maddie sturniolo: the triplets younger sister♡

33 - poisoned

(10:24am, maddie's pov)
we were all in the hospital. i was lying in a hospital bed and i had just had a few blood tests. i felt fine, but dad had said there was blood in the vomit, which usually wasn't a good sign. mom had arrived at the hospital too, and my family were crowded around me in the hospital. i hadn't thrown up since nick's room, luckily. hopefully it was all over now.
the doctor was busy running around the hospital and gathering the blood test results. i had slept the whole car journey here and i was still very tired. normally i would be scared for myself in this situation, but i was too tired to even feel scared.
matt was sitting on the edge of the bed, infront of me, and my parents were sitting on my left side whilst chris ran his hands through my hair on my right side. nick, however, was sitting in the corner of the room, looking very pale and spaced out. i didn't know what was wrong with him, but again, i was too tired to care.

(matt's pov)
we were all in maddie's hospital room, hoping she was gonna be okay. we knew it was nothing major, but obviously we were still gonna worry for her. she's our sister.
she was falling asleep in the hospital bed. we were all gathered around her, apart from nick, who had seemed very off since we got in the car on the way here. normally nick was the protective, mother like one towards all of us, but he wasn't acting himself. he was sitting behind me in one of the chairs, staring into space.
i focused my attention off of nick and back to maddie, who should be my real worry here, but at the same time i couldn't stop worrying about nick.

(nick's pov)
i didn't like this. i really did not fucking like this. i hate hate hate hospitals, and seeing maddie, someone i love, in a hospital bed sends literal shivers down my spine. i've always been like this, hating hospitals and shit, but right now it was really bad.
i didn't want to come too near maddie because i would worry her. i was shaking. my mind was racing and i felt very hot. matt kept glancing at me from the hospital bed quite frequently. i had tried my best to hide my fear but i genuinely couldn't anymore.
i slowly stood up, trying not to fall over from dizziness, and i made my way out of the hospital room and into the corridor.

(matt's pov)
all of a sudden, nick headed to the door and left the room.
"nick where are you going??" chris asked. we all watched in confusion as nick walked out.
"that was weird" dad responded.
"i'll go get him" i replied, standing up and following him down the hall. he was walking in a weird way, as if he was drunk or something.
"nick!" i shouted. he turned around, and looked at me blankly.
"matt" he responded, stopping. i approached him.
"what's going on? you alright?" i asked him. he shook his head, moving his hair from his sweaty forehead.
"i'm really worried, matt. i really am."
"hey. i get it. i know you are, i can tell" i softly responded, rubbing his back. the corridor was empty thankfully, so no one would wonder what's going on. "and i fucking hate hospitals too" he shivered, his breath becoming unsteady. i nodded, not taking my eyes off my brother.
"deep breaths, nicky" i gently muttered, as he copied my breathing. "everything's going to be okay. maddie's going to be just fine. and we're all here with her. you're gonna be okay kiddo"
it took him a few moments, but then he nodded.
"thanks matt. i'm sorry. i don't know what got into me. shit, i'm the worst brother"
"okay, nick. no you aren't. you're just scared for her, and if anything that makes you the best brother." i smiled, patting his back. he had calmed down a lot. "don't overthink it, nick. all we need to focus on right now is finding that fucking doctor who has gone missing in this hospital"
nick let out a laugh, making me laugh too.
"okay, matt. i love you" he chuckled. i smiled.
"i love you too nick" i responded "go splash your face with some cold water, you're sweating."
"i will" he said, walking off to the bathroom. "i'll be back in the room in 5 minutes."

(maddie's pov)
matt had gone to get nick, and now they were both back in the room, and nick had brought a chair over to the side of the bed to sit on, instead of being in the corner. and after what felt like years, the doctor finally came back in.
"alright, i have good news, and bad news."
we all looked at each other, slightly alarmed.
bad news??
"what is it?" mom asked him.
"so." he began "from what i have discovered from your blood tests, maddie, it seems as though you have been poisoned by a substance known as carbon tetrachloride"
carbon who and the fucking what now?
"poisoned?? how is that possible? how could she have got poisoned?" dad interrupted, beginning to get concerned. the doctor shrugged.
"i'm not sure, but there were small traces of it found in her bloodstream." he responded. there was a brief silence.
"so what's the good news then?" mom asked.
"the good news is that there was only a small amount in her body, so either she already vomited most of it out or didn't ingest a lot of it. either way, this is a very serious situation and maddie will need to stay in hospital over night so we can monitor her kidney and liver function." he said. "if it was a high dose, you might have died."
everyone looked at each other in shock, but i wasn't really 'there', i was very zoned out.
how the fuck did i get poisoned? by what???
i was too tired to even think right now.
"maddie how could you have got poisoned? how's that even possible?" chris asked, looking at me.
"i don't know" i groaned, just wanting to sleep.
"maddie, this isn't the time for 'i don't know'. you need to answer us. you could've gotten killed, someone must have poisoned you. have you gone out to eat anywhere recently?" nick asked.
i couldn't remember anything.
"maddie??" he repeated.
i tried thinking about where i had eaten recently that wasn't at home or from the school cafeteria, when i suddenly remembered.
those fucking cupcakes.
i gasped, processing what had just happened.
"what?" matt asked.
"maddie, what is it?" mom asked me. i was in SO much shock.
sophie had poisoned me.