Charlotte sat in the small powder room off the main hall in the Courthouse, raising her gloved hand to her mouth every two minutes, only to rediscover each time that it was impossible to chew her fingernails through the fabric. She had so wanted to just be able to sit back and enjoy her day, but the chaos was killing her. Kim sat on her lap, her bridal veil on his head, reading a book to himself. John was supposed to have taken him off her hands, so she could help the girls get ready when Louise finally arrived with them, but it seemed both John and Louise were running late.
There was a knock at the door and Kim jumped up off her lap and went to answer it. But no sooner had he opened it then there was a joint squeal from both sides of the door when Charlotte from the inside, and Enid from the out, realized that it was John. "You aren't supposed to see me yet!" She yelped hurdling past Kim to slam the door
"You aren't supposed to see her yet!" Enid hollered at the exact same time as she scrambled up to her boss, threw a vice like grip around his arm with one hand and clasped the other over his eyes.
"I just . . . I came to grab the kid!" He wasn't sure which woman he was addressing.
Charlotte nodded, then knelt to look a very confused Kim in the face. "Kim sweetie, we're going to play a game, alright? Uncle Trapper isn't allowed to see me, understand?" He grinned and nodded. "Good, so when I open the door, I'm going to hide behind it, and I need you to run out as fast as you can and grab Uncle Trapper and take him down the hall, okay?" He nodded his head, the veil slipping off his dark hair. Charlotte smiled at her nephew and took the veil from him. "Okay, let's go!"
She snuck over to the door, and took a moment to listen to Trapper arguing with Enid, him insisting that he had no intention of looking at her, just that he needed to collect Kim, and Enid insisting that if he went within five feet of the door, she would let him do his own charts for a month. Cracking open the door ever so slightly she motioned Kim into positions. And with lightning quick reflexes, she swung the door open and watched as the kid went darting out and launched himself on John.
"Thank you!" John called. "I Love you!"
She smiled. "Love you too! See you soon!" She called from behind the door, then pushed it closed from were she still stood in the corner. She heard a mummbled 'Not soon enough'.
No sooner had she sat down, than a commotion was heard brewing. "What the hell Louise? You're 45 minutes late! It only takes half an hour to The ceremony starts in 15 minutes! If you are doing this intentionally to ruin my day that's a real low blow!"
"Don't even start with me John!" Louise's voice was strident in response, and a brusque knock was heard next, along with Enid's admonitions for John to get away from that door.
"Come in!" Charlotte called from her seat in front of the small vanity and mirror. A wave of people and dresses came stumbling into the room, Louise looking ready to spit nails. "I'm so glad you made it, Louise. I was getting worried." Charlotte said as the girls rushed up to hug her and ohh and ahh over her dress.
She opened her mouth, ready to snipe, but quickly decided differently. She almost even smiled as she looked at the bride and her daughters. "I am sorry. We really didn't mean to be late. There was a terrible accident on Route 2 and traffic was backed up for miles." She said, hanging up the girls dresses on a hook on the wall. "I didn't have the girls get dressed before we left so their dresses wouldn't get wrinkled sitting in the car – I am glad I did that now, but it doesn't leave us much time." She said, trying her hardest to look kind.
Charlotte smiled warmly. "That was such good foresight. I never would have thought of that."
Louise couldn't help but warm up even a bit more. If nothing else she had a certain amount of empathy. No young bride wants her wedding ruined, especially by the groom's ex-wife. "I'll help you get them ready." She said, starting to take the dresses off the hangers. "Girls, get out of those clothes. We have to hurry."
In a companionable silence that was occasionally punctuated by giggles or random chatter, they dressed the girls. It wasn't until they started pinning the flower wreaths into their hair that, with a sigh, Louise broke the hush. "I wish you well, you know." It was said with a slight grudging edge to it. "I mean, I could tell you horror stories. I think you are making a very stupid choice. It's not easy being married to him, you know. His moods, his flirtations. . ." They both looked down at the girls that sat before them and without speaking decided that was not a train of conversation that they needed to hear. "He can be standing right in front of you and you can still feel lonely sometimes. I thought that the war would make him change . . . and maybe it did. He said he did. But, it still felt like he wasn't there. I just – I wish you better luck with him then I had." She said with a note of regret.
"Mrs. Reineir . . .I don't claim to have anything you didn't – that I will be able to achieve what you didn't. I suffer no delusions that I will be the perfect wife. But I am going to try, and not give up trying, no matter how much either he or I fail. I understand what you are saying about his . . . past, shall we say. But the last time I checked Love was not supposed to keep record of wrongs."
Louise seemed almost sad. "It's so easy when you are young and in love to say things like that. But as I see it, from the outside looking in, you are just the something new and exciting in John's life. And the pain when the fairy tale comes crashing down is excruciating." She paused. "But you shouldn't listen to me. Today is supposed to be happy for you. I do hope that doesn't happen for you, dear. I'd rather you be the girl in his life over some of the others. You seem good for him. And you are good to my daughters, and for that I can never thank you enough." She finished her work on Becky's hair at the same time as she finished speaking. "Well, would you look at you two? I think I have the prettiest daughters in the world!" She cooed over them, kissing them both on their forehead. "Now, let's go out and find Daddy, so Charlotte can finish getting ready." She shot Charlotte an understanding look that silently spoke the message 'You could probably use some peace and quite for a minute.'
After a short fuss and temporary farewells, Louise herded the girls back out into the lobby where the rest of the small wedding party waited, leaving the girls to wait with John, and slipping into the courtroom to find a seat.
Before Charlotte could even begin to enjoy her moment of serenity there was another knock at the door. Her call of 'Come in" was echoed by a severe admonition of "DR. MCINTYER! I told you to stay away from that door!"
"It's not fair Enid! Everyone is getting to see her but me"
The brief interruption made Charlotte chuckle, as she set herself back down in front of the mirror, and started brushing out her hair.
Without a knock, Mrs. McKenzie sashayed into the room, all fluttering nerves and teary eyes. After yanking the brush out of her daughter's hands and finishing brushing and styling it, she gently pinned the veil into Charlotte's chignon. She looked at her daughter, was about to say something, wishing she could say something poignant and memorable, but just broke into uncontrollable sobbing, and had to leave the room. As she closed the door behind her, she managed to catch enough breath to reprimand the person lurking at the door. "John! Behave yourself! You get her for the rest of your life; you can survive five more moments without her." After some shuffling, and moving around of people, Mrs. McKenzie started directing everyone into the court room, with proclamations that the ceremony would start soon and that Charlotte needed just a few more moments.
Listening to the vestibule antics of her family and friends was the best entertainment and distraction she could ever have wished for. "Embrace the madness." She sighed the words of wisdom that Enid had given earlier to herself. "The best way to enjoy your wedding day is to embrace the madness."
Her ears perked up as she heard more voices on the other side of the door. "Excuse me, is this where the McKenzie/McIntyre wedding is happening?" A vaguely familiar man's voice echoed in the now nearly abandoned hall.
"Yes it is, young man." Enid had lingered behind to direct any stragglers. "Are you a guest of the bride or the groom?"
"Neither, actually." The man responded. "I'm here to object to the wedding. The groom is engaged to me and is carrying my child." Charlotte realized that it could be no one other then Hawkeye, and she flung open the door just in time to see Enid's appalled and confused expression.
Hawkeye turned to look at her. "You must be the girl that stole his heart. You hussy!" He said with a shit-eating grin, then without ceremony, walked over to her and scooped her into a giant bear hug.