Water Ch. 139 - If I Was Your Mother

"May I help you?"  Dr. Fuller asks the person that just interrupted his session.  Dorothea and Beth look at one another, Dorothea kind of smiles because she assumes that it's Jon and that Beth is on the verge of being busted.  Beth looks at Dorothea with the look of wonder, because she can't even begin to imagine who it could be.  She knew it wasn't Jon, he was picking the kids up from his mom's house.

 

"Can I come in?" The person on the other side asks Dr. Fuller.  Dorothea and Beth can't hear what's being said by the stranger on the other side.

 

Dr. Fuller shifts his stance and asks, "Who are you?"  not knowing who he was talking to.  It was odd to have an interruption as such, and even more so when it's behind the locked gate of a psychiatric ward in a hospital.  He holds firm to the door, not going to let the stranger see who was in his office.  "What can I help you with?"

 

"Beth, are you in there?" the stranger calls out, and she hears that it's Stephanie Rose.  Beth jumps to her feet and looks at Dorothea.  Dorothea didn't catch who it was at first, the voice was familiar but to faint for her to really hear.

 

"Dr. Fuller, please let her in."  Beth calls out.  Dr. Fuller looks back at Beth with surprise.  He's surprised that she knew the person on the other side of the door.  "Dr. Fuller, let her in here."  The doctor stands back and the door creeps open.  Stephanie steps in the room and looks at Beth with a look that Beth hasn't seen from her before.

 

Stephanie sees her mother and gives her a hug.  "Hi mom, how are you doing?"  As callous as she could be.  Stephanie wasn't impressed with her mother's behavior as of late and she wouldn't pretend that everything was okay.  Stephanie faces her attention to Beth, "What are you doing here?  Didn't dad tell you not to come until the doctor said it was okay?" 

 

Beth was quite baffled by the way Stephanie had talked to her, and she was curious as to how she found out that she was even there.  "How did you know I was here?  And Steph, I'm here to help your mother."

 

"Grandma and I were in the city and we called the house to see where dad was.  Maria told me that you called for a car to take you into the city.  I knew you wouldn't be shopping and you weren't at your apartment - so grandma and I figured you were here.  Grandma is in the hall."  Stephanie fills Beth in on how things went down and the entire time, Dot is looking at their interaction and is quite hurt by what she sees. 

 

Dorothea just had her world crushed when she learned that Jon and Beth were having twins and then her oldest child, her only daughter walks into her psych session and treats her like she isn't even there.  Dot can't help or stop the burning in her eyes and the lump in her throat, she knows that she needs to feel the feelings that she's feeling.  "Stephanie Rose, come here honey."  Dot reaches out for Stephanie.  Stephanie does as she's told and walks over to her mom.  They sit down next to one another and Dot grabs Steph's hand.  "How come you haven't visited or called me honey?  I've missed you, I've missed all of you.  How are your brothers?"  And she pauses for a response.

 

The wiser beyond her years, Stephanie Rose, without hesitation tells her mother, "I haven't wanted to see you or talk to you.  The boys are fine."  And she pulls her hand away from her mother.  "I don't want to be here now mom, but I don't want Beth to get crap from dad for trying to help you."  Standing, Stephanie walks toward the door.

 

"Stephanie, don't go.  Come talk with me." Dot cries out.

 

Stephanie shakes her head no, and tells her mother, "We'll talk when you come home.  I don't want to be here mom.  I don't want to see you like this and I don't want you dragging Beth into it."  As the words come out of her mouth, her memory of her mother on the floor is as vivid as the day it happened, she can't control the anger and the hurt she feels and she really doesn't want to.  "I don't want to see you until you're better and when you stop all the crap you're doing to dad.  Dad was in an accident mom, he could have died, Beth could have died and you're only worried about you."  She wrenches her hands with frustration and yells to her mother, "I found you on the floor mom.  I found you.  Do you have any idea what that has done to me?  And here we are, all about you.  Can we go Beth?"  She looks to her friend, her future step mom for help.  Beth stands up and walks over to the young lady that just chewed her own mothers ass.

 

"Of course we can."  Beth reaches up and rubs Stephanie's arm.  "Are you sure you want to go, I think you needed to get that off your chest."  And she gives the girl a small 'I'm here for you' smile.

 

Dorothea stands up and blurts out, "You're going to leave with her?  Stay and visit Stephy, just for a little while."  And she walks toward the two of them, Stephanie's response stops her dead in her tracks.

 

"No mom, Beth needs to get home and off her feet.  See, it's NOT all about you mom.  She's on bed rest and went against doctors orders to come and help you.  Help you.  She could lose the babies if she does too much."  And the dagger went all the way thought Dorothea's heart.  Her daughter knew about the babies before she did. 

 

"You know that she's pregnant?"  Dot questions Steph, with the hurt of 1000 horses trampling her heart.

 

Beth stepped in here, because she didn't think that Stephanie needed to defend what and when they told her about the babies.  Frankly, it was none of Dot's business when and why they told her when they did.  "Dorothea, we aren't here to talk about my pregnancy.  We were supposed to talk about issues that may help you on your road to recovery.  Steph is too young to be involved in this.  Please don't put her in the position to defend herself."  Beth gently pushes Stephanie towards the door. 

 

"We are going to go."  Beth tells Dr. Fuller.  "I don't think I can be anymore help right now."  Beth stops and shakes the doctor's hand, looking at Dot and Steph she adds, "Dot call me if you need me, Steph are you ready to go?"

 

Stephanie rolls her eyes at Beth in a way that says, 'Please get me out of here.'  "I'm ready.  Grandma is probably worried."  Stephanie looks back at her mom, who is standing by the outdated chairs that they sat in just a few moments ago, "Bye mom.  I'll see you when you get out."  And the young lady leaves the doctor's office.  Beth pops her head out the door and makes sure that Carol is waiting for Stephanie.

 

Spotting her future mother in law, she asks her, "Give me a few minutes and I'll take Stephanie home, okay?"  Carol agrees and Beth goes back into the office. 

 

"Dorothea, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.  Using Stephanie like that was wrong and in my mind, borderline cruel.  You have damaged a part of her that Jon and I are trying very hard to fix, and YOU, yes YOU, her mother may have set her back several steps.  Do you have any fucking idea what your actions have done to everyone? You didn't hurt JUST Jon, you hurt so many.  And for you to try to make Stephanie feel bad is beyond reproach."  She pauses long enough to catch her breath and continues, "Of all involved, I think you hurt Jon the least.  Your kids are doing great, so glad you asked and yes, Jon and I are expecting.  We told Stephanie because she is part of OUR family and we knew that she would 1) handle it fine and 2) keep it to herself until we decided it was time to make the announcement.  SHE needed some happiness and excitement in her life.  She went from a suicidal mother to a father in a bad car accident."  Reaching for the door knob, she says her final words on the subject.  "Get yourself better, for you and your kids.  Not Jon.  Jon isn't coming back."  She stops again, looks at Dr. Fuller who is just standing there with his mouth open, having no idea what has just happened in his own office.  "Dr. Fuller, please call me if you need anything else."  Looking at Dorothea, "Goodbye Dorothea."  And Beth leaves the office. 

 

In the hallway with Mrs. B and Stephanie, Beth can hear Dr. Fuller ask Dorothea, "Do you want to talk about what just happened?"  And then they walked away.  Mrs. B was concerned for Beth and Beth reassured her that she was fine.  Walking out of the psych ward, Beth put her arm around Stephanie and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.  "I'm proud of you kiddo!  You did a great job in there, are you okay?'

 

Stephanie laughs and  says, "I'm fine, but you won't be - dad will be pissed."

 

"Stephanie Rose, Catholic girls don't talk that way."  Grandma interjected.  The three of them walked out of the hospital, with two of them feeling like they had just won a battle that they weren't prepared to fight.

 

Once outside they got into their cars, Stephanie rode back home with Beth and grandma went alone.  The trip for Beth and Steph was quiet, they both were mentally drained.  Stephanie did manage to throw Beth for a loop.  She asked her, "Why would my mom do that to us?"

 

"Lets talk about that with your dad, okay?  I know he would want to be there for it."  She looks at the child sitting next to her, in the back seat of the car service.  Her heart breaks for her and the boys.