Cracks Above and Below the Surface

Charlotte's Web – Chapter 11

After studying Alex's bloody foot, Meredith determined that she'd need to take him over to the hospital in order to get the glass out. Charlotte had gotten a hold of Jo and explained the situation. The tense conversation ended with Jo agreeing to meet them at the hospital.

Meredith settled Alex into a treatment room as Charlotte sat on a chair playing with her phone. Alex looked over at his daughter while Meredith excused herself to find some supplies, "Who are you texting?"

Charlotte didn't look up and asked with surprise, "Why?"

Alex rolled his eyes and said in a measured way, "Because your mom told me all about how she checked your texts and everything. So I'm asking, and you're going to tell me."

Charlotte stopped texting, looked at him, and said, "Really, Dad? Really? You're a busy surgeon and you're going to spend hours of your day spying on me?"

Alex sat up straight and put his shoulders back as if he was posturing, "Is there anything in there worth spying on?"

Charlotte, once again keeping her eyes locked on the phone, said, "Maybe. Maybe not."

Alex held out his hand and said, "Charlotte, please give me the phone."

Charlotte looked up at him with her brows wrinkled and said, "Nope."

Alex was determined to remain calm, "Give me the phone, Charlotte Sophia Karsden."

Charlotte shook her head as a nurse came in to further numb Alex's foot, "No. I'm using it."

Alex greeted Karen, the nurse, and introduced her to Charlotte, adding as he looked sternly at Charlotte, "And she needs to hand me her phone."

Karen shared a friendly smile with Charlotte as she spread topical anesthetic on Alex's foot and said, "What kind of phone do you have? I just got an iPhone 6 – the bigger one – and I love it." She poked the needle into Alex's foot as he silently winced.

Charlotte said, "I've got the smaller 6."

The nurse asked, "Can I see it? I'd love to get a sense of the size difference. Sometimes I wonder if I should've gotten the smaller one."

Charlotte, unaware she was about to be duped, handed the phone over to the nurse, "Sure."

"Thanks," Karen said as she grasped it and looked at it. Then she turned to Alex and said, "Here you go, Dad." The nurse looked back at Charlotte and said, "Sorry, sweetie." Charlotte's mouth fell open as Alex grinned proudly and began to go through the texts. Charlotte just sat back in the chair, folded her arms and looked up at the ceiling. Alex chuckled or expressed surprise as he read the basically harmless commentary of the glass adventure Charlotte had shared with Mike, her boyfriend from Iowa.

Alex had just pulled up and begun reading a flaming text about Jo when Jo walked in. She looked down at Alex's foot, saying with a sigh, "What did you do?"

Alex shrugged, "I stepped on a big piece of glass and lodged it in my foot. I figured I don't spend enough time here so I had to create a reason to come in."

Jo had put on some gloves. She began to examine his foot and study the glass. As she pressed one area, she asked, "Doesn't that hurt?"

Alex slipped onto his back and said, "It did. It's all numb now."

Jo glanced quickly at Charlotte, "Hey, Charlotte."

Charlotte continued looking at the ceiling and said blankly, "Hi."

Meredith walked in saying, "Ok, here we go! This will be fun! Oh, hey, hi Wilson."

Jo greeted Meredith and said, "When I palpate right here, I feel an uneven edge."

Meredith nodded in agreement as she pressed on Alex's foot, "I know. I'm hoping I don't have to make a cut to remove it. It's definitely jagged."

Alex, still on his back, exclaimed, "What?! I've got a 7 hour surgery scheduled for tomorrow. I'll need to be on my feet all day."

Meredith laughed as she worked with the glass, "You'll be home tomorrow, Alex. We're going to load you up on pain meds and send you home for a few days. I'll get someone to either take or reschedule your surgeries. This is a mess. You'll be laid up most of this week."

Alex had become irritable and grumpy. He growled, "I'm hungry."

Meredith and Jo looked at each other and began to laugh. Meredith winked as she said to Jo, "He's such an easy patient."

Jo suggested to Charlotte, "Hey, Char, would you mind going to the cafeteria and grabbing some food for your dad? You can get something too if you're hungry."

Charlotte, still looking at the ceiling and wishing she had her phone, said, "Sure, as long as you never call me Char again. Oh, and while we're talking about nicknames, can you please stop any nicknames related to food? Those really bother me. You know…names like honey, sweetie, pumpkin."

Jo took a breath in and ignored the tone of voice, not wanting to give it her attention. She grabbed her wallet out of her purse, fishing out some cash. She explained how to get to the cafeteria and Charlotte asked, "What if I get lost?"

Jo shrugged, "Then just text me, describing what is around you and I'll help."

Charlotte explained, "But Dad has my phone."

Alex grumbled, "If you get lost, ask for directions from someone who looks like they work here. Go."

Charlotte walked out as Meredith asked Alex, "So, how's parenthood? Everything you expected it to be?" Mer pulled on the glass and shook her head, turning toward Jo, "I am going to need to make a cut."

Alex said, "Considering I wasn't sure what to expect, I guess it's ok. I have to say, though, that the kid was basically an angel before her mom died and has been increasingly mouthy since we arrived in Seattle."

Jo offered, "Alex, she's grieving. She's in a new place. Her bedroom isn't the one she's had all her life. Everyone she knows is in Iowa. And she's 15. It's going to take some time."

Mer, having made a small cut, offered, "And she's testing you. I don't care if she's 4 like Zola or 15, kids test the limits."

Alex described the night to Meredith and asked, "So what would you do, Mer?"

Meredith grinned as she made another cut and began pulling the glass out of Alex's foot, "The first thing I would do is ignore the sass and attitude tonight. Just be calm and don't react to her while you're here. When you get home, tell her you'll want to talk in the morning. Then in the morning, calmly share the list of behaviors that were out of line. You can say, 'Charlotte, this started last night when you slammed the door in Jo's face, then your sass crossed the line, then you refused to hand over your phone when I asked. If you'd given it to me when I asked, you would have gotten it right back. Now, since you didn't, I'll keep the phone for 3 days,' or something like that. Just be calm, clear, and matter-of-fact. State your expectations and the consequences."

Alex and Jo looked at Mer in amazement as Alex asked, "You've learned all that just having a 4 year old?"

Meredith, concentrating on Alex's foot and stitching the wound, said, "No, I think I learned that on an adolescent psych rotation. Conversations with Zola just aren't that complicated." Mer looked up and, out of habit, said to Jo, "Can you dress this?"

Jo looked at Meredith and tentatively said, "Uh…sure."

Charlotte knocked on the door with her hands full, and Meredith held the door open for her. Charlotte explained, "Ok, I wasn't sure what you'd like, so here's what I got." Charlotte walked over to a counter and set the tray down. One at a time, she held each item up, "A slice of pizza, a turkey sandwich, a salad with vinaigrette, and some fruit. To drink, I grabbed a 1% milk and a water."

Alex sat up and smiled, "That all sounds great. What are you eating?"

Charlotte shrugged, "I figured I'd eat whatever you didn't want. I picked things I liked and hoped they'd work for you too."

Alex laughed softly, "Those are probably all foods I would've picked. How about if we split the pizza and sandwich? You can have the salad and the milk, I'll take the fruit and the water."

Charlotte handed him the water and said, "Deal." She took a bite of the sandwich and asked, "So, how's your foot?"

Jo offered, "Dr. Grey had to make two cuts to remove the glass. It looked like it went in at an angle and then turned. She also did a set of stitches inside and then one on the surface. Your dad's going to be off his feet most of the week."

Alex took a big bite of pizza and shrugged his shoulders, speaking with his mouth full, "So Jo's going to need to take you to check out schools tomorrow. Sorry I can't go."

"Can't we just wait until next week?" Charlotte asked.

"Uh…no," Alex offered. "You need to start school this week."

"But I could stay home and help you since you won't be able to get around, Dad," Charlotte said trying to convince her dad of her brilliant insight.

Alex lowered his chin and looked at Charlotte, "Nice try, Spider. The answer is no."

Charlotte tried to display her best sad face, "But, Dad, I'll be worried about you all day."

Alex laughed, "You get an A for effort, Charlotte Sophia. I'm done discussing this."

Jo had sat still and kept silent throughout the interchange, but was relieved to see Alex displaying a calm but firm backbone.

The next day, Jo reluctantly headed out with Charlotte to visit three schools. Alex had lined up appointments at two private schools and at the local public high school. Charlotte didn't make conversation with Jo, but was quietly pleasant. At each school, Charlotte asked questions and seemed engaged. After each visit, though, Jo would ask what Charlotte thought and would receive a quiet shrug. Jo was beginning to develop a theory that Charlotte treated her the way she did because she knew Jo wouldn't give up on her. With that in mind, Jo simply continued to be kind and pleasant. She tried not to take the 15 year old's contempt personally.

When Jo and Charlotte returned home in the early afternoon, Charlotte went to the kitchen to grab something for lunch, and Jo asked her to make something for Alex and take it up to him. Jo touched base with Alex about her impressions of the schools and how Charlotte hadn't really spoken to her all morning. Then Jo headed to her shift at the hospital.

Charlotte walked upstairs after eating and poked her head into Alex's bedroom with food in hand, "Hey, Dad. Hungry?" Alex sat up and grinned, "So how were the schools?" Much to Alex's surprise, Charlotte went on and on with observations and details about each one. She compared the schools to her school in Iowa and shared her impressions of each track and cross country program.

Charlotte concluded her 30 minute summary with, "So, if it is up to me, I really, really want to go to the Episcopal school. The all-girls Catholic school seemed a little uptight. Besides, it would be weird to go to a school only with girls. The public school seemed ok…well, actually way too big and kind of scary."

Alex nodded and said, "Well, I was ok with all of them, so I'm fine with that. It's in the opposite direction from the hospital, so getting you there will be a pain until the end of this year. Once you turn 16 during the summer, it'll be much easier. Your birthday's right around the corner."

Charlotte, honestly confused, asked him to clarify, "Why does it matter when I turn 16?"

Alex took a bite of the sandwich Charlotte had brought up to him and said nonchalantly, "Well, 'cause then you'll have a car."

Charlotte's eyes widened with joy and shock, "I will?!"

Alex casually said, "Well, yeah. Makes it easier on everyone, don't you think?"

Charlotte leaned toward Alex and wrapped her arms around him, "You're awesome, Dad."

Alex was surprised by Charlotte's joy. He'd just been assuming he would buy her a car for her birthday. Nonetheless, he took the opportunity to answer, "Yeah, I know. I am. I'm awesome."

The two spent the afternoon watching movies on TV – Alex would pick one and then Charlotte picked the next one. He'd provide unending snarky commentary on her girl movies, and he'd gasp in disbelief as she criticized the action movies Alex chose. They had a great time together.

When Jo arrived home late that night, not pleased to find popcorn in her bed, she asked Alex if he'd made a decision about which school Charlotte would attend. Alex explained how Charlotte was animated and detailed as she described each school to him. Then he told Jo all about their movie marathon and commentaries. He asked Jo, "Why do you suppose she treats you like crap? I don't get it. She told me all about the morning, and we had a great afternoon."

Jo sighed as she undressed and shared her insights with Alex. "I don't know. I have three different thoughts. First, maybe deep down she knows I won't give up on her so she treats me horribly because I'm not going anywhere. That's the least likely of the three options. The second thought is that maybe she considers me a threat or competition for your attention. My last thought is that she worries I'm trying to replace Sophie." Jo climbed into bed and asked, "Did you talk to her about last night, the door and the phone?"

Alex bounced his head onto his pillow, "Crap, I completely forgot. We were so busy watching movies and talking about the school she chose, and how she can drive there once she gets her license…"

Jo interrupted, "What?!"

Alex asked innocently, "What do you mean, 'what?'"

Jo fumed, "You told her you're going to give her a car? And you let her choose the school?"

Alex grumbled, "What? Any school was fine with me. Why not let her choose? And the car is as much for us as for her – that school is in the opposite direction of the hospital."

Jo lay down and faced away from Alex, "Ok, Alex. Fine."

Alex touched her back and leaned toward her, "What'd I do?"

Jo kept looking away as she moved away from Alex's touch, "Alex, she's not a colleague or girlfriend you're trying to impress. She's a kid and you're the Dad. Ignoring last night's behavior, showering her with a car, and letting her choose her school is not going to help anyone in the long run. It just makes you a Disneyland Dad."

Alex pulled away slowly and rolled onto his back, saying softly, "Ouch, Jo. Wow."

The couple spent the night awake but silent, each of them positioned facing outward on the outer edge of their side of the bed.