Selena0612, Xemtlenc, and Guest: thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Day6: I haven't decided whether I want Cat and Robbie together or not, but I personally think they're an adorable couple. Also, I rated it M for the theme/mention of rape/incest as well, not just the cursing. I'm changing it to T though, since there's no description of the sexual themes!


CHAPTER FOUR

Cat sighed, lying back on her bed. The most uncomfortable bed she'd ever been in. She didn't remember the foster care beds being so bad last time she was at the Womack center. Of course, she was a lot younger too. At least this time she got a cool roommate. She kind of reminded her of Jade.

"Cat Valentine please report to the counselor's office," the intercom said.

She sat up and grabbed a book from her night stand before walking out of the room. As she walked down the hallway, she handed the book to a smaller girl. "Here you go, Bethany."

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver, I don't know what I'd do if I lost this," the black-haired girl said.

"No problem."

"Cat!" a redheaded girl said, jogging up to her.

"Hey, Tandy."

"There's someone in the counselor's office for you."

"Did you happen to see who it was?"

Tandy nodded. "Yeah, an older lady and a girl about your age… and some weird looking dude with a puppet."

"A puppet?"

"Yeah, curly hair, glasses, kinda cute in a geeky way."

"Robbie…"

Tandy smiled. "Ooooohhh, who's Robbie? Your boyfriend?"

Cat thought for a few seconds and shrugged. "I dunno. We don't really have a label, we kinda just… go with whatever."

"Is he good in bed?"

Cat scrunched her nose. "God, Tandy, no. I haven't slept with him."

"He looks kinda pervy."

"He's not… he's really sweet. The puppet thing is just… his hobby. He's a ventriloquist."

"That's weird. Does he take that thing to school?"

Cat laughed and nodded. "Yeah… We go to a performing arts school, so he has to. Wish he would find something better, but it makes him happy and Rex is his best friend, so there's no use in making him get rid of him. Tori already almost killed him once."

"…How do you kill a puppet?"

"Oh, she tried to make a tornado, but she hit the wrong button and Rex got sucked into it and got all cracked up and stuff. Took him to the hospital so he would die but Tori ruined it and made him live."

Tandy raised an eyebrow. "…Okay, Cat. You're a little insane, but I like you."

"Oh! Wait, was the older lady, did she have red hair?"

"Yeah. Like mine, though. Not yours."

"That's my Nonna!"

"Is she going to take you home with her?"

"I dunno, I hope so… I hate it here."

"Well, make sure you write to me, okay? If this is goodbye, then I'll miss you," Tandy said, hugging the shorter girl. "Take care, okay?"

Cat smiled and hugged her back. "Promise. We'll keep in touch."

"Caterina Valentine to the counselor's office," the intercom said again.

Cat continued down the hall and finally reached the counselor's office, seeing Nonna, Jade, Robbie, and yes… Rex, too.

"Cat!" Jade and Robbie exclaimed, standing up.

Cat ran over to them and hugged them, never wanting to let go. "God, I missed you guys…"

Since the day she broke down to Beck, she hadn't been in school. It had been well over two months since 'the incident' happened, and she'd been out of school for five weeks with no contact to or from any of her friends. She knew how foster care worked, so she knew it would have taken a while for someone to finally get through to come visit.

"Cat, my baby," Nonna said, taking Cat into her arms.

"Nonna…" Cat whispered, hugging her as tears filled her eyes. "I missed you…"

"Are you alright? Have they been treating you well? Have you been eating?"

Cat nodded. "They're treating me fine… Just like a prisoner. At least I get free meals though, right?"

"You're as thin as a stick, Cat."

"I know… I'm fine, Nonna, I promise."

"Cat, your grandmother here is going to be taking you home with her," her counselor Tammy said.

"Really?" she asked, moving out of Nonna's embrace. "I can go home?"

"As soon as the papers are processed she'll have full custody of you."

"…But until then, I'm stuck here…" she said with slight disappointment.

"No, no," Tammy said shaking her head. "Right now, we're granting her with temporary custody. The papers will take about two weeks to process. We'll give your grandmother a call to let her know when that happens. Before you leave we have to give you your discharge physical, so if you'll just go to the examination room Hailey will get you started on that."

"Can Jade come with me?"

"Sure."

Cat nodded and let out a small breath as she and Jade walked out of the counselor's office and down the hall.

"How have you really been?" Jade asked.

"Fine, Jade…"

"You're not fine. There's still something going on with you. You're still like you were before all of this happened, Cat."

"A person tends to go down the wrong path when her brother decides to fuck her," she snapped.

Jade looked at her for a few seconds. "…I'm sorry, I didn't mean… Before that happened… There was something going on."

"Yeah, I know. I'm fine."

"No you're not. You can't lie to me, I know you better than anyone."

"I just don't feel good, okay?"

"I felt your entire skeleton when you hugged us," Jade said, stopping her from walking.

"I've always been skinny, Jade."

"You aren't just skinny, Cat, you are anorexic."

Cat stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"You are, aren't you? You haven't been eating, have you?" Jade demanded.

"I wasn't before—" she started.

"Cat, you can't do that! You can't just not eat!"

"Let me finish! I wasn't before, but when I got here, they made us. I've been eating, I just can't keep anything down very often."

"So you're bulimic."

"No. I don't make myself sick, it just happens."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Jade, it just does," Cat said as she started walking again.

"Well, I don't like it."

"You think I do? Puking is disgusting; you think I'd do it on purpose?"

"Well, I don't know lately."

"Thanks, Jade," she said, walking into the examination room. "Hi, Hailey."

"Hey, Cat," Hailey said. "Hop up on the table."

Cat hoisted herself up on the table and let out a small breath. "Am I getting shots?"

"Yep."

"Don't hurt me."

"You're the biggest baby."

"It's just a little pin prick," Jade said.

"If she could take a little prick she wouldn't be a virgin," Hailey said.

Cat and Jade looked at each other before Cat laughed a little.

"Yeah… I'm not a virgin," Cat said.

"Well. Goes to show what I know, just ignore me and my lame jokes then," Hailey said.

Cat watched Hailey prep a shot and she looked away when she walked over to her.

"It'll only hurt for a second," Hailey said before sticking the needle in her arm. As soon as she administered the medicine she pulled the needle out and threw it away before putting a unicorn band-aid on Cat's arm, earning a smile from the sixteen-year-old.

"I love unicorns," Cat said.

"I know, kiddo. I need you to change into a gown," Hailey said picking up a clipboard and marking a few things down. "Do I have your permission to perform an oral exam, eye exam, and a nose and ears exam?"

"Yes."

"Do I have your permission to perform a physical exam, which may require uncomfortable placement of my hands?"

"Yes."

"Do I have your permission to perform a breast exam?"

"A mammogram?"

"No. Just a normal breast exam."

"Oh. Sure."

Hailey marked a few more things down. "Do I have your permission to perform a pap smear?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Thanks, Cat," she said placing her clipboard back down on a counter. "I'll step out, you change into a gown, make sure your underwear are off."

"Okay."

As Hailey left, Cat started undressing and Jade looked at her for a few seconds.

"You look like you've gained some weight," Jade said. "That's good."

"Yeah… I can keep some stuff down, but other stuff messes with me. I don't know what's going on with me lately. Stress, I guess," she said getting the gown put on before getting back on the table.

"Well, I'm glad you're getting meat on your bones—you looked downright sickly a few months ago... You still feel like skin and bones, though."

Hailey walked back in with a tray and closed the door. "Alright Cat, I'm gonna start with the physical first, get all your vitals, your oral, eyes, nose, and mouth done and we'll do the pap last, okay?"

Cat nodded. "Alright."

It took about five minutes to do her vitals and her 'head' exam, but when they got to the physical, Cat started getting uncomfortable.

"Are you alright?" Hailey asked, pressing on Cat's stomach.

"Yeah, it just… feels weird, I guess. Like a knot or something," Cat said.

"Is it painful?"

"No, I can just feel it when you push on my stomach."

Hailey felt around on her stomach for a few seconds before stopping. "Well, it could be nothing. I'll do an ultrasound to calm your nerves after the pap, alright?"

Cat nodded.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah…"

"Legs in the stirrups, bottom at the very edge of the table."

Cat did what she was told. She laid still for a few minutes and looked at Hailey, but didn't like the look on the woman's face. "…What is it? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Your cervix looks a little different, but nothing to worry about."

"Does that mean Cat has a wonky vagina?" Jade asked with a laugh.

"Nah, it just means I need to run a test. When was your last period, hon?"

"I don't know. I just got off of it the week before I got sent here," Cat said.

"Okay. Pap's done, feel free to get comfortable. You're bleeding a little, you might wanna put on a pad," Hailey said, grabbing a feminine pad from a drawer. "I'll get the ultrasound done as soon as I come back in. Put your underwear back on, but stay in the gown for now."

Cat nodded as Hailey left and did what she was told.

Ten minutes later, she was staring at a black and white screen as Hailey rolled a remote around on her stomach.

"Oh, dear…" Hailey whispered, barely audible.

"What?" Cat asked. "What's wrong? Am I okay? Do I have cancer?"

"No. Not cancer but definitely something."

"Well, what is it?"

Hailey paused the screen and pointed to it. "This mass right he—"

"Mass?!" Cat shrieked. "Oh god, it is cancer, isn't it?"

Hailey sighed. "This mass right here is a water sac."

"A what?"

"No fuckin' way," Jade said.

"What?"

"Afraid so," Hailey said. "Cat, you're pregnant."