"Let me help you." Lindsey had been standing in the bedroom doorway for a couple of minutes, watching her frantically pack her suitcase. "You have to chill out, Steph." He didn't get worried very often, but with how upset she'd gotten, it was impossible not to be a little concerned. "You're getting yourself so worked up." His hand met her back, giving her hip the softest squeeze.
That was his way of telling her to sit down, he could pack and she could take a moment to think. And believe it or not, Lindsey had always been pretty good in times like that. He was calm, he was sympathetic, he even shed a couple of tears in the car on the way home, which was a little out of character at that time in their lives.
But to hear that Constance was in the hospital, in a coma from another overdose was emotional for everyone, but especially for her mother.
She scoffed immediately, hands dropping to her sides as she fell into the edge of the bed. "I can't calm down." Stevie was practically hyperventilating at that point- her chest rising and falling fast as she found it nearly impossible to catch her breath.
It was bad, worse than she'd ever felt in her whole life and she'd experienced some pretty overwhelming moments. But nothing compared to the pain of being so far away from her daughter at a time she needed her the most... Constance was at her absolute lowest and her mom was vacationing in Hawaii.
Stevie didn't think she'd ever get over it.
"She's going to be okay." He had said that ten times since they'd gotten the phone call from Ann... he was trying his best to reassure them both. "She's tough..." Lindsey added, looking down at her for a moment before he slipped into the bathroom to grab a wash cloth.
Nodding softly, Stevie completely collapsed back into the bed that she'd made so perfectly a couple of hours earlier. "She is." She agreed, hand on her chest to calm her racing heart.
There was a different kind of hurt that came with being so far away from your child in a time like that. She just wanted to be there, and though Karen was working hard on getting her home as fast as possible, that just didn't seem like enough.
"Here," his hand fell right on her leg, handing her a warm wash cloth for her face. "Karen's going to get you home, alright?" Lindsey went right back to packing her bag, trying his best to fold her clothes but his hands were shaking so bad, it just looked like a mess of lace and chiffon.
She patted her face softly, still looking up at the ceiling as she began to relax just a little. "Are you staying?" She wondered in a low murmur as she watched the blade spin in fast circles, almost making her nauseous.
He gave her a soft nod as his eyes scanned over her face. "I'll see you at home, baby." And that was a promise.
~~~
Stevie asked about Constance the entire 30 minute drive from the airport to the hospital, being that she had plenty of time to think of a million questions on the plane ride across the ocean. And at the other end of all her worries was Karen, who was trying to drive through LA traffic and sooth, her boss at the same time... She was stressed.
"You should have told me yesterday." The blonde was not in the best spirit and she had made it pretty obvious from the moment she'd gotten on the ground.
Karen let out a gentle sigh, clicking the turn signal on as they pulled into the parking garage. "I wanted to." Her voice was so soft and kind... she felt terrible. "But Kim was certain that she'd be okay once she got here and-"
"Don't ever listen to Kim." She held up her hands, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
Karen grew quiet, pulling up to the spot that was closest to the door and then she put the SUV in park. "I'm sorry." She was, not just for lying the day before, but for everything else too.
She knew Stevie had her hands full with saying goodbye to her home in Hawaii, trying to juggle a new relationship with a man that was nearly rushing into marriage and now Constance, who had always been the most important person in her life... besides her other two children, of course.
It had to be overwhelming.
Stevie paused for a moment, staring at the younger woman as she let off a very faint smile. "I love you." She did and she felt like she needed to remind her.
With tears in her eyes, Karen nodded very softly. "I love you, too." She whispered as she gave Stevie's hand a light squeeze.
"Take a couple of minutes, okay?" She knew it was a lot and she was so thankful that she had Karen there to hold things steady when she couldn't. "I'll be inside." She added before she slipped out of the car and let her two feet hit the concrete.
And with some help from the lady at the front desk, within just a few minutes, she was trailing into the waiting room on the second floor of the hospital, where some of her most favorite people in the whole world were chatting.
It was packed, or so it seemed since the private area was so small. But either way, there was more people than Stevie felt fit for that situation.
"Mom..." Matthew was sitting on the sofa, not far from Becks, who had tears streaming down her cheeks.
Stevie kept her sunglasses shielding her eyes, which meant that the room full of people couldn't see when she scanned over each of their faces. "Where is-"
"Let's talk in the hallway." He was standing behind her, having been getting a cup of coffee when he heard the dreadful sound of her boots hitting the floor.
Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach as silence filled the room around them. "I want to see Constance." She turned slowly, coming face to face with her ex husband, which immediately had every person in the room on the edge of their seat.
"Come on, Steph." Kim motioned for her to follow, even though he knew better than to try and tell her what to do. "Let's talk." He handed her one of the foam cups he'd just gotten, knowing she probably needed the caffeine.
She looked at him for a short moment, wrapping her sweater around herself tighter and then, half heartedly, she slipped back out. "You had no right to tell them not to call me." She creased a brow, finally pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head to show him the saddest set of brown eyes. "She's my daughter, too." Stevie mumbled, looking down into the cup of coffee like it had the answers to life.
With a soft sigh, he slipped his free hand around her shoulders and pulled her in to his arms for the first time in years. "It's bad this time." He whispered, heart just as broken as hers.
With her head on his chest, she let the tears run down her cheeks. "Don't say that." Stevie's voice cracked as she begged him not to tell her the truth.
