The Fugitive Grandma

Chapter 18 - Persecutory Delusions

Frank and Johnny arrived in the Intensive Care Unit of Santa Ramona Hospital, where Stella lay unconscious, her sleeping face blank and expressionless. Frank couldn’t remember a time when he had seen his mother’s face so absent of emotion.

Next to the bed stand, there was a clear plastic bag connecting to an IV tube inserted in her right arm. A sensor tucked behind the gown against her chest was linked to a monitoring machine, as was another sensor on her left arm.

“Grandma,” Johnny said, as tears ran down his cheeks. “Are you OK?” He clasped her wrist.

“Don’t touch her,” a nurse said, ducking in from the hallway. “You’ll interfere with the pulse rate.”

A man with salt-and-pepper hair and bushy eyebrows introduced himself as Julius Simmons, the staff psychiatrist on duty.

“Mr. Valentine, I need to speak to you in private for a moment about your mother’s condition,” Simmons said. “Nurse, please stay here with the boy.”

Dr. Simmons led Frank into an empty patient room across the hall and spoke to him in a low, measured tone. “Mr. Valentine, we believe your mother suffers from multiple mental disorders. This afternoon she had what we can only define as a psychotic episode. She entered a supermarket and assaulted the store manager.”

“I don’t believe that. She has a temper, but are you telling me someone her age is capable of assault?”

“We have a statement from the victim, Nick Lowry. He is being treated in another part of this hospital. And dozens of witnesses saw the attack in Great American Superstore.”

“My mother’s done some crazy things before, but this is too much. It just doesn’t seem credible.”

“Take it from a professional, Mr. Valentine, this is entirely credible. I believe her mental condition is deteriorating rapidly. She shows symptoms of psychosis and bipolar disorder. These can lead to paranoia, delusions, and antisocial behavior. A sufferer can commit violent acts with fearlessness and great physical strength.”

“Psychosis? Bipolar disorder? How can you be so sure of your diagnosis?”

“These illnesses are not unusual. The warnings signs often come years in advance. Think about it. Has your mother been unusually emotional in the past? Has her behavior been unpredictable and reckless at times??”

“Yeah,” Frank admitted. “But I always thought it was part of her character. She faced some hard things in her life.”

“And who hasn’t? Life changes make some people more susceptible to chemical imbalances in the brain. Over time, stress and tension build up and serotonin levels diminish. Sometimes it’s just a single incident, or even an imaginary event, that triggers the breakdown. Maybe for your mother, that event was the closing of the supermarket where she worked before she retired.”

“You really think this is tied to the supermarket?”

“Before she lost consciousness, Stella couldn’t stop ranting about what the company did to her and her former co-workers. She’s developed a persecutory delusion about Great American, as if somehow it is trying to destroy her. The paranoia in her mind could spread to the point where the paranoia takes on new targets. She could even turn against friends and family. You need to act, and act fast.”

“What do you recommend?” said Frank.

“The first step is medicating her as comprehensively as possible to correct the chemical imbalances in the brain.” Dr. Simmons removed a case of pills from the pocket of his medical coat. “This is what I recommend. It’s a medication from LifeGen called Antidepressant Anti-Psychotic Therapy, or ADAPT for short. Put her on a heavy dosage, and within four to six weeks, we can probably bring her condition under control.”