Still Fighting: A Fostering Love Story

Alexis

Alexis Carter woke with the sinking feeling that something, somewhere, had already gone wrong. Why was she awake?

She strained her ears. Someone was definitely awake, and it wasn’t for a good reason. She took a deep breath, refusing to leave her bed until she knew which direction to go. A crash came from the kitchen, followed by the sound of something being spilled onto the floor.

“That’s my sign,” she said to no one, grabbing her phone and forcing herself out of bed. She slipped on the fuzzy moose slippers that Casey, her previous foster daughter who she now considered one of her own, had given her for Christmas. Without turning on her light, she grabbed her robe and went to see which of her angels was awake.

Molly, of course it was Molly.

Alexis looked at the little gremlin currently perched on top of the kitchen counter with an open box of cereal in her lap. Another box was on the floor; colorful pieces scattered like confetti. The refrigerator was wide open, two eggs lay broken on the floor, a third was dripping down the shelf.

Molly glanced up at Alexis, a huge grin on her face, her clothes covered in sticky eggs and cereal. “Hi Nanny!”

“Hi baby, you’re supposed to be sleeping.”

Molly shook her head and held up a handful of cereal. “I not sleepy, I hungy.”

Alexis chuckled and snapped a couple quick pictures, then plucked Molly off the counter. The toddler squealed with glee as Alexis spun her around in a circle.

“Well, that changes everything,” she declared, depositing her into the booster seat at the table. “What would you like? More cereal, or a pop tart?”

“Pop tart!”

She made sure it was in bite-sized pieces and placed it on the table along with a sippy cup of milk, then began to clean up the mess. Molly was going to need a bath before she could go back to sleep.

Alexis sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Molly was practically falling asleep while eating the last few bites. Alexis decided to just do a quick wipe-down and a change of pajamas and to give her a full washing after the sun was fully up.

“Alright baby,” she whispered to Molly, tucking her into her toddler bed. “You need to stay in bed and go to sleep. It’s still dark outside.” She grabbed Ms. Muffins, Molly’s favorite stuffie off the floor and handed it to her, watching her snuggle it close.

“Kay, Nanny. Lub you.”

Alexis’s heart melted. “Love you too.”

She turned and checked on April, her 9-year-old foster daughter, asleep in the other bed. April was curled on her side, one leg hanging off the bed, mouth open wide. Alexis snapped a picture and headed back to her own room.

April was her favorite. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have favorites, but there it was.

Alexis heard a low beeping coming from Donnie’s room. With a sense of dread, she quietly checked his machines. Everything looked normal except his oxygen, it was down to 78. The low beep sounded again, the number dropped to 77.

“Come on Donnie, you have to take a breath.” She put her hand on his chest, patting softly.

He took a large inhale and the number jumped up to 83, then dropped to 82. 81. 80. He was deep in sleep, and sometimes, that meant he forgot to breathe. She didn’t understand how it worked, she just knew the drill.

She flipped on his BiPAP machine and adjusted the mask on his face. His numbers immediately jumped to the 90s. Better, much better. She watched him for a few more minutes to make sure he was stable, then quietly left the room.

With a yawn, she checked on Vlad, the five-year-old emergency placement that had arrived two days before. He looked so innocent in his sleep. He was a ball of energy, full of chaos when he was awake. He wouldn’t be with her long. His mom had made a stupid mistake, and she knew it. She was working the program and would have him back sooner than most. And she’d do everything she could to make that happen.

Dawn was creeping in. The birds were waking up and chirping. A notification chimed on her phone.

Janie: You awake? I may need you to take a teenager later today. Placement is falling apart… because of her. She needs you.

Yeah… it was going to be a really long day.