“Right after lunch.”
“Do you still have the cookies?”
“They should still be in my office.”
“Go get them,” Patch said to Dice.
“I’ll stay with her until you get back,” Gabby assured him. “And we can have a security guard placed outside of her room.”
“I’ll be here, too. She’s the only patient I’m seeing,” Patch added.
“I’ll be right back,” Dice said and placed a kiss on my forehead before he hurried out of the room.
“What’s going on?” I asked. They were starting to scare me.
“You said the cookies tasted funny. Can you describe the taste?” he asked instead of answering my question.
“I don’t know how to describe it. It wasn’t a bad taste, per se, but it wasn’t a taste you’d expect with cookies. Kind of like when you take a sip of a drink that you’re expecting to be one thing, but it’s something else. I thought it was a fluke, so I drank some water and tried another bite. When I got the same aftertaste, I decided not to eat any more.”
“Is it possible that someone tried to poison you?” Patch asked gently, but the words hit me like a sledgehammer.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head toward the ceiling as tears ran down my cheeks. “Yes, it’s possible.”
“Okay, I’m going to order some activated charcoal. If you were poisoned, it will help absorb the toxin while preventing your body from absorbing it. Do you think you will be able to drink it?”
“I can try,” I said shakily.
“If you can’t, we can feed a tube through your nose to your stomach and administer it. Either way, we need to get the charcoal in you sooner rather than later.”
“Whatever you need to do,” I said.
“Gabby, let’s get some fluids going, and I’ll order some lab work.”
When Dice returned with the cookies, I was resting somewhat comfortably. The nausea medication had done wonders for me. I’d even managed to drink the charcoal and keep it down. I still felt awful, but at least I wasn’t throwing up every five minutes.
“Here are the cookies,” he said and handed them to Gabby.
She opened the box and looked inside before leaning closer and smelling them. She tilted her head to the side as her forehead wrinkled.
“What is it?” Dice asked.
“I’m not sure. Hold on,” she said and walked over to the door. She leaned into the hallway and waved someone over.
Gabby smiled when a very pregnant nurse entered my room. “These cookies have a smell that I can’t put my finger on. I was hoping your pregnancy nose could help.”
The woman laughed and held out her hands for the box. “I’ll give it a shot.” She took the box and smelled the cookies, just like Gabby did. “Mushrooms,” she declared and wrinkled her nose. “Who puts mushrooms in cookies?”
“You’re sure?” Gabby asked.
“Absolutely. I’d know that smell anywhere. I liked them before but haven’t been able to stand them since I’ve been pregnant.”
“Thank you,” Gabby said. “Will you send Dr. Vaughn in here, please? Tell him it’s urgent.”
Patch entered the room moments later. “What’s going on?”
Gabby pointed to the cookies. “Tonya said these smell like mushrooms.”
Patch took his turn smelling the cookies and cursed. “Son of a bitch! I think she’s right. Okay, if her lab results aren’t back yet, call the lab and tell them we need them immediately. I have a friend who’s a mycologist. I’m going to get her on the phone. I’ll be right back.”