Author's Note: Since I have decided to write a POV from Charles. So, I have decided to do it shorter, quicker kinda. I hope that helps if it sounds or feels different, kinda what I was going for. Any input is most helpful. Thanks!

Charles

I was able to stay with Victoria most the day.

Around one Ryan paged me. So I kissed her goodbye and put fresh batteries in the TV remote, left her with a book, and off I went. Not wanting to leave her. Not wanting to go to work for the first time in my life.

It was the second time I had left the hospital since I arrived. I'd tried to leave last night when she was asleep. Off to go visit the man who'd almost run her over. A friend of mine had called from the jail.

Ryan somehow knew.

Ryan had told Jonas, who had met me by my car, and sent me back into the hospital. Saving the man's life, or at the very least his skeletal structure.

On my way out of the hospital, to the parking structure, someone called my name. I wasn't paying attention. I never noticed. Too worried was I, about my wife, my boys, work, getting the hell out of the shitty apartment, which I had signed a three year lease for…what the hell had I been thinking?

"Charles!"

I was feet from the car when someone grabbed my arm. I turned and saw a face I remembered, with a name I definitely should have known. Blue eyes, blonde hair, button nose, hot body, cute clothes…what the hell was her name. I'd slept with her more times then I could remember. She was in that five-year period without Victoria.

Her name should have come to me.

But I'd been with a lot of women in those five years. So, I used my training, and faked it. "Wow, it's been a long time, how are you?"

She beamed.

"Great! You look good, Charles, where have you been? I thought you had been relocated somewhere. You just vanished."

What was her name! I should remember it, not even when I saw the tongue ring did I remember. Which was bad. Very Bad. Especially since she had scrubs on.

But no nurses came to mind. "Been busy. Look, I have to run. I'll see you around sometime."

She nodded, smiled, and handed me a card from her pocket.

Name and phone number surrounded by hearts.

Layla.

Layla Perkins…oh, Layla, I remembered now. She'd been nothing more then a booty call. Great booty. Once I'd found Victoria, I'd never called her again. I must had forgotten about her. I'd called most the girls I'd been messing around with.

She winked and skipped into the hospital.

I finished the journey to my car.

Went to work, did four hours in the tank, working on rigging explosives in high seas, then another hour at the gym.

After that I showered and went home to an empty apartment.

Granted, it was full of things Victoria had added to make it a home. Pictures, paint, furniture, and toys. It was more a home now. It'd just been a place to keep my stuff before.

I dropped my work bag on the floor.

Hit the beeping answering machine, and grabbed a soda from the fridge. Sarah's voice came over the machine.

"Charles, if you get this you really need to learn to check the voicemail on your cell. But anywho, I dropped the boys off at Molly's. Ryan has me at the office tonight working. See you later."

I hit the delete button and grabbed an apple for dinner.

Then came Molly's voice over the machine.

"Charles, this is Molly, Jonas and I are taking the boys out to dinner. We'll be at the Pizza Hut in town. It is six now, if you'd like to join us meet us there before seven, bye."

Pizza sounded good.

My wallet was in my pocket. I was decently dressed. So I grabbed my soda and headed out, letting the answering machine continue. I even made sure to lock the door this time.

Pizza Hut…

Like always the Pizza Hut was busy.

I was kinda hoping the buffet would be well stocked, especially with my boys, the pizza-monsters. I spotted Jonas and Molly at a table from the front door. Then my boys up at the buffet, likely arguing over which pizza to get. They were deep in discussion.

A bunch of greasy carbs and sugary soda sounded superb.

So I snuck up on them.

Since they were my boys they easily detected my presence and seemed genuinely happy at the sight of me. Giving me hugs, then turning back to the buffet. They had a great life. Compared to Victoria and I, they were living like kings. Having both their parents, unconditional love, and a stable environment. They happily told me about their day. Grabbing pepperoni, meat lovers, sausage, and cheese pizza; avoiding the salad bar like the plague. They asked about Victoria and asked if they could camp out in the hospital with me. I said maybe, and grabbed a cheesy bread stick from the buffet.

Then I followed them to the bench table. Jonas and Molly had their own side, so I sat on the end after my boys. Who sipped their soda's and began eating the pizza's piled on their plates.

There was a BBQ Chicken pizza on the table.

Molly beamed as Jonas ate, "Charles, how is Victoria doing?"

I sipped Gabriel's soda.

Sprite.

"Better, they moved her down to Recovery. They want to keep an eye on her because she had internal injuries, not that bad, but they want to keep her at least a week."

Jonas frowned, drank whatever he was drinking, and Molly inquired, "Does she remember the accident?"

I shook my head.

Jonas then added, "A lot of people in violent accidents, or trauma victims don't remember the accident."

I smiled at him and the waitress showed up.

I ordered water and the buffet. Off she went, Molly handed Charlie a napkin and winked at my son, in a motherly way.

"Sarah sure is busy," Molly commented.

Both boys nodded, I told her, "Yeah, Ryan has her going over things. She's really good at her job."

Jonas nodded in confirmation.

Molly seemed impressed, she then pointed to the buffet, "Go get something to eat, Charles." She then turned to Jonas and asked about Sarah. Apparently she had heard much about Sarah, which was no surprise.

I listened to Molly.

My boys turned to me, asking for me to get the BBQ wings. I promised them wings and moseyed on up. Starving, like always after a dive. It had to be the cold air that made me hungry, I swore by it.

I tossed down three pieces of pepperoni, two slices of cheese, and a handful of wings.

Turned and contemplated a salad, when I bumped into Layla. Second time in that day. God was obviously pissed at me for some reason. She beamed at the sight of me.

Her plate was full of lettuce, tomatoes, croutons, and dressing. Yummy.

"Wow, what are the odds Charles! Twice in one day!"

Yeah, what were the odds?

She then told me, "I saw your sister in Recovery today."

Oh, she hadn't noticed the wedding band. And the hospital had taken Victoria's in the ER. So I had it yet again. I shifted, knowing I'd be here a moment, "Actually, Victoria?"

She nodded, "Yeah, that sounds familiar."

"She's my wife."

Her face fell like a rock. Her eyebrows rose, "S'cuse me?" She was not happy about it, obviously.

When I didn't say anything she put her hand on her hip, "When did this happen?"

Boy she was pissed.

"Almost two years ago."

She looked about ready to pop. When a small hand tapped my shoulder, she grew red.

"Dad…where are the wings?"

I gave Gabriel my plate.

The look she was sending him really bothered me. When I saw her face, I didn't want her anywhere near him. I knew she was doing the math in her head, Gabriel was eight. "Here, take this back to the table. I'll be right there."

Gabriel looked at her, then me, then the wings and shrugged.

"Children!" She hissed at me, making Gabriel hurry to the table. Which made me want to pop her right in the face. "You have children!"

I stepped closer to her.

Making sure she was nice and uncomfortable, "I am married and have a family now, Layla."

"We're you cheating on me!"

People were looking at us around the buffet.

It was really complicated, she wasn't getting the full story. So I told her, "I've never cheated on my wife."

She was boiling at that point, she seethed, "So…so what…I was that toy you had while on break from Victoria!"

I wasn't sure how she'd handle the truth.

She glared at someone around me.

I peeked over my shoulder at Gabriel. Well, that would not do. I grabbed her face in my hand, forcing her to look at me, instead of my son. "I'm right here, you do not need to be so much as looking at my son."

Training and my temper took over.

She tried to move, I pinned her to the salad buffet with my leg. Glaring into her blue eyes. Before I could tell her off, a hand firmly settled on my arm.

"Charles," boomed Jonas.

I glared and let go of her, finding I had blurred the lines of work and home, due to my temper, yet again.