The Perfect Child(33)

“Hi, sweetie,” she said, bending down to kiss Janie on the top of her head, never missing a beat in her stroller rhythm.

“Hiya!” Janie said. “Where’s your puppy?”

“He’s not here today. I’m sorry. Maybe next time.” She smiled down at Janie, who smiled back.

“That’s okay. Next time,” Janie said. “Bye-bye!” She waved at Meredith and scampered off, calling out to Violet and Brynn to join her on the swings.

My blood boiled. I could barely contain my anger. I’d expected her to talk to the other kids, but I had never thought she’d talk to the other women. She’d spoken to Meredith like it was nothing. She ran up and down the equipment, laughing and squealing, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She never once looked back at me. I could’ve left, and she wouldn’t have noticed I was gone.

I didn’t speak to Janie or interact with her the rest of the time we were at the park. I was afraid she’d ignore me, and I’d be humiliated in front of all the other mothers.

I tried again on our walk home, hoping she was over it. “That sure was a lot of fun, huh?” I asked, trying to keep the neediness out of my voice.

Silence.

“Do you want to come back tomorrow?”

More silence.

I dropped her hand and bit back tears. I left her alone for the rest of the afternoon, and she was perfectly content being by herself. She heard the door open when Christopher returned and rushed out of her room.

“Dr. Chris!” she squealed, throwing herself at him.

He wrapped himself around her, laughing and kissing the top of her head. “I missed you, too, sweetheart.”

She pulled his head down and whispered something into his ear. His eyes lit up, and he laughed again.

“I have to get groceries,” I said, but neither of them acted like they’d heard me. I grabbed my keys and headed to my car. I couldn’t stand another minute of it.



“What did I ever do to her? Seriously, what did I do?” I asked Christopher as we brushed our teeth in the bathroom that night. I was still angry. And hurt, but it was easier to focus on my anger.

“You didn’t do anything. She’s just adjusting to me going back to work,” he said as he flossed his teeth like it wasn’t a big deal. “She’ll be fine in a few more days.”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t get it. It has nothing to do with adjusting. She’s punishing me.”

He burst out laughing. “What is she punishing you for?”

I smacked him on the arm. “Stop laughing at me. It’s not funny. I told you that she’s mad about being left here with me while you go to work. She’s ignoring me to be mean.”

He finally stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me. “Do you hear yourself? Being mean? She doesn’t even know how to be mean.”

“Are you kidding?” I raised my hands in exasperation. “She knows how to be mean, and she knows exactly what she’s doing.”

He shook his head, refusing to believe it. I stormed into the bedroom. I didn’t care what he thought—I was right on this one. She’d been awful to me on purpose today.





CASE #5243

INTERVIEW:

PIPER GOLDSTEIN

Luke flipped through the file in front of him like he didn’t have a care in the world and could stay here all day. It made me feel more hedged in. He looked up and then back down before speaking. “It says here that you got them help? Why did you feel they needed psychological help?”

I shook my head. It wasn’t like that. “Janie had been seeing a child psychologist since the day she was admitted to the hospital. The only thing I suggested was that they see an attachment therapist.”

“An attachment therapist?”

“They’re therapists that specialize in working with kids who’ve been abused and are experiencing attachment issues.”

Ron jumped in. “So you thought Janie had attachment issues?”

“Anyone in her situation would.”

“Did you tell the Bauers that?”

“Of course. And I also told them they needed to have realistic expectations about Janie.”

Everyone always acted like I hadn’t warned them. I’d warned them plenty. They just hadn’t listened.

Luke cocked his head to the side in a way I’d grown accustomed to in only a short period of time. “What do you mean?”

“Parenting a traumatized child is horribly difficult. Most of them suffer from severe attachment issues, and mothers are usually the targets of their rage. It can get pretty awful.”

By law, I was only required to check in monthly with the Bauers, but I had stopped by as often as I could. I’d stopped by shortly after Christopher had gone back to work and had gotten to see firsthand how Janie had ignored Hannah.

I had knocked on the door, and Janie had opened it within seconds. She’d frowned when she’d seen me.

“Hi, Janie, how are you?” I’d asked.

“Good,” she’d replied.

“Janie, let Piper in,” Hannah had called from inside.

Janie had stood there, unmoving.

“Can I come in?”

She’d shrugged. “Okay.” Then she’d moved aside.