Andrew looked down.
— “I had some broken ribs. Karen was knocked unconscious. Matthew was there alone, hearing her scream and seeing… seeing the blood.”
Sam nodded knowingly.
— “He thought you were going to die.”
— “Probably,” Karen said, her voice cracking.
— “And when you got to the hospital, what was the first thing Matthew asked?”
Andrew thought back.
— “He asked if we were dead. When we told him we weren’t, he said he’d seen too many bad things and never wanted to see anything bad again.”
Sam nodded again.
— “That’s it, then. He asked not to see anything bad, and his mind took it literally. It just shut everything out.”
Karen stood up and walked to the window.
— “Does that make sense to you, Andrew?” she asked without turning around.
— “It makes more sense than anything the doctors told us.”
— “Sam,” Karen turned back. “If you’re right, how do we help him understand that he’s safe now?”
— “By keeping up the sessions, and mostly by talking to him about the accident. Letting him talk about what he saw without being afraid he’s going to upset you.”
— “But he never wanted to talk about it,” Andrew said.
— “Because he wants to protect you, just like you want to protect him.”
That evening, Andrew decided to try something he’d never done. He went into Matthew’s room before bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.
— “Matthew, can we talk for a minute?”
— “Sure, Dad.”
— “It’s about the accident. Do you remember it?”
Matthew tensed up.
— “I don’t like talking about that.”
— “I know, buddy. But it might be important that we do. I promise I won’t get upset, no matter what you tell me.”
Matthew was quiet for a long time.
— “Dad, were you almost dead?”
