A Break in the Clouds
Missing scene from "Kidding:" Vietnam veteran Jim Long wakes up from his operation. Will he go to jail?
Note: His wife didn't have a first name in the episode; I took "Laura" from Laurette Sprang, the name of the actress who played the character.
"Mr. Long?"
Jim Long opened his eyes. In front of him was a nurse.
"Welcome back, Mr. Long."
Jim looked around. He was in a hospital.
Why? How did he get here?
"What happened?" he asked.
The nurse smiled. "I'll let Dr. Brackett discuss that with you."
"Where's my wife?" Jim whispered.
The nurse smiled again. "She's outside, in the waiting room. You'll see her soon."
The nurse stepped aside, to be replaced by a concerned-looking, distinguished man with large sideburns.
"Mr. Long? I'm Dr. Brackett."
"What happened, Doctor?"
Kelly Bracket took out his penlight. "Do you remember anything?"
"Headaches."
"That's not surprising," Brackett replied. "Forgetfulness?"
"Uh….yeah."
"May I?" Brackett examined Jim's eyes with the penlight.
"Doctor," Jim began. "You're hiding something."
"You're right." Brackett smiled. "And it will all be told. But would you like to see your wife right now?"
"Yes."
Brackett nodded to the nurse, who opened the door. Laura Long entered. She walked over to her husband.
"Hi honey," she said shyly.
"Hi."
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Confused."
Laura looked at Brackett, who nodded and walked toward the bed.
"Mr. Long, we removed a brain tumor – a tumor that was affecting your health and your behavior," Brackett said.
"You're kidding!" As Jim Long spoke, Laura Long took her husband's hand.
"I'm afraid not," replied Brackett with a small smile. "But good news: We got the entire tumor, and you're going to be fine."
Jim looked straight ahead. "Doctor, you said this tumor affected my behavior," he said. "How?"
Brackett and Laura exchanged a glance.
"Well, Mr. Long, we need to bring in someone to explain that," Brackett said.
He opened the door to the room. In walked Officer Scott Gourlay, known as "Scotty."
Brackett nodded to Scotty, but gave him a look familiar to those who knew the doctor well: Don't impede my patient's recovery.
Scotty understood. "Mr. Long, how are you feeling?" he asked.
"I've been better."
"I understand that." Scotty looked at Laura, then back at Jim.
"Mr. Long, the reason you're in this hospital is that you were brought here by paramedics when you were having flashbacks to your time in Vietnam," Scotty said.
"Flashbacks?!" asked Jim, stunned. He looked at Laura.
"Do you remember having any flashbacks since you came home?" Brackett asked.
"No."
"Evidently, Mr. Long, this tumor brought them on," Brackett said. "Your wife said it was about a month ago."
"You're kidding." Jim took a breath. "You say paramedics brought me here?"
"You had a flashback episode, Mr. Long," Scotty said.
"What did I do?" Jim asked.
"Well, you – "Scotty began and glanced at Brackett, who nodded. "You, in your flashback, believed you were in danger. And in your flashback, you took a 'prisoner.'"
"A prisoner?" As Jim spoke, Brackett noticed his heart rate going up. He stepped closer, in full protective mode.
Laura squeezed her husband's hand.
Jim felt cold. "Did I hurt anyone?" he asked.
"No," Brackett reassured, and glanced at Scotty.
"Who did I take?" Jim asked.
"Me."
Everyone turned toward Laura, who had spoken.
"Laura," Jim whispered. "What did I do?"
"You didn't know, Jim…."
"But I need to know, Sweetie. I need to know."
"You didn't hurt me, honey."
"Mr. Long-"
They all turned toward Scotty.
"You were holding a pocket knife to your wife's neck."
Jim closed his eyes in despair. Laura bit her lip. Brackett stood nearby, just in case he needed to intervene.
"Roy DeSoto and John Gage, the paramedics who brought you in, were able to subdue you and get you here to the hospital," Scotty continued.
"Subdue me?" Jim opened his eyes, then closed them again. "Dear God."
"Mr. Long…." Brackett called. "You didn't hurt your wife or anyone else."
"No thanks to me," Jim muttered.
Brackett looked at Scotty, who spoke. "Mr. Long, we've determined from Dr. Brackett's diagnosis that it was the tumor that caused the incident. So you won't be charged with anything."
"But officer…." Jim began.
"Honey, you're going to be OK," Laura said softly. She put her hand back in her husband's. "We're going to be OK."
"Mr. Long, when you're feeling a little stronger, I'll show you the X-ray of the tumor that was affecting your brain," Brackett said. "That's what was controlling your behavior. Nothing else."
"And it's gone?" Jim asked. "I know you said so, but-"
"Completely," Brackett assured. "You shouldn't have any more problems. You're going to be fine."
"Doctor, how did I get this tumor?"
"That we're not sure of, Mr. Long," Brackett replied. "We're just starting to discover where they come from."
"Could it be from Vietnam?"
Brackett had a half-grimace at the question. "We don't know yet. Anything's possible."
He checked Jim's vitals. "I'm going to let you get some rest right now, Mr. Long."
"Dr. Brackett, can I stay with him?" Laura asked.
"Of course."
Laura smiled at her husband.
Jim sighed. "Oh, sweetheart," he said. "I wanted to spare you anything about Vietnam. When I came home….."
"Honey, I want to know what you went through." Laura squeezed his hand.
Jim had a half-laugh. "What if I don't want to tell you? Sweetie, a lot of it was ugly. I thought I'd put it behind me."
"Maybe it'll help."
As the couple talked, Brackett and Scotty quietly left the room.
"You know, Dr. Brackett, I've seen a lot of people come home from the war. I've been out on a lot of calls involving veterans," Scotty said. "It's tough to watch."
"And it's not finished yet," Brackett added.
"How do you think those two will do?" Scotty asked.
"I have hope for them," Brackett said. "They've got a future now."
Scotty nodded. "Well, back to it," he said. "Thanks, Doc."
"Take care," Brackett said.
He put Jim's chart back and decided to take a break. He got some coffee and went to the cafeteria patio.
He looked up at the sky and noticed the sun peeking through the clouds.
That's what the Longs got, Brackett thought. A break in the clouds.