basorexia (a.m.)

020. god grant me the serenity

They're sat in a circle. Charlie's arms are crossed and she's scanning everyone with her eyes. She would rather be anywhere than group therapy right now.

"Charlotte? You've been quiet, would you like to discuss with us?" The man crosses his legs and stares at Charlie.

"It's Charlie." She snaps back.

"Okay, well Charlie, would you like to share anything." He pressures her.

"Not really." She mumbles

"Charlie, you've been coming to these sessions twice a day for 4 days now, do you not have anything to share."

"I do. Just not with you guys." She snorts and sits back.

The therapy leader is silent then looks at his clipboard and lifts a piece of paper, as if to check something. "Do you maybe want to talk about George?" He says to her.

Charlie's jaw tenses and her eyes snap up to the therapy leader. "No." She grunts out.

"How about Addison?" He pressures her again.

"What part of no, don't you understand!" Charlie shouts as she stands, the chair she was sitting on falls to the floor. "I don't want to talk and to be honest I don't want to fucking be here." She finishes and storms out.

Charlie sits on her bed, she's reading her book and trying to enjoy some quiet.

"Well well, someone had a temper," Jonah says in the doorway. She met Jonah on her first day. She walked out of group therapy and Jonah just went after her and talked shit about the therapy leader with her. He made her laugh and she liked that.

"I don't like group therapy, you know this."

"That doesn't mean you storm out." Jonah leans against the door and crosses his arms, his biceps bulging underneath his red henley. Charlie looks at the silver dog tags that hang around his neck, she hasn't asked about them, even though she wants to.

"I just...I don't need to talk about my problems with everyone you know?" She says, her eyes falling back to her book.

"I understand that, but group therapy is a big part of rehab."

"Yeah, well it's a stupid part of rehab."

"Charlie." He says to her in a stern tone.

"I'm sorry," She puts her book down. "I'm trying."

"I know." He smiles at her. "That's the most important part." Jonah shoots her wink then leaves her alone with her book.

*

"Yes, I know. Look send Julia my best, I've just got home." Addison says into her phone, as it rests on her shoulder and she roots around for her keys. She finds them and unlocks the front door. "I'll see about coming to visit soon. Bye, Arch." She hangs up the phone, lets out a breath and places her bag on the floor.

"Addie, darling?" A voice calls out.

Addison freezes. No. No that was not the voice of her mother who she told not to come. Addison walks through to the kitchen and sure enough, her mother is standing in the kitchen. With Lisa.

Oh, god no.

"Addie, darling. We've been waiting for hours, where have you been?" Bizzy says, sitting at the kitchen island. Lisa stands by the sink, a tight smile on her face.

"At the hospital, where I work as a doctor." She says still not believing that her mother was in her kitchen. "Hang on, we?" Addison asks.

"Oh, your father is around here somewhere." Bizzy waves her hands around

"The-the Captain...is here. You're both here, in Seattle, in my house." Addison sits on the edge of the couch.

"Is that a 1967 Ford F-100 pickup in the garage?" Her father says, exiting the door that leads to the laundry room and indeed the garage.

"Yes, it is. Why are you two here?" She says, immediately changing the subject.

"Well, you've kept putting us off, we wanted to come and see you for months, Addie. So we just decided to come!"

"Even though I told you no?" She says annoyance in her tone of voice.

"Oh Addie, don't be like that." Her father says as he opens the various cupboards in the kitchen.

Addison looks up at Lisa, her mother-in-law gives her a small shrug and a smile.

"There's no scotch. If that's what you're looking for."

"No scotch?" Her father laughs. "What kind of Montgomery doesn't have a bottle of scotch on hand?"

"One that's married to an addict." She says under her breath.

"What was that dear?" Her mother asks.

"Nothing." Addison smiles. "Lisa, can I borrow you for a second." Lisa smiles and follows Addison out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Why are they here?"

"Okay, Addison, breathe."

"I specifically told them not to come and here they are. God, they never listen, do they." She laughs and begins to pace on the landing. Suddenly she stops and stares. "Where's the photo?"

"The photo of you two at your wedding? I took it down, I took down all the obvious pictures of you two because Charlotte mentioned that your parents don't know that you're bisexual. I think I got all of them but it was very short notice." Lisa smiles. "They're all in a box in your wardrobe."

Addison presses a hand to her chest and begins to breathe easier. "Thank you." She says and pulls Lisa into a hug. "Did they ask who you were? What did you say?"

"Oh, I just said that I was a friend of Derek's mother, and wanted to see you. Don't worry, I haven't mentioned Charlie, I won't bring her up unless you want me to."

Lisa is the mother that Addison always dreamed of having, and now she does and she's thankful. "Thank you."

They go back downstairs and Addison takes a breath to deal with them.

"So, this is an awfully big house to live alone in, have you found anyone else to put up with you?" Bizzy says, looking around the open plan kitchen and living room. Addison listened as she goes into the garage and fetches a bottle of wine from her secret stash.

if she's doing this, she's not doing it sober.

She goes back to the kitchen and pours herself a large glass then takes a swig. Addison debates coming out. the fallout could be bad, or even better it could cause them to leave.

"Actually, yes. I have found someone," she says wine glass in hand.

"Oh, well aren't you going to introduce us to the lovely man?"

"She's not here right now." She murmurs into her wine glass, downing the red merlot.

"She?" Her father asks.

"Yes. In fact, this is my mother-in-law. Lisa meet my parents." Addison gestures at the blonde woman and Lisa just waves awkwardly.

"Hi." She says with a small wave.

"As for my wife." She begins, as she pours herself another large glass. Fuck it, she just came out she might as well tell them the full story. She takes a swig and then; "She's currently at a rehabilitation centre, she has a drug problem and is learning to tackle it. She also is covered in tattoos. How about it, mother, your eldest daughter is married to a gay tattooed ex-drug addict who is 13 years younger than her! I bet you can't wait to tell all your friends what a disappointment I am." Her parents just sit there stunned by the words that just left Addison's mouth. Addison stands there and drinks the rest of the wine in her glass. "I'm going to bed." She murmurs then goes upstairs, taking the bottle of wine with her.