Charlotte's standing at the reception desk at Seaside Health and Wellness. She's leaning against the counter, reading her messages. She shifts her weight from one hip to the other and nods off.

Addison snaps her fingers and takes her pink slips from the receptionist.

Charlotte lifts her head and blinks her eyes open. "I just fell asleep standin' up, didn't I?"

Addison nods. "Looked like that to me."

"Violet busted down our door at 5:15 this mornin' and I haven't been sleepin' well."

"I was going to close the practice today because of what happened with Pete, but we just can't afford that. Business has been slow, and now we're down one doctor permanently and two more indefinitely. I'd much rather close the practice. Everyone is dragging their feet around here since we've heard, but how do you choose between a friend and your job?"

Charlotte nods. "Lord knows I've had to make that hard decision multiple times. It's not easy, but you do what you have to do." She pauses. "We gotta grieve on our own time, and hope it doesn't interfere with our patients. Life goes on and we have jobs to do."

Addison sighs. "I think we deserve a little bit of happiness around here, don't you?"

"With the year we've had, I couldn't agree with you more."

Addison reads through her messages. "Is Cooper planning to grace us with his presence today?"

"No. He's wearing his best friend hat today."

"I can't imagine how Violet's feeling right now. They were trying to work things out and they were actually making progress. And poor Lucas."

Charlotte swallows. "Damn. I completely forgot about Lucas." She feels pressure behind her eyes as tears build up. She can't help it. Not only is she hormonal, but she's also thinking about Mason and how much pain he's still in from recently losing his mother. It all just collides inside her and tears drip down her cheeks. She blinks and quickly wipes them away.

"Maybe we should just close the practice for today. We're down four doctors and this conversation is making me want to go home and spend the day with my son—at least until four when I have a scheduled C-section."

"It's your practice, so it's your call. It doesn't matter to me one way or another. I still have a hospital to run."

Addison nods. "There's going to be a meeting in five minutes in the conference room. We'll put it to a vote."

"I'll be there."

"Try not to fall asleep at your desk."

Charlotte laughs. "Trust me, I just might." She takes her pink slips and walks back to her office.

Addison sighs and looks at the woman behind the counter. "Jerry, I need you to let the rest of the doctors know about the meeting."

Jerry nods. "Right away, Dr. Montgomery."

"Thank you." Addison hands her the three files she has in her hands and goes back to her office.

Charlotte's in her office at St. Ambrose, working through a stack of paperwork, when her phone rings. She answers it, setting her pen down momentarily. "Dr King speakin'."

"Char, it's me."

"Oh, hi, Coop. I'm kinda busy."

"I was just wondering how your day was going."

"Addison closed Seaside Wellness for the day, so I've been at the hospital all mornin'. I haven't seen a single patient all day. It's been a day of paperwork, upon paperwork, upon paperwork."

"Don't forget to eat."

"I have snacks in my desk." She laughs. "I've got a whole drawer of cheese crackers, granola bars, rice cakes, and graham crackers."

"And take breaks."

"If I had time to take a break, I would."

"I have to go, but are you still gonna be able to pick Mason up from school?"

She nods. "Unless somethin' emergent comes up."

"Love you."

"Love you too." She hangs up the phone and rubs her eyes, fighting back a yawn at the same time. She stares down at the stack of paperwork and groans. Looks like I'll be takin' most of this home with me this afternoon. She stands up and walks into the bathroom. When she comes back, the pile of paperwork looks like it grew three feet. She walks around her desk and gets comfortable again. Sometimes I really hate this job. She feels a little faint, so she opens her top drawer and fishes out a s'more granola bar. She glances at the clock and nods. Let's see how much work I can get done in two hours. She picks up her pen again and gets back to work.

Charlotte's standing in the foyer of the elementary school, waiting for Mason. Normally, they picked him up outside, but she needed to go to the bathroom, being pregnant and all. She glances at her watch and then the bell rings. She stands up when she sees Mason weaving through the sea of kids. She smiles and takes his backpack from him. "How was school, sweetie?"

Mason walks beside her as they exit the school. "It was good. Nothing special."

"How much homework do you have?"

"I have to write a non-fiction short story and I've got a math worksheet."

"Not too bad."

He shakes his head. "I already finished half my worksheet during silent reading."

"Mase, you're s'posed to spend your time readin' durin' silent readin'."

"I did read. I read my math worksheet."

"Don't be a wise guy." She throws his book bag in the backseat and walks around the car.

He hops into the passenger seat and buckles his seatbelt. "Is Violet still at the apartment?"

She shrugs. "I don't know, but I assume so."

"Are we going to the hospital?"

She shakes her head. "I thought we could go out for ice cream and then head back to the loft. I have too much paperwork to see any actual patients today, so I figured I might as well bring my work home. We can have a family dinner at a reasonable hour tonight."

He smiles. "That's the best news I've heard all day."

She laughs, but sighs. "But I don't know how late Violet's gonna be there."

"It sucks—that Pete had to die."

"Watch your language, Mase."

"Sorry, momma." He pauses. "Is Violet ok?"

"She will be, I hope, or I may never get my husband back," she jokes, with a thin sliver of honesty in her voice. "Do you want to go out for ice cream or do you just want to go to grocery store and pick up somethin'?"

"I vote for the grocery store. Ice cream makes everything better, so maybe Violet will feel better after she's had a bowl."

Charlotte smiles. "We can pick up a few different flavors and toppins."

He smiles. "I lied before. This is the best news I've heard all day."

She laughs again and turns the corner. "I bet it is." She pulls into the grocery store parking lot and cuts the wheel hard to the left, turning into a spot. She straightens the car out and unbuckles her seatbelt. "Strawberry's a given, but what other flavors should we get?"

He shrugs. "Strawberry, strawberry, and more strawberry?"

She drops the keys into her purse and they get out of the car. "I'm cravin' mint ice cream."

"Maybe we should call dad and see what flavor ice cream Violet wants."

"I'll give him a call when we get to the ice cream aisle." She runs her hand over the top of his head, her fingers sliding through his hair. "You're awfully interested in Violet's wellbein' all of a sudden."

He sighs and looks up at her as he walks into the store. "I know what's worked for me since my mom died, to make it easier, so I thought maybe the same things would help Violet. Losing a parent and losing a wife or husband isn't exactly the same, and I'm a kid and she's a grownup, but she still lost someone she really loved and someone really close to her."

Charlotte smiles. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

"I have some idea."

She messes up his hair. "Come on."

He picks up a basket and they walk towards the frozen food aisle.

Charlotte unlocks the door to the loft and walks in. "Mase, can you please put the ice cream in the freezer 'fore it melts?"

Mason nods. "Uh-huh."

"Thank you, and why don't you get an early start on your homework?"

Mason nods again. "Can I read you my story when I'm done with it?"

"You sure can. I'd love to hear it." She smiles.

"Thanks." Mason disappears into the kitchen and puts the ice cream away like he was asked.

She heads into the bedroom and sits on the chair in the corner. She lets out a loud sigh as she takes off her high heels. She looks up and notices that their bed is made. She changes into something more comfortable and disappears into the bathroom. She jumps when she realizes that Violet's standing at the counter, combing through her damp, curly hair. "Um, hello, Violet."

Violet turns around. "Oh, do you need to use the bathroom?"

Charlotte nods. "That's why I'm in here."

Violet takes the brush and goes into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Charlotte walks out a few minutes later. "Where's Cooper?"

"Right behind you."

Charlotte jerks her shoulders back, startled by the deep voice. She smiles at Cooper and tucks a stubborn piece of her hair behind her ear.

Cooper looks at his watch and raises an eyebrow. "Is my watch broken or something? It says its 4:00, but it can't be 'cause you're home."

Charlotte laughs. "Joke all you want, Coop, but I don't work late every day."

"Actually, you do."

She rolls her eyes. "I really need to get this paperwork done, which means I don't have time to see patients today, so it makes more sense for me to work in the comfort of my own home. Seein' Mason's face light-up when I told him we were goin' home instead of the hospital, definitely sealed the deal for me." She pauses. "My pager's still on, so if someone needs to reach me, they can."

He gives her a soft peck on the lips and smiles. "Is the ice cream for now or later?"

"It's for dessert, Coop. We don't wanna set a bad example for our son, now do we?"

He grunts. "It's just ice cream."

She glares at him.

"Ok, ok. It's for dessert."

"Can I talk to you for a minute—in private?"

"What's wrong?"

"I just wanna ask you somethin'—well, two things actually."

He walks into the living room and she follows him, shutting their bedroom partition behind her. "Ask away," he says, leaning against the back of the couch.

"Is Violet spendin' the night?"

He sighs.

"Cooper."

"I'm gonna drive her home later—after dessert—and I'll probably stay at her house for a little while. She's slept in her bed by herself before, but this is different. Her bed is half empty and she knows why—it's permanent. If me being there gives her some comfort and allows her to fall asleep, then that's what I have to do. Think about how you would feel if I died."

She grunts. "Way to feed into my insecurities to justify your actions, Cooper."

"What?"

She shakes her head. "Never mind." She pauses. "But you'll be home tonight? You'll be sleepin' in our bed tonight?"

He nods. "Yes."

She lets out a breath. "Ok."

"Besides, Violet needs some space too, so if I'm there, she won't have to worry about Lucas."

"Ok," she repeats

"You said you had two questions, so what's your second one?"

"You're still gonna be there for me tomorrow, right?"

"What's tomorrow?"

She slaps him. "My doctor's appointment, you idiot."

"Oh."

"You forgot. That's just great."

"I didn't forget, Char. You canceled it and you never told me what the new date was. I didn't know you had an appointment tomorrow."

"I didn't tell you?"

"No."

She rubs his chest. "I'm sorry I slapped you. I didn't realize I never told you."

He kisses the top of her head. "It's ok. You've been stressed. It just slipped your mind."

"My appointment's at 1:30. They're booked solid for the next three weeks, so it was either make it for tomorrow at 1:30 or wait until the first week of June."

"I'll be there."

"You better or see that couch? It'll be your bed for the next month."

He swallows and cracks his back, knowing exactly how uncomfortable that sofa is to sleep on. "I promise, I'll make it."

She smiles. "Ok." She pauses. "Now, I have to work, so keep out of my hair for a while."

He lowers his head and closes the gap between their lips. He breaks the kiss and smiles. "Good luck."

"I'm gonna need it." She grabs the paperwork from her briefcase and settles down on the couch, pen in hand, water bottle on the coffee table beside two caramel rice cakes.

Cooper pushes off the couch and goes back into the bedroom.

Hope you like this chapter :)