"Lizzy, do you know what you're having, sweetheart?" asked Ellie.
"I think I'll stick with the classic cheeseburger," she said as she handed the menu to the waitress.
"Lita, honey, chicken nuggets or nachos?" asked Ellie.
"Nachos!" screamed the 7-year-old. As Ellie picked up her menu and handed it to the waitress, Lita turned to Pete and leaned in. "I like them because they taste like chips," she whispered.
Her father let out a laugh.
"and Juan?" asked Ellie.
"Uhm, I'll have the chicken nuggets," he said.
The waitress scribbled the orders down, took the last remaining menus and left.
The Wagners and their kids were out for dinner. For Juan, Lita, Pete and Ellie, it was a sort of celebration. For Lizzy, it was a different story.
"Daddy, isn't my court bear so cute?" asked Lita for the hundredth time.
"But mine's cooler, right dad?" chimed in Juan.
Pete shot a look at Ellie. The two kids had had smiles in their faces all day, and had been more excited than usual to get their new court bears.
"Sweetie, your court bear is very cute, and Juan yours is very cool, but they're both equally awesome, alright?" said Pete.
"Well I think mine's cooler because it has an eye patch!" remarked Juan.
"Well I don't care because mine is purple!" said Lita.
The two kids engaged in a friendly debate.
Ellie looked over at Pete and smiled. Her heart filled with joy watching the younger kids be so happy. Lizzy, though, was the exception. The teenager had hardly uttered a word all day.
As Ellie looked over to her right, where Lizzy sat, she noticed the teen was playing with the straw in her drink.
Ellie quietly nudged her on the elbow.
"You alright?" she asked.
Lizzy immediately put on a smile. "Yup! All good, just really hungry, that's all."
"Are you sure?" Ellie prodded.
"Yeah!" said Lizzy. "I guess it's been a while since I had a cheeseburger, huh?" she let out what sounded like a fake laugh.
Ellie pursed her lips but didn't prod any further.
The .26 hearing had gone as smooth as they could have possibly asked for. They had been in and out of the court building in under an hour. Total court time for their case had been something like 25 minutes. Apparently, things went faster when a certain birth mother didn't show up for court.
"So does your cheeseburger come with loaded fries?" asked Ellie. It was a stupid question, but she was eager to continue the conversation with Lizzy.
"No, just regular fries. I don't mind though. What did you order again?" asked Lizzy.
"I got the chicken fillet with salad," said Ellie. She was about to ask a follow up question when she was interrupted by Lita.
"Mommy, can we go to Six Flags this weekend?" asked the 7-year-old.
"Please, please!" said Juan. "It would be so much fun!"
"Well, I, uh, what did your father say?" replied Ellie, shooting daggers at Pete for putting her in such uncomfortable spot.
Pete shrugged his shoulders as he gave her an apologetic look.
"He said to check with you first," said Juan.
Pete mouthed the word 'sorry'. Ellie resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"I suppose a trip to Six Flags wouldn't hurt, huh?" she said.
"YAY!" screamed Juan and Lita in unison. A huge smile crept up on Pete's face.
"And we can celebrate big time while we're there, hey?" Pete winked at Juan.
Ellie's eyes widened. She shot an angry look at Pete as she kicked him underneath the table.
"Ouch!" Pete complained. He looked over at Ellie, who immediately signalled over to Lizzy. The teenager had picked up her phone and had disconnected from the conversation.
"Oh, uhm, Lizzy, sweetheart, what do you think about Six Flags? Fun yeah?" he asked.
Lizzy looked up.
"Huh? Yeah, sounds fun," she said, then went back to scrolling through her phone.
Pete was about to say something else when the waitress returned with everyone's food. Lita and Juan dived in, picking up a conversation about the first ride they would go on when they got to the amusement park.
Ellie turned to look at Lizzy. "You know what, why don't you invite your friends? We can give them a ride and you can do your thing when you get there."
"Yeah, and their tickets can be on us, too," offered Pete. This suggestion won him another under-the-table kick from Ellie.
"Well, what do you think, honey?" she asked.
"Oh... thanks but, I was kind of thinking of staying in this weekend, if that's okay."
Ellie looked at Pete and gave him a worried look.
As the judge ruled Pete and Ellie fit for adoption and stripped Carla off of her parental rights, Juan and Lita had cheered, not fully understanding what this meant. To them, this represented staying with Pete and Ellie forever, one step closer to becoming a forever family. But Lizzy had lowered her head and remained quiet. When they had tried to talk to her, she had given them a small smile and told them she was 'fine'. Despite all the thumbs ups and assurances that she was okay, it was obvious Lizzy was struggling with the whole .26 hearing and the ruling.
"Oh, sure, whatever you like, but the offer is there if you want it, okay?" said Ellie.
"Thanks," said Lizzy with a smile.
Pete and Ellie shared a look but kept quiet.
"Hey buddy, need any help opening that ketchup sachet?" asked Pete after seeing Juan struggle with it.
"Yes please," said Juan, handing him the sachet.
"And one strawberry milkshake for you," said the waitress, setting down a milkshake in front of Pete.
"Ooh daddy, can I have some of your milkshake please?" asked Lita.
"Sure honey, but everyone remember Daddy is lactose intolerant so nobody go to the bathroom after I go, alright?"
The kids laughed, even Lizzy cracked a genuine smile.
Ellie knew Lizzy had been hoping Carla would come to the hearing. She had been with her when Lizzy ran up to Karen and Sharon and asked if her mother was there yet. She had watched Lizzy run to the restroom when the caseworkers replied Carla was still in rehab. It had been painful to watch, for various reasons. It broke her heart that Lizzy had been let down by Carla again, but it was also painful to know Lizzy still thought of Carla as her only mom. As happy as Ellie was about the ruling of the .26 hearing, the whole thing was also conflicting. She figured this was how Lizzy was feeling, too. And who could blame her?
Ellie could only hope Lizzy knew both Pete and herself were there for her, and would be ready to listen to her whenever she decided to come to them about it, no matter when that was.