11
The interview with CPS is, if possible, even more painful than I imagined it could be. Cami spends the whole time trying to bury herself into my jacket, and speaks so softly that the social worker, who introduces herself as Karen, has to ask her to repeat herself more times than not. Vanessa sits in the corner, taking furious notes. It all starts off innocently enough, with Karen asking Cami her birthday and social security number, which Cami rattles off with the ease of someone who's been identified by these numbers for too long. Then Karen asks Cami about the home she's in right now, and Cami tells her the same two stories she told me, about Danielle's bullying and Rita turning a blind eye. When Karen asks her about the events that led to her current injuries, Cami takes a deep, shaky breath before she starts to speak.
"Pippa told me yesterday that she wanted to foster me. She said that in order to get me out of that home, she'd have to have proof that I was being mistreated." Karen nods, and I realize that Vanessa must have filled her in on this part already. "I got home from Pippa's apartment yesterday morning, and I went to get started on making breakfast and doing laundry. I'd left my phone upstairs, and I guess Pippa sent me a text."
My heart sinks as I remember the text I'd sent, reading "Don't let Danielle get to you, babe. We're gonna get you out of there so soon! <3" Cami squeezes her eyes shut, but keeps talking.
"Danielle and a couple of the other girls came into the kitchen where I was washing dishes. They-they had my phone, and they were reading the text out loud. They kept asking me why I thought I was better than them, and telling me that Pippa didn't care about me and that no one wanted me, and I kept washing the dishes because I was hoping they'd go away." Her voice cracks a little, and I cradle her closer to me, trying to keep my own tears at bay. "But they didn't go away. Usually Danielle would just slap me a couple times, or shove me or something. But this time-this time they didn't stop. They kept kicking me and I think they threw a bowl at me and eventually Rita came in, and she wasn't mad at them for hurting me. She said she was just angry because she was going to have to waste her time taking me to the hospital, and she told me to come up with a good story because no one wanted to deal with me." When she finishes speaking, her voice is so full of hopelessness that I can't contain my tears any longer, and they run down my cheeks, pooling into Cami's hair.
"You're so brave," I whisper to her, and she squeezes my hand. Karen is about to stand up and leave when Vanessa stops her.
"One last thing, and I'd like to get this on the record." She shoots Cami an encouraging glance, then asks, "Cami, is this the first time you've been in an abusive situation in a foster home?" There's a moment so silent that the only sound is the beeping of a heart monitor next door, and then Cami shakes her head.
"No, it's not." This time her voice has a steely edge to it, and Vanessa nods slowly and ushers Karen out of the room, leaving me alone with the broken teenage girl in my arms.
I glance down at the only part of Cami I can see, the top of her head, and smooth down her hair. "Well, I don't suppose you want to talk about it?" From somewhere in the depths of my jacket, I feel her giggle, and my heart leaps at the familiar sound. "Cam, I want you to know that I am so fucking proud of you, and that I am never going to stop fighting until you get everything you deserve." She sits up, blinking in the fluorescent hospital lighting.
"I don't deserve you, Pippa." I try to speak, but her voice gets louder. "No, I don't. I deserved this," she gestures at the bruise on her face, "because I was too stupid to hide my phone, and too scared to fight back, and I don't deserve you doing this, being here, and-" This time I place my fingers on her lips, effectively cutting her off.
"Cami, I know you can't see it right now, but you deserve the world and everything in it, and at the very least, you deserve a fighting chance. I want to give you that chance, and so much more. I can't imagine to begin to understand what you've been through, and I know you feel worthless right now-but I'm going to keep reminding you that you're so full of worth and so loved and special, and so incredibly, unbelievably enough. I'll tell you that 10 times a day if that's what it takes, because someday, you're gonna see it yourself." Cami doesn't even try to wipe away her tears, but looks me straight in the eyes.
"Really?" I reach down and brush the tearstains off her cheeks.
"I promise." We're interrupted by Vanessa coming back in, Daveed at her heels. It takes me a moment before I register that they're both beaming. Vanessa comes over to the hospital bed and takes my hand.
"I have news!"
YOU ARE READING
The Uncanny Accuracy of Fate
Фанфик... Camille Beckett and Phillipa Soo have been living only miles apart for years, though their paths have never crossed. It's amazing what a masterclass and a musical can do. Who knows, maybe it's fate!
