The Snake Pit Page #4

No.

- Do you know?

- Of course.

- Tell me.

- Virginia Stuart Cunningham.

- Cunningham.

- Mrs. Robert Cunningham.

- Robert.

- Your husband.

- My husband.

- Isn't it better to know?

- Isn't it?

- Yes. Oh, yes.

Well, what

about a cigarette now?

Yes, thank you.

Tell me. Do you remember the time

before you were married, in Chicago?

- That's where you met Robert, isn't it?

- Yes, I think so.

He was going to take you

to a concert, but you said...

something had come up

and you couldn't go with him.

- Concert? I'm sorry, Doctor.

I can't follow you.

- You ran away from him.

Where did you go?

- I don't know what you're talking about.

- Thank you, Mrs. Cunningham.

You can go back to the ward now.

I'll talk to you again soon.

Have l...

Have I seen him since I've been here?

Your husband came every visiting day,

even when he couldn't see you.

- He wants to see you very much.

- Should I see him?

- I think so.

- Yes, Doctor.

Good-bye, Mrs. Cunningham.

Nurse.

- Shall I have that?

- Thanks.

- You can take her back now.

- Come, Virginia.

Get me the New Alden Hotel in New York.

I want to speak to Mr. Cunningham.

- Come on. I'll hold it for you.

- Thanks.

I remember this suit. It's a little small,

but I bought it because it was reduced.

I always meant to have it altered.

Small?

I could be having a baby in this suit,

and nobody'd know the difference.

It's very nice, I think.

Sit down, Virginia.

- I wonder why Miss Hart made me dress up.

Maybe it's D.T.

- D.T.?

Occupational therapy.

Dressing therapy.

Look what's been in here

all this time.

It's like putting your hands

in someone else's pockets... a dead woman's.

Well, what do you know? Well, you look

like a million dollars in that suit, Virginia.

- I'd rather just look well in it.

- Ready?

- There. That's dandy.

- All right. Come with me, Virginia.

- See you later.

- Ready for what, Miss Hart?

You'll find out. Go along.

Go ahead, Virginia.

Fine. Thanks.

Right over there.

Robert.

It looks like him, but I must be careful.

Watch your step, honey.

Everything counts against you.

- Of course it's not him.

- Hello.

He even sounds like him.

They do a goodjob when they want to.

- Hello.

- You... You look wonderful, Virginia.

- Thank you.

This way,

Mr. Cunningham.

Dr. Kik said you can

take her into the yard...

and there's a place behind the hedge

where you can have your lunch.

- Thank you, Nurse.

- It's all right, Virginia. You can go.

- Do you have a key?

- This door isn't locked.

Isn't it?

That's funny. Usually

they're very careful about doors here.

You'd think they're

the most important things in the world.

- It's nice here, isn't it?

- Yes, very nice.

- What do you say

we make a picnic out of it, huh?

- That's fine.

Funny how the ground dried up.

It poured last night.

- It was the night before.

- Oh, then I must've lost another day.

I don't suppose I'll ever find it.

It's just a blank.

- What's in the box?

- All kinds of things.

Sometimes, before I came here,

I wished I could make my mind a blank.

Now I know

what a blank mind is.

I get up in the morning,

then suddenly it's time to go to bed.

And I can't remember

what happened in between.

Is it... Is it real?

Try it.

Oh, it is real!

I wish you could

have this every day.

They told me this was one

of the best hospitals in the country.

Are you really Robert?

I have to be sure, you know.

The sun... The sun

isn't warm anymore.

I don't want you to catch cold.

Here, darling. Put this around you.

I wouldn't mind having a cold or pneumonia

or anything I could understand.

What's the matter with me?

Is it a brain tumor?

- You've had a nervous breakdown.

- Nervous breakdown.

- That doesn't sound so bad, does it?

- Just takes time. That's all.

What else does it

do to you besides take time?

It's like any sickness, darling.

Dr. Kik'll make you well again.

Yes. He wants to help me.

Oh, may I light it myself, please?

Could you possibly let me

have some matches? To keep, I mean.

It's funny. They don't let us

have matches... as if we were children.

- They don't cost much, do they?

- I haven't got matches, but...

R.C. Robert Cunningham.

You are Robert.

- Hello, Kik. I was looking for you.

Did you get my note?

- Yes.

- Well, what do you think?

- What do I think, Dr. Gifford?

I think it's one of the worst things

that could happen to this patient.

Miss Seiffert, did you...

Thank you.

Miss Seiffert?

Oh, I beg your pardon.

Yes, Dr. Kik?

Miss Seiffert, did you tell Mr. Cunningham

there's a way of getting his wife released?

Indeed I did, Doctor.

It all happened the other day.

He mentioned that his mother owned a farm

in Illinois, and I told him I was sure...

there wouldn't be much trouble

getting his wife discharged

if he took her out of the state.

- Dr. Curtis agreed with me, and...

- Provided, of course, she

passes the staff examination.

Huh? Oh, of course!

Of course.

I don't get it.

What's wrong with that, Kik?

What's wrong is that

this patient isn't ready to go to staff...

to say nothing of being discharged from

the hospital, particularly to her husband.

- Why, is something the matter with him?

- No.

But the patient's main problem happens to

be a complete inability to accept his love...

or the love of any man

she could think of as a husband.

- Her rejection is something...

- Miss Primm, can't you see

the doctor hasn't finished yet?

All right.

You can take it.

What I'm trying to say, Dr. Gifford, is

that until the treatment Mrs. Cunningham...

is now getting brings out the causes of

her unconscious rejection and resolves them...

we can't send her to Illinois or any state

without the least chance of her getting well.

Now, now, Doctor. We're not trying to

minimize the importance of treatment.

Trouble is, for you, each case is the one,

and for us, it's one of thousands.

Yes, Curtis.

One of thousands, even millions...

but only by trying to make each case

the one can we really help the patient.

I happen to have here some

of the more recent statistics.

Oh, yes. Here they are. Sometimes

even we doctors must face reality.

Number of patients in reception building

six months ago... 537.

Originally,

it was designed for 312 patients.

Today, the number of patients

in the same building: 718.

This morning, we were asked

to admit 43 new cases. Care to

hear how many we could take?

- Sixteen.

- And those, only by putting more mattresses

in some of the day rooms.

Yes, Kik. We don't have enough bed space.

We don't have enough beds or sheets.

We haven't got enough

of anything but patients. Miss Seiffert?

- Uh, yes, Dr. Gifford?

- I want you to continue the investigation...

of this patient's release

and report directly to me.

- Curtis, will you come with me? Miss Primm?

- Yes?

- Send some coffee to my office.

- Yes, Doctor.

- Good day.

- Good day, Doctor.

Excuse me.

- Doesn't give you much time, does it?

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