Here is the next installment. I really put Callie through the ringer. The story is about to have a couple twists. Read and Review! Amber

Chapter 23

Callie was vacuuming the baby's room the next morning. She turned the vacuum off and heard her father's voice. She cringed and turned on the vacuum but she could still hear him. 'I wish you'd never been born.'

Callie felt sick and ran to the bathroom and threw up. She just hoped that nobody was hearing her. A knock on the bathroom door crushed that.

"Callie are you okay?"

Her father's voice was whispering to her again. She tried to answer Joe but couldn't form the words. Instead she covered her ears and started sobbing.

Joe could hear her crying in the bathroom. He opened the door a fraction and saw her on the floor covering her ears, crying, and rocking back and forth. Alarmed he rushed in. "Callie?"

"I...I.."

Joe yelled for his brother. "Frank! Get up here!"

Frank came up carrying the baby. "What's…" Then he saw his wife. "Take her." He handed the baby over to Joe and rushed to his wife. "Callie, honey what's wrong."

"I'm...I'm...my dad."

Frank was confused. "Honey your dad is in jail. He isn't here babe."

Joe was watching Callie, the way she was holding her ears. Something clicked. "Callie are you hearing his voice in your head?"

Callie cried louder. "Yes...not...stopping. Please…make...stop."

Frank helped Callie off the floor. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

Callie asked. "They… think...I crazy."

Frank soothed her. "No honey you're not. You just need help right now."

Fenton Hardy stepped into the room. "There you guys are. What's wrong."

Joe took his father out. "She's having auditory hallucinations. She can't communicate well at all. It came on so sudden."

Fenton paled. "We need to get her to the hospital."

"Frank's trying to convince her to go."

Fenton hurried back into the room. Frank had moved her from the bathroom to the bed. She was trembling in his arms. He lowered himself to her level. "Callie honey, it's going to be alright. But you need to come with us."

Callie sobbed. "I...weak."

Fenton soothed her. "Honey you're not weak. You're one of the bravest people I know. This isn't your fault. Let's get you to the hospital."

Callie let her tears fall. "Frank…"

"I love you Callie. It will be okay."

"Brooke?"

Joe said. "I've got her Callie."

"Can't stand it. Bad dream I about him. Dreamt hurt Brooke."

Fenton helped Callie to her feet. "He can't hurt you or Brooke now. Let's get you to the car. Joe get Laura to pack her bag and then bring it to the hospital."

Fenton drove as Callie and Frank sat in the back. He glanced back at her. She seemed okay for the moment. Callie put her head on Frank's chest. She whispered. "I'm sorry."

Frank kissed her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

They pulled up to Bayport Psychiatric Center. Frank helped Callie out of the car. She sobbed. She knew this was a psych hospital, and didn't want to go. Her father's voice had stopped. Maybe it was a weird dream? No it hadn't been a dream, she had been vacuuming. She trembled. Then she felt Frank hold her a little tighter. They went inside the hospital together.

Joe was feeding Brooke a bottle. She was such a good baby. His mother came back from the store. She was carrying grocery bags. Joe said. "Mom I'll get them in a few minutes."

"Where is Frank, Callie, and Fenton?"

Joe knew this wasn't going to go well but didn't have a choice. "Mom, they took Callie to the Bayport Psychiatric Center. She started hearing her father's voice in her head, it scared her. She was having trouble communicating, and she hasn't been sleeping much."

Laura sucked in the breath. "Postpartum psychosis. It's rare but does happen, given what she's been through I'm not surprised."

"It was awful mom. I found her crying on the floor holding her ears. We need to pack her a bag and get it to the hospital."

Laura nodded. "I'll go get the groceries out of the car. Then I will get her things together."

Joe kissed Brooke on the forehead. "You just got me out of grocery duty kiddo." He pulled back the bottle, saw how much she ate and put her over his shoulder to burp her. When she did burp she also spit up some. Joe scowled. "Serves me right for gloating."

Brooke finished her bottle. Joe changed her and put her in the pack-n-play for her nap. He saw his mother come down the stairs with a bag. He lifted it and took it out to the van. He called his father. "How is she?"

Callie and Frank were in a room waiting for the doctor. There was a small window where she could be watched. Callie didn't like it. "I feel like they're watching me."

Frank was sitting on the bed beside her. "They just want to help you sweetie."

Callie wiped a tear away bitterly. "Why is this happening to me? I should be over the moon. Not having a stupid breakdown." Then his voice started again. Callie held her ears and started sobbing.

A man came in. "Hello Callie, I'm Dr. Mark the attending psychiatrist here." He stopped. "Did this just start?" He asked Frank.

"I think today. They stopped for a bit but now they're back. She has terrible mood swings, in constant fear, she cleans the whole house every day, she doesn't sleep. After an episode like this she can't communicate well. She's going to be so disappointed if she can't go to Harvard in January."

Dr. Mark was looking at his watch and digesting everything her husband said. When Callie stopped rocking and crying he introduced himself again. "Callie. I'm Dr. Mark and I'm here to help you."

Callie was trembling and she buried her face in Frank's chest. Her tears returning full force.

"Tell me what just happened?"

"I...dad...wish not born. I stupid." Callie answered.

He sat in a chair. "You aren't anything of the kind. I hear you are going to Harvard in January."

"Can?"

"Of course, I'm going to give you some treatment, what you have is a condition called postpartum psychosis. It happens in 1 and 1000 births. It's onset is sudden, usually within the first two weeks of delivery. It's also temporary. Now based on my conversation with you and Frank, you're having auditory hallucinations, mood swings, paranoia, hyperactivity, not sleeping, and trouble communicating at times. Have you had any strange beliefs or delusions?"

Callie tried to say no but her mouth wasn't working again. She shook her head in the negative.

He smiled at her. "Okay. We're going to admit you here, you'll be here probably for at least a ten days maybe a little longer. I'll start you on some medications that we will wean you off of over the next six months to a year okay."

Callie wiped another tear away. "I scared."

"I know but we are all here to help you. You have great family support from what I can see."

Fenton Hardy and Joe came into the room. Joe lifted the bag. "I brought you some things."

Callie couldn't look at them. "Thanks."

Callie was currently coloring a picture. She was soooo bored. She wanted to get out of here. It had been six days and she was feeling much better. She hadn't heard her fathers voice today. She wanted to get home to her baby. Today's visitation was about to start, Frank came every time without fail, usually accompanied by one of his parents, Joe and sometimes Vanessa or another of their friends. The doors opened and Frank came in followed by Rick and Ginny. Callie beamed at them. She kissed Frank and hugged Patrick and Ginny. "Thanks for coming."

Patrick smiled at her. "You're welcome. I wanted to come sooner but school stuff."

"I understand. What do you have behind your back?"

Patrick smiled. "It's a deck of cards. I bought them for you. Put your name on them."

Callie smiled. "Thanks! Can we play spades?"

Ginny squeezed her hand. "You bet! Rick and I are going to crush you and Frank."

Frank raised his eyebrows. "Not a chance." They sat at a table and began to play.

Callie put down the ace of diamonds. "So how was Boston College's pre college orientation?"

Ginny put down the three of diamonds. "We love it! Rick and I are so excited. We still plan on medical school. We met another couple who are also from New York, they want to be psychiatrists. They said they were looking to move to Kirkland once they graduate."

Callie looked hopeful. "That is very good. There is a shortage everywhere for psych doctors. Dr. Mark said that just yesterday."

Callie put down the six of clubs. Frank put down his ace of clubs. "So have you talked to anyone?"

Callie shrugged. "A little." She pointed. "Mainly to the nursing staff, and I engage the others in group therapy and crafts. I painted a picture on a small canvas two days ago. It's finished drying. I want you to give it to your dad Rick."

She hurried off and came back a minute later with a modern painting. It had circles, triangles, and numbers all over it on a green back ground.

Rick took it. "Wow Callie that's cool!"

"We get to go to the craft center again tomorrow and Monday I'm planning on painting again. This one took me three days to work on."

"The numbers go through 75."

"Yeah, that's the number of times I had heard my fathers voice from the start until I finished the painting. I haven't heard him today. So far."

Patrick nodded. "I'll be sure he gets it. He loves paintings like this. It's really modern, he'll love it!"

They finished their game. Callie and Frank won by ten points. Patrick looked at his watch. "We have to go. Sorry we can't stay. But she has to meet her parents and brother. It's a family meeting thing."

Callie hugged them both. "Thanks for the cards. I'll call you."

Ginny said. "Please anytime."

Callie moved next to Frank and gave him a kiss. "How's Brooke?"

Frank pulled out a picture. "She's doing well. I brought you this."

It was a picture of him and Brooke sitting on the porch swing. "Oh Frank thank you! I'll put it on my dresser. She's so beautiful."

"Just like her mother."

Callie sighed at the picture. "She's a perfect combination of the two of us isn't she?"

"She got my hair, chin, and nose. She has your eyes and cheeks Cal, and your feet and hands."

"I love that."

"She had another checkup and shots yesterday. She's charting in the 3rd percentile at the moment."

"She's doomed to be petite like me."

"Hey, you're perfect. I like the fact that I can pick you up and carry you anywhere."

Callie chuckled and squeezed his hand with both of hers. "That is a plus I guess."

The nurse came over. "Visiting hours are over."

Frank nodded. 'Yes ma'am." He stood up and pulled Callie into a hug and kissed her. "See you tomorrow."

*****Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency. If you have any of the symptoms as outlined in this chapter and below go to the nearest emergency room!*****

Signs and symptoms may include:

Confusion and disorientation

Obsessive thoughts about your baby

Hallucinations and delusions

Sleep disturbances

Excessive energy and agitation

Paranoia

Attempts to harm yourself or your baby

Postpartum psychosis may lead to life-threatening thoughts or behaviors and requires immediate treatment.