Chapter 8
Charlotte broke off their kiss after half a minute and checked her phone for the time. "Crap we better hurry, you're brothers going to be here in an hour. You excited to go home?" She asked.
Declan began wheeling towards his room while he thought about his answer. "Excited and terrified." He admitted.
"I know it's scary but we'll be here and you don't have to be ashamed to ask for help you know." Charlotte insisted as they arrived at Declan's room. She saw that his bag was already packed and waiting on the bed.
"I know Charlotte and I promise I'll try my best ok?" He answered sounding slightly exacerbated. "You mind waiting while I take a shower?" He asked as he pulled a clean set of clothes and his toiletries out and set them on his lap.
"I don't mind, although being pregnant is exhausting so I might be asleep on your bed by the time you're done." Charlotte warned.
After Declan disappeared into the bathroom Charlotte curled up on the bed and snuggled into the pillow which smelled like Declan.
"Guess who called me this morning?" Declan shouted through the partially opened bathroom door.
"I have no idea." Charlotte shouted back.
"The headmaster from Collins Prep. They offered me my spot back if I want to finish up my last semester and graduate through them, free of charge." Declan answered.
Charlotte sat up from the bed and headed into the bathroom without knocking. Declan was sitting in a shower chair facing the door and let out a yelp and quickly pulled the shower curtain all the way shut. "Jesus Charlotte I'm naked in here." He yelled.
Charlotte snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant with your baby Declan, I think it's a little late to get modest on me. I've seen it all before."
Declan didn't reply so Charlotte rolled her eyes and sat down in his empty wheelchair.
"Fine I'll stay out here, but seriously why is Collins prep trying to get you to come back? I mean no offense but it's not like you have family money that they're trying to get a donation out of." She pondered.
"Who knows. I'm guessing they're doing it for the publicity. You know helping out their former student from the wrong side of the tracks who was so tragically crippled in a terrorist attack. That's gotta be good press for them." Declan answered, not sounding nearly as offended as Charlotte would be if it were her in his position.
"That doesn't piss you off?" She asked.
"Not really. I mean the explosion was a huge story and the way your dad talked about me on the news? They'd be stupid not to try and use me for some good press." He stated simply.
"I guess so, but I still think it's kind of insulting. So what did you tell them?"
"I told them I'd come back if they'd readmit you too." He revealed sounding entirely too proud of himself.
"What? Declan why would you do that? They expelled me for breaking the honor code and in case you forgot I'm pregnant. They are never going to let me show up to school with my belly sticking out. I can't even fit in the uniform right now." Charlotte shouted.
Declan laughed, "They already said yes. I'm sure they're planning some inspirational story about you too. Pregnant at eighteen, engaged to some poor guy who can't walk. We're like a freaking Lifetime movie we're so tragic." Declan joked laughing even harder.
Charlotte however wasn't laughing she was sitting straight up in amazement replaying that one word over and over in her head, engaged. She suddenly jumped up, flung back the shower curtain, and stepped right into the shower, despite being fully clothed.
"Charlotte remember the whole I'm naked thing?" Declan shrieked, using his hands to cover up his as best he could.
"Did you just say engaged Declan Porter?" She asked, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.
Declan stopped fidgeting and stared at her. "Um I guess I did. I mean I've been planning on asking you, I mean I wasn't planning on asking you like this that's for sure. It just kind of slipped out." He stammered. "I'm sorry, we can pretend I didn't say it. I wasn't trying to pressure you into anything."
"Declan shut up." Charlotte ordered as she leaned down to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him deeply.
"Is that a yes?" He asked hopefully after a bit.
"Well are you actually going to ask me?" She returned.
Declan pulled her into his lap, forgetting about the fact that he was naked or the fact that he'd been embarrassed for her to see how skinny his legs had become. "Charlotte Clarke will you marry me?" He asked.
"Of course I will." She answered instantly and leaned in to kiss him again.
"You know you're in a shower fully clothed don't you." He asked her after the kiss ended.
Charlotte laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care, but if you don't like it..." She stood up and began unbuttoning her shirt.
She hesitated suddenly and bit her lip.
"What's wrong?" Declan asked.
"I don't want you to see me naked. I'm fat." She admitted.
Declan reached out and grabbed Charlotte's hands in his own. "I didn't want you to see me naked either." He revealed.
"Why not?"
"I guess I was embarrassed. I just didn't want you to see my legs, I know they don't look very good anymore." He whispered. "It's just strange having my body be so different than it used to be you know?"
Charlotte chuckled and patted her stomach. "I think I can understand that for sure. How about we both agree that since we love each other and we're getting married it means that we don't have to be ashamed of stuff like this with each other?"
"I can agree to that." Declan said with a smile and reached out to start unbuttoning Charlotte's shirt.
Once her shirt was off Declan dropped it to the ground and stared at Charlotte with wide eyes and a smile. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about Char, trust me." He groaned and pulled her back down onto his lap.
Charlotte sat down so that she was straddling Declan. She ran her hands up his abdomen, tracing the scar on his chest, then moved over his shoulders and down his back, tracing the scar there as well. Declan's breath came out in a shuddering rush at her touch, it seemed like his upper body had grown more sensitive since he'd lost the feeling in his lower half.
He let himself get lost in the sensations as Charlotte kissed his neck and ran her hands over his chest, but he stopped her when he noticed her hands trailing down to his lower half.
"Wait Charlotte, I don't know if this is a good idea. I mean I probably can't. You know, have sex." He finally admitted to her, sounding horribly ashamed and humiliated.
Charlotte stopped what she was doing and looked him straight in the eyes. "Didn't we just promise not to be embarrassed with each other? Declan it's ok if things don't work like they used to. If we can't have traditional sex anymore it's not a big deal, there are a lot of ways we can be together and satisfy each other. But we'll never figure it out if we don't try and see what works and what doesn't. Ok?"
Declan still looked scared but he nodded. "Ok."
About five minutes later Charlotte abruptly stopped kissing Declan and looked at him with a smile on her face.
"What?" He asked.
She simply raised an eye brow and glanced down at the erection which she'd just felt pressing against her belly. Declan looked down to see that he'd actually been able to get an erection, true he couldn't feel anything down there but it was still a casue for celebration. He let out a loud laugh and pulled Charlotte into a tight hug.
"Declan what the hell is taking so long I've been out here for like twenty minutes?" Jack suddenly asked as he pushed the door open to find his brother naked with a topless Charlotte straddling his lap.
"Shit, sorry!" Jack exclaimed and quickly shut the door.
Charlotte's shocked face was bright red as she pressed it to Declan's chest. "Oh my god that is humiliating."
Declan laughed and rubbed her back. "I guess we better get out of here huh?"
"Too bad, things were just starting to get interesting." Charlotte pouted.
"Well maybe you could come by the bar tonight and we can pick up where we left off?" He suggested.
"That could work." She agreed as she climbed off of Declan's lap and picked her shirt up off the shower floor. "Man I really didn't think this through did I?" She joked holding up the dripping wet garment.
"You can borrow some of my clothes, they're all in the bag on the bed." Declan offered.
Charlotte looked conflicted as she tried to decide whether or not it would be more embarrassing to leave while Jack was out there or just set up permanent residence in the bathroom. She finally let out a grumble as she wrapped a towel around herself and left the bathroom to get Declan's bag.
Jack was standing near the window of the bedroom and looked every bit as embarrassed as Charlotte felt. "I am so sorry Charlotte I didn't realize you were here. I never would have come in if I'd known." He gushed.
"No it's my fault Jack I should have locked the door or made sure it was shut all the way at the very least." Charlotte returned as she grabbed the bag and ducked back into the bathroom.
Five minutes later she was even more humiliated when she found herself dressed in one of Declan's t-shirts and a pair of his pajama pants, the only pants of his that she could get on with her pregnant stomach.
"I look ridiculous." She stated as she stared at herself critically in the mirror.
"I don't think I've ever seen you look more beautiful." Declan complimented as he transferred himself from his shower chair to his regular one.
"Yeah but you have to say that since it's your fault I'm this fat in the first place." She pointed out.
"Just because I have to say it doesn't mean it's not true." He argued.
Charlotte waited while Declan got dressed. She noticed that he winced when he leaned over to tie his right shoe.
"Declan what's wrong?" She asked instantly worried.
Declan waved a hand at her like it was no big deal. "I'm fine. It just pulls on both my scars when I lean over like this. My physical therapist said it should stop eventually."
Charlotte knelt down and quickly tied both shoes for him.
"You know I can do that myself." He pointed out.
"I know but when I do it you're not in pain. Plus you can pay me back in a few months when I can't reach my feet anymore."
"I'll right deal." He chuckled.
"Seriously I'm really sorry about walking in on you guys." Jack said again when they emerged from the bathroom together.
"Yeah maybe try knocking first next time." Declan suggested sarcastically.
"Maybe learn to use a door lock next time." Jack countered.
"So did you tell Jack about the phone call you got today?" Charlotte asked, hoping to cut the men off before they got into one of their stupid brotherly fights which could last for hours.
Declan nodded and ran a hand through his wet hair. "Yeah I told him. He hates the idea and thinks we should both just get our G.E.D.s."
"I don't even know why you'd want to go back to that place. Those prissy ass rich kids treated you like crap and that was before you were in a chair. You think they're gonna be any nicer now?" Jack snarled, clearly still pissed at the people who treated his brother so badly.
"No I'm sure they're gonna be even worse now, but that's not the point." Declan answered.
"Ok so what's the point that I seem to be missing?" His brother questioned.
"Jack I'm eighteen, about to become a dad, and I'm in a wheelchair. How many job options do you really think are out there for me right now. If I can put that I graduated from Collins Prep on my resume it would probably go a long way to get me a job or getting into a good college. The same goes for Charlotte." Declan explained, he'd obviously given this a lot of thought.
"Charlotte what do you think?" Jack turned to the younger woman, hoping she'd be on his side.
"Well I don't really want to go back to that school. Especially not like this." She said and gestured down to her stomach. "But Dec has a point. Graduating from Collins would definitely be more impressive than a G.E.D. certificate. Also if we both are alumni of the school then our kid will almost certainly be able to go there once they're old enough."
"So are we going to do this then?" Declan asked.
Charlotte was terrified of going back to her old school. She knew that her classmates would have some cruel things to say about her being pregnant and she didn't want to see the looks of disappointment on her teacher's faces. However if Declan was willing to back and face the people who had been so mean to him before and do it from a wheelchair then she could suck it up and go back pregnant.
"Alright lets do it. I mean it's only one semester anyway." Charlotte agreed.
Jack rolled his eyes and gave a dramatic sigh. "Ok its your decision but I think it's a stupid one, I'm just saying that now so I can say I told you so later. So you ready to get out of here?" He asked and bent down to take Declan's bag off of his lap.
Declan nodded. "I guess so, I can't stay here forever. Let's get out of here before I loose my nerve."
"Hey Jack you do know you're driving in the opposite direction from the bar right?" Declan pointed out ten minutes later as they pulled out of the parking lot of the rehab center.
"I know I promised Emily we'd stop by her place for a few minutes." Jack replied.
Declan let out an irritated groan. "Jack do we really need to stop at Emily's right now? Her place isn't accessible at all, I'll just have to sit in the car."
"It'll be fine Dec, don't worry." Jack assured him bluntly.
Declan couldn't believe how insensitive his brother was being. He'd been out of rehab for all of five minutes and the first place his brother was taking him was to a house surrounded by sand and stairs. He thought about arguing further but decided to just shut his mouth and stay in the car like he'd said he would. From the backseat Charlotte reached forward and gave his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. At least she got it, even if his own brother didn't.
Twenty minutes later they pulled up to the beach house and Declan saw the changes immediately. A large concrete sidewalk had been poured around the entire house, with a short sidewalk jutting out to the parking area which had also been paved, and a long sidewalk that seemed to lead all the way down to the beach. A large wooden ramp had also been built going into the house.
Declan's mouth fell open as he stared at the changes. "What? Emily did all this for me?" He asked incredulously.
"She wanted you to be able to get into the house whenever you needed to." Jack explained while climbing out of the car and walking around to the passenger side.
"That's really nice of her, but I feel terrible. This must have cost a fortune and it's not like I come over here all that often." Declan muttered.
Jack simply gave him a smile and pulled Declan's wheelchair out of the backseat so that he could slide into it.
Once he was seated in his chair the three of them made their way into the house. Declan noticed that in addition to everything else Emily had also widened the doorway to make it easier for him to get in. He pushed his chair over the doorjamb and was shocked to see Emily and Nolan standing under a white banner which displayed the words, WELCOME HOME, in large bright green letters.
He turned to look at Charlotte and Jack to see if they knew what was going on. Charlotte looked every bit as surprised as Declan felt and Jack had a smug smile on his face.
"What is going on and Nolan when did you get out of prison?" Declan asked.
"I got out this morning and the first thing I did was help Ems plan a welcome home party for you. Almost five months in prison and I didn't get a welcome home party." Nolan pouted, but the smile on his face was enough to let Declan know he was joking.
"It's good to see you kid." He added and leaned down to give Declan a hug.
"You too man." Declan answered.
"So Declan do you like the changes we made to the house?" Emily asked.
Declan turned his chair to face Emily, "It's great but you really didn't have to do this to your house just for me. It's too much." He protested, clearly embarrassed.
"I didn't do it to my house, I did it to your house. Well your's and Charlotte's if you guys want it." She revealed.
Declan and Charlotte both stared at Emily with matching looks of shock on their faces. "Wait Emily you're giving us your house?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah I decided it's too big for just me. You guys are getting ready to have a baby, you need the room more than I do." She said casually like giving away houses was no big deal to her.
"We can't accept this Emily. I mean it's really generous but we can't take your house from you." Declan stated firmly.
"Dude just say thank you and enjoy your new pad. She bought me a house this morning too and I didn't put up a fight." Declan interjected.
"He didn't even say thank you." Emily quipped.
"You owed me a house!" Nolan countered.
Charlotte moved to stand beside Declan and looked down at him. "We really could use the space. I mean the bar is barely big enough for us, Jack, and Carl I have no idea where we'd put another baby."
"Plus it was much easier to make this place wheelchair accessible than it would have been to change the apartments above the bar." Jack added.
"Emily where are you going to live if we're taking your house?" Declan questioned.
"I'm going to move in with Nolan." She replied confidently.
"What? When were you going to let me in on that little detail?" Nolan asked.
"So are you saying I can't stay with you?"
"No, but it would be nice if you'd run things by me first Ems."
"Hey it's not like she'll be staying there that long. I mean once you and Daniel get married I'm sure you guys will get your own place in the city and you can stay at Grayson Manor during the summer." Charlotte pointed out.
It grew uncomfortably silent in the room and Declan noticed Emily, Jack, and Nolan all giving each other significant glances.
"What aren't you guy telling us?" He asked.
Emily moved over to a spot near the stairs and bent down. She flipped the rug back and opened up a panel in the flooring. From the space in the floor she pulled out a wooden box. When she turned back around towards Declan he could make out a twisting infinity symbol carved into the lid of the box.
"There are some things you both need to know." Emily stated.
Charlotte and Declan nodded and moved over to the living room area so that Charlotte and the others could take a seat.
"So what exactly do we need to know?" Charlotte asked as she took Declan's hand in her own.
Emily took a deep breath, she was obviously nervous about whatever she was about to say.
"My name isn't Emily Thorne." She began.
"It's Amanda Clarke."
A/N- I know that's a terribly mean place to leave this chapter, but it just seemed like the right place to leave it. I also realize that Nolan was in prison longer than four months, I think it was ten months on the show, maybe six I don't remember. But I wanted him to be in this story and I figured since it's an A/U I can change it if I want. Thank you again for reading and reviews are always appreciated.
