Maria's Therapist, Dr. Lawrence Baker

In Dragon of Grace, Lawrence Baker is a pediatric psychologist possessing additional certification in the field of psychiatry. In 1985, he was operating out of Redwood, Maryland - a small town close to the state's center. Maria first met him that summer after her father Peter was arrested for manslaughter under the influence and sentenced to fifteen years in state prison. The police mistook her reserved demeanor as a sign of potential abuse, ordering her family to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Lawrence was very kind to them - especially Maria, as he had a wife and two daughters of his own. He quickly discovered Maria was an unusually existential thinker. She blamed herself for Peter's misfortune, believing their family to be a burden on his mental state. However, upon further investigation, Lawrence discovered Peter's words and actions were the complete opposite. Peter loved his family dearly, and Maria was oblivious to the pain her father had endured during his youth, for he had been the one to suffer abuse. Drinking was merely his way of coping with the trauma, and that's what led to his arrest following a brawl at the bar. It was at this point Lawrence realized Maria was combatting a rare form of depression which manifests in early childhood, and after prescribing her an anti-depressant, their visits continued for nine years until 1994. He was disheartened his treatment had seemingly failed, but in reality, their time together had yet to fully sink in. Maria's suicide attempt was the catalyst that sparked the change, creating a ripple effect where she and those around her reflected on their mistakes. After the Christmas of '97, Maria briefly returned to Maryland to visit her father as well as Lawrence. The moment he saw her powers, he knew she'd grown into a strong and capable woman. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing the world was in good hands, and several years later, when the insidious attacked, his family turned to her for protection - the same way hers had turned to him. Unlike the first time though, she had no intention of letting them down. She'd left a hole in their lives before, and she had no intention of repeating that error again. This determination is ultimately what makes her so strong. She doesn't simply want mankind to survive, but thrive. While it's impossible to avoid pain, certain forms of it can be eradicated, given enough time and effort. That was the wisdom Lawrence imparted on her as a sapling, though neither of them knew it until more than a decade later, right before she became an adult.