50 Mabel Sees Dana

In the back seat of Reggie's car Mabel glanced across Tommy towards Daisy. Daisy seemed happy about their return this week to see Tommy's therapist. Mason had one of his errands so instead Reggie volunteered to drive them to see the therapist. John sat in the front seat with Reggie. Reggie dropped him off at the police station and they continued on to the same downtown office building.

After parking Reggie joined the four walking towards the garage elevator. Without anything Mabel overheard Reggie fell in with their little group heading up to the therapist's office. Something had been decided outside her hearing. That she was sure of.

Reggie said, "This place hasn't changed much at all."

Mabel asked, "You've been here before?"

"Yes. My Mother brought me here a long time ago on a Halloween…on a Sunday. She and Dana used to be friends."

That was an odd coincidence. She wanted to ask why she came to see a therapist, but she didn't know Reggie so well, and besides they were with Daisy and Tommy. They entered Dana's office and checked in with the receptionist. Not three minutes in and Dana came to the front reception area herself.

"Reggie. So good to see you again. My you're all grown up."

"Hi Dana. I just wanted to say hello."

"Why don't you come in for a few minutes?"

All four following Dana entered the first room immediately off the waiting room. Mabel had a chill go up her spine. This was too much. What were the odds? Now…Daisy and Dana were acting like old friends. Reggie was a former patient. Tommy's problem was forgotten. The kid thought he was talking to ghosts every waking moment of every day. Finally, Reggie took her leave, and the three moved with Dana into her working office, that inner sanctum where her real head dissection work must be done, and took their same seats as before. Mabel made sure she got to her chair first leaving the couch for the real patient. They each got their water.

Mabel couldn't not ask. She blurted out, "So, Dana, you've met Reggie before."

"I have. She was only about 11 or 12 at the time and her mother, Joy, an old friend, brought her in. We only had the one session."

Mabel kept her voice as flat and uninterested as she could and ventured, "Did she see ghosts too?"

"Well, Joy had difficulties adjusting to a family trauma and then there was a divorce, but it all worked out well in the end."

Mabel noticed that Dana didn't answer the question…and very oddly it sounded to her as if Joy was the patient. It was possible she thought it too invasive, or it could be something else.

Dana said to Daisy, "Why don't you take Tommy to the other room? Look under the coffee table…I have a stash of chocolates and some other candies I bet he would like there."

Without one word of protest Daisy gave Mabel one glance tied to a teeny tiny friendly smile also known as a smirk when it's not so friendly, and took Tommy by the hand and out the door they went leaving her…alone…with Dana…the therapist. Mabel leaned back in her chair. She was alone with a therapist. It felt arranged. She didn't need her head examined. She wasn't seeing any ghosts, well, not often like everyday and she would not admit to it anyway. She could feel her heartbeat rising. She realized she was holding her breath. She let it out. Dana was still looking away.

Dana turned toward Mabel and asked, "You seem bothered by this phase that Tommy's going through."

"Phase. What phase? Dana, the boy sees and talks to ghosts…constantly. The only time he hasn't been, well, was in the car coming over here and then here. Has he mentioned who these ghosts are?" She was losing control, but she couldn't contain herself. She put her fingers up to count down the ghosts. "One is his bodyguard, ex-assassin, Ray, or two how about the little girl, that, get this, Ray murdered a few years back, according to Tommy. Did I mentioned that Ray was one of the men who tried to kill him last year? And that did…in fact…kill his parents? I think this is more than a phase. I'm not a head doctor, but come on. The kid's best friend is the ghost of the man that killed his parents. That's…weird on so many levels." She stopped, took a deep breath, and reached for some self control. "And this little girl was murdered the same way Tommy was supposed to die." She took another deep breath. She was about to cry or she would have continued.

Dana was watching her, not smiling, but also not being threatening in the least. Dana reached for her water and took a drink and took her time putting it back on the table. "Can you imagine what Tommy has had to deal with in the past year, and at his age?"

"No. I can't. I don't know all the details, but from what little I know…that's why I'm so worried. It's not normal for…"

"What he went through was not normal, Mabel, so I'm not sure what you're measuring your concept of normal against."

"He talks to ghosts. That's not normal by any stretch."

"OK. Aside from his talking to these imaginary friends…that he calls ghosts…is he abnormal in any other way?"

"Well…no…I can't think of…"

"Does Ray or Lin, do either of them ever tell him to do anything wrong or unusual or anything that would get him into trouble?"

"Actually…that's a little unusual."

"What is?"

"They…tell him things he couldn't possibly know about at his age and…they, especially Ray, tell him to behave."

"Mabel. I have to say. I really wish the problems brought to me fell into this type more often. They tell him to do good things only. Is that right?"

"Well…yes. As far as I've heard or seen they've never encouraged him in any undesirable directions."

.

.

A half hour later she left the inner sanctum with Dana. She had forgotten about Daisy and Tommy, they were sitting outside in the other room. As they exited they stood up and Tommy came over to greet her. "Mabel. You want some chocolate? I saved you some." He held out a small candy bar like the ones given out for Halloween.

"Thank you, Tommy." Mabel smiled at Daisy. "Did you want to talk with Dana?"

Daisy looked over at Dana and shook her head. "No. I think we're done here."

She shook hands with Dana and the three left together through the outer waiting room. As she closed the door behind her a nagging little fact pushed itself to the surface. She never mentioned the name Lin to Dana. She told her about Ray, but never named Lin. Tommy must have told her the name of the little girl ghost. Yeah that could explain it.