away // brallie

twelve

callie's perspective

The JDC was exactly the same as it was the past times I have been here; arrogant guards, quiet people and pale walls. After all the checks and tests - which ultimately took way too long - I was shoved into a room with many bunk beds, where I was told to stay for the rest of the day. I threw down my extra set of clothes on the end of my bed and flopped down, sighing. All I could think about was Brandon. His face couldn't slip my mind for a second, and I was just worried about him. No words could even explain how much I was worried about it. 

A guard came in and tapped my shoulder, "Callie Jacob?" She said quizzically. I whipped my head around, and nodded at the mention of my name. 

I rotated my body around to face her, "That's me. What's up?" I asked, nerves filling my body from head to toe. 

She laced her fingers together, "You have someone here to speak with you." She said, taking my by the wrist and walking me out of that crammed bed room. Guards were giving me side-eyes, assuming I had done something wrong and was going to solitary. Other kids in here were giving me weak smiles, almost like a good luck. She took me outside to this fenced in area where I spotted Stef sitting at a table. Seeing her face almost gave me hope of getting out of here faster. The guard dropped my arm and stepped back, letting me sit with Stef. 

She reached out and touched my hand gingerly, "Sweetheart, I don't want you to freak out or anything, everything is going to be okay, but Brandon is in the hospital getting his stomach pumped." Stef said rather calmly. My heart skipped a beat, and my face grew red with so many emotions behind it. My throat clenched when I tried to speak. 

I pressed my hands to my temples, "Oh my...is he okay? What happened?" I said, my breath quickening. The second I am gone, something goes wrong with him. I can't be there with him to hold his hand and be there with him; calm him down. Why did I have to get sent back here? I shouldn't be here!

Stef nodded, "He is going to be fine. Mariana gave him some of his meds that she bought from some friend because she knew he ran out. He was freaking out apparently, so she just gave them to him. They were laced with a terrible drug, and he was coughing up blood and he said he was having vertigo. The doctors are taking care of him though, love. No need to worry, I just wanted to get the information to you." Stef said, taking my hand in hers and squeezing it. 

I took a deep breath, "You need to tell him," I started, but then I realized she couldn't tell him how much I loved him, so took a breath and started over, "tell him that I'm keeping him in my heart and he will be okay in no time, okay?" I said. 

Stef nodded, "Okay, sweetheart. My time with you is up but everyone in the family loves you so much, and your hearing is tomorrow so we will get you back, okay? They can't keep you away from us for a long time." Stef said, standing up and wrapped me in a hug. I squeezed her back, and then she walked out of sight back into the building. The fresh air made me feel human again, and not like some robot who never sees the light. 

But Brandon...now I had much more of a reason to worry about him. He's fighting for his life and I'm out here in the JDC, not able to do anything at all. I can't even tell him how much I love him, and who knows if I'll even see him any time soon. I could be stuck here, even though Stef puts on that smile and tells me I'll be home in no time. I just wish I could see him, even just for a moment, to make sure his anxieties weren't though the roof making him so uncomfortable that he couldn't even breath.

The guard seized my arm and took me back inside, and suddenly the feeling of being human was gone once again and I was back to living this lifestyle. She threw me back down onto my bed, and I winced, my ankle hitting the frame of the bed. I rested my head down on my pillow, not closing my eyes. My mind was racing a thousand thoughts a second, mostly all about Brandon.  If only I could have been there to help him look for his meds before he took those ones from Mariana. If only I was there by his side, right now.