Warning There are mentions of physical abuse and rape.
"My name is Callie Jacobs and I'm 15 years old. My parents dies when I was eight. I've been in the system for three years now. I've been in five different foster homes and five different schools. I'm in a really great foster home right now, but they say it's only temporary and that makes me afraid to get close to them."
Stef's POV
I came upstairs and heard a quiet voice coming from Callie and Mariana's room. Mari was out with friends so I wasn't sure who Callie could be talking to. I moved closer to their room and with the door already cracked, I leaned against the door frame and listened carefully. My foster daughter was sitting in front of her computer and was recording herself as she talked.
"Stef and Lena are the best foster moms I've ever had. They make me feel safe and protected and I haven't felt that way in a long time."
I heard Callie laugh lightly and I smiled. I loved hearing that laugh, but I wasn't prepared for what she was about to say next.
"I'm afraid that when they find out about my past that they won't want to foster me anymore. I shouldn't care, I haven't felt wanted since before my parents died but I really like it here. I wish I could be an Adams Foster."
In that moment, my heart broke. I had felt a connection to this young girl since the first moment I laid eyes on her but she kept us all at a distance. My wife and I had talked about formally adopting Callie many times in the six months that she had been in our care. We loved her like she was one of our own, but we didn't want to scare her by moving to fast.
"I've been having a hard time talking to my counselor or even opening up to my foster moms so she suggested that I record myself telling my story and maybe then I'll be able to tell her or Stef and Lena. So here goes nothing, I guess."
I felt like I should leave now, before I was really intruding on Callie's privacy but I couldn't tear myself from my spot. My feet felt like they were glued to the floor.
"I had really cool parents, at least, I think I did. It's getting harder and harder to remember them with every passing day. They died when I was eight. They went out one night for a fancy work dinner and they never came back. They were stuck by a drunk driver and they never even made it to the hospital. After that, I went to live with my aunt and her husband."
I furrowed my brow. I didn't know Callie had stayed with other family members, I didn't even know she had any.
"They were the only family I had left. It was good there, for awhile. They both worked a lot and I was doing really good in school. After I had been there for about two years, though, my aunt had a miscarriage. Everything changed after that. My aunt started staying out a lot and her husband started drinking. He would go into these rages and one time he even tried to set the house on fire before we all went to bed. After that, we moved into a rental house but things just got worse. He use to scream and throw things at my aunt, she always looked so scared and one day, she just left. She never came back. She never talked to me again. They told me later that she died of an overdose. After she left, her husband got even worse. He started to become physically abusive. He would hit me and he made me clean up after him. That was almost bearable but one day... one day, he told me that I was the reason my aunt left and that I needed to fulfill her role."
My heart skipped a beat as I prepared myself for what I was about to hear. I knew what was coming next but that didn't make hearing it any easier.
"He raped me and he violated me in every way possible."
I could hear the tears in Callie's voice and it took every fiber in my being not to burst into that room and comfort my baby.
"He did it over and over again, every day. Until one day, I came home from school and I couldn't find him. I heard a noise coming from the garage and I thought it was him. I was suppose to make him a drink everyday when I got home so I did and when I went out to the garage to take it to him, I found him in his car, the car was running, and he was dead."
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I had heard enough.
I quickly and quietly went downstairs and found my wife doing the dishes while listening to some soft music.
"Lena?" I alerted her of my presence as I entered the room. She turned around and I saw her smile turn into a frown.
"Stef, honey, what's wrong?" She questioned tenderly, She swept across the room effortlessly, making her way to my side in just seconds. She reached up and wiped a few tears away from my face that I didn't even know where there. "Did something happen?" She inquired, I could hear the worry in her voice.
"Do you remember the last time we talked about adopting Callie?" I prodded and Lena nodded her response.
"We said we were going to wait until we were absolutely sure." She added and I smiled at her.
"I want to do it." I paused to shake my head and sign heavily in an attempt to still my rapid moving thoughts.
"What's changed?" Lena asked giving me a questioning look. She was ready to adopt Callie over a month ago, we had even talked to the other kids about the possibility of this happening. I was the one who was holding back and in this moment, I couldn't figure out why I ever had hesitations.
"I just heard Callie record herself, telling her story.. her story before foster care and it broke my heard." Lena gave me a warning look and I knew what she was thinking. I tend to be moved easily by a sad story from all the kids we've fostered. "It's not just that. She's our daughter, Lena. I've know that for a long time now. I was just worried that we were rushing things but I'm sure now. The thought of Bill finding another home to place her in, it makes me sick. Callie is ours and she belongs in this family. I want her to know that she has a family and that she is an Adams Foster."
Lena's face lit up and she smiled widely."It's early enough," She noted, looking over at the clock on the over. "I'll call Bill!" She squealed happily.
I laughed, I hadn't seen my wife this happy since we decided to formally adopt the twins. Our family never felt complete but in this moment, it was starting to feel like this was the final thing we needed to feel complete. Callie was ur daughter and all we needed was a judge signed piece of paper to make it official.
A/N Hi guys! I've never written anything for The Fosters but I've been reading so many Foster fan fics this week and with the season finale, I've kind of been on a Fosters binge. I started writing and this just kind of happened. So I'm not sure if this is going to be just a one shot or if I'm going to continue off of it. I guess it will depend on if anyone wants to read it. Also, I changed Callie's story before foster care, kind of a way to tell my own story. They say writing is good for the healing journey so, here I am! (:
Please let me know if you like it or if you want me to continue.
