After Husband Swapped Daughter's Life-Saving Medicine With Vitamins, He Went Mad

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My husband was famous for being thrifty.

For our wedding ring, he bought a stainless steel band from a street vendor, saying it stood for a love that would never fade.

When our daughter was born underweight, he brought home a few cans of soy formula, saying it worked far better than the imported knockoff stuff.

But when she fell gravely ill and needed the imported specialty drug, he bought a whole case without hesitation. "Save where you should save, spend where you should spend."

I was so moved. I felt guilty for ever thinking he was a cheapskate.

Three months later we went back for a checkup, and the doctor's face went grave.

"The patient's condition has worsened. She won't live another month."

I demanded to know how that was possible, and showed him the medicine my husband had bought.

He was angrier than I was. "Feeding her vitamins instead of medicine. What kind of mother does that!"

I froze on the spot, turning the pills over and over in my hand, and with trembling fingers I called my husband. "...The thing you bought for Claudia Delgado, it's vitamins?"

There was a note of pride in his voice. "It took me pulling strings through several people to get those. Three times cheaper than the hospital. Got them for double digits!"

I hung up in despair. I wanted to ask my best friend how her sick child was doing, and then I saw the post on her social media feed. "If it weren't for you, the medical bills in the millions really would have crushed me."

The photo was of her and her son, both beaming.

The hospital bed was piled with Transformers and Australian formula, and the boxes of the genuine imported drug were scattered all over the floor.

And beneath it, my husband had left a comment.

"It was nothing. Michael Fox surviving is what matters most."

I held my daughter's cold little hand, and my tears fell scalding hot.

So he wasn't thrifty at all. He just gave the good things to other people.

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I called Lance Delgado again.

"Where did you get the money for Michael?"

He was quiet for a moment, then countered, "I make seven figures a year. It's not like I can't cover a little thing like that."

I heard myself laugh. "So you buy Claudia a few dollars' worth of vitamins? Do you have any idea what the doctor said—"

He cut me off, impatient. "Can you stop always comparing yourself to other people?"

"Michael has a very rare disease. There's no cure except that one drug! You're his godmother. Fine if you don't care, but here you are nickel-and-diming."

His voice was loud. Beside me, our daughter woke up, and her pale little hand grabbed hold of me.

"Mommy, don't fight with Daddy..."

My tears spilled over scalding hot at once, my chest clenching tight.

"Claudia's medical records. Have you even looked at them?"

Lance let out a long sigh. "She's running around fine every day. What could possibly be wrong with her?"

"I may make a lot of money, but it's all blood and sweat."

"You can't let Claudia use tricks like this to con me into spending money on her."

Suddenly there was no point in saying anything to him at all.

When I stayed silent for a long time, Lance's tone softened a little.

"What do you want to eat tonight? I'll bring it home for you two."

Claudia was listening beside me, wide-eyed and hopeful, and she said softly,

"Mommy, I want crawfish."

She flushed, embarrassed. "Can I?"

She was supposed to be the light of our lives, yet she had to ask for things so carefully.

I closed my eyes and smiled at her gently. "Okay. Mommy will take you."

On the other end, Lance gave a low laugh, coaxing her in that offhand way of his.

"Claudia, be a good girl, and I'll bring you extra-spicy garlic crawfish tonight."

The call ended, and I gathered my daughter into my arms.

I couldn't hold it back any longer, and I broke down sobbing.

I didn't want to give up any hope, but the doctor said there was nothing left to be done.

After he learned the truth, his expression was complicated. "If she'd taken the medicine on schedule, she would have started improving within a month. The vitamins weren't just useless, they made the illness worse."