CH. 9 Wednesday Day
Lena was standing at her file cabinet. After retrieving the nonathletic extracurricular budget, she looked out the large window that overlooked the north side of campus. She saw a group of students circled on the yard. Squinting, Lena tried to identify the teacher or class. Grinning, her eyes found a large man, newspaper open sitting at the picnic table near the building. Martin, Lena shook her head. The history teacher held the most seniority at Anchor Beach. The first staff meeting during teacher prep days, before the kids started back, Martin had announced he had 63 instructional days before becoming eligible for California state teacher's pension. Begrudginaly, at least according to Karina, Martin had agreed to at least finish the school year. Lena and Karina both agreed he was partly acting at his desire to retire. He was a good teacher. Proving Lena's opinion, she noticed a young UCLA student teacher circled with the students. Apparently, Martin was letting Myra lead Civics or Criminial Justice or whatever class he taught second period. The young teacher to be could easily be mistaken for an Anchor Beach student. "I'm getting old," Lena thought to herself nodding at her own UCLA diploma.
Sitting at her desk, Lena began to compile the expenses for November's board meeting. A beep startled her. "Lena, you have a call from a man named Bill on Line 2," Kari's voice came through the intercom.
"Hmm," Lena replied before thinking.
"Would you like me to have him call you back or-," Kari offered before being interrupted.
Picking up the phone, Lena answered Kari, "I got it," she said before hitting the blinking light. "Bill?" She questioned. Resting the phone between her shoulder and ear, Lena scanned 3rd period attendance. Despite her growing trust with the Jacob's she wanted to make sure both were in class so Bill could at least not surprise her with that.
"My favorite foster parent," Bill's large voice made Lena grin. "Hey, I have a student here, can I put you on speaker?"
"Yeah," Lena began cautiously. "What's going on?"
Bill shuffled some papers, "lean in here so you can hear." After a moment, his attention turned back to Lena, "all right, I was calling to see if you had a lunch date." He churckled, "she's a principal."
"No" Lena shifted in her seat. Looking at the clock it was 10:43. "What's going on, Bill?" She repeated.
"Well, for some reason Alaana sent that report we had done on Callie over this morning. I know, don't fall out your seat. DCFS is way ahead of schedule-"
Lena was surprised as well. "Wow," she interrupted Bill.
"I know, right. Maybe it's not DCFS, maybe it's Alaana but we'll take any positive press we can get. Anyway, Dear, if you have a half hour Julie and I will swing over and we can go over this thing," Bill proposed. "You got class or anything before 3?"
"We don't have class today. It's internship," a girl answered.
Lena interrupted the social workers, "I'd really like that Bill. What time do you want to come?" She picked up her cell phone, sending a text Call me to Steph.
"How does 12:30 sound?" Bill proposed. "Hopefully things won't implode until then. Even if they do, I can send Jill-"
"Julie," an irritated voice interrupted.
A chair creaked, "ah, hell, Julie, sorry," Bill corrected. "Julie, Jill, too many Js. Anyway, if there's an emergency I can send Julie," he stressed her name. "This is her fourth and final semester with us. With your permission the Jacob kids would be a wonderful wrap up for her," he suggested.
"Sure," Lena agreed. Callie was the girl who didn't respond all that well to male authority figures. "I'll get in touch with Stef, but if she's unavailable 1230 is fine. Do I need to make Callie available?" A piercing bell drowned out Bill's answer.
Bill repeated himself, "let's cross that bridge when we get there. Don't worry, Lena, there's nothing earth shattering in Doc's report," he assured her. "We'll see you in an hour and half. That'll give Julie plenty of time to review things and develop a preliminary care plan."
"All right, Bill, thanks. See you all in a few," Lena hung up. She pressed the intercom, "Kari, is Karina in her office?"
"No," the secretary answered. "She's doing an observation. Do you need me to call her?"
"No, thanks anyway. Would you mind blacking me out from 1215 until 130?" She asked.
"Sure," Kari replied. "Anything else?"
Lena's phone vibrated. Answering it she thanked Kari before greeting Stef, "hey, babe."
"Hey yourself," Lena could hear Stef's grin. "Which one do Mike and I need to come book?" She asked.
"Funny," Lena laughed, "actually, Bill called and Dr. Kodema all ready sent Callie's eval to him. He's coming by at 1230 to go over it."
Stef was surprised, shocked really, "wow, that's-" she paused, "that's good?" The statement was more of a question.
Lena shrugged, "he didn't say, but I didn't ask. He was in a good mood, I'm just not sure." Adjusting the papers on her desk, she asked, "so can you make it?" Lena doodled as Stef told Mike what was going on. He agreed they'd take a late lunch, after Stef conceded payment- "hey, the other evening Mike was bragging to me about how much money he has. Extorting a teacher and fellow officer-"
"Let me stick to comedy, babe," Stef grinned. "I'll be there at 20 after. Love you."
The tardy bell rang signaling the start of class. "OK, ladies and gentlemen," Leslie began, "let's push the desks back. Of course, today, we have lab so let's warm up with some improv. The student's made an open area. "Circle up, we'll start off with," she paused for dramatics, "Woosh!" She smiled as the kid's excitedly formed a circle. This was one of the more popular warm ups. "All right, we'll woosh twice. Chase, start," Leslie pointed to her popular senior.
"Woosh," Chase began, his arms in the air like a wave at a Padres game. Each student repeated, including the teacher. After the woosh went through twice, Chase stopped. "I forget what's next. Woops or wow?"
Marianna and Kelsey were standing next to each other. "It could be whatever he wanted," Kelsey whispered to Marianna. Marianna responded by playfully smacking Kelsey's arm. "Hey, you and I both know Chase's woosh would make us all go wow," she whispered.
"Kelsey," Marianna's face turned red. She couldn't hide the grin, though.
"Girls," Leslie looked over at the pair. "Something you'd like to share?" The acknowledgement effectively quieted the talk. "Marianna, start, please."
"Woosh," Marianna started the wave off clockwise. A few classmates around, Matt reversed the rhythm with a Wow. Leslie let the warm up continue until round 2 became a bit too fast for even her to keep up.
"All right, are we ready for Wipe Out?" She asked the class. Met with approval, the teacher grinned. The final round began like the first two. Woosh began the wave, wow reversed it, and wipe out created all hell as the circle scattered, students scurrying for empty spots. The game always began with promises of sportsmanship but generally ended when one of them literally wiped out knocking into one another. "We're only doing 3 turns this time. Please, use your manners. Woosh," she grinned starting the pandemonium.
"Wipe Out," Talia called out. The circle disintergrated.
While running for a new space, Marianna crashed directly into Chase. He grabbed her hips so she wouldn't fall, "easy," the boy grinned.
"Whoa," Marianna's breath caught as she stared into his eyes, "sorry," she called out as he let her go.
"3-2-1," Leslie counted down. Three students had wiped out and were sitting on the sidelines. "Get closer," she instructed. "Good energy that round. Nice try, all of you."
Kelsey elbowed Marianna who was still catching her breath, "way to get all the attention, Foster."
Marianna grinned. She couldn't tell how much Kelsey's remarks were friendly banter versus jealousy. This time she didn't care, "I know, right," she looked at Kelsey. "Those bedroom eyes were like magnets pulling us together." The girls often referred to Chase's hazel eyes as "bedroom eyes." She smirked at her friend.
"Girl's," Leslie interrupted them, "that's twice. Marianna, come stand by me." Chase was only three people away from the teacher so there was no chance in another crash if Marianna had to stand beside Leslie.
"That's totally-" Marianna stomped her foot.
Talia interrupted her friend, "so unfair," she imitated Marianna.
The class laughed as Marianna pouted her way across the circle. She stood with her arms crossed. "Let's go," she looked expectantly at Leslie.
"Matt," Leslie chose to ignore the attitude. Ten minutes later Marianna's bad mood was forgotten as the class broke into small groups to create three minute plays.
"Lab day in drama class," Scott, Anchor Beach offensive coordinator and supervisor of in-school-suspension. "You'd think with their enthusiasm Anchor Beach would be filled with future Oscar winners." He looked up from the iPad he was using to evaluate an eighth grade running back prospect. Scott couldn't remember when kids played football just to play. Now, it was a year around, six grade madhouse at times. There were only two full time ISS kids today.
Jesus grinned at the teacher, shaking his head at the noise. He knew his sister was in there. "Instead of Oscars, our graduates star on TMZ. Did you all see that girl who only came the first like three weeks? Man, what was her name," he looked at the celing.
"Krista," Jesus' fellow suspendee said.
He looked at the boy, "you sure?" The other boy, Tom, nodded. "Yeah," Jesus sat up straighter, "you're right. Krista. Man, too bad she cut out-." He stopped before saying anything else.
"Foster, don't you have a girlfriend?" Steve asked.
Jesus fumbled for words, "ah, yes. Yes, Sir, I didn't mean it like that, Sir."
"Right," Tom smirked. He'd been caught in the east stairwell in a compromising position with his own girlfriend. "I bet you got it rough. Principal and a cop," he looked sympathetically at Jesus.
"It's cool, I'm a one woman man," Jesus stuck his chin out, proudly.
Tom started to answer before being cut off, "enough you two. The chivalry is ruining my appetite. What's for lunch anyway? Steve asked. It was 1130, getting close to lunch. He usually sent the ISS kids to first lunch around 1135 to get a tray. They weren't allowed to mingle. "How much longer until you're back with gen pop?" He asked.
"Forever," mumbled Jesus.
Tom laughed, "today's it." He shut his book. "Want us to bring a tray back for you?"
Putting the iPad in the desk, Steve shook his head, "nah, figure I better move around. Don't want blood clots."
Marianna, Kelsey, Lexi, and Amanda were enjoying lunch in the Quad. Picking at her turkey sandwich, Marianna scraped the mustard off the bread, "I wish we wouldn't have to pack lunches," she complained. "I'm surprised we don't get food poisoning," she observed.
"Come on, Mari," Lexi stabbed a limp piece of broccoli. "I'd take my chances," she waved the vegetable in front of Marianna's nose.
Marianna pulled back, "Lexi," she yelled. The other girls laughed as a few neighboring tables turned to look at them. "Lab was fun, huh?" She smiled at Kelsey. The question had ulterior motives. Chase and Marianna had been paired up in the final one on one exercise.
"A blast," Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Mandy, did you do the Science homework?"
Amanda nodded, "yeah. I'm not sure it's right, though."
"Who cares," Kelsey reached for her friend's notebook. "It's better than what I have," she pulled out her own workbook. Trying to read Amanda's handwriting, Kelsey complained, "girl, you need to be neater."
Marianna waved her hand in front of Lexi's face. "Earth to Lexi," she said snapping her finger.
"Hey," Lexi swatted Marianna's hand away. She'd been lost in thought, focused on the upstairs third window. "How long will he be grounded?"
"Oh, I'd say three more weeks," Lexi's question was answered not by Marianna but a uniformed Stef.
"Mrs. Foster," Kelsey smiled fakely. She quickly shut Amanda's notebook, not that Stef had any clue what she was doing. "How are you? It's nice to see you," she continued.
Kissing Marianna's head, Stef smiled back at Kelsey, "thank you, dear. Nice to see you as well." Squeezing Marianna's shoulder, she greeted each girl.
"Mama, what are you doing here?" Marianna half whispered as if lowering her voice would make the cop invisible.
Stef smiled to herself. She waved to Brandon and Talia. Callie wasn't out here, hopefully that meant she had a later lunch. "I came to eat lunch with my favorite twin," she grinned at Marianna. "I know how much you enjoy my turkey sandwiches," Stef sat beside Lexi. "Hey, hon, how are you doing?" Lexi shrugged in response. Stef studied the girl a bit longer. Maybe she was angry at Stef and Lena for not being able to talk to Jesus. Deciding not to interrogate the girl here, Stef instead focused on Marianna. She laughed and shook her head at Marianna's red cheeks, "oh, dear daughter, I am here for a lunch date with Mama. Don't worry, I'm not here to ruin your reputation." Stef stood as she saw Bill head into the main office. "Girls, have a great afternoon. Mari, see you at home. Lex, you're welcome to come over and visit Marianna," she patted her shoulder. "Kelsey, don't copy word for word," Stef winked at the girl.
Kelsey rolled her eyes at Stef's back, "your mom's like a-"
"Cop?" Amanda interrupted with her own eye roll.
Lena's face lit up when Sef walked into the office, "Stef," she smiled, giving her a hug.
"Wow," Stef kissed Lena's cheek, "someone at Anchor Beach actually glad to see me," she grinned. Answering Lena's questioning expression, "Lexi and our lovely Marianna."
Lena chuckled, "our daughter refuse your invitation to lunch again?"
"Yeah," Stef answered mock sadly. She looked over at Bill and his associate, "one minute they're Barbies and pigtails, the next minute nose rings and motorcycles. What to do?" She laughed at the girl's expression. "I'm kidding. Bill," she shook the Social Worker's hand. "Nice to see you. And you are?" Stef offered her hand to the girl.
"Stef, this is Julie," Lena introduced her partner to the intern. Ushering the group into the office conference room, "Kari, do you mind grabbing four waters?" She shut the door behind her. "I thought this would be more comfortable," Lena explained.
Julie and Bill sat down, putting file folders and envelopes neatly in front of them. Stef sat across from Julie, "wow, Bill, I don't think she learned organization from you, bud."
Bill sheepishly shook his head and Julie grinned, "it's taken me the first month of the internship to make his desk tolerable-"
"And I can't find a damn thing," Bill interrupted her. A knock at the door brought water and a bowl of grapes, "wow. You all have a budget here."
Lena set the bowl on the table and gave a water to each of them, "thanks Kari."
Kari nodded, "let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks," Lena smiled before shutting the door and taking a seat. Stef put her hand over Lena's in silent reassurance. "So," she took a breath, "what have you got for us?"
Bill looked at Julie who opened the file, "well, Mrs. Adams-Foster, we actually have at least some good news." Lena and Stef exchanged looks as Julie flipped to a page, "in July when Callie did the battery of tests Dr. Kodema repeated last night, the tester recommended she be put on antianxiety medication. Bill suggested it to Callie but she wasn't open to the idea. However, her scores from yesterday indicate such a significant decrease of acute anxiety we would no longer recommend medication." The girl smiled at Lena and Stef. "Dr. Kodema said to make sure I told you she was impressed with the clinical improvement in Callie. She believes as do Bill and I the environment you guys have created for Callie is without question one of the best we've ever seen. So," Julie paused and cleared her throat, "thank you."
Stef smiled at Lena whose face had softened and tears brimmed in her eyes. She reached over and stroked Lena's cheek, "good job, babe." Lena grinned.
Bill took over, "now the decrease of acute stress is great for Callie. We believe marked improvement will be seen in the next six months or so."
"As you guys know, Callie has a traumatic past. We are not sure at this point about the physical scars you all spoke of the other day. Bill and I believe having a forensic exam-" Julie was interrupted by Stef.
"Absolutely not," Stef leaned forward.
Bill put his hand up as if protecting his young intern, "yes, we agree a forensic exam would further traumatize Callie and we aren't willing to subject her to that."
"OK, good," Stef exhaled and leaned back, She'd had to witness enough forensic exams to know unless evidence and other means produced nothing no child of her would endure that.
Julie nodded, "yeah." She flipped a few pages, "now, Dr. Kodema does believe Callie has PTSD and according to her notes as well as Bill's there are times she kind of checks out?" Lena nodded, "OK. Doc says that's a form of post traumatic psychosis. She says if you guys are willing to work with her and Callie until that evens out she'd rather avoid medication. However, if you ever need a break or things seem to be getting worse medication may be necessary for a short period of time."
"I see,"Lena said. "Personally, and I think I speak for Stef, we just want to see Callie improve. We know this isn't strep throat. We're willing to support her as much as we can."
"They're good ones," Bill said to Julie. "Now, because on your own you've been able to more or less stabilize Callie, we think if we designate you a therapeutic home, doesn't mean much more than family therapy as well as Callie's individual therapy, Ms. Jacob's chance of a successful outcome will soar." He returned Setf and Lena's smiles.
"The State will up your stipend by four hundred dollars. It's not nearly enough for all you're doing to help these kids," Julie's voice broke. She grinned at Bill, "sorry, guys, I'm learning distance."
Stef leaned forward and covered her hand with her own, "you're doing fine kiddo. Don't ever let it get you too hard. Not like this one," she jerked her head toward Bill. Squeezing Julie's hand again, Stef leaned back, "I'm just messing, Bill. Thanks for helping us. I can't say I was optimistic when I got home that night and my lovely wife had found one at juvie to bring home."
"Understatement of the year," Lena mumbled.
Stef raised her eyebrows, "but, Callie has been a privelage. I just hope we can continue to provide her with what she needs and deserves."
Stef and Lena went through a detailed care plan. Callie would go see Dr. Kodema once a week, Julie once a week, and group therapy once a week. They decided to wait until they got home to tell her. As for her nightmares, the hope was they would improve with time. Lena was skeptical but agreed to give it time.
"All right, guys," Julie closed the file, "any questions?" Stef and Lena looked at each other then back to Julie and shook their heads. "OK. So I guess I'll see Callie tomorrow. You guys are welcome at the intake as well." She looked at Bill, "otherwise, do you want us to call before we drop off Cole on Friday or just drop by?"
Stef's mouth dropped open, "gotcha," Bill grinned. Stef narrowed her eyes, "unless of course-"
Lena cut him off, "nice meeting you Julie," she stood and shook the girl's hand. "Bill, you know the way out," Lena grinned giving him a hug. "Thanks for helping our girl," she whispered. Bill nodded. With a finalwave, Lena shut the door and squealed with almost childlike delight, "Stef! She's getting better. She's doing good at our house."
Grabbing Lena and twirling her around, Stef bured her face in Lena's shoulder, "she's not a lost cause babe. I love you so much, Lena,"
"I love you too," Lena took a step back from Stef. Wiping her face and retying her hair, Lena noticed it was 2:00. "God, I have to finish a budget review by 3. This evening we celebrate," she promised Stef with a kiss.
Stef returned the kiss, "I'm sure Mike is pissing his pants. Tonight, we celebrate." Walking toward the door, Stef looked at Lena one more time, "you're a good one babe." She winked.
Lena heard Stef say goodbye to Kari. Almost exhausted or exhilarated, Lena had no idea what to feel. It was like finishing mile 1 of a marathon but at least one mile was done.