Talon cleared his throat. “It was actually our mother who coined the term ‘dark mood.’ There were times when Joe would go off by himself. We never knew why, and he would eventually return. And while I’m speaking somewhat metaphorically, he also physically left. Sometimes he would camp out in the pastures for a few days, only coming in for meals. He still did his duty. He was responsible to a T. But he wouldn’t talk.”
“It almost sounds like he was suffering from depression, although the fact that he still did his duty around the ranch wouldn’t seem to indicate that.”
“Oh?”
I nodded. “Depression can be very debilitating. In its severe form, a person can hardly get out of bed in the morning. They find no joy in anything, even things they normally enjoy.”
“That sounds kind of like Joe. But yeah, he never shirked his duties. And as an adult, he’s never avoided them either.”
“Tell me what you remember.”
“Well, I don’t really remember. But Ryan told me that he got really
bad after I got taken. According to Ryan, Joe didn’t talk for over a week and a half at one point. It was summer, so there was no school. He did all his work around the ranch, but he had completely isolated himself.”
The guilt. The guilt was eating him up, but had he had these “dark moods” before Talon had been taken?
“You think Ryan would talk to me about that time?”
“You’d have to ask him, but I don’t see why not. He loves his brother, just like I do, and if you can help him, I’m sure he’d be up for it.”
“What about before you were taken?”
“Yeah. It would happen every now and then, for no reason.”
“Did your mother explain anything else about these moods?”
Talon shook his head. “We were kids, Doc. We just accepted what she told us.”
“I understand. So what happened in the days before you were taken?”
“Like I said, he would just go inside himself for a day or two. Usually no longer than that. He wouldn’t talk. He spent his time alone in his room, doing God knows what. My mother told us not to bother him.”
“Yet he never shirked his duties.”
“Nope. Never. Joe was about as responsible as they came.”
“Tell me, did your mother ever have these same kind of moods?”
“Not that I remember, but Wendy Madigan did tell Joe and me that our mother was mentally ill. I look back, and I realize that must have been the case. Mentally fit people don’t normally commit suicide.”
“Do you think your mother had mental problems before your abduction?”
“The three of us always thought she killed herself because she couldn’t deal with what had happened to me and almost losing Marj as a result. But Wendy Madigan insists that she had been having mental issues long before then, and she’s a respected newswoman. Though I know Joe has his doubts about that.”
My ears perked up. “What do you mean he has doubts?”
“When we went to see Wendy Madigan a few weeks ago, she told us some stuff that was in direct conflict with what Larry Wade had said. Now personally, I think a newswoman’s word trumps a criminal psychopath’s word. But Joe’s not buying it.”
“I know Jonah wants to look into the Wendy Madigan situation further,” I said. “But the point I was getting at is that depression is often hereditary. If your mother suffered, that could explain why Jonah suffers from depression.”
“So you think it is depression?”
“He would need a full psychological work-up for me to make that assessment. The good news is, even if it is depression, I don’t think it’s severe. Otherwise he wouldn’t be able to keep working.”
“Please, Doc. Can you help him? I don’t want him suffering. I’m so tired of everyone suffering because of me.”
“Talon, if Jonah is suffering from depression, it’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It’s his body chemistry, nothing more. He probably inherited it from your mother. Be thankful you and Ryan didn’t.”