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Title: Close Them Down
Author: Pattie
Rated: PG. I do not want to scare middle-aged relatives
of elderly people.
Spoilers: None. Based on a true story but set sometime
before the last two seasons. ( I know, many don't care
for 9 and 10. Admittedly, I use John and Monica
as little as I can.)
Feedback: patfiler2016@outlook.com Welcome as well as
ideas. Nice criticism only, please.
Archive: Gossamer. I am renovating Pattie's Pocketful
of X-Fics. Anyone else be nice enough to ask.
Summary: Mulder receives a letter from a relative asking
him to use his investigative skills to probe a retirement
home. The lady has her wits, and knows many things are
wrong. She may be in a wheelchair, but she knows things
are criminal.
Disclaimer: For the 203rd time, Chris Carter, Ten
Thirteen Productions, and Fox Studios own the rights to
The X-Files, Mulder, Scully and Skinner. Anybody else
is mine. BTW, no MSTings, plagiarism, copying. Heard
about someone years ago doing that. The only thing
legally allowed is using the same titles, and we are not
sure about that. Kraft owns Kool Aid.
Author's Note: Based on a true story in another country,
and I am NOT afraid of anybody.
2630 Hegal Place
Alexandria, VA.
6:00 p.m.
Mulder came home from work tired. Paperwork and
inactivity drove Scully and him up the wall. Paper?
Swell. No technicians available. Perhaps The
Lone Gunmen could have been some help but they
were at another convention in Miami, or so
their answering machine had mentioned. Frohike
and his sarcastic remark about Scully asking
if Scully wanted some fun on the beach.
He took his coat and shoes off and began to go
through the mail as usual. Rent receipt from
the landlord vacationing in Pittsburgh. Flyers
for car dealers, pizza, local drug stores.Then
there was a hand addressed letter written in
a woman's handwriting, and she must have had a
tremor of some sort.
He began to read, and it was not good news.
Mulder was expecting Scully any time so he
left the door unlocked in case she may have
forgotten her key. She was tired, as well, and
fed up with the workday.
She entered with a pizza. "Just as you like it,
Mulder. Mulder?"
Mulder was slumped on the couch reading the
letter and silent.
"Mulder?"
"Oh, sorry. I hope bad news doesn't come in
threes. Sit down. There's something I need to
tell you, and it is a family matter. I never
told you about my Aunt Betty."
"No, you didn't. What's wrong?"
"A lot. I'll get the beer and I need to talk
about this."
"Okay." Why did he look so angry and sad at
the same time?
He returned shortly with a six-pack, frown
ungraciously planted on face. "Eat first, talk later."
"You sure? You look like they dropped a nuclear
bomb in your ice cream."
For a while, the two were silently eating and
drinking.
"Well?"
"Aunt Betty is my Mom's sister. Seventy-nine.
A stroke put her in a wheelchair, a bit of
paralysis and incontinent. She lives in a
retirement home in Boston. I last saw her a
few months ago. Great sense of humor until
new owners took over."
"Okay. So what's wrong?"
"I never looked around the place because I
just wanted to see her. The letter here says
the place may as well be purgatory. She
knows a lot and so do others. It's rotten."
"How rotten?" Scully chewed her pizza and
took a look at the letter. "Sorry, should have
asked first. Oh my God!!!"
"Not my choice of words, partner. NOT. I
am going to ask Kersh a huge favor, and my
personal physician is coming with me."
"You bet. I do not like this one bit, you know
that." This called for a long swig of beer. If I
called Bill he'd bring in a fleet of destroyers.
Sorry I said the name."
"It's all right. All we need is help from the
Boston office, and it looks like a lot."
"I usually have a strong stomach, Scully. But
elderly or middle-aged disbled folks sitting hours
on end in wet or dirty diapers munching on
digestive cookies, graham crackers, syrupy
canned fruit, no real meat. Powdered, see
through milk. Kool Aid type juices?"
"I read your aunt's letter. Looks like the local
health department has no idea either." Her
frown could have burned a hole through the
walls. "As the kids say these days, 'that
sucks'."
"Sure does. I want this put on priority. I am
sure Kersh has older relatives, as well as
Skinner. Let's get both of them informed. They
heard about my aunt. Skinner asked her I.Q.
We don't know."
"I can tell by the way she writes, Mulder. No
fool, and living in a money pit. At least you
should eat. I'm still hungry."
"Trying. Tomorrow, we go as high as we can."
"Yes, I most definitely would."
FOLLOWING DAY
8:15 A.M.
It was decided Skinner's Office first.
As he read the letter, the man was horrified.
"Wellcare Manor sounds familiar. One of our
retired agents was there. It seemed fine back in
1991. I'll have a word with DD Kersh. You don't
have much these days. Luckily, it's slow. Don't
worry about nepotism. I wouldn't."
Mulder smiled with appreciation. "Thanks, Sir.
Please contact Boston."
"Believe me, I will. This is pure elder abuse. "
Kersh was stunned over the phone while Mulder
and Scully remained in the office. "I agree, Alvin.
Later. Agents, start packing today." They were
on speaker. "We should close them down."
"Really?" Scully still didn't quite trust Kersh yet as
it was a bit early working with him.
"Really. What are you waiting for? Dulles airport,
and I'll make the reservations."
"Sir, I thought you didn't like me." As sad as he felt,
Mulder loved the usual smart-ass attitude.
Scully shook her head, "Let's go, kiddo."
That brought a little grin to Skinner. "Family first,
Mulder. The place is a hell-hole most likely."
Before the call was done, Kersh said,"I've seen
places closed very quickly."
BOSTON MASS.
4:10 P.M.
Mulder and Scully booked their motel rooms and
called room service.
"So, what are visiting hours?" Scully asked over
dinner in her room.
"If it's still the same, between 10:00 a.m. and
9:00 p.m. I need another coffee. Didn't get much
sleep last night. My cell has photo function. You
take notes. Tonight? Your cell, too."
"Good idea. The Boston division emailed me as I
was packing. They're already hearing things from
residents' relatives."
"I don't doubt it." Mulder dialed room service for
more coffee. "Anyone going incognito?"
"Good possibility. No word yet."
Scully had done some research. "Mulder, I have a
pdf file here: The Secretary of the Commonwealth's
State Publications and Regulations Division. Read
this: Everything from Sanitation, Medications, Doctors,
Licenses, Employee Code of Conduct to Residents'
Code of Conduct to their Rights."
"That's my Doctor Scully. Let's go."
"After I shower. Take my laptop and read. I won't be
long."
WELLCARE MANOR
8:10 P.M.
Mulder escorted Scully to reception. "Fox Mulder, here
to visit my Aunt, Betty Johnson. This is my friend, Dana
Scully."
"Go ahead. Most of our clients are in the dining area for
snack time."
"Thank you." As they walked through the hallway, Mulder
remarked, "They used to have the codes posted, Scully.
No cameras allowed? Look, no sprinkler systems."
"Shh. Make ordinary, Mulder. The place, by the way,
wreaks."
"Yeah, never did before. Sneak in a few snapshots,
ask to use the ladie's room."
"I intend to. Now." I'll find the dining room.
The toilet seats were filthy. Snap. 'Fecal matter', pen
and pad in hand, she flushed the toilet with latex on.
Now, off to the dining room.
Many of the seats were empty. Mulder was sitting
with his aunt who had a coffee and WTF?
Marshmallows. 'Hope no diabetics here,' she
thought.
"Mulder." She sat beside him.
"Aunt Betty, this is my co-worker, Dana Scully."
"Hello. Nice to see folks from the outside world. Um,
have to be careful what I say. The PSWs blab." The
elderly woman was quiet, looking disturbed.
"How many folks live here?" Mulder asked. "Don't
worry. I have my gun," he whispered.
"Gee, I'd love one. We had 36, three families yanked
their relatives out and are finding other help."
"What's the food like, Ma'am?" Scully knew good
nutrition.
"Mostly processed meats, canned goods and basic
trash." She stared down a worker. "Loser," she
whispered.
Scully was writing away, and Mulder knew the
reason.
The worker walked over to the table. "What's
up?"
"Shopping list. Why are you asking me?"
The woman stood back and walked away shaking
her head.
"Fox, that was Zelda the lazy butt."
"Aunt Betty, we are going to help you. You know
where we work." Mulder shot a dirty look at the
PSW going to the kitchen.
Scully was concerned about the food. "Do you
ever get out to buy things?"
"We have a bit of money left over, so we top up
with real milk and fruit, two or three of us. Very
few social activities. Bingo. Prizes are chocolate
bars. They know we have a few diabetics with
dementia. Owners don't care. A few of us got
our heads together and figured things out. One
is a former nurse and only had a little stroke.
Ella's really ticked off."
Scully nodded. "Don't worry. You will see a 'For
Sale' sign soon. They own 9 other places. Sit
tight."
"Fox, you got a winner here. Visiting hours are
almost up. Get going. I'll talk to my friends in
private."
THREE WEEKS LATER
Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Kersh, even many
residents in Boston followed the news very
carefully. Three days in court was all it took
to close 9 so-called 'care homes' in Boston.
New owners had background checks, new
PSWs were hired, and 24 hour nursing care
was ordered.
You see, there's no fool like an old fool who's
no fool.
END
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