Let Me Carry You (Carry You Home)

29: What Comes Up...

Two weeks had passed since the events at the station, and the second home visit was upon the Bishop-DeLuca household. The family felt more tight than ever knowing that whatever happened, they would deal with it together. Carina was confident as she gave pep talks to encourage Lucia, Sarah and Maya, expressing how they had all made good steps forward, and there would be no reason that it wouldn't work out.

Of course, a home visit meant lots of work that Maya had written down on a clipboard to be done step by step; cleaning the house, locking away harmful things such as alcohol, medicines and cleaning supplies, and preparing the kids to talk to the case worker. While Sarah knew what to expect, Lucia had never done this before, and the concept of talking to a new person was terrifying, although her regular visits to specialized pediatric PTSD therapist Doctor Emerson Simmons, had helped manage those big fears.

Carina and Maya felt that during their fostering journey, the prospect of these home visits were the most stressful part of the whole prospect. Having someone, who didn't know them, coming in to evaluate their parenting skills based off of an interview with a child who was equally as nervous as their parents were...

It was difficult, and it was even more stressful to be completely transparent about their own past with the social worker. According to Ben and Miranda, Maya and Carina might be asked about topics that include how they were parented, their sex life, their health, their marital satisfaction, previous abuse and/or addictions and other things that can be embarrassing to discuss with a relative stranger. As awkward and difficult as it is, those procedures were in place for a reason, and that reason being that the child in question is prioritized.

Their first visit was from Lucia's case worker, a woman named Jessica, and she'd evaluated Lucia's progress. While the first thing Carina noticed was how Jessica came in, all chipper and smiles, a complete opposite to Benjamin, the man in charge of Sarah's case, Maya noticed Jessica's colour coded binder, and the clearly labelled tabs that held differing documents. It was mesmerizing, the beauty of organization.

In preparation for the home visit, everyone had helped clean, and the place was pristinely tidy. Toys were put away, clothes were folded, the table was set with fruit and homemade pastries that Carina offered to Jessica, along with a plate to eat under. Maya's tongue felt tied, and while Carina chatted with Jessica about the delicate process of making croissants, Maya took to ensuring that the kids were calm. Sarah was stoically quiet, while Lucia clung to Maya nervously.

"You're okay, little bug. Mom's right here," She murmured, bouncing her knee up and down, the small motion making Lucia smile. Sarah moved her chair to be closer to Maya, whose hand found one of Sarah's.

Once coffees were consumed along with pastries, the tour began. Maya, who had already practiced the exact route she would take and what she would say when she couldn't sleep the night before, walked from room to room, explaining their daily routine, Lucia's schooling, therapy and physiotherapy progress. Maya talked about the steps Lucia had taken, her physical improvements, and what as foster parents, they were doing to support her. Jessica stopped them only to clarify a detail, but wrote so quickly on her clipboard that Maya was nearly stunned into silence. Jessica nodded in approval as they gave her an extended, thorough tour of their house. When they got to Lucia's room, Carina walked Jessica through the space, and with gentle prompting, Lucia helped, too.

It was clear just how much Lucia was flourishing, and she emphasized that to Maya and Carina. She was happy with what she saw, the steps that were taken, and commended both women on an amazing job.

"How is her communication going?" Jessica asked, looking up at Carina, who was quick to provide an answer.

"Much better than it was before. We still have to sound things out sometimes, but she can understand what we say to her. The thing that we're working on is how to communicate back," Carina explained.