Love For Hire

Dr. Horton sat in his office, reviewing Nicholas’ test results. He was having trouble figuring out what had caused his patient’s quick decline. He just had no ideas. All his symptoms were consistent with radiation therapy, but the speed and severity of the symptoms were concerning. It just did not make sense.

There was a knock on his door, and Dr. Horton looked up as the orderly came in and offered him a file with test results. The lab had sent them up because Dr. Horton had asked for a speedy delivery. He thanked the orderly and then opened the results as the orderly left the room. He’d had the lab test the teacup Kinsley had given him as well as the hair he had collected from Nicholas back at the palace. He opened the teacup findings first and read the results with surprise. It tested positive for arsenic. He put down the test results, and then he checked the results on the test done on Nicholas’ hair. His hair showed a high level of arsenic poisoning going back weeks.

Arsenic, that explained everything. The symptoms of arsenic poisoning were extremely similar to radiation. That was why it had gone unnoticed. Kinsley had been right to be suspicious. Someone was poisoning her fiancé. Only he did not know who, but he was certain Kinsley did. He had to tell the family.

Dr. Horton stood up and made his way up to Nicholas’ room. When he got there, he found the family sitting around, and they all perked up when he came in. “Doctor,” Samuel took a step in Dr. Horton’s direction. “Do you have news?”

Dr. Horton turned and closed the door. He looked over at Samuel and Naya. Over the years, he had gotten very close to the family. “I know what is wrong,” he said, and everyone looked anxious to hear the news. “I ran extensive tests. Nicholas is suffering from arsenic poisoning.”

“Arsenic poisoning?” Teegan gasped.

“He has high levels of arsenic in his system, and the testing we did on his hair suggests he has been steadily poisoned for weeks.”

“Oh god,” Naya said, taking her son’s hand. “That means someone has been….”

“Trying to kill Nicholas,” Dr. Horton finished for her.

“Do you know who?” Matthew asked.

she has a suspect,” he said, looking around

like it were a question they had not considered. “She went to the vending machine to get a snack,” Teegan said. “But now that I think about it, she has

with Kinsley,” Naya turned to

out, she was gone. I assumed maybe she went to the cafeteria. She probably had

shocked and horrified to learn someone was trying to kill Nicholas, Matthew seemed indifferent. He had never gotten a good feeling

see how Nicholas is doing,” in the meantime, Dr. Horton was going to have

***

on her. She could feel as she was moved, and she could hear the faded voices of more than one person around her. She heard one person say her blood pressure was low. Another was yelling for a

***

no one knew where she had gone. When Matthew returned without her, Naya had gone down to security and asked them to search for Kinsley, only to find out Dr. Horton had done the same hours earlier. She was concerned by the fact that they had been searching for hours and yet to

to go to the good doctor’s office on the main floor to confront him and ask why he had sent out a search party some time ago without mentioning it. She had to walk through the ER unit to get to the administrative wing. As

was a nurse who was working on casting Kinsley’s right arm. Naya

The nurse spoke. “Do you

fiancée. Nicholas is up on the fifth floor. She went for a walk a few hours ago and never came back. What happened

orderly found her in a stairwell unconscious. It looks as if she had fallen down the stairs. She had no ID on her, so we have labelled

down the stairs. Good god. Is the

is pregnant?” The

a few weeks,” the look on the nurse’s face was