I'll Be There For You

                                    

                                          
"Hello, I'm looking for Dr Whiston," Charity asks the receptionist behind the desk. The auburn haired receptionist looks her up and down as if she's mentally asking herself what the fuck is she doing here. Just like that bratty Adele, Charity thinks to herself irritably. "Who's asking?" The receptionist asks, looking back down at her computer. "I believe my mother is a patient of hers, Mrs Anna Engle," She asks, nervously. As if a light bulb has just flicked on in her head the receptionist smiles and says, "Take a seat, I'll let her know that you're here." Confused Charity asks, "Was she is expecting me?" Getting up from her seat and waking over to one of the rooms next to Charity she says, "I suppose you could say that, give me five minutes." Charity does as she says and takes a seat on one of the bright orange leather seats in the waiting room. She had a completely different preconceived idea of what this place would be like, it's actually quite homely a far cry from a scene out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which she was excepting. This was not where she thought she'd be spending her afternoon, not by a long shot. In a way Charity starts to regret not begging Ezra to stay with her for moral support, to have him by her side right now would help immensely, especially as she's on the verge of tears at having to address what's going on with her mother and her mental state.
"Miss Engle?" A tall blonde lady with light blue eyes approaches Charity with a warm smile. "Yes, are you Dr Whiston? Burtons wife?" Charity asks, nervously as she shakes her hand. "Yes, I am. Would you like to see your mom?" She replies, with an empathetic look. "Yes, please," she says, eagerly. "Sure, follow me. I promise it's not as bad as it seems," Dr Whiston says, leading the way down a long white clinical looking corridor. "I just, never imagined that something like this could happen to her," Charity says, looking in the rooms as she passes, seeing all different patients, some older than others. "Okay, she's right through there. If you have any questions then please feel free to give me a shout I will be over in room 204 on the left over there," Dr Whiston gestures towards the other side of the hall. "Thank you, I'm so nervous," Charity responds, honestly. "There's no need to be, all you have to do is reassure your mother that you're here and you love her. That's all you can do," She replies, gently tapping Charity's shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Charity touches the cold handle and hesitates for a minute. Surely her father should be the one here, she should have called him instead. If he knew this was where she was then he would be here like a bullet out of a gun. Finally pressing the handle down she opens the door gently, in the far right corner Anna sits on a chair looking out the window. She sees Charity in the doorway and immediately perks up, "Sweetheart! It's so good to see you, I'm sorry that I couldn't say goodbye properly but I had to check myself in as soon as possible." Charity looks at her mother, she usually looks so vibrant and full of life. Today Anna looks like she has aged about ten years with the dark bags under her eyes, unwashed hair and she is noticeably shaking. She's dressed in an old bobbled navy cardigan, black jeans and slippers. Herself and Pale are so alike, when the other one is not there they are incomplete, truly each other's soulmate. "Mom, why couldn't you be honest with me?" Charity asks, taking Anna's hand and leading her towards the bed. The y both sit down, Anna is visibly upset with her glistening eyes and trembling hands. Charity looks around the room, it's very comfortable and liveable with its beige painted walls, comfy seating area, grey plush carpet, and glass wardrobes. I might check myself in here for one night, purely for some peace and quiet she thinks to herself. "I'm sorry, hun. It's just, how could I explain this to you or your father? There has never been a right time and truth be told I'm scared, terrified at what is happening to me," Anna replies as her head drops and she starts to sob. "You don't need to be scared, we are here for you and we love you. There's nothing you could say or do that would stop me and dad from loving you. You need to be honest and tell him, he thinks your living with Burton," Charity replies, taking her mother's hand and rubs it gently. "I would rather be believed that than know the truth of what is actually going on. It would be too much for him to handle and it could drive him over the edge," Anna sniffles. "The thought of you cheating on him and living with another man is breaking his heart. If you're too scared to tell him I can," Charity suggests. "No! You can't, please don't tell him," Anna pleads, squeezing Charity's hand. Feeling a migraine coming on Charity runs her freehand across her temple. "What am I supposed to do, lie? He's going to start asking questions. Just to let you know I met with Burton and I'm getting a Paternity test done, I need to know the truth," Charity says, walking over to the window and looks out at the pretty courtyard which has an array of flowers and an ancient looking waterfall fountain. "Oh, okay. It's your decision and like I said before I'm going to support you," Anna says, joining Charity at the window. "So, if you want to support me why won't you let me and dad help you?" She replies, getting choked up. Taking Charity into her arms and holding her tightly Anna whispers, "Sooner or later I'm going to forget your father, and it will be like we are no longer married. He will be a stranger to me, I might as well beat the Alzheimer's to the punch." Charity breaks away and looks up at Anna horrified, "Don't say that, we don't know that's going to happen for sure. Stop being so pessimistic, grandma got Alzheimer's and she still remembered all of us. Call dad," Charity urges, passing Anna her iPhone. "I can't do it, I'm sorry you've come all this way to see me but I need to keep my distance from your father. I will be doing him a favour," She replies, looking at a family picture of the three of them on Charity's screensaver. "What has Dr Whiston advised?" Charity asks, looking into Anna's red bloodshot eyes, wishing that she could trade places with her. "Stage four which means it's a moderate decline, my short term memory is shit and minuscule details that you might think are trivial I can't remember," Anna sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Mom, there is always hope. Now that you're here and they're giving you the help you need. I won't tell dad yet, I'm going to wait for you to tell him," Charity says. Anna shakes her head dismissing her comment, "I just can't, not yet. I don't know if I ever will be ready to tell him." Dr Whiston comes breezing into the room and smiles at them both. "How are we all doing?" She asks, taking the seat next to Anna's bed. "As okay as can be. I'm slightly concerned that mom is refusing to explain this to my father," Charity says, downcast. "I know, Anna has given us strict instructions not to contact your father and to not give any information to him if he contacts us," Dr Whiston replies, softly. "You can't make me do it, if I'm going to speak to Jimmy I will do it in my own time," Anna announces, irritably. "I'm not going to win this," Charity whispers to Dr Whiston who nods in agreement. "Mom, I've got to go but I'll visit you as soon as I can," Charity kisses Anna on the cheek and gives her a cuddle. "I'll never forget you, Charity," Anna mutters, getting choked up again. "I won't let you," Charity responds as a single tear falls down her cheek. "I'll walk you out," Dr Whiston smiles as she makes room for Charity to pass.