Soul and Shadow (17 page)

Chapter Twenty

The next time I awoke, Kent was sitting on the side of the bed and Stephen was standing over me, checking a chart. I blinked lazily. On the edge of my vision, I could see vases of flowers and a smiley-faced balloon. The awful sense of burning was gone, and its absence was bliss. I simply wanted to enjoy it, but I felt compelled to speak and reassure them.
"
Hi,
"
I said.

They both smiled.
"
Hi,
"
they said in unison, only Stephen added,
"
honey
"
and Kent added
"
love.
"

There was an instant of embarrassed silence. Then Stephen spoke again.
"
How are you feeling?
"

"
Better. Much better. I
'
m thirsty. Can I have a drink?
"

"
Sure.
"
They moved towards the pitcher of water on the table. Seeing imminent disaster, I said,
"
I
'
d really like some milk.
"

They looked at each other uncertainly, neither wanting to be the one to leave. Finally, Kent pushed the call button. Then he took my hand in both of his.
"
It
'
s brilliant to see you back,
"
he said. The relief in his eyes almost hurt, it was so intense.

Stephen sat down on the other side of the bed and took my left hand, giving it a squeeze.
"
I couldn
'
t be any happier,
"
he stated sincerely.

I felt like a human wishbone between them.
"
Am I—am I all right now?
"
I asked awkwardly.

"
Oh, yes,
"
Stephen said.
"
Most of the toxin is gone from your system. It
'
s simply a matter of time until your body
'
s recovered from the ordeal.
"

"
The ordeal of
what?
"
I asked.
"
What was wrong with me?
"

"
Sweetheart—
"
Kent paused. I was surprised to see him look at Stephen as if ceding him the right to speak further.

It was Stephen who answered me.
"
I
'
m sorry to have to tell you this,
"
he said.
"
I know what a shock it
'
s going to be. But you have to know, and I think you
'
re strong enough. What happened to you is, in a nutshell—you were poisoned.
"

Even now, my befuddled brain could not take in the full impact of his statement.
"
What? You mean like carbon monoxide?
"

"
I mean like a toxic alkaloid,
"
Stephen said grimly.
"
A small amount would make you feel tired, headachy, and disoriented. But it wouldn
'
t be fatal or even do any permanent damage. Some people are more sensitive though and things can get nasty. Larger doses can cause fever, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing—even death.
"

"
But where did I get it?
"
I asked in bewilderment.
"
Was it something I ate?
"

Kent squeezed my hand tightly, while Stephen replied,
"
Yes, it was something you ate. But it was given to you.
"

"
Dr. Briggs!
"
I gasped, realization flooding over me.
"
Oh, my God! All of those snacks at work. Or was it in the coffee? He thought I was going to tell. He would rather have killed me than lose his career. That bastard! But I wouldn
'
t have done it to you and Ursula, Kent, not without talking to you first. I really wouldn
'
t.
"

Both men were looking at me in concern. Kent made soothing noises while Stephen checked my pulse and felt my forehead.
"
Maybe this can wait until later,
"
he said.
"
You
'
re still recovering, and you need to rest. Just lie still, honey. Take some deep breaths. You
'
ll be fine, don
'
t worry.
"

"
But have they arrested him yet?
"
I demanded.
"
Did they get the things he stole from the tomb?
"
I looked at Kent.
"
I
'
m sure he
'
ll make some kind of deal. It doesn
'
t have to come out, what your mother did. You
'
d better go to the police and see what you can do.
"

Again, a strange glance between the two men. Stephen gave a slight nod, then got up and left the room.

"
Don
'
t think about anything now, love,
"
Kent said.
"
You
'
re safe. That
'
s all that matters.
"

"
The hell it is,
"
I answered indignantly.
"
He
'
s got to be locked up. Have they arrested him or not?
"

"
Peter Briggs?
"
Kent asked with maddening obtuseness.

"
Yes. He
'
s the one who did this to me. He thought he could bribe me with the book and then with blackmail. I told him I wouldn
'
t say anything, but he obviously decided it wasn
'
t worth the risk.
"
Suddenly, I burst into tears.
"
He never really wanted my illustrations at all!
"

I sobbed away as if this was the worst aspect of the whole affair. Kent tried to gather me into his arms, but he accidentally pulled on my IV. I howled louder than ever.

"
What
'
s going on here?
"
Stephen had re-entered the room with a doctor in tow. It was the latter who asked the question while glaring suspiciously at Kent.

"
She just started crying. She
'
s upset about Dr. Briggs. I think I may have loosened her line, I
'
m sorry.
"
Kent moved back as the doctor took center stage and began fussing over me. After a brief examination and a few questions, he spoke to Stephen as if Kent and I didn
'
t even exist.

"
She
'
s just a little dehydrated; blood pressure
'
s a bit on the high side. Nothing unexpected. The mental and emotional confusion will go away in a day or so. She
'
s very lucky that she had you on hand.
"

"
Thank you, Doctor.
"
For an absurd moment, I wondered if Stephen was going to salute. Then Doctor Obnoxious glided off into the sunset. I used half a box of tissue blowing my nose and trying to be coherent again. Kent obligingly moved the wastebasket within my reach, while Stephen gazed at me with a paternal air.

"
Did you hear that, Lily? You
'
re going to be as right as rain. I told you there was nothing to worry about. These feelings and outbursts are completely normal. It
'
s all part of the recovery process.
"

"
Isn
'
t it normal to want my would-be murderer arrested?
"
I sniffled.
"
Why doesn
'
t anyone seem to care about that?
"

"
Because we don
'
t know what you
'
re talking about, love,
"
Kent said. Stephen frowned at him.

"
Remember, Lily,
"
he interrupted,
"
your mind is still playing tricks on you. Try to let it go, accept it
'
s only a symptom, and relax. You don
'
t have to think about anything now.
"

"
Will you stop treating me as if I
'
m brain damaged? I know what I—
"
An awful thought hit me like a tidal wave.
"
Or am I?
"
I gasped.
"
Brain damaged?
"
My eyes filled with tears once more.
"
Oh no, please tell me—
"

"
There is nothing wrong with your brain,
"
Kent said firmly.
"
Don
'
t cry, my love. Just tell me what happened with Dr. Briggs.
"

"
This isn
'
t—
"
Stephen began.

Kent ignored him and cupped my chin in his hand.
"
Go slowly. Remember that I don
'
t know anything about this story. Start from the beginning and take your time.
"

I remembered myself enough to say to Stephen,
"
Can you leave us alone, please? This is something personal about Kent
'
s family.
"

Stephen looked daggers at Kent, but spoke to me.
"
You should not be doing this, Lily. You should be resting. I don
'
t approve of this at all.
"

"
Well, you
'
re not in charge, are you?
"
Kent replied mildly.
"
So run along like a good chap. It
'
s obvious that Lily
can
'
t
rest until she gets this off her chest.
"

"
Please, Stephen,
"
I repeated.
"
I
'
m all right. This is important.
"

"
I
'
m going to be outside the door,
"
he said through clenched teeth.
"
And I
'
m going to be checking on you.
"

Kent muttered something underneath his breath, but turned to me expectantly when Stephen was gone.
"
All right, love. Go ahead.
"

So I did. I recounted the entire meeting between Briggs and me—whatever night it had been. By now, I
'
d lost all track of time. I tried to break the news of Cassandra
'
s complicity as gently as I could, but considering the state I was in, it wasn
'
t the most tactful job. When I was finished, Kent got up, his face stricken, and went to stand at the window. He stared out of it silently, trying to master his emotions.

"
I
'
m sorry,
"
I said softly.
"
I wish I had never had to tell you. But we
'
ve got to stop him.
"

Kent turned back around to look at me.
"
Yes,
"
he agreed in a choked voice.
"
Yes. He
'
s got to be dealt with. But I need time, Lily. I have to talk to Gram, and Philip, and think about what to do. Will you give me that time?
"

I couldn
'
t believe what I was hearing. Was he actually requesting that Briggs
'
arrest be delayed? Was his mother
'
s reputation more important than my attempted murder? I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again, unable to utter a word. Kent stepped towards me, a pleading expression on his face, and at that moment, Stephen came bursting back into the room.