Chapter 1
The bruises have mostly faded, it has been two months since the rape, and Charlotte just wishes everything would go back to normal. As she gets ready for work she looks in the mirror, her left eye still has some light bruising around it, her cheek is not swollen anymore but you can see the scar staring to from , the cut on her lip is barely visible. The fact that the physical evidence is slowly fading form her face makes her feel a little less weight on her shoulders, the cast in her arm will have to stay there for a few more months but the bandage covering the big cut in her right arm will be coming off soon.
She tries to smile and pep herself off but it's not working. Today she just want to crawl back into bed and forget the world, but she can't do that because that will only make Cooper worry even more about her and she doesn't want that, he's been amazing taking care of her, being there for her, loving her, even if she wishes he'd just leave her alone sometimes. But she's feeling nauseous and dizzy, these feeling have barely gone away since THAT night, so she just wants her bed. A knock on the door brings her back to reality.
-"Charlotte, sweetie are you ok?"
She sighs *here's the hovering* I'm fine Cooper, just gettin' ready"
-"I'm sorry Char, it's just that it was really quiet in there… so I got worried"
-"You have nothin' to worry about Coop, I'll be out soon"
-"Alright, well I'm going to make some breakfast, how do omelets sound?'
-"Sounds good, thank you" She hears his footsteps walking away, fading, he's gone. Bless his heart he's trying his best to help her get through this, he's doing great at being her good man in the storm, but she just can't seem to get back to her old self. And now she's mad at herself and she feels like she's weak for not being able to gather the strength to pull it together. Everyone around her says it's going to take time, but she feels she's running out of time. If she doesn't get it together soon Cooper will get tired of it, and he will leave her, after all she's "damaged goods." She blinks back the tears forming in her eyes "Stop it King, do NOT cry" she tells herself and finishes applying her make up and heads out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where Cooper is setting their breakfast on the table.
-"Looks good"
-"Thanks, I know you enjoy omelets and I re-heated some grits that were in the fridge, sorry I didn't have time to make a fresh bash"
-"Are you kiddin' this looks amazing, you're spoilin' me"
-"Anything for you"
They start eating in silence, he glances at her every now and then to make sure she's eating, and she notices so she tries to make an effort to eat it all because she doesn't want to seem ungrateful but her stomach is doing somersaults, *suck it up, damn it suck it up and eat the damn breakfast he made you" she tell herself and manages to eat it all against her body telling her not to.
After breakfast they head into the practice, she's only seeing a few patients, all females, so being in her office where there's peace and quiet is something that she appreciates. But the peace and quiet leave her with too much time to think and to drive herself crazy with every kind of thought so by 10 a.m. she heads into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, and sees that everyone is there, they seem to be discussing a case *Joy, just what I need all the meddlers reunited into one place* she wants to scold herself for thinking like that because after all these people have been there for her, helping and supporting her, but she didn't said it out loud so no need for scolding.
She walks into the kitchen, they all greet her, finally they've stopped acting so weird around her, well almost completely since now they're all quiet.
"Seems like I messed up a perfectly fine conversation, I'll leave" She said half serious and half joking.
"No, don't leave, we're sorry" Cooper says.
"Yeah, we were just discussing a case" Sam chips in.
Violet decides to share it again so Charlotte doesn't feel bad. "It's one of my patients, she's umm, she's being a victim of domestic violence and I think she is finally ready to leave and move on" Violet smiles thinking she helped this woman make the decision to live a happy life.
"Well good for her, nobody should stay in a relationship like that" Charlotte shares and everyone agrees.
She sat down and for a minute and forgot what she came in for until Sheldon asks "You want a cup of coffee Charlotte? I'm about to pour me one.
"Yes please, I almost forgot that's what I came in for"
Sheldon starts pouring the coffee and everyone resumes talking about cases and whatever drama they have going on, but she's not really paying attention her arm is throbbing with pain and the dizziness is becoming unbearable, so she just looks at them and nods. About a minute later Sheldon hands her a cup of coffee she takes a sip and realizes he didn't put any sugar in it, she is about to stand up to get the sugar but decides against it when her legs wobble a little. Addison is the first to notice:
"Are you ok Charlotte?" And now all eyes are on her.
"Yes, just have a bit of a headache" She lies "And I keep thinking about Violet's patient"
"What about my patient?"
"It's just… I don't get why people stay in relationships like that, poisonous relationships that suck the life right out of ya" She's speaking from the heart since she thinks she's poisoning her and Cooper's relationship.
"Well sometimes it's because they're used to being with that person, they think if they leave someone worst my come into their lives. Sometimes it's because they're scared because the other person is threatening them. And whether we agree or not sometimes it's because they love that person and they think the abusive partner will change if they stick around long enough." Violet explains.
Charlotte gets up and walks towards the counter where the sugar is "Well I think once it's gone that path it can never be the same" She starts putting sugar in her coffee.
"I agree, no man should ever raise a hand to hit a woman" Pete says.
"They shouldn't but this world if full of assholes who destroy women lives like it's nothing" Amelia pipes in, they all look at her, what she said sounded too much like how Charlotte's life was altered because of her rape.
"Filter!" Violet scowls at her.
"Why should she? What she said it's true" Charlotte defends "Some people walk around thinking it's ok to screw up other peoples life. And they still sleep at night like…" Her thought is interrupted and everyone looks on to see her drop her cup of coffee, hold her head and next thing they know she's on the floor, unresponsive.
"Oh my God!" Amelia screams.
Cooper rushes to her "Charlotte! Oh my God, Charlotte honey wake up!"
Amelia, Sam and Pete start examining her while Addison yells for the nurses to call 911 and Violet offers support to Cooper.
"She seems fine, she just fainted" Amelia says.
"Let's get her into the bed in the birthing suite" Sam says while he carries a limp Charlotte to the room, Cooper follows them almost crying.
After Sam lays her on the bed a few minutes later she wakes up. "What the hell happened? Why am I on this bed where people give birth?" She asks confused and a little disgusted even if the sheets had been changed.
"Sweetie you fainted, and ambulance it's on it's way to take you to St. Ambrose" Cooper says while holding her hand and breathing a sigh of relieve.
"I'm fine I don't need to go to the hospital. I just fainted it's not a big deal!"
"Actually Charlotte no one faints over nothing, you're going to the hospital to run some tests" Cooper instructs.
She doesn't want to go to the hospital but she can see the fear in Cooper's eyes and figures she'd give in, after all she doesn't want to cause him anymore pain that she already has "Fine, I'll go, but nothing's wrong"
"Just humor me ok?" Cooper pleads.
"I already said I'll go Cooper" she rolls her eyes at him
"You're probably dehydrated, we'll jut run some test and then you can head home" Amelia told her and smiled at her, Charlotte tried to smile back but only managed a half smile that seemed all too fake.
About half an hour later Charlotte was sitting in her hospital room bed, she was hooked to and IV giving her fluids as she was in fact dehydrated, so she would have to stay overnight so the doctors could keep an eye on her, she was also waiting on the results for her blood work. She doesn't want to be here, in this hospital specially at night, she closed her eyes *She's walking outside her office, closes the door, next thing she knows she's punched in the face her cheek hurts something fierce, she's punched in the stomach her mouth is covered and she's thrown back into her office, he hits her, she screams, he hits her more, harder.* She opens her eyes, scared, Cooper sees this and recognizes what just happened. She had a flashback. He sits next to her, rubs her back a little, she still flinches when someone (even him) touches her. His pager keeps going off, one of his patients needs him but he can't leave her. Specially not right now.
She offers him a faint smile and they sit in silence next to each other. She just wants go get out of this hospital, being here is tormenting her. She hears footsteps in the halls and her heart stops *he's coming* she thinks to herself * he's coming to do this again* Cooper sees the fear in her eyes
"You're ok sweetie, I'm here with you. Nobody can hurt you, I won't let anyone hurt you… again"
She rests her head on his shoulder "Thanks" and they sit in silence, him holding her, her trying to keep the flashbacks away. A few minutes later Amelia walks in.
"Hey Charlotte, I got your results back, can I discuss them with you… in private?"
"Why do you want to discuss them in private, I'm her fiancée" Cooper protest.
"Cooper, it's fine, I'm fine. Your pager keeps going off, go check what it is while I talk to Amelia?"
"Charlotte, if something's wrong I… I want to be here for you. I don't want you to go trough anything else alone."
"Coop, please." she begs but compromises "If something is wrong I promise I will tell you, ok?"
He doesn't want to leave but he will let her win this one "Fine" he sighs "I'll go check what's wrong, but when I come back you will tell me whatever Amelia tells you" He gives her a kiss in her forehead and leaves.
"So what it is?"
Amelia sits in the seat in front of Charlotte and clears her throat "Charlotte, were you and Cooper trying to have a baby before you were raped?"
Charlotte thinks she knows where this his heading, what those lab results show "Cooper kept telling me how important it was for him to have a baby, he really wanted, he needed to have a child so I went off the pill, I'm pregnant aren't I?"
Amelia smiles a little now, she was a bit worried before "Yes, your blood work shows that you are in fact pregnant. I'll have Addison come in and give you an ultrasound ok?"
"Yeah, sure" Charlotte answers.
"Alright then I'll send her in" Amelia said and left the room.
For a few minutes Charlotte allowed herself to relax, life have been crappy lately but this, having a baby with Cooper, would make things better. She has no room to be depressed or sad anymore, now she gets to be happy, for Cooper, for this baby, for herself.
She's startled by Addison entering the room with the sonogram machine.
"So Amelia told me you're pregnant, congrats. Did you tell Cooper yet?" Addison asked lifting Charlotte's gown and putting the gel in her lower abdomen.
*Cooper, she hadn't thought about Cooper. He would definitely want to be here for this* "No, I haven't told Cooper yet, he's with a patient. I don't want to bother him yet, I'll let him finish"
"Alright it's up to you" Addison said with a smile while rubbing the gel around Charlotte's belly. "Well everything looks good, there's the heartbeat. And judging for the size, development and everything else you are… 8 weeks pregnant" Addison said with the smile still on her face.
Charlotte's face fell. *NO, there's no way this could possibly be HIS baby this has to be Cooper's baby* Charlotte starts thinking, *the rape was 2 months ago which means 8 weeks, now when was the last time before that, that Cooper and I had sex? That morning we tried but he brought up the baby stuff, I left, I was frustrated because I still hadn't gotten pregnant although I lied and pretended it was because of me not being ready. Before that well about 3 days before that we fooled around in his office after we talked about me, not being ready for a kid, but we didn't finish Violet knocked on the door. And before that…* She kept going around it in her head the 1 week before they fooled around they couldn't do anything he had the flu that week and then she had gotten it. So doing the math in her head she figured she must be no less than 9 weeks pregnant, no less than 9 weeks if this were to be Cooper's baby. Her eyes filled with tears, her face somber. This is not Cooper's baby. But how could it be? Addison had given her the morning after pill.
Addison noticed the change in Charlotte's face and mood. "Charlotte what's wrong?"
She sees Addison's mouth moving but she can't hear her, she can't pay attention. Life just took another twisted turn, in just minutes her vision of a happy future with Cooper and their baby fell apart. Addison is shaking her lightly now, she seems worried.
"Charlotte!" Addison half yells, Charlotte comes out of her daze, she focus her eyes on Addison and before she can stop herself she says it.
"You gave me the morning after pill, I shouldn't be pregnant!" She snarls and Addison is shocked then she realized what Charlotte meant by that, there was no need to say it out loud.
A/N
I know a lot of people won't like this story, and I'm ok with that it's not made to please everyone. But if you don't like the story, don't attack me, just don't read it.