Hi all, thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoy this next mega-angsty chapter! As always, reviews mean the world to me.

Enjoy.

-K

*** Oh, and quick note - to the anonymous someone who left a lovely comment about how I keep addressing Charlotte as "the older woman" and Amelia as "younger"...I do realize they are not extremely far apart in age, but its just a way to differentiate between the two. No need to get all worked up.***

Chapter 4

Addison returned to the group, slumping down in her seat. Cooper raised an eyebrow, but the redhead just shrugged, unable to give much information at this point.

"She hates me." Amelia, who was beginning to sweat again, spoke in a hushed tone.

"No she doesn't." Cooper replied. "She's just…being Charlotte."

"Then why are you all here, and she isn't?" She asked, avoiding eye contact. She could feel them all looking at her, and would give everything for just a few moments of alone time.

"I don't hate you and I am here." Charlotte waltzed into the room, casually taking a seat next to Amelia. "You're sweating again." She pointed out. "Starting to shake too."

"Charlotte." The brunette looked up at the older woman, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry for…for what I said to you."

"It's nothing." Charlotte dismissed the thought. "I'm sorry too, for over-reacting like I did. You're going through hell right now, don't really mean what you say." She shifted in her seat. "No need to apologize now anyway, plenty of time for that once you're sober…but you know that already." Charlotte was speaking to Amelia as if she were a patient, rather than a friend. She knew that her tone was coming off a bit icy, but worried that if she acted any other way she may seem weak to her colleagues and friends.

Charlotte leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "So, what'd I miss?" She glanced around the room. "Obviously someone gave this girl some oxy or she'd be tearin' her hair out by now."

"We did...I did." Addison clarified. "Fifty milligrams…she wouldn't have stayed without it. It was the only way we could get her to listen to us."

"And are you listenin', Amelia?" The blonde focused her attention on the young doctor again. "Or are you just biding your time until everyone gets tired of talking?"

"I don't know." Amelia pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Don't give me that, of course you know. You've got it all figured out. Eventually everyone's got to get home, right? Can't sit out here talking to you forever." She nodded. "Once they tire out and let you go home, you'll do all the drugs you can get your pretty little hands on."

"I don't have anything figured out."

Charlotte laughed, "I think you do."

"Stop it, Charlotte." Amelia fired back, her tone finally above a whisper for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"Your mind isn't your own, and you're taking all of us for fools. Thinking we'll just let you go so easy."

"You can't just keep me here. I want to go home." The brunette stammered. "To sleep. I just need to sleep."

"Bullshit."

"Charlotte!" Violet intervened.

"What, Violet? Think you can do better? Think your shrink talk will do her any good?" She snapped. "I know what Amelia's going through, and I also know that she is being controlled entirely by her addiction. She'll pull any trick in the book to get more drugs, and I will be damned if I let that happen!"

"Look at me." She propped herself up in front of Amelia. "Look…" She cupped her face, forcing the younger woman to look back at her. "…at me." She could see that she had her attention and focus. "Good. Now listen...I care about you, okay? I confide in you. I trust you."

"And she doesn't trust anyone." Cooper interrupted.

"Now I'm not going to sit here tellin' you how brilliant and beautiful you are, or how you'll wind up dead if you don't stop what you're doing. What I will tell you is that you are strong." She firmly took her hands. "You are so much stronger than you even care to admit, and you can kick this, Amelia. You can get sober."

Amelia felt the tears she had been holding back since the morning, and knew it was useless to try and stop them. "I can't." She whimpered.

"Yes you can." Charlotte's tone softened. "I'll help you…we'll all help you." She clarified.

"I…." The brunette gasped to catch her breath. "…am so scared." She cries intensified, and she began to shake even more. "I'm so scared, Charlotte."

"I know. I know you are." Her grasp on the younger woman's hands tightened.

Amelia was now sobbing. It was as if all of her pent-up emotion from the past few months decided to come crashing down at this exact moment.

For a moment, Charlotte was left dumbfounded. Emotion was not her strongest suit, and she was unsure how to handle Amelia. She felt a light squeeze on her shoulder, and looked up to see Sheldon.

"I can take it from here." He gave a sad smile, allowing Charlotte to move away as he took Amelia into his arms. "You did good, Char." He then turned his attention towared Amelia, soothing and rocking her gently.

Charlotte took a breath, getting up and rounding the corner. She leaned back against the wall, taking slow, deep breaths to keep herself in control. You did good, she told herself. You did good.