a heavy sigh follows lizzie's fair point that the kids would need her. it's something she's thought about a lot, especially since floundering in a hollow existence since her relief from juvie's begun to feel so dull. ❝ i know. i just don't think i would be able to stop myself from taking a kid home with me instead of letting them go into an unsafe environment that the stupid system points them to. ❞ she looks down then, picking at her nails. she remembers the horrors that both foster parents and foster siblings can inflict. it's nauseating and she's honestly not sure she's up for getting daily reminders of her past, but someone needs to advocate for kids like her and lizzie and so many others. ❝ something needs to change. reports need to be taken more seriously. and serious progress needs to be shown before giving custody back to anyone is considered. ❞

it's in this moment that addie's reminded that it only takes mere seconds for a heart to completely shatter. she feels so fortunate that everything worked out and that she will be able to do her best to provide the young girl with a life she deserves. there's also an unrealistic yearning to take in as many children like her that she could possibly manage. she smiles softly as lizzie assesses her. how awful it is that this little girl has seen more of the cruelty in the world than most people addison's age. ❝ i promise to be honest with you, but it's okay if you don't trust everything just yet. that's natural, given what you've been through. ❞ addison wants to cry with her when the young girl starts tearing up, but she reigns in her own emotions the best she can. she wants to give lizzie the space to express her emotions freely. ❝ i will never lay a finger on you like that. you didn't deserve that. nobody does. as for the bed? you'll never have to sleep on the floor again unless you want to in a blanket fort. ❞

callie's smile falls when aggie says that she's in pain. ❝ never a nuisance, mija. do you want me to press the call button? the next few days aren't going to be easy. ❞ even when she is discharged to let the swelling go down before the operation. it would be a rough few days on everyone, especially aggie. callie has a feeling her daughter is going to abhor needing help with a task as simple as getting around the house. after gently smoothing aggie's hair from it's disheveled state at the top of her head, callie sits in the chair closest to the hospital bed within reach of the nurse call button as she awaits her answer. ❝ the board says that kelly's your nurse for the rest of the day. she's the best. ❞ and that was high praise coming directly from arizona's lips.

Tamsin feels a smile tugging at her lips as the other's voice enters the room. Her hands are fingers deep in the dough she was making, much to the chef's displeasure (he kept a tight ship in the kitchen and she tended to make a large mess when baking). It was the first time in WEEKS she'd been able to actually bake anything and it was relaxing. The first time in weeks she actually had a moment of peace (she wondered how long it would last).

               well   that’s   never   something   you   want   to   hear.      he   prays   that   whatever   bomb   she   is   about   to   drop   comes   with   minimal   damage.      the   police   are   already   facing   backlash   with   the   surge   in   videos   being   uploaded   to   the   internet,   and   it   is   becoming   increasingly   difficult   to   uphold   the   image   of   new   york’s   police   force.      damaging   as   those   videos   may   be   to   the   overall   force,   they   also   assist   him   in   a   way.      it   helps   him   see   which   officers   are   trying   to   pull   the   wool   over   his   eyes,   and   he’s   able   to   deal   with   them   quickly.      it   just   doesn’t   make   him   look   very   good   as   commissioner   when   these   officers   are   caught   by   the   public.      walter   does   not   condone   the   actions   of   these   rogue   cops,   which   is   why   he   is   working   on   a   policy   that   forces   officers   to   wear   body   cams   at   all   times,   and   to   always   have   them   on   when   they   are   on   duty.      hopefully   that   way   they   can   limit   the   amount   of   injustice   in   his   departments.