White Coats

By Tenny Wilson

After her husband commits her to a mental institution in the 1930s, Wilma Cooke gives birth to her fourth child. She is not allowed to see the baby. But her doctor, a kindly man named Dr. John Stewart, has no children of his own and decides to secretly adopt the boy. He names him Brandon.

As the years pass, Brandon grows to be a strong, intelligent young man. He enters medical school in Chicago, and sometimes helps his father at the mental institution. It is there that he realizes Wilma is his real mother. He starts asking his father questions and learns that he has two brothers and a sister. For Brandon, meeting them becomes one of the most important quests of his life.

When Brandon finds his now-grown siblings, hes jubilant and plans to have a reunion along with Wilma. There are tough questions about his real father that Brandon still wants answered. But he has medical school to get through and he doesnt need any distractions. Should he open the door to the past or leave well enough alone?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Mar 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781458200716

Tenny Wilson

Tenny Wilson is a veteran of World War II. She worked numerous years for the US government and retired in 1985. Wilson then entered the Peace Corps and taught gardening in the village of Bossembele in the Central African Republic. She currently lives in the United States.

Book preview

Contents

CHAPTER 1

Wilma

CHAPTER 2

The Mental Institute

CHAPTER 3

The Adoption

CHAPTER 4

Brandon

CHAPTER 5

The Postcard

CHAPTER 6

Billy

CHAPTER 7

A Reunion

CHAPTER 8

The Suicide

CHAPTER 9

Liz

CHAPTER 10

The Ford Mustang

CHAPTER 11

The Road Ahead

CHAPTER 12

The Chocolate Cake

CHAPTER 13

Amy

CHAPTER 14

French

CHAPTER 15

The Rumble

CHAPTER 16

Steakhouse Diner

CHAPTER 17

The Carjackers

CHAPTER 18

The Cleft Lip

CHAPTER 19

Ross and Joey

CHAPTER 20

Safe Deposit Box

CHAPTER 21

Elmer’s 25-Hour Diner

CHAPTER 22

Todd

CHAPTER 23

Uncle and Nephew

CHAPTER 24

A New Doctor in Fort Dodge

CHAPTER 25

Porch Swing

CHAPTER 26

Dr. John’s Little Emily

27686.jpg

CHAPTER 1

Wilma

The car skidded to a halt on the gravel driveway, and the door flew open. A 35 year old man jumped out, leaving the door ajar, and thrust himself through the half-open sliding glass door of the sparsely furnished family room, yelling, Why didn’t you tell me?

Wilma his wife dreaded to see him, but she grabbed the plate of food she had prepared for him and came out of the kitchen to meet him. He knocked the plate out of her hand, spilling its contents over her housedress and everything else nearby. She jumped back and asked, Tell you what?

Oh, playing dumb again, I see, Miss Foxy.

You mean that I’m pregnant? I didn’t know for sure until I saw Dr. Stewart today. Wilma had planned to tell Ted about the pregnancy the minute he arrived home.

Yes, Wilma’s pregnant again. She already had three children under age five, and Billy had been born before she and Ted Cooke married. She had been four months pregnant with Lucy when she and Ted married.

Lucy screamed all the time. Georgy, the third baby, was still nursing at age three, as Ted had told Wilma it would be cheaper for her to nurse Georgy than for Ted to have to buy food for him.

Wilma was glad the children were upstairs playing when Ted came bounding in, livid in speech and manner. Sputum flowed like a river from Ted’s mouth. Ted screamed at her,The nurse at the clinic called me at work today and told me you were pregnant, She told you not to get pregnant again, that your health would be better if you weren’t under that pressure.

What pressure? she calmly asked.

You know you’re crazy. Have you been taking your pills?

Which pills?

The ones to keep you from getting pregnant.

I take them the way Dr. Stewart told me to.

What about the pills Dr. Schwartz gave you for your panic attacks?

I take them when I have an attack.

When did you take one?

The last time you hit me.

Are you still telling people I hit you?

Well, you know you do. You hit the children too.

He raised his arm the way he did when he hit her. She screamed, holding both arms across her face, and jumped back from him, tripping and falling to the floor. He stepped over her and gave her two hard kicks in her lower abdomen. Screaming in pain, she rolled across the floor away from him as he called the children to come down and see their mother having another panic attack. They ran downstairs as she was trying to get up. After they’d seen her, Ted told them, Go get in the car and I’ll take you to get ice cream cones. They scampered out to the car in joyous anticipation.

He yelled at Wilma. "Shut up or the neighbors will hear you. He slid out through the open family room door and drove off with the three children.

Shirley Smithe, the next-door neighbor who occasionally visited with Wilma, heard the commotion. She saw Ted leave with the children. She dashed over, came through the same open side door, and called out, Wilma, Wilma, where are you? She heard Wilma moaning and found her on the floor, trying to get up. Shirley helped her up and into a chair.

Shirley asked, Did Ted knock you down again?

No, Wilma answered, I dodged him to keep from being hit, and I tripped and fell to the floor. He kicked me twice, hard, in my lower belly. I’m in such pain. You know he wears those tap-dancing shoes with thick cleats on the toes all the time.

Does he wear those shoes every day?

Yes. He dances up and down steps and enjoys all the attention he gets.

Are you pregnant again?

Yes, Dr. Stewart told me this morning that I’m four months pregnant. The nurse at the clinic called Ted at work and told him before I had a chance to tell him. That caused Ted to be very angry, and he raced home to scream at me.

I hear the rattling of his old car coming, Wilma, I must go. Shirley slipped through the open doorway and dashed back to her own yard.

The car pulled in with a honk for the neighbors to see the happy children as they ran into the house to show Momma their ice cream cones. Ted drove away.

Wilma got out of the chair and made her way upstairs to the bathroom. Ted returned forty minutes later and ran rather than danced into the house. He was followed by Miss White. He entered the house first.

He called out to Wilma Where are you honey? There’s a nurse here to see you about your fall.

The children were sent out to play while the nurse was in the house. Shirley was out watering the flowers along the side of her house. Billy ran over to her and said, We got a nurse to come check Momma ’cause she fell down the stairs.

Shirley asked, Oh, did she hurt herself?

Billy answered, Daddy left and came back with a nurse. He called Dr. Schwartz too and told him Momma was cutting herself again. She came out of the bathroom, her dress was bloody. Daddy says Momma’s crazy. Do you think she is ?

I’m through watering now and must get back into my house. It’s time to cook dinner for my family. Good-bye, Billy.

’Bye, Miss Smithe.

Wilma heard Ted call to her and returned to the family room. Ted placed his arm around her waist and guided her to the sofa. Mrs. White checked Wilma’s body marks from the supposed fall and the cut across her lower belly. Mrs. White tried to talk to Wilma but received no response. Wilma feared more punishment from Ted if she told about the kicking, and he felt safe that she wouldn’t want a beating.

He told Mrs. White, Wilma often has spells where she doesn’t know where she is or what she’s doing. And these terrible falls down the stairs just break my heart. He explained that he’d taken her to various doctors, but no one seemed to know how to help her except Dr. Schwartz. Wilma kept wiping tears from her face. Ted brought her a glass of water and told her, Here, honey, drink some water; maybe you’re not drinking enough liquids. She did what Ted told her to do, never taking her eyes off his face. Ted avoided her glare.

Finally, Mrs. White said, Mr. Cooke, I’ve seen enough. Will you take me back to the clinic, please?

Of course, let me get Wilma comfortable here on the sofa until I get back, then I’ll put her to bed. I want to tell Billy to keep a check on his Momma until I return. Ted removed her shoes and pulled from behind the sofa an old torn blue blanket off the floor and covered her. He was aware Mrs. White had observed everything.

He walked Mrs. White to his car with his arm around her shoulders and drove away. He asked Mrs. White to call Dr. Schwartz as soon as possible and report her visit. He brushed his shirt sleeve across his eyes. I can’t bear to take Wilma to the psychiatric clinic myself, he told Mrs. White in a husky, tear-filled voice. She’s the mother of my three children. He pulled a large, color-edged handkerchief from his hip pocket and swiped his nose several times. Mrs. White showed Ted that she was very sympathetic regarding his situation and patted his arm. He pretended not to notice that she had done that.

27692.jpg

CHAPTER 2

The Mental Institute

Wilma kicked off the old blanket, jumped up and dialed Shirley’s phone number and told her with a hushed voice what had just transpired regarding the visiting nurse. She quickly hung up and returned to the sofa. The children were still outside playing. Whenever Ted pumped them for information regarding their mother’s activities or who her visitors were while he was away, they willingly gave him the information he asked for, true or false, as Ted gave them pennies for their reports. The children did not realize what they were doing, of course. Children liked receiving pennies, as many candies and chewing gum could be purchased for a penny.

She heard Ted’s cleats on the wooden steps. He found her lying on the sofa and confronted her. You know, you’re crazier than a loon, but you can cook; so get up from there and fix me some supper. She leaned over to reach her shoes, cringing with pain. He accused her of acting. She held onto furniture as she limped into the kitchen. When Ted didn’t hear the clanging of pans in the kitchen, he crept to the slightly open door and peeked in through the crack. Wilma was lying on the floor. He quickly called Dr. Schwartz and told him it was time to come get Wilma, that she had cut herself again and was lying unconscious on the floor.

He returned to the kitchen and called to Wilma. Well, the white coats are coming for you now woman, he threatened.

• When Dr. Schwartz arrived and examined Wilma, Ted reminded him, She often cuts herself. Tearfully, Ted held her hand and said, She has cut herself again, and this time it is on her lower belly due to her fall down the stairs. Dr. Schwartz told him he would take her to the clinic for medical care and, when she was well enough, transfer her to the mental institute.

Ted showed great surprise and sorrow. He exclaimed tearfully, Oh, no!

Shirley came from her house to talk to Ted. She stood aside until Ted and Dr. Schwartz had a lull in their conversation, and then she asked, Ted, is Wilma ill? I will stay and look after the children for you while you take her for medical care.

Dr. Schwartz ignored Shirley and continued talking to Ted.

You are right, Mr. Cooke. Your wife needs to have her hands bound so she doesn’t cut herself anymore. Shirley shuddered.

Ted asked Dr. Schwartz what institution he was taking Wilma to, as he wanted to take the children to visit her. The doctor told him that most of his patients were sent to the Mercy Mental Institute in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Cooke family lived in Fort Dodge, Iowa, close enough so they could visit her. That proved to be a good choice for Ted. He frowned and nodded an okay to show Dr. Schwartz that he understood and agreed with his diagnosis.

As they placed Wilma in the ambulance, Shirley asked Ted what had happened to Wilma. Ted didn’t realize that Wilma and Shirley had become good friends. Ted told her, She cuts herself all the time. This time she’s cut across her lower belly, and it’s bleeding. Dr. Schwartz is taking her to a clinic now then, later, to a mental institute.

Shirley listened to the conversation regarding the transferring of Wilma to the mental institute. But families seldom bother to visit anyone in a mental institute, she protested to Ted. It’s like a prison. Your children don’t realize that they’re never going to see their mother again!

Ted ignored her.

• Later that week, Ted told the children, Momma got an infection at the clinic and died. He tearfully told his neighbor Shirley the same thing. He hurriedly sold his furniture and abandoned the rental house. He told Shirley he was taking the children and heading north to Canada. Lucy was screaming at the top of her voice. Georgy was hungry and fussy, as he needed his mother’s milk. Ted was ecstatic. He was in a hurry to disappear before Wilma’s pregnancy was discovered. He dropped the house key into Shirley’s mailbox. As soon as Ted’s old car disappeared down the street with the children, Shirley called Dr. Stewart’s office.

Shirley made a call to the local clinic about Wilma’s pregnancy. She was ignored by the clinic staff, who hung up on her. She got into her car and drove to the clinic. Because of her persistence, Shirley was informed that Wilma’s fetus had aborted soon after Wilma arrived at the hospital. Shirley was allowed to see Wilma, who was so happy to see Shirley that she cried. They hugged. Shirley didn’t tell Wilma that Ted had already left the state.

Two weeks later, Shirley received a postmarked card from Duluth, Minnesota. Ted had written that he was on his way to Canada and asked her to give the house key back to the house owner. What a stupid thing for him to do, Shirley thought, since he was trying to disappear. She placed the postcard in a safe place for possible reference to locating Wilma’s three children.

27698.jpg

CHAPTER 3

The Adoption

Wilma was admitted to Mercy Mental Institute by Dr. Schwartz after her release from the clinic. She began gaining weight. Wilma was still pregnant. She had been carrying twins