Charlie IV

Chapter 7

Again! This chapter has adult content in it. Read with care.

Rick wasn't really sure just what kind of car he was expecting from a lawyer as he opened the door to find Jim on the other side, but a simple Honda probably wasn't one of them.

"Airstream, I like it. It could use a shine, though." Jim didn't question why a trailer. Rodgers worked a hard job at the UPS. Just how good could it be given the place he lived? "Ready?" He was on time as agreed.

"Let's go, Charlie. We have a job to do." Rick followed Charlie out the door and locked it. He let Charlie hop in the back while he got in the front. "How is she?"

"According to Jo, back to normal. Meaning back to being lost in her own mind. Charlie seems to be able to get her into ours for a time. What we need is to find something or someone that can get her to stay in ours. Just what that is we have no idea. We're still playing it by ear."

Jim and Jo had talked again last night after finally going home. Though they hadn't reached any conclusions just yet. First came getting Katie to be more in their world. Then they would decide. Charlie was just the first step.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick made it all the way to Katie's room with Jim easily enough since Jim got to go where he wanted and took Rick and Charlie with him.

Jim stopped well short of Katie's room. "Sadly this is where you and I stop, Mr. Rodgers."

"Rick, please." He looked at Jim intently. "I have to get Charlie into the room somehow. He may have been here before but he's just a dog." If the girl in that room was so afraid of men and if her mother wasn't here or didn't come out, how did he get Charlie in that room?

"I just won't go into the room." Rick walked forward with Charlie and released his leash. Rick got down on one knee and faced Charlie. "You're a smart puppy. You need to go inside. Go. Inside." Rick gave him a little push. "Go inside." Rick waved at him to go inside and watched him do just that. Now he needed to wait. How long was the question.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

If she wasn't awake he was betting Charlie would wake her up. Last time it took something like 30 minutes so he waited a whole 15 minutes and then stuck his head into the room.

He immediately saw the girl petting Charlie who had his head on her chest. She was looking down at him and petting him.

"He's a boy and his name is Charlie. He loves everyone." Rick saw her look at him and he instantly saw fear in her eyes but she kept petting Charlie.

"Charlie doesn't care what happened to you and neither do I. What happened isn't fair and you don't have to think it was. Just let Charlie love you. He loves everyone.

"His hair is really soft, isn't it?" Rick watched her lips move but he didn't hear anything or know what she said. "His name is Charlie. Call him to you. He knows that word. I taught him."

Rick watched her look down at Charlie and saw her lips move but she said nothing. "He has excellent hearing. Try again." Rick watched her lips move.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Jo walked quickly to her husband. "I'm so sorry, Jim. There was an accident, I got trapped. Is Charlie here?" He was supposed to go get him.

"In there with Katie." Jim watched as his wife started to go past him but he stopped her.

"What?" Jo didn't get it. Only women went in that room.

"Rick is in there with Charlie," Jim told her. He had watched Rick go from just his head to the rest of him and did nothing to stop him.

"WHAT! Have you lost your mind?" Their daughter hated all men; even her husband wasn't well received.

"Do you hear anything?" Jim asked her. They both knew that Katie went nuts when she saw a man. Not to that extreme with Jim but it still wasn't pretty.

"No." Jo was shocked. "He's actually in there?" Jo looked at Jim then at the door that led to their daughter.

"He sent in Charlie and a few minutes later he followed him. He's been in there maybe 15 minutes or longer and not a sound yet."

Jo was scared, really scared. What Jim was letting happen could ruin Katie forever. Yet she wasn't screaming like she did with the doctor every time he entered her room. Or when the male psychiatrist followed him later. Since then only women went into that room.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Keep calling for him. Call for Charlie and don't stop till he comes to you." Rick began backing up and reached behind him to find the door. He backed out and he turned when he couldn't see her or Charlie any longer. He turned to leave only to find her parents standing side by side, gaping at him.

Rick walked up to them. "Hi."

"Don't Hi me. You went in there! You were told what she did when she saw a man." Jo couldn't help but be angry at him.

"Charlie is a Therapy Dog. We were taught that we were a team. Where Charlie goes, I go. She's in there petting him even now. Her lips are moving but she isn't saying anything. I simply told her that Charlie was a boy and that he loved her. All she had to do was call for him. I think that's what she's doing. Go see for yourself." Rick stepped aside and watched Jo all but run to the room and slowly go inside.

Rick studied Jim's face. "You didn't stop me."

"Katie is lost in her own mind because she can't cope. If she stays there too long we may lose her forever. Either because she won't come out or because she just withers away because we can't feed her enough to keep her alive. If she catches a simple cold it may kill her.

"It's time to take chances. What we were doing wasn't working. You're not a father, Rick. It's a terrible thing to watch your own daughter turn herself into a mental vegetable because of what those boys did.

"Worse, they probably thought it was funny. I think she fought them at first until she didn't have any fight left in her. And they just kept it up till they were done with her. She was probably already lost to us before the last of them did this to her.

"If I had them right in front of me would I kill them? I'm not sure anyone truly knows. It wouldn't undo what they did to Katie, but I think I would if I had the weapon to do the job. I would hate myself forever but I would hate them even more for even longer."

With unshed tears glistening in his eyes, Jim looked at Rick. "Jo may not understand but I would. If you managed to do something we're both going to owe you big."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

They had both retreated to their chairs and went back to the No Men in Katie's room policy. At least until Charlie came back out.

They both watched as Jo walked slowly toward them. She was clearly crying as she moved. She stopped in front of these two. "I put Charlie in bed with her. She got herself wrapped around him. She's asleep now. We can go in and take Charlie from her soon.

"She was just petting him and saying something that I couldn't hear. I don't know what's she's saying. This is more than she's done since she recovered from surgery and stopped screaming at men." Jo wasn't sure just what to do next.

"All I did was tell her that Charlie loved her, I promise," Rick said. "All she had to do was call his name and he could come. Charlie knows all the basic commands. He really does like everyone. He had a hard life as a puppy but not now."

"I don't know if I should be angry at either or both of you. It's just she's almost talking. Almost talking!" Jo wiped away tears. Her daughter was maybe trying to come back to this world.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

They gave Charlie 15 more minutes with her before Jo and Rick went in and lifted Charlie up off her bed. Katie never woke up during that. She just kept on sleeping peacefully.

Rick and Charlie had gone home and Jim and Jo were talking with her female doctor, Doctor Renny, and her female psychiatrist, Doctor Wroce. "Now what happens," Jo demanded of them. They had told them both what Rick and her husband had allowed and what the result was.

"Physically we will continue to turn her and exercise her muscles twice daily. But none of this is what she truly needs. She needs out of that bed or she's going to have to learn how to walk all over again. What we are feeding her is augmented for an adult but what she needs is real food.

"Her stools are not what we want to see. We are going to need to start her on an IV starting tomorrow to prevent dehydration. Continue the daily blood tests as well. I know you don't want to hear this but we can't rule out that she is presently pregnant. She hasn't shown signs of a period yet, which is easy to explain besides being pregnant." Doctor Renny headed them off if they were thinking that automatically meant she was pregnant.

"As if things couldn't get worse." Jo was ready to collapse and retreat into her own little world. This one certainly sucked. "Don't your blood tests show if she is pregnant or not?"

"It's complicated, but no. Though we should know soon one way or the other," Doctor Renny told her.

Jo didn't get it. She either was or she wasn't pregnant. It sounded simple to her.

It was the psychiatrist's turn. "And how do we get her back in this world?" Jo snapped at Doctor Wroce.

"Until she starts talking I only see one way. We get Charlie and his owner back here as often as possible. She's obviously responding to the dog. He is our conduit to reach her. Since this Mr. Rodgers didn't get the reaction all the other men got, we use him. The next time he comes we let Charlie into the room while I teach him what to say," Doctor Wroce suggested.

Jim pointed out a possible flaw. "He only has two days off from work every week. His next two days are a week from now."

"We will have to make do unless something changes." It was all she had. She didn't have the authority for him to just quit his job in favor of helping her patient.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick was really glad he was still young on days like this one. And yes, he counted being all of 25 years old still young. His plan for this weekend during his two days off was to go to the beach and maybe find another date. He wasn't going to be a problem and go to Amanda's place and ask why. If she didn't want to explain she didn't have to. It didn't mean he liked it.

However, it was another hot August day in California and after running Charlie around the park for a few laps he was lounging on his sofa in nothing but shorts and letting his little fan push cold air from his A/C unit onto him while Charlie was content to lay on his bed after trying to drink his water bowl dry.

Then he got a phone call and groaned since it meant getting up to answer it.

"Hello?" He was half hoping it was work asking for overtime work. He loved overtime pay. Time and a half for 8 hours was good money.

"Mr. Rodgers, this is Kim. The local ADT has had a request. This is strictly voluntary. You don't have to do this. Apparently you know these people. A Jim and Johanna Beckett. They have a daughter located in the UCLA Medical Center. They have specifically requested that Charlie attend to their daughter on your days off work. Now you can decline and maintain your normal schedule if you wish," Kim said.

Rick sighed. "I did have plans to go to the beach this weekend. Nice and warm and lots of sunlight. Charlie loves the beach."

"And Charlie loves women in bikinis?" Kim grinned, not that he could see her.

"Charlie is very particular about women wearing bikinis."

"I'm sure he is. Write down the phone number I give you if Charlie changes his mind. They're willing to come get you and even feed you lunch." Kim gave him the number and hung up.

"What do you think, Charlie? Beach or UCLA Medical Center and a free lunch." He was going to miss out on a potential date but getting a date meant spending money and after paying that $1,500 for his book… That free lunch was calling his name.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick heard the car and looked and saw the Honda so he was out before Jim could even get out of the car. Rick opened the rear door and got Charlie to jump in onto the passenger seat.

Rick smiled. "Fancy meeting you again."

"We both really thank you for this, Rick." Jim concentrated on backing up so he could turn around.

"Charlie talked me into it. He really fought for that free lunch." Rick grinned at him.

"Did he now? That is one smart dog. So what lunch did he decide on? Steak and lobster or the greasiest burger he could get his paws on?" Jim razzed him since they were both talking about Charlie here.

"Mexican, actually."

"We'll just have to see how we can satisfy Charlie's needs." Jim kept playing with him. He was starting to like him. He was fun.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Getting to Kate's room was once again very easy. "We've gone back to no men in Katie's room. We're making an exception for you so long as she doesn't start screaming. I'll be in my chair," Jim told him. "I don't know where my wife or the psychiatrist are this morning. They know you're coming."

Just like last time Rick unhooked Charlie and got him to go inside while he waited a few minutes. He took a peek first and once he saw her petting Charlie again he stepped inside.

It looked to him like her eyes were focused on Charlie and she didn't even see him. "His name is Charlie. Remember, I told you his name? Say his name. He loves you." Rick had to repeat it three times before he saw her lips start to move.

"Tell Charlie you love him. He loves you. Call him to you and tell him you love him. He's a very good dog."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"I'm late again." Jo jogged to join her husband. "Stupid freeways here are murder. Charlie and Rick are already in her room, aren't they? And where is the psychiatrist?" Jo asked him. She walked toward Katie's room only to have Jim stop her again.

"Let them, Jo. We're desperate. We both know we're running out of time. If we can get him and Charlie to stay all day and feed both of them, maybe we will gain something."

Jo was torn yet again. Her daughter was in there and those two were doing who knew what. "You're right, we are desperate. Yet I don't hear her screaming."

"Mr. and Mrs. Beckett." Florence spotted them. They were both outside and not in her room.

"Hi Flo. …Charlie and his owner are in there," Jo told her.

"Really? I don't hear anything." Flo had heard Katie screaming over seeing a man in person in her room. "This is why we suggested Charlie and his owner. What we've heard is that Charlie works miracles according to staff and people he has helped.

"So long as she doesn't start screaming my vote is you give them a chance. I don't know about the owner but Charlie gets high marks. I'll be at the nurses station if you two need anything." Florence left them.

Jo was holding onto her husband because if she didn't she was going in the room and find out what was going on.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick wasn't sure just what to do next. This wasn't something he had been trained for. All he knew was that he wasn't a rapist and she was pretty but she still looked a little lost.

He didn't dare lean over her. That would most likely set her off and they would both probably be gone permanently. So he knelt next to Charlie who was still just standing there with his head on her chest area.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. You want him to come to you so you can pet him and hug him. Charlie loves you." Rick just kept watching.

Rick was watching her lips move but no sound was coming out. "Do you hear anything, Charlie?" His hearing was better than his. That got Charlie to lift his head to look at Rick. He was calling his name and now he wanted something but he didn't understand what.

Doing that meant Katie lost her dog head to pet. "NO!" Katie whispered so softly that Rick almost missed it.

"Charlie!" Rick patted her stomach area for him to put his head back in place. The second he did that Kate went back to petting him.

"So you know he's here. Now how do I get you to say his name and make him come to you?" Rick ran that through his brain.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"You're late!" Jo was angry at their psychiatrist. She was supposed to be here helping and she was missing.

"My apologies. I was delayed. Are Charlie and Rick in there?" Doctor Wroce inquired.

"For the last 15 to 20 minutes, yes. We haven't heard a thing," Jo told her so now all three of them were just standing there.

Each was thinking that if they went in there they might screw something up. But they also might be just on time for something. Choices, choices.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Since it worked once Rick decided to try it again. He wanted her to call for Charlie so if she couldn't pet him maybe she would call for him.

Rick shuffled backwards, stood up, and put his back against the wall next to the door. "Charlie, come." Rick patted his legs to get him to come to him and Charlie did just that. Lifted his head and came to Rick. "Sit," Rick told him and Charlie sat and looked at him.

Charlie was wearing his vest and he knew he was working. He could just tell this lady needed him but here he was because Rick told him to.

"NO!" Kate complained softly almost instantly. Rick watched her hand searching for Charlie so she could pet him. "NO!" She was still barely talking at all. It was so soft it could almost be missed.

"Call for Charlie. He loves you. So call for Charlie. You want to pet Charlie because he loves you," Rick called out.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Jim!" All three of them could hear Rick's voice but not really what he was saying.

"We wait, Jo. We wait," Jim said. "What have we got to lose?"

However the psychiatrist started to walk that way. "Don't!" Jim warned her. "Just don't." He got her to stop. She was here to help but this wasn't helping.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Charlie. You want to pet Charlie." Rick kept trying.

"...lee." Kate actually said something. It was enough for Rick. So Rick walked to her bed and patted it. "Up, Charlie." He really meant to have him put his head back on her stomach or chest again. Instead Charlie jumped up onto the bed and almost stepped on her.

"Well I asked and I got it." Rick recognized his mistake. "Down, Charlie." He needed to be down before he stepped on her.

Much to Rick's surprise he saw her pet him. "Stay. Charlie, stay," Rick told him. He exited the room and found three people staring at him so he walked over to them.

"I'm not sure exactly how but she said NO twice and LEE which I took to be Char-LEE. Charlie's presently on her bed, laying next to her, being petted. Is that better?" He was a little out of his element here.