When she arrived she found Ted Searson, Bethany and another man that she didn’t know. Holly assumed he was a colleague of Ted’s. Bethany was lethargic and nearly unresponsive as she slumped on a leather couch.
Holly had immediately sat beside her, trying to rouse her, checking her sluggish pulse. “She needs to go to the hospital immediately.”
“Not just yet,” the unknown man said.
“Excuse me?” Holly frowned at him. “Something is very wrong with Bethany. She needs medical attention right away.”
“I said, she’s not going anywhere just yet,” the man repeated.
“Mr. Searson? Are you going to let this man endanger your daughter?”
“David,” Ted whined.
“Not yet,” David said firmly.
Holly fumbled in her purse, intent on grabbing her cellphone. She would call for an ambulance. David put his hand over her purse, effectively shutting it, his face menacingly close.
She swallowed as indignation was replaced by a sense of fear.
“What? You start the party without me?” Molson looked slightly affronted as he casually entered the office. The occupants gazed at him, startled.
“Who are you?” Ted stood up in alarm.
“None of your business. Sit down,” Molson ordered him as he crouched in front of Bethany. “What’d they do to you girl?”
Bethany was reclining against the couch, her eyes barely open, mouth slack as she labored to breath. Molson used a small flashlight to check her eyes, then took her pulse.
“I told you, she needs a hospital,” Holly glared at David, as the man stepped back to lean on the desk again. “She’s not reacting to the medications properly.”
“Whose fault might that be?” David said mildly as he watched Molson check Bethany. “Andrew must have sent you.”
“Now I know you just did not say that,” Molson looked around and spied the bag of prescription medications. He grabbed it, reading through some of the labels quickly. “Cuz if you did, that means you know all about Andrew. Which means you know about me. I gotta say, I’m upset you didn’t send no Christmas cards or nothing.”
“Why would I?” David said nonchalantly. “You’re not mine.”
“I got a DNA test that says otherwise,” Molson shook the bag of drugs at the woman on the couch. “You Dr. U? The one with the name all over these bottles?”
“When did you get my DNA?” David demanded.
“Yes,” Dr. Holly Urshman said shakily, trying to back away from the bag of pills he had shoved under her nose.
“What’d you give her?” Molson questioned non-too gently.
“Today? Nothing. Two days ago, I gave her a lorazepam to calm her down to help in a therapy session,” she replied defensively. “Nothing else. Nothing to make her like this.”
“I asked you a question boy!” David stood, glowering down at them.
“You think you’re the only one who can get things done?” Molson gave David a derisive look then tossed the bag of pills to one of his friends. He picked up Bethany, cradling her against him. “Come on Sugar, I’m gonna get you feeling better.”
“Wait!” Ted cried. “You can’t just take her.”
“Really?” Molson laughed. “In case you didn’t notice Ted, your daughter is suffering from an overdose. If she don’t get this junk out of her, she’s gonna die.”
“No,” Ted looked lost. “She’s not supposed to die.”
“Shut up Ted,” David growled.
“Lady, you coming?” Molson raised a pierced eyebrow at Holly.
