~Muddy River runs Muddy and Wild (Can't give a bloody for my unborn child)~

Please see chapter one for possible Trigger warnings in this chapter. Thanks.

4 months and a few weeks later….

Charlie lay in her bed, hands clutched so tight around her headboard they were white, feet flat on the bed, panting and praying that what she knew was happening was in fact not happening as her stomach clenched in agony. She had heard Rachel and Gene leave earlier that morning and knew they wouldn't be back till dark as Gene made his once a week rounds out to the surrounding farms.

Bass and Miles had been gone for months now, Blanchard continuously finding excuses to keep them on the former Georgia border, the occasional letter from one or the other making its way west when a runner was passing through to Austin, leaving her to deal with the ramifications of her and Bass' one night together.

She had spent the last four months carefully concealing the result of that night in one way or another only to have it all come to a bloody, painful end.

Not knowing where Connor was at the moment and really not caring, Charlie let loose a cry of anguish as a gush of fluids and tissue from between her legs soaked the sheets and towel she had managed to grab. As another wave of pain washed over her the door to her room flew open, a wide-eyed Connor standing at the threshold.

He took in the sight of her nearly nude body surrounded by things he didn't want to put a name to before approaching the bed. "Jesus, Charlie. What can I do?"

She made a grab for his hand, squeezing as another, thankfully less painful, contraction racked her body. "You can't tell anyone."

"Charlie, my Dad…"

"Can never know. Promise me," she begged. Connor was the only person who knew about what had happened that night. He had come in late and saw them by the barn still adjusting clothes, brushing hay out of hair and enjoying the afterglow that close friends and first time lovers had.

Connor sighed with a shake of his head, knowing it was a bad idea and one in which he had no intention of entirely keeping. "Okay, I promise. Now please, tell me what I can do to help." He begged in return kneeling down next to the bed as he squeezed her hand, brushing hair away from her sweaty brow as the tears rolling down her cheeks gave way to uncontrollable sobs.

"Hot water for a bath and a fire to burn everything."

Conner was shaking as he filled the inside tub with water as hot as he could stand, hoping it would ease the pain of the contractions. He had never witnessed a miscarriage before and knew that he never wanted to again. Returning to her room, he found her sitting on the edge of the bed in a bit of a daze, slightly rocking back and forth, a hand fisted tightly against her stomach as the other rested on the towel which was now wrapped up in a sheet next to her.

He crouched down in front of her placing a hand on her knee. "Charlie? I've got the bath all ready. Nice and hot."

She looked at him then and nodded, letting him help her up from the bed and wrap an arm around her waist to support her into the bathroom, neither concerned with her state of undress as he pulled her tank top over her head, holding her arm as she stepped into the tub with a hiss.

"Stay in as long as you want, I'll handle everything," He told her softly laying a towel nearby. He returned a few minutes later with a pair of sweat pants and t-shirt that she used for pajamas, laying them on the counter along with a pair of clean panties and what she and Rachel used for pads.

Leaving her alone once more, he went to work on her room. As he stripped the bed, everything about her actions the last few months slipped into place. Naps out in the barn when she was supposed to be hunting, refusing to eat rabbit or squirrel, the retching he occasionally heard coming from her room, wearing her coat regardless of time of day or temperature. God. How could he be so stupid as to miss it? But if that made him stupid, what did that say about her own Mother and Grandfather. And how could he possibly keep this from his Dad?

Completely clearing the outside oven of old wood and ash, he gently placed the sheets and towel inside, building a new fire up around them.

Returning to the house, he was there waiting when Charlie emerged from her bath. As they entered her room, she realized that he must have flipped the mattress, since the bed was remade with fresh sheets and the floor cleaned, covering any evidence of what had happened that morning. Only she and Connor would know the truth. "Thank you" she whispered as she let him help her across the room.

As he pulled the fresh bedding over her, his lips flattened out. "That was my family, too. Will you be all right by yourself for a little while? I need to take care of a few things."

Charlie nodded. "Thank you, Connor. I couldn't have done this without you."

"You shouldn't have had to have went through this without my Dad. Try to get some sleep. I'll check on you when I get back."

A few hours later, he was shaking her awake, wincing at the sight of her swollen eyes. As she sat up, he took the few letters Monroe had manage to get to her from her hand replacing them with a cup of warm tea along with a few pills.

"What is this?" she asked sniffing at the liquid.

"I went to the Apothecary shop in town. It'll help."

She swallowed the pills and drank the tea without question.

When Gene and Rachel returned home and discovered that Charlie was still in bed they both rushed to her side. "I'm fine, the cramps are just worse than usual this month." She assured them, flicking her eyes over to the stack of cloth pads on her dresser.

Gene patted her hand. "I'll send your Mom back up with some special tea, we'll make sure you get some sleep tonight."

"Thanks, Grandpa. I'd really appreciate that."

Four days was about the most she was able to pull off before Rachel and Gene started getting antsy over her health. On the fifth morning, she drug herself out of bed and offered to spend the day tending the garden. It kept her mind busy and she could let her guard down since Rachel was in the house helping Gene. It was working on lunch time when she finally saw Connor.

"How are you feeling today?"

She sat back, running the back of her hand across her forehead as she shrugged, already misty eyed from the simple question. "Is fucked up an acceptable response?" she asked with a shrug. "I'm feeling better. The bleeding's almost stopped but my boobs are killing me and emotionally I'm a fucking wreck. I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life." she replied brushing away the tears that had started to fall.

It was killing Connor to see her like this and it was only made worse by the fact that there was nothing he could do to make it better. Well, that and the fact that she was going to kill him when she found out that he had sent word to Miles and Monroe that they were needed at home. They could be here in less than a week if they utilized the limited train service. He just had to keep her together until then. Reaching out to squeeze her shoulder, something caught his attention and his eyes fixated on her chest. "Charlie?"

"Yeah?" Looking down, she realized what had happened. Her milk had come in and was leaking all over her shirt.

Sucking in a shaky breath she looked up at him, desperation in her eyes. "I have got to get out of here."

~Dinks song; remake by Oscar Isaac and Marcus Mumford~