Page 21 of Covert Affairs

Therapy animals… She thought about her birds. Beatrice had said she’d get them back for her.I should include animals in my Trident—

Stop it! No more Trident. That was over and done.

Beatrice sat next to Cal, the two holding hands. “Not to rush you,” he said, glancing at his watch. Not as showy as Rory’s but still what she’d expect for a military guy to sport. “I have shooting practice in twenty.”

Did the man ever slow down? Those peer support meetings might be helping him, but he was wound tighter than she was. “This won’t take long.” She took the only empty seat, nodding at Trace, Jax, and Connor. These were the people, along with Beatrice, who hung out with Sloane the most? Vivi opened the spiral notebook she’d brought and wrote the date at the top and the list of names. She didn’t know their codenames, so she used her own method—Beatrice was Bee 1, Cal, Stressball Dog, etc. For each, she gave them a descriptive word, color, and or number. “Thank you for meeting with me today. As you know, I’m looking into possibilities to resolve Sloane’s nightmares. Can any of you think of a reason she might he struggling?”

As a unit, they shook their heads.

“Okay, let’s back up. I know each of you have experienced traumatic events, as children and adults. I’m sure you all understand the connection between those and challenges you have currently. For instance, my father was a genius at physics, but he wasn’t good at relationships. We had a rocky one, and it still affects those I have today in some ways. I continue to have hang-ups and triggers. You do, as well, and some of your experiences may show up in your dreams also, right?”

As if they were puppets on strings, they nodded in unison.

“As adults, you have resources available to you to help you work through them. Sloane does not. Something has embedded itself in her subconscious and is trying to work its way out. That’s why I’m digging into this more deeply with each of you. I don’t need you to bare your soul, but I do need you to be honest with me. What traumas have you experienced during the time you’ve known Sloane?”

Jax sat forward, elbows on his knees. His white doctor’s coat was unbuttoned and rippled with the movement. “You think we’re causing her nightmares?”

“I’m simply trying to rule out the obvious.” One of Vivi’s play sessions with Sloane had revealed that the girl considered her stuffed animals and dolls her friends, along with the men and women of SFI. To an extent, that was fine, but she needed interaction with other children. “How often does she play with kids her age?”

A concerned frown creased Beatrice’s forehead. “Once a month, maybe?”

Vivi made a note. “So, her main interaction is with adults.”

“We’re not exactlynormal.” Cal made air quotes as he said the word. “Our ability to keep a low profile and stay under the radar is our foremost goal. You understand that, right? Sloane isn’t like other kids. We can’t send her off to daycare, or allow her to have friends here for sleepovers.”

Vivi bit her tongue. She didn’t need to tell him how unhealthy that was for a growing child. “Does she ever do things such as go to the park?”

She knew the answer before Beatrice shook her head. “We restrict her access to public places so she doesn’t become a target.”

“It would be wise to find a compromise. I noticed at the compound you were installing playground equipment, and that’s good, but we need to find a way to have her spend time with peers.” She tapped her notepad with the pen and looked around the circle, meeting each of their gazes. “None of you answered me about any challenging experiences or traumas you’ve had since she was born. In the past three years, none of you have had a security client who gave you trouble? A mission that went wrong?”

They glanced at each other, and Trace spoke first. “Sure. Our jobs are challenging on a daily basis.”

“Did any of these incidents directly involve the girl?”

They shook their heads and murmured “nos.” Again, like a unit who lived, worked, and breathed teamwork.

Then Connor said, “Except her birth.”

Vivi raised a brow. “What happened?”

“We were attacked. An art thief, seeking revenge for the death of her father and brother,” Beatrice told her. “She tried to kill us.”

“During the birth?” Vivi knew her eyes were round with shock. She’d heard impossible stories from the various men and women she’d counseled in her time, but this might top them all. “What in the world…?”

Between Cal, Beatrice, Trace, and Connor, who’d been with them when it went down, she heard a truly disturbing scenario. They were all lucky to be alive, including the precious little girl.

When they finished with the details, Vivi sat motionless for a moment. She needed to write down the facts, toy with theories, but she simply sat and let it sink in.

Jax kicked back in his chair. He seemed to know what she was thinking concerning the child’s subconscious. “She was a newborn. She can’t possibly remember any of that.”

Vivi closed her notebook. “While it’s true that most of us don’t consciously recall anything from our initial two to three years of age due to a phenomenon called infantile amnesia, research suggests traumatic births increase anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and early childhood development issues. Remembering the details isn’t the issue, it’s the emotional trauma you and she experienced. There’s nothing more frightening than your child being threatened, and during birth… Well, I can’t imagine anything more traumatic for youandher.”

Beatrice rubbed her temple. “We’ve screwed her up, haven’t we?”

Cal patted her back. “It’s my fault, not yours.”

“It’s not about placing blame.” Vivi hated the fact they had been through something so awful, but at least she had a possible cause. She wouldn’t rule out others, but a spark of eagerness replaced the previous hopelessness. “Now we know where to start rebuilding her confidence and feelings of security.”

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