"Come this way, and keep your voice down." The nurse tucked her clipboard away and ducked back, giving room for Libel to advance. "This has been... something of an ongoing issue."
Libel stepped forward as allowed, relief flowing through her. "This isn't the first time then?"
"She is singlehoofedly the reason we're considering just removing the phone." The nurse sighed gently. "But all the others would be so sad. It's the only way half of them ever contact their family." She began to lead the way through the lobby that smelled of old pony
Libel kept her eyes forward. She had no idea what her target looked like. "What is she trying... to do?"
The nurse quirked an ear back at Libel. "I thought she was just being a pain in our collective rumps."
Libel smiled a little. "I imagine she's trying... something? Maybe something we don't 'get', but..."
The nurse shrugged softly, veering down into a hallway. "She's in her room. I'll let you chat with her, ten minutes max. If she calls for help, you're out, so make it good, and keep it gentle." She gestured at a closed door before knocking lightly. "Long Gaze, are you awake?"
"If I wasn't, I am now," came the wry reply of an elderly pony. "What is it, time for pills?"
"Not yet." The nurse glanced towards Libel. "You have a guest, about 'Miss Chief'."
The door suddenly swung open to reveal the wrinkled face of an old mare. Her eyes were wide. "Is she here?!" She fixed onto Libel. "You? It must be, I don't see anyone else!"
Libel took a step back, but the old mare was far more intent, rushing for her and grabbing her, hoof on either of Libel's shoulders. She shook her head as she was pulled into the room.
The nurse just smiled. "Ten minutes," she sang into the room as she willed the door closed, seeming to have no particular worry for Libel.
Libel was slid along under the eager hooves of the old mare. It wasn't as if Long Gaze was terribly strong, but Libel didn't want to hurt the elder. Swatting at her felt like an invitation for trouble. "There you are, Miss Chief. You have no idea how long I've waited," she gasped out as if out of breath. "So long. You got my phone call! I kept calling! The rude person on the other side kept... I just..."
Long began crying, tears spilling from her old eyes. Libel reached out, gently patting her shoulder. "It's alright... Now, tell me what's wrong."
Long smiled at Libel, hope seeming to shine on her face. "Why were you gone for so long?"
Was she senile? Who did she think Libel was? Libel inclined her head faintly. "I'm here now." That was true. "Now tell me what's going on."
Long nodded, rubbing her eyes with a fetlock. "Yes, yes, you are... here... My little colt. Why did you run away?"
Libel was fairly certain she was not a colt. Still... "I'm here now," she repeated, patting Long gently.
"You are... Was I that bad? Was... I that terrible? I tried so hard to make things good for you." She smiled, her entire form seeming to shake, with age? With her emotions? "Did I push too hard? I'm sorry... It was for your own good."
Libel remembered, all relatives of Long Gaze were dead. Whatever problems she had with her son were... beyond repair. She took a slow breath, feeling her first bit of true pity for the old mare. "I... had to go..." No mother should outlive their son...
"But why?" She buried her face into libel's chest, her horn poking painfully, but Libel didn't have the heart to even try adjusting Long Gaze's sobbing form. "I didn't get to say things. You were always gone. You never visited!"
Libel cringed, imagining the situation. "M-mom... why did you call me 'Miss Chief'?"
She sat up at that, blinking. "It was your nickname, little mischief maker that you are. They keep putting your nicknames in the paper. I knew it was you, trying to reach me... I called. I called so many times! Finally, it worked!" She smiled with relief. "Please tell me you're staying."
Libel rolled an ear back as she shook her head. "You know I can't do that..."
"I..." Her hoof fell to the floor, her body limp. "When will I see you again?"
That was a loaded question... "Maybe later, but for now, you should... stop waiting. I don't want you to be sad."
She smiled a little, gazing not at Libel, but past her, to whatever delusion she was interacting with. "That's the nicest thing you've said in so long..."
"If you see any more mentions of me, those are my codes to you, telling you that I love you. You don't have to call back, because I know you love me."
Long perked up, ears erect and focused. "Oh! Is that what those were?" A little smile spread on her face. "Is that what it was?! How silly of me!" She broke into a gentle laughter, a hoof on her chest. "How... absurd. I hope I haven't bothered anypony. I just wanted to see you."
"I'm sorry... Mom... I have to go, but... so do you. Stop hiding in here. Be happy." Libel rose to her hooves. "Remember, every time you see one of my nicknames, it's just me reminding you."
"That you love me," she sighed, looking content. "I'm so sorry... Do you... forgive me?"
Libel felt her ears pin themselves without her desire. "It's alright," she said, calming, and yet not answering that question. "Now come out of here. There are some nice mares and stallions that would love to meet you."
She went for the door and wasn't challenged. "Goodbye."
"I love you."
Libel set her teeth. "Be happy, please... That's all I want." She slipped from the room as gently as she could, falling back against the door, huffing for breath she had not realized she had lost before then.
She felt... shaken. Shaken to the core. She fled down the hallway, new tears stinging at her eyes. She would have burst free of the building, but the nurse was there at the front desk, looking at her expectantly.
"How did things go?" she asked with a hopeful smile. "Did you figure out what was going on with her?"
Libel took a moment, covering her face with a fetlock. "I don't think she'll make a lot of phone calls at random anymore..."
"That's good." The nurse nodded softly. She perked an ear at Libel. "You look like someone ran you over. She wasn't too rough, I hope?"
"No! No... she's... she's fine. She... just had to get some words out to a pony that wasn't there to get them out to." Libel stood back up on all fours. "I know you likely tried before, but give another try at drawing her out with the others. She might be ready now."
The nurse smiled, her own heart unburdened by whatever was bothering Libel. "That's lovely. We'll invite her to the bingo night tomorrow. That's always a hit."
"Did someone say bingo?" asked an old male voice.
"Not yet," she said in a gentle placating tone. "Tomorrow, promise."
Libel smirked a little at that. "I see. Thank you, for giving me this chance. Does this place have a business card?"
The nurse gestured a hoof at a small card holder. "Help yourself. Anything else I can assist with?"
"No... Thank you." She reached a wing for a card, snatching one and making her way out of the retirement home. She sank to her haunches with a weary sigh. "That..." She didn't finish the thought, shaking her head. She made a quiet mental note, then took to the air, heading to the office as she had promised to do.
Bottom looked up from her typewriter, a smile on her face. "I thought I heard you. I found that mare you were searching for."
"Thank you, but..." She approached and took the paper it was written on. "Just thank you. When you can, call the company she's working with and tell them that the calls should stop."
Bottom inclined her head to the left. "You look terrible..." She set her hooves down on the desk. "Do you need to talk to me in the friend context?"
Libel blinked softly. "Is it that easy?"
Bottom raised her hooves and made a box with them slowly. "This is work." She pushed the imaginary box aside. "We are now entering the friend zone. Watch your step, mind the gap. Here we are. Hello, Libel. You look upset. What happened?"
Libel smirked a little. "I'm certain my boss would be livid if he knew we were having personal little chats on his dollar." She glanced away and back at Bottom. "I found her... I talked to her. Turned out, she was trying to find a son of hers, one that was already dead."
Bottom winced at that. "How awful; but it does line up with where I found her information."
Libel blinked softly. "Where's that?"
"A newspaper clipping." She floated out a shred of paper. "A pony had gotten in an accident, his mother 'Long Gaze' was noted to be unavailable for comment. It led me down the rabbit hole towards finding her. I presume that... was his last accident."
Libel winced at that. "It was... uncanny... she was so torn apart. She didn't even know what was going on. She saw a strange pony, me, and just decided it had to be her missing son. She gushed out everything she had ever wanted to say to him, mostly apologies..."
Bottom's ears both turned backwards. "That... might have struck close to home."
"How do you figure?" Libel arched a brow. "I was... just shocked to have so much emotion being poured at me. I'm still shaken."
"Because you've never dealt with a mother that may be living with regrets." Bottom half-lidded her eyes, peering at Libel. "Because I'm sure you'll never be an old mare yourself, maybe wishing you'd put the wrongs to right before it was too late."
Libel took a step back. "Miss Line!"
Bottom held up a hoof. "We are in the friend zone, Libel. You will address me as Bottom, or Bottom Line, not 'Miss Line'. If you wish to return to the workplace, simply let me know."
"Maybe I would prefer that!" She turned away with a scowl, steaming. She stormed off into her office, slamming the door shut behind her.
Bottom shook her head at the closed door. "Too soon," she quietly berated herself. It had seemed like a perfect time to broach the subject... She put her hooves on the keys of her typewriter and resumed her click-clack of work. Emotions or not, there were things to get done.
Libel sank into her chair with a weary sigh. Why was everything so... jangled? She picked up the phone with a wing. "Get the boss on the line." It took only a moment for it to be picked up.
"Word, what have you got for me?"
She forced a smile. They say you can hear one of those on a phone. She believed them. "Good news. The angry phone calls should stop, and with it, our opera singer should go back to singing classic tunes and not condemnations for our paper."
"Thank Celestia," he breathed out. "I won't even ask what you had to do. Thank you, and don't do that again. I don't need this kind of stress. You're my star editor, find these things before they end up costing us bits."
"Yes, Sir." He was, on some levels, beneath her, and yet he was her boss. Her lineage meant nothing. His comparative lack of lineage, also meaningless. "I won't let it happen again." The fact that she had disappointed him was only compounded.
She had to do better.