Stef POV
"Are you going to tell us what the doctor said?" Jesus asked repeatedly. It has been a couple of hours since the doctor came to talk to Lena and I about Jude's condition, and the kids know something is up.
"We told you we will discuss it as a family when we go home and your grandparents arrive." Lena and I agreed to share the news about Jude being taking off life support with better support of our parents since we know it's going to be hell.
"For now, talk to Jude about everything and that he's going to be okay no matter what's going to happen." Lena says in a gentle voice.
"Hey Jude," I say walking up to his bed, "I love you, buddy. Since the moment I saw you and Callie hug back in the old foster home. Everything's going to all be okay. Just do what you feel is right. Be safe." I say trying to get closure, but it feels wrong.
"Mom. Why are you talking to Jude as if he were going to die?" Mariana asks. "He's not going to die is he?"
"No sweetie. He's a fighter he won't give up." Lena says taking my place as she feels my hesitation.
"He's not going to die right, Stef?" Callie asks me. How am I supposed to respond to her? I'm trying to hold off this discussion until we get home, but it's getting harder.
"We will discuss he's situation when we get home." I state.
"No, Stef. If there is something about Jude's health, I want to know. Is he going to die?" Callie says sitting up from her lying position on Jude's bed. "Stef?"
"I don't know Callie. I really don't know anymore." I snap.
"How about we head home. Jude doesn't this negative energy in his room." Lena says looking at me. "We have to clean the house anyway for your grandparents." She says know looking at the children. "They are arriving in two hours, so how about we go get some dinner and then go home."
Nobody answers, but they all get up except Callie again.
"Come on, Cals. We went through this yesterday if anything happens the doctor will call us."
"Something feels wrong." Callie says sensing something.
"Like what?" Brandon asks.
"Something with Jude. I can't shake off this feeling like something worse is going to happen to him." She says. I can't help but quickly catch eye contact with Lena feeling fear between us. Callie and Jude's bond is remarkable.
General P.O.V
"We have arrived." Sharon states coming in the front door with Stuart and Dana behind her. The depressing tension can be felt as soon as they step foot in the house.
"Hey mom." Stef says going in for a hug to her mother as Lena does the same with her parents.
"So where are our lovely grandchildren?" Stuart asks searching.
"Kids, your grandparents are here." Stef yells from the bottom of the staircase.
"They've been up there since we arrived." Lena explains.
"How are things going here?" Dana asks her daughter.
"Under the circumstances, I'm not really sure. Jesus is trying to keep it all together for everyone. Mariana expresses her emotions which I am thankful for, but she's really upset, and Brandon is keeping things bottled up." Lena explains. "And Callie is a whole different story. She is mourning like Jude is her son, which he in a way is. She isn't handling it well. Last night she ran out of the house and it took Stef hours to find her. Callie was at a bar drunk trying to numb everything."
"Oh my God. That's unbelievable. I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"We have more news to share with the kids concerning Jude's condition. We have to consider taking him off life support soon. The doctor said the best time would be tomorrow afternoon."
"But I thought Jude needed that to breathe." Sharon says trying to put it all together.
Stef looks to Lena if she was going to respond but say Lena about to have a breakdown so she took over.
"The doctor said he's condition is worsening even with life support. He's already brain dead so we wouldn't be killing him because he was already dead except for the fact the machine is breathing for him." Stef tries to make her mother understand. "We aren't sure how the kids are going to react so we need all of you here with us."
"Hey Gramps and Grammies." Jesus says as the others greet their grandparents coming down the stairs.
"What's up my man?" Stuart responds.
"Nothing but the fact moms won't tell us about Jude's condition. Are you going to tell us now?" He says looking at he's mothers.
"Yes, but first everyone get a seat to sit." Stef says knowing it was going to be hard. Stef and Lena sit together on the love seat as the grandparents sit on the three sitter next to them and across from Stef and Lena sat the kids on the floor. No one had a good feeling about this.
"... Wait, then what happens to Jude if we take him off life support." Brandon asks with tears.
"He's going to die..." Callie says softly not wrapping her head around what was being said.
"So basically we will be killing him if we make the decision to turn off his support?" Jesus asks.
"No. No, according to the doctor Jude is already brain dead and his conditioning is worsening even with the life support. All we are doing by turning it off is giving Jude the actual peace of letting go."
Everyone has tears in their eyes and streaming down their faces. Nobody is sure how to take the news.
"No." Callie says not looking up from her lap.
"No what?" Lena asks.
"No, no, no." Is all what is coming out of Callie's mouth as though she is speaking to herself. Stef and Lena get up from their position on the love seat to try to comfort and understand Callie.
"I had to protect him all my life from the worst places and homes. Out of all the homes this was the safest. How is this possible? Out of all foster homes he gets hurt in this one. This is bullshit. You can't let him off life support. I was supposed to die protecting him from all of this before the incident." Callie feels like her whole world is spinning, so she gets up trying to understand. She pulls from her foster mothers' grasp.
"It's all my fault, but he shouldn't have walked into the bathroom when he did. I told him he couldn't know what was happening." Callie says speaking her thoughts out loud which no one was supposed to hear if she were in her right state of mind. The whole family sat there confused as to what is happening.
"What happened in the bathroom sweetie?" Stef asks walking up to Callie who was now at the other side of the room.
"He wasn't supposed to get hurt. Let alone be there. He said I couldn't have murder on my criminal record. But I had nothing to lose at the time. I couldn't get adopted, Jude has a great home here, and so I had nothing to lose. My mission was to get Jude adopted and now he is, so there was nothing else I needed to protect him from."
Callie says not realizing she's speaking out loud. The whole room is focusing on her and her words finally realizing that she's about to tell them what happened the night of the incident. The scariest thing was Callie was talking without emotion like she didn't want to believe anything.
"All I needed to do now was protect myself. Liam said he was going to kill me and then Jude and you people sitting over there. I was going to take care of it, but right when I was going to leave, Jude decided to enter. He tried to talk me out of it but I guess I was so focused on killing Liam I didn't bother listening. That's when he reached to grab the weapon out of my hands." Callie looks at her hands mesmerized. " I didn't mean it. Liam was back and I just wanted to able to finish him off once and for all. He tried to take the knife away from me but it slipped from my hand as he grabbed it with such force. I don't recall him every being that strong. He stood back as his eyes followed were the knife landed on him. The blood. The silence."
"Callie. Callie." Stef was saying trying to get Callie out of whatever is happening now.
"It's all my fault. What type of sister am I?" Callie says still going on. "It should have been me lying on the hospital bed or better yet, six feet under the ground." Everyone finally understands, but is now scared for Callie.
"Callie, listen to me." Stef grabs Callie's arms to stop her from pacing around the room and get her out of her trance. Callie flinches and tenses underneath Stef's grasp which everyone in the room notices. Callie relaxes but soon tenses again when she looks at the others' faces which shows that her thoughts she was thinking was actually her speaking aloud.