Page 110 of Pin-up Girl

Dr. Turner looked at me when the door was closed. “This is always the hard part.”

That did not make me feel better.

“There’s a balance between getting people’s hopes up by not telling them enough, or worrying them when I don’t need to, by telling them too much.”

I couldn’t do this. “Tell me what you need to. I’ll deal with it.”

She handed me the remaining pages she’d printed. “These are the referrals I have for you, based on her history and what we discussed today. You already have several scheduled, but I recommend starting here.” She pointed to a name at the top of the page. Next to the name it said PhD, specializing in children’s psychology.

“What is this?” I had an inkling, but because it wasn’t an option on my mental what could be wrong with Dee list, I had a hard time wrapping my brain around it.

Dr Turner frowned.

The pieces were slotting better in my mind. “I’m not going to freak out about my kid seeing a therapist, if that’s why you’re hesitating. I’m not that dad.”

She seemed to relax. “The good news is, I don’t see anything wrong with Dee’s heart. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing there. She should still have some more tests, and your insurance will cover them.”

Thank you, Aubrey.

“From talking to her,” Dr Turner continued, “and looking at her vitals over the past few weeks, I think she’d benefit from talking to someone with more experience up here.” She tapped the side of her head. “Especially if there’s stress at home.”

Dee was happy, but it was easy to see she was still bothered by Regina leaving her. “There is.”

“I’m glad you see that. Keep monitoring her, and we’ll see her back here for her follow-up.”

I felt lighter as I thanked her and went in search of Dee and Aubrey. This wasn’t a solution, but it felt like a good direction.

I headed into the waiting room to find Dee playing with a plastic ball stapled to a string that was attached to a flimsy cup. She would flick her wrist, the ball would fly in the air, and not get anywhere near landing in the cup.

“Can I go through your scraps and decorate it?” Dee was asking Aubrey.

“Of course.” Aubrey met my gaze with a questioning look.

Dee looked up to. “Am I okay, Dad?”

“You’re wonderful.” I’d explain to each of them separately. I wanted Dee to have the choice about how much she told who when it came to therapy.

“Brodie is in Salt Lake, not too far from here,” Aubrey said. “He still won’t tell me why, but he wants to know if we’re free for lunch.”

He’d been working on something Top Secret since school started, and clammed up any time we asked him about it. Maybe we could prod for more information today.

“Can we, Dad?” Dee gave me pleading eyes. “I want pancakes with fruit faces.”

Aubrey had taken the whole day off, and Dee and I were skipping school to be here, so we had time. “I don’t see why not.” I was happy to see Dee happy.

As the three of us strolled out to the parking lot, Dee yanked on my arm. “Dad, I need to talk to you.”

“I’ll meet you at the car.” Aubrey waved and walked away. She’d driven because her car was better suited for three people, given the hour and a half trek each way.

I crouched to bring myself to eye-level with Dee. “What’s up?”

“Is it okay if I’m having a good day?”

The question tugged at my heart. “Of course it’s okay. Is there something that should make it bad?”

“I miss Mom. I miss not going to the old house, even though she was always busy.”

“That’s okay too. You’re allowed to miss Mom and have a good day at the same time.”

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