Sugar Baby Beautiful

“Where did we go?”

I wanted to tell her the moment she thought she had full control over our lives. But she didn’t need that right now.

“Arty will be fine, Mom.”

She laughed bitterly. “Don’t call me that if you don’t believe it. To me you will always be my son, but every time I look at you, I feel as though you are screaming at me.”

Most of the times I did look at her like that. So I couldn’t say anything.

“You were always the quiet overachiever. Walt was the baby; he wanted all the attention on him and his dancing. Arty was always with you, laughing, being the prankster. I’d figured I didn’t have to pay that much attention to him because he was always all right. Now I feel like I missed something. Like he’s been crying out for help and I’m just now realizing it.” She tried to catch the tears before they fell from her eyes, but it was with no luck. Wrapping my arms around her shoulder, I pulled her to me. “When did I become a bad mother, Theo? All I’ve ever wanted was the best for you all, and I feel like I’ve failed.”

“Mom,” I said again, remembering all the times she sat next to me when I cried as a child. “You aren’t a failure. I might not always agree with you or do what you want me to do, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are and always will be important to me. I’m sure Arty and Walt feel the same way.”

“Mom?”

We both glanced up to see Walt coming out of the building. She stood up quickly, brushing her hair behind her ears and cleaning her face.

“What happened?” she asked.

“He’s out of the woods and okay. We can see him—” He didn’t even get the chance to finish before she ran back in.

Walt gave me a sad smile, following me inside.

“Where is Tori?” I asked as him as we walked. I wished I could be more panicked over Arty, but in all honestly I was used to it and just damned tired of it.

“She’s visiting her mother for the weekend. She said she would be back in the morning, but I thought it would be best for us just to stay. Dad right now is—”

“I don’t understand you!” we heard Arthur holler from inside Arty’s room when we reached the door.

“Arthur, not—”

“No. Lorelai, no. Drugs? He’s not some teenager anymore, he’s a grown man! I’m just wondering when the hell he’ll start to act like one!” He went on, but Arty didn’t look like he cared or even heard him, as his head hung low. His was ghostly pale against the white bed sheets.

“I’ve been waiting and waiting to see when you’d grow up, but at every turn, you continue to disgrace this family and yourself—”

“Arthur, I swear to God if you do not stop right now!” my aunt screamed.

Shaking his head in disgust, he brushed past Walt and me on the way out.

“Sweetheart, don’t mind him, all right? Just rest. We will get you all the help you need—” She tried to hold his hand, but he pulled away and leaned back into the bed, closing his eyes. God. I wanted to strangle him. Uncle was right. When would he grow up? I didn’t know what else to do but just be there.

So that’s what we all did. We all just stayed near him.

Felicity

“Theo?” I yawned, shifting in bed when the door opened.

“So this is really the reason he’s been unreachable. I had someone look into his whereabouts, but I should have figured it was you.”

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up, vaguely remembering that voice. Even in the dimly lit room, I could clearly see Arthur Darcy, Theo’s uncle and for the most part foster father, standing at the door. He looked worn and beaten down, not at all like the person I had seen at his house party only weeks ago.

“Mr. Darcy—”

“This is a nice room.” He frowned, looking around the hospital suite before stepping in front of my bed. “Did my son pay for it all?”

I knew where he was getting at, and I didn’t like it at all. But I wasn’t going to lie either.

“Yes, however I never asked him to—”