Chapter 3

I couldn't believe them.

Grandpa's life was on the line, and their first move was still to ask the chatbot.

"Mom! This is a medical emergency. He could die! What is an AI chatbot supposed to do? It's not a doctor!"

I reached for her phone.

"What do you know? Move!" Mom shoved me so hard I slammed into the closet door, the air knocked out of me.

She hit the voice button and yelled into the app, "A seventy-year-old suddenly has severe stomach pain. It feels like it's burning, and he's covered in cold sweat. What is it? What should we do?"

The blue circle spun twice.

Then text filled the screen.

Mom's face lit up like she'd struck gold.

"The chatbot says it's probably stomach cramps or indigestion. It says no water yet. Put a heating pad on his stomach, then wait thirty minutes. If it doesn't get better, give him an antispasmodic..."

"That's it! Heat and medicine!" Dad said, hurrying to the kitchen. "I'll fill a hot water bottle. You check the medicine cabinet. We should still have some painkillers."

"No!" I shouted.

Grandpa was starting to fade, his body jerking with pain.

"You can't use heat! If this is appendicitis or peritonitis, heat could make the inflammation spread faster.

"It could even rupture his appendix. And don't give him painkillers before he's diagnosed.

"They'll hide his symptoms and make it harder for the doctors to figure out what's wrong!"

It was basic medical advice.

I'd heard it over and over from reliable health videos.

My parents didn't care.

"You're just a kid who hasn't even started college," Mom snapped. "What could you possibly know that AI doesn't?

"The chatbot combines the knowledge of medical experts from all over the world.

"Stop acting like you know better. Say one more word, and get out!"

Dad rushed back with a hot water bottle filled with scalding water.

Together, they lifted Grandpa onto the bed.

He was in so much pain he could barely make a sound. All he could do was weakly struggle.

"Dad, hang in there. The heat will help. The chatbot said so."

Mom pressed the blazing hot water bottle against the lower right side of Grandpa's stomach.

"AAAH!"

Grandpa, barely conscious a second ago, let out a scream that tore through the room.

His back arched off the bed.

Veins stood out across his forehead.

His fingers clawed at the sheets.

That wasn't relief.

That was pure agony.

"You're killing him!"

Tears spilled down my face as I watched Grandpa suffer.

I couldn't stand there anymore.

I pulled out my phone and called an ambulance.

"Hello, this is—"

A hand shot out and ripped the phone away.

Mom.

Her face twisted with rage as she slammed my phone onto the floor.