by Terri Reid
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Bradley said, extending his hand.
“You are welcome,” Dr. Reinsband said, shaking his hand and holding on to it. “And, remind me, where did you say we met before?”
“I’m sure it was at the hospital,” Bradley said with a sad smile.
“That’s it,” he said, shaking Bradley’s hand again. “I never forget a face.”
Chapter Fifty-four
Dr. Karen Springler was waiting for them in the gathering room. “How was your visit?” she asked.
“Could we meet somewhere privately?” Bradley asked.
“Of course,” Karen said. “Let’s go to my office.”
When they were seated in Karen’s office, Bradley studied Karen for a moment and finally made up his mind. “Can I trust you?” he asked.
Karen looked a little taken aback. “I beg your pardon?” she asked.
“That sounded rude, and I apologize for that,” he said. “But we are working on a case where confidentiality is critical. Not only could evidence be destroyed, but people could die.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Karen said. “I didn’t realize…”
“I just need to be sure which side you are on,” Bradley said.
Karen sat back in her chair and smiled softly. “Your wife brought me back from deep depression, and she gave me a gift I can never repay,” she said. “I am on your side.”
Bradley breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. “Can you tell me who Dr. Reinsband’s physician is?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Karen said. “Dr. Claeys takes care of him because they are old friends.”
“Does anyone check on the medications Dr. Claeys prescribes, or do they just administer them and do what he orders?” Bradley asked.
“Well, I’m assuming that since he’s the CEO of the hospital, he doesn’t get a lot of pushback from anybody,” she said. “Why?”
“We have reason to believe that Dr. Claeys has not been working in the best interests of several of his patients,” Bradley said. “It might have been to his advantage to have Dr. Reinsband incapacitated.”
Mary turned from Bradley to Karen. “Can medications do that?” she asked. “Can they actually cause a person to have dementia?”
“Well, there is an older class of antidepressants called TCAs that actually caused cognitive impairment that could present itself like dementia. But no one uses those drugs anymore.”
“Can you access Dr. Reinsband’s prescriptions?” Bradley asked.
She turned toward her computer, then stopped and turned back to them. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I’m breaking every ethical rule I know. I have to know a little more.”
Mary nodded. “Do you remember when I was able to speak with your son after he’d died?” she asked.
Karen nodded. “Yes, of course I remember.”
“Well, there is a group of thirteen children who died at the hospital,” Mary continued. “They were all orphans, and they all had AIDS. A pharmaceutical company told both their DCFS guardian and Dr. Reinsband that they had developed a miracle drug that would cure the children. But, what we’ve learned is this was a drug that hadn’t been approved by the FDA. The company, or at the very least the representatives, was trying to save the cost of getting approval until they could determine if it would actually work. So, the children were used as guinea pigs.”
“No, they wouldn’t…”
“We have proof,” Bradley said. “We have samples of the drugs and records of the side effects.”
“Dr. Claeys was with the pharmaceutical company,” Mary added. “He was their guy. And he told Dr. Reinsband that all of the children were cured. He had Reinsband sign all of the study documents because they were falsified.”
Karen turned in her chair and typed on her keyboard. She clicked on her screen several times, scrolled down a page and gasped softly. Then she turned back to Mary and Bradley. “He has Dr. Reinsband on tricyclic antidepressants. That’s probably what’s causing his impairment.”
“What do you have to do to reverse the effects?” Mary asked.
“Take him off the meds,” Karen said.
“You need to do that without alerting Dr. Claeys,” Bradley said. “They’ve already killed one person.”
Karen sat motionless for several moments. Then she looked up at Mary and Bradley. “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m scared to death,” she said.
“Good,” Bradley said. “You should be.”
Her hands shook as she pulled them away from her keyboard and placed them on her lap. “What should I do?”
“You mentioned that no one uses TCAs anymore,” Mary said. “So if there is a bottle in the pharmacy, the only one using it would be Dr. Reinsband, right?”
Karen nodded.
“So, can we empty the bottle of those pills and replace them with something else that won’t hurt him?” Mary asked.
A smile grew on Karen’s face. “Yes. Yes, we can certainly do that,” she said. “And I have some vitamin C pills that look just like them.”
“Do you need us to help you?” Mary asked. “Create a distraction?”
Karen laughed and shook her head. “No, I will have no problem going to the dispensary and switching out the pills.”
She turned to Bradley. “Thank you for trusting me,” she said.
Bradley reached over and shook her hand. “Thank you for being on our side.”
Chapter Fifty-five
“Do you think Clarissa will be all right?” Mary asked Bradley as they drove down the darkened city streets to the hospital.
“If I say no, does that mean we don’t have to go to the birthing class?” Bradley replied with a smile.
“No, we still will have to go, but I’ll feel guilty,” she said.
He laughed and shook his head. “Clarissa is going to have to work this out on her own,” he said. “If anyone, I’d feel sorry for your ma. She’s going to have to deal with Clarissa’s mood all night.”
Looking out the window to the snow-covered lawns, Mary sighed. “I know she’s been moody,” she said. “But to find out that Maggie and some of the other girls are going to the movies tonight without her? That’s hard.”
“And it wouldn’t have happened if she had just apologized,” Bradley reminded her.
“I suppose,” Mary said. “It’s hard to see her miserable.”
Bradley reached over and squeezed Mary’s hand. “You’re a good mom,” he said.
They pulled into the parking lot and found a spot close to the door. As Bradley helped Mary out of the car, he glanced around the parking lot to see a number of other couples doing the same thing. “It looks like a pregnancy convention,” he said to Mary.
“Well, they only have this class once a month,” she explained. “So it’s pretty well attended.”
He tucked her arm inside of his and maneuvered her across the slick parking lot with extra care. When they finally reached the sidewalk, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Safe,” he whispered.
She smiled up at him. “Thank you,” she said. “Now watch me trip on the carpet.”
The image of Mary falling rushed through his mind, and he quickly tucked her arm more tightly against his. “Just in case,” he said, leading her into the hospital.
They went downstairs to the large meeting room. Normally filled with tables and chairs, the room was nearly empty with only a couple of dozen chairs against one wall. The rest of the floor was open.
“Thanks for coming,” the instructor said. “My name is Kara and I will be your instructor for the night. The first thing I need you to do is find a place on the floor to get comfortable.”
Mary turned to Bradley. “I think concrete floor and getting comfortable don’t really go together,” she whispered.
“Well, we have your yoga mat,” he whispered back.
“Oh, well then,” she grinned. “Big difference.”
Bradley rolled out the mat and helped Mary down to the floor. Then he sat down n
ext to her. “How’s that?” he asked with a smile. “Comfy?”
“So comfy,” she replied.
“If I can have your attention,” Kara said sharply.
“Busted,” Bradley whispered, and Mary had to clap her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter.
“The first thing we’re going to talk about is what labor and delivery is all about,” Kara continued as she turned on the projector and turned down the lights. “So, everyone watch up here. This video will show you giving birth to a baby, up close and personal.”
Fifteen minutes later, when the lights went back up, Mary turned a panicked face to Bradley. “Drugs,” she said urgently. “No matter what I say during labor, promise me that you will insist on lots of drugs.”
He nodded, his own eyes wide with astonishment. “I am so sorry I did this to you,” he said softly. “I had no idea...”
“If I can have your attention again,” Kara said, looking pointedly at Mary and Bradley. “Let’s now talk about breathing.”
“I can still breathe,” Mary whispered. She inhaled and exhaled several times. “See.”
Bradley choked, and Mary’s grin widened.
“This breathing helps you relax so your contractions can work with your body,” Kara explained. “When you tense your muscles, the contractions can’t push the baby down and out. When you relax them, the baby and your contractions work together.”
Mary turned to him again. “Drugs,” she whispered again.
“Now, I want you all to practice this,” Kara said. “Ladies, look into your partner’s eyes and breathe. Hee. Hee. Hee. Hee.”
Mary looked up into Bradley’s eyes and saw the mirth there. “Don’t you dare make me laugh,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Hee. Hee. Hee. Hee,” he repeated.
Her lips trembled, and she shook her head. “Stop it,” she whispered urgently.
“Hee. Hee. Hee. Hee,” he repeated.
She bit her lower lip. “Hee,” she began, but a giggle escaped after it.
“Hee,” she tried again, but it was too much. Tears ran down her face as laughter overcame her.
Bradley’s laughter joined hers, and soon they were leaning against each other on the floor.
“You have to help me up,” Mary finally whispered urgently.
“Why?” Bradley gasped.
“I really have to pee,” she said.
Still gasping for air, he helped her up, and they hurried out of the room.
Several minutes later as Bradley punched the elevator button for the fourth floor, he shook his head. “Obviously Kara does not have much of a sense of humor,” he said.
“What am I going to tell my mother,” Mary asked, “when she finds out I was expelled from my birthing class.”
“She’ll never find out,” Bradley replied with a conspiratorial tone. “And that’s why we’re going to visit Stanley and Rosie.”
“You’re brilliant,” she replied as they stepped into the elevator together.
“And you’re gorgeous,” he said, taking her into his arms and kissing her once the doors closed. “And I don’t care what Kara says. I think your breathing is sexy.”
Chapter Fifty-six
Clarissa sat at the desk in her bedroom not reading the book in front of her. She was just so angry she wanted to throw something, or scream at someone, or something. She sighed. She couldn’t yell at Grandma— that would be too rude. And she didn’t want to throw something because something else might break, and then she would get in trouble.
Lucky, her kitten, jumped up on the desk and rubbed against Clarissa’s arm, purring as loudly as she could. Clarissa picked the kitten up and placed her on the floor. “Go away, Lucky,” she said. “I don’t want to pet you right now.”
“Tough day?”
Clarissa turned around to see Mike standing near the door.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, turning away from him.
“The only way you can get the emotion out is to share it,” he advised.
She turned back to him. “Do you know what Maggie said about you?” she snapped. “She said that you were just my babysitter. That I didn’t have special powers like hers, and the only reason I can see you is because I’m a baby and you have to watch over me.”
Mike shook his head. “No, that’s not—”
“Are you my babysitter?” Clarissa asked pointedly.
“Well, in a way,” Mike began. “But it’s because your mother…”
“You’re my babysitter because of Mary,” she accused. “You watch over me because of her?”
“Let me explain, Clarissa,” he said. “It’s not like that.”
“Do any other kids my age have guardian angels?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, sure, all kids your age have guardian angels,” he said.
“No, not like that,” she interrupted. “Do any kids my age have guardian angels like you are—that appear and talk to them? That get them out of trouble like you do?”
“I don’t know,” Mike said.
“You’re not supposed to lie,” Clarissa shouted.
Mike sighed. “Okay, no,” he said. “Most kids don’t have guardian angels like me. Most kids don’t even know they have guardian angels.” He smiled at her. “You’re special.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not,” she said. “I’m just a baby, like Maggie said.”
“You’re not a baby,” Mike insisted.
Clarissa took a deep, shuddering breath and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t need you anymore,” she said to Mike.
“What?” Mike felt like he’d been punched in the solar plexus. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I know,” she said angrily. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need a babysitter. I don’t need you anymore.”
“Clarissa, once you send me away, I can’t come back,” he said.
She shook her head. All she could hear was Maggie’s voice calling her a baby. “Go away,” she whispered. “I don’t want you anymore.”
Mike nodded, and his eyes glistened with tears. “Goodbye, Clarissa,” he whispered. Then he disappeared.
Clarissa stared at the space he’d just occupied and started to sob. “Wait,” she screamed. “Wait, I didn’t mean it. Mike, come back. I didn’t mean it. Mike!”
Chapter Fifty-seven
Mary gasped softly, and Bradley immediately looked over at her. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, brushing a tear from her cheek. “Suddenly I feel so sad.”
“Pregnancy hormones?” he asked.
She sniffled and shook her head. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ve never felt like this before.”
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Like I just lost my best friend,” she whispered, tears flowing steadily down her cheeks. She grabbed some tissues from the box and blotted her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand this.”
“What would you like me to do?” Bradley asked, concerned and confused.
“Let’s go home,” Mary said. “I want to be sure everyone’s okay.”
Bradley turned from the direction of the ice cream shop and headed back to their home. In a few minutes, he pulled into their driveway and helped Mary out of the car.
A sense of dread had been growing in her heart. “We can get our things later,” she said. “Let’s just go in.”
They hurried into the house. “Ma,” Mary called, alarm in her voice. “Ma, where are you?”
“Up here,” her mother called. “In Clarissa’s room.”
They both hurried up the stairs and found Margaret sitting on the bed with an inconsolable Clarissa in her arms.
“What happened?” Mary cried, moving to the bed to hug Clarissa.
Clarissa looked up at Mary, her eyes red and swollen from crying. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why, sweetheart?” Mary asked. “What did you do?”
&nbs
p; “I sent Mike away,” she said. “I told him I didn’t need him anymore, and I sent him away.”
Mary felt like her heart had been ripped out, and she stepped back, sitting on Clarissa’s chair. “You did what?” she asked incredulously.
“Maggie said Mike was just a babysitter for me,” she said. “And I didn’t need a babysitter, so I told him to go away.”
Tears slid down Mary’s cheeks unchecked. “But he was our family,” she whispered. “He was… he was…my best friend.”
Clarissa nodded, and her lips trembled with pain. “I’m sorry,” she said. “He told me if I sent him away, he could never come back. But I still sent him away because I was mad.”
Mary’s heart was breaking. She wiped away her tears and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t be in here right now.”
She stood up, walked out of the room and down the hallway to her bedroom.
Clarissa looked up at Bradley. “I tried to call him back,” she cried. “I tried to say I was sorry.”
Bradley shook his head. “I’m sure you did,” he said. “But that doesn’t change anything right now. I’m going to go talk to your mother. Why don’t you get ready and go to bed.”
Bradley walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Clarissa looked up at her grandmother. “I tried to get him back, really,” she pleaded.
“Well, you’ve learned a hard lesson today,” Margaret said. “When you react in anger and say things that hurt other people, no matter how hard you try, you can never take the words back.”
“Do they still love me?” Clarissa asked softly.
Margaret hugged her again. “Aye, of course they do,” she said. “They love you no matter what. But you hurt them both, badly. And they need to deal with their grief.”
She stood up and stepped away from the bed. “Now do as your father asked,” Margaret said. “Get ready and go to bed.”
“Can I pray for Mike?” Clarissa asked.
Margaret nodded. “I think that would be a very good idea.”
Chapter Fifty-eight
Bradley opened his bedroom door and found Mary lying on the bed, sobbing. He climbed up next to her, pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried.
