was matter-of-fact. “Anything else?” she asked politely.
“I wonder why President Johnson dumped him,” he said, not expecting an answer.
Mrs. Templeton was quick to respond. “It was something about wanting to detach the CDC from control by the federal government. He wanted it to be independent, not subject to federal budgetary sanctions if they pissed off a few legislators. It seems that didn’t sit too well with a few folks around here, although I was told some key players at the CDC were all for it. Nobody could tell me why he wanted to make the CDC independent, but they did say he was extremely adamant about it.”
“Why would he have wanted to do that?”
“You’ll have to ask him. All I know is he apparently made a few enemies around here, but it has been so long, nobody remembers much else. Anything else?”
Crockett took a moment before answering. “You know Eliza, if there weren’t any mysteries, it would be an awfully dull life. As usual, you’ve proven yourself predictably loyal and most likely still tragically underpaid. I can’t thank you enough. I owe you, but don’t let that go to your beautiful head.”
“Congressman, I am always at your service, but I will be adding this to what has become a very lengthy and very old tab!”
Chapter 25
August 21, 1992
San Diego, California
Celia was early. As the lone client in the clinic waiting room, she was trying her best to hide her anxiety from the young male receptionist but with little luck. Her sense of fear, fueled by the unknown, would not go away. Six weeks had passed since Jonna’s first appointment, and just three days from her last. Within minutes, she was would receive a formal final analysis from all those visits. She feared the worst.
Doing a very poor job of disguising his interest, Celia couldn’t help noticing the young intern at the front desk was having difficulty keeping his eyes from wandering. She knew she looked much younger than her twenty-nine years and had gotten used to fending off underage suitors. She figured it came with the territory but for the last two years her only personal interactions with the opposite sex had been limited to Jonna’s father. Thanks to his wife’s encouragement, Emil had taken an active role in Jonna’s life since day one. Since her first birthday, Jonna had spent every other weekend with Emil and it had become an unexpected blessing for both families.
When the intern’s intermittent gazes persisted, Celia tried to avoid his prying eyes by looking toward at an impressive array of diplomas hanging on the opposite wall. They just confirmed what she already knew. Weeks of research told her that Dr. James Lymburner had put his formal education to good use. He founded the Center for Autism Research and Training three years earlier and that was exactly why she came today. Specializing as a behavioral therapy training center for children, most people just called Lymburner’s clinic CART. The word autism was no longer foreign to her. She remembered glossing over the subject in a college psychology class and discarding it as useless information. Today, she wished she had paid more attention.
Celia closed her eyes once again to avoid the intern’s continued distraction. Dressed in her usual business attire, an Everson jacket and skirt, she was trying her best to maintain some semblance of professionalism but, underneath, she was crumbling. Unexpected and abrupt changes in her life had placed her in unfamiliar territory. Jonna’s future was uncertain. She was frightened.
The intern interrupted. “Miss Martin, Dr. Lymburner should be with you shortly.”
Celia opened her eyes and nodded, displaying just a hint of a thank-you smile. She knew it was a half-hearted effort, but trying to mask reality had long taken its toll. Tomorrow, Jonna would celebrate her second birthday. Her brief fling with Dr. Emil Lundgren had changed her life forever and she never regretted for even a second her decision not to terminate her pregnancy. Without asking for his financial assistance, Emil made her dream of buying a new condominium a reality. When she was promoted to a management position at Signal Pharmaceutical a few weeks after moving in, the increase in salary allowed her to pursue a second dream. She and Jonna needed a nanny.
Barely nineteen years and straight out of the prairies of Wyoming, Stacey Blick had not only become a dear friend, she was a wonderful companion for Jonna. Taking complete control of the day-to-day family business, including tackling small repairs around the house, Stacey was indispensable. Because of her presence, Celia had been able to concentrate on her career. As a woman, Celia had no illusions about what it took to climb the corporate ladder into senior management, not the least of which was a smattering of some prejudice from the predominantly male managerial force. There were no guarantees, but she heard enough break-room rumors to know she had caught the eye of upper management. She was certain she was on a fast track within the firm.
Celia checked her watch, mentally planning adjustments to the day’s schedule. She didn’t know why, but was getting a bad feeling about what lay ahead. She closed her eyes again and waited.
Chapter 26
August 21, 1992
San Diego, California
Thirty minutes later. Celia was at a loss how to respond. Her worst fears had just been confirmed.
Dr. James Lymburner was quick to recognize her hesitation. “Let me see if I can simplify this a bit,” he offered.
Celia took a deep breath and nodded. She listened patiently to what she was certain was the same explanation he had delivered to other parents many times before, but that didn’t ease her anxieties. The only positive was that his voice and presentation projected a confidence level she wished she could teach to her sales representatives in the field.
“Don’t be alarmed,” Lymburner encouraged. “I don’t see many parents that initially understand the diagnosis, and certainly not all the variables we find with autism.”
There was that word again. “I am completely baffled by it,” Celia offered meekly, “Are you sure Jonna has autism?”
“Not one hundred percent, but I believe she could have a milder form of autism. Autism has a broad spectrum. Just saying the word autism is too vague. Oh, you’ll eventually hear some other, older, terms for autism like primary autism, atypical autistic disorder, childhood schizophrenia, autistic-like disorder and many more. There are many labels because autism has not been studied long enough to form any kind of real consensus. Prior to 1945, it had never been seen before. We’re discovering new things about it every day.”
Though Jonna’s diagnosis wasn’t unexpected, Celia still couldn’t control her shock. She had no doubt the diagnosis was accurate. She had done her homework. Lymburner’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of California in Los Angeles was buoyed by a long list of other accreditations, but his credentials were not the reason she was there. It was his clinic. It was at the forefront of autistic studies in the United States. Jonna’s gradual change from a perfectly normal and loving child to one of complete unpredictability had become nearly unbearable. Four weeks earlier, she decided both she and Jonna needed outside help and direction.
“I guess I’m still a bit overwhelmed,” Celia responded, her voice barely audible.
Lymburner nodded, offered an understanding smile, and moved on. “I can sympathize. Autism is totally unpredictable. If a child has autistic tendencies, depending on the severity, we begin seeing telltale signs of it anywhere from a few months old on up to three
