Charlotte Wolfe stares at her reflection in the full length mirror on the door of the washroom within her parents' house. Well, to be more exact, it's her mother's partner's house that they now share. Her head pounds like a hangover and the skin under her eyes glows yellow from her still healing concussion. She runs a hand through her hair, wrinkling her nose a bit at it. Charlie managed to get her mother to take a nap. Sure, she promised she would take one too, but she simply isn't tired. She had taken to the stairs, pulling with her arms and letting herself down one by one via sitting. Charlie was nothing if not resourceful.
Hearing the door open and shut tenderly, she was surprised that Serena would make her way home so early. It was their second day home. They were doing okay. Jason Haynes notices someone sitting on the bottom step. Someone he somewhat recognizes. "Charlotte?" When she looks up at him confused, he smiles a little, "Auntie Serena said you were coming to live here for a bit. I won't be here as often. I'm going to be a Dad."
"Well, good for you, mate." Charlie nods toward him, shielding her eyes. Serena loved to let the light in with these wispy drapes. Windows open and just, air flowing through. "I'm sorry to ask you for something since you just stepped in, but could you push that closer?" She motions to the wheelchair near the front door.
"Of course." Jason offers her a gentle smile, "I work at Holby as a porter. It's my job." He does as asked, even opening it up for her, "Let me help you get in." When she looks at him quizzically, he tilts his head to the side, "Don't you remember me?"
The young woman licks her lips, "Jimmy...Jacob...Joe..." She studies him, "It starts with a J. I remember that much."
"I'm Jason." He nods, able to lift her from the step and place her in the chair. "Are you here alone? If you can't get into your chair-"
"Mum is sleeping...and I'd like for her to stay that way, if you wouldn't mind." Charlie takes a moment before pushing herself toward the kitchen. "Fancy a cuppa?"
"I don't really like tea...or coffee." Jason follows behind, "I can see if we have any hot cocoa left." He doesn't know what to make of this familiar, yet uncommon person being within his usual space. It wasn't that he minded Charlotte Wolfe in the least, she seemed very kind during Elinor's last Christmas, but he just doesn't really know her. "Do you like cocoa?"
"I'd love some cocoa." She smirks, "That's a great idea, Jason."
The young man manages to find a few packets of it in one of the higher cabinets, filling the electric kettle and putting it on after. Serena bought him one when he accidently forgot about the boiling water in the regular kettle while one of his quiz shows were on, and nearly set fire to the kitchen. "So, did you forget a lot of your memories?"
"Well, if I remembered the memories I forgot, I wouldn't have forgotten them in the first place." Charlotte explains to him, remembering more about him and his Autism now. "So, you're going to be a dad. Are you excited?"
"I guess." Jason nods, turning to face her as they wait for the water, "it's going to be a girl. My girlfriend is going to be a really good mother...and I want to be a good a father as well." He watches the young woman, "Auntie Serena said you were a teacher."
It's still a bit of a sore spot for her. She keeps the card of well wishes from her class at her bedside. "Once upon a time."
The young man moves closer to her, noticing the wound to her head, "Does that hurt?"
Charlie huffs a chuckle to herself, "Well, it doesn't feel great."
Jason pulls back instinctively, "I'm sorry that I didn't come to visit you while you were in hospital. Auntie Serena said Auntie Bernie needed to spend lots of time with you because you were very sick...that you had surgeries." He watches her, hearing the water begin to boil. "Do you like marshmallows in your cocoa?"
"We are on the same wavelength, my friend." She motions a ripple of a wave with her hand in the air. Reaching into the breast pocket of her button down pajama top, she slides sunglasses onto her face. "Bloody hell, it's bright in here. How have you put up with it all this time?"
"It doesn't bother me." He shakes his head, "I don't like the dark."
"Hell, I'd live in a cave if it had good wifi." Charlie offers him a smirk. She glances down at the wheelchair her parents bought her, "I bloody hate this thing." She pauses, "I mean, I'm incredibly thankful for their kindness in working together to pick one they thought would best suit my needs, but...I don't really want to use it."
"What about when you're upstairs?" Jason watches her, offering her a mug of cocoa with small marshmallows floating throughout. The mug itself has World's Best Mum written on the side, causing the young woman to chuckle a laugh to herself. "I mean, you aren't really able to carry your chair upstairs when you go back and forth."
"Well, I try not to go back and forth." She answers honestly. "I can stand with something to hold onto, which the loo upstairs has because of...what-her-name's old Mum."
He furrows his brow, "Don't you remember Auntie Serena?"
"Serena, yes. Well, I remember her, but...I just can't get her name to stick with me...which I feel terrible about." Charlie takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "I hate all of it."
"That's understandable." Jason takes a seat at the kitchen table, which her chair has a space for at the end. "Do you believe you came home too soon from hospital? Maybe you should have stayed longer. If you can stand, you can walk, right?"
"Mind over matter, I guess." She clears her throat, "And if I stayed in bloody hospital another day, I'd have killed someone with my bare hands."
The young man pauses a moment, furrowing his brow, "Why would you kill someone with your bare hands?"
Charlie lifts her head to look at him, "Out of frustration..." She lifts the mug to her mouth, taking a sip of the hot liquid, "Out of...my own anger. I don't mean it literally, Jason, I mean it figuratively. The nurses and doctors there were all incredibly kind. In fact, your aunt herself was the one to do my surgeries...for which I'm eternally grateful."
"But you forget her name." Jason continues to study this young woman before him. He takes in the tattoos along her arms and her oddly colored hair. The scars able to be seen on her scalp and the bandages though her button down pajama top.
"So you can see my dilemma in not ever remembering it." She hears her mother get out of bed upstairs and tilts her head toward the noise. "She'll call for me in-" She's interrupted by the woman calling her name, "told you."
The young man rises from his seat, walking to stand at the bottom of the stairs, "Auntie Bernie, Charlotte and I are on the ground floor." He calls up the steps, hearing the younger woman chortle to herself in the kitchen.
Bernie makes her way to the top of the stairs, tilting her head to the side, "Hello, Jason." She descends the stairs, giving him a hug when he outstretches his arms toward her. "It's so good to see you."
"Same to you." He nods, his shift usually during his Auntie Serena's, he oftentimes doesn't get to see her partner, "Would you care for some tea? Charlotte and I are having hot cocoa. It's a chocolate drink. I can make you cocoa if you want." Jason asks, hopeful. He follows behind the older woman when she makes her way toward the kitchen.
"Tea would be lovely, Jason. If you wouldn't mind." She offers him a gentle smile and a pat on the arm before folding her own arms across her chest, "So, how did you get down here?" She pointedly looks toward her daughter, who happens to be sitting at the kitchen table with sunglasses on her face. "I thought you fell."
"Tah-dah." Charlie waves her eyebrows, taking another sip of her hot cocoa. "I have not, well...not yet."
Bernie look turns unamused, "Did you crawl down?"
"I'm not telling you, you're liable to put up baby gates."
"Baby gates are an excellent method to keep children from going near stairs. Luckily, Greta and I live in a flat and haven't any need for them. I imagine Auntie Serena may install some though...she already put together a nursery." Jason nods, pushing a mug of Bernie's tea in front of her before taking a seat himself. Noticing the younger woman's satisfied smile toward him.
"What did you get?" Charlie tilts her head looking at her mother's mug, "Oh, some theatre thing. I'm the World's Best Mum, so please refer to me as such." She winks toward Jason, who is just smiling toward her. Amused immensely by the young woman. "Why does it matter how I got here? I just did it."
"You could have really hurt yourself. You're still healing, Charlotte." Bernie scowls toward her daughter.
"But I didn't."
"I helped Charlotte into her chair." Jason offers, "She was at the bottom step when I came in." The young man offers a gentle smile.
"See? Jason to the rescue. I was fine." Charlie leans back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. "Did you think I was going to come here and sit around? Be too afraid to move? Be depressed? I can do that by myself." She begins to shake her head slowly, "No, I refuse to allow whatever this is to hinder my...existence."
Bernie stands, mug still in hand as she pushes in the chair of the kitchen table, "Listen to me, if you hit your head again, while it is still healing, Charlotte, it could cause another bleed. You would be back in hospital for even longer. If you'd like, I can have Dr. MacMillan explain that to you during your appointment tomorrow because you obviously aren't listening to me." Her eyes show a sense of disappointment as she walks away from them. She didn't want to bring the young woman home so early, if it weren't for Serena's insistence, she wouldn't have.