The Doctor's Casebook Pt. 04 Ch. 04

I was shocked. "What?"

His eyes were serious. "You are to deny yourself to your husband. I don't want him to touch you. You are to give yourself only to me."

I let that sink in before commenting. "I ... I have never said no to Donny."

I could see him thinking about that for a moment. "If he says he desires you ... or if he starts to do it with you, just tell him that you don't want to." He paused. "That's true, isn't it?"

My breath caught for a moment. "Yes. That's true," I said at last, barely able to form the words.

And then I held him tightly as he practiced his new right of exclusivity.

...

CASE FILES - PERSONAL NOTES - PATIENT 105 - DAY 16

LORETTA

Are you as deep as you can go, Donny?

DONNY

Yes, Loretta.

LORETTA

The doctor and I were both surprised when you called and wanted to move your appointment up. I just saw you yesterday. You seemed very anxious when you came in this morning. But I don't want that to be the case now. I want you to feel detached and calm.

DONNY

Yes. Detached and calm. That's a good way to describe it. I feel that way. Yes.

LORETTA

Please remain in that state and tell me why you wanted to see me again so soon.

DONNY

I am very concerned about Mindy. I did something ... because I always want to do the right thing. It seemed right at the time. I still can't imagine why it wouldn't be. I'm hoping that you can speak to Mindy about it. Right away. Today. Just to make sure. I assume that you hypnotize her, as well.

LORETTA

Relax, Donny. Relax. Stay very deep for me. I am here to help you. If something is wrong, I'll make it right again. Now ... stay detached and calm, and tell me what happened. Start with yesterday, after our appointment. The day after your little naked party. Tell me what you did after you left here.

DONNY

I went back to the office ... back to Evelyn. As you might guess, she was extremely busy with her covert plans. She had moved into my office, and Trish the Temp now occupied her old desk. I had to admit, the new girl was a whirlwind of efficiency. She had already figured out Evelyn's filing system and had modified it to her own liking. She looked up at me, stopped her sorting, and she blushed beet red.

"Good morning, Mr. Rockland," she said brightly, though she couldn't meet my eyes.

I stopped and leaned against her desk, forcing her to look up at me, and she blushed even more, if that's possible. "Good morning, Trish. Tell me; how is this going to work?"

Despite her embarrassment, she leaned toward me confidentially, and I reciprocated. Our faces were about a foot apart. "Miss Connors hasn't mentioned what we were talking about last night to any of the staff. I think the official announcement will be tomorrow. She's had me call the board of directors and set up a special meeting for tomorrow at noon in the conference room. She insists that everything has to go through you ... that you are still the CEO ... and that you always will be."

I nodded. "Tell me, Trish ... now that you are apparently MY secretary, as well as hers, do you think we can move beyond my embarrassing little demonstration last night? Can we pretend it never happened?"

That made her study my eyes, trying to see further than my words. "You must really, really love her to have let her do that to you," she said quietly.

I took a breath. "Yes, I really, really do. But ... there are complications at the moment."

She nodded. "Your wife. A few of us were talking about it this morning. I've never met her, but everyone says she's very sweet. What are you going to do?"

"The right thing," I said. "I'll do the right thing. I just don't know what that is, yet."

She laid a hand on mine. "I'll help anyway I can, sir. Talk it over with Miss Connors. She seems to have a plan for just about everything."

I nodded. "I will. Thanks."

As soon as I walked into the inner office, Evelyn came around the desk to meet me and give me a kiss; then she told Trish to hold all calls and she closed the door, and she took my hand and guided me to our normal spots on the couch. "Tell me about your appointment, Donny. Did you tell Loretta about us? Did you tell her about ... last night?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I go to sleep whenever I'm with her. I don't know what I tell her ... if anything at all. I have another appointment next week."

She reached up and put a palm on the side of my face, drawing me toward her. "Shhh!" she ordered. "Relaaax. Sleeeep."

And then she said: "Wake up, Donny. Come on, now. Wake up!" I opened my eyes, but nuzzled for a few seconds more into her soft cleavage before sitting up, smacking my lips and blinking my eyes until I was finally able to focus on her face. It held a strange expression.

"What is it, Evelyn?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

She seemed very concerned. "I don't know what they're doing to you at Dr. Herringwick's office. She's erased your memory. I can't find out, even with hypnosis."

I considered that. "Why is it important? And, if it is, why don't you just ask Loretta? I thought you two were friends."

Evelyn was too lost in thought to answer for a minute. Finally, she nodded. "We are. And ... you're right, I should call her. It's just that ... there are more people in play here. I don't know all the motives ... or which side all the player are on."

"What do you mean?" I queried. "How can I help?"

She stroked my face. "You can believe me when I tell you that I never wanted to hurt you, Donny. I love you. And ... I love this company. But ... well ... I'm a little bit of a coward. And now, I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you."

I'd had enough of this melodrama. I needed to do the right thing, and feeling spineless was not going to accomplish that. I stood and walked toward the door.

"Donny?" she cried after me. "Where are you going?"

"To the lab. I'll see you at your apartment tonight." I walked out the door. She shouted my name twice more as I strode past Trish's desk without pausing.

But, of course, I had no intention of going to the lab. My first stop was at Sales, on the second floor. Rita looked up from her computer terminal and gasped. "M ... Mr. Rockland! I ... I ..."

I grabbed a chair from the side of the room, swung it easily in her direction, and deposited it facing her desk ... facing her. I was shocked, for the moment, at just how far a little adrenalin could go. The chair had seemed very light. I sat and leaned toward her, and she shied away from me as if I were a rattle snake. "Rita," I said levelly, "I just want to make sure that there's no misunderstanding between the two of us. Professionally speaking, that is." I paused. "Only professionally." I paused again. "I have great respect for you ... professionally." I gave her yet another pause. "I think of you on a professional basis; and I'm sure that's the way you regard me." Her eyes were wide and wild. "That's the only way," I concluded.

Silently, exuding fear, she nodded.

I slapped the top of the desk with both hands and stood up, forcing a strange little, high-pitched squeak from her and making her jump several inches in her seat. "Wonderful!" I declared, smiling, rubbing my hands together. As I picked up the chair and returned it to its original position, I noticed for the first time that there was a sales rep from another company waiting in similar chair beside the door. I bid him good day as I left.

Down the hall was Marketing. This time, I made sure there was no one waiting in the room before grabbing a chair and depositing it in front of the secretary's desk. "Hello, Nancy," I said, smiling.

Nancy blushed. "Hello, Mr. Rockland." She regarded me for a moment. "Are you here to see Mr. Halfstein? He just came back from an early lunch."

"In a minute," I replied.

She sighed and nodded. "If this is about last night ... about how I saw you ..."

"I want you to tell me why Evelyn wants him fired," I interrupted levelly.

That made her look down and shift uncomfortably. "You ... you should talk to Evelyn about ..."

"I need conformation, Nancy," I told her with more authority than I'd ever expressed before. "I need the truth. I need to know what YOU know about it."

She tilted her head a little to the left, studying me. "I've never seen you this way, Donny. Excuse me ... Mr. Rockland. I guess I've been here too long." She wasn't blushing now. She's been with the company for as long as I can remember, and I've always liked her. Finally, she nodded, making up her mind. "Bob Halfstein is a sexual predator and an all-around awful human being. I've worked for him for four years; during which time, I've observed him harass just about every woman who's ever worked here. I've never let him get ME into bed, but I've put up with his incessant badgering all that time. He threatened to fire me when I rebuffed his advances, but I was your dad's secretary before Evelyn, and he couldn't do anything. However ... I know of at least five women he DID talk into sex in order to keep their jobs. One girl, a secretary named Janice, quit the company the following day. That was about a month ago. I heard that he knocked her around a little."

I nodded and moved the chair back to its place. "Why hasn't anyone come forward? Why haven't YOU?"

"Same old reasons," she explained levelly. "It would have been his word against an office girl's ... especially those who had eventually agreed to a sexual liaison. We needed our jobs more than our self respect. Plus, he was untouchable. He's one of your father's best friends."

I grimaced at that. "Can ... can you find this Janice girl? Can you get a message to her? Can you tell her Halfstein isn't here anymore? Tell her that I, personally, would like her to come back?"

She studied me with that same look; then she nodded. "I'll try, Donny."

I jerked a thumb toward the outer door. "Go home. You'll be in HIS desk tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off. Go. Now."

She opened a drawer, took out her purse and stood. "Yes, Mr. Rockland."

I barged into the inner office without knocking. Bob Halfstein looked up from a crossword puzzle. "Hi, Donny," he said, smiling. "What can I do for you?"

I matched his smile. "You can get out, Bob. You're fired."

He sat back and grinned. "Fired? Christ, son, you can't fire me! Your old man and I built this business!"

I walked over, half-sat on the front edge of his desk, and crossed my arms, still smiling. He was twice my age, tall and overweight. His very presence had always made me feel like a child. "Here's the deal, Bob," I explained good-naturedly. "If you are out of this building in thirty minutes, you'll get a standard separation package; AND, I'll give you my word that this company will not bring criminal or civil charges against you. I'll do that much for a friend of my dad's. I will, however, personally assist any employee in this organization who wishes to press charges."

His smile was gone now. He leaned forward toward me. "Who the hell have you been talking to? Is it that Amazon whore of a secretary of yours? Listen, son, you gotta' grow a pair! Don't let some black cunt tell you what to think! Put her in her fuckin' place! Take a lesson from me! Just ..."

"You seem to be a little paranoid concerning our female employees, Bob," I interrupted, my smile broadening. "I am the one firing you. Now, man up and accept it." I checked my watch. "You have twenty-eight minutes to vacate these premises. After that, you'll get no pay package, and your ass will be in jail for trespassing. And that will just be the beginning."

"You can't fire me!" he screamed, spittle spraying. He stood up and leaned menacingly closer, still screeching. "I helped start this company, goddamn it!"

I reached out and grabbed his necktie just below the knot and wrenched his face toward mine. His eyes widened in shock. I felt electrified with energy ... my spirit soaring ... and I was oddly happy to the point of elation. I stared almost longingly at him. "Try it, Bob. Fight me. Do it, please." A laugh bubbled up from my throat. When it had finally died away, I let my smile die with it, and I said quietly, firmly: "I will CRUSH you, you son of a bitch!"

He pulled back away from me with all his might, and I let go of his tie. He went sprawling backwards over his chair and wound up on hands and knees on the floor, looking up at me with genuine terror in his eyes. I turned and walked out the door, glancing back over my shoulder long enough to say: "Twenty-seven minutes, Bob!"

On the first floor, I stopped by security and had them send two men to Halfstein's office to ensure that his departure was not only accomplished, but done so publicly, for the benefit of the other employees. Then, I went down to the parking garage, got in my car and drove home.

In my apartment, I followed the sound of cello music to the room that Mindy used as an office. She had on a set of headphones, and she was studying a computer screen intently, so it took her awhile to notice me. "Hey!" she said brightly, looking up. "I didn't expect you home this time of day!" She set the instrument aside on a stand, then shucked off the headphones and came to me, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hi, baby. We need to talk," I said.

"Oooh. That sounds ominous. The coffee's still fresh." She walked out of the room toward the kitchen, glancing back to make sure I was following. "Did you come home for a shower and fresh clothes?"

"Clothes, yes. I've had a shower."

She pulled another mug out of a cabinet and poured us each a cup. I sat down at the table. "I didn't know your office HAD a shower," she said offhandedly.

"It doesn't," I responded quietly.

She nodded. "Ah." She took a sip. "You're seeing someone. You're having an affair."

"Yes."

She studied her coffee for awhile. "Do I know her?"

"You've met her. My secretary, Evelyn."

"Evelyn?" She stared straight ahead of her for half a minute, her eyes unfocused in thought. "Wow," she said softly. "That's a little hard to envision." She finally focused on me. "Are you content with her? Do you love her?"

I nodded. "Oh, yes."

She nodded, as well, and smiled genuinely. "I'm happy for you, Donny!"

Somehow, it was the response I had been expecting. "And you, Mindy. Are you having an affair, too?"

She tilted her head to the left and studied me, the smile slipping from her lips but not quite fading all the way. "Yes."

"And ... are you happy?" I asked.

"It's ... um ... hard to describe. It's something I HAVE to do ... something that I'm compelled to continue. I'd really rather not tell you about it."

I nodded, uncertain. I tried and failed to make sense of that statement. "Do I know him?"

"No. I met him in the park while I was walking."

"What's his name?"

"Chumbley."

I straightened, shocked. "Chumbley? Harry Chumbley!?"

Now she shared my shock. "You ... You know him?"

"He's the senior member of my company's board of directors." Finally, I'd figured it out. "After that first visit, how many times have you been back to talk with Dr. Herringwick?"

She was really confused now. "Twice."

"He hypnotizes you, doesn't he?" I urged.

She blinked and thought about it. "I ... I don't know. I guess. I've never really thought about it as hypnosis. I watch something on his computer, and I fall asleep. I sleep through the whole sessions, but I wake up feeling great, and I always really look forward to my next appointment."

I took a breath. "And does Chumbley hypnotize you?"

"What? No! Of course not!" she said.

I took a deep breath. "Mindy, there's a distinct possibility that the love I feel toward Evelyn ... and the attachment you feel toward Chumbley ... that it's being implanted by Dr. Herringwick and his nurse, Loretta. Maybe we wouldn't be having these affairs if it wasn't for them!"

She canted her head again and thought about that. Then she shrugged. "I don't care, Donny."

I sighed. "There's another distinct possibility that the REASON you don't care is that they've implanted that response in you."

She laughed. She has a musical laugh. Everything about her is musical. "I don't care about THAT, either! We can go round and round using that line of argument!"

I sighed once more, then I leaned forward toward her. "Care or not, you needed to know my concerns. And ... there's one more." She regarded me, still smiling. "What do you think of Evelyn?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Up until now, I never thought about her one way or the other. I certainly don't DISlike her. She seems very nice."

"Well," I said seriously, "I DO dislike Harry Chumbley! I think the man is an unmitigated asshole! He's haughty and self-obsessed and irritating." She started to speak, and I held up both hands, stopping her. "I'm not saying that out of jealousy, Mindy. I am honestly glad that you've found someone else in your life. But I'm greatly worried about you. I don't want to see you hurt."

In response, she stood and walked around the table to me. I rose, as well, and she flung her small arms around me, hugging me. "You're sweet, Donny. But ... I don't care about THAT, either. Potential pain just doesn't figure into the calculation. I'm suddenly caught up in the biggest adventure of my life. And, I'll go wherever that road leads me."

I kissed her on top of her head. "I'll miss you, Mindy."

"I'll miss you, too, Donny. Now, go change your clothes. I'll help you pack a suitcase."

I drove around a bit, stopped in a diner for a bite of lunch, then I parked near our house and sat in one of the parks near us. I had a lot to think about. Around five o'clock, I was startled to see Mindy. She was far away, on the opposite side of the commons beyond the playground, and she didn't notice me. She wasn't running, but she seemed in a hurry; and even from that distance, I could see her bosom giggle as she walked. She looked sexy, feminine, intent. She carried an instrument case, but I couldn't tell what it was; a guitar, perhaps. She was walking away from me, and when she got to the far corner, she crossed the street, turned left, walked up the steps of a house in the middle of the block, and went inside without knocking.

I sighed, then I rose and went back to my car and I drove to Evelyn's apartment. I heard heavy bare feet coming toward the door just seconds after I knocked on her door. She flung it wide, and she stepped back away from me, seemingly afraid to touch me, her eyes staring and frightened. She was wearing a short robe made from a silky fabric, and it was obvious that was all she was wearing. She had been crying, and her more-than-ample chest rose and fell as she seemed to gasp for breath. "Donny!" was all she said.

I suppose that I must have had a rather stern expression, for she backed away from me further as I stepped forward and then turned to close the door gently, locking it. I turned toward her again, but she could only stare at me. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, and she looked meek and unsure. I wanted to ease her distress, but ... first things first.

"Why didn't you alert me to the problem with Bob Halfstein?" I demanded firmly. "You knew. Apparently, almost everyone knew ... except me: the person who needed to know the most. Why?"

She looked down at her feet like a little girl being scolded. "He was a department head ... one of the original members of the company. I was a secretary. It wasn't my place."

"It's EVERYBODY'S place!" I almost shouted, making her blanch. I took a breath and tried to calm myself. "Immediately after the board meeting tomorrow, you will draft a memo to all employees, and you will explain that. We will both sign it, and you and I will hand-deliver a copy to each and every member of the firm, from the board room to the mailroom, from the executives to the guys on the loading dock. Sexual abuse will not be tolerated. Period. And there will be no repercussions to anyone who reports it. Understood?"