Chapter 4 - WHAT WAS IN SOPHIE’S BLOODThe hospital did not find a catastrophic overdose.
That was the good news.
Sophie was awake.
Breathing normally.
Heart rhythm stable.
No seizure activity.
No acute liver or kidney injury.
A toxicology test later confirmed diphenhydramine exposure consistent with recent ingestion.
That did not tell us exactly how much.
Or whether Mark had given it only that evening.
He admitted through counsel that he had.
The pediatric emergency physician, Dr. Hannah Pierce, asked me:
“Is this medication prescribed or recommended for Sophie?”
“No.”
“Has her pediatrician recommended diphenhydramine for sleep?”
“No.”
“For anxiety?”
“No.”
“For bathing?”
I almost laughed.
“No.”
Dr. Pierce wrote everything down.
Then:
“Has Sophie had unexplained sleepiness recently?”
My mouth went dry.
Yes.
Saturday afternoons.
Two occasions after Mark handled bedtime when she slept until nearly ten the next morning.
One preschool pickup where her teacher said she seemed “foggy.”
I had blamed growth.
A cold.
Kindergarten adjustment.
I gave Dr. Pierce the dates I remembered.
Not conclusions.
May you like
Dates.
That became important.
