Chapter 25

"Please help me. Vico took me to Wyatt's old house. I'm locked in a room and I bit his lip and he's really angry." Callie spoke quickly and quietly, her voice shaking with fear. Her heart started beating even faster when she heard his footsteps approaching. "Oh god he's coming back. He doesn't know I have my phone. I have to hang up."

"I'm on my way." Brandon was already in his car, putting the car into drive. "I'm going to call mom."

"I love you." She whispered before hanging up quickly and sliding the phone into her pocket. She flinched when the door flew open and Vico stomped towards her. She could swear she heard her heart beating.

He pushed her into the wall and held her hands above her head. He pulled her shorts down again, popping the button off and sending it to the floor with a gentle click. Callie let out a cry as she thrashed against him. He thrust his hand in between her thighs and brought his mouth to her ear. "If you ever do something like that again I will make sure your baby doesn't make it out of here alive. That's a promise."

Callie closed her eyes as hot tears oozed out of them, carving a path down her cheek. What scared her most was that she knew he would keep the promise if she didn't obey. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't be the cause of her daughter's endangerment.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. A sob ripped through her throat as she felt his hand against her. She squeezed her eyes shut in attempt to distant herself from the horrible situation. She tried to think of lying in Brandon's arms, the smell of Lena's freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, the sound of Jude's laugh- anything to take her away from now. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn't keep her thoughts off Vico and his rough hands. Her control was being stripped away once again.

"Callie!"

Callie's eyes shot open at the sound of Brandon's desperate voice. She released the breath she was holding in. Relief flooded her. He was here. He was going to save her.

"Callie!" His voice grew louder and closer.

Vico was livid. He pulled away from Callie, an evil glint in his eyes. "Your little boyfriend wants to be the hero?"

Callie swallowed nervously as she watched him move to towards the door. He threw it open furiously.

"Callie!" Brandon ran down the hall and towards the bedroom.

Callie pulled up her shorts and started for the door. "Brandon."

Vico turned and pushed Callie to the floor before he stood in the doorway, blocking Brandon's access.

"Get away from her and get out of my way." Brandon growled through clenched teeth.

"Relax man. I don't mind sharing her. I'll give you a turn if…"

Brandon pulled a can of mace out from behind his back and sprayed it in Vico's eyes. Vico let out a pained shout as he bent over, covering his eyes with his hand. Brandon kneed him in the stomach and pushed him against the wall hard. Vico's head bounced against the wall, before he tumbled to the floor in a haze.

Brandon kneeled down to Callie, gathering her trembling body into his arms. She sobbed into his shoulder, gripping onto his shirt so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. He pressed a ginger kiss to her head, rocking her gently. "Shh, I've got you now. You're safe."

"Police!" Stef's voice boomed throughout the house.

Callie flinched, burying her head further into Brandon's shirt. "It's okay. It's just Mom."

He held onto her tighter, never wanting to let her go. The time spent trying to find her was excruciating. She had texted him telling him she was waiting by the car and when he didn't find her there he knew something was wrong. He called and texted her countless times He was opening his mother's contact in his phone to ask her to track Callie's phone, when Callie had called. He swore his heart stopped when her terrified voice told him she was with Vico. And then she started panicking that he was coming back. Brandon didn't hesitate in throwing his car into park and speeding to Wyatt's old house, probably breaking twenty traffic laws in just five miles. Stef had called him right after Callie had hung up. He didn't have to fill her in as she had heard about Vico's anklet going off and had already tracked Callie's phone. Brandon was closer though. Stef warned him to wait there until the police arrived, but he didn't even consider the option. There was no way he was leaving Callie with that monster for even seconds extra while he waited for the police.

Stef, Mike, and several other police officered entered the room with their weapons drawn. Stef's heart broke when she saw Callie trembling and sobbing in her son's arms. Her eyes moved to Vico who was beginning to gain his bearings. She noticed the red blotches circling Vico's bloodshot eyes and then she found a can of mace sticking out of her son's back pocket. A small smile found her lips. She taught him well.

A moaned left Vico's lips as he rubbed at his burning eyes. Stef clenched her fists by her side. If it weren't for the risk of losing her job or getting arrested, she would have shot him. She turned to Mike, who was already throwing handcuff around a struggling Vico. "Arrest him and get him the hell away from me before I lose my job for killing him."

Another officer helped Mike haul Vico onto his feet as they read him his rights. Vico resisted their grip, gritting his teeth furiously. "You stupid slut! You'll pay for this! I own you, don't you forget that!"

"Shut the hell up!" Mike shouted as he tightened his grip on Vico.

Callie let out a choked sob and curled even further into Brandon's arms. Stef's fury was about to boil over, but she needed to make sure Callie was alright. She slid her gun back into the holster and walked gently towards the frightened girl. "Callie, love, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Callie lifted her head from Brandon's tear soaked shirt and placed a hand on her stomach. "I'm fine. The baby…he pushed me. I need to make sure the baby is okay. She needs to be okay."

Stef noticed a bruise developing beneath Callie's eye and the swollen wrist, painted with black and blue swirls, that rested on her stomach. Her stomach churned. What had he done to her? How did this happen again? "Callie, we're going to take you to the hospital to get you and the baby checked. An ambulance was already called."

The next few minutes were a blur for Callie as Brandon and Stef helped her out of the house and rode in the ambulance with her. She flinched with every poke and prod from the paramedic. Stef was questioning Callie as to what happened, but she just kept shrugging. She couldn't seem to find her words to explain, nor did she really want to. Her mind was clouded with fear, shock, and anxiety for her daughter's health.

When they arrived at the hospital, Stef reluctantly waited in the waiting room, while Brandon stayed with Callie. As much as Stef wanted to stay by the brunette's side, she knew Brandon was who she really needed. And so she found herself pacing the quiet waiting room, glancing at the door every few seconds to check for Lena or Mike's arrival.

Callie held Brandon's hand as the doctor performed an ultrasound. Another doctor was poking at her wrist while the nurse checked her vitals. Callie held her breath as she watched her daughter's image appear on the monitor. The anxiety for her daughter's wellbeing was nearly unbearable. "Is she okay?"

"Heartbeat is strong and steady. Everything looks good." The doctor nodded as she observed the screen on the monitor.

"Thank god." Callie breathed with relief. She felt Brandon press a kiss to the top of her head as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"We need an x-ray on this wrist." The other doctor announced. She looked at the deep bruising around Callie's jaw. "Maybe the jaw too."

Much to Brandon and Callie's dismay, Brandon was asked to leave while they took Callie to get x-rays. He somberly strolled into the waiting room where he found his mothers and father. He was surprised not to see his siblings and wondered if they were even aware to what had happened.

"Hey, B, how's Callie? Did you find anything out?" Stef asked nervously.

"They're taking her for x-rays. They said the ultrasound looks good, that the baby is fine." His voice sounded tired.

The three adults all let out a sigh of relief. Stef closed her eyes for a moment. "Thank god. Did she tell you anything that happened?"

"I mean I haven't gotten the chance to speak with her alone, but by hearing what she told the doctors, he punched her so hard in the jaw that he knocked her out." Brandon gritted his teeth as his mind created images. Brandon knew Vico's wrestling experience made him well aware on how to knock someone out with one punch, and it sickened Brandon. "I guess from there he took her to the house. He…he didn't…rape her again, but he did…I think he touched her."

Stef swallowed thickly. Lena grabbed onto her wife's arm. Mike shifted uncomfortably as he clenched his fists by his side.

"I don't…I don't understand how this happened." Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose as tears sprang to his eyes. "I thought he was wearing an ankle bracelet."

"He cut it off." Mike replied. "The alarms went off, but it was tracked to his home where he had left it, but he obviously was gone already."

"I don't understand why it was so easy for him to do this. He shouldn't have even been out on bail! How is this okay? How am I supposed to convince Callie to trust that justice will be served when something like this happens?" Brandon began to shout, earning several glances from the few people nearby. The three adults had no answer for him because he was right. Brandon dropped into the nearest chair as tears burst from his eyes like water from a dam. He buried his face in his hands. His lashes, heavy with tears, pressed against his cheeks. "It's not fair. It's not fair that bad stuff keeps happening to her. She's so amazing and so selfless and good hearted and she gets nothing in return. She's the strongest person I know and she somehow manages to bounce back from everything, but I don't know how much more she can take."

Stef felt her own tears well in her eyes. She took a seat next to her son and rubbed his back gently. She understood his pain and frustration; she felt it too. "I know, love. You're right. I can assure you that he will be locked up for at least three years just for this stint though. That is guaranteed for breaking more than one of his bail requirements. We already had a strong case and this makes him look even guiltier."

"He's a wrestler. A wrestler." Brandon lifted his head and shook it with utter disgust. "I could barely defend myself again Tommy Walker, who's smaller and has less experience wrestling. How was she supposed to defend herself? She looks like she was used as a punching bag and she's pregnant."

All three adults exchanged glances, wearing a matching expression of revulsion.

"Adams-Foster." One of the doctor's that had been working on Callie called out as she entered the waiting room.

Stef and Brandon sprung to their feet at the sound of the doctor's voice. Stef moved to stand beside Lena, reaching out to take her hand. "How's she doing?"

"Her wrist is indeed broken. Unfortunately, the bone is displaced and will need to be set. It's done nonsurgical, but because she is pregnant we are limited to acetaminophen for pain when this is something we usually use morphine and more for. We'll set it and then keep her in a splint for now until swelling goes down. Once the swelling goes down she may need to be casted. There's also a small hairline fracture in the eye socket, but she's not complaining of any vision problems so that's a good thing. That should heal up on its own. We're also suspecting a minor concussion, but we'd like to avoid doing a scan because of the pregnancy." The doctor explained. "Other than that, she's pretty bruised up and like I said, we unfortunately cannot give her anything but acetaminophen. The baby looks healthy though."

"Will she be able to come home today?" Lena asked. She was relieved that Callie's injuries were minimal.

"Yes. We just have to set her wrist and splint it and then we can discharge her. I'll give you a list of concerning signs you should look for, but she should be fine. She should follow up with an orthopedist and her OB/GYN." She explained. "She was asking for Brandon, but you're all welcome to come back to her room."

Mike stayed behind while Stef, Lena, and Brandon made their way to Callie's room. She sat up on the bed, one hand resting over her stomach as her eyes watched the TV mounted to the wall. She peeled her eyes from the screen as her foster mothers and Brandon entered. The tiniest of smile found her lips as her eyes met Brandon's. She instantly felt safe just being in his presence.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Brandon asked as he strolled towards her bed. He leaned down a pressed a ginger kiss to her hairline. She shrugged, but tears sparkled in her eyes. Brandon frowned as he pushed her curls behind her ear. His stomach turned as he examined the deep hues of blue and purple along her jaw and beneath her eye. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"I'm fine." She replied, but the crack in her voice said otherwise.

"Sweets, putting up walls is not going to stop you from hurting." Stef frowned.

Before Callie had the chance to respond, the doctor returned to the room with a nurse who was dragging a security pole. "Alright Callie, unfortunately it's time to set that bone."

Brandon watched the nurse set up the pole beside Callie's bed. He took Callie's uninjured hand in his as the doctor attached Callie's other hand to pole. Brandon saw a wince flicker across Callie's features. His stomach knotted. He would do anything to switch spots with her right now; to be the one sitting in the hospital bed so she wouldn't have to. He remembered the pain of having his hand set and he had been pumped with heavy painkillers.

"Ready?" The doctor asked.

Callie nodded, inhaling deeply. Brandon pushed her curls back again. "Just look at me, okay?"

Callie met Brandon's eyes as she felt the doctor grip her throbbing wrist. Crushing pain exploded through her entire hand. Stars danced behind her eyelids. She squeezed her eyes shut as her grip on Brandon's hand tightened. She felt the doctor release her hand from the pole. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her stomach churned. She felt hot and cold at the same time. She shifted in the bed as bile rose in her throat. "I'm gonna..."

Brandon grabbed a basin from the nearby shelf and shoved it before Callie just in time for her to vomit into it. He gathered her curls back as she continued to empty the contents of her stomach into the basin. Her body hurled as she spluttered violently.

"Oh love." Stef sighed as she moved closer to Callie's bed beside Brandon. She glanced at the doctor. "Is this normal?"

The doctor frowned. "I'm going to say a combination or pain, pregnancy, and anxiety."

"Can we do something?" Lena asked desperately as the brunette began to dry heave.

Callie finally stopped, collapsing back against the pillows. "I…I think I'm done."

The doctor took Callie's hand back and slipped on the splint. "We can give you an anti-nausea medication if it continues, but I think it was just a short-term reaction."

The nurse held out a cup of water. Callie accepted it with trembling hands and brought it to her dry lips. She took a sip, swooshing it in her mouth and spitting it into the basin. She leaned back against the pillows as the nurse took the basin away. Brandon pushed her hair off her face and leaned down to press a ginger kiss to her forehead. "Can I do something for you?"

"Just don't leave me." She whispered huskily.

His hand found hers again and as the other reached up to brush away the tear that escaped her eye. "I'm not going anywhere."

It took another hour until Callie was discharged from the hospital. She barely uttered a word as she, Brandon, Stef and Lena left the hospital. Brandon helped her into the back of Stef's truck, holding her close after he slipped in next to her. He stroked her back on the way home, feeling helpless. He hated that she was suffering in more ways than one and there was nothing he could do to help. He knew his presence comforted her, but he wanted to do more.

When they entered the house, Jude, Jesus, and Mariana bombarded them at the front door. Each of them sputtered questions. Brandon knew his mothers must have filled them in on what had happened.

"Woah, guys give Callie some space. She's had a rough day and we need to be conscious of that." Stef began, noting the glistening layer in Callie's eyes. "She's home and safe now. And it's late now. I'm sure she would like to get to bed."

Callie was grateful for Stef's intervention. She knew they all meant well, but she couldn't handle answering questions right now.

"Can Callie stay with me tonight?" Brandon asked as he kept his hand intertwined with her uninjured one. He knew she needed him and he knew it was going to be a rough night for her. She would most likely wake up from a nightmare and make her way into his room as she so often did anyway.

Stef glanced at Lena, who nodded. The rules they had for their other children with their partners didn't quite apply to Callie and Brandon, given the circumstances. They knew the concern of sex wasn't a factor right now for the two, as it was for their other children. "Yes, that's fine."

Brandon helped Callie up the stairs and into her bedroom to get her pajamas. He grabbed a pair for her and they made their way into Brandon's room. She stared at the clothes in her hands for a moment. "I…I want to take a shower, but I don't think I can change on my own. My wrist is really sore. Can you maybe get Stef or Lena?"

Brandon nodded. He took a step towards her and pressed a kiss to her hairline. "I'll be right back."

Callie felt her heart quicken as she watched Brandon leave. She wondered if she would ever feel safe again. Brandon returned shortly with Lena trailing behind him. She offered Callie a warm smile as she took the pair of pajamas from the young girl. "Let's take you to the bathroom. I'll help you with everything."

Callie followed her into the bathroom. "I think I can shower on my own. I don't need to wash my hair, but I need help changing."

Lena knew the girl's need to shower was an attempt of ridding herself of the dirty feeling Vico left her with. She knew Callie had already taken a shower before school and it was rare for her to take a second one. She moved to the shower and turned on the water. She then turned to Callie. "Okay, I'm going to start with your shirt."

Callie nodded, flinching when Lena's hands grasped the hem of her shirt. Lena gently pulled it over her head, taking caution with her wrist. Callie inhaled sharply when Lena's fingers moved to the button on her shorts. She grasped Lena's hand with her right one to stop her as panic erupted in her stomach. "N-no. Stop."

Lena held her hands up. "It's just me, Callie. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't apologize, bug. Keep your eyes on me, okay?" Lena said as she reached for the button again. "It's just me. I'm not going to hurt you. You're home and safe."

Callie kept her eyes glued to Lena as the older woman unbutton her shorts and gently tugged them down. She fought hard to keep herself from seeing Vico and Liam. Lena winced when she saw the bruising on Callie's thighs. Callie turned and Lena caught sight of the bruising to her back. "If you can just unclip my bra, I think I can do the rest until I get out of the shower."

"Okay, make sure you don't move that wrist when you take the splint off. I'll wait right outside the bathroom and I'll come back in when I hear the water turn off."

Callie nodded. She flinched again when she felt Lena's hands unclipping her bra. She tried to stay present, but her mind kept flashing back to the woods. She waited until the door closed to slip off her bra, underwear, and splint. She carefully stepped into the shower, letting the hot water splash against her sore body. She used her uninjured hand to scrub at her body. Tears dribbled down her cheeks. The feeling was so familiar; not being able to rid herself of the dirtiness. Eventually, she turned the water off, knowing Lena was waiting outside. She grabbed her towel, quickly dried herself, and wrapped it around her body before Lena came back it. Callie reached for the splint and slipped it back onto her swollen and bruised wrist.

Lena helped Callie into her pajamas. Helping Callie into clothes seemed easier for her than taking them off, but she was still tense and flinched at nearly every touch.

"Goodnight, my love. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to get me or mom." Lena said as she walked with Callie back to Brandon's room. She pressed a kiss to the brunette's head. "Try to get some sleep. I love you."

"Goodnight, love you too." Callie whispered before she entered Brandon's room.

Brandon was already waiting in his bed having used his mothers' bathroom to get ready for bed while Callie was showering. She crawled into the bed beside him and curled against him, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, his fingers dancing in her wet hair. He couldn't help but think that all the progress Callie had made since the winter ball had been ruined today. "I'm here to talk if you want, Callie."

"I just don't know how much more I can take." She whispered as she traced random patterns on Brandon's chest.

Brandon closed his eyes for a moment. His heart physically ached at the pain in Callie's voice. "Hopefully this is it."

"I thought once I found a safe home I would be safe, but I guess I was wrong." Tears glistened in her eyes. "I just feel so dirty."

"You're not, Callie. This wasn't your fault and you shouldn't be ashamed. He is the one who should feel ashamed." Brandon said softly. "Can I ask what he did today?"

"He…he tried to…but he didn't." Her voice shook. "He…got my shorts and underwear off and t-touched me."

Brandon felt her tears splashing onto his shirt. He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Her body began to tremble as she cried harder. He traced gentle patterns on her back, letting her cry into his chest. There were no words to make this better, but he knew his presence comforted her. And so he let her cry for what seemed like hours, while he held her close and whispered soothing words, until finally her breathing evened out. It wasn't until he was sure she was asleep that he let his own body succumb to sleep, preparing for the multiple nightmares Callie was almost guaranteed to wake up from.

Thanks for reading! Review!