Page 91 of Inked in Devotion

“Am I the trigger for this?” Kolya demanded.

“No jumping to conclusions, and this is not group therapy,” Dr. Wyeth said.

I glanced at Kolya. He had flattened his mouth. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

“The brain is a complex organ. It’s the nerve center that controls all thoughts, memory, and bodily actions,” the doctor continued. “Unfortunately, it can be manipulated by substances, controlled or not. Even caffeine can affect brain chemistry. However, I am considerably concerned why someone would give you an opioid agonist compound that would trigger psychosis.”

Theo crossed his arms, but Kolya muttered an expletive, paced a circle, paused, and then waited for the doctor or me to elaborate.

“So, I’m not going crazy?” I asked. “It’s what I was taking?”

“That is my initial assessment. You have to be monitored, of course.”

“What kind of medication is it?”

“The one in the pill bottle appears to be a synthetic drug used as an SSRI inhibitor. However, we’ve isolated the chemical structure of the compound from the tea and the homeopathic remedy and narrowed it down to a South American plant known to cause hallucinations and psychosis.” She went on to name the plant with a complicated scientific name. But my ear was buzzing at this discovery.

“I’ve been taking that tea for a while.”

“What’s interesting about the tea is that the concentrations are different from tea bag to tea bag,” she said. “A few of them tested to be plain chamomile.”

“That’s so it’ll be hard to pinpoint the tea as the culprit,” Theo said.

“Correct.”

“But I had that tea for weeks,” I said. “This last time, though, Marena took a while to procure it.”

“She was going in for the kill,” Kolya growled.

I winced.

“This woman meant you harm, and if this were any other patient, it’s my duty to inform the authorities, but I understand it’s a delicate matter.”

“Marena has been working in this capacity for five years, according to my sources,” Kolya said.

“She wanted me out of the picture.” I glanced at Kolya. “Maybe she wanted you badly.”

“Who?” Theo asked, glaring at Kolya. “Marena?”

“Not necessarily Marena,” I said.

“It’s between me and Chloe,” Kolya added.

“I will not be recommending therapy at the present if your behavior and actions were triggered by malicious intent.” Dr. Wyeth was looking at Theo. “But I need to be assured that this Marena woman is barred from working as a child advocate and will be investigated eventually once you sort out your stories.”

So Dr. Wyeth was aware of discretion.

She ended the recording. “Is there anything else?”

“No,” I said.

“I’ll walk you out, Doctor,” my brother said.

“Theo, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He gave me a speaking glance. “I’ll be two minutes.”

When Theo left with the doctor, Kolya was eyeing me intently.