The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group Read Free Page B

seen Mum’s face! ‘But—’
    ‘When Toby first arrived, we did an arterial blood gas test. That test showed elevated lactate, which indicates a massive metabolic disturbance. Like a grand mal seizure, for example.’ Dr Passlow raised his hand, as if to repel a barrage of furious objections. ‘I’m not saying that Toby did have an epileptic fit. It’s just something we have to explore.’
    An epileptic fit? I didn’t know what that meant. There was a kid at our school who had epilepsy, and she’d always acted just like a normal person. Except that she was an abba fan.
    ‘But Toby’s never had a fit in his life,’ Mum said faintly. ‘Not even when he was running a temperature.’
    The doctor shrugged. ‘Sometimes seizures go completely unnoticed,’ he observed, before launching into a long spiel about different kinds of epileptic fits. I didn’t listen to that. I couldn’t see how it was relevant.
    Because the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Fergus and Amin were to blame for my troubles. Fergus was always playing tricks. He could easily have lured me through the bedroom window with some dumb idea – and when that dumb idea had gone belly-up, he’d probably panicked. I certainly would have panicked.
    I have to talk to Fergus was the decision I made, as Dr Passlow said his piece about recent advances in the treatment of epilepsy, and Mum chewed on her bottom lip, looking anxious. I wasn’t anxious. I was convinced that Fergus (or possibly Amin) would be able to explain everything.
    What I needed was a phone.
    ‘So do epileptics sometimes lose the plot when they have a seizure?’ Tino asked, once the doctor had finished. ‘I mean, do they act in an irrational way, like they’ve been drugged?’
    Dr Passlow didn’t appreciate being questioned by the police. This was clear from his raised eyebrows and pursed lips.
    ‘Epilepsy isn’t a psychosis,’ he said crisply, without even glancing in Tino’s direction.
    ‘Yes, but—’
    ‘Some people do experience tension or anxiety before a seizure, just as some people experience temperature changes. I suppose you could describe that as an irrational response, though it’s hardly the same as an irrational act .’ The doctor finally dragged his gaze away from my mother, fixing it on Tino instead. ‘You’ll excuse me if I don’t feel entirely comfortable discussing the details of this case with you, since there’s been no proper diagnosis.’
    It was such a put-down that it silenced Tino. He cleared his throat, his expression blank.
    Michelle, however, was made of sterner stuff.
    ‘But if the kid had a fit,’ she said, in her harsh and nasal monotone, ‘would he have felt so hot that he had to take off his pyjamas? Would he have been scared enough to run away?’
    Dr Passlow sighed. ‘As I’ve already told you, I’m not able to comment at this point,’ he retorted.
    ‘Yeah, but I’m asking if it’s possible —’ Michelle began, then broke off when Tino nudged her in the ribs.
    She shot him a sullen look, which he disregarded.
    ‘We ought to be going,’ he said. ‘If there’s anything more you want to discuss, just ring me at the station.’ He offered Mum his phone number on a card. ‘We’ll be keen to hear from Toby if his memory improves. And of course we’d appreciate an update on his condition, once the test results are in. Just in case they have any bearing on last night’s incident. ‘
    For a moment my mother sat there dumbly, staring at the card in her hand. Then she raised her eyes and gazed at Dr Passlow.
    ‘Do you think his condition might be to blame?’ she asked. ‘Do you think it’s why Toby ended up where he did?’
    Something about this question must have pained the doctor, because he grimaced as he sucked air through his teeth. You could tell that he was trying to be patient.
    ‘Mrs Vandevelde,’ he said, ‘Toby doesn’t have a condition. Not as far as we know. My concerns might prove to