A/N Hey guys! We are so sorry it took so long for this to get out. It was never coming out the way we wanted and then both of us got crazy busy. That and we totally went to BSB concert earlier this month. :)
This is the longest chapter yet, at over 5,200 words!
I hope you like this chapter, it took us over 2 months to get it just right and even then we had reservations about it lol
I have turned off anonymous comments for the time being. I'm sorry if you don't have an account to log in with, but I can't look at the hating comments anymore, and don't want new readers to get the wrong idea through reading them also. If you have something to say, nice or not, then own up to it and stop hiding behind your keyboard.
Well this note is getting out of hand so Im going to go let you get back to the chapter!
Addison and Karev stood there in shock, speechless. What could they say to keep Arizona off their backs long enough to talk to the chief. They both look at each other, then back at Arizona.
"What is up with you two?" The blonde asks them, "Don't tell me what?"
"N-nothing, just talking about a case we have, it would make you upset." Alex responded, "That's why we didn't want you to know."
"Oh, that's odd, you don't usually keep it from me though." Arizona commented, "You sure that's it?"
"No, yeah, that's all. Right Karev?" Addison stuttered.
"Right"
"Um, ok." The peds surgeon said and was about to walk off when Callie came running down the hall calling her name.
With Callie, Before Getting Arizona
Callie was walking down towards the ER when her top intern ran past her. That's odd; why not page me? She thought as she walks through the double doors of the ER. She sees her intern and some others enter one of the trauma rooms. The room was completely shut off from the outside viewing, the doors both shut and all the blinds closed. Not that is was odd, maybe it was a high-profile case and demanded privacy.
Not knowing what lied behind that door, she walks to it and opens it slowly to not hit anyone running around the room. As she looked to the patient, she couldn't help but think of Jacque. She had given her that same shirt before the social worker took her away four weeks ago. Looking along her body she saw that this girl looked a hell of a lot like the fifteen year old they took in and started to love. Then her world stopped as the heart monitor flat lined and Bailey started doing compressions.
"No, not today little girl, you are not leaving them, not like this Jacque!"
At first the Latina thought she misheard the shorter doctor, but after looking at her more closely she realized this was the girl her and her wife have come to love as their own. A sob broke from her lips and she nearly fell to her knees, had she not been holding the door frame for support.
Both Bailey and Chief looked up at the noise and froze, just for a second, before continuing to revive the young girl.
"Someone get her out of here!" Chief shouted over the noise. One of the nurses pulls her from the room and as soon as the door closes again she takes off to find Arizona.
Running through the halls at break neck speed, she finds her wife just about to walk away from a nervous looking Addison and panicked Karev.
"Arizona!" she called as the blonde turned to leave.
The blonde turned around to face her wife who had a pale face. Callie came up to her with a tear streaming down her cheeks and squeezed Arizona tightly.
"Callie, hun, what's wrong?" The blonde questioned, now panicking. Callie slowly calmed herself down so that she could explain how she saw their little girl down in the ER practically dead on a gurney.
"'Zona, it's bad, we have to go, we have to be there for her!" Callie rushed as she tried to pull her wife down the hall. Addison and Alex followed behind, wondering what Callie is talking about, hoping it's not Jacque.
Arizona pulled Callie to a stop and faced her. "Callie, who are you talking about? Slow down and explain."
"Jacque," was all Callie could get out before the sobs took over again.
"Baby, what about her, what about Jacque? Calm down!" Arizona spoke. The Latina tries to calm down, but every time she gets close to calming enough to speak, the pictures of Jacque flat-lining come back and brings another wave of sobs.
After watching the heartbreaking scene for a few moments, Alex finally speaks up. "Jacque was brought in about thirty minutes ago for multiple broken bones and some internal damage. We were told not to let you or Callie know because of the whole fostering case. If you show up in her room before the case worker, who has been notified comes, the parents can build a case against you and you could lose her."
Arizona froze. She couldn't believe what she just heard, she had to see it for herself. After finally regaining her movement she starts pulling Callie down the hall towards the emergency bay. When they got there the trauma room where Callie had first seen Jacque was empty and the janitorial staff was cleaning the room. Callie let out a strangled sob while clinging to Arizona and whispering, "They could save her," over and over again. This confused the peds surgeon, what does she mean?
"Callie, maybe she was moved to a room, don't you dare doubt our friends!"
"No, I c-came to get you because she was f-flat l-lining! 'Zona, she's gone!"
As she was talking, Bailey rounded the corner and stopped right in front of them.
"Callie, Arizona, you know you can't see her until Ms. Corral gets here and assesses everything. But I can keep you updated on Jacques progress until then." Miranda informed them.
"Wait, you m-mean she's not g-gone?" Callie stuttered.
"No, we got her back right after you were escorted from the room. She's in surgery right now. Schritzfield is repairing her arm and leg, while Chief and Meredith are working on getting her internal bleeding under control. Her parents were here in the waiting room, I'm not sure if they stayed or not. You are not to confront, do you hear me? That girl in there is fighting for her life and she will need you guys, so you can't screw this up! Now you will not go to the gallery to watch, you will not go into the waiting room to start a fight. What you will do is finish your charts and either go home or an on-call room. You are both in no shape to work, therefore you need to either leave or rest. I will update you every half hour to an hour until Ms. Corral approves of you two to be in her room. Understand?"
Both Callie and Arizona stand there shocked but nod and walk away. Alex goes to help Arizona and Addison goes to help Callie with whatever they need. The red head also calls the girls brother to let him know what going on. To say James was pissed would be putting it lightly. He was in no way restricted from Jacque and is planning to stay at her side while their parents are around.
When James arrives at the hospital, Addison greeted him in the lobby.
"Hey how are you holding up?" She asked, noticing the angry look on his face.
"I want to bash my father's head against my mother's until they feel just as much pain as my sister and then keep going." he answered tersely.
"So not to good, huh?" Addison joked, trying to calm him down.
"Babe, no offense but I don't feel in the mood for jokes." James told her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "How is she?"
"She is in surgery right now. We have chief and Meredith working to save her kidney and spleen, while one of our ortho interns work on her arm and leg. "She informed him, walking to a seat.
"What! An intern? What's wrong with the regular ortho surgeon? Why can't they do it?!" he panicked.
"The head ortho surgeon is Callie."
"So? Why can't she do it? I want her to be the one working on her." He demanded.
"She can't. It's against hospital policy. She's too close with her. Plus Callie kind of walked into the trauma room right as she was flat-lining and broke down. She and Arizona have passed all their patients off for the day." She said squeezing his hand.
"Oh, damn!" He looked around the room for his parents but there was no sign of them. "Where are they?"
"Callie and Arizona –, "She started, but was cut off.
"No, them." He clarified.
"Oh, um, no one has seen them yet."
Before he could answer a woman walked up to the nurse station across from them.
"Excuse me, where can I find the room for a Jacquelynn Moss?" She asked Olivia, the nurse on duty.
Before the nurse could answer, James shot up and walked over to her.
"What do you want with my sister?" he asked non-too politely.
"I'm her social worker, Mary Corral. You must be James?" She asked as her hand extended in a greeting.
"Yes ma'am," he answered, taking her hand and shaking it as Addison made her way over.
"Well the hospital called me to inform me of her condition. I came to see the extent and question both her and your parents."
"My sister's is still in surgery right now and no one has seen my parents today yet," he said, "Please tell me your giving her back to Callie and Arizona?"
"If your parents have indeed been the cause of your sisters' injuries, then yes we can start the process of returning Jacque to her foster parents." She started, "James. I do want to let you know that when we removed her from their care, it was purely for protocol. Contrary to people's beliefs, social workers are not heartless. I wholly believe that one or both of your parents are abusing/neglecting your sister, we had no proof that they were the cause of her injuries last time or the times before. I have been working on gathering evidence and such against them to help your sister. I saw how well cared for and happy she was living with Ms. Torres and Ms. Robins. I have no reason to doubt that after her stay here that she will be leaving with them as her foster parents. I just have to follow all my protocols and procedures first. That starts with talking to your sister to get her statement about what has happened today along with what your parents explanation of what happened." Mary explained to them.
"Good cause, no offense or anything, but if she goes back to them again I will take her and run. If it means anything I really want her to go to Callie and Arizona. I see how my sister is with them and how they are with her. They threw her a birthday party after having her for only a few days."
"I'll do what I can and in the meantime why don't you stay with her. We will try to talk to your parents before she gets out of surgery that way we don't have to waste time. But I want to keep Callie and Arizona away until I question Jacque so that if your parents fight the claims then they don't have anything to say like they convinced her to say that they did this."
"Sounds reasonable," James conceded.
"Here's my card, please call me as soon as she wakes or you see your parents. We are sending an officer to your house now to pick them up but they might be already be on their way. Also, please for Jacques sake, do not confront. It could deter any placing we could do for Jacque."
James nodded and shook Marys' hand. After they said their goodbyes and Mary left, James and Addison sat back down and waited for Jacques surgery to finish.
Five hours later, and no sign of their parents still, the chief, Meredith, Bailey and Schritzfield came out to the lobby. James looked to them, trying to read their faces for any sign of an answer as to how Jacque was doing. Addison had left after an hour to check on patients, so James was left standing there looking at the five doctors by himself.
"Jacque had a lot of internal damage, we didn't know if we could save the kidney or not. Her spleen was a bit better off but not by much, "Webber paused before finishing, "We were successful in saving both the kidney and the spleen. She will be on bed rest for at least a month but will make a full recovery." He finished with a smile. James let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he felt a hand lace their fingers with his own. He looked down and saw Addie standing next to him. The intern took over from chief.
"Her arm was broken in three places and her leg was broken in one. From the look of the break in her leg it seemed that it was stomped on. Her arm was twisted in one place and the other two breaks were caused by forced trauma. We put a plate and pins in her arm and casted her leg, the more rest the better." He concluded.
"Oh my god. Thank you so much," James exclaimed. "When can I see her?"
"She's in recovery right now, we will move her to a private room in about an hour if her stats go well." Richard informed him.
"Thanks so much! I'm just going to call Mary. Um, if you could just keep my parents out until I get back, well if they show up, that would be a great help." James requested as he walked across the room to make his call.
As he was making his call, Will and Terri walked in looking distraught. They walked up to the nurse's desk and asked for Jacque's room, at hearing the name all seven heads turned to the couple. James hung up his phone and walked over to his parents.
"What do you want with her?" he asked, trying to keep his temper in check. Addison came up to him and grabbed his hand in support.
Will and Terri stood in shock at the appearance of their son. After a few seconds Will shook his head and finally answered his son.
"James! How's Jacque? Have you been able to talk to her yet?" he asked franticly, seeming like a worried parent.
"No, she just got out of surgery. She had a broken leg, broken arm and internal damage." James answered. "Oh and I've been good, thanks!" he added sarcastically.
Before anyone else could say anything Mary walked in. She glanced from the doctors and James to the couple standing across from them.
"Hello James, I heard Jacque will be making a full recovery, yes?" she asked politely before introducing herself to the parents.
"Hi, I'm Mary Corral, your daughter's social worker. It's nice to finally meet you."
"I'm sorry, but why are you here? We don't need child services." Terri said, finally coming into the conversation.
"Well that's where you would be wrong. After her stay with Ms. Torres and Ms. Robins I was asked to look more into your daughter's previous injuries and statements. However, before we converse more I should really talk to your daughter about how she ended up in the hospital today, if you'll please excuse me." She said as she turned to the doctors.
"Has she been moved into a room yet?" Mary asks Richard. He looks at his watch and turns to Debbie, the new nurse on shift.
"Debbie, has Jacquelynn Salling been moved to her private room yet?" She looked on her computer and after a few moments of searching she answers with a room number.
"14…." Debbie stops as Richards hand comes up. "Write it down please." Richard says and gives Will an insulting smile.
Mary took note of that. "I'll escort you up Ms. Corral, please follow me." They both walk towards the elevator.
"As her parents we should be able to see her first!" Terri shouts after the pair.
Mary turns around to address the blonde woman. "Ma'am, I've been called for a reason. You can see your daughter after I have talked to her. If you and your husband have any problems with that then you can contact your lawyer. If you try to interrupt my time with Jacquelynn then I will have you escorted off the property and will have our chat at the police station. If you'll excuse me." Mary turned around just as the elevator opened and bid a goodbye to the adults in the lobby.
JPOV
I woke up to an incessant beeping noise and a bright light. As I tried to open my eyes I hear a door open and close. Where am I? Where are my parents? God I hope he's done with me! I start to cry, wishing I was back with Callie and 'Zona watching movies and eating junk food. I feel someone grab my hand and I stiffen. I finally get my eyes to open enough to see that it was Ms. Corral and I relax. I groan and blink my eyes, trying to adjust them.
"Hi Jacque, how are you feeling?" she asks me.
"Too bright," I whisper. Trying to shield my eyes I notice the cast on my right arm. Looking around my body I notice my leg is also in a cast and I have a bandage on my stomach.
A few seconds later the room dims a bit and I can open my eyes more.
"What's going on?" I ask confused.
"You're in the hospital, can you tell me what you remember?" Mary asks me, sitting down beside my bed.
"Well you took me from Callie and Zona, and I've been home for a couple of weeks. I was cleaning the house before I started making dinner. My father had come home drunk again." My voice cracking towards the end. I took a deep breath and made eye contact. "He started screaming at me. Saying I should have had dinner done and what not. I decided to try to reason with him, even though I knew that was stupid. I said I was sorry and that I would start as soon as I finished cleaning. He hates when I talk back to him." I could feel tears fall down my face and I sniffled. I took another deep breath and made eye contact once more after wiping the shame off my face. "He s-slapped me across the f-face and p-pushed me down onto the bedroom floor. When I t-tried to get up h-he stomped on m-my leg. I-I heard the snap and the pain was s-so bad. Then he t-tried to pull me up and twisted m-my arm, I guess it broke huh?" I joke lifting my casted arm, trying to calm my breathing so I can continue. "After the first punch to my stomach I blacked out. I guess it was too painful? I remembered Arizona saying something about it once. Anyway that's when I woke up here." I conclude looking at my hands in my lap noticing bruises in spots I don't remember getting hit. I look up after a pause and see her writing something down. She looks up at me and then back down at her pad.
"So your dad did all of this? Where was your mother while all of this was going on?" She asked looking at me.
"Um, yeah my dad's the only one who hits me. I'm not sure where my mom was today. She could have been in their room getting drugged out or out getting more. I don't think today was a score day, but it could have changed." I answer unsure.
"Has your mother been present before when your father has done this?"
"You mean beat me? Yes, but she is never sober enough to care. She will call the ambulance to come get me, but other than that I'm on my own. Neither of them give a fuck!" I yell.
I've told social workers all of this before, why they didn't believe me until now is beyond me. Whatever.
"Jacque, I'm sorry if you're angry and annoyed but like I told your brother before, it's all just protocol. I believe you and I'm trying my hardest to see that you're back with Ms. Torres and Ms. Robbins, but we have to follow steps so that your trial goes in your favor." Mary explains to me. I look at her in shock.
"H-have you talked to them? Do they know what happened?" I ask frantic they know I talked back and don't want to keep me anymore.
"They know you're here. They know your dad did this and let me tell you they are more worried than your parents are. I've been told that they are not allowed to work while you're in here." She said smiling.
"They can't work because of me? Oh my God, they must hate me for taking their jobs away!" I bring my hands to my face as best as I can and start to cry again. I hear Mary's chair scratch the floor and the clicking of her heels before the door opens and I hear whispering and some rushed foot falls.
Suddenly I was engulfed in two sets of arms. I freeze and start to shake.
"Baby girl, its okay mija. Calm down we have you." I hear Callie soothe me.
"Yea Red, we're right here, they can't hurt you anymore." Arizona says rubbing my back. I sniffle and look up wiping my eyes.
"You don't hate me?" I ask. They look at each other before looking down at me.
"What, mija, why would we hate you?" Callie asks smoothing my hair.
"Because, I-I talked back to my dad, that's why I was being punished and because I m-made you take off work." I tell them looking at my lap.
"Red." Arizona calls my attention, "what have we told you before? He did all this because you talked back?" I nod in response, not answering her first question.
"Baby, we could never be mad that you made us take off work cause your in the hospital. Don't ever think that." Callie assured me.
"I'm very sorry, but Ms. Torres, Ms. Robbins, I have to ask you to leave for now. I only brought you in to calm Jacque down. If you parents knew you had been in her you could lose the case. Please bear with me, I will be expediting this to a judge friend of mine as soon as I talk with her parents. When their rights are terminated, and I predict by tomorrow afternoon they will be, you can see her all you want. The termination will be temporary until Jacque can either testify against them in person or signs an affidavit with her statement. Our lawyer will be here in the morning to speak with her about the whole process. I'll give you a few moments to say goodbye while I talk to her parents, I'll send one of your colleagues to come and get you just before I finish with them." Mary spoke before she walked out the door.
"Do you trust her?" I ask softly.
"We have to she told you the same thing she told us. There is no reason not to." Zona said hugging me.
"Lets not dwell on that too much. We only have a limited amount of time before we can see you again, How have you been? Have you seen any friends lately?" Callie asks. We sat down and talked awhile before Dr. Webber came in to tell us they had to leave. They promised to be the first ones in the door when they can and that they would have everyone checking up on me and to keep me company.
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Back in lobby after Mary left.
As the doctors and parents sit in the waiting room Derek, Mark, Owen and Christina walkin in. Looking around the room the four new doctors take in the couple sitting by themselves in a corner. They walk over to their friends/colleagues and take a seat.
"That's them?" Mark asks no one in particular. Meredith takes Derek's hand and answers.
"Yeah, that's them." She paused. "Is it wrong that I'm suddenly grateful that I had my mother over someone like them two."
"Nah, I'd pick absent over abuse any day." Mark agreed. He looked over at the people who clearly don't deserve the child his best friend has been worried about since the day she had been placed back in her parent's care. 'Which was obviously a shit idea'he thought.
"Hey!" He shouted across the room. Will and Terri look over at him. "Yeah you!" Obviously these guys would hear me talking to them.
"Mark! Calm down." Owen told him.
"No I want to know, I want to know what a kid has to do to deserve this. Cause there is nothing I can think of that warrants this." Mark states getting angrier.
"What makes a grown man beat his daughter so bad that she end up in the hospital?" He asks ignoring the protest of his friends and shrugging off Derek's hand on his shoulder by taking a threatening step forward.
"Mark!" Owen raised his voice in warning.
"Oh what? My temper too much for him to handle Owen?" Mark looks down at Will, still sitting and obviously amused. "Or am I too old for your liking?"
Will stands up nose to nose with Mark, with the smirk still on his face. "Or is it cause she's to your liking, or is she too old for you?" Will accusingly asks.
Mark lunged forward as Derek pulls back, Owen grabs his chest and pushes forward. Will still standing there unaffected by his outburst.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Mark shouts as they drag him towards the door.
Terri screams and everyone stops turning around to see Will on his knees on the floor using his left hand to grab his face. "What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Terri yells at them kneeling at her husband's side.
"You just dug your grave." Will states in a condescending way. "Who's going to believe you now?" He gets up and sits in the same chair as they all look at him, still holding his face. Webber walks through the door in a haste. Will starts to moan and make it seem worse than it was. "I need a doctor, the savages hit me." Will pleads towards Webber. Webber looks around the room at his friends/colleagues and back at Will. "Go to another hospital then." Weber walks out of the room with a smile on his face.
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They all sit down with their food at their usual table. "That was exciting." Mark says and then starts to chuckle when everyone gives him a look of non-amusement.
"I just want to know who hit him." Owen states before taking a bite of his chicken sandwich.
"Yeah it wasn't the guys, we were pre-occupied with Mark." Derek states. All three men looked towards the girls at the table.
"Hey." Meredith raises her hands in surrender. "I don't hit people." She says crossing her arms. Everyone now looking at Christina. She looks up at accusing eyes and swallows her bite of salad.
"Is this because I'm Jewish?" She asks trying to divert the conversation.
"Christina?" Meredith beckons her name with one eyebrow raised.
"What, the guy wouldn't shut up!" She grabs her drink and takes a sip as they all laugh.
"Wow, you must sleep so soundly knowing you have your wife to protect you at night huh Owen?" Derek asks jokingly causing them to laugh, except Owen.
He rolls his eyes and grabs his files and stands up. "At least somebody did something, right Mark?" Owen sarcastically shoots back walking away with a smirk.
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"Hello." A woman cheerfully extends her hand out for Will and Terri to shake. After a few moments of unwelcome glares she lowers her hand and sits in a chair adjacent from them. "My names Mary Coral from Social Services and I'll be handling your daughters case." Mary crosses her legs and rests the notepad on her lap. "We've already met." Will says sitting up from slouching and leans in with his hands crossed on his lap. "What case?" He asks her in an almost threatening manner causing Mary to shift a little in her seat. "Well Mr. Salling." Mary began then had to clear her throat. Being in this man's presence was getting to her. "Jacquelynn Salling age fifteen was ambulanced to Seattle Grace this morning due to multiple broken bones and possible internal damage."
Will shrugs and sits back with one ankle propped up on his knee. "Kids, they do the dumbest shit and you people accuse the parents."
"Mr. Salling I never pointed a finger, I'm trying to get everything in order to make a case, or to even see if there is one. A few months ago she was admitted to the hospital and taken from your custody on May 31st and placed in a foster home for the time being. She was returned to you on July 4th when you, your wife and your home were redeemed fit for her. Mrs. Packard ruled it as a false allegation on your daughter's behalf. Is that correct?" Mary states awaiting his answer.
"Sounds about right." Will nods agreeing to her statement. "So how long do we have to wait to have our daughter back this time around? I'm sure she's said more false allegations this time. I mean I don't know what those rich, fancy doctors provided for her while she was there but she came back a spoiled little brat. I don't have a lot of money but I do what I can for my family and it's been good enough until last year?" Will rambled on.
"Mr. and Mrs. Salling, our best interest is in the child. You've already been deemed suitable and like I said before the allegations were false. We just have to do a follow up report when the same case comes up less than a year apart, especially with the same child." Mary says trying to get ahold of the situation again.
"So because she's hanging around the same friends and the scene they have pushed her into, her mother and I have to go through this once more?" Will asks grabbing his wife's hand.
"Well, that's undecided. Your stating that it's the friends she hanging out with and the "scene" she's running around in?" Mary asks jotting on her notepad.
"Well yes, and that best friend of hers. She always brings her to the house. She dresses like a tramp and cusses like a sailor and I'm damn sure she's high as a kite when she walks through my back door. You can only tell your kids to stop hanging out with the wrong crowd so many times before they finally learn the hard way. I mean… What kind of child or person comes through a back door, what is she hiding? I'm just glad she doesn't use the front door, wouldn't want our neighbors thinking we were the wrong kind of people. I'm serious have you seen her piercings? And her hair, who dyes their hair those colors? If you ask me, you should be investigating her "Home Situation" and not mine."
Mary jots down some things on her notepad and then shakes his hand and his wives. "Thank you for speaking with me and helping me get down to the bottom of this. I will be letting you know something in a few days." Mary turns and walks out of the waiting room.
SOOOOOO how'd you like it?
We are like 7/8 of the way done writing the next chapter, trying to get ahead. I dont think we'll ever get too much ahead to take a weekoff writing, but at least you guys may not have to wait 2 months for an update lol
If I can get to her house on the weekends then updates will start being on Mondays like this one, nothing is guaranteed though!
Until next time,
Jacque and Stephanie