Petey

Before the afternoon of the concert, Petey has not been outside since his transfer from Infants’ Ward 10 years before. He absorbs every detail and nuance of the world around him, immersing himself in the experience. Sitting beside Cassie, Petey spends a blissful afternoon on the lawn listening to the two-hour concert, holding hands with her, and holding her daughter Lisa, who Cassie gently places on his chest. Cassie tells Petey he is handsome and that she can see beyond his disabilities and imagine him as he might be if he were not confined by his physical body. The following day, Cassie tells Petey she has been thinking about what might be done for Calvin to improve his mood. She believes every person in life needs a purpose and suggests that, if Petey will allow it, Calvin could be assigned to Petey as a caregiver. Petey agrees, and tolerates Calvin’s occasionally careless and oblivious methods, wondering what his own purpose might be now that he has helped Calvin to fulfill his.

One October night, Cassie visits Petey on the ward and tearfully informs him that her employment at Warm Springs must come to an end. Her husband is returning from service in Europe and will be stationed in New York. Cassie and their daughter Lisa will be moving to the East Coast to join him. As he observes her anguish, Petey feels a terrible sense of guilt at the thought that he has somehow caused the grief she is experiencing. When he claims that he is no good and unworthy of her affection, she adamantly affirms how wonderful she believes him to be, “This body and this wheelchair isn’t you. You’re a knight in shining armor. You’re brave and wonderful, and I love you” (105). It is the first time Petey can recall being told that he was loved by anyone. He replies that he loves her too, frustrated that he is unable to offer her any comfort. She kisses his cheek, and he puckers his lips to indicate he wants to return the gesture, and she places her cheeks against his lips. Cassie gives Petey half of a heart shaped friendship necklace to remind him of her, the other half remaining in her possession. She tells him “We can’t be sad, though. Many people live their whole lives not knowing love. You and I have been lucky” (106). When she leaves the ward for the last time, Petey is overcome by grief.

By 1965, Cassie has been gone from Warm Springs for 20 years, and Petey, now 45, has been in residence for 43 years. Petey finds himself settling into the monotony of ward life while Calvin sinks deeper into his enduring melancholy, withdrawing ever further as time passes. That year, a new employee arrives: Owen Marsh, a 65-year-old rancher, who has retired from working his land and raising cattle and is eager to be in a position to help others. Owen observes that while Warm Springs is now called a state hospital, it is easy to see why it was once called an “insane asylum.” Owen is assigned to Ward 18 and given an “orientation” by Gus, a portly attendant whose lack of patience and condescending attitude toward the patients troubles Owen. Owen is shocked by the poor conditions on the ward and by the smells, sounds, and varying activity levels contributing to the confusion and the din. During Owen’s brief “orientation,” Gus points out various patients, including a group of violent criminals who have managed to avoid prison time by pleading insanity. Owen begins to question his decision to come work at the hospital, but then he sees Calvin and Petey huddled together, Calvin’s head resting on Petey’s chest as Petey lays in his bed. Gus describes them both with a dismissive attitude, citing their perceived intellectual limitations and claiming when Calvin speaks to Petey, Petey’s responses are “gibberish” (114). Gus says,

That’s Petey Corbin. He’s an idiot retard, but a friendly one—you know, laughs and smiles a lot. Sometimes you swear he’s thinking, but it’s just conditioning. They used to get him up every day and put him in a wheelchair. Lucky for us, they stopped that (113).

Owen takes note of the close bond Calvin and Petey apparently share. With this brief introduction, Owen’s “orientation” is complete. One day, while going about his duties of caring for Petey, Owen looks in Petey’s nightstand for lotion. There Owen finds the gold heart charm that Cassie had given him 20 years earlier, and the Bible verse from Joe. Owen realizes that Petey is watching at him with interest as Owen looks over the items. To Owen, “The quizzical look in Petey’s eyes was unmistakable,” and Owen’s doubts as to Petey’s limitations are cast (116). 

Amidst the chaos, violence, and tragedy around him at Warm Springs State Hospital, Owen is moved by the intense devotion that Petey and Calvin display toward one another. On his first Christmas Eve at Warm Springs, Owen leaves presents for Calvin and Petey on each man’s nightstand, returning in the morning to help them open their gifts. As Owen watches the interactions between Calvin and Petey on Christmas morning, he thinks to himself, “Conditioning my foot” (119), as it is obvious to him there exists between the two a complex world beyond the perception of those who dismiss their intellectual capabilities. Owen commits to making a meaningful impact on the lives of the patients he works with rather than simply facilitating the daily monotony of ward life. The following day, Owen tries to communicate with Petey. When Owen does not immediately grasp Petey’s nuanced form of communication, Calvin snaps “He said yes, you moron” (121). Owen asks Petey if he would want to be placed in a wheelchair and be moved about the ward instead of remaining in bed if Owen can arrange it. Petey emphatically agrees.

Owen approaches the nursing director Mrs. Elgin to initiate more services for Petey and Calvin. He presents Petey’s and Calvin’s cases and the obvious discrepancies between their diagnoses and the abilities they possess. Mrs. Elgin doesn’t agree with Owen’s assessment but asks how he plans to remedy the situation. Though she admires his ambition, compassion, and diligence, she insists it is not within Owen’s purview to question the diagnoses and regular assessments made by the medical professionals on staff. She declines to authorize special privileges and cautions him against getting too personally involved with the patients. Owen proceeds to do everything in his power to improve the lives of Calvin and Petey despite her discouragements. Owen learns to decipher the short phrases Petey speaks and attempts to get Calvin to open up to him. When an old wheelchair becomes available, Owen attempts to make use of it but realizes it will require modifications for Petey’s particular physical needs. Risking the consequences of interfering with state property, Owen takes the wheelchair to a repair shop and has it adjusted to Petey’s specifications, making additional modifications on his own to make Petey as comfortable as possible. Petey is delighted to be back in a wheelchair, looking out the window and participating more thoroughly in the world around him. Owen is concerned about the potential reaction from Mrs. Elgin. When she visits the ward one day and meets up with Petey and Owen, she does not voice any disapproval but merely remarks upon Owen’s determination.

Owen ensures that Petey and Calvin are able to participate in as many activities as possible. On Wednesday nights, he takes them to the patient dances in the Warren Building, and on Friday nights he brings them to watch the weekly movies shown for patients. Owen makes certain they are able to watch the Western television shows they enjoy. Petey latches onto the nickname “Ike” for Calvin after seeing Dwight Eisenhower on television. By 1973, Owen is getting older, and his philosophies surrounding patient care increasingly clash with the changing rules and policies imposed by the new administrator, so Owen decides to retire. Petey has become a favorite patient on the ward, so Owen does not worry about the standard of care Petey will receive in his absence, but Owen feels the intense sorrow of losing someone he has come to consider family. Owen visits Petey and Calvin only once, their single interaction so painful for all of them that Owen decides not to return. Despite the friends that Petey has made on the ward, aside from his relationship with Calvin he has no connections with anyone else on the level he shared with Owen.

In the mid-70s, patients begin to steadily leave the ward. Suddenly, at Christmastime, Calvin is taken away, and Petey is told only that he has been transferred. One month later, Petey is informed that he will be transferred to a nursing home in Bozeman. Petey is terrified of the coming transition, knowing nothing of the outside world or what to expect from his future. He asks about Calvin, but because his question isn’t understood he receives no answer. Fifty years after his initial journey to Warm Springs Insane Asylum, Petey boards the same train he rode at two years old to travel in the opposite direction back to Bozeman. At the Bozeman nursing home, though his daily routines are similar to those in the state hospital, Petey struggles to adjust. While he has his own room with two walls of beautiful windows, the attendants and nurses have not been apprised on the particulars of his care, and he is frequently in pain and discomfort as he adjusts to his surroundings and attempts to advocate for himself. Petey faces the summation of his losses throughout his life and commits to enjoying his future as best he can, but he decides he cannot bear to love yet another person only to risk being separated from them again.