She hated that look. She’d seen it too many times. All her friends had given it to her, especially Kit. She thought it was horrifying when Dylan gave it to her, but she saw now that there was someone worse who could have given her that look.

"Helena?"

It was the soft voice of Winnie pleading with her to look up into her eyes. Wilson and Yung Jin had remained completely quiet watching their mother, who looked so fragile and broken. Regardless of the heartbreak of Dylan and the raging alcoholism, Helena had constantly been a good mother. She always refrained from drinking in front of them but they could always see the struggle. Her eyes everytime she saw someone else drinking, the way her hands shook when she was trying to drink something else.

She had disappeared 6 months prior. No one knew where she was, not even Peggy who was only getting sicker and sicker with her old age. She had appeared on Winnie’s doorstep coughing violently, barely able to walk, begging her to please find her only daughter.

Winnie understood that was the old woman’s motherly need to see her daughter and maybe save her one last time before her time was up. It was the eavesdropping Wilson, however, that used his superior computer skills to hack different systems and find his mother in this remote rehab center in Ohio.

The intelligent seventeen year old knew, of course, to not tell his family members-especially his grandma-how it is that Helena ended up in this wretched place. It was just too horrid.

Yung Jin, only a year younger than her brother, understood the situation probably more than anyone. She didn’t know the story or the history, she only knew her mother needed love. And that’s what she gave her.

Helena could only sob when the beautiful 16 year old Chinese girl hugged her so lovingly Helena felt it deep in her soul.

"I’m trying to get better," Helena croaked, speaking for the first time, "I’m trying so hard."

"I know mommy, I know," the young woman responded not releasing her mother.

Wilson tentatively joined the hug, being much more shy than his sister. He didn’t know what to say. He sure as hell couldn’t bring up the events that led to this self-incarceration, but he had no idea how to comfort her either. So he simply said, "I love you mom."

That was all Helena needed to hear.

TBC??

(I don’t know if you still wanna read it, it’s been such a long time)