Chapter 38-Trouble Comes In Threes
It's Saturday morning, Charlotte wakes up to the feeling of Cooper's warm body spooned up against hers. They went out to celebrate Sheldon's birthday last night and hired a babysitter for Alexandria. By the time they got home the babysitter had Alexandria asleep. Charlotte and Cooper decided to take advantage of the alone time. Charlotte's curious what time it is but she doesn't want to roll over to look at the clock. The movement will wake up Cooper. Cooper has one arm draped across her five month pregnant belly and his other arm's under her neck.
"You awake?" She whispers.
No answer so she tries to smoothly remove his arm from her belly and roll over. She lifts his arm up but he pulls her back into him.
"Coop, are you awake?" She asks again.
His voice is groggy. "I think so."
"What time is it?" She asks. She can't see the clock from this position.
"Playtime." He's awake now. He cups his hand between her legs, titillating her the way she likes.
She smiles and rolls onto her back. "Good Mornin' to you.'' She grasps for his Johnson and moves her hand up and down it earning moans of delight.
He rolls his thumb over her stiff peek.
She opens her legs to let him inside.
It's a wild ride as her pregnancy hormones go into overdrive. He loves pregnant sex with her. Her muscles convulse tight around him, making him throb something fierce until he can't take it any longer and he spills out inside her. He knows she's feeling him just as intense. She screams his name so loud he worries the neighbors might hear. After they're done he tells her he was afraid she'd wake the neighbors.
"I wasn't worried about the neighbors. I was worried we'd wake Andie." She tells him breathlessly.
"She slept through it both times. Want to do it again?" He squeezes her.
"Tell me what time it is first." She looks at the ceiling breathing heavy.
Cooper looks at the clock. "It's 9:30"
"9:30? Andie should've been awake hours ago." Charlotte jumps out of bed, throws on a robe and races to Alexandria'a room with Cooper following close behind.
The baby's asleep in her crib. Charlotte picks her up. "She's burning up, Coop. Get the thermometer."
Cooper looks for the thermometer while Charlotte sits in the rocker with Andie. She takes her daughter's sweaty pajama's off and the baby lets out a little whimper. "I'm sorry you're not feeling good, baby girl."
Cooper comes back with the thermometer and scans her temperature, "105.2 " He shows Charlotte the reading.
"Run a tepid bath for her and get the Motrin!" Charlotte orders.
She takes Andie's diaper off while the baby whimpers weakly. Charlotte's eyes tear up at her daughter's pathetic weeping. She carries her to the bathroom. Charlotte removes her robe and climbs in the tub with Alexandria lying on top of her. She lets the tepid water rise higher and higher in the tub until it covers the Alexandria's back.
Cooper comes in and tries to give his daughter the Motrin but the baby whimpers and turns her head away. "Come on, Andie Candie, you need this." Cooper squirts the medicine in her mouth but the baby bats it away and it ends up all over Charlotte's chest.
"Let me try, Coop!" Charlotte takes another dropper of medicine and talks softly to her little red headed baby. "Shhh, here baby girl." She gets Alexandria to look up at her and gently puts the dropper in Andie's mouth. She's talking and maintaining eye contact the whole time. "You're momma's good little girl...take the medicine for momma...it's gonna make my baby girl all better." Alexandria swallows the medicine. Charlotte and Cooper breathe a sigh of relief.
After twenty minutes in the tub Charlotte and the baby get out. Cooper gives Charlotte a towel for herself and wraps the baby in another towel. "You get dressed Char. I'll take care of Andie." Cooper carries Alexandria to her nursery and puts a clean diaper on along with a yellow onesie. He wraps her in her favorite pink blanket and rocks her in the chair trying to get her to drink some pedialyte. The baby refuses to drink turning her head away. Cooper sings softly to her "You are my sunshine, My only sunshine, You make me happy when skies are gray..." He sings out of key but his voice is soft and soothing and Andie likes it. She watches his face while she starts to suck on the bottle of pedialyte.
Charlotte comes in the nursery. She listens quietly to Cooper sing to Alexandria and smiles. "How's she doin'?" She asks.
"She's not as warm and she's drinking the pedialyte for me."
"Bless her lil' heart," Charlotte watches them before sailing over and taking Andie from him. Cooper's still wearing his robe with nothing underneath. " You go take your shower. I got it from here."
Charlotte rocks Andie now and picks up on the song where Cooper left off, singing softly while Alexandra drinks the bottle. After an hour Charlotte carries her daughter downstairs to the kitchen.
"I made some waffles for breakfast, Chief." Cooper tells her.
Charlotte tries to put Andie down but she whimpers. "Isn't it a little late for breaksfast?"
"It's brunch." Cooper decides. "You want me to hold her while you eat?" Cooper asks.
"I can manage." Charlotte sits down with the Alexandria resting her head on Charlotte's shoulder and her arms around Charlotte's neck.
"That doesn't look too comfortable." Cooper comments as he sits down for his brunch.
"I don't mind," Charlotte tells him. "The little bugger's sick. It's the least I could do for her."
Cooper nods his head and stuffs a forkful of waffles in his mouth,
Charlotte puts her fork down. "I can't even eat, I feel so bad for her. I'm only tryin' to eat so bugger number two doesn't go starvin'" Charlottes referring to the baby she's pregnant with.
Cooper stuffs in another bite. "It's hard when they're sick. Now, I know how my patient's parents feel. You never really know until you walk in someone's shoes." He stuffs another forkful in his mouth.
Charlotte stands up holding Andie. "I'm tired. I'm going to bring her upstairs and let her nap with me in our bed."
"Okay. I'll be up to check her temperature again after I clean the dishes."
Charlotte brings Andie upstairs and lies down on the bed with her. She's joined shortly by Cooper armed with a thermometer.
"101.1" He says.
"Well, it's come down a bit but it's still a fever." Charlotte sighs resting her head against Alexandria's.
Cooper lies down next to her. "I'm so proud of you, Chief."
"Me? Why?" Charlotte asks.
"You're so good with her. Andie couldn't ask for a better mother."
"You're not so bad yourself, Dr. Freedman."
After a few minutes, Charlotte and Alexandria are asleep. Cooper's closes his eyes and tries to take a nap with them but the phone rings and startles him. He gets up to answer it. The next thing he knows he's on his lap top looking for a flight to Ohio.
Charlotte wakes up 45 minutes later to find him packing his suitcase. She rubs her eyes and asks, "what's going on, Coop?"
"My mother called. My father's having emergency surgery on his brain right now. I need to go to Ohio. I booked a flight for tonight."
"What happened?" Charlotte asks.
"They think he had an aneurysm and it burst. It doesn't sound good."
Charlotte gets out of bed and hugs him. "I'm sorry, Coop." She glances over at Alexandria on the bed and shouts. "Oh My God Coop! Andie's seizing!" She rushes over to Andie.
"Stay calm, Char." Cooper tells her.
"Get the car ready and we'll drive her to the ER."
They arrive at the ER. Andie's admitted for IV fluids and anti seizure medications along with another EEG. Cooper sits at her cribside with his head in his hands.
Charlotte rubs his back. "What is it Coop?"
"I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave you and Andie but my father could be dying." He looks at her with tears in his eyes. "What should I do?"
"I can take care of Andie. Go see your father."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
He gives Alexandria a kiss on her head and Charlotte a kiss on the lips. "Take good care of her, Chief."
"I promise." She kisses him again. "Good luck with your dad," she tells him as he somberly leaves the room.
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