Behind Sanity

Chapter Thirty

                                                                 Behind Sanity

                                                                Chapter Thirty

                                                                           1

Wendy’s fingers gathered the material of her thick, winter dress.  Sitting beside Tommy in front of Doctor Robertson was not the most desirable place in the world she could think to be, especially judging by the look on the man’s face.  This was not going to be good news.

Robertson sat quietly for a moment, flipping through some papers.  Wendy wondered what they were about, and knew that shortly she would find out, whether she really wanted to or not.  Alice…or Morgan?  Though she loved them both and didn’t fancy losing any either one, she had lived without Alice once.  She could never imagine herself living without Morgan.

Tommy sat in the chair beside hers uneasily.  She took his hand when she saw how tightly he was gripping the arm of the chair.  She hoped to calm him down for the news, while in her chest her own heart was beating rapidly.  Robertson looked up at them slowly over the top of his small glasses.

“Mr. and Mrs. Madison,” he addressed. “I’m sure you know why you’re here.  You know it is, of course, to talk about your daughter and about Alice Liddell.”

“You’re going to tell us something bad, aren’t you?” asked Tommy.

Wendy squeezed his hand lightly, making way for the doctor to continue.

“We have done several tests on your daughter.  As far as we can tell, she is as healthy as she ever was,” he said.

“Then, what’s wrong with her?” demanded Tommy.

“I believe that whatever’s wrong with your daughter is purely in her mind.”

“Meaning…?” asked her father.

“Meaning that whatever is keeping Morgan asleep is mental, not because there is something wrong with her body functions.  I don’t mean to discourage you, but this sort of situation has – ”  He paused a moment.  “– never been cured.”

A slow stream of tears began to flood into Wendy’s eyes.

“I believe that there is an answer,” Robertson quickly, trying to assure them that he had hopes.  “And I will keep trying to work with your daughter as well as I can.  I also believe that the answer may perhaps lie within Alice.”

A bit of hope settled into Wendy’s heart.  Her tears stopped momentarily, just in time to see the doctor’s face fall slightly.

“Sadly, Alice has withdrawn herself from me.  I can no longer work with her, and so I am forced to give her up.”

“What about Morgan?” Tommy asked, unrelenting.

“All I can do for her is work with what I know.  We are calling in someone new for Alice.  If he can find the answers in her mind, perhaps we can help Morgan, but, until that time, you two will not able to see either of them.  I’m sorry.”

Wendy had already broken down in tears, though she tried to hold them back.  Tommy took his wife’s arm and began to rise, but the aid did little for a mother’s heart.

“I’m sorry it had to be like this,” said Robertson. “I had hopes.  Still do.  But for now, I think this is the best thing.”

The doctor showed them to the door.  Wendy exited first, but Tommy lingered for a few moments, and behind her, she heard him speak.