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The Following Morning

Charlotte's at work the next morning and Dr. Todd Turi, the new pediatrician, asks her for help to calm down a hysterical mother. He's just given the mother some uneasy news about her child's condition. Charlotte follows him into his office. Charlotte's able to soothe the child's mother fairly quickly while Dr. Turi plays with the child. Once the mother and child leave he walks Charlotte back to her office.

"Thanks Charlotte. I tried talking to that mom for half an hour and you were able to calm her down in ten minutes." Dr. Todd Turi is twenty eight years old and fresh out of residency. The tall dirty blonde doctor is filling in for Cooper until he is able to return to work.

Charlotte pats the new doc on the back. "You'll catch on. It's years of experience as Chief of Staff and experience as a mom. None of which you have."

"I'm much better with the children than I am with the parents." He confesses.

"You're gonna to have to learn to deal with the parents if your specializing in pediatrics." Charlotte advises him. "Along with every darlin' child comes a frantic parent."

"You know a lot about pediatrics." Todd asks. "I thought you were the sexologist slash urologist around here?"

"I am." She looks over the tall well built doctor. "My husband's Dr. Cooper Freedman the pediatrician you're filling in for."

"Oh. So that's how you know so much about pediatrics?" Dr. Turi asks.

"That and as Chief of Staff I need to be knowledgable in all the specialties." She answers as they walk towards her office together.

"I wasn't aware you were Chief of Staff?" He's impressed. "At what hospital?"

"I was the Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose for five years?" She answers proudly.

"Why aren't you anymore?" Todd asks. They stop as they reach the door to her office.

"I gave it up two and a half years ago after my son was born." She tells him.

"Ah. I understand." Todd nods his head. " Well, I certainly know who I'm going to call whenever I need help around here." He smiles and starts to walk away.

Charlotte loves the flattery. She could use the uplift after the fight she had with Coop the night before.

"Dr. King" The receptionist calls down the hall. "Dr. Freedman called he's not going to be able to meet you for lunch this afternoon."

"Thanks." Charlotte looks down and thinks Cooper's still stewing over their argument last night. She wishes he could be as excited for her as she is over the job offer at St. Ambrose. She was hopeful when they talked about going out to lunch. Cooper hardly leaves the house anymore unless it's for physical therapy. She feels guilty that the argument took his nerve away. it'll be another day of him just sitting home with Allison and the kids.

"Good, that means your free for lunch." Todds tells her "I'll take you out as a payback for helping me with that mom."

"Sure. Why not?" Charlotte shrugs her shoulders and goes back to work trying not to think about Cooper.

"How does twelve thirty sound to you?" Todd calls after her.

"Sounds good." Charlotte answers.

For lunch Charlotte and Dr. Todd Turi decide on a casual pizza restaurant. Todd's keeps takes good care of himself. His short dirty blonde hair is neatly trimmed and his hazel eyes change color depending on what he's wearing. Charlotte notices sometimes they appear green and other times a light golden brown. He's youngest and the most stylish doctor at OCW.

"How's your husband doing?" He folds up his pizza to eat it.

"Cooper's slowly making progress. I figure it'll be a few more months before he's ready to come back to work. His legs are still pretty weak. He needs a walker and braces to get around." Charlotte eats a salad.

"How are his spirits? That has to be rough."

"His spirits are usually good but today I'm afraid his spirits are down and that's my fault." She digs her fork into her salad.

"Why?" Todd asks as he takes a bite of pizza.

"I was offered my old job back as Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose. I want to take it and he doesn't want me too. He wants me home as much as possible."

"Can't blame him for that." Todd pauses and wishes he could take back those words but they already left his mouth. How does he explain what he just said? "Sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"How did you mean it?" Charlotte can tell she's making the the young doctor nervous but decides to stick with it. " Did you mean it as a chauvinist, that thinks the woman belongs home with the kids or…..."

Todd interrupts "No. I didn't mean it that way."

"What did you mean by it?" Charlotte's having fun watching the young doctor squirm his way around his words.

Todd looks down at his plate. He might as well just say it. There's really no good way out of it. "I meant because you're... well ...attractive. If you were my wife I'd want you to be home with me as much as possible too." He doesn't look her in the eye now.

Charlotte grins. "Thank you. You're not bad lookin' yourself."

Todd's relieved she's not mad and looks up at her. "So what will you do?" Take the job or pass?"

"I haven't decided yet. I want to take it but not if it's gonna mean sacrificing my marraige." Charlotte picks at her salad.

"It wouldn't bother me if my wife wanted to better herself with her career. Except I don't have a wife ...yet"

"Are you dating anyone?" Charlotte asks.

"Just playing the field right now. During residency I was too busy to date seriously but I'm ready now. If you have a sister like yourself, I'll take her."

"Aren't you full of compliments today?" It's just what Charlotte needed to get her out of her sour mood. "Are you ready to get back to work now?" Charlotte gets up.

"I am. Ladies first." He holds out his hand for Charlotte to step in front of him.

"Hold on." Charlotte takes her napkin and wipes away a spot of sauce on his tie.

"I guess I do need a woman to take care of me." He laughs and Charlotte smiles at him.

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Charlotte arrives home from work. Cooper's in the kitchen again. "I sent Allison home already. It's pretty late. Your dinner's in the oven keeping warm." Cooper makes his way out of the kitchen with his walker.

"Wait Cooper! I want to talk to you."

Cooper stops and turns around.

"What is it?"

"I want to take the job at St. Ambrose. I really want this Cooper."

"I told you I don't think it's a good idea. But do what you want Charlotte. It's your life. It's all about you after all." Cooper raises his voice.

Charlotte gets up "What's that supposed to mean? I gave up working for two years after Bryce was born. It's not all about me!" Charlotte raises her voice right back at him.

"Two years! Two freakin years Charlotte is all you gave up for your family and I can't walk without this damn thing." He shakes his walker. "How's that fair?"

"Owww!" Charlotte suddenly keels over holding her abdomen.

"What's wrong?" Cooper stares at her.

"I don't know. I've got cramps. Bad cramps." She holds her hand over her lower belly.

"Okay calm down. Sit down." Cooper's talking in a soothing voice now.

"I need to go to the bathroom." Charlotte walks briskly out of the kitchen.

Cooper gasps out loud.

"What? What's wrong? Charlotte turns and asks.

"Charlotte, there's blood on the back of your pants. I'm sorry Char." Cooper stares at her frozen for a moment, knowing what this means. Charlotte runs to the bathroom.

Cooper waits nervously outside the bathroom door. "Are you okay in there Char?"

"No. No I'm not okay" She comes out of the bathroom wearing her robe. Her eyes are red from crying. "There's too much blood. I ... I lost the….."

Cooper interrupts. "I know. I know." He wraps one arm around her while supporting himself with his walker with the other arm. Charlotte sobs with her head against his chest. He tries to remain strong both physically and emotionally for her. He feels himself weakening in both areas. He begins crying with her then he feels his legs go weak. His legs begin to shake. He can't hold himself up any longer. He falls forward and they both tumble to the ground. He's lands on top of her. She's startled and looks up at him. He's humiliated that he dropped her and fell on her; she can tell.

"It's okay Coop. It'll be okay." She wraps both her arms around him. He sobs into her neck while still lying on top of her. He sobs for the baby they just lost and that he couldn't hold her up. He sobs that he let them both fall. His wife just had a miscarriage and here she is comforting him. What kind of man is he? He thinks to himself in sheer humiliation.

Charlotte lies underneath him and cries, but it feels good to be surrounded by the warmth of his body at this moment of grief in her life. She feels safe in Cooper's arms and wishes she could stay like this forever.

"Just hold me Cooper. Please just hold me." She tells him.

He swallows and wipes away his own tears. "I'm here Charlotte. I'm not going anywhere." He couldn't even if he wanted to. His legs are still weak and his walker fell out of his reach. He's going to have to drag himself to reach it and try to stand. He doesn't want Charlotte to see him do that.

"I'm sorry Cooper. Do you blame me?" Charlotte asks through tears.

"Of course I don't blame you." Cooper rubs her head.

"I've been working so much lately and I thought maybe..."

Cooper interrupts. "What does your work have to do with it?"

"I thought maybe the stress of working so much could have contributed. Maybe if I rested more." She buries her face in his chest.

"You're talking about losing the baby? You're asking me if I blame you for this miscarraige? Of course not Char." Cooper just now realizes she's asking about the miscarraige. He thought she was referring to if he blamed her for the accident. That seems to be on his mind a lot.

"Really? Because I can't help but think if I would have taken it easier." Charlotte goes on talking through tears.

"Come on Char! We're both doctors and you know stress doesn't cause a miscarraige unless it's severe, unusual stress and you don't have that. Besides you worked when you were pregnant with Bryce right up until your due date. You worked both jobs when you were pregnant with Bryce and he was fine." Cooper points out. "This baby probably had some type of genetic defect that caused you to miscarry." Cooper pulls himself up so he's leaning against the bed.

She thinks about it and sits up next to him. They're both leaning against the bed now. "I just feel so ...sad."

Cooper wraps an arm around her. "Don't feel sad. We have two healthy children, a boy and a girl."

"But you wanted more. I wanted more and now..." Charlotte twiddles her thumbs together as she looks at them and talks.

Cooper tells her "And we will have more. I know my body isn't strong enough to perform like that yet but I'll get there Charlotte. I promise I'll get there."

Charlotte takes his hand and squeezes it. "I know you will Coop." She hopes he will because it's been a long time. They haven't been intimate since the accident and Cooper doesn't want to try the alternative ways offered in Charlotte's sexology manual for the handicapped just yet.

"Are you ready to go to bed now?" Cooper asks.

Charlotte gets up and brings Cooper his walker. "Do you need any help getting into bed?" She asks.

Cooper pulls himself up to a standing postition with his walker and tells her. "Tonight I'm helping you. Tell me what you need?"

Charlotte lies down on the bed and reaches her arms out to him. "I need you to hold me tonight."

"That's it?" Cooper asks as he lies next to her on the bed.

"That's everything." She whispers as he pulls her into an embrace.

He holds her tight against him and rubs her back until she falls asleep in his arms.

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