Page 29 of Girl Betrayed

“You don’t trust me?” he called after her.

“I don’t trust anyone,” Dana replied.

She knocked gently on her guest room door before entering. “Claire? Are you okay?”

The girl lay on her side, facing away from Dana. “Yeah. Just tired. Do you mind if I just take a few minutes?”

“Take all the time you need,” Dana said, quietly shutting the door.

She returned to the living room and took a seat in the leather wingback chair opposite Dr. Dvita. “You’re very good with her,” he commented. “It’s easy to see why she respects and admires you so deeply as a mentor and friend.”

Dana smiled. “She said that?”

“Yes. It’s very clear that you and Agent Shepard play a central role in her desire for rehabilitation.” Dr. Dvita steepled his fingers as if weighing his next words. “Tell me, how long have you and Agent Shepard been in an intimate relationship?”

“What?” The question caught Dana completely off guard. “We’re not.”

“Ah, so it’s new, then?”

“What it is, is none of your business.”

“I disagree. Anything that adversely affects my patient is most certainly my business.”

“I’m sorry, but my personal life is just that, Dr. Dvita.”

“Maybe so, but Claire is a very perceptive individual. And since it appears she’s staying here with both you and Agent Shepard, your personal life is an influence on her whether you’d like it to be or not.” He adjusted his glasses and blinked in that unsettling way of his. “A word of advice, whatever’s going on between you and Agent Shepard should be put on hold if you care about Claire’s recovery.”

“Of course I care, but what does our relationship have to do with it?”

“I’m aware of your credentials, Dr. Gray. You’re an educated woman. You know what Claire exhibited while under hypnosis is far beyond the norm.”

“What are you saying?”

“In my time with Claire it’s become evident that she struggles with multiple identities, existing in various planes. The strongest one, and the one we want to help her cling to, is that of your trusted colleague and friend. She knows where she stands inthat existence, with you as her mentor and Agent Shepard as her protector. If those roles change and she no longer recognizes where she fits, she may feel she doesn’t belong and lose grip on this reality altogether.”

“Dr. Dvita, with all due respect, I know what Claire exhibited today was unusual, but I’ve worked with her for years. She’s never displayed signs of multiple personalities before.”

“Often that’s how mental health conditions occur. They’re not there until they are.”

“Right, but last year I wasn’t there for Claire. She got mixed up with drugs and the wrong people. Isn’t it likely that trauma is causing her confusion? There are a plethora of cases where subjects revert to past or imaginary identities as a protective coping mechanism.”

“Absolutely. DID is usually caused by past trauma. But the issue isn’t identifying the trauma. It’s treating the symptoms.”

“DID?” Dana sat back, letting her shock set in.

“DID is shorthand for dissociative identity disorder,” Dr. Dvita explained.

“I know what it stands for,” Dana snapped. “I don’t agree with the diagnosis.”

“You don’t have to agree with me, Dr. Gray. But it’s my professional opinion that Claire needs to continue seeking psychiatric guidance to keep her episodes from worsening. At the moment, she is under my care, and I’d like that to continue.” He paused, his dark eyes evaluating Dana. “But if you’d rather a second opinion, I can make the necessary referrals.”

Dana stared at the man, trying to decipher if he was driven by an ulterior motive. It was times like these when she missed Jake. He was much better at reading people than she was.

“You’ve shared your diagnosis with Claire?” Dana asked.

“I haven’t,” he answered. “I’m only sharing it with you because Claire authorized you and Agent Shepard on hermedical release forms. You’re both listed as her emergency contacts.”

Dana ignored the pang of emotions crowding her chest. “Why haven’t you shared your opinion with Claire?”

---