When they got to her room they saw Callie gasping. She was white as a sheet and looked really scared. "Bug? Callie can you hear me?" Lena said to her. Callie nodded her head and closed her eyes.
"No Callie I need you to stay wake. Open your eyes!" The doctor said. She did as she was told and opened her eyes. "Can you two wait outside?" She asked the moms.
"We don't want to leave her." Stef said.
The doctor looked over at Callie and noticed that the girl wouldn't take her eyes away from her moms. So she said they could stay. "Fine, but please don't try to intervene." She started to ramble out instructions to the nurses. different medicines were pushed into her IV, she was checked over and over, her stats were read multiple times.
And then someone injected something in her thigh and Callie sucked in a lung full of air. She started to almost hyperventilate. "Callie I need you to try to calm your breathing… if you keep breathing like that you can pass out."
Both Stef and Lena were still by the door. Waiting for the doctor to tell them they could approach the bed. When Leslie looked at them and nodded, they walked to Callie's bedside and started to sooth her. "Cal you need to take a deep breath for me. Can you do that?" Stef said.
Lena took Callie's hand and laid it flat against her chest. "Come on bug, try to follow my breathing. Try and get your heart to beat like mine." Granted Lena's heart was beating faster than she would like but it was still slower than her daughter's.
After what felt like hours, but was probably just a few minutes, Callie settled down considerably. She was breathing normal and looked half asleep. When they saw her eyes close and her breathing deepen, the moms looked at the doctor and asked; "What just happened? What was that?"
"Well it seems Callie is most likely allergic to the antibiotic. We are going to change it and see if she responds to the different medication. We are also going to introduce one of the other medications and see if she reacts at all. Though I'm confident to say that it was the antibiotic."
"So that was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic? But she's been taking it for days. "
"Yes but she was also taking a antihistamine. That medication is for allergic reactions. So it was masking the full side effects the antibiotic was having. That's why I wanted her to stay. If she was having a rash that big on the allergy medicine, I knew the reaction was going to get worse once she was off it, and it cleared her system." The doctor explained.
"Gosh that could have happened at home again?" Lena asked.
"Please don't worry about the 'what if's'." Leslie said. "She's ok now, we are going to change her medication and keep an eye on her. She's going to be a top priority case for the next few days, and then when we have everything under control she can go home."
"And what about the allergy test?" Lena asked.
"We can schedule the other kids today and when Callie is better we can get hers done. Do you guys want to schedule them now?"
"Yeah let's get this over with." Stef said with a sigh.
"Ok, let me check the hospital schedule. Well looks like we have and opening for tomorrow afternoon… around 2:30pm. Will that work?"
"Yes that will be fine. We can pick them up early from school, bring them here to get the test done and then they can visit with Callie."
"Oh Stef! Did you tell the school to excuse Callie when you dropped off the kids this morning?" Lena ssked.
"Oh man no I forgot. Can we still call? It's like almost one pm now." Stef asked.
"Ill call my secretary and see what i can do. It was our fault. She shouldn't have this on her record because we forgot." Lena stated.
"If it helps I can write a medical excuse for her. With everything that has been happening, no one would remember something as trivial as calling the school. She's gone into anaphylaxis twice in four days. Thats hard to recover from." Leslie said to the moms.
"Thank you, yes that would help." Stef said.
"Mom?" Callie mumbled horsley.
Stef went to Callie's side and grabbed her hand. "Hey sweets. I'm right here."
"Mom, where's momma?" Callie asked. She looked a disoriented.
"I'm here bug. Right here." Lena said while brushing hair out of Callie's eyes.
"I'm thirsty" She said.
The moms both looked at Leslie and silently asked if she could have water.
"I can get her some ice chips. I don't want her drinking water just yet. She could choke."
"Honey Dr. C. is going to get you some ice chips. Ok?" Lena said. Then she looked at her wife then back at Callie. "Bug I have to call the school and let them know you won't be going for a few days ok. I'll be right back."
"Ok." Callie said groggy. "Mom when can I go home? I don't like it here."
"Oh sweets, I know you don't like it. But you're going to stay as long as the doctor wants you too. I need you healthy. I want my Callie girl back." Stef said while hugging her daughter.
Lena went to the hallway to call her secretary. "Hi Angie! It me."
"Lena? Oh my god I everything ok? You didn't call in this morning. I saw the kids and they told me Callie had a doctor's appointment."
"Yeah I'm sorry. Stef was supposed to stop by and explain. Callie isn't doing very well. She has gone into anaphylactic shock twice since Friday evening."
"Oh dear is she ok? What is she allergic to?"
"Bees and penicillin. She got stung on Friday in our yard. She got an infection so they gave her antibiotics and she had a reaction to those as well. We are actually at the hospital."
"Oh poor Callie. How is she holding up?"
"She's hanging in there. She'll be here for a few more days so I'm not sure when we will be back."
"Yes of course I'll tell principal Monty. She came asking for you. "
"Thank you and can you please excuse any absent's that Callie will have until I tell you? Oh and we are taking the kids out of school a little early tomorrow. They have doctor appointments as well."
"Oh are they ok?"
"Yeah just routine. We want to get them all allergy tests to make sure this doesn't happen again."
"Good idea."
"Ok well please let Monty know what's going on and let me know if you guys need anything. I'll do what I can from here. I'll try to stop by to pick up any paper work and bring it with me to work from the hospital. And can you please have Callie's teachers drop off her work for her?"
"Oh ok I'll have everything ready for you on your desk then. Hope Callie feels better. And let us know if you guys need anything."
"Thank you we will. Bye."
"Bye."
Lena hung up the phone and went back into Callie's room. When she saw her wife and daughter, she smiled, and took a picture with her phone. Stef was half asleep laying by a sleeping Callie. When the sound of the camera went of Stef woke up. "Hey babe. We have to pick up the kids at school."
"Yeah um I'll pick them up. You can stay with Callie."
"No it's ok. I'll go I want to pick up some paperwork. Some stuff I can do from here."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, you stay. I'll get the kids and bring them here. I know they're going to want to see her."
"Yeah, specially Jude and Mariana."
"Ok well do you need anything?"
"No think I'm good."
Lena walked over to Callie and kissed her forehead. Callie's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey momma." She said groggily.
"Hey Bug. I'm going to pick up your siblings. I'll be back in a few."
"Ok I'll see you later." She said already falling back asleep.
"Just rest bug." Lena then went over to her wife. "I'll be back in a few. Call me if you need anything."
"Ok. Bye love. Go get our babies." Stef said then kissed her wife goodbye.
Stef looked at Callie. She had always been a little pale, she sunburned very easily and her cheeks would turn red when she exerted herself. But this color she had right now was scary. Her skin was pale. Her eyes were closed and she could see all the little veins in her eyelids. But at least she looked peaceful. After brushing the hair out of Callie's face Stef moved to the chair and started to play with her phone. She just needed to pass the time until Lena came back with the kids.
In the meantime, Lena went to pick up the kids at school. She parked in her reserved parking spot and made her way into the school. When she got to her office she saw the secretary, Angie.
"Hi Angie. How has the day gone by?" Lena asked her
"Hi Lena. It been quiet. How's Callie?" Angie, the schools secretary said.
"She hanging In there. She was sleeping when I left. The medication they have her on right now makes her drowsy." Lena said while checking her phone to make sure Stef didn't call.
"Oh poor thing." Angie said with concern in her eyes.
"Yeah. Can you please let my kids now to come to my office at the end of school, please? I'm going into my office to pick up some paperwork." Lena said trying to make her way towards the offices office.
"Of course! Oh and I left all the paperwork you wanted on your desk." Angie said while pulling up the kids schedules.
"Thank you. Is Monty in her office? Lena asked while pointing to her bosses office.
"Yes. She just finished with a conference call, so I think she's getting ready to go home in a few." Angie said absent mindlessly.
"Ok thank you. I'll go talk to her first." Lena walked to Monty's door and knocked. When she heard her call her in she opened the door and walked in.
"Lena! Is everything ok? Angie told me about Callie." she stood up and met Lena infront of her desk. "Two anaphylactic shocks in four days? How is she? And are you and Stef ok? Do you need anything?"
"We are ok thank you. Callie is in the hospital and will probably be there for a couple of days still. I'm not sure when I'll be back to work." Lena said apologetically.
"Take the time you need. But please what happened? How did no one know about this?" Monty asked.
"We're not sure." Lena sat down in on the couch in Monty's office. "Her file doesn't say anything about any allergies. After she got stung by a bee I went through it again but nothing. Then it turns out, she's allergic to the antibiotic they gave her too."
"Wait why did they give her an antibiotic? I thought she had anaphylaxis?" Monty asked confused.
"The bee sting site got infected. She had a fever Friday night to Sunday morning. It broke around 10am. When we took her in for her appointment this morning she had gotten a rash all over her body." Lena explained.
"Oh my god. How is she?" Monty looked genuinely concerned.
"Well she's sleeping a lot. The medication they have her on makes her drowsy. She's pale and weak, and she has a low grade fever again." Lena sighed. "The hard part is that this is the first time she gets sick with us. We had no way of knowing that the penicillin would cause this type of reaction."
"Oh poor Callie. So I guess the first time she gets stung by a bee and she almost dies that must have been scary for her." Monty went to make some tea. "Want some tea?"
"Yes, thank you." Lena smiled.
"Actually she's been pretty calm about it. She even tried to go back outside. And when i stopped her she looked a little confused. I had to tell her that she couldn't go anywhere without an Epipen."
"What? Really? You would think she would have been scared and would carry the thing everywhere for the first few days…"
"Yeah, but no. She even forgot it today when we took her to the doctor."
"And how are you and Stef doing?"
"Well we're tired. It's been hard seeing her like this. And Callie tends to get very irritated very fast when she doesn't feel good. So her and Stef have been at each other's throats." Lena said with a sigh.
"Making you the peacemaker. Must be exhausting… I'm so sorry." Monty looked apologetic. She handed Lena her cup of tea.
"Thank you. Tomorrow we have to take the other kids in to get allergy tests done, just in case." Lena said while taking a sip of her tea. "It's more for Jude, since he's her biological brother. But I want to be sure the others are covered and we know if they are allergic to anything."
"That's a great idea." Monty said.
"Just then the final bell rang. Well I have to go. I'm going to stop by my office to pick up paperwork to do at the hospital. Thank you for understanding." Lena set her tea cup on the coffee table and stood.
"Oh no problem. I'm sorry for what happened. Tell Callie we hope she feels better and call me if you need anything. Keep me updated please." Monty stood and walked Lena to the door.
"I will thanks. Bye." Lena said then made her way to her office.
"Bye." She heard Monty say.
At her office, Lena picked up a few things she needed. As she was closing her bag her kids walked into her office.
"Hey momma!" The kids said almost simultaneously.
"Hi babies. How was school?" Lena asked with a smile on her face.
"Good just a lot of work." Maariana said.
"Well let's get going so you can get it done." Lena put her arm around Jesus.
As they were walking to the car Jude caught up with her. "Hey momma?"
"Yeah bub." LEna said while looking for her keys in her purse.
"Um… so… Where's Callie? She told me she would be here today after her doctors appointment." Jude asked
How does she tell them that there sister is in the hospital and that she had another attack? "Well… um… Callie is in the hospital. The Doctor didn't let her come to school because she still wasn't feel well." Lena said slowly.
At this all the kids stopped walking. "She's in the hospital?" Brandon said.
"Why?" Jesus asked.
"What happened?" Mariana followed.
"Is she ok?" Jude asked. He looked scared.
"She's ok. When we got to her appointment she had a rash all over her body, so they wanted to find out what was causing it. She'll be there a few days and then she'll be home and back to school."
But what happened?
Lena took a deep breath and sighed at the look of concern in her kids eyes. "She was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. She had been for a few days and didn't say anything."
"Was she taking penicillin?" Jude asked.
"Yeah how did you know?"
"She already knew she was allergic to penicillin. They gave it to her once in a foster home and she broke out in hives. Our foster parents told her that she had to keep taking it. That they weren't going to lose another day of work just to take her back to the doctor." Jude said while looking at the floor.
"What? She knew? Why didn't she say anything?" Lena looked a little hurt but mostly worried.
Jude looked at the floor. He knew Callie would be angry about this. But they were adopted now. They didn't have to keep secrets.
"Jude?" Lena tried again.
He took a deep breath and confessed. "That foster family called Bill and told him that we were acting up and that they couldn't deal with us. So Callie decided that we wouldn't bother our foster families when we got sick. We would help each other." Callie was going to kill him. But he couldn't let her keep doing this. She's too important to him.
"Jude is there anything else we need to know about you and Callie that's not in your medical file?" Lena asked.
Jude again dropped his head and nodded slightly.
Lena sighed and put her arm around his shoulders. "Ok kids let's get to the hospital. She them looked at Jude. And you and me will talk on our way there. So you get shotgun."
At this Mariana protested. "What, but I had called shotgun!" Jesus elbowed her and glared. While Brandon just shook his head.
"Mari I need to have this conversation with Jude." Lena looked at her daughter.
"Ok yeah I know… sorry." Mariana said with her head down.
When Lena looked at Jude she noticed he looked a little panicked. "Don't worry bub. You guys did nothing wrong. And I know Callie won't care that you told us what's been going on. We need this information to be able to take care of you guys."
Jude just nodded. The family made there way to the car and everyone got in. As Lena put the car in reverse, she looked at Jude and asked him more questions.
"So does Callie have any other allergies or health problems we should know about?" Lena asked as she drove out of the school parking lot.
"I know she has allergies. And she would sometimes get migraines. Really bad ones like mom does. But she hasn't had one of those since about a month after we moved here." Jude said quietly.
"So she gets migraines… and allergies? What kind of allergies?" Lena kept prodding.
"She's allergic to dogs and cats. And some kind of flower. I can't remember the name."
Did you guys know she was allergic to bees? Lena asked.
At this Jude paled a little and looked at his hands. He was fidgeting with his finger on his lap.
"Jude… did you guys know she was allergic to bees?" Lena asked again.
"No not Callie. But our mom was and I have a slight reaction to them. I once got stung and my whole arm was swollen. Nothing like what happened to Callie but it still hurt and I felt really be mad for a few days." Jude confessed.
"Why isn't this in your file?" Lena was starting to get very irritated with what the kids had gone through in previous foster homes.
"Because they didn't take me to the doctor. They said it was my own fault for disturbing the hive. Callie went and got me some benadryl. She took care of me." Jude rushed to say.
"So you knew there was a possibility that she was allergic?" Lena asked.
"Yeah. We asked the school nurse and she said that they could be genetic." Jude said.
They were almost to the hospital. "Ok guys listen up. Callie is really drowsy. She has a rash and a little swelling. So be nice. No jokes and if she's sleeping let her be. Just be quiet and start your homework. Mom and I are going to talk to her doctor and come up with a plan."
"Ok." They all said in unison.
"Good let's go see mom and Callie." Lena got out of the car and waited for her kids to follow.
When Lena parked the car, they all made it out and followed her into the hospital. Then the elevators, to the 3rd floor. They went down the corridor and stopped at a door that had C. Adams-Foster on it.
Lena opened the door and saw Stef sitting on the chair playing with her phone and Callie sleeping. She looked a little better. She told the kids to wait at the door for a minute.
"How's she doing? Did she wake up at all while I was gone?" Lena asked while kissing her wife.
"They woke her up to give her some more medicine and check so her vitals, but she was out just as quick. They said she's reacting well to the treatment." Stef whispered.
"That's great. She looks a better… not as pale." Lena brushed Callie's bangs off if her forehead. "The kids are in the hall. I'm going to let them in. They are going to start on homework since she's asleep. I told them they had to be quiet. Meanwhile you and me have to go talk to Leslie."
Stef looked at her wife with worry. "Did something happen? Are the kids ok?"
"Yeah the kids are fine, but I had a talk with Jude, and it turns out they both knew Callie was allergic to penicillin." Lena said carefully.
"What? How?" Stef was shocked. How could they have known and not said anything? And why wasn't it in their file?