Chapter 38
Stef departed from the kitchen at the sound of the front door clicking open. Brandon and Callie entered the house wearing matching smiles. Stef's own lips curved into a grin at the sight of the brunette's happiness. She just hoped she wasn't about to ruin it. "Hey, guys. How was the zoo?"
"Awesome." Brandon beamed.
Callie nodded as she pulled off her sweater. "I can't believe it's taken me seventeen years to go to a zoo."
Brandon threw his arm around Callie's shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Disneyland is next."
"I need to talk to you, Callie." Stef moved to sit on the chair, motioned Callie to follow.
Callie and Brandon exchanged glances before taking a seat side by side on the couch. The anxiety that had been absent for the majority of the day returned. Those words usually followed with bad news and a million possibilities began to swarm Callie's mind. She hesitantly met the blonde's eyes. "What's up?"
"Nothing bad." Stef began, watching Callie's posture relax ever so slightly. "Liam and Vico's sentence hearings are next week and they want you to give a statement."
Callie was silent for a moment. "What does that require?"
"You don't have to say what happened or prove anything anymore. It's more about how what they did impacted you. Why they should be put away maximum time."
"Does she have to do it?" Brandon asked. Callie had made progress in the week following the trial. She'd seemed more at ease. Brandon had planned a day at the San Diego Zoo, knowing Callie had never been. She was genuinely happy. The fun day allowed her to be distracted from all the trauma, even if it had just been for a few hours. The idea had been to plan more adventures to get her out, to give her something to look forward to, to attempt to replace awful memories with fun, happy ones. But now his mother was presenting them with something that could easily set her healing process back.
"No." Stef shook her head. "But doing so would help put them away longer."
Callie let out a long breath. "Do I have to see them?"
Stef frowned as she nodded. "Yes. But they'd have no chance of hurting you. They'll be cuffed and there will be officers and lawyers and the judge."
Callie fiddled with the bracelet decorating her wrist. She thought she was done with them. She thought once they were convicted, they would be thrown in jail and that would be it. But now Stef was throwing a curveball, presenting her with another hurdle in this seemingly endless nightmare. There was no choice. It shouldn't have been a surprise because there never was a choice in her life. Stef was telling her it wasn't mandatory, but if she failed to give a statement, it could reduce the time her abusers spent locked up. She needed to do everything in her power to keep them in prison for as long as possible. It was the only way to stay safe.
"Cal?" Brandon watched his girlfriend cautiously, who seemed to be silent for too long.
Callie reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. "What am I supposed to say?"
"How you've been affected by all of this, how your family was affected. Specifically, the injuries you suffered that have had lasting effects, your nightmares, how you feel, the problems or obstacles you have because of this."
Callie pinched the bridge of her nose. This was a lot to take in. She knew as well as Brandon and Stef that sharing her feelings with the people she loved was not her strength. Now she was being asked to spill her heart to strangers and the very two people that hurt her the worst.
Brandon reached into her lap to take her hand in his, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at Brandon before looking back at Stef. "Do I have to go alone?"
"Absolutely not." Stef shook her head. "You can have whoever you want there. Me and Mama, Brandon."
Callie let out a shaky breath. "Okay. I guess I'll do it."
"At this time, I invite the victim, Callie Jacob to give a statement."
Brandon gave Callie's hand a gentle squeeze before reluctantly releasing it. He watched as she nervously made her way to the stand. Part of him thought this could be good for her. It was forcing her to open up, which was clearly difficult for her. But part of him was worried that this could have adverse effects.
Callie let out a shaky breath as she stood at the podium. "Thank you, your honor. I want you to consider the repercussions Liam Olmstead and Vico Cerar's actions have had on my life and the life of my loved ones as you contemplate their sentences. I was fifteen when Liam first hurt me. He wanted to have sex. I told him I wasn't ready. Because I wasn't. I didn't want to lose my virginity at fifteen with someone I didn't love. But he didn't care. He held me down, covered my mouth while I begged him to stop, and raped me. I didn't have anyone looking out for me then. I didn't know to go to the hospital to collect evidence. Nobody had ever listened to my side of the story at that point. And so, I was forced to deal with it on my own. When the Fosters found out and tried to help me press charges, there was no evidence.
"I was still healing from that trauma when I was raped again. This time by Liam and Vico. This time much more violently." Callie paused for a moment. "They threw me around like a ragdoll. Beat me when I tried to escape. Shouted demeaning words at me. I fought and begged and cried but they each took their turn with me not caring about my wants or how much pain they were inflicting. Their goal was to inflict pain, emotional, and physical. They got off on my pain, on their ability to overpower me. I'm pretty sure my tears motivated them further."
By the slight quiver in Callie's voice, Brandon knew she was swallowing back tears. It was taking everything in him to not lunge for the two monsters Callie was addressing.
"I don't know how long the assault actually lasted. My guess is around an hour. But it felt like a lifetime. Every second was agonizing. When they were done, they left me. They used my body to assert their power, to get revenge, to purposely cause me pain. They used me for sex and then they left me in those dark woods beaten to a pulp. Not before threatening for me to keep my mouth shut. I thought I was going to die in those woods. I honestly don't know how, but I found my way out of them.
"I spent a week in the hospital. If I had arrived at the hospital ten minutes later, I would have been dead. I was in an incredible amount of physical pain that lasted for months. I'm grateful I was unconscious for the rape kit, but I wasn't when the doctors had to do multiple checks on the stitches for the vaginal lacerations. It was like reliving it all over again." Callie shuddered at the memory. "There were so many reminders in the hospital beside the fact that I was stuck there because of what happened. The countless questions about what happened, the different checks on my injuries, the catheter that I had to be on for the first few days, the STD testing, taking emergency contraception."
Stef felt her stomach clench as she thought back to the agonizing night following the intake of the emergency contraception.
"Of course, I got sick from that. So sick that I spent hours throwing up. Throwing up with four fractured ribs while recovering from a collapsed lung is something no one should ever have to experience. I obviously didn't absorb the medication because I found myself pregnant a few weeks later." Callie shifted in her seat as she recalled the excruciating two minutes that she paced the supermarket bathroom while she waited for the results of the pregnancy test. It seemed like a million years ago, yet she could still smell the bleach, still hearing the gentle buzz of the fan. "Pregnant at sixteen by one of the two guys that raped me. It took me so long to process that only my boyfriend, best friend, and mentor knew for the first five months. I fell in love with her. My daughter, Melody. I didn't think of her biology. She was mine. And I am so extremely lucky to have a wonderful boyfriend who stood by me, who loved Melody as if she were his, who took on the role of father. We both fell in love with her. My family fell in love with her."
Anxiety swam in the pit of Brandon's stomach as he watched Callie fall silent for a moment. Tears sparkled in her eyes and he knew she was barely holding it together. Telling Melody's story was always heart-wrenching.
"And then Vico attacked me again. I was told I was safe, even with him out on bail. He was on house arrest, was wearing an anklet, wasn't supposed to come anywhere near me. But he came after me when I was seven months pregnant. I guess I was lucky enough to get in touch with my boyfriend before he had the chance to rape me again, which had been his intention- he was seeking revenge because I had opened my mouth. But he hit me multiple times, touched me, and pushed me more than once which led me to fall. I had a broken cheekbone and my wrist, which was still healing from the first attack, was broken again. At the time they thought the baby was healthy. But…" Callie swallowed thickly as she tried to gather herself. She would give anything to go back to that day and insist on further testing. "There was a small tear in the placenta as a result of one of the falls. It went undetected and continued to tear more and more until it abrupted.
"Giving birth to a stillborn is a pain like no other. I will never, ever forget the nurse telling me she couldn't find a heartbeat while I was in excruciating pain. And as physically painful as that experience was, it doesn't even compare to the pain of the heartbreak. Giving birth to your baby that you already know is dead is the hardest thing. Labor and delivery are hard and painful. Any woman who's given birth knows that. But most women have the motivation of meeting their baby. All that pain and exhaustion is gone when you hold your child. But I didn't have that motivation. In fact, I knew once I pushed her out that it was truly over. And when the delivery part was over, my pain wasn't gone. It just got worse." Callie wiped away the tear that escaped her eye. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to tell Melody's story without crying. "I almost died that day too. I was hemorrhaging severely. If I had been under any other doctor's care, I probably would have had a hysterectomy, but I was lucky enough to have a doctor who cared and made sure she would do everything in her power to avoid that. It still isn't a guarantee I'll be able to conceive naturally in the future.
"I had to relive the heartbreak when I woke up from surgery and realized it hadn't been a nightmare. I was able to spend time with Melody. My boyfriend and I spent hours holding her, dressing her. The hospital set us up with a company that does a photography session for stillborns. You dream about the moment you first hold your baby. You see the magical moment on commercials and tv or read about it. Never once do you think you'll be crying with unbearable grief as you hold your lifeless daughter."
Tears sprang to Brandon's eyes as he watched his girlfriend squeeze her eyes shut for a moment as silent tears dribbled down her cheeks. His mother reached over to rest a comforting hand on his leg. When he glanced over at her, he could see her own eyes glazed with unshed tears. They all felt Callie's pain and they could only hope the judge saw it too.
"I'd be dealing with the trauma of the rape and now I had to mourn the death of my baby. My sweet, beautiful Melody died because of Vico. He didn't intentionally kill her. But him pushing me multiple times led to my death. I was seven months pregnant and he used me as a punching bag. He didn't care if he hurt the baby or not. I spent so much time blaming myself. I felt like a failure. My job as a mother was to protect her and I couldn't do that. And to this day I question if she would be here if I didn't fight against him or if I'd insisted on running more tests at the hospital. But the truth is, Vico is to blame. If I hadn't fallen as a result of him pushing me more than once, I have no doubt that I would have a happy, healthy little girl at home right now." Callie wiped at her dampened cheeks. That thought alone caused her heart to ache; she would do anything to make that scenario true. "I hit rock bottom after losing Melody. I'd hit such a low point that I almost swallowed a bottle full of strong painkillers because the emotional pain was so unbearable. Pain from losing Melody. Pain from having no control of my life, of my body. Pain from feeling so worthless, so shameful and guilty and disgusted with myself."
Stef and Lena exchanged glances at the information Callie received. This was news to them, but when they looked over at Brandon, it was clear he was already aware of this.
"I apologize for talking for so long, but the consequences Liam and Vico have caused on my life are extensive and even with all I've said, it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of how they've changed my life. I'm asking you to consider a maximum sentence. Vico came after me once before and I have no doubt they would both try it when released from prison. Or possibly hurting someone else. They're dangerous, violent, and have no boundaries or remorse. My life will never be the same because of them. I've had ongoing issues with my wrist from them breaking it twice. My shoulder bothers me from time to time from having it forcefully popped out. I have scars. I have nightmares and panic attacks and flashbacks. I see their faces on strangers. I'm constantly checking my surroundings. Something as simple as a smell or a sound can be a trigger. I become panicked when a male I don't know gets too close to me. I have trust issues, even with myself. I will most likely have trouble getting pregnant in the future. I'm…struggling to be intimate with my boyfriend. If I didn't know Brandon before this, if he hadn't shown me love before this, I have no doubt that I would struggle to date period. And I'm lucky enough to have him stand by me through this time because most people wouldn't. I've come a long way, but I still deal with self-blame, guilt, insecurity. These are feelings that have and will continue to lessen with time, but I don't think they'll ever truly go away. Although most of the medical bills were covered by insurance or that state while I was still in foster care, there's been a financial impact with the different therapy programs I'm in, medical bills that aren't covered by insurance. I'd invested in maternity clothes, baby necessities, setting up a baby nursery which I didn't end up needing because of Vico. My family has been impacted as well. They've been more helpful and supportive than they know, but it has been hard for them watching me suffer. They've felt helpless, they've felt traumatized themselves, they felt the loss of Melody.
"I'm seventeen years old in my senior year of high school. I should be focusing on applying to colleges, on completing the senior project my school requires. I should be hanging out with friends, attending school events or clubs. My worries should be about my schoolwork and what college I will get into. But I haven't even begun to think about college. My worries have been much larger. Instead of enjoying the end of my high school career, I'm recovering from trauma and mourning the loss of my daughter." Callie paused for a moment before finally looking at Liam and Vico. "You two broke me. You made me feel hopeless and worthless and insecure and shameful. You broke me but not in a way that's unrepairable. And now I get to pick up the pieces. I get to heal. I get to live my life while you two rot in prison. You took my control away. You took my power away. But now I'm taking it back."
A small smile found Brandon's lips. The strength she possessed continued to amaze him and right now he couldn't be prouder of her.
A slight, gracious smile stretched her lips as she moved her gaze towards the judge. "Thank you for letting me give my statement, your honor."
"Thank you, Miss. Jacob." The judge said as Callie began to return to her seat. "That was very helpful."
Callie let out a breath as she claimed her seat beside Brandon. His hand instantly reached into her lap for her hand and intertwined their fingers. Her legs felt like jelly and she still felt her body trembling, but Brandon's touch somehow managed to slightly ease the anxiety.
She couldn't focus as the judge began to recount the charges Liam and Vico were facing. All she wanted to know was how long they were going to be behind bars; how long she was going to be safe. It had taken the exact moment the verdict was released to believe that she actually won the case and now her anxiety was torturing her again, convincing her that they wouldn't be in jail for long.
"...on those counts the defendant Liam Olmstead shall serve a term of 15 years in prison and the defendant Vico Cerar shall serve a term of 20 years in prison."
A breath of relief left Callie's lips as her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. Now it was truly over.
Callie's stomach knotted when she saw Stef and Lena sitting in the living room when she and Brandon entered the house. The young couple stopped for their celebratory milkshakes following the hearing while the rest of the family went home. It was clear Stef and Lena were waiting for them and Callie feared the reason for it.
"Come sit, love. We want to talk to you." Stef said as she smiled warmly at the two teenagers.
Callie swallowed thickly as she glanced at her boyfriend. She hesitated for a moment before claiming a seat on the couch. Brandon took the seat beside her.
"We want to start by saying how proud of you we are. For the way that you've dealt with all of this. We know it couldn't have been easy to say what you did up there today." Lena said as she kept her eyes on the young brunette. "You really showed your strength up there today."
"But Mama and I also found some things out today and we're concerned." Stef spoke up as she watched Callie shift slightly. "You tried to kill yourself?"
Callie let out a long breath as both women stared at her, waiting for an explanation. "Not intentionally. I mean that's probably not the right word. It was a couple of weeks after Melody died. I was just taking my normal dose of the painkillers and I just...had this moment, this thought of taking the whole bottle. I wasn't thinking in my head that I wanted to die. I just wanted the pain to stop."
Brandon reached into Callie's lap for her hand. The panic that struck every inch of his body when he saw the large handful of pills in her hand was something he would never forget.
"What stopped you?" Lena asked softly.
"Brandon." Callie said as she looked at the curly-haired boy beside her. The gratefulness she continued to have for him would never cease to amaze her. "He walked in after I poured the bottle into my hand."
Stef inhaled sharply before exchanging glances with Lena. The same thought was haunting their mind; if Brandon hadn't walked in the young girl may not be sitting before them right now. That thought was suffocating and somehow the two of them had been oblivious to the fact that those dangerous thoughts had ever existed in Callie.
"I'm not suicidal." Callie attempted to reassure the two women who were clearly disturbed by this news. "I never thought about it since that one day. That was rock bottom for me. Brandon convinced me to go back to therapy and start all the other programs."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Stef breathed, looking mostly at her son.
"I asked Brandon not too." Callie immediately defended her boyfriend. "Everyone was already tiptoeing around me. Treating me like I would break at any given second. And with good reason. But I couldn't handle adding to it. I knew if you guys knew it would be constant worrying, constant checking in. I was trying to save not only myself from that but you guys too."
"I knew she really didn't mean it or I would have told you despite what she was asking. I kept a close eye on her anyway." Brandon added.
"I'm sorry that we treated you that way." Lena frowned, but Callie shook her head.
"I don't want you to apologize. I was ready to break at any given second." Callie looked down at her hands for a moment before hesitantly meeting Stef and Lena's concerned eyes. "It was my lowest point. My weakest moment. I didn't want to rehash it. I wanted to just move on. And I didn't want to cause you guys any more worry or stress."
"Love, I understand not telling us because you wanted to move on. But please don't ever not tell us something because you don't want us to worry." Stef said, earning a nod of agreement from her wife. "It's our job to worry as parents. And I can assure you that we worry even if you didn't get us a reason."
"Okay. I'll try to remember that." Callie said.
A small smile found Stef's lips. This was progress. Normally Callie would continue to argue or shrug them off, but this time she was actually promising an attempt.
"Was that it?" Callie asked.
Lena clasped her hands together as she looked at her wife. "There's one more thing we wanted to discuss."
"We uh…we assumed you two were having sex, but we found out today that you're struggling with that." Stef watched both teenagers fidget as looks of discomfort crossed their faces.
"Mom, really?" Brandon let out an uncomfortable laugh.
"We just want you to feel comfortable coming to us if you need." Lena cut in. "We want you to know, Callie, that sex and rape are not the same thing."
Stef noted the way Callie grimaced at the word rape. "Yes. Not that we're encouraging you to have sex. But we're aware that you guys are older and in a serious relationship. We want you to know that sex shouldn't leave you feeling dirty or ashamed. It shouldn't be painful. Like Mama said, what you went through was not what adult intimacy is like."
Callie fidgeted in her seat or the umpteenth time. "I know."
"Okay, that's all. Just know we're here to listen if you want to talk. Even if it's about something like that." Lena smiled warmly at the young girl.
"Thank you." Callie whispered.
Stef grabbed her phone from the coffee table as she stood. "Well, I think we should celebrate so why don't we order some pizzas? We'll have an Adams-Foster Family Pizza Party. Maybe followed by a round of Monopoly?"
"Why? You feel like losing tonight?" Lena smirked.
Stef let out a dramatized gasp as she froze in her steps and spun to face her wife. "Oh, you're on."
Brandon placed a hand on Callie's leg as he laughed at the two women. "If you both want to lose, pull out Scrabble. Callie will kick all our butts."
Stef turned again, this time to face her eldest son and his girlfriend. "Oh really? You have some secret Scrabble skills?"
"The two times I've made the mistake playing against her, she obliterated me." Brandon threw his arm around Callie's shoulder and pressed a kiss to her head.
"Well, we'll have to see for ourselves." Stef raised an eyebrow at the younger brunette before she started for the kitchen. "Go tell your brothers and sister pizza party and Scrabble in an hour."
Brandon watched Lena follow his mother into the kitchen. He turned his head to meet Callie's eyes. "You doing alright?"
Callie smiled as she nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm actually doing better than I've felt in a while."
"That's good to hear." Brandon leaned forward to plant a soft kiss to Callie's lips. He stood and took her head. "Let's go tell everyone about Adams-Foster Family Fun Night."
Hope you enjoyed!