Stay

Chapter: Twenty-Two

Scarlett

I grab my bag from the seat beside me before stepping out into the brisk cool air. I slam Chase's car door shut before swinging around to the other side where him and Ashley are waiting for me. I take a deep breath before leading us into the rehab centre my mom's been in for the last three weeks.

The cast on my hand has now been removed although I have a thin brace on for support. The stitches on my forehead have fallen out and my hands aren't as badly cut anymore, only a few scratches and scars are left on them. My shoulder, although has been in constant pain and the physiotherapy hasn't helped much yet. My back and stomach are still a mess but that's nothing new and not something that will go away anytime soon.

The bruises around Ashley's neck have disappeared but the invisible mark they left on her have not disappeared and most like never will. She'd seem perfectly fine if it weren't for the haunted look in her eyes and the fact that she hasn't spoken in over three weeks. I sigh turning away from her as I walk up to the front desk.

"Are you ready to see your mom?" Chase asks from beside me as I sign in at the visitor's station before taking a seat to wait. I glance at him warily.

"I'm not too sure what to expect honestly. Like, how well is she really doing here?" I say and Chase raises his eyebrows at me. I sigh. "What if none of this has helped her get onto the right track? I'm just scared that after even everything we've been through it's not enough for her to get her act together, like Ashley and I aren't enough for her to get better." I say quietly.

Chase sighs before pulling me in for a quick hug. "You are more than enough for her to have a reason to get better. You and your sister are amazing girls and I'd doubt it if your mother didn't want to get better for you two." He says and I nod silently just as a woman dressed in navy blue scrubs walks over to us.

"Hi, I'm Sarah. Are you Scarlett Martinez?" She asks and I nod my head before she turns to look at Ashley. Ashley shifts herself so that she's partially behind Chase as the lady gazes at her. "You must be Ashley." Ashley doesn't say anything and she doesn't nod her head.

"Yeah, that's Ash. She's just a little shy." I lie and the lady looks back at me with a skepticism flooding in her eyes. My posture stiffens and I see Chase give me a warning look out of the corner of my eye. I sigh. "Is my mother ready?" I ask and Sarah nods her head.

"Almost. I can take you to her room if you would like?" She asks and I nod my head wanting to be immediately relieved of this uncomfortable conversation. We're lead down a long hallway with glass walls on both sides giving us a view of the courtyard where several women are sitting around chatting aimlessly. Sarah turns left down a small hallway and stops in front of a door and knocks. "Carla? Your daughters are here."

I hear a shuffling on the other side of the door before it swings open, revealing a woman that looks almost nothing like the mom I've known for the last two years. No, instead she looks like the woman I grew up with, a person with kind loving eyes, a clean face, looks mostly put together and most of all someone that doesn't constantly have a glazed over expression on her face.

Her eyes flicker between me and Ashley with hesitance and nervousness. I glance at Ashley to see that she has tears welling up in her eyes. She rushes forward and throws her arms around our mom's small frame. She staggers back a few steps, surprised by the sudden show of affection from a daughter she probably thought hated her, before wrapping her frail arms around Ashley's shoulders. My mother buries her face in Ash's hair and I see her tremble as she takes a deep breath.

After a few moments, my mom's eyes flicker up to meet my own before gently pushing herself away from Ashley. We both stand there for a minute looking at each other before both of us step forward and wrap each other up in a bone crushing hug. She cries into my shoulder as she grips onto my waist and I burry my own face into her neck trying my hardest not to cry. "I am so sorry." She whispers into my ear and I shake my head.