A/N Fact,I have to be more disciplined and shorter when writing. Hearing about these things called writing prompts, I googled. Wow. So, I'm too dumb for tumblr, but credit must go to those who inspire. (prompt at the end)
Stef clenched her jaw as Callie drew in a quick breath and tensed. They had to get through this. Opening another wipe, Stef dabbed at the area around the four small cuts on the underside of Callie's arm. "Hurt?" Stef asked quietly.
Callie stood stoic. She wasn't going to answer the rhetorical question. Since Lena came busting in her room two hours ago, Callie had said little. She was screaming at herself in her head. How could she have been so careless to disregard blood on the sheets?
Getting no response, Stef tossed the alcohol wipes in the trash. Putting some ointment on the cuts, Stef called to Lena, "Lena, where are those things that look like gauze bandages but aren't?"
Sitting on the bed, Lena had to smile for the first time in a few hours, "third drawer, Babe." They'd gotten them while Jesus was learning to skateboard. Now, she shook her head. Separating the kids sheets, Lena noticed streaks of blood on a fitted one. It was from the girls' room, not unheard of, but the location was strange. Lena was pretty sure she knew enough about the girls to know about when their periods were, and this wasn't it. Thinking a bit more, Lena's stomach had dropped when she suspected Callie had cut herself. It wasn't in her file, but files usually told little. Lena probably overreacted a little, and was still in a face off when Stef got home from work. Together, they'd managed to get Callie to show them the cuts. Now, Callie would barely acknowledge either, but her body language suggested a greater willingness to tolerate Stef.
"Found them," Stef reported. She applied the bandage over Callie's arm and added a strip of tape for good measure. Throwing her gloves in the trash, Stef looked up at Callie, "OK, Sweets. Let's go talk to Lena and try to figure out how to make sure it doesn't happen again, yes?"
Callie inspected the bandage. She looked wearily at Stef. Stef was right, this would not happen again. She would be much more careful.
Callie ducked when Stef tried to put an arm around her shoulder. She turned back and tried to assess Callie's face. Callie refused to look at her, though. With a sigh, Stef decided to let her decide when to join them or they'd join her. "Whenever you're ready, honey," she said propping herself on the bed with Lena.
- putthepromptsonpaper:
"Hurts, doesn't it? Well, you know how to make sure it doesn't happen again, right?"
(I softened it up a bit and made it Stef.)