A DARKER SILVER LINING

HEX'S BIRTH

JULIUS' POV

My son had not been what we had wanted. He was grotesque to look at. I mean he had a hunch and a rather awkward looking face. Kiara, my wife was beautiful but why would God give us such a hideous thing for a child?

As soon as he was born, I made a choice to correct deformities. So I engrossed in science to get something to make my son more human than animal. I mean, I wouldn't take care of him in that state. No matter how hard my wife tried to convince me it was a blessing I didn't want to agree with her. That couldn't be a blessing. He was a curse.

I had tried reasoning with her to put him in a children's home but I guess a mother's love knows no bounds. And if that made her happy, I'd do it for her. Both Kiara and I were renowned pharmacists in Boli town. Anyone who needed treatment always came to us. I'd just adjust my treatment payment policy to raise enough money for lab equipment and medicine to alter my son's nature.

Science and faith can co-exist. I mean, religion and science are the same two sides of a coin. Quantum realms and heavenly bodies are much more related if you think of it.

After six years of hard work and research, I had already come up with a cure of Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. Not exactly a cure but a working progress. Our patients were doing well. My wife chipped in to help once in a while. The twins were getting better with every dosage we administered. The girl, Amber as I recall, was taking long to respond to the drugs owing to her dementia unlike the boy, Jason.

Everything went down and dimmed my research on my son's condition when we received a phone call. One that changed it all. Nate had committed murder...in 6th grade. But that didn't stop me. Even with him in juvee I had to ensure I treated his monstrous look.

The business was falling fast. Most of the money we got was focussed on lawyers for our son's case. But that didn't keep him away from Justice. The savings I had for myself were used on bribing one if the guards in his juvenile cell. He had to give him a drug, one to make him forget the reason why he was there. My experiment wouldn't work if Nate still held on to that memory.

Kiara was reluctant at first but it was for Nate's own good. We had to do it. Amidst all our troubles an opportunity presented itself. And I took every moment I got to my advantage. With the elementary school closed down after the murder and a cult six months later, the owner, Chum had nothing left. That would help me a lot.

As I did my research, I found out that the girl my son had killed was a Klippel-Trenaunay patient. One I had been treating and whose brother had been completely cured or so I thought. I'd use this to my advantage. Kiara and I worked out the statistics. Nate was already in juvenile for six months. If we produced papers that the deceased had been mentally ill it would be ruled out as self defense.

The boy, Jason would definitely require more maintenance drugs. Especially with the stress of being bereaved. An arrangement was due. And sure enough, he fell sick in juvee. The Sheldon's had no one else to turn to. No other medication would work for their son's condition.

It was their son's life at stake and our son's freedom at stake. And a trade was obviously necessary. With the parent's testimony that their daughter had been a dementia patient, Nate's sentence was reduced. He would be out in few years.

Just enough time to let the drug being given to him to make him forget. The fight he had been involved in put Kiara and I  a step ahead. He would never know his mum and I had been behind everything he went through in juvenile. But it was for his own good.