Bad Games 2 - Vengeful Games Read Online Free PDF Page B

bone in his body.
    “Caleb is just fine,” said Dr. Bogan, not one to practice the oblique approach, the moment they were all seated. “I’d still like a few follow-up sessions if that’s okay, but other than borrowing the car and paying for college, I’d say you have little to worry about in the years to come.”
    The doctor’s levity was unexpected but appreciated. Both Amy and Patrick sunk into the sofa and simultaneously exhaled.
    Dr. Bogan smiled across from them, legs folded, notebook on his lap.
    Amy and Patrick then exchanged looks. Amy started. “So why did my son do what he did?”
    “You already know that—he thought you would find it funny,” Dr. Bogan said.
    “Yeah, but … how could he think such a thing?”
    “Because he saw two men enjoying themselves while they were tormenting you both.”
    Patrick stuttered, his eyes becoming confused slits, trying to comprehend. “But, they were—they were hurting us. He saw that. He was crying because of it.”
    Dr. Bogan shook his head. “Caleb is too young to comprehend what actually transpired at Crescent Lake. He is still in the ego-centric phase of his development. That means it’s difficult for him to see something from anyone’s perspective but his own. It’s not a bad thing; we all go through it.”
    “But if he saw his mother and father hurt and crying … ” Amy said.
    “He was crying because you were crying. Because Carrie was crying. It had nothing to do with the physical abuse you were enduring. Caleb doesn’t understand right from wrong when it comes to such things. He will, but right now he doesn’t. He was sad because his mom was sad. In his mind, the terrible actions he witnessed by those two men were completely unrelated.”
    Patrick was stiff, upright. “I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make sense to me.”
    “You’re not a four-year-old child, Mr. Lambert. Your brain is fully developed. You know that when the cartoon coyote is flattened with an anvil one minute, then alive and chasing the road runner the very next, that it’s all fantasy. You know such a thing couldn’t occur in real life.”
    “Caleb knows that cartoons aren’t real,” Amy said.
    “I’m sure. And it was only an analogy. I don’t need to tell you, however, that what Caleb witnessed that night was no cartoon.”
    Amy and Patrick fell silent.
    Patrick eventually said, “It’s just so tough to swallow.”
    Dr. Bogan said, “You stated that your daughter’s been suffering from nightmares ever since you returned home from the lake.”
    “That’s right.”
    “Yet Caleb’s been okay.”
    “Yes.”
    “You and Amy have not been okay.”
    The couple snorted in agreement.
    “Yet I’m willing to bet you’ve let Caleb believe that you were okay. Would I be correct in that assumption?”
    Another bout of silence before Patrick said, “Yes.”
    “That’s why your son is sleeping through the night and puttering around as if all is well. He thinks you’re well. In his mind, what happened three months ago had no lasting effect on his mother and father whatsoever. You were flattened by the anvil but ready to chase the road runner as soon as you got back home.”
    Dr. Bogan closed his notebook, uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “Now— your daughter just turned seven. She has a stronger understanding as to what was happening during the ordeal near the lake. It’s why she’s plagued with nightmares.”
    “So our behavior towards our son has actually been detrimental? It led to him putting tacks inside my slipper?” Amy asked.
    “No—absolutely not. Even if you sat Caleb down and explained everything to him, it would be exceptionally hard for him to comprehend.” Dr. Bogan thumbed his wedding ring and took a breath. “Caleb wanted to play a joke on his mommy. He wanted to make her laugh. He remembered how much the two men enjoyed themselves doing the things they did. In an ironic sort of way—as is typical with sociopaths—the two who