"Well Mom and Grandma, it looks the the baby is developing well. You will need to avoid being on your feet and eating salt as much as possible because I am seeing that your blood pressure is a little high." The doctor said still looking at the ultrasound picture. "Are you sure you don't want to see your baby?"
Daphne hestitated. On one hand she had been positive since the pregnancy started that she could not ever be a mother. One night in the Adams Foster household, however, left her with mixed feelings. Maybe if she had support like this she could keep her child. With all of these feelings swirling around her head, she decided to go for a noncommittal answer. "She ain't my mom."
The doctor looked between the two woman. "I'm sorry, I just assumed…."
"Well, you assumed wrong. She is my foster mother. Let her see the baby, though. I know she is dying to."
Lena was feeling odd until Daphne offered to let her see the baby. She knew this would be just the way to encourage the girl to accept this little life. "Oh my goodness! Look at the baby's head and little hand! The baby is waving! The is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Are you sure that you don't want to look even for a second?"
"Well, maybe, but only if you insist…."
The doctor moved the monitor over where Daphne could see. He started pointing at various parts. "Here is the head, and there is the hand your foster mother was referring to. Over here are the legs complete with toes. Would you like to know if you are having a boy or a girl?"
"I already know it is a girl. I have known since I realized I was pregnant." Daphne replied still mesmerized by the image.
"You are right, it is a girl. If my measurements are accurate, I would say that you are in the third trimester and probably right around thirty weeks pregnant. That means you have six to eight weeks to go. How have you been sleeping?"
"Last night I did okay. Before that, not so good. If I have to stay off my feet, does that mean that I shouldn't go to school?" Daphne asked hopefully.
"School should be okay. I will write you a note to put in the office. Have you attended any birth classes? I only ask because sometimes people your age have a tendency to deliver early. You need to have a plan in place right away."
Daphne looked at Lena. "Um, not exactly. I really just met these people yesterday… I guess my plan is to go to the hospital and get as many drugs as they will give me."
The doctor laughed. "Well, that is the beginning of a plan at least. We offer classes here on Monday and Wednesday nights. Maybe you could convince your foster mother to attend them with you as a birthing coach."
Again Daphne looked uncertain. "One of us will be glad to attend with you for as long as you are living with us. I have never actually given birth, so these classes would be mostly new to me. Stef had Brandon so she is more experienced. We can start working on all of this tonight and see how our schedules line up."
The doctor started putting away all of the machinary from the ultrasound and and handed each of them a picture. "I also have a book that I highly recommend reading to make yourself familiar with. You can purchase a copy from the receptionist on your way out. Be sure to schedule your next appointment while you are there. "
Lena followed the doctor out to give Daphne a chance to change with privacy. "Thank you very much for the picture. Daphne just got out of juvie last night and I think all of this is new to her. She has had almost no prenatal care up until now which puts her at some risk. Our next stop is to the mall to get her some decent clothing and then we will go on to school to enroll her."
"Well, good luck. If you need anything, call me. I will give the receptionist a card with my cell number on it. Seriously, any questions at all. Normally my teenage patients have a very hard time with the last month and she has an added hardship with being in foster care. I feel for you."
"Thanks again." Lena said as Daphne came out of the room. "Now, sweetheart, how about we blow this popsicle stand and head to the mall?"
"The mall? I thought I was supposed to get off my feet and now you say I have to go shopping? Are you crazy?"
"We need to pick up a few new clothing items for you and while we are there, Brandon could use a new shirt and I think Callie said her guitar pick was missing. Hopefully Jesus hasn't just hidden it again, but those aren't very expensive First, though, we have a book to pick up from the counter."
"A book?"
"Yes, the doctor recommends that we all read it so we know what is going on with your body and the baby. We have already lost a few months, so we need to get it today. While we are at the mall we might run into a bookstore to see if there are other books that would be good to read as well. We want to do this right."
Daphne looked at the clock and wondered if she could draw out a trip to the mall long enough that school would be out for the day. Or maybe just seem so tired, Lena would have sympathy and take her home. She went to sit down in the waiting room while Lena checked them out at the counter and thought back to her discussion with Stef the night before.
"In this household, we are the parents and we are the ones in charge. We will always try our best to keep you safe and happy, but at times it will not feel that way. Just ask our other five children. We have a few rules for you to follow and there will be consequeces if you break them. Do you have any questions so far?"
"What kind of rules and what sort of consequences?" Daphne asked glowering her eyes at Stef.
"That was going to by my next topic. First rule, treat everyone in the family with respect. In turn, we will all give you respect. That means not rolling your eyes, not talking back, and allowing everyone to have some privacy. After tonight, we will be moving you into Brandon's room for your stay. We will do our best to keep the kids out of the room if you do your best to stay out of their rooms. We also want privacy, but just as we say to the other kids, if you need something at night do not hesitate to knock."
"Whatever.." Daphne said with a slight eye roll.
"That would be considered disrepectful. Second, you will let Lena or I know where you are at all times. We are more than willing to give you some freedom, but it is our job to know where you are always." This was a hard statement for Stef to make as she considered that they should not give the girl any independence. Lena insisted that she needed some. "Third, watch your language. My kids are little and I really would not like them to pick up any more words from you. You have the power to be a good influence. Use it."
Daphne was thinking the influence part could be difficult as she was a pregnant teenager fresh from juvie. No one really cared about her language before and it was a little hard to know what Stef woud be expecting. "I will try. What exactly do you all consider bad?"
"My wife dislikes everything from stupid to the f word. For example, dyke and whore are both off limits. Does that help?" Daphne nodded. "Good. Fourth, school is required. Lena said you were already a little hesitant to go, but as long as you live here, you will go unless you are sick. A high school diploma is worth more than a mininum wage paycheck. Believe me. Fifth and final, you will have chores to do here. We expect your bed to be made everyday. You will do dishes once or twice a week and we will find other things for you to do. I believe Lena already mentioned the idea of an allowance. Do a good job and you can earn up to twenty dollars a week."
"Twenty dollars? Are you serious? You make your kids do all the work and then pay them like that? That's why I need a real job…."
"My older kids can only earn up to five dollars a week and Jude only three. Lena said we should make yours higher…. Show me that you can handle family life and school. Then we can talk about getting another job. This is all about earning trust."
Daphe snapped back to the present wondering if Lena knew that she really had no money to spend at the mall at all. Even if she got an advance on the allowance, she didn't think twenty dollars would pay for anything. Then again, going to the mall and purchasing nothing would still be better than going to school.
"Are you ready, sweetheart?" Lena asked offering a hand to help Daphne up. At first, the girl sort of balked and then realized it would be easier. She placed her hand in Lena's and used Lena's support to boost herself up. "I thought maybe you could look at the book on the way to the mall. You must be curious about everything that is happening inside of you right now."
Daphne took the book with her to the car. When Lena started the car she spent a little time thumbing through it. "Anything interesting in there?" Lena asked while they were at a light.
"I guess so." Daphne mumbled.
"Could you read me a little of the book while I am driving? Sometimes I can convince the kids to read to me when I can't and I always love it."
"I get kind of carsick when I read in the car." Daphne finally answered after leafing through a few more pages.
This sort of confirmed a theory that Lena had already formed about this girl. "Maybe we can all read together tonight. It is a pretty heavy subject matter to read alone."
"Do we have to include the kids when we read it?" Daphne said after a few more minutes of silence.
"Of course not. I was talking about after they were in bed. It would be just be the three of us. In case you are still here when it is time to deliever, I want us all to be on the same page." Daphne nodded.
"Okay, this is the mall. I am thinking that we can shop for about half an hour and then we will have lunch. That will leave this afternoon to get all of your school enrollment done and give me a chance to work at least half a day. So, I say that we start in the maternity store." Lena said pulling into the parking lot.
Daphne had not considered that Lena had to take time off from work to be with her this morning. Now she was feeling horrble about her plan to distract her from making it back there. Jude had mentioned just the night before that they didn't have much extra money. Stef had also mentioned the twenty dollars a week like it was a lot of money to offer. If Daphne was honest, it was way more than any other foster parents had ever given her before, she was just surprised they thought it would cover everything she would need.
They walked into the mall and Lena found the maternity store on the map. Daphne sort of slowed down her footsteps to almost a crawl. Lena all the sudden felt like she was practically dragging the girl along. "Do you need to sit down for a minute?"
"No…."
"Well, if we take too much time to get there, you won't have much time to look. I want you to get at least three outfits and pajamas while we are here. That won't be enough, but it will at least get you started. Stef does a load of laundry almost everyday. If we get you enough clothes she won't have to wash everything you own every night. Plus, you need some actual maternity clothes now. Your jeans are not fitting quite the way they should."
Daphne looked embarrassed, and picked up the pace some. She was still unsure how she was going to pay for that many items, but she could see it would be more convienent for Stef. They got into the store and Lena immediately started pulling items for Daphne to try on. After a while, Daphne spoke up. "I don't think I can get all of this today. I mean, this shirt alone is thirty-five dollars."
"I wasn't planning on getting it all, we are just here for a few outfits, but I do think you should try it all on so we can make good choices. Don't worry about the prices. We get money for your care and this is something you need." Lena said handing her another two shirts.
"Really? I thought that was what my allowance was for…"
"None of my kids buy their own clothing. I guess if you wanted something that was particularly expensive or more than you needed, but otherwise, I buy the clothing. I also buy the food before you ask. The money Bill gives us is for your care. Whatever goes over that amount we will pay. We wouldn't have taken you if we couldn't afford it. I think Stef told you last night that you were going to be a child in our household. This is part of that."
Once again Daphne was taken aback. She was really not being taken in as a servant or even for the paycheck. In fact, Lena was admitting they might go over the monthly amount allowed. Never in her whole life did Daphne expect to live with such people. "You mean you would get this stuff for me for free? I don't have to work more to get these things?"
"Of course not. Didn't Stef explain your allowance to you last night? It is for saving so that you can buy something you really want. In your case, you said that you were saving for an independent living situation. I know twenty dollars a week doesn't sound like much, but if you live with us a month, that would be a hundred dollars toward your goal. I am not sure how much you have saved so far, but at least it would help."
All of the sudden it made sense that Stef seemed annoyed when she said that twenty dollars was so little. She had been finding odd jobs to work since she was Jude's age just to eat. The concept of someone giving her money above her needs was foreign. This would be her first hundred dollars to save toward the future. She wanted to explain that, but didn't. "It will help until I have earned enough trust to get a real job."
Daphne was physically tired by the time she finished trying on all of the clothing Lena had picked out. She had almost no opinion on the clothes except a few that she didn't want. Lena made the final selection, got checked out, and they headed toward the music store. "Okay, sweetheart, how about if you stay out here on the bench with our purchases while I just run in and get the guitar pick. The bookstore I wanted to go to is also right over there. I can get to that stop fairly quickly also."
Daphne gladly sat down to get off her feet for a few minutes. The bag of clothing was a little heavy. She had insisted on carrying it, but regretted it within a couple of yards. Not only did she not want to go to school, but now she was feeling like her day had been full before even getting there. Stef and Lena both seemed pretty certain that school had to happen.
When Lena got back, she saw that Daphne was struggling to keep her eyes open. "I think Brandon's shirt can wait until another day. What do you say we have lunch at home so you can take a little nap before we head for school?"
Lena picked up the bag of clothing and offered a hand and Daphne took it more quickly this time. "A nap could be okay. Do we have any spaghetti left over?"
"We sure do and I think that sounds perfect." Lena did not release the girl's hand instantly and Daphne relished in its warmth before pulling away.
XXX
"Stef, do you have a minute?" Lena asked when Stef picked up her phone.
"I have all the time in the world for you, Love."
Lena rolled her eyes a bit. "Daphne and I just got back from her appointment and shopping. She is exhausted. I let her lay down while I got lunch ready and she fell asleep. I am going to wake her in a few minutes to eat anyway, but we need to make some decisions about her schooling."
"You said she had to go. You filled out the paperwork with her and her file last night. I don't see the issue."
"It just isn't that simple, Babe. We have a girl here whose attendance in school has been spotty at best since she started. She told me that she was a drop out, which is basically true. She was a seventh grader last year and quit going about this time of year. She was already failing all of her classes as she had most other years. Now, she is fifteen and nearly sixteen at that. I feel like that is too old to put into a middle school classroom where most of the kids have just turned thirteen. Add to that her pregnancy and the fact that she cannot read. Anchor Beach is not the school for her."
"I thought we were just suspecting that she could not read last night. Do you know for certain now?" Stef asked clearly thinking.
"Well, no, but it would explain why she keeps becoming uncomfortable when reading is mentioned and why she was doing so poorly in school. In the car I actually asked her to read to me and she made up an excuse. It all just adds up."
"School is not optional, though. We want to be something that is right with that kid." Stef reminded her wife.
"I know. Anchor Beach is not the place, but I think I know of a place that might be. There is a Teen Parent School associated with our local high school. It runs fewer hours with smaller classes. They also offer parenting classes and daycare for when the baby comes."
"That all sounds good. If it is fewer hours, though, how will she get there and back?"
"They have a bus. They will pick her up and drop her off at our house. They even have a place for infant seats to strap in safely. I actually know the English teacher there because she taught at my school last year. Any kid would be lucky to get her as a teacher. I am going to contact her and see if she will do some tutoring as well. I can't believe I didn't consider this school earlier."
"It does sound great. How does Daphne feel about it? I guess it really should be her choice."
"I was going to ask her when she woke up, but I wanted to make sure that you knew what we were doing. I am sorry that I didn't talk to you before taking her in. It just happened all of the sudden and when I saw her I just knew."
"And that's why I love you." Stef looked at her watch. "Do you have enough for a third person? I haven't taken my lunch break yet and I would love to spend it with the two of you."
XXXX
"So, what do you think?" Lena asked Daphne as the three of them were eating.
"If I really have to go to school, I guess that place sounds good. At least it doesn't take all day. Would that all start tomorrow?"
"Actually, I was going to take you by there this afternoon. They said you could start immediately. You would probably just have an hour or so left in the day, but I think it would still be a good idea to try it once. I have a friend who teaches there and she is actually going to bring you home today after she evaluates, or figures out, where you are in some of your classes."
"I am not very good at school." Daphne said quietly. "Don't expect much."
"We will get you tutoring and help you ourselves. All of our kids learn differently. Like I told you last night, we both love helping our kids learn. While you are here, you are ours. We will do whatever it takes for you to be successful."
