Thrown Away/Twisted Roots

Chapter 10

Chapter 10





Casey arrived in Austin and found her hotel. Anxious to get started, she hung her clothes and grabbed stylish combination computer/backpack. In the car she snapped her GPS on to the portable stand and punched in the address of the Austin Medical Center.


At the hospital she picked up her phone and punched in the number she had for Doctor Kevin Crenshaw. After a few rings a woman answered the phone.


“Crenshaw residence.”


Casey took a deep breath, “Hello, my name is Casey Moyer. Is Doctor Crenshaw at home?”


“No he isn’t. Is there something I can help you with?” The woman’s voice was friendly, which put her at ease.


“I know this is going to sound strange, but by any chance you know a Diane Moyer, who was an intern at the MEd Center?”


“Diane? Of course I remember her. She was one of Kevin’s most promising students. My name is Lisa Crenshaw, Kevin’s wife. You said your name was Moyer. You’re related to Diane?”


“Yes, I’d like to talk to the doctor about Diane. Is there a time I could speak with him?


Casey didn’t like to sound evasive, but she didn’t know the relationship between the doctor and her mother.


The woman gave a soft chuckle. “You have me intrigued. Kevin will be home for dinner tonight around six. Why don’t you come over for dinner.”


Casey protested, “Oh, no I wouldn’t want to intrude.”


“Kevin is going to want to hear whatever you have to say so come on over.” She gave Casey the address and insisted she come a little early. Casey agreed.


The next name on in her mother’s address book was Tom Minter. She called and asked to talk with him. When she mentioned her mother’s passing, he insisted they meet. He gave her the commissary address and told her lunch was a good time for him.


That was just an hour away, so she decided to wait to go to the admissions office. Groups of white uniformed nurses walked along the manicured paths. Opening the website she found the address Tom had given her and exited the car. Heat blasted her like opening the oven door. He took a breath and adjusted the bag on her back and headed across the compound toward the meeting with Tom





She’d given Tom a brief description of herself and set the mauve leather bag on the table beside her. A tall glass of Ice tea beaded and dripped on to the napkin she’d set the glass on.


“Casey Moyer?” A voice spoke behind her and a tall, thin man pulled the chair next to her out.


“Yes. Tom?” She held out her hand. He smiled and shook it.


“Yes.” He looked her over and frowned. “You said your name is Casey Moyer. You’re related to Diane?”


Casey gave a slow nod, “That’s why I’m here.Diane was my mother.”


“Hold on there girl. Your mother is Diane Moyer, the head of Pediatrics at Emanuel Hospital In Portland, Oregon?”


“One and the same.”


Tom crossed his arms on the table and looked at her intently. “You don’t look like her. Do you take after your father?”


“That is the $65,000 question. Tom, how well did you know my mother?”


Tom’s eyebrows raised almost to the his receding hairline. “Wow, this is intriguing. How well did anyone know Diane? We were in school together for the first couple years. There were a few of us who studied together and hung together socially. I’d say I knew her quite well.”


“Even after she started her internship here, did you remain close?”


“Are you asking if I could be your father? I getting the vibe you don’t know who your father is.” Tom’s gaze still searched her face for some recognition.


“Actually I have no idea who my parents are at all”


“I’m hooked. Spill the story. Your mother came to a few conventions over the years and when we met up it was like we never parted. There were four of us that remained close after we went our separate ways. I have to say this is one secret Diane kept under wraps from all of us. At least as far as I know. She never, ever hinted she had a daughter.” His confused expression gave Casey both relief and disappointment.


“After Diane died, she left me a notebook with the words, Casey, the only thing on your birth certificate that’s true is your birth date. Now what am I supposed to think about that?”


“So you aren’t adopted?”


Casey opened the envelope on the table in front of her, pulled out her birth certificate and pushed it across to Tom.


He picked it up and scanned it then ran his thumb over the raised seal. “It’s real. She somehow passed a form through the system and got you registered as her child.” He shook his head and pushed the paper back to her. “I don’t want to know how she did that. Diane always came across as a moral, law abiding person. She sometimes bent the rules where it was needed, but never broke them.” He pointed at the paper. “So I can see this is very confusing. You want to know who your parents are and you came to be in her care.”


Casey nodded. “I checked every database for lost or missing babies in this area and all around this area near the time I was born.” Casey shook her head. “There weren’t any babies with my description listed as missing or stolen or anything. How could she have come to get me?”


Tom moved his fingers indicating he wanted to see the certificate again. He looked at the information. “Do you know when she left here?”


“I’m not exactly sure. She started her job October 1, 1983. I imagine she left Austin shortly before that as my birthdate is September 25, 1983.”


“That would make sense. I remember we graduated September twenty-third. We had a party that night and I’m not sure, but I think she left the next day.” He placed his hand over her arm. “I can tell you she wasn’t pregnant nor did she have a child with her when she left. There were two of us who helped her pack her car and saw her off. There was no baby, no baby things in that car when she left here.”


“After she left you, could she have made another stop before leaving Austin?” Casey couldn’t stop the hope that crept into her voice.


“That’s a possibility, but not probable. I know she said she was stopping by Dr. Crenshaw’s house before she left here.” He looked away and tapped his fingers on the table.


Casey felt he was holding something back. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”


Tom turned his hazel eyes to hers. “Did she ever mention Dr. Kevin Crenshaw?”


“Not that I thought about until this.” She tapped her finger on the paper. “When I started looking at her address book and going through her papers, I found letters from the doctor. They were encouraging and strictly business correspondence. However, it wasn’t lost on me that they may have had a close relationship. My name is Casey “KC” Kevin Crenshaw.”


Tom nodded. “That just donned on me too. I wondered if there was a connection.”


“I’m meeting him and his wife, Lisa, tonight for dinner.” Casey added.


Tom leaned back in surprise. “Now that is something. I almost want to be there for that conversation. So you’ve spoken to the doctor?”


“No. I called the number listed as home and spoke to his wife. She seemed friendly when I told her who I was and invited me over to talk to her husband. I got the impression, my mother wasn’t the ‘other woman’ but a friend. Was there something I should know about them?”


Tom swept his palm across the table as if cleaning it or sweeping something away. “Your mother and Dr. Kevin were very close. There was a lot of talk about the two of them. No matter how much Diane denied any relationship between them, they were seen together a lot. Diane told me he was more like a father she never had. That may be, but they had their heads together and ate together. She followed him on his rounds.” He shook his head again. “I don’t know what their real relationship was, but it could have been benign or not.”


“I have one other thought. Is it possible, she befriended a woman or girl in the maternity ward who voiced the idea of giving up her baby for adoption and she met her outside the hospital and took the baby?”


“You are looking for a stretch.Again it’s possible but not probable.” He sighed. “Now that I see what lengths she went to get a birth certificate, I don’t know what she would have done to acquire a baby. She had plans. Nover did she ever say she wanted to marry and have children. She never mentioned anything about having a family. She seemed to focus on pediatrics and maternity wards. I knew she liked children and I thought someday she’ll get married and have a brood of her own.”


“Did you ever ask her about that over the years?”


“Not that I recall. We may have talked about it after my marriage and the death of my wife.”


“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”


Tom gave her a smile. “Thanks. My wife died from cancer a few years ago. Diane came to the funeral.” His gaze hardened. “She never let on she had a child. Even when we were together with my daughter. She was supportive, but never shared that fact. Now, I feel a bit angry at that. Why didn’t she trust me or the others to share that fact?” His fist clenched.


“Maybe because you knew her too well. There would be questions you’d ask she didn’t want to answer.”


Tom’s expression relaxed and he smiled at her. “You’re a lot like her. Forgiving, compassionate.”


Casey gave a snort of disgust. “Don’t be too sure of that. I haven’t referred to her as mother since I found out about all this. I’m angry at her for not having the guts to tell me the truth even when she was dying.”


“How would that knowledge affected your relationship at the end of her life?” Tom’s soft spoken question pierced her inner wall.


“I know, but I could have forgiven her if she would have told me what happened. Even if she stole me, I would have forgiven her. She could have given me the inforation who my parents were and I would have waited until she died, then contacted them.”


“Maybe she didn’t want you to contact them at all. They obviously didn’t want contact with you after all these years.” After a moment he patted her arm. “Maybe they didn’t know where you were.”


Tom slid his chair back a little. “I have to get back to work. I suggest you go to admissions and talk to Kathy Ellison. She knew your mom. She went to school with us. Tell her what you want. She may be able to find someone that had a child around that time. If they were connected on one of the free clinics, she could point you in the right direction” He stood and held out his hand.


Casey stood and took his, “Thank Tom. I appreciate your talking to me.”


“It was an interesting conversation. Not what I would have expected of Diane, but she always did things a little unconventional. You have my number so keep me posted on what happens.” He bend and gave her a kiss on the forehead, waved and walked away before she could react.


Casey wasn’t offended. He was nice. She might even have liked it if he were her father.


It didn’t take her long to cross the campus ot the admissions office. It wasn’t filled with students. She glanced at her watch. Three-thirty. If she was lucky Ms. Ellison would still be in her office.


“Ms. Ellison?” The young woman at the check in desk frowned. “We don’t have anyone with that name working here.”


“Tabitha, she wants to see Kathy Wells,” a voice called from behind a wall of cubes to her right.


“Oh, Mrs. Wells. Why didn’t you say so.” She glared at Casey. “She’s in a meeting for the rest of the day. You’ll have to make an appointment.”


“Does she have anytime free tomorrow?” Casey asked.


The girl tapped on her keyboard and nodded. “She has an eight o’clock tomorrow morning. It isn’t much time, forty-five minutes. She has an appointment at nine.”


“I’ll take it.”


Casey left the building and drove to her hotel. After resting she changed and made her way to Doctor Crenshaw’s home. The development sat in a upscale section of the city but not far from the school.


Parking in front of the house she took a deep breath, walked up the long driveway to the front door and rang the door chimes.


A woman with short, wavy grey hair opened the door with a smile on her face. “Come in Casey, I’m Lisa.”


Casey stepped into the marble tiled foyer. A curved staircase led to an upper floor. The smell of spices and garlic wafted in the air.


“Smells good.” Casey greeted the woman.


“I made my famous lasagne. Well, it’s famous in our family. The kids can smell in so don’t be surprised if we have some unexpected guests. Come on in the kitchen if you don’t mind. Kevin’s not here yet and I have to check on the bread.” She turned and headed through the dining room with the table set for three and into the kitchen beyond. Everything showed class and sophistication, but she didn’t get any of the stuffy feeling from Lisa.


The kitchen was a cooks dream. Copper pots hung from a rack suspended from the ceiling over a center granite topped counter.


“Wow, my cook would love this room.”


Lisa turned to her with an arched brow, “You have a cook?”


Casey laughed. “Neither my aunt or mother could cook. They were always on the go so it was only smart if we wanted to eat and have clean clothes to hire a housekeeper and cook. Abby is all of that rolled into one.” Casey gave her a speculative glance. “Her lasagne is tops in my book. She’s part Italian.”


“I hope mine is better, but if she’s any good it will be just as tasty as hers.” She turned to open the upper oven door and gave the contents a nod. “It will be ready when Kevin gets here.” A ping from somewhere notified Lisa. “That’s him.” She pulled the phone from her apron pocket and checked the message. “Yes, He’s left work. We can set the food on the table.”


“Can I help?” Casey asked.


“If you’d like.” She pointed to a large refrigerator. “There’s a salad in there and Italian dressing in a cruet next to it.”


Casey took the items to the dining room table. In not time they had dinner on the table just as the back door opened and a man entered. “Lisa?”


“In here. Casey’s here. Wash up and we’re ready when you are.” She called out.


Kevin Crenshaw entered the room and gave Lisa a kiss on her cheek.”Hello Casey Moyer.” He came right to her and held out his arms for a hug. “I hope you don’t mind. Finding out Diane had a daughter, almost makes you family.”


Casey didn’t mind. She felt the welcome hug as if the man were her father or grandfather. “It’s nice to meet you.”


“Come sit.” Lisa directed.


After the food was served and basic information traded Kevin looked across the table.”Tell me what you know about your mother and your own background.”


“I thought I knew it all and it seem I know nothing. I lived with my Aunt Tammy and Diane. I had a normal childhood,” She shrugged and continued.”I thought it was normal. Then after m-Diane died I was given a notebook by the lawyer. The front pages were torn out and the first page had the words, Casey, the only thing on your birth certificate that’s true is your birthdate. That was it, not explanation, not note other than that. Abby started working for us when I was about ten or so. She knows nothing about this. My Aunt Tammy never said anything either. It seems she may have made my mother write the truth in the notebook, but after she died the lawyer said Diane came to the office and asked for the notebook. He left the room and when he came back the notebook was on his desk and she was gone. I think she tore out any pages she’d written before.” Casey’s eyes teared up and she dabbed them with the cloth napkin.


“I’m so sorry.” Lisa patted her arm. She looked at her husband.”You need to tell her about Diane when she lived here. She’s going to hear all kinds of rumors.”


Kevin took his wife’s hand and squeezed it. “Thanks Honey.” He looked at Casey as he let go of his wife’s hand and picked up the napkin to dab his upper lip. “I met your mother the first year she came to the school.” His lips spread into a sad smile. “She was brilliant. She challenged me at every step. She asked hard questions then followed me around until I gave her answers or told her I didn’t know. Then she’d ask me why I didn’t. I ended up looking up obscure treatments just to answer her questions. After awhile I took a liking to her.” He looked as Lisa again. “Not the kind everyone whispered and gossiped about. I love my wife. “His expression took on a disgusted look. “The dirty minds of the school saw a young Doctor and mentor tutoring a nurse in training and assumed we were having an affair. I never had any relationship other than as a mentor to your mother.” The last words sounded harsh.


“I get it.” Casey offered. “Even I knew work came first. The hospital and it’s staff of problems came before me. That’s just the way it was in our house. Aunt Tammy came to all my school functions when mother couldn’t be there, which were more often than not. I was disappointed at first but I learned I had two mothers. The hugging, confidant in Aunt Tammy and the provider, encourager, no nonsense person in Diane.”


“That is-was Diane. I’m sorry she’s gone.”


“Me too. I’d have more questions for her, except I’d still be in the dark if she were alive. Go on with your story.”


“There isn’t much to tell. I thought she’d have made an excellent doctor. We talked about it opten. She said, it wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to help people in a more hands on manner. Change some of the outdated policies and try to make a place where people wanted to come mot just “have” to come. She was a visionary. She accomplished that. Her department became a prototype for other hospitals to follow. She still went to the hospital and made rounds with some of her nurses and talked to the patients as well as staff to make it better.”


“Yes, she received accommodations all the time. She pretty much wrote her own ticket, Aunt Tammy told me.” Casey added.She began tapping her finger nail on the table.


“That’s not what you wanted to hear about.” Kevin spoke into the pause.


Casey shook her head. Kevin leaned back in the chair. “Lisa can we leave this until later? I think we’d more comfortable in the living room.”


“Of course.” She stood. “There isn’t much to do, so I’ll just pop the left overs in the fridge and be right there. You go ahead and talk. I don’t need to hear it again.” She kissed the top of Kevin’s head and carried the lasagne pan with her into the kitchen.


Kevin stood and motioned for Casey to follow him. “Bring your glass. Lisa will bring more if you need it.”


Once they were seated in the comfortable chairs, Kevin cleared his throat. “You mother was different. She wasn’t attracted to me as a woman would.” He waved his hand in front if his face as if clearing the air. “She wasn’t gay, as least as far as I knew. She told me once after we met she wasn’t interested in sex. She got her satisfaction in working, making people feel good about themselves and about their conditions. Did you know if she had a boyfriend?”


Casey gave a little laugh. “I asked her once if she had one. She said no. I asked her if she had a girlfriend. She said lots of them. I told her no joking she knew what I was asking. She laughed and said no she wasn’t gay. She said she like men and women as friends. She had close friends of both sexes but didn’t need to have sex to be friends. She told me she only met one person she ever thought of having sex with and he was already taken. I’m guessing that was you.”


“Yes. We spoke about it once. The thought was there, I won’t deny it, but I was engaged to Lisa and I loved and respected her too much to give into something that was for the moment sexual gratification.” He looked at Casey with all seriousness. “That was all it was. After our talk, we never discussed it again and laughed at all the gossip that went on about us. It took a little more conversation with Lisa before she realized Diane and I would never be anything more than teacher and student and then just friends with a common interest. I hope that puts your mind at ease about my possibility of being your father.” He then pointed to a couple of pictures on the mante. “Those are my children.”


There was a Senior picture of a boy and a girl. Both had dark hair and dark eyes. Their features were a mix of both parents, though the boy did look more like his father than his mother. Casey turned back to Kevin. “Nope there isn’t a similar gene in them.”


“Your red hair is unique. It’s beautiful and sets you apart from the majority of the population. There isn’t going to be many people with that color or combination.”


Casey laughed. “You think I should go to a TV station and say “Does anyone out there have hair like mine? If so come around and let me know if you could be my father or mother.”


Kevin tilted his head in thought. “It might not be a bad idea.”


“Right.” Casey added wryly. “That might cause someone a lot of trouble at home. Can you imagine someone looking at their spouse and saying, “Is there something you haven’t told me dear?”


“True. What are you going to do next?” Lisa came in and sat next to her husband.


“I don’t know. I’m trying to retrace mom’s last steps before leaving here. I thought maybe she met a girl or woman in the hospital that wanted to give up her child and Mom bypassed the legal steps.”


Lisa looked at Kevin. “I don’t see her doing that. She’d have guided the woman to the adoption venue.”


Kevin nodded. “Yes, she’d have gone the legal route, but she had goals, raising a child wasn’t one of them. No offence Casey. I think something happened between the time she left here and arrived home.”


“That’s rather obvious hone,” Lisa laughed. “It’s exactly that fact is what Casey is looking for.” She turned back to Casey. “Diane came over the night before she left. We talked about her new job in Portland. What her challenges were. She left here with a good attitude. I never got the impression she had a child she was going to raise or knew about. She had to have met someone.”


“Is it possible she might have talked to someone leaving the hospital? What about a woman being forced to give up a child?” Casey’s voice rose and she bit her lip to stop the flow of words.


Lisa immediately went to her side and put her arm around the young woman. “I know you are stressed about this. I can’t give you an answer. Yes it could have been any of those things and it probably was. It may be you won’t be able to find that one person. What if they don’t want to admit they gave you up? There are groups that look for missing family members. You may have to contact them and see if they can get some kind of match.”


“I’ve heard they are doing a lot with DNA matching. Maybe someday you can find your family through that.That would mean they would have to submit a sample too.” Kevin held out his hands, palms up.


Time had passed and no one spoke. Casey looked at the two with despair. “Thank you both for talking to me. I appreciate you telling me the truth before I heard all kinds of stories from other people. I’m sure this wasn’t easy.” They looked at each other then at Casey.


“You are the reason. If it had been someone else with a different attitude, this may have been a different meeting. You are as nice as your mother. She raised you well. She’d be proud of you.” Lisa gave her another hug. Kevin nodded and smiled his agreement.


“I should go. If you have any thoughts or ideas for me, call me. Please.” They all stood and moved to the front door.


Kevin gave her a tight hug and kissed her cheek. “I’ll ask discreetly around. There was a guy in her group. Tom.”


“Tom Minter. I talked with him today.”


“You’ve been busy.” Kevin acted impressed.


“I’m to find a Kathy Ellison, opps Wells. She was a friend of mom’s too.”


“Kathy?” Kevin frowned. “Friend? Maybe not so much. Be careful when you talk to her. She’s a gossip and, well, that’s all i’ll say. Just be careful.”


Casey drove back to her hotel. She had mixed feelings about the meeting. They were nice people and loved her mother. They kept in contact with Diane, but she never told them about her. She never told anyone about her.What was the big secret? Was it someone her friends might have known or would be able to figure out?























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