Chapter 14 - THE STAGED INCIDENT
The three of them walked up the stairs,
the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
Renata hurried ahead,
unlocked the bedroom door with her duplicate key,
and pushed it open with force.
Look at her,
doctor,
see how she lives in her own dark world,
Renata cried out,
hoping to provoke a reaction.
Mrs. Teresa was sitting on the edge of the mattress,
the tattered doll still clutched firmly in her hands.
As the bright light from the hallway flooded the dark room,
she blinked rapidly,
shielding her eyes.
Get out,
leave me alone,
Teresa screamed,
flailing her arms wildly as she played the part perfectly.
Renata turned to the doctor,
her face triumphant as she pointed at the elderly woman.
You see,
she is completely aggressive,
unstable,
and completely out of her mind,
Renata shouted.
Sign the papers now,
doctor,
so we can get her the help she so desperately needs before she hurts us.
Dr. Sergio pulled a document from his briefcase,
his pen hovering over the signature line.
It is clear to me that she requires immediate sedation and transport,
the doctor declared,
trying to finish the job quickly.
Andrés stepped forward,
his large hand coming down firmly on top of the doctor’s folder.
Not so fast,
doctor,
let us examine the physical evidence in this room first,
Andrés said,
his voice commanding absolute authority.
He walked over to the window,
pulling back the heavy curtains to let the bright afternoon sun stream inside.
The light illuminated the bare mattress,
the single thin blanket,
and the plastic cup of warm water.
It also clearly revealed the dark purple bruises on Mrs. Teresa’s wrists,
stark and undeniable.
These bruises look exactly like restraints,
doctor,
the kind caused by someone tying an old woman to a bedpost,
Andrés observed.
Tell me,
May you like
is asset stripping and physical elder abuse part of your standard medical treatment plan here,
he asked.
