CHAPTER 53


Sam and Addison help Cooper into the ER. Charlotte runs a head to meet up with the cardiologist. "Collins!" Charlotte calls out. "We think Cooper might be having a heart attack. "He has a history." She tells Dr. Collins.

"What are his symptoms?"

"Pale. Sweaty, chest pains, history of high cholesterol under control with diet and meds." Charlotte's short of breath.

"Okay." Dr Collins walks with Charlotte. "We'll put him in exam room 3. We'll need an EKG and an echocardiogram and take it from there."

Sam pushes Cooper into the exam room in a wheelchair.

"You're all making a fuss over nothing." Cooper tells them, holding onto the upper left side of his chest with his hand. "I'm fine."

Charlotte hastily pulls Cooper's shirt off so the nurses can put the EKG leads on.

"Char!" Cooper looks up. "Calm down or you're going to be the one having a heart attack. I told you, I'm fine."

"Get up on the table and lie down." Charlotte orders as she helps him out of the wheelchair.

Cooper tries to make a joke. "I love it when you're frisky but can't you wait until be get home." He chuckles, clutching the left side of his chest with his hand.

Charlotte's too worried to respond. She helps the nurse put the leads on while Sam turns on the EKG machine. Addison puts an oxygen mask on Cooper. Dr. Collins observes the EKG monitor. "Let's get him up to the cardiac cath lab now." He orders them.

Addison puts her arm around Charlotte.

"I was right." Charlotte breathes heavy and tells Addison. "He said he was fine but I was right." Charlotte tells Dr. Collins. "I'm coming with you."

"You're the Chief." Dr. Collins tells her. "So, it's your call but I rather you not. I work better without the family looking over my shoulder."

"You stay here with Addison." Sam tells Charlotte. "I'll go with Cooper."

Charlotte nods in agreement. She knows how it is having the family breathing down your back while you're tryin' to do your job.

"Come on." Addison leads Charlotte to the waiting room. "Sam's not going to let anything happen to Cooper."

Charlotte sits down in a chair. Her eyes are fierce. "I can't be without him, Montgomery."

"Cooper's had two heart attacks before, Charlotte. He pulled through then and he'll pull through now."

"He's older now. His chances aren't as good."

Violet and Pete come rushing in. "How's Coop?"

"They took him up to the cardiac cath lab to do a balloon angioplasty."

"So it was a heart attack?" Violet asks.

"Appears that way." Charlotte nods.

Violet sits down on the other side of Charlotte and grabs her hand. "He'll be okay. I know he will."


Andie sits next to Danielle with Hope Charlotte on her lap. Hope grabs at the utensils, Andie pulls them away. Charley drags Michael Nikolas up to Andie. "He's all messy, momma." Charley tells Andie.

"What happened?" Andie asks, looking at her two and a half year old with chocolate smeared all over his hands and face.

"He was eating the candy kisses off the tables." Charley tells his momma.

"Those were supposed to be party favors and it looks like you had a few yourself." Andie tells Charley who also has chocolate on his face. Andie looks around. "Where is my momma?" She doesn't see her so she passes Hope to Danielle. "Can you keep an eye on her while I go wash these two messy boys up?"

"Where's your nanny?" Danielle asks.

"I sent her home an hour ago, she wasn't feeling well."

"Go ahead." Danielle tells her. "I'll watch Hope for you."

Harper and Rosie run up to Danielle. "Can you fix our braids? " Rosie asks her mom. "They came loose when we were dancing."

"I can't right now because I'm holding Hope. Go find grandma and ask her to do it." Danielle tells Rosie.

"Okay." Rosie grabs Harper's hand and searches for Addison.

Andie comes out of the bathroom with Charley and Michael. "No more chocolate." She orders the boys. "It makes you hyper and Lord knows you're both hyper enough." Andie rolls her eyes and sits back down next to Danielle. A few minutes later Rosie and Harper come back. Andie takes Hope back from Danielle.

"Now can you fix our hair, Mommy?" Rosie asks Addison. "You're not holding Hope anymore."

"Come here." Danielle starts unbraiding Rosie's messy braid. "Didn't you find grandma?"

"Nope." Rosie shakes her head. "I couldn't find grandma Addison or grandma Violet or grandpa Pete."

"I couldn't find my Nan or grandpa either." Harper tells them.

Andie gets up now to look around the restaurant with Hope in her arms, leaving Danielle to fix the girls' hair.

Chase and Michelle are dancing. "Have you seen momma or daddy lately?" Andie asks them.

"No." Chase shakes his head.

Andie walks back over to Danielle. "I walked all over the restaurant. It's like our parents all disappeared."

"Maybe they went out for a quickie." Lucas jokes.

"What's a quickie?" Rosie asks.

Danielle gives Lucas a sharp look. "You had to say that. Now you can explain to your daughter what a quickie is while I call my mother."

Danielle hit's the button for Addison.

"Hello." Addison answers.

"Where are you, mom? Andie searched the entire restaurant."

"I'm not at the restaurant." Addison replies.

"You left without telling anyone?" Danielle furrows her brow.

"Cooper was having chest pains so we took him to the hospital. He didn't want to worry anyone." Addison explains.

"Is he okay?"

"They're doing a balloon angio on him now. We'll know more when they're done."

"I hope everything turns out okay."

"Don't say anything to Marley or Noah. Cooper doesn't want to spoil their day for them." Addison instructs.

"What do I say when they ask where everyone went?"

"You're a smart girl, Danielle Montgomery Wilder, something will come to you." Addison hangs up the phone.

"What happened?" Andie asks Danielle.

"Promise you won't freak out on me?"

"Now, you're making me nervous." Andie's eyes go big.

"They took your dad to the hospital. He was having chest pains."

"Oh my God!" Andie jumps out of her seat, holding Hope.

"Don't panic. They're at the hospital and they have it under control. Your parents don't want Noah or Marley to know about it. They don't want to ruin this day for them."

"I better call my momma." Andie picks up her phone to call Charlotte. "Is dad okay?" Andie asks when Charlotte picks up the phone.

"He'll be fine." Charlotte tells Andie, knowing that Andie is stressing.

"I'm on my way."

"Not with those four kids you're not." Charlotte warns her. "I don't want them running all over my ER hyped up on sugar. Stay at the party and I'll call you when I hear something." The truth is Charlotte is too worried about Cooper to baby-sit Andie's kids right now.

Andie hangs up and runs over to Chase on the dance floor. "Dad's at the hospital. He's having chest pains. Momma doesn't want me there with all the kids, can you go?"

Chase looks surprised. "Yeah. We're on our way." Chase and Michelle rush out of the restaurant.

Nicky announces that the waiters will be serving the cake now so everyone should find a seat. Noah and Marley sit in their special high rimmed chairs. Noah looks around. "Where are my parents?"

"I don't know." Marley shrugs while she sticks her finger in her cake and puts some on Noah's nose.

"Hey you're supposed to do that at the wedding, not here." Noah smashes a piece of cake into Marley's mouth.

"Hey." Marley smashes more cake into Noah's mouth. The guests start clinking their spoons on their glasses signifying they want the future bride and groom to kiss. Noah and Marley concede and kiss for everyone.

Andie's overwhelmed with all the kids and looks around for Nicky since the band is on break. She finds him sitting in a corner talking to Benn Golder. "I need help, Nick." She tells him. "The kids are driving me nuts."

Nicky looks up to see Andie holding Hope. Michael Nikolas is tugging at her dress. "Up, momma. I want up." He whines.

"I wanna go home, momma." Charley tugs on the other side of her dress.

Nicky stands up now and picks Michael Nikolas up. "Where's the nanny?"

"She was sick so I sent her home an hour ago."

"Where are your parents?" Nicky looks around.

"At the hospital. My dad's having a heart attack."

Nicky's jaw drops. "Excuse me, I gotta go." He tells Benn.

Benn waves him on. "I understand."

"Should we go to the hospital?" Nicky asks, holding Michael.

Andie's upset now. She answers with tears in her eyes. "My momma doesn't want all the kids there. Chase and Michelle went. Let's just go home."

After they're done with cake, Noah looks around. "Where is my family? I don't see my parents of Chase or Andie anywhere."

Now that cake is over, the rest of the guests say goodbye to Noah and Marley, wishing them luck. When Danielle comes up to say goodbye, Noah asks her. "Have you seen my sister or my parents?"

"Maybe they all went for a walk on the beach. It's a nice night." Danielle tells them, having been instructed not to tell them about Cooper's heart attack.

"Oh?" Noah screws up his face, thinking it's odd that they would all skip cake to walk on the beach together.

Drew overhears. He tells Ruby. "I guess we better go look for them since they're our ride home."

Drew and Ruby head for the beach. They walk and walk until Ruby finally says. "I don't think we're going to find your kin on this beach. I'm sorry to say I think they left without us."

"Yeah," Drew sits in the sand. "I think you're right."


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