Page 13 of Black Widow's Kiss

“I see,” the Doc said considering it. “Well, we’re still running tests. But until we find contradicting results, I would recommend lowering your stress levels. Can you take some time off from your job? Is that possible right now?”

“That is absolutely not possible. And neither is the chances of me having a panic attack. I hope you didn’t write that down in your records anywhere,” I said as threateningly as I had intended it.

“You were brought in by a representative of the Sato family. And I can assure you that we will extend you the same privacy and discretion we show them.”

Ah! Now I was getting it. This was Sato’s doctor who, I was sure, would say anything Sato asked her to.

“I see,” I said, my mind finally starting to click into gear. “But let’s say that I hadn’t had a panic attack. What else could it be?”

“What do you mean?”

I thought of Kuroi.

“There’s a history of men in my situation having heart attacks. Could I have had something like that?”

The doctor gave me that confused look again. Why was she doing it?

“Yes, that is a possibility. But usually a man of your age and physical condition wouldn’t be a candidate for a myocardial infarction. And we did run a test for markers of such an event and they were all negative.”

“But, it could have been a heart attack?” I clarified.

“The symptoms did present in similar ways. But, like I said, the most likely cause remains a panic attack.”

“So, either I had a panic attack, which, if true, would make me too weak to do a job as stressful as mine. Or, I had a heart attack under very suspicious circumstances. Is that right, Doc?”

“Panic attacks are very controllable with the right lifestyle changes and regulation techniques,” she replied avoiding my question.

“I see. Tell me, Doc, is it also possible that I was shot with something. Not like a bullet, but maybe a dart or anything? Because I definitely felt something hit my neck. Is a pinch to the neck also something that comes with a panic attack?” I challenged.

“Not usually. But…”

“So, it’s possible that something could have shot me in the neck as well.”

“Mr. Ricci, I’ve found that the most likely cause is usually the right one.”

“Just answer my question. Is a pinch on the neck also a symptom, or whatever you call it, of having a panic attack?”

“No, Mr. Ricci,” she said relaxing in resignation.

“Could anything associated with a pinch to the neck lead to a heart attack that doesn’t have what you were looking for? You know, what did you call them? Markers?”

Dr. Rohit paused.

“As I said, the most likely cause is usually the correct one…”

“Doc…” I protested not wanting to argue with her.

“…However, yes. A pinch to the neck could both be the cause of heart attack as well as a symptom of one depending on the cause.”

“And what could cause something like that?”

The Doc shook her head reluctant to answer.

“A poison. But, Mr. Ricci, and I can’t emphasize this enough. There has been no evidence of that and the most likely cause…”

“Is a panic attack. I know. When will I be able to get out of here?”

“If what you had is a panic attack, we can release you as soon as you feel strong enough to get up. If it was a heart attack, then we’ll need to keep you here a bit longer to run a few more tests.”

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