Beth responded, “None of us are. Her family lives in Jacksonville near the military base.”
Flipping through several pages, she stopped for a moment. “It doesn’t appear she has insurance. Is that correct?”
Beth again replied, “I don’t think she has insurance.”
The doctor continued speaking. “I don’t have the legal authority to discuss her treatment with you. In general, we can keep someone in her condition overnight unless we find some complications. At best, we will likely release her in the morning. I would suggest you contact her family to pick her up, unless one of you is coming for her.”
Scott refused to accept the direction the discussion was heading. “Doctor, maybe you missed this in the record. She sliced her arm with a knife while threatening other people. This is a little different from your typical case.”
The doctor turned her attention to him. “I’m the one who put the stitches in her arm and I think I am familiar with our typical case. May I ask what your connection to the patient is?”
Scott thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have a connection to her and to be honest, I don’t even know her last name. All I did was to take the knife from her and bandage the wound.”
The doctor continued, “We don’t have a great deal of latitude to deal with these issues because of our funding. We can only keep her if she wants to be here and if her care is medically necessary. She will most likely be out of here by morning. We don’t have many options.”
Scott decided to argue the case. “So this is a money issue?”
The doctor nodded, “To some extent it is a money issue. I have a waiting room full of girls in Amie’s condition almost every Friday night.”
Scott continued to argue, only with more determination. “You do have some options here doc. She can be sent to a detox center. You can issue an involuntary commitment because she represents a danger to herself or others. You do have some options. But, I’m going to give you another choice. Pick up the phone and call the hospital accountant and attorney. You can tell them if this girl is released and she hurts herself or someone else, I am going to come after this hospital and they are going to pay dearly. She has a clear record of threat to self or others. You decide.”
The doctor appeared more compassionate. “I really do understand your concern, but what exactly is your interest in this case. By your own admission, you don’t even know her.”
He thought for several minutes. “I don’t want her to become another statistic.”
The doctor looked at him for a moment and replied, “If you are tired of people being turned into statistics, then send a letter to your legislator. As you say, I can have her committed and she would be back on the streets in seventy-two hours. The state of North Carolina has cut mental health funding to the bone and outsourced most services to people who have a profit motive. No money… no cure.”
Michelle had been silent, but now chose to speak. “Then what happens to people like Amie?”
The doctor stood up to leave as she looked directly at Michelle. “They become statistics enshrined in a computer database somewhere. They are out of sight and out of mind, unless this happens to a member of your family, in which case they become a tragedy.”
As she reached for the door, she turned and glanced at Scott. “This young woman is more fortunate than most because she has you to fight for her. I’ll do everything I can to help her.”
She stopped and once again looked directly at him. “Keep in mind that even if we had all the money we needed, we can’t fix everything. It doesn’t work when you want something for her more than she wants it for herself. She has to make a choice to change her lifestyle.”
They thanked the doctor and left the hospital for a long quiet drive home.
CHAPTER XII
As they drove in the driveway, Beth looked at her house to see the party still going on. “Don’t these people know when it is time to leave?”
Michelle assured Beth that she and Scott would be up for a while if she wanted to stay until the party was over. With some reluctance and much appreciation, Beth accepted her offer.
Once they were inside, Michelle and Beth sat at the kitchen bar. Beth looked at of Scott. “I don’t defend Heather’s attitude, but you need to know something before you judge her. Heather was Amie’s roommate during her junior year. She has made the same trip to the hospital that we made tonight, only she has made that trip eight or nine times. She did everything you could ask of someone trying to help Amie. She is not a bad person, she’s just given up.”
Scott considered her comment for a few minutes before giving his opinion while they sat in silence. “I understand why Heather would feel that way if she couldn’t help her, and to be honest, I not surprised. That doesn’t entitle Heather to causal indifference. Jenifer could care less what happens to Amie.”
Michelle was more tolerant than Scott expected. “Scott, sometimes people run out of patience. Amie has to help herself.”
Scott understood their point, but they didn’t understand what he was trying to say. “Two women at that party told me to take her in the bedroom and have a good time with her. They don’t know me and with friends like that, she might make it to her twenty-fifth birthday, but I would be surprised. I guess it’s like the song says, ‘cheap life and even cheaper death’. I’m going to get my fishing rod from the beach before the tide comes in.”
After Scott left, Michelle turned to Beth. “I’m going to fix myself a nice strong drink. Would you like one?”
Beth only took a moment to decide. “Yes, thank you and please hurry. I didn’t like what Heather said about Amie, but she was right when she said Scott has never lived in a girl’s dorm. In my dorm, there was some type of drama every weekend.”
Michelle agreed. “I thought personal drama was required for admission to my dorm, but he was right this time. When she cut herself, she crossed the line. I would think she really starts going downhill from this point if somebody can’t help her soon.”
Beth nodded. “So many people have tried to help Amie, but she has too many issues to deal with. We’re not professionals and I sure as hell don’t know how to fix her.”
Perhaps in an attempt to change the subject, Michelle asked what Beth wanted to drink. After discussing wine, beer, and mixed drinks, they settled on margaritas. Michelle was busy fixing drinks while Beth put together a cheese and cracker plate.
As Beth was slicing the cheese, she posed a casual question yet she was very interested in the answer. “How long have you and Scott been dating each other?”
Michelle, looking very thoughtful, stopped stirring the margaritas for a moment. “It’s been almost forty-eight hours since we had our first date.”
After a long and almost painful pause, Beth made a passing comment. “It must have been love at first sight. On my first dates, a guy only takes me to dinner. On your first date, he brings you to the beach.”
Michelle smiled at her. “Okay, mouse. Bring your cheese with you and we’ll nibble on it in the moonlight while I tell you the rest of the story.”
Beth picked up the platter and headed for the deck. “Just like pudding, the plot thickens.”
The warm night breeze blew in from the ocean as they sat at deck table. The nearly full moon was already high in the sky making it possible for them to see Scott on the beach from the deck. He had made the decision to cast the line a few more times before accepting defeat and calling it a night.
Michelle began to explain their unusual relationship. “I first met Scott about ten years ago. We became friends and started going places together. We came to the beach, went out to dinner, went to movies together, and just spent a lot of time talking to each other. At the same time, we were dating other people.”
Beth didn’t understand. “So you’ve really been dating for several years now.”
Michelle shook her head. “No. The things we did together were friend dates and not boy girl dates. We were ju
st friends. It was like a date, but not a date.”
Beth was looking for clarification. “What you’re telling me is that you went out with each other, but there was no physical part of the relationship. Is that what I am hearing?”
Michelle replied. “Not even so much as a goodnight kiss.”
Beth started grinning. “When the two of you went out, did you have to do anything special for your makeup, your clothes, your hair or your shoes?”
Michelle replied, “I had to do nothing different for him than I would for my brother.”
Beth thought she understood. “It sounds like you had all of the best parts of a relationship without having to put up with sexual part.”
Michelle started laughing. “That’s pretty much it. He would fix my flat tire, take me out to dinner, and keep the other guys away when I was lying on the beach. I had it made.”
Beth also started laughing, “You had Scott right where you wanted him for ten years and then for some reason, you lost your mind in a moment of weakness. You made love to him and now you are trapped and living with paradise lost forever.”
Michelle was making a joke, but Beth may have seen a different reality as she listened. “I didn’t realize when we were in the Garden of Eden taking a bite from the apple that Scott would have such a big appetite. Tonight is the first time I have worn a bra since Wednesday night. I have been wearing a bathing suit, nightgown, tee shirt or nothing at all. I have been bouncing around for several days.”
Beth became far more serious as she took the first drink of her margarita. “So what happened on Wednesday to change everything between the two of you? Feel free to tell me it is none of my business.”
Michelle smiled. Believe me, there is no secret here. I broke off my engagement to a want-to-be corporate monster from up north. He was still attached to his mother’s umbilical cord. To make a long story short, when I came home from school, Scott and I picked up where we had left off. I started having doubts about getting married to Tom and apparently, Scott had just ditched Carlie.”
There was far more implied by Beth’s statement than contained in her actual words. “Would that mean both of you were on the rebound?”
Michelle considered Beth’s statement before responding. “I don’t know that I would call either of us on the rebound, but I would say we were both coming away from a failed relationship by choice.”
“Then what made you change direction in your relationship on Wednesday after being friends for ten years?” Beth asked, still feeling unsure why they had made the change.
Michelle answered without the slightest hesitation. “We both realized that if we didn’t change direction, we would lose our friendship. He or I would get married and move away and it would all be over.”
Beth took another large swallow of her drink and looked out at the ocean. “It is so nice out tonight. The moon is gorgeous.”
Several minutes passed as they continued to sip their drinks in silence. Michelle was still looking at the surf when she spoke. “What are you thinking, but not saying?”
Beth offered a quick smile. “I was thinking I should make this one of those moments when I have enough sense to keep my mouth shut and not stick my nose where it does not belong.”
Michelle’s reply came quickly and was sincere. “I really would like to know what you were thinking.”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Michelle nodded. “Sometimes a stranger can see something that people we have known all our life never see.”
Beth stood up before heading to the kitchen. “I’m the most honest when I have a few drinks.”
Michelle called out to her. “Bring the pitcher when you come back.”
Once Beth returned, poured another drink, and sat down, she decided to give her opinion. “It almost sounds like a calculation where the two of you created a romantic relationship in order to save your friendship rather than just letting the romance happen on its own. Your commitment to each other seems to have been made to save your friendship. You went for ten years being unwilling to have sex with each other, which would have taken your relationship to another level.”
She took another swallow of margarita as though it gave her the courage to talk. “Most guys I know won’t wait a week to have sex with a girl. I can’t imagine him waiting around ten years. Is there something odd about him?”
Michelle started smiling. “Listen, Scott doesn’t know this but whenever he went on a date in high school, I had a full detailed report of what went on. I can tell you without a doubt, he wasn’t waiting around for me. From what I can gather about Carlie, I doubt they were just picking flowers in the park either.”
Michelle looked away for a moment. “As to your other point, I don’t know what the fact that we never moved forward during those ten years means. I have often wondered that myself. I love Scott, but it was as if we drew a line in the sand and neither of us ever tried to cross that line. We started to step on the line a few times during some of our conversations, but we never crossed the line. I can’t explain it and I doubt he can either. Our current relationship does sound somewhat calculated when I hear you describe it.”
Beth took a drink and then set her glass on the table. “I guess the important thing is that you both seem to know what you want and are moving on.”
Michelle replied in a very soft voice. “I’m not sure I do know where I’m going?”
“That didn’t sound very optimistic. You guys look so right together.”
Michelle needed to talk to someone other than Scott, and with a few margaritas under her belt, she decided Beth was that person. “I woke up at four-thirty this morning. I didn’t have anything on and just for an instant, I didn’t understand why he was in bed with me. I lay there watching him for a little while before I started feeling as if I wasn’t supposed to be there with him. I covered myself with the sheets thinking he shouldn’t be seeing me while I was undressed. This morning he kissed me a few times after we woke up, and then the sheets came flying off. I don’t know what that feeling last night actually means, but it was strange.”
Beth assumed Michelle was more concerned than she was admitting. “I can tell you what it means. It means nothing. You were in bed with someone new, in a strange house, at four-thirty in the morning when your mind isn’t at its best. It’s normal for you to have that feeling.”
While Beth had been supportive in her comments, she had not finished the conversation. “Once again, you can tell me this is none of my business. I’m having a hard time understanding you. You’ve said you don’t mind if he saw us without clothes on. Then you offered to let him rub lotion all over us. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to push him away? Are you trying to see if he can pass some test? I don’t get it.”
“When Scott and I were in school, I knew he was going out with other people and that was fine, because so was I. At first, I didn’t like him having a relationship with other girls but over time, I more or less accepted it. By the time I was a sophomore in college, I didn’t think twice about it, until yesterday.”
Beth being the curious type wanted more details. “What happened yesterday?”
Michelle was holding her drink while staring at the contents. “Your friend Jenifer kept coming near Scott while doing everything a female can do to draw attention to herself. In fact, she was obvious about it. With him being a typical male, he couldn’t help but notice her.”
Beth started laughing. “You have to be talking about what she was doing while she was playing with the Frisbee. She was trying to get his attention, but not for the reasons you may be thinking. He was wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses and she wanted to find out if Scott was who she thought he was.”
Michelle thought she knew where Beth was going. “Beth, I am not the least bit jealous of Jenifer. I could care less if she had taken her top or anything else off while playing Frisbee. She may have gotten his attention, but he would not be interested in her. Believe me, she is not his
type.”
Beth took another sip of her drink as she tried to understand Michelle. “I hear you talking but I don’t know where you are going with this.”
Michelle looked directly at Beth. “When you thought you were part of a double team with Scott, you made me think about something. I wonder what Scott would have done if he had been in the tent that night, or any other night?”
Beth assumed she now understood Michelle’s concern. “But you have known him for over ten years. You must have some idea after all that time.”
Michelle tried to explain. “I knew Scott as a friend and I can predict what he will order for dinner. I am in new territory when it comes to the physical part of our relationship. I thought on Wednesday night that our first time together would be an awkward experience for both of us, and it was for about thirty seconds. Then it got really intense and that hasn’t changed.”
Beth smiled. “That is a good thing, isn’t it?”
Michelle replied, “No, it’s a great thing. I would never have predicted that either of us would have been so intense. Everything we did together was okay with us. If I couldn’t predict that, then what else can I not predict? What else don’t I know that I need to know? What would he have done if he had been in that tent? Maybe he would like to have two girls in his tent.”
Beth looked out at the surf, seeing Scott packing up to come back. “I have no idea what he would have done, but you have sent him some strange signals today. If I were Scott, I would be very confused about what you wanted. You may not know what he wants, but he doesn’t know what you want either. You have to talk to him about this. You could have been the big loser today.”
Michelle was also watching Scott pack his cooler. “I realized that, after listening to you in the Jacuzzi. But, let’s be honest. I can’t just ask Scott if he would like to go to bed with two women. Of course he is going to say no.”
Beth considered her answer. “You have a point. Even if he does want to, he’s not going to admit it. What would you do if he said yes?”
Brother Willy's Traveling Salvation Show Page 13