by Gay Courter
“Janet and Rich are back in the duplex and are going to continue with the program,” she replied in a subdued voice.
“What happened?”
“Janet had a miscarriage while she was home. Since she is no longer pregnant, it has been decided that they can have another chance.” I felt relieved. “Rich has been asking to talk to you. Is this a good time to put him on?”
“Sure.”
“Hey, Gay! You still my guard?”
“Your guardian, Rich. Yes, I still am.”
“Okay, cool. Now, I have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to see Ally again. I called that lady she lives with, but she said I would have to talk to you.”
“I’ll see what I can arrange. We’d have to find you somewhere to stay.”
“The place I stayed at Easter said I could come back.”
“That would be great. I want you to see your sister and your brother whenever possible. You need to be in touch with your family.”
“Not my dad.”
“No, not him … but what about your mother?”
“She died in an accident.”
“Well, Rich, I know you’ve had several moms. There was one who had an accident, I think her name was Peggy, but she didn’t die. She just divorced your father. Did you know that?”
“I guess …”
“Okay, and then there was Tammy, your real mother, the one who gave birth to you and moved away when you were about six, then there was someone else for a while, then Peggy, then Vicky, right?”
“I liked Vicky, but she doesn’t want anything to do with us now.”
“I know, but …” I quickly calculated the consequences to what I might say, then realized that Alicia would bring it up sooner or later. “Rich, Alicia has been wanting to find out what happened to Tammy. So I helped her and we found that your real mother lives in Washington State, that’s far away, near California.”
“That’s not possible. She’s dead.”
“No, she isn’t. I’ve spoken to her on the phone.”
“Yeah? Did she tell you that she left our house because she was pregnant by some other man and even my grandfather didn’t want her around anymore?”
“I’m not certain she was pregnant then, but she did marry again, and she has two more children.”
“Well, she’s not worth bothering with. She’s just a piece of trash who trapped my father into marrying her.”
“I understand how you feel, Rich, but I wanted you to know that Tammy has heard about you and she cares about you.”
“I have a headache.”
“You aren’t feeling well?”
“No, I feel sick.”
“Why don’t you rest up and I’ll check on your weekend with Alicia?”
The phone hung up before I finished the sentence.
For the next few days I worked on the visit, hoping that if Rich heard Alicia’s side of the story, he might be more interested in at least communicating with Tammy. After we had a host home ready and a bus ticket purchased, T.J. called.
“I’m sorry, but the visit with Rich’s sister has to be put on hold. We can’t release him into the community.”
“What’s going on?”
“He threw a chair at someone and he’s become increasingly more disorderly. We’ve set up an appointment for him to have a comprehensive evaluation through Garrison Hospital, but the way it looks now his only option may be the state hospital.”
“You mean locking him up in Chattahoochee?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Ms. Costa, I don’t understand how one month this child is placed in independent living and expected to hold a job, attend school, and care for himself, then the next he’s ready to be committed. You accepted him in a program, and while I am sure you did your best to counsel him, you didn’t provide him with a single hour of therapy even though you knew his last placement had been in a locked psycho ward.”
“We wanted to give him a chance,” she replied weakly.
We talked more about the testing Rich was going to have and agreed to confer after that.
Seething, I called Lillian and dumped my frustrations on her. “Chattahoochee! Isn’t that the original snake pit?”
“There may be no other alternative.”
“What about Tammy?”
“How could she handle him when a staff of professionals cannot? What do we really know about Rich? Do we have a diagnosis? Is he schizophrenic? Does he have a bipolar disorder? Can it be controlled with medication? If he really is a risk to himself or others …”
My mind was churning with conflicting thoughts. I was saddled with what amounted to a hopeless case. But still, he was my case. If he had not been assigned to me, I would have turned away, not wanting to face the nasty subject, just as I didn’t have to deal with someone else’s trash or traumas. Yet there had to be a humane solution for Rich. A boy of sixteen needed a chance to grow and develop. There might still be time for him to overcome his deficits. As I turned this over in my mind, I realized there was a dark side to Rich that I had to face. This was one very twisted, deeply disturbed, sexually active, dysfunctional—and untamed—little puppy.
I was anxious to hear from Rich’s doctor. If there was no profound diagnosis, maybe I could interest Tammy in Rich. If he had a mother who cared, maybe he could find the security he craved and then become strong enough to recover.
For the moment Rich was going through a stable period. T. J. had told him that if he cooperated with the evaluations and did his chores around the duplex that he could still have a weekend with Alicia. Within a few days, though, T.J. gave me the results of the tests. The psychiatrist at Garrison Hospital found him unsuitable for independent living but filled in an application for him to attend a program in Tampa called Horizons Unlimited.
“This is a group home for boys with round-the-clock supervision, intensive mental health counseling including group and individual therapy combined with behavior control, some school or vocational education, although the main thrust is stabilizing the behavior. It’s expensive, though.”
“Sounds good to me. What about Janet?”
“She’s gotten wind that they might be separated and is threatening suicide. We’re afraid they may be planning to run away together, so we’re keeping close watch on them. After Rich visits with his sister for a few hours, he’ll be taken to Tampa that night.”
“You’re going to deceive him?”
“We don’t think it will work otherwise.”
“When he finds out he might explode. And what are you planning to tell Janet?”
“I can’t discuss her case with you,” T.J. said officiously. “When will I hear from you again?”
“I’m off the case when he’s out of here. Try his regular HRS caseworker. “
Mitzi Keller was not in. I phoned Ruth Levy to talk about the weekend plans.
“Alicia is very upset about what is happening with Rich. Mitzi told her about Chattahoochee, so last Saturday she called Tammy and asked her if Rich could go to live with her instead of being locked up in the state hospital.”
“What did Tammy say?”
“She asked to speak to me and explained that she had spoken to her husband, and while they agreed they would welcome Alicia and Cory, they could not bring Rich into their home because it might put their other children at risk. What could I say? She’s probably right.” There were several long beats, then Ruth sighed. “The more Alicia talks to her mother, the more I have to realize that I am losing her.”
“Do you think she wants to live with Tammy?”
“She’s confused. But at least Alicia feels she has some options. She’s afraid to tell Rich what Tammy said. She doesn’t want him to be hurt again.”
Before the call was finished, my secretary handed me a message that I had to take an emergency call from T.J. on the other line.
“We had a staff meeting this afternoon and decided against the deception,” T
.J. responded in a staccato voice. “First we brought Janet in and told her they were both leaving the program, with Janet going to her mother’s custody and Rich to Horizons Unlimited. Janet ran out crying, and when Rich heard from her what was happening, he went berserk—literally. He pounded in a door, broke a window with a chair, smashed the porch light, put a broom through half the screens on the porch, ran out in the street and scratched our van and broke its mirrors. We called the police and had him arrested. We’re going to press charges for criminal mischief.”
“Did Rich hurt anyone?”
“No, but he threatened to burn us down and beat our brains in.”
“Is he in jail?”
“No. He’s being transported back to Mitzi Keller’s office tonight.”
“What about Janet?”
“For her own safety she’s already been placed in the suicide unit at Garrison Hospital. I suggest you call Mitzi and take it from there.”
Very reluctantly I dialed Mitzi. “I’m going to spend another night in the office with him,” she said, not bothering to mask her annoyance.
“What about the family that was going to take him for the weekend?”
“Do you really think we are going to reward this behavior with a visit to his sister?”
I spoke as calmly as I could. “Maybe he needs the contact with someone who loves him.”
“Hey, if you want to take him on for the weekend, lady, he’s all yours.”
“You know that I’m not allowed to do that.”
“Well then, do you have Tammy Spate’s phone number?” she asked in a subdued voice. I gave it to her. “Do you think she might change her mind about Rich?”
“I think she cares about her kids and has many regrets, but I don’t know what she is really like.”
“We’ve initiated the interstate compact investigation that allows for reciprocal home studies, but I haven’t received the paperwork yet.” Mitzi’s voice cracked, revealing a panicky edge. “After what happened, Horizons Unlimited might not take him. What else can we do with him? He has to have someplace to go.”
I had almost forgotten that our family was going away for the weekend. Once I ascertained that Rich was going to Tampa—without seeing Alicia—I informed Mitzi I would be out of town but to call Lillian in case of an emergency.
On Monday there was a message for me to call Horizons Unlimited. A few minutes later I was speaking to yet another in a long line of well-meaning counselors. Garth Clay had a thick Appalachian drawl. He reported that Rich was doing fairly well but was bragging to other boys about running away with Janet.
“I’m trying to get him to understand why that is unrealistic and how, if he loves Janet, he’ll want her to get well first.”
“May I visit Rich?” I asked politely, knowing full well I could not be denied access.
Garth encouraged me to come and I made arrangements to make the two-hour trek at the end of the week.
When I arrived, Garth took me to his office. “So far Rich only cooperates long enough to get what he wants. We’ve used phone calls to his girlfriend as a reward system, and this is so important to him that he has complied with our rules.”
“Makes sense to me, at least the part about his desire to stay in touch with Janet. She’s the only person in the whole world, besides his sister, who says she loves him. Do you know how she is doing?”
“She’s being moved to a private psychiatric hospital, which is what Rich really needs too. Because he does not have strong internal controls, he requires an acute setting with more structure and external controls.”
“Where might he go?”
“There’s no money for private treatment and the two public programs we’ve contacted have rejected him.” Garth rubbed his chin and looked down at his paperwork.”You know about his marriage plans, don’t you?”
“I know he and Janet have had fantasies …”
“Hey, this is no fantasy. He has asked his father to give him permission to marry Janet immediately.”
“But his father has disowned him and Janet is underage too.”
“She’s already talked her mother into it.”
My mouth went dry. These kids … too sick to be safe in unlocked facilities … were going to be married? “How could anyone—?” I finally sputtered.
Garth explained that while HRS refused to sign the papers, they had allowed Rich to contact his father. At first Red Stevenson had no interest in helping his son, but then Rich promised not to testify against his father in court if he allowed him to marry Janet.
“How can the father, who already signed the consents to terminate his parental rights to Rich and Alicia, be allowed to give permission like this?”
“Unless HRS files the consents and the parental rights are terminated by a judge, the father remains the person with the final legal say.”
“This is crazy—”
Just then, Rich came by the office. “Hey, I know you! You’re my guardian. You came to see me!” He gave me a hug. Garth told us we could use the television room.
“You look better than you did the last time,” I said truthfully.
“Yeah, it’s cool here. Lots of pizza, television. I can use the phone whenever I want.”
“Who do you call?”
“You know … Janet.”
“But she’s in the hospital.”
“I have permission to speak to my wife.”
“You aren’t married yet.”
“We think we are. She was going to have my baby. That makes her my wife. We talk every morning and every night, and we kiss before we hang up like we would if we were going to sleep together.”
“Sounds like you miss her …”
“Yeah, but it won’t be long. We need to be together and away from the court scene. That isn’t good for us. Too much stress. Listen, when I get out of here, will you help me see my sister? I need to say good-bye to her.”
“Where are you going?”
“Me and Janet are moving to Nevada. She has grandparents who live on a cattle ranch. They’ll even pay our way if we are legally married.”
“I heard you spoke to your dad.”
“I made a deal with him not to tell what I saw him do to Alicia.”
“I thought you wanted to protect Alicia and Cory.”
“Sure I do! My father’s lied to me my whole life, so what’s wrong with me lying back to him now? Once I get that paper and get married, there’s nothing he can do to stop me from testifying.”
When I left, I spoke with Garth in the parking lot. “I don’t understand how HRS can allow this to happen. Both Janet and Rich are under their jurisdiction. Can’t they halt a marriage between minors?”
“They have a hands-off attitude. They won’t help, but they won’t physically stop it either. I’d call it ‘enabling’ them to get out of the system.”
Despondent, I drove for more than an hour unable to concentrate on anything except what I could do to intervene. HRS wanted to be relieved of this burden as expediently as possible, but I knew that marriage was not in Rich’s best interests, or even the best interests of the community.
Even though I had no rights in the matter, I called the therapist at Janet’s psychiatric hospital. “Is Janet making any progress with you?”
“Actually, I can’t say that she is. In fact, she’s a destructive influence and we don’t want her infecting others who have more potential to be helped.”
“Where will she go next?”
“Don’t know. She’s burned almost every bridge.”
“So has Rich.” I thought rapidly. “Is she dangerous to herself or others?”
“At times, yes. That’s why she was in the suicide unit.”
“How can we permit two unstable kids to go off together with no money, no support, no therapy? Both have violent tendencies. One’s smart, one’s without empathy. It could be Bonnie and Clyde all over again.”
“Might I suggest you request an HRS staff consultation to consider those
issues?” the doctor offered. “It’s your only chance.”
Lillian helped me organize everyone involved in Rich’s case for a summit meeting. Present were Mitzi Keller, Rich’s caseworker; Garth Clay from Horizons Unlimited; the directors of the regional children’s and psychiatric programs; two mental health workers; the case manager for the special assessment team; as well as a few others, whom I never identified.
We met in the oak-paneled boardroom of the university hospital. The first discussion revolved around whether Horizons Unlimited could be an appropriate placement for Rich. Garth said that they would accept Rich if he would agree to sever his relationship with Janet, for only then will he be able to commit to treatment. The case manager from the special assessment team suggested that Rich required a more secure setting than Horizons Unlimited could provide.
“Is Rich a candidate for evaluation in a locked facility under the terms of the Baker Act?” I asked. The Baker Act is a 1970 Florida ruling that may be used to involuntarily place someone in a locked facility for psychiatric evaluation. In order to qualify, there must be reason to believe a person is mentally ill, and because of this he has refused voluntary examination and is unable to determine whether an examination is necessary. Also the person must show that without immediate care he poses a real and present threat of substantial harm to his well-being, or that he will cause serious bodily harm to himself or others in the near future as evidenced by recent behavior.
Mitzi spoke up. “I’ve already been told Rich does not meet the Baker Act’s legal stipulations.”
I read from a recent psychological report stating that Rich was at risk for aggressive behavior, and told about his rage and vandalism at Garrison House, but nobody seemed especially concerned.
One of the mental health specialists listed the costs for various beds from $55 a day for Garrison House, $120 a day at Horizons Unlimited, to psychiatric beds that ranged from $195 to $350 a day, and up. She felt a community-based program was more in the range of HRS resources.
After mentioning the programs that—depending on your point of view—either Rich had failed or had failed Rich, I argued for intensive therapy to give him one last chance.
