Esther and Mercy

Part 11

Esther has just finished her session with De. Browning. Mercy had her session before her. "It was nice talking to you, Alice. I hope we can be friends."

"I'd like that." Dr. Browning invites John and Kate to come into her office. She gets right to business. "My initial instinct is that there's not a deeply-rooted problem in the girls' past." 

"So there's nothing wrong with her?" Kate can't believe what she's hearing. "No. It's not all good news. I think what needs to be examined is their relationship with those around them. Specifically with you, Kate. It seems Esther feels there's been some real tension between the two of you."

"Okay."

"She's doing her best to please you, but you're blocking her attempts to bond." 

"That's not true. That's not true at all. I've done everything. Right?" 

"Just let her finish." 

"Something's happening to cause Esther to feel this way. Perhaps it's your guilt about drinking and what happened to Max. Maybe some of your feelings of inadequacy as a mother are manifesting themselves in your relationship with Esther. And Mercy to a lesser extent."

"Mercy? What's going on with her?"

"She feels you've been pulling away, Kate. She doesn't understand why you suddenly started pulling away."

"I haven't been pulling away. And I don't feel inadequate as a mother. What did they tell you?"

"Esther and Mercy are very shy, reserved, sensitive little girls going through an extremely difficult time. They're exceptionally bright and highly articulate. They just need a little patience and understanding." 

Meanwhile, Esther is in a bathroom stall, trying to calm herself down. "She didn't see. She doesn't know. She's so stupid." She screams and throws herself around the stall. Mercy knocks on the stall door. "She really didn't see anything. I'm sure of it."

"How do you know for sure? What if... what if she.." Esther can't finish the thought. "She won't. We've gotten this far, right?" She caresses Esther's face in a manner one might do to a lover. "Our secret is safe. And if it's not, we leave and start over." Mercy holds her sister until she calms down fully. There's something about the interaction that an observer would deem inappropriate. 

"Thanks for your support back there." 

"That was your idea." John reminds his wife. Kate's phone rings. "Kate, wait, wait, wait. I'm not a psychiatrist, but a lot of what she said made sense." The ringing phone is distracting. "Do you wanna get that?" Kate finally picks up the phone. 

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mrs. Coleman?" 

"Yes. Who's this?"

"This is Sister Judith from St. Mariana's. I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to know if Sister Abigail made it to her appointment with you."

"Yes. Why?" 

"She hasn't returned since yesterday and I'm just starting to get really worried." She has a right to be.