Chapter 1

Pain courses through my body as I feel the bile rise in my throat and splash against the porcelain bowl. I've been poisoned, I know that much, and because we're undercover there is not much we can do until they can get to us. "Alex you OK"she asks from outside the door, "yeah Cheri, I'll be out in a minute, I think it's just food poisoning"I respond, "do you need anything"she asks gently opening the door. "not right now, I think I'm going to take some meds and lie down"I say. She steps into the doorway and takes one look at me, and I can tell it's bad, "no your not, we're going to get you to bed and I'll get my med kit in the mean time while we're waiting"she says putting her hand to my forehead, "k thank you"i say, "your welcome"she says helping me to my feet. We go to the bedroom and she helps me lie down on the bed. She quickly leaves the bedroom and comes back with her med kit, and then she opens it. "OK big guy,can I get you to roll on your side for me"she asks, "yeah"I respond doing as she asks.

I feel her cool hands against the back of my right thigh as she pulls my pants down and gently reaches over me for what she needs. I know that she is trying to get my temperature and it's going to be uncomfortable but it's necessary. She slides the thermometer in and then after it beeps she looks at the screen, "104, pfft, that's not good,are you sure it's food poisoning, or is it something else"she asks, "i think i've been poisoned, when we were in that house earlier I got pushed down and the guy tried to force whatever it was into my mouth "I say. "k ,do you know what you were poisoned with"she asks, gently swabbing an alcohol wipe against my arm, "no clue, god ow"I say putting my arm across my stomach, "how bad is the pain"she asks rolling me onto my back, "bad,maybe it's not poisoning"I say as she puts her hand palm down onto my stomach.

"k does that hurt"she asks pressing on the right side of my stomach, "yeah"I wince, "k i'm going to call in and see if we can't get them to put a rush on it"she says, "alright"I say. She calls it in and they tell her it's going to be 20 minutes before they get there,and to start surgery if she needs to. She feels my stomach again, "that's not good, it feels like it might rupture, do you mind if we start"she asks, "not at all anything to make the pain stop"I say. She helps me sit up and we move to the bathroom where she has a rolled up towel set up for my head and another spread out for me to lie on. She helps me lie on the floor and gently takes my shirt off, and tells me to lie flat. I do so and she inserts an iv in my arm for fluids, and then takes out the scalpel. She gently presses it to the pale skin of my stomach and cuts into it as I lose consciousness.