I sit on the oversized couch and watch as Ryder moves the little dolls from room to room. His sweet face is strangely serene as he arranges the people and furniture.
Dr. Jane sits down on the floor next to him.
“Ryder, why don’t you tell your Dad and Olivia about the dolls.”
He points to the plastic figures, all lined up in a row. “This one’s Daddy. This one’s Hazel. And this one is me.”
“And this one?” Dr. Jane pointed to the female doll, obviously expected to be the “mother” in this scenario.
“That’s Olivia.”
Not Mom.
Olivia.
“Ryder, I see that the Daddy doll is in the living room with the rest of the family today. That’s new. You usually leave him in the study.”
“Yeah, but he’s in the living room now,” Ryder says. “Daddy doesn’t stay in his study anymore.”
I close my eyes as shame floods me. Even at five years old, my son noticed that I used to hibernate in my study and bury myself in my work.
Olivia reaches for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Wait,” Ryder says, placing the two adult dolls side by side. “That’s not right.”
“What’s not right?” Dr. Jane asks.
“They should be holding hands,” he says, trying to force the two dolls together.
“Why should they hold hands?”
“Because Daddy and ‘Livia hold hands.”
We both look down at our entwined hands. Dr. Jane looks, too.
She smiles.
“You like Olivia, don’t you?”
“I love Olivia. Daddy loves her, too.”
I nervously clear my throat.
Suddenly, Ryder grows agitated as he searches for something. Dr. Jane notices, too.
“What are you looking for?”
“The phone.”
Olivia and I glance at each other.
We watch as Dr. Jane helps him hunt for a tiny phone in the small container that holds the dollhouse furniture. Once it’s found, Ryder gazes at the little phone in the palm of his hand before placing it on the floor next to him.
“Don’t you want to put the phone inside the house?” Dr. Jane asks.
Ryder shakes his head. “She’s not in the house.”
“Who’s not in the house?”
“Mommy.”
Dr. Jane nods. “Did Mommy call?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about that?”
Ryder shrugs. “The phone woke me up. I answered it. It was Mommy.”
“What did Mommy say?”
“She wanted to talk to Daddy. But I wanted to talk to her. So she talked to me.”
“And what did she say?”
“That she misses me. That she loves me.”
“What else?”
“That’s all. The phone stopped working. I waited for her to call me back but she didn’t call me back. I waited and waited.”
Ryder frowns, and I know he’s trying to make sense of it all.
I’m trying to make sense of it all.
Dr. Jane nods. “Ryder, I’m going to talk to your dad and Olivia. Why don’t you go play in the sandbox?”
“Okay.”
Ryder heads to the sandbox as Dr. Jane joins us on the sofa.
“Well, that explains that,” Olivia says. “Although, he does seem a little calmer now that he’s talked about it.”
The doctor nods. “I agree. He hasn’t heard from his mother for months, and then out of blue, she calls. It’s no wonder the little guy is so sad and confused. Especially since she apparently hung up on him.”
“What do I do?” I ask helplessly.
Dr. Jane sighs. “Honestly, I’d contact your wife. I can’t give you advice on how to handle her, but I would ask if she plans to make these phone calls a habit. And if so, they must be scheduled in advance so that you can also be on the call. She is his mother, and she is well within her legal rights to talk to him. Now that she’s made contact, I would be extra vigilant when you’re out in public with Ryder. Mrs. Healey could show up at the playground, or even at his school. She can absolutely walk into school and take him home if she wants. I’m sure you don’t want that.”
The thought nearly sends me into a panic.
“We absolutely don’t want that.”
“You’re a lawyer, Mr. Healey. You know that she can. And there won’t be a thing the school can do to stop her.”
My hands start to shake. I know she’s right. I didn’t think I had to worry about that, considering Natasha hadn’t even called her son. But now, that’s changed. And I need to know why.
“Call her,” Dr. Jane says. “Find out what she wants. That’s my advice. And, if she does plan on making regular calls—or visits—we can prepare Ryder for that. And he does need to be prepared, so that we don’t lose all the progress he’s made.”
“I understand.”
“And I would