BOOK 3- CHAPTER 4

******WISH UPON A STAR *******

Cooper's at home reading a bedtime story to Bryce and Savannah when the phone rings. "Daddy will be right back. Don't peek ahead at the pictures." He warns them as he answers the phone.

Charlotte's on the other end and she tells Cooper, "Allison's at the hospital with the baby. The baby had a seizure, Allison's pretty upset."

"Okay, I'll be right up. Let me just call someone to sit with the kids." Cooper hangs up. "Daddy can't finish the story but how about if I call Miss Nancy and ask her to read it with you?"

"I want you daddy." Savanna cries out as she tugs on his leg. Savannah is almost two and a daddy's girl.

"Daddy has something very important to do but I promise I'll read with you tomorrow." Cooper picks Savannah up and kisses her little nose.

"I'm important daddy." Savannah tells him in a her sweet voice and gives him her sad puppy dog eyes.

Cooper sighs. "Yes you are very important but Daddy is a doctor and there is a sick baby at the hospital daddy needs to go and see."

Three and a half year old Bryce suggests, "Momma's a doctor and she's already workin' at the hopital, let her take care of the sick baby."

"No. Bryce this is something that daddy needs to take care of not your momma." He puts Savannah down and calls the babysitter to come by.

Within half an hour the babysitter arrives and Cooper leaves his unhappy children to finish reading with her while he heads to the hospital to see Allison and her baby.

Charlotte points him to Sammie's room and watches from the hall as he walks in to see them. Cooper stares at the baby and notices the resemblance to both him and Bryce. "Hello Allison." He says.

Allison opens her eyes and rubs them "Cooper? She told you? Why would she do that?" Allison stares in disbelief "I wouldn't think she'd even want you to know about Sammie?"

"She's my wife Allison. We don't keep secrets. Why didn't you tell me, Al?" Cooper ask softly.

"I told you I was falling in love with you and you fired me. You wanted me out of your life. Why would I tell you?"

"Because if I'm her father I have the right to know."

"I don't know if you're the father anyway. It's possible it could be someone else." Allison tells him as she gets up to check on her sleeping baby.

Charlotte's listening in the hall, thinking now Cooper' in the same shoes Todd was in a couple months ago and she doesn't like it.

"I don't want you in her life either way. I don't want you in my life." She tells him.

"Why?" Cooper asks. looking at the sleeping baby.

"I can't be around you. That's all. It's not good for either one of us." Allison picks the baby up and holds her protectively, covering her face lightly with a blanket so Cooper can't look at her. "I found someone else anyway, he wouldn't understand."

"He thinks he's the father?" Cooper asks.

"Just leave things alone Coop. I spent every day with you while I was babysitting. I knew you needed to feel like a man and I did those things for you, not your wife. Your wife was too busy working and talking to that doctor friend of hers. I was the one there for you and then you dump me."

Charlotte's in the hall listening and rolls her eyes.

"Al, I love my wife but if Sammie is mine, I need to know." Cooper gently explains.

"No. Please get out or I'll call security." She demands. Cooper pulls the blanket down to look at the baby and rubs his hand over her head before leaving the room.

He meets Charlotte in the hall. She's annoyed. "I'm sorry Charlotte." He tells her as she grabs his arm and drags him outside the emergency room exit.

"I'm not mad cuz it's your baby. Akron could have very well been Todd's." She glares at him then looks around to make sure nobody can hear them.

"You could have fooled me with the death grip." Cooper shakes his arm free from her grip.

"I'm mad because you're doing the same thing to her that Todd did to me."

"Charlotte if it's my baby I want to be in it's life."

"That's exactly what Todd told me. Not fun to walk in the other person's shoes is it?" She scowls.

"It's a mess Charlotte. I don't know what to do." He puts his hands over his face.

She can't resist. She can never stay mad at him. She pulls him in close and hugs him. "It's gonna to be alright Coop. We'll get through this, somehow."

A few days later:

Cooper's preoccupied calling family law attorney's trying to have a paternity test ordered on Sammie. Charlotte's at work at the hospital and runs into Todd.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you again?" She's happily surprised.

His demeanor is low key. "I'm here to visit my grandmother. Elizabeth Turi in the ICU." He looks teary eyed. "She's not doing so well."

"I'm sorry." Charlotte rubs his back. "You're grandmother's a very sweet woman. I met her the other day when the family was in to make a decision."

Todd looks at the floor. "They decided not to continue her chemotherapy. It's harming her body more than the cancer at this point. She's going downhill fast." Todd's tries to choke back some tears.

"If there's anything I could do please let me know." Charlotte pats his shoulder. She means it.

"Thank you." He walks away with his head down.

ONE WEEK LATER

Cooper comes running up to Charlotte in the hospital hallway his face beaming like a childs on Christmas morning.

"What is it Cooper?" She asks noticing his excitement.

He shows her a piece of paper. "I did it Cricket. I got the judge to order Allison to do a paternity test. She has to do it. Then if the test show's Sammie's mine which we already know she is then I'll file for custody." He's excited.

"Partial custody Cooper. You're not taking that baby away from her momma. I won't let you." Charlotte warns.

"Of course, I'm not planning to do that. I just want some time with her, I'll settle for every other weekend."

"Okay good. I wasn't sure the way you came barreling down the hall."

"I'm just excited."

Charlotte looks down the hall and notices that Todds' grandmother's room is empty. "Excuse me Cooper, I've got to get back to work." She walks up to a nurse. "Where's Mrs. Turi?"

"She passed away a little a while ago. We're just cleaning out her room." The nurse answers.

"Was the family here?" Charlotte asks the nurse.

"Yes and they were all pretty upset." The nurse tells her. "They left and forgot the pictures that were pinned up on the bulletin board."

"I know them. I'll bring the pictures to them." The nurse hands Charlotte the pictures and Charlotte looks through them. She finds one of Todd with his grandmother as a child and it makes her smile. She'll bring by the pictures after work.

..TBC...

Thanks to Just For Fun for being my incredible beta!

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