Sweet on Sophie ( (A Red Maple Falls Novel, #11) by Theresa Paolo

Author:Theresa Paolo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theresa Paolo
Published: 2021-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

***

The waiting room of Dr. Howard’s office wasn’t much different from his own waiting room. A few well-placed chairs lined along the wall and the center and a television in the corner. Not much in the way of a distraction, which Drake could really use at the moment. He assumed Charlotte was fine, or Dr. Howard would have called for him.

He adjusted in his seat, picking up and putting down the magazine on big game fishing for the tenth time.

Finally, the door opened, and Charlotte came out, Dr. Howard right behind her. Drake jumped up from his chair and met Charlotte. “How’d it go?”

She shrugged, and his heart sank a little. It’s not that he thought she’d walk out the door and suddenly be talking again, or maybe he did, and that disappointing blow hit low.

“Mr. Stevens, if you could come into my office for a moment.”

Happy to finally be able to do something other than wait, Drake bent down to Charlotte. “Are you okay to stay here for a moment while I go speak with Dr. Howard?”

She nodded, and Drake glanced over to Celia, the receptionist. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Charlotte while I…?” Drake pointed toward the office door.

“Absolutely. Take your time,” Celia said with a reassuring smile.

Drake followed Dr. Howard to his office. A nice spread with a mahogany desk and a brown leather chair. Drake sat across from him and kicked his foot onto his knee. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Absolutely,” Dr. Howard said. “It appears to be selective mutism, which usually coexists with social anxiety disorder. Charlotte has experienced a great trauma, and now she is currently surrounded by people she doesn’t know. As she gets more comfortable with the people and her surroundings, her words will come back. Right now, just be as accepting as possible. Don’t get angry at her and yell or withhold things until she says the word because it can trigger the anxiety.”

“I would never yell at her. But is there anything else I can do?”

“You seem to be doing it. Just be patient and give her time. I have no doubt, she’ll be speaking soon enough.”

“Thank you for your help. As a doctor myself, I like to think I have all the answers, but I don’t.”

“Nobody ever has all the answers, and if they say they do, they’re lying. Take care.”

“You too, Doc.”

Drake walked out of the office with a little less weight on his shoulders. If Charlotte needed to be comfortable then he was going to make her as comfortable as possible. He’d been promising her a shopping trip to buy some things for her bedroom, and now with the rest of his day cleared, they could do just that.

He headed back to the waiting room. Charlotte was exactly where he had left her, except her backpack was open at her feet and she was coloring in her notebook. When she heard him, she glanced up, crayon stopping on the page.

He glanced down at the picture.

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