“Hello, Miss Devlin, I’m Daxton Bradshaw, Raelynn's therapist at the behavioral clinic. I was wondering if I could talk to you for just a moment?”
“Is she okay?” Her voice was instantly full of panic. After everything the sisters had been through the past few days, it was more than understandable.
“Yes, your sister is fine. I’ve been assigned to work with her during her stay and had a few things I was hoping you could help me out with?”
“Uh, sure, I guess so. I’m not sure how much help I can be, though. Are you allowed to be talking to me about her stay? When I was at the hospital last time, they said I was only privileged to her medical information if she was declared mentally unfit and unable to make decisions for herself.”
“That’s right, but your sister signed a release form for me to be able to speak with you. I can email you over a copy if you would like.”
“No, I mean yes, you can email it to me. I’ll do the best I can to help out if it’s in her best interest.”
I settled back in my chair, promising to send her the email as soon as we were off the phone. Sure, I could have been lying, but then she would be able to report me to the board, and my license would be revoked. Lying wouldn’t have gotten me far in my quest to help Raelynn.
“I specifically asked her if it was okay that I talk to you about her journals.”
“Her what? Her journals? What good would those do you?”
“Miss Devlin, I don’t believe your sister tried to kill herself,” I could hear her audible sigh over the phone, her defenses lowering. After everyone had tried to convince her otherwise, I didn’t blame her for being on the defensive. “You know your sister the best out of anyone alive, but she confided in me that she has journaled about everything, including her ex-boyfriend. I’m hoping those journals might shed some light on what led to the incident that landed her in the hospital.”
It took her a second to respond; barking could be heard in the background as she called for the dog to come inside. “Uh, yeah. Rae journaled about everything. I always told her she should have become a writer, but she loved working with animals too much.”
“I was hoping that was the case. I already spoke to her in her session, and asked her permission to see if you could possibly provide me with her journals?”
“And Rae was okay with that?”
“I can pass along a message to have her call you if you would feel more comfortable hearing from her yourself. I was only worried that she would be overheard since the phones the patients are allowed to use aren’t in a private area.”
“Hmmm, okay. I’ll gather them together, but I’d like to make sure she’s fine with it. She’s always been very private about what she writes, so I need to hear from her that it’s okay to basically hand over her entire life.”
“I understand completely. Would you like me to pass along the message?”
“No, thanks. I plan on seeing her tomorrow evening for a visitation. I’ll bring them with me, and if she says it’s okay, then I’ll give them to you after I visit with her.”
“That sounds good, Miss Devlin, thank you so much. Would you have time to possibly indulge in one more question?”
“It depends on what the question would be. Release or not, I’m not comfortable discussing Rae’s private life with someone I don’t know.
“I understand. We briefly touched on the topic of your parents during her last session. I was wondering if you were able to elaborate on your childhood?”
“There’s really not much to elaborate on. They loved drugs and alcohol more than their own children; they were never there. I raised Raelynn myself when we were home, with the help of mygrandmother. Our parents simply weren’t meant to be parents, but they wouldn’t give us up either.”
“What led up to their deaths? You were older than Raelynn. Did you ever suspect anything?”
She didn’t answer right away. I could feel her hesitation over the phone, so I gently prodded her a little more.
“Miss Devlin, any information you give me could only serve to help your sister.”
“Well, the thing is, Rae doesn’t know about dad.”
“What do you mean?” My curiosity piqued since there had been no recorded family medical history in Raelynn's chart.
“I mean, my grandmother told me some information about him that I never told Rae. With everything she’s gone through, the cutting and self-esteem issues, I didn’t want to burden her with something she couldn’t control.”
“What would that be, Miss Devlin?”
“My grandmother told me, years ago, I think I was maybe only eighteen at the time. A few years before they died, my dad was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.”
“So your family has a history of mental illness?”
