On Tuesday morning, Cooper woke up in Ava's hospital room. He looked at his watch and blinked. He stretched and rolled out his neck. He pushed himself out of the rocking chair and cracked his back. He walked over to the crib and smiled down at his daughter. "Morning, Panda bear. You hungry, sweet girl?" He lowered the crib railing and lifted her up. He grabbed the container of cheerios and sat down in the rocking chair. He set her in his lap and held the container in front of her. "You gotta eat, Ava." He took a couple cheerios and fed them to her.

She spit them out and started to cry.

"Ok, we'll try again later." He put the container on the table and adjusted the baby, bringing her into a cradling position. He rocked and tickled her stomach.

A hint of a smile broke through her tears and she looked around the room.

"I know your head hurts, Panda bear." He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her temple. "You wanna go surprise momma?"

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Sheetz and Dr. James appeared in the room. "Good morning, Dr. Freedman," Dr. Sheetz said with a smile.

Cooper looked up and smiled. "Morning."

"I'm here to check on the patient," Dr. James said, walking towards Cooper.

"She's a little cranky this morning."

"Poor thing." Dr James did a quick Neuro exam and then looked at Cooper. "I'd like to do another X-ray and CT before I sign her discharge papers."

"Just because or are you concerned about something?"

"It's just a precaution. I want to make sure she's healing properly and that there isn't anything we missed before I discharge her. Some things can appear gradually and things can change."

He nodded. "Ok." He paused. "I'm kind of concerned that she's not eating."

"She's got a pretty intense headache and she's probably a little dizzy too. She probably doesn't have much of an appetite. Has she eaten anything?"

"Some cheerios and she had some milk last night, but it's definitely not enough. She's lost a little bit of weight."

"I can get her set up with a feeding tube. Keep feeding her regularly and you can make up the difference with the tube—just until she has more of an appetite."

"I guess that wouldn't be too bad." He rubbed the top of Ava's head gently. "Are you taking her for her scans now?"

Dr. James nodded. "That's why we're here."

"I'm just going to change her diaper." He stood up and walked into the bathroom. He changed Ava's diaper and came back into the room. He set her down on the gurney and pulled up the rails a little.

Dr. James and Dr. Sheetz took the gurney from Cooper and they all walked out of the room and down the hallway.


Later that morning, Cooper walked into Charlotte's hospital room with Ava asleep in her infant carrier. He saw Charlotte standing by the window, looking out at the street. "Sweetie, you all packed?"

Charlotte turned around slowly and blinked once. She could hardly speak now, it was too painful and more than half of it wasn't understood anyway. She smiled and walked over to Cooper. She brushed his finger against her daughter's swollen cheek and looked at Cooper.

"I get to bring both my girls home today." He placed a soft kiss on Charlotte's lips and smiled. "What's your pain level this morning?"

She held up both hands, showing him nine fingers.

He sighed. "At least you get to be in your own bed, in your own house."

She blinked once.

"Sorry I abandoned you last night. I fell asleep in Ava's room."

She rested her hand on his cheek and smiled.

"Are you ready to go?"

She pointed to the bathroom and padded over to the closed door. She opened it and disappeared inside.

He sat on the edge of the bed and rocked the infant carrier slowly, soothing the irritable baby back to sleep. He looked at the clock and waited patiently for Charlotte. Five minutes had passed, and he was getting concerned, so he stood up and walked over to the bathroom. He knocked and toggled the door. It was locked—not too much of a shocker. "Sweetie, are you ok?" He paused. "Knock on the counter once if you are, twice if you're not."

She knocked twice.

"Anything I can do?"

"No," she managed to croak out.

"I'll be out here," he said, sitting back down on the bed.

A few minutes later, Charlotte emerged from the bathroom and rubbed her eyes.

"Now, are you ready?"

She blinked once.

He smiled. "What's wrong?"

She rubbed her stomach.

"Your stomach hurt?"

She blinked once and grabbed his hand, slipping her fingers between his.

"Better now?"

She blinked again.

He smiled. "Good. Let's go home."

She stopped in the doorway and her hands started to shake a little.

"Sweetie?" He looked at her. "What?"

She turned her body towards him.

He pulled out a tiny notepad from his back pocket and a pen from his breast pocket. He handed them both to her. "Write it out."

She took the pen and paper and scribbled. She turned it towards him and blinked back tears.

"Oh, Char." He paused and squeezed her hand. "I had new locks put on all the doors, had our windows resealed, and put in a new fancy security system. Plus, I'm gonna be at home for a while, taking care of you and Ava, while you both heal, so no one, I repeat no one, is getting into that house unless we invite them in. You'll be safe." He knew that she had been fine, well not, fine, but somewhat ok with going home after Lee, but this time was different, Cooper also knew that. Tom Johnson was their neighbor. Sure, if Lee wanted to find Charlotte, he could have easily done that, but Tom already knew exactly where she lived. It would be easier for him to get to her. "I went through my security checklist. You and Ava are safe."

She smiled slightly, it wasn't too convincing.

"I would suggest we just move, but I know you. If we move, in your mind, that's accepting defeat, accepting that the bastard won. Besides, I know you love that house."

She blinked once.

"You're strong. You'll get passed the fear, but until then, I've got you. For once, I'm gonna protect you."

She glared at him.

"I know you hate when I blame myself for this and for your rape, but I can't help it. I'm supposed to protect you, I'm supposed to keep you safe, but I failed—twice. And I'm Ava's father and one of my most important jobs is to protect her from stuff like this, to keep her safe, but I didn't do either."

She looked at him.

"Let's just go home."

She blinked once.

He smiled and they walked out of the hospital.


Charlotte was lying in bed, propped up on pillows, her eyes closed. She rested her hand on her stomach, keeping completely still. The nauseous feeling was intense at the moment, she had felt some acid sliding up her throat, but she swallowed it quickly.

Cooper was in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich and her some vegetable, chicken, and rice soup. He put the soup in a bowl and carried it upstairs. He opened the bedroom door and set the bowl on the nightstand. He sighed. "What's wrong?"

She rubbed her stomach.

"Nauseous?"

She blinked once and contorted her mouth.

He took the lemon wedge off the rim of the glass of water that he brought up for her, and handed it to her.

She took a whiff of it, her eyes tearing a little. Breathing in and out was still very painful, and swallowing was even worse. She cringed but the citrusy scent was enough to abate the nausea for the time being. She blinked five times.

"You're welcome." He paused. "Guess you're not hungry, then?"

She blinked twice.

"I'll leave the soup here—you should try to eat something. Wait a little bit until your stomach settles." He paused. "I know you hate me taking care of you like this, but you're just gonna have to get over it. And I mean that in the most loving and sympathetic way possible."

She tried to hold in her laughter, but a soft chuckle came out anyway, followed by an "Ow."

"You're miserable, aren't you?"

She blinked twice.

He looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "You're just too proud to admit the truth. It's ok. You can't fool me, sweetheart." He paused. "You want some company?"

She blinked once.

"Ok. I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get Ava." He smiled and walked down the hallway towards Ava's room. He took the infant out of the crib, changed her diaper, and carried her into the master bedroom. He sat on the bed and swung his legs around so he was lying back against the pillows, his legs stretched out in front of him. He scooted closer to Charlotte and cradled the baby in his arms.

Charlotte touched her daughter's head gently, and smiled. She looked at Cooper and blinked four times.

He nodded and looked down at Ava. "Momma loves you, Panda bear. She can't talk right now, but she told me to tell you she loves you." He brushed his lips against Charlotte's temple as he rubbed Ava's stomach. "I'm glad she's ok."

Charlotte touched his cheek.

He lifted his chin and looked at her. He leaned in close and touched his lips to hers. He pulled back and but kissed her again. "I'm glad you're ok too." He watched Ava as she opened her eyes, opening them wide, her blue-grey eyes murky and glossy. "Panda bear."

"Ma-ma," Ava babbled, her lips covered in slobber.

Charlotte smiled.

"Ma-ma." Ava wiggled in Cooper's arms and blew spit bubbles. She whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Charlotte brushed her finger against her daughter's bruised cheek.

"Momma's right here, Panda bear."

Charlotte's eyes widened and she rested her hand on her stomach.

Cooper looked over at her and sighed.

She looked around the room, her eyes getting wider. She burped and covered her mouth with her hand. She swung her legs around and stood up. She rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

His own throat hurt as he heard the first string of retching. He swallowed and walked into the bathroom. He set Ava on the soft memory foam bath mat and knelt down behind Charlotte. He rested his hand in the middle of her back and cringed, listening to her vomit, knowing and feeling how much it hurt. He closed his eyes, tears clouding his vision. "You're ok," he said, his voice shaky. He turned his head away from her, and rubbed the front of his neck. He shivered and shifted on the tile floor.

A couple minutes later, Charlotte was leaning back against the cabinet, tears cascading down her cheeks, one hand clenched into a fist, the other hand on her stomach. She swallowed and lifted her eyes to focus on Cooper.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. "Char."

"Ow-ouch."

He shook out his shoulders and shut the toilet lid. He toggled the flusher and scooted closer to Charlotte, keeping an eye on Ava, who had fallen asleep on the rug. He rested his hand on top of Charlotte's and wiped away her tears. He kissed her temple and rubbed her thigh. "That just looked painful."

She blinked and sniffled.

"Can I help you back to bed?"

She blinked twice.

"We can sit here for a little while longer, that's ok with me." He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. "I don't say this a lot, but I really do admire your strength."

She smiled and let out a shaky breath. She unclenched her hand and grabbed his, weaving their fingers together and tightening her grip. She shifted, moving her whole upper body so she could look into his eyes. She blinked five times, took a pause, and then four times.

He placed the most delicate kiss on her lips. "You're welcome and I love you too." He heard the doorbell echo through the house and immediately felt Charlotte tense up. He looked at his watch and looked at her. "It's Mason, Char. It's 2:30. He probably just forgot his key and misplaced it again. That kid would lose his head if it wasn't attached." He paused. "I'll be right." He heard the doorbell again. He pushed himself up and stretched. He opened the bathroom door and disappeared down the steps and into the living room.


Cooper checked the peephole, just as a safety measure, and then opened the door.

Mason zoomed past him and into the hallway.

"That kid needs to start going to the bathroom before he leaves places." He shut the door and locked both locks. He walked into the kitchen and made a plate of celery sticks. He grabbed the peanut butter out of the pantry, setting the plate and peanut butter on the island counter.

Mason walked into the kitchen and let out a breath. "Where's momm—Charlotte?"

Cooper blinked. "Were you just gonna call Char, momma?"

"No."

He smiled. "It's ok if you were."

"I wasn't."

"Ok, of course you weren't." He paused. "Charlotte is upstairs. She had a rough afternoon."

Mason sighed. "I flunked my math test."

"Why? I helped you study for that for like a week."

"I couldn't focus on any of the problems." Mason paused. "My teacher's letting me retake it if I can come up with a valid reason for failing it and prove it to her."

"Did you come up with one?"

Mason nodded.

"I'd like to hear it." He paused. "Have some celery sticks and peanut butter and tell your old man what's on your mind."

Mason walked over to the island and hopped up on the stool. He picked up a celery stick and smeared some peanut butter on it. He bit into the stalk and then looked at his father. "I'm worried about Charlotte and Ava."

"You need me to talk to your teacher for you? Explain the situation. She'll believe me more than she'll believe you—not that you're not trustworthy, but you have to prove it to her. I'm your proof."

Mason nodded. "That reminds me. Mrs. Jericho wants to talk to you."

"Do I have to show up in person or is talking to her over the phone ok?"

"I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Ok. And why does she want to talk to me?"

"End of the year progress reports or something. She talks to all the parents."

He messed up Mason's hair and kissed the top of his head. "Go see Charlotte and your sister. Tell Char that I'm just cleaning up the kitchen and that I'll be up in a little bit."

Mason pushed himself away from the island counter and slipped off the stool. "Thanks for not grounding me for flunking that test."

"You know your stuff, Mase. A lot has happened in the last few days. You'll ace it next time."

Mason smiled and disappeared into the living room and up the steps.


Mason knocked on the master bedroom door and opened it. He looked around and saw the bathroom door open and the light on. He padded over to the bathroom and knocked. "Hope you're not on the toilet or naked or something like that 'cause I'm coming in." He pushed the door open and covered his eyes. "Is it safe?"

"Mmhmm," Charlotte mumbled.

He dropped his hand and smiled. "Are you ok? My dad said you had a rough afternoon." He paused. "Right, you can't talk." He took off his backpack and took out a notebook. He handed it to her along with a mechanical pencil.

She smiled and answered his question.

He leaned over and read it. "Ouch."

She blinked once and then wrote something down.

He sighed and looked at her. "School was fine except I failed my math test—the one I've been studying for, for the past week. But Mrs. Jericho says I can make it up if I've got a good excuse as to why I flunked it." He paused. "I can help you get back into bed if you want."

She smiled.

"I'll take that as a 'you want'?"

She blinked once.

He walked by the cabinet and held out his hand for her to grab, at the same time positioning his other hand under her arm.

She held his hand and slid up the cabinet wall. She steadied herself and blinked five times.

"You're welcome." He bent his knees and carefully scooped up Ava. He cradled her, supporting her back and head. "I hold her like this, right?"

She blinked once.

They walked into the bedroom. He pulled back the sheets and set the baby down on his father's side of the bed. He swung Charlotte's legs up onto the bed as she scooted back to the pillows. "Good?"

She blinked once. "Tha—ank You." She picked up the glass of water on her nightstand and took small sips. It hurt, but she was thirsty.

"Oh, my dad told me to tell you that he's cleaning up the kitchen and that he'll be up soon." He crawled into the bed and picked Ava up, sitting her down between his legs. He gently stroked her blonde hair and looked at her hot pink cast. "She needs more signatures on this sucker." He kissed the top of her head and played with the toes on her right foot. "Ava—booger." He made a funny face, sticking out his tongue at her.

Ava babbled and grabbed at his finger.

"Is she in pain?" He asked, turning his head towards Charlotte.

"Mmhmm."

"Poor kid." He touched the tip of her nose and stretched his mouth out to the side. "Booger." He tickled the bottom of her feet and laughed with her.

Charlotte wrote something on the pad she had in her hands and then tapped on Mason's shoulder.

He turned his head. "Yeah?"

She showed him the thing she wrote down.

"I love her too."

Cooper walked into the bedroom and blinked. "Oh, you're in bed." He walked over to Charlotte. "Feeling any better—pain wise?"

She blinked twice.

"You should try to sleep. You're home, in your own bed."

She yawned, trembling from the painful clicking.

"Hey, Mase, why don't you go do your homework? Maybe we can all watch a movie tonight."

He nodded. "Do I have to do my homework?"

"Yes, you have to do your homework. We'll all watch a movie tonight."

He smiled. "Ok."

"I'll be in here if you need help."

He nodded and walked out of the bedroom.


Cooper lied down on the bed and rested Ava on his chest. He ran his hand over her head, touching her ear with the tips of his fingers. He kissed her and closed his eyes. "Sweet girl."

Ava started to whimper and squirm in his arms.

"It's ok, Panda Bear. Don't cry." He touched her cheek, trapping her tears under his fingers. He wiped them away and looked into her blue-grey eyes. He rubbed her stomach and lowered his head to kiss her on her bruised cheek. "You're ok, sweet girl." He wiped away her tears with his thumb and looked at Charlotte. "So, um, Mason almost called you momma."

Charlotte blinked and focused on him.

"He started to but stopped, and then corrected himself, calling you Charlotte." He paused. "I think he's scared that calling you momma means that he's forgetting about his mom—that referring to you as momma instead of Charlotte, means that you're his mom."

She blinked.

"I'll talk to him during dinner." He shifted on the mattress, adjusting the baby. "You look exhausted."

"I—I am," she muttered.

"How's the bug?"

She smiled, brushing her hand under her slight belly bump.

"I know you're only ten weeks, but do you think the baby's a boy or a girl?" He put his hand on her stomach and smiled. "I think we're having a boy. I can feel it."

She blinked twice.

"You think we're having a girl?"

She blinked once.

"This one's a boy. I know it." He paused. "But it doesn't really matter."

She yawned and closed her eyes tight, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Whatever gender the baby is, we'll have to have another one to try and balance out our family again." That got a glare thrown his way. He laughed and slid closer to her, so the left side of his body was flush against her right. "You should take a nap. Sleeping might help with the pain." He paused. "Plus, if you're sleeping, you can't kill me for suggesting we have another baby before you're even in your second trimester with our second, well third technically." He smiled and looked at Ava, who was now asleep, snoring softly. "That bastard has to pay for this—for all of this." He paused. "She's probably screwed up for life now. She'll be having nightmares, and she won't even know where they're from."

Charlotte turned her eyes away.

He looked at her and knew exactly what she was thinking. "This is not your fault, Char." He paused. "You told me you held onto her, that you weren't going to let go of her, right? Well, you could have easily let go of her and she could have hit the floor. She might not be alive right now if you didn't hold onto her like you did. Whatever he did to her after he took her, she might not have survived that if she had been injured from a fall beforehand." He paused. "And even if she did survive, she may have had a lot more serious injuries. As her momma, you did your job, Char. You protected her—you put her needs ahead of your own."

She lifted her hand and let Ava's soft, blonde hair slip through her fingers.

"I love you, Char."

She blinked four times, but kept her eyes on her daughter. She closed her eyes and lied there, staring at the back of her eyelids, trying to relax her body and her mind, in order to fall asleep. It took close to twenty minutes, but she was able to relax enough—either that or her exhaustion just overtook her.

He smiled and watched his girls sleep.


Mason opened the bedroom door a couple minutes later, and stood in the doorway.

Cooper looked up. "Finish your homework already?"

"No." Mason crawled onto the mattress and lied down at the foot of the bed, rolling over and propping himself up on his elbow. "I'm bored."

"Not sure how much fun lying here is gonna be."

Mason yawned and rolled onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling and watched the fan spin. "If my mom hadn't died, if she hadn't gotten sick, would I have met you?"

"Probably not. I don't think your mom was planning on telling me about you."

"Oh." Mason took a five minute pause before asking, "If I say I'm glad I met you, is it like saying that I'm glad my mom got sick?"

Cooper sighed. "I don't know, Mase, but I sometimes feel guilty about that too."

Mason rolled back over, facing Cooper again. "I miss her."

Cooper nodded. "I know you do." He paused. "And calling Charlotte momma won't change that, it doesn't mean you've forgotten your mom, it doesn't mean that Charlotte's replacing your mom—that's the last thing she wants. Your brain is recognizing that Char is taking care of you, loving you just like your mom did and would be doing if she was alive. It's ok. Your mom told Charlotte to be your living mom, and that's what she's been, so it's ok that you called her momma or started to, earlier. She calls you her son, so calling her momma isn't all that different."

Mason nodded and rolled onto his back. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He was thinking about his mom, Cooper could tell. He wiped a single tear that rolled down his cheek and curled into a ball at the end of the bed. He wrapped the throw blanket around himself and soon, he was out cold.

Cooper looked between Charlotte, Mason, and Ava, and smiled. "I'm lucky," he whispered and spent the rest of the afternoon in between light sleep and complete awareness, the rest of his family snoring.


hope you liked this longer chapter :)