Disclaimer: I don't own the Fosters, only the plot and any characters you don't recognize from the show.

Author's Note: Sorry it took a while to update; school's been crazy, but it's Thanksgiving break now, so you guys get an update! Oh, spoiler alert, for everyone who wants to see Callie, you will in this chapter. (I hope you like where I decided to go with her life... Leave a review and let me know!)

Trigger warning: Past tense rape and abuse. Some details.

~~~o~~~

Chapter 4: People Who Care

"Welcome to Haven," the darker of the two said.

Becky stood uncertainly by the car. "Well, go on," Dani said, also getting out of the car. Becky picked up her bag and walked toward the two women on the porch.

"I'm Lena," the speaker said. "This is Stef. You must be Becky."

"Yes, ma'am. Pleased to meet you...uh...thank you. It doesn't seem enough, but...thank you." Becky said awkwardly, offering her hand. (No one could say her mother didn't teach her manners, at least.) She was immediately engulfed in a hug, and while she stiffened at first, surprised, she soon relaxed into it. Her mother's hugs had been short, stuff, distant. This was warm, comforting; it was everything she always wanted to get from her mom and never did. She...Lena...she can't be bad if she hugs like this...

"Come inside," the other woman – Stef, Becky reminded herself – spoke for the first time. She guided Becky in by slinging an arm around her shoulder, while Dani and Lena hugged, holding a short, quick, whispered conversation Becky couldn't hear. Are they talking about me? Probably. Just as much as I worry because I don't know them, they probably worry because they don't know me. I could be like...an ax murderer or something, for all they know. The thought occurred for the first time. Trust goes both ways, after all. Granted, this was their home turf, they were many to her one, and they were adults, but inviting an unknown was still a little risky. The thought was oddly comforting in a strange way.

"Are you hungry? We had breakfast with the other kids – they're at school now – but I could make you something?" Stef asked, as she guided Becky into what was obviously the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder at Lena and Dani. "Dani, food?"

"I'm good for now," Dani said. "I think I'm just gonna take a catnap."

"You deserve it, hon," Lena said, fondly.

Dani turned to Becky. "You good? You want me to stick around?"

Becky shook her head. "Thanks for the ride. You drove an awfully long time to get me, and I really appreciate it. You're probably exhausted."

"Eh, I've never needed that much sleep anyway," she said with a shrug. Stef scoffed. "What?"

"When you first came here, you would sleep like 12 or 14 hours a night. You slept the clock around once," Stef replied, teasingly.

"Hey, that was a while ago, I was a different person!" she protested. "Seriously though, Becky, it was my pleasure. Really. So, if you're sure, I'm going to take my nap and I've see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah." Dani disappeared out another day, and Becky saw a glimpse of the outdoors as the door closed. She must have her own place. Not here. Who else lives here? It's not very big...

"You never answered me about that food," Stef said.

"We stopped at a gas station. I had a muffin. And Mariana stuffed me at IHOP."

Stef laughed. "Yeah, Mari's good at that."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a racing blur that quickly attached itself to Lena's legs. "Nana!" it called out. Lena swung the toddler – for that is what it was – into her arms, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi sweetheart!" she said, hugging the little girl.

Another blur soon followed, this one making a beeline for Stef. "Gammy!" Stef swung a little boy about the same age into her arms and gave him a matching kiss on her forehead. "Who that?" he asked, staring at Becky.

"This is Becky," Stef said. "She's going to be staying with us for a little while. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah. I Noah," he said, with a charming smile, tossing back brown curls. "And that's my sister," he announced, jerking a thumb toward the little girl still in Lena's arms.

"Nadia," Lena said. The little girl in question was hiding her face in Lena's neck, and all Becky could see were the brown curls that were a match to her brother's, albeit a bit longer. "She's a little shy. And if they're here, their mother should be by very shortly..."

"She's here." A new voice said, and Becky turned in the direction it was coming from. A brown haired woman, the shade of her hair a perfect match of the kids' though it wasn't curly, stood there. Becky guessed that she looked to be maybe thirty, and she had a very peaceful, happy face. "I'm Callie," the woman said, introducing herself.

"Becky. Pleased to meet you."

"And I, you." She turned to the two older women. "I ran into Dani. She said we had a new arrival."

"And so you decided to pay us a visit?" Despite the formality of her words, Lena didn't sound annoyed at all.

"Well, I figured I'd be hearing from you soon enough anyway, and the twins really wanted to come over." She looked fondly at the scene in front of her, each of her moms cuddling one of her kids. "You spoil them, you know."

"Well, what are grandmothers for, if not to spoil their grandchildren?" Stef asked.

Becky was also watching the scene in front of her. This was...family. There was no other word for it. It was just, perfect, family, and she felt an ache deep inside her heart. This is what she had been missing her entire life, but it was not her family. Without even realizing it, she suddenly stopped doubting their intentions entirely and was instead consumed with a desire that she could just stay for a little while and pretend that this was her family.

"Becky?" Lena's voice jarred her out of her ruminations, and she suddenly realized everyone was looking at her.

"Sorry," she said, flushing and ducking her head. "I guess I just...zoned out, or something."

"There's nothing to apologize for. You've had a really long night, and you've been plunged into something completely new. It's understandable to be overwhelmed and tired. How about we just all sit down for a minute," she said, gesturing toward the big, worn table.

Becky gratefully took a seat with Lena. Stef and Callie pulled out some highchairs and set the twins in them, offering them dry Cheerios to eat and play with. Stef then pulled out some mugs. "Something to drink, Becky? Coffee, water, juice?"

"Some water would be nice," she said shyly. Stef grabbed a glass along with three mugs, pouring coffee into the mugs and water into the glass.

"Thanks, Mom," Callie said with a smile.

"Thanks," Becky echoed.

The four of them sat down at the table, sipping quietly, the silence and serenity of the moment broken only the sound of the twins playing and giggling. Becky let herself relax into it, and pretend that she was a permanent part of it all.

Finally, about halfway through her cup of coffee, Lena broke the silence. "So, Becky, you're here. We should get you settled in and give you an introduction to the place. There's a couple of things we all need to do, too. First off, Callie's a doctor. You mentioned that you were a little injured on the phone – cuts and bruises, I think you said – and I'd really like it if you allowed Callie to take a look at you sometime this morning, just to make sure you're fine. Would that be okay?"

Becky nodded. She kinda expected it. After meeting Callie, the prospect of having to talk to a doctor didn't faze her as much as she thought it would.

"Good. Thank you. A medical exam is the usual for all our new arrivals, but it's even more important when there are injuries to be considered. We will also need to have a conversation about the circumstances that brought you here; more in-depth, that is, than the one we had on the phone. You'll also get a tour and run-down on the place, which will hopefully answer some of your questions and if not, feel free to ask. I expect you may be tired, and you might want to follow Dani's lead and take a nap, get cleaned up, whatever you need. We're in no rush, there's no schedule that needs to be followed, so what works for you?"

Becky shrugged, feeling a little overwhelmed by it all, and a bit worried about the exam and 'conversation'. What if I don't say the right things and they figure out I don't belong here?

"Well, since Callie's here, why doesn't she take you while Lena and I play with the kids, and then we can see how you feel after?" Stef suggested, noting the uncertainty in Becky's eyes and offering a little guidance. Becky nodded.

"Right-o," Callie said, downing the last of her coffee and standing up. "Why don't you come with me, and we'll leave my little hellions for these two lovely ladies to take care of, then?"

Callie led Becky outside, to a nearby building. Unlike most of the other small buildings, which were a variety of colors, this one was white. She motioned Becky through the door, and to her surprise, Becky found herself in a fairly stereotypical exam room. There was the average looking exam bench, a table with a sink, a bunch of storage units, and a curtain one could draw around the bench. There was two doors – the one she just walked through and another. Given the size of the outside of the building and the room that they were, Becky surmised that it led to a very small room, possibly a closet or maybe a bathroom. There were two stools; Callie motioned Becky to the one.

"Why don't you just take a seat there, for now, and we can have a little chat," she said, pulling a white coat off a hook, and putting it on. "Just let me get all professional-looking, here, will you?" she asked Becky with a smile.

"Is this your office?" Becky asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. There is another building like this, a bit bigger, in another part of Haven – you'll probably pass it on your tour – and I'm there more than here. We usually reserve this building for Stef and Lena's kids, since it's small and nearby the Big House. I also work in a clinic about an hour from here. That's what you would probably call my official practice. I split my time between here and there. There, I do the regular doctor thing – seeing patients with appointments, for one – while here, I just sorta see people as they need. Sometimes they make an appointment, sometimes not. I kinda like the unstructured openness; it gives me lots of time to spend with my kids and there's always someone around to watch them for a bit at need. We all pitch in to help each other out around here, and I think my kids have more unofficial "aunts" and "uncles" than any other kid on the planet. Well, except other Haven kids, perhaps," she said grinning.

"That's nice," Becky said.

"So, eventually, I'll need you to fill out a little paperwork – medical history, family history, things like that. If you were a patient at my clinic, I could just contact your regular doctor and get it, but if I tried that now, it would involve giving them my location, which could potentially bring the cops to you. I'm guessing that is not something you want, yeah?"

Becky nodded fervently.

"Right. Makes sense. Most of the kids Stef and Lena bring to Haven don't want to be find. You can fill out that paperwork now or a little later, once you've rested, but I need it for my files since it looks like you'll be sticking around for a while." Becky noticed she didn't specify a short while or a long while. "But I'm more concerned right now about the fact you told Lena you had some injuries?" She paused, and Becky realized that she was waiting for an answer.

"It's nothing to worry about, just some cuts and bruises. I took care of it." Becky tried to brush it off, but Callie wasn't falling for her nonchalant tone.

"Have you had to self-administer first-aid in the past?"

"Yeah."

"Can I take a look, just to make sure nothing needs treatment?" Becky slowly nodded, but made no move. "Where are you hurt? Will you show me?"

"My ribs are a little bruised, I guess," she said.

"Hop on the bench, and I'll take a look," Callie said, turning to the sink to wash her hands. When she turned around, Becky had her shirt off, and was perched on the bench in her bra and jeans, arms protectively wrapped around her chest. Both sides of her rib cage were completely black and blue, with older bruises evidenced by yellow and green splotches. The bruising continued under her bra, and Callie could see evidence of bite marks. Bruises ringed both wrists, the perfect size and shape to have been made by somebody grabbing her wrists with their hands. Near her hip, a spot was covered in tape and some blood-stained gauze. Callie pulled on gloves at the sight of the blood. Her heart broke for the girl who had taken such a beating, but she kept her face calm and compassionate.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad do you hurt right now?" A shrug was her only answer. She decided to try a different tactic, placing her fingers on the gauze on Becky's hip. "I'm going to take a look at this, alright?" A nod. Callie carefully peeled back the tape and removed the gauze, her delicate touch hardly causing Becky to flinch. The gauze revealed several jagged gashes, some shallow some deep. The deeper ones had steri-strips placed over them, and the astringent smell of over-the-counter antiseptic cream reached her nose.

"You took care of this yourself? You're pretty good at first-aid," she commented. "Especially for such a difficult area." Becky didn't respond. "Well, it doesn't look like you're going to need stitches, so I'm just going to rebandage you." She pulled out packages of gauze and tape and more strips, as well as a tube of cream, and delicately applied them. "You're going to have to be careful showering for a few days, but you'll need to keep it clean and put on fresh bandages. You might need help. Don't hesitate asking. I'll help you, both Stef and Lena can, Dani could...there's a lot of people willing and able." Becky nodded. Callie paused a moment before asking, "Will you tell what caused this?"

There was a pause, and she didn't think she would get an answer, before Becky finally said, "A beer bottle." When she didn't offer more, Callie decided not to press just now.

"Why don't you lay down, so I can examine your ribs?" she asked, helping Becky as the girl complied with her wishes. She placed her fingers lightly over Becky's rib cage. "Does it hurt a lot more when I do this?" A shrug. "Okay, Becky, I'm going to poke around and make you didn't crack any ribs. I want you to tell me if you have any sharp pains." A nod. Callie began carefully palpating the area around Becky's ribs, feeling for anything that seemed out of place and watching the girl for any flinching or grimaces of pain.

There were some flinches and some grimaces, of course, as Callie was pressing on bruised skin, but nothing that signified bone damage. "It doesn't look like you've cracked any ribs. Do you have any pain upon breathing, or movement? Like, when you lay down or during the car ride?"

"Not broken-ribs pain," Becky said.

"Have you had broken ribs before?" A shrug. Callie made a mental note to start interpreting Becky's shrugs as meaning 'yes-but-I-don't-want-to-admit-it'. She paused her fingers at the edge of Becky's bra. "Becky, those look like bite marks." Another shrug. "Can I see? You can change into a gown if you'd like." Another shrug. "I need verbal consent."

"You can see," Becky whispered, but she turned her head away to look at the wall. Callie reached into a drawer and got a gown out anyway, draping it over her patient to allow her some semblance of modesty. She undid the front clasp of the bra, noting that Becky had probably chosen it because it was easier to put on, indicating some pain upon movement. As the bra fell back, bite marks over both breasts were revealed. Lena had warned Callie that she suspected Becky might have sexually assaulted, but that Becky had not said anything. It looked now that Lena's suspicions may have been accurate, and Callie steeled herself for what was to come. This was not the first girl she'd treated for that, and would likely not be the last, but repetition did not make it easier.

"Who did this to you?" Silence. "You can tell me anything. This is a safe place. I'm not here to judge. I want to treat you. I care about you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you care? Nobody cares."

"Once upon a time, I said that, too. There are people in your life – like, your parents – who are supposed to care about you, right? But sometimes they don't, and you think that nobody else ever will. But here's the lesson I learned, and I learned it about when I was your age, too. Blood doesn't make a family; love does. We find people who choose to care about us, and that's all that matters in the end. We find people who choose to love. And yes, sometimes they disappoint us, but there are seven billion people out there, so it makes sense that you find the people who make up your family. How does it work? I don't know. What makes people care? I don't know that either. But let me ask you this. You've met my kids. If you were with them, and someone came in and threatened them, would you let the person hurt them?"

"No, of course not." Her tone was indignant.

"Why not? You only just met them, you're not family. You have no obligations to do anything."

"They're...kids. They're all happy and sunshine and rainbows and unicorns. They have their whole lives ahead of them. They've done nothing to nobody. Why would anyone want to hurt them?"

"See what I mean? You're a kid. You have your whole life ahead of you. I would be absolutely shocked if you had ever hurt someone who didn't try to hurt you first at least. Why would anyone want to hurt you? The way you feel about my kids right now, I feel about you. Is that so foreign?"

"Yes." The answer was so quiet Callie had to strain to hear it.

"Well, it won't be such a foreign concept soon hopefully. There are good people in this world. There are good people here. I hope you'll come to see that." Becky was looking at her now, and Callie could detect a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Now, will you tell me what happened?"

Becky sat up, gingerly bringing her knees to her chest like it was hurting her but it was something she needed to do. She pulled the gown over her shoulders, wrapping it around herself like a blanket. "It was...my mother's...uh...boyfriend. Man-of-the-month. He was drunk, they both were. I tried to stay out of the way. I was unsuccessful. This happened."

"It's not your fault. I want you to know that. To hear it. To internalize it. This wasn't your fault." Becky didn't answer. Callie sighed a little. "Becky, I'm going to ask you a question now, and I really really hope that you can at least give me an honest answer. We don't have to talk about it, or do anything you don't want to, but I need you to be honest with me. Can you do that?" Becky slowly nodded. "These bite marks suggest something more may have happened with him. I need to know. Did he rape you?"

There was silence and Callie wondered if she would be getting an answer. The silence itself spoke volumes, that Becky hadn't immediately denied it, but she wanted confirmation. Finally, a whisper "Yes", and then the tears started to fall as she wept, rocking herself in an attempt at self-comfort. Callie didn't hesitate, but wrapped her arms around the girl, minding the injured ribs, and let her cry herself out on her shoulder.

Time passed as they sat like that. It could have been a long time. It could have been a short time. Callie couldn't tell and it didn't really matter. Finally, the intensity of the sobs started to wind down, and a little while later, they stopped. Right when she felt Becky starting to pull back, she let go, and reached around to hand her a tissue for her nose.

"Sorry," Becky said.

"Don't ever apologize for tears."

"What now?"

"That's up to you. I would like to examine you, and make sure nothing is torn or damaged. I could take samples, do a kit, we could give it to Stef, who would handle the cops. They could get the guy who did this to you. With DNA evidence and your statement, they could put him away for a long time."

"It doesn't always work like that."

"You're right, it doesn't. But that doesn't mean he should just get to walk, either." There was a sadness in Callie's tone. She still hadn't forgotten what had happened all those years ago, and what the results of that trial had been.

"But then they'd know where I was and they'd send me back to Her."

"To whom?"

"My mother."

"Is there a reason you don't want to go back to her?"

"She was there when he...hurt me. She was drunk, but she was awake and she was there. And she did nothing!" The tears were threatening to come again, as Becky relayed her mother's betrayal. And that alone hurt more than everything else.

"They could charge her for that, too. Child endangerment, at the very least."

"She'll figure out how to get the charges dropped. She always does, and comes out smelling of roses."

"Maybe you're right. But Becky, now is the time you've got to make the choice to do the rape kit or not. We don't have to send it in right away, or I could send it out through my clinic as a Jane Doe. You can decide later if you want to go through with it, or not. But if you think for a minute you might want to, someday, now is the time we have to do it. The evidence is not completely fresh as is – have you showered, changed, peed? – but the longer we wait, the less evidence you have. And without evidence, it's your word against his, and trust me, you don't want that."

"How do you know?"

"Because that is what happened to me. I was fourteen, and it was my foster-brother. I came forward at sixteen, and the judge dismissed the case because it was a he-said-she-said and I was in the system. He never got to pay for what he did to me, or what he tried to do with the next girl who lived with them."

"Oh." Becky looked really pensive, as Callie had hoped she might. It was why she had decided to share her story with the girl, to give her the chance for justice that she never had. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Thank you. I'm sorry it happened to you, too. And that's why I encourage you to get the kit, so if you do decide you want to prosecute, you can. And you can talk to Stef about it. She's a retired cop, you know, and still keeps her hand in. She would know the details about what might happen with you and him and your mother if you do decide to go through with it." Becky wasn't saying anything. "I'd like to take a look, anyway, and check you for STIs, offer you the morning-after pill, do a blood test, the works. Did he use a condom? Are you on birth control?" Becky shook her head. "I'd recommend at least that, then, just to cover your bases, make sure there aren't any...surprises...later."

"You can do it all," she finally said. "Do the exam, the kit, whatever. But I don't want you to send it in yet."

"Alright. I think that's the right choice, if that makes a difference. But it shouldn't matter what I think; all that matters is what you want. Okay?" Becky nodded. "Well, first off, did you shower afterward?"

"No. No time. But I washed the blood off with a facecloth."

"There was bleeding, then?"

"Yes."

And they went from there.

~~~o~~~

Author's Note 2: What did you think? Do you like Callie as a doctor? Who do you think is the father of her kids (hint: he may be introduced in the next chapter or two, when Becky is given the tour of Haven)? And what about poor Becky? What will she do? Like it or hate it, give me your thoughts, please, and enough reviews may motivate me to update again before Sunday, when Thanksgiving break ends!