Chapter 18

Like any other institution of this nature, it was clean at the reception area. Irv quietly told the woman on duty that he would like to see the Administrator. He handed her his card but none of the documents. He knew they would be called into that person's office. As it was, it was a woman. A beautiful young woman. Tall, slim, short blond hair, pretty face and a winning smile. She was dressed professionally. Josh just stared at her while Irv talked to her. She introduced herself as a Doctor Leslie Banks.

"Would you gentlemen like to come back to my office," she offered.

"Certainly," Rubenstein answered for the both of them. The door was buzzed open and the men followed her back both watching her shapely legs and ass. Josh thought that she was exaggerating her ass swinging. It wasn't like Victoria's. Victoria's was natural because of her stepping one foot in front of the other, while Dr. Banks just shook her butt to show off her assets.

"We would like to see Sheila Crawford," Irv opened after the three were seated in her office.

"I would like to see my wife," Josh injected.

"Her mother has given us strict instructions not to allow anyone to see her. I'll have to make that call," Dr. Banks said.

"The call won't be neccesary," Irv reached into his briefcase to pull out the prepared papers with the judge's signature. "Not allowing us to see her will cause you some deep problems, Dr. Banks. This not a matter of a mother trying to protect her daughter, it's a husband's right to see his wife. And if necessary, take her from this institution."

"Do you mind me reading this and calling our lawyer. There's coffee and soda outside. You can help yourself," Banks offered.

"She a beauty," Irv said after leaving the office and closing the door behind them. "You don't see women like that too often. She either isn't married or she doesn't wear a ring. Or she might not like men. No matter, she's doing her job exactly like I would if I were running this place."

"Victoria told me men are pigs."

Irv laughed.

"I asked her why she thought that way."

"What did she say?"

"She said that 'pig men' needs to be spoiled by a woman so he can put his penis into her so the women can repopulate the world."

Irv laughed again. "I looked at those pictures of Victoria when she was all dolled up. It's very hard for a woman like her to be surpassed by another. My wife was a living doll when we met in college. I took to her right away. She has a frail personality so it is incumbant upon me and my sons to know that men are around to comfort her. Art, my youngest is your sister's age. He has a big time crush on her. I've encouraged him to marry a Jewess but his mind at this moment is on Brie."

"Yeah, Brie is like that. When she started growing breasts and having the braces on her teeth, I never thought guys would fall for her. I was wrong and she had dates on weekend nights from her sophomore year in high school up to this day."

"I admit she's a looker, but is she good wife material?"

"The man she falls in love with she will dote all over him for the rest of his life. Brie shows her love for my father and me by doing almost anything we need her to do for us. But she really has to like the guy first. She's not stuck up, but doesn't want to waste any time with a man if there's no chemistry between him."

Just then Dr. Banks came out of her office with her lovely smile. "Let's see her. My lawyer says it's a go. Lets see, yes, I have a copy of your marriage certificate. Oh! The Hitching Post. How sweet. I've seen it at our convention there in Las Vegas last year."

"Do any gambling?" Irv asked.

"Yes, I left the city richer than before I came." Dr. Banks laughed.

"That's why they call it Lost Wages," Irv chuckled.

They got into an elevator and went down to the lower floor, through a locked door. On the other side was a nurse sitting at her desk. She did not look up at first because the constant flow of visitors. She had a name tag of Nancy over her breast.

"How's Sheila today?" Banks asked.

"Quiet!" Nancy replied.

"Has she had her meds?"

"No, she's just sitting there quietly so I'll wait until she acts up before giving them to her."

Banks nodded and led Josh and Irv down the corridor to another locked door. As they entered the extended hallway, Josh saw the name on the first door S. Crawford.

"There she is," Dr, Banks said. Josh looked in and was shocked by what he saw. She only had an inch of hair, cracked lips, sunken eyes, and looked so thin as if she were one of those Nazi concentration camp inmates. She was nothing but skin and bones. It definately was Victoria.

"What happened to her.?" Irv asked.

"She seldom eats. We've had to force feed her through her veins many times. We allow her to go only so far before we take her upstairs to the infirmary, tie her to the bed and feed her with liquids," Banks answered. "We've cut way back on the heavy drug usage about a year ago. It's that she's so severely depressed we give her sedatives so she can sleep.

"That's her, but it's not her," Josh stated, anger creeping into his voice. At that moment he wanted to take Yvonne Mikleski by the throat and slowly strangle her watching as the life ebbed out of her. "Why is she bald and what are those bruises on her arms?"

"She cut her hair and tried to hang herself with it. We've kept it very short for her own safety. The bruises are from injections she's received for her meds and the fact that there are frequent times that she refuses to eat her meals and to take her meds orally," Banks explained. "It's a crying shame. She's such a beautiful girl but has been despondant since arriving here."

"Clean her up, put some decent clothes on her and have her ready to go this afternoon," Irv ordered.

"I'll have to call her mother first," Banks said.

"You do that and my client will sue you out of existence," Rubenstein threatened. "A man and wife by law are closer than a mother and her daughter. This man has legal rights over her. Now please comply with our requests and we'll wait until she is ready. And no calls to Yvonne Mikleski until we leave the premises."

Dr, Banks nodded. She understood the law so she wasn't upset by Irv's persistence.