Of Ice and Hopitals

Chapter 13

The week following New York was as hectic as Lisa knew it would be. Since she took the weekend off, she had to catch up on the episodes they would film this week and memorize her lines. It was very time-consuming but Lisa thought her weekend with Sofia was worth it.

Even though her sister's competition came to an abrupt end when she fell head first on the ice during her duo with Wyatt, and Lisa didn't actually get to see Sofia skate, the actress was proud of what the younger girl accomplished. As Sofia injured herself before Lisa had the chance to land in New York, the brunette had to resort to watching the figure skater's performances that Jennie had recorded on her phone. From what Lisa had seen, Sofia was brilliant on ice. She looked solid yet graceful, confident but not arrogant. Lisa never ceased to be amazed by her little sister's talent.

The few days they got to spend together without being interrupted by either of their agendas, were truly a blessing. Yes, they lived in the same house but sometimes Lisa felt as if she barely saw Sofia at all during the school weeks.

Going out for dinner and breakfast and taking a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge were all things Lisa felt grateful for, as it represented quality time with Sofia. And this, Lisa could never get enough of.

Both of the Manoban sisters were reluctant to return home on Monday night as they both loved their escapade in the Big Apple. Nonetheless, it felt good to be back in the comfort of their house in L.A.

The very next day after they got back, they picked up their routine as if the two girls had never left it in the first place; Sofia went to school and Lisa spent many hours on set making up for the time she had missed.

On Thursday, Lisa had lunch with Indra at a small bistro on the beach to talk business. It was a pleasant day outside; the sun shone high and bright in the cloudless sky while the slight breeze reminded them that winter was slowly but surely coming. The wind made the waves crash steadily on the shore as the golden sun rays hit the white sand. She and her manager had opted to eat on the outside terrace to enjoy the scenery before them, both women being nature lovers.

Indra attentively listened to Lisa as she ate her grilled pesto chicken panini while the younger woman went on about her weekend in detail. The manager was sorry to hear about Sofia's injury but glad that she was fine and that the Manoban sisters had a great time in New York City.

"How is she doing now?", Lisa's manager asked as she brought her glass of freshly pressed lemonade to her lips.

Lisa swallowed a bite of her ravioli sauce rosé. "Physically she's fine. Because she has a mild concussion, her doctor said she should be able to start training again in about two weeks, provided she follows all the instructions she's been told. Mentally, however, I think being unable to go on the ice is hard on my sister, even though she doesn't necessarily express it out loud. But it's obvious to me; while when we were in New York she seemed fine about it because she had distractions, here she doesn't. Normally, she has a training every day after school until six thirty but now she's back home at four and she looks like she doesn't know what to do with herself. When I come back from work, she's either watching television or walking aimlessly around the house," Lisa sighed whilst shaking her head.

The actress had noticed the change in her sister's mood ever since they came back home, but did not know how to approach the subject with Sofia. Lisa knew her younger sibling tended to fold into herself when she was going through difficulties and did not particularly like to talk about her emotions.

This was a pure Manoban trait; the brunette was aware. The Manoban were people with a lot of pride, and whereas they could be all smiles and jokes when things were good, it was a whole other conversation when they faced personal issues. To put it briefly, people in their family struggled to admit when they were having a hard time.