It's been about five weeks since Katie has been in therapy. Five weeks she's spent with Santana and Brittany while she waited for her mother to come pick her up after her session. Five weeks the two adults have worried about the girl they have grown to love. Five weeks since Katie's been beaten for "misbehaving." Five weeks and counting.
After every session Santana would take ten minutes out of her day and walk the little girl down to Brittany's dance studio. It was two blocks from the physical therapy office. Katie like to call this short ten minutes her Tana time. This is when she talked to her Tana about random stuff. The two became very close. The best thing for Santana was she noticed Katie started to open up to her, she wasn't as shy and she was able to make more eye contact then when they first met.
When they would get to Britt's studio Katie would sit in the corner and watched the class dance. She always wanted to try to dance but her current injury was preventing her from doing that, and her lack of confidence. Brittany always checked to make sure Katie was okay. She also made sure that she always had coloring supplies for the younger girl. Katie loved, loved, loved to color. She'd make pictures for her Brittstick and her Tana. Katie would never admit it to the two adults but she loved them more than her own mother.
Today Katie came to therapy a little off beat. She seemed a bit sadder than usual and she brought her favorite stuff puppy dog. The animal was tucked safely under her good arm. Like any other day though she walked straight back to Santana's section of the therapy floor. She climbed the little step stool Santana got for her and sat down one the bed and waited for her Tana.
Santana finished up her 5 o'clock and made her way to Katie. She instantly saw the difference in the younger girl she came to new. She seemed very somber and she didn't race to the Latina like she usually did. She just sat there with her stuffed animal. "Hey Katie, who's your friend?" she asked sitting down on her doctor-ish chair.
"Rainbows." She said looking down and away from the adult.
"I'm sorry Katie, you weren't looking at me. What's your friends name?" The Latina frowned when Katie didn't answer her like she usually did. Katie always corrected herself after a slip up. "Katie?" she tried again, this time the girl half way looked at her and said her animals name was Rainbows. This was the best Santana was going to get so she continued on with their usual session.
"Well Katie you're going to have to set Rainbows down for now so we can get started. You can keep Rainbows in my office area if you want to or just set him down on the table."
"Rainbows stays with me." This time Katie looked right at Santana and her voice wasn't as shy, but it didn't scream confidence.
Santana raised her eye brows at the little girl sitting in front of her. Never since they've met has Katie snapped at the girl like that. "Rainbows can stay right on the bed while we work out your shoulder." San tried to reason with the girl.
"Rainbows stays with me." She repeated again, while she held onto the dog tighter.
"How are we going to do your therapy while you hold onto a dog Katie?" Sans voice remained calm and patient. She didn't get mad because she knew this wasn't the girl she knew. Something must have happened and she was just upset about it.
"I don't want to do therapy today." She muttered.
"Why?" When the girl didn't answer San nudged her knee a little. "Answer me Katie." Santana was trying her best to remain as calm and content as possible. She didn't want to explode like she used to back in high school. This was the real world, she wasn't walking down the halls of WMHS as HBIC.
"It's stupid." That was all the younger girl could come up with, 'It's stupid'. That wasn't enough for Santana so she tried to compromise once more.
"Okay well you need therapy so you can get better. So how about I hold Rainbows while you do all your exercises? I'll hold onto the puppy and stand right next to you so you can see your little friend okay?"
This was enough for the little girl and she slowly gave Tana the object. They worked out for only twenty minutes before Katie had another stand off with the Latina. Realizing she really had to sit down and talk with the youngster she led her to her office. Katie sat down in a chair and reached for her stuffed animal that Santana still had.
"I want Rainbows." She almost demanded but her shy voice made it seem less snippy.
"Katie what is your problem today. Your never like this, you usually love doing your therapy." Santana gave Katie the animal only because she didn't want the kid to have a temper tantrum. When her and Britts used to baby sit kids and they got fussy Brittany always seemed to calm them down.
"I just don't wanna today…" she mumbled.
"Yeah well I don't like to do things either but this needs to be done." Her voice was soft but stern, "you have three more activites to do and then we can go visit Brittsticks."
When she heard that she could see Brittsticks she instantly perked up a bit. Not that she didn't like Santana but she wanted to talk to Brittany. She hadn't seen her in a week and she had so many stories to tell the girl.
"Fine."
The girls worked out on the floor for about another twenty minutes and then they called it quits. Santana was pleased she at least got the girl to work on her shoulder a little more and Katie wanted to see B. They headed out on the street, and were on their way to meet their favorite girl.
"I'm sorry Tana for getting mean at you." The girl said quietly, holding onto the Latina's hand.
"It's okay pretty girl, you want to talk about it?" Santana glanced down at the girl and could tell just by how tense she got that she probably was going to lie to her and say she didn't really want to talk about it.
"I just feel funny." The girl squeaked out. She was trying her best to share how she felt.
"In what way cutie?" Santana smiled down at her to encourage the girl to be honest with her.
"I'm tired and my tummy doesn't feel happy." The girl pressed her head against Santana's leg as they were walking.
Santana felt worry wash over her. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. She never had to deal with a sick kid. She never had to deal with a sick kid who wasn't hers. She didn't know what her home life was like but she knew it wasn't good. She knew her mom probably wouldn't care if Katie was sick. So they only thing Santana did was pick Katie up and hold her the rest of the way to Brittany's studio. At least give her some comfort while she can.
When they walked into the dance studio Brittany was chilling in her office, playing Robot Unicorns Attack on her computer. She instantly stopped when she saw Katie in her wife's arms. She stood and took Katie from San and held her close. This seemed so natural to the blond, but Brittany didn't think twice about it.
"Hey Katie." She softly spoke into the girls ear as she looked at her Latina for an explanation.
"She's tired and doesn't feel very well. Her tummy doesn't feel happy." The therapist quoted the nine year old.
"Where's rainbows Brittsticks?" she asked her brittsticks.
Santana quickly handed the girl the stuffed animal in fear that she might freak out. Katie clutched the animal to her chest while she clung to B. She just wanted her tummy to feel happy again.
"Okay, well San you should get back to work, I got Katie. I'll call you if I need you okay babe?" When Santana nodded Brittany leaned in a pecked her lips. Once Santana left Brittany lied the nine year old on the small couch in her office. "You okay Kates?"
"Stay with me Brittsticks." The little girl pleaded.
"I can't baby." She cooed, "I have to go teach all those kids how to dance, you know they aren't as good as you." She tried to lighten the mood a little. She got a small smile from the girl. "If you need anything you just come out and ask okay cutie?" when Brittany got a nod from the nine year old she got up and went to teach her class.
It was about thirty minutes into the class when Brittany spotted the small brunette come out of the office. She seemed shaken up and she looked up at her Brittsticks with pleading eyes. Noticing this she address her class, "Okay everyone how about we take a ten minute break?"
Sighing with relief the class all went to go get a drink and sit down. Brittany was so over working them. Although they knew they needed, to be the best you worked hard. B made her way to the girl who was shaking slightly.
"Brittsticks." She whined out. She reached up for her and Brittany complied picking the girl up.
"What's wrong cutie?" She made her way back to her office to get some privacy. Once in closed in her office she sat down on the couch with the girl sitting on her lap.
"I don't want to go home." The girl started to cry and she wrapped her tiny fist into Brittany's slightly sweaty shirt. "Please B, don't make me go home."
"Why don't you want to go home Katie? Did you have a nightmare about your home? Is that's what gotten you shaken up?" Brittany was trying to think logical, although she thought she had an idea on why the smaller girl didn't want to go home, she just didn't want to think it was true.
"I get hurt Brittsticks." She mumbled out, she wasn't looking at her. "It hurts at home."
There it was. The thing her and San were so worried about. Katie getting hurt at home. She didn't like to think that Katie was getting hurt, or that any mother was capable of doing that but the world is pretty effed up.
"Katie, we need to be serious here, what your saying is very serious. Who's hurting you." Brittany needed the girl to know what she was saying was very dangerous and she needed to be sure the girl was being honest.
"Mother." She whisperd out. Tears were still pouring out of her eyes.
Brittany didn't need to hear anything else. She whipped out her phone, still holding onto Katie, and called Santana. She quickly explained what happened. San said she'd be there in ten minutes tops. So Brittany's next move was to call the police, then she told her class that she had to cut early, there was a family emergency.
When Santana arrived to the studio the Police were already there. Katie was still safe in her wife's arms. She was fighting off sleep, she did say she was tired and this situation wasn't going very well. Brittany was slightly bouncing trying to get the girl to go to sleep, she was so close to reach her goal when Katie's mother walked in.
"What in god's name is going on?" she seemed hella wasted in Santana's eyes.
A police man approached Katie's mother, "Ma'am who are you?"
Katie's mother rolled her eyes, "I'm Stacey James, Katie's mother. I'm here to pick her up."
Katie gripped onto Brittany a little harder, her mother was scaring her. She finally told the truth and now her mother knows she told the truth.
"Ma'am we're going to have to take you down town for some questions. Your daughter is saying you've been abusing her and there is physical evidence. We ran some back round checks and it says you have a drinking problem and you do have past arrest on physical harm."
"Tana where's Rainbows?" Katie looked at her therapist with teary eyes. She needed rainbows.
"Hold on cutie I'll go get her." Santana ran off to go get her and quickly returned and handed her the animal and gave her a quick kiss to the forehead.
Stacey saw red, she was livid, she was so angry she could kick a baby, oh wait she's already done that. "You little brat!" She screamed at Katie, "I told you not to tell anyone! You'll pay for this!" She went to lunge for the kid but Brittany took three steps back and Santana took a step forward. She wasn't going to let this woman hurt that poor innocent girl anymore.
"Listen lady, you bests be backing off my girls, afores I ends you." The Latina was pulling out her old Lima Heights accent. She knew it would come in good use when she was older.
"Stacey James your under arrest for child abuse, your actions here display you're an unfit mother to this little girl." The police officer takes Stacey to a police car and sets her in the back seat while another one approaches the two adults.
"So it seems Katie is very comfortable with you." The office takes notice.
"We've known her for over a month, of course she is." Santana spoke up, Britt was to busy calming Katie down.
"Well for tonight she can stay with you, then social services is going to step in. Unless you want to make it official. Like adopt her."
Santana looked at Brittany who nodded her head. They wanted to adopt and Katie was practically their kid already. They looked after her week from week, they shared secrets. The only thing they didn't share was the fact that they didn't live with each other.
"We'd like to make it official."
The officer smiled brightly at the two wives. "That's awful nice of the two of you. You two just need to come to this address tomorrow." She handed the Latina a piece of paper with address on it. "They'll help make it happen. You two have a nice night."
The officer left the two adults and Katie in the studio. Katie was slightly calming down but still clung to her Brittstick and rainbows. She heard the officer talk to Santana and her ears perked up and she finally voiced her thoughts when he left. "Tana?"
"Yes cutie?"
"I get to come home with you?" she asked hopeful, looking her therapist in the eyes.
"Yes Katie, your coming home with us."
Katie smiled and rested her head back on Brittany's shoulder and closed her eyes. It took five weeks, five weeks for her friends to finally help her and Katie couldn't feel any happier.