AN- Thanks again for the love on this story! Enjoy!
The Fosters
Lena sat on the exam table next to Callie who had a clip board on her lap and a math book spread open on Lena's lap as she tiredly worked on her homework, Lena collected for her. While Stef and Mariana sat on a little bench in the corner. Mariana curled up leaning into Stef with her eyes closed. Clearly the day had been long and the lack of sleep she'd been getting was taking a toll on her.
Stef had her arm wrapped protectively around her and would go back and forth from rubbing her arm soothingly to patting it soothingly, allowing the girl the cat nap she was desperately needing.
"Oh, Cal's Lena pointed to the paper "Look what you're doing honey" She pointed to the problem. "You have to carry the three."
Callie let out a frustrated groan and erased the whole problem and started over. "I normally get this stuff" She mumbled angrily to herself.
Stef glanced up at the angry muttering and raised her eyebrow.
Lena shook her head and held up her hand. "Just slow down Callie" She said calmly "You do know what you're doing, but you're not taking the time. We've got plenty of time, the nurse said the doctor was running thirty minutes behind."
"Thirty minutes of our lives we're never getting back" Callie grumbled as she started working out the same problem."
"Callie" Lena sighed placing her hand on the paper after she watched her kid make the same mistake again. "Maybe, we should do this later."
"No" Callie shook her head "I don't want to have mass homework tonight! I want to go home and go to bed, not spend the whole night doing homework. I have to be ready for tomorrow!"
"My love" Stef said calmly from the bench "You may not be going to school tomorrow."
Callie's head snapped up "What?! No! I can't miss another day!"
"Well darling" Stef said calmly as Mariana shifted in her arms a bit "You're running a fever again, I can't send you to school with a fever."
"Why not?" Callie asked "I've gone to school with a fever before!"
"Not, in our house" Lena said calmly "But while we wait on the doctor, if you slow down we can get you caught up on homework. You've just mentally got to slow your brain down."
Callie groaned "Yeah, easy for you to say."
"Look what you're doing" Lena said calmly "Look at the problem, look where you keep getting stuck. You'll see that you already know that answer."
"Whatever" She sighed as she erased the problem and started again for the third time. Lena watched over her shoulder and pointed "See, right there, carry the three and then multiply it by the five, and bring that down.. There ya go" Lena praised as Callie figured out the problem. "See, I knew you could do it honey."
"Thanks mom" Callie said quietly as she went back to work.
Stef watched Callie for a few moments before turning her attention to Lena. "How are you feeling? Must have been a long day?"
Lena nodded "The longest, but it wasn't as horrible as I had it made out in my head. I knew where all my kids were at all times, and I saw four out of five of them today, checked in with all five and saw that they were all doing alright for the most part. I gave countless hugs today to many different students. I don't know Stef, it was hard to explain the day. It just wasn't as bad as I was fearing."
"Good" Stef nodded "Really, good. You're still going to counseling tomorrow though yes?"
Lena nodded "Oh yeah, I want our family to see a counselor for a few weeks at least. I think we need it."
Stef nodded "I agree."
"What, did I do wrong here?" Callie let out a dramatic sigh.
Lena looked over the paper and began working the problem. "Oh. Right here, you put a six down instead of a 9. Try it that way. Then after this problem you need to be done. I think you're much too anxious to be working on this."
Callie erased her problem and started again shaking her head "I am fine, I am going to finish." She said stubbornly which caused Lena to sigh and Stef to shake her head. "Pick your battles my love" She said to Lena who let out a groan but then nodded. Stef was right. She wasn't in the mood for battling Callie right now. If she was wanted to frustrate herself with her homework who was she to stop her. Getting her to chill at this point wouldn't help anyone. Callie was worked up about the doctor visit and her homework was her outlet.
She nodded to Stef and went back to just watching the girl over her shoulder, so she could help if needed.
Ten minutes and three frustrated grunts and groans from Callie, she'd finally finished her math homework and put in the book, at the same time the Dr. Came into the room.
Doctor Hopper smiled warmly at the family "Well if it isn't my favorite family!"
Lena smiled and of course Callie rolled her eyes. "I bet you say that to all your families"
The doctor laughed and shook his head. "No, Callie, I can honestly say I do not say that to all my families"
"So my lovely nurse Linda, who checked you in today, said we're still having some issues with Callie's arm?"
Lena nodded and climbed off the bed and stood in front of Callie. She unzipped her hooded sweatshirt which she was sure she was never getting back at this point and pulled it off. She then took Callie's arm in hers taking off the bandages they had put over it when it started oozing again. "We've been cleaning it out, putting the medications on it, giving her the oral antibiotics and it's infected again.
Doctor Hopper dug his glasses out of his lab coat and then took Callie's arm in hands and began to look at it. "Oh dear" He shook his head "I am sorry young lady" He said softly "That can't feel good."
She shrugged "It doesn't feel great" She agreed.
"Well, I am going to get the stitches out of here today" He said looking to Lena "And with the wound being infected it's going to hurt a little bit." He shook his head "I can try and give her a shot to numb it."
Callie shook her head "No, no shot."
He continued to look at the wound "It looks like she's not responding to the antibiotics. Callie, I was reading your medical files the other day and there is some missing files, I've got some files while you were in the system, but before that I am not finding a lot.
Stef frowned "Really?"
He nodded before turning to Callie "Can you tell me, did you get a lot of infections as a kid?"
Callie shrugged and nodded "Yeah, I guess, I got a lot of UTI's and ear infections."
"Did they give you antibiotics for those things? Do you remember?" He asked raising his eyebrow.
"UTI's?" Stef asked cocking her own eyebrow "Callie, love you had a lot of UTI's?"
She shrugged before turning back to the doctor "Yeah, it was pink?" She asked with a bit of question in her voice?"
Doctor Hopper nodded "Yeah, usually."
Lena raised her eyebrow "What are you trying to figure out?"
"Callie, I know I am asking you a lot of questions, and it's probably hard to remember from when you were little, but did you go to the doctor a lot when your were small?"
Lena let out a frustrated sigh it was moments like this she wished she'd had her kids from the moment they were born. She'd know their medical history. She'd know every detail about the past. Then she could answer questions and supply history and not leave it on the shoulders of the child that wasn't feeling good.
Callie crinkled her nose as she tried to think back. "Yeah, I feel like my mom brought me to the doctors every time I got the sniffles. My dad he didn't like it when we were sick. We got to whiny. Put more pressure on my mom."
"What's up Doc?" Stef asked patting Mariana a bit so she could get up and go stand by her daughter.
"Did the doctor give you the pink stuff a lot?"
Callie nodded "Yeah, a lot. I was usually sicker then Jude so I was constantly on medications."
Lena frowned "Is there something wrong?"
He looked at Callie's arm again before taking off his glasses and turning to look at Stef and Lena. "Antibiotics are used a lot, and sometimes are used inappropriately" He shook his head "Especially when Callie was little it was the rage, kid has a cough time for antibiotics"
Lena nodded "I remember that, whenever I took Brandon or the twins to the doctor when they were kids often the doctor would try to prescribe antibiotics. I usually asked if there was something natural we could try first. I don't like pumping my kids full of medications."
Doctor Hopper winked at her "Smart mama. Follow your gut." He then took a breath. "Because they are used a lot something called Antibiotic resistance starts happening in some people. Resistance is becoming a common problem. It occurs when bacteria in your body change so that antibiotics don't work effectively to fight them anymore. This can happen when bacteria are repeatedly exposed to the same antibiotics or when bacteria are left in your body after you have been taking an antibiotic such as when someone does not take the full course of their antibiotic medicine. These bacteria can multiply and become strong enough to resist the antibiotic in the future."
"So you believe Callie has Antibiotic resistance?" Stef questioned "Well, what do we now?"
"I am going to try a different round of medication" He explained "And getting the stitches out so the foreign object is no longer in her skin." He looked to Callie "If that doesn't work, your moms are going to have to bring you back in, and we are going to hospitalize you for a day and give you the strongest antibiotic we have through an IV drip. I know for you that's not your favorite option. "
Stef took a deep breath "But, for her health would it be better if we just skipped the trying something new and hospitalized her now? I know it's traumatic for her, but I hate seeing my kid sick, and if we can get her on the road to healthy faster."
"Honestly" Doctor Hopper nodded to Stef "The medications I want to try next should work, I'd be really surprised if they didn't. I get where you're coming from. I am a parent too and there is nothing worse than seeing your kid sick. Giving Callie's history with needles, I think that hospitalizing her right now is just putting her through something she doesn't need to go through."
"Thank you for putting my kid's mental health in there with her physical" Lena said sincerely "You don't see that a lot."
"I agree" Stef nodded "And the fact that you are a parent, and you understand what it's like to see your kid sick. I am going trust that you are doing what is best for her"
"Alright Miss. Callie, I am going to take out your mom's stitches first, you decided if you want a shot or not for the pain, before we do yours?"
Callie nodded and climbed off the table and went and sat next to Mariana while Doctor Hopper worked on Lena.
"Your arm is healing nicely" He commented to her. "This is what we like to see"
Stef moved over to Callie and knelt in front of her while the doctor worked on Lena.
"Baby, do you know how you got so many UTI's?" She asked the cop part of her was concerned. She knew how a lot of girls got them as a young age.
Callie shrugged "I just had them a lot"
Stef placed her hand on Callie's knees "Did anyone?" She cleared her throat "Did anyone touch you? Inappropriately?"
"Mom!" Callie hissed turning bright red as she pushed Stef's hands off her knees.
Lena glanced over the doctor's shoulder at Stef and shook her head, telling her to let it be.
Stef eyed Callie for a moment before bringing her hands back up and patting Callie's knees. "I love you"
Callie nodded and rolled her eyes "Love you too" She mumbled sounding like a true typical annoyed teenager, to which Stef couldn't help but smile at. However it was quickly outlived as Doctor Hopper turned to Callie "You're turn sweetheart, did you think about the shot?"
She nodded "I don't want it."
"Your arm is pretty inflamed pulling the stitches out isn't going to feel good."
"I don't care."
Doctor Hopper looked to Stef "Want to help us out mom?"
She nodded as she switched places with Lena on the table and held her arms out to Callie. "Come here my love bug"
Callie slowly walked across the room and crawled onto the table putting her back to Stef's stomach.
Stef wrapped her arms around Callie tightly just as she had done a week ago when they were first putting the stitches in.
"Are you sure Callie?" He asked one last time
Callie nodded "I don't want a shot!"
Doctor Hopper nodded and set forth on the task of removing of Callie's stitches and true to his word it hurt. Callie's body went rigid in Stef's arms. Her breathing increased and tears rolled down her cheeks, but not once did she make a sound.
When it was finally done he gave Stef a nod, who instantly turned the girl around in her arms and held her tight to her rocking her slightly whispering encouraging things into her ear.
"Keep using the creams and pain killers" Doctor Hopper said to Lena "fever reducers for her fever, it's low grade, so I am not too worried at this point" He scribbled on a tablet "And give her this three times a day for the next few days, if you don't see improvement by Friday, bring her back in. I do want to see her next Monday for sure. Just to check"
Lena took the prescription and nodded "Thank you."
"A pleasure as always" He winked at Callie "Sorry, I was so brutal on your arm. You handled it like a champ. Now convince your mom's you need ice cream!" He turned to Mariana "You too, darling you sat so quietly during all of this that deserves ice cream"
Mariana laughed and nodded "Don't worry, by the time we go to bed tonight there will be ice cream in our stomachs."
"Oh really now?" Stef laughed "You're sure of that?"
Mariana nodded "Yes!"
"We'll see" She narrowed her eyes playfully at the girl before kissing the top of Callie's head. "You good now?"
Callie sniffed and nodded as she reached for Lena's sweatshirt, which Stef helped her put on and zipped it up. "Better my love?"
Callie rubbed her eyes tiredly and nodded before she gathered her books. "Can we go now?"
"Yes, baby" Lena nodded as she held her arm out to her. Let's go out to the car, while mom schedules you an appointment for next Monday."
Callie agreed and allowed Lena to lead her and Mariana out.
The Fosters
Lena and Stef were sitting at the little diner type area of the Targert sharing a popcorn and a soft drink while the girls had wandered off to look for backpacks once they found the ones they were to come find their mothers for the checkout process. Stef had instructed Callie to not find the cheapest one she could, they fall apart easily, but to find one she loved. Callie looked put off by this but Mariana had promised she'd make sure Callie found a great one.
Now the two were finally alone.
"I don't like it" Lena said after swallowing a bite of popcorn
"What love?" Stef asked stealing a sip of the soda to wash the popcorn down.
"That we don't know our children's medical history, that I wasn't able to answer questions about my daughter's health. I hate that! I hate not knowing that Callie was sick a lot as a child, should we be monitoring her? Is she hiding what she's feeling from us?"
Stef nodded "Oh more than likely, she's not going to complain unless she is sick, sick, and then we'll know just by looking at her."
Lena propped her head up with her hands "I find not knowing their medical history the hardest part. It's a big chunk of their lives that we don't know."
Stef nodded "I understand that feeling baby, we just start asking questions" She said honestly. "We talk to her, and Jude. We find out these things and we jot it down with the other kid's records. Then we know."
Lena nodded as she threw some popcorn into her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully "I know, I just felt helpless today and I didn't like that" She admitted.
"Yeah" Stef nodded "I felt helpless too, and worried. I am just worried about my kid in general."
"I know, me too and the…" She was cut off by the girls coming back each with a backpack in their hands.
"Look mom!" Mariana held up a styling bag. "Isn't this just me?"
"It's you Miss. Thing" Stef said reaching for it to check it out to make sure it was sturdy enough and had secret pockets for Mariana to put cash. "Hand yours to mama" Stef instructed to Callie "It's got to pass the mom test"
Lena held out her hands for Callie's bag "I am glad you didn't go with black" she smiled at the beautiful shade of blue with black trim. This is a great bag" She said inspecting it.
"It's too much" Callie grumbled "I don't need it."
Lena looked at the price tag and almost laughed "Baby I promise you thirty dollars is not too much. Do you love it?"
Callie nodded "I like it."
"Then it's yours" Stef grinned and handed the popcorn, why don't you and Mariana go get in the car while mom and I pay for this."
Callie looked to Lena "Can I just stay with you guys?"
Lena got up and wrapped her arm around her "How about you and I go to the car and Mariana and mom pay for the bags, you look pretty wiped."
"We'll talk later" Lena mouthed over Callie's head as Stef nodded "Miss. Thing run down to the food department and grab a box of drumsticks then meet me at the register?"
Mariana nodded "See icecream" She grinned to her sister before taking off.
Stef winked at her daughter "I am a softie"
Callie laughed "We know, you're not fooling anyone mom"
FB
"Mommy" Callie whimpered seeing the pink stuff in the cup sitting in front of her. She coughed slightly and crinkled her nose. "I don't like that stuff, it doesn't taste like bubble gum"
"I know baby" Colleen said pushing the cup towards Callie "But, you've got those nasty ear infections, and a cough, and another bladder infection. It won't go away without it!" She then smiled at the girl "After you take this, you and I can grab Mr. Bear and go snuggle"
Callie shook her head "No, mommy! I don't want it."
"Come on Cal" She said kneeling in front of her "The baby in my tummy is finally not moving, and mommy is tired and would love nothing more than to hold her Callie girl"
Callie reached for the cup and drank the medicine down before putting her thumb in her mouth curling her finger around her nose, while lifting one arm up to Colleen.
Colleen smiled and lifted her petite daughter into her arms "That's my girl" She said trying to pry her thumb out of her mouth only to have Callie instantly shove it back in.
"Hello my ladies" Donald announced coming in the door. "I brought home pizza"
Colleen smiled "Thank you honey!" She said shifting Callie in her arms, "I am just too tired to cook."
"What is that nasty thing doing in your mouth" Donald asked Callie as he pulled her thumb out of her mouth. Causing calling to glare down at her thumb trying to figure out how it was nasty.
"Pizza is my peace offering" He said casually "I've got to work a double tomorrow"
"What?!" Colleen groaned as she settled on the couch with Callie tucked in next to her. "You're supposed to watch Callie tomorrow, when you get off work. I have two doctors appointments and then I have that meeting, I can't get out of. She can't go to daycare tomorrow either, she's not twenty four hour fever free!"
Donald looked at Callie "Why do you got be a sickling kid?" He said tapping her nose causing her to glare at him with a shrug.
"Do you think you can have the neighbors watch her? Hank and Thelma? They love watching Callie. They never even charge us."
Colleen sighed and nodded "I am going to have to call them, I just don't like how she comes home from their house. I think they spoil her. It's tantrums for hours after she comes home."
"Well she's too big for tantrums" He narrowed his eyes at his daughter "You'll be good do you hear me?"
Callie put her thumb back in her mouth and gave a slight nod before turning her head.
"I'll go call them now" Donald shrugged "And get the pizza ready"
Colleen kissed Callie's head "Sorry mommy is going to be busy tomorrow, but on Saturday we'll go to the Jungle playland and see a movie. Sound good?"
Callie nodded against Colleen but stayed quiet.