After years of raising my son Toby on my own, I finally found happiness again in a new marriage. But one terrifying phone call from my five-year-old changed everything.
Toby’s father had disappeared not long after he was born, leaving me to raise him alone. I poured all my energy into being a mother, building a quiet life just for the two of us. I thought we were complete.
Then I met Thomas.
He was kind, patient, and wonderful with Toby—listening to endless dinosaur facts without ever looking bored. Watching them together warmed a part of me I hadn’t realized had gone cold.
A year after we met, we married in a small ceremony. Toby carried the rings.
A month into our new life, Toby came down with a fever. I had a hospital shift I couldn’t miss, but Thomas offered to stay home.
“I’m not feeling great either,” he said with a wink. “But go save lives, pretty nurse. We’ve got this.”
A few hours into my shift, my phone rang. It was Toby.
“Hey, sweetheart. You okay?”
“I’m still sleepy,” he said quietly. “But… new dad woke up weird.”
“What do you mean?”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “He looks like a robot. He’s not talking. He’s just… staring.”
I froze. “Stay right there, honey. I’m coming.”
I couldn’t reach Thomas. Panic rising, I rushed home.
The house was silent. Toby sat on the couch, wide-eyed.
He pointed. “New dad can’t stand up.”
I ran to our bedroom. Thomas lay curled on the bed, soaked in sweat, eyes glassy and unfocused. His phone was on the floor with a half-finished message to me: “Fever came on hard. Something’s wrong…”
His skin was burning. An untouched glass of water and sealed medicine bottle sat beside him. His lips moved, but no words came out. He blinked slowly, stiffly—just like Toby said. Mechanical.
I called 911 immediately, comforting Toby while holding Thomas’s hand.
“What’s wrong with new dad?” Toby asked.
“He’s very sick,” I said, dabbing Thomas’s forehead. “But help is coming.”
The paramedics arrived quickly. They took Thomas to the hospital, and one of them checked Toby on the way. At the ER, my coworkers helped get Toby seen while I stayed with Thomas.
A doctor eventually came to speak with me. “We’re not looking at a typical virus,” she said. “His symptoms point to toxicity—possibly poisoning.”
“Poisoning?” I repeated. “How?”
She asked about his recent diet. Then I remembered—the awful-smelling herbal tea his coworker Evan had given him, which Thomas had been drinking all week to help him sleep.
“It smelled like peppermint mixed with something bitter,” I explained.
She nodded. “Please bring us a sample.”
I picked up Toby, now doing better with some medication, and went home. The tea box was still in the kitchen. I brought it back.
Two days later, the results confirmed our worst fears.
“The tea was laced with foxglove,” the doctor told me. “Digitalis Purpurea. In high doses, it causes confusion, vision problems, and serious heart issues. Just like your son described.”
“Will he recover?” I asked.
“We’re doing everything we can,” she replied. “But Ally—we need to call the police.”
They soon focused on Evan. Investigators found disturbing things in his apartment—dozens of photos of Thomas.
The detective explained that Evan had developed an obsessive love for him.
Seeing Thomas marry me had triggered something dark.
Thomas spent a week in the ICU and a month recovering. His kidneys had been severely affected, and we were warned to be vigilant. At home, I threw out everything suspicious.
Toby was cautious too—watching what people ate, how they acted. But he sat by Thomas’s side and read to him every day. I truly believe that helped him heal.
Eventually, I told Toby that his quick call had saved his stepdad’s life. That same day, he proudly announced he wanted to be a doctor.
Six months later, Thomas had recovered, though he’ll never touch tea again. Evan was facing serious charges, and we were preparing for court. Still, we were grateful just to be together.
To this day, Toby stays sharply observant of everyone around him. If he doesn’t become a doctor, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns out to be one hell of a detective.