Never feel alone

Chapter 24

Callie

"There you are, baby," Stef said, hopping up from her chair to hug me. That was just how she was; she always greeted us like she hasn't seen us in years. I'd only been in Rita's office for forty-five minutes.

"Hey," I smiled, hugging her back.

"Mrs. Foster, I'd like to speak to you," Rita said politely. "Please?"

"Sure," Stef nodded. "What about?"

Rita glanced over at me. "Honey, why don't you go ahead and take a seat? This will only take a minute."

"Go ahead, love," said Stef, winking at me. "I'll be right there."

I nodded, then crossed the waiting room and sat down next to Sophia, who was happily popping M&Ms in her mouth. "Where did you get those?" I asked, ruffling her hair.

"Mom got them for me," she told me. It was still strange hearing my sister call Stef and Lena 'mom and mama.' I wondered if our own mom would mind, but decided she wouldn't. She would have liked Stef and Lena. "She got you some too," Sophia said, handing me another bag.

"Shh," I whispered. "I want to hear what's going on." I had an idea of what they were talking about. I'd told Rita about The Brian Thing at my session; my eyes still burned from the tears I refused to shed in front of her. Now Rita knew just how messed up I was. I couldn't see how we could be in any more trouble than we were already in, though.

I put a blue M&M on my tongue and sucked it while I strained my ears to listen, letting it melt in my mouth while I strained my ears to listen. Rita was doing most of the talking. "I lead a support group for grieving teens," she was saying. "We meet every Saturday at eleven. I'd love to have Callie and Sophia in our group."

Stef gave her a thoughtful look. "Do you think a group like that would be right for them? When I hear it, I think of kids who have lost loved ones..."

"Well, there are different kinds of grief," Rita told her. "I work with young people who have gone through all kinds of emotional trauma. The girls certainly fit that criteria."

"It could be good for them," said Stef. "I'll talk to my wife about it. I think she'll agree."

My heart sunk. I'd been to group therapy before, when we were at the group home, and I hated it. Me, sitting in a circle, sharing my deepest thoughts with a bunch of strangers? I don't think so. I hoped Stef would understand, and she wouldn't make me go.

"I'd appreciate that," Rita said.

"What about PTSD?" Stef asked, lowering her voice. "Do you think they could have that? Callie has these night terrors..."

I leaned in to hear her soft, raspy voice, but I missed the end of her sentence.

"I haven't been seeing them long enough to make a diagnosis," Rita told her; her voice was naturally loud, so I didn't have to struggle to hear her. "But considering what they've gone through, it's a possibility I'd like to explore."

Stef thanked her and said goodbye, then came for us. "Well, my loves, ready to head out?"

Stef

The kids didn't talk much on the way home. Sophia had been especially quiet since we got a court date. When we got home, she went straight upstairs, probably to play with her dolls. I think they took her mind off of it all. I wished Callie had an escape like that. She played the guitar a little, but other than that, she didn't seem to have any hobbies she was passionate about. Sophia managed to find some joy in life. I just wished Callie could be happier...

I took some frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer and put them in the microwave to thaw. I was washing my hands, when I noticed Callie was still in the kitchen."Do you need any help?" she asked.