Lacey Foster --The Fosters--

(6) Tears were shed

-Callie-

I smiled once Sophia and I calmed down, and sat at the table in my hospital room. "Thanks for the flowers, hun." I said as I watched Brandon carefully rearranged the flowers so they looked better in the jar. Sophia smiled at me.

"It's alright." She replied as she put her purse on the table. "Dad and Mum are coming up." I nodded as on cue they came in. Dad ran in and brought me into his arms.

"Oh. Cals." He whispered sadly as I wrapped my arms around him and I turned my head to face my Step Mum. She smiled sadly at me as Sophia walked over to her and wrapped her arm around Soph.

"You didn't have to come." I whispered once we all sat down again. "I am truly fine right now. I have to start chemo soon.."

"Sophia pleaded to make us drive her here." Dad said with a laugh. "And kiddo, I wouldn't want you here alone with Brandon. You need family right now." A tear slipped down his eye. He hardly cried. He cried once when he didn't want to sign those abandonment papers so my Mamas' could adopt me.

"Daddy, I am fine." I said with a nod and looked over at Sophia. "It is really nice to know you want to be here for me but right now, I just need time to process everything. I don't need people looking at me sadly." I looked at Brandon. "I really think the only people I want right now is my husband and my baby girl."

"Callie-" Sophia started but I quickly interrupted her.

"Tears were shed, now it is time for you all to leave." I said as I got up and gave them a stern look. "Thanks for visiting but please let me know next time before coming to surprise me."

"Stop Callie!" Sophia said loudly as she got up. "This isn't fair. You have been pushing me away since the day we met. And I am not going to let you do that anymore especially now."

"Sophia!" Dad said but Sophia shook her head as she walked over. She didn't look angry, she just looked tired and sad.

"Callie, you have cancer." Sophia whispered and I looked away from her sad brown broken eyes. "And when something goes wrong in your life and I come to comfort you, you pushed me away."

"Sophia, I am not pushing you away." I said in a stern voice. "But you are clingy! And right now, I can't deal with that."

"I am clingy because I am afraid of losing you!" Sophia yelled as tears fell down her eyes. "I am clingy because you are so much like me that it scares me." We stared at each other in silence.

"What do you mean by that, Sophia?" I questioned softly and she sighed.

"We may look alike but I also know that we act similar." She said with a whisper. "I pushed people away and that lead me to attempting my own suicide, remember?" I nodded as the memory came clear in my head.

"Go away, Sophia." I said angrily as I wiped the dirty table in front of me.

"Please just listen to me." Sophia said sadly but I ignored her. "I just wanted to apologize."

"I don't care." I said angrily at her. "You ruined my life, alright? So just leave me alone." I walked away.

"I didn't mean to." She said and I turned back around at her. "Okay, I am sorry. I am so, so sorry."

"Save it, Sophia." I said as I kept shaking my head at her. "There is nothing you can say to make me forgive you."

"Don't say that." Sophia pleaded softly. "If you don't forgive me, I will kill myself."

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic." I said now tired of hearing her go on and on. Why didn't she get the message.

"I mean it." Sophia said and I didn't take it seriously until after she walked into incoming traffic.

"Don't compare me to you, alright?" I said in a whisper. "We aren't alike."

"Callie, stop." Brandon said as he wrapped me into his arms. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Okay. I am sorry." I whispered gently as I looked at Sophia. "I meant that I would never kill myself over this."

"I didn't mean it like that." Sophia said with a nod. "But, you ran when things got tough. And I am afraid you will run again. Nothing is holding you back anymore."

"Sophia, look out for yourself." I said then opened the sliding doors. "I think it is time for you, three to go. You have lives, I assume, right?" They all nodded and everybody walked out. I slid the door back and fell onto the ground. "Sophia always does this." And I shook my head.

"Let's get you ready." Brandon whispered under his breath as he picked me up and helped me into some more comfortable clothes.

-Lacey-

"She is going to have to start preschool soon." Grandmas' were talking about me and I was eavesdropping.

"Give her more time, Stef!" Grandma Lena pleaded but Grandma Stef didn't want to give me time.

"She needs structure in her life!" Grandma Stef said with a strain in her tone. "Callie and Brandon will be in that hospital for a few months. What do you expect we do with a 5 year old?" I made myself noticeable.

"Am I not that important to you anymore that you don't even want to be around me?" I whispered to them as they turned their attention to me.

"Lacey-"

"Answer me!" I screamed as I threw my teddy on the ground. "Are you giving up on me?"

"That isn't what we were saying, Lace." Grandma Lena said with a nod. "If we were giving up on you then we would be talking about nothing like preschool."

"What even is that?" I said now confused as I picked up my teddy and climbed onto their bed. They exchanged looks and I looked even more confused.

"It's a fun place to learn new things during the day."

"Like a daycare?" I whispered and they both nodded.

"Let's take you to the one where Grandma Lena works." And I nodded as I felt excitement fill me.

- - -