I flip through the pages of the book House had lent me, confident I had read about it on one of the pages.

When I reached the 'c,' I stopped; I had found it.

Colchicine is a medication primarily used to treat gout, a type of arthritis that occurs when uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints, causing inflammation and pain. It is also sometimes prescribed for other conditions, such as familial Mediterranean fever and pericarditis.

Certainly, the description of the medication didn't help me much, but one of its possible risks did.

Colchicine blocks mitosis and stops cell division, resulting in abdominal pain, rash, nausea, fever, kidney failure, low blood pressure, and it also interferes with bone marrow.

Surprised, I let out a small and quick laugh that I immediately silenced upon hearing movement in Gabe's bed.

Marking the page, I put the book back into my backpack, turned off the flashlight, and, lying on the bed, tried to sleep by closing my eyes.

Two diseases were a possibility of ten million to one. What were the chances of a whole process of mistake in obtaining the wrong medication and overdosing due to not noticing an improvement in a simple cough?

Still amused by the implications of my theory, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

The next day, as always, Gabe and I went for our morning run around the neighborhood. When we returned home, each at our own pace, we cleaned up and got ready for school.

School went on like any other day; the curious glances from people were diminishing as I walked through the school hallways. There were still people pointing at me, with a failed attempt at discretion, occasionally as I passed by them, but apart from that, it went smoothly.

In the cafeteria, at our 'new' table with Regina and her friends, there was a somewhat strange interaction. Regina, who clung to my forearm throughout lunch, spoke cheerfully with her friends about a set of rules to follow and the fashion magazines that had just been published. A few of my friends, actually all of them except Alan, tried to get the attention of Karen and Gretchen.

After several minutes of trying to stand out among the others, my three friends, in a tactical truce or simply tired of being ignored, began to talk cheerfully among themselves about other things, just like any other day in the cafeteria. To my surprise and relief, with fewer gross topics than usual.

At the end of the school day, Mom was already waiting for me on the main street. As always, we talked about my day at school on the way to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, after greeting Mom's always cheerful nurse colleagues, I walked somewhat excitedly to House's office. I felt quite excited; finding the answer to a very difficult problem is always rewarding. From my past life, I loved the feeling, hence the interest in participating in so many math competitions.

In House's office, this time I only found him standing in front of the board, completely focused on it.

Entering his office immediately caught House's attention; he turned intrigued, seeing my face.

"You're excited," he affirmed. "Why?" he asked, leaning slightly.

Walking to the table, I lowered my backpack, taking out the book he had lent me the day before, opening it to the page where I had found the medication. "I was thinking a lot about the symptoms," I said while handing him the book. "Since yesterday, the order in which we had it written seemed strange to me," I continued, pointing to the board. "Imagine you're a young adult recently independent or in college away from your parents," I continued, giving a speech as he liked to give.

"One day you wake up and have a cough, so you go to any doctor, preferably one who doesn't charge too much for a consultation," I said, still excited. "The doctor, obviously diagnosing a type of patient, prescribes medication for the cough, but at the pharmacy, they confuse it with-" I was saying. "Colchicine," House interrupted with a small smile as he closed the book, pushing it into my arms.

"Yeah," I said, unintentionally with a proud smile on my face.

"Interesting theory, kid," House said as he walked to his desk. "But unfortunately, it's wrong; the treatment worked. Right now, he's already at home," he continued, still moving slowly towards his chair behind his desk.

Even though it shouldn't be, the knowledge that someone improved their health was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the excitement I had since the day before. Much more disappointed and somewhat annoyed with myself for feeling that way, I packed the book back into my backpack.

Laughing nasally, House got up from his chair. "Pretty easy to kill a kid's illusion. Not bad for a sad and bitter old man," he said sarcastically as he walked out of his office. "Come on, he's really sick; we have to check your theory, but I like it."

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Author Thoughts:

As always, I'm not American, let alone a doctor.

I think this is the first chapter with fewer than 1k words that I've published; I feel a bit dirty, to tell the truth.

Possibly after this, there will be one more chapter that will be just as short, and from there, the usual number of words will return, maybe with one or more chapters per week.

I must also say that I didn't put in the same effort as usual in this chapter, and the next one will probably be the same. So there's a chance that this and the next chapter will be rewritten, depending on the reception they get.

Having said that.

I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.

Thanks for reading :D

PS: LEAVE A REVIEW, please.