Peter Bouchard straightened his jacket as he exited the car outside of the infirmary. It had been a week and a half since they had taken Lucas home, and in that time, Peter had seen many things about his son's care and condition that had disturbed him. Behind closed doors, Helen and he had fought over Dr. Luison's medical regimen and she steadfastly resisted any suggestion that the doctor was handling Lucas's case incorrectly. That was until this afternoon. She never spoke the words but Peter saw the fear in his wife's eyes and he knew he needed to intervene.
Physically, Lucas was growing stronger, being able to sit up for longer periods of time and even transferring himself over to the wheel chair without help. For other things, such as grooming and bathing and the simple act of using the facilities, he still needed assistance. The situation did little to improve Lucas's mood and in Lucas's mind any shred of dignity he had about such matters was all but gone. But he had no choice in the matter so he complied even though it was another emotional blow. He had gone from being the independent, "master of his own destiny" to being unable to do even the most basic of tasks. The whole thing left him very depressed.
Therefore, when Luison came into Lucas's room that morning and announced that they were going to begin learning to walk on a prosthetic leg, the entire family felt a joyful surge that progress was being made. So overwhelming was this feeling, after so many days shrouded in darkness, that they willingly forgot that it was a marathon that lay before them and not just a sprint.
At around one o'clock in the afternoon, shortly after lunch and tea, the Bouchards all gathered in the Lucas's library and Bernard opened a velvet-lined case containing the leg. It was an older model made of leather and wood and showed some wear and tear but it was solid and had been used by someone who had lost part of their leg in precisely the same area that Lucas had.
"This is only temporary." Luison said. "Later, we will get you one that is custom made."
Unquestioningly, Lucas nodded and rolled forward in the chair in order to examine the prosthetic and have the doctor show him how to put it on. After a few minutes and some difficulty due to the swelling that was still very much present, Lucas attempted to stand. The result was disastrous. The moment he bore any weight at all on his severed limb, his body seized up in pain. His knee buckled and he fell, slamming his sore shoulder into the arm of the wheel chair and landing face down on his library floor.
Helen screamed when he tumbled and Peter and Luison leapt up to help him up ,but an agonized Lucas swatted them away with a curse - something that neither Peter nor Helen had ever heard their genteel son do in all of the years he'd lived with them. The men stepped away and watched as Lucas pushed himself up into sitting position then slowly and with great effort maneuvered himself onto his uninjured leg and reached for the chair. When he stretched forth his fingers and couldn't quite catch hold of it, Peter stepped forward and pushed it toward him. The look he received at that moment was chilling. For when Lucas gazed at him, he saw not the eyes of the son whom he loved but of someone consumed with rage. It was then that he knew what he needed to do.
Walking up to the infirmary door Peter knocked, then, when he did not receive an answer, he tried the handle finding it locked. Frowning, he turned around and was returning to Lucas's car when he looked up and saw Elizabeth standing with Rosemary near Abigail's Café. He stepped away from the car and headed her way. Rosemary was the first to spot him as he travelled across the street.
"Isn't that Mr. Bouchard?" she asked.
Elizabeth turned and immediately began to run in order meet him.
"Is it Lucas? Is there something wrong?" she asked.
Bouchard looked at the woman who would be his daughter-in-law and then Mrs. Coulter. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. Is there some place we can talk? I can bring you up to date."
Elizabeth turned to Rosemary who suggested coffee at Abigail's.
Taking a seat toward the back of the restaurant, there was a surprise for the three of them when they sat down and their order was taken by the restaurant's new head chef who had seen them come in.
"Bon Jour, Mademoiselle Elizabeth and Mademoiselle Rosemary. Welcome to Abigail's Café. I will be pleased to take your order." he said.
Elizabeth and Rosemary smiled, already knowing the situation.
"Bon Jour, Gustave." Elizabeth said. "We will just have three coffees, thank you."
"Three coffees it is…and perhaps a chocolate eclair?" Gustave suggested in his thick French accent.
"Sounds tempting." Rosemary said. "But we won't be here very long."
"Gustave?" Peter said. "Are you Gustave Pepin? Lucas's chef?"
"Oui, Monsieur. And you are?"
Peter smiled and stuck out his hand. "Peter Bouchard, Lucas's Father."
Gustave smiled and stuck out his hand. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance. How is Lucas doing? All of those who worked at the saloon have been asking and, of course, I am very interested as well."
Peter looked a little uncomfortable answering as the situation was so personal. "A little better physically, but he still has a long road in front of him, I'm afraid."
"Of course. It's terrible." Gustave replied before Minnie Canfield called for him in the next room. "Please tell Monsieur Lucas that he is in our prayers and that Gustave sends his greetings and hopes to see him soon."
Elizabeth couldn't help but be touched by the warmth in Gustave's words and considered how much her Lucas had won the affection and respect of all of those around him. If he only knew how much he was loved.
Gustave stepped away and Peter immediately got down to the business at hand.
"Listen, I can't stay too long without arousing suspicion at home but somehow I need to get a message to Dr. Carter. Do you know where she is?" he asked.
"Oh, yes." Rosemary said. "She's over at the Flynn's. Clara has been having contractions but we think it is false labor as their baby isn't due for a few months and she's otherwise been feeling fine."
"Oh. I see. Then, it may be some time before she's back." he said.
"It's hard to say."
"Peter, how is Lucas - really." Elizabeth asked, feeling that she was about to burst at the seams after a week and half of being shut out.
"Not so good, I'm afraid." He said, looking down. "Elizabeth, I'm afraid we made a terrible mistake when we removed him from the infirmary and put him under Luison's care. I mean, he's getting stronger but some of the treatment that he's being given, I question. And his countenance…it's unlike anything I've ever seen."
"I've stopped by every day to see him." Elizabeth replied. "But they won't let me in."
Peter looked at her with concern but then paused. "I'm actually not sure it would be advisable for you to see him in this state."
"What do you mean? What's not advisable?" she asked. Peter did not respond. "Mr. Bouchard, I love your son!"
Bouchard let out a heavy sigh. "I know you do, Elizabeth, and my son loves you. More than you know." He paused again. "But Lucas is not himself. He is angry and coarse and brutish in his behavior. Not at all like the son I know. I mean, I told you when he was feeling ill, he sometimes tends to brood, but this is not brooding. I'm not even sure what to call it. This man…the man who sits in my son's chair, there is a darkness to him that is not my Lucas. He won't eat. He barely sleeps. To be frank, it's frightening me."
"Oh, Peter!" Elizabeth said, touching his arm. "You should have reached out before. Maybe we could have helped."
"Perhaps. But I was trying to assess the situation and Helen was resisting. That Svengali of a physician exerts far too much influence over her – and, the result is now…" Peter's eyes became misty. "Elizabeth, I feel as if I am losing my son and I don't know how to get him back. In addition, I'm afraid he is being given something that is harmful to him and I no longer trust Luison to properly care for Lucas, but I'm not sure which way to turn."
"Something harmful?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes. Some form of drug, ostensibly for pain. He gives him what he calls a 'medicinal tea', the ingredients of which he keeps as if it were state secret. It's supposed to be for pain, but…" he trailed off.
Rosemary leaned forward. "Mr. Bouchard…"
"Please, call me Peter."
"Okay, Peter. When I was in New York in the theater, I had a friend – Annie Gray. She was a chorus girl and a dancer and one day she slipped and broke her ankle. She was in such pain that the doctor at the time prescribed her a strong pain medication. She wasn't on that medicine for more than a week when it began to change her. She became angry and hurtful and lashed out at people –even me. She was not at all like the sweet Annie that I knew."
"And what happened to her?" he asked.
"She became addicted and accidently overdosed a year after the accident and died. The last time I saw her she was so very desperate. She knew it was killing her but couldn't find the strength to fight. I was just her friend, and not a close one at that. But to this day I wish somehow, I had fought for her. Peter, what you describe sounds just like Annie. Lucas may not be able to tell you he needs your help but you are doing the right thing by reaching out."
"Thank you, Mrs. Coulter." He said. "You are most kind."
"But I'm not done." She said. "If Dr. Luison is prescribing Lucas medicine – is he even allowed to do that in Canada? Doesn't he need to be licensed to do something like that?"
Peter was silent, considering the implications.
"Peter, let us help you" Elizabeth interjected. "Not being with Lucas through this has been horrible. He isn't sleeping, neither I am. I worry all the time. I should be with him. He needs me and to know he is suffering and not be able to do anything for him, it's awful. But you know what? It isn't even about me. And it's not about Helen. And it's certainly not about Dr. Luison. It's about Lucas and what is best for him and you as a father have to advocate for that even if nobody else will. Please, Peter. Let me help."
Bouchard tapped the edge of his finger on the rim of his coffee cup considering what he would do. After a long moment he looked Elizabeth and Rosemary in the eyes.
"Will you see if you can bring Dr. Carter to Lucas's house in about an hour? If she's still not available, perhaps that Constable or Judge Avery. Helen spoke highly of him. I want to get Lucas out of that house and back under Dr. Carter's care. I'm concerned if I wait too long it may be too late."
"We'll try to find Faith." Elizabeth said.
"And we'll have Nathan or Bill come as well." Rosemary added. "Just in case Luison gives you any trouble."
Bernard Luison stepped out of the hallway and into his patient's room. Initially going at Helen's behest to ensure that her son had not further injured himself in the fall, he was surprised when he entered and Lucas was actually standing in front of a mirror dressed in pajama bottoms, an untucked dress shirt, a vest and tie. His wheel chair was beside him in locked position, cradling his left knee and doubling for a prosthetic leg. He'd even made an attempt to comb through his unruly hair, which without the use of pomade would not stay in place and partially flopped down into his face.
"What the devil are you doing?" Luison asked, shutting the door behind him.
Lucas didn't turn around to look at him, instead taking that moment to adjust his cuff link before again looking at himself in the mirror again, with an expression that was inscrutable.
"I'm getting ready to go see Elizabeth." He replied, trying to brush the hair into place with his hand.
A puzzled Luison stepped behind him and tilted his head. "Going to see Elizabeth? What makes you think you're going anywhere?"
Without a change in his expression, Lucas adjusted his collar. "It's the anniversary of when we first kissed. Gustave is going to make roasted autumn vegetables and duck confit. I believe that she will find that appetizing."
Luison was positively dumbfounded by what he was seeing and unsure of how to react. He knew there was no way that Lucas had spoken with his former chef and it was as if his patient were in complete denial over his present condition. Bernard's eyes scanned the room but stopped when he spotted a small bottle of Scotch Whiskey and a glass sitting on Lucas's night stand. He closed his eyes and shook his head and he knew.
Luison walked toward the door so that he could ask Helen to retrieve his medical bag. He had been very careful, or so he thought, in the mixture of the medicines he had put together but with the addition of hard liquor to that mix, Lucas had unknowingly kicked himself into a drug-induced psychosis in which he was hallucinating things that simply were not. Depending upon how much he drank, Luison was concerned that a substantial crisis was afoot.
"Lucas, won't you take a seat?"
Lucas shook his head. "No time. I want Gustave to bring dinner to the library. Elizabeth likes the library."
"That's very good." Luison said. "But you're not going to see Elizabeth. Not tonight."
Then, Lucas turned to face him, his eyes suddenly appearing maniacal. "You can't keep me from her!" he replied with a look of determination on his face.
Back in town, Elizabeth and Rosemary captured Faith just as she was reopening the infirmary and they informed her of the situation. Together, they went to see Nathan but seeing he was gone made their way to Bill Avery's office where they discovered both men engaging in conversation. Nathan stood as the ladies entered.
"And to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" Bill said as he leaned back in his chair.
Elizabeth immediately told the men of everything that Peter had said and of his concerns about Luison dispensing medication. Having put the situation off once before, hearing the full story now was all Bill needed to want to become involved. That doctor sounded fishy and it seemed that Bouchard truly might be in trouble; and besides, he knew how hard this situation was on Elizabeth and wanted, one way or another, to put her mind at ease. He put in a call to one of his law enforcement friends in the states to see what he could find on the doctor then he, Nathan, Faith and Elizabeth all took to the road to go see Lucas while Rosemary went back to the row houses to relieve Robert of little Jack.
By the time Peter Bouchard arrived home things had gone from bad to worse. Lucas was ranting and raving over nonsensical things that at times didn't even make sense. Helen was beside herself trying to calm him and the doctor had retreated to the kitchen, allegedly to get something to calm his patient but in reality, to take another swig of Laudanum. Peter was trying very hard to get Lucas to settle down when a knock came on the door.
Turning to Helen, he asked her to stay with their son while he dealt with whomever was there. He arrived at the door a few seconds later but didn't open it to the party as Elizabeth was anticipating.
"Can we see him now?" she asked, sweetly.
Muffled sounds of voices echoed down the hallway and Peter briefly stopped to look behind him.
"I'm sorry. We have a situation here. Now is not a good time." he said.
Elizabeth was stunned and opened her mouth to protest but a loud crashing sound interrupted her speech and the cries of a frantic Helen Bouchard pulled Peter away from the door in a snap. The others followed as they all rushed to Lucas's room.
As they opened the door the first thing they saw was a tray of food scattered across the floor and Lucas's body lying next to it. He was shaking uncontrollably. Faith pushed past the others and knelt down on the ground.
"He's having a seizure." She announced. Elizabeth grabbed on to Peter and Helen out of fear.
Faith used her body to try to control Lucas's thrashing so that he would not hurt himself and stayed that way until the seizure had passed, about forty-five seconds after they entered the room. After that, he went unresponsive for a brief time. She rolled him over onto his back and immediately looked up at Luison with anger in her eyes.
"What are you giving him for his pain?" she asked, in an accusatory manner.
Luison tried to dismiss her by saying it was a simple combination of ingredients that have been used for years in situations like this. Undeterred, Faith turned to Nathan and Bill and asked them to get Lucas into bed. She then walked directly up to Luison.
"A patient with an amputation does not disintegrate this quickly outside of an infection or unless he has had help. Since Lucas does not appear to be feverish, thereby indicating an infection, I'll ask again – what kind of medicine have you been giving to him?"
Luison refused to answer so Helen Bouchard immediately made her way over to Lucas's tea cup which sat on his night stand. Taking it, she brought it to Dr. Carter.
"Helen! What are you doing? Lucas is my patient, not this woman's."
"Not anymore." Helen replied with anger in her eyes. Turning toward Faith she watched as the doctor dipped her finger into the cup and tasted just a small portion of the tea. Running her tongue across her teeth, Faith became even more angry.
"You're giving him benzoyl-methyl-ecgonine?" she asked. He refused to answer. Turning to Nathan, she informed him. "He's been dosing him with Cocaine mixed with Morphine is my guess, or some other Opiate."
"Dear Heaven!" Helen replied in horror, moving to Peter's side. Elizabeth looked toward a still unconscious Lucas with fear.
"What were you thinking?" Peter asked, Luison.
Luison moved forward. "It's quite simple. Morphine is a respiratory depressant. To offset that effect, I administered a small amount of Cocaine, which is a stimulant. It is also a paralytic of sorts and creates a euphoria which offsets his depression."
"While killing him in the process." Faith said. "Are you insane?"
"He would have been fine if he hadn't had the whiskey." Luison said, moving toward her.
"He would NOT have been fine. What you were feeding him was poison!"
"Now, listen young lady!" he replied.
"No." Bill interrupted. "She doesn't have to listen to you because you're under arrest."
"I'm what?" Luison asked.
"Practicing medicine without a Canadian License. Dispensing of drugs without a license. Endangering the life of one of our citizens. I'm sure I can think of a few others." Bill replied, taking him by the arm.
"Mr. Bouchard! Helen! Aren't you going to stop him?" Luison asked as Bill led him toward the door.
"No, we're not." Helen glared at him through angry tears. "Please. Get him out of here." she said. "And if you need any evidence, his medical bag is in the kitchen."
.
The men drug Luison out of the room and Lucas's family and Elizabeth huddled close beside him while Faith took his vitals.
"Is he going to be okay?" Elizabeth asked.
Faith furrowed her brow. "His vitals aren't good. His breathing is too slow. I need to get him back to the infirmary and administer some Potassium Permanganate to counteract the Morphine. Nathan, Mr. Bouchard, can you carry him out to the car?"
Later that evening, Lucas lay in the hospital bed at Faith Carter's clinic with Elizabeth by his side holding his hand and his parents next to her. Nathan went home to be with Allie and it was just the Bouchards, Elizabeth and the doctor in the building. It had been a scary night and Lucas almost didn't respond but finally his vitals began to stabilize and he was now resting peacefully, being administered certain drugs to keep his body from crashing again as it went through opiate withdrawal.
Over in the corner, Faith Carter stayed busy, writing notes and studying her medical journal in order to come up with a post-care procedure. Then a little before eleven, Lucas opened his eyes. Seeing Elizabeth, he reached his hand out and touched her to make sure she was real and when she saw his face, she kissed him then cradled his face next to hers while they cried. After a few minutes, he pulled away and with a sense of desperation and sadness in his eyes he told her to leave. "I can't do this to you." he said.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving you. I'm never leaving you, ever again."
But he wouldn't be dissuaded. "Elizabeth. You've been through so much already. I can't ask you to stay by me while…" His face contorted, then he raised his hand to cover it and curled in on himself and sobbed.
"Lucas! Lucas!" Elizabeth said as his parents watched on. "Darling. What is it? Please. Remember, no more secret sorrows. Tell me." Pulling his hand away from his face, she again kissed him and passed her hand over his brow. "You can tell me anything. I will never leave."
With the most pathetic look she had ever seen, Lucas looked up at her, struggling to speak. "I fear…I fear what will happen…I fear what is happening now."
"What, my darling?" she asked. "What are you afraid of?"
He looked at her. "I fear…I'm going mad." He then began to shake again and she embraced him.
"You're not going mad, Lucas. You're going to be okay. I promise, sweetheart." she said.
Faith walked between the Bouchards and Elizabeth and sat next to his side, touching his hand.
"She's right, Lucas." she said. Slowly, he looked over to her and she continued. "You're feeling this way because Dr. Luison was giving you some very strong medication that shouldn't have been combined together nor used in the way he was using it. He almost killed you, but you survived and I believe you will be fine."
Lucas listened as best he could while holding onto Elizabeth's hand for comfort.
"I feel so out of control." He stated.
"With what you were on, I'm sure you do. But I'm fixing that." she said. "I'm working to keep you out of pain while helping you to recover with non-addictive medication. And, there's something else."
All eyes watched her as she spoke.
"I'd like to send you to Baltimore. I called Dr. Shepherd tonight and he said he'd open up a spot for you at Johns Hopkins, so you'll have the very best of care. Many of the doctors and nurses are fresh off the field from the war over in Europe and they have special care facilities for men who have faced an amputation, just like you. In all of North America you couldn't have a more qualified group of people caring for you. Will you agree to go?"
Lucas looked to Elizabeth and his parents and swallowed, then shook his head yes.
Author's Note: Whew! What an intense situation. Thank you to the #Hearties who are still with me and reading this story. Yes, I know it has been very dark up until now but the tide is beginning to turn and there are many good things ahead. Thank you to the over 300 active readers from 33 countries that are following this tale. That is outstanding involvement and more than I have seen in other stories I have written on fanfiction's site.
A special thank you goes out to Jacki Foster, SaSeLi777, Ljd21690, Nala, Mamabethany, JILLIAN, irishgirlkath, Donna Barr Krolewski, metacaroliner, Paula R Chester, TLH74, WCTHFAN, Rene and various "Guests" for your support and reviews which are the life's blood of a fan-fiction writer. This has not been an easy story to follow and your feedback helps encourage me and guide me as I write this story. I sincerely hope you will continue and would love to hear from all who are reading the story as well.
I am currently writing this story 'on the fly' as they say and am trying to produce a chapter every 2-3 days. The next one on the docket will be a bit of a change of pace that I think you will enjoy. Again, thank you for your support! See you next chapter, Janine.