For years, it was just Toby and me. His father had slowly faded from our lives when Toby was a baby, leaving me to raise him on my own. I dedicated myself to motherhood, and our small family felt complete.
Then, one rainy Thursday, I was exhausted after a double shift as a nurse. A kind man offered me his seat on the subway, and we struck up a conversation about books. His name was Thomas, and he invited me to a café after we talked about Diary by Chuck Palahniuk. Though I was hesitant, I agreed to bring Toby along, and Thomas bonded with him over cocoa.
A year later, we were married, but just a month into our marriage, Toby fell ill with a fever. I had to work, but Thomas insisted he could handle it. When I called to check in, Toby said Thomas was acting “weird,” like a “robot.” I rushed home and found Thomas extremely sick, unable to move or speak normally. After calling 911, I learned he had been poisoned by a toxic herbal tea from a coworker. Toby’s quick thinking, describing Thomas’s robotic behavior, likely saved his life.
At the hospital, we learned the tea contained foxglove extract, which had caused severe symptoms. The police investigated and discovered that Thomas’s coworker, Evan, had obsessively loved Thomas and tried to harm him when he married me. Thomas survived after a week in the ICU and a long recovery, and Toby’s bravery inspired him to want to become a doctor.
Six months later, Thomas had recovered, though he never touched tea again. Evan faced charges, and our family was healing, though Toby remained observant and careful, likely destined for a career as a doctor—or perhaps a detective.
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