Rosie

"Come on, sweetheart. It's time to take your medicine," urged Mom.

"But, Mom, I don't want to," Rosie protested.

"Don't you want strong bones? You don't want seizures, do you? That's what your vitamins are for! They'll make you feel better!"

Mom always had Rosie take her medicine, and it always made her so grumpy. She would say, "I don't want to take my medicine anymore," but Mom would respond with, "It's what keeps you healthy; it makes the seizures come less." Mom mentioned that Rosie's epilepsy had worsened, explaining the increase in the number of pills prescribed each day.

Mom is a doctor. Mom knows best.

______

"Hey, Bill, I have a case for you. It's a kid, 9 years old. Looks like some type of environmentally related poisoning. The family is looking to sue the property owner. Does this seem interesting to you?" asked John.

"Well, John, hand me the files. Let me take a look. You know my bandwidth is short since Emily had the baby. But I sure will have a look into it."

"Great, Bill. Thanks. Appreciate you, man."

Bill Brondyk was always the firm's go-to man when it came to property-related damages. He always knew the right ways to do the right thing, to say what mattered, and to get to the bottom of it. When he accepted Rosie O'Donnell's case, little did he know that he would be uncovering years of evidence that might not be what he initially thought to be the cause of poisoning.

Bill pulled out the hospital summary.

Hospital: Wisconsin Emmanuel Memorial

Patient's Name: Rosie O’Donnell

Sex: Female

Age: 9 years old

Height: 4 ft 5 in

Weight: 76 lbs

Summary:

Patient: Rosie O’Donnell, female, age 9, was admitted to Wisconsin Emmanuel Memorial on January 3rd, 2001. Chief complaints included persistent nausea and vomiting, along with joint pain, primarily in the left knee and elbow. The patient reported experiencing vomiting and nausea for over 5 months. Initial diagnostic procedures included a complete blood count (CBC) and X-rays.

CBC results indicated abnormal hematocrit and hemoglobin values (low), suggesting potential underlying health issues. X-rays revealed abnormal findings, including increased growth plate density. These observations raised suspicion of lead poisoning as a likely cause.

Further investigation involved conclusive tests, which demonstrated significantly elevated levels of lead in the patient's blood serum. The family was extensively questioned about potential exposure to lead, including the presence of lead-based paint in the home. The patient's mother denied any knowledge of lead in the house.

Due to the severity of the lead poisoning diagnosis, Rosie O’Donnell was admitted to the hospital for immediate and intensive treatment. The medical team initiated measures to mitigate lead toxicity and began addressing associated symptoms. Ongoing monitoring and additional interventions were planned to ensure the patient's recovery and prevent further complications.

The matter seemed straightforward enough. Cedarburg was built with old houses coated in lead. Bill Brondyk didn't even think twice about it.

______

The doctors told Rosie that she would be okay. The lead would slowly leak out of her system like a genie in a bottle. Eventually, she will feel better. But Rosie felt bad. Not just because of the chelation therapy but because she just felt bad.

Mom wanted to take her home. It had been two days in the hospital, and Mom said Rosie was better. Rosie should be better. The doctors said Rosie's lab still showed high levels of lead, and it appears more efforts on the therapy side would have to be used to lower those levels. Mom said no. Mom said Rosie was going home.

______

Passing cows and pigs, Bill was thinking of what it would be like to be a farmer. In what ways would his life be different if he had just chosen to keep his Dad's farm and not go into law? What if?

He showed up that warm September afternoon holding a box of freshly baked cookies. He always came to his clients with the warm Midwestern personality he so very much embodied. When he rang the doorbell, he noticed the size and newness of the house. He made notes of this in his notebook. On the third ring, a tall, blonde, angelic woman with piercing blue eyes answered the door. She was stunning, to say the least.

"Hello, Ma'am," Bill extended his hand. "My name is Bill Brondyk, and I am a legal attorney from Jarenson-Pierce to represent you in the court of law on behalf of Rosie in a lead poisoning case."

"Hello, Bill. Janice. Pleasure to meet you. Please..." She paused and waved her hand. "Enter."

Upon entrance, he noticed Rosie off in the left-hand corner near the kitchen playing with her dolls. She looked abnormally small, abnormally pale, and very clearly unwell. Janice led Bill to the quaint blue couch in the living room facing a large window peering out over the dead summer grass. Bill seemed uncomfortable.

Bill settled into the living room, glancing around at family photos on the walls and the child's drawings taped to the refrigerator. Janice sat across from him, a hint of anxiety in her eyes as she waited for Bill to delve into the details of Rosie's case.

"Janice, I understand this is a difficult time for you and Rosie. Can you share with me what happened? Anything you think might be relevant to the case," Bill began, opening his notebook and penning down the details meticulously.

Janice sighed, the weight of the situation evident on her face. She recounted the past few months—Rosie's unexplained ailments, the doctor visits, and finally, the hospitalization revealing lead poisoning. Bill listened attentively, jotting down key points as Janice spoke.

As the conversation unfolded, Bill learned that Janice had recently lost her husband in 1999 to brain cancer. It was a horrible and awfully slow death. That is why they moved into the new home back in Janice’s hometown. She was from here. ‘This is my home!” she repeated and repeated. Janice suspected something was off when Rosie's health began to deteriorate shortly after the move, and that was when she first took her to the doctor.

______

Bill decided to conduct a thorough investigation. He requested access to Rosie's medical records, interviewed doctors involved in her care, and hired experts to assess the property. The property came back squeaky clean. He then thought of the dolls, the toys, or the woods. Negative as well. The more he delved into the case, the clearer it became that Rosie's lead poisoning was more complicated than it seemed. There was another source, and Bill was determined to find it.

Weeks passed, and Bill tirelessly worked on gathering evidence. He consulted environmental specialists who inspected every nook and cranny of the O’Donnell residence. Nothing. There was nothing.

______

Rosie sat in the corner by the kitchen, surrounded by her dolls.

Mom and Bill settled onto the couch, engaging in a conversation that extended beyond the boundaries of their professional investigation. Topics shifted to concerns about heightened vigilance due to overseas wars and touched upon Emily, Bill’s wife, who grappled with postpartum depression.

"Rosie, sweetheart, it's time to take your pills."

Bill inquired, “What are those?”

Janice responded, “They're for her epilepsy.”

“You never mentioned she had epilepsy,” he frowned.

“No, I suppose I didn't. Well, she was diagnosed with it a few years back. The doctor said it might resolve itself in puberty.”

“Interesting, is it genetic?”

“Sometimes. It runs in certain families. My husband had epilepsy as a child. Probably where she got it.”

Rosie took her medicine.

She always did.

She always listened to her mother.

She never disobeyed.

There was something eerie about the whole scene. Bill and Janice on the couch, Rosie in the middle, swallowing her pills, dolls in the corner.

The three sat in silence for some time, lost in their own trains of thought. Bill was the first to break the silence.

"Well, I sure do hope you enjoy those cookies and get better, young Rosie. I best be on my way. Got to get home to Emily and Sabby, the baby, of course."

Janice stood. “Of course, Bill. Please let yourself out the door.”

______

Bill Brondyk never returned home. He was last seen heading towards the west side of town. A police report filed on December 18th, 2001, documented his disappearance. Emily, his wife, mentioned he had been struggling with memory issues, suggesting he might be starting to lose his mind. “Perhaps he just wandered off,” she said.

Perhaps he did. Perhaps he didn't. What we do know is that he was working on a case involving a young girl and her mother. A partner at the firm, John Skelenski, mentioned the case had been difficult, long, and gruesome. Bill kept saying the girl kept getting sicker, and there was no evidence to suggest anything in her environment was causing it.

The house listed as the address for the young girl and her mother had burned in a fire in 1987. The property had nothing on it. Bill's car was found abandoned two miles from the property burned in a ditch.

______

Bill's lifeless body surfaced on the south side of the shore on the outskirts of town next to a tin of cookies. The cause of death was determined to be a single slit to the throat. Authorities ruled it as suicide, stating that no foul play was involved. Meanwhile, Rosie, the 9-year-old girl, resumed her studies, back in school with her mom, Janice, in Cedarburg. She claimed they never even spoke to an attorney.