"What are you doing?" Santana asked Charlie who was trying to get off the hospital bed and make a beeline out of the hospital. "They still need to get you fitted for a cast."

Charlie glanced up at her mate, who was currently carrying some snacks from the vending machine. "Santana, I can't afford all this."

"Who said you were paying for any of this?" Santana questioned.

"I already owe my dad like all my winnings, I was going to start paying him back, if I keep adding to my bill I might as well become his indentured servant," Charlie replied looking around. "If I can do this every couple of months—"

Santana raised her hand to stop Charlie, "Charlie, my dad is paying for it. Kind of. Somebody owes him a favor or something, but he insists."

Charlie's body goes rigid, "Santana—"

"You really want to argue with my dad? He's spent decades with my mom, so he's really good at arguing."

"I can pay, I'll take some of the money I earned last night and I'll pay for it. It's bad enough that I owe my father thousands of dollars, but I don't want your dad to think that I'm—" Charlie swallows. "I made a lot of money fighting, I can provide for you and they're having another tournament next month."

"Charlie this isn't about providing," Santana sighed, "You got hurt and now someone is trying to help you and you are being a big dumb alpha about it instead of just accepting someone's kindness. He's not judging you, he just wants to help."

"I can pay for myself," Charlie insisted immediately. Of course Santana's father was judging her. The idea of an alpha not being able to provide for her omega, how could he not judge her? "I'll just have to push back paying my dad back. The hospital has to have a payment plan right? Just so I can get a bit more time."

A knock on the door interrupts them. Carlos slowly opens the door when he's given the go ahead, "Hey Charlie, you're finally awake. Good, you had Santana worried for a second there. Mija, can you go get Harper from the waiting room? Quinn and Rachel have been waiting with her all day."

Santana nods, and shoots a questioning look to her father, who gives her nothing in return. She didn't look back as she left the room, but she could already smell Charlie's pheromones at an all time high.

"Dr. Lopez—"

"You're not a burden for needing help. In fact, it makes you a stronger alpha to accept help when it's needed; it shows your omega you care for yourself." Carlos started.

"What is it with you Lopez's and interrupting people?" Charlie muttered, picking at some lint with her good hand.

"It's genetic," Carlos replies with an amused smile. "Now, since Santana's not here, it might be the one time I get to talk to you without her hovering. I need to know what your intentions are with my daughter. You two haven't mated, and the way Santana complains I know the two of you aren't having sex."

Charlie flushed and looked away, "It's not that I don't want to—but I can't mate with her. I keep telling her that I'm not good enough for her but she doesn't get it. She should find a better alpha, a stronger alpha, one that can support her."

"Idota," he chuckled, "The last alpha who pursued Santana was brought to my very own hospital because she broke all his fingers on one hand when he tried to hold it. She was 12. She doesn't want anyone else, Charlie, she wants you."

"All his—" Charlie swallows before smiling. "I want to be a family with Sanana. Harper, Santana and me, I want us to be our own little family, but I can't support Santana. I can barely afford to feed Harper on time, and I don't want to put that all on Santana."

"Mi Santanita can take care of herself. You have a beautiful mate, and a wonderful daughter, and yet you sell yourself short because you aren't making money? Please, when my beautiful mate finished school, no one would hire her. I was doing all the money making during my residency. Are you saying that makes my wife less of an alpha because she would stay home, take care of our daughter, and actively look for jobs in a field run by old white alphas with outdated views who told her she didn't belong?"

"I'm not selling myself short, I beat up my old boss. Harper's mother wants to get full custody of Harper because Santana's going to be a surgeon, and I don't know how to protect her. And Santana—I'm pretty sure that Santana thinks I'm weak just like Mack."

"I think you're what now?" Santana questioned as she entered the room. She had caught the tail end of what Charlie had said and she had nearly dropped Harper's carrier.

"That I'm weak," Charlie swallows.

"But you won your fight, right? I bet if you actually trained in a real gym, doing legal fighting you could make a lot of money," he winked at Charlie before yawning loudly, "I better go home, it's been a very long day. I love you, mija. Charlie, don't be afraid to call okay?"

Santana lets her father give her a kiss on the temple, and waits till he closes the door. "You're weak?" Santana repeats. "Do I look like a garbage person?"

"What?" Charlie asks.

"Mack, do I look like Mac?" Santana questions getting irritated at just how dumb her mate was.

"No, but—" Charlie swallows and falls back onto the bed as Santana takes a step towards her. "Quinn said that you wanted me to come to your graduation—but you never asked me. Is it because you found out?"

"If you had waited a day, I was actually going to ask you to a spontaneous brunch with you and your heathen. Then I was going to ask you and you were going to say no and then I was going to seduce you into saying yes," Santana huffed, her face hot and her head foggy.

Charlie swallowed, suddenly feeling stupid. "Oh. I just thought—Quinn—"

"Ruins everything, you're her twin you should know that," Santana finishes for Charlie stepping into her personal space. She paused for a minute as the fog cleared for a brief moment, "You were upset that I didn't invite you—you want to come?"

Charlie nodded, pulling Santana just a bit closer to her, being near her right now was dizzying. "You smell really good," she mumbled. Santana leaned in closer, and her smell filled all of Charlie's senses.

With all the self control she had left, she smiled coyly, and whispered into Charlie's ear, "Do I?" She nipped at Charlie's ear, "You know what else smells amazing? Fresh air, so let's get your cast so we can get the hell out of here and I can stop carrying your spawn around like she's mine." Santana pulled away abruptly, and presented a sleeping Harper in front of Charlie, "Quinn and Rachel said that she was good the whole time we were waiting, and as much as she drives me crazy, Rachel made a good point about hospitals being full of germs and being not good for babies."

Charlie looked down at Harper for a moment and then back at Santana, for a moment a look of disappointment flashed across Charlie's face, before she nodded. "You're right it's not good for babies." Charlie admits. "Quinn should have called mom, she shouldn't be here." Charlie said, pulling away from Santana and taking Harper.

Santana narrowed her eyes slightly, Charlie had spent most of the day trying to get into her pants. Her desperation had been cute, and yet for some reason Charlie's body language was telling her that she probably wouldn't be having any sex tonight. "Once your mom picks up Harper, we can maybe have some fun?"

"You're in heat," Charlie responds bluntly, as she places Harper's carrier on the bed beside her.

"Yes, thank you Charlie, I believe the entire wing knows exactly what's happening right about now," Santana stated bluntly, she wasn't sure what she did but she didn't like Charlie's cold shoulder.

"I don't need a cast. I think me and Harper should just head home and I should sleep while I can," Charlie said looking at her swollen hand. "I should be fine with a bit of rest right?"

"Two seconds ago you were ready to get naked with me and show me how much of an alpha you were, or whatever gets your motor working and now you can't even look at me? What did I do?"

"Nothing, just remembered that this is a hospital, and I don't want Harper here any longer than she needs to be."

"Bullshit. Charlie—"

"Santana I—"

"No. Interrupting is my thing. Do it again and I break your other hand," Santana threatened, "Now I came and returned your crotch goblin to its rightful owner which you know I don't like doing because she cries every time I pick her up. We got to play happy family for a few minutes, and now you're pulling away. Spill, I won't ask again."

"Harper is my family."

"What?" Santana asked, confusion on her face.

"Harper is my family. She's important to me. I need an omega who understands that and will love Harper as much as I do. You don't like kids Santana, and even though you smell really good. I need to be with someone who loves Harper as much as I do."

"I don't like anyone," Santana reasoned, "Now Harper isn't on my shit list, but she's definitely not my favorite gremlin in the world either. Ask me where she stands on that list after I have to change her diaper again since Quinn and Rachel keep making me do it."

"Me and Harper are a package deal Santana. I'm not going to invite someone into my life who won't treat Harper like their kid. I can't be with an omega who would treat Harper differently from their kid either, and I know that means that I might be alone forever, but it's my job to protect Harper. She didn't ask for any of this and I'm responsible for her."

Santana guffawed, "Their kid? I don't want kids in general. Have you seen my ass? It will not be covered in cottage cheese because I had to have a tiny poop machine coming out of my vagina. I've seen the weight gain and cravings on other girls, and I refuse to put myself through that."

Charlie clenches her good fist and turns to Satnana trying to get her to back away. She stands to her full height trying to impose her will onto Santana. "This isn't a joke Santana. I know Harper isn't yours, I know she's Mack's and you hate Mack, but Harper's not guilty of that. And I don't want her to think that she's got to be like Mack, I want her to be like you. I want her to look up to you and want to grow up to be you."

"Harper isn't mine, Charlie. But she is yours, which is why I even tolerated her in the first place," Santana argued, "If I didn't want her here she would have been long gone by now, especially since you've been in and out of consciousness for the past 6 hours. I've heard it's pretty easy to sell babies these days."

The growl that erupts from Charlie's lips is enough to startle Harper awake and she immediately deflates and turns to try and soothe her daughter. "I'm sorry Harper." Charlie mumbled, managing to get her daughter to fall back to sleep. "I don't think we should see each other anymore Santana. I need to trust my omega with my daughter, and I thought maybe you could grow to love her as much as I do, but I can tell you've got no interest in that."

"Did you not hear that I've been taking care of her? I'm not her mother, Charlie, I refuse to be. I've never wanted to be a mother and yet I've put my feelings aside to help you when no one else would. When you're ready to stop being a dick, you have my number."

In tune to Rachel Berry, Santana stormed out of the room, covered in sweat and face red from yelling. She didn't give a fuck who heard their argument, she just needed to get out of this stupid hospital away from her stupid mate.