The Moment of No Return

"Son, what's the matter?!" James's voice, thick with panic, cut through the door and into the room.

I opened the door with a steady hand.

The clock struck six o'clock on the dot—the same moment my son's tragedy unfolded in my previous life.

There he was, sprawled on the living room floor. The cake I had bought was missing a piece.

His complexion was ghostly, his hands clawing at his throat in a silent struggle for air.

An allergic reaction, no doubt about it.

James was tearing through drawers and cabinets in search of medication.

When he spotted me, his eyes brightened with hope. "Honey, our boy's having a reaction. You've got the meds, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've got them."

I nodded but stood still.

As my son's face started to turn a shade of blue, my mother-in-law's patience snapped, her voice laced with reproach. "If you've got the medicine, then for heaven's sake, bring it out!"

Even our friends were pressing me.

"Come on, can't you see how much he's suffering?"

"Joyce, where's the medicine? In your usual bag or your pocket? Think fast!"

The urgency was palpable, and everyone pitched in to search for the boy's life-saving pill.

The room was a whirlwind of activity, a mess of well-meaning chaos.

"Stop looking." My voice cut through the commotion, halting everyone in their tracks, "I have the medicine."

A pale blue pill lay in my open hand.

Relief washed over James's face. "That's it! Honey, hand it over quickly, I need to give it to our son."

James reached out, his face a picture of gratitude for his son's narrow escape.

However, I did something completely unexpected.

With a light laugh, I flicked the pill into the champagne tower. It fizzed, then sank.

Everyone froze.

James was livid. "What are you doing, Joyce?! That's our son's lifeline!"

James's hands shook as he tried to retrieve the then-dissolving pill.

Not wasting another second, he gripped my shoulders, his voice tight with urgency.

"Enough games, Joyce. You can joke any other time, but not now, not with our son's life. Get the medicine back! Now!"

All eyes bore into me expectantly.

I just shrugged. "It's gone, that was the last one we had."

"Why would you throw it away?" My mother-in-law gasped, clutching her heart in disbelief.

"It can't be." James shook his head, refusing to believe.

As our son's breaths grew fainter, I did not budge, just casually crossed my legs.

In a panic, my mother-in-law reached for her phone to dial emergency services.

However, the moment she connected, I snatched the phone and ended the call.

The screen went dark, mirroring the ashen pallor of our son's face.

"Joyce, what on earth are you thinking?!"

I offered no explanation.

James snapped out of his shock and redialed for an ambulance.

However, the precious minutes lost meant our son's breaths were then shallow and few.

My livid mother-in-law hissed through gritted teeth, "If anything happens to Brian, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, Joyce!"

"Mom, he'll pull through," James spoke up without thinking, coming to my defense.

He propped up our son, holding him in a half-sitting position to ease his breathing.