Kyle flushed red. The color climbed from his neck to his hairline. He was silent for a full minute.
Marina counted the seconds by the clock on the wall. Sixty-three seconds of silence. “I… don’t know,” he finally said.
“I really don’t know.” Eleanor gave a sharp little snort. “What’s there to know?
She’s unstable. It’s in her records.” “Eleanor, I’m going to ask you to be quiet,” Dr. Sokolov said. There was no threat in her voice, only fatigue.
“You’ve had your say. Now I want to observe the mother interacting with the child.” She asked Marina to pick Mikey up. He woke at the movement and whimpered, but the moment Marina held him close, he reached for her, wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, and settled.
His fingers clutched the collar of her blouse, and he tucked his face into her shoulder. Dr. Sokolov watched in silence. Then she turned to Eleanor.
“Can you do the same? Take the baby and calm him.” Eleanor straightened in her chair.
“I don’t have to. I’m not the babysitter. He’s her child, let her deal with him.” The psychologist made a note in her notebook.
Then another. Then she looked up at Eleanor with a long, measuring gaze. “You stated that you help your daughter-in-law with the baby.
And that she pays you $2,000 a month for that help. But you are unwilling to hold him.” Eleanor opened her mouth and closed it again.
For the first time, she had no answer. Dr. Sokolov sorted through the papers for another few minutes. Then she took off her glasses, set them on the desk, and folded her hands.
“I’m ready to give my preliminary findings,” she said. “I found no evidence that would prevent the mother from raising her child. Marina Bennett demonstrates a stable emotional bond with her son, appropriate responses to his needs, and the ability to self-regulate under stress.”
Eleanor shot to her feet so fast her chair tipped over. “This is outrageous! Are you blind?
She’s sick—she had depression, she was under psychiatric care!” Dr. Sokolov calmly picked up her pen and began writing. “What are you doing?” Eleanor asked, and for the first time there was fear in her voice.
“Adding to the record: inappropriate emotional reaction from the grandmother to the evaluation results. Attempts at manipulation. Signs of controlling behavior toward her adult son.” She looked up…
