Doped

"Who dropped a turd in his punchbowl? Sheesh!" she said as he strode by.

"Mr. Hall?" Wyatt heard the nanny say almost as soon as he walked out. "It's time to take Miss Sadie to school. Do you wish to accompany us this morning?"

"Um...yes. Of course. Let me just grab my coat, okay?"

"So can you go over the daily school routine with me?" Wyatt asked in the limo on the way to The Charles Wright Academy, an elite private school in U-district, a colloquialism for 'The University of Washington district.'

Wyatt made mental notes as she ticked off all of the things he'd need to do each morning and afternoon beginning with signing some forms at school as he was now Sadie's next of kin and primary point of contact.

As they walked inside together, Wyatt was surprised again when he felt Sadie's hand slip into his. He smiled at her but she didn't smile back. Her face remained emotionless as they continued toward the office.

"Good morning, Sadie!" the headmaster said as they walked in. She saw Sadie holding her brother's hand and asked, "Who is this handsome young man? He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

Sadie almost smiled but only said, "He's my brother, Wyatt. My daddy died."

"Yes, I know he did, sweetheart. I'm so sorry." She looked at Wyatt and said, "Good morning. I'm the headmaster, Dr. Margaret Hatcher.

Wyatt introduced himself and Dr. Hatcher asked her secretary to provide him with the appropriate forms. "Can we possibly talk for a few minutes once you're finished, Mr. Hall?

Wyatt leaned down and gave Sadie a hug but she didn't respond. She stood there motionless and expressionless as he held her. "Have a good day, okay?" he said as the nanny walked her to class.

Dr. Hatcher wanted to discuss Sadie's 'challenges.' "I don't know how much you know so pardon me if this is redundant," she began. "Sadie has been diagnosed with ADHD and has been prescribed both Ritalin and Adderall to allow her to function properly."

"Pardon me for saying so, Dr. Hatcher, but Sadie doesn't seem to be functioning properly in any way."

"Mr. Hall, we...professional educators know our craft. Sadie is not capable of being in a classroom without the medication. She is...rambunctious. She is a disruption to the point that it is nearly impossible for a teacher to conduct class."

"So...what you're telling me is the medication allows you to...control her."

Dr. Hatcher blanched at his comment. "That is a very cynical take on the situation, Mr. Hall. Creating a safe learning environment for all of our children is hardly...controlling."

He could feel the condescension dripping from her words and as much as he felt like getting into a verbal battle he decided to sit back and observe for a while. "Is there anything else, Dr. Hatcher?"

"Just one more thing, Mr. Hall. This is a private institution with a very long waiting list. All of our parents are...affluent...so let's be clear here. Sadie is not guaranteed continued enrollment in Charles Wright. That is a privilege contingent on her being able to...properly function in a classroom setting."

Wyatt didn't respond other than to say, "It was a pleasure meeting you," before walking out.

He largely avoided Brooke throughout the day but did ask her if she'd care to accompany him to pick Sadie up. The look on her face spoke volumes, but the chameleon in her quickly masked her true feelings. "Of course!" she told him.

The nanny took them inside to the place where children with 'special needs' were taken at the end of the day to wait to picked up. Wyatt intuitively knew that meant segregating them from the rest of the students, something he found troubling.

Parents were streaming in and out as they walked inside. Sadie saw him almost immediately and he heard her say, "Wyatt!"

He walked over to her and said, "Hey, kiddo! How was your day?"

"Fine," she said.

The nanny spoke quietly informing Wyatt she needed her medication as soon as they got home. "You can see the effects wear off toward the end of the school day."

Wyatt also intuitively understood that meant Sadie slowly began being her real self again, and that that was something that couldn't be allowed.

"You ready?" he said as he offered her his hand.

She took it and Wyatt turned around and nearly ran into someone. "Sorry!" he said as he stopped short and pulled back quickly.

"No, that was my fault. I wasn't watching," the woman said. She looked down and saw his hand attached to Sadie's and said, "Are you Sadie's..." She wasn't sure what to ask.

"He's my brother," Sadie said. "He loves me. My daddy died."

The woman smiled and said, "Okay. I see the resemblance. Now it makes sense." She bent down and gave Sadie a hug.

"Where's Tiffany?" Sadie asked.

"Right over there," the woman said pointing to a young girl about Sadie's age who was standing by herself.

"Hi, Tiffany!" Sadie called out. The other girl saw her but didn't wave back or respond.

Brooke stepped in beside Wyatt and also stepped into the conversation. "Hi! I'm Brooke. I'm Wyatt's girlfriend."

Wyatt shook his head almost imperceptibly. Brooke was so transparent. This other woman was very attractive and Wyatt knew that was the only reason Brooke said anything. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, but she was still a really good-looking woman and Brooke was clearly being territorial.

"Oh, okay," the woman said as she stood up. "I'm Tara Wallace. It's a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand, but Brooke pretended not to notice and ignored her. Her rudeness wasn't lost on Wyatt.

She looked at Wyatt again then said, "I'm sorry to hear about your father."

He thanked her then asked if Sadie wanted to say hi to Tiffany.

"Yes! She's my best friend." Wyatt had no idea Sadie even spoke let alone that she had a friend. Then again, he knew next to nothing about his sister so this wasn't that big of a surprise.

Tiffany still hadn't moved so her mother said, "Let me just go get her." She stopped then told Wyatt, "She has ADHD, too, and the medication makes her rather um...reserved."

"I'm beginning to learn more about that very topic every day," he said. "So...do Tiffany and Sadie ever get together?" Wyatt asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Tara said glancing at the nanny.

"Your father preferred she come home directly after school each day, Mr. Hall," the nanny offered.

"I see." He turned back toward Tara and said, "Maybe they should get together sometime."

"I'd like that very much and I know Tiffany would..."

"Um, Wyatt? Honey? We need to get going now, right?" Brooke said grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, right. Sadie? You ready, Half Pint?" he called out using the moniker from Little House on the Prairie.

"Bye, Tiffany!" Sadie said as she took Wyatt's hand again. Tiffany still hadn't moved or said a word.

"It was nice meeting you, Tara," Wyatt said pleasantly.

"You, too," she said with a smile. She looked over at Brooke who was staring at her stone faced. Tara quickly looked away and said, "So if you ever want to let Sadie come over to play..."

"Do I get to go to Tiffany's?" Sadie asked almost excitedly.

"We'll see, okay?" Wyatt told her as he bent down to be her size. "Not today, but maybe soon."

Sadie threw her arms around him and said quietly, "I love you, Wyatt."

As her little arms held him he found it hard to swallow for a moment. "I um...love you, too," he said not quite sure how to say it and mean it although he knew he did.

"Can we go now?" he heard Brooke say impatiently. Her arms were folded and she was tapping her foot.

"Um, sure." They all said goodbye to one another and Wyatt couldn't help but notice the way Tara smiled at him when she waved goodbye. When she did he also noticed there was no wedding ring on her finger.

During the ride, the brief encounter with Tara was soon forgotten and Wyatt found himself asking the nanny about Sadie's medication and dosage.

When she told him what she took and how much he asked, "Has anyone ever tried reducing the amount?"

"No, of course not," the nanny replied. "The dosage was determined by a doctor."

Wyatt had always had issues with authority and rules. It drove him crazy when people said things like, "Speeding is speeding. If you're over the limit expect a ticket." To him common sense came into play. If he was doing 45 in a 35 on a clear, dry day with no traffic, no pedestrians, and no chance of harming anyone, what good was writing a ticket? Authoritarians would reply to that comment with something along the lines of, "So what is the limit in your world? Is it 55? How about 65? Why not 95?"

People like that lived in a simplistic world of black and white. Like the nanny, to them, the rules were the rules! If the doctor (God almighty) said 150mg, then by God it was 150mg! There was no need to think, no need to ask questions. Just execute the orders. He thought about mentioning the Stanley Milgram experiment but knew the lesson would be lost on her.

Instead he told her he'd take care of giving Sadie her medication from now on. She tried telling him she needed to show him how many pills of each he needed, but he assured her he could manage on his own.

When they got home he had Sadie take him to where her medication was kept. He carefully read the label before doing some internet research on the drugs. He decided he would slowly wean her off them and see for himself how she did. He carefully cut one of the pills of each kind, and would give her less and less each day while monitoring her behavior as well as any signs of physical withdrawal.

By dinner time, Sadie was a functional zombie again which told Wyatt the reduction was so slight as to be imperceptible. The following morning he reduced it by that much again before taking her to school then waited to see how she looked and sounded when he picked her up.

When he arrived, he saw her in a corner with Tiffany and walked toward them. She was even chattier than the day before as he said hello. "Wyatt? This is my best friend, Tiffany. When can I go to her house to play?"

"I have to talk with her mom, okay?" he told her. "You ready to go?"

"There she is! Ask her now, Wyatt," Sadie said pointing behind him.

"Hi again," Tara said as she walked up.

"Hi. It's nice to see you," Wyatt told her. "Sadie was just asking me again about getting together. Would you like to try and set something up?"

"You have no idea!" Tara said. She spoke quietly as she told Wyatt how hard it was to get anyone to play with Tiffany and those who had come over rarely came back because her daughter had so many...challenges.

He looked at Sadie then back at Tiffany. "Okay. Let's give this a try." He turned toward Tara and said in her ear, "They've had Sadie so doped up on Ritalin and Adderall I've never seen her as her real self. I'm slowly reducing the dosage to see how bad...or not...this ADHD thing really is."

"I was pretty much certain she was medicated. Tiffany is, too, in case that wasn't obvious. There are so many children on these drugs today. Most—but obviously not all of them—tend to be boys and in some cases it seems to me it's for the benefit of the teacher rather than the student."

Wyatt smiled at her and said, "Exactly! That's what I told Dr. Hatcher in so many words."

Tara then spoke into his ear. "You won't get any sympathy from her. She is hardcore pro-drug and if Sadie's behavior changes and a teacher says it's a problem you can expect to be summoned forthwith."

"Good to know," he said. "So...can I maybe call you and set something up?"

"I'd like that," she told him. Wyatt handed her his phone and opened it to 'contacts' and handed it to her.

She handed it back then asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but will your girlfriend be coming with you and Sadie?"

Wyatt let out a kind of snort. "No. Not a chance." The way she smiled told him she understood without the need of any additional explanation. He smiled back then said, "It's none of my business, but will there be a boyfriend or maybe an ex-husband when I bring Sadie to your place?"

Tara laughed and said, "No boyfriend." She stopped smiling then whispered again in his ear, "There is an ex-husband, but he wants nothing to do with his daughter. She's the reason he left six years ago when she started school."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"You didn't so don't be. He's a self-centered asshole and I'm glad he's gone."

Wyatt wasn't planning on saying what he was thinking, but it came out almost involuntarily. "Maybe I should introduce him to Brooke."

Tara covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh. Sadie saw her and asked what was so funny. "Did you tell a funny joke, Wyatt?"

"No, just the truth, Sadie. You ready now?"

"I guess. Bye Tiffany!" she said to her friend who was still standing there expressionless.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" he said to Tara as they headed out.

"I'm looking forward to it, Wyatt. Bye, Sadie!"

Sadie looked over her shoulder and waved. "She's nice," Sadie said. "So is Tiffany."

"Yes they are," Wyatt agreed.

She squeezed his hand and said, "So are you. I love you, Wyatt."

"I love you back, kiddo," he said squeezing hers, too.

Although he had concerns about reducing her dosage too rapidly he decided to be even more aggressive. The following morning he took her down to half of where she was originally as they got ready for school.

"Listen, there's something I have to do today so Brooke is going to take you to school this morning. Is that okay?"

"No! I want you to take me, Wyatt."

"It's just this one time, Sadie. Can you help me out and let her take you just for today?"

"I don't like her," Sadie told him. "She's mean."

"I'm calling Tiffany's mom today and we're going over to her house whenever she says it's okay. Does that help?"

"Really?" she asked almost excitedly.

"Yes, really. But you have to let Brooke take you to school."

"Okay. She can take me. But just this one time. Promise?"

"Thanks, kiddo. I owe you."

Brooke showed up a few minutes later pretending to be excited about helping out. "So are you ready to take a ride in the limo?" she asked Sadie.

"I guess," she said as Wyatt helped her put her coat on.

"I'll be there after school for you, okay?" he told her. He hugged her then gave her a first-ever kiss on the cheek before wishing her a good day.

As it was still the first week, Brooke asked the nanny to go with them; not because she didn't know how to walk Sadie inside but because she had no interest in doing so.

As they drove along Brooke looked at Sadie as she asked the nanny, "Does the little zombie ever say anything?"

The nanny saw Sadie glaring at Brooke and chose not to reply.

"What? You can't speak, either? Jesus. What a couple of freaks."

"My brother doesn't love you," Sadie said out of the blue.

"Oh, look. It does speak!" Brooke stared at said, "Oh, yeah? Then why does he sleep with me every night if he doesn't love me?"

"Because you're pretty," she said coldly.

"Well, you may be a zombie, but at least you're not blind."

"But only on the outside."

Brooke raised up then put a finger in Sadie's face. "Listen to me you little bitch. You may think you're going to steal your brother away from me, but let me explain something to you. You're worth millions of dollars and he—and I—will do anything...even pretend we like you...to get that money. He doesn't love you any more than I do and I don't even like you. So the next time he says or does something nice, just remember it's because it's the only way we get your father's money. And we're going to get it."

Brooke's hand was shaking and she wanted to slap the little brat so bad it was killing her. But she thought the nanny or the driver or even Sadie would say something if she did so she held back.

No one looked at anyone the rest of the way to school. Sadie jumped out first and waited for the nanny. Before she closed the door Sadie looked back in and said, "My brother is going to leave you one of these days because you're a horrible person." She stood there for a second watching Brooke's reaction then said, "You're the bitch." She slammed the door then walked away with the nanny.

"Do you know what your little spawn-of-Satan sister called me on the way to school this morning?" Brooke said as soon as Wyatt was back from whatever business he had.

"Do tell," he replied.

She told him the story omitting important details and Wyatt said, "That's interesting. She said that without prompting?"

"I beg your pardon?" Brooke said. "What do you mean by that? Are you insinuating I provoked her? You can't possibly be thinking that."

"I can't?" he said flatly.

"Oh, this is rich. You're taking sides with a kid who's so stoned on drugs she can barely function over your girlfriend? Give me a fucking break!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hall," they heard a voice say. "I didn't mean to intrude. I was just coming to ask if you'd need me the rest of the day and I couldn't help but overhear Miss Levinson's version of the story."

"Version? What do you mean by my...version? Are you implying I'm lying?" Brooke was outraged and the veins in her neck were bulging.

"I don't call people for whom I work liars, Miss Levinson," the nanny said.

"Good, then why don't you hit the fucking road and go start looking for another job?" she spat.

The nanny looked away and turned to Wyatt. "Will you be needing me again today, sir?" she asked politely.

"No, but I would like to know what was said this morning." He looked at Brooke and said, "All of it."

"Give me a fucking break!" Brooke screamed. "This bitch is a liar!"

"She hasn't said anything yet, Brooke," Wyatt said calmly.

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to her slander! You can either believe me or find yourself another girlfriend!" she screamed as she stormed passed the nanny intentionally shoving her with her arm on the way out.

"Please. Tell me what was said," he told her again.

She didn't want to repeat what she'd heard so Wyatt assured her there would be no consequences of any kind.

The nanny coldly and sterilely repeated the story as succinctly as possible. Wyatt thanked her and told her she was free to leave. "In fact, I'll be fine from here on out. You'll paid the full amount, but you don't need to come back tomorrow unless you need to get your things." He saw the distressed look on her face. He let her know he was truly grateful and assured her she was blameless. He also let her know that her letter of recommendation would be as strong as he could possibly make it and that he wanted to give her something as a personal thank you.

He handed her the check and said, "I wish I had something more to offer than money for all the time you've spent caring for my sister. I'm learning just how valuable loyalty like yours is."

She looked at the amount and thanked him profusely. "Sadie is such a wonderful child. It's none of my business, but you may be doing the right thing with regard to her medication. I got so used to doing only what I was told that I stopped thinking." She looked down briefly before saying, "But I never stopped caring. Would it be all right for me to come by in the morning and tell Miss Sadie goodbye in person?"

"Of course. She'd like that, I'm sure."

With that, she turned around and went to collect the things she could carry and would gather the rest the following morning.

That afternoon Sadie was almost animated when he picked her up. "Hi, big brother!" she said when he saw her.

"You seem happy," he told her as she took his hand.

"I don't feel all groggy from the medicine. I feel...happy!" She'd been smiling then suddenly stopped. "Is...Brooke in the car?" she asked in a way that concerned him.

"No. No, she isn't." When they got inside he said, "So...tell me what happened this morning. What did Brooke say to you?"