AN: I didn't want to cut the chapter in half and leave you hanging for another week, so today I will spoil you with a longer chapter. Hope you enjoy :)
Callie POV
When I hear the doorbell, I close the tap and grab the towel to dry my hands. I toss the towel over my shoulder, when I am up to the doors. Without looking who is on the other side, I open the doors.
"Hey, Callie" Lena said cheerful
"Um.." I was surprised to see Stef and Lena there "...Hi" I manage to stutter out
"May we come in?" Stef asks next. I hesitate for few seconds, but of course I let them in. Only when they are in my apartment, I notice that Stef had a bag with her.
As Stef was looking around the apartment she asked "Where's Jude?"
"Aghhh…shampoo in eye!" Came a loud shout from the bathroom "Burns so bad!"
"Ah!" Stef points to the bathroom and we all smile about it
"Look, I told him to go back..." I said to them the next moment. I had a feeling they were here because they wanted Jude to go back to the house. Why else would they be here if not for Jude?
"That's not why we are here" Lena said to me
Stef lifted up the bag "Brought few more of his clothes. We figured he will want to stay with you this week"
"You did?" I ask surprised as Stef puts the bag on my couch
"His school stuff is there as well" Lena said pointing to the bad "Make sure he does his homework!"
"You are not taking him back?" I ask shocked
"No, he should stay with you this week" Stef replies with a smile
"Whole...week?" I ask surprised as I look to the two woman in front of me
"Why not? He's safe here with you. Besides, I doubt he wants to see his foster siblings anyway" Stef explains
"About that…" Lena said warily taking a step closer to me "We are truly sorry for what they did, what they said last night"
"It's fine" I brush it off and toss the towel to the end of the couch
"No!" Stef said quickly and firmly "It's not okay! We had no idea they would act like that. Lena and I were both...stunned and shocked. You didn't deserve that, you didn't deserve to be treated that way"
"We are sorry, for how they treated you" Lena said looking guilty "I hope you can forgive us"
"There is nothing to forgive...you didn't do anything" I said and detained a small pause "Besides, they didn't say anything wrong, I am just a stupid waitress and I do have just a shitty high school educ-"
"Stop!" Stef said loudly, stopping me. I was taken aback by her stern voice "None of that matters, honey!"
Honey...Did she really just call me honey?
"We know how hard you have worked to get where you are now. You did this all on yourself, even if the odds were against you. You should be proud of yourself. You have a good job and a great home. It doesn't matter what school you finished or what job you have - you did this on your own" Lena gestures to the room around "Yes, you have made some mistakes on your way to get here...but who hasn't? We have all done stupid things one time or another"
"You don't care that I was arrested?" I ask surprised
"You said it yourself, Callie" Lena spoke up "You record is sealed. The Judge sealed it. It's in past and it should stay there!"
"Your not afraid that I will turn to my criminal acts?" I say with a hint of hurt in my voice
"We know you wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what you have. Especially because Jude is back in your life-" Lena couldn't finish the sentence, because the bathroom doors opened
"Who are you talking to Callie?" Jude came out with a towel wrapped around his waistline "Moms?" He asks surprised as he sees them with me
"Hey, bud!" Stef greets him
"What are you doing here?" He walked up to us, leaving wet foot prints on the floor. With one hand Jude was holding on to the side of the towel, so it doesn't open up or fall down, exposing him.
"We dropped off some few more clothes for you and got you your school bag" Lena explains to him
"We figured you don't want to see your foster siblings right now" Stef adds looking to the boy
"They are idiots!" Jude says harshly "I hate them!" He says and storms off to his room, slamming the doors shut
We all look at the closed doors "H-he's just mad. He didn't mean that. He will come around" I tried to explain his behavior to them
"Well, he has every right to be pissed at them. We understand where his anger is coming from" Stef says crossing her arms on her chest
"You can be angry too" Lena adds tilting her head sideways "After how they treated you...we would understand if you would never want to come over ever again."
"What I don't want...is for Jude to be around them!" I stated and crossed my hands on my chest "I'm not the bad guy! And if they keep trying to turn Jude against me-"
"We talked to them!" Stef interjected "After you both left...we talked to them!"
"They admitted this morning that they were wrong. And no one sees you as a the bad guy, Callie" Lena continued "They understand now from where you are coming. And they feel guilty for what they did and how they treated you. It won't happen again, we promise! They won't be trying to turn Jude against you!"
Jude's bedroom doors open. We all turn to look at him. Jude comes out fully dressed, with his towel in his hands "I can't believe they said that" He said harshly continuing where he had left off before storming away
"Especially the twins! They have been in the foster care. They know what is like. I would have understood if it was only Brandon..."He took the towel up to his hair and dried it for few seconds
"And how in the hell did they even found out that Callie was arrest! I only told you!" He looked up to his moms, demanding an answer from them "Did you tell them?"
"No!" Lena said at once "No, we didn't! I promise you, Jude, we didn't! We asked them and they said that they overheard me and mom talking. That's how they found out that-" Lena glanced to me "-you were arrested"
"I can't believe they said that it was Callie's fault for us being separated. It was my fault...not Callie's!" he said a bit too much and of course Stef and Lena caught it. I saw it in their eyes, their eyes grew big when he said that.
Jude only realized that when he noticed the dead silence in the room and that we all were looking at him.
"Jude!" Lena looked to the boy, who was now frozen in his spot. I think he surprised himself by telling that. He didn't exactly looked scared for his life, he just looked...guilty for letting it slip. Because he knew I didn't like to talk about it.
"What are you talking about? Why was it your fault Jude?" Stef asked in a much more firmer voice as she now looked between me and my brother. She took a step closer towards him.
"He made a slip...He didn't mean that. It was my fault!" I said stepping in front of Jude, to protect him
I didn't know what to expect from them, especially from Stef. She was very intimidating and there was this...fire in her eyes. My protective mode just turned on and I couldn't help it. For all I know, this calm front could change any second now and they could hurt him. I needed to make sure that doesn't happen.
Protect Jude at all cost.
Stef raise her hands up in front of her when she saw me go in my protective mode "Honey, we are not going to hurt him. Or you. I promise...you are both safe"
There it was again, that word – honey
"It was my fault! Only my fault!" I repeated firmly, still thinking Stef will do something. I needed to convince her to only hurt me, not Jude.
"Can you tell us what happened before you got separated?" Lena asked softly, placing her hand on Stef's lower back
"It was my fault" I repeated once again, looking now to Lena "My fault! Not Jude's! My fault. Jude didn't do anything. It was my fault!" I was starting to feel all worked up
All the guilt I felt 2 years ago, came back to me. And it all started to feel like it was just too much. I came home late. I didn't watch Jude, like I should have. I let him hurt Jude. It was my fault we got separated, because I panicked. I panicked and did a stupid thing.
My chest felt really tight. My breathing became rapid. I pulled my hands in fist to stop my hands from shaking. It was getting hard to concentrate, to think. I felt like I was suffocating. I felt like I was losing control over my body.
I don't know what was happening to me. I have never felt this way before. This was a first time anything like this has happened to me. It scared me.
"Callie...honey" Lena took a step closer to me speaking in a soft tone"It's all right!"
"My fault!" I repeated desperately before I took in a shallow breath, looking at them
"What's happening to her?" I hear Jude's voice from my side
"I think she's having a panic attack" Lena states as she takes another step closer
"Help her!" Jude called out sounding desperate
"Get a glass of water and wet cloth" I heard Lena say before she took another step closer to me. Stef hurried to the kitchen area.
Lena placed her hand on my upper arm "Callie, you are hyperventilating...Breath in through your nose" Lena instructed and then demonstrated
She took in a deep breath thought her nose for some 5 second. Then she held her breath for 3 seconds and then she breathed out. All while I was breathing in shallow, fast breathes, trying to get enough air in me.
"I know you can do it...follow me. Breath in" Lena said calmly while watching me carefully
I follow her instructions as best as I can. Lena kept talking with me, she kept repeating the instruction over and over as I tried to carry them out.
"Very good" Lena said after few round of the breathing exercises "One more time, deep breath in..." She watched as my chest raised as I sucked in the air "Hold it" Lena waited 2 seconds "And out. Good...you are doing great Callie"
Lena reached for the wet cloth her wife was holding out and took it. She run it softly over my neck to wipe away the sweat.
"Feeling better?" She asked when she run the cool, wet cloth over my forehead. I nod back as I hold my breath.
"Good. You will be okay, Callie, don't worry" Lena said gently as I exhaled the way she taught me to
"Wanna sit down?" She asks, I nod back again
Lena sits down next to me on the couch, while Jude and Stef both stand by the coffee table, looking down to me worried. Stef hands me the glass of cool and refreshing water. I drink it empty and hold it in my hands.
"Are you okay?" Jude asks when he sits on the coffee table in front o me
"I'm okay, Jude" I say barely above whisper
When Lena placed her hand on my back, I flinched away at first. Once she started to run her left hand softly over my back, like my mother used to, I started to calm down. No one had done that in years. It felt so weird being soothed like that. It was such a mother-like gesture.
"Is this the first time you had a panic attack?" Lena asked still running her hand up and down my back
I nod my head back, looking down to the floor. I hated that I got so vulnerable in front of them. I hate that Jude had to see me like this.
"Don't have to be ashamed, Callie" Stef said softly from where she sat next to Jude "It can happen to all of us. It's okay, honey"
"Can you tell us what happened?" Lena asked warily
"Whatever you say, it can stay between us" Stef added as she locks eyes with me "Whatever it is, whatever happened...you can tell us!"
I looked over to Jude. I think he wanted to tell them, he wanted them to know. And without saying anything, just with his look, he was asking me for permission. I nod to him and lean back in the couch.
"I got detention, for talking back to teacher" I started "So I got home late"
"I was home alone" Jude picked up "Our foster father usually came home around 5. I got bored so I...I went snooping. I went to my foster fathers room, to his closet and..." Jude started to pick his fingers nervously "and...I picked out one of his ex-wives dresses. I wanted to try it on. And I did" He admits quietly and scared
Both of the woman sat quietly, listening to us telling the story. They didn't interject or commented how stupid it was. They just listened.
"But our foster father got home sooner that day. He came in his room and saw me in his wife's dress. He got really mad and..." Jude stops. I can tell he can't finish the story. So I finish it.
"When I got home, I found him beating Jude. He was kicking and hitting him. Calling him names and…I tried to pull him away. But he..." Nervously I touched my face few times, scratching it, running my fingers over my nose or lips "...He kicked me to my stomach. I knew I wouldn't be able to pull him away from Jude, so I...I picked up the bat, that stood by the front doors and…"
Both of the woman were holding their breathes "I run out to the street and started to smash his precious car. It got his attention to me and away from Jude. That's all I needed. I continue to smash it until he called the cops. They came and arrested me for damaging property"
Shyly I look up to the two woman to see their reactions. I saw nothing but concern and sympathy in their eyes. It was like they felt for us, for what we went through.
I run my right hand fingers over my bridge of nose and look down to my lap "That's the last I saw him. On ground...curled up in ball"
"What about the foster father?" Stef asked once I was done with the story
"What about him?" I ask looking to her
"Wasn't he arrested?" Stef asks back, pressing her elbows to her knees
"For what?" I ask back, taking her by surprise
"What do you mean for what?" Stef asked leaning back to sit straight "For child abuse"
I gave out a laugh "You really think the cops cared about that?" Stef gave me a hurt look before she stood up, paced three steps away and turned her back to us
And then I realized something. I still didn't know what Stef did for a living. All I knew was that Lena worked in a school. It looked like Stef was taking this whole thing too personal as if…
"Wait!" I said causing Stef to look back to me "You are a cop, aren't you?"
I knew the first time I met Stef that there was something about her. They way she presented herself. How she walked. The way she spoke. Jude did say that Stef was very protective. I never asked him about their jobs, I didn't really care about what they do for a living, not until now.
"What if I am?" Stef asks back
And what if she is? - I ask myself as I stare back her. Stef was expecting an answer. I don't know how to answer that. What if she was a cop? Do I feel any different about her? Do I hate her more and not like her? Am I scared of her? Do I want to keep my distance from her even more than I did at the beginning? How can she be okay with me having a record?
I shook my head back and lean back in the couch as I had no idea what to say back to that.
"You see why it was my fault?" Jude spoke up "If I hadn't been so nosy, so stupid...none if it would have happened. It wasn't her fault that she was arrested! It wasn't her fault that we got separated! It was my fault! All my fault!"
"Jude, it was my fault! I should have been there and then none of that would have happened!" I argue back quickly. I didn't want Jude to blame himself. He was just a kids, he just wanted to have some fun. There was nothing wrong with that.
"It was neither one of your fault!" Lena said sternly stopping our bickering
"Lena's right" Stef agreed with her wife as she sat back down on the coffee table "It was your foster fathers fault. He should have never hit you...either of you. It was wrong of him to do that! And it was also the two cops fault. They didn't do their jobs right. No matter what the situation, we always need to hear both sides, always! And they didn't listen to your side"
"I should have tried harder to get him off of him before I grabbed the bat! It's my fault, I panicked and took the bat..." I reasoned back, I still believed very strongly that it was my fault
Stef said shaking her head back "You did what you had to, to protect your brother. At that moment, you did the only thing you could have done to get him off of your brother..."
"But I-" I wanted to continue
"There is no - but" Stef says sternly putting a stop to it. She looked straight to my eyes "It wasn't your fault Callie!"
Stef turned towards Jude, who was sitting next to her" And it wasn't your fault either, Jude!"
My mouth parts few times, but nothing comes out. Stef puts a hand around Jude's back and pulls him in a side hug and kisses the top of his head.
When I looked down to my lap, I noticed that Lena had placed her hand over my right hand. I don't know how I hadn't noticed it. I don't know how I allowed her to do that. I had already allowed her to sooth me after the slight panic attack. It was too much. I had allowed too much.
It freaked me out so bad, that I pulled my hand away and stood up suddenly. I rub my hands to my jeans "Tea...you want...Do you want tea?" I stutter out looking to Lena and then to Stef
"No thank you" Lena declined politely
"No, we're good, honey" Stef said smiling to me
I blink back at them. I made it awkward. It is now definitely awkward.
"Callie and I were thinking of going to a movie!" Jude spoke up stopping the dead silence. I let out the breath that I was holding.
"Yes, we need to go...if we don't want to be late" I add nervously, just wanting to get out of this situation
"You want to join us?" Jude asked taking me by surprise
That wasn't the plan. It was supposed to be just me and him. I bit my lip and stare at the wall as I silently pray that they will say no, that they have somewhere to be. I can't hang out with them. It would be too awkward and uncomfortable for me. It would be too much for me.
"Maybe some other time" Lena spoke up. When I looked down to them, I saw that Lena and Stef were both watching me carefully. I swallow back a lump in my throat and look away from them.
"Yeah...we need to go." Stef says standing up "We have errands to run. It will take whole day as it is"
Jude was clearly saddened by this, but I wasn't. I was secretly glad. There is only so much Stef and Lena I can take in a day. What happened 10 minutes ago was like 3 days worth of moments with both of them.
"We will be going then" Lena said and kissed Jude on the top of his head "See you later!"
Jude nodded back and the next moment Stef pulled him in another hug "We love you Jude"
"Love you too" He said back when Stef pulled out of the hug
"It was nice talking to you Callie" Lena said kindly as she walked pass me. I nod back not knowing what else to do.
"Have a good day" Stef smiles at me as they walk to the hallway to let themselves out. A short moment later I hear the doors shut behind them.
I turn to look at Jude. He looked happy and it didn't seem like them knowing bothered him. Jude actually looked relieved. But it bothered me a bit. Mostly because Stef was cop and I still can't believe she is okay with what we just told her. They both took it so well that it surprised me.
I hadn't expected them to take it so well.