He looks at her.
"Please."
He finally caves and plops next to her. He scrubs his face. "I don't understand any of this."
Silence fills the room.
Confusion is an honest emotion. It's the only one in this room that hasn't been weaponized yet, so I let it linger a bit longer. If I move too fast, if I react instead of regulate, this fractures completely. I've walked into volatile family sessions before, full of addiction, violence, and secrets, but this one hums differently. The charge isn't chaos.
It's control.
Adrian's fighting for it.
Skylar wants it.
Blue already has it.
She sits on the edge of my desk, totally comfortable, like she belongs there. Her spine is straight, chin lifted, eyes bright with a disturbing triumph. Every inch of her body language is a provocation wrapped in compliance, telling me she's testing proximity, hierarchy, and reactions.
I straighten my clipboard on my lap, too afraid to lift it, and state, "Not understanding doesn't mean something is wrong. It means something hasn't been explained in a way that makes sense to you yet."
Adrian drags his hands down his face. "She's talking about hurting herself like it's…like it's nothing."
I nod, agreeing, "It isn't nothing, but it also isn't attention-seeking or defiance. Self-harm is a coping strategy. A maladaptive one, but a strategy nonetheless."
Skylar turns watery eyes on me. "A strategy for what?"
"For regulation. Control. For grounding when emotions overwhelm the nervous system," I inform.
Blue tilts her head, studying me as if I've just said something especially pleasing.
Adrian's gaze sharpens. "So what, she cuts herself because she's bored?"
I firmly assert, "No. She cuts herself because she's overwhelmed or hurting."
"So she hurts herself because she's hurt? That makes no sense," Adrian hurls.
Blue's smile flickers. It's a hairline crack, but I don't miss it.
I explain, "Pain narrows focus. It pulls the mind out of spirals and into the body. That doesn't make it healthy, but it makes it understandable."
"I don't get it," Adrian admits, shaking his head at Skylar. "How did we do this to her?"
I acknowledge, "This isn't from something either of you did."
"Bullshit," Adrian growls.
"Dad! Don't talk that way to Dr. Mercer!" Blue orders.
He snaps his head toward her, then his eyes dart between us.
Silence thickens with heavy tension.
The hairs on my arms rise.
Skylar presses her lips together. She directs toward me, "Why didn't you tell us our daughter was hurting herself outside of the one event we knew about?"
"She's an adult. I can't breach confidentiality. That's why I suggested we have a family session," I answer.
