Chapter 2 - The Toxic Truth
The police officers wasted no time.
They moved quickly, flanking Megan on both sides before she could reach the sliding glass doors.
"Ma'am, we need you to step over here and answer some questions," the taller officer commanded.
Megan began to hyperventilate, her chest heaving as she pressed her back against the wall.
"I didn't poison him!" she screamed, pointing a shaking finger at Sarah.
"It was probably his mother!"
"Sarah is always giving him weird vitamins and natural supplements!"
I felt a surge of pure, blinding anger and took a step toward her.
My father grabbed my shoulder, holding me back with surprising strength.
"Don't do it, Jason," Arthur warned softly.
"Let the police handle her."
The second officer pulled out a notepad.
"Mrs. Davis, the doctors found heavy sedatives in your nephew's system."
"You were the only adult supervising him for the last three hours."
"What exactly did you give him?"
Megan burst into ugly, dramatic tears, falling to her knees on the linoleum floor.
"It was just Benadryl!" she sobbed.
"He was crying about his stomach and ruining Matthew's party."
"I just wanted him to sleep for an hour so the other kids could eat cake!"
Chris suddenly stepped forward, his face turning an ashen gray.
He dug frantically into his coat pocket and pulled out his keys.
"Megan," Chris said, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly quiet whisper.
"Did you go into my locked briefcase in the home office?"
Megan froze, her fake tears stopping instantly.
She looked up at her husband with wide, guilty eyes.
"Chris, I just needed something strong enough to make him stop whining."
Chris looked like he was going to be sick.
He turned to Dr. Evans with sheer panic in his eyes.
"Doctor, it wasn't Benadryl."
"I suffer from severe insomnia, and I have a prescription for a heavy barbiturate."
"If she gave him one of those pills, it's strong enough to knock out a full-grown man for a day."
Dr. Evans cursed loudly and ran back through the double doors.
The taller police officer immediately pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs.
"Megan Davis, stand up and put your hands behind your back."
As the metal clicked around her wrists, the hospital intercom crackled to life.
"Code Blue, Pediatric ICU."
"Code Blue, Pediatric ICU."
Sarah gripped my shirt and let out a wail that shattered my heart.
"That's Ethan's room," she sobbed.
May you like
I pushed past my father and sprinted toward the double doors, leaving the police behind.
I slammed through the swinging doors just in time to see a team of nurses rushing a defibrillator toward my son's bed.
