Free Treasured Legacies (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery) by Terri Reid Page B

said. “Why don’t
you head to the office where it doesn’t smell like a taco place?”
    She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, I think I will,” she said.
“Did you tell Clarissa about Dr. Springler?”
    “No, I haven’t done that yet,” he said. “Would you like me to mention
it once you’re gone?”
    Sipping on the tea, she felt her stomach calm a little. “No, we should
do it together,” she said. “I think I’m fine right now.”
    She walked back across the room and stood by the table. “Clarissa,” she
called. “We have an appointment this afternoon with Dr. Karen Springler.”
    “Who’s she?” Clarissa asked.
    “She’s a lovely lady who talks to people about their feelings,” Mary said.
“And she helps families figure out how to be happier.”
    “I thought we were happy,” Clarissa replied, a shadow of concern
crossing over her face. “I’m trying to do better.”
    Mary slipped into the chair next to Clarissa and Bradley strategically
moved Clarissa’s plate further away, earning a grateful smile from Mary.
    “You are doing a great job,” Mary said to Clarissa. “And we love you so
much. But we realize that a lot has happened to all of us, especially you,
during these past few months.   Dr.
Springler is the kind of doctor that helps us fix some of the hurts and worries
we have on the inside.”
    Clarissa glanced at Bradley and Mike, and then back at Mary. “Are we
all going to talk to her?” she asked.
    Mary nodded. “The first time we meet, we all get to talk to her and
explain how we feel,” she said. “But then we also get to meet with her
individually, in case there are things we need to talk about that we don’t want
someone else to hear.   Dr. Springler is
very good at keeping secrets.”
    “If you don’t mind, I’ll stay home,” Mike said. “But, Clarissa, if you
ever need to talk to someone, I’m your guy.   And if you want me to go with you, I can do that too.”
    Sitting quietly for a few moments, Clarissa seemed to be contemplating
the conversation. Finally she looked up at her parents. “But we’re still good?”
she asked. “We still love each other?”
    Bradley reached down and kissed Clarissa on the top of her head. “We
are great,” he said. “But we want to be even better because we want our family
to last forever.   And Dr. Springler can
help us learn how to communicate even better and get closer together.”
    “Okay, that sounds good,” she agreed.
    “Great,” Mary said. “Your dad will pick you up after school today, so
don’t get on the bus.   I’ll call the
school and remind them.”
    “Okay,” Clarissa said and then she smiled up at Bradley. “Can we drive
with the sirens on?”
    Bradley shook his head. “No, sorry, sweetheart,” he replied. “Sirens
are only for emergencies.”
    Mary bent forward and gave Clarissa a kiss. “Good try though,” she whispered
with a smile and Clarissa laughed.
    “I’ll see you both later,” Mary added, and then she grabbed her coat
and briefcase as she hurried out of the house.
    Unlocking the car door, she quickly sat in the front seat of the
Roadster and breathed deeply for a few moments while another wave of nausea
passed. Finally, she ripped open the sleeve of crackers, shoved one in her
mouth and crunched down. “Oh, yeah, this is going to be fun,” she muttered
before putting the car in gear and driving away.

Chapter Sixteen
    “Protein,” Rosie said, marching into Mary’s office and
dropping a small bag on the top of her desk.
    “Protein?” Mary asked.
    Rosie nodded. “Yes, protein first thing in the morning helps
you overcome morning sickness.”
    Mary unwrapped the brown paper sack
and looked inside.   There were several
small plastic bags filled with cubes of cheese or meat. She pulled one out that
was filled with yellow cubes of cheese, opened it and sniffed.
    “Oh, that was my favorite,” Rosie said. “Aged
cheddar.   That set my stomach to
right most