Picking Up Shattered Pieces

Chapter 8

The entire afternoon, Callie lay in bed, thinking about her conversation with Rita. She desperately wanted to show Robert that she wanted to become a Foster and not a Quinn. Eventually, she found herself in the doorway of the kitchen, where Lena was preparing dinner for everyone.

“Need help?” Callie asked, coming into the kitchen and sitting at the table.

“I think I’m okay. Unless you want to help wash the vegetables and cut them for me.” Lena replied, rinsing her hands at the sink. Callie got up and started washing and chopping vegetables, her mind still thinking about what it had been all day. Silence enveloped the room, both people concentrating on their current tasks.

Breaking the silence, Callie turned toward Lena and said, “Sorry for snapping at you earlier today.” Lena walked toward Callie, wrapping her arms around her daughter.

“Jude told me once I came home. He said he was sorry. I knew you were telling me the truth and I knew Jude would never say that, I was just so upset at those words that I didn’t know what I was doing and...” Callie rambled on, feeling extremely sorry for hurting someone that actually loved and cared for her.

“Hey, Callie, it’s okay. We all have those moments where we screw up, but it’s okay. We live and we learn. Don’t scold yourself for getting mad once in a while. It happens. You just have to realize that and just keep moving on.” Lena said to her daughter, still holding her in a hug. Callie nodded, her chin resting on lightly on Lena’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Callie said again, looking at Lena.

“I know, Cal. It’s okay.” Lena replied, kissing Callie on the forehead.

--

A few weeks later, after Callie had spent much thought on the conversation she had with Rita, she finally decided she needed to show Robert how she truly felt, if he hadn’t noticed it already. If she was going to make it through this, she needed to tell her moms about what happened with the papers before it was too late. Lena and Stef were both sitting on the couch watching a movie.

“Can we talk?” Callie asked, standing in the doorway by the kitchen. Both women looked over toward where Callie was standing.
“Sure, come on in.” Stef said, moving to make room for Callie in between her and Lena as the other woman turned off the television screen. Callie did as she was told, sitting in between the people she thought of as her true family.

“What’s up, Cal?” Lena asked, looking toward Callie. Callie looked at her lap and twiddled her fingers.

“It’s too late now. Just tell them. It’s going to be okay. It’ll help you with the situation. You can trust them. Get it over with.” Callie told herself in her mind.

“Um…” Callie started, taking a breath before continuing. She didn’t exactly know how to phrase what she wanted to say. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to say that Robert wouldn’t let her get adopted, that he wouldn’t get new copies of the papers, or that Sophia ripped the papers before they were sent. “At the fundraiser, Sophia told me that she ripped the papers before they got sent and now Robert won’t get new copies. He promised he would sign them though and now he won’t.” Callie said quickly.

“I promise we’ll have you adopted. You and Jude are a package deal, and Robert will not change that.” Stef said, putting emphasis on the ‘not’.

“It’s time.” Callie told herself.

Callie took a small breath before breaking the silence.

“Okay. I love you.” She said. “Moms.” Callie added, a small smile on her face.

Tears had started to form in both Stef and Lena’s eyes.

“Is it just me or did you finally say your first word?” Stef joked. Callie laughed quietly before answering. “It wasn’t just you.”

“This calls for a mama sandwich.” Lena said, wrapping her arms around her eldest daughter, Stef doing the same on  the other end, Callie being trapped in the middle.