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"Damnit, Lizzie. I said no. I don't have to do anything but die," Ms. Williams's voice can be heard from a couple yards down the hall. It sounds like she might be having another argument with Elizabeth. Floretta's mom was always a stubborn thing, but quite frankly, it was one of her best qualities.
"Well, you might not even have to do that if you weren't so goddamned stubborn." The door opens, and Elizabeth steps out of the hospital room, throwing up her hands. The nurses and other staff give her a wide berth as the closes the door and stalks off towards the elevator at the end of the hall. "Maybe you can talk some sense into her," she grumbles to Floretta in passing. "Nobody ever listens to their-" She seems to bristle for a moment, remembering where she is. "Oldest child."
Floretta was not completely out of her mind when she made her way to the hospital in her van, she had the kindred decency to make an attempt to look older, through the use of makeup and choice of clothes. The fact that her jet-black hair actually look dyed this dark probably helps. She's wearing a pink shirt, buttoned up to her neck, black slack and comfortable black shoes.
It's always strange meeting with her Sire and Great Grandmother since she left town. She offers a sad smile to Elizabeth and takes the liberty of squeezing her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Yeah, we'll see if I can even talk. Are you doing okay?"
She's blushed, of course she is, but that means she activated Sheep's clothing too and Face the Camera.
"I'm fine," Elizabeth offers with a huff -- y'know, like someone who is very much not fine -- but she doesn't shy away from the touch. "Or at least I will be once I've had a cigarette, and cooled off." She's carrying a black clutch, and wearing a very business-casual appropriate blouse and skirt, and she's already started fishing things out of her purse in anticipation of stepping outside. "I gave up on convincing her to try alternatives to medicine years ago, but at this point I'd settle for just continuing with her treatment."
She takes a deep breath -- clearly, Elizabeth is blushed too -- and centers herself. "... but how about you, dear? How are you holding up?"
"I don't know that I'm going to last very long without crying in the room." Floretta admits to Elizabeth and takes a small, needless breath. "But I've been building myself up a bit for it. I'm worried about a few things regarding this, but, I found a connection in another place." she shrug "And yeah, she's stubborn on that, like she was on a lot of things." she scratch the back of her head. "Lots of things would be different if she wasn't." a shake of her head.
"I should go in." And she moves to do just that, unless her Sire stops her.
"I guess," Elizabeth offers with a little tsk. "If you need me, I'll be back inside in a few moments -- and if you don't need me right away, I'll be taking a Red Eye back home tomorrow. So you'll have me for at least a little while longer." She doesn't make a move to stop Floretta, instead offering a nod of sympathy before turning to step onto the elevator.
When Floretta steps inside, the lights are out -- save for a soft lamp in the corner that's keeping the room in dim lighting -- which is probably for the best, considering that nobody looks good under flourescent hospital bulbs. Not even an old badass like Luce Williams. She turns towards the sound of the opening door with a sour expression on her features, but the look quickly melts away when she sees Floretta.
"I thought you were your older sister for a second. Coming back for round thirty-five." There's a flicker of mischief on Luce's tired features. Clearly someone's having fun with the cover identities, even if Elizabeth isn't. She shifts underneath the blankets, pulling herself up into a sitting position. Even the exertion of that simple task seems to take a lot out of her, but she holds her arms out for a hug. "It's good to see you, Floretta."
... and like a good mom, she doesn't even miss a beat on the name. Even at the age of 90.
Floretta feels a rush of intense sorrow as she approach her mother, moving closer to the bed and giving her that hug, careful, yet at the same time, giving it a good, solid squeeze. She's quiet for a moment, but she manages to keep her emotions under control, or at least, she maintains an okay facade.
"Good to see you too, Mom." she sits next to the bed and offers the most conflicted of smiles. "Yeah, I get that. Stubbornness runs in the family." a soft smile. "is there anything you want me to do? Or things you want to say?"
Floretta's not hoping for anything in particular here, really, but she's listening and watching, carefully. The vampire senses of the heartbeat.
"Oh, I don't know." She squeezes back as tightly as she can muster, only letting go when Floretta does. "Honestly? I don't really have an agenda for the meeting. I'm just," there's a small pause as she folds her hands in her lap. "I'm just real happy to see you in person, Etta. It'll be nice to sit with you for a little while..." She gestures to the chair Floretta's sitting in. They're super fuckin' uncomfortable-lookin' chairs, but. It's what's there.
Floretta nods and smiles, letting her own memories resurface for a moment, the difficult ones, the fighting and the yelling Then the apologies and the hugging. "Yeah, it'll be nice." Floretta almost can't feel her hands reaching out to her mother's folded hands and setting hers ontop. "I'm happy we can just be like this now."
"I am too." Luce is quiet for a few moments, sitting with a bittersweet smile on her face as she appreciates the silence. "... but I'm also sorry that we-" She clears her throat before correcting. "I couldn't do this for so long." Beat. "I'm glad we got there in the end, but I can't help but feel like I let stress and pressure just... waste away so much of our relationship."
There's just this little, tiny, tiny ping at the back of her mind, maybe a whisper by the beast? That points the words spoken by her mom as a way to maybe convince her to accept Elizabeth's offer. Floretta's quiet for a moment struggling with it, her composure rattled, but she holds on for a few more seconds. "You got there, we have it now. We've had it for a while." a beat. "I forgive you, I love you." she nods and finally a tear drop from the corner of her eye.
"You... yeah. You're right, Etta." Luce closes her eyes and offers a slow, centering nod. "I love you too, and I-" Her face scrunches as she looks past Floretta and out the window towards the parking lot. "I just wish I had been faster about being better. I... don't have as much time as you and your great gramma do, and I'm starting to feel it. Acutely." She takes a deep breath, and when she turns back to Floretta with a watery shimmer in her eyes. "You both seem so young and vibrant and it's... a stark reminder of how things were when you both look like- like a memory."
Floretta nods and leans toward her mom, smiling, in spite of how painful this moment his. She takes her mother's hands in hers and look at her, in the eyes and listen while she talks. "I won't forget you. I won't forget how you were or who you were. " She says, prompted by the talk of looking like a memory, no other words come. "It's part of me, I couldn't forget it."
For Floretta's entire childhood, she'd been bound and determined to be the one doing the carrying, and caring for - even, at times, in the face of damaging her relationships... butthat produces a little sniffle. You'd never on your life catch a living soul carrying Luce anywhere, not even for a second. Except as a memory, apparently. She lifts her glasses, and rubs her eyes for a moment. Stubborn old broad still trying to stay strong when she's the one dying.
"Lizzie doesn't get it," she offers after a few seconds. "... but you understand why, right?"
Floretta takes a deep breath and smiles. "I do." she chuckles a little bit. "And I think it's beautiful." her lips tremble and her eyes closes for just a moment. "It's just the way you love and I got so lucky, so very lucky to have you because of it." she places a kiss on her mother's forehead and she nods. Her mind making connection, noises amidst her emotional storm and she forces everything to quiet down.
"Thank you," Luce sinks back down into the bedding. "I just." There's a deep breath. "I needed someone to just get it. First I fought with the doctors, and then your great grandmother got off the red eye from... wherever the hell she's been, and I had to fight with her, too." She reaches out for Floretta's hand, but her grasp has none of the strength she once had.
"... I'm glad you're here, because all our fighting is behind us, and I know you'll let me have some." There's a pause, and a small chuckle "Fucking peace and quiet."
"I will." Floretta confirms quietly, almost gasping at the swearing, but deciding against it. It wouldn't be the first time the two of them heard each other swear. She does go quiet and just clings to the hand, silent and simple, just watching and being there for this.
In truth, the quiet makes it easier, for Floretta, to push and hold everything together for long enough. She squeeze the hand, not expecting anything, just to signify she's still there.
Luce is happy to sit there in the silence, grateful to have Floretta as an anchor - a touchstone.
"Can I convince you to stay with me for a while, and watch something on the TV?" She gives Floretta's hand a little squeeze. "I know you and Lizzie have to work early in the morning, but it's mean a lot if the three of us could sit for a little while and just... be."
Oh, for once that it's the contrary, she remains there and nods. "Yes, I'll stay with you until I can't." Floretta's attention moves to the door again and then back to Luce. "Want me to go get her?" though really, the underlying question, are you still going to be there when I get back with her.
"You can," Luce offers a little nod, and smiles at the question. "If you think I'm not too stubborn to shove off before I get to say a proper goodbye to the both of you, you're sorely mistaken." She offers another little squeeze, putting some oomf into it so Floretta knows exactly how much fight she has left. "Go on," she lets go. "I'll be here."
Floretta nods and leaves the room to go find her Great Grandmother, she's not being particularly slow about it either. She wipes at her eyes as she looks for the older woman, finding her as swiftly as she can make it to her.
"Hey, she wants some company." a rather emotional pause. "And some peace, and quiet." a she motion back where she came from. "Do you think you can come over and watch some TV with us?" At this point Floretta is still relatively holding it together, as in, she's not openly weeping, but the facade of her being serene and calm is long gone. "That's all she wants."
Elizabeth tosses her cigarette to the ground -- it's one of many on the concrete -- and grinds it out with the toe of her heel.
"Yeah," She takes a deep breath, and if the pained look on her face is any indication, that isn't the answer she was hoping Floretta would return with. "Yeah, okay." There's a pause. "It feels a lot like doing nothing, but if doing nothing is what she wants, then... we-" She clears her throat as she corrects herself. "I can do that. Peace and quiet."
... and they went back upstairs to say a proper goodbye, remember the good times, and enjoy one another's company a last time.
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