Day 36: Waiting Room/Lobby 1
Oh yeah. This was bad. Grabbing a chair and ignoring the woman who had brought him in, Takaya crossed his arms and glared at the wall. He wasn't going to participate in this bullshit. Being told he had 'company' and that he should he happy about it had ruined what was otherwise an okay day
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As she quickly discovered, however, she didn't have a choice. The calm that had settled over her throughout the day seemed to fade almost as soon as the nurse told her that she had a visitor today, and MOMO wrung her hands as she was led to one of the waiting rooms.
The nurse directed her to a chair and gave her shoulder a pat before moving away, going to fetch whoever it was visiting, she assumed. On that thought, who was she going to see? There were people she wanted to see, yes, but... not here. Not like this.
After tugging at the hem of her shirt, MOMO sighed and rested her hands in her lap, trying to stop herself from fidgeting so much. It was just for now; just for this one shift. She could get through this. After all, it couldn't be that bad.
...could it?
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Only she promised. Despite all the stress, Lilian was committed to honoring that request. After all, it was her lack of commitment that landed them in this mess originally.
So she came, doctor's coat and all. The woman paused thoughtfully by the entrance of the lobby, her eyes glossing over the multiple occupants. They finally stopped at the familiar shade of pink, causing the woman to sigh inaudibly. Had they even been feeding her properly?
Lilian drew closer to her daughter's seat. "Elena."
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And then she saw her, and those thoughts immediately ceased.
"Mo... Mommy?" MOMO drew back in her seat, almost shying away as she stared at her mother with wide eyes. She knew she should've expected this; she should've known they would choose to bring Juli into this. After all, since Junior was already here, that left Juli and Ziggy as the only other logical choices. And, while she loved Ziggy very much, Juli was her mother.
And the name she had used... Elena. Not MOMO, Elena. She should've expected that, too. It was surprisingly difficult to hear her mother call her by another name, but... but...
"Mommy!" MOMO jumped up from her seat and hugged Juli as tightly as she could. There was no sense in trying to kid herself. She could ignore the name Juli had used; all that mattered was that she was there. She was there now, and as long as she was able to leave this place before night fell, that was all that mattered.
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"It's...good to see you as well, Elena," she answered, lightly patting the girl's back. Dr. Taylor was not the woman for hugs, that much was certain, but she supposed an exception could be made for this moment. Elena appeared eager for affection; she couldn't possibly turn that away.
Until time became a factor. Eventually, she pushed her daughter's arms gently back to her sides. "Why don't we sit down?" Lilian suggested awkwardly before gesturing to the seats. "I'm sure you have a lot of things you would like to tell me."
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Of course there things she wanted to tell her; there were many, many things she wanted to say right then. The truth behind this place was the thing on the foremost of her mind, although she had to wonder if it would be believed. It couldn't hurt to try, but some things seemed more important at the moment.
"I miss you." Two weeks had never seemed like such a long time before. It was hard to believe that it'd been that long since she'd last spoken with her mother. "It's been a while, and... I just... Please tell me that you're okay."
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The rest, however, remembered the doctor's words: Elena was still adjusting. It was unrealistic to expect results with mental illness; she had to consider the child's feelings, first and foremost. Avoid criticism, use positive regard, he said.
"I miss you, too," she answered, the effort slipping into her voice. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come until now. Work has been..." A pause. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Are you doing all right? How is the hospital?"
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"I'm..." MOMO tried to say that she was fine, but she couldn't. She'd been fine earlier, when she'd been speaking with Junior and playing the keyboard. She'd been fine then but now, looking at her mother’s face, hearing her mother’s voice... Nothing seemed fine anymore. "I don't know anymore. All I know is that this place is horrible--I know they say otherwise, but you have to believe me! This is a terrible place and--Mommy, I want to go home."
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She tried to put a brave voice, nevertheless. "I know this isn't what you are used to, Elena," Lilian said, "and as much as we want you back... Your father and I have agreed this place is the best for you. For all of us."
The woman smiled, albeit in sadness or strain, it was difficult to tell. "You and I have to work through our problems before we can live together again. I-- I know I haven't been the best mother, but I'm doing everything I can to make up for what happened. I'm even speaking to a therapist weekly." She looked away as if the fact was shameful.
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"Oh, Mommy." The realian swallowed past the lump that was forming in her throat, trying her best not to start crying. She could do that later, but she was determined to stay strong right now. "I'm sorry. If I did anything to make things difficult for you, I... I'm really sorry. I really do miss you, and I guess... I just..."
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she thought back over Juli's words once more. Had she said 'father'? She'd heard that this place was capable of reviving the dead, but... "Did you say... Daddy agreed to send me here, too?"
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Her smile disappeared. "But you know what the doctor said--"
A disturbance from one side of the lobby caught the woman's attention, forcing her to turn a head in surprise, where another patient had made an unfortunate mess on the floor. Not wanting to add to the scene, she immediately returned to Elena, touching her arm as to keep the child's focus. It was none of their business, after all.
"Anyway, your father says he's sorry he could not make it this week," Lilian continued softly. "He will attempt to be here next time, with your sister if she's well enough."
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