“And the blood pressure medication.”
Marcus didn’t move.
He remembered the doctor’s appointment two weeks earlier.
The blood pressure readings.
The worried expression on the doctor’s face.
The conversation they’d had in the car afterward.
“We just need to be careful,” Elena had told him.
Her doctor had prescribed medication to control her blood pressure and instructed her not to miss doses.
They had been following the instructions carefully.
Marcus looked at the empty bag again.
“When did you last take it?”
“This morning.”
“And tonight?”
“I was going to take it after dinner.”
Marcus looked at the clock.
9:52 PM.
He felt something cold move through his body.
“You haven’t taken tonight’s dose?”
Elena shook her head.
“Your mom threw it away.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did she say?”
Elena hesitated.
“She said she thought it was old.”
Marcus looked toward the living room.
His mother was laughing at something his brother had said.
Marcus looked back at Elena.
“Did she read the label?”
“I don’t know.”
“It literally says your name.”
“I know.”
“And ‘Do Not Discard.'”
“I know.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
He counted to three.
Then five.
Then ten.
When he opened them again, his expression had changed.
