Author's Note: Okay, so... I don't have a very good reason for why this is so late other than I suck and my life likes to take out my motivation to do things. But, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I can assure you no matter how long I take to update I do not plan on abandoning this fic. (Which hopefully it won't take so long this time). Uhh, didn't proof-read so any mistakes are my own. Thank you for your reviews and your encouragement, they mean the world to me. I hope you enjoy. Oh... And I've done brief research on foster care but obviously most if not all of it is going to be wrong. :P
Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own anything you recognize.
Chapter Three
Callie had been asleep for almost an hour when Jane walked in quietly with a young red-head dressed in a pantsuit. Her hair was pulled up in a bun and she had a smattering of freckles on her cheeks. She wore a pair of square rimmed, yet sleek black glasses and was carrying a briefcase.
"Maura, this is an old friend of mine from High School. She's taking on Callie's case. This is Wendy Carter." Jane said quietly so as not to wake the sleeping little girl in the bed.
Maura stood up and held out her hand for the woman as she smiled. "Hi, Ms. Carter, I'm Dr. Maura Isles." Wendy smiled and shook Maura's hand.
Glancing behind Maura at the little girl, Wendy gestured to the door. "Should we take this outside the room? I'd hate to wake her. From what Jane says, it would seem pertinent that Callie get some rest."
Jane glanced at Callie and then at Maura. She could tell that her girlfriend was having a silent debate before she finally nodded.
When they stepped outside the room, Wendy got straight to business. "Normally it takes a few months become a fully certified foster parent and there are a lot of steps you have to take, however a potential home can be approved or certified on an emergency basis, though the qualified individual is someone who is usually familiar to the child in some way. "
I can pull a few strings to have the paperwork that you're going to need to fill out pushed, but I can only do so much." Wendy explained.
"I have a few strings of my own that I can pull. And surely we would qualify. Jane and I are both financially able to care for them, and I am a doctor," Maura rambled off, thoughts racing. "I'll call my lawyer and help set things in motion." She added, looking over at Jane and then Wendy.
"Great. I have the paperwork in my briefcase. As soon as you fill that out, you can take Callie home and her brother when the hospital releases them. In the meantime I will be in touch and will check in. If you do not seem fit, they can and will be removed from your home." The social worker warned.
"But I'm sure that won't be the case. You'll be interviewed at a later date as well as be asked to give a tour of your home. Since I will be handling Callie's case, however, you'll be getting me." Wendy smiled and then motioned them to the door. "Let's go over the paperwork." She said, quietly entering the room.
Half an hour later, Wendy was bidding the two a farewell and headed to get their papers pushed through so that Jane and Maura could officially be certified. Maura had already spoken to her lawyer and he was working on pulling strings of his own to ensure that Callie and her brother would be put in the care of Jane and Maura for as long as was needed.
It wasn't long after that that Dr. Winters came in to check on Callie and take her vitals. By that time, the little girl was waking up. It took her a moment but as soon as she realized where she was, her eyes went wide and sought out Maura.
The ME was sitting in the chair beside her bed, giving her what Maura hoped was a reassuring smile. Jane was sitting near the window, looking out, clearly lost in thought.
Dr. Winters was quiet as she went about writing in Callie's chart. When she finished, she looked up, glancing at everyone around the room before clearing her throat to get their attention. Maura was already watching her carefully but Jane turned in her seat to look at the young doctor. "I assume you have spoken to a social worker? Because I've been informed that Callie will be discharged in your care." She glanced between Maura and Jane, chart still in her hands.
Maura stood up and nodded. "Yes. Her social worker is Wendy Carter. Is Callie ready to be discharged?" She hoped so. She was tired and ready to get on the list of things she needed to do for Callie.
Dr. Winters smiled. "Yes. Her electrolytes are up, everything looks really good. She just needs to get some more rest which I'm sure she can better get outside of a stuffy hospital room. A nurse will be in to unhook her and I'll be back with her discharge papers."
"What about the baby?" Jane spoke, standing up and crossing her arms. She was still nervous about all of this.
"He still needs to be watched, but he's doing well right now. He probably won't be discharged for another couple of days." Dr. Winters explained.
Both Maura and Jane exchanged a look before nodding. It was probably for the best anyway, better to get Callie situated as well as to prepare themselves.
It was about an hour and a half later that Maura and Jane pulled into the driveway. Callie had been quiet the entire ride there and hadn't said a peep at the hospital either. Maura turned to look at the little girl and smile softly. "We're here; would you like to go inside now?" The little girl looked up at Maura and then simply shrugged.
Maura could tell she was still exhausted. Jane gave Maura a look before the honey blonde nodded once to her girlfriend, answering the silent question of if she could handle getting Callie out the car. Both adults exited the car and Maura headed to the back, opening the door and unbuckling the child's seatbelt.
Before Maura could even pull back, two little arms wrapped around her neck. "Oh, you want me to carry you?" She asked gently, her hands slowly moving to lift the girl out of the car. There was a small nod and once out of the car, Callie's legs wrapped around Maura's waist. Jane came around to shut the car door for Maura and they headed inside the house.
As they entered the house, Jo Friday started to yip happily and jump in excitement at seeing her owners and a new person. The barking and yipping however scared Callie and she whimpered and hugged Maura tighter. "No! No dog!" She cried, suddenly starting to shiver.
Jane came around and picked Jo up, shushing her while Maura rubbed Callie's back. "It's okay, sweetie. That's just our dog, Jo Friday. She won't hurt you. She wants to play with you." Maura said softly.
Callie peeked up from hiding her face in Maura's neck to look at the scrappy little dog. She didn't look very frightening and she wasn't barking with her sharp teeth showing. She just wiggled and wagged her tail, whimpering softly. A tiny shaky hand reached out to touch a wet nose and in return Jo licked the little hand, making Callie jerk back in fear.
"See? She's not gonna hurt you." Jane said, smiling and petting Jo's head.
Maura reached out her own hand and scratched under Jo's chin. "She's a good dog!" Maura added.
Callie looked between Jane and Maura before she reached out again and started to pet the dog, slowly and hesitantly at first and Jo, seeming to sense the child's fear, held still. "She don't bite or get growly?" The little girl asked, still watching Jo as if expecting her to suddenly attack but all the little terrier did was lick and nuzzle the tiny hand that continued to pet her.
Jane shook her head and smiled. "No, Jo Friday is very friendly. She loves to play with pretty little girls."
Callie still didn't look like she believed it but she also didn't seem as frightened as before. "Okay." She said simply as Jane set the dog down.
"Well, how about a bath and something to eat?" Maura asked, wanting to get the dirty pajamas off the child.
"Okay." Callie mumbled quietly.
Maura looked to Jane who shrugged. "Okay. Jane will you set up the guest room and maybe find something to eat for Callie?"
Jane tried to smile. "Sure, babe." She kissed her girlfriend on the cheek and watched as Maura headed down the hall toward their bedroom.
As Maura reached their bedroom, she set the little girl down so she could search for something clean for Callie to wear.
Callie stood there and watched as Maura pulled out a large grey t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, both Jane's. The shorts would have to be pinned or fastened somehow to stay up but Maura would figure that out later. She laid the clothes out on the bed and then held out her hand. Callie took the proffered hand and allowed herself to be led into the master bathroom.
"Das a big tub." Callie said in awe as she eyed the Jacuzzi tub.
Maura chuckled softly at the child's wonderment and nodded. "Yes, perfect for bubbles to." She said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
The ME hurried to get out some shampoo and body wash and grabbed a towel from the closet. She set the towel on the countertop and the bath items on the edge of the tub. Turning on the water, she put it to a safe temperature before turning to Callie and getting to her knees. "Would you like to get undressed now and get into the tub?"
Callie nodded and stepped forward, allowing Maura to unzip the footy pajamas. There were bruises and scars all over the little girl's body and it made Maura sick to her stomach, but she managed to keep her face neutral as she helped the tiny little girl into the tub.
Callie was quiet as Maura began to gently run a washcloth down her arms and back. Maura was gentle, taking note of each injury. Some looked like cigarette burns while one scar in particular looked like a dog bite. It was on Callie's leg and Maura briefly wondered if that was why Callie was afraid of Jo.
Though she was desperate to, she did not ask Callie where any of her wounds came from, afraid she might upset her. Soon enough, Maura was helping Callie lay back to wet her long hair before she began to wash it.
"Mouwa?" Callie's voice was quiet, her eyes staring down into the soapy water.
Maura paused her ministrations and looked down at Callie. "Hm?"
"How long are me and my brover stayin' here? Are we—are we eva gonna see our mommy again?" Green eyes met Maura's as Callie turned her head to look up at the ME.
Swallowing thickly, Maura continued to wash Callie's hair, being careful to keep the shampoo from her eyes. "I don't know, sweetheart. W-What did your mommy say?" Maura asked carefully, hoping the child might open up some.
But Callie quickly shook her head. That was the end of that. Sighing, Maura helped Callie lay back to rinse out her hair, holding her face above water. When Callie sat back up, Maura gently ran her hand through Callie's wet hair to find it smooth.
"Let's get you dried and dressed before the water gets cold." Maura said, grabbing the towel from the counter and pulling the plug in the tub. She opened the towel up and wrapped it around Callie before lifting her out of the tub.
After drying the quiet little girl off, Maura pulled Jane's BPD t-shirt over Callie's head and then grabbed the boxer shorts to help her step into. Of course they were way too loose to Maura took a safety pin and pinned the shorts so they would stay up. It would have to until they were able to buy Callie some clothes.
Picking Callie up, Maura set her on the bed and smiled. "Want me to braid your hair so it stays out of your face?"
Callie smiled at this and nodded.
Maura grabbed a brush and set about braiding long dirty blonde hair.
As Maura combed through Callie's hair, the little girl spoke up once more. "I fink she left us so daddy would stop the hurtings." Her voice was quiet and Maura almost didn't hear her.
The honey blonde froze as the words washed over her. Her breathing seemed to stop as if she'd sucked in a lungful of water and her entire body went cold. "Mauwa?" Callie's tiny voice broke Maura from her thoughts.
"Sorry, sweetie." Her voice sounded shaky and she swallowed, unsure of how to answer that. "Sounds like mommy did the right thing." Not entirely so, but at least she had tried to, Maura thought. The right thing would have been for Callie's mother to call the police, but Maura didn't know the situation, so maybe leaving Callie and her brother was all she could do at the moment.
"She said someone good would get us." Callie whispered quietly.
Maura finished braiding Callie's hair and gently pulled the child into her lap. "You're in good hands, Callie. No one will hurt you here." She whispered, pressing a light kiss to the child's hair.
Callie turned and hugged Maura tight, hiding her face in the ME's neck. "Pwomise?" Her voice quivered quietly, and it was clear she was fighting hard not to cry.
"I promise." Maura whispered, voice thick with emotion. "I promise."