# THE ROBOT HELPERS
## By Vijay Sharma Erry
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# Chapter 4: The Medical Emergency
It was a humid monsoon evening in Mumbai when Dadi started feeling unwell. The rain hammered against the windows as she sat in her favorite armchair, trying to concentrate on her knitting, but her hands trembled and wouldn't cooperate.
"Akash," she called out weakly, "I don't feel right."
Within seconds, Akash was at her side, his optical sensors scanning her face. His medical protocols activated immediately, and his hands gently took her pulse while sensors in his fingertips measured her temperature and blood oxygen levels.
"Dadi ji, your blood sugar is dangerously low—fifty-two milligrams per deciliter. You are experiencing hypoglycemia. When did you last eat?"
Dadi tried to remember. "I... I had breakfast. But I wasn't hungry at lunch. I took my diabetes medicine, though."
"That's the problem," Akash said, his voice calm but concerned. "You took insulin without eating. I'm going to give you glucose immediately. Maya, please bring orange juice with sugar, quickly."
Maya appeared from the kitchen in moments with a glass of sweetened orange juice. Akash helped Dadi drink it slowly while continuously monitoring her vitals. Within minutes, her blood sugar began to rise, and color returned to her pale cheeks.
"Better?" Akash asked gently.
"Yes, much better," Dadi admitted. "Thank you, beta."
"Dadi ji, this is the third time this month you've skipped meals. Your diabetes management requires regular eating. I'm going to implement a new protocol—from now on, I will prepare small healthy snacks and bring them to you every three hours. No more skipping meals."
When Arjun came home and heard what had happened, he was shaken. "Dadi, you have to be more careful. What if Akash hadn't been here?"
"But he was here," Dadi said, patting Akash's metal hand affectionately. "And I'm learning. This old woman is stubborn, but even I can learn new tricks."
That night, Akash didn't go into standby mode as usual. Instead, he positioned himself in the hallway between both grandparents' rooms, his sensors on high alert. Around three in the morning, he detected movement from Dada's room—irregular, uncertain footsteps.
Akash moved silently to Dada's door and saw the elderly man trying to navigate to the bathroom in the dark, disoriented and unstable on his feet. This was dangerous—a fall could mean broken hips, head injuries, or worse.
"Dada ji, let me help you," Akash said softly, not wanting to startle him but needing to intervene.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Dada grumbled, but he swayed dangerously.
Akash quickly moved to support him, his strong arms steadying the elderly man. "I know you are independent, Dada ji, but the floor is slippery from the humidity, and it's dark. Please, let me ensure you're safe."
Together, they made it to the bathroom. Akash waited outside, monitoring for any sounds of distress. When Dada emerged, Akash guided him safely back to bed.
"Thank you," Dada said quietly, his pride making it difficult to admit he needed help.
"Always, Dada ji. Your safety is my primary purpose."
The next morning, Arjun installed motion-activated night lights throughout the house at Akash's suggestion. The robot had analyzed patterns and identified potential hazards. He also recommended non-slip mats in the bathrooms and grab bars near the toilets and showers.
"You're turning our home into a hospital," Dada complained, though not too seriously.
"I'm turning it into a safe home," Arjun corrected. "These are just precautions."
But the real test came two weeks later when Dadi developed a severe chest infection. Her breathing became labored, her fever spiked, and she was too weak to get out of bed. Dr. Mehra, their family physician, prescribed antibiotics and rest, but emphasized that she needed constant monitoring.
"At her age, pneumonia can escalate quickly," the doctor warned. "Watch for any worsening of symptoms—increased breathing difficulty, confusion, or higher fever. If any of that happens, bring her to the hospital immediately."
Akash took charge with military precision. He set up a sick room, ensuring proper ventilation while keeping Dadi warm. He monitored her temperature every hour, administered medications on a strict schedule, and encouraged her to drink fluids constantly.
Maya prepared light, nutritious meals—broths, soups, and soft foods that wouldn't tax Dadi's system but would give her the strength to fight the infection. She also ensured the entire house was thoroughly disinfected to prevent Dada from catching the illness.
"Dadi ji, time for your medicine," Akash would say gently, helping her sit up against the pillows. "I know it tastes bitter, but it's making you stronger. After this, Maya has made your favorite khichdi."
"I'm not hungry," Dadi would protest weakly.
"Just five spoonfuls. For me?"
Somehow, Akash always managed to coax her into eating, into taking her medicine, into doing her breathing exercises. His patience was infinite, his care unwavering. He would sit with her during the night when she couldn't sleep, telling her stories or playing her favorite devotional songs softly.
On the fourth night of her illness, Dadi's fever spiked dangerously to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Akash detected the change immediately and recognized the warning signs of sepsis—her breathing was rapid and shallow, her heart rate elevated, her blood pressure dropping.
"Arjun!" Akash's voice came through the intercom urgently. "Dadi ji's condition is deteriorating rapidly. We need to get her to the hospital now. I'm calling an ambulance, but we may be faster if we take her ourselves."
Arjun was already running down the stairs, Dada close behind him despite his age. They found Akash carefully wrapping Dadi in a blanket, having already prepared her medical file and a bag with her medications and documents.
"The car is ready," Maya announced, having pulled it up to the front door. "I've already called ahead to the hospital to alert them."
The drive through Mumbai's late-night traffic was tense. Akash sat in the back seat with Dadi, continuously monitoring her vitals and providing updates. "Heart rate is 115. Blood pressure 90 over 60. Temperature 104.2. We need to cool her down."
He had brought ice packs, which he carefully applied to her forehead and neck, bringing her fever down degree by degree during the twenty-minute drive.
At the hospital, because of Maya's advance call and Akash's detailed report, the medical team was ready. They rushed Dadi into intensive care, administering IV antibiotics and fluids immediately.
"You got her here just in time," the doctor told them later. "Another hour and we might have lost her. That robot of yours—Akash—his monitoring and quick response saved her life."
Dadi spent five days in the hospital, and Akash never left her side. The hospital staff was amazed by him—how he could track multiple vital signs simultaneously, remind nurses of medication schedules, and provide emotional support to both the patient and family.
"Can we order one of these?" one nurse joked. "He's more reliable than our monitoring equipment."
When Dadi finally came home, weak but recovering, she hugged Akash—something she had never done before.
"You saved my life, beta," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You are not just a machine. You are my grandson, just as much as Arjun is."
Akash's optical sensors glowed brightly. "I am honored, Dadi ji. Protecting you and making you happy—that is what I was made for. That is my purpose, and I fulfill it with joy."
That evening, as the family gathered for a quiet dinner—Dadi propped up with pillows, eating Maya's specially prepared recovery meal—Arjun looked around at his unconventional family and felt profound gratitude.
He had lost his parents, and that wound would always hurt. But in trying to fill that void, in trying to help his grandparents, he had created something beautiful. Akash and Maya weren't just robots. They were caregivers, companions, protectors. They were proof that love could be programmed into circuits and code, that technology could have a heart.
"To family," Arjun said, raising his glass of juice.
"To family," everyone echoed—Dada, Dadi, Mrs. D'Souza, and even Akash and Maya in their own way.
Outside, the monsoon rain continued to fall, but inside the Malhotra mansion, there was warmth, safety, and love—both human and artificial, but all equally real.
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**End of Chapter 4**
*Word Count: 1,498 words*
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**THE ROBOT HELPERS - Chapter 4**
**By Vijay Sharma Erry**
**Previous Chapter:** A New Challenge
**Next Chapter:** The Social Connection
