that to the accidents, and it’s quite a list, and every time, Zoe is the hero, Jaime’s savior, except that the only time Jaime gets injured is when she’s with her, or because of something Zoe did, like remove the gate I set up, so Jaime fell down the stairs and broke her arm the next day. She was with the nanny that time, but that was the only time. And she put every household poison we had in an unlocked cupboard under the sink, until my mother discovered it, and I put them up high where she couldn’t reach them. That doesn’t scare you, Cathy? It scares the shit out of me. Or it’s starting to.
“Something changed for me in Florida, when I saw her with her back to the pool, while Jaime damn near drowned. Everyone thinks she’s super-mom, and I did too. Now I think there’s something broken so deep inside of her that none of us can see it, but it’s there, like a devil hiding in the bushes, waiting to devour my little girl. I don’t trust Zoe anymore. She lies to me. And I’m afraid of what will happen to Jaime when she’s with her. Every time she takes her out now, I’m afraid Jaime will get hurt.” He looked imploringly at Cathy. “I don’t know what to do. How do I protect Jaime from her own mother? And do I need to? But, all of a sudden I don’t think Zoe is who we think she is. She lies to you too.”
Cathy was shocked into silence, and the worst part was that some of what he said made sense. Austin wasn’t crazy. He was a sensible, down-to-earth, intelligent person, and she knew he loved Zoe. But his fear for their daughter was clear and sounded rational in some ways.
“Wow, I don’t know what to think. Let me go through Jaime’s records and try to see them objectively. I want to talk to a psychiatrist I respect. I’ve never come across Munchausen by proxy in my practice. Probably not a lot of physicians have. I don’t think it’s impossible, I just want to get an objective opinion from a knowledgeable person to tell me if the puzzle pieces fit together here, or if it’s just a series of unfortunate coincidences that look bad but maybe you’re wrong. I hope to hell you are,” she said, looking emotional.
“I would love to be wrong,” he said to her as the intercom buzzed on her desk. She picked up the phone, answered it, looked serious for a minute, thanked one of her nurses for “warning” her, and looked at Austin when she hung up.
“You’ve got to go now. I’ll let you out the back door,” she said as she stood up, and seemed anxious and rushed. “Zoe is on her way over with Jaime. She got bitten in the face by a dog at the park.” Austin looked panicked when she said it, and he wanted to stay for Jaime if she was hurt, but he didn’t want Zoe to see him here. There was no way he could explain his visit to Cathy, and it would appear suspicious to her. She walked him to the back door of her office, and he followed her. He had parked around the corner, so Zoe wouldn’t see his car now when she drove up. “I’ll call you after I talk to my psychiatrist friend. Don’t jump to any conclusions yet. Sometimes things sound worse than they really are. But I’ll admit, it doesn’t look great when you shine a light on it. I’ll let you know what he thinks. Do I have your permission to share my records with him?” she asked, and Austin nodded. “Now, go,” she said, holding the door open for him.
Austin thanked her, gave her a quick hug, and left, and worried about Jaime all the way back to his office. He noticed that Zoe hadn’t called him yet. He wondered when she would, so soon after the episode in Florida. It would be humiliating for her that Jaime had gotten hurt again, or maybe she was losing her grip. But she hadn’t been a hero when Jaime nearly drowned because her mother wasn’t watching her. Maybe she needed another injury to turn it around, so she could save Jaime this time or comfort her. If so, she was a very sick woman, maybe even sicker than he thought. He was grateful that