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Counting Down to the Day I'm Not Needed

Counting Down to the Day I'm Not Needed

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Soaring SlothcatCompleted
Language: English
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Synopsis

Remorse Family

Countdown

Biological Family

Bias

Child

Melodramatic

Plot Twists

There's a whiteboard in my house, with the countdown to my death written across it. "Estimated days until Harold's heart fails: 47 days". Every morning, Mom carefully wipes away yesterday's number and writes in a new one. It's just like a countdown for a big sale at the supermarket—precise, cold, and dripping with anticipation. My name is Harold Irwin, and I'm 12 years old. I was born with a congenital heart disease. The doctors say I won't be able to survive past another six months without surgery. The surgery costs 450,000 dollars. Yet, my father, Shaun Irwin, who is worth 300 million dollars, says, "450,000 dollars? That's not worth it." Because there's another healthy child in our family—my little sister, Magdalene Irwin. She's eight years old, brilliant, pretty, plays the piano, and knows how to charm the adults. She's the only child in the family who's "worth it".

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Harold's POV

The first time I heard my parents discuss my death was on a Wednesday night.

The study door wasn't shut properly, and I overheard the conversation inside as I was walking past with my pill bottle.

My mom, Miranda Ruffo, sounded very calm, as if she were discussing a financial investment. "The insurance company confirmed it. Harry's life insurance pays out 750,000 dollars. If he dies, we're the beneficiaries."

My dad, Shaun Irwin, flipped through some documents. "750,000 dollars? We only paid 12,000 dollars in premiums when we bought the policy. That's a pretty good return."

Mom nodded. "And if he dies from an illness, there's no waiting period. The payout will be immediate. I've already had our lawyer confirm it."

"Then let's skip the surgery," Dad said, putting down his pen. "The surgery costs 450,000 dollars, and there's only a 60 percent success rate. We'd be better off saving the money, waiting for the insurance payout, then walking away with a clean 750,000 dollars."

"That money will be enough to send Maggie to that summer camp abroad and also buy a nice house in a good school district."

Mom hesitated. "But… people might talk."

"Talk about what?" Dad retorted, sneering. "He was born with a congenital heart defect, and the doctors already said it's incurable. We're just respecting medical reality."

"When the time comes, we'll just tell everyone we tried everything in our power, but it just wasn't meant to be. Then we'll give him a respectable funeral, invite a few reporters, and turn it into good PR for the company."

The pill bottle slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a loud clatter.

The study instantly fell dead silent.

I picked up the pill bottle and turned to leave, only to hear Mom's voice behind me.

"Harry? What are you doing out here?"

I didn't turn around. "I was just getting my medicine."

"Now that you have it, get to bed early. You still have your hospital checkup tomorrow."

"Okay."

I went back to my bedroom and shut the door. On my nightstand was a whiteboard.

47 days.

As it turned out, it wasn't a countdown for me at all. It was counting down to their "payout date".

That night, I made a decision. If they were waiting for me to die, then I'd go ahead and die.

Just not the way they wanted me to.

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12 Chapters
Chapter 1
Harold's POVThe first time I heard my parents discuss my death was on a Wednesday night.The study door wasn't shut properly, and I overheard the conversation inside as I was walking past with my pill bottle.My mom, Miranda Ruffo, sounded very calm, as if she were discussing a financial investment. "The insurance company confirmed it. Harry's life insurance pays out 750,000 dollars. If he dies, we're the beneficiaries."My dad, Shaun Irwin, flipped through some documents. "750,000 dollars? We only paid 12,000 dollars in premiums when we bought the policy. That's a pretty good return."Mom nodded. "And if he dies from an illness, there's no waiting period. The payout will be immediate. I've already had our lawyer confirm it.""Then let's skip the surgery," Dad said, putting down his pen. "The surgery costs 450,000 dollars, and there's only a 60 percent success rate. We'd be better off saving the money, waiting for the insurance payout, then walking away with a clean 750,000 doll
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Chapter 2
Harold's POVThe next day, I didn't go to the hospital for my checkup. Instead, I went to the insurance company.When the receptionist saw a 12-year-old boy walk through the doors by himself, she was very surprised."Hey there, buddy," she said, leaning over the counter. "Who are you here for?""Hello, I'd like to check my insurance policy. My name is Harold Irwin, and the policyholder is Miranda Ruffo."The receptionist, whose nametag read "Kaitlyn", hesitated for a second before pulling up the information anyway."Your policy… has a death benefit of 750,000 dollars, with your parents, Shaun Irwin and Miranda Ruffo, listed as the beneficiaries.""Can the beneficiaries be changed?""Yes, but only with the policyholder's consent. That's your mom."I nodded. "And if the policyholder doesn't agree to it?""Then it can't be changed."I thought about it for a moment. "What if I bought my own policy? Could I name someone else as the beneficiary?"Kaitlyn blinked, completely taken
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Chapter 3
Harold's POVI started searching online."Can a minor write a will?""How can I keep my parents from collecting my life insurance payout?""If the beneficiary of a life insurance policy commits a crime, can they still collect the money?"The search results gave me one key piece of information—if the beneficiary intentionally caused the death of the insured, the insurance company would deny the claim.I stared at those words on the screen for a long time. Then, I started keeping a journal. It wasn't a regular journal, but evidence.I also planned to use my old tablet to make audio and video recordings. Every time they discussed my insurance policy, every time they cut my medication, and every time they updated the countdown on the whiteboard, I would document it all.…Three days later, the number on the whiteboard dropped to 44.Sure enough, Mom cut my dosage. I used to take three pills a day, but now, she was only giving me two."Mom, I'm missing a pill."Mom was peeling f
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Chapter 4
Harold's POVI went back to my room and transferred the recordings from the voice recorder onto my tablet, then saved them under the file name "Evidence_007_PreliminaryInsuranceClaimReview".Then I made three separate backups of the file. One stayed on the tablet, and one went onto a flash drive, which I hid underneath my mattress. As for the third, I needed to hand it over to someone I could trust.The problem was, there wasn't anyone I could trust.My classmates? They only saw me as some rich kid. None of them ever tried to get closer to me.My teachers? The last time one of them noticed the bruises on my arm, Mom just had to make a single phone call, and everything was smoothed over.Relatives? They all worked at Dad's company. None of them would risk crossing him.I stayed awake thinking about it all night.The next morning, I spotted someone sitting outside the entrance to our neighborhood—a homeless man.Every day, he'd sit on the bench across the street, cradling a mang
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Chapter 5
Harold's POVThe number on the whiteboard dropped to 31.My condition was getting worse every day. What used to be occasional chest tightness turned into me gasping for air after just a few steps.There was no heartache in Mom's eyes when she saw my pale face. There was only cold calculation."Only one month left," she said to Dad in the kitchen. "Everything on the insurance company's end is set. When the time comes, we'll just say his condition worsened, and he passed away from natural causes.""What about his medication?""It's already been reduced to just one pill a day. In another few days, I'll stop it completely.""Okay. Just make sure nobody else notices anything."I stood outside the kitchen door, the voice recorder quietly running in my pocket."Evidence_015_PlanToStopMedication".…That afternoon, I collapsed at school.When I woke up, I was in the hospital. My attending physician was Dr. Brynn Mariano, a woman in her forties.She looked through my medical chart
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Chapter 6
Harold's POVI looked at Dr. Mariano. She was the second person willing to help me. The first was Allen, the homeless man, and the second was this doctor. Both of them were complete strangers who had no blood relation to me."Dr. Mariano.""Yes?""Thank you. But… if my dad finds out, could he do something to you?"Dr. Mariano smiled. "The day I became a doctor, I took an oath to save lives. Your dad donating a building is impressive, but one building can't buy my conscience."Soon after, Mom came to the hospital to pick me up. She wore the perfect expression of a loving mother."Harry, Mommy's here to take you home."Dr. Mariano stepped in front of her. "Mrs. Irwin, your son's condition is unstable. I recommend keeping him here for observation for a few more days."Mom's smile stiffened for a brief moment. "We can take good care of him at home, Dr. Mariano.""Then why is his medication dosage incorrect?" Dr. Mariano asked as she looked Mom straight in the eye. "According to
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Chapter 7
Harold's POVWhen Ben Flack arrived, he wasn't wearing a formal suit. He merely had on a plain jacket and a pair of glasses, looking more like a college professor than a prosecutor.He sat beside my hospital bed and listened as I told him everything from beginning to end. Then, he listened to the audio recordings.The first audio played. "The surgery costs 450,000 dollars, and there's only a 60 percent success rate. We'd be better off saving the money, waiting for the insurance payout, then walking away with a clean 750,000 dollars."Then the second. "It's already been reduced to just one pill a day. In another few days, I'll stop it completely."And the third. "Only one month left. When the time comes, we'll just say his condition worsened, and he passed away from natural causes."Ben took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. In his 15 years as a prosecutor, he'd handled homicides, corruption, and organized crime. But this was the first time he'd heard parents calmly plotting th
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Chapter 8
Third-Person POVWhen Shaun arrived at the hospital at 5:30 pm, Miranda was already there. Her eyes were red, but Shaun could tell it wasn't from crying. It was from her nerves.Brynn was waiting for them in her office. "Mr. Irwin, Mrs. Irwin, please have a seat."She began, "Harry's heart function has deteriorated dramatically. If he doesn't undergo surgery within the next 48 hours, he might not survive the week."Miranda gasped. "Th-That soon?"Shaun's expression didn't change. "How much is the surgery?""450,000 dollars.""And the success rate?""60 percent."He fell silent. Miranda stole a quick glance at him, and their eyes met for a brief second. In that single moment, a silent exchange passed between them.No surgery."Dr. Mariano," Shaun finally said. "We need some time to think it over.""Think it over?" Brynn's voice rose. "Mr. Irwin, your son might not even have 48 hours left. What exactly is there to think over?""450,000 dollars isn't a small amount, and the
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Chapter 9
Harold's POV"You can't do this! I want to make a phone call! I want my lawyer!" Dad screamed at the top of his lungs as he thrashed around.Mom collapsed into a chair, trembling all over. "N-No… It wasn't my idea… He was the one who made me cut down on the medication… I was just following his orders…""Miranda Ruffo, you're coming with us too," Ben said coldly. "An accomplice is still guilty."As the officers grabbed her by the arms, Mom continued to scream, "I'm his mother! How could I possibly hurt him? I was doing it for his own good!"Out in the hallway, I sat in my wheelchair. Dr. Mariano pushed me forward as we watched the scene unfold from a distance.Mom caught sight of me. The fear in her eyes instantly turned to rage."It was you, wasn't it, Harold Irwin? You recorded us! You ungrateful little brat! We raised you for 12 years, and this is how you repay us?"I looked at her and said calmly, "Mom, you may have raised me for 12 years, but you only waited 47 days for me
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Chapter 10
Harold's POVAs I looked at the envelope, my eyes suddenly burned with tears."Maggie, I can't take your money.""Why?" she asked anxiously. "Is it because it's not enough? I won't buy any more toys from now on! I'll save every penny for you—""It's not because of that," I said, gently pressing the envelope into her hands. "It's because the thought behind it means so much more than the money inside."Magdalene burst into tears. She threw herself against my bed and wrapped her arms around mine. "Harry, don't die, please. If you die, I won't have a big brother anymore…"I gently patted her head. My eight-year-old sister wasn't a bad kid. She had just been raised by bad parents."I won't die, Maggie," I said. "I still have to watch you grow up."…The issue with my surgery funds was ultimately solved in a way I never saw coming.Dr. Mariano shared my story online. She didn't use my real name, simply describing me as a "12-year-old boy with congenital heart disease whose parents
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