The meeting at the adoption agency lasts an hour and a half and on the drive back to the hospital, Charlotte's thoroughly regretting giving the ok for Cooper to talk to the social worker. She's been jumpy all afternoon. Even the rustling of the wind has been making her heart beat faster. Not only is she nervous about taking care of Betsey, but she's also trying to deal with lingering feelings of her assault, which she's been painfully reminded of a lot recently. She pulls on her seatbelt until it locks and nibbles on the inside of her lip.
Cooper pulls into St. Ambrose's parking lot and inches his car into a spot. He kills the engine and glances over at Charlotte. "Char, are you ok?"
Charlotte raises an eyebrow and turns her head. "Huh?"
"Everything ok?"
She nods. "Course. I'm just tired." She unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. She rubs her palms together and walks over to the curb. She tries to remind herself that she's just the babysitter. It doesn't seem so scary or intimidating when she puts it that way. She steps over to him and they walk into the hospital. "I need to grab somethin' from my office. Where are you gonna be?"
"I'll be in Betsey's room."
"Ok. I'll meet you in there." She disappears towards her office, her heart pounding as she makes her way down the hallway.
He sighs. She's been acting strange all day, but she's not talking, so he has no idea what's wrong. He's assuming she's nervous about having Betsey stay with them for the next few days, but he's not completely sure. He heads towards the elevator and rides it up to the pediatric floor.
By ten o'clock, Charlotte's back in the passenger seat, watching the trees, buildings, and various city lights blur, as they whiz past on the way to the loft.
Cooper glances in his rearview mirror, checking on Betsey who's asleep on his backseat. He turns his head, looking at Charlotte, and sighs. "Hey."
Charlotte turns her head and fakes a smile.
"It's ok to be nervous about having a kid in the house."
She sighs and fights off a yawn.
"Why don't you take a long shower when we get home? I'll put Betsey to bed and make sure she's comfortable. You look like you've had a long day."
She nods.
She's being too quiet for his liking. It's scaring him. She's not normally a talker, but she's eerily silence right now. He flicks on his blinker and turns the corner. "I love you."
She lets out a breath. "I'm ok, Coop."
"You're scaring me."
"I'm fine. Like I said earlier, it's just been one of those days."
He pulls into the parking garage and grabs his usual parking spot. "If it helps, think of us as Betsey's babysitters."
She laughs. He read my mind. She's a little comforted by that. Plus, she reminds herself she's not doing this alone, he's here. She gets out of the car and opens the back door. She gently nudges Betsey.
Betsey opens her eyes and stretches. She looks around, confused for a second, and then relaxes. "Are we home?"
She nods. "Hop out, kiddo."
Betsey unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car. "My head hurts, Charlotte."
She grabs the little girl's hand and nods. "Let's go upstairs and then we'll give you your medicine."
Betsey nods and yawns, tightening her grip on Charlotte's hand.
Cooper smiles. Charlotte's gonna be fine, he thinks and then follows the two girls out of the parking structure.
Cooper's sitting up in bed when Charlotte walks out of the bathroom, a puff of steam trailing behind her. He smiles. "Feel better?"
Charlotte nods as she crawls into bed beside him. "A little."
He puts his magazine on the bedside table and tucks a piece of her damp hair behind her ear. "You wanna talk about your day?" He pauses. "I'll go first."
She urges him on and gets more comfortable.
"My patient, she's not going to wake up and her father," he swallows, "he wants to euthanize her. She's just a kid."
She blinks and shifts uncomfortably, fiddling with her wedding ring. "I've been dealin' with a patient," she wets her lips and looks down at her hands, "who was raped."
His shoulders drop and he twists his body more towards her. Suddenly, his day doesn't sound so bad. "Oh, sweetie."
She shakes her head. "Don't do that."
He sighs. "No wonder you've been so quiet." He reaches for her hand and brushes his thumb against her knuckles.
She looks at him and smiles, a thin layer of tears coating her eyes. "Is Betsey tucked in?" She asks, changing the subject as quick as she can.
He nods. "She's asleep."
"Good." She turns off the light and rolls onto her side. She pulls the sheets up and closes her eyes. She hopes she doesn't wake up screaming, but she won't be surprised if she does.
He leans over and presses a kiss to the side of her head. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Coop."
He runs his fingers through her hair and brushes his thumb against her cheek. "The real adventure starts tomorrow."
She opens her eyes and tilts her head, looking at him. "If I say I don't wanna do this, go through with the adoption—." She shakes her head. "Never mind." She rolls over, facing the bathroom and closes her eyes.
He lets it go and scoots closer to her. He kisses her on the shoulder and then closes his eyes, falling asleep shortly after.
It takes her a while, but she manages to drift off to sleep at a relatively decent hour.