Cooper's Children's Home - New Beginnings // BradGa

T W O

"Knock, Knock." Cynthia knocked at the door of Stefani's dressing room.

Stefani looked up into the mirror. A gasp left her lips before she jumped up and ran towards her mother, making Frederic and Sarah groan at the interruption. "Mom! You're here! Why are you here?" She asked, hugging her mother closer to her body.

"Bobby called me and flew me over. He said you're being weird again." She raised an eyebrow and eyed her daughters pale and dull face. She looked tired and sick, even skinnier than usual and not much like herself anymore. Touring always took a toll on her mentally and physically but it had never been quite like this before.

Bobby had let it slide the past two weeks, blamed it on her getting accustomed to the tour life and her new schedule, but she'd been through all of this before. It was always the same process and it usually took her less than a week to find a good rhythm she could work with. It's been over two months since she got back from the children's shelter and the Lady Gaga they all knew was gone. She didn't party, didn't drink, didn't smoke. She wore whatever they showed her, said the same monotonous things during interviews and stuck to her diet without complaining once. Bobby was used to her always wanting to have the last word no matter what it was about. He honestly missed fighting her like he had to in the beginning and having to bail her out of jail on the weekends.
So he called Cynthia. If there was anyone out there that could get through to Stefani, it was her. Their bond was unbreakable.

Cynthia knew her daughter like she knew the back of her hand and the woman that was stood in front of her right now wasn't the woman she knew and loved. She'd been through eating disorders, severe depression and addiction with her daughter but this was a new side of her she couldn't read yet. This was a new kind of pain. A low that was even lower than her previous ones.

"As much as I'd love to talk, I have to get ready for the show. We'll talk afterwards?" She said, already knowing what was about to come. Stefani was mad at Bobby for continuously sticking his nose into her personal business, but she knew he came from a good place and only did it because he cared for her. She'd honestly do the same for him.

Cynthia nodded and let her daughter continue getting ready for her show. She was off, constantly forgot her own lyrics, fiddled with anything she could reach like a hyperactive child and chugged down the energy drinks as if her life depended on them. Sarah and Frederic tried to talk to her while they touched up her make up and hair before she had to go out but it seemed like she didn't even listen to them at all. Her mother was more than worried at that point.

••••

"Darling, can you please talk to me now? I let you have dinner, get dressed for bed, take a shower and you haven't even spoken a word since we got here. Loopy, talk to me. I'm your mother and I'm worried about you." Cynthia let out a deep sigh and patted the spot next to her on the bed of Stefani's hotel room.

The moment she dreaded most: another one of those talks with her mom, but this time it was way worse than before. She didn't even want to acknowledge what was happening to her herself. She didn't want to think about it, let alone talk about it. She knew she had to eventually, it wouldn't be too long until she couldn't hide it anymore. Everyone would know. And she wasn't ready for the incoming comments, the judgmental looks and interview questions, that she knew she wouldn't be able to hide from. Just one of the cons of being a Popstar.

Stefani slowly made her way towards her mom and sat down on the bed next to her. She played with the white bedsheets and looked anywhere but at her mom. She'd be so disappointed in her. There was no way she'd accept what she was about to tell her now. No way. She didn't even want to accept it herself.

Cynthia could immediately sense how nervous and scared Stefani was to talk to her, so she grabbed both of her hands in her own and gave her a soft smile. "Baby, you can always talk to me. We've always found a solution to anything. We're a team, right?"