𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒

SEVENTEEN | THE BUSINESS CALL

**A/N: LMAO, get ready for the shit storm!

"Felicity, it's so good to finally see you! I've missed you so much, honey."

"I've missed you too, Mom," Felicity smiled as she sat beside her mother. Her mother was currently in a rehabilitation center for her drinking, and Felicity was visiting her for the first time in weeks since it was advised that new inpatients adjust to the environment before visitors are allowed.

Felicity had honestly been grateful for that rule though. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her mom, but it was hard on her. She was still trying to forgive her mother for putting her in the position she had. Felicity cared deeply about her mother and truly wanted her to recover, but there was a part of her that felt like she had to recover every time she saw her mom.

"What's been going on in your life?" her mother asked with genuine curiosity, "Are things going well with Silvia and Chester?"

Felicity nodded her head, "Yes, Mom. They've been wonderful."

The young girl was hesitant to say too much about her new life with her aunt and uncle because she didn't want to make her mother feel bad. It was no secret that Felicity's aunt had her life together in ways her mother might never have her own life together. Silvia was only a year older than her sister, but it was well known that she had accomplished a great deal more in her lifetime. So Felicity just didn't want to rub in her mother's face the fact that her aunt was providing things for her that her mother couldn't even dream of giving her. She knew that her aunt had grown up under very different circumstances.

Felicity was simply grateful for her relatives generosity, and she didn't need to make her mother feel guilty in order to enjoy it.

"Has anything crazy happened lately? Everything is so repetitive here. Sometimes there's drama, but I need to hear some juicy gossip unrelated to addiction."

Felicity's face dropped as she thought about her father reaching out to her. It had happened a few weeks back now, but she didn't know if it would be a wise decision to tell her mother about it now. Obviously, she already had enough on her plate.

"What is it? You can tell me," her mother said.

"It's nothing, Mom," Felicity stated.

Felicity's mother rolled her eyes, "Oh please, Felicity. I know I have not been the most attentive mother to you, but I can tell when you're lying. Just tell me."

"Mom, I really don't think you're in the best place to be adding onto your stress. You need to focus on getting better. No distractions."

"Felicity, I want you to look at me," her mother said firmly.

Felicity looked into her mother's eyes, and her mother stared at her seriously, "I am your mother, not the other way around. I know I haven't done the greatest job acting like it, but I am supposed to take care of you. You don't need to protect me anymore, I am responsible for myself. I am in rehab right now so that I can take better care of you, and better care of myself. Even though I have failed you, I am still your mother, and I always will be. Please try not to feel like you have to fill that role for me any longer. I am locked away safely in a place solely intended for recovery and learning how to cope through hardship. If anything, I am in the best place to hear whatever it is you need to tell me. I have dozens of people here who are able to help me figure it out if I feel I cannot handle it alone."

Felicity stared at her mom in shock, then let out an amused laugh, "You're still you, Mom."

"Of course, honey. Still as stubborn as ever," she smiled.