Page 34 of For Your Own Good

She has collapsed on the floor.

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TEDDY CAN’T MOVE.Everything in front of him is still moving, but he has frozen. Almost like he’s watching a thriller on a life-size screen:

Ingrid, completely unconscious, a trickle of blood on her forehead from the fall. Surrounded by people, none of whom know what to do.

Ms.Marsha, calling 911.

Sonia, in that too-tight red dress. She looks thunderstruck.

All because of Teddy. He isn’t sure if he should laugh or cry, so he does neither as it all plays out in front of him.

“Ambulance is on the way,” Ms.Marsha says. She motions to the Collaborative members, telling them to get all the food off the table. “It may be contaminated.”

It isn’t. Teddy knows that. But he also now has a reason to move, because he’s got to get rid of that coffee.

He walks toward Ingrid, where everyone is freaking out. No one paysattention when he picks up Ingrid’s cup, along with a few others, and maneuvers through the crowd toward the sink.

One of the mothers is already there, reaching out to take the cups from him. “I’ve got it,” she says.

Teddy has no choice but to hand them over. He keeps his eye on Ingrid’s cup as the other woman puts it on the counter.

Outside, a fire truck pulls up, along with a police car. It’s a small town that doesn’t have much crime, so he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole department shows up.

The firefighters, officers, and EMTs distract the mother who took Ingrid’s cup. She moves like a cat, almost leaping toward them, then forges a path through the crowd so they can reach Ingrid. Teddy takes the opportunity to get to the counter and dump out Ingrid’s cup.

Just in case.

“What happened?”

Zach, eyes bugging out of his head. He just walked in the door.

“Mrs.Ross collapsed,” Teddy says.

“Oh my God.” Zach rushes off, toward the center of the chaos.

Teddy takes a step and almost runs into Sonia, who looks as frozen as he was a few minutes ago.

“I don’t... understand,” she says.

“No one does.”

She shakes her head. He backs away.

“Teddy, move.”

It’s Ms.Marsha, trying to make a smooth path for them to get Ingrid out. She’s on a stretcher, an oxygen mask over her face, and they rush her past him and out the door, Ms.Marsha leading the way.

Teddy follows, but not to go to the hospital. He walks through the dining hall and heads upstairs, to the teachers’ lounge.

Maybe he didn’t have to empty Ingrid’s cup. Maybe the coffee came from someone’s house, not the lounge. Maybe he’s just being ridiculous.

That must be it. Conscience can be such a terrible thing. The chance that Ingrid drank the coffee meant for Sonia is...

One hundred percent.

There’s only one coffee maker in the lounge, which means the one downstairs came from here. So did the coffee pods.