Better Off Alone (Adopted by Brendon and Sarah Urie)

60. Brendon

Having gotten the difficult discussion with Zack over with, and everyone being friends again, we were able to concentrate on having a fun rest of our vacation. 

Zack had gotten Mike to take Penny, Bogart and their dog Larry, and Zack and Kala stayed the week with us.

We talked with Callie the morning after our discussion with Zack about whether she wanted to stay in New York or go home. She thought about it for a bit and told us what scared her. She was worried CPS would come take her or the police. I assured her neither would happen. Our lawyer had gotten in touch with the local police and we were able to put the whole thing to rest.

We stayed mostly around the house and our bit of beach that week. Callie didn't want to go into town much anymore because she was worried people knew what happened and would hate her.

We did convince her towards the end of the week to go for ice cream in town. No one said anything that we heard. A few people recognized us and asked how we were doing, but otherwise, no one paid attention to us.

The night before we were due to fly home, we had a bonfire on the beach. Callie loved it. We roasted some marshmallows and made s'mores. We played music, and Callie held her speaker.

I still had to be careful about my wounds but I could swim in the pool, so Callie and I spent as much time in the pool as we could. Otherwise we walked along the beach, or just sat out in the sun. We relaxed.

Zack would take Callie to swim in the ocean.  She was less scared of the ocean here, and Zack stayed close by at all times.

The morning we were due to leave, we packed everything up into our cars, checked the house, and left it the way we'd found it, except with a gifted bottle of wine we left for our hosts.

Callie was all smiles as we loaded luggage in the car and headed into town for breakfast. She'd gotten a deeper tan and her blonde hair had been sun bleached a lighter colour, which made her blue eyes stand out that much more.

We met Zack and Kala at the restaurant and went in to get a table. We chatted as we ate breakfast, making sure to include Callie by signing. We asked her her best memory of the trip and she said she couldn't think of just one. She loved the whole trip except one part. We didn't have to ask which, obviously.

I hugged my daughter to me, kissed her head and told her how much I loved her and how happy I am that she enjoyed our trip. She smiled up at me.

We finished breakfast, settled the bill and went back to our cars to drive to the airport and head back to L.A.  We both returned our rented cars and loaded up our luggage on the luggage trolleys. Callie held my hand as we walked through the airport and looked around, just taking in all the sights around her. I smiled down at her as we walked and she smiled back up at me.

Once we'd checked in, we went into the airport lounge and I pulled Callie into my lap and started signing with her.

"Do you think Anna finished my room?" Callie asked.

"I hope so. She said it should only take two weeks. So if she isn't done, she should be soon."

Callie smiled.

"Are you excited to see it?" I asked. She nodded. I said I was, too.

Zack and Kala both talked with Callie and Sarah dozed. I felt bad for her. She'd had to be a nurse, a wife and a mother at once for the last bit of our trip. No doubt she was exhausted.

When our flight was called we all got up and got on the plane. Callie was less nervous about flying this time, and had an idea of what to expect. As the plane took off, and she chewed on the gum Sarah gave her, I watched her. She'd had such a difficult life, and knew of things a child her age should not know about.  But at the same time, she was so innocent. In a lot of ways she was a typical 12-year-old. In a lot of ways she wasn't. But she was an amazing kid. She blew me away, really. She was smart. Incredibly smart. And she picked things up so quickly. By the end of the holiday, she'd read a lot of the books in the house. I knew we'd made the right decision with the Merton School.  They'd be able to challenge her. 

I watched as Callie blew bubbles and read a book on the plane ride.  Sarah had gone back to sleep, and I leaned back and relaxed. Callie looked over at me while we were cruising along. I smiled at her and she smiled back. Then she frowned. 

"Everything okay?" I asked her.

She nodded, but looked like she was thinking on something. 

"What's on your mind?" I asked her. 

"Are you really not mad that I stabbed you?" she asked. 

"Well, I'm not thrilled about it, but you weren't actually trying to hurt me were you?"

She shook her head. 

"I thought the hands were my old dad. Or one of the foster dads."

"That's what I figured," I said. "I didn't think you were meaning to hurt me specifically, and I am going to be okay. I just need to take it easy a few more weeks, but otherwise, I'm going to be okay. And when we get home, we'll start taking you to see someone who can help you cope with the things that have happened in the past. Mom and I love you, and we want the best for you."

Callie nodded. 

"What if the doctor tells you to send me away?"

"Why would they tell me that?"

"What if they think I need to be in a hospital away from other people?"

"Callie, you aren't a danger to people. You were having a nightmare, and you felt hands on you. You were in a strange place and didn't recognize where you were.  You reacted. But I will tell you, Mom and I will be checking your room for knives now."

She hung her head.

"I have one under my pillow," she said, not looking at me.

"Okay. We'll get that when we get home. Thank you for telling me. It's okay, Callie. We understand what you've been through. You're okay. It's going to be okay."

Callie nodded and then wrapped her little arms around me.

"I'm sorry I stabbed you," she said. I kissed the top of her head.

"Callie," I said, holding her away from me for a minute. "From the moment we met you, Mom and I knew you were meant to be our daughter.  We will do everything in our power to help you, to help you heal, to make sure you grow into the person you can be."

She smiled shyly at me.

She was going to be okay. I was certain of it.