“Maybe he needs these sessions as much as me,” I muttered.
“He probably does,” Dr. Mayes agreed. “Maybe that’s where you could connect. Talk, and be there as a friend.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. It hurts.” It hurt my heart to know he had accepted I was gone, and that I wasn’t the girl he loved. I was no one to him.
“Okay, that’s fine. There is plenty of time,” Dr. Mayes said. “But I’d like to see you try. Just be open if anyone wants to talk. Do you think you can do that?”
“I’ll try.” I highly doubted it would work.
“How do you think you fit in with the family?”
“I don’t,” I said, dropping my chin to my chest. “I don’t belong with any of them. I never have, nor will I ever.”
“Why do you think that?” She shushed Zevon as he went to speak.
“Have you met them?” I huffed, my voice rising. I grimaced, not wanting to get upset again. “I’m basically the black sheep. I don’t like people. I’m not strong, and I have nothing to offer them. I’m better off staying away from them all.”
“There is so much wrong with everything you said,” Dr. Mayes said. “I thought we were making progress in here.”
Disappointment filled me once more.
“You have so much to offer to the entire world, dear. If they can’t see it, then they are the ones who are missing out. Not you. I’m sure Zevon won’t let you stay away.”
“No.” He was quick to agree. That was one person who would do everything in their power to keep me close to him. “I won’t let you push me away, pretty girl.”
“Just because you don’t get along with some of your family doesn’t mean everyone is like that. You bring to the family things that no one else has. You just have to find out what that is. Ace knows you have something special about you. I’m sure others do too, including your parents.
“You got this, Scarlett,” Dr. Mayes went on when I didn’t say anything. “You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You are learning to cope, and that is a huge step. After everything you’ve been through, you are doing really well.”
The wind threw snowflakes at the window with each gust. My body shook with each wracking shiver that rocked me to my core.
“Tell me a story, Lisa.” My voice was hoarse. What I really wanted was someone to lay another blanket over the top of me, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I already had the two blankets I was allowed.
“All right,” she sighed, pulling me closer to her for warmth. “Once upon a time, there was a princess. She was stuck high up in a tower with no way to get out. She lived there, alone with nothing but her own thoughts.”
“Rapunzel?”
“Oh, this one is better than that,” she said sweetly and placed her hand on my sweaty head. “This story is about how the princess is the one to save the day. Princesses don’t need a man to do what a woman can do.”
“But—” I was interrupted by a deep cough. I coughed so hard, my throat was on fire.
When it passed, Lisa handed me a glass of water, and my second dose of the antibiotic. Apparently, I was sick with strep. I didn’t get sick often, and I wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse. When I had the flu a couple of years ago, Lisa stayed the night and my father was nowhere to be seen or heard. I didn’t think I’d be so lucky this time.
“This story,” Lisa continued after I laid back down on my pillow and let my eyes close, “is about a girl who is super special. She can talk to all the animals in the kingdom. They’re the ones that warn you of the dangers out there, beyond the tower.”
“What kind of dangers?”
“The kind that lurk in the darkness. Vampires, werewolves, and mighty beasts that eat little piggies.”
“I think you need to relearn your stories,” I yawned. “I want a good one.”
“Okay, fine,” she laughed lightly, making the bed shake. “I’ll have to freshen up my skills. For now, how about you rest. You don’t want to miss out on too much homework.”
“It isn’t that big a deal. Not like it’ll matter.”
