I began to play with the animal, manipulating its arms, chatting nonsense. Cassie continued crying and Cindy kept up a quiet, comforting patter, too soft to hear. I stayed with the bunny. After a minute or so, Cassie's volume dropped a notch.
Cindy said, 'Look, honey-you see? Dr. Delaware likes the bunnies, too.'
Cassie gulped, gasped, and let out a wail.
'No, he's not going to hurt you, honey. He's our friend.'
I stared at the doll's overbite and shook one of its paws. A white heart on its belly bore yellow letters: SillyBunny and the trademark OR. A tag near its crotch said MADE IN TAIWAN.
Cassie paused for breath.
Cindy said, 'It's okay, honey, everything's okay.'
Whimper and sniff from the bed.
'How bout a story, baby, okay? Once upon a time there was a princess named Cassandra who lived in a great big castle and had wonderful dreams about candy and whipped-cream clouds......
Cassie stared up. Her bruised hand touched her lips.
I placed the yellow bunny on the floor, opened my briefcase, and took out a notebook and a pencil. Cindy stopped talking for a moment, then resumed her story. Cassie was calm now, caught up in another world.
I started to draw. A bunny. I hoped.
A few minutes later it was clear the Disney folk had nothing to worry about, but I thought the end product managed to be cute and sufficiently rabbitlike. I added a hat and a bow tie, reached into the case again, and found the box of colored markers I kept there along with other tools of the trade.
I began coloring. The markers squeaked. Rustles came from the bed.
Cindy stopped telling her story.
'Oh, look, honey, Dr. Delaware's drawing. What are you drawing, Dr. Delaware?'
Before I could answer, the word doctor precipitated another tearstorm.
Again, maternal comfort squelched it.
I held up my masterpiece.
'Oh, look, honey, it's a bunny. And he's wearing a hat. And a bow tie-isn't that silly?'
Silence.
'Well, I think it's silly. Do you think he's one of the LuvBunnies, Cass?'
Silence.
'Did Dr. Delaware draw a LuvBunny?'
Whimper.
'C'mon, Cass, there's nothing to worry about. Dr. Delaware won't do anything to hurt you. He's the kind of doctor who never gives shots.'
Bleats. It took a while for Cindy to calm her down. Finally she was able to resume her story. Princess Cassandra riding a white horse..
I drew a companion for Mr. HatBunny. Same rodent face but short ears,
polka-dot dress-Ms. Squirrel. I added an amorphouslooking acorn, pulled the page out of the notebook, reached over and placed it on the bed near Cassie's feet.
She whipped her head around just as I got back to my seat.
