Don’t Let Me Break by Linda Verji

 

 

CHAPTER 21

 

It was poison.

What? Sebastian was shocked. However, he felt like crap and couldn’t even bring himself to open his eyes let alone question the doctor who’d brought his diagnosis. The last thing he remembered clearly was telling Marley that he didn’t feel well. Every event after that was a cloudy mess.

He vaguely recalled being forced to swallow some liquids, carried in an ambulance, doctors talking to him, getting injections, and fading out. But he really had no idea what they’d done to him. He didn’t even know how long he’d been in the hospital.

It could’ve been hours.

It could’ve been days.

But one thing was certain; every inch of his body ached. His mouth, his throat, his lungs, his stomach… they all thrummed in pain. Where the pain stopped, weakness started. Right now, he wasn’t even sure that he could lift his arm by himself.

And it was all because of poison?

“We did a few tests, and it looks like it was organophosphates.” The doctor’s voice wafted into Sebastian’s consciousness.

“Orga-what?” Omar, who must’ve shown up sometime during Sebastian’s treatment, asked.

“Organophosphates.” The doctor explained, “The stuff found in insecticides.”

“He was poisoned with an insecticide?” Nora asked. She must’ve come with Omar.

“Or he poisoned himself with one deliberately,” the doctor suggested gravely.

Me? Poison myself? Sebastian swore on the inside. Was this doctor crazy?

“What? No-” Omar started and then stopped. His voice was less sure as he slowly added, “I don’t think he would do something like that deliberately.”

“It couldn’t have been deliberate,” Nora agreed, but she sounded just as unsure as Omar. “Bash isn’t the type to do something like this.”

Don’t call me Bash, Sebastian scolded her mentally.

Marley finally spoke up. “It- it wasn’t deliberate.”

At the sound of her voice, happiness bubbled inside Sebastian. She’s still here.

Marley stuttered, “He wouldn’t- wouldn’t do that.”

“How do you know?” Omar asked.

“I- I just know.” Marley insisted, “I- I know he wouldn’t.”

“You’d be surprised what we don’t know about our friends,” the doctor countered. “Most adult poisonings that come in here are deliberate.”

Marley started, “It was- it wasn’t deliber-”

“You’re right,” Nora interrupted her to agree with the doctor. “We never know what’s going on in his life.”

Don’t interrupt her. Though he didn’t open his eyes, Sebastian’s brow furrowed as irritation seared through him.

Marley tried again, “He didn’t-”

“Marley, don’t insist,” Nora cut her off again. “I’m closer to him than you, and even I’m not making assumptions.”

Why was this woman cutting off Marley? Driven by annoyance and the need to defend Marley, Sebastian forced himself out of his semi-conscious state. He cracked his eyes open. Immediately, the brightness of the room pierced his eyes, making him groan in pain.

“Bash!” Nora was the first to notice. She edged closer to him until he could feel her hot breath on his face as she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Mr. Levy,” the doctor, who was standing on the other side of the bed, called out, “are you awake?”

Sebastian nodded then blinked several times until his eyes got used to the light. Once he could see better, he sought out Marley. She was standing at the far end of the bed next to Omar. Worry and tension were etched on her expression and body. Sebastian tried to smile at her but his face felt oddly tight and he only managed a grimace.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Jack Waverly,” the doctor, a tall, bespectacled, white man, introduced himself. “How are you feeling?”

“Like-” Sebastian’s voice emerged as a croak. “Like crap.”

The doctor gave a thin smile. “Understandable.”

“W- water,” Sebastian croaked.

“Here.” Nora was quick to grab the glass of water on the nightstand. While the doctor raised the bed so that Sebastian could sit up, she stuck a straw in the water then held it to Sebastian’s lips. Though Sebastian would’ve loved to have Marley offer him the water, thirst drove him to accept Nora’s help.

“Thanks,” he curtly said once he’d drunk his fill of water.

Nora offered him a bright smile. “You’re welcome.”

“Hey, Sebastian-” Omar was the first to state what everyone else was thinking. “- you didn’t try to kill yourself, did you?”

“No.” Sebastian shook his head as he met Marley’s eyes. “I would never.”

Omar puffed out in relief. “That’s what I thought.”

“Are you sure?” the doctor asked with a frown. “The amount found in your system was quite high, which probably means it was deliberately administered.”

“I didn’t do it deliberately,” Sebastian insisted. Though his voice was weak, his tone and gaze were firm enough to convince everyone in the room.

Dr. Waverly proposed, “If you didn’t deliberately ingest it, then someone put it in something you ate or drank.”

“Are you serious?” Nora gasped.

“No way!” Omar exclaimed at the same time. “Who would do something like that?”

Marley looked just as shocked as them. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth slightly parted as she locked eyes with the equally stunned Sebastian.

Someone had poisoned him? Why? How?

“If it was a suicide attempt, I would’ve sent you to our psychiatry unit,” the doctor said. “But since you say you didn’t do it to yourself, we’ll need to call the police.”

While Omar and Nora were still exclaiming over the possibility of someone attempting to murder Sebastian, Sebastian was busy racking his brain about the who, why and how of his poisoning.

Who? He had no idea who would want to poison him.

Why? No idea either.

How? The doctor had said that it was something he ate or drank. He’d skipped breakfast today and the only meal he’d had was lunch. But it couldn’t be lunch because he and Marley had shared a sandwich, and she was still standing there looking fine.

Wait… he’d eaten cake too.

The cake that Marley had brought him.

The cake that tasted funny.

As soon as he thought of that cake, his gaze flew to Marley. By the horror swimming in her eyes, it was clear that she’d done a few calculations and come up with the same answer. The cake.

“Do you have any idea how you were poisoned?” the doctor asked.

Her voice trembling, Marley stammered, “It’s- it’s the-”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian immediately cut her off. Yeah, it was probably the cake, but he didn’t want her saying it in front of Omar and Nora. They would ask too many questions that she couldn’t answer without positioning herself as the main suspect or starting a rumor. He hurriedly added, “But I’m sure the cops will figure it out.”

“You’re right.” Dr. Waverly dropped the subject. “We’ll have to keep you overnight for observation.”

Sebastian nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Should I call your family?” Omar asked.

“No.” Sebastian shook his head. “I don’t want to worry them.”

Omar frowned. “Well, someone needs to stay with you overnight.”

“I’ll do it,” Nora loudly jumped in just as Marley started to raise her hand. Marley immediately dropped her hand.

“No, thank you,” Sebastian immediately refused Nora’s offer. To ease the rejection, he reminded her, “Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for tomorrow’s seminar?”

“Ah. I forgot about that.” Nora made a face. “But I can cancel.”

“Please don’t.” Sebastian turned his attention to Marley. Smiling, he asked, “Marley, why don’t you stay with me?”

She immediately nodded. “Um… okay.”

“Aren’t you busy?” Nora asked her, looking a little irritated.

“N- no.” Marley shook her head. “Not at all.”

“Great.” Omar jumped in before Nora could say something more to Marley. “Nora, let your guys know that Sebastian and Marley have tomorrow off. Marley, make sure you take care of my guy. He’s very important to me.”

Marley agreed, “I will.”

And with that the matter was settled. Marley was staying with him.

Omar and Nora left a few minutes later (reluctantly in Nora’s case). As soon as they were gone, Marley came closer and sat on the seat right next to his bed.

“I’m- I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t have given you the cake.”

Sebastian took her hand in his. “How were you supposed to know that it was poisoned?”

As soon as he was done speaking, he realized something else; that the cake (and the poison) had been meant for Marley. She was the one who was supposed to be in this bed not him. Horror shot through him.

Trying to keep his voice steady despite the fear that overwhelmed him, he asked, “Marley, who did you get the cake from?”

“From Quinn.” A second later, Marley’s expression changed to shocked. “Do you think she’s the one who poisoned the cake?”

“I don’t know.” He asked, “Does she have anything against you?”

“No.” Marley shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so.”

But the cake was from Quinn. If anyone knew how Sebastian was poisoned, it would be Quinn. Sebastian sighed. “Let’s just let the police sort everything out.”

“Okay.” Marley nodded. Squeezing his hand, she asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Much better than when they brought me.” He smiled then added, “Much better than if you weren’t here.”

That brought a smile to her lips. Surprising him, she rose slightly in her seat to plant a kiss on his lips.

“One more,” he ordered gruffly before she could sit down. With a smile, she complied.

 

* * * * *

 

HAD QUINN REALLY poisoned the cake? Marley didn’t want to believe it, but who else could’ve done it. Though Sebastian fell asleep again before they could discuss it further, the question bothered her endlessly. Why would Quinn poison the cake? If it wasn’t Quinn, then who was it?

As evening settled in, Marley woke Sebastian up to ask him if he wanted her to get him anything from home. He did. He gave her a list of things he needed as well as the code to his house. As per his instructions, she went over to his place to pack him an overnight bag. Once she had everything he wanted, she headed home to get her own bag.

“Are you serious?” Kenny, who was home at the time, exclaimed when Marley told her everything that had happened. “Who would want to poison him?”

“I think it was supposed to be me.” Though Marley’s actions were precise as she folded a t-shirt and placed it into her overnight bag, on the inside she was shaking with fear. “The cake was meant for me.”

“Oh my God!” Distress filled Kenny’s expression. “Do you think it’s the person who attacked you in the parking lot?”

That person hadn’t even crossed Marley’s mind. But now that she thought about it, that person had been out to kill her too.

She gave her sister a stunned stare. “Do you think it was?”

“Who else would it be?” Kenny pulled in a shaky breath. “Who gave you the cake?”

“Quinn.”

“Quinn? Your friend?” Kenny asked. When Marley nodded, she frowned. “But I thought the person who attacked you was a man.”

“I thought so too but honestly, it was dark and we were too busy fighting for me to see anything clearly,” Marley said. “It couldn’t be Quinn, could it?”

“We can’t rule her out.” Kenny reminded her, “She’s the one who gave you the cake.”

“Actually,” Marley corrected, “she gave it to Zion who gave it to Eugene who gave it to me.”

“So any of those three could’ve spiked the cake?”

“Yeah.” Marley thought for a second then added, “Or it could’ve been Leslie?”

Kenny’s breath came out in a loud rush. “Damn it, I forgot about that lady.”

“I think she was at the company today… no, I know she was there.” Marley’s voice became firmer as her certainty increased. “I saw her in the lobby when we were taking Sebastian to the ambulance.”

“You did?” Kenny’s hand flew to her throat as surprise filled her expression. “What was she doing there?”

“I don’t know. I was too busy worrying about Sebastian to care about her.” Marley asked, “Did you talk to her like you said you would?”

“No, I haven’t had a chance yet,” Kenny said. “I tried the number you gave me, but the person who picked up said that they bought the phone off eBay. So I hit up a P.I to find Leslie, but they haven’t given me information about her yet.”

“Well, she was at the company today.”

“So she could’ve done it too,” Kenny proposed. “She has a clear motive and opportunity. We refused to pay her so she’s getting revenge.”

“Yeah…” Frowning, Marley slowly sat down on her bed. “But how could she have gotten to the cake? With how weird she looks, there’s no way for her to get past the lobby without causing a stir.”

“Who knows?” Kenny shrugged. “Maybe she found a way.”

Despite having little access to the cake, Leslie was the best suspect. Quinn, Zion and Eugene were Marley’s friends. Why would they want to kill her? If anything, the three witches were more likely to murder her than her friends. Wait! Maybe that was what had happened!

“Maybe it’s one of the witches,” Marley proposed.

“The witches?” Kenny’s brow furrowed. “Vicky and her cheerleaders?”

“Yeah.” Marley offered. “Hazel embarrassed them the other day so they wanted to get back at me,”

“That sounds like a stretch. I don’t know anyone who would risk life imprisonment just because you embarrassed them in a meeting.” Kenny asked. “Do they even know Leslie?”

“Leslie keeps coming to the company so maybe one of them met her and…” Marley stopped speaking as she realized that it was indeed a stretch. She sighed. “I sound crazy, don’t I?”

“Nah, obviously someone in your company did it so they’re all suspects.” Kenny pulled in a deep breath. “Don’t worry. I’m sure the police will catch them.”

The mention of the police sent fresh worry racing through Marley. “What if the police connect everything to Leslie and ask us about her?”

“Then we’ll tell them the truth.” Kenny firmly added, “Actually, you should tell them about Leslie before they even ask you. Tell them that she tried to blackmail us and we refused.”

Marley frowned. “Are you sure I should tell them all that?”

“You should. It’s the only way they can catch whoever is after you.”

“But if I tell them about Leslie, they’ll want to know what she was blackmailing us over, and I’ll have to tell them that…” Marley’s words faded into silence.

The knowing look in Kenny’s eyes said that she knew exactly what Marley wanted to say. Telling the police about Leslie meant also telling them about her assertion that their mother wasn’t the one who’d killed their father.

“Tell them that too,” Kenny said. Looking remarkably calm for someone who was on the verge of being outed as a murderer, she smiled. “Relax, Marley, no one will believe whatever garbage story that woman concocted. Everyone will just see her as a junkie who was trying to stiff us for a few dollars for her habit. If Leslie persists with that story, we just need to stick to ours. That it’s false. The fact that we refused to pay her is proof that we’re not guilty of anything.”

Kenny took a breath then continued, “In fact, I bet the cops are the ones who will be most determined to shut her down. They already put our Mom in jail for fifteen years. I bet they don’t want people speculating about it being a wrongful arrest. We have nothing to worry about.”

Marley sighed. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am.” Kenny became even more serious. “After you’re done talking to the cops, I’ll need you to do one more thing.”

“What?”

“Quit your job.”

“What?” Marley’s pulse stuttered in its path. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Someone there is trying to kill you,” Kenny reminded her. “It’s not safe for you to keep working there. You have to quit.”

In the past, Marley would’ve agreed with Kenny and immediately emailed the company her resignation letter. After all, running away was her specialty. However, Sebastian’s face flashed in her thoughts. Along with his face came thoughts of all the friends she’d made in About It.

This was the first time in her life that she’d managed to integrate into a social group. The first time she wasn’t seen as a crazy and odd woman; just a quiet one. This was the first time that she felt like she was living, not just existing. The first time that she felt like her disease wasn’t completely in control of her fate.

“No.” Marley shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to quit.”

Her sister insisted, “You have to.”

“No, I don’t.” Her tone almost desperate, Marley said, “Quitting won’t stop whoever is after me.”

“But it will make it harder for them,” Kenny countered. “If you just stay in the house, no one can get you. Our complex has CCTV everywhere.”

“So does our company, yet I still got attacked and poisoned,” Marley returned. “Hiding won’t really protect me, and I don’t want to go back to being a hermit.”

“Alright, what’s your plan?” Kenny asked. “Will you just be a sitting duck?”

“I’ll just be more vigilant and aware of my surroundings. And I’ll do what I can to help the police find whoever is after me.” She pleaded, “I don’t want to hide anymore, Kenny.”

Kenny looked like she wanted to argue some more. However, after a long pause she sighed. “Okay, but promise me something.”

“What?”

“If there’s another incident,” Kenny proposed, “you take a leave of absence until the culprit is found.”

The request wasn’t unreasonable, and Marley wasn’t sure that her newfound bravery could survive another attempt on her life anyway. So she nodded. “Okay.”

She finished packing then Kenny dropped her off at the hospital.