Carmen and Marco sat in the observation room, their eyes fixed on the screen in front of them.
Matteo sat on the soft blue couch, his tiny legs swinging as he played with a small stuffed bear. Across from him, Dr. Carter, his therapist, sat with a gentle smile, clipboard in hand.
“Are you ready to talk today, Matteo?” Dr. Carter asked kindly.
Matteo nodded, hugging his stuffed bear tighter.
“Yes.”
Carmen exhaled slowly, pressing her palms against her thighs.
She hated this.
Hated that they were back here.
That their son—her baby—was still seeing things that weren’t real.
Marco sat beside her, silent and tense, arms crossed over his chest.
Neither of them had any idea what Matteo was about to say.
“So, Matteo,” Dr. Carter began, her tone calm, soothing. “Tell me how you’ve been feeling.”
Matteo thought for a second, then shrugged.
“I’m okay.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Dr. Carter leaned forward slightly.
“Do you still see the nanny?”
Carmen and Marco stiffened.
Matteo’s small fingers tightened around his stuffed bear.
“Yes,” he whispered.
Carmen’s breath caught in her throat.
Dr. Carter stayed patient.
“Where do you see her?”
Matteo swung his legs, looking down.
“At school.”
Marco and Carmen exchanged a look.
“And where else?” Dr. Carter pressed.
Matteo hesitated.
“Everywhere.”
Marco gripped the table in front of him.
Carmen’s stomach twisted.
“Matteo,” Dr. Carter said gently. “What does she do when you see her?”
Matteo tilted his head.
“She smiles at me.”
“Does she say anything?”
“No. Just smiles. But I know she’s watching me.”
Marco’s jaw clenched.
Carmen felt her hands grow ice cold. Ella wasn’t just in Matteo’s mind. She was in his world. Still lurking. Still waiting.
Dr. Carter nodded slowly.
“And what about the figure in the background? The one in your drawings?”
Matteo perked up.
“Oh! That’s my friend!”
Carmen’s breath hitched.
“Your friend?” Dr. Carter asked.
Matteo smiled, nodding eagerly.
“Yeah! Rafael.”
Silence. Pure, bone-chilling silence. Carmen felt like the air had been sucked from her lungs.
Marco’s fingers dug into the armrest of his chair.
Dr. Carter remained composed, but Carmen could tell she was being very careful now.
“Who is Rafael, Matteo?” she asked.
“He’s the nanny’s son!” Matteo chirped.
Carmen’s vision blurred for a second.
Her chest tightened.
“I play with him all the time,” Matteo continued. “He’s really fun! But he doesn’t like to talk a lot. He likes to just… watch.”
Dr. Carter’s eyes darkened slightly, but her voice stayed calm.
“And when did you start seeing Rafael?”
Matteo scrunched up his nose, thinking hard.
“After Nanny left. But he was always there. He just didn’t say hi before.”
Carmen’s entire body went numb.
Marco was staring at the screen, his breathing uneven. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t just trauma.
Matteo was seeing something. Or someone.
“And what do you and Rafael do together?” Dr. Carter asked softly.
Matteo shrugged.
“We play.”
“What kind of games?”
“Hide and seek. Tag. Drawing.”
“And where do you play with him?”
Matteo smiled again.
“In my room. And outside sometimes. But mostly in my dreams.”
Carmen’s stomach flipped.
Matteo kept drawing Rafael in the background of their family pictures.
Kept talking to something unseen.
And now—
Now, he was saying he played with Ella’s dead son.
Marco suddenly stood, pacing the room.
Carmen just sat there, frozen, her hands shaking.
This wasn’t happening.
It wasn’t real.
But Matteo’s calm, happy expression said otherwise.
Dr. Carter finally smiled.
“That’s really interesting, Matteo. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
Matteo beamed.
“You’re welcome!”
Dr. Carter glanced toward the observation glass where Marco and Carmen sat.
She knew this conversation wasn’t over.
After the Session
Dr. Carter met them in her office.
Carmen sat on the edge of the chair, her heart racing.
Marco stood with his arms crossed, his face unreadable.
“You both look tense,” Dr. Carter noted.
“You think?” Marco muttered.
Carmen ignored him.
“Doctor, what’s happening to my son?” she demanded.
Dr. Carter sighed, setting down her clipboard.
“Matteo is still processing a lot. Seeing Ella is part of his unresolved attachment to her.”
“But he said he sees Rafael,” Marco said, voice sharp.
“Yes.”
Dr. Carter leaned forward slightly.
“Children process trauma differently than adults. Sometimes, they create imaginary figures to help them cope. Rafael might be a projection of something Matteo isn’t ready to let go of.”
Carmen shook her head.
“But Rafael was real. He was her son. A son that Marco—”
She stopped herself.
Marco tensed beside her.
Dr. Carter nodded.
“Yes, but Matteo never met him. So this Rafael he’s talking about… may not be the same one.”
Marco let out a low breath.
“So, what do we do?”
Dr. Carter folded her hands.
“For now, don’t react strongly to what he says. If he feels pressured, it might make the hallucinations worse. Keep his routine stable, limit stress, and make sure he’s getting enough sleep.”
Carmen frowned.
“And if it doesn’t stop?”
Dr. Carter sighed.
“Then we’ll explore deeper therapy. But for now, let’s monitor him. Don’t let him feel like he’s being watched too closely. Just let him be a kid.”
Carmen and Marco exchanged a tense look.
That was easier said than done.
Matteo was seeing things that weren’t there.
Or worse…
Maybe they were.