Tim Meyer - The Switch House

Stevens seemed to consider the point. “As ready as she’ll ever be.”

“I hope she talks to me.” Barry studied the woman who sat as still as a plush doll on a rocking chair. “I hope she accepts my offer.”

The doctor didn’t seem too keen on any of this, and he rotated toward Barry as if he intended to tell him so. “For the record, Mr. Harrison, I believe this is counterproductive to Angela’s recovery. But, in saying that, I understand Dr. Rondo and the rest of the state board’s decision to sign off on your waiver. I just wanted to interject my opinion before you proceed.”

Barry waved his hand limply in the air. “Save it, kid. Just get me up to speed. What’s she like? Coherent? Hopped up on crazy pills?”

Stevens paused, seeming unsure if he should answer. “Yes. Very coherent. She likes to talk. Although… she doesn’t make much sense sometimes. She believes… well, very strange things.”

“I bet.” Barry checked his folder, making sure the proper paperwork and waivers were in order. “All right, let me in.”

Stevens opened the door and gestured the television producer inside. Angela’s head barely moved at the sound of the opening door. Stevens led Barry across the room, which was naked except for the long tables positioned throughout and a small tree staged in each corner, something Barry thought was used to calm the facility’s patients and guests.

As he wandered across the meeting room, he studied Angela’s face. She looked unwell and twenty years older than she had appeared on Let’s Switch Houses! He could only imagine the volume of drugs they were pumping her with, and then wondered if that would somehow impact the signing of the legal documents he’d brought. Is she even legally allowed to sign this under the influence? He shook the thought away, claiming that was what the studio paid their lawyers for.

Barry took the seat across from her.

Stevens cleared his throat. “Angela,” he said gruffly. “Miss Shepard?”

She perked up on the second request. “Yes?”

“You have a visitor.”

“Oh?” She looked across from her. Seconds passed before a smile broke across her face. “Oh, Barry…”

“Hi, Angela. Long time.”

“Barry…” she said thoughtfully.

He looked up at Stevens who towered over them. “Is she okay?”

Stevens shrugged. “Define ‘okay.’”

“Is she…” He twirled his finger in the air next to his temple, and then pointed to the ceiling.

“High?”

“Yes.”

“She’s been given a light sedative to prevent one of her infamous episodes.”

“Damn.” He squinted. “Violent?”

“Extremely.”

“Should her lawyer be present?”

“Probably.”

Barry sighed. He felt his forehead grow hot. “Do me a favor. Please call him and tell him to get his ass down here. I don’t feel like doing this twice.”

“I’ll see what can be arranged.” He turned to Angela. “You and Mr. Harrison catch up, okay? I’ll be right back. There are two guards just outside the room if either of you… need assistance. They’re watching. Listening.”

Barry didn’t like the doctor implying anyone other than he could be in some danger, but he decided to let the comment slip. As soon as Stevens left the room, Barry rotated back to Angela and began sorting through the paperwork in his folder.

“How have you been, hon?” he asked.

She tilted her head and raised her hands above the table, showing off her collection of chains. “How the fuck do you think?”

“Yeah.” He glanced around the room. “Not too cozy, I must say.”

“I’m not crazy, you know?” She bit her lip. “They would have never made the switch, Barry. They would have never made it. Terry was wrong. They lied to him. Ester Moore lied to him.” She leaned over the table. “You told me about Ester Moore. Who was she, Barry? What did she look like?”

He sat there, frozen. Ice water filled his veins, and a creeping chill cascaded down his spine. “I don’t know, Angela. I just read about it online.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Barry.”

He leaned back in his seat and looked back at the door. Shadows belonging to the guards moved behind the door’s frosted window.

“Listen,” he said, folding his hands on the table. “I hate to rush things along, but I really don’t have much time. Your lawyer will be here soon and I doubt he’ll let me have a word once he’s here. So we have to be quick.”

She nodded. “What is it you want with me, Barry? Haven’t you ruined my life enough?”

Barry jerked his head as if she’d slapped him. “Ruined your life?”

“You set us up, didn’t you? You made us swap houses with that woman.”

Barry shook his head. “No, no. I didn’t make you switch houses with anyone . That was your choice. I just presented you with an offer, just like I’m doing today.”

She eyed the paperwork on the stretch of table between them.

Contracts. Lots of them.

“What is this?”

“I want to produce a new show. Starring you.”

Her face remained unchanged. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he said, shifting in his seat, nervous energy pulsing through him. “I know you missed most of the entire season of Let’s Switch Houses! , you know, being in here and such. But let me tell you—it was a huge hit, Angela. Big time. Ratings were through the roof, one of the best seasons we ever had.”

She stared at him blankly.

“Anyway, I think a large part of the success was because of… well, you. And what happened. Current events. What you did—”

“Because I killed my husband and Rosalyn Jeffries?” Her eyebrows flared.

“Yes, partly because of that.”

Her eyes slimmed so he could see nothing of her pupils. “Because of what I did with my son?”

Barry nodded slowly. “Yes. The public was very interested in your confession. Obsessed is probably a better word. It’s the question that calls to them, you know.”

Puzzled, her mouth fell to one side of her face. “What question?”

“Well… the why. Why did she do it?”

“I told them why.”

“Yes, but that’s not really the truth. The whole truth anyway. I think there’s another reason why you gave away your son to a couple of complete strangers.”

Tears populated in the corners of her eyes. She brushed her nose with the back of her hand. “Because… I… I couldn’t deal anymore.”

“That answer doesn’t satisfy the public.” He shuffled around the papers before him, and then dug through his breast pocket for a pen. “Plus, there was the search for William. The one your parents headed.”

“The search?”

“Oh yes. They reopened the investigation and everything. For a while, it seemed like everyone in America was looking for your son. It was quite the hunt. I’m surprised your lawyer didn’t fill you in. The doctors?”

“They don’t talk about anything but my feelings and the case,” she replied listlessly, tears streaming down her face. “Doesn’t matter what they do. They’ll never find him.”

He glanced up from the papers. “No, they never did. In fact, they gave up after a few months. Trail went cold. Actually, the trail was never really warm to begin with. There are a few groups out there, real fans of the show, who still search.”

“How is he?”

The question took him by surprise. “How is who?” he asked cautiously.

“My other William.”

Barry’s eyes slid back and forth. “What other William?”

She eyed him closely. “The one I gave birth to six weeks ago.”

His eyes shot open. “Ohhhh. Yes. That. I almost forgot. The doctors did mention that to me.”