Doctor's Little Helper

The fifteen-year-old girl, practically swimming in an oversized white lab coat, sounded incredibly cheerful as she spoke into the phone. "I was absolutely perfect today!" she chirped. "I didn't shed a single tear the entire time!" A gentle, magnetic male voice purred through the receiver. "You did wonderfully. Though, if you could manage just a few tears next time, the adults will feel sorrier for you. They'll believe you even more." She nodded obediently. Hanging up, she turned to a dazed, trembling teenager huddled in the corner of the room. Smiling warmly, she handed him a small cup of clear liquid. "Drink up," she cooed softly. "Just go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll finally be able to remember what that monster at home did to you." Standing outside the half-open door, her older brother clamped a hand tightly over his own mouth, cold sweat soaking his shirt. He finally understood that the man who had loved them unconditionally their entire lives was never coming back.