she
started having trouble sleeping. She started waking up in the
middle of the night asking for her mother, whom I understand has
been deceased for years."
Richard made a fist. Alex put his hand on
Richard’s shoulder. "Yes, doctor. Jessie’s mother died about
fourteen years ago and...apparently this happened after she passed
as well."
"I see," the doctor said grimly. "Well, right
now, I’m working on the hypothesis that whatever underlying
condition we may be looking at, physical or emotional, it was set
off by, essentially, a lack of sleep."
Zainab shook her head. "Doctor, are you sure?
She didn’t know who we were and she thought she was a little girl
again."
"It’s not the underlying cause, but if she
hasn’t been able to sleep through the night, that can, in extreme
cases, lead to a presentation of psychotic symptoms. Unless," he
said, lowering his voice slightly, "she has been abusing
non-prescription medications. That might complicate things."
Everyone turned and looked at Miranda, who
blushed. "No—I think abuse is too strong a word. She’s used
pot—marijuana—a few times, and I know she’s used some acid, maybe
some Ecstasy a few times too. But she’s never used anything harder,
at least not as far as I know. I think I’d be more worried about
liver failure or lung cancer than anything else."
"By that I assume you mean that she smokes
and drinks?" the doctor asked. Miranda nodded. "How often?"
Miranda shrugged helplessly, looking to
Zainab and Emily for some help. "It’s not a regular thing," Emily
said at last. "Richard’s allergic to smoke, so she wouldn’t do it
when she’s at home, and she told me the school cracked down on
smoking this fall. I don’t know—maybe the weekends."
"And alcohol?"
"The most she ever had was a half bottle of
Bailey’s," Richard said suddenly, looking at Miranda. "I know she
drank after that, but really, not more than the equivalent of a
drink or two at a time. It was just enough to irritate the
adults."
The doctor smiled. "We’re going to run a tox
screen, just to check it out. And what about prescription
medications?"
Richard shook his head. "No. She was taking
something up until she was ten, but then the doctors took her off
of it."
"What about other people’s medications?"
"No!" Emily snapped. "She isn’t breaking into
other people’s bathrooms to get high, alright? Check her all you
want, but you aren’t going to find weird antidepressants,
barbiturates or someone else’s blood pressure medication in her
system."
"I have to ask these questions. I’m not
trying to upset anyone, but I’m not going to be able to treat her
if I don’t know everything."
"Fine," Emily said sulkily. "I’m sorry. We’re
just...when can we see her?"
The doctor tightened his lips. "I’m afraid
we’re going to need to keep a closed circle around her for a while.
At the very least, until she knows where she is. Only very close
family for now. I’m sorry. We don’t want to isolate her, but I
don’t want to confuse her either. Excuse me. I’ll be back as soon
as I can."
Richard sank down into the chair. "Jesus," he
whispered. "What the Hell is going on?"
CHAPTER
10
Five weeks later, Richard got the okay to
bring Jessie home. The medication they gave Jessie to sleep seemed
to help. Richard found something else to appreciate in Zainab, who
had been paying more attention in her pharmacy classes than she had
let on. She put the doctors through their paces with every new
medicine they tried, and Richard knew he could depend on her to
make sure Jessie received the most expert care.
Richard was pained that Jessie still did not
remember him. The rest of her memory was spotty as well. There were
some things she remembered very clearly—like that she hated math
and languages but loved history, who her favorite actors were, and
how to download mp3 files off the web—but some things she couldn’t
remember at all, like her penchant for coffee, dancing and
started having trouble sleeping. She started waking up in the
middle of the night asking for her mother, whom I understand has
been deceased for years."
Richard made a fist. Alex put his hand on
Richard’s shoulder. "Yes, doctor. Jessie’s mother died about
fourteen years ago and...apparently this happened after she passed
as well."
"I see," the doctor said grimly. "Well, right
now, I’m working on the hypothesis that whatever underlying
condition we may be looking at, physical or emotional, it was set
off by, essentially, a lack of sleep."
Zainab shook her head. "Doctor, are you sure?
She didn’t know who we were and she thought she was a little girl
again."
"It’s not the underlying cause, but if she
hasn’t been able to sleep through the night, that can, in extreme
cases, lead to a presentation of psychotic symptoms. Unless," he
said, lowering his voice slightly, "she has been abusing
non-prescription medications. That might complicate things."
Everyone turned and looked at Miranda, who
blushed. "No—I think abuse is too strong a word. She’s used
pot—marijuana—a few times, and I know she’s used some acid, maybe
some Ecstasy a few times too. But she’s never used anything harder,
at least not as far as I know. I think I’d be more worried about
liver failure or lung cancer than anything else."
"By that I assume you mean that she smokes
and drinks?" the doctor asked. Miranda nodded. "How often?"
Miranda shrugged helplessly, looking to
Zainab and Emily for some help. "It’s not a regular thing," Emily
said at last. "Richard’s allergic to smoke, so she wouldn’t do it
when she’s at home, and she told me the school cracked down on
smoking this fall. I don’t know—maybe the weekends."
"And alcohol?"
"The most she ever had was a half bottle of
Bailey’s," Richard said suddenly, looking at Miranda. "I know she
drank after that, but really, not more than the equivalent of a
drink or two at a time. It was just enough to irritate the
adults."
The doctor smiled. "We’re going to run a tox
screen, just to check it out. And what about prescription
medications?"
Richard shook his head. "No. She was taking
something up until she was ten, but then the doctors took her off
of it."
"What about other people’s medications?"
"No!" Emily snapped. "She isn’t breaking into
other people’s bathrooms to get high, alright? Check her all you
want, but you aren’t going to find weird antidepressants,
barbiturates or someone else’s blood pressure medication in her
system."
"I have to ask these questions. I’m not
trying to upset anyone, but I’m not going to be able to treat her
if I don’t know everything."
"Fine," Emily said sulkily. "I’m sorry. We’re
just...when can we see her?"
The doctor tightened his lips. "I’m afraid
we’re going to need to keep a closed circle around her for a while.
At the very least, until she knows where she is. Only very close
family for now. I’m sorry. We don’t want to isolate her, but I
don’t want to confuse her either. Excuse me. I’ll be back as soon
as I can."
Richard sank down into the chair. "Jesus," he
whispered. "What the Hell is going on?"
CHAPTER
10
Five weeks later, Richard got the okay to
bring Jessie home. The medication they gave Jessie to sleep seemed
to help. Richard found something else to appreciate in Zainab, who
had been paying more attention in her pharmacy classes than she had
let on. She put the doctors through their paces with every new
medicine they tried, and Richard knew he could depend on her to
make sure Jessie received the most expert care.
Richard was pained that Jessie still did not
remember him. The rest of her memory was spotty as well. There were
some things she remembered very clearly—like that she hated math
and languages but loved history, who her favorite actors were, and
how to download mp3 files off the web—but some things she couldn’t
remember at all, like her penchant for coffee, dancing and
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