Hi folks! I got a comment on my most recent holiday one shot to write a story explaining the AU universe that I use in some of my stories where the kids are younger. In this story, Callie is 8. I decided to do it! I don't know how long this will end up being, but I decided to just start it! Enjoy!

-AJ

CHAPTER 1

Stef looked longingly out the window. Her work day was nearly over and she couldn't be more excited to get home to her wife and three kids. Today was a long day. She started out doing paperwork at the station, then patrolled the streets, and she was later called to the site of a minor car accident. Both parties involved had moderate injuries and were brought to the hospital to be looked over and she had no choice but to follow in order to take their statements. Her partner was finishing up the last statement and then they were going to exchange notes and Stef would be free to take off. What is taking him so damn long? Stef thought to herself, massaging her scalp to try to fight off the headache that she felt coming on.

"Foster? What are you doing here?" The voice came from a fellow officer on his way through the waiting room.

"Hey, Alvarez." Stef responded, smiling at the man. "I'm just waiting for Hernandez to finish this guy's statement. Car crash."

"Ah, I see. Sounds like fun stuff." Alvarez chuckled. "I'm here with a kid that was just brought in. A real bummer day. Have you seen Officer Rodriguez? This kid's kind of losing it and I thought maybe she'd be more comfortable with a female officer."

"Haven't seen her but I'll let you know if I do." Stef said casually, peeking at the doorway again to see if Hernandez was coming out. No such luck. She sank back into her chair.

"Hey, you've got kids, right? Would you mind sitting with her for just a minute? I promise I'll find Rodriguez; she's probably helping herself to some bad coffee." Alvarez pressed.

Stef sighed. She didn't want to leave a kid alone in a hospital. "Sure. Lead the way." She responded, standing up and following the officer.

"I should probably warn you that this situation is pretty bad. She's a foster kid. Was in a home with this drunk bastard of a foster father. Looks like he beat her pretty frequently but today he really did some damage. Her little brother called 911 when he found her at the bottom of the stairs. The bastard took off. We have an APB out." Alvarez finished explaining as they neared the girl's hospital room.

Stef's heart skipped a beat when she saw the girl. She looked terrified, the sheets on the bed twisted up and wrapped around her arms. She gripped the sheets so tightly that her knuckles were white. Nurses buzzed around her trying to stabilize her injuries, but progress was slow. She wouldn't let anyone near her. "Where is her case worker?" Stef asked, not taking her eyes off of the girl.

"He called us, said he had an emergent case and he would be here as soon as he could." Alvarez replied.

"More emergent than this?" Stef chuckled grimly.

Without another word to Alvarez, she walked inside the hospital room.

She sat down in the chair next to the girl's bed and extended her arm towards the girl. "Hi. My name is Stef."

The girl watched her, wide eyed. Realizing the girl wasn't going to shake her hand, she moved her hand back to her lap. Stef introduced herself to the nurses before turning back to the girl. "What's your name?" She asked sweetly.

"This is Callie." One of the nurses answered when the girl stayed silent. The nurse looked down at Callie with compassion. "She's a little shy so far." The nurse smiled. Her heart ached for this girl. Stef nodded at the nurse.

"Okay then, Callie. You don't have to talk right now if you don't want to. But it is very important that we let these nurses do their jobs. You're hurt and they can make you feel better." Stef said, scooting her chair a little closer to the bed. She watched with surprise as Callie relaxed her grip on the bed sheet and allowed the nurse access to her arm. She winced as the nurse stuck the IV needle into her arm but sat there calmly.

"Wow! Even I'm not that brave when somebody is sticking me with a needle!" Stef remarked, grinning at the girl.

Callie blinked at her. Stef didn't know it yet but the girl saw something different in Stef. She reminded her of her mom, which baffled Callie, as this woman looked nothing like her mom. She felt like she might be able to trust Stef, although she had that feeling in the past and yet she ended up here, in the hospital alone with broken bones and bruises.

The nurse approached the bed again. "Okay, it's time to take Miss Callie down to get her x-rays. You ready?" She asked, looking at the girl. Callie's head whipped over to Stef. "Unfortunately Officer Stef can't come to the X-ray room with us, but I'm sure she'll be waiting here when you come back." The nurse answered, looking at Stef with a begging look. This patient was not easy to handle but with Stef in the room they were able to accomplish far more than they had previously.

"I'll be here." Stef assured both the nurse and her patient. She gave Callie a gentle smile. "Knock 'em dead with those puppy dog eyes in the x-ray room, kid." Stef said as Callie was wheeled away. "It'll be about an hour, feel free to hang out." The nurse said gratefully on her way out.

Once the room was empty, Stef let her hair out of her tight bun and untucked her uniform shirt from her pants. She unbuttoned the shirt and sat back down in her chair.

Alvarez popped through the door. "Hey, Foster. Rodriguez was dispatched to another accident but I'm calling the station and seeing who we can get to take over for you."

"Thanks. Hey – you don't need to do that. I'll stay with her." Stef responded.

"You sure? Isn't your shift almost over?" The officer asked.

"I'm sure. She's in rough shape and I think I help keep her calm. Would you mind tracking down Hernandez? Just give him these –" She paused, grabbing the files from her bag and handing them to Alvarez. "Tell him I'm with this kid. I really can't leave her."

"He'll understand." Alvarez replied. "Good luck, Foster." He left the room and headed back to the waiting room. Stef pulled out her cell phone and dialed her wife's number. Lena picked up almost instantly.

"Hey, babe? I've been waiting for you to call! I just ordered the pizza and I'm going to head out in about 20 minutes to pick it up so I should be back by 6:30. You'll be home by then, right? Jesus needs a shower and I have fought with him enough today so can you take charge of that whole thing?" Lena rattled off.

"I'm sorry, Lena. I'm going to be late tonight. I'm working and there's a foster kid who is in the hospital by herself. The whole situation is heartbreaking. I'm just waiting with her until her social worker comes." Stef replied.

She heard Lena sigh over the phone. "Stef, I really needed you here tonight."

"I know, honey. But this is really important. I can't leave her right now. Not like this."

"Okay. I just miss you. Keep me posted, alright?" Lena said.

"Of course. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Lena hung up the call.

This was one of those moments when Stef was so grateful for her wife. This woman was so forgiving when Stef's big heart got her into these types of situations. Stef stood up from her chair and paced around the room. She laid her uniform shirt on the chair and set her bag by the wall. The nurse walked back into the room.

"Hey, thank you so much for sticking around, Officer. This kid is so stubborn and scared and I'm glad that there's someone here who can calm her down."

"It's my pleasure. I have three kids around her age at home so there is no way I could leave her now. And you can call me Stef."

"I'm Megan. It's nice to meet you. Let me grab you a visitor badge so you can stretch your legs while you wait for Callie." The nurse returned shortly with a pad of stickers. "This is bizarre. I can only find the visitor tags that say 'mom' on them. Nobody ever puts anything back in the right places on the pediatrics floor." The nurse joked. "I can run downstairs and see if I can get you a generic one." She offered.

"No, it's fine. I would hate to make you take the extra trip." Stef stuck the badge onto her shirt. She now had Callie's name and room number stuck to her. Stef left the room and wandered down the hallway. She wasn't a huge fan of hospitals, though most people aren't, she thought. If she got the creeps from just walking through one, she could hardly imagine how scared Callie must be feeling to be in here as a foster kid, not knowing what was wrong with her or where she would go after she got healthier. Stef stopped walking as she spotted a gift shop. She ambled inside and started browsing the shelves. She picked up a magazine to read to pass the time and put it down on the counter, ready to pay. As she pulled out her wallet, a stuffed animal caught her eye and she walked towards the display. She picked up the bright yellow duck and carried it to the counter. "This too, please." She said as she handed the cashier her card.

So that's chapter 1! I am currently writing chapter 2 so expect that to come soon! Jude will be making an appearance later on in the story as well. Hope you enjoyed!