Chapter Thirteen

                                    

                                          
America
                          
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A few weeks had passed since the vampire catastrophe, and Ciel was focusing on his next move..or rather he was trying to. Sebastian was training an entirely new staff, with the help of Bard, and Elizabeth...well she hadn't been away from the phone very much. Her mother's condition was worsening and being on the phone with the doctors practically twenty four seven was the least she could manage right now.  She was physically and emotionally exhausted, she looked worse every time Ciel passed her in the hall.. of course he didn't tell her that.
                          
Elizabeth sat in the glassed in veranda, just in front of the gardens with pen and paper in hand. Every dose of medicine her mother had taken was written in that book, along with the folder sitting on the marble table beside her which contained mailed records of her prescriptions and documentation. Her mother had endured a large set back recently; a heavy fall which had broken her hip and bruised her left arm. Something like this made her immune system plummet quite a bit and she was now officially bedridden. Of course she was forced to stay in bed before because of her Tuberculosis, but now she didn't even fight it. She refused physical therapy and ceased all verbal communication. The nurses, her handpicked and well trusted nurses, said she only groans or moans and she doesn't wake up to eat or bathe. Elizabeth sighed, she knew it wouldn't be long from here. 
                          
"Would you like some tea, M'lady?" A young girl, around sixteen, smiled down at the seated Elizabeth. "Pardon my saying, but you look stressed. Perhaps some hot tea will help..?"
                          
"Of course, that would be lovely. Thank you." The young maid excused herself into the manor. Elizabeth peeled open the front of her folder with dread written all over her face. Something wasn't right about her prescription papers, which meant she had to look through all of them. There had been a problem with her mothers medicine when the leading nurse tried to have it refilled. The doctor said she shouldn't have been out of it just yet, and her mother needed that medicine. She couldn't skip even one dose. 
                          
"You look hard at work out here." A familiar voice interrupted her train of though, not that she was getting anywhere anyway.
                          
"Ciel, what brings you out of your office?" She smiled as she inquired jokingly.
                          
"I could smell your frustration from the top floor. Mind if I join you?"
                          
"Oh, forgive me.. have a seat." 
                          
"Would you like a cigar?" He smirked and she gently brushed her hand against his shoulder. "I don't think all of the cigars in England could help me at this point." She groaned.
                          
"Complaining isn't very befitting of you. I'm not used to it."
                          
"I'm sorry.. but, something isn't adding up. Mother is coming up short on her medicine for some reason." Ciel noted two more folders on the table that were filled to the brim with papers and doctors notes. "All of this from your mother's caretakers?" She gave a silent nod and flipped through her papers. "My god Lizzie, they're very thorough."
                          
"I demand it." She admitted. Ciel's brows shot up in mild surprise. Sure, he should have expected this type of thing from her but to actually see her like this was a little unsettling. She was like a machine that ran off of crackers and tea, as well as the mailed prescription papers and phone calls of the doctor. 
                          
"Elizabeth.." He hesitated for a moment, "Perhaps you should let me ..take a look at it." The hesitation was because he knew she wanted control of all of her mothers proceedings, and with good reason. Her mother was important to her and he didn't want her to feel as though he was trying to take this away from her. She looked up at him through tired, glassy green eyes. "If you wish, I can't find the error." She handed him the folder.