A/N: As always, thanks for the feedback that everyone's been sending. You guys have made a rough week a bit better.
After the family had eaten breakfast, Brandon, Jesus, and Callie ran upstairs to get dressed for their respective busy days. Mariana didn't have any plans, so she lounged on the couch in front of the TV. Jude was already dressed and ambled around the backyard, lost in his own world. Lena and Stef watched him through the kitchen window as they finished cleaning up. Once they were done, they also went outside.
"Hey, Jude. You have a sec?" Stef asked.
He climbed down from his favorite tree. "Okay."
The three of them sat down together at the patio table. "We were just wondering if you felt okay to go to the game today?" Lena asked.
"You don't have to go," Stef added. "If you just want to hang out here with us for the day, that's perfectly fine."
Jude shrugged slightly. "I want to go… It should be fun, right?"
They nodded. "Yeah, we think you'll have a good time with your brothers," Stef agreed.
Lena pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to Jude. "Take this with you, okay? We've been meaning to get another phone added to our plan. But at least for today… if you want to talk or if you're feeling uncomfortable and want to come home, just call Stef's cell."
He nodded. "Okay. Thank you."
As soon as they arrived at Petco Park, Jesus knew they were going to have a great day. Stef had quietly warned him and Brandon to look out for Jude, but Jesus didn't think their little brother would have any problems. He was wide-eyed as they got off the trolley, looking up at the stadium.
"Wow," the younger boy whispered.
Jesus laughed. "Just wait until we get inside."
Once they'd reached the main level, they stopped at a concession stand to pick up some snacks. Jude decided to get a hot dog, and then he and Frank watched in awe as Brandon and Jesus ordered popcorn, nachos, hot dogs, peanuts, and sodas.
"Are you really going to eat all of that?" Frank asked them as the girl behind the counter put all of their food on a tray. He'd only gotten some peanuts and a soda for himself.
Brandon shrugged. "Moms said that we could eat whatever we wanted."
"As long as you don't go running to them when you throw up later," Jude added in the rest of Stef's warning.
"Yeah, whatever," Jesus told him. "We can handle it."
"What section are we in again?" Brandon asked his grandfather once they all had their food and condiments.
"121," Frank replied after he checked his ticket. "Field level."
"Does that mean we'll be really close to the players?" Jude wondered.
Frank smiled. He hadn't spent much time with Jude before that day, but was enjoying his soon-to-be grandson's enthusiasm. It seemed Stef had been right about inviting all of the boys. "We'll be as close as I can afford."
When they walked out into the stands, Brandon almost ran into Jude from behind when the younger boy unexpectedly stopped. "Hey!" he exclaimed before he realized that his little brother was frozen in surprise, staring at his surroundings. There was always something magical about entering a baseball stadium for the first time.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Jesus asked with a grin from his spot behind Brandon.
"Very cool," Jude agreed.
They found their seats, and started eating while they waited for the game to begin. As Jude unwrapped his hot dog, Frank noticed the rainbow-colored nail polish on his fingers. "You kids get some crazy ideas these days," he commented with a smile.
Brandon and Jesus looked over to see what he was talking about. They were pretty sure that Frank didn't understand the significance of the rainbows on his hands, but they did. "Did Mariana do that?" Jesus asked.
Jude nodded. "She did hers and Callie's, too."
Brandon smiled. "She's starting Pride Weekend early this year. Nice."
"She was telling me about that," Jude explained. "I didn't know anything about it. But I want to go."
Jesus nodded. "I can't wait. It's going to be the biggest party ever this year, with DOMA and Prop 8 finally going down."
"Do you all go every year?" Jude wondered.
"Yeah," Brandon replied. "That's where Moms met Kelly and Jenna a long, long time ago. We've made a few new friends there over the years, too."
"Cool."
Frank looked toward the scoreboard, wondering how soon the game would start. He wasn't too comfortable with the topic of conversation; he'd voted for Proposition 8, although now he wasn't sure what he believed. But he knew he ought to make an effort to keep talking with the boys. There'd been enough damage to his relationship with his daughter and he didn't want the same to happen with his grandchildren. "I've seen video from that parade on the news," he told the boys. "Lots of people in those crazy costumes riding down the street."
Brandon shrugged. "There aren't THAT many people in costumes. But they are fun to see."
"Yeah, some of them are super creative," Jesus added. "And they're telling everyone that they're proud to be themselves, no matter what anybody else thinks. And that's totally fine; nobody there judges anybody."
"Other than judging the parade float competition," Brandon chimed in with a grin. Jesus laughed.
Jude smiled as he settled back into his seat. The rally and parade seemed better than Christmas to him. "I can't wait."
Frank had never been happier to see the players start running out on the field. "Oh, here we go," he told the boys, and their attention switched to the game.
Callie was also out of the house for the afternoon since she had therapy. Stef drove her over to the medical complex where the sessions were held. When the car stopped in the parking lot, Callie remained in her seat for a long moment. "I'm sorry," she finally said.
Stef looked at her, confused. "What?"
"I know you and Lena have been worried about me - worried if I was gonna hurt myself again. I'm sorry."
"Did something happen?" Stef quietly asked.
Callie shook her head. "I didn't do anything. But…" she bit her lip, "There was a moment, when Jude was locked in the bathroom yesterday… I was so terrified that he might be doing something to himself."
Stef's stomach dropped. Neither she nor Lena had considered that possible outcome to the afternoon. "Oh, jeez."
"I'd never known what that felt like before," Callie continued. "But I figure you're scared for me like that all the time."
"We know that you're doing everything you can to make us less worried," Stef assured her.
"I am," Callie promised. "I want to be better."
"And we're very proud of you." They shared a little smile.
"Anyway, I guess I should head inside," Callie said as she reached for the door handle. As she started to get out, Stef stopped her.
"Hey, Cal?" The teen turned around. "Do you think we need to be worried about Jude?" There had been so many stories of gay teens taking their own lives. She couldn't imagine Jude getting to that point, but on the other hand, she assumed the other kids' parents had been blindsided, too.
Callie shook her head. "I don't think so. He's always been a tough little guy… stronger than me."
"You are amazingly strong," Stef argued.
"Still. I think he'll be okay now. This is why I wanted him to stay with you and Lena no matter what; this is the home and family that he needs."
"You've taken great care of him, too," Stef assured her.
Callie shrugged. "Sort of. I tried, at least… I should go."
Stef nodded. "See you later."
After the Padres managed to pull out a win, Frank and the boys stopped by the gift shop for a couple small souvenirs and to give a little time for the stadium traffic to start to clear.
By the time they got back to the Foster house, Brandon, Jesus, and Jude were still amped up from the victory. As they stood in the entryway, all three started talking at the same time to tell Lena and Stef what had happened. Both moms were happy to see they'd had a good time, especially Jude.
"Okay, slow down," Lena told her sons with a laugh. "What happened in the sixth inning?" She wasn't as big of a baseball fan as her wife, but didn't mind hearing their recap.
"The Rockies were trying to tie it up," Jesus explained. "The bases were loaded. But then Cabrera made the most AMAZING catch."
"It was awesome," Jude agreed. Brandon nodded.
Frank caught his daughter's eye. "Can we talk for a minute?" he asked her. Stef nodded and motioned to go out on the front porch.
"What's up?" she wondered as she closed the door behind them. "Did they behave themselves?"
"Oh, no, they were fine. I um… There were some things said, and I was just wondering… Is Jude gay?"
Stef was taken aback for a moment. "I'm not really sure if that's your business, Dad."
Frank slowly nodded; that was close enough to a yes for him. "Is that why you two are racing to adopt him and Callie?"
"What?"
"None of the other kids are, right?" he wondered. "I'm just trying to understand; were you looking for a child that's like you?"
Now she was on the defensive. "No, Dad, we weren't. Fostering and now adopting Callie and Jude wasn't something that we'd originally planned on at all. But they needed somebody to take care of them and we're adopting them because we love them no matter who they are."
"I'm sorry. I'm just trying… I'm doing my best to understand this life you've chosen - "
"I didn't choose this life!" Stef cut him off, unable to take it any longer. "My life chose me, and I have no idea how I was so lucky! I met my soulmate purely by chance and we have had eleven wonderful years together. During that time, four beautiful, incredible, hurting children have made their way so deep into my heart that I don't know what I would do without them. And sure, I instead could have just kept doing what everyone else expected of me. I could have chosen to turn away from them and denied myself the amazing gift of their love. But then I would be like you!"
Frank simply stared at her for a long moment. "I… I think I'm going home," he finally said before turning toward his car. And Stef just watched him go.
TBC...