Doped

"Nothing," she said quietly.

"No, she'd didn't say nothing. Did she call you a zombie again?"

Sadie looked at him but didn't answer. "You're not in trouble. I just need to know."

"Yes," she said without looking at him. She told him she also called the nanny the same thing.

"Did she call you an 'it'?"

Sadie nodded. "Okay, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked. "Hey, smile! You're not in trouble."

"I will be when I get home," she said.

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"When Brooke finds out she's going to..."

Wyatt moved over next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Brooke won't be doing anything to you ever again."

"She will when you're not around. She hates me," Sadie told him.

He pulled her close and said, "You're my sister. Blood is thicker than..." He stopped realizing she wouldn't understand. "I'll take of Brooke, okay? Can you just trust me?"

Sadie nodded and laid her head on her shoulder. "I'm glad you came home, Wyatt."

He kissed the top of her head and said, "Me, too."

When they got inside, Brooke was standing in the foyer waiting. "What lies did she tell you?" she hissed as Sadie walked by then stopped.

She turned around to see what Wyatt was going to say. "Go on up to your room okay, Sadie?" he told her with a warm smile.

As she started up the stairs, Brooke said, "Seriously? You're taking her word over mine? Get real!"

He waited until Sadie was out of earshot then said, "I am getting real, Brooke. Go upstairs and pack your shit and get out."

She stood there in stunned silence staring at him. "Don't worry. I'll pay for your plane ticket and any other expenses until you get home." Her mouth was wide open in disbelief. "Before you ask, yes, I'm serious. You're not staying here tonight. I want you out. I don't care where you go or what you do, but you're not spending one more night in this house—my house."

She came back downstairs a half hour later with the same suitcases she'd brought. She looked at him and said with venom in her voice, "Like you have a chance of pulling this off by yourself! You'll be begging me to come back here and help you with...her...before I can even get back to California. Mark my words!"

"I may not 'pull this off' but I'll die before I ask you for help." Once he knew she was packed and on the way out, he began walking upstairs himself. As he did, he turned around and told her, "There's a car waiting for you out front. He'll take you anywhere you tell him to go. He's giving you $500 in cash and a boarding pass I just printed off. Don't lose them."

He heard Brooke's heels clicking loudly on the marble floor as she stomped out. "Good riddance," he said from the top of the stairs.

"Sadie?" he said as he tapped her door. "It's time for your medicine."

"I don't want to take it anymore," she said.

"You can't just stop. It'll make you feel sick. We have to slowly taper you down, okay?"

"Okay." She didn't understand what that meant, but she did trust him.

"Two things," he said as they went to her bathroom. "One, we're going to Tiffany's on Saturday."

Sadie squealed with excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said as she hugged his waist. "What's the other thing?"

"If I let you stop taking your medicine, you can't start getting in trouble in school. If you do, I'll have no choice but to put you back on it. Deal?"

She let go of him and said, "I talk too much when I don't take my medicine."

He knelt down and said, "I'm not concerned about talking. I'm concerned about you saying things...like Brooke said. You can't ever be that way to anyone. Understand?"

"Yes."

"I'm not saying it's okay to talk in class. It isn't. But that's not the kind of trouble I'm talking about. Does this make sense?"

"I think so," she said as he stood up then handed her the much-reduced amount of pills.

"Another couple of days and you should be completely off of this stuff. Don't let me down, kiddo."

"I won't," she said as she swallowed them.

Sadie was up early Saturday morning and started asking Wyatt when they were going to Tiffany's as soon as she saw him.

"Ten o'clock. Her mom's making lunch for us so don't eat too much before we go." Wyatt laughed when he realized Sadie barely touched whatever food was put in front of her. And yet, here she was eating. "I haven't seen you eat two bites since I got here," he told her.

"My medication makes me not want to eat. Do I have to take it before we go?" she asked as though he hadn't already discussed it with her.

"Yes. You'll take a little less again, but you do have to take it. Do you feel okay? Any headaches? Dizziness? Mood swings?"

"No," she said taking a bite of toast. "I feel...like me again."

The car was waiting at 9:45 and Sadie was already downstairs waiting.

"You look so handsome, Wyatt!" she told him.

"This? It's no big deal," he told her. "Then why did you take nearly an hour deciding what to wear?" he asked himself. After all that, he'd settled on a yellow shirt with blue pinstripes and some navy pants with cordovan-colored shoes and a matching belt.

"Father never let me go anywhere," she said on the drive.

"Did he make you call him 'father'?"

"No, he just didn't seem like a dad to me so I always called him father."

Someday, Wyatt would tell her how he never knew their father, either. To him, he'd been little more than a credit card—a thick wallet and a means to an end. Sadie didn't need to hear any of that today and he could tell she was very intelligent. She probably already understood it, at least to some degree.

"This is their house?" Sadie said as they pulled up. It was a very modest home near the school both girls attended. It was nothing like the home Sadie'd grown up in and for all he knew, this might be the first time she'd been anything that wasn't like their gated quasi-mansion.

Tara opened the door for them. "Sadie! Hi. It's so good to see you!" She hugged her and told her where Tiffany was.

Tara noticed the difference immediately as Wyatt came in. "Oh, my! Don't you look nice." She looked behind him and said, "Where's the other model?"

"Brooke?" he asked almost rhetorically. "She's the only model."

"Could have fooled me," Tara said in a way that was playful but not flirty. "Is she not coming?"

"No. Um...she's actually going. No, by now she's gone." He explained generically what happened and Tara wasn't surprised.

"Wyatt? May I ask you something?" she said as she offered him a seat.

"Sure, I'd love to go out with you sometime," he said with mock seriousness. His response caught Tara so off guard she laughed out loud.

"Were I ten years younger I'd be openly flirting," she told him. At 35, she realized how silly that must have sounded so she quickly added, "Not that you'd flirt back. I'd just be foolishly throwing myself at you."

"Wouldn't you also be married?" he asked.

"Oh, right. Gee, thanks for reminding me. No, seriously, is Sadie off her medication?"

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"To a parent who's child takes Ritalin and Adderall it is," she said.

"I'm weaning her off it," he told her.

"Wow, that's bold of you," she said.

"How so?"

"Well, Dr. Hatcher's not going to like it. I'd say you can expect to start getting formal notices of 'bad behavior' very soon."

"Ah, like talking in class?" he offered.

"Bingo," she told him. "I can't afford to risk losing Tiffany's place. Her father pays the tuition and he'd be outraged were she to be um...asked to leave."

"Wow, Dr. Hatcher sounds like a little Mussolini. Is she really that bad?"

"Don't get me started," Tara said.

"Are you saying these notices can lead to Sadie's expulsion?"

"No, I'm saying they will lead to it. I've seen five kids 'lose their place' when their parents took them off their ADHD medication in the years Tiffany's attended school there. Wyatt, I don't like doping my child, but she can't get this kind of education in a public school. They shunt kids like her into 'special' classes with three- or four-letter designations and they don't learn anything because they teach to the lowest common denominator."

"Well, I'm not only willing to risk it, I'm doing it. I absolutely respect your decision, Tara. It's just not what's best for Sadie."

"I admire you for that, Wyatt. If I had any other alternative, I'd do it, too."

"You know...I might just have one."

They talked for the next two hours getting acquainted then took the girls out for lunch after being given a choice of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup or McDonalds. Sadie ate everything on her plate and asked for ice cream afterwards while Tiffany barely touched hers.

"Appetite suppression is another side effect. I always say you can tell who's on medication by watching them eat. Or not."

"You know, the more I think about this the angrier it makes me. I'd love to know just how many children are taking these kinds of drugs and why. There has to be a better way for kids who are...active...to learn without turning them into..."

"Zombies?" Tara offered.

"As much as I hate that word, I have to admit it's very descriptive."

Wyatt sat there staring at the two girls and the differences in their behavior. Sadie was smiling, talkative, and had an appetite while Tiffany sat there almost expressionless occasionally taking a very tiny bite.

"I see those wheels spinning, Wyatt. Care to tell me what you thinking?"

"Not yet," he said without looking at her. "But I do have one question. You're a college graduate. Have you ever thought about getting a teaching certificate?"

"Me? Heavens no. I love kids, but teach? I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Just thinking. That's all." And he was thinking. He wasn't sure it could be done, but it couldn't hurt to look into it.

They went back to Tara's house and only stayed a few more minutes. Sadie sat down by her brother and folded her arms. "What's going on, Sadie?"

"Nothing," she said.

"Nothing?"

"Well, it's just that Tiffany doesn't want to play. She just wants to sit there and hold her stuffed animals. I'm too old for them and..."

She looked at Tara who said, "Say what's on your mind, Sadie. I won't be upset. I promise."

"It's...boring. We don't do anything. She doesn't even want to talk.

Tara knew she was right and there was nothing she could say to Sadie. Instead, she said to Wyatt, "Maybe I could reduce her dosage."

"Every little bit helps. I didn't see much change in Sadie until we got below 50%. She's done to 20% and by Tuesday, she'll be off both medications completely."

Sadie had no idea what her brother meant when he told Tara, "Guess that means I better get busy on this idea of mine."

Then again, Tara also had no idea what he meant. But she did have hope. She also trusted Wyatt and although she'd never tell him, she was happy Brooke was out of his life. She'd also never let him know she wouldn't mind being in it. He'd have to let her know he was interested as it just wasn't Tara's style to push herself on any man. Even one as...yummy...as Wyatt Hall.

"So there's no restriction on how I use the money for Sadie as long as it's for her welfare, right?" he asked Randolf that afternoon.

"Well, I have the final determination as to whether or not it's in her best interest, but your father gave me very wide latitude so if you can show something is even slightly better than what she currently has—in any area of her life—it shouldn't be a problem. Why? What exactly are you thinking?"

"I'll let you know in a few days, okay?" he replied. He had a ton of research to do and no real idea whom to see or where to even start. So he'd just pick someone or something and dive in and sort it out as he went.

*****

"Pastor Stevenson? I'm Wyatt Hale. We spoke on the phone and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here, Mr. Hall. You said your interest was in the Christian School we have as a part of our ministry. What specifically are you wanting to discuss?"

An hour later, Wyatt left with a basic understanding of the various types of schools from public to private, charter, magnet, and religious. He also began to have a feel for the concept of certification, the role it played, and how important (or unimportant) it was to a student's future education after graduating from high school.

Later that afternoon he spent another hour with the principal of a charter school and added that information to what the Baptist minister had told him earlier that morning.

The following day he sat down with an different attorney and discussed a bevy of legal issues from buying property to liability to accepting taxpayer money and it's role in accountability to the state.

"So the bottom line is I can start a private school and as long as I don't accept money from the federal or state government, I can teach pretty much whatever I want with teachers who either are or aren't certified by the state."

With some minor caveats, the attorney confirmed his statement and Wyatt was now ready to put his plan into action. Knowing that two heads are better than one, he asked to meet with Tara again while Tiffany was in school and see if he could solicit her help.

"Wow. That's very ambitious," she told him. "And very expensive."

"Let me worry about the finances, okay? My question is would you consider letting your own daughter attend a school like this which caters only to children with severe cases of ADHD knowing they will either be off their medication completely or on very low doses?"

"After listening to your entire presentation, I still have concerns, but they're small in comparison to the potential I see for my daughter—as well as your sister and many children like them—by attending a school specifically tailored for their unique needs. So, yes, count me in."

"Great! I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get this up and running, but I'm putting a business plan together this week. We need to find a suitable property, get it to where it can pass inspection, buy books and computers and other materials, find teachers, and advertise to parents with kids like ours to find our future student body. I see us initially taking no more than ten kids per grade so that our student-teacher ratio is very low. We can even hire classroom assistants if necessary. We don't have to worry about certification in the near-term, that can be a goal for down the line. The main goal is provide kids who are um...very active...a safe place where they can learn by finding ways to reach them; ways that no other school can take the time to employ because doing so means they don't service the majority. That of course, means our unique kids get left behind, left out, and turned into well...zombies...on the way."

As he got caught up in making his argument, his passion and his love for children like Tiffany tugged at Tara's heartstrings to the point she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey? Why so sad?" Wyatt said when he noticed she was tearing up.

Tara blinked several times then said, "It's just that no one has ever taken any real, personal interest in my daughter before. Everyone has had just one goal in mind. Calm her down through medication so she isn't a distraction. I'm sorry, but my child is NOT a distraction! She's an individual; a unique human being with individual needs and it took this...it took—you—to wake me up to that simple truth."

Wyatt stood up then sat next to her. He grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and handed it to her. She thanked him and carefully wiped her eyes.

"Tiffany is an individual. So is Sadie. Look, we can't be the only parents...or guardians...who have these concerns. There have to be plenty of other people who feel like the educational system is letting them down by shunting their kids off into a corner—a very quiet corner—so they don't 'bother' anyone else. I know I am and I just started doing this."

"Me, too," Tara said as she sat down the tissue. "Thank you, Wyatt. You're such a good person."

Her words were simple but had a profound impact as Wyatt realized no one had ever said that to him before. No one had ever even implied it and there was good reason for that. He'd been a completely self-absorbed narcissist interested in nothing but personal pleasure. Caring for Sadie had made him realize there was more to life than getting laid or spending money although he still very much wanted to get laid. He just didn't want any more of the endless hook ups and as he looked at Tara he understood why.

"You know, that may just be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Tara."

"Really? You can't be serious. I mean you're probably the most handsome young man...sorry...man...I've ever seen and you have this amazingly big heart. I'm sorry, but that doesn't make any sense."

Wyatt smiled and said, "This is all new ground for me. I'm in completely uncharted territory. Putting another person before myself—any other person—is a first. Caring about someone else is, too. Even something like delayed gratification is utterly foreign to me. Anytime I met a woman I found really attractive, I made in my mission in life to sleep with her." He shook his head as he laughed very briefly then said, "The old me would have tried to sleep with you the first time we met."

Tara's facial expression changed immediately when she heard what he'd said. She stopped crying and was even smiling albeit not very strongly as Wyatt began explaining how this was all new to him. Now she looked...baffled...and Wyatt wasn't exactly sure why.

"Did I just say something offensive? If so, I apologize. Again, I'm new at all of this so I'm bound to make mistakes. But my intentions are honorable, I assure you, even if I'm a little clumsy expressing them."

Tara lowered her eyes and looked away. She felt her heart beating very rapidly. It was pounding in her chest and she could 'hear' it in her ears and wondered if Wyatt could, too. She wanted to tell him how much she liked him but couldn't. It wasn't just her need to have the man ask first, it was also her age. She'd seen Brooke and Brooke was insanely gorgeous—and young—just like Wyatt. Tara knew she was considered attractive, but she was maybe as much as ten years older and definitely not in his league. Even so, she wanted nothing more than for him to take her hand and...

"Tara? Are you upset with me?" he asked again.

She forced herself to 'snap out of it' and looked right at him. She even managed a smile and said, "No. Not at all. Why would I be? You're doing such a great thing and it's going to help our girls so much. No, I'm not upset in the least. I'm actually very impressed."

"Really?" Wyatt said. "I've never heard those words before, either." He reached for her hand and Tara's heartbeat went out of control as she handed hers to him. "You're really amazing and I just wanted you to know that." He put his other hand on top of hers and squeezed it before saying, "Well, I should get going. We have a ton of work ahead of us."

He stood up and helped Tara do so as well, as he was still holding her hand. They stood face to face and Wyatt said, "I'm really excited about working with you, Tara. I hope you won't get sick of me too quickly."

She tried to speak but couldn't find her voice. She cleared her throat then said, "I'm quite sure that's not going to happen, Wyatt."

"I hope not," he said smiling at her. "I really like spending time with you."

"I'm glad," she said. "A little surprised but very glad."

"Why would you be surprised?" he asked. He reached for both hands which she offered him before he told her, "Why wouldn't I enjoy being around you? You're smart, you're kind, you're caring, and..." He looked down and thought twice about saying it because he found her so attractive he didn't want to ruin this relationship by making her feel uncomfortable.