Two weeks later Charlotte's called to the ER by Pete. "What do ya got for me, Pete?" Charlotte asks, taking the chart out of his hands.

"It's Jen Peters, she was brought in by ambulance about a half hour ago."

"What for?"

"Drug overdose. According to the paramedics, her son came home from school and found her passed out on the bathroom floor with a bottle of pills nearby."

"Ethan?"

"Apparently Ethan called the neighbor to come over and she called 411."

"Is Jen awake?"

"No, the nurses are pumping her stomach now."

"I should call Cooper." Charlotte picks up her phone. "Cooper, Jen is in the ER for a drug overdose."

"Where's Ethan?"

"I'm guessing he's with a neighbor."

"I'll go over to the apartment to check on him."

Cooper arrives and finds the apartment empty. He knocks on an apartment down the hall where he knows, Ethan's friend, Sean lives. He knocks and a middle aged woman answers "I'm not interested."

"Excuse me?" Cooper asks.

"What ever you're selling, I'm not interested in buying."

"I'm not selling anything. I'm looking for my son, Ethan Peters."

"Oh…you're that doctor father of his, huh?"

"Yep." Cooper nods and shrugs.

"I heard a mouthful about you from Jen, come on in."

"Was it good or bad?"

"I'd call it a mixed review."

"I guess I'll take that." Cooper shrugs. "I'm assuming you let me in because Ethan is here."

"Yeah, my boyfriend took the boys out for some ice cream after their ordeal today."

"You mean Jen being sick."

"I mean Jen knocking herself out with downers." The neighbor lights up a cigarette. "You want one?"

"I don't smoke."

"What happened with Jen?" Cooper asks.

"Jen does this every once in a while. She tries to push her limit with the pills and boom she's out. Shame Ethan always has to be the one to find her but since they live alone it's bound to happen."

"This has happened before?"

"Oh yeah, about every six months or so the medics are here picking her up. This time was the worst though, this time she was completely out cold."

"Isn't she getting help?"

"No. Jen likes her alcohol and weed and pills."

"How is she able to take care of Ethan then?"

"She does the stuff after he goes to bed. I don't know what prompted to take pills this afternoon."

Ethan and his friend Sean come running into the apartment. "Doctor Cooper, what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you, I heard about your mom."

"Is she okay?"

"I didn't go to the hospital, I wanted to check on you first."

"Are you going there now? I want to see my mom."

"I can take you with me but I don't know if your mom is up to visitors yet."

"Please take me. I want to see her. I want to see my mom."

"Okay," Cooper grabs his hand. "Let's go."

Cooper and Ethan arrive at the ER. "Momma Charlotte," Ethan runs up to Charlotte and gives her a hug. Charlotte's aware Pete's eyes are staring as well as some of the nurses. "It's okay , Ethan, your mother is awake now and asking about you, would you like to see her?"

"Yes." The boy nods his head up and down.

Charlotte and Cooper walk him into Jen's hospital room. "Ethan." Jen calls him over. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"It's okay, mommy. Did you take too many pills again?"

"Yeah, silly mommy forgot she took some in the morning and went and took more at lunch, but I'm okay now."

Ethan hugs Jen. "Good, mommy. Are you coming home now?"

"As soon as these doctors sign the papers."

"You can't leave just yet." Charlotte tells her. "We need to monitor your blood to make sure the drugs are out of your system."

"You pumped em all out of me." Jen shoots.

Charlotte looks at Cooper. "Can you take Ethan outside for a soda or something I want to talk to Jen a minute."

"Sure." Cooper answers and takes Ethan down the hall by the hand."

"You need help." Charlotte tells Jen. "I read your chart. This is the second time in less than a year you've been rushed to the ER for a drug overdose."

"I don't need help. Look, I have to work the night shift at the diner tonight. I wanted to get some sleep during the day. I took a few pills and they didn't work so I took a few more. I woke up to use the bathroom and popped a few more to get back to sleep. I lost count and I guess I OD'd. But I'm good to go now."

"Next time Ethan can come home from school and find you dead." Charlotte warns her.

"Wouldn't that make you happy?" Jen glares. "Ethan told me he calls you momma. You'd be happy if I was dead, then you and Cooper could raise Ethan as your own."

"That's not true." Charlotte tells her. "I'm going to be having twins of my own soon, I'm not looking to replace you as Ethan's mother."

"Then why do you have him calling you, momma?"

"He asked if he could call me that because that's what the twins will call me, eventually, and they'll be his siblings. I didn't ask him to do it, he asked me."

"Let me make this clear to you, Fancy Pants. I'm Ethan's mother. I've been the only mother he's known for seven years. You'll only be a stepmother to him. Do you hear me? That's all you'll ever be to my boy."

"Is that what this is about? You're upset I'm going to replace you as Ethan's mother? Because that's ridiculous, I only see him once a month."

"You may only see him once a month but he talks about you everyday. He wonders how the twins are doing and talks about playing battleship with you and looking out some expensive telescope with you. He's supposed to be getting to know his father, but instead it's all about you."

"Ethan takes to me better than Cooper which is bizarre because I've never been a kid person. Heck, I don't even like the dirty little mongrels. I've never been good with kids, but Cooper, he's a kid person. He loves kids."

Jen answers. "It's like with this dog I had when I was a kid. He would run away from anyone who wanted to play with him but he'd always stay by my grandma because she didn't bother with him, she didn't use to like dogs but eventually they became best buds."

"So you're saying Cooper is the annoying person trying to pet the dog, since I'm not trying, Ethan is more comfortable with me."

"I guess that's what I'm saying, but you need to remember I am and always will be Ethan's mother. You are just his father's wife."

"Fine." Charlotte nods. "I going now." Charlotte walks down the hall to find Cooper and Ethan. "Momma Charlotte!" Ethan yells and runs up to her, giving her a big hug.