Chapter 17

Callie walked into Jesus and Jude's room to find Jude sitting on his bed, scribbling on a worksheet. Her eyes scanned the room for Jesus, but didn't see him. She strolled over to his bed, fidgeting with the zipper on her sweatshirt, which hid her pregnancy belly. A small smile stretched her lips as he met her eyes. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

Jude pushed his sheet aside and scooted over to make room for his sister. "Sure."

Callie inhaled shakily as she sat next to her brother. Her stomach knotted with anxiety. "What I'm about to tell you isn't easy and you might be shocked and angry or upset, but I need you to promise that you'll tell me what you feel."

Jude nodded, concern etched across his face. "I promise."

"I'm pregnant." Callie kept her eyes locked with Jude's as she spit out the words. She could practically see the thoughts running through his mind, but he remained silent, his face wearing an unreadable expression. She took a deep breath. "Jude, please say something."

"Whose is it?"

Callie shifted on the bed, swallowing the lump in her throat. She swore she heard a hint of bitter in her voice. "I…I don't know…either L-Liam or Vico."

"Are you getting an abortion?" He asked curtly through a clenched jaw. His eyes narrowed at her.

"No." Callie whispered, shaking her head. Her stomach twisted further at his question. Did he want her to get one? Was he not going to accept this baby? "I'm keeping her. It's a girl. I'm five months."

Jude's face contorted into anger. His hands balled into fists by his side. "You can't keep her! Lena's having a baby. You having a baby is going to ruin everything!"

Callie flinched at her brother's harsh voice. She was expecting him to be shocked or maybe even upset, but she never expected anger from him; at least not anger that was directed towards her. "Jude, I…"

"No, you always have to ruin everything. You got us kicked out of the Olmsteads and then we moved here and it's been one problem after the other with you. You've been putting Stef and Lena through hell and causing all of these problems." Jude spat angrily as his eyebrows knitted together.

Callie blinked back tears. His words felt like a stab to the heart. For seven years her every move, her every decision, her every thought had revolved around his protection. She had given up meals and starved so he would have a full belly. She had taken the blame for tiny mistakes he made or talked back to their foster parents so they would beat her and not him. She had kept her mouth shut after Liam forced himself on her until his parents caught him kissing her so Jude could remain in a home he loved. She had sacrificed her safety and happiness for him, and yet she still somehow managed to get it wrong. She nodded and stood, choking back tears. "I'm sorry."

Jude didn't say anything as his sister left, shutting the door behind her. Callie walked down the hall and threw open Brandon's door, her lower lip trembling. Brandon whipped his head towards the door and stood when he saw Callie's broken appearance. "What's wrong?"

"Jude hates me." She choked out before erupting into tears.

Brandon gathered her into his arms and let her sob into his shirt. He gently stroked curls. "He doesn't hate you. You told him you were pregnant?"

She nodded against his shirt. "He's mad that I got us kicked out of the Olmsteads and he says I'm always ruining everything and causing all of these problems for Stef and Lena."

"Callie…" Brandon sighed. He wanted to be angry at Jude for hurting Callie, but he couldn't. Jude was still a kid and he didn't understand. "Listen to me, Jude is thirteen. He doesn't understand what you're going through and he's just reacting. Give him some time to process what you just told him."

"No, he's right. I do ruin everything." Callie whispered, pulling out of Brandon's arms to wipe at her dampened cheeks.

"No, you don't." Brandon lifted her chin up and gently brushed away the tear that dribbled down her cheek with his thumb. "Liam got you kicked out of the Olmsteads, not you. That wasn't a safe place for you guys anyway. Jude probably didn't realize how dangerous all those foster homes were because you shielded him from everything."

"That was the goal." Callie sniffled before biting down on her bottom lip. "I was worried about Stef and Lena and you accepting that I'm keeping her and I never once thought that Jude would be so against it."

"He was mad at us when we first told him we were together and he came around the next day, right? So give him some time." Brandon said. When Brandon and Callie announced to the rest of the family that they were in a relationship, Jude took it the hardest. Jesus was just happy to see Callie happy and Mariana was angry at first, but she came around within an hour when she realized the two truly loved each other- she was a sucker for romance. It took a little longer for Jude to come around. He couldn't see passed the fact that this meant Callie would never be officially adopted by the Fosters. It wasn't until the next day when Jude walked in the house to find Callie giggling at something Brandon has said or done that he realized how happy his sister was being with Brandon. This was not Callie making a reckless decision in attempt to blow up something she didn't trust; this was her sacrificing an official adoption to be with Brandon because he meant that much to her. "I think maybe he's worried about sharing you. He's already had to share you with us and now you're going to be occupied with a baby."

Callie pulled out of Brandon's arms and started for the door. "I should go talk to him."

Brandon gently grabbed Callie's shoulders. "No. Give him some time to process. You've had five months to process this, he hasn't had any."

Callie grunted and leaned into Brandon's embrace. "I hate when you're right."

Brandon let out a laugh and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "So I was at the mall before and I picked up a few things for the baby."

"Brandon, you don't have to do that." Callie said, watching as he grabbed a shopping bag from the corner of the room.

"I want to." He grinned. He reached into the bag, pulling out a onesie with music notes on it, a pink and purple striped fleece sleep suit with sheep on it, and a bear hooded towel.

"These are adorable." Callie face lit up as she took the clothing items from Brandon. She ran her fingers over the soft fabric.

"Wait, this one is my favorite." Brandon's smile widened as he reached into the bag once more. He held up a pink onesie that read, I'm Cute, Mom's Hot, Dad's Lucky. "I'm a pretty lucky guy."

Callie giggled and felt her heart swell as she looked at Brandon's lopsided grin. Her smile fell suddenly. "Brandon, I'm not expecting you to be the dad or a father figure to her."

"I want to be. I love you and I love this baby." He placed a hand on her stomach and leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss. She smiled against his lips, pulling away when she felt a flutter in her stomach. Brandon chuckled, his hand remaining on her bump. "See, she's agreeing. She wants me to be her Daddy."

Callie placed her hand next to Brandon's to feel the movement. Feeling the baby move felt extraordinary every time. She met Brandon's eyes, gleaming with love and sincerity. Her own welled with tears. "Are you sure? You don't have to do this. It's a lot. I would never expect it. I don't want to hold you back."

Brandon removed his hand from her stomach and pushed her hair behind her ear. He cupped her cheek, brushing away the tear that escaped her eye. "I love you and this baby so, so much. I'm not going anywhere. Ever. You're not holding me back. I don't see a future without you and her and I don't want to see one any differently."

Callie nodded against his hand, closing her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her once more. "I love you."

"I love you too. More than anything." Brandon whispered, wiping her cheeks as more tears trickled down them, "I hope these are happy tears?"

Callie nodded as a giggle escaped her lips. "Yes. These pregnancy hormones are an emotional rollercoaster."

A smirk stretched across Brandon's lips. "Yeah, I never thought I would see you crying during a dog food commercial."

Callie chucked as she nudged Brandon playfully. "Shut up. It was heartwarming."

"If you say so." Brandon laughed before his smile landed on her lips once more.

Stef placed the bowl of salad on the kitchen table before sitting down with her family. She met Callie's eyes, who nodded her head. Stef cleared her throat before looking to Mariana and Jesus. "Hey guys, Callie has something she needs to tell you guys."

Mariana burrowed her eyebrows as she looked to Callie. A worried expression spread across her features. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm pregnant." Callie blurted out. She had said those words more in the past couple of days than she had during the entire pregnancy. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Mariana and Jesus. Jesus nearly choked on the piece of potato he was eating. The fork Mariana was holding slipped from her grasp, clanking loudly against the plate.

"Y-you're pregnant?" Mariana asked, her eyes growing twice their size. She glanced at Brandon. "Wait, is it yours?"

Brandon shook his head, glaring at his sister. He knew that question made Callie's stomach knot because it forced her to address the baby's real paternity. However, he knew it was the easier assumption because nobody would have thought Callie had hidden a pregnancy for five months.

"It's not Brandon's." Callie whispered sadly. She wished more than anything that it was Brandon's baby she was carrying. "I haven't done anything with anyone…consensually."

Realization settled upon Mariana. She shook her head slightly. It couldn't be. "B-but that was like five months ago."

Callie nodded. She unzipped the sweatshirt she was wearing, slipped it off, and stood, displaying her prominent pregnancy bump in her tank top. "I'm five months pregnant with a baby girl and I'm keeping her."

The room fell silent for a moment as Mariana and Jesus processed the news. A tiny squeal escaped Mariana's mouth as Callie sat back down. "Another girl? Wait so I'm going to be an aunt?"

"Yes, you're going to be an aunt." A smile found Callie's lips at Mariana's excitement. If only Jude had a similar reaction. She looked to Jesus, who still appeared shocked. "Jesus?"

"I'm sorry, this is just a lot. Like an hour ago you were still skinny and now all of a sudden you're not." He pointed at her stomach, his eyes still wide as he stared at her.

"Jesus." Stef warned, cringing slightly at his choice of words. "She's not, not skinny, she's carrying a baby."

"No, that's not what I…it's just like all of sudden you're pregnant when ten minutes ago you weren't. Or I thought you weren't. It's just…shocking and gives me another reason to want to kill Vico and Liam." He clenched his fists as he thought about the two hurting Callie. This was another thing they forced on her and it wasn't fair.

Callie shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She hated acknowledging that Vico or Liam was the father to this baby. Jesus's words made her wonder if he would have a hard time seeing passed the baby's DNA.

"I'm not condoning the violence, but I think we all want to see Vico and Liam punished." Lena spoke up as she watched the pregnant teenage fidget anxiously. "We're all aware of the pain and suffering they've caused Callie, but we're not going to think of them in relation to this baby. This is Callie's baby."

Callie smiled at Lena gratefully as she placed a hand over her stomach. Jesus shook his head and his featured softened. He realized he was doing a poor job at communicating his thoughts. "I didn't mean to imply anything. I mean it just makes me mad that they hurt you and forced you into all these things like pregnancy. I will love her and be the best uncle, I promise. I think we all know that DNA is bullshit anyway."

"Watch the language." Stef scolded, but a smile appeared on her lips. "You're right, though."

"Where's the baby going to stay?" Mariana asked as she scooped a forkful of rice into her mouth.

"Mama and I are still figuring things out, but Frankie is going to stay in our room and we're going to clean out the garage and maybe put Jesus and Jude in there or Brandon and then we'll turn the bedroom upstairs into a nursery. Callie can choose to move into the room with the baby or stay where she is."

"I'll give up my room, but I want to stay upstairs so I can help with the baby." Brandon said.

Stef glanced at Lena, but nodded her head. "Okay. We'll figure it out."

"I don't want to burden anyone. I can stay in the garage, but I think we should hold off anyway because we don't even know if I'll be living here the time she is born." Callie frowned. The fact that she didn't know where she would be living when the baby was born was overwhelming.

"You'll be in this house if I have any say in it." Stef said firmly. "We're working on a plan. But you're not living in the garage with a baby and you're not being a burden. We'll figure this out, okay?"

Callie nodded, although she wasn't convinced everything would be figured out. She looked to Mariana as she spoke up. "Does Jude know?"

Callie glanced down at her plate. "Uh yeah. He didn't take it too well."

"Really?" Mariana asked with a frown.

"That's why he went to Connor's today. He's mad at me. He doesn't want to keep her."

Stef placed a gentle hand on Callie's arm. "He just needs time to process everything. We're going to talk to him too."

"Does anybody else know? What are you going to do about school?" Mariana spewed curiously.

"Mariana." Lena warned gently. "I know this is big news, but let's try not to badger Callie."

"It's fine." Callie smiled slightly at the vibrancy in Mariana's voice. "Stef and Lena obviously and Brandon. Rita, Daphne, and Robert, which I'm guessing Jill and Sophia now too. And as for school, I'm not due till September so I can finish up this year and well…we're trying to figure something out for senior year."

"Well I'm happy to babysit whenever you need." Mariana smiled.

"Thank you." Callie returned the smile, grateful for her foster sister's acceptance. Her two biggest fears about revealing this secret were that her family would be mad that she was pregnant and they would not accept the baby. The one person she had expected to be okay with it was the one person who actually didn't accept it. The rest of them continued to amaze her with their unconditional love and welcoming arms.

"How about Bailey?" Callie suggested as she flipped through the book of baby names. She sat on the couch, her swollen, aching feet resting on Brandon's lap as he gently rubbed them. Brandon's fingers paused as he looked at Callie with a wrinkled nose. Callie chuckled. "I guess that's a no?"

"Unless you want people to think she's a dog."

"Okay, Bailey is a no." Callie laughed before returning her eyes to the book. "Daisy is cute."

"Callie, we're naming a baby not a dog." Brandon reminded as his fingers kneaded the bottom of her feet.

Callie scoffed with a smile. She attempted to swing her legs over the couch to sit up, but struggled. Brandon watched in amusement. "Your turning down all my names and now you won't even help me up. Watching a pregnant girl struggle is just evil."

Brandon chuckled as he took her hand and helped her sit up. She sat crossed legged facing Brandon, who pointed at the book. "There's like a million names in that book, you seriously can't find anything better?"

Callie threw the book at him with a grin. "You look then."

Brandon opened the book to a random page and scanned the names. "How about Mallory? That's pretty."

Callie snatched the book back and found the name he was referring to. "Did you look at the meaning? Unfortunate one? I'm not naming my baby something that means unlucky. She's has enough of that in her genes from me."

"Jeez, I didn't know we were looking at meanings now. Does anyone pay attention to name meanings?"

Callie slapped him playfully. "It doesn't have to necessarily mean anything, but I don't want one that means unlucky. Do you know the meaning of your name?"

"What do you think the answer to that is?"

Callie narrowed her eyes at him before smiling. "It means brave, which I think is very fitting for you."

"What does Callie mean?" He asked. When she shrugged, he flipped through the pages to find her name. "The most beautiful."

Callie laughed sarcastically. "Guess my mom didn't do a good job picking out a name."

"Hey." Brandon shifted towards her as his hand reached up to push her curls behind her ears. His hand rested on her cheek. "The name is perfect for you. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

Callie's eyes fluttered shut as Brandon's lips landed on hers. She inhaled his woodsy scent; the smell that instantly made the anxiety swimming in her stomach ease. His thumb caressed her cheek before sliding to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair as he pulled her closer. Their lips danced together in perfect synchrony, only separating when the two needed air. "You're sweet."

Brandon frowned as he studied her eyes, knowing she was unconvinced by his words. "Callie, I'm being a hundred percent honest. You're gorgeous."

"I love you." She whispered, smiling against his lips as she connected them with his again. She winced when she pulled away and her hand found her chest.

"Heartburn?" Brandon asked. She had been experiencing heartburn often in the past few weeks. He laughed slightly when she nodded. "I told you not to eat the salsa."

Callie groaned, placing a hand on her bump. "She wanted the salsa."

Brandon pushed himself off the couch. "I'll get you your medicine and water."

Brandon returned to the living room a few moments later, nursing a glass of water and cupping a pill. Callie accepted both items, placing the pill in the back of her throat and washing it down with a sip of water. She reached over to the side table to place her glass of water on it. "Thanks, B. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Suffer from heartburn." He teased as he claimed his seat back. She nudged him playfully. "I thought of a name while I was getting you water though."

"You did?" Callie asked with raised eyebrows.

"Melody."

Callie beamed at Brandon as her hand found her bump again. She knew without looking it up that the name had a musical meaning. She leaned forward and planted another kiss on Brandon's lips, draping her arms around his neck to pull him close. Their foreheads remained together after their lips parted. "I love it."

Brandon smiled as he gazed into her chocolate eyes; the eyes that made him fall in love with her all over again every time he looked into them. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as the front door opened. Jude stood in the living room, his eyes finding the bump on Callie's frame. She had taken her sweatshirt off now that everyone knew and her pregnancy was prominent in her fitted tank top.

Callie offered him a sad smile. "Hey."

He hesitated before taking a seat on the couch beside his sister. "Can we talk?"

Callie shifted on the couch to face him. She nodded, searching his eyes. She didn't know where this conversation was about to go. Was he still mad? Would he ever be able to accept this? She nodded her head at him. "Of course."

"Do you want me to leave?" Brandon asked, but Jude shook his head.

"You can stay." He said, pausing for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Callie closed her eyes for a moment as a sigh of relief escaped her lips. "It's okay, Jude."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have said what I did and I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm angry that dad killed our mom. I'm angry that we were in the foster system. I'm angry that you had to give up food and take beatings to protect me. I'm angry that you went to juvie for no reason. I'm angry that Liam and Vico hurt you. I'm angry that you have a different birth father. I'm angry that nothing ever goes right for you. I'm angry and I took it out on you, but I'm not angry at you." Jude explained. "You don't ruin things and I know you didn't get us kicked out of the Olmstead's, or any home for that matter. But I guess blaming you hurt less because if it was your fault then maybe that meant that my life wasn't as messed up."

Callie reached across to take her brother's hand in hers. Her heart ached for all that Jude went through in his young life. "We've gotten a really raw deal in life, but it has absolutely nothing to do with you, okay?"

"And it doesn't have to do with you, either." Jude peeled his eyes away for a moment. "When I asked you who's the baby was, I think I already knew. But…I was…I wanted it to be someone else's. I wanted it to be a stupid mistake you made. I wanted to be mad at you about it."

Callie swallowed back the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry."

"No, I don't want you to be sorry." Jude shook his head, knitting his eyebrows together. "I yelled at you to take my anger out and it wasn't right. And this is why I hate myself for doing that because no matter what happens to you, you are always thinking about someone else."

"I don't want you to hate yourself. I'm not mad at you. I was hurt because I love you so much and you accepting this would mean the world to me, but I get why you got mad. And you have every right to be mad about what has happened to us." Callie gave his hand a gentle squeeze. It amazed her at how much he had grown. He was no longer a little kid, clinging to her for every need.

"I'm mad that you were forced into a pregnancy, but I promise that I will love her." Jude said before a small smile found his lips. "I'm going to be an uncle."

Callie exchanged the smile and pulled him into an embrace. Relief washed over her that he finally came around. She pressed a ginger kiss to his hairline. "Yes, you are."

Thanks for reading! I apologize for the delay. Unfortunately, my Lyme symptoms returned after finishing the antibiotics and so I'm on another course, which again is messing with my head. I haven't been very happy with my writing lately, but I want to get something out to you guys. Also, I forgot to mention last chapter that AllyCallie gave me the idea for Robert to tell Stef and Lena about the pregnancy; just wanted to give them a shout out. Next Callie stops hiding the pregnancy and Robert makes an appearance. Review!