𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 ༄ 𝗷. 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗻

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎. 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚜

"Mama, Rohan and Kate will be here soon. Their flight took off from about an hour and a half ago, from Minneapolis."

Bhavika took a breath.

"So, mama finally decided to acknowledge my existence?" She asked Shalene.

"Uh, yes." Shalene cleared her throat, deeply uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going.

Shalene had seen a lot when she was younger. She knew what Bhavika had gone through. Their mother was two faced, a sweet loving mother, auntie and grandmother on the outside. But, lurking on the inside was a monster who only lashed out at what she believed to be the troubled middle child. Bhavika had accepted many apologies from her mother over the years, claiming she was really sorry for her actions, but the cycle kept happening. With every new apology the less sincere it got and by the end of her time at home Bhavika stopped believing the lies her mother was spitting at her.

So she left home, at the ripe age of 18, no goodbyes and joined the Navy. She came home three times over the years, Diwali her first year at the Academy, Rohan's wedding her second year at the Academy and Diwali again a year before her crash. Bhavika became the cousin no one ever saw, but made the nastiest gossip about. Her mother had some aunties convinced that Bhavika had run away with a man and was pregnant with his child, because that was somehow more believable than her joining the Navy to fly planes.

Shalene was at a loss, she didn't want Bhavika to feel uncomfortable in the state she was already in, but she also couldn't turn her mother away.

"I'll be right back." Bhvika nodded and watched her sister fled the room. "Where can I find Dr. Ikeda?"

"She should be coming up here soon. She's on her way from the base." Shalene thanked the nurse and waited in the hallway until Lahela arrived.

"Shalene? Is everything alright?" Lahela asked when she saw the pacing woman.

"Not really? Bhavika is fine, we just have a small familial issue to handle." Lahela nodded and let her proceed with her question.

"My mother is coming. She and Bhavika haven't had the best relationship per se so I was wondering if we could have an agreement in place. For my mother if she gets too out of line. Maybe you can put her back in her place, she won't listen to me or my brother and definitely wont listen to Bhavika."

"How bad does it get?" Lahela asked and ushered her towards her small temporary office.

"She's hit Bhavika before, sometimes refuses to acknowledge her existence, says she's proud of her then gossips about her behind her back." Shalene knows how bad it sounds coming out of her mouth.

"Shalene, this isn't my field of work but she sounds abusive." Shalene knew that too.

"I know, but me and my brother don't know what to do. She's our mother, she raised us when we didn't have a father. She waited to get remarried until we were out of the house. But she has her bad days, and when those do come she only seems to take it out on Bhavika."

"Okay." Lahela was deep in thought. "Here's the plan, let your mother see her like normal. But, if she begins to push her too far tell me immediately and I will get things handled. I would rather her hate me than hate you."