Chapter 2 - The Hallway Standoff
Dennis didn’t make it two steps past the threshold before security tackled him to the slick linoleum floor. Gerald Voss, his lawyer, backed into the far wall with his hands raised high, instantly abandoning his client to save his own skin.
"I had no knowledge of this! I was merely retained for civil estate matters!" Voss stammered, his face drained of color as police officers poured out of the elevators, handcuffs already rattling in their hands.
Dr. Cortez moved with terrifying efficiency. She grabbed the phone Colton held in his trembling hands, zoomed in on the photo of the dark brown medicine bottle, and immediately recognized the chemical compound printed on the faded red warning label: Aconitine. A potent biological toxin derived from monkshood. It explained every mysterious symptom—the cardiac arrhythmias, the drop in blood pressure, the sudden organ fatigue that had stumped the medical team for three days.
"Get ICU Pharmacy on the line! We need the targeted antidote protocol now!" Dr. Cortez shouted over the clamor.
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Dennis was dragged out in heavy iron cuffs, screaming at Colton, calling him a liar and a traitor. But Colton stood his ground, stepping in front of me and holding my hand tightly.
Within minutes, specialized nurses flooded Hazel’s room with new IV bags. I clutched the yellow daisies so tightly the stems snapped in my fist, praying that the truth had arrived in time.
