Family Ties (Rewritten)

Vulnerable

"You shouldn't have taken a job at the mental institution.  Your fragile mind won't be able to handle the pressure.  Just because you graduated second in your class at the university doesn't mean you're a good nurse.  You're not smart enough."

"That's right, Stella.  You won't last there long."

"Furthermore, you need to find a man to take care of you.  You'll never be able to support yourself."

"And you need to start going the gym.  Your father paid for the membership so you can build a little muscle.  You're skinnier than a rail, and no man on earth is interested in a bag of bones."

"Not to mention you have no cooking skills."

"Yeah, and-"

Stella blocked out the rest of their words as she nodded her head and pretended that she was taking in their "advice." This was nothing new for her. She was used to being belittled by her rude parents. It had been going on for as long as she could remember, so it hardly fazed her.

"Are you listening, Stella?"  Anthony Bennett asked his daughter, shaking his head.  "See, this is exactly why we have to treat you like a child.  Your head is always in the clouds."

"I'm sorry, father."

"Don't be sorry.  Be better."

"Yes, father."  She laced her hands in her lap and looked down.  "I'm sorry to disappoint you again."

"Stop wallowing in self pity."  Ruby Bennett said, scowling.  "We're trying to help you."

"Yes, mother.  I know."

Stella tried so hard to please them, but nothing she did was enough.  From earning a scholarship from her high school counselor, to graduating from college with honors, to snagging an excellent job at a reputable hospital.  None of it mattered to them.

Even when she was a child, she worked hard to earn even a morsel of approval.  But she was often left at home to fend for herself while they went to dinners and partied with their colleagues. 

No one understood how broken she was inside.

"I should be going now," She said, standing up from their expensive sofa.  "Thank you for having me over for dinner.  I appreciate the invitation."

"See you next week, dear."

"Yeah, great."

Stella walked to her car in a numb trance, and when she climbed inside, she stared out of her windshield for quite some time before driving away from the unloving household to the hospital.

At least working would take her mind off the visit.

She forced herself to smile again when she slid her key card in the locked front door, though no one was around to see her face except the receptionist, and her face was hidden behind a magazine.

There were orderlies and nurses roaming the halls, carrying trays of various kinds of pills to give to the more unruly patients.  Stella walked past them and went to the lounge to pour herself a cup of coffee before starting her long shift.

Dread immediately surged through her veins when she saw Doctor Greer and Nurse Beverly standing beside the coffee machine.  She still couldn't place her finger on the eerie feeling they gave her, and she supposed it was most likely her imagination.