Another Foster (Private)

[Shy-Diapers]

“Hey how’s-“ Sarah started when she saw Alex, quickly getting cut off as he continued to run up the stairs. She went to the living room to check on Kaley. Seeing the girl clearly worked up she knelt down to her level to try to see what was wrong. “Hey what’re you doing honey?” She asked as Kaley’s flapping increased. “What’s wrong?” She asked, unsure what she expected from the girl who hadn’t spoken to her. 
 

Kaley was growing increasingly upset by the second, on the verge of a complete meltdown. When Alex returned with her mouse and blanket she quickly squeezed the plush to her chest, hiding her face in its head while she draped her quilt over her head. She rocked back and forth as she was calming down, the flapping gone once she had her mouse. 

[justagirl4fun]

Alex decided to give Kaley some space and peace and quiet. Leaving the TV off he headed for the kitchen, nodding for Sarah to follow him. "We'll just be in the kitchen if you need anything," he assured Kaley, though by now he doubted she would bother coming to find him.

"Well, that was a fun outing," he said wryly as he grabbed a can of soda from the fridge. "I think we better get her to the pediatrician as soon as possible so we can get referrals for therapy. I think she's autistic. I know some of the things we do with Rocky could help, but I'd like an expert opinion."

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah sat down and took a breath while she rubbed her temples a bit. Two crying and upset girls was much harder than one. “Sure was interesting.” She agreed. “What gives you that idea?” She asked curiously. She didn’t know much about autism, she did remember it being ruled out for Rocky when they were getting her Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis. “I really wish we had some sort of background information on her. Are you sure she’s not just scared and traumatized?”

[justagirl4fun]

"Well...the parroting, for one. Most of the time when I talk to her, she just repeats back the last thing I said. She doesn't make eye contact. The flapping and hand chewing. The way she lines things up instead of playing with them. We've had a lot of foster kids, Sarah, this isn't just 'scared and traumatized,' I think there's way more to it than that." As he talked, he grabbed a small basket from the counter and started filling it with the fidgets he'd bought for Kaley, opening each one or removing the tags as he did so. "I see some similarities to Rocky, but I think it's more than that. Maybe not more, it's not like autism is worse than ADHD or SPD, just different," he rambled as he moved on to unboxing the Calico Critters and house. "Speaking of Rocky, I assume she's calmed down?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah nodded as Alex explained. “Yeah it all seems to add up now that you say it like that.” She agreed. “We definitely need to get her some support and referrals.” She chuckled a bit when he started to ramble. “Take a breath Alex.” She nodded in response to Rocky. “I think so. She’s in her room with her tablet. Today was hard on both of them it seems.”

[justagirl4fun]

"Yeah, I guess it was. But it seemed to be going so well." He finished his task and got up to throw away the packaging. "I'm going to call the pediatrician and see if we can get an appointment. Maybe next week? I think it might be too much right now, that'll give her some more time to decompress a bit more. Right?

[Shy-Diapers]

“That seems like a good plan. I think she’s had quite a busy two days. Maybe by then she’ll be more comfortable.” Sarah agreed. “I’m gonna go check on Rocky. See if she needs anything.” 
 

Upstairs Sarah knocked on her daughter’s door softly before entering. “Hey kiddo, how’re you doing?” She asked in a soft tone, finding the girl under the frog. She sat down next to her, hoping she was doing better. 

[justagirl4fun]

Alex picked up the phone while Sarah went to check on Rocky. Once he'd made an appointment for the following week he peeked in on Kaley to see if she was okay.

Rocky turned towards the door when she heard Sarah knock. She was tired and didn't feel like talking yet but felt a bit better than before. She set the tablet down and reached up for a hug.

[Shy-Diapers]

Kaley was doing much better now. She didn’t feel like napping, but having gotten to just sit with her mouse and blanket for a while really helped. She had moved her blanket to her shoulders like a shawl now, no longer hiding, though she was still clinging to her mouse. She looked around and tried to take in her surroundings, her mind so full of different things, but no real way to express them. 
 

Sarah gladly pulled the little girl into her lap and gave her a hug. She gently started stroking her hair. “I’m sorry today was so hard kiddo.”

[justagirl4fun]

Rocky snuggled into her mother's shoulder. "Sorry I was bad," she replied, her words muffled by Sarah's shirt.

Alex was relieved to see Kaley had emerged from under her blanket. He sat down on the couch, making sure to give her space, and looked straight ahead so as to not force eye contact. "Feeling better?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah squeezed Rocky tighter. “Baby you weren’t bad.” She reassured her. “You’re never bad. I know you were disappointed and I’m sorry.”

”Feeling better.” Kaley nodded. She squirmed uncomfortably for a little while, trying to find some words. “Daddy?” She asked with concern in her voice. She still didn’t understand why she was here. Nobody had taken much time to explain anything to her before she was brought to live with Alex and Sarah. 

[justagirl4fun]

Rocky nodded. She sure was disappointed! "Kaley got a lot of stuff, an' you didn't let me get the skateboard or the dinosaurs," she said sadly. "An' I really wanted an ice cream cone so so bad."

Alex sighed. "Honey, it might be a while before you see your dad. You might not be able to go home with him again. He didn't take care of you very well. Daddies aren't supposed to hurt their kids, and they're supposed to make sure they're clean and healthy and have everything they need. Your dad...he had a hard time doing that," he said gently, not wanting to bad mouth her father. After all, even if he wasn't a good father, he was the only one she had and he knew it was hard for Kaley to be away from him.

[Shy-Diapers]

“I know baby, I know.” Sarah continued to soothe. “Kaley got a lot of stuff because she didn’t have anything.” She tried to explain. “You have lots of clothes and toys. Kaley didn’t have any of that. She only had one toy and a few pieces of clothing. Because we’re taking care of her we have to make sure she has everything she need.” She understood it was a hard concept for such a young kid, but wanted Rocky to grow up to be empathetic and kind. “You just had a birthday with lots of toys and a bike. And you got to get two different things. I know you wanted ice cream, but we had to go home. Sometime soon we’ll go out and get ice cream to make up for it.”

 

Kaley felt her eyes well up with tears again. Her father was the only parent she could remember. She had no memories of her mother and she never had other adult relatives in her life. She was scared of her father and never really felt safe around him, but she didn’t know any different. She didn’t have the words to explain everything or ask the questions she was wondering. She didn’t know any different and was having a really hard time wrapping her head around these concepts. What did he mine they weren’t supposed to hurt their kids? It wasn’t his fault she was dirty or hurt, it was hers. “My fault.” She said through tears after a while. She brought her knees to her chest and started rocking some more, desperately needing more comfort. 

[justagirl4fun]

Rocky sighed. It still didn't seem fair, especially since no one had specified that she could only get something small, and she would have gladly traded her two small things for the skateboard or dinosaur play set, but she knew there was no point arguing about it now. The ice cream, on the other hand? There was still hope. "Like maybe after dinner?" she asked.

"No. Kaley, it's definitely not your fault. You're just a little kid, nothing you could do would ever make it okay for anyone to treat you like that, ever. Even if you were really bad - and you're not bad, you're a very good girl - it still wouldn't make it okay. It was his job to take care of you, and he didn't."

[Shy-Diapers]

“Maybe.” Sarah said smiling. “I’m not sure if it’ll be tonight but I promise we’ll make it up to you at some point. Everyone might be tired after dinner.”

Kaley frowned and sighed. She was getting increasingly frustrated with her inability to communicate. She spent most of her time at home by herself, and even when others were around she’d never had so many things to say. She shook her head and tried to wipe away her tears. She didn’t want to think about this anymore. She didn’t really believe Alex right now but she didn’t know how to explain things. “No.” She said with another head shake. She wanted to tell him she didn’t want to talk about this but couldn’t get that many words out right now. She poked at the pop it toy, trying to distract herself from the hard thoughts and feelings. 

[justagirl4fun]

"Well, I won't be tired," Rocky asserted even as she stifled a yawn. 

Alex wasn't sure what Kaley's no was all about, but he could tell she was getting frustrated and decided to change direction. "You want to watch TV? Want a snack?" he offered, hoping to find something that might cheer her up. "You want your new toys?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah chuckled and ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Maybe you won’t but Daddy and I might be.” She smiled and gave Rocky another hug, happy she was doing better. “Do you wanna go play or stay here for a while longer?”

Kaley nodded quickly. She didn’t think if she was hungry or not. She just knew food was being offered so she needed to take it. She also was excited to play with her new calico critters. “Snack. New toys.” She parroted back to Alex. She clutched her mouse and looked up at him, though still not making eye contact. 

[justagirl4fun]

"Can we go outside?" Rocky asked. "I can show you my drills!"

Alex went to the kitchen and returned carrying Kaley's new toys. He set them up on the coffee table, then went back for a bowl of goldfish crackers, a cheese stick, some strawberries, and a juice box, hoping to find something she liked.

[Shy-Diapers]

“Sure! That sounds like fun!” Sarah said. She headed downstairs with Rocky and retrieved her new items from the car and brought them to the backyard. 
 

Kaley smiled and kicked her feet in excitement when the mini animals were brought out to her. She was thrilled. She spent a while inspecting them, examining their tiny detailed clothing and their flocked fur. At the same time, she quickly started eating all the options brought out to her. Though after she finished the last of the cheese stick and everything was gone, she did feel a little sick to her stomach. She grimaced and squirmed but continued to examine the animals before she started lining them up in different orders and arrangements. 

[justagirl4fun]

It didn't take Rocky long to get the cones set up for a dribbling drill. She ran through the drill and kicked the ball into her makeshift goal between the garbage and recycling bins. "It would be better if I had a real goal to practice," she hinted before grabbing the ball and starting over. She really was quite good for a five-year-old with only one season under her belt. "You wanna try?" she offered, holding the ball out to Sarah after a few run-throughs. 

Alex noticed Kaley grimacing. "What's wrong? Does something hurt?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah smiled and watched Rocky practicing. “You’re doing great baby!” She cheered supportively. “Oh well, I can try I suppose.” Sarah chuckled, wanting to be a good sport. She did her best to kick the ball through the cones like her daughter, though she was much slower and clumsier. 
 

Kaley frowned and squirmed a while longer. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him or not. She pointed to her stuffed mouse’s stomach. She had eaten too much too fast, especially since lunch was not that long ago. She looked away from Alex and tried to focus on her critters, arranging them and making them walk up and down her reach of the table. 

[justagirl4fun]

"That was good, mommy! If you practice you could be as good as me," Rocky said encouragingly.

"Does your belly hurt?" Alex asked. He wasn't sure how else to interpret the gesture so he hoped he was right

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah laughed and passed the ball back to her daughter. “Maybe, but I think one soccer star is enough for our family.”

Kaley nodded and squeezed her mouse again. She was really sensitive to pain and discomfort. “Belly hurt.” She repeated in a mumble into her mouse’s head. 

[justagirl4fun]

Rocky showed Sarah a few more drills, then moved on to her other new soccer toy for a while before abandoning it. "I'm hungry. Can I have a snack?" she asked after gathering up the cones.

"Does it hurt like you might throw up? Alex asked.

[Shy-Diapers]

Sarah watched Rocky practice happily. “Hmm I suppose you can have a small snack. I should start making dinner soon. Let’s go inside and see what Daddy and Kaley want to eat for dinner.” She suggested and headed inside. 
 

Kaley shook her head. She didn’t think she was going to throw up, but she didn’t really know why her stomach hurt. She tried not to focus on it and instead went back to playing with her calico critters.