The next two days, Callie didn't show up at the hospital. It worried Sam and the others, but they thought maybe she had a lot of homework or had finally made some friends at school and was busy with them. They didn't have to worry, Callie was in a safe place, well from where her side of it she was safe.

On her walk to the hospital on the third day, Callie thought about her two excursions to Juvenile Hall. The first one had been really nerve-wracking. She'd tried to sniper breathe to keep herself calm, but it didn't work. It was a long walk from the school to juvie, but that just made her dread it even more.

At first it didn't seem like they would let her in without an adult, but when she insisted that her mom was at work and they checked it out they let her in. She sat in the visitor room alternating from looking at the clock and ather hands. Finally, Mitzy walked into the visitor room.

When Mitzy saw Callie she looked around the room. Where's her mom, she thought. Should she be here? The guard was watching her so she walked to the table to sit down. "What do you want? To rub it in? You won. Whoop-de-doo."

"No Mitzy. I didn't win. Neither of us did." Callie studied her face. She looked scared, tense and unhappy.

"So what do you want?" Mitzy kept up the tough girl act. So far it had kept her from getting beat up. That and she hardly left her cell.

"I just-" she shrugged. "I wanted you to know that I forgive you." She gave Mitzy an honest look. She did forgive her. She knew Mitzy had been motivated by what was done to her and had reacted the only way she knew how.

"Forgive me?" Mitzy was caught off guard. She thought for sure that Callie would want to tell her off or at least say she was glad Mitzy was in juvie.

"Yeah. I know you were bullied and I'm sorry that happened to you. That doesn't make what you did to me over the years ok, but it's time to let it go and move on.

I hope that's what you can do after you get out of here. Move on. Go to college, get a job, maybe get married one day and have a family. I believe you have a bright future ahead of you. But it's up to you." Callie waited. She wasn't sure what Mitzy's reaction would be. She studied Mitzy's face and body language. She was definitely confused and unsure.

"Wow." Mitzy frowned at her. "Why?"

"Why not?" Callie shrugged. "Why spend my time being upset and mulling over what happened? It won't do me any good. Things are great for me now. And I hope you can have that too." Callie stood. She'd said everything she had wanted to say. It was up to Mitzy now.

Before Callie walked out the door, Mitzy said, "thank you Callie." Her eyes were sincere. Callie had nodded and left.

The second trip to juvie the following day, she was more confident. It was true that Mitzy was the commander and Candace the enforcer, but she was confident this would go the same way.

She'd been wrong. Candace had become even more angry and aggressive. When Callie told Candace she forgave her, Candace laughed and called her an idiot. Callie still told Candace the same thing she did Mitzy, that it was up to her now but Candace didn't care and told her so.

Callie stood to leave and had one last thing to say. "I feel sorry for you Candace." When Candace started to interrupt her, Callie slapped her hands on the table and looked Candace in the eye, seeing the other girl pull back. "I'm not afraid of you any more. Maybe someday you'll grow up and realize what an opportunity you have here." She moved to the door. "Until then, have a nice life Candy."

Candace growled and ran at the door, but the guards were waiting for her. They'd already learned what set inmate 2246662 off.

As Callie made her way out of the facility she could hear Candace screaming, "I am NOT Candy!"

Callie walked into Jules' room smiling at the memory of Candace's desperate screams. She had a feeling Candace would become very familiar with cells in her future.

Sam, Spike, Greg, Ed and Leah turned when the door opened.

They all started talking at once until Callie put up a hand, laughing. "Hi guys." She gave each one a hug and then turned to Jules. "You look so much better!'

Jules was sitting up in bed, no more chest tube, just an IV and nose cannula. Her color had finally returned. "Thanks Callie."

"You sound better!' Callie leaned in and gave Jules a small hug.

"I feel much...better." Jules still had to take a breath or two when speaking.

"Wow. See what happens when I don't come for a couple days?" Callie laughed.

Suddenly they all started talking at once, "where were you?" "Why didn't you call? "You just disappeared." "We missed...you." "It would've been nice if you'd let us know so we don't worry." Spike was the last one to speak.

"Wow. Ok." Callie smiled. "I went to juvie to see Mitzy one day and Candace the next. I'm sorry I didn't call, but I didn't think it was a big deal. My mom knew where I was. I didn't mean to disappear. I missed you guys too. I will from now on, promise." She took a breath. "Was that all of it?" She looked at Sam who did not look amused.

"You went to juvie?" Sam frowned at her. "They haven't even been arraigned yet. I don't think that was a good idea. What did you say to them?"

She related what she said to each of the girls and their reactions. She especially liked telling them about calling Candace Candy. She smiled after that part but it faded when she looked at them. "What?"

Spike looked at Sam and then looked at her with admiration. "That was an incredibly mature thing to do. Did your mom or Mr. Fitzherbert suggest it?"

"Well Mr. Fitzherbert told me that I needed to forgive them and move on so that's the only way I could think of to do it." She didn't understand Sam's reaction. Everyone else was smiling at her.

"I wish you'd told us you were going, we could've gone with you." Sam said.

"I'm sorry Sam. I wanted to do it myself. I think I needed to." Callie looked at him hopefully.

"I understand." Sam smiled. Then he put a hand shaped like a phone to his ear and whispered "call".

Callie laughed. "Besides, it was my birthday. I can spend it how I want. Anyway, how are you guys? What's been happening?"

The adults exchanged looks of surprise and all started talking again. "Wait? What?" "It was your birthday? Which day?" "Why didn't you tell us?" "We should...celebrate." "What's with all the secrets?'

"Geez, it's like a marathon with you people." Callie laughed. "Wait for what? Yes. Monday. I don't usually celebrate. Same answer and I don't know."

They all took a minute to process that and Jules finally broke the silence. "Well happy...birthday!"

"Thanks." Callie smiled at all of them. It was kind of exhausting to have them all together, she realized. Especially when more than one person had something to say. She hadn't meant to keep things from them, but doesn't everyone keep secrets? She threw her birthday in knowing that they'd want to know. If she didn't tell them at all they probably would've been upset.

"Well we should at least take you out to dinner or something." Greg said although he regretted it after because Jules couldn't join them. He looked at Jules.

"Go." Jules waved her hands at them. "But once.. I'm out…of here...you and...I celebrate." She smiled at Callie. She hated how long it took to get out a sentence.

"Definitely." Callie smiled. "We'll be back."

"Ok." Jules smiled.

They took Callie to her favorite restaurant and had a great time. The chef brought out a big cake and the whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday to her. They all felt bad that they didn't have presents for her, but knew they would make it up to her.

Afterward, Sam and Callie returned to the hospital. In the car, Callie looked at Sam. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about going to juvie. I didn't think you guys would worry so much about me not going to the hospital."

Sam understood. He didn't tell people where he was every second and she was used to doing things on her own because her mom was working so much. "I understand. We just- well we think of you as like a little sister now so we're protective."

"Aww." Callie smiled. "Wow, so I went from one brother to no siblings, to five brothers and two sisters." She thought about that for a minute.

Sam smiled. "Well, yeah." He looked at her. "Listen, we don't mean to be over protective, it just kind of how we are. Just give us a heads up."

"Ok." She agreed.