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Mother’s Day, 1999
-
Sherry chucked a red ball at the white wall. It bounced off, hit the ground, and returned to her. She repeated this action as she sat on a white bed. It was the only activity that stimulated her in this small, white room.
This was her eighth month in government custody, but it felt more like eight years. It was the same routine every day; wake up, take pills, do tests for hours on end, eat something bland, then go to sleep. The occasional surgery would shake up her schedule, and Sherry welcomed them. They were a good opportunity to not have to stare at the walls of this prison. Instead, with anesthesia, she could dream about being somewhere else. Somewhere with Claire.
But she discovered that sleep was something of a gamble. While she did have her fair share of fantastical dreams– most of them involving Claire busting her out of this place– there were also nightmares. They were haunting memories from what happened in Raccoon City; getting chased by Irons, narrowly avoiding monsters, and nearly dying in Umbrella’s hidden lab.
But the worst nightmares were the ones about her parents.
She had a lot of trouble recalling what her father was like before he became a monster. From what she could remember, he was reclusive, secretive, and possessive. She never got the impression that he loved her. He always prioritized his work, and she seldom saw him at home. In hindsight, the time he spent as a grotesque monster chasing her down in Raccoon City– the scenario that appeared in all of her nightmares relating to him– was the most time she had ever spent with him consecutively.
Sherry caught the ball in her hand and set it down on her nightstand next to her various pill bottles. She hopped off her bed and walked over to the leftmost wall of the room. It was a simple assortment of items: a bookshelf containing four books, a bright pink poster of a unicorn, and a puppy dog calendar hanging on the wall. Sherry had to practically beg to get even these items into her room.
Books were a given. If Sherry wasn’t allowed to watch TV, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, or have any other way of keeping up with what was happening in the outside world, then she deserved at least a few books she could pass the time with. After making enough of a fuss about this to the government workers, they caved in. However, the books she received were mere picture books written for pre-schoolers; not particularly stimulating for a 13-year-old girl. They refused to give her any other books for the time being, so Sherry gave up asking for more substantial stories to align the shelves with.
She desperately wanted to decorate the dull white room. Back at home, her parents had at least afforded her that much. Now, the color white was insufferable to look at, and it seemed to dull all of her emotions. She needed some sort of different color to contrast it. In response to this request, she received a single unicorn poster (and not even a cool one, she noted) and a puppy-themed calendar.
Sherry stared at the calendar. The month of May was represented by a small beagle sprinting in a vast field. Somehow, the pictures of dogs just made Sherry feel worse. They came in a variety of poses: playing outdoors, chewing on a toy, or curled up in the lap of their owner. Sherry never thought she could feel so much jealousy toward dogs.
Sighing, Sherry removed a pen from its holder and placed a big X over the previous day. She read the small black text on the panel that indicated today’s date.
Mother’s Day.
Sherry stared at the small words. She closed her eyes. Images of her late mother filled her mind. She only had two kinds of memories of her mother: one with her back turned to Sherry, and one of her corpse. If she forced herself, she could recall her mother’s final moments with her before she died, claiming that she loved her.
Despite the neglect, Sherry believed her mother when she said that to her. She loved her in return, which made her death all the more bitter. She could always move to a new city. She never had many friends to begin with. But a mother? You only ever got one of those, and they’re supposed to support you throughout your whole life, and not die until you are much older.
And Sherry’s was gone.
Sherry wiped her eyes and quickly X’d out the date, wishing that it was already over. She threw the pen on the ground and ran to her bed, laying face down on her pillow, clutching it tightly. She sobbed gently into it, her body curling into itself. All she wanted was to hug her mother, for her to tell her that everything was going to be okay. But now she was gone. Claire was gone. Everyone was gone.
Sherry was alone.
Her ears perked up at a familiar beeping noise from outside her door, indicating that someone scanned a keycard to unlock her prison. The door swung open. Sherry quickly sat up, using her blanket to dry her eyes. She didn’t want to be seen like this.
A familiar woman walked into the room, wearing her white lab coat, clear goggles, blue latex gloves, and a fake smile. This was the woman that always came to collect Sherry for her daily tests. Sherry frowned as she climbed off her bed.
“Sherry,” the woman said. “Someone is here to see you. Someone you know, I believe.”
Claire Redfield walked into the room, smiling. “Hey there, Sherry.”
Sherry blinked. Her eyes were wet again.
Sherry immediately closed the distance between them, nearly pushing Claire to the ground with her hug. She squeezed her tightly, sobbing into her familiar red jacket. The jacket that Sherry herself wore all those months ago. She breathed in its scent. It told her that she was safe now, at long last.
“Claire!” Sherry managed to say.
Claire knelt down and embraced Sherry. She could hear Claire gently cry as well.
“Shhh, it’s okay, sweetie. I’m here now. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Sherry felt like she would be happy to stay like this forever. This was her first hug in over eight months. She was used to not receiving much physical affection due to her upbringing, but during these past months, she missed the warmth of another human being more than she ever had.
Sherry pulled away and looked up at Claire, smiling widely. “You’re here!”
Claire smiled back, wiping some tears from her face. “I am. And look at you! You’re so much taller than you were when I last saw you.”
Sherry’s smile widened, her depression now a distant memory. “What are you doing here? Are you here to take me home? Can I finally leave?”
Claire’s smile disappeared. She shared a look with the other woman, then met Sherry’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sherry. But… There's not much that I can do. These bast– sorry, these people… They need to keep looking after you. Some very powerful people are making them do it. I’m sorry, Sherry. You’re gonna have to stay here for a little longer.”
Sherry felt a lump in her throat. She stared at the ground. Of course. Going home to live with Claire would have been too good to be true.
“But…” Claire continued. “We managed to come to an agreement. Once a month, I get to come see you and take you somewhere fun. Do you wanna go do something fun, Sherry?”
Sherry looked up at Claire, her smile returning. “Yeah! I’d love to!”
Claire smiled as well. “Great! Also, there’s someone I want to introduce you to.” She looked to her left, out of the room. “Babe? You can come in now.”
A woman that Sherry had never seen before walked into the room. She was a little shorter than Claire, and had short, brunette hair. As Sherry studied her blue eyes, she felt the same warmth that she felt from Claire. The woman smiled. Sherry did, too.
“Sherry,” Claire said. “This is Jill. She’s my girlfriend. I thought it might be fun if she hung out with us today. Is that okay?”
Sherry cocked her head. “Yeah, that’s okay. But I thought you were with Leon?”
Claire and Jill both snorted, chuckling to themselves. “He’s just a friend. He says hi, by the way. Trust me, he really, really wanted to come see you today. But he’s got a lot going on right now.”
Sherry nodded slowly. It would have been nice to see Leon as well, but just seeing Claire was more than enough.
Jill walked toward Sherry, knelt down on one knee, and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Sherry. You ready to get the hell out of here for a bit?”
Sherry smiled widely and shook Jill’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, Jill. And… Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
-
Mother’s Day, 2004
-
Claire fiddled with her keys as she unlocked the door to her and Jill’s apartment. Sherry followed her inside, taking her shoes off and depositing them in her designated shoe cubby for her visits. She smiled at the small, pink letters spelling “Sherry” on the cubby that she wrote on there a few years prior.
Sherry stood up, taking in the apartment. Her home away from prison. It obviously hadn’t changed much in just a month, and Sherry was glad for that. It was well lived in, and it wasn’t a pigsty like Sherry’s childhood home was (nobody was ever around to clean up, and Sherry could only do so much,) nor was it obsessively neat and clean, like every inch of the government facility. It was a warm, welcoming environment filled with years of love and fond memories.
Sherry took a deep breath. She exhaled.
Finally, she was home.
“Jill should be home any minute now,” Claire said, setting the table with plates, cups and silverware. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come get you this morning, sweetie. Someone called out sick at the office, and, well… their job couldn’t exactly be handled by an intern, and–”
“It’s fine, Claire,” Sherry said. “I get it. You guys do important work. It’s just the way it is sometimes.”
In fact, Sherry was incredibly touched by the fact that Claire and Jill managed to keep visiting Sherry each month despite their increasingly busy lives. Terrasave and the BSAA did so much good for the world, and all Sherry did was sit in a room, playing out her part as a science experiment. Sometimes, Sherry even felt a little bit bad taking up even just one day of their time, feeling like she was preventing more important work from being done.
Like Annette had always told her she was doing whenever Sherry asked her to stay home from work.
Claire smiled wanly at Sherry. She walked over to her and kissed her forehead. “You’re important, too. Now go wash up, alright? Dinner will be here soon.”
Sherry nodded and made her way to the restroom, passing bookshelves that were filled with framed photographs. Claire always insisted on taking a commemorative picture every time Sherry got to visit them, and these were just a few of the dozens she kept. Sherry stopped to admire some of them.
Some of them were pictures of only Sherry, and some were pictures of the three of them together at a variety of places. The one with Sherry, Claire and Jill at a theme park was the first time she ever visited them after being put into government custody. Sherry smiled as she picked up the picture frame, recalling riding a rollercoaster for the first time with them, and all the prizes that they won for her.
She also remembered how that day ended. She remembered sobbing on the ride back to the government facility. She remembered hugging Jill and Claire one final time before going back to her prison for another full month.
Sherry felt the pit in her stomach grow. She put the frame back down and hurried to the restroom.
As she washed her hands, Sherry stared at her reflection. The government workers only recently started letting her wear makeup, and even then, they were the ones who picked it out, which kind of defeated the purpose of it, Sherry thought. Still, she was glad that she had some method of changing her appearance.
Claire and Jill had tried numerous times to help her sneak things back into the facility, like different clothes, new books, and cosmetics. The workers found the items every single time and took them from her. Even after five long years in that place, she was still treated like an animal, and becoming an adult hasn’t changed that fact. At this point, she wasn’t sure she would ever be free.
Sherry closed her eyes tightly, trying to stifle the tears before they ran down her face. She dried her eyes and left the restroom to rejoin Claire at the table. She sat in her usual seat, right next to Claire, who smiled at her.
“God, I can’t believe you went and grew into a young woman right before my eyes,” Claire said. “I can’t believe it’s been five years.”
Sherry swallowed. It felt more like a hundred to her. She forced a smile anyway. “Me neither. Time really does fly, huh?”
Claire frowned. “Is everything ok, Sherbear?” She looked more closely at Sherry, trying to read her. “Do I need to beat up a few suits again?”
Sherry laughed sincerely. “Oh, god, I forgot about that. I’m surprised they still let you see me after that.”
“I just needed to remind them who they were dealing with. But seriously, Sherry, if they’re hurting you again, or if anything else is up…”
“I’m fine, Claire, really. I just want to enjoy today as much as I can. I don’t wanna think about that place any more than I have to.”
Claire nodded. “Right. Sorry.”
At that moment, the front door was flung open with a kick. Jill walked in, carrying three pizza boxes in one hand and a bag containing a two-liter bottle of soda in the other. She wore her standard BSAA uniform and smiled widely at the two women. “Pizza delivery! Who asked for the hot delivery girl?”
Claire laughed as she walked over to Jill and kissed her. “That would be me. Traffic?”
“Worse. That new girl, Jessica, kept talking my ear off. I almost thought she’d never let me leave the parking lot.”
Claire raised an eyebrow, smiling. “So, you’re late because you were chatting up another woman? Damn. Guess I’m gonna have to file for divorce sooner than expected.”
Jill laughed. “Sorry, I was just absolutely itching for an affair. Anyways, are you gonna help me put these down, or are you gonna let the kid starve to death?”
Claire giggled as she took the pizza boxes and set them down on the table. Sherry smiled and walked over to Jill, hugging her. “C’mon, I just turned 18. Not a kid anymore.”
Jill hugged back, taking her cap off. “Damn right, you’re not. Jeez, when did you go and get almost as tall as me?”
Sherry pulled out of the hug. “I haven’t grown that much. Maybe you’re slouching?”
Jill gently flicked her forehead. “Go sit down, sassy.” Sherry giggled as she did so.
Jill changed into some more casual clothes and joined Sherry and Claire at the dinner table. The three ate, laughed, and exchanged stories. Sherry wished it would last forever.
It was during moments like these that Sherry recalled certain flickers of early memories. They were memories of sitting at the dinner table with her mother and father, before they started living at work. For a few years before that, they were just a regular family.
How long would it be before Claire and Jill got bored of her, too?
“By the way, Kathy called and asked if we could watch Moira and Polly again next Saturday,” Claire said, taking a sip of soda.
“Sorry, can’t help you there,” Jill said, reaching for another slice of pizza. “BSAA gala.”
“Oh, right, it is that time of the year, huh? Well, Kathy really needs the day off, so I think I’ll pass on being your hot date this year and watch the kids.”
“Good call. Apparently there’s gonna be even less champagne this year, so I can’t even get buzzed while pretending I’m happy to be there.”
Claire giggled. “God, it was so dull last year. Remember when– Sherry? Sherry, what’s wrong?”
Sherry gave Claire a confused look. She touched her face. She didn’t even realize she was crying. “Oh… um…”
Jill looked at Sherry, concerned. “Holy shit, are you okay, Sherry?”
Sherry shook her head. “No, I… I just…” She stopped holding back her tears as she began to sob. “I don’t wanna go back…”
Claire immediately embraced her as Sherry cried into Claire’s shoulder. “Oh, baby… I’m so sorry…”
As Sherry sobbed, she could feel Jill’s familiar hand on her back, rubbing softly. Sherry felt safe.
“How much longer?” Sherry managed to say. “How much longer do I have to live like this?”
Claire began to cry as well. “I don’t know, sweetie. I’m so sorry. I’m so god damn sorry. It’s not fair.”
Jill took a knee. “You’re gonna be okay, kid,” Jill said. Sherry could hear her voice breaking. “We’re here for you. We always will be. I promise.”
Sherry told her that she believed her.
–
Mother’s Day, 2009
–
Sherry still wasn’t used to having her own apartment.
Every morning, she expected to wake back up in that white, lifeless room she spent a full decade in. And every time, she was met with the opposite; her own mattress. Her own room. Her own books.
Her own life.
Sherry rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she walked her way over to her kitten-themed calendar. She X’d out Friday. Today was her very first day off as a DSO agent.
The deal she made was simple; in exchange for her freedom, Sherry would become a full-time DSO agent. Her friends had been weary of it. Leon had gone down a similar path, becoming a pawn of the government. He earnestly told Sherry that she should avoid going down that road if she could.
But what other choice did she have? The opportunity to finally leave that godforsaken prison, to be free of the constant experiments and surgeries, to finally be independent for the first time in her life… Sherry would have taken just about any deal to experience that. And so she did.
Besides, Sherry already had a keen interest in fighting bioterrorism. Whenever she expressed this to Claire and Jill, they always supported her, but assured her that she didn’t have to get into that line of work just because they were. But Sherry had more reasons to join the fight than that.
Sherry didn’t want another child to experience what she did; to have their youth taken away from them by a government that didn’t allow them to say no. And Sherry had been lucky; she had Claire and Jill to keep her from going insane in that place. Other children wouldn’t be so fortunate, and she desired to balance those scales.
However, the DSO didn’t exactly have a dedicated “child welfare” department. Instead, she would be doing more general tasks, like field work and research. It was a lot of work, and the hours were long and demanding. But Sherry felt a sense of pride from her work, even if she was often just doing the bidding of her higher ups. She believed it was all in service of a noble goal.
But for now, it was Saturday, and Sherry knew exactly how she wanted to spend her first day off. She finished getting dressed, which took a while since she wasn’t used to having so many options for casual clothes. She looked into the mirror.
Sherry kept her hair a bit shorter these days, and it also fit with her new workplace lifestyle. She wore her own makeup and clothes, both of which Claire helped her pick out on the day she moved into her own apartment. For the first time in god knows how many years, Sherry looked at her reflection and smiled.
Fifteen minutes later, Sherry left her apartment and headed to the bus stop. It was time to go to the hospital.
-
To Sherry, Jill always seemed like a real life superhero. It took a few months to warm up to her as much as she had with Claire, but now it felt like she had come to know and love Jill for just as long. Jill was a bit more cynical than Claire, and had a bit of a penchant for dry humor and sarcasm. She also tended to be a bit more blunt, and didn’t try as hard not to curse around Sherry as Claire did, much to her wife’s chagrin.
But Sherry loved her for all the ways that she was different from Claire. She drew strength from both women, but Jill always showcased an unrivaled sense of persistence and determination. It was this determination that inspired Sherry to keep holding out and having faith that one day her situation would change for the better. Sherry understood why Claire had fallen in love with her.
Then she received news that Jill had died.
Sherry hadn’t been that depressed since Raccoon City, and in some ways, the loss of Jill was even more suffocating. Every month, her and Claire would go to visit her empty grave. Sherry would stare at the tombstone, wishing that this was just another nightmare. Through some cruel twist of fate, Sherry now had to carry the grief of losing two mothers.
Now, it has only been two months since Jill returned to them. Once again, the experience felt unreal; getting to have Jill back as well as getting her freedom were two things she never thought she would receive. This was a dream that she didn’t want to wake up from.
But it wasn’t all pleasant, as Jill had undeniably changed as a result of the years of torture and mind control at the hands of Wesker. As she looked into the cramped, white room, she saw Jill lying in bed, covered in scars and bandages. She frowned as she stared at the plain ceiling, Claire asleep in a hospital bed that was placed next to hers.
Sherry understood a part of Jill’s pain, being locked up and stuck in a place like this. Hoping to help soothe her suffering, she entered the room.
“Hey. Is this a bad time?”
The light in Jill’s eyes seemed to return as she stared at Sherry, her mouth agape. She grinned as she moved to leap out of the bed, but seemingly forgot that she currently couldn’t use her legs. Frustrated, she grunted as she shook Claire awake.
“Claire? Claire, Sherry’s here! Wake up!”
Claire blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She had fallen asleep next to a pile of paperwork. Claire practically lived at the hospital now, and did almost all of her Terrasave paperwork there as well. She absolutely refused to leave Jill’s side. That is, until she saw Sherry standing in the doorway. She responded to this by sprinting to Claire and hugging her tightly.
“Oh, sweetie! How was your first week? Did they treat you well? Do we have to beat anyone up?”
Sherry laughed. “Not yet. It’s tough work, but it’s rewarding. Simmons looks out for me, and the other people there are nice.”
Claire grinned, pulling out of the hug to get a better look at Sherry. “I’m happy to hear that. I’m so happy for you, Sherry. I get to see my Sherbear whenever I want to!”
Jill cleared her throat. “Hey, kid, I’m not contagious, you know.”
Sherry smiled as she walked over to Jill, bending down to hug her.
“How are you holding up?”
Jill shrugged. “Not too bad. They started giving me chocolate pudding with my dinner. Maybe one day they’ll even upgrade me to solid foods.”
Sherry smiled at Jill and took a seat in the chair next to her bed, taking a very thick book out from her purse. “Hope you don’t mind if I spend my Saturday here. I’ve also got some reading to do for the DSO, so I can knock out two birds with one stone this way.”
Jill nodded. “You know I’m always happier when you’re around, kiddo. But are you sure you wanna stay here? I mean, you’re a free woman now… You should be out doing things that you do in your 20s.”
“Oh yeah?” Sherry asked, grinning. “And what were you doing at 23?”
Jill looked up at the ceiling for a second, and then laughed. “Fair point.”
“I want to be here, Jill. I really, really missed you.” She put her hand on Jill’s. “Are you sure you’re doing okay?”
Jill squeezed Sherry’s hand. “It’s tough, but I’m just happy to be back. I… I missed you a lot, Sherry.”
Sherry heard the click of a camera behind her. She turned around. Claire stood there with a polaroid camera in her hands, tears streaming down her face. She grinned from ear to ear.
“Sorry. I just couldn’t resist.”
-
Mother’s Day, 2014
-
Being back in Claire and Jill’s apartment was like a dream come true for Sherry. As she put the finishing touches on the evening’s dinner, she couldn’t help but admire the scene in the living room.
Jill was finally home, as was Claire. Claire laid on Jill’s shoulder, the two holding hands as they watched a corny action movie, one of their favorite past times. Sometimes they would point out a specific scene or move that was similar to something they experienced once (“I did that one on the Zenobia,” “I kinda did something like that on Rockfort.”)
Sherry found great comfort in simply watching them love each other as they attempted to settle back into a normal life again. More than anything, she was just glad to have them both. Back in 2011, Claire had disappeared for a time, once again throwing Sherry into a panic. During Claire’s absence in her life, Sherry took the time to reflect on what she and Jill both meant to her.
Sherry thought that everyone in life only had one mother, and if they died, that was it. But in the 15 years she had spent with Claire and Jill, she realized that motherhood wasn’t something gained just by giving birth to a child. It was cultivated through years of love, security, and care.
She would always love her late mother, even if she wasn’t the best parent. Sherry had always held herself back from referring to Claire and Jill as her parents because she thought it would be disrespectful to the memory of her late mother and father. She also wasn’t sure how Claire and Jill would feel about it, either.
But today, on Mother’s Day, Sherry decided it would be different. She was determined to show her appreciation for the two women, even if it blew up in her face. She had to show them how much they meant to her, or else one day, they really would be gone forever, and Sherry would be left with those regrets.
As Sherry set the plates of food on the table, Claire and Jill quickly took their seats. Claire kissed Sherry on the cheek.
“Looks amazing, sweetie. Thanks for volunteering to cook! Feels weird not being the one who’s feeding you.”
Jill laughed, cutting into her food. “Looks great, Sherry. We’ve come a long way from take out and delivery, huh?”
Claire rolled her eyes as she began to cut up her food as well. “You were the one who always insisted on it. You’re an absolute coupon fiend.”
“Well, the savings speak for themselves, don’t they?” Jill said, taking a bite of her dinner.
Claire laughed. “Yup. Us and our millions of dollars. You know, I’ve been thinking about buying our fourth mansion, actually.”
Jill smirked. “You’re an ass.”
“And you LOVE this ass,” Claire said, shooting back with a smirk of her own.
Sherry laughed as she watched the two talk, enjoying her own dinner as well.
“I appreciate you guys being so nice to Jake last weekend,” Sherry said. “He said he really likes you two.”
Jill smiled. “He seems like a good guy, Sherry. I’m happy for you. Just let him know that if he breaks your heart, I’ll kick his ass.”
Claire laughed. “Oh god, he was absolutely terrified of you at dinner, babe. It was hilarious.”
“He damn well should be,” Jill said, taking another bite. “Gotta make sure someone passes the smell test before they date my little– uh, sorry… before they date you, Sherry.”
Sherry smiled.
“On the topic of that, I… actually got something for you two,” Sherry said, getting up from the table to retrieve something from the kitchen.
Claire and Jill looked at each other in surprise.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, sweetie. Is it a special day or something?” Claire asked.
Sherry nodded as she retrieved a gift box from the kitchen, which was thoughtfully wrapped in blue and red wrapping paper with a bow on top. She placed it on the dining table in front of Claire.
“It’s… well, just open the box first.”
Claire looked to Jill, who nodded. Claire slowly unwrapped the box, her face beaming already. When she opened the box and picked up what was inside, her jaw dropped.
It was a detailed, colorful drawing of her and Jill, likely based off of a photo the two had taken together at some point. But the level of detail and color work gave even the actual picture a run for its money. The drawing was held in a beautiful golden frame with blue and red gems imbued in it.
At the bottom of the drawing, there were words written in familiar handwriting.
“My moms.”
Tears filled Claire’s eyes as she clutched the frame tightly. Jill began to wipe her eyes. Sherry sat down next to them, where she was very quickly pulled into a tight hug by both women.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” Sherry said.