Sorry I'm so late getting back to this. We had visitors unexpectedly this evening and, while it was fun, it's put me behind schedule. But I see a couple more of you sneaked in with comments while I was gone - thank you!
Again, you've all taken my breath away with your wonderful compliments, all the kind things you've said. This was always going to be an emotional instalment - okay, yes, most of them have been
- but with Lois nearing the end of her time and the poison getting a stronger grip, things were going to get intense.
Pam said:
That's a really terrible place to end the section... but it's a fabulous cliffhanger
LOL - thank you! But, actually, I thought it was being kind to you. I could have ended it half a page sooner,
before Clark started remembering those shavings in the workshop, now couldn't I?
Speaking of those shavings, kudos to those of you who picked out that very brief passing mention a few instalments ago.
There has to be some conflict, something to keep the interest up.
Or, at least, for me. Anyway. let me know what you think when you've read the final part. Always assuming, of course, that it does end in WAFFy stuff...
And now... the poison. Janet said:
Once they started talking about mercury poisoning, I wondered if it might be lead... good choice from the poisoner's point of view, too, since it wouldn't be something too many people would think of. They would have tested for arsenic early on, but might not think of lead. Not real common in adults.
Yes, precisely. I'll say a lot more about my choice of poisons when I reply to the final section - it wouldn't be appropriate to go into it now. But what you say about lead not being something too many people would think of is
exactly why I chose it. I did, of course, have expert advice here, and I could not
possibly have written this story without Jill's help. Jill gave me a few alternatives, and what made me go for lead was two-fold: first, people don't always think to test for it; second, it's not generally taken intravenously.
Sarah said:
Well, it was lead poisoning that I was hoping I was wrong about. Won't Lois have some permanent brain and/or nerve and muscle damage from such a high exposure?
and others also commented on possible side-effects from lead. Yes, assuming that it is lead,
side-effects are not only possible but very probable. Again, I'll say a lot more about that, including my reasoning in terms of what you'll see in Part 21, when I respond to the final instalment.
I think that's about all I want to respond to here, other than to say that all the wonderful, amazing compliments in here have once more left me awed, speechless, blushing and so very, very grateful to you all. There just aren't words to thank you the way I want to.
I suspect, though, anyway that you'd rather I didn't try to get verbose about my thanks and just posted Part 21 instead... so here goes.
Thank you all!!
Wendy
