Forever In Your Shadows

Chapter 37

Scarlett's POV 

Eight shows a week. I had Tuesdays off, and if I was lucky, people at the stage door were super supportive of me. Mom was at home more because she wasn't up to a lot of things anymore. Dad was worried about her, but I assured her that she was fine. 

"Mom! I'm home!" I called when I finally got home. I heard coughing coming from the bedroom, so I followed it. "Mom?" I frowned while pushing the back room door open. Mom was sitting up in her bed drinking water. "Are you okay?" I frowned. 

"I'm fine. Just a little cough." She said while putting the glass down on the nightstand. "I'm fine, really Scarlett." She tried to smile, but she continued coughing. 

"Mom, you should really see a doctor... You used to make me go every time I had a cough." I laughed while placing my hand on her forehead. 

"Because you had a compromised immune system." She smiled. "I'm fine Scarlett. It's late, I'll go in the morning." She sighed. 

"Promise me." I frowned. She had a fever... 

"I promise." She said while getting back into bed. I got her a cold compress and placed it on her forehead. "This isn't necessary!" She frowned. 

"Mom! Let me take care of you. I can't let you get sicker. You're my mom." I smiled. 

"Alright, alright." She sighed in defeat. I smiled and thought that I was going to have to take care of her before anyone else. I wasn't against it at all. Mom was my everything... She's always taken care of me, and made sure everything was fine. Now it was my turn.

~~~~

I sat in the room with mom, waiting for the test results to come back. The doctor assumed the flu, but they wanted to be sure. 

"What if you have measles?" I smirked. 

"I'm not that old!" She gasped. "God Scarlett.." She laughed. 

"I'm just lightening the mood!" I laughed. "But you are getting up there mom." I frowned. "You have a few grey hairs..." 

"I know.. I'm not going to hide them. No point, it's all natural." She shrugged. I nodded and heard someone knock on the door. It was the doctor and he had somewhat good news. Mom did have the flu, but it was borderline pneumonia. Thank God I brought her in when I did. She would've stayed at home if she had the chance. 

"We want her to stay for a couple of days that way we can make sure she's going to be okay." The doctor smiled. 

"Of course." I smiled at mom and she rolled her eyes. "I'll come visit every day that you're here. I'll bring Ignacio." I smiled. She laughed and nodded. The nurses got to work and started the process for having her stay here. I hung out a bit longer since mom was going to be bored. Ignacio headed over since he had the same show schedule. 

"Hey, Ms. Soo." He smiled. "I brought you a teddy bear." He said while hanging over a little bear that said, 'Get Well Soon!' on it's t-shirt. I smiled at his thoughtfulness. He was amazing. 

"Aw, thank you." She smiled. He sat next to me and held my hand. "So, if you guys are going to get married, you should do it." She laughed. 

"Mom!" I gasped. 

"What?!" She laughed. Ignacio was blushing already too.. Was he planning on something? "I'm just saying. You two are the cutest couple on stage and off. So just get married already." She smirked. 

"Well, maybe one day." Ignacio smiled. "Because hospitals aren't the best place to propose." He laughed. I smiled at him and we continued to talk abut various things. After a few hours, we decided to go home. "Is it alright if I stay at your place?" He asked her. 

"Of course. Just no children... Don't do that to my daughter." She pointed. 

"I promise to not let that happen." I smiled.

~~~~~

Ignacio and I were cuddling on the couch watching tv when we heard the door open and slam shut. I looked up and saw Alejandro walk in. He looked so angry for some reason....

"Oh my god! I'm so through with dad! He's just this ugh!" He groaned. "Where's mom?" He asked. 

"She's staying in the hospital for a few days. I texted you hours ago." I frowned. 

"What is wrong with her?! Why is she there?!" He freaked. 

"Chill little man." Ignacio laughed while getting up. I watched him place his hands on his shoulder. "She's just got the flu. She's going to be back in a few days after the doctors make sure she's going to be okay. Now sit here, vent to your sister and I'll make all of us something to eat." He said while sitting Alejandro on the couch. 

"What's got you down there little brother?" I frowned. He started ranting about how dad had yelled at him for having his boyfriend over for a study date without telling him. I frowned and thought that was terrible... 

"We weren't even doing anything! It was just studying!" He sighed. "I don't understand why he's being such a jerk to us. Amelie is even trying to get him to stop. I think he's just pissed because mom won't get back with him." He shrugged. 

"He's been barking up that tree for months now... I don't understand why he won't give her space." I sighed. 

"He's been depressed. I think he took up drinking recently. I don't know." He shrugged. "He keeps looking back at old photos of them together and crying...." He added. I frowned and thought that was sweet, but mom needed her space... She couldn't just go back to someone if she didn't really love them.... 

"Wow... Mom does that too... But with Steven's photos..." I frowned. 

"Do you do it?" He asked. "Look back at old pictures?" 

"I do." I said while pulling out the book from under the coffee table. "But my book is full of everything." I smiled. I flipped open to the first page and saw pictures of mom with me as a tiny baby. "See, me as a baby." I smiled. Alejandro smiled at the photos and we flipped through them all. From me as a tiny baby, to mom and Steven first dating, and then him becoming more like a dad to me. Steven with me as a toddler, mom and I on the Hamilton set, seeing many shows together... 

"Wow.. You and mom used to do so much together..." He smiled. 

"Well everything was different then." I shrugged. "There was so much hate in the world that she wanted to make sure I didn't see that." I frowned. "Then of course she couldn't shield it from me all the time.." I said while turning the next page. I had the program for Steven's funeral and Alejandro frowned.

"Oh.." He whispered. 

"Yeah.." I sighed. "But it kinda got better." I said while turning the pages. Mom and I at the zoo, mom and  seeing symphonies and of course mom and I hanging out in parks and what not. "We tried everything just to get away from it all. Then dad came back into our lives and it was all different." I frowned. "It wasn't the same. Mom stopped taking me out to distract me from the world since dad was already doing that from inside the house." I shrugged. 

"Do you think mom still loves dad?" Alejandro asked. 

"I know she does. But she needs to have a little more time by herself in order to see that she loves him still." I smiled. 

"Do you think they'll get back together?" He frowned. 

"I don't know... Maybe." I shrugged. "But I know that I won't move back if they do." I smiled. "Mom promised us the apartment if she ever moved." I smiled. 

"Can I please live with you if that happened?" Alejandro asked. Ignacio brought us some plates full of spaghetti and laughed. 

"Not all the time. But you can visit." He smiled. 

"Oh come on! Just because you two are all in love doesn't mean you have to shun your favorite sibling!" He pouted. 

"My favorite sibling? Oh no. He's making me choose again!" I laughed. 

"Isn't your favorite sibling my sister?" Ignacio laughed from the kitchen. Alejandro rolled his eyes and started to dig into his food. I laughed at him and went to eat my dinner too. Things needed to change for good.