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Authors: Cate Culpepper
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heard the good stories about my parents. I remember those.” Becca granted Patricia that much. “But I know they didn’t have a perfect marriage, and neither of you have said much about that.”
Patricia started to speak, but Mitchell beat her to it, which was not technically interrupting, it was just Mitchell. “I’d say you’ve summed it up plainly enough, Becca, and I’m not sure what more we can add. Pat and I weren’t privy to the intimate details of Scott’s marriage. You’re right. It wasn’t a perfect union. I haven’t known many of those, however, except my own.” He lifted his coffee cup to Patricia. Becca noted Mitchell’s definition of a perfect union involved Patricia’s lifelong willingness to overlook his roving eye, but he was right; their marriage had always been solid.
“But there was no abuse in their relationship, Becca.” Patricia spoke with the authority of the director of a women’s shelter. “We would have been aware of that, certainly. Scott and Maddie may have argued, but we would have stepped in if we thought there was violence.”
“You did step in, though, didn’t you?” Becca smiled at Rachel. “You were worried enough that you got them into counseling with the best psychiatrist in Seattle.”
Jo had been checking the device to see if it was recording, but now she set it down. “Dr. Perry? You saw Becca’s parents in counseling? I wasn’t aware of this.”
“I told you Rachel was my therapist when I was a kid, Jo, after my parents died.” Becca tried not to sound snappish, but she didn’t try hard. “That’s how I knew her. Mitchell referred my folks to her for marriage counseling.”
“I couldn’t imagine better hands to entrust them to.” Mitchell inclined his head at Rachel. “Pat and I had heard enough to know there was a lot of tension under that roof. And it’s true we were concerned enough to ask Rachel to meet with them.”
“But it wasn’t a referral you should have taken, was it?” Jo turned to Rachel. She didn’t sound accusatory, just curious.
Rachel lifted her head. “Because?”
“You mentioned that Mitchell is one of your oldest friends, correct? Doesn’t that mean you had at least some personal contact with his younger brother, as well? I’m wondering if it was wise, or ethical, to agree to see a family friend in a clinical setting.”
Becca bit back a knee-jerk defense of Rachel, trusting her to speak for herself. The planes of Rachel’s elegant face held the same pallor that had worried Becca the day before and she sat stiffly, as if she were in pain, but she answered Jo easily.
“Under any other circumstances you’d be right, Joanne. I really intended just to do a preliminary assessment and then refer Scott and Maddie on to a colleague who would be a good fit for them. It began as a simple evaluation for marital counseling, but it quickly became focused on Maddie.”
Rachel paused and took Becca’s hand in her own. “Becca, your mother was my patient. You know her death doesn’t release me from the promise I make to all my patients, that I’ll honor their privacy. You’re my friend now, but there are things I can’t and won’t tell you about Maddie’s journey. Do you still understand that?”
Becca ignored Jo’s sliding the recorder closer to them. She didn’t answer Rachel right away, letting the room mellow until it was just the two of them again, comfortable and familiar. “You’ve told me that so many times, Rach. I do understand. Or I do whenever I’m not feeling this raw. But I really need your help with all this tonight, okay? Tell us what you can.”
Rachel sighed and straightened in her chair. “All right. Most of this is fairly common knowledge anyway. Becca’s mother suffered from bipolar disorder, Joanne. She only had one manic episode to my knowledge, before her child was born. But she struggled hard with some devastating depressions when Becca was quite young.”
Rachel spoke gently, but
Patricia started to speak, but Mitchell beat her to it, which was not technically interrupting, it was just Mitchell. “I’d say you’ve summed it up plainly enough, Becca, and I’m not sure what more we can add. Pat and I weren’t privy to the intimate details of Scott’s marriage. You’re right. It wasn’t a perfect union. I haven’t known many of those, however, except my own.” He lifted his coffee cup to Patricia. Becca noted Mitchell’s definition of a perfect union involved Patricia’s lifelong willingness to overlook his roving eye, but he was right; their marriage had always been solid.
“But there was no abuse in their relationship, Becca.” Patricia spoke with the authority of the director of a women’s shelter. “We would have been aware of that, certainly. Scott and Maddie may have argued, but we would have stepped in if we thought there was violence.”
“You did step in, though, didn’t you?” Becca smiled at Rachel. “You were worried enough that you got them into counseling with the best psychiatrist in Seattle.”
Jo had been checking the device to see if it was recording, but now she set it down. “Dr. Perry? You saw Becca’s parents in counseling? I wasn’t aware of this.”
“I told you Rachel was my therapist when I was a kid, Jo, after my parents died.” Becca tried not to sound snappish, but she didn’t try hard. “That’s how I knew her. Mitchell referred my folks to her for marriage counseling.”
“I couldn’t imagine better hands to entrust them to.” Mitchell inclined his head at Rachel. “Pat and I had heard enough to know there was a lot of tension under that roof. And it’s true we were concerned enough to ask Rachel to meet with them.”
“But it wasn’t a referral you should have taken, was it?” Jo turned to Rachel. She didn’t sound accusatory, just curious.
Rachel lifted her head. “Because?”
“You mentioned that Mitchell is one of your oldest friends, correct? Doesn’t that mean you had at least some personal contact with his younger brother, as well? I’m wondering if it was wise, or ethical, to agree to see a family friend in a clinical setting.”
Becca bit back a knee-jerk defense of Rachel, trusting her to speak for herself. The planes of Rachel’s elegant face held the same pallor that had worried Becca the day before and she sat stiffly, as if she were in pain, but she answered Jo easily.
“Under any other circumstances you’d be right, Joanne. I really intended just to do a preliminary assessment and then refer Scott and Maddie on to a colleague who would be a good fit for them. It began as a simple evaluation for marital counseling, but it quickly became focused on Maddie.”
Rachel paused and took Becca’s hand in her own. “Becca, your mother was my patient. You know her death doesn’t release me from the promise I make to all my patients, that I’ll honor their privacy. You’re my friend now, but there are things I can’t and won’t tell you about Maddie’s journey. Do you still understand that?”
Becca ignored Jo’s sliding the recorder closer to them. She didn’t answer Rachel right away, letting the room mellow until it was just the two of them again, comfortable and familiar. “You’ve told me that so many times, Rach. I do understand. Or I do whenever I’m not feeling this raw. But I really need your help with all this tonight, okay? Tell us what you can.”
Rachel sighed and straightened in her chair. “All right. Most of this is fairly common knowledge anyway. Becca’s mother suffered from bipolar disorder, Joanne. She only had one manic episode to my knowledge, before her child was born. But she struggled hard with some devastating depressions when Becca was quite young.”
Rachel spoke gently, but
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