Chapter 14.
"Mama," said Brandon, finding Lena in the living room. "Can you help me get everyone together? Mom wants to have a family meeting."
"Is everything okay?" Lena asked, her brow creased with concern.
"Everything's fine," Brandon assured her. "Depending on how you define 'fine.'" He sighed. "Mom started losing her hair. She asked me to shave it off for her, and I did."
Lena nodded, her dark eyes shiny with tears. "Okay, honey. Jude and Jesus are out back. You go get them. Mariana and Grandma are upstairs, and Callie should be home from work any second."
Brandon went through the kitchen and out the backdoor. In the yard, Jesus and Jude were kicking a soccer ball back and forth. "You guys," he called. "Mom wants you inside."
"Are we in trouble?" Jude asked, his rosy cheeks becoming pale.
"No, buddy," Brandon sighed, patting his shoulder. "No one is in trouble. Mom just wants to talk to us."
"Oh," he breathed, relieved.
"If I had a nickel for every time Jude asks if he's in trouble, I could buy a Mustang," Jesus teased. Jude elbowed him in the ribs.
"Just come on," Brandon urged, opening the back door.
The brothers went into the living room, where Mariana and Sharon were already seated. Callie had just come in the door.
"What's going on?" Callie asked, sitting down. She sucked in a breath. "Is Mom okay?"
"Mom is fine, Sweetheart," Lena told her. "Come sit with me."
Callie sat down, and Lena took her hand, holding it in her lap. Just then, Stef slowly came into the room, still wearing her cap, and sat down beside her wife, facing the curious looks of her family.
She took a shallow breath, and Lena gently put her arm around her shoulders. "Kids... and Mom," she began, looking at Sharon. "As you can see, my hair is gone." She reached up to swipe a few tears away, struggling to keep things light for the children's sake. "It was happening, and there was nothing I could do about it, so I asked Brandon to give me a little makeover."
She looked to the kids, trying to stay composed. Some of them were in tears, some were blank-faced. Callie was holding Jude in his arms, stroking his hair; she was taking the news worlds better than Stef had expected.
Then, Mariana stood up and gave Brandon an angry look. "How could you do that?" she cried, shaking her head. She turned and raced upstairs.
"I'd better make sure she's okay," Lena sighed, standing up.
"Let me," said Stef, stopping her. "You make sure everyone else is okay." On the way out of the room, she patted Brandon's shoulder; his head was bent, his hands folded in his lap. He was obviously wondering if he'd done the right thing. Silently, she let him know he had.
"Mariana?" she called at the top of the stairs. She peeked into her daughters' room, but it was empty.
"Mariana, baby?" She opened the bathroom door, and found her daughter kneeling on the floor, gathering the locks of blond hair that littered the tiles in her hand, weeping quietly.
"My sweet angel," Stef sighed, sinking down next to her daughter. "Baby, talk to me."
Mariana turned to her, still gripping the hair. Her face was tear-stained and blotchy. "I'm sorry, Mom. I just got so mad."
Stef gathered her daughter in her arms and hugged her. "I know, Honey." She pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know it's scary. But Brandon was only doing what I asked him to. He did exactly the right thing."
"Maybe if he'd just left it alone, it wouldn't have all fallen out?" her daughter sniffled.
"No, Sweets," Stef told her in a calm voice. "It was falling out in big clumps. It made me too sad to see it come out like that. And I knew it would make you kids and Mama sad, too. I thought it would be easier to just get rid of it all at once. Not just for all of you, but for me, too."
Mariana dried her tears with her sleeve. "Will you ever look like you used to again?"
Stef pressed her lips to the young girl's forehead. "Yes, I think so. It might take a long time, but hair does grow back. In the meantime, though, I'm still Mommy. And I still love you every bit as much as I did with hair. Do you still love me the same?"
"Of course," Mariana said, looking up at her. "I didn't mean it that way. I could never stop loving you."
"I could never stop loving you, either, Princess," she told her daughter, smoothing back her dark waves and kissing her forehead tenderly.
Mariana smiled, her tears drying on her face. "We should clean this mess up." She swept the rest of Stef's hair into her hand, and dropped it in the wastebasket.
Later, Stef sat on the sofa, propped up on pillows and wrapped in a blanket. In her hands, she held a steaming mug of herbal tea, and her teddy bear was tucked next to her. She looked up when Callie come into the room. "Hi, Love Bug," she smiled.
"Hi, Mom," said Callie. She sat down next to her. "How are you feeling?"
Stef pulled the blanket around herself tighter; she was shivering through the woven fabric. "I can't seem to get warmed up, but otherwise I'm okay."
"Is there anything I can do for you?" the young girl asked.
"I would love a snuggle," Stef told her, setting down her mug. "Come here, Baby."
Callie moved closer, and Stef wrapped her in a hug. Her daughter's body heat was a comfort, helping to stave off her chills. "You're so nice and toasty," she commented. "My feet feel like popsicles."
"Here," said Callie. She snuggled closer, and put her arms around her, rubbing her back.
"Thanks, Lovey," said Stef, draping the blanket over both of them. "I feel warmer already" She kissed Callie's forehead. "So, how was work today? How's Daphne?"
"Work was good," she told her. "I got some good tips. And Daphne's fine. She has to go to court next week about her daughter."
"I wish she could get custody," Stef sighed. "She's working so hard."
"I wish she would, too," Callie agreed. She played with the fringe on the blanket thoughtfully. "Mommy, do you miss working?"
"I do," she admitted. "I miss the action. I even miss Mike," she jokingly added. "But it's okay, because I get to spend more time with my babies while I heal. It'll be Summer vacation before long."
"I almost forgot," Callie told her quietly. "I guess I haven't really had much time to think about it."
"Your birthday will be coming up," Stef reminded her. "July. Is there anything special you want?"
"All I want for my birthday is for you to get better," Callie told her, her brown eyes sincere. "I don't need anything else."
Stef leaned down and planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek. Just then, Jesus came bounding down the stairs, and she had to do a double-take, because he, like her, was completely bald. "What's this?" she asked.
"I hope you don't mind," Jesus apologized, swiping his hand over his stubble. "I did it to support you, Mom."
Stef smiled through tears, touched by her son's act of solidarity. "You didn't have to do that for me, Buddy. But I appreciate it." He sat down beside her, and she playfully rubbed his scalp with her knuckles. She knew how much pride the teenage boy took in his looks; this was no small gesture. "Thank you so much, Sweetheart."
"It was nothing," he shrugged. "I mean, you're the best mom in the world, and I love you. And it's just hair."
"That's right," Stef nodded, squeezing his hand. "It's just hair."
To Be Continued