10. Meeting Dr. Dawn

From what Kristee told her, Dr. Dawn was a therapist of types, something Berry was used to dealing with.

Her mother never allowed Berry to get her fingers surgically fixed, mainly because of the difficulties and dangers due to her extra joints. Instead, she sent Berry to various doctors specializing in making Berry feel comfortable in the body she was given.

Obviously, none of it worked, and the Doctors were much too talkative and very much not helpful.

At first glance, Dr. Dawn seemed strangely different. Her office was a large room with lots of colorful paintings hung on the walls, beanbag chairs, and a jar of cookies on the desk against the back wall.

The doctor herself was short and dark-skinned, with long braids styled nicely on her head. She wore a printed dress, colorful and bright. She smiled warmly when Berry entered the room.

Berry was very glad to be here, and not with Dr. Buntly.

“Berry Robinson, very nice to meet you.” Dr. Dawn was holding a folder in one hand and reached the other out for a handshake.

Berry forced herself to shake Dr. Dawn’s hand, which gave the doctor a full view of her very long finger. Berry kept her eyes down, on the folder in Dr. Dawn’s other hand. It was her file.

Dr. Dawn sat in one of the beanbag chairs and gestured for Berry to do the same. Berry sank down into the bright yellow mass, struggling to not get swallowed by it.

Dr. Dawn was perched on her own lime-green beanbag chair easily and gracefully.

“Berry, I’d like you to tell me why you’re here. And remember, you can tell me anything. What we talk about here is confidential and kept just between the two of us.”

Berry struggled to not roll her eyes. All the doctors said that, but her mother always heard everything. “I’m here because my mom sent me here,” Berry said. The truth.

“Do you think you should be here, Berry?” Dr. Dawn leaned slightly forward in her beanbag.

Berry looked around the room, searching for a response. “I don’t know,” she finally said. It was a stupid response, but it was also the truth.

Dr. Dawn just nodded. She didn’t scribble on a notepad like other doctors, which was nice.

“Why don’t you know, Berry? What makes you think you should be here?”

The beanbag was too enveloping, and Berry wished she didn’t have to be here. She shifted, and the beans made a loud crunching noise.

“I’m different than other people,” she said. She knew how these sessions worked. You keep it short, simple. Give the doctor less to pry at.

Dr. Dawn’s warm brown eyes watched her. “Different than other people? How so?”

Classic repeating what you said trick.

“You may have noticed my hands,” Berry said, tucking them into her armpits.

Dr. Dawn noted her change in posture. “I did notice your hands, Berry. They are remarkable, as are the uniquenesses of everyone else at Highwater. You don’t need to hide your gifts, Berry.”

Berry sunk deeper into the beanbag and did not move her hands. Gifts. Ha.

“This is a safe, open space, Berry. Do you dislike your hands?”

Berry stared at the painting on the wall across from her. It was a large purple house with green windows and a yellow mailbox. The colors were splotchy and bright.

It wasn’t a very good painting.

“They’re just hands,” Berry said flatly.

Dr. Dawn’s lips turned into a thin-lipped smile. Berry noted that her lipstick shade almost matched the color of the painted house.

“Alright, we’ll talk about your hands some more later. How are you liking Highwater Reserves, Berry?”

“It’s fine.”

“Have you made any friends?”

“Yeah, I guess.” It was always better to tell therapists that you have friends.

Dr. Dawn smiled. “That’s good to hear, Berry. Who?”

Berry hesitated. She wasn’t sure whether it was because of the label ‘friend’ or just her general want to keep information to herself.

“Finn,” Berry said eventually. “And Indigo.” Berry considered mentioning Peter, but the word friend could only stretch so far.

“Finn is a good kid. And Indigo… Indigo I know quite well.” Berry was interested to see that Dr. Dawn looked surprised by her mention of Indigo. “Do you feel comfortable around them?”

The beanbag made loud bean noises again as Berry shifted. She told herself to keep still. “Yeah, sure,” Berry said half-heartedly.

Her response was too quick, though, and she knew Dr. Dawn caught that fact because of the narrowing of the doctor’s eyes.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“Berry, do you want to change?” Dr. Dawn raised her eyebrows slightly, watching Berry.

Berry just blinked. What kind of a question was that?

“I want…”

But Berry left the trailing silence go on too long, and a high-pitched beeping began.

Dr. Dawn stood swiftly and switched the timer on the edge of her desk off.

“Looks like our time is up, Berry. Why don’t you think about that last question, and we’ll talk more later?”

Berry stood, rustling the beanbag thoroughly in her attempt to escape it. “Ok,” Berry said, somewhat flustered. How soon was ‘later’?

Dr. Dawn smiled her purple-lipsticked smile and opened her office door to let Berry out.

Berry exited, her answer ringing in her mind. I want to be normal.