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Bouncing between rehearsals, performances and the press junket has left Katie unbelievably grateful and disbelieving this is her life as well as utterly, completely exhausted.
At least Bev has to suffer with her, being one of her backup dancers. It was clear that Bev had the stage presence to capture an audience if not having the singing prowess that Katie does and as the two grew closer when they both got away from Gail, Katie had realized that Bev had never been an instigator, just another victim of the woman who ruined Katie’s life too. So, she jumped to give Bev an opportunity to get out too.
The opportunity to perform. And to be as fucking exhausted as Katie has been everyday since she entered their lives.
So, when she collapses into bed half past midnight, vocal chords aching from a long night of singing, the last thing she needs is Victor bouncing on her bed, sending the pillow beside her slamming into the side of her head.
“Ugh, Victor! Knock it off!”
He bounces down and starfishes across the bed, his arm and leg draping over her. “Katie. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“You saw me this morning when I dropped you off at school.”
“And then I came home from school and I had to eat Tony's pathetic excuse for chicken noodle soup! How can you fuck up chicken noodle soup? He was using the kind from a
can.
Bev's a dumpster fire in the kitchen and I bet she could at least figure out canned soup."
“First of all, watch your mouth. Second, it’s not Bev’s fault that she doesn’t know how to cook because we both know the she-devil never made her do anything in her entire life.”
“And Tony?”
“Tony’s Tony.”
Victor nods sagely with understanding.
“How did he mess up the chicken noodle soup?”
"He put it in the microwave in the can! He almost set the place on fire!”
Katie groans and buries her face in the pillow. “At least tell me he fed you something.”
“We ended up just eating the chicken noodle soup out of the cans cold.” Victor pulls his spread limbs in and curls up, knees pulling towards his stomach. “I miss you, Katie. Bev and Tony don’t know how to do anything. They don’t know my favorite shows or how I like my cereal or what the names of my inventions or anything. They’re not you. I miss you.”
“I’m right here, Victor.”
“But you’re busy all the time now. You don’t have any time for me.”
“I’ve got a life, Vic,” Katie sighs. “A really freaking cool life that I never imagined I would ever have so I’m sorry that it hasn’t been on the top of my to do list but I’ve spent long enough being your nanny.”
“You were never my nanny,” Victor says.
She turns her head to face him, furrowed brows filled with disbelief. “Uhm. Yes I was. That was quite literally what I was since you were born.”
“Well, I never saw you as my nanny. You were like… my mom.”
Katie’s eyes go wide. “But you have a mom.”
“But she never did mom stuff. She was just… mean. She doesn’t care about me, not like you. And she doesn’t know me like you do either. I’d choose you over her any day.”
It hits Katie, this unspoken miscommunication between her and Victor of what their relationship is. Discrepancies in how he treated her compared to everyone else, frustrating habits, infuriating behavior, it’s all because he felt comfortable enough with her, that he cared about her and knew she cared about him too, that he acted out the way he did.
Of course she also didn’t have the power to reprimand him the way Gail had, but…. but hadn’t she? Hadn’t she always put her foot down and made Victor stop and actually think about what he had done? Hadn’t she sat him down and talked about why his antics were not acceptable? And… and hadn’t he listened in his own way? Sure he kept doing stupid, exasperating shit that made her want to pull her hair out, but when he went too far and she made it clear he did, he never did it again.
And he’s right. She’s the one who changed his diapers. She was the one who tucked him into bed. She was the one who raised him.
Oh God. She’s Victor’s mom, isn’t she?
She’s been Victor’s mom and she hadn’t even realized.
“C’mere,” Katie says, pulling Victor into a hug. “I love you, Victor. I know I don’t tell you that enough, but I do. And you’re a good kid and I… I’m glad that you’re my kid.”
Victor doesn’t say anything, just buries his face into her shoulder and clings to her with an iron grip.
“I’ll be around more,” Katie says. “It can't be like how it used to be, but I’ll make more time for you.”
Victor pulls away to look at her. “Promise?”
Katie nods. “Promise.”
And with Victor wrapped up in her embrace, the exhaustion pulls on her, and Katie finally gets to drift to sleep.