Thank you so much for the positive remarks! Here is part 2!
Callie's head throbbed. She tried to will the pain from her entire body away, but the spinning in her head made it difficult to concentrate. Her eyelids felt like bricks cemented shut. She tried to pry them open, but they hardly moved at all. "Mmmm" She groaned, trying to create an audible word. Her heartbeat began to quicken as she struggled to make sense of what was going on. Help me! Someone help! She screamed to herself.
"Callie!" Stef called out when she heard the slight mumble of the girl who was now on a stretcher and being taken into the ER. Stef jogged next to her as the doctors rolled her into an examination room. "Callie, sweetie I'm right here. You're alright." Stef called out, unaware if the girl would even hear her.
"Ma'am. What happened?" One of the doctors asked as he began to check the teen's vitals.
"Sh.. she was in a car accident." Stef stammered, never looking away from Callie.
"Was she checked by the paramedics?" He asked, continuing his work.
Stef thought back and shook her head. "Uhh I dono. She I mean I got there after it happened and found her sitting next to the car. Two of my other kids were in the car as well so I went to check on them." Stef rambled as she tried to remember all the details.
"Has she had any past severe medical history?" He asked before instructing the nurses to gather what he needed to continue.
"Mmmm" Callie's voice stopped Stef and the mother grabbed the girl's hand and held it gently in her own.
"Callie, love. You're ok." She told the girl as she rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand.
When Callie's eyes began to flutter slightly, both the doctor and Stef knew she was waking up.
"Hi, Callie! My name is Doctor Kippler" The doctor said with a smile as he took out his flashlight and began to shine it around her face, using his finger to open her eyes one at a time.
Callie groaned at the light and tried to close her eyes again. The light was making her head throb.
"Hey, sweetie I just need you to open your eyes for me really quick, ok?" He asked as she struggled to move away from the invading doctor's reach.
When Callie shrugged away again, Stef spoke up. "Callie, my love. You need to open your eyes for just a moment so the doctor can check them."
Slowly, the teen allowed her eyes to open and Dr. Kippler quickly flashed his light from one eye to the other.
"Thank you, sweetie. You can close your eyes." Dr. Kippler said gently before looking to one of the nurses. "Order a CAT scan." He said before turning to a worried Stef. "Just to make sure. She does have a concussion, but the adrenaline from the crash could have hidden her injuries up until now." He explained and Stef nodded in understanding. "We just want to check everything out so we're sure."
Stef nodded again and the door opened revealing another nurse.
"We can take her." She informed the doctor before he nodded and turned to Callie who was trying to breathe through the pain she felt throughout her body.
"Alright, sweetie. My friend Amanda is going to take you to get some quick tests done." He told the teen before moving over towards Stef and guiding both of them out of the way of the moving stretcher.
"Nothing to be too concerned about right now." Dr. Kippler said, trying to relieve the worry in the mother's eyes.
Stef nodded her head before informing the doctor of some information. "She is my foster daughter, so I don't know much of her medical history."
Doctor Kippler smiled sadly and nodded his head in response.
"My wife is here and she might have a few more details that could help." Stef thought out loud as she reached into her pocket for her phone.
As the adults talked, Callie was being prepared to get wheeled out to get her CAT scan.
"Ok, sweetie." Amanda said with a smile, even though the girl's eyes were closed.
At the first jolt of movement, Callie's eyes sprung open and she looked around frantically.
"You're ok." Amanda assured the girl as she stopped for a moment to place a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. At the touch, Callie pushed herself away from the nurse, causing a severe spinning to take over her head. She grabbed her head and winced in pain.
"Callie!" Stef called out. She watched helplessly as the girl held her head and tried desperately to force back tears. Stef crouched down next to the teen and tilted her head to try and capture the eyes of the teen. "Sweetie." Stef gently called out.
"I have to take her down." Amanda said softly, with an apologetic tone.
Stef nodded and leaned in before whispering, "I love you," then stood up.
"I'm gonna start moving again, Callie." Amanda said quietly. "I promise to go slow." As she began to wheel the girl out, she only stopped momentarily when she heard the girl inhale sharply and let a sob out, but figured the faster she could get to the scan, the better, and continued out of the room.
"Could you tell me where my son is?" Stef asked, suddenly anxious that Brandon and Jesus were with him alone.
Dr. Kippler nodded as he checked Callie's chart one more time.
"Could you also take me to my daughter's room? My wife is there with her, and maybe then she can talk with you about Callie's medical history." Stef asked, rubbing her eyes with her hands.
"Let me grab their charts. What are their names?"
"Jude and Mariana Adams Foster" Stef responded as she followed the doctor out towards a nurse's station.
"You're ok, my love." Lena cooed as she rocked Mariana in her arms.
When Lena had gotten into the ambulance at the intersection, Mariana was just gaining consciousness. She began sobbing from fear and pain and tried to claw Lena up onto the stretcher with her. The paramedics insisted that the teen be on the stretcher alone, so Mariana settled for holding Lena's hand the entire ride. They checked her vitals, but the only injury they detected were several cuts and bruises on her face and arms.
Once they got her into a room and closed the door for privacy, she pulled Lena onto the stretcher with her and buried herself into the older woman's chest. She had Lena's shirt in a death grip and wouldn't let any of the doctors come near her. Lena had tried unsuccessfully to let the doctor check her for other injuries, and after a half hour of pleading, the doctor said he would come back in a few minutes, hopefully giving the girl some time to settle down a little.
Lena and Mariana had been in the room alone for almost 10 minutes. Hating to see her daughter in such a frightened state, she simply ran her fingers through the girl's hair and gently rocked her, mindful of her injuries. The mother sighed in relief when she felt the girl's breathing even out and she felt her grip loosen on her shirt. Even so, Lena continued to whisper soothing words to her daughter.
A slight knock at the door grabbed Lena's attention and she smiled when she saw her wife follow a doctor into the room.
"I'll give you a few minutes." Dr. Kippler said with a small smile before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.
"Hi, my loves." Stef said softly, as she walked over to her wife and daughter. Her heart broke as she noted how close Mariana was to Lena and how exhausted Lena looked. She reached over to her daughter, ran her hand through the girl's dark hair and kissed her several times on the temple. Then she focused on her wife.
"What did they say?" She asked as she winced at the sight of the bruises and cuts on the girl's arms.
Lena shook her head while exhaling. "I don't know yet. They checked vitals and what they could in the ambulance, but once we got in the room, she wouldn't let anyone come near her." Lena looked down at the girl for a moment before continuing. "The doctor left after a half hour of trying, and she fell asleep about 10 minutes ago." Lena quickly explained.
Stef's eyes lingered over her daughter's battered skin before sniffing slightly, she knew she needed to discuss Callie with her, though she wish it wasn't while she was with their daughter.
"What happened?" Lena asked. All Brandon had told her on the phone was that Callie, Mariana and Jude had gotten in a car crash. Once she arrived on the scene, she went right to Mariana and the ambulance left. She hated being in the dark about her kids.
Stef sighed deeply and sat down in a chair that was positioned next to her wife and daughter. "I'm not sure about the details of the crash, but Jude broke his arm." She explained. When Lena's face showed signs of deep fear, Stef put a hand on her wife's arm and stroked it gently. "He's ok, my love. I just went to see him and Brandon and Jesus are with him. He got a blue cast and the boys are writing all over it as we speak." Stef said with a smile as she thought back to how thankful she was that Brandon and Jesus had been there to be with Jude. "When I left, Brandon was going to get the three of them some food. They are going to watch TV until we can take them home." Stef explained.
"Ok." Lena said, sighing in relief that the boy seemed to be doing alright.
"What about Callie?" Lena asked.
"Well. Kinda like this one" Stef started before looking at Mariana, "I'm not entirely sure." Lena crinkled her forehead in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, halting to settle the girl in her arms who had moved slightly and hit her bruised arm slightly.
Stef waited until Mariana was situated once more before answering her wife's question. "I took her with me in Anderson's car to the hospital. She didn't seem to be hurt, just afraid." Stef recalled the look un the girl's eyes when they got into the police car. "But when we got to the hospital, she passed out, out of no where!" Stef exclaimed.
"What?"
"They just took her down for a CAT scan."
"A CAT scan?!" Lena gasped as her free hand flew to her heart.
"Dr. Kippler said it's just for precaution." Stef said as she pushed back her emotions. "He said she has a concussion, but he wanted to be sure."
Lena nodded her head as a tear fell.
"Baby." Stef stated as she got up from the chair and put a hand on her wife's face. "It's gonna be ok." Stef soothed the woman.
"Stef! How can it be ok?" Lena asked, her voice louder than she intended, causing Mariana to stir again.
Lena took a breath before looking down at the girl waking up in her arms. "Hi, baby." She said softly.
Mariana groaned as she lifted her hand to rub the sleep from her eyes. When she made contact with her bruise, she yelped slightly.
"Careful, sweetie." Stef said gently.
It took the girl a few seconds to remember where she was before her face fell. "Mama?!"
"Shhhh, baby. I'm right here." Lena said as she wrapped her arms back around the girl.
"I'm gonna go get the doctor." Stef said with a small smile before getting up and kissing her daughter in the head.
Mariana turned to look up at her mother. "Mama. Are Callie and Jude ok?" She asked.
Lena smiled. "They're gonna be alright, baby." She responded. "But how about now we focus on you?" She asked in more of a statement form. "Can you tell me what hurts?" She asked, knowing it would be a question the doctor would be asking.
Before the girl could answer, a doctor entered the room, followed by Doctor Kippler, and Stef.
"My love, Mama needs to go with Doctor Kippler for just a little bit." She started and when she saw the panic strike her face, she quickly continued. "I'm gonna be here with you." She said, trying to sooth the fears.
When Mariana looked up at Lena with tears in her eyes, Stef tried a humor approach. "What? I'm not good enough for my little diva?" She asked, faking a tone with a slight smile. "I mean I know I didn't have a chance to shower today, but I think I smell alright." She said as she lifted her arm and held it to Lena for her to check.
"Oh Stef!" Lena said with a slightly disgusted look, but smiled when she saw Mariana roll her eyes and chuckle slightly.
"Ok, ok, mom. Just don't do that again." The teen said with a smile.
Stef stuck her tongue out at the girl before looking at her wife, who gave a look of wanting to know why she needed to go with the other doctor.
"He needs some information on Callie's medical history and I was hoping your memory was better than mine." Stef said.
Lena laughed slightly. "Honey, everyone's memory is better than yours." She stated as she looked down at her daughter. "Alright, my baby girl. I'll be back in a little bit."
Planting a kiss on her forehead, she slipped off of the bed, gave Stef a quick kiss before following the doctor out of the room.
Stef watched the door close before turning to the other doctor in the room. "Hi. I'm Stef." She stuck out her hand and the doctor shook it. "I'm Doctor Hansen."
He turned to look at the teen who was looking away from both adults. "Hi, Mariana. You look like you're doing a little better." Dr. Hansen said as he grabbed her chart and made his way to the side she was facing. When she didn't respond, he continued. "Can you tell me what happened?"
When the girl shrugged, Stef stepped in. She sat on the edge of the stretcher and placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Mari, love. Please talk to the doctor." She said in a soothing but stern voice.
"Some stupid guy hit us." Mariana said with no emotion.
Before she could continue, the door burst open and Jesus ran in, followed quickly by Brandon, Lena and Jude entered the room shortly after.
"Jesus!?" Stef called out in question as the boy ran over to his twin and dropped to his knees beside her. "Are you ok?" He asked, a tear falling down his cheek.
"Jesus!" Lena called to her son as she and Jude walked into the room. "I'm sorry." Lena apologized when she saw Dr. Hansen. "He insisted on seeing her." She explained as she ushered Jude further into the room.
"How's the arm, baby?" Stef asked as she opened her arms and gave Jude a gentle hug.
The boy shrugged his shoulders and yawned. "It's fine." He said. "Where's Callie?" He suddenly asked, noticing she wasn't in the room with the rest of his family.
"Uhh baby. He's getting some tests done. I was actually on my way to talk with Dr. Kippler about it when we ran into Jesus." She answered, directing the last part to her wife.
"Is she gonna be ok?" Jude asked.
"I think so, buddy." Stef replied as she pushed back the hair from his forehead. "But I'm thinking you three need to get some sleep in your own beds." Stef said as she looked at Lena to ensure she thought the same thing.
"I'm gonna get Jude discharged and the three of you are going to head home and have some dinner and get some rest." Lena agreed.
"I'll call Mike to see if he can pick you guys up." Stef said, but Brandon quickly put up his hand. "I'll call him." He offered before pulling out his phone and leaving the hospital room.
"Come on, Jude. Let's get you discharged." Lena said as she used her head to point down to her middle son who was in the same place he had been when he first entered the room before leaving with her youngest.
Stef exhaled and looked over Mariana's body to see her son. "Jesus." She called out. He lifted his head and she could see tears pooled in his eyes. "Oh baby." She said, her heart breaking. She knew Jesus didn't like to cry, but he must have been scared to death when he saw his twin lying unconscious in the car. "Baby I need you to go home with Brandon and Jude." She said, trying to hurry him along so the doctor, who was waiting patiently, could finish checking Mariana. "But mom...!" He started before Stef interrupted.
"I know you want to be here with her, but honestly, there isn't much you can be doing by staying here. And since Mama and I both need to be here, I really need you to help Brandon with Jude." Stef said, giving him a small smile.
Jesus looked from his mom to his twin, who smiled at him as well. "I'm ok, Jesus. Promise." She said, holding out a shaky pinky to her brother. Jesus bit his lip before linking his own pinky with hers. "Ok. I'll be waiting for you at home." He said, finally getting up.
"I'll call you guys later to let you know what is happening here." She informed her son as he walked towards the door. "I love you."
"Love you, mom. Love you, Mari." He said as he shut the door behind him.
Lena quickly got her youngest discharged and ready to go home. Brandon had gotten ahold of his father and he came and picked the boys up after a half hours on strict orders from Lena to call if Jude so much as coughed in a manner that sounded like something was wrong or hurting.
Chuckling at the concerned mother, Mike nodded and led the boys out of the hospital. Before they all left, Lena grabbed ahold of Brandon's arm and halted him from following his brothers.
"I just wanted to thank you..." Lena began before Brandon cut him off. "It's fine."
Lena sighed, but continued. "I know. But I truly appreciate you stepping up." She said before giving him a quick hug.
"Love you." She whispered to him.
"I love you too." He responded before pulling away and catching up to his brothers and father.
Pulling herself together, Lena took a few breaths before making her way back to the room Mariana and Stef were in. She opened the door quietly and saw that Mariana was curled up into a ball on the be that Stef begged her to move to. After 10 minutes of pleading, Stef took it upon herself to scoop up her daughter and carry her to the bed, which was not taken well by the girl. Once she had gotten to the actual hospital bed, she turned away from Stef and hadn't spoken since. Stef knew her daughter would be upset, but she felt it was the best option at the time. So, she respected the teen's want for distance, and took a seat in the chair by the foot of the bed.
"What happened?" Lena whispered as she inched her way into the room.
Stef looked up and went to greet her wife. "I carried her to the bed. She wasn't too thrilled." She said simply.
"Did they check her?" She asked the blonde.
"Yes. Other than bruises and cuts, nothing major." Stef said and Lena exhaled. "However, she did have a huge bruise on her upper thigh." Stef said in a whisper, hoping Mariana couldn't hear.
"From the crash?" Lena asked. Trying to figure out how she could get a bruise on her leg from the accident. "Did something fall on her leg?" She asked.
Stef shook her head. "I wasn't from today." She simply said before turning towards the girl.
"What is it..." Lena began before Stef shook her head. "We'll talk more at home. Doctor said she can be released after he checks everything once more."
Lena nodded before sharing her information. "Mike just got the boys. They should be home in a few minutes" She said, checking her watch.
"And Callie?" Stef asked, hoping she would be released today as well so they could all be home for the night, as it was already past 11 and she knew everyone was exhausted.
"I talked to Dr. Kippler and told him what I could remember. I need to look through her file again." She said, getting a little off topic. "And Jude's."
Stef simply nodded, waiting for Lena to continue.
"But he said the CAT scan came back fine. She does have a concussion, so we have to watch for that, but she can be released soon." She finished before walking over to Mariana. "Will you wait with Callie?" Lena asked and Stef nodded. She knew she wanted some alone time with her youngest daughter.
Stef kissed Lena before turning to leave. "Oh. Doctor Hansen should be back any..." She was interrupted by the door opening and the doctor walked in. "Right now!" She said with a small chuckle.
Lena nodded and walked over to her daughter.
"I told her about the bruise and we're gonna talk with Mariana about it when we get home. But you promise it's nothing life-threatening, correct?" Stef asked as the two adults stood by the open door.
The doctor shook his head. "It is healing- she probably got it a few months ago." He stated.
"Thanks." Stef responded with a smile before slipping out the door and heading to Callie's room. She stopped to grab a drink from the water fountain and have a moment for herself. She was lucky in the sense that this outcome could have been so much worse, but she knew they were far from alright.
Stef entered the room Callie was occupying just as the nurses were removing the IV from her hand and getting her ready to leave.
"Hi, my love." Stef said shooting the girl a small smile and grabbing the girl's jacket, which was removed once they got into the hospital.
Callie didn't respond. She merely nodded and looked down at the floor.
"You ready to go home?" Stef asked, choosing to ignore the lack of response for the time being.
Callie nodded and hopped off of the stretcher, stopping when she felt the room begin to spin.
"Woah!" Stef said as she ran over to the girl and helped steady her.
After a few moments, Callie shrugged herself away from Stef and walked towards the door.
"Hold on." Stef called out to her as she looked at the nurse who was still in the room, getting ready to change the sheets. "So can we just go?" She asked, keeping an eye on Callie.
"Your wife has all of the information from Dr. Kippler. Sorry he had to run to an emergency, so he isn't here to talk with you as well." The nurse apologized.
"That's alright." Stef said with a smile. "Thank you."
"No problem"
"Come on, Cal." Stef said as she walked over to the teen and tried to put her arm around the girl, who promptly stepped forward, and out of Stef's reach. "Wait a minute." Stef said, causing Callie to stop, but not look back. "What's wrong?" Stef asked.
Callie didn't respond, but tears began to form as she tried to hide her feelings.
"Callie. Look at me." Stef said with a stern tone.
Finally, the girl turned to the blonde and Stef could see the tears threatening to spill over at any second.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head.
"I'm so sorry." Callie confessed as the tears fell and her head fell into her hands.
"Oh Callie." Stef said as she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Oh sweetie. This wasn't your fault, my sweet, sweet girl." Stef said as she felt sobs rack the girl's body. "Come on. Let's get you and your sister home." Stef said, not wanting to be in the hospital any longer than they needed.
As the two walked towards the front desk, Stef rubbed her hand up and down the girl's arm. "It's ok. You're ok. I love you."