Stef started to wipe Callie down, and Lena kept changing the cloth on her forehead while soothing Callie to try and get her to sleep, as Callie started to shiver from the cold. Both Stef and Lena kept trying to comfort her. " I'm sorry Bug, I know it's cold and you're tired. But we need to get your temperature down, ok?" Lena told her. Callie just closed her eyes and nodded. Her teeth were chattering and the shivers were getting worst. " Stef I don't like this."
"I know, she's just so miserable. Once we get her temperature down she'll feel better." Stef said as she kept wiping Callie down. She started at her neck, then went down to her arms and chest, her abdomen, then her groin area and lastly her legs. She kept this up until Callie's shivering started to subside. Her teeth weren't chattering and her body seemed to relax a little. After a while, Callie started to doze off.
As Lena watched her daughter start to fall asleep she started to think of everything she had to do once Callie was able to go home. She had to make sure that they called a pest control company, to make sure the yard and house were treated and that no bees were there.
She also had to talk to the school nurse and leave an Epipen with her. She had to update Callie's school medical records. Talk to all her teachers. Get her the medical allergy bracelet. Teach the kids how to use the Epipen in case something happened while they were out. She wasn't taking any chances. She also wanted to do research to know what to look for in case she had a milder form of a reaction.
She looked at Callie and noticed she was finally asleep. "She's out Stef." She whispered to her wife.
Stef looked at Callie then at her wife and smiled. She could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "What are you thinking about?"
"Everything I have to do once we get home. I can't let this happen again. I have to make sure I talk to her teachers, and the nurse. We have to show the kids how to use the Epipen. Call a pest control company to get that bee hive taken out and to do a check on the rest of the house and yard and just so much other stuff. I know she's not going to want that bracelet, but we're getting it and she's wearing it!" At this point Lena was rambling. And Stef just went to her and took her in her arms.
"Shh. It's ok love. You are not alone. We are in this together. We will help her. And so will the kids. I'm sure everything will get done. And about the bracelet we just have to be firm. She's scared right now so I don't think she'll say no to it just as long as this doesn't happen again." Stef was just holding her while Lena held on to Callie's hand.
Just then the nurse came in and said that the results from the blood test had come back. And she had the medicine for Callie.
"Does she have to wake up? She just fell asleep…" Stef asked.
"No, don't worry, all I have is an IV and an injection that goes into it." The nurse answered. She got to work and injected the medicine into the bag, then she connected the bag to Callie's IV line. Once she was done she checked Callie's temperature again. And smiled. " 100.2! Good job mom's."The moms smiled at the nurse and watched her pick up all her equipment. "Dr. Stevens will be in shortly to check on her." She said before leaving the room.
Stef went and moved one of the cots closer to Callie's bed and they both sat down. Just waiting for the doctor.
Not long after the doctor came in and smiled at the two women. "How's my favorite patient doing?"
"She just fell asleep." Stef said. "The nurse said her fever is starting to go down."
Yes, I see she noted on her chart that it's 100.2, that's a great improvement." Dr. Stevens stated. "I know she wants to go home and I'm sure you ladies do to. So if her fever stays the same or goes down more, I'll release her, but if it spikes again, she'll have to stay."
"That sounds fair. It will give her an incentive." Stef said with a chuckle.
"Well ladies good night. I'll be by before the end of my shift to check on her." He said and then exited the room.
Both mom's just sat there on the cot, Lena holding Callie's hand and Stef holding Lena, just watching Callie sleep. She was getting a little more color, besides the flush she had from her fever. Her lips were no longer blue but their normal soft pink and the circles under her eyes were lighter and less noticeable. After a while Lena fell asleep still holding her daughter's hand and embraced in Stef's arms. Stef dozed off not long after.
Callie shifted in bed and felt something beside her. When she opened her eyes and looked to her right, she saw her moms. Both asleep in each other's arms and Lena's hand holding hers. She smiled at the sight. Her mom's loved each other so much and they loved her. That was something that to this day still amazed her. The feeling of love and caring was foreign to her, but these two women have done nothing but show her that she's loved and cared for. She hears a knock on her door and the doctor comes in.
"How are you feeling Callie?" He says.
"Shhh." She says and points to her mom's chuckling.
Dr. Stevens smiles and nods. He then starts to examine her. He checks her pulse, her lungs, her eyes, throat, her heart, ears and blood pressure. And everything came out normal. Then he pulls out the thermometer. Callie is actually a bit nervous because she really wants to go home.
"Ok Callie let's check your temp." He whispers. And puts the thermometer in her ear. When it beeps he smiles and shows Callie the results. "98.9. Congratulations Callie, you can go home!" All Callie can do is smile. She wants so much to wake up her mom's, but she knows they're tired. The doctor looks at her silently asking if he should wake them up, and she nods.
"Mrs. Adams-Foster? Mrs. Adams-Foster?" He says slightly shaking Stef's arm.
Stef wakes up startled and sees the doctor over her. "Is everything ok? Lena the doctor is here."
Lena wakes up and looks over at Callie and smiles. "Morning Bug." She says and places her hand on her forehead feeling how cool Callie's skin felt.
The doctor smiles and looks over at Callie.
"Hey sweets, how are you feeling, huh?" Stef asks.
Callie smiles. "Morning mama. Morning mom. Much better!"
Both mom's look at the doctor and he smiles again. "Well it looks like her fever broke. And if it doesn't come back in a few hours she can go home."
Lena smiles and looks a Callie. "Did you hear that Bug? You're going home today."
Callie smiled and said "Good, cause I still have homework that's due on Monday."
At this Stef looked at the doctor. "Is she ok to go to school?"
Callie looked at her mom with wide eyes. "Mom!"
She was silenced by Stef putting her hand on her shoulder.
Then looked back at the doctor.
"Normally I would recommend a couple of days of rest. She probably won't feel like going to school. But if she feels like she can... But only if she's fever free for 24hrs. That means no fever at all. Even if you get one and it goes away. And she has to promise to keeps up with her antibiotics and the sting site looks ok, then yes." Callie smiled at this. "But." At this her face fell. "If she spikes a fever again, I want her back here. With her reaction to the sting and the infection coming on fast I don't want to take any chances. And schedule an appointment with her pediatrician." The doctor said.
"Ok, thank you doctor." Lena said. And the doctor left the room.
Stef looked at callie. "Sweats you can't push yourself. You're still sick and I hate to say this, because it scares me, but you almost died. You should take it easy."
"Mom…. I'm fine. I feel fine. I'm going to be ok. I can go to school." Callie said with determination.
Lena sighed and looked at her teenage daughter. "Callie, this weekend and on Monday we will check your temperature. If it's normal you can go to school." Callie's face brightened. "But I want you in my office for checks, medicine and to check the sting site on your neck. Is that clear?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I promise! Yes, I'm getting out of here!" Callie did a little happy dance in her bed.
The mom's called the house to see how everyone was. And told them that they would be home in a few hours as long as Callie didn't get a fever again.
Stef decided to go to the house so she could get ready for work and to get Callie some clothes. Since Callie was going home, she could go to work so she could keep her day off tomorrow. Callie should probably be asleep most of the day.
After dropping the bag with Callie s clothes at the hospital she said her goodbyes and went off to work.
At around 11am the nurse came in for the last time to check Callie's temperature, just like they had done every hour on the hour. "98.7. Well looks like someone is going home!" she said to Callie. Then she looked at Lena and said. "I'll get those discharge papers going so when the doctor comes by all he has to do is sign them.
"Thank you so much!" Lena said as the nurse shook her hand. Then left the room.
After a few minutes the nurse came back to take off the IV and oxygen. Callie took the opportunity to go to the bathroom and change. Her mom had brought her her favorite sweatpants, a tank top and one of Lena's hoodies. She smiled as she put the clothes on. When she came out Lena was talking to the doctor and getting all the discharge paperwork ready.
As Callie made her way towards them she saw prescription papers in Lena hand and some other paperwork.
The doctor looked at Callie. "Well Miss Adams-Foster, You take care and be sure to follow all the instructions I gave your mom. Dr. Stevens left you some prescriptions for epipens and your antibiotics. Also something for in case you're fever comes back. He also gave you a cream to put on that bee sting in your neck." Then he looked back at Lena. "don't forget to make a follow up appointment tent with her pediatrician and to schedule a more comprehensive allergy test for her and her siblings."
"Of course doctor thank you very much." Lena said while checking his hand.
Callie looked at Lena and all the papers she had. "mama? May I see?" She said pointing to the papers.
"Sure bug here. Go ahead and sit down while I gather everything so we can go home. Mom drove to work with Mike and left us the car." Lena said as the picked up everything they needed, and put it in Callie's duffle bag.
Callie was looking at the paperwork and asked Lena. "Mama? Why do the kids have to have the tests done? And why so many meds? I thought it was an allergic reaction. Won't benadryl work?"
Lena looked at her teenage daughter and sighed. "Bug, Jude has to have the tests done because the allergic reaction you had is hereditary. And since he's biologically your brother he might have the same allergies. As for the medicines, there is one for the cream, one fore a strong fever reducer, one for the antibiotic and the one for… 3 epipens." Lena stated while looking at the papers. She then looked at Callie. "Honey, you had a very severe allergic reaction called anaphylactic shock. If we didn't get help when we did, you could've died." Callie's eyes widened at the declaration. "I'm not saying this to scare you. I just need you to understand that this is serious and that it's something you are going to have for the rest of your life. As for all of your epipens? I'm going to have one in my purse, mom is going to carry one, you're going to carry one and I'm leaving one with the nurse at school."
Callie nodded her head in understanding. "I hope Jude doesn't have anything. I don't want him to. He deserves to be normal."
At this, Lena looked at Callie and lifted up her chin so she could look in her eyes. "Callie, you and Jude both deserve to be normal. And this doesn't make you any more different than anyone else. We all have things that make us different. That's what normal really is." Callie nodded her head and Lena leaned in and kissed her head.
"Thanks mama." Callie said to Lena.
"For what bug?" Lena asked confused.
"For taking a chance on me that day at juvie. I probably would've ended up back there if it wasn't for you guys. I love you guys, so much. And I would do anything for you. All of you." Callie said while looking at the floor.
"Just be the kid we know you can be. That's all we ever wanted for you."
"I promise I'll try." Callie said as she hugged her mother.
At this Lena smiled. "That's all we ask."