Until Someone Called Me Mom

"The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man." –Frank Pittman

Summary: She had never had trouble figuring out what was wrong with her patients. Esme was the best pediatric psychiatrist in the state, possibly the country, but one little girl, one adorable blonde haired little girl, had her completely stumped. What will happen when she discovers the child's secrets? Triggers: Child Abuse

AN: So here's chapter six. Chapter seven may be a while because for some reason when I began writing this story, I wrote up until chapter twelve but skipped chapter seven and I can't figure out quite what needs to go in said chapter. Anyway, enjoy. Please PLEASE review!

Chapter 6: New Beginnings

It had been ten days since Rosalie was admitted to the hospital, and today was the day we would find out if we had been approved to foster Rosalie or not. We had gone through the classes, filed all the paperwork, and we had done a home study. That was the final part, learning if the home study went through. There was no reason it shouldn't go through though. Our home was safe, and had more than enough space for a child. Our puppies were friendly, and we had redone one of the guest rooms to make the perfect little girl's room.

We had decided to paint the walls a very soft pink. The ceiling was a very light blue, with white clouds painted on it, yellow lights around the rim of the walls making a sunlight effect. There was a chandelier in the middle of the room with pink beads on it. as for the bed, that was the main thing we had done. It was a queen size bed, but the headboard was made to look like a castle, white with pink roofs. The headboard on the side had bookshelves, loaded with children's books, and on either side of the castle were fake trees made. There was a white desk, a white vanity, and a white sofa with pink pillows. A large toy chest was at the foot of the bed, and we had bought a doll house that was in one of the corners. It was truly a gorgeous bedroom. We hadn't really redone the bathroom, it was a large bathroom, mostly white, and the size of most master baths including a jet tub and a large waterfall shower. We had put pink towels in the bathroom and tons of kids' shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and so-on. The walk-in closet was fairly empty right now, just a few sets of clothing I had bought, because we wanted Rosalie to get to pick out some clothes, and figure out her exact sizes.

Today was a big day. Today would mark the day we would either be approved to foster Rosalie, or have to go through a longer process to get approved. We were hoping it would go flawlessly, and that today we would gain total approval. Rosalie's doctors had said if we were approved, they would release her to us in the next few days.

"Esme!" Rosalie smiled as I walked into her hospital room to see Carlisle reading her a story.

"Hi Sweetheart." I smiled.

I hadn't seen her since last night at dinner time. It had been Carlisle's night to stay at the hospital, and judging by the exhaustion on his face, it hadn't been a good one. The nightmares were getting worse with the less pain medication Rosalie was put on.

"Carlisle is reading me Snow White. Do you want to read too?" She asked me hopefully.

"I think Carlisle needs to get to work so why don't I finish the story?" I smiled.

Carlisle still worked during the day. I had cut back drastically on hours, only working on the days Carlisle had off, because I couldn't stand to leave Rosalie alone. She was healing, and a big part of that was because she was spending time with my husband and I. Eleazar was covering my patients for me, to give me time to help Rosalie.

"Okay." She agreed.

My husband stood up and pecked my cheek softly. "I'll be back for lunch Princess." He told Rosalie softly.

Rosalie and I spent the morning reading stories and coloring pictures, only stopping when Carlisle came for lunch. We sat and ate some homemade macaroni and cheese Carine had stuck in the attending's lounge fridge for us. While we were eating, the social worker showed up.

"Hi Rosalie." She greeted the little girl first.

"Hi Aimee." Rosalie waved shyly.

"I'm going to borrow Carlisle and Esme for a second, okay?" Aimee offered.

Rosalie looked at us nervously but nodded. "We'll be right back." I promised her as we stepped outside with Aimee.

"Did we get approved?" My husband asked her.

"Yes." She agreed. "Which is wonderful and all, but believe it or not, that's not why I'm here."

"What is it?" I asked.

"The Hale family is going to make bail for themselves and for Royce. We're going to push for an order of protection for Rosalie." Aimee sighed.

"I don't understand. I thought you said due to their flight risk, they wouldn't be granted bail." I told her with a head shake.

"I was wrong." She shook her head. "They made it three million each. The Hale family had no problem dishing that out though."

"Do we have to tell her?" My husband asked with a frown.

"You don't have to; no. I would advise you didn't. You don't want her living in fear." Aimee told us softly.

"They can't regain custody, can they?" I asked.

"We will do everything in our power to make sure they don't get any sort of custody or even visitation with her." He promised.

We spoke with the social worker for a little while longer before making our way back to Rosalie. Carlisle and I sat and colored with her and eventually she dozed off, right as the orthopedic surgeon was coming in the room.

"We've changed our minds about the six weeks in the cast." He told us calmly.

"Has she gotten better?" Carlisle asked, a little confused. He was usually updated on anything to do with Rosalie immediately.

"No, unfortunately. She hasn't shown any improvement and we are worried about the potential for nerve damage. We would like to do the surgery today." He told us.

"Today?" I asked.

"Yes." He agreed.

"When?" My husband asked.

"The OR is booked in four hours. They'll prep her in about an hour and then they'll get her a nerve block for pain management and so-on." He told us.

After Carlisle asked about a thousand questions, the orthopedic surgeon left, and we were debating waking up Rosalie or letting her sleep. She was so tired she probably needed the nap, but we also needed to explain to her about having the surgery and doing what we could to make sure she stayed relatively calm and wasn't taken completely off-guard. We also needed to talk to her about coming home with us after she got released.

I finally, gently woke her and she scrunched up her little eyebrows tiredly. "I'm sleepy." She frowned.

"I know Darling, but we need to talk to you about a few things." I told her.

"Am I in trouble?" She whimpered.

"No Princess, not at all." Carlisle assured her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing is wrong exactly. We have something to ask you first." I told her. "Then something to explain."

"What do you have to ask me?" She asked.

"Rosalie, when you are allowed to leave the hospital, would you like to come home with us and stay with us?" Carlisle asked.

"I could do that?" She asked, her little lips curving into a smile.

"You could." I agreed. "We talked to some people and they agreed to let you come and stay at our house with us."

"For how long?" She asked.

"We don't know exactly how long because it depends on some things, but for a long time." I told her, trying to avoid saying forever or anything that might change.

"I don't have to go home?" She asked hopefully.

"We can't for sure promise you that, but we are going to do everything we can to make sure you don't have to go back home." Carlisle assured her.

"If I don't have to go home, can I stay with you forever?" She asked us.

"We're going to do everything we can to make sure you can stay with us for as long as you want." I smiled.

"Thank you." She told us as she wrapped her little arms around me.

"You're welcome Darling." I whispered as I kissed the top of her little head.

"We do have something we need to tell you." Carlisle told her after hugging her gently.

"Okay. Is it bad?" She asked.

"Not really." I told her. "You know how your arm is hurt?"

She nodded. "That's why I have a cast."

"That is why you have a cast Princess. Sometimes though, the cast isn't enough to fix an arm. They have to do something called surgery to fix it." Carlisle told her.

"Surgery." Rosalie frowned.

"I know it sounds scary Darling, but really, you'll be asleep the entire time." I told her. "Just like taking a nap."

"Will it hurt?" She whimpered.

"When you wake up, it'll probably hurt a little bit but they'll give you medicine so it won't hurt that bad." Carlisle promised her.

"We'll be with you when you wake up and we'll help take very good care of you." I promised her as I held her in my arms again.

"Okay." She whispered.

A nurse and a resident came in soon after the conversation and had her prepped for surgery, then an anesthesiologist came to talk to Rosalie about her going to sleep and asked her what flavor she wanted for her medicine to which she decided on raspberry. He also told us that we would be able to be with her while they put her under to keep her calm.

Everything went quickly and soon, we found ourselves in the "Introduction Room", holding a mask on Rosalie's little mouth for her. Her little eyes fluttered shut in no time, and we had to leave, but Carine took our place. They were going to allow her to stay with Rosalie during the surgery which comforted both of us a great deal.

My husband and I were alone to talk for the first time in a while with Rosalie in surgery. We sat in her room on the loveseat, waiting to hear news. It was then that my husband sighed and looked to me. "Esme, what if I'm not good at it?"

"What if you're not good at what?" I asked him as I held his hand.

"At being a father." He sighed. "What if…because of the kind of father I had that…what if I'm just like him?"

My husband's gentle, kind, blue eyes were threatening to release tears. I felt completely stupid. I should've thought about the fact that Rosalie's past and present would bring back bad memories for him. The thing most people didn't know was that there was a reason my husband was such a gentle, compassionate man. It had to do with what he suffered as a young boy. He and Carine had lived through hell, literally. They had gone through terrible things, and both had turned out to be wonderful, caring, compassionate people. The way my husband defied his past was one of the things I admired most of him.

"You won't be anything like your father." I promised him. "You want to know how I know?"

My husband remained silent but offered a small nod.

"Because you, Carlisle, hurt when others hurt. You hurt for people. You take on their burdens. You would never cause pain to anyone because in causing pain on them, you would cause pain on yourself. You love her Sweetheart, and she loves you too. You're exactly the kind of father she needs. You will be able to relate to her on a way I never will be. You'll be an excellent father." I squeezed his hand.

"No one should have ever treated her the way they did." He told me as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"I know." I agreed. "And no one ever will again as long as she is in our care."

"The second that her biological parents lose custody over her, I want to file for adoption. If we legally adopt her they won't be allowed near her. No one will be allowed to take her from us. She deserves the kind of life we will hopefully be able to give her." He told me.

"She deserves the kind of life we WILL give her." I told him.

It seemed like we waited for hours before the surgeon walked in. "She did great." He told us. "We placed a few plates and screws but she's going to be fine. She's in recovery right now and should be waking up in about an hour. You can go and be with her now."

Carlisle and I didn't even ask questions before getting up and going right to the recovery room where we saw Carine sitting in a rocking chair, holding a still sleeping Rosalie.

"Hey." She greeted us as we approached. "She did wonderfully."

"Thank you for staying with her." Carlisle told his sister as he knelt down and looked at Rosalie's little face and smiled. "She almost looks like a little angel when she sleeps."

"She truly is a beautiful child." Carine told us.

I watched as Carine passed Rosalie off to Carlisle and he took her seat in the rocking chair, Rosalie's head resting on his chest, her casted arm, which was a pink glitter cast, propped up on his shoulder. It was such a beautiful sight to see my husband holding the little girl I cared so much about, I couldn't help the tears that fell down my cheeks.

"Is there anything either of you need?" Carine asked me.

"I think we're alright." I told her.

"I was going to go and get her at least a few sets of pajamas and clothes. I overheard her doctors talking about her being allowed to leave the hospital in the coming days and you two will have your hands full, probably not thinking of shopping." She told us.

"That would be great." I admitted.

"I'll take Carmen along and the girls. I'm guessing she's about a 3T or 4T based on her size." She told us. "Did you ever notice what size her school clothes were?"

"3T. I think her shoes were a 9." I told her.

Carine stuck around for a little while longer before leaving, and I found myself at my husband's side, hand resting on Rosalie's back. As much as I wanted to be holding her, I thought Carlisle should be able to do so, especially given the conversation we had just had and his worries of being what she needed.

Rosalie's eyes fluttered open and she looked at the two of us before smiling a little. "Hello Darling, how do you feel?" I asked.

"Funny." She admitted.

I smiled. The drugs in her system would keep her out of pain, but a little humorous, for a while. "Funny, huh?" Carlisle asked her.

"There's a pink unicorn on that bed." She agreed.

I glanced over and didn't see anything even resembling a unicorn in the room anywhere and couldn't help my laugh. The rest of the evening was spent with many laughs as the anesthesia wore off and soon enough, Rosalie had fallen asleep, still in Carlisle's arms, but in the rocking chair in her hospital room this time.

"I'm staying tonight." Carlisle told me.

"I am too." I agreed.

"You should get some rest." He disagreed. "And check on the puppies."

"Please call me if anything happens." I sighed.

"Don't worry, I will." He promised.

So not completely sure if I was okay with the idea, I headed home and took a much needed bubble bath before getting in my bed with the two cuddly puppies and finally, falling asleep.