"I know, it sounds sudden, but I just… I just know. This is the right thing to do. Beth is… I can already tell she's an amazing kid. She's smart, and nice, and can really become something if she gets the chance to. And I know what's she's going through, so I can help her. I'm planning to use the inheritance from my mom's family to find a nice apartment for me and Beth, and it won't even dent it. And… and I'll stay here and finish college and teach music. That was always my backup plan, now it's just my forefront. That way Beth has a stable living environment too." Sheila was stunned, but Beca was sure. She knew it would be worth it. Screw LA, screw being a music producer. She would gladly teach music if it meant keeping that little girl.
"You… you're willing to give up your dream job for this girl? This kid that you met today?" She asked calmly.
"Yes. I know, I probably sound fucking crazy, but… Shiela… this just feels right. Me and her. I know that this is the right decision. And not just morally or whatever. I know that I won't regret this."
"And you're ready to juggle school and motherhood?"
"I mean, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm gonna do my best. Worst case scenario, I cut back on my course schedule. It's not like money's gonna be an issue if I don't have a job, so I can just spend my time on Beth and school. It'll be… well it'll be fucking great, Sheila. I don't think that I would ever choose being a music producer in LA over that girl in there." Sheila was absolutely floored.
"Well, the legal work will be hard. If her parents fight, it'll be really rough, Beca."
"I'll fight. I'll fight whoever I have to for her. No one's ever been on her side, and I'm gonna change that. This little girl has never been put first, not even by the people who are supposed to put her first. But that's gonna change. Now she's first. She'll be put first by me." This is the only thing Sheila has ever seen Beca passionate about except for music. And right now, this kid is winning. By a long shot.
"Well, alright, let's meet her then, shall we?" Beca was relieved that Sheila wasn't fighting her on this. Even if she had, Beca would have just hired a different attorney and done it by herself anyway. She's always been on her own, just because her biological father and step-mother were here now doesn't change that.
"She's afraid of adults. So don't expect her to talk." Sheila nodded, and they both walked into Beth's room, a nurse following behind them. Beca retook her place on the bed, and slowly pulled Beth into her lap so she could comfort the little girl.
"Beth, sweetie, this is my friend, Sheila. She's gonna help us get you away from your parents."
"Hi Beth. I'm Sheila. I'm going to do my best to help you okay?" Beth just nodded. The nurse cleared her throat then.
"Hi, I'm Sharon. I'll be your nurse this evening and tomorrow morning. Dr. Woods requested an IV drip for Beth because of her malnourishment."
"Is that necessary?" Beca asked.
"Unfortunately." Beca looked at the girl in her arms. She was obviously frightened by the thought of having an IV, which only strengthened Beca's belief of the girl's intelligence.
"Beth, sweetie, look at me, okay? The nurse is gonna take your arm for a minute. Just look at me." Beth nodded, she stiffened when the nurse took her arm, but other than that she stayed looking at Beca.
"Just a spoonful of sugar
Helps the medicine go down
The medicine, go down
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In the most delightful way"
She sang while the nurse put the IV in the crook of Beth's elbow.
"That wasn't so bad, right?" Beth shook her head as she looked at the IV in her arm.
"The tube has medicine in it. It's gonna make sure that you're healthy." Beth nodded again.
"Beca, I'm going to have to call the police to get this started. The hospital will call her parents if we don't."
"Call the police then. I don't want those f- people anywhere near my Beth." Beca was going to have to learn to not curse so much now that she was going to be raising Beth. Sheila nodded and stepped out of the room, letting Beca's thoughts roam for a moment. She's going to be raising a kid. Does that make Beca her mother? No. No, not yet, at least. Beca has a strong belief that family is not who you are related to. Family is who takes care of you, loves you, knows you. So… maybe she would come to be Beth's mom. If that's what Beth wants. Is that what Beth wants?
"Beth, can I ask you something sweetie?" Beth looked up at her with wide eyes.
"What would you think about staying with me for awhile? It would just be me and you." For the first time, Beca saw the little girl smile. Then she hugged Beca. That was also the first time the girl had initiated contact with her like that.
"Is that a yes?" Beca asked with a chuckle as she brushed some of Beth's hair away from her face. Beth nodded into Beca's shirt.
"Well, we have to do some stuff to make that happen, okay? You're going to have to tell some people about the bad things your parents did to you. Can you do that?" Beth pulled back and looked at Beca.
"Stay?" She asked softly.
"I'm not going anywhere," Beca said with determination. Beth nodded
"I'll be here the whole time, alright? But you'll probably have to actually talk to them. I'm sorry sweetie." Beth just nodded. A doctor came in and x-rayed Beth's leg. It was sprained like the doctor thought. A few minutes later, someone came in and gave her a cast. She had chosen the color blue.
"Why blue?" Beca asked. Beth looked at her then pointed at Beca's eyes.
"Because my eyes are blue?" Beth nodded. Beca smiled and ran her fingers through Beth's hair. After she got her cast put on, Beca dimmed the light and laid the bed down.
"Try to sleep sweetie. It's been a long day, I know." Beth laid in the bed, but looked at Beca. She reached her hand out timidly, and Beca took it.
"What is it?" Beth pulled Beca's hand, and she understood. She toed her shoes off and climbed into the bed. She cradled Beth into her, kissing her forehead.
"Thank you," she muttered as she fell asleep. Beca teared up a little at that. This innocent, sweet little girl had been treated so poorly by her own parents. How the fuck could someone do that? She shook her head sadly because she knows how people do that. Beca just held Beth, thinking about the melodic sound of her voice, until someone knocked on the door. It was about 15 minutes after Beth had fallen asleep. She quietly called for them to come in, and Sheila stuck her head in the door.
"Hey, your dad and the police are here. Your dad wants to talk to you, and the police need a statement from both of you."
"Can it wait? She just fell asleep a few minutes ago." Sheila smiled sympathetically.
"No. If we wait, the hospital will be forced to call Beth's parents." Beca sighed.
"Alright, give me a minute to wake her." Sheila closed the door, and Beca gently began to rouse the little girl. She ran her fingers gently over Beth's face. The soft brown eyes peaked open and looked at her sleepily.
"Hey there sleeping beauty. Those people are here, and they need to talk to you. Do you think you can do it?" Beth's stomach grumbled, and Beca chuckled a little. It was already 10 o'clock. She had found Beth after her shift ended at five.
"I have that other sandwich if you want it sweetie." Beth nodded, so Beca grabbed it. She also put a cup of water next to it. Beth ate half of it, then held the other half to Beca.
"We're sharing," she said quietly. Beca smiled and took the half of the sandwich. She ate quickly, then turned the light back on. She opened the door.
"How many of you have to come in at once?"
"Two officers and me," Sheila said. Beca nodded. She let them in, and took her spot next to Beth.
"Hello Beth. My name is Officer Daniels, and this is my partner, Officer Richards. We're just here to figure out what the best thing for you is, okay?" Beth nodded.
"For these questions, you're going to have to answer out loud sweetie, I'm sorry," Beca said sadly.
"Ok," Beth said quietly. It was so quiet that the officer moved closer so he could hear. He did it slowly, so he didn't scare her at least.
"Can you tell me your name and age please?"
"Elizabeth Marie Jacobs. I'm five."
"So, you have some cuts on your arms and legs. Can you tell me what those are from?"
"Theresa threw glasses at me." Every time she spoke, her voice was so quiet, like she was afraid of being heard.
"And who is Theresa?"
"My mom. She said not to call her that though," she said quietly, again. Beca's jaw set angrily.
"And the one on your head?"
"I hit a picture frame."
"How did you hit the picture frame?" Beca was thankful that the officer was bent down next to her bed, not standing intimidatingly, and he was speaking softly. He was also patient for the few moments it took for Beth to respond verbally each time.
"Thomas threw me into the wall." Beca's eyes filled with rage, and the hand by her side clenched so tight her knuckles turned white. How the fuck could you just throw your kid, any kid, into a god damn wall?
"Is Thomas your father?"
"Yes."
"How long have they been doing things like this?"
"Forever."
"And you ran away earlier today?"
"Yes."
"What happened then?"
"Beca helped me," she said with a tiny smile.
"She sure did. That's all we need for now. Thank you for talking to us, Beth. Ms. Mitchell, we'll need to take your statement."
"Beth, will you be okay with Sheila for a few minutes? I'll keep my arm in the door again." Beth nodded. Beca kissed her forehead, then got up to speak to the officers. Her father was also in the hallway, so he heard everything she said. They asked her for her name, date of birth, and gender.
"Alright, can you tell us where you found her?"
"I found her in the alley next to the Barden Radio Station."
"And what time was that?"
"A little after five."
"And what did you do when you found her?"
"I talked to her. She was covered in cuts and blood. I cleaned her up in the station's bathroom and took her to get some food. She told me she hadn't eaten in days. After I got her some food, I brought her here."
"And she told you that her parents had hurt her?"
"Yeah. That's why I didn't call the police first thing. Because then she would have gone right back to them." The officers nodded in understanding.
"You didn't believe, even for a minute, that the child was lying? Making it up for attention?" Beca shook her head dejectedly.
"No. When you go through something like that… it really changes a person. You can see it in their eyes. Hell, you could see it in her behavior. I have some… knowledge about this type of thing, so I knew she wasn't lying."
"Thank you, Ms. Mitchell. That's all we need for now. We will be in contact with Mrs. Mitchell for the legal matters." Beca nodded. As the officers left, Beca's dad came up to her.
"You want to adopt a child you just met today?" Beca sighed.
"Look, I have it all planned out. I'm gonna use some of my inheritance to get us an apartment. I'm gonna go to college here and become a music teacher. And I'm gonna raise Beth. I'm not leaving her. And I'd rather dig my eyes out with sporks than let that girl go through what I did," she hissed out. Hank had either not heard her last sentence or chose to ignore it.
"And you think you're ready to be a parent?" He asked, which was rich coming from him.
"And you're one to lecture me on parenting?" Beca said bitingly. The fight in Hank died then. After what he had, intentionally or not, put Beca through, he had no right to lecture her on parenting.
"What about your dream? To go be… P. Diddy in LA?" Beca shook her head, determination in all of her features.
"I'd rather teach music and be with Beth. Teaching music to kids was my fallback anyway, so I'm not settling. I'm picking what is more important to me. And that's Beth." Her father seemed stunned.
"I… I really don't know what to say Beca. This is… it's really amazing of you. I guess I just… never pictured you having kids." Beca simply snorted.
"That's because you don't know me Hank. Now, I'm going to go back in with Beth. If you want, you can stay, but if you so much as look at her wrong, you will be out on your ass so fast." Hank held up his hands in surrender, and Beca went back into the room with him. Beca sat on the edge of the bed, placing her hand in Beth's lap for the girl to hold.
"How are you feeling sweetie? Any better?" The girl nodded a little, and Beca smiled softly.
"Good. This is Hank, Sheila's husband. Hank, this is Beth." She noticed the saddened look on Hank's face at not being mentioned as anything, but really, he wasn't anything to her. He was just… he just knows her. He hasn't seen her since she was three, and she went through a really rough time that having him around would have prevented.
"Hi Beth. I'm going to help make sure you can be with Beca, okay?" The little girl nodded happily, the edge of a smile tugging her lips.
"Is that what you want Beth? To be with Beca?" Sheila asked.
"Yes," she said quietly. Beca grinned at her.
"Yeah? Me too. But we need to get you to sleep, okay?" She added after Beth yawned. Beth tugged on Beca's hand sheepishly, so she climbed into the bed and laid down. Beth curled into Beca, who held onto her protectively.
"I won't let anyone hurt you anymore, I promise." She sealed her promise with a kiss to the top of Beth's head, away from the cut. Beth looked at her for a moment, then yawned. She almost looked afraid to sleep.
"I'll be here when you wake up, don't worry sweetie." Beth nodded, then put her head on Beca's chest. Beca rolled them over so she was on her back with Beth lying on top of her. She had one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other running through her hair gently. She pulled the hospital blanket up around them, and hummed softly until Beth fell asleep. Beca's phone vibrated in her pocket, again, and she cursed quietly when she checked it. She had a bunch of missed calls and texts from Chloe and Aubrey. She was supposed to go to their place for their weekly hangout, but, well… she couldn't. She scanned the messages before typing out two replies, one for each senior.
"Sorry Chlo, totally forgot. With Hank and Sheila tonight. My bad. -B"
"Sorry Bre. I ended up spending the night with Hank and Sheila. I totally spaced on our plans and had my phone on silent. -B"
She got back replies of 'don't worry', and 'it's alright', so at least she wasn't in the dog house with her two friends, both of whom she's crushing on, but that is so not important right now. Beca turned to face Hank when he spoke.
"You're right Beca. I don't know you. I'd like to, but I don't. You're amazing with her, and… if you want to adopt her, I'll support you however I can. It's rather obvious that she won't do well with anyone else. You and her are just good together. I'm happy for you. Both of you."
"Thanks, Hank. That… that means a lot. You guys can go home, I'm just gonna stay with her." Beca was glad that she didn't have any classes tomorrow, since she had made sure her Fridays were clear. Hank and Sheila stood to leave, but Sheila hesitated at the door.
"Beca, while this happens, they won't have her staying with her parents. They'll probably have her stay under your care until everything legal is settled. I'll go to the courthouse first thing in the morning and get the paperwork for her to be forcibly placed into your care until this matter is settled. After that, we can see about permanent guardianship of her." Beca teared up a bit, but nodded her head.
"That's awesome. Thanks so much Sheila."
"No problem Beca. Get some sleep. I'll be back in the morning." Sheila left, and Beca let her first tear fall. She slowly shifted Beth off of her, leaving her alone in the bed. Beca stepped into the hall, leaving the door cracked just in case Beth woke up, and let her emotions hit her. She cried. She cried for all of the horrible things that girl has gone through, and will have to deal with in the future. She thought about all of the things she had gone through, and would have to talk about. She had only ever told one person before, but that was surely about to change. When she finished crying, she thought about the logistics of their situation.
She needs to find an apartment for them to live in, like, now. She also needs to figure out where Beth goes to school. She should be in kindergarten. She would need to buy clothes for her, and figure out what to do with her when she has class, since she's not sure if Beth would be okay going with her, and Beca doesn't want to leave her alone with someone else. There is no way she can get a babysitter, Beca wouldn't be able to leave Beth with someone like that. Beca ran her hands over her face tiredly. She peeked into the room, checking that Beth was still asleep, then headed to the bathroom. She washed the makeup off her face, peed, and went back to Beth's room.
She had moved so much in the time Beca had left that the blankets were tangled around her body and IV tubing. She was still tossing and turning, so Beca assumed it was a nightmare. She gently removed the blankets and climbed into the bed with her. Beth slowly stopped writhing when Beca held her. She draped the blanket over them and put her head down next to Beth's. She kissed her forehead once, then let herself fall asleep.
Beca woke up to sniffles. She cracked her eyes open and saw Beth rubbing her eyes with her fists, clearly crying. Beca also noticed that it was six in the morning. What a criminal time to be awake.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong sweetie?" Beth sniffled loudly, then pointed at her lap shamefully. Beca looked down and saw the wet spot.
"It's alright, Beth. There's nothing wrong with that. Let me get something to clean you up with and a clean gown, okay?" Beth nodded with another sniffle. Beca stuck her head out the door and went to the nurses' station.
"Hey, can I get a clean kid's gown? She had an accident." The nurse smiled sympathetically and grabbed one from the cart.
"When you get her cleaned up, you can bring her to the play room while someone changes the sheets if you'd like," she said with a gesture to the room down the hall that was brightly painted and filled with toys.
"That'd be great, thanks." Beca went back into the room to find Beth hiding under the blanket.
"Come on sweetie. Let's get you cleaned up, then we're going on an adventure." Beth's head peeked out from under the covers, and her eyes sought out Beca's. She hated that those little brown eyes were red rimmed and glassy, so she tried to fix it.
"Come on, I got you a cool new gown. It's blue and green." Beth's nose scrunched up.
"What? You don't like it?" Beth shook her head. Beca thought for a moment.
"What if I wore one too?" Beth nodded with a small smile.
"Alright, I'll go get mine, then we're putting yours on." Beca left the room and went to the nurse's desk again.
"Can I have an adult gown?"
"What for?" The nurse asked confusedly since she had just asked for a kid's gown.
"Beth doesn't like hers, so I told her I'd wear one." The nurses all smiled at her, and one of them handed Beca a gown. She couldn't care less about her badass persona right now. Beth was just more important. She went back to Beth's room and slid hers on over her jeans and t-shirt.
"See? I have mine on, now let's get yours on." Beca slid Beth to the edge of the bed and slipped off the girls gown, leaving her in a pair of soaked underwear. Beca wasn't letting her wear the ones with urine, and she wasn't going commando, so she grabbed the pair of shorts Beth had been wearing yesterday and slid them on her over the cast after she cleaned her up with some wet wipes. She slid Beth's gown on carefully over her IV and tied it in the back.
"There we go. Now we match!" Beth giggled a little.
"You wanna go for that adventure now?" Beth nodded.
"Alright, I can carry you, or we can get a wheelchair. Which one?" Beth held her arms up and looked at Beca sheepishly. She smiled as she picked Beth up. She held her with one arm, and pulled the IV pole with the other one, so it didn't pull on Beth's hand.
"Alright, adventure time!" Beca carried Beth to the playroom at the end of the hall. They were getting some odd looks, probably because Beca was parading in a gown barefoot, but she didn't care. It made Beth feel better, so whatever. Plus, she was too lazy to put her shoes back on,
Since they were in the pediatrics ward, it had a playroom for the kids. Smart thinking. Beca sat Beth down in one of the tiny chairs, and took the one opposite her. For once, Beca was glad she was so short. (Note, she will deny this til the day she dies, and will never once admit to this out loud, but the thought counts, right?) Beca picked up the pack of cards that was on the table.
"Do you know how to play go fish?" Beth nodded as Beca dealt the cards, and they played. Beth would hold up enough fingers to represent the card number every time she asked Beca, and shake her head no for 'go fish.' Beca had only been with Beth for a day, and the girl was already coming out of her shell. She had started communicating, if only nods and using her fingers and only to Beca, but it was a start. After they played three games of go fish, and she had taught Beth how to play Mario Kart and let her win, Beca decided it was breakfast time, as it was now eight.
"Alright sweetie, breakfast time." She carried Beth back to the room, which now had fresh sheets, and Sheila was in there.
"Morning," Beca greeted as she settled Beth into the bed. She stripped herself of the gown and grabbed the paper menu they had left on the counter for breakfast. You picked what you wanted, called the extension, and they would bring it to your room.
"Here sweetie, pick whatever you want to eat." Beca handed her the menu and a pencil, so she could circle what she wanted for Beca to call and order.
"So, I got the papers for Beth to be placed under your custody temporarily. In a month, there will be a hearing regarding her parents, and another hearing about a month after to evaluate your guardianship of Beth. If all goes well, meaning you take proper care of Beth, she will be placed into your care permanently. I also found a little 2 bed 2 bath apartment about ten minutes from campus that I think would work well for you. Here's the paperwork on that. You have to have a place of residence for the custody papers." Beca looked at the apartment details and smirked. It would definitely work. She would have to paint it, but she could do it. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchen/ living room space. The bedroom looked big enough for Beca to have a desk set up for her mixing and schoolwork, and a large bed, so that was a plus.
"This will work. Yeah, definitely." Beca glanced at Beth and saw her looking at the paper forlornly with creased brows.
"I actually got the paperwork from the complex for you. It's reasonably priced, too. The utilities are included in the rent, and there is a gym, a laundry room, and a pool. There's also a doorman, so it's a very safe place for you two to be. Here you go, just fill this out, and it will be yours. I know the gentleman who runs the complex, and he took my word that the applicant was trustworthy." It was a really nice apartment, and Beca was glad she had all that money from her birth mother's family. She hadn't found out about that money until she met Sheila, who found Beca's mother's will when she came here. Turns out, her mother's side of the family was loaded, and she was the sole benefactor of her grandparents' fortune.
"Hey Beth, remember what we talked about last night? About you living with me?" Beth nodded with a small smile.
"Well, it looks like for the next month or so, you'll be stuck with me." Beth smiled, it was bigger than the ones she had seen before, but it wasn't a full blown one either. Beth clambered out of the sheets and wrapped her arms around Beca's neck.
"Thank you," she whispered into her ear. Beca kissed her cheek.
"Oh no, thank you. I get to live with you, I mean, how lucky am I?!" Beth giggled as Beca helped her settle back into the bed. That's when she realised why Beth had been looking at the paper like she had.
"Sweetie? Do you… not know how to read?" Beth shook her head shamefully.
"Well, I guess I get to teach you then, don't I?" She said with a smirk. Beth looked less embarrassed as Beca settled down behind her.
"You know the alphabet?" Beth nodded. That would make this so much easier.
"Good. Now, think about what you want to drink. Let me guess, chocolate milk?" When Beth nodded, Beca made a mental note to keep it in the house. Their house.
"Ok, so, think about what letters makes the sounds in milk." Beth's bottom lip went between her teeth as she scanned the menu. She pointed at word that had the letter 'm' on it.
"That's the first letter in the word, yeah. Nice job sweetie. Now, think about the next letters. Sound out the words in our head, and piece the letters together." Beth looked back at the menu, then pointed at the word 'milk.' Beca smiled at her.
"That's really good sweetie! Now try to find the chocolate one." Beth looked back at the paper, then pointed to the chocolate milk.
"That's it. Circle that one." Beth circled it, then looked back at Beca.
"Alright. Now, think about what you want for breakfast. And try to sound it out again." Beth looked at the menu for a minute, then curiously pointed at the word 'cereal.'
"Cereal? Oh, right, sometimes the letter 'c' sounds like an 's.' It just makes everything harder in my opinion. Is that what you were looking for? Cereal?" Beth nodded and circled it. Beca kissed the top of her head.
"You're such a smartie pants. You know that? You just learned how to read in like, three minutes. It took me forever to learn how to read." Beth giggled, and Beca got up to call for the breakfast. While she was calling, she thought about how weird it was that a five year old hadn't been taught how to read in school yet. She either had a shitty teacher, or she just couldn't learn it because the teacher scared her.
Beca had given Beth her phone so she could play a coloring game she downloaded while she filled out the paperwork for the apartment and taking Beth in. Beca heard her ringtone, Titanium, which was only the ringtone for two people after Chloe had shared that tidbit of information with her one night, and she looked up to see Beth looking at it curiously. She stood up and looked at it, mentally cursing. It was Aubrey calling.
"One second sweetie. I'll give it back once I finish talking to my friend." Beth nodded and handed the phone back. Beca took a deep breath before she answered.
"Hello?"
"Beca? Where the hell are you? You missed our TV marathon, and your roommate said you haven't been there since yesterday." Beca heard Chloe reprimand Aubrey about being rude, and it made Beca's heart flutter at the thought of Chloe standing up for her.
"Sorry. Family emergency." Beca had no idea how she was going to deal with Chloe and Aubrey with regard to Beth. She knew the girls would be supportive, but they would definitely overwhelm Beth.
"And you couldn't bother to call?" She could hear the worrying tone the blonde had taken on, and it made her smile and damn it there she goes again with these stupid feelings.
"Sorry, I completely forgot. I'm a little busy right now, can I call you back later Bre?" Aubrey sighed into the phone.
"Fine. You're okay though, right?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Just some family stuff. I'll call you when I can. Tell Chloe hi for me." She heard Chloe yell "Hey Becs," from somewhere in the background, and both of them chuckled.
"Talk to you later Beca."
"Later Bre." Beca hung up, then hung her head. She would tell them… eventually. She's not sure what she's going to do honestly. She's definitely going to need help with Beth at some point, and the first person she could think to ask would be Chloe, since she's so good with kids. But Chloe is way too outgoing and loud and just… so not like Beth that Beca's not sure Chloe would be the right person to ask for help. She's sure Chloe would do everything she could though. Aubrey. She would probably get along with Beth really well. The image of the two seniors playing with Beth made her smile. Beca shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts, then focused back on the task at hand.
"Beth, sweetie, can I ask you something?" The little girl looked up from her lap at Beca with scared eyes. Sheila was writing things down on the paperwork for Beca's guardianship, so she wasn't paying too much attention.
"Do you know where you go to school Beth?" Beth shook her head.
"You… don't know?" Beth shook her head again, but this time it hung, almost shamefully.
"Sweetie… do you go to school?" Beth shook her head again slowly. Beca saw a tear drop onto Beth's lap and she jumped into action. She would not let this little girl hurt anymore.
"Hey, hey, there's nothing to cry about. It's okay." Beca pulled Beth into her lap and wiped the tears away gently, she noticed Sheila's worried expression.
"Beth, look at me sweetie." She looked more vulnerable than she had before, and Beca was dying inside at the sight.
"I don't think going to school would be the best thing for you, do you? Being surrounded by all those other people all day? All by yourself?" Beth shook her head instantly.
"Well then, I'll just homeschool you. How does that sound?" Beth nodded, and slowly moved forward to hug Beca again. This was only the second time she had initiated a hug with Beca, but it was easily becoming her favorite thing. Beca cradled Beth to her and looked at Sheila, who raised an eyebrow. Beca mouthed Hank's name questioningly, and Sheila nodded her head understandingly. He's a certified teacher. He could come up with lesson plans for her, couldn't he? While Beca was holding Beth, someone brought the tray of food in.
"Ooo, someone's breakfast is here. You hungry Beth?" Beth nodded into Beca's shoulder, but didn't move. Beca shifted them so Beth was sideways in her lap, and they were at the edge of the bed. She grabbed the table that had her food on it and wheeled it in front of them. She poured the regular milk into Beth's cereal, and opened her chocolate milk.
"Here you go sweetie." Beth took the spoon in her hand, and that's when Beca noticed it.
"Beth, are you left handed?" Beth nodded with a mouthful of cereal.
"Well, that makes two of us, huh?" Beth looked at her with her head cocked.
"I'm left handed too. Sheila's right handed, she's weird like that," she whispered conspiratorially. Beth giggled slightly, and it made Beca happy. A doctor came in then.
"Good morning ladies. How are we feeling this morning Elizabeth?" Beth looked at Beca with a deer in headlights expression.
"Does anything hurt, sweetie?" Beth shook her head.
"I think we're doing alright doc. When do we get out of here?" The doctor wrote something down on a pad, then handed it to Beca. It was a prescription.
"When you get that filled, give one if the pain gets too much, and Mrs. Mitchell can take care of her discharge papers whenever you are ready to leave."
"Awesome, thanks." Sheila followed the doctor out to take care of the paperwork, and Beca sat with Beth while she ate. A few minutes later, while Beca was cleaning up the stuff from Beth's breakfast, Sheila came back in.
"Alright. I called my friend that runs the complex, and he said if I give him the paperwork today you can start moving in whenever. And you are all ready to leave the hospital. A nurse will be in in just a minute to take her IV out, then you can go."
"Awesome. Can you sit with her for a minute? I gotta call Hank." Sheila nodded, and Beca turned to Beth.
"Will you be okay with Sheila for a few minutes?" Beth's eyes shifted uncomfortably, so Beca quickly fixed it.
"I'll leave my arm in the door," she said with a wink. Beth nodded then, and Beca exited, phone in hand. She tapped his name and waited, hoping he didn't have a class right now.
"Hello?"
"Hank, hey, I need a favor. A couple, actually."
"Sure, what's up?" He seemed eager to help… it was oddly unnerving and heartwarming at the same time.
"Well, I'm gonna need to talk to my professors, and I thought it would help if maybe you did it? Most of my teachers don't like me." Hank chuckled into the phone.
"I got you the week off. They are all emailing you the work for the week, as well as notes from the lectures."
"Thanks. And… uh, well, I was hoping you could help me homeschool Beth." There were a couple beats of silence.
"She wouldn't do well in public school. You know that. I just need you to give me the work for her to do, and I'll do it with her."
"I'm sure I can do that. I'll draw up some lesson plans and get some books for her, then just follow the lesson plans. I'm sure you'll be a great teacher for her Bec."
"I'm sure I will. Thanks for this," she said uneasily.
"Of course, it's no trouble."
"Alright, well, I have a little girl to take shopping, and an apartment to move into. I'll… see you later, Hank."
"Alright. See you later Bec." Beca ended the call as a nurse came toward her. When Beca went into the room, the nurse came in behind her. If Beca remembers correctly her name is Sharon.
"Hi Beth. I don't know if you remember, but I was your nurse last night. My name is Sharon. I'm just going to take your IV out, alright?" Beca sat on the bed with Beth. She hummed softly while the nurse took the IV out.
"There you go, all done. All the paperwork is done, so you are free to go."
"Thanks." Beca untied Beth's gown and slid the girl's shirt on her. It was too big, but it was clean. She was about to pick Beth up to leave, but Beth stopped her. She looked over at the chair that Beca had occupied and pointed at it. Beca saw her jacket sitting in it.
"You want my jacket?" Beth nodded, so she grabbed it. She helped Beth into it, then put her own shoes on. She stood in front of Beth, looking at her softly.
"You ready to go?" Beth nodded, so Beca picked her up. Sheila exited the hospital with them, and they stopped near the entrance.
"I'm going to drop off the paperwork for your apartment, and I'll take care of the legal stuff. Don't even worry about that. Just take care of your girl."
"Thanks again, Sheila, for everything."
"It's no trouble Beca. That's what family is for," with that, Sheila smiled and headed to her car. Beca looked at the little girl in her arms.
"Alright. We need to run some errands, you ready?" Beth nodded, and they headed to the car for a day of shopping. Beca has a long weekend ahead of her.