Black Wings Read online

  Dr. Garrett greeted her in the school office. Today his funny tie was emblazoned with snowflakes. His grip was firm and his smile reassuring as he ushered her into his private office and offered her a seat in front of his desk.

  “Something to drink? Coffee? Cola?”

  Marian shook her head. She was off that for the next seven months. “No, thanks.”

  She did accept a bottle of water he pulled from a small fridge by the window, though. Sipping it helped settled her stomach. Dr. Garrett opened a file folder and glanced at the contents, then closed it. He folded his hands on top of the desk.

  “You have an exceptional daughter,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s not the first time you’ve heard that, I’m sure.”

  Marian shook her head. “No. But it’s always nice to hear, isn’t it?”

  Something in his tone reminded her of what she’d said to Dean about the first message from Mrs. Addison. Sprinkles on a shit cake. Marian shifted, getting ready to tell him to please just get to the point.

  “Is she happy, Mrs. Blake?”

  This was not the question she’d expected, and it took her a couple seconds to answer. “I…what do you mean? She’s ten years old. Why wouldn’t she be happy?”

  “At home, does she seem content and engaged with you? Does she spend a lot of time by herself?”

  “She’s always been independent,” Marian said defensively. “I’ve always encouraged her to occupy herself and not need to be constantly entertained.”

  “I understand. Of course.” Garrett tapped the files. “What I mean is, have you noticed any changes in Briella’s behavior lately?”

  Sunny smiles had been replaced with frowns and temper tantrums, but Marian couldn’t say that had happened ‘lately’. “She’s had some growing pains.”

  “Has she seemed…” Garrett cleared his throat. “Obsessive?”

  You know how she gets about things.

  Marian hesitated. “Briella’s always been really focused. Mrs. Addison even sent home a note saying what a great quality it was.”

  “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all. Briella is definitely a focused and determined young girl. But I’ve been a little bit worried about her.”

  “Has she been having problems with her classmates? Has she been…unkind?” Marian bit hard on the inside of her cheek, waiting for a revelation that her kid was a bully. Worse than a bully, her mind whispered, and she shoved the thought away again.

  “No, nothing like that.”

  Frustrated and irritated but also relieved, Marian said bluntly, “Be up front with me, please. If there’s something wrong with her, just say so. Her last school didn’t know what to do with her, so she came here. If you’re going to tell me you don’t know how to deal with her, either—”

  Garrett held up his hands and spoke in a soothing tone Marian hated for making her feel like a hysterical airport parent. Helicopter mom, she reminded herself. Which she was not. Maybe she ought to be.

  “I’m not saying that at all. We’ve been really pleased to have Briella here at Parkhaven. But while we do love it when our students succeed academically, Mrs. Blake, we also try to make sure we don’t lose sight of them as human beings. Young human beings who sometimes experience a lot of pressure to succeed.”

  “I’ve never pressured Briella about school. I’ve never had to,” Marian conceded, “but even if she wasn’t bringing home straight As, I wouldn’t have pressured her about it.”

  “I’m not suggesting you are. The pressure with these kids comes from themselves a lot of times. Sometimes from their peers, though we monitor that and make sure, if we notice anything going on among the kids, that we have them work it out. But children of Briella’s intelligence, especially ones who are driven and focused and determined – well, they can end up driving themselves too hard.”

  “Is that what she’s doing? I ask her every day when she comes home from school to tell me about what happened that day. She’s enthusiastic about it. I don’t usually understand half of what she’s talking about, to be honest. But yes, she seems happy enough. It’s not like I ask her specifically if she’s happy. But she’s not moping around the house or crying or anything like that.” Marian sipped more water.

  Garrett nodded. “It’s my understanding that you’re expecting a baby?”

  Marian put a hand on her stomach automatically. Her grin was equally as instinctive. “Yes.”

  “Congratulations, that’s terrific news. How do you feel Briella’s handled the news? Research has shown that siblings with more than five years’ age difference often interact more like cousins than brothers and sisters. Ten years of having you all to herself means a big change is on the way for her.”

  “For all of us,” Marian said.

  “Yes. Of course. Have you spoken with Briella about how she feels about it?”

  “Of course I did. We told her as soon as I found out. She understands what a baby brother or sister means. And I’ve talked to her about it. Of course.”

  “She hasn’t expressed any concerns about being…replaced? That you might be looking at this baby as a…well, a fresh start of some kind?”

  Marian’s bottle of water splashed at the sudden shaking of her hands. Tears welled but she fought them down. Damn her hormones, making every emotion rise so fiercely to the surface.

  “Absolutely not,” she lied. “And we would never let her think that, so if she did say something, we’d be talking to her about how that can’t possibly be true. She’s my daughter, Dr. Garrett. I love her. Her step-father loves her. That’s not going to change just because we’re having another kid.”

  “My partner and I have four biological children between us, plus a fifth we adopted together. I have no doubts that there’s plenty of room in a parent’s heart for multiple children. Or for those not related by DNA.”

  “Early on, she did express some concerns, yes. Of course.” Marian frowned, hating how guilty she now felt. “But we talked about it and she’s seemed…fine. Has she been complaining about it here at school?”

  “Yes, although it was in relation to the work she’s been doing in her private study project. She told me that she had to work harder to get her program to work before the new baby came, because it would be too late, after.”

  “What does her project have to do with the new baby?”

  Garrett hesitated, his brow furrowing. “I don’t think the project itself has anything to do with the new sibling. It’s my perception that Briella has it set in her mind that you’ll fall in love with the baby and forget all about her, so if she wants any accolades from you for this project, she needs to get it finished before that happens.”

  “Oh, God.” Marian rubbed the spot between her eyes where an anxious headache had been brewing and was about to burst open. “That’s awful. I feel terrible that she could even think that.”

  “We know it’s not true, obviously. But because kids can be so perceptive, especially really bright ones like Briella, it can be easy to forget how much we assume they’re able to understand. You might not have felt the need to continue to reassure her that she won’t be replaced because to you it seems so obvious, but to Briella it can feel enormous and terrifying to learn that a new little person is going to come into your lives. It’s very common for older kids to feel pushed out by new siblings, and let’s face it, there will be some of that just by necessity. Babies take up a lot of time.”

  “I’ll talk to her again.” Marian had finished the bottle of water, which meant that she was going to have to use the bathroom soon.

  “That would be great.” Garrett smiled, then looked serious. “There’s something else we need to talk about. Briella has been working harder and harder, pushing herself with her independent study project, and we’re wondering if perhaps it might be a good idea for her to step back