The fosters: one wrong move

Chapter 7: Welcome Home

Lena's POV

Hearing that Mariana imagined Nick being there and was never there until Jesus called him infuriated me. She was so high that she imagined him being there and chasing her? How could she do something so stupid? But also why would Jesus call Nick and let him know where Mariana was? I know he was just trying to protect her but he should have known better. I was snapped out of my thoughts to the sound of Callie's voice. "M-Mama when home" she asked. "Today is the day baby. It's 7 AM now and we are leaving here at 12". She smiled but still looked devastated. She tried to sit up herself but was still struggling. She didn't have the strength in her hands to push herself up from a lying position. Stef went to help her sit up but she said no. "Mama help" Stef looked hurt but she chose to ignore it. Callie was still confused and may not even known it was Stef. The doctor came in and asked to speak to us outside. "So I Iooked over Callie's CT scan and we have a lot more information. Due to the areas damages she is going to have balance problem as well as slight vision problems. We expect the vision to get better rather quickly but the balance will be an issue. She is going to suffer from behavioral problems as well as impulse control. There are times when she is going to snap over little things. She will continue to gain strength everyday but she is going to need help for the next couple months. Her speech will hopefully improve time but I can not make any promises on that. I want to wish you guys the best of luck and if you need anything you know my number and where to find me". His words sounded like a jumble of sounds. Balance problems, vision problems, impulse control, speech, how did all of this result from a punch to the head? We walked back into the room and I made sure I had a smile on my face. The doctors told us to always be positive around us. Callie was staring into space but when she saw I was there she smiled. This was going to be a long day.

Stef's POV

After talking to the doctor I was a little nervous to bring Callie home. I was working full time as a detective and I didn't know how Lena was going to do all of this herself. I was a little hurt that Callie wouldn't accept help from me but I knew she was confused and not feeling well so I didn't push it. I said goodbye to Callie and went home to get the house set up. I walked in to the kids watching a movie on the couch. Mariana popped up and asked when Callie would be home. "she'll be home at 12" I said, kind of coldly. I was still very angry with her. She looked hurt and sat back down. "Alright babies Callie will be home in just a few hours so we have to get the house ready. Make sure there is nothing on the floor she can trip over and boys we need her bed brought downstairs since she is not able to walk up the stairs yet. Get moving". The kids did exactly what I said right away but Jesus seemed off. He wasn't telling me something. After the boys brought her bed down and Mariana and I cleaned I asked to talk to Jesus privately. We walked into the backyard and I could tell he was nervous. "What's going on buddy? How are you feeling"? He looked at me and started crying. I haven't seen Jesus cry in a long time, something big was going on. "I think I made a mistake calling Nick. He wasn't there until I called him. I heard Mariana's voicemail and I panicked. It's my fault Callie is like this. I am really sorry mom". What the hell did he mean Nick wasn't there until he called him. Mariana said Nick was chasing her. "What do you mean Nick wasn't there until you called him love"? "Mariana imagined he was there and started running from him. I called him to tell him to stay away from Mariana and that's when he came to the festival. The first time Mariana actually saw Nick was at the bridge when Callie and AJ found them, this is all my fault". He was sobbing at this point and I hugged him. "it's not your fault baby, you thought Mariana was in danger. You did the right thing". He nodded but I could tell he was still blaming himself. Everything started to make sense. Mariana was high and imagined Nick there and when Callie saw her with him she panicked. She was just trying to protect her sister. I can't blame Jesus but I am furious with Mariana. If she never took those pills then Callie wouldn't have a TBI. I sent Jesus to his room and walked inside slamming the door. Mariana's head turned and I told her to come over here. "So let me get this right. You were so high that you were hallucinating and thought you saw Nick but he was never there. Do you realize what you have done? How could you do something so stupid"? She had tears in her eyes but I didn't feel bad for her in this moment. I am not one to assign blame but this truly was Mariana's fault. "Get away from me Mariana, I can't even look at your right now". She stormed up to her room and I realized by now it was 11 AM. I had to get to the hospital. I walked into the hospital and Lena was sitting next to Callie who was sleeping. I updated her on the Mariana situation and she replied that she already knew and planned on telling me today. Why would she wait to tell me? I was pissed but I ignored it. We had to start getting Callie ready. I gently woke her up and told her we had to start getting ready. Today she was letting me help, she looked exhausted. I sat her up while Lena changed her out of her hospital gown. We got her into a comfortable pair of joggers and a t shirt and she asked for water. I grabbed the cup handing it to her and she started crying. "I a-am sorry". What was she sorry for? This wasn't her fault. "Hey love listen to me, this isn't your fault. We are just so happy you are okay". She looked at me and looked back down. The nurse came in with a wheelchair to get her to the car since it was too far of a walk. We helped her into the car and when she was trying to buckle her seatbelt she was getting frustrated. I went to go help her when she let go of the seatbelt and yelled "Shit". I have seen Callie upset and frustrated before but not like this. I wasn't ready for this.

Callie's POV

Lena and Stef helped me into the car and when I couldn't get the seatbelt buckled I wanted to explode. I felt a rage I haven't felt in a long time. Stef tried to calm me down but that was making me more angry. "N-no stop"! I yelled out. She walked away and had Lena help me. It was like she didn't want me home. During the car ride I had a lot of thoughts in my head. Something happened to me to end up like this but I couldn't remember what. I remember mama being there but mom wasn't. Did she do something to me? I ignored my thoughts and the car was stopped. Lena came to open the door for me and I was feeling dizzy, I needed a minute. She unbuckled my seatbelt and helped me out of the car. I was unsteady on my feet but I trusted her to not let me fall. Stef came on the other side of me and helped to steady me and even though I was annoyed with her I was thankful for the help. We reached the 3 steps into the house and I didn't know how the hell I was supposed to do this. Lena placed my left foot on the step and I started to fall back. They caught me and Stef yelled for Jesus to come out here. He came running out and stood behind me helping me balance. We got inside and I went straight to the couch. I felt like I was going to get sick. "M-mama sick", luckily she knew what I meant and ran to get the trash barrel. Once it was in front of me I immediately got sick. I looked up and saw everyone around me. Robert, Jill, and Sophia were here, Mike and Aj were here as well. Why were so many people here. Jude came over to me and grabbed my hand. "I am really glad to see you Callie. I am happy you're home. I love you". I smiled squeezing his hand and said "love you too buddy". He smiled and walked away. Then Sophia came over to me and plopped down on the couch. "I am really happy to see you. Maybe you can sleep over this weekend". I was exhausted and just gave her a half smile. "Sophia come on, Callie needs to rest, you can see her soon". I was thankful Jill noticed I was getting overwhelmed. Just as I was about to close my eyes to sleep AJ came and sat next to me. I remember him being there too but how did it happen? Why was I so hurt and why couldn't I do anything right? "Hey Callie its really good to see you. You scared the shit out of me". He said with a little chuckle. I smiled and grabbed his hand. The sleep was starting to take over and I closed my eyes. I needed to rest.