After a few days, Sadie was still processing the news. The court papers had come through and Sadie was still as broken as ever. In more ways than one. School was rough with her knee and she watched the rest of the volleyball season without playing. She was on the bench, sitting with Ryan and Chase.
"Way to go girls!" Kaycee yelled, clapping as the girls got another point.
Sadie just sat there. She wasn't having fun, she wasn't enjoying herself but she wanted to support her team.
"You alright kid?" Ryan asked, nudging her arm.
"Yeah. I just want to be out there again," she shrugged, "Sucks that I'm stuck here,"
"I know kiddo but you'll get better and be there for next season,"
"I guess," she shrugged, "I just wanna go home but they won't let me. I don't think they want me alone yet,"
"It's not that we don't trust you, Sadie, we just don't want you to hurt yourself even more than you already are," Chase said as he'd overheard the conversation.
"I really don't want to be here though and watching them while I'm stuck sitting here," She grumbled, watching Kaycee and Maddy congratulate the team on yet another point.
"I know you don't but you know they would do the same for you,"
"They didn't just get told by their mother that said mother wants nothing to do with them," Sadie sighed as she watched the ball and the ball only. She didn't look at her foster father, she didn't look at Ryan when he spoke to her, or even Maddy or Kaycee when they tried.
She felt like a shell. She felt like she wasn't important to anyone anymore. Her mom left her and sure she was with Chase and Kaycee but it wasn't where she was supposed to be. They just came into her life by some random luck, and they also randomly got lucky to even get them as her foster parents.
The game soon ended and her school won but she didn't feel like celebrating. She just wanted to go home, so she simply told Chase that her leg was hurting and she really wanted to get home and get in bed. Where she didn't have to act like she was having a great time.
Chase pulled into the driveway, getting Sadie's crutches out for her before he got the baby's car seat out. They headed inside without speaking a word and Chase didn't want to. He figured she needed time to sulk and take inventory of her feelings before they talked about it as a family, like they had the past few days.
"When's mom coming home?" She asked as she made her way toward her "bedroom", stopping short of the curtain until she got an answer from Chase.
"I don't think she'll be too long," He shrugged, taking Adeline out of her car seat and setting her in her exersaucer for some play time so he could get the house cleaned up.
"Okay. Can she come to my room when she gets home?"
"I'll send her in," He nodded, watching as Sadie nodded before going behind the curtain.
Kaycee wasn't at the team celebration too long as she wanted to get home and help with the baby, as well as talk to Sadie before the teenager went to bed.
"Where's Sadie?" She asked, looking into the living room before back in the kitchen where Chase was.
"She's in her room. She wanted to talk to you. I think she's struggling with not being able to play with her team," He said as he leaned against the counter, looking as Adeline squealed at the sight of her mother.
"I'll go talk to her," She nodded as she walked to the curtain and called Sadie's name, waiting for her to let her in before she entered, "What's up honey?"
"I do not want to keep coming to games and watching them play while I sit there with Dad and Ryan and look like a gimp or some pity case,"
"Honey, I just don't want you home alone right now with your leg. You could fall, you could hurt it more and then it's more physical therapy and more doctor visits and we don't want you to have to go through that," She explained, sitting on the bed as she spoke to her.
"I get that but it's so boring Mom. I hate that I can't be part of the team anymore,"
"You're still part of the team Sadie. Just because you can't play means you're out," Kaycee sighed, "You're always gonna be a part of the 2023 team, you'll still get your pin at the banquet,"
"I will?" She asked, looking at Kaycee as she sat up.
"Yeah," Kaycee nodded, "And I know that's not what this is all about but it's that you feel like you're not part of the team. But like I said, you were there for a lot of the season through a lot of hard times between losing Jess and then losing your mom and having to move and I know it's been rough. But I'm proud of how you're handling it,"
"Thanks, mom," She smiled for the first time since they'd been home. Finally a genuine smile.
"I love you, honey,"
"I love you too," Sadie grinned, hugging Kaycee tightly before she and she went out to the living room.
"Are we ready for movie night?" Chase asked, having Step Brothers loaded onto the TV.
"Isn't that really inappropriate for a 6-month-old?" Sadie asked jokingly as she crutched out to the living room and sat in her favorite spot on the couch.
"As long as she doesn't understand it, we're safe," Chase chuckled, making room on the couch for Kaycee before pressing play.
That was where the Elliott family spent the rest of their night. Sitting on the couch, enjoying each other's company and making memories one funny scene at a time.
