Chapter 20 – Dice
20
DICE
I picked up my phone and called Ember first.
“Hey, Dice,” she answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Ember. I need you to do me a favor. Well, it’s actually for Daphne.”
“Sure, what can I do for her?” she agreed without even knowing what I was going to ask of her.
“Can you keep Diablo at your place for a few days?”
“Of course. Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not. I’m at the hospital with Daphne now. We think she’s been poisoned with a lethally toxic mushroom. Patch and Gabby are here, but she’s going to have to stay a couple of days. Diablo is at my house. Your dad should have a key. His food is in the kitchen, and he has some toys scattered around the living room.”
“I have a key, so I’ll head over there now.”
“Listen, I know the farm is safe, but someone is going to great lengths to hurt Daphne. I’d feel better if you took one or two of the brothers with you when you go to my house.”
“No problem. Dash and Falcon are here. They can go with me. Does Daphne need us to bring her anything from home?”
“Shit. I didn’t think to ask her, and she just fell asleep.”
“That’s okay. I’ll pack a bag with a few things she’ll probably want, like pajamas and her phone charger, and have one of the guys bring it to you. Do you need anything from your house?”
“No, I’m okay for right now. Thanks, Ember. I really appreciate it, and I know Daphne will, too.”
“No problem. Text me later and let me know how she’s doing.”
After ending the call with Ember, I called Jan from Daphne’s office. I’d met her before, and Daphne always spoke highly of Jan. I knew she would get the message to the appropriate person.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jan. This is Daphne’s friend, Dice.”
“Oh, hi. Is everything okay?”
“Actually, no it isn’t. I’m at the hospital with Daphne. She’s really sick and will be out of work for a few days.”
“Oh no! Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes, can you let her boss know? Also, I picked her up from work and drove her to the hospital. She was the last one there, and I’m not sure if we locked up. Would it be too much trouble for you to make sure we did?”
“Of course not. I have the security app on my phone. I can lock the doors and set the alarm from home. And I’ll let Andi know about Daphne. Can I ask what’s going on with her?”
I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her, but I didn’t want to lie to her either. “The doctors think she ate something that made her sick.”
“Like food poisoning?”
“Yes! Like food poisoning.”
“Oh, how awful. You tell her not to worry about work. I’ll call and check on her tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Jan.”
I ended the call with Jan and stared at the phone. I decidedly did not want to call Walter and tell him what happened to Daphne, but I knew I had to.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he answered.
“Hey, Walter. It’s Dice.”
“What happened?” he demanded.
“She’s okay, but she’s in the hospital,” I said and lowered my voice. “We think she was poisoned.”
“What?” he shouted. “Okay, we’re on our way. Tell her we’re on our way. Wait. If she’s okay, why are you the one calling me?”
“She just fell asleep. She’s been throwing up nonstop, so I wanted to let her be.”
“Get in the truck, slowpoke. I’ll drive,” I heard Buck say through the phone.
“Okay, we’ll be there soon,” Walter said. “You’ll be there with her?”
“I won’t let her out of my sight,” I promised.
“Good. Call me if anything changes.”
“I will.”
I ended the call and leaned back against the wall, tilting my head toward the ceiling. Seeing Daphne so sick did something to me. It hurt me in a way I never imagined. Divorced or not, she was mine, and I was going to make sure everyone knew it.
A hand landed on my shoulder and brought me out of my thoughts. “You okay?” Gabby asked quietly.
“Yeah, I’m just worried about her. If it is that mushroom poisoning, what should we expect?”
Gabby frowned. “I’m not very familiar with it, but from what I’ve read, she’ll experience nausea and vomiting for twelve to twenty-four hours. If left untreated, she’ll appear to get better for a day or two before things go downhill when the liver and kidneys start shutting down. With early treatment and supportive care, we can hopefully keep her organs from shutting down and minimize, if not prevent, permanent damage.”
“You can’t live without a liver, right?”
“No, you can’t. But don’t go there yet. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. Regardless, you got her here within the first few hours. That makes a huge difference in the outcome no matter what toxin has been ingested.”
A light knock on the door had us both turning to see who it was. I was surprised to see Ink. “Dude,” he said quietly. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I haven’t had a chance to,” I admitted. “How’d you find out?”
Ink pointed to Gabby.
Gabby shrugged. “You looked like you needed a friend.”
“How is she?” Ink asked.
“She’s fucking sick, man. She could barely walk and couldn’t stop throwing up. I can’t believe someone would do this to her.”
“Wait. What?”
“You didn’t tell him?” I asked Gabby.
“Legally, I couldn’t tell him. Privacy laws and all.”
“We think she was poisoned.”
“What? How?”
“Someone sent cookies to her office today. We think they contained a lethally toxic mushroom. They’re running tests now to find out,” I explained.
“Holy shit. She’s going to be okay, right?”
“We’re doing everything we can,” Gabby said. “She’s stable for right now, though.”
“What can I do?” Ink asked.
“You can get me a Coke,” Daphne mumbled.
“Can she have a Coke?” Ink whispered.
“Technically, she’s not supposed to have anything to eat or drink, but she’s going to get another dose of charcoal soon, so I don’t think a few sips will hurt anything.”
“Point me in the direction of the vending machines,” Ink said.
“I hope it’s a crispy one,” Daphne mumbled. “Why aren’t they crispy anymore?”
I wrinkled my forehead in confusion, but Gabby seemed to understand.
“I know, right? Where have all the crispy Cokes gone?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Gabby chuckled. “When’s the last time you had a Coke that made you go ‘ahhh’ after drinking it?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I don’t know. I guess it’s been a while.”
“Exactly. Cokes were crispy, and now they’re not. It’s a thing. I follow a lady on social media who talks about it frequently. That’s also why I drink ginger ales now. They’re still crispy.”
Ink returned with a Coke for Daphne, but she appeared to have fallen asleep again. “I’ll just leave it here for when she wakes up.”
“I’m awake,” she said quietly. “My dad’s here.”
“No, he’s not here yet, but he’s on his way,” I told her.
She shook her head. “He’s here.”
I turned to Gabby to ask if hallucinating was one of the symptoms, but Walter and Buck walked into the room before I had a chance.
“What?” he asked when he noticed we were all staring at him with looks of surprise on our faces.
“They’re wondering how I knew you were here before you were actually here.”
“She’s always been able to do that,” Walter explained. “It used to freak me out, too.” He walked over to the bed and picked up Daphne’s hand. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“I’ve been better,” she admitted.
“Well, you look like hell,” Buck said.
Daphne smiled. “So do you, old man.”
“Take it back, or I’ll call you the f-word.”
Daphne gasped and pretended to be offended. “You wouldn’t.”
“What’s the f-word?” Gabby whispered.
“Forty,” I told her.
“Oh, that’s just mean,” she scolded Buck.
He raised his hands in front of him. “Hey, she started it.”
“Dad,” Daphne whined.
“All right, children. Knock it off.”
Buck crossed his arms over his chest while Daphne stuck out her bottom lip.
“You must be feeling better,” Walter observed.
“Not really,” Daphne admitted. “The medicine has taken the edge off, but I still feel like hell.”
“Dice said you were poisoned. Is that right?”
Daphne nodded and told the story to Walter and Buck.
“Have the police been notified?” Buck asked.
“Not yet. We’re waiting on the official results from the lab before we file a police report.”
“Is there a reason why?” Walter asked.
“On the off chance whoever did this has a contact at the police station. Having existing results from an official lab will prevent any accidental loss of evidence or fabricated lab results from their end,” I explained.
“Well, color me impressed.”
We were interrupted when someone knocked on the door. “Hi, we’re here to move you to your new room. We’ll be going to room two hundred twelve on the second floor.”
“You guys go ahead,” I told Ink, Walter, and Buck. “I’ll stay with her and meet you up there.”
Daphne fell asleep not long after she got settled in her new room. Walter and Buck stayed for a while longer, but they finally left after Phoenix promised to keep a brother stationed outside of her room for the duration of her hospital stay, in addition to my promise to stay by her side at all times.
“We’ll be back first thing in the morning,” Walter said.
“We’ll be here.”
“I’m going to head out, too,” Phoenix said. “Ink volunteered to take the first shift.”
“Tell him to get his ass in here. He doesn’t have to stay in the hall all night.”
Phoenix chuckled. “I’ll tell him, but I think he has his eye on one of the nurses. I’ll check in tomorrow morning.”
“Later, Prez.”
Leaning back in the ridiculously small recliner in the corner of the room, I closed my eyes for what felt like a few seconds before someone softly knocked on the door. Seconds later, Patch entered the room with a piece of paper in his hand.
“These are the results from the cookies. They tested positive for amatoxin. This is not my area of expertise, but Miriam said the amount present in the sample she tested was enough to be lethal if an entire cookie was ingested.”
“What about two bites? Daphne said she only took two bites of the cookie.”
“It’s hard to say. Less is always better.”
“What happens now?” I asked.
“We’ll keep her here for a few days and continue what we’re doing unless something changes,” he said.
“Thanks, Patch.”
“There’s one other thing,” he said. “Now that we have confirmation that this wasn’t an accidental poisoning, I’m obligated to notify the police. I know the timing is shit, but I can’t wait until morning.”
“That’s fine. I hate to disturb her when she’s finally getting some decent rest, but I understand, and I’m sure she will, too.”
“I do,” Daphne said groggily.
“I hope we didn’t wake you. How are you feeling?” I asked.
“You didn’t,” she said. “I feel like hell. Is that normal?”
“You’re my first amatoxin poisoning, but from what I’ve read, it’s normal and will probably last for a few days.”
“Oh, joy.”
“I’m going to go ahead and call this in. If you need anything, let me or one of the nurses know,” he said.
“I think I’m okay for right now, but maybe I could get something for nausea before you and Gabby leave.”
“Oh, I’m not leaving,” Patch said. “Gabby went home a little while ago, but I’m spending the night in the call room. It’s been enough time since your last dose, so you can have it whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” Daphne said and raised her hand to wipe tears from her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she sniffled. “I tend to get weepy when I don’t feel good. It’s incredibly annoying, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
“All right, I’ll be back in a bit,” Patch said and left the room.
Daphne continued to sniffle, so I handed her a tissue. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I just hate being sick, and this feels awful.”
“Take the medicine when you can. Maybe you can sleep through most of it.”
“That is a brilliant idea.”
“Do you want me to ask Patch to get you some now?”
“No, I want to be awake when the police get here. I’ll ask for some after they leave.”
“Are you sure? It might take a while for them to get here?”
Someone knocked on the door before she had a chance to answer.
“Come in,” I said and was surprised to see the sheriff enter the room.
“Chuck,” I said and walked over to shake his hand. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“After the fire, I left specific instructions for any calls regarding Daphne to come straight to me,” he said and turned his attention to Daphne. “Hi, I’m Chuck Turner. I didn’t get a chance to meet you during the arson call, and I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances.”
“Daphne Clark,” she said and shook his hand.
“He’s the sheriff,” I added.
“Either this is really bad, or I’m getting special treatment,” Daphne said.
“It’s a little of both,” Chuck replied kindly. “Phoenix is a good friend of mine, and this is a complex case.”
“I appreciate you handling this yourself. I’m sorry you were called out at such a late hour.”
“No need to apologize. Now, tell me what happened.”
He listened intently and jotted a few notes while Daphne told him what happened.
“I know you’ll have to speak to the Potters about this, but please tell them I know they didn’t send the cookies. They’ve been my favorite clients so far, and I don’t want to offend them or hurt their feelings.”
“You’re sure it’s not them?”
“Absolutely. It didn’t occur to me earlier, but they’d already sent me a thank you gift. It was a bottle of my favorite wine. Plus, the recent series of unfortunate events started before I met the Potters,” she explained.
“I’ll make sure they know we’re doing our due diligence and ruling them out,” Chuck said and pointed to the box of cookies on the windowsill. “Are those the tainted cookies?”
“Yes,” Dice said and handed the box to Chuck.
He opened it and leaned closer as he inhaled. “I have to say, these would’ve fooled me, too. They smell like regular cookies to me.”
“They didn’t taste bad either. It wasn’t a normal cookie taste, but it wasn’t what I would call bad.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it on that part,” he chuckled.
“Definitely. I’ve never been this sick, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“Well, I think I have everything I need, so I’ll get out of here and let you get some rest. I hope you have a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks, Chuck,” I said and walked him to the door. “I really appreciate you handling this personally.”
“I’m happy to help. I hope we can find some answers for you soon. I’ll be in touch.”
When I turned back to Daphne, she had one hand covering her mouth and was frantically waving and pointing at the emesis basin across the room. I grabbed it and rushed to her side. I made it just in time for black, gritty vomit to splatter all over my hands as it splashed out of the tiny container. Before I could react, Daphne started to choke as her body continued to heave.
“Ink!” I bellowed. “Get somebody! Now!”
I heard the door open, followed by Ink shouting, “Yo! We need some help in here! I think she’s choking.”
Two nurses ran into the room, and I reluctantly moved to the side so they could help her. Patch appeared a few moments later. “What happened?”
“She started vomiting again, and I think she choked,” I told him.
“She’s okay,” one of the nurses said. “I’m going to grab her nausea medicine. I’ll be right back.”
“I’m sorry,” Daphne cried.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Ink told her.
“I threw up on Dice.”
“Well, he probably deserved it,” Ink said, eliciting a brief smile from Daphne.
I’d completely forgotten about it until she mentioned it. Looking down at my hands, I shrugged and walked over to the sink the nurses frequently used. “I don’t give a shit about that. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“No,” she sobbed. “This is awful. Can you sedate me?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Patch said. “But we can insert a tube through your nose into your stomach and connect it to suction to keep your stomach empty. You may still experience some nausea, but it will stop the vomiting.”
“Please,” she cried and heaved again. “I can’t handle this.”
When the nurse returned with her nausea medication, he sent the other one to get the tube he needed.
“You may want to step outside for this,” Patch said.
“It’s up to you, Daphne. I’ll stay if you want me to,” I told her.
“At this point, I don’t care if you don’t,” she said.
“All right,” Patch said. “But we’re not catching you if you pass out.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him. And I was, though I’ll admit to feeling a little woozy for a moment when he first inserted the tube into Daphne’s nose. But the look of relief on Daphne’s pale face when he finished was worth it.
“That wasn’t bad at all,” Daphne said.
“The idea of it is far worse than the tube itself,” Patch said.
“I think throwing up so violently is worse than anything.”
“It’s scary, and rightfully so,” he agreed.
“If you’re finished, I’ll help her get cleaned up and changed into a new gown,” the nurse said.
“I’ll do it,” I said. Daphne opened her mouth to protest, but I stopped her. “I don’t care about your vomit.”
“That’s because you love me,” she said and gasped. “I didn’t mean to say that. It’s the drugs.”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” I told her with a small smile.
“You can’t say that to me now, when I’m sick as hell and covered in my own fluids.”
“I didn’t say anything,” I said.
“We’ll check on you in a bit,” Patch said and ushered the nurses out of the room.
“There’s stuff I want to say, but I’m about to be down for the count,” she slurred.
“Then let’s make this quick,” I said and started cleaning her face and arms with a washcloth. I’d barely gotten the gown on her when her head lolled to the side. “I do love you,” I said quietly and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“I heard that,” Ink said.
I shook my head and laughed. Of course he did.