Never feel alone

Chapter 25

I sat in the hospital waiting room, feeling numb. We'd been sitting there, just sitting, for ages, waiting for news. All I knew was that Stef had been shot in the abdomen, and that her lung had collapsed. She was in surgery now. I'd picked up some of the story by listening to Mariana and Mike. I guess, Mariana had gone to see Ana. Ana asked her for money, something she's apparently been doing for a long time now, and Mariana got fed up with it. So she left. Mike and Stef went to Ana's house to look for her, but no one answered the door. So, they went inside. Ana and Mariana were long gone, but Ana's boyfriend was hiding in a bedroom. He shot Stef. And Mike shot and killed him.

"Are you okay?" Jesus asked me from the seat next to me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I'm just thinking."

"I hate hospitals," he said. "You want to take a walk?"

I shrugged. "Sure." I glanced over at Sophia. She was sitting next to Lena, her head on her shoulder. She would be okay for a few minutes.

"I'm worried," Jesus said, once we were in the hall. "I feel so bad for mom."

Me too," I nodded. All I could think about was that she was hurting and scared somewhere behind closed doors.

Mariana feels terrible," He said. "I know she does."

"She never meant for this to happen," I told him. "She didn't know Stef would get shot."

"But she should've known to stay away from Ana," he said, shaking his head.

I sat down on a bench in the hall. "She's pretty bad news, huh?"

He nodded. "She was never a very good mother. But Mariana always loved her, no matter what she did. It's been harder for me to forgive."

I stared ahead, thinking about my initial thoughts when my foster sister first told me she was seeing her birth mom. I still couldn't imagine wanting more than Stef and Lena. Finding them was like a fairy tale for me and Sophia.

"Were our birth parents messed up too?" he asked

I snapped out of my thoughts. "No. Not really. Well, my dad had a drinking problem. But my mom was really great."

"You must miss her," he said. "Didn't she die?"

I nodded, and my eyes filled with tears. "We should get back. There might be news soon." I got up and hurried back to the waiting room.

When we returned, Lena was talking to a nurse. "Your wife is in ICU," the other woman was saying. "She's stable. You can see her now." She looked over at us kids. "Immediate family only."

"Can't Callie and I see mom too?" Sophia asked. She frowned, worried.

Lena gave the nurse a questioning look. "Callie and Sophia are our foster daughters. Are they allowed?"

The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry. We have to keep it to immediate family for the time being."

Lena nodded, then gave us an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, girls. Can you sit down and wait? We shouldn't be long."

"Take your time," I said. "It's okay."

"I'll tell her you're here," she promised. "She'll be happy to know you're thinking of her."

"Thanks," I nodded. "Come on, Soph." I put my hand on her back and guided her to the chairs as Lena and the kids went through the ICU doors. We sat huddled together, Sophia leaning against me.

"It's not fair," Sophia said. "I want to see mom too." She sniffled, and I knew she was gonna cry. "I hate being a foster kid."

"It's not Lena's fault," I reminded her. "It's the hospital rules."