Jude POV
I was sitting on the edge of the bed, my feet on the floor, with my phone in my hands. Tapping on the screen, I opened the contact list and clicked on Callie's name. I raised the phone up to my ear and once again listened to the same old, same old message "The number you are trying to call is out of coverage area-"
I sighed and ended the call. I'm not even sure why I still try to call her. Her phone has been off for almost 24 hours. It probably will never come back on.
Once I lowered my phone down to my lap, I opened the gallery and looked through all of the photos I had off Callie. I scrolled through each and every photo. It took me few minutes as I lingered on to many of them by simply looking at Callie's photo. Once I went through the album, I went through all of the messages Callie and I had exchanged. The last ones had no reply from Callie. Those were sent the day she went missing and didn't come home.
Sent 4:45 PM How far away are you?
Sent 4:50 PM Please, don't be late. I can't do small talk!
Sent 5:02 PM You better have a damn good reason for being late!
Sent 5:08 PM Where are you? The CPS is here! She's asking about you...I don't know what to tell her
Sent 5:21 PM She's getting impatient. Hurry home!
Sent 5:29 PM Callie! ANSWER me!1!11!
Sent 5:33 PM Pick up your phone damnit! CALLIE! PICK UP!
Sent 5:41 PM CALLIE! Where the HELL ARE YOU!?
Sent 6:03 PM CPS is talking about taking me out of you care…I don't want to go back to foster care...
Sent 6:55 PM Where are you?
Sent 7:14 PM Don't do this to me. Don't leave me. I'm begging you...please don't leave me, Callie…
Sent 7:42 PM Please, be okay...please. I can't lose you too
I closed the messages, locked my phone and tossed it to the end of the bed. Not knowing what to do, I covered my face with my palms and laid down on my back across the bed. Once I was laid down, I took my hands off my face, clenched them on my stomach and stared up to the ceiling. It was stupid of me to think that I could sit so calmly.
I think I lasted for a minute till I reached for my phone. Still laying down, I dialed Callie's number again and raised the phone up to my ear to listen to the message again "The number you are trying to call is out of coverage area. If you want to leave a message press-"
This time I didn't listen to the message till the end because there was a knock on the doors. The doors parted and, as Lena walked in, I sat up in the bed ending the phone call. She had this dead serious look in her eyes. I got up from the bed and shoved my phone in my pocket.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked walking over to where I had kicked off my shoes. I was pretty sure this visit from her was about chores. Every foster home had some. I doubt this was any different. My guess was probably something in the garden. They had some flowers and bushes around the house, that I guess needed some maintenance – weeding, watering. Maybe they needed me to mow the lawn. Another thing could be getting on the roof and clean out the water drains.
Once I had slipped my left foot in my shoe, Lena spoke up "Stef just called me,"
"Aha," I mumbled to myself as I bent down to tie my shoe, not paying too much attention to her
"They found her. Callie. She alive!" Lena said making me stop tying my shoe. I was holding the shoe strings in my fingers, ready to tie the last bow. The words Lena had said were repeating in my head over and over again.
"Jude?" I heard Lena come two steps closer to me "Did you hear me?"
I finished tying my shoe and stood up "She's alive?" I asked for conformation. Even thought Lena said it seconds ago, I needed to hear it again. For a moment, I felt angry at my sister, because I didn't understand why she hasn't tried to contact me. Maybe she was in fact running away and leaving me behind.
A smile spread over my fosters moms thin lips, one that reached her eyes as well "Yes. She's alive. Hurt, but alive,"
"Hurt? How bad?" The moment I heard Lena say that, the anger I felt against my sister fade away. Worry grew instead.
"I don't know any detail. We didn't discuss it over the phone," Lena answered in a very calm manner
"Where is she?"
"Kindred Hospital,"
"It isn't far from our home," I said quietly mostly to myself, but I was sure Lena heard it as well
All of a sudden I felt like I couldn't stand still anymore. The few slow, calm seconds of me wrapping my head around what Lena told me, had passed. I turned around, grabbed my right shoe. While jumping on my left, I tried to get the shoe on my right foot as fast as I can "I need to see her!"
"I know," Lena gripped my upper arm gently trying to steady me as I was swaying in my spot as I tried to get my shoe on "I will take you,"
"You will?" I put my foot down, shoe still untied and looked to her surprised
"Yes. Tie your shoes and lets go," Lena replied. I quickly bent down and tied my shoe.
We were met by Stef by the entrance in the hospital along with female doctor. Stef introduced me and Lena to the doctor. Doctor Rose led us to Callie's room. Right before I was ready to enter her room, the doctor stopped me, by touching my elbow gently "I have to warn you, Jude. It may be hard to look at your sister...She's pretty banged up,"
"It wouldn't be the first time," I replied back flatly looking back at the hospital doors "Can I…?" I glanced to the doctor asking for permission to enter
"Yes. Go ahead," she smiled sadly at me
The doors opened quietly. I saw Callie sleeping on the hospital bed even before taking any step inside the room. Slowly and carefully I approached Callie and took in her appearance. This certainly was the worst state she has been in. I wanted to touch her, but I was afraid to hurt her. She looked so small, so fragile an so weak.
"Is that Callie?" Stef asked me to make sure
I looked over my shoulder to my foster mom. Nodding my head back I turned back to my sister. Tears whelmed up in my eyes, when I laid my eyes back on her. I sucked in my lip.
"Who did this?" I asked quietly reaching out to brush some hair off her forehead. My voice got a bit wobbly, but I did my best not to let it show, how much the state of my sister affected me. I needed to stay strong. For her. Callie always told me to not show any kind of weakness to foster parents, because they would exploit it and later on use it to hurt me. I guess Callie was my weakness, as I was for Callie.
"We don't know yet," Stef replied "But we are doing everything we can to find out," It was such a typical line from cops. It made me question whether or not that was true.
My eyes traveled down to my sister neck. She wasn't wearing our moms necklace. That was a first. Callie never took it off.
"Can I have her belongings?" I asked turning to the three adults
Stef and the doctor shared a look. Lena looked as clueless as me. I looked between them, waiting for an answer. The quiet scared me, because it made me think that something must be wrong.
"I know," I gestured to the doctor in the white coat "You take jewelry off because of the medical procedures," then I gestured to Stef, who was still in her full uniform "And I know you need to hold on to her stuff because it's evidence or something. I just want our moms pendant. You can keep the rest – her wallet, phone, bag, clothes...I don't care..." I looked between the three adults "The pendant is the only thing we have left of her...Please! I don't want it to get lost. Please," I begged at the end
The doctor glanced to Stef, who hadn't taken her eyes off me. It looked like Stef was close to tears, but was doing everything she can to not to let them fall.
"She doesn't have any belongings, Jude," my foster mom replied, her voice very quiet and soft. I simply blinked back. What was there to say. It was gone. I lost my fathers knife year ago, but now we lost the last item we had left of our mom. We can't even hold on to two simple items. It kind of made me feel like we're the worst kids ever. Maybe we deserve everything that has happened to us.
I turned back to Callie and once again looked over my sisters banged up and bruised body "We think she was mugged," my foster mom told me
"Mugged?" I muttered to myself, looking at Callie right arm in the sling, remembering how the doctor had told me how they had to put in plates and screws to fix her collar bone
"She has some defense marks on her-" the doctor spoke up
"Callie was not mugged!" I gestured down to my sister "She's beaten half to death!" I got more angrier and upset with each second that went by
"You don't fight back muggers, Callie!" I told my sister in a raised and loud voice, showing everyone in the room just how upset I was "You give everything you have so you can walk away unharmed! You don't get into fights with muggers!"
"Jude..." I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Lena, who had spoken.
I moved my shoulder to get my foster moms hand off my shoulder "Why do you always have to fight people?" I almost shouted at my sister "Why!?" I gave out a frustrated laugh "God you are so…stupid sometimes!" I shouted angrily at Callie, but the truth was that, I wasn't angry at Callie. I was angry that it had happened to her. I was angry to whoever did this to her. I was angry at life in general, because it seems like we can't catch a break.
"You couldn't just give them what they wanted?" I threw my arms up "You just had to fight them. You always have to fight people! Why do you always..." I pulled my hands in my fists as I had raised them up trying to contain my anger "You need to do everything you can to get back home…" I opened my fists and looked teary eyed to my sister, lowering my voice as well "...to get back to your family...to people, who love you…"
Tears began to stream down my cheeks "I love you and I need you…I need you Callie! Don't you dare to leave me like our parents left us…you hear me?" I sniffed and wiped my nose with my hand, before I whispered "Don't leave me..."
I breathed heavily, looking down at my sister, waiting for an answer. For a grunt, groan or moan. Anything. But Callie remained perfectly still, breathing slowly, eyes closed. She didn't move, her fingers didn't flinch.
My face frowned up before I sobbed out. When I covered my eyes, trying to hide behind my palm, I felt arms wrap around me from both of my sides.