ONE MONTH LATER:
"Tonight's your night to hang with Ethan. Do you think he'll try and back out?" Charlotte asks Cooper.
"Wouldn't surprise me." Cooper's phone beeps. He picks it up. "Were your ears ringing? We were just talking about you, well not you, but Ethan. Is he still coming over tonight?"
Jen answers, "Ethan's afraid of thunderstorms and it's going to thunder tonight."
"We'll keep him inside and watch a movie."
"Hold on let me ask him again."
A few minutes later Jen comes back on the phone. "Get this: He'll only come if your wife is going to be there. He doesn't want to go unless Charlotte will be home."
"What?"
"I don't like it either. I'm not crazy about him spending time with your wife after she tried to bribe me to take him out of town, but Ethan likes her and Ethan is who counts."
"Tell Ethan, Charlotte will be here."
That evening Pete brings Ethan by the apartment. The boy smiles at Charlotte and asks, "Dr. King. How are the twins doing in your belly? Can I feel them move again?"
"They usually start moving a lot when I settle down and after a snack so when I feel them I'll let you know."
"Yay. I can't wait."
"Hi Ethan. I'm here too." Cooper gives a little wave.
"Oh, hi, Dr. Cooper."
"What would you like to eat tonight, Ethan?"
"Whatever."
"I can make tacos or hot dogs or spaghetti?"
"Tacos." Ethan sits on the couch and turns the TV on.
"Hey Ethan, do you want to play a game of Battleship with me?" Charlotte asks.
"I love Battleship. I didn't know you had the game?"
"I just bought it today. I figured I have to learn how to play these kids games since I'm going to be a mom soon. Do you think you can teach me how to play?"
"Yeah! I want to be the red pegs."
"Okay. Let's play." Charlotte and Ethan play the Battleship board game while Cooper cooks up some tacos for them for dinner. "Dinner's ready." Cooper calls.
While they're eating the wind begins to howl and the thunder begins.
"Are you okay, Ethan?"
"I want to go home. I don't like thunderstorms."
"We're safe inside. There's nothing to be afraid of Ethan." Cooper smiles
"I want to go home. I want my mom."
"What does your mom do with you in a thunderstorm?" Charlotte asks.
"We sit on her bed under the blankets and watch TV and drink hot cocoa, even in the summer."
"I don't think we have hot cocoa." Charlotte tells him.
"It's okay. I'll go to the store and buy some." Cooper offers.
Cooper goes to the store and comes back drenched. "What took you so long?" Charlotte asks.
"It a torrential downpour. I had to crawl as I drove to the store. I could hardly see anything out the window with all the rain."
"Maybe Ethan can stay over." Charlotte suggests. "I don't want Pete to have to drive in this rain to take Ethan home."
"I don't want to go out in the rain," Ethan says.
"I'll go change and then call your mom to see if you can stay with us tonight." Cooper goes into the bedroom to change and closes the door. After a few minutes he comes out in dry clothes. "Your mother said it's fine for you to stay here."
"Can we watch TV in your bed under the covers?" Ethan asks Charlotte.
"I don't see why not."
Charlotte, Cooper and Ethan all get under the covers and drink hot cocoa while watching TV. "Here Ethan, feel. The babies are moving." Ethan puts his hands on Charlotte's belly and smiles at the feeling. "I can't wait to be a big brother. I'm going to teach them everything."
"I bet you are." Charlotte laughs.
"Can I feel?" Cooper asks.
"No!" Ethan tells him. "You shouldn't touch her belly. That's not appropriate, you're a grown man."
Charlotte and Cooper exchange glances and they both chuckle. "It's okay Ethan, we're married. I give him permission to touch my belly." Cooper puts his hands on Charlotte's belly.
"Eww!" Ethan moves so he's on Charlotte's other side and now Charlotte is sitting in the middle between Cooper and Ethan." After the movies over. Cooper makes Ethan brush his teeth with a spare toothbrush and use the bathroom. "Say good night to Dr. King"
"Good night, Dr. King." Ethan climbs back on the bed next to her and gives her a hug.
Charlotte hugs him back. "Can I call you mommy?" Ethan asks.
Charlotte and Cooper are stunned.
Charlotte finally answers, "why do you want to do that? You have a mommy."
"I know but the twins will be my little brother and sister and they'll call you mommy and I have to call you Dr. King."
"How about if you call me, momma. I'm from the south, there we say momma. I'll probably have the twins call me momma."
"Okay, then my mommy can still be my mommy and you can be my momma just like with the twins."
"I like it." Charlotte tweaks his nose.
"What about me?" Cooper asks. "Do you want to call me dad instead of Dr. Cooper now?"
"I guess."
"Okay, time to go to sleep. Goodnight Ethan." Charlotte kisses his forehead.
"Good night, momma." Ethan smiles.
"Good night, Ethan." Cooper gives him a kiss on the head.
"Goodnight," is all Ethan's says.
"Do you mind if your dad and I go into the living room and watch some TV there while you sleep?"
"Don't leave me, Momma Charlotte. I'm scared of the thunder and I don't have Reilly."
"Who's Reilly?"
"He's my bear. I sleep with him every night. I can't sleep without him." Ethan starts to cry.
Cooper looks at Charlotte, "Should I go and get Reilly for him?"
Charlotte looks at Ethan crying. "I guess it would help."
"That means I have to see Jen."
"I trust you." Charlotte rubs Ethan's back while he cries.
"I'll be as fast as I can but the rain is heavy so it might take me longer."
"I trust you." Charlotte gives Cooper a soft kiss goodbye. "Be careful driving in this."