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Crisis & Catharsis -- Part XV Rachel pushed open the door to Nora’s room. Seeing Nora resting peacefully in the bed, she let the door close softly and turned to Matthew. “She’s sleeping, buddy. Let’s let her get some rest and let the medicine work.” Matthew nodded. Rachel took his hand and led him into the sunroom off the ER.   Matthew knelt on the couch, looking closely at Rachel. “Can I ask you something, Rach?”   Rachel sat beside him. “Of course you can. What’s on your mind, little brother?”   “What’s wrong with mom?”   Rachel looked down at him. “What did she tell you?”   Matthew shook his head. “Nothin’. That’s why I’m asking you.”   “Well, maybe we should wait and let mom explain this to you.”   Matthew was suddenly angry. “I’m not a little kid! Why can’t I know what’s wrong with mom?”   Rachel put her arm around him. “Relax, Matthew. No one is trying to keep you from knowing what’s wrong with mom.”   Matthew looked up at her. “It makes me more scared when I don’t know what’s going on,” he said softly.   Rachel nodded. “That makes sense. But in this case, you have nothing to be afraid of. Michael is going to make mom better, honest.”   Matthew looked at her with tears in his eyes. “Can’t you tell me what’s wrong with her?”   Rachel took a deep breath. “Okay, I can do that much. Mom had poison in her body and that’s why she was getting dizzy. But now that Michael knows that it’s poison, he knows what kind of medicine to give her to make her better. So you don’t have to be scared, all right?”   Matthew nodded. “But where did mom get poison?”   Rachel hesitated. “I think mom and Bo should tell you that.”   “I want to know now,” Matthew protested.   Rachel looked up as she heard someone walk into the room. “Dr. McBain.”   Michael walked over to the couch. “I thought I would find you guys in here. How are you, Matthew?” Matthew shrugged. “Your mom is going to be fine.”   “Will you tell me what’s wrong with her?” Matthew asked quietly.   Michael glanced at Rachel. “Well… I think your parents should discuss that with you, but there is something you could help me with.”   Matthew’s interest was piqued. “You want me to help?”   Michael nodded. “Yes I do, little man. Can you come down to the lab with me?”   Matthew looked at Rachel. “Can I?”   Rachel eyed Michael cautiously. “What do you need, Dr. McBain?”   “Bo thinks it would be a good idea if Matthew was tested too, just to be sure the poison isn’t in his system.”   Matthew looked at Rachel, a little alarmed. “Am I sick too?”   Michael crouched in front of Matthew. “No, buddy. You’re not sick. We’re just being careful, that’s all.”   Rachel put her arm around Matthew’s shoulders. “Why don’t we get tested together? That way we can both tell mom that we’re fine.”   Michael smiled gratefully at Rachel. “I think that’s a great idea. Why don’t you guys come with me and I’ll give you a tour of the lab. I’ll even let you watch them test your blood, how does that sound?”   “Cool!” Matthew said, jumping off the couch.   Rachel rolled her eyes. “Yeah, real cool.” She and Michael followed Matthew out of the room.   Michael turned to her as Matthew ran ahead to wait for the elevator. “Thanks for helping with him.”   Rachel nodded. “Anything to make him feel better. He’s pretty scared right now.”   “I know but I’m sure it helps him to have his big sister around.”   “I’m happy to be here.” Rachel put her hand through Michael’s arm. “Let’s get this over with. Have you doctors discovered a way to get the blood out without needles?”   Michael shook his head. “Not just yet.”   Rachel groaned. “Why did I volunteer? I’m not going to like this!”   Michael chuckled. “Poor baby. I’ll be gentle.”   Rachel laughed. “I’ll hold you to that, doctor.”   ************************* John knocked and opened Bo’s office door. Bo looked up and waved him in. John dropped a takeout bag on his desk. Bo set his file aside and grabbed the bag. “Thanks, John. Any news on the cookies from my place?”   John dropped into the chair in front of Bo’s desk. “Not yet. Benny says soon. Take that for what it’s worth.”   Bo grinned. “Benny works on his own time frame."   John nodded. “Yeah, he does. I ran into Jenkins in the hall and told him to hold onto Paige for a bit so you could eat your lunch.”   “Thanks. I think I need a few minutes to gather my thoughts.”   John grinned. “No problem for me, but you’re gonna owe Jenkins for putting up with Paige.”   Bo chuckled. “I’ll buy him a beer next time I see him at Rodi’s.”   John watched Bo digging into his lunch. “Back to the topic at hand. Are you worried about how this affects Matthew?”   Bo looked up from his fries, turning serious again. “I told Michael to test him. I need to be sure he hasn’t been exposed. If Paige hurt him…”   John nodded. “I know what you’re saying. How are you doing with all this?”   Bo shook his head. “Honestly, it’s not real yet. I just can’t get my mind around the fact that Paige would poison Nora. And all the time she’s been spending with Matthew, telling me how much she wanted to be a mother...” Bo unconsciously squeezed his burger while he was talking and the ketchup oozed out all over his fingers. “Dammit,” he said, grabbing a wad of napkins. John watched him closely. “Do you want me to sit in when you question her?”   Bo shook his head. “I think I can handle her. I spoke to the Mayor earlier. He’s okay with my handling this.”   John nodded. “If you think that’s best. But if you need a go between, let me know.” Bo nodded. “What did you find out from Rex and Spencer?”   “Rex overheard Paige arguing with Spencer last night at Rodi’s. Rex says Spencer mentioned an ingredient.”   “An ingredient?” John repeated. “Anything more specific?”   Bo shook his head. “No. Just that Spencer asked Paige about a project that she needed an ingredient for. Spencer can’t recall any such discussion.”   John smirked. “That’s typical. What about the check?”   Bo popped another fry in his mouth. “Spencer maintains it’s for a machine to help Kelly conceive.”   John watched Bo carefully. “Did it sound credible?”   Bo took a swig of soda, shaking his head. “Not a bit. He couldn’t tell me the name of the machine. He’s going to call me with the name.”   John shook his head. “You’re not holding your breath on that one, are you?”   Bo chuckled. “Hardly. Let’s just see how his story jives with Paige’s.”   Officer Jenkins knocked softly and pushed open the door to Bo’s office. He stood back as Paige rushed past him. Jenkins heaved a sigh of relief. “She’s all yours, sir,” he said as he pulled the door closed behind him.   Paige threw herself on the front of Bo’s desk. “Bo! Thank heavens I’m out of that filthy cell. What took you so long?”   Bo crushed the takeout bag, tossing it in the trash bin behind his desk. “I was having lunch. Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk.”   John hoisted himself out of the chair. “That’s my cue. Good luck. Call if you need me.”   John left the office and Paige moved around the desk toward Bo, attempting to launch herself into his arms. “I’m so glad to finally be alone with you.”   Bo held her back, pointing to the chair in front of his desk. “Why don’t you have a seat over there.”   Paige stopped, her smile frozen in place. “Bo, what’s going on? Why are you being so formal?”   Bo shook his head incredulously. “Do you know why you’re here?”   Paige grinned at him. “Of course I do. It’s a silly misunderstanding about that check. I assure you there is an explanation.”   Bo nodded. “Then why don’t you have a seat and tell me all about it.”   Paige looked at him curiously but made her way to the chair and sat. “Okay, Bo. But this whole thing is silly. There is a perfectly good explanation for what happened this morning.”   Bo picked up a folder and opened it on his desk, grabbing a pen and clicking it open. “Fair enough. Let’s hear it.”   Paige folded her hands in front of her. “Aren’t you going to ask me any questions?”   “You said you have an explanation. Tell me.”   Paige fidgeted nervously in her chair, smiling at him. “I don’t know where to start.”   Bo took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s start with this morning. You asked me for money for a machine for the hospital. What machine?”   Paige smiled, shaking her head. “Oh, Bo. You wouldn’t be interested in technical hospital machinery.”   “Given the fact that I gave you $20,000 for it, I’m very interested. I told you this morning that I wanted more information and we would talk about it later. Now is later.”   Paige was clearly flustered. “Oh, it’s a long name I can’t recall off the top of my head.”   Bo nodded, looking down at his notes. “Okay, then tell me what it does.”   Paige looked away, thinking. “It’s a heart machine, Bo.” Bo eyed her closely. “A heart machine?”   Paige nodded vigorously. “Yes. You know how important it is that we get patients’ hearts beating again quickly after a trauma to avoid brain damage.” Bo nodded. “I see.”   Paige rushed on. “Well, this machine is critical in the trauma department to give our Residents the best opportunity to save the patient.”   Bo looked down and wrote something in his file. “Sounds like an important machine.”   Paige nodded, sitting forward in her chair. “It is. Now you understand why I wanted to circumvent the red tape of the hospital committee.”   Bo nodded. “To save all these trauma patients in the ER.”   “Exactly. It’s a very important machine, Bo.”   Bo leaned forward, looking her straight in the eye. “Then why did Spencer tell me the money was for a fertility machine that, strangely enough, he can’t recall the name of? Is this machine multi-talented enough to work on heart patients and their fertility issues?”   Paige sat back in the chair, her smile frozen on her face. Bo sat forward in his chair. “The money wasn’t for a machine. What is going on with you?”   Paige shook her head. “It’s for the heart machine, I swear. Spencer must be mistaken or he planned to take the money from me for the heart machine and use it on a fertility machine. I don’t know, Bo. I’m as stunned by this as you are.”   Bo scribbled in his file again. “I can see that. Let’s move on. What were you arguing with Spencer about last night at Rodi’s?”   Paige eyed Bo. “Who told you I was arguing with Spencer? Oh, wait. It was Rex, right? He is the most annoying little brat, isn’t he?”   Bo grinned at her. “I kinda like him. But that’s neither here nor there. He saw you at Rodi’s and you were talking to Spencer. What was that about?”   Paige looked around nervously. “Is this official questioning? You’re not even on the force at the moment.”   Bo shook his head. “I spoke to the Mayor on my way back from the hospital this morning. He’s cleared me to handle this investigation. Now, tell me about Rodi’s.” Paige continued to fidget in her chair. “Do I need a lawyer?”   Bo watched her carefully. “Have you done something that would require the services of a lawyer?”   Paige shook her head, smiling at him. “Of course not. But you seem to be asking a lot of questions, like you know something.”   Bo shrugged. “I only know what I’ve been told. You and Spencer were seen at Rodi’s last night. I just want to know what you were discussing.”   Paige avoided his eyes. “We were just talking. I don’t know that there was a topic. You know I was upset after our argument. Spencer was just being a friend.”   “So you and Spencer are friends now?”   Paige shook her head. “That's not what I mean. He was there and I was upset, so we were talking.”   Bo could tell she was getting riled. He didn't want to let up. “What was the ingredient Spencer was asking you about?”   Paige looked momentarily confused. “Ingredient? What do you mean?”   Bo shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “I was told you were discussing an ingredient with Spencer. What is the ingredient for?”   Bo watched as Paige seemed to be searching for the answer. “Are you talking about the ingredient for my cookies?”   Bo leaned forward. “So it's for your cookies. What kind of ingredient?”   Paige smiled at him. “It’s a spice, Bo. I use it in my ginger cookies. Why would you be interested in that?”   Bo ignored her question. “And Spencer gave it to you?” Paige nodded. “What is the ingredient?”   Paige shrugged. “I don’t know what it is, Bo. Spencer gets it from his mother. I’ve been using it in my cookies for years. Why are you asking this?”   Again Bo ignored her question. “Do you have any of the spice now?”   Paige shook her head. “No. That’s what the discussion with Spencer was about. I told him I had run out and asked him when he could get me more. Why are you so interested in the spice for my ginger cookies? You don’t even like them. Neither does Matthew. Nora is the only one who will eat them.”   Bo stared straight in her eye. “You haven’t been able to figure out what’s wrong with Nora, have you?”   Paige was surprised by his abrupt change of topic. "No, I haven't."   Bo's voice raised slightly. “I know.”   Paige was confused. “You know? Know what?”   “I know why Nora's been getting dizzy. She was being poisoned. This morning, we figured out where the poison was coming from.”   Paige shook her head, smiling at him. “Where?”   Bo watched her closely. “It was your cookies.”   TBC