Chapter 2 - The Rare Toxin
Elena dropped to her knees beside the fallen matriarch immediately.
Years of emergency room training instantly took over her panicked mind.
She pressed two fingers to Margaret's pale neck, searching for a pulse.
The rhythm was frantic, weak, and entirely irregular.
"Call 911 right now!" Elena screamed at the crowd of frozen, wealthy guests.
Vanessa just stood there, staring blankly at her mother-in-law on the ground.
"Are you deaf?" Elena yelled, beginning chest compressions.
"Call an ambulance immediately!"
Greg, Vanessa's husband, finally pulled out his expensive smartphone.
The next twenty minutes were a terrifying blur of sirens, flashing red lights, and pure chaos.
Elena rode in the back of the ambulance, tightly holding Margaret's cold hand.
Mia was left safely with a trusted neighbor down the street.
When they arrived at the hospital, Margaret was rushed through the double doors of the trauma unit.
Elena paced the waiting room for three agonizing hours.
Vanessa and Greg finally arrived, looking much more annoyed than concerned.
"If she dies tonight, that verbal will change means absolutely nothing," Greg muttered quietly to his wife.
Elena felt sick to her stomach hearing their blatant greed.
A tall doctor in blue scrubs finally pushed through the swinging doors.
He asked to speak with the family in a private room.
They gathered in a small, quiet consultation office.
"Margaret is stabilized and currently in a medically induced coma," the doctor explained.
Vanessa let out a loud, theatrical sigh of relief.
The doctor held up his hand to stop her celebration.
"However, this was not a natural heart attack," the doctor said gravely.
He looked directly at Elena, knowing she was a medical professional.
"Her toxicology screen came back with massive traces of Digoxin."
Elena felt the blood drain completely from her face.
Digoxin was a potent heart medication, but in high, unprescribed doses, it was absolutely lethal.
"Someone deliberately poisoned her," the doctor concluded.
Greg quickly stepped in front of the doctor with a menacing look.
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"Elena is a nurse," Greg accused loudly, pointing a sharp finger at her.
"She poured Margaret a glass of lemonade right before the collapse."
