X x x x X X x x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x -BOOK TWO- CHAPTER FOUR-MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL-X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x x X x xX x x

Charlotte rushes into work fifteen minutes late and is greeted by Dr. Todd Turi. "Oversleep?" He smiles.

"No. The babysitter called in sick at the last minute. I had to drive the kids across town to a drop off day care center." She hurries into her office and drops her purse on her desk.

"Can't Cooper watch them for a day without a nanny?" Todd asks.

"Cooper can't take care of them by himself. He's still too weak. He can't even lift Savannah out of her crib without falling." Charlotte looks over her messages while talking.''He can barely support his own weight with the walker.''

''So why bring them all the way across town. I pass several daycare centers on my way here every morning." Todd inquires

"I won't leave them with anyone. I know someone at this day care, hence I'm late. Why are you so interested in my life?" Charlotte looks up at him.

"You never cease to impress me; not only are you an amazing doctor but you're an awesome momma too." Dr. Turi compliments her.

She smiles enjoying the flattery but before she can respond her phone rings and he waits. She hangs up the phone and says. "Oh shoot, I forgot to ask them if they deliver."

"Deliver what?" Dr. Todd Turi asks

"Cooper ordered Bryce a battery motorized jeep to ride around in. It's big and bulky. I can't get it home by myself."

"I have a truck. I could pick it up for you. It'll save the delivery fee." Todd offers.

"That'd be great. Do you think you could do it tonight after work?"

"If you help me out with this patient it'd be a sure thing." He hands her a chart.

"No problem. I'll go see them now. What room are they in?" She glances through the chart.

"Room 6. Do you want to do lunch today?" Todd asks.

"Can't! Cooper's meeting me for lunch. He wants to talk to me about something." She continues,'' It must be important because it's not often that Cooper leaves our house.''

"Maybe he wants to talk about taking the job at St. Ambrose?" Todd guesses.

"I suppose. He was already asleep when I got home last night and the babysitter flew out the door like a bat out of hell. Didn't even get a chance to ask her how the day went. I guess she was feeling sick already."

"Hopefully the kids don't catch it." Todd leads her to room 6.

"Hope not." Charlotte says as she walks in to see his patient.

Four hours later:

Cooper enters the halls of Oceanside Wellness using his walker.

"Hey stranger!" Sam greets him and pats his back." It's great to see you out and about. Did you walk all the way here?"

"Yeah, the fresh air felt good." Cooper tells Sam. Besides his physical therapy Cooper doesn't get out much. He feels sensitive about needing to depend on the walker. This is progress.

Dr. Todd Turi greets him holding out his hand. "Hi I'm Todd. It's nice to finally meet you Dr. Freedman."

Cooper steadies himself with one hand on the walker and shakes Todd's hand with the other. Todd has a firm hard handshake and Cooper tries to match it with his own. It's important people know he's a strong man still.

"I understand you're my replacement." Cooper greets him back.

"He's not your replacement Coop. He's here until you're recovered enough to come back." Sam tries to assure him patting Cooper on the back again.

Todd tells him "I'm trying to get some experience. Your wife's been a big help."

Cooper looks over the tall blonde doctor who's filling his shoes. He's well dressed wearing an expensive suit and shoes. He looks to be in his late twenties.

Charlotte hears them talking and comes to meet them. "I see you've met Todd."

"Yup. Are you ready for lunch?" Cooper asks wants to get out of the office and get to lunch in a hurry before he losses his nerve about talking to Charlotte.

"Bryce's jeep that you ordered came in. Todd's going to pick it up and bring it to the house later and assemble it. Isn't that nice of him?" Charlotte asks Cooper.

Cooper puts his lips together and forces a smile at Todd. "Let's go to lunch." He tells Charlotte and makes his way to the elevator with his walker and braces.

Charlotte and Cooper are sitting at the table in the Chinese restaurant. They order their food and Cooper asks. "Why's Todd picking up Bryce's jeep?"

"I can't do it on my own Cooper. It's big and bulky"

"Why him?" Cooper asks.

"Why not? He offered. You got a problem with that?" She looks at him.

"I don't like some stranger having to help my wife"

''He's not a stranger Coop. I work with him everyday." Charlotte takes a sip of water. "He's a nice guy. You should get to know him, except you never leave the house. The only people you see are me, the kids and Allison" She puts her water down.

"Look around Charlotte. Do you see how everyone stares at me with this thing?" He gestures towards the walker.

"I didn't see anyone starin'" She answers bluntly.

"Well I do. They all look at me like I'm pathetic. I am pathetic. I can't even pick up a toy at the store for my son."

"Stop it Coop. If this is going to be a pity party I'm leavin'. Is this what you wanted to talk to me about over lunch?"

"No. I'm sorry" He says. He wants to tell her about his therapy session with Allison. The guilt is eating away at him. This isn't the right time. She's sure to be upset about it and he knows she only has an hour for lunch. So instead he says, "If you want to take the Chief of Staff position at St. Ambrose I won't stand in your way. I mean I'll support you." He doesn't really want her to take the job but he feels guilty about yesterday afternoon with Allison that he's willing to concede.

"This is a surprise. Why the sudden change of heart?" She's smiling a little now.

"I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy Crickett." He hopes she doesn't see through his guilt.

"I am happy Coop." She intertwines her fingers with his. "I know life hasn't been fair to you but it will get better. I promise. You just need to keep up your therapy and you'll be rid of that thing in no time at all." She nods her head towards his walker.

"I hope your right. I want to be a man again."

"You are a man. You're my man." She squeezes his hand and he has a sick feeling in his stomach rooted out of guilt. He wonders how she'll take it when he gets around to telling her what happened with Allison. The waiter brings their food. "Enough of this talk. Let's enjoy our food." Charlotte tells him.

"Okay Cricket, let's eat." Cooper smiles.

Charlotte laughs. "What's with Cricket? You haven't called me that in ages."

"I know, I figured it's about time I started again. I miss my little cricket" Cooper's trying to hide his guilt.

"You're crickett never left." She takes a biteful of food. "How did you give me that nickname anyway?"

"You don't remember?" He's surprised.

"Nuh uh." She answers. She does, she just want to see hear him tell it.

"On our honeymoon, when we got to the hotel they had the reservations down as Cooper and Crickett Freedman. Remember?" Cooper looks at her.

"Vaguely" Charlotte answers lying. She remembers.

"Yeah, the hotel staff all called you Cricket. They thought it was your name." Cooper shakes his head at her.

"Oh is that it?" She eats her food and asks innocently.

"No!" Cooper chuckles. "That first night on our honeymoon, you made some interesting sounds and the hotel manager called our room because someone reported hearing shrieking noises."

"It's coming back to me." Charlotte teases and starts to laugh.

"Yeah and you got on the phone and told him it must be a cricket. You told him we had a cricket in our room." Cooper chuckles.

"Yeeeahhhh" Charlotte bursts out laughing remembering the night very well. "He believed me. He asked me if I wanted him to send someone up to look for the cricket." She's laughing hard.

Cooper's laughing too. "And I said no I got the cricket right here."

"Because it was me." She smiles.

"You didn't forget did you?" Cooper winks at her.

"How could I forget that night?" She quirks an eyebrow.

"I miss those times." Cooper loses his smile.

"We'll get them back. You keep workin' hard in phsyical therapy." She leans in and whispers to him. "And I'll be shrieking like a cricket again real soon." She raises both her eyebrows.

Cooper inhales a deep breath and lets it out. He's suddenly feeling very guilty again. "I guess we should finish eating. You've got to let St. Ambrose know you're accepting the Chief of Staff position soon."

They clink glasses. "Thanks for being so supportive Coop."

"Yup" He answers and tries to hide his guilt as he eats.

Later that evening

Todd shows up at the house with Bryce's jeep and assembles it for him in the backyard. Bryce is excited. The curly haired little boy helps by handing Todd the tools he needs to complete the assembly.

"Can you hand me the wrench again Bryce?" Todd asks Bryce as Charlotte and Cooper look on.

"Here it is- wench!" Bryce picks up the tool and hands it to Todd.

"Excellent. You remembered which tool it was. You're smart as a whip just like your momma." Todd rubs the little boy on the head."You got some head of hair there kid."

Charlotte chimes in proud. "Cooper wants me to cut it..."

Cooper interrupts "Because people think he's a girl with the long curls."

Todd adds "I wouldn't cut it either. Bryce looks like a cool lil' dude to me. He doesn't look like a girl at all. Give me a high five little man." He high fives Bryce. "Now down low." He teaches Bryce to give a low five and Bryce laughs.

"Thank you." Charlotte smirks and Cooper rolls his eyes.

"Okay little guy! It's ready!" Todd tells Bryce "Give it a whirl." He picks Bryce up and helps him onto the seat of the jeep. "You have to push your foot down on the pedal to make it go." He shows Bryce. Bryce does as told and takes off, his brown curls blowing in the breeze.

"He loves it." Charlotte smiles at Todd. "Thank you for setting it up for him."

"My pleasure." Todd smiles and Cooper watches the exchange.

Bryce rides by and yells out to Todd. "Thank you Docta Todd. I wuv it."

Cooper's feeling real low now. He ordered the toy for his son but Todd, his replacement at work, is slowly becoming his replacement at home now too.

"I should get going." Todd turns to leave.

"You wanna stay for dinner?" Charlotte asks him. "Cooper's grilling steaks tonight."

"Except I didn't know we were having company. There's only enough for us. Sorry." Cooper looks at Todd.

"That's quite alright." Todd waves his arm goodbye to Charlotte as he walks to his truck.

"That was rude Cooper." Charlotte scowls at him. "Todd went to the store, picked up the jeep and then assembled it for us. The least we could do is to offer him dinner."

"I don't like the guy." Cooper shrugs his shoulders at her. "He's got my job and now my son is looking up to him and thanking him for a gift that I bought for him."

"Stop pitying yourself Cooper." Charlotte demands. "I've had enough of it."

"Oh that's real easy for you to say. You're not the one that needs a walker to get around. You're not the one who can't lift his ten month old daughter out of her crib for fear of dropping her." Cooper hobbles over to the deck and sits down.

"No Cooper I'm not but if I was I sure as hell wouldn't be sitting around feeling sorry for myself." She sits on the deck next to him.

"Hmphf" He huffs. "It's your fault I'm like this in the first place." There. He finally said it after all these months.

"Excuse me? It's my fault you decided to have your horse jump over the stump and get yourself thrown off?"

"It's your fault we went on the expert trail. You knew I was a beginner and you insisted on the expert trail."Cooper argues.

"I chose it because it's a beautiful trail and less crowded. Most tourists are on the beginner trail. I thought it would be nice just the two of us horseback riding and enjoying nature. I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to jump over stumps."

"Oh now I'm stupid? If you didn't try to show off and act like you're better than me by jumping over stumps I wouldn't have needed to prove I could do it." Cooper answers back.

Charlotte barks, "You couldn't do it. Obviously" She glances down at his legs. "So this was all about your pride? Your manhood? You were trying to prove that you could do anything I could do and look at you now." She looks at his legs and raises up one eyebrow.

"That's right because you're the almighty Dr. King, who can do anything. Charlotte King can run her own practice and be Chief of Staff at the same time, and on top of it she's a super mom and wife all wrapped in one!" Cooper shouts.

"I guess I'm failing at the last one. Huh?" She gets up and walks into the house leaving him on the steps.

Bryce rides over in his jeep. "Is momma mad at you again?" He asks Cooper with his big blue eyes.

Cooper looks at Bryce, "Yes momma's mad at me again." Cooper looks at his son.

"No faiwytale today?" Bryce asks remembering that Cooper told him that the last time he saw them fight.

"No Bryce it's not a fairytale ending tonight." Cooper looks down.

"Don't wowwy daddy. Maybe tomowwow be a faiwytale."

"I hope so Bryce. I really hope so. Come here." He motions for Bryce to sit on his lap.

"I want you to know that if momma and daddy fight you don't have to be scared. Okay?" He looks his preschooler in the eyes.

"Okay Daddy."

Cooper talks to him softly "And we always still love each other and you even when we're fighting."

"Okay daddy. Can I wide my jeep now?"

"Yeah but first give me a high five." They high five each other, "Now down low." Bryce gives him a low five."

"I love you Bryce." Cooper hugs his son.

"I wuv you Daddy. Can I go play?" The preschooler jumps off Coopers' lap and jumps back on his jeep.

Cooper watches his son ride. He wants to give him the fairytale. He wants to give them all the fairytale especially Charlotte. He thinks about telling her the truth about Allison but not tonight, definitely not tonight. Tonight is not a fairytale.

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