“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m trying to help.”
The door splintered.
He tipped the mixture carefully into the baby’s mouth just as the guards crashed through and hit him from both sides. Hands tore Oliver away. Marcus hit the floor hard, a knee driving into his back.
“What did you give him?” Dr. Sterling demanded.
“Charcoal,” Marcus gasped. “Just charcoal. Please don’t wipe it away. Don’t make him throw up. It needs time.”
No one listened.
Then Dr. Tanaka’s voice cut through the room.
“His color is changing.”
Everything stopped.
Arthur looked down.
Oliver’s oxygen readings were climbing. His pulse was stabilizing. The rash that had been spreading was beginning to fade.
“That’s impossible,” someone said.
“Check the plant,” Marcus whispered from the floor. “Please.”
Dr. Sterling ran for the nursery. Seconds later they heard him shout.
“Get poison control on the line. Seal that plant. Contamination team now.”
The room changed all at once. Not into celebration yet. Into shock.
The guards released Marcus.
Arthur Kensington stood over him, baby in his arms, staring as if the laws of the universe had been rewritten in front of him.
By dawn, Oliver was no longer dying.