Chapter 5 - The Diagnosis
The emergency room was chaotic.
Diane had barely survived the ambulance ride.
Her face was swollen beyond recognition.
Her body was covered in severe hives.
She had been intubated to keep her airway open.
When Mark arrived, his parents were a sobbing mess in the waiting area.
"It was Laura!" Susan shrieked the moment she saw Mark.
"Laura poisoned her! She threatened her at the party, and now Diane is dying!"
"Mom, stop," Mark said, exhausted.
"No! I'm calling the police!"
The attending physician walked out, interrupting the hysterics.
"Family of Diane Miller?"
They rushed to him.
"She's stable," the doctor said. "We had to administer multiple doses of epinephrine."
"What happened to my daughter?" Susan cried. "Was she poisoned?"
The doctor frowned.
"Poisoned? No. This is a severe anaphylactic shock."
He looked at his chart.
"Did she eat a large amount of red meat tonight?"
The family froze.
"She... she had steak. And pork," Mark's father said.
"Well, that explains it," the doctor said.
"Explains what?"
"During our examination, we found a distinct tick bite on her collarbone."
The doctor pulled up a medical brochure on his tablet.
"It's called Alpha-gal syndrome. It's transmitted by the Lone Star tick."
He looked at the shocked faces of the family.
"It causes an extreme allergy to mammalian meat. Beef, pork, lamb, dairy."
Susan gasped.
"But... Diane's whole life is food! Her business!"
"I'm sorry," the doctor said with pity.
"She is incredibly lucky to be alive. If she had eaten that meat and gone to sleep without anyone in the house..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence.
Mark stood completely still.
He remembered my exact words.
That’s the last piece of meat you’ll ever eat in your life.
It wasn't witchcraft.
May you like
It wasn't a threat.
It was medical karma.
