Live to Tell - Lisa Gardner [40]
Alex’s eyes widened. “But no snowing, no tying?”
“Two male counselors intervened, trying to guide the girl back to her room. She lashed out again, screaming at the top of her lungs. Other kids started getting wiggy, so our nurse manager ordered the male MCs to disappear. Second they were out of sight, the girl calmed down and returned peacefully to her room on her own.”
“It was the men who set her off,” D.D. filled in. “The girl had an issue with men.”
“Exactly. Large men with dark hair, who may or may not bear a resemblance to the girl’s stepdad, as a matter of fact. That’s what triggered her outburst. Observing that gave us something to work with. Something we would not have learned if we’d restrained her or medicated her.”
“All right,” Alex granted. “No snowing, no tying. But where’s the talking?”
“Once the girl calmed down, I reviewed the incident with her. We discussed what she did. I talked to her about other options for approaching boys that didn’t involve trying to kill them. It was an ongoing process, obviously, but that’s what we’re here for—to help kids understand what’s going on inside their heads, and what they can do to manage their jumbled emotions. Kids want to do well. They want to feel in control. And they’re willing to work, if you’re willing to guide.”
“Did the girl get better?” Alex asked.
“By the end of her stay, she and Greg were best buds. You’d never know.”
“And Ozzie Harrington?” D.D. said. “Was he another success story—one day roaring like a lion, next day gentle as a lamb?”
Danielle shuttered up. She sat back, stroking the top of the manila file with her thumb. When she met D.D.’s gaze again, her blue eyes were wary, but also hard. A woman who’d been there, and done that. Curious and more curious, D.D. thought.
“Tell me what happened,” the nurse said, avoiding D.D.’s question.
“Been watching the news?” D.D. asked.
“No. Been working the unit.”
“Why do you assume an unhappy ending?” D.D. pressed.
“Ozzie’s dead,” Danielle stated.
“Again, why assume the negative?”
“Because Karen told me to talk to you, and if Ozzie were still alive, answering your questions would violate his rights.”
D.D. considered the matter. “Yeah, he’s dead.”
“Just him, or did he hurt others?”
“Why don’t you tell us what you think?”
“Fuck it.” Danielle broke open the case file and began.
“Oswald was admitted in the spring of last year. He’d spent six months with his foster family before suffering a ‘psychotic break.’ The parents had gone out for the evening, leaving him and their two other children alone with a babysitter. Halfway through dinner, both their cell phones started ringing. The babysitter and two kids were now locked in the bathroom. Ozzie was on the other side of the door, armed with a hammer and screaming he was going to kill them.
“The parents ordered the babysitter to call nine-one-one, then headed home. They arrived around the same time two officers were wrestling Ozzie to the ground. The EMTs sedated the boy and brought him to the ER, which referred him to us.
“Upon admittance, he was nearly catatonic. We see this often in a child who’s just experienced a significant traumatic event. We kept him on Ativan for the first forty-eight hours, while we caught up on his patient history. Ozzie’s file revealed multiple diagnoses, including severe ADHD, attachment disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Mood Disorder NOS, and other nonspecific development delays. The psychiatrist expressed concern that, due to the death of Ozzie’s birth mother, not enough was known about the first three years of his life.”
“Meaning?” D.D. prodded.
“Ozzie’s speech and social skills were delayed. At eight, he showed some traits that were autistic in nature—he wouldn’t make eye contact, he sat and rocked for hours, while mumbling sounds only he understood.”
“You’re talking Rain Man?” D.D. clarified, making a note.
“That would be one example of an individual on the Autism Spectrum