Chapter 4: Therapy I: Bingo
"Alright Bingo, I'm going to be right out here in the waiting room while you and Dr. Ted talk." Bandit placed his hand on Bingo's shoulder, trying to elicit some sort of response. She simply shrugged before trudging through the doorway and into the office. He sighed, God I hope this works.
"Hello Bingo, my name's Dr. Ted. Since today is our first session I figured it would be a good chance for me to get to know you a little bit." He smiled, stooping down to her level.
Bingo averted her gaze, momentarily glancing at some of the toys in the corner before it settled on her feet.
"If you want you can play with some of the toys for a little bit, then when you're ready we can talk."
Bingo nodded, walking over to a few of the toys. After a bit of hesitation she pulled out a stuffed rabbit and tightly hugged it.
"Oh, you found Peter!" Ted smiled, "He's one of our favorite helpers."
Bingo glanced at Ted.
"Oh, you wonder how he's a helper?"
She nodded.
"Well, Peter has some awesome helper powers. He can talk for you! If you don't want to say something, or you're afraid that saying something might hurt someone's feelings, Peter can say it instead."
Bingo glanced at the stuffed toy before slowly moving it to block her face. "Hello." She whispered.
"Hello Peter! It's nice to talk to you today. Have you gotten a chance to meet our new friend Bingo?"
Bingo shook the toy as if it were shaking its head no.
"Well, I hope you get to, she seems like a very nice young lady." Ted paused, "Do you think you'd want to help her talk today?"
Bingo nodded the doll's head.
"Awesome! Well, let's look around. She's got to be here somewhere…" Ted acted like he couldn't see Bingo. "Hmm… do you think she's under the couch?" He stuck his snout under the couch. "No, not there… maybe she's hiding behind my desk…" He walked over to his desk. "Excuse me Peter; I need to check for Bingo downstairs." He mimed walking down a flight of stairs.
Bingo giggled at the sight.
"Oh, I think I heard her!" Ted popped his head out from behind his desk.
"I'm here!" Bingo declared, moving from behind Peter.
"Peter! Were you hiding her this whole time?" Ted put his hands on his hips.
Bingo nodded the toy's head.
"Oh, Peter…" Ted sighed. "Well, do you think you're ready to talk with Bingo and me?"
Bingo hesitated before she replied. "Yes."
***BCH***
After a few minutes of discussing her likes and school, Ted gradually started to move the conversation toward Bingo's family.
"So, Bingo, I saw someone drop you off today. Was that your dad?"
"Yeah."
"He seems nice."
"He is." Bingo nodded.
"Can you tell me a bit about your dad?"
Bingo hesitated, she hadn't talked this much in a while and while she was starting to feel willing to speak a bit more, she was afraid. But Mr. Dr. Ted seems nice, and I have Peter to help… She held up the stuffed rabbit a moment before she spoke, "He's really nice. He used to play games with me and Bluey all the time, but we don't really do that anymore. He's still tries to, though."
"Who's Bluey?"
"Bluey's my sister."
"Is she your big sister or little sister?"
"My big sister, she's 7, almost 8."
"And you said that you and your dad and Bluey used to play games but don't anymore, what changed? Why don't you play games anymore?"
Bingo pulled Peter closer. "Because mum died. She fell in the fire when she was carrying me."
"Oh. Bingo I'm sorry." Ted sighed. "That's why you don't feel much like playing games?"
Bingo nodded her head, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Bingo, I know it's hard to lose someone you love. My mother died a few years ago and it was really tough on me."
Bingo looked down at the grey rabbit in her grasp before hoarsely whispering. "If I wasn't there mum wouldn't have been heavy enough to break the boards and she'd be alright."
Ted frowned as he looked at the small girl on the verge of tears, "Bingo, even if that was true, were you the one to choose for your mum to hold you?"
"No."
"And if she wasn't holding you, do you think you could have safely gotten out on your own?"
Bingo paused, thinking of the scary fire coming out of the floor and how she'd clung to her parents. "No. I don't think I'd've been brave enough."
"Your mum chose to pick you up; she wanted to keep you safe. It isn't your job to keep your parents safe. She was doing what she thought was best. What happened wasn't your fault."
"But she said we'd all be fine! She promised! I messed up because I ate too much at dinner and she fell and now she's gone and it's all my fault!" Bingo shouted, tears now streaming down her face.
"Bingo, it is not your fault." Ted stated firmly.
"Yes it is! I made her break her promise and now she's gone!"
Ted got up and stooped to Bingo's level as she sat on the couch. "Bingo, what happened was an accident. Do you know what accident means?"
Bingo nodded. "When something happens and you didn't want it."
"Exactly. No one is responsible for what happened, it was an accident." He paused, gently placing his paw on Bingo's, glancing at the clock on the wall. "We are almost finished for today, but I want to give you some homework."
"Homework?"
"Yes, but I promise this won't be math." Ted smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "I want you to talk with your father and sister about what caused the fire." Thank God Bandit filled me in on that when we talked last time.
Bingo frowned.
"If you understand what caused it you can see that it wasn't anyone's fault. What happened to your mum, it's nobody's fault-not you, not your dad or sister, no one. I promise it will help."
Bingo wiped her tears with Peter's ears. "Okay, I'll try."
"Good." Ted nodded.
A minute later the door opened and Ted escorted Bingo back to Bandit. "You should be very proud of yourself Bingo; you did a lot of hard work today. Remember your homework, when you're ready you can do that with your dad and sister."
"Thanks. I will." She mumbled. She looked up at Bandit, "Hi dad."
***BCH***
After dinner Bingo worked up the courage to have a real conversation with her father and sister for the first time in almost a month. Bluey was sitting at the table picking at her dessert across from her when Bingo spoke, "Um, dad…"
"Yeah Bingo?" Bandit said, looking up from the washing, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips-glad that his daughter was trying to talk to him again.
"Um, Mr. Dr. Ted told me that I was supposed to talk to you two."
"He wanted us to talk?" Bluey asked.
"Yeah." Bingo mumbled, ducking her head slightly.
"Alright, what did he want us to talk about?" Bingo set the dishrag in the sink and moved over to the dining table where Bingo was sitting.
"What caused the fire?"
Bandit was stunned a moment. It was the first time either of his daughters had mentioned the fire directly, let alone wanted to discuss it. "Um, well, the inspector said it was caused by faulty wiring. The house was old. When the people who lived there before us put in the kitchen they didn't replace the old wiring from when the house was built. The old wires got too hot and started sparking, and that caused the fire."
"So, it wasn't anyone's fault that the fire happened?" Bingo confirmed.
"No mate, it was an accident."
Bingo was silent a moment before she spoke again, "And what happened to mum, it wasn't my fault?"
Bandit clenched his teeth together a moment before he realized he was grinding them. He stopped and mentally counted to five before responding, "Bingo, of course not. What happened, none of us could've stopped it. It's a miracle you got out alive." Bandit picked up his youngest and held her close to his chest.
"Bingo…" Bluey looked at her sister, unsure of what else to say.
"C'mere." Bandit scooped up both his daughters. Silence settled over the dining room, but unlike the emptiness that had been present the last few weeks, this quiet was one of comfort as a father held his world between his arms.
