AN- Wow again I have to say THANK YOU! You guys are really the greatest reviewers out there! I just love the feedback! :-) I am not really sure in this FB if that's how it would work in real life but that's what makes this fiction right? We can do what we want. Imaginations are great! :-) Thank you again for your feed back! I know this a little shorter then normal but I've got more coming!
And thanks for dealing with my mistakes.. So hard to proof your own.. Enjoy!
"Mom?" Stef felt the air mattress shift as someone was moving. "Mm morning love" Stef said sitting up carefully trying to not jostle Lena or Callie too much.
"You okay B?" She asked "Did you sleep?"
He nodded "It's nine" He whispered "Dad sent a text, the grief counselor will be here at ten thirty"
Stef nodded as she looked at all her sleeping kids "We should get the show on the road. Can you go start the coffee for me?" She asked her son with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster "Then your reward will be the first hot shower of the day"
"I'll help with breakfast" Jesus said sitting up as he stretched "If that's okay mom? I know the kitchen isn't my strong area but I want to help."
"Sure thing son! I appreciate you bud" Stef smiled "That would be very helpful! You boys get things going and take turns with showers. I am going to let the girls sleep for a few minutes longer."
"Rough night?" Brandon asked "I didn't hear anything"
Stef shook her head "No, I think the pills helped them sleep. I think it's heavy enough that waking up is going to be harder for them"
Jude sat up and checked on his sister, smiling to in fact see her lying next to him. He raised his eyebrow at the bear wrapped tightly in her arms as he threw Stef a questioning look
"Morning Bud" Stef greeted him "Mama gave it to her last night. Seemed to help her calm down. Did you sleep okay?"
Jude carefully wiped a fly away hair from her face before poking the bears head with his finger for a second. He dropped his hands to his side as he turned his attention back to Stef. He "Yes, surprisingly I slept okay" He said as his eyes scanned the room "I thought with all of us in one room I wouldn't. I thought there would be too much going on, you know with snoring and wrestling"
"Who snores?" Stef asked as all three boys pointed to her
"Oh off with your fingers!" She shot them a mock glare "I do not snore"
"Yes, you do" Lena mumbled as she put her arm over her eyes and gave a little groan "Those pills make you feel drugged."
"Kind of the point, love" Stef smirked as she turned to her running her finger tips over Lena's arm that was covering her eyes.
"Come on men" Brandon called to the boys "We know our jobs let's get to it, and just for the record mom said I could have the first hot shower!"
"Only if you start my coffee" Stef held up her finger "But after your little snore blaming thing…."
"Love you mom" He said as he carefully crawled past her stopping to kiss her cheek
"Love you too baby" She said whispered before she watched the boys carefully and quietly crawl off the beds without waking their sisters.
Once the boys were gone Stef put her head back down on Lena's pillow and draped her arm over Lena's small frame. "Grief counselor will be here in about an hour and half."
Lena grunted a response as she kept her eyes covered with her arm.
"I know you don't want to" Stef started slowly "But you're going to have to get up and get dressed"
Lena sighed and pulled her arm away from her eyes and looked at Stef "And be a mom" she sighed "I have to get up, get dressed, make sure the kids eat, make sure the boys smell okay. I have to soothe fears, wipe away tears…" She swallowed hard "And I just.."
"What love?" Stef whispered running her fingers down Lena's arm "It's okay to say what you're feeling"
"And I just want to stay here in these blankets, or better yet go back to the closet I found Callie hiding in last night and lock myself away in there. I just don't feel like facing it." She wiped angrily at a tear that began to fall "Some of my students are gone, my friends.. I don't want to face it! I want to lock myself away!" A small sob escaped her body "But then I feel Marina right next to me, and I am hearing Callie's soft breathing and I realize how selfish I sound. I am a mom and my kids lived through yesterday."
"They did" Stef nodded "And it's okay to be thankful they are okay, and it's okay to want to hide and not face it. As long as you don't run away. Lena wanting to run away and actually running away and hiding are two very different things. I am right here. I've got you." Lena nodded as she sat up wiping her eyes "I shouldn't be crying with the girls right here."
"What?" Stef asked sitting up as she turned her body better to face Lena. "Honey, you crying in front of the children is okay. It shows them that you are human too. It shows them it doesn't make you weak for crying. Lena our girls look up to you. You're a huge role model in their life. They need to know that sometimes it's okay to cry. It doesn't make you weak."
"I don't want to scare them" She whispered
"Not showing them emotion may scare them more" Stef pointed out "You three saw things yesterday that most people don't see in their life time. Showing emotion is needed Lena."
Lena tried to take a calming breath but instead found another sob escaping her body.
"Oh baby" Stef whispered as she pulled Lena into her arms and held her there.
"Kids died" Lena whimpered "Beautiful babies died"
"I know" Stef nodded as her own eyes welled up with tears "I know, and it's not an easy thing to understand. We never will understand it. I am just thankful that you and our kids made it out."
Lena nodded "Me too, but I am not sure I'll ever feel less guilty. My family is fine and many families aren't."
Stef didn't have the words to calm her wife down at this moment. So instead she just hugged her close and held her. It's all she could offer in that moment.
The Fosters
FB
Callie felt like Lena was going to pull her arm out of her socket with how fast they were running. They had just herd two more shots she knew she just wanted to get her out of the school. She couldn't blame her she wanted out too. However after what the boys had said there was no way Callie was going to let Lena go back in. She knew they had to get Mariana and quickly but she knew it couldn't be Lena. If those boys saw her. She shuddered at the thought she'd have two moms die on the very same day. That was something she couldn't let happen. She couldn't lose another mom, especially after fighting with her mom. That couldn't happen again.
Callie suddenly slammed into Lena when she stopped running they were close to the doors. They would make it out. Callie wondered why she had stopped running. She then saw it. A girl laying on the floor.
"Lena help" The girl cried out softly
"McKenzie" Lena dropped to her knees next to the girl "Hey sweetheart" She said softly "Where are you hurt?"
"My leg" She whimpered her eyes big "they're going to come back! Oh my god!' Her voice on the edge of hysteria
"Shh" Lena hushed her softly as she took off her cardigan not caring her bra straps were now exposed with her thin strapped cami. She looked down at the girl's leg and did find blood pooling around her thigh.
She began to put pressure on the wound "Kenz can you walk?" Lena asked softly brushing strawberry blonde hair away from the girls pale face.
"I don't know" She answered honestly "It hurts"
"I know it does baby" Lena said softly "But we're close to the doors" She said pointing "We just need to get out the door. Help is right out that door."
"My mom?" She asked weakly
Lena nodded as Callie knelt down next to McKenzie "I am sure your mom is waiting for you. She's probably worried sick about you! How about you let me and my mom help you out.
Callie looked to Lena "Right? You and I can help get her out?" She asked biting her lip as she caught some kind of weird expression go over Lena's face. She then cringed as she realized she had referred to Lena as mom.
Lena was going to say something when they all froze hearing heavy footsteps coming their way.
"They are coming back" McKenize cried out as she grabbed onto Lena.
Lena looked up helplessly "Callie, baby RUN. Go to the doors! Run! Mom's got to be out there go!"
Callie shook her head as she grabbed onto Lena "No! I am not leaving you!"
"Go Callie!" Lena snapped as she pushed heavily against her daughter "Now Damn it!" She snapped causing both McKenzie and Callie to jump at the harshness in Lena's tone.
"I don't want to leave you" Callie's voice cracked as tears began to fall.
"I don't have time for this Callie" Lena pointed "Go"
"No" Callie shook her head locking her jaw as the footsteps rounded the corner
They all froze as figures appeared out of the corner of their eyes and Lena grabbed Callie's arm and threw her down on top of McKenzie and put her body over them trying to protect them as she shut her eyes waiting for the shots to come.
"Ma'am" A soft but hurried voice spoke as Callie tried to peer around Lena. She then realized it was the SWAT team.
Lena pointed down the hall "The shooters went down there! To my office"
"Are you ladies okay?" One of the SWAT team members knelt down and helped Lena off the kids.
Lena nodded "I am vice Principal Lena Adams" She spoke softly "McKenzie here has been shot, but seems to be stable. The kids responsible for this headed to my office down that hall. My daughter Mariana is in that office right now! She's hidden but."
"Ma'am it's okay. We'll get her out." He assured "Right now, I want to get you three out."
Lena nodded as she stood and helped Callie stand before kneeling back down to talk to McKenzie "These guys are going to help us get you out of here okay? I am here sweetheart. Let's go find your mom."
Lena was just standing back up to allow a professional come in when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Andrew holding a gun pointed where Callie was standing.
"CALLIE"
Callie whirled around and it happened so fast but it felt like slow motion at the same time. All of a sudden Lena was lunging at her grabbing her in her arms as a fire was herd. Pain seared through Callie's body as her and Lena fell hard to the ground Lena's body over hers. She screamed as she herd more shots ring out. It was straight out of a horror movie blood went everywhere spraying Callie, Lena and McKenzie the walls and the floors as multiple shots hit Andrew's body as his body looked like a rag doll flying to the ground.
Then all that was herd for a brief moment was a slight ringing sounds in their ears before everything went dark.