Both of them had planned to take the week off teaching to help Sadie get settled with her new schedule, but Sadie insisted that they keep their own sense of normalcy.
Adeline woke both parents up at the crack of dawn, making both of them get up with a groan.
"You wanna get the baby? I'll wake Sadie up?" Kaycee asked, stretching as they lazily made the bed.
"Yeah I'll get Ad," he nodded, yawning as he left the room.
Kaycee finished putting the pillows on their bed before she went down the hallway and knocked on Sadie's door.
"It's open," Sadie mumbled, still sounding like her face was stuffed in a pillow.
"You up?" Kaycee asked, slightly opening the door.
"Mhm,"
"Doesn't look like it," she chuckled, sitting on the bed, "If you want to stay home, I can stay with you,"
"I've gone to school with less sleep," she sighed, sitting up before she got out of bed. "I'll get ready and grab something to eat at school,"
"I'm gonna go make breakfast right now," she smiled a little.
"Do you make it every day?"
"Chase or I," she nodded, "Be ready by 6:45, we'll eat and then you can go to school with me or go with Chase to drop Addie off,"
"I'll come with you,"
"Okay. We'll leave around 7:15," she nodded, leaving her room as Sadie got ready for the day.
Kaycee made a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage while Chase fed Adeline. They both got ready quickly and all 3 ate before they got in their separate cars and headed their separate ways.
"Wouldn't it be easier for you guys to take one car?" Sadie asked as she sat in the passenger seat of the Tahoe.
"It would if we didn't have Addie. Her daycare is on the other side of town so we switch off who takes her," Kaycee explained, pulling into the school parking lot.
"Makes sense," She shrugged, waiting until the car was stopped before she got out of the car and walked in with Kaycee. "It's weird being in here before everyone else,"
"Get used to it honey, we get here early," She chuckled a little, unlocking the classroom before they both stepped in.
"So I can wait to do my homework until the next morning?"
"As long as it gets done," Kaycee shrugged, sitting at her desk as Sadie sat at her usual desk.
"Cool," Sadie nodded with a smile, happy that Kaycee kept the same stance on homework as she and Chase did in classes.
Kids started to filter in after a while Sadie sat in the classroom with Kaycee. Her first class of the day was down the hall and it felt good to not have to worry about eating breakfast in time and starting her day off right.
"Sadie, first bell. Time to go kiddo," Kaycee smiled, "I'll see you in third period,"
"Yeah, thanks coach,"
Kaycee smiled and watched her go down the hallway, waving as Maddy had just gotten into her room.
"Hey Mrs. B," Sadie smiled, making Maddy look over at her fellow teacher with a little shock. Sadie seemed happy and well-rested which was a complete 180 from the Friday she last saw her.
"Hi Sadie," She grinned, following her in and starting the lesson for the day.
By lunchtime, a lot of people were noticing the change in Sadie after just a few nights. Chase had seen some more focus in her as well as Maddy, and Kaycee had just seen a whole new side to her.
"Hey, coach?" Sadie asked, walking into the room after her lunch.
"Honey you can call me Kaycee when we're not in class or practice," she chuckled, looking up from the book.
"Okay. Well, I guess that answered my question," she smiled a little, "Um. When do I have to see my mom again?"
"Come sit," she told her, nodding to the chair as she texted Chase that they needed to have a little family conversation.
"What's up?" Chase asked, coming to sit on the desk like normal.
"Sadie asked when she could see her mom again and I wanted to be sure you were included in the conversation," she told him, but it was also code for 'I don't know how Sadie will take this so I want both of us to go through it with her'.
"So when do I have to?" Sadie asked again, looking between the 2 foster parents.
"So your mom has to go through a 90-day program and after that, we will go to court and see what we can do. But for the next 3 months at least, you'll be with us,"
"Okay," she nodded, "I'll see you guys after class,"
"Sounds good kiddo," Chase nodded, looking over at the door shutting before turning to Kaycee. "That went better than I expected,"
"I don't know Chase. Something just feels off about her and her mom. She was asking me when she had to see her. Not when she could,"
"Don't overanalyze this Kayc. It could just be a slip of the tongue,"
"Twice?" She asked, "I don't know,"
"Let's go think on it a little and eat. I'm starving,"
"Okay. Okay," she chuckled, getting her things shut down before she got up and they both headed downstairs.
Maddy and Ryan were already in the teachers' lounge, eating while their classes were also at lunch.
"Hey guys," Maddy smiled as they came over to the table.
"Hey," Kaycee smiled, both of them sitting down at the table.
"I don't know what you guys are doing with Sadie but, keep doing it. She's a different kid," Ryan said as they sat across from him and his wife.
"We haven't really done anything different honestly,"
"She's completely different. She's answering questions in class, she seems a little less tired, a little more upbeat," Ryan shrugged.
"It's sad but I think just having a stable home and people to go to really helped," Maddy nodded, "She has the support she needs 24/7 now. Not just here,"
"Yeah. And she's a good kid. She's always been a good kid, but now I'm thinking that she just had to be strong when she shouldn't have to be," Kaycee sighed, picking at the salad she'd brought for lunch.
"Yeah. She should've been able to be a teenager and not have to be an adult at her age," Chase shook his head.
"But you guys are giving her that. And hopefully, her mom gets herself together and she can be a kid at home,"
"I just keep thinking about what she said earlier. She kept saying when do I have to see my mom. Not when can I, or when do I get to. Just when do I have to," Kaycee told their best friends. The only ones they could trust.
"It might've just been the way she said it?" Maddy asked.
"But twice. I don't think so. And that alone breaks my heart,"