Callie POV

I felt so tired. My whole body hurt. I could hear voices talking, but I had no idea what was being said. I felt small hands lift my right one and squeeze. The quiet voice spoke softly, "Night, Cal. I love you. I'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll be perfectly fine." Wait, I know that voice.

Jude! Don't leave. Where are you going? I felt his hand leave mine, but I couldn't bring my eyes to open. I wanted to get up and tell him to stay. I wanted to sit up and grab his hand. I wanted to at least squeeze his hand and tell him I was going to be okay too.

None of the things I wanted to happen did, as usual. My body didn't cooperate. I couldn't move at all. I was stuck listening to what was going on around me, and not being able to do anything about it.

I heard the door open, and then close. Jude was gone, I was alone. He was alone in God knows what kind of foster home. I wish I could open my eyes just to see the room I was in. Then I could assess my injuries and see why I was in so much pain.

If I could move, I would have jumped off the bed when I felt a new hand grab mine. I didn't know who it was, but they didn't seem like they were here to hurt me. The person just held my hand for what felt like forever. They started to talk to me, about Marc. He was going to jail for a long time, at least that was what the voice said.

As soon as the person started talking, I knew it was a woman. Maybe it was an empathetic nurse that felt bad for me. I mean a sixteen year old girl gets abused by her foster father, and then she's left alone for the night in her hospital room. I figured that was it, until the woman started talking about Jude.

"Don't you worry, Callie. Jude is safe at home with Lena." I stopped listening after that. Lena, as in the nice lady that Jude adored? Maybe that's why he didn't sound worried about going to a foster home alone. He trusted Lena and—, wait, why was it just Lena? Shouldn't Stef be with him too? Then it dawned on me, the woman wasn't a nurse that was pitying me, it was Stef.

I felt stupid for taking so long to figure that out. The voice sounded familiar, but I hadn't been able to place it before now. My head still felt kind of foggy. Maybe that's why I was slow to put two and two together.

Eventually, Stef stopped talking. She probably ran out of things to say. I felt bad for not being able to respond to anything she was saying. Her hand was still in mine, so I figured if I could at least squeeze it, that would be something. I had to put a lot of focus into it, but I think I squeezed just a bit. Stef didn't say anything, so I doubted that I even moved at all. I had to try again. She had to know I was at least trying.

I felt drained after, but I was positive that I grabbed her hand this time. I heard movement next to me, and knew she had to of felt it.

"Callie? Sweets, can you hear me? It's Stef. Can you open your eyes?" I've been trying to do that for like an hour. I wanted to talk back, but nothing came out of my mouth. I pried my eyes open, but as soon as the bright lights hit me, I immediately closed them again. They made my headache more intense. I heard a groan, and realized that it came from me. Stef's hand left mine, and for a moment, I thought my groan may have sounded rude.

"That's great, Callie! Sorry about the lights, I forgot about the concussion." Wow, she sounds excited. "I shut the lights off. Can you try again?" This time, when I opened my eyes, I could look around the now dark room. There was only a soft glow coming from under the door. I looked over to Stef, who had now taken my hand again. She was smiling down at me. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. When can I get out of here?"

"Not for at least two days. Your right lung collapsed. The doctors had to put a chest tube in to help it heal. They said it had to stay in for two to four days." Two to four days? I couldn't leave Jude alone for that alone.

"Where's Jude? Is he alright?" I already knew where he was, but I needed to hear it again.

"He's with Lena. He's safe Callie. No one in that house is going to hurt him. All you need to worry about is getting better, okay?" When I didn't respond, Stef kept talking. "I know this is probably hard for you to let us in, but you have to trust us. We're trying to help."

"I know. I'm trying." I tried to keep my answers short, but I also had to keep my promise to Jude.

Stef squeezed my hand a little tighter, and then let go. "I'll go get the doctor." With that, she was gone. I was alone. For some reason, for the first time in six years, the loneliness didn't feel comforting. I would normally love being left by myself, it insured safety. But now I missed Stef's presence. The silence in the room felt cold, and I didn't like it. I found myself hoping that she would be back soon.

The door opened, and in walked a man in scrubs, probably my doctor. Thankfully, Stef followed close behind him. "I assume it's okay if your foster mom is in while we talk?" What? Foster mom? Were the drugs I was getting messing with my head. "Is that a problem?" I hadn't responded to the man.

"Um, sorry but I must be a little confused. My foster mom?" I looked at Stef inquisitively, and she smiled.

"Lena and I convinced Bill to let you stay with us. He was going to send the two of you to a group home, and we still have a fostering license, so why not?" She tried to play it off as no big deal, but I knew otherwise. They already had three kids to take care of, and now they were adding two more to the mix.

"Thank you." That statement didn't feel like it held enough gratitude. Stef and Lena really saved my ass, and Jude's. Group homes were never good news. The people that ran them never cared about the kids that lived there.

Stef didn't respond, she didn't need to. Silence filled the room, so the doctor spoke up.

"Now that we cleared that up, is it okay to proceed?" Stef and I both nodded. "Alright, well Callie, you came in with quite a few injuries." He listed off all of the things wrong with me, and now I knew why I was in so much pain. "Do you have any questions?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Okay. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

"A little." That was a lie. I'm pretty sure both adults knew it too.

"Okay. If the pain worsens, just press that button next to you. It will pump some morphine into you." I nodded. "Well, if neither of you have questions, I have other patients that need some assistance." Stef was the only one to answer him.

"Of course. Thank you Dr. Stanton." They shook hands, and then he left.

Stef walked over to my bed and pressed the morphine button.

"What are you doing?" Was she trying to make me unaware of my surroundings on purpose?

"I can tell you're in pain, Callie. This is going to help you, so you can get some rest. A few officers will probably want to take your statement tomorrow. You'll need your energy." I guess that made sense. I remembered my promise to Jude and Isaac, I had to trust these people.

Wait, Isaac. I had to call him. I said I would call if something happened, but I left the piece of paper with his number on it at Marc's house. I only had one other option. "Um, your son, Brandon, I think. He knows Isaac, right?"

"Yes. They're pretty good friends."

"Do you think you could get Isaac's phone number from him? I promised I'd call him if something happened. He tends to worry a lot."

"Sure. I'll text Brandon right now. You can call him tomorrow. It's kinda late now."

"Thanks."

"Do you mind if I ask how you two know each other?" She probably wanted to know if I was trying to mess up her perfect son.

"Uh, Brandon came in to The Burger Stand like a week ago. Isaac introduced us."

"No, not Brandon. Isaac."

"Oh. Uh we were foster siblings about a year ago. Jude and I got kicked out when I took food that I wasn't supposed to have. Isaac and I looked out for each other there." Why was I opening up to this woman so much. It was like I couldn't stop talking.

"Was that home abusive?"

"No. Just too many kids and too little food. Was the home you got him out of bad?"

"Pretty bad yeah. Brandon met at some party and they became friends. He started to notice all these bruises on him, so Lena and I got him out. He's safe now. He has a good home, and he goes to Anchor Beach Charter School."

"Good. He deserves it."

"Callie. You and Jude deserve a good home too." I nodded at her.

"I know. It just seems kinda far away."

"Lena and I are going to help you and Jude just like we helped Isaac. We'll find you a good, safe home." That kind of hurt. They said they cared, but then they didn't want us. I thought about their other kids, and I realized they probably just didn't have the room.

"I know. Thank you. I don't think you realize how much that means to me and Jude." She smiled at me and took my hand.

"Get some rest, Sweets." I didn't even bother to correct the nickname. I was too tired. I closed my eyes and fell asleep quicker than I thought was possible. It's a lot easier to sleep when you feel safe.

Lena POV

I couldn't fall asleep. I was worried about Callie, I was worried about Jude. Callie was at the hospital, and Stef still hadn't called. She was supposed to wake up tonight. Stef was supposed to call if anything changed, so I was still waiting. Jude was downstairs on the couch for tonight. I felt bad, but we didn't have an extra bed for him to use. He was probably just as worried as I was. I decided to go check on him since I couldn't sleep anyway.

I made my way downstairs and into the foyer where Jude was resting. He was so nervous about leaving Callie alone earlier. He wanted to stay with her until she woke up, but now he looked so peaceful. He trusted me a lot easier than Callie did, and he seemed to still have his innocence. I guess Callie had to sacrifice those things so Jude could have them. That broke my heart. That girl loved her brother with all of her heart, he was everything to her. I could tell that Jude returned the same feelings. They were such great kids, I was glad we got to give them a safe place to stay. However, I found it hard to think of finding them a forever home that wasn't ours.

I knew I couldn't make the decision by myself, but Stef was the one that offered to foster them in the first place. I don't see why she would do that if she didn't already care about the two siblings.

My thoughts were interrupted when my cell started vibrating in my pocket. I looked at the screen to see a picture of Stef. It had to be about Callie. I went outside so I wouldn't disturb anyone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Love." She sounded exhausted.

"How's Callie?"

"She's fine. She woke up a little while ago. I didn't want to leave her alone for too long while she was awake, so I waited to call you. She's asleep now. How's Jude?"

"He's asleep on the couch."

"Good. Tonight was tough for the both of them. They'll both need their rest for their statements tomorrow."

"Do they have to do it alone?"

"They can't be together, but we can go with them if they let us."

"We can't just let them do this on their own, Stef. They've been alone for too long."

"I know, Love. But we can't push them. I actually had a decent conversation with Callie tonight, we can't force her to open up. She'll do it at her own pace. Trying to push ourselves in will only make her close off more."

"What if you took their statements? So they're at least a little more comfortable."

"You know I can't." I sighed in disappointment.

"Alright, Lena. I have to go. I think Callie's waking up again."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too. See you tomorrow morning." She ended the call.

I went back to the foyer to check on Jude one more time. He was still sleeping, so I made my way to my bedroom. I could not let these kids go into another bad home. I had to talk to Stef and the other kids about what I was feeling. The thought of Callie and Jude leaving broke my heart. Actually letting it happen would just about kill me.

Thanks for reading! I'll try to write and post the last chapter as soon as possible! I know some people wanted the story to be longer, but with school starting soon, I wanted to wrap it up. School is the priority, so updates would've been a lot less frequent. Then I'd feel bad for leaving readers hanging. So, if there's anything you want to see happen before the story ends, let me know. I'll try to put it in.