The Dark Side - Danielle Steel Page 0,32
episode to Austin by text when they got home. Fiona was waiting for them. And Zoe went to take a shower and dress for work.
Austin called her when she was in the cab, and asked about the seizure. She said that Cathy had said that febrile seizures weren’t dangerous even if they looked frightening, which Zoe said it had.
“I wish I’d been there,” he said, sounding unhappy and guilty for being away. “I’ll be home late tonight. I’m sorry I wasn’t with you.”
“She’s fine. Her fever was normal when we left the hospital this morning. She’s on antibiotics for the earache. It’s just a nasty flu.” Zoe had been sick with a cold the week before, but without earache or fever, and they agreed Jaime must have caught the cold from her, which left her vulnerable to the flu.
He was happy to come home to his girls late that night, and Jaime looked bright eyed and lively the next morning when he saw her, and her earache seemed to be better. He watched her on Saturday while Zoe did errands, and his mother came by for a visit. Austin told her that Jaime had been in the hospital for a night with flu and a high fever, and had had a seizure at home, and his mother looked worried. They put Jaime down for a nap after Constance had played with her for a while, and it gave them a chance to talk before Zoe got back. Constance had been wanting to say something to him for a while.
“I’m worried about Jaime,” she said gently, and looked at her son with troubled eyes, not sure how to approach the subject. She had a doctorate in psychology, but hadn’t used it professionally, and it was challenging to broach sensitive topics with one’s own adult children. “She gets sick a lot, and injured,” she said cautiously.
“According to our pediatrician, whom I trust, she’s delicate because of her size as a toddler and her age, but she’s also very active and curious and fearless. That’s a tough combination. And some of it is just bad luck.”
“It seems to be. I had three boys, and you were all very active, but we never had the number of injuries with the three of you that Jaime has had in eighteen months.” She tried not to sound judgmental but was concerned.
“I’ve thought of that myself, Mom. And in part, I think Jaime is just a busy kid. And we end up in the ER a lot because Zoe is hyper-vigilant and very nervous. I think losing a sister who was so young marked her deeply. She’s terrified that something could happen to Jaime.” It was easy to explain that way, and made sense to him.
“Maybe she’s not vigilant enough, just nervous. There are only a handful of reasons why children get hurt that often, and Jaime has had some real injuries, stitches, a broken arm, sprains, a lot given her age, more than her fair share. Children get hurt from child abuse, which I know isn’t an issue in this case, with the two of you, and Jaime has gotten hurt more often with you than the nanny, so it’s not that. Negligence or poor supervision is another reason, parents or caretakers who don’t watch children closely enough, or underestimate the risks of what they’re doing. I don’t know how closely you and Zoe watch her, but she sounds like a child who needs close supervision if she’s that active, and Zoe watches her like a hawk whenever I see her with Jaime. But there are other more complicated, less obvious, psychological reasons that could be an issue here. Maybe related to her sister’s death when they were both children, or some trauma with Zoe’s parents. I don’t think she had an easy time of it when her sister was sick, and afterward when they got divorced. Her mother told me at the wedding, in confidence, that she was a basket case herself for years after Zoe’s sister’s death, and after she and Zoe’s father split up. He remarried very quickly, and had two more children. Zoe must have felt completely abandoned growing up, and it’s hard to say how that scars someone.” She was being very careful about what she said, so as not to offend Austin, who was a deeply loyal person and loved his wife.
“What are you saying, Mom? That Zoe has a screw loose, or neglects our daughter?” He looked