Della Street was not too surprised to see a box of chocolates sitting on her desk when she unlocked the door to her office one rainy morning. Only a week before there had been an enormous box containing two dozen red roses. She had put them in a vase and left them right out in the open. Perry Mason, her boss, had looked so proud when he saw that she had liked his gift.
Of course, the receptionist, Gertie Lade, also received gifts if they had been working hard on a long case, but it was Della who got them more often.
Della popped one of the chocolates in her mouth. Eating another piece, she tucked the box into her drawer.
After sorting it, Della gathered up the mail she wanted to bring to Perry's attention, including a letter from some teenage girl in Ohio that wanted his autograph. She was putting it on his desk when Perry walked in.
"Good morning, Della!" he said cheerfully, tossing his coat on the sofa.
"Hello, Perry," she handed him the fan letter, "And thank you."
She picked up his coat, hung it up, and left. Perry, however, stopped briefly, wondering what she could be thanking him for. He shook his head and forgot about it.
Della went back to work. She was busy typing out letters when the telephone rang. She writhed silently, her stomach feeling tight.
"Perry Mason's office. How may I help you?" she asked politely.
"This is Dr. Charles Bradford's secretary. Dr. Bradford recently used Mr. Mason's services and needs to know who to make the check out to," the woman on the other end explained.
Della told her, then hung up. Her stomach hurt dreadfully. She poured herself some hot coffee, but it dod nothing to help. She felt so sick! Della picked herself up from her desk and went to Perry's door. With some difficulty, she managed to push it open.
"Perry, I-," Della gasped weakly.
She took one stumbling step before doubling over and crumpling to a heap on the floor.
"Della!" Perry cried in alarm.
He jumped up from his seat and hurried over to his fallen secretary.
"Hey, Perry, when-," Paul knocked and came in, then stopped short when he saw Della on the floor, her eyes closed, "What happened?!" he cried, "Is she all right?!"
"Call an ambulance, quick!"
Paul hurried to do as he was bid. Perry was not sure what to do. He wanted to move to the sofa, but he did not think it would be wise without the doctor's consent.
"What happened?" Paul asked, kneeling on the floor beside Perry.
"I don't know; she just collapsed," Perry held his hand close to Della's nose and mouth to make sure she was still breathing.
"Is she all right?"
"She'd better be," Perry was more worried than he let on.
~~~~~~P+D~~~~~~
Della lay motionless in the hospital bed two hours later, thinking over what the doctor had said. She turned to look at Perry as he came in and sat in the chair at her bedside. He smiled at her comfortingly.
"Poison," she said weakly.
He nodded. The doctor had already told him and he had nearly hit the roof. Who would dare - would have the nerve, the cruelness and the motive for poisoning a sweet girl like that? Suppose she hd died? Perry would not let his mind go there. It had taken him quite a long time to settle down before he went in to see Della, but on the inside he was livid and still very concerned for her.
"You had a lot of poison in you," Perry then added, "I came very close to losing my favorite secretary."
"I'm your only secretary," she gave him a suspicious side eye.
"But it's still no less true," he watched a faint smile cross her face as he said this.
"Do you know what I had that was poisoned?" she asked.
"No. Do you?"
She nodded, "The chocolates left on my desk were the only things I ate. I thought at first you had left them."
"I didn't give you any chocolates!" Perry was taken aback.
"I know that now," Della said.
"Are they still at the office?"
Della was suddenly overcome by a fit of coughs and shakes. Perry jumped and called for the doctor. A nurse ushered Perry out of the room and told him to come back later.
Perry's tightened into fists as he banged through the hospital doors and left. Someone had poisoned Della. And no one was going to get away with that!
Please leave a review (I love reading your reviews :-) Chapter two should be up within a few days.
I wrote this a while ago, but I think it is still one of my favorite fanfic stories. Please note that I said Della Street not Mason. They are not married in this story. I will try to keep that clear in any future stories I write.