Stef felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and although she knew that it was dangerous to get distracted, she also knew that it could be Lena, or one of the kids, calling her. If someone in her family was hurt, she needed to know. She needed to keep her children and her wife, along with everyone else in that building, safe. When she saw Jesus's name, her chest tightened up slightly. She didn't want to believe that anyone in her family could be hurt, but it was a possibility. Mike had informed her over the radio a few minutes beforehand that Nick was the shooter. At least that was what Brandon told him. Stef didn't even know how Brandon knew this.
"Jesus, Love, are you okay?" Stef asked quietly, answering the phone as she looked down the hallway. He didn't answer, though. "Jesus?"
"Just let her go, man," Jesus's voice finally came through. Instantly, Stef knew that something was wrong, and a sick feeling settled in her stomach. "She's my sister. You're supposed to me my friend. You can't do this."
Stef's mind was racing. She knew that Jesus and Mariana were together, because she'd had Brandon text her where everyone was. But, considering what Jesus was saying, it sounded like Nick was threatening Mariana, like he was going to hurt her. That was the only thing that really made sense in that moment. Actually, it didn't make sense. Everything was a mess. Stef had to try to think clearly, though. She had to try to be smart. She knew where Jesus and Mariana were, so she knew where Nick was.
Stef pushed the button on her radio, then, communicating with the other officers around the building. She knew that there was a SWAT team out there too. Mike had tried to get her to come outside, for safety reasons, but she'd refused, and he'd understood.
"Mike, I know where Nick is," Stef spoke into her radio, trying to keep her voice steady. "I think he has Jesus and Mariana."
"Stef," Mike replied almost immediately, "wait for back-up, okay? Tell me where you are, and the SWAT team will be on their way in. Do not go in alone, do you hear me?"
Stef was between listening to what Mike was saying and to what was being said on the other side of her phone call with Jesus. She'd missed a small snippet of the conversation while she'd been radioing in, but now it had her full attention. She could hear Mariana's voice, although it was distant. She was talking to Nick, trying to convince him that she still loved him. That some kiss she'd shared with Matt -that would be a conversation for a more appropriate time- was just a goodbye kiss. About two minutes went by, Mariana still trying to convince Nick that he should just put the gun down. Stef let out an impatient sigh, wishing that the SWAT team would get there more quickly. She knew for a fact that she couldn't storm into that room by herself. That would endanger Jesus, Mariana, and other students.
Stef felt her heart drop when Mariana said something that she'd least expected to hear. "If you hurt Callie, then the police are just going to storm in here-" Callie was in there with them. Nick was planning on hurting Callie. Callie must have beeen the person that Jesus had been referring to when he'd said his sister was there. But why the hell was Callie there? Why was Nick going to hurt her?
"Mike he has Callie," Stef said, her worries only growing. "Where is the damn SWAT team?"
As if on cue, the team finally reached her, and she led them to the classroom, which was about a minute away from where she was. Every second felt like an eternity, and for the most part, everything that was being said on the phone was blocked out. Most of it hadn't been clear in the first place, but now Stef was just focused on getting her kids out -on ending all of this. Three of her children were in danger, and she didn't know why. She didn't know what was going on. When they were finally at the room, Stef stepped back, allowing the SWAT team to do what they knew to do. She stood outside the door, ready to follow them in. She needed to get to her kids.
They busted down the door, and for the most part, all of the officers were shouting, ordering Nick to get down on the ground. When Stef knew that it was safe for her to enter a few seconds later, she didn't hesitate. She slid her gun into its holster, glancing down to where Nick was kneeling on the ground, sobbing. She felt no sympathy for him. She didn't care. He'd threatened her children, and that was enough to make her hate him. The gun was lying on the ground and while some officers were holding him down and cuffing him, others were escorting the kids in the classroom out. An officer radioed in that the subject was down. Everything was a blur.
Stef's eyes darted to the opposite wall, where she could see the twins. Jesus was kneeling on the ground, and Mariana just stood there, looking towards Nick with a face filled with anger and betrayal and hurt and fear. Her daughter looked to her, and Stef stepped forward, opening her arms to embrace her daughter. Mariana's eyes just widened, though, and her jaw dropped slightly, the worry in her eyes even deeper. Confused, Stef furrowed her brow, looking to Jesus, then. When she saw the sight before her, her lungs stopped working and she froze in her spot.
Jesus was kneeling in front of Callie, who was sitting on the ground, her back against the wall. Stef didn't even know how to react, or what to think. She hadn't even seen Callie when she'd walked through the door. Blood dribbled from her barely-open mouth, and the girl didn't even seem to notice Stef. Her eyes were drooping shut, one of them begging to swell up slightly already. The left side of her face was red and raw, unnecessarily scratched up, bloody, and beaten. Fresh blood was slowly dripping from a gash on her forehead, falling over dried blood on her face. There was another laceration on her cheek, and there was a trail of dried blood beneath it that reached her jawline. Callie's lip was bloody, too. There was a thin red line of blood on the bridge of her nose, and dried blood from her broken nose had reached all the way down to the girl's chin. There were a couple minor scrapes on the right side of her face, too, along with a deeper cut. Callie had one arm draped loosely over her stomach, and she used the other one to barely hold herself up. There were fairly deep, red indentations on her wrists, and Stef felt her heart sink even further to the floor.
It didn't make sense why Callie had taken a beating. Callie and Nick had barely even ever spoken to each other, and now she'd been used as a fucking punching bag for the sick son of a bitch who was getting his ass hauled out of the room. Callie didn't deserve this. No one did, aside from Nick. But why Callie of all people? There wasn't even an explanation that Stef could think of. Callie had never done anything to Nick. Why the hell would he even do this?
Stef immediately rushed to her daughter's side, her eyes wide and worried although she tried to appear as calm as possible, for her children's sake. She didn't want to worry Jesus or Mariana anymore than they already had been worried, and she sure as hell didn't want to make Callie worry anymore than necessary about the state that she was in.
"Callie," she breathed, kneeling down next to her.
Callie's eyes suddenly widened, then, as she saw Stef at her side. Her eyes were filled with relief, but also with a heavy type of sorrow that they shouldn't have even had to hold. "Mom," she breathed out, her voice betraying her slightly as she tried to sit more upright.
"Shh, take it easy my love," Stef breathed, wrapping her arms around Callie as gently as possible.
Callie buried her face into Stef's shoulder, letting out the unsteady, emotion-filled breath that she'd been holding for what felt like hours now. She gripped the fabric of Stef's uniform in her fists and the tears came pouring from her eyes as she let out a sudden sob that even she hadn't seen coming.
Jesus stood up, shuffling backward somewhat awkwardly, like he didn't know quite what to do in that moment. Mariana had moved next to her brother, her arms folded across her chest, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. Her own eyes were filled with tears that she didn't want to shed, and Stef looked up at the twins.
"Jesus," Stef spoke quietly, not moving out of respect and concern for Callie. "Mama and Brandon are both in her office. Jude should be in his math room. Go on," she whispered, giving him a small nod to let him know that he could leave. As much as it hurt Stef that she couldn't be there for him, too, in that moment, she knew that he needed to be with the family.
Jesus nodded, catching onto what Stef was saying. He'd go get Jude, then they'd both go to Lena's office. Honestly, he was grateful for that. He felt almost like a bit of an intruder in the moment that Stef and Callie were sharing. Callie was hurt and vulnerable, and she needed Stef. She deserved her privacy. He started to take a step backward, then Stef slightly reached out a hand that she had wrapped around Callie, giving him a small nod. He reached out and she grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
"I love you," she said, looking him in the eyes sadly but still affectionately. She'd been so worried, so worried that Nick was going to hurt Jesus or Mariana. She was beyond grateful that no one else had been hurt.
"I love you too, Mom," Jesus nodded, giving her a small, sad smile as he stepped back and began to leave the room.
He looked back, expecting Mariana to follow, which she did, until Stef quietly called out her name.
"You can stay, Mariana," she said softly. Mariana's head was clearly a mess, and she was clearly hurting, and Stef didn't want Mariana to feel that she wasn't welcome to stay. Sure, Callie's physical state was much worse than Mariana's, but Mariana had just had her life threatened by her boyfriend. Stef didn't know exactly what had happened, so as far as she knew, Mariana might have had to watch Nick beat Callie. Either way, Mariana was a priority, too.
"No," her daughter replied, offering her mother a weak smile that clearly wasn't one to display any kind of happiness. It was one that showed more understanding than anything else. "I'll go with Jesus."
Stef let out a soft, quiet sigh laced with sadness as Mariana looked at Callie, her eyes filled with tears and concern. The twins left together a few seconds later, Jesus putting his arm protectively around Mariana as they headed toward where Jude should have been. Stef just pressed a soft kiss to the side of Callie's head, closing her own teary eyes.
"You're okay love," she breathed, although she didn't even quite believe herself. "You're okay. I've got ya."
That was when the crying really started. Callie's body shook and she let out the most pain-laced, sorrow-filled sobs that Stef had ever heard, which broke the mother's heart. This wasn't right. None of it was right. Callie gripped the back of Stef's shirt even harder and Stef held her daughter a little more tightly, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks as well, now. She let out a shaky breath, whispering small reassurances to Callie as the battered teen sobbed in her arms. Callie sucked in a deep breath, her sobs inconsistent and loud and heavy, and then let it out, bawling into Stef's shoulder. The convulsive gasps and loud, raw cries shattered Stef's heart. She'd seen Callie cry, before. She'd seen her hurt. She'd seen her angry, and upset, and vulnerable, and she'd held her in her arms, but this? This was far more extreme than anything Stef had ever been a part of. She'd never seen her daughter this hurt, and she'd never wanted to. It wasn't fair. Callie didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve anything that had ever happened to her. It just wasn't right.
The minutes passed by, and Callie's sobs had finally died down to sniffles and whimpers, and the tight hold that she had on Stef had weakened significantly. Her arms were still wrapped over her mother's shoulders, and her face was still resting on Stef's now tear-soaked shoulder, but she seemed to have gotten most of the cries out of her system. She was really starting to tire out, now, and Stef let out a quiet sigh, gently rubbing her hand up and down Callie's back in an attempt to soothe her. Stef really wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but it seemed like it had been a while. There were no longer students walking quickly through the hallway to get out of the school. As much as Stef didn't want to make her daughter get up, and as much as she didn't want to make Callie do anything she didn't want to do, she knew that it was about time that they left the room. Callie was injured. There really was no way to see how badly she'd been hurt, but Stef wanted to get her to the hospital to get her checked. The gash on her forehead definitely needed attention, and Stef didn't know what else the girl had been subject to, or how extensive the injuries were. For Callie's safety and for Stef's reassurance of her daughters safety, it was important for her to go to the hospital.
"Callie, love," Stef whispered after a few more minutes of silence, finally deciding that it was time for her to get up. She pulled away slightly, looking her daughter in the eyes. Callie just looked back at her, sniffling, and gave a small nod, letting her mother know that she was listening. "Can you stand?" Stef spoke gently, looking at her sadly but also with more love than a heart can hold.
Callie swallowed nervously, biting her top lip, which thankfully wasn't swollen, and tried to stand. Any movement hurt her stomach, though, and her leg was hurting, too. She assumed that it had been from when she hit into the table in the copying room. Her leg was probably the least pressing of her injuries, though. She could deal with that. The pain that shot through her stomach, though, caused her to grimace and she fell slightly back to the ground. Stef had caught her, though, and looked at her with an understanding sort of sympathy. She looped her own arm under Callie's, keeping it against her daughter's back to offer her physical, and emotional, support.
"You can do it," Stef whispered, looking her daughter reassuringly in the eyes. "I've got you, Cal."
Callie just took in a shaky breath, then tried once more. She winced as she really started to stand up. Even with Stef helping her -which really did help a lot- it was painful and it was difficult. Her stomach was killing her, and she was tired, and weak, and hurt, and shaking. Standing took more effort than she even thought she had in her, and she let out a small, pained and sorrowful whimper as she finally got to her feet, even though Stef was the one carrying most of her weight.
"There you go, that's it, love," Stef tried to reassure her. "You've got it."
Every step was a challenge, and Callie couldn't help but groan in pure pain after just fifteen seconds or so of walking slowly.
Stef couldn't help but grow even more concerned by how much pain Callie seemed to be in while just walking. It was alarming in the least. She shouldn't have been in so much pain. Something was seriously wrong. She tried to keep her own heartbeat steady, but it was hard. She couldn't rid herself of the feeling that Callie's injuries were much worse than she'd first worried about, and she didn't know how much time would be too much. At the pace that they were walking at, it would take a good couple of minutes to get Callie outside to Stef's car. Even if they'd opted for one of the ambulances outside, they'd have to walk a decent distance through the school, and Stef didn't know if Callie would even be able to make it there given the amount of pain that she appeared to be in.
"Shh," Stef breathed, stopping so that Callie could have a brief moment to rest. "I know it hurts, love. I'm sorry."
Callie just let out a quiet cry, resting her head against Stef's shoulder as she tried to take another step. It hurt so damn much. It hadn't been this bad shortly beforehand, when Nick had been walking her through the hallway, but now it was worse. Now, her stomach was burning and throbbing both at the same time. Callie had been hurt countless times before. She knew pain. But this was something she didn't know if she'd ever felt before.
Stef suddenly felt the hopelessness rising in her chest. This was bad. Callie needed to get to the hospital, and she needed to get there now. But she didn't even know how to get her daughter out of the school without her getting hurt worse.
As if by some miracle, Stef heard a voice ring out behind her.
"Stef," Mike called from across the hallway.
She turned her head to see her ex-husband jogging lightly toward the two, and she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Mike could help. "Mike," she exhaled, closing her eyes slightly. He got to the two and as much as he tried to cover it, Stef could see the shock in his eyes when he saw Callie's state. "Come on, get on the other side of her," Stef said quietly, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible so as not to frighten Callie. "We need to get her to an ambulance, now," she said under her breath.
Mike furrowed his brow, concerned as well and understanding, and nodded, going to Callie's other side and giving the teen even more support, now. The two officers practically had to carry Callie, but that wasn't an inconvenience to either of them. They were both beyond concerned for the girl, and they'd do what was necessary to get her to safety.
About two minutes later, they were walking out the doors of the school. A few ambulances were parked just by the police cruisers that were parked out front. Other students, parents, and bystanders were still outside, most of them behind the police perimeter that had been set outside. There were reporters, too, and Stef couldn't help but send them a small glare. Kids were hurt. Kids were terrified. Some kids were probably traumatized. And here the reporters were, ready to make Anchor Beach Charter School the new spectacle that people would be talking about on the news and on social media and on talk shows for, likely, weeks now. The shooting was going to be a way for news stations to get more views, and for reporters to talk about -like they even knew anything about the real situation. Stef had always hated reporters, but this situation brought her dislike for them out to a new level. A camera was aimed to Callie, soon after they walked out of the school, and Stef didn't hesitate to lift up her free hand and flip of the reporters and cameras that were looking in her direction. Callie was not a public spectacle. Callie was a teenager who had been beaten by a psychopath with a gun. She was a kid, who had had far too many traumatic incidents in her short life. The reporters who seemed ready to use her as a way to gain more hits could go fuck themselves for all Stef cared.
They continued as quickly, but still carefully, as possible to the nearest ambulance. Stef's eyes were pulled toward where the police cruisers were, though, when she heard her name called out. Brandon, Mariana, Jesus, Jude, and Lena were all grouped together, all ten eyes fixed on her and Callie. Brandon looked shocked and worried. Jesus had an arm around Mariana again, and they both looked on, concern engraved in their faces. Jude's jaw dropped and he looked like he was the most frightened for Callie of them all. The worry on his face was incredible and he started to step forward, ready to run to his sister, but Lena had stopped him, placing a firm but reassuring hand on his shoulder. Lena looked anxious as she watched Stef and Mike arrive at the ambulance. Two paramedics got Callie and began to load her into the vehicle, then Stef turned and ran quickly to her family.
"I'm going with Callie," Stef started to explain to her wife from a few feet away, rushing her words nervously. She didn't want to hold up the ambulance at all. "I'll meet you and the kids at the hospital, I-"
"Go," Lena nodded quickly, the look in her eyes an affirmation that Lena wanted Stef to go with Callie. "We'll be okay, just go take care of our daughter, okay?"
Stef let out a grateful sigh, leaning forward and giving Lena a quick kiss. She turned and started toward the ambulance, but then Jude grabbed her arm, looking her in the eyes, his face determined.
"Is Callie gonna be okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with more worry than Stef had ever seen in them. He looked like he was going to be sick from how concerned he was, and his tone was wavering.
As much as she wanted to reassure Jude that his sister would be fine, and that she would be okay, Stef knew better than to throw out false hope. Sure, Stef didn't want to imagine that Callie wouldn't be alright, but at this point, things weren't really looking too great. Callie was in a bad state. She'd been pummeled and god only knew what else. As nauseous as it made Stef feel, she knew that there was a chance that Callie wouldn't be okay, and she couldn't just lie to Jude.
"The doctors are going to do everything they can to help your sister, Love," Stef breathed, bending down and giving Jude a quick kiss on the forehead. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "I'll meet you at the hospital, okay bud?"
Jude just swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, mustering up whatever courage he could in that moment. He had to hope. He had to believe that his sister would be okay. Callie had always been the one to protect him, and he didn't even want to consider the idea that she might not be okay. He didn't know why she looked as bad as she did -he knew for a fact that Callie's injuries were from more than just being thrown against the wall and hit once. Something else had happened -something bad- and it made him sick. She'd already been through too much. With Liam, with other foster parents and foster siblings. She'd been through enough, and this just wasn't right.
Stef gave him a quick hug, then turned and jogged back to the ambulance, hopping in just as one of the paramedics got out. He closed the ambulance doors, heading toward the driver's seat. Stef sent a quick glance to the medic who was in the back with them to tend to Callie. His eyes met hers and his expression was grim, which alarmed her. She knew that Callie's injuries were serious, but the look on the medic's face only reinforced her worries.
She tried to hide how nervous she was as she took a seat next to the stretcher that Callie was lying on. She didn't want to scare Callie. She didn't want to make her any more hurt or upset. She just wanted to be there for her. She wanted to make sure that Callie wasn't going through this alone. Callie's eyes met her, and the girl reached out her hand slightly, too tired and weak to stretch it out very far. Stef just nodded, trying to offer her daughter a small smile, and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze.
"I'm here, love," she assured her, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her daughter's face with her free hand. "I'm here. You're gonna be okay, alright?"
The ambulance started moving, and Callie just looked at Stef, her eyes flooding with hurt, and most noticeably, with fear.
"I'm scared," she breathed, her voice barely audible.
Stef nodded, feeling a lump forming in her throat. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was scared too.
Okay guys, hopefully this chapter was alright. I'm sorry if it may have seemed a little rushed. I revised the ending of the chapter a little bit because I didn't like how I originally had it written, so that's part of why it took some more time for me to upload this chapter. Also, just a warning, I might not be able to update for another week or so due to personal reasons. I'll probably keep writing more chapters, though. I likely just won't have very much access to my computer, which means no updates here on .
Anyway, yeah, that's that. Maybe I'll manage to get another update up tonight or tomorrow morning, just so I don't leave you hanging here. Please, drop down any comments, critiques, or suggestions down in the reviews. I love getting responses from you guys, it's the main reason why I even post stories anyway. And happy Fourth of July to anyone from America who's reading this! I know that's not till Monday, but in case I don't get to update, I'm just gonna say that here!