Violet frowned, because this is not the kind of answer she wanted to hear. But she tried to control her impatience, because she'd begun to learn as she grew older that being civil usually worked better than getting angry and high-handed, like some members of her family. But it was getting hard--she was tired, and worried, and out of ideas.

"Isn't there anything...can't something be done to help? I try to be here for her, but she doesn't even recognize me; sometimes I think my being here makes it worse." Violet had been worrying that was the case more and more of late, and yet, she couldn't just stay away. She was really hoping this healer wasn't going to tell her that her absence would be better for her mother.

"She keeps calling out for 'Sam'--I don't know if you know who that is, but I think it's my father she's calling for. I'm not sure exactly where he is now, and..and I'm not sure if he would help, or if he's part of the problem. Until I know for sure that he's not involved with what happened to her, I'm afraid to try to find him." Violet had been very disenchanted with her father when she'd run away to be with him eight years ago--he seemed to her 13 year old self to be a thoroughly selfish and unethical person. And he'd had no idea what had happened to his wife, and didn't seem to be trying very hard to find out. But the way her mother called his name--with longing and hope, like she expected him to arrive and save her. Violet had to admit, now that she was a young adult, that she really didn't know that much about either of her parents. And with the shape her mother was in, she couldn't afford to make a mistake.