Never feel alone

Chapter 22

She nodded. "I know."

Stef reached over from her seat and petted Sophia's hair. "Callie's right. And I'll be right out here, waiting for you, too."

I watched my sister breath out a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, a heavy-set woman with dark hair and glasses came out to the waiting room. "You must be Callie and Sophia Jacob," she said.

We nodded.

"Hi," she said. "My name is Rita Hendricks"

"Nice to meet you," said Stef, reaching out to shake Rita's hand. "I'm Callie and Sophia's foster mom."

"Nice to meet you too," Rita smiled. "I'm excited to work with the girls." She clapped her hands together. "So, who am I seeing first?"

"First?" Sophia squeaked. "I thought we were going in together."

"I think it's best to talk to you each individually," Rita said. She had a blunt, honest-even-when-it-hurt personality, I could tell that right away. "Sophia, you're the youngest, and the youngest never gets to go first, so how about we change that today? Why don't you come on back with me?"

Sophia turned to Stef, giving her a panicked look. Her face had gone pale. She reached out and grasped my hand. "I don't want to go in without my sister."

"I don't bite," Rita promised. "You'll be okay."

"Callie has been Sophia's security for a long time now," Stef said quietly.

"I appreciate that," the other woman nodded. "But even so, I'd like to get to know the girls one-on-one."

Sophia sat stone-still; she could be stubborn when she wanted to be, and I could tell Rita wasn't going to take no for an answer. Before it became a battle of wills, I took my sister's hands in mine and looked her in the eye. "Listen, Sophie Bug. It's going to be okay. I know you can do this. You're braver than you think. So brave. And if I see you do this, I know I'll be able to do it too. So, can you just go with it for me?"

Her face softened. "I guess so. For you."

"Good girl," I nodded, hugging her. "Hey, I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "Thanks, sissy."

"No problem, baby."

So, Sophia followed Rita to her office, turning to give Stef and I one last, unsure look. Once she was gone, Stef moved over a seat, so she was sitting next to me. "You are so amazing with her."

"It was nothing," I said. "But thanks."

"I'm sorry, honey," she apologized. "I didn't know Rita was going to separate you two."

"It's okay," I shrugged. "She has to grow up sometime. I mean, what am I am I going to do? Go along on her honeymoon?"

Stef laughed, patting my back. "You always know what to say to her, though," she said. "You must be pretty nervous, yourself."

I shrugged again. "I'll be fine."

Stef put her arm around me and pulled me closer. "You and I are a lot alike. You know that?"

I looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling. "We always have to be strong for everyone, we have to hold everyone up. And that's okay. Just remember that there's nothing wrong with not being strong sometimes. It doesn't make you weak. Not at all."

I sat still, taking in the meaning of her words. She tilted her head down and kissed my forehead. "Want to take a walk down the hall with me and get a soda?"