Kyle set his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowing. “We can test it, but if that was the first time you took it in days, that’s not it. It’s something consistent, something you consumed daily.”
“But I didn’t have anything else that night. The only thing I did was take that acetaminophen, eat the eggs and toast, throw it all up, brush my teeth and–”
“And what?” Grant asked.
Julia licked her lips, her eyes narrowing. “Nothing. I brushed my teeth. I did that consistently for days. But I did it again before I got worse.”
Kyle tugged his phone from his pocket and pressed it to his ear.
“Who are you calling?” Sierra asked.
“Worthington. I want that toothpaste.”
Julia’s stomach turned over again, though this time it wasn’t from the poisoning, but from the mere idea of the attack. “Who did this?”
“Lydia,” Grant said with a shake of his head.
Her heart skipped a beat. “How? Did she get into the house or…”
“I don’t know but…she’s made threats. She said she’d take everything. And you got that note. It has to be Lydia. How? I don’t know,” Grant said, his jaw tightening.
Julia cupped his face in her hand. It had been a long few days, and he looked tired.
“How are you feeling?” Kyle asked after he finished the phone call.
“Okay. Not terrible. But tired.”
He offered her a smile before he flicked his gaze to her monitors. “Okay, well, I’m going to let you rest while I go oversee the testing of this toothpaste the minute James gets it here.”
Alicia grabbed her hand and squeezed. “It’s really good to see you awake.”
Julia smiled up at her. “Sorry, it seems to be fleeting. I may fall asleep.”
“That’s okay. I’m going to go call Ethan and let him know. You get some sleep, okay?”
Julia nodded as Alicia kissed her cheek and strode from the room.
Julia flicked her gaze to Sierra. “You’ve been quiet.”
Sierra’s features twisted as she reached for Julia’s hand. “It was scary.”
“I’ll bet. But I remember you taking very good care of me at home. Nothing could have happened to me.”
“But something almost did.” Sierra shook her head. “And it probably was Mom. I’m not going to let her get away with this.”
“Hey, Sierra, easy. You do not need to get involved,” Julia said. “We can figure this out, but we need to stay safe while doing it.”
Sierra shook her head, the frown embedding itself in her features. “I swear if she does anything else to this family, I’m going to kill her.”
She glanced down at her phone, her features easing. “Do you mind if I go see James?”
“No, sweetie, go ahead,” Julia said, patting her hand.
Grant offered her a fleeting smile before she left, and he returned his gaze to Julia.
“And that leaves you. Please tell me you’ve gone home at least once.”
He cocked his head, a silent answer to her question.