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THE LIFE OF LAURA--CHAPTER 18--The Ugly Truth
Back to: Chapter 17--Fatal Flaw Next: Chapter 19--Family Implosions



Doctor Samuel rushed in the room and grabbed my arm.

"Stop it, stop! Why are you screaming?" he demanded, dragging me into the adjoining room.

"She's dead--Betsy's dead!" I heard myself saying.

"Laura, calm down! She's just sedated--I gave her something to relax. Whatever she took yesterday was very potent, very strong. She was delusional and ranting for hours. I thought she'd hurt herself, or Trevor, or you."

"What do you mean she took something?" I demanded stupidly. "Betsy doesn't use drugs. You did it, you killed her!"

He sighed. "Please, Laura, let me explain once and for all."



"I don't want to hear your lies! She was unhappy because you're mean, you're controlling, and you probably drugged her to keep her from going off with John."

He flinched at the mention of John Hazen.

"Yes, John," he said quietly.

"All you care about is your reputation, your money, your huge house. Betsy told me the whole thing. She said she was unhappy but you and Hunt schemed to keep her here."



"Will you please sit down and let me explain?" he asked. "I think you might like to hear another side of this story and then make your accusations."

I took a chair at the table and so did he.

"When I was up in Burlington Vermont, four years ago, I had a medical seminar at the hospital there. While in the area, I was invited to stay with my college friend, Jefferson Dunn who had a legal practice not far outside the city in a small town. It was thriving and he was proud to show me how well he'd done, since his family were not wealthy or influencial. He also did good works in the community--a lot of pro bono service. At the office, I met Betsy who performed administrative and simple paralegal tasks. Jefferson was somehow related to her, you know small towns, and she often called him her uncle. I was immediately interested in her, but Jeff warned me off. He said she had a rough boyfriend and lived in a bad part of town. Apparently, the boyfriend had been in and out of jail for years, but Betsy wouldn't give him up. I tried to listen to my good friend but there was such a strong pull--something drew me to her.


I nodded but was silent and he continued in a heartfelt voice.

"A night or two later, the seminar over, I planned the next day to return to Boston. After going out to dinner with Jeff, I packed and went to bed because I had an early flight home. About four am he ran inside my room. Betsy had called him in a panic. Her boyfriend had overdosed on something. She knew I was an out- of -town doctor and Betsy begged him to have me come over to look at the man. Hazen was already on probation for several offenses and because she was connected with him, she might also wind up in prison. So I went with Jefferson to this run-down log cabin in the middle of some awful woods where there were tires and rubbish piled all over the yard. Inside this heap I found the man was unconscious and Betsy in anguish."



"Laura, they were both drug addicts. The man survived but I wasn't able to do anything about keeping him out of jail. Nor did I want to. He had to go to the local hospital and the sheriff was already alerted by someone he cheated in a deal. The police swarmed on the house--it was searched and Hazen arrested at the hospital. With Cousin Arthur's help I got Betsy into a treatment program in Boston and once she was sober again, she found work at one of Arthur's companies. She never faced any criminal charges thanks to Arthur's excellent attorneys. We began to date and married the year later. I felt if we avoided Vermont and stayed on what I thought was the right path she would be well and happy with me. Hazen went to prison for possession and dealing and Betsy had nothing to do with him until about six months ago when he was released."

"One morning I was in my office and she had left her email open and I read it. I was always worried because she had slip ups a lot. Not overdoses but she had some very black moods and a lot of depression after Trevor was born. Her doctors worried she would rebound and kept her on a low dose anxiety medicine with my approval and hers. But we often seek the things that are the worst for us, and while did my best to give her a normal, stable life, she was chasing after her guitar playing ex."



"What you saw last night was the culmination of me having her followed by one of Cousin Arthur's associates. He knows everyone, including detectives. She wasn't going to study group anymore, she wasn't interested in being a lawyer as we both discussed. She didn't appreciate Arthur and I hired a nice young lady from a good family as a nanny to give her less stress from the baby and more free time."

He smiled at me weakly.

"Instead she wanted him. And, yes, Hazen was still into that whole lifestyle." Doctor Samuel stood up as the phone rang in his pocket.

"What's going to happen to Betsy?" I asked in a whisper.

"I phoned Arthur last night after Betsy fell asleep. We'll put her in treatment, again." Doctor Samuel sighed and I think I saw tears in his eyes.

Turning sharply and pulling the phone from his jacket pocket he said sharply,

"Hello, yes, this is Doctor Samuel. Yes, yes." Then he walked away and I sat there alone.

After what seemed forever, I roused myself. I had to take care of Trevor. Slipping upstairs and not looking at Betsy, I walked passed Doctor Samuel's office to get to the next staircase which led to the third floor. The door was closed but that didn't stop me from hearing the sound from behind the barrier.

He was crying as if his heart was breaking.

Click Next: Chapter 19--Family Implosions to continue...

 
Back to: Chapter 17--Fatal Flaw Next: Chapter 19--Family Implosions
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