Misfire
Part 3

Donna



Sam had fallen asleep on the short trip to his apartment. By the time they arrived, he was feeling slightly more in control. He managed to get up the stairs with only minimal assistance from Bonnie. Since she had his keys, she opened the door and ushered him in, where he promptly collapsed on the couch.

Bonnie found a soft blanket and tossed it over Sam. "Hungry?" she asked softly.

"You don't have to stay, Bonnie," Sam answered.

"Relax, Sam. It's not like I'm propositioning you. I just thought you might like something to eat," she said with a laugh.

Sam blushed. "Thanks. Nothing heavy, though."

She nodded and headed for the kitchen. While she was fixing the meal, she called out, "We took the liberty of grabbing some stuff for you to work on while you're home when you're up to it."

"Thanks. I...hold on, you said 'we'?"

"Yeah," Bonnie replied. She came back into the room with a plate carrying a turkey sandwich and a glass of juice. "We. As in Ginger and me."

"Ginger knows?"

She set the plate and glass on the cocktail table in front of him then sat on the end of the couch opposite him. "Yes, and so does Donna. Eat."

"You told them?"

"They were there. They saw what happened. I told them what I knew. Now eat."

"What exactly did you tell them?"

"That you have epilepsy."

The color drained from his face. "How?" he whispered. "How did you...I mean, when did --"

"Last year when you went to LA," Bonnie said gently. "Your pharmacist called about your prescription. I had them send it to the hotel pharmacy, remember?"

Sam thought back. He had had the prescription sent up to his room, where he quickly dumped the pills into an old Excedrin bottle. "Yeah, that's right." He picked up the sandwich and took a bite. Chewing slowly, he finally asked, "How did you know what the Dilantin was for?"

"My brother has been taking it for years. He has epilepsy, too." She gave him a warm smile.

Sam smiled back. "I didn't know."

"No reason you should have." Bonnie watched him take another couple of bites of the sandwich and down some of the juice. "So," she began, "how long have you known about it?" She sat back abruptly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

" It's okay. I've known since I was kid," Sam replied. "When I was eight, I started having petit mal seizures, you know, spacing out for a few seconds at a time. The doctors first diagnosed me as having Attention Deficit Disorder. Put me on Ritalin for a while."

"Then what happened? How did they figure it wasn't ADD?"

"The petit mals kept happening. I had one while riding my bike. Nearly got hit by a car. Then when I was about ten, I had my first grand mal. My mother called an ambulance. A very astute ER doc ordered a neurological consult. That's when they diagnosed me. Off with the Ritalin and onto the Phenobarbital. I stayed on that until high school, then they switched me to the Dilantin."

"So when was the last time you had a seizure?"

"About eight years ago. I was staying with Josh and we'd just finished an intense basketball game in one hundred degree heat." Sam chuckled. "I think I scared the hell out of him." They shared a laugh, then Sam noticed Bonnie's slightly swollen hand. "What happened to your hand?"

"It's nothing," she said.

"I did that to you, didn't I?"

She reached over and patted his knee. "It's not like you did it on purpose. Anyway, it's more my fault. I shouldn't have put my hand between you and the wall, but I didn't want you to hit your head."

"Thanks," he said sadly. He turned away from her and stared at his sandwich. "You should put some ice on that."

"I will. You. Eat." Sensing his embarrassment, she stood up. "It really is fine, Sam." She went into the kitchen to get some ice. "I need a towel," she called out.

"Check the linen closet in the bathroom. It's down the hall and to the right."

She left him sitting on the couch. A minute later, the front door opened and an anxious Josh poked his head in. "Sam?"

"Hey Josh. C'mon in."

Josh came in and immediately sat on the coffee table across from his friend. "You okay? Donna said you had a seizure."

Sam groaned. "She told you? I hope this doesn't mean she's told everyone in the office."

"I think Donna's the least of your worries." The two men looked around to see a furious Bonnie holding a small pill bottle in her hand. Her voice was laced with barely-controlled anger. "You want to tell me what this is?"


part 4

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