TITLE:
 Chapter Twenty-One

CHARACTERS: Charlie Francis, Sonia Francis, Walter Bishop

POV: Chuck

GENRE: Dark, Surreal

RATING: M

SUMMARY: "Walter had tried to explain it to him, but he really had a hard time fathoming that they were still living within Astrid's mind."

CHALLENGE: Alice in Wonderland

WORD COUNT: 712

WARNINGS: None

SPOILERS: Anything Season One

AUTHOR'S NOTE: None

DISCLAIMER: 

unbeta'd

Charlie sighed picking at the sprouts his wife had put in his avocado and hummus sandwich; she'd been on a healthy food kick lately and while it was good food, he was beginning to miss regular old bologna and American cheese on white. Olivia would have liked this sandwich. He glanced up to see her still body resting on her hospital bed. Rewrapping the sandwich in its wax paper, he left his seat to go over to his partner's side. He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

Walter had managed to dress himself in clean hospital issue pyjamas and had wandered off to the hospital's cafeteria to have lunch, which meant Charlie was left alone to monitor the three comatose patients. It was mind numbing staring at the computer screens showing their minds joined together. He was curious and wished he could enter the Wonderland Complex to see what they were doing in their little world. Walter had tried to explain it to him, but he really had a hard time fathoming that they were still living within Astrid's mind.

Earlier he'd helped the older man do the muscle exercises used to keep the trio's bodies from atrophying. It was difficult to maneuver their body parts in way Walter insisted upon—after all, he'd never had any form of medical training aside from a CPR course in college. Thirty minutes a day per body was exhausting and never in a million years would he have expected that he'd be spending his time as a special agent for the FBI playing nurse and standing guard over three people in a coma.

Back at the table the computers were set up on his cell phone lit up and began playing 'Claire de Lune', the ringtone he'd set for his wife. He let go of Olivia's hand and returned back to the table.

He flipped the phone open and smiled slightly as he answered it. "Hi, Sonia."

His wife's cheerful voice seemed a million miles away. "Hi, honey. I was just calling to see how you were. I know I'm not supposed to call you while you're at work…"

He looked at the wrapped sandwich that he'd been tempted to toss in the trash. "It's all right. I was on my lunch break, anyway. How are you?"

"I'm good." She gave a slight pause and amended herself. "I'm great, actually."

"Oh? Any reason in particular?" He raised his eyebrows. "Did our Netflix arrive?"

She gave the soft laugh he'd fallen in love with years ago. "No, no. It's, um, something else."

He looked back over at the motionless body of Olivia. "What?"

"I'm pregnant."

Charlie felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. "What? Really?"

Her voice was so giddy. "Yes! I took the test yesterday, but you looked so tired last night that I thought maybe you should get some sleep before I told you…"

He smiled, in absolute disbelief as he shook his head, having to sit down to fully process the information. "I can't believe it…"

"I know! Isn't it great! We've been talking about it for so long," she said softly.

"It's wonderful, baby. It's the best news I've had in a long time." He ran his hand through his hair and tried to look away from his comatose partner.

Sonia sounded smug. "I thought it would make you happy."

Thoughts calling his parents and his inlaws flashed through his head, then he paused.

"Wait, when?"

"Uh, the last time we had sex?" she said, in slightly smart alecky tone.

He winced. Duh. Since the attempted assassination of Olivia, Farnsworth and Peter Bishop, he'd often found himself too exhausted both physically and mentally to be intimate with his wife. Sonia, as always, had taken it with grace.

"But it's okay," she continued, "because I'm going to get that Chinese calendar that Jody's always talking about. You know, the one predicts the baby's gender based on the date conceived?"

He made a face. "You don't really believe that stuff, do you?"

Sonia gave a sigh, but he knew she did it fondly. "Oh, Charlie. Ever the skeptic, aren't you?"

The steady beat of three heart monitors made him somber once more. "Someone has to be."