Page 53 of Claimed By the Cowboy
Relief hits me hard and fast, tangled with guilt for feeling that way.
Kitty exhales shakily, her free hand drifting to her stomach before settling back at her side. “That’s a good thing in this case.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat.Someday,I think fiercely. But not like this. Not when she’s lying in a hospital bed recovering from a traumatic experience.
The doctor consults his tablet again. “Has there been any construction or unusual activity near your property?”
I nod. “My brother called me earlier. He discoveredsurvey crews upstream. Heavy equipment moving around for the past few weeks.”
The doc makes notes. “We need to test your water supply immediately. Everyone who drank from it has been exposed to some degree, but Mrs. Sutton’s history made her the most vulnerable because her lungs and immune system were already compromised. That combination meant the toxins overwhelmed her system first.”
Delaney leans forward, her expression sharp with concern. “So the rest of us?—”
“We’ll run tests on everyone in the household,” Dr. Morrison assures. “But right now, Mrs. Sutton is our priority. The others should be fine, but we’ll confirm.”
“Test whoever you need. Just make her well,” I say, my gaze flickering to my wife, who looks shaken by this news.
“We’ll start chelation therapy immediately—an IV medication that binds to those metals so her body can flush them out through her kidneys,” the doctor explains.
My jaw tightens. “Flush them out? That safe?”
He nods. “It’s the best treatment we have, and she’s otherwise strong, which is in her favor. We’ll monitor her closely—bloodwork, heart rhythm, kidney function—to make sure her body tolerates the therapy.”
“How long… will I need to stay?” Kitty asks.
“At leastthree to five days of inpatient careto bring the levels down and stabilize her symptoms. Depending on how she responds, she might need more than one round of treatment, but we’ll take it step by step. Right now, she’s stable enough to begin, and that’s what matters.”
The words settle over me like a weight. Three to five days. Maybe longer. My wife hooked up to machines, tethered to IV lines, because somebody poisoned her.
I squeeze Kitty’s hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Hear that, darlin’? They’re gonna get you sorted out. Just a few days, then I’m takin’ you home.”
Her lips twitch in a sleepy smile. “Home sounds good.”
“So… she’ll be okay? Really?” Delaney asks, still seeking reassurance.
“With treatment, yes,” the doctor confirms. “However, if the source isn’t eliminated, this could happen again.”
My free hand clenches into a fist. “It won't happen again.”
“I’ll leave you to rest,” Dr. Morrison says, looking at Kitty. “The nurse will be in shortly to set up your treatment.”
“Tom?” Delaney notices my grim expression as the door closes behind the doctor. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that someone just made the biggest mistake of their life,”I reply, my voice as cold as winter.
“You think this was deliberate?”Kitty croaks.
“Darlin’,”—I lean down to press a soft kiss to her forehead—“heavy metals don’t just appear in mountain water. Somebody put them there.”
She tries to speak, but her throat won’t cooperate,so she squeezes my hand weakly.She's going to be okay. My Kitty's going to be fine.
But someone poisoned my wife, and I'm going to find out who.
“Don’t worry,” I murmur against her skin. “I’m going to find who did this. And they’re going to regret ever messing with a Sutton.”As the implications sink in—that we’re under attack, that someone wants us gone badly enough to poison innocents—fear joins the adrenaline racing through my bloodstream.
But as I look at Kitty, seeing what those fuckers have done to her, I vow to make them pay.
They have no idea what they've unleashed.
