Just Once, You Out Of Your Mind?

Dr. Cardosa was leaving the hospital, he knew his time practicing medicine in the US was probably numbered because he was pending another disciplinary hearing. This time from the State Licensing Board and the first hearing had been a disaster. His finances were in ruin, he was still on the hook for his car that had been stolen and torched. He had received countless letters from all the charities he had "donated" to, thanking him for his generous donations. On top of all this, he hadn't been laid in weeks. He didn't see the two men approach him and only knew they were there when the baseball bat hit him in the kidneys.

Dr. Trey Cardosa woke in the same hospital he worked at, light assaulting his eyes. He tried to inhale deeply and winced in pain. He knew his ribs were broken, but was thankful that he seemed to be drugged.

He tried to move his right hand, but it was in a cast. Then he tried to move his left hand and it was in a cast too.

He looked around the room and saw a nurse sitting in a chair, reading a magazine.

"Nurse," he tried to say. It came out barely as a whisper, but it was enough for her to hear and look up.

"You're awake." She commented as she stood. She pressed the call button by the bed and looked over the doctor quickly.

"Hear, let me give you something to drink. I'm sure your mouth is dry." The nurse said, as she brought up a glass of water to his face and aimed a straw to his lips.

"Thank you." Trey said, after he drank most of the glass and wet his mouth.

"Rick Weston do this to me?" He asked.

"No, but I think you should talk to the police about that." The nurse replied.

Trey was really confused, if Rick didn't beat him up, then who did?

A Resident came in and check him over, Dr. Trey was not being well taken care of by the hospital staff.

"What are my injuries?" Trey asked.

"I think Dr. Innes is going to talk to you about those, Dr. Cardosa." The nurse replied, as she continued to try to make him comfortable.

The Resident ignored his question.

"The Psychiatrist? Jesus!" Trey exclaimed. They only had the Psychiatrist talk to you about your injuries when they were life altering. Looking at the casts on his hands, he was pretty sure that he was done being a Brain Surgeon, but his screwing Marcy and his actions in South America had already seen to that. He wondered if there was anything else. He noticed the excessive bandaging around his groin and wondered how serious those injuries were going to be. Trey was contemplating his future for some time.

The Resident left after making some notes on his chart.

Detective Baker was one of three Detectives for the Sheriff's Department and knew all about the role that Dr. Cardosa had played in Rick and Marcy's divorce. He did have some sympathy for the doctor, because his beating had nothing to do with screwing Rick's wife and the fact that his injuries were so severe.

"Dr. Cardosa, I'm Detective Baker, I'm the lead investigator into your assault and I am happy to say that we have both men in custody." He said, introducing himself.

"Marcy and Penny's husband's?" Trey asked.

The nurse looked at him, annoyed that he didn't believe her.

"No, two former Private Investigators that were trying to frame Rick for your assault." The Detective explained.

"I don't understand?" The doctor asked.

The Detective explained how the two PI's had lost their licenses and blamed Rick. The PI's came up with a scheme to frame Rick for assault by beating the doctor and Rick having no credible alibi. He said the assault was made to look like it had been done by a jealous husband, focusing on Trey's groin and his hands because he was a surgeon. The PI's failed on two accounts, Rick was not home as they thought, he and Diedre had been picked up that night in a limousine to have dinner in the city with the Judge, along with Josh and Jenny. The second failure, was the Red Roof Inn had a security camera that recorded the assault as well as the license plates of both of the PI's cars. The Detective proudly said he had the two PI's in custody in six hours after the assault.

When the Detective finished speaking, Dr. Innes was standing by the door.

"Thanks Detective." Trey said, the crime against him would not go unpunished.

"You get better." Detective Baker said as he left.

"Bob," Trey said greeting Dr. Innes as he entered the room.

"Trey, I've been telling you for quite a while, your dick was going to get you in trouble." Dr. Bob Innes jumped into the psychology of his patient.

"Yeah, but not like this." Trey protested.

"Collateral damage, but your actions did instigate events. If you had kept your dick in your pants, you wouldn't be here." Dr. Innes reasoned. He had been trying to get Dr. Trey Cardosa to understand that his actions had consequences, but was having a hard time because of the doctor's inflated ego.

"I think it is ironic that Rick didn't come after me, himself." Trey commented.

"You're lucky he didn't. You would have disappeared. You and Marcy have no idea who he is, he does contract work for the CIA with that security company that he works for. He could make you both disappear and none of the evidence would have ever pointed to him." Dr. Innes explained.

"Oh," was all Trey said. He didn't have any idea who Rick was, he just assumed he was the better man because he was screwing his wife.

"You have to understand, you are nothing to Rick Weston. You didn't win his wife from him. She made a decision he was not involved in and once she made that decision, he was done with her. Rick Weston moved on with his life from that moment and from what I understand is in a relationship that is far better than his marriage ever was. Marcy seems to have some serious psychological issues as I am sure you are aware of now." Dr. Innes explained.

"No, I won against Rick Weston. He came after me. He entered my condo, thrashed it. Hacked my computer, gave all my money to away to charity. I think he stole my car and abandoned it in the city after he cancelled my insurance. I'm still paying off that loan." Trey concluded. He reasoned Rick was striking out in anger.

Dr. Innes was laughing.

"Yes, it appears you won. You screwed his wife and he completely fucked over your life. You won." Dr. Innes said with complete sarcasm.

Trey stared at Dr. Innes blankly. His brain was reevaluating his situation and what he had experienced over the last six months.

"Your hands are crushed, it is very doubtful you will ever operate again. You have had one testicle removed, the other is severely damaged. You have extensive nerve damage to your penis. You have one kidney that is severely damaged and may not recover. And you have three broken ribs. Yeah, Trey, you won." Dr. Innes continued. He was trying to crack Trey's ego, without crushing him. It was a fine line and he didn't know how successful he would be.

Trey remained silent. Dr. Innes glanced at the monitors to see how Trey was physically reacting.

"You have insurance for your hands, right?" Dr. Innes asked a question to try and pull Trey out of his stupor.

"Yeah, I do." Trey said after a moment. The question seemed to startle him.

"Good, I also understand that he did something to your phone?" Dr. Innes asked. Wanting to continue to engage Trey and have him discuss some of the things Rick had done to him, in order to get him to understand he was only human.

"Yeah," Trey started laughing. "He put something on my computer that got into my phone. It was a recording of Marcy telling Rick that his dick was bigger. It became my ringtone and I couldn't get it out. I had to throw away my smart phone and get another one. It invaded everything that had an audio file in my house, my audio system, my smart fridge. I had a frat brother look at it and he said it was a military grade worm. I actually had to throw away my computer at home." Trey stopped speaking to reflect.

"So, did you win verses Rick Weston?" Dr. Innes asked softly. He wanted his patient reach his own conclusion, so that he could move forward with his life.

"No, Bob, I didn't." Trey admitted. "Rick Weston is the better man."

"That's not the point, Trey." Dr. Innes countered. "Rick Weston is not a brain surgeon, and did not lead one of the best brain surgery teams in the area."

"I'm no longer a brain surgeon." Trey countered. He gestured towards his hands.

"Trey, you are still a doctor and you can still teach and consult." Dr. Innes reasoned.

"Yeah, I can." Trey said. Suddenly, he had a new direction in life.

"So, you see this isn't the end of the world." Dr. Innes affirmed.

"Yeah, I can see that." Trey replied. Truthfully, considering what he had done and what had happened as a result, things were not as bad as they could be. To start, he could be dead, he had underestimated Rick Weston in a very bad way and now considered himself lucky that Rick had just messed with his finances, his condo and his car. These were all material things that he could replace. Rick was not responsible for the injuries he had received. Trey swore off married women from that moment on, too risky.

"You are going to need new goals in your life, so you have focus in your recovery. Think about that and I will see you tomorrow. Therapy is going to be an important part of your recovery." Dr. Innes informed him.

"I will, Bob. See you tomorrow." Trey replied. "What about Marcy, are you seeing her?" Trey asked, curious if Marcy was in therapy.

"No, Trey, I was there as an observer for her Disciplinary Hearing and she showed either narcissistic behavior or is a sociopath. Without her being my patient, I am reluctant to make a definitive diagnosis." Dr. Innes answered.

"Okay, thanks Bob." Trey said, staring out the window. He was done with Marcy, so he was thinking about his future, not being a surgeon.

Dr. Trey Cardosa's next visitor scared the shit out of him.

He woke to see Rick Weston standing at the foot of his bed. Rick smiled at him. Trey was completely defenseless, having both arms in casts. Trey looked over to see the nurse still sitting there reading her magazine.

"Trey, I'm really sorry this happened to you and there are no hard feelings." Rick started speaking in a low voice. "If Marcy hadn't been screwing you, she would have been screwing someone else."

"No hard feelings, you emptied my bank accounts, stole my car and thrashed my condo." Trey said, accusing Rick. He was angry Rick was even in his room, had done all these things and then had the nerve to say that there were 'no hard feelings'.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Rick replied, glancing over at the nurse that was still reading the magazine. "But you seriously didn't deserve the beating you got from those guys."

"Yeah, whatever." Trey said. He just wanted Rick to leave now.

"Do you believe in karma? I do." Rick paused to study Trey's face. "If you sleep with another man's wife, buy her expensive gifts and take her away on weekends when her husband if out of town. Bad things are going to happen to you. That is how karma works. I think you need to have a good look at who you are as a man and determine where your moral compass is, if you have one."

Trey just looked at Rick's eyes for a moment before his guilt overcame his ego and he looked away.

"I hope you get better soon." Rick said as he left the room.

The nurse held up her magazine to cover her face as she was trying not to laugh out loud. She reached over and turned off the recording app on her phone. She had started it when she saw Rick Weston enter the room. Soon, Rick's dressing down of Dr. Cardosa would be the stuff of hospital legend.

Rick and Diedre sprinted down the last street towards the house. They had just returned from their tour of the African Embassies and wanted to get back in shape after living a life of leisure for the last month and a half.

Rick and Diedre saw Marcy's Mercedes parked in the driveway at the same time.

Holding hands, the two approached the house cautiously.

Marcy was sitting on the porch swing.

"Hello, Marcy." Rick said.

"Oh, Rick, can we talk?" Marcy asked, standing up.

"Sure, Marcy," Rick replied.

"Alone," Marcy asked.

"No, I'm in a relationship with Diedre now, and she can hear anything we have to say to each other." Rick answered.

Marcy was not happy about this at all. It had been two months since she had spoken to Rick and she still had a glimmer of hope that she could win him back. Her therapist told her that this expectation was unrealistic considering all that she had subjected Rick to over the past few years. Marcy tried to control the narrative with her therapist, but kept making errors, like the time she complained to him about losing the jewelry Trey had given her. This led to a discussion about her secret bank accounts and the significance of the jewelry to Marcy's self-image. Marcy's therapist loathed dealing with her, but knew that it was going to lead to well received academic papers in the future, if not a best-selling novel. The therapist had been contemplating reaching out to Rick Weston to get a complete picture of Marcy's behavior.

"Let's go inside." Diedre suggested.

Marcy was surprised that her former home looked like it had been completely redecorated. All trace of her having lived there was gone. She assumed that all the pictures and mementos of her life with Rick were in her storage unit. She still hadn't gone through all the boxes.

"I'll put some coffee on." Diedre offered. "Do you want anything, Marcy?"

"Coffee is fine." Marcy replied.

Diedre left the living room and Marcy was finally alone with Rick.

"Rick, I still love you." Marcy said in a whisper.

"I don't care." Rick replied in a flat tone.

"Rick, I love you and I know you still love me." Marcy pressed on.

"Marcy, you showed me love by cheating on me numerous times. Demanding I allow you a hall pass, when you have been in an ongoing affair. Demand I let you continue your affair when I confront you. If this is how you show your love for someone? I'd really wish you hated me!" Rick countered.

Diedre had returned and sat next to Rick, who offered his hand to her to hold.

"We had 24 good years together, Rick." Marcy said, trying a different argument. "Don't throw those away."

"Wrong, Marcy." Rick interrupted. "We had maybe 16 good years, before you started cheating on me and started thinking you deserved more. You are a classic self-entitled cake eater. You thought that because you were sacrificing so much, you deserved more and took it. Well, you sacrificed your kids' mental well-being by exposing them to your affair, while I was in Korea. They were the ones that gathered all the evidence of that affair. Riding their bikes to the Red Roof Inn and taking pictures of you and Dr. Morris having sex. They were 11 and 13, Marcy. What kind of mother does that? I know you haven't talked to them since you got back, but you know what they said to me when I told them I was divorcing you? Good, they both thought it was about time I divorced you." Rick stopped and took a drink of coffee.

Diedre picked up a small device that looked like an old cell-phone from the coffee table and looked at it.

"She's clean." Diedre commented. She meant that Marcy had not recording or listening devices on her.

"What?" Marcy asked. Her brain was a mess, trying to reconcile what Rick had said, along with Diedre's comment.

Rick now knew he could speak freely without fear of legal recourse.

"Kyle also let me know about your secret bank accounts and how you were hiding money from me. How is that love, Marcy? I also took the jewelry Trey gave you and sold it. You accepted expensive jewelry from your boyfriend in the tens of thousands of dollars. How is that love, Marcy? You went to dinner with him at expensive restaurants and spent nights in his condo, when I was on business trips. How is that love, Marcy? You had me sacrifice my career in the Army, because you said you were first afraid I was flying and then you insisted I retire and not make General to spend time with the family, when you were in the midst of your affair. I now think that you were just feeling overshadowed by my career and you wanted to sabotage it like you did, so you could feel special." Rick paused to take another drink of coffee and looked lovingly at Diedre.

"I want to thank you for showing your true self, finally. It allowed me to break free of you and reconnect with Diedre. She respects me and truly loves me. She would never hide money from me or cheat on me with other men. She would never put our children in the position you did, if we were to have children. And she would support me in my career and never ask me to sacrifice it for her because she felt belittled by it, because she wouldn't. She would feel proud, because she had stood beside me and supported me through all the challenges that a couple goes through in order to attain their mutual goals. Just like I was proud of you, until I found that your goals were not our goals, but your own selfish goals." Rick said. He had been holding Diedre's hand the entire time and would looked at her several times as he spoke about her.

"I loved you, Marcy. And made many sacrifices for you in my life, but you were either just too selfish or too stupid to realize that. You thought I would keep making sacrifices for you, but you can only push someone so far and you pushed too far. Even the Courts saw this and granted me an immediate divorce from you for mental cruelty. Just like they do for battered women. Your level of abuse was so grievous that the Court equated it to the abuse suffered by that of a beaten spouse. I heard you are in therapy, but I still don't think you understand what you were doing to our marriage. And for you to sit here and tell me you love me, all I can do is laugh at how ridiculous you sound. The Court determined your love is equal to that of someone that beats their spouse. What kind of love is that, Marcy?" Rick finished speaking and stared at her.

Marcy sat quietly in her chair for several moments, staring at Rick and Diedre.

To Rick and Diedre, she appeared to be in some state of shock.

After several moments, she stood, thanked them for the coffee and left without another word.

A week later, Rick heard from Kyle and Rhonda, that they had received an email from their mother that she had found a job on the coast and was moving. This was the last Rick heard of Marcy.

Just like the original psychological profile Rick and Diedre had done on Marcy predicted, she could not reconcile her reality with what was occurring and was only left with the option to leave everything that reminded her that she was wrong. Classic narcissism.

Josh did divorce Penny, who remained working at the hospital and did become the Lead Surgical Nurse.

Josh and Jenny did eventually marry and Josh became an outstanding step-father to Jenny's kids.

Dr. Trey Cardosa never recovered from his injuries, but did end up teaching at the State Medical University, until a scandal involving a female student got him fired and his medical license permanently removed.

Rick and Diedre never married, they didn't need to, they loved each other so much that marriage was pointless.

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I hope you enjoyed my version of the ending to this story.