Page 22 of His Sweet Torment
Padme frowned, trying to remember if she had accidentally taken too many of her pain killers. “I don’t remember doing that.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “We don’t know if it was pills, actually. Whatever it is you took, it was enough to knock you out. We won’t know what until the blood tests came back, but there doesn’t appear to be any liver or kidney damage. Your throat will be sore for a time, I apologize for that.”
Padme gave him a half-smile. “I forgive you, after all, you were trying to save my life.”
When they were alone, Severin let her anger show. “How dare you try and kill yourself?”
“I swear I didn’t, Mom,” Padme shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that.”
Severin’s body slumped. “I know, darling…I’m just so confused. And put that together with your pain, and Enver being gone…for a moment, I thought you’d reached rock bottom.”
Padme squeezed her hand. “No, I think rock bottom is still coming, but I’m not there yet.”
She grinned to show Severin she was joking. Severin half-smiled. “Just don’t give up, is all I ask.”
Padme leaned her head against her mother’s shoulders. “Never.”
Severin had fallen asleep in the chair next to Padme’s bed when the doctor came back to see them. “No pills,” he said, in a grim voice. “I’m afraid to say that it seems you were drugged with a date rape drug.”
Padme gaped at him. “What? How?”
“No idea.”
Padme frowned trying to recall when she had been in another person’s company. “How quickly do they work?”
“Pretty quickly, within a half hour, I would say. Your dose was mild enough not to do any damage but strong enough to knock you out. I’d prefer you stay here overnight just to be sure, but I think you may be able to go home in the morning.”
Padme thanked him. After he’d left, Padme tried to remember what she had eaten or drunk with Severin that night. She knew it couldn’t have been Severin who drugged her. Everything she had, Severin had also eaten or drunk…apart from the orange juice.
Padme snagged Severin’s cell phone from her purse and called Dale. She explained where she was and why. “Dale, could you go to my apartment and grab that o.j., have it tested for drugs?”
“You think someone got in?”
“I do, although I’m not sure why. Maybe they wanted me out of action so they could snatch me, I don’t know.”
“I’ll get on it.”
Padme smiled down the phone. “Thanks, D, you’re the best. Oh, hey,” a thought suddenly struck her, “would you have the place scanned for cameras or bugs? It just occurred me that Ingles might have rigged my apartment.”
“Will do. You just get some rest. Love you.”
“Love you too, Daleywhaley.”
He laughed. “That sounds more like the old you. Later.”
Padme ended the call and smile to herself. Weirdly, she felt more energized than she had for a while. Probably because of the extra sleep, she told herself. She just didn’t understand why someone would go to the trouble of drugging her – and then do anything.
One of the night nurses came in, struggling under the weight of a huge bunch of flowers. “Didn’t even know they did deliveries this late. Here you go, hun.” She handed Padme an envelope.
“Thank you, gosh, they’re gorgeous.” Padme was astonished at the beautiful bouquet – all bright jewel tones. She opened the envelope and pulled out…a lotto ticket. A Washington State Hit 5 Lottery ticket.What the hell?
She turned over and saw a signature on the back of it – E. Latimer.
E. Latimer? What the hell is going on?
She looked for any other identifying marks, but there were none. She read the numbers to herself.
0/2/78/23/0
