Life Costs A Penny Here Juned Ahsan © Copyright 2002 by Juned Ahsan

The post of president is as usual has its significance and though lots of external powers are also active in the college. The competition for the post of president is between the two guys paradoxically different to each other. One of them is Nick a student of final year of bachelor of commerce. Extremely sincere in his studies and a very sympathetic, extrovert and jovial person. On the other hand Samuel Jackson alias Sam is a student of third year bachelor of arts from last two years. He is a ruthless and introvert person. Sam is currently the vice president of student union but students are not pleased with his oppressive behavior. Sam is backed up by the external powers that want to misuse the post of president for their sake.

Any external force does not back up Nick but the students of the college are behind him, as they desperately need a good leader. Sam was sensing that to beat his rival Nick in the elections is going to be a very tough job for him. To convince students Sam called them for his speech in the premises of the college. He addressed the students which are few in numbers .He just repeat the same old his bullshit of fake promises and as a result students soon start to disperse. Samuel sensing the futility of his words stopped half way. Now Sam knows that Nick's success is inevitable and if he has to win its not going to be fairly. Sam tried to warn Nick many times but that end as abortive attempts.

Nick picked up the last nerve of Sam imperceptibly. Sam saw the girl Adrena whom he adores a lot campaigning for Nick. Now Samuel is having a grudge against Nick as he finds Adrena treating Nick with wild adulation in his embrace. He got out of his mind and he brings hooligans recklessly to beat Nick. On the next morning Nick is admitted to Sandy Beach Hospital with severe injuries on all over his body. Nick has not reported anybody's name although everybody knows that's no one except Sam can do that. After this incident Nick has the sympathy of each and every student of college and his success is now absolutely certain.

There is still a one and half month to go for the voting. And according to the doctors Nick would be able to go and cast his vote on his legs. Nick is recovering well and everything is going in right directions. It's more than a month now and everything is moving nicely before the college authorities announced a surprising news that Nick's nominations is cancelled.

HALF WAY: HAVE A BREAK, HAVE A KIT- KAT

There has been a strong agitation in the college as everybody is penitent for Nick and wants to know why his nomination is cancelled. The principal of the college told the students that Nick is HIV positive and he himself doesn't want to take part in the elections.

Everybody knows that Nick is not that kind of person so that he indulges himself in some vulgar activities and gets that virus. One of Nick's friends Mark; final year student of medicines reveals an imperceptible point. He told Nick that if he was HIV positive then his wounds couldn't be healed as quickly as they did. The conclusion is clear that Nick has surely got this virus after he has been admitted to the hospital. Why and who will inject this virus in the body of Nick's body is the prime question now.

Nick's case has gained immense popularity and media is covering each and every aspect of that. Police is also under immense pressure to solve this case very quickly. Police find only one suspicious person, the doctor under whom Nick was getting the treatment Dr. Newman Jackson. A great doctor known for his valuable contributions in the field of medicine but unfortunately he is also the father of Nick's archrival Samuel Jackson. Police got the man they wanted to make a case. On the next morning Dr. Newman is apprehended for founding guilty of improper treatment and injecting the lethal virus in Nick's body.

Newm called his friend JamE a private detective and part time lawyer. Newm knows that he is the person who can save him and understand his agony. JamE had the experience of solving such a case against a doctor of improper treatment. JamE met his friend Newm and assured him "If you are innocent no one can prove you guilty in the court. God will save you and I will reveal the inkling from him." JamE examined the Beach Sandy hospital, collected all the reports of the Nick case. He collected information of each and every part of the case right from the college elections to the arrest of Newm. He talked to Sam and asked him "tell me Sam if u did it, I need to know that to compile my case." Sam told him "Its true that Nick is in the hospital because of me but I never wanted to kill him. No one believes me if I say so and I cant prove that also but believe me if you can." After hearing to Sam, JamE said "Thanks Sam I never wanted to win a foul case". Before JamE can find something for the support of his case the date of the case has come.

Court Scene - I

Prosecution was well prepared with the case and they start to prove Newm guilty. JamE needs more time to fully investigate the case for that he has to prove something in favor of his client. So he question the ward boy Alex; who is the eyewitness according to the police. JamE: So what you saw Alex Alex: I saw Dr. Newm talking to his son on the phone, I heard him saying, I have given nurse the bottle of injection and no one can save him (Nick) now JamE: Interesting can you tell the court the date and time on which all that happened.

He shrugged and drawled after thinking "it was 13th September and it was … around 5 in evening". JamE: I want to call the nurse on duty on 13 September in the court "Permission granted," said the judge. The nurse entered the court without being aware of the earlier proceedings. JamE: Did you aware of the fact that the injection you are giving to Nick contain some kind of virus. Please try to remember it was on September 13th and Dr. Newm gave you the bottle of injection. Nurse: September 13th (after a pause) but on that day Dr. Newm didn't came for inspection. It was Friday and the operation day for Dr. Newm. And I don't remember that in my whole ever any doctor had given me any medicine. We ask the patient attendant to purchase it from the medical store. JamE: No more questions. So it is very much clear now that either one of them is lying the ward boy may be the nurse. According to me he actually didn't saw and heard anything. He is lying because he was tired with police investigations and these kind of people like the ward boy are the one who in their whole life do nothing special. But they also want to be famous like others and it was the best opportunity for him to be famous and finding his name in newspapers. I think we need some more time for proper investigation in this case and up to when nothing is proved against my client I want you to grant him bail. Judge: O.K the next date of the case is after fifteen days and Dr. Newm is granted bail but he cannot leave the city.

Court Scene ends

Anything can happen on next date so JamE starts his investigations from the very next day. Police has also got some time so they continued their investigations in a new direction. JamE joined hands with police in search of the real accused. Very soon the joint operands get some unfair things in the sandy beach hospital they busted a racket, which provide the medical accessories to the hospital. The crime they made is that they provide the old accessories after repackaging. JamE got the inkling he was waiting for and showed his intelligence to link this with the Nick's case. He complied his case and a day before the next date of the case JamE held a press conference and announced that the guilty in the case are found .The police has them in their custody and we will surely get our client (Newm) out of this case.

Court Scene - II

JamE: I can't prove that Dr. Newm is innocent alone I want everyone here to believe that he is innocent. As when this started, prosecution tried to show that Newm is the accused in this case but they were unable to provide the court some rigid and true witnesses. I don't want to criticize them actually they were also not aware of the truth but they find Dr. Newm suspicious and so they compiled their case according. It's a fact that how we try to look upon something it looks like that to us. The court has seen Dr. Newm as accused but now when we don't have any witness against him I want everybody to consider him as innocent. Now I will try to prove some points. First I want everybody to have a look upon the career of Dr. Newm, his achievements in the field of medicines is substantial, according to hospital authorities he is always present for his patients. No doubt about that he is a marvelous doctor and I can welcome a lot of witnesses to prove that. Out of them I want to ask the most important one regarding the case Mr. Nick to please come up in the witness box.

JamE: Forgetting that humblest experience for the mean time, how will you rate Dr. Newm.

Nick: No doubt about that he is an intelligent and a caring doctor. He always tells me about my condition and the treatment without using jargon to made me understand and feel better. He never left me feel that he is Sam's father. He is a wonderful person and I would be happy to find him innocent.

JamE: Fair enough now I want to flash the record of the patients admitted to the Sandy Beach Hospital in last six months .A total of 531 patients admitted to the hospital and out of these 29 a substantial number were found to be HIV positive. A very similar case of a farmer who was admitted to the hospital and after recovering well for some days his recovery stops and then he was told to be HIV positive. But his case had not been investigated as even that farmer was not aware of the disease AIDS because he was not that famous like Nick. Even in all that 29 case no one was investigated that how and from where he or she got that virus. Now reports says that Nick has got this virus from this hospital so maybe 1,2,3,,,,,,,10,, or all the 29 might have taken that virus from here. And the probability of this fact is quite high because the report of the investigation committee says that in this hospital syringes, needles and blades are reused.

We all are very much aware of the fact the disease Nick has is transferred with these means.

Judge: We have heard a lot in this case but never able to find a rigid witness. It would be very harsh if I punish somebody in this case except the ones found in the racket. Jam E has provided us with some facts, which seems to be genuine. I would not order to run a separate case for those accused, as I don't want any delay in their punishment. My judgement would look harsh for some law experts but according to me its not enough too. The accused should be injected with the all the same virus or even the worsen one.

Nick: Wait a minute judge, please don't do this, as I cannot suffer any more agony. As you and other people might not be aware that one of the accomplices is in my relation. He is my uncle who has got heart attack when he came to know that the money he was making from his part time job has infected his own blood.

Judge: I am bewildering what should I say now. O.K I will punish your uncle once he will recover and then ask him what would be the perfect punishment for him. For other accused the punishment will remains the same even if they don't think its justice actually they don't deserves justice. There life don't cost anything for us as for them others 'life costs a penny here' As there has been no rigid witnesses against Dr. is freed from this case. That's all.

Court Scene ends

Nick's uncle did not last long as he got infection after the cardiac surgery. Nick won the elections without any contest as the other candidate Sam withdraws his nomination .Sam realized his mistakes as his father faced so much humiliation and anguish because of him. Nick addressed the college students "I have gained nothing from this election besides being tormented and what I only want is there should be no contests like this. Doctors have told me that I can my life as usual but with care Hope So Thank you for your love, care and sympathy for me."

This was the last election that held in the St.Stephens College. Adrena married Nick after a year and they adopted two children and lived happily thereafter.

P.S. It's a true horrible fact that in our country medical accessories (syringes, needles, and blades) are repackaged and reused.
 
 

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