I really hope you like this chapter; I had a great time writing it!
I just want to say thank you to all those who review my work; it really makes a difference! I give credit to my sounding board, Mere for the idea of this chapter.
Apologies for the inconsistencies of the whole High School terminolgy; Australia runs on a whole different system...thanks for being so patient with me though!
I sat at the kitchen bench the next morning; resting my head in my hands and looking down at the mahogany timber that reflected back at me. With one firm grip around my coffee cup, I used the other hand to smooth over the surface as I wondered where I had gone wrong.
Where did she learn to drink tequila, Meredith.
Those words hung in my mind like a shadow casting over the cloudy lakes of Seattle every morning.
But had I gone wrong and failed my daughter?
How was I to fix this?
Interrupting my thoughts, I saw Charlie enter the kitchen holding her head in one hand and rubbing her stomach with the other; her hangover must have kicked in big time and she was certainly feeling it.
"Good morning," I said to her.
"Mmm…" was the reply.
"Charlie, we need to talk…" I sighed.
"About what?"
"You know very well…"
"Chill mom…I don't need the third degree…"
I felt my ears burn with the intensity of that remark; where did my daughter learn to have such a sharp tongue?
"Chill?" I exclaimed. "You want me to just chill?"
Charlie groaned and put her head down on the counter to let the cool temperature comfort her pounding head.
"Charlotte, I will not chill…I will not chill, because the fact that I saw my fifteen year old daughter, my sweet, innocent little girl stumbling out of a party with a bottle of tequila has pretty well scarred me for life!" I cried. "I have been going over it and over it in my head because I want to understand what possessed you to do such a thing!"
Charlie shook her head.
"I wasn't thinking…"
"You're damn right you weren't!"
Charlie turned and began walking out of the kitchen.
"Charlie…"
"I'm going back to bed!"
I sighed heavily and pressed my now sweating forehead to the table as I wondered what to do next…
I snatched up the phone and dialled Derek's number.
"Hello?"
"Derek, it's me…"
"What is it?"
"We need to talk to Charlie…"
"You will be able to cover that, I'm sure…"
"Derek…we need to do this…"
"Why?"
"Because, regardless of what you may think of me right now…" I sighed. "If you think I am a bad mother, a philandering whore, a horrible person…but in every respect to your thoughts…we need to be a team Derek…"
The other end of the line went silent, and I had to wonder if my speech had fallen upon deaf ears; until one word, one lonely word…
"Okay…"
…gave me some hope.
I hung up the phone and knew that the next step was only imminent.
"Charlie!" I called from the bottom of the staircase.
No answer.
"Charlie, can you come down here please?" I called again.
Charlie appeared at the stop of the staircase, staring back at me surlily as she rested one hand on her hip. She put one foot in front of the other as she slowly made her way down the stairs, letting her hand slide across the banister as she wondered what was going to come of this next apparent lecture.
As she reached the foot of the stairs I reached out and put my arm around her gently as I let my hand rub her shoulder and coax her to come with me into the living room.
As she walked through the door to the living room, she took a deep breath and knew exactly what was happening; as four familiar and saddened faces stared back at her, she looked at me and pleaded for answers.
"Mom…"
"Charlie..." I sighed. "Your dad and I…and Aunty Cristina, Aunty Izzie and Uncle George, think that its best if we all sit and have a talk…"
Charlie tried her best to turn around and fight the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks.
"Come and sit down sweetie…" Izzie sighed as she patted the empty space next to her on the couch.
Charlie allowed herself to agree momentarily as she sat down.
"Charlie…" George said quietly. "Honey, I want to talk to you about something…"
Charlie looked up at him.
"When I was a freshman…so I was your age…" he said to her. "I was invited to a party; you know one of those crazy raves where everyone gets plastered and paired for post party sex…"
Charlie nodded.
"But I did something stupid…" George sighed.
"What did you do?" Charlie's voice was meek.
"I drank so much that I didn't know what I was doing…where I was or how I got there…" George sighed. "My parents had told me I wasn't allowed to go out…but I thought I knew better…"
Charlie shook her head knowingly.
"I took an ecstasy pill that night…" George sighed. "And I had the most adverse reaction that anyone could…"
Charlie gasped.
"My friends called my parents…I was in a coma for two days; my family didn't know if I was going to make it…" George said with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what I would ever do if I was in my parents' situation…if it was you…"
Charlie started to cry as Izzie rested her arm around her distraught niece.
"Charlie…when I was fifteen, I went to a party that I wasn't allowed to go to…" Izzie sighed. "I had a fight with my mom before I left because she told me that some fortune teller had told her about a new life or something or other…"
Charlie wiped away her tears and stared intently at Izzie.
"When I went to the party I met up with a guy…he was a senior and I was excited to just be hanging out with him…" Izzie said.
"Like Jeremy…" Charlie said softly.
"Yes…just like Jeremy…" Izzie replied.
Charlie sighed heavily.
"But…I didn't believe my mom when she told me that boys like that are after only one thing…" Izzie explained. "I didn't listen and just to prove her wrong and to show her that he cared about me…" she grew teary. "I went to the party and had sex with him…"
Charlie's eyes widened.
"Two weeks later…I was staring at the positive reading on the pregnancy test…" Izzie sighed.
Charlie gasped quickly.
"You got pregnant?" she asked.
Izzie nodded.
"Yes…" she replied. "Charlie, I gave birth to my daughter on August 4th in my sophomore year…I attended birthing classes instead of English literature…" she continued. "All because of trying to make one stupid, stupid point…"
"What happened to your daughter?" Charlie asked.
"I had to put her up for adoption…" Izzie replied wiping away her own tears before proceeding to wipe the tears that filled Charlie's eyes.
"Was it hard?" Charlie asked.
"It was hell…" Izzie said. "And honey…" she swooped Charlie's fringe out of her face. "I don't want you to have to go through that type of hell…"
Cristina stood up and shuffled onto the couch next to Charlie.
"My turn…" she said.
Charlie let Cristina take a firm grip on her hands.
"This story is a little different because I was a little younger…" she said shakily. "But when I was nine years old I was in a car accident with my dad…"
Charlie frowned and felt another fresh wave of tears come over her.
"Charlie, I called 911 but they didn't come quick enough…my dad bled out in front of me…" Cristina sighed. "And I looked over at the other car and saw the paramedics and the fire brigade get the jaws of life to pull a fifteen year old boy from the wreckage of the other car…"
At this point, it was my turn to draw a gasp; while I knew the extent of this story to a certain degree I had never heard this side…never had I known this tale…
"When my mom arrived on the scene, I heard the police tell her that the driver who killed my father…my dad…was a fifteen year old boy who was five times over the legal limit, high as a kite on pot and unlicensed!" Cristina cried. "A fifteen year old boy…"
I felt myself start to cry as Cristina's emotions got the better of her for a moment.
"Charlie…" she cupped her hands around her face. "At fifteen years old… we all do stupid things… but don't ever, ever use your stupidity to risk your own life or endanger others!"
"What happened to the boy…?" Charlie asked.
"As the jaws removed him from the wreckage…the internal bleeding started at a full speed and he bled out before they made it to the hospital…" Cristina sighed as she wiped away a fresh lot of tears from her face.
As I watched Charlie break down from the stories that filled the four walls of this house, leaving unspoken truths hanging by a thread, I felt Derek's hand slip into mine and tighten.
"Charlie…" I sighed.
Charlie looked up at me, wondering what story I could possibly throw into the air after all of these.
"Honey…we love you…"
"I know…" she replied.
"But what you did last night…"
Charlie started to cry once more and made her way over to me where she cried in my arms.
"I'm sorry mom…" she sobbed.
"We love you too much to see you do so much harm…" Derek sighed as he ran his hands through her hair.
"We know the separation has been hard on you sweetie…" I said, knowing that it could may well be the root of the problem.
"I miss having you here dad…" Charlie said tearily as she looked up at Derek.
"I know honey…" Derek replied as he brushed tears from her eyes.
I looked at Derek with my eyes pleading for something more than that sentence which escaped his mouth.
Cristina, Izzie and George took the time to move into the kitchen so that Derek and I could sit with Charlie for a little longer.
"I never knew…" Charlie said softly. "I didn't know how my actions could hurt other people…"
How my actions could hurt other people…
The significance of such a line said so much to Derek and I in that moment.
"Honey, go and have a drink so that mom and I can talk…" Derek told Charlie as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I love you so much,"
"I'm sorry dad…"
"It's okay…"
As she walked out of the room I turned to Derek confused and partially wondering what he was going to say next. I had no doubt in my mind that Derek and I were better parents together…but I didn't know if he understood that.
"We're better parents when we're together Meredith…"
He did.
"I can't bear the thought that we aren't there for our kids…" he sighed as he took my hands.
"I know…" I managed to say.
"We need to make this work…" he told me as his lips drew closer to mine.
I felt the pull of his aura sweeping me off my feet once more as though we were only just meeting; his lips were so close to mine that the sparks were electrifying and I could almost feel them on mine.
"Derek…" I sighed.
"We have to make this work…" he said as finally his lips touched mine.
And at that moment, it was all I needed and all I wanted, for it had been too long since our souls had touched.
Okay, so they are realising something here - stick with me because I think you will enjoy the next chapter!!
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