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It was a big day. Suzie had been so stable; she had said to Valerie that it would be nice to finally meet Tom. After all, he was going to be her brother-in-law.
“I hope she’ll feel comfortable with me here,” Tom said quietly. “I mean … I’m nervous about finally meeting her. I don’t want that to affect her or set her back at all.”
Valerie knew implicitly what he was talking about. When she herself had met Tom’s family, a good while before they were engaged, it hadn’t exactly gone to plan. Valerie had a panic attack thinking about her own family history, and then had to leave their family table to tackle a case.
“She’ll be all right,” Valerie assured him. “Just remember, she has undergone a lot of changes recently, a lot of therapy and medication alterations. So, if she acts strange, just let me take the lead with it, okay?”
Tom nodded.
“Here we are,” the lady from the reception desk said. “Room 16. Suzie’s had her meds today already, so she might be a little sleepy, but she’s doing really well.”
Valerie smiled at the lady as she walked away.
“You ready?” Valerie asked.
“Are you going to ask her about you dad’s DNA test?” Tom inquired.
Valerie nodded, thoughtfully. Although her absent father had refused to take a test, Valerie needed to know if he was her biological parent. The question burned inside of her. For that reason, she had pocketed a cup he had been drinking from, hoping to get some DNA from that and have some colleagues at HQ run the test.
“Let’s do this then,” Tom said. “We are all going to be family soon enough, I’m just glad I’m finally going to meet your sister.”
Valerie felt a little apprehensive herself. This was a big step for all of them. She had met Tom’s parents, but that was the extent of the two families meeting. He hadn’t met any of hers, but then, her mother and sister were both under psychiatric care.
Deep down, Valerie worried that Tom might see the truth in her sister. That Valerie carried, in her mind at least, the same illness that had so debilitated her sister and mother.
It had shown itself in subtle hints. Seeing things out of the corner of her eye. Feeling paranoid. She had been able to hide it for the most part, but she knew that couldn’t last forever.
She feared Tom might leave her if he knew, or worse, he might stay in her life, forever weighed down by a series of her ongoing psychotic episodes.
She loved him. She couldn’t bear to think of him chained to her as her mind collapsed in on itself.
Taking a deep breath and shaking away those thoughts, Valerie knocked on the door before her.
“Hold on,” a voice said enthusiastically from the other side. This was followed by the sound of things being moved around.
Valerie laughed. “She was always a bit messy when we were kids. If she’s tidying up, it means she’s wanting to make a good impression.”
Footsteps moved toward the door, and then, it opened.
Suzie stood wearing a yellow robe with flowers on it. Her blond hair was brushed for once, held up with a yellow hair band.
Valerie was still staggered by the transformation, even though she had seen it firsthand over the last few weeks.
“Hello, you two,” Suzie said.
Valerie hugged her sister, sensing that she was very tired.
“Hey, Sis,” she said.
“Hi, I’m Tom.”
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Tom. I’ve heard so much about you. I guess we’re going to be family soon, as long as I don’t put you off!”
There was a silence for a moment, and then Tom let out a loud laugh.
Suzie smiled in return and walked over to a cream armchair that was sitting by a window. She sat down, her movements a little older than her age.
Valerie saw the tiredness in her eyes.