"Hey love, wake up girly" Stef whispered running her hand over Callie's back. Callie opened her eyes, Crap! she really had not meant to sleep so long. She sat up a little trying to look more awake then she was. It was dark out and cold in the house. Lena came to sit next to her glancing at the coffee table where her juice and crackers were untouched
"Callie you didn't eat anything" Lena said softly as she turned to Callie giving her that look. Callie hated that look, it made her emotions go from 0 to 100 in seconds, even worse when she was pregnant. Her eyes brimmed over with tears.
"I'm so tired" Callie managed to whisper before they over flowed and started running down her cheeks.
"I know baby" Lena said as Callie leaned into her and Stef reached up rubbing her back. When Callie caught her breath again she sat back a little looking at both her moms.
"Love you can't do this" Stef said.
"I'm trying" Callie said.
"I know baby, Mom and I want to help you out a little" Lena said
"We think you should come spend a few days with us, we can't have you here by yourself and you need the company" Stef said. Callie was quiet for a minute, they were right. She knew she couldn't keep doing this, it was bad for her and even worse for the baby. She would love to be around people again too.
"I can't live what that everyday" Callie sighed.
"With what?"
"that look"
"We don't have a look!" Stef cried
"Momma has a look, that look that goes with her 'oh Callie' sigh" Callie said. Stef glanced at Lena who raised her eyebrows.
"Momma promises not to give you the look" Stef said gently.
"Please baby" Lena said.
"Ok, a few days" Callie nodded.
"Prefect, ok what do you need?" Stef asked getting up
"I just need clothes for work" Callie said standing up herself.
"Ok you go pack some clothes, and toothbrush and I will get your computer and phone and chargers do you need anything else?"
"I don't think so"
"If you forget anything we can come back it's not like it's far" Lena said. Callie nodded going into her room grabbing some outfits for work putting them into her blue duffle bag. She made her way back out the the living room and Stef took the bag from her.
"There's leftovers in the fridge for you when we get home, then you can take a nice shower and we will get you settled in Brandon's room" Lena said putting her arm around her. Callie nodded feeling herself leaning heavily on Lena as they walked out to the car.
Jude watched Callie with worried eyes as soon as she walked though the door to the big house.
"I'll take your stuff" He cried grabbing her bag from her.
"thanks" Callie muttered, she suddenly felt so helpless being moved back into her moms house. What was happening? She was better then this? Or…she thought she was.
"Let's put you in B's old room for now, Frankie is already in bed so we can figure out if you want to be back in your old room tomorrow" Lena said.
"Ok" Callie nodded as Jude and Stef carried her bags up the stairs. Callie started to follow them when Lena gently took her hand stopping her.
"Let's get some food in you first" Lena nodded, it sounded like a suggestion but Callie knew it wasn't as she followed Lena into the kitchen.
"When did you start losing your appetite?" Lena asked pulling a bowl of soup from the fridge and putting it in the microwave.
"I don't know, Tuesday or Wednesday I guess"
"So it's been almost a week?"
"I am fine, I know it was bad but it's ok, I promise 3 meals a day" Callie said
"Good" Lena nodded taking the bowl from the microwave putting it in front of Callie with a dinner roll and a spoon. Callie looked down at the soup and sighed. She appreciated the effort she really did. And she knew she had to eat, it all just felt like to much work. But she knew Lena was watching so she picked up her spoon.
"Do you feel unwell?" Lena asked sitting down across from her.
"no, I just don't feel like eating" Callie said taking a bite. It was warm and good and felt good going down her throat.
"Have you been able to talk to him yet?"
"No, he said he would call when he was on base but the travel might take up to two weeks"
"It must be hard, everything being so unknown" Lena nodded.
"It is what it is right" Callie shrugged, they were silent for a minute and she looked up at Lena. She appreciated everything Lena was trying to do. Lena was big on talking things out and analyzing everything. Callie knew she would have have her brain picked to pieces by Lena over the next few days and her every thought laid out in front of her for Lena to scrutinize and probably tell her how negative it was. But not tonight, Callie felt bad enough tonight she didn't want to deal with anything else.
Lena must have gotten the hint because she just nodded and got up to finish the dished letting Callie finish her dinner in peace. Callie ate everything before getting up to wash her bowl.
"I think I'm going to head up to bed" Callie said.
"Are you sure baby it's early" Lena said. Callie glanced at the clock. 9:30, it was early.
"Yeah, I'm still so tired"
"Ok, sweetie" Lena nodded and Callie climbed the stairs she stopped at the landing, looking around. Her moms bedroom door was open but Stef wasn't in there. The girls bedroom was closed and Callie knew Frankie was asleep for the night, but Jude's door was open and Callie wondered in. The room seemed so much bigger now that it was just Jude for the most part. Jesus had his bed and a few things for when he came home on vacations from school. Sometimes by the end of summer break it looked like it used to over flowing with Jesus's things but for the most part it was just Jude. Her brother was very need, everything had a place and it was always there, without Jesus to mess it up the room was almost unrecognizable. Jude sat at his desk on his computer with his back to her. Callie knocked on the open door frame and he turned around.
"Hey" He offered her a smile.
"What's up?"
"Nothing, playing a game, how are you?"
"good, well…better I guess" Callie said sitting down on his bed.
"Do you want to talk about it" Jude asked. Callie smirked rolling her eyes. Her little Jude was so much like Lena, so soft around the edges. Not that Callie was nearly as hard as she used to be.
"No, I just had dinner with Lena watching me, I have no talk in me" Callie shook her head making Jude smile.
"Ok, no talking then, but it is nice having you back for a little while, and Frankie will be thrilled" Jude said.
"Oh yes she gets a new roommate"
"Your not going to stay in Brandon's room?"
"It's to weird? Like that was always his room. It still feels so much like his room even if moms did repaint it to try and make it a guest room. Everyone still calls it his room anyway. When I look in there all I see is where his keyboard and desk and posters used to be"
"Yeah, that's true" Jude nodded.
"Ok, well I am going to bed, but I will see you tomorrow at breakfast" Callie smiled as her brother getting up.
"Good" Jude smiled as she left going down the hall into Brandon's room. She was surprised to see Stef hanging up her clothes.
"You don't have to do that!" Callie cried feeling guilty.
"Well you don't want it to be all wrinkly do you? I put the soft sheets on the bed, and I gave you extra blankets but I know you get hot so I folded them at the bottom of the bed. And I did grab your pillow from your old bed but if you want your one from your house we can grab it tomorrow…" Stef started.
"Mom…"
"And I put your computer on the desk and your phone charger is here, oh and your shoes are under the bed…" Stef went on.
"Mom it's fine, thank you I'm good you didn't have to do all this" Callie shook her head.
"I just want to help you out baby I know it's hard"
"It's not all that hard really, Will left to go fight a meaningless war, he may or may not come back. I am due in 8 weeks with a baby we have nothing ready for because we thought we had all this time, then all of a sudden we didn't have the time. Its actually very very simple" Callie said sitting down on the bed. Stef sat down next to her.
"Did momma talk to you?"
"I asked her not to, not tonight"
"And she listened?" Stef asked making Callie smile.
"Ok, sleep well my love, let us know if you need anything" Stef said putting her arm around Callie and kissing her forehead. as Lena popped he head in.
"Good night girly" Lena said.
"Good night, thank you for letting me stay" Callie said.
"Oh course, we will see you in the morning" Lena said as Stef stood up and they left going to say good night to Jude. Callie pulled back the covers laying down. It was quiet, she hated the quiet. she suddenly doubted her ability to fall asleep at all with this silence around her. She felt so weird being in Brandon's bed. It was to much and not enough at the same time. Callie was about to throw off the covers and go downstairs to sleep on the couch when she notice something. It wasn't quiet. As she lay there a little light shown through the crack in the door and she heard the pages of Jude's book turn as he read. On the neighboring wall she heard Frankie cough and roll over in her sleep. Through the door she heard the soft mutter of her mom's voices chatting as they folded the laundry. Suddenly everything wasn't to quiet, or to overwhelming. The crazy roller coaster her mind had been on since Will left slowed to a stop as she just listened to everything around her. This was her happy place. No matter how bad things outside the walls of this house were, they never seemed so bad when she was inside.
The next thing Callie knew Stef was shaking her awake.
"Hey love, breakfast" Stef said.
"I'm not hungry" Callie muttered rolling away from her mom.
"Well you have to eat before work"
"I don't have to be in until 10 today I'll eat later" Callie said swatting Stef's hand away.
"Well guess what it's morning, and you slept a solid 8 hours so that means it is time to get up, come on. You will feel better when you get out of bed and start moving" Stef said. Callie sighed Stef was using her mom cop voice, there was no fighting that. Callie got up jumping into the shower putting on her work clothed and made her way down to the table for breakfast as Lena was passing out eggs and french toast.
"Morning baby, have a seat" Lena said.
"morning" Callie greeted everyone running her fingers through Frankie's hair sitting down in her usual spot.
"What do you have going on at work today?" Stef asked.
"I have paperwork all morning, and court this afternoon that I already will know will be a waist. and I have to make a bunch of phone calls to schedule home visits for the month" Callie said.
"Will you be home for dinner?" Lena asked.
"If you don't mind"
"Of course we insist" Stef said.
"What about you guys?" Callie asked
"Mom is working 8-3. Jude you have play practice after school right, mom will pick you up at 5 from that. Frankie has dance at 5 so I will make dinner right after work and we can reheat at 6 when we get back" Lena said.
"I can take Frankie to dance" Callie offered.
"Are you sure?" Lena asked
"Yeah. I'll be home at 4:30 I can take her and then you don't have to rush all afternoon" Callie said.
"If you are sure you don't mind it would be a really big help" Lena said.
"Yes yes Sissy takes me!" Frankie yelled.
"Well I think that is settled" Stef laughed.
"I want to help while I'm here." Callie said.
"And we appreciate that, but we also want you to be resting too." Stef said.
"Yes, over loading yourself so you don't focus on something is worse then what you were doing before." Lena said
"I know. I won't" Callie nodded.
Three days later Callie was starting to feel better. Stef no longer had to drag her out of bed in the morning. She had more energy and felt a lot better. Every day after dinner she and Lena took a walk around the block and Lena would listen to everything she had to say and Callie felt herself opening back up. She was becoming more comfortable with being alone and though she still worried about Will every second Lena was helping her to learn not to dwell on it. Jesus stopped by almost every night for dinner as usual, Mariana was around often and they were back to their daily phone calls. Everything slowly started to return to a new normal Callie was comfortable with. On Friday she came home from work putting her bag down wondering into the kitchen to find Lena who was starting dinner.
"How was your day?" Lena asked as Callie reached for a piece of carrot from the salad she was making.
"Hey" Lena said playfully swatting Callie's hand away.
"What! I'm hungry" Callie said. Lena gave her a smile offering up the bowl as Callie grabbed two carrots popping them into her mouth and crunching with a smile. Lena would give into anything if it meant Callie was doing better.
"Work was good" Callie said sitting down as the front door opened.
"Hello" Stef called.
"Kitchen" Lena called back, a few seconds later Stef made her way down the steps.
"Where's Jude?" Stef asked.
"Upstairs doing homework"
"Hey bub, come here" Stef called up the stairs. Jude came don followed closely by Frankie who greeted Stef with a hug.
"Yeah?" Jude asked.
"You have some mail" Stef said handing him three big envelopes.
"Is this…" Jude asked his eyes getting wide. Callie and Lena got up going to read over his shoulder.
"You guys open them I can't!" Jude cried.
"Are you sure?" Lena asked but Callie and Stef had already grabbed one and were tearing into it.
"Congratulations Jude we are happy to inform you you have been accepted into the education program at UCLA!" Callie read out loud her voice turning into a yell at the end.
"No way!" Jude cried grabbing the paper from her.
"And you got into University of Southern California" Stef smiled handing him the paper in her hands.
"And this one!" Frankie yelled picking up on their excitement waving the third paper in her hands
"San Diego State University" Lena said. Everyone had big smiled as they watched Jude look over the three letters in amazement.
"We are so proud of you Jude!" Stef said kissing his cheek.
"You worked so hard for this, congratulations" Lena gave him a hug.
"that's amazing buddy!" Callie said so excited for her brother.
"You have a big decision to make but tonight we celebrate!" Stef said.
"Yay Jude!" Frankie cried.