This chapter contains some content that may not be suitable for minors. Read at your own discretion.

BOOK 3 CHAPTER 5 WISH UPON A STAR

Charlotte calls Todd to drop off the pictures. She's surprised he's staying in a hotel and not at his folks as she thought. He tells her on the phone that his folks place is too crowded with all the relatives visiting from out of town to say goodbye to grandma, so he decided to get a hotel room. He gives her directions so she could deliver the pictures.

She knocks on the door and he answers wearing a t-shirt and jeans. His eyes are red from crying. She can see he's gotten into the liquor offered in the hotel refrigerator. "Ya know it's a lot less expensive to bring your own bottle then to drink all those little bottles in the hotel fridge. You have to pay for all those. If I'd known I would have picked up a bottle for ya."

"Thanks for coming with the pictures." They both sit on the couch and look at them. "This one is me with grandma." He tells her.

"You were pretty close with your grandmother, huh?" She asks

"She practically raised me. My parents are both doctors and worked all the time. Grandma taught me everything I know." He sips the little bottle of whiskey.

Charlotte takes the whiskey away from him. "I think you had enough for now. You'll thank me in the morning."

"Enough about me how are you and Cooper doing?" He puts his legs up on the couch not minding that their laying across her lap.

She looks at him and answers. "You're not going to believe this one." She sighs.

"I'll believe anything. Tell me, I need a distraction from this grief."

"Cooper got the babysitter pregnant. We found out about it by accident when she took the baby to the ER. She never told Cooper she was pregnant."

"Sounds freakishly familiar." He raises his eyebrows up at her.

"I know and now Cooper wants to be part of the baby's life, and she wants no part of him. It's a mess."

"Cooper deserves it." He smirks. "Karma."

She swats his arm. "Be nice." She takes a sip of the whiskey herself now. "Besides, I kept the pregnancy from you too. I didn't want the test done either. It wasn't all Cooper's fault."

"You were a bad friend. I should spank you." He shakes his finger at her. He's teasing but he's also had a bit too much to drink.

"I was a bad friend and you didn't deserve it. You were always a good friend to me." She takes a sip if his whiskey. "I don't have many friends, making friends has never been my strong suit. I need to keep the few I got."

"Don't worry your purty little head about it ma'am." He exaggerates her southern accent. "I'm still your friend." He jerks his hand over her head and shakes her hair about.

"You always helped me out whenever I needed it. You never said no." Charlotte tell him as she takes another sip of whiskey.

"I can never say no to you." He chuckles. "Especially that last favor you asked me, to sleep with you to help you forgive Cooper. "That was a doozy." He chuckles.

She takes another sip of his whiskey."It worked. I felt better and I forgave him." She tells Todd.

"I'm glad I could help you then." He tries to do the southern drawl again. "Always at your service ma'am." He laughs at himself.

Charlotte looks at him. "You're not funny, but I'll excuse you cuz of your grandma passing away today and your drunk."

He looks down and pauses a moment. He looks back up and starts sipping out of the whiskey bottle again. "I'm gonna miss my grandma. She was only 64. Why'd she have to go and get cancer?" He sighs and drinks more whiskey.

Charlotte takes the bottle away from him again. "Drinking isn't going to bring her back."

He buries his hands in his face. "I know but it takes a way the pain a little."

"Tell me how I could help you?" Charlotte asks. "Besides drinking with you and..."

Before she has the chance to finish her sentence his lips are on top of hers. He's kissing her, it's a wet deep throat kiss. She feels his hand move down and start to unbutton her blouse. "Todd this isn't a good idea." She pulls away from him.

"I helped you out with that favor so you could forgive Cooper, now it's your turn to help me." He moves his hands back and continues to unbutton her blouse. "Think of it as one friend doing a favor for another friend, remember?" He slides her blouse off her shoulders and down her arms.

"It's different now Todd. I forgave Cooper."

"I need the favor now. I helped you out, now it's your turn to help me." He unhooks her bra and cups her breast. "It's your turn to be a good friend to me like I did with you." He kisses her neck.

She takes a deep breath. "Pants stay on. Got it?"

"Got it" He runs his hands gently over her breasts and she lets out a soft moan. He gently pushes her onto the couch and climbs on top of her.

"Pants stay on." She reminds as he kisses down her neck. His mouth moves down to her breast, he licks and suck her nipple and she feels herself getting wet. She snakes her hand in his jeans and fondles him.

"He unbuttons her pants and slips his fingers under her panties" She lets out a moan and he pulls her pants all the way off in one swift motion.

"I said pants stay on." She takes her hands off him and starts to lift herself up.

"Mine are on." He replies as he rubs her between the thighs and gently pushes her back down. He runs his fingers softly over her body. She feels her self getting wetter and can't keep from moaning in pleasure. He tugs on her nipple with his teeth and she lets out a scream. He does it again. Her body is tingling in ecstacy right now from his touches.

She unzips his pants to get better access to him and starts pumping him rapidly. He goes to pull his pants off.

"No" She says breathing heavy. "Pant's have to stay on."

"Come on" he says. "Don't be a spoil sport."

"I mean it Todd, pants stay on." She continues to pump him as he slips two fingers inside her.

"Yes ma'm." He has one hand on her breast and the other hand between her legs. She's moaning and stroking him. He leans up to reposition himself. "Just a minute," he tells her and she waits, her body screaming with pleasure. She feels him reposition himself between her parted knees. He kisses her intensely on the mouth again and she returns it, getting lost in the moment. She reaches down for him and guess what, no pants. He took them off. This is a bad idea, she's about to stop him when she feels his hard muscle rubbing up against her. He nips and tugs her nipple again and she can't help but scream out in pleasure. She feels his hard muscle enter her. "Oh crap" she thinks but it she's wet and ready and she can't stop now. Their hips glide back and forth together and it doesn't take long before waves of pleasure are bursting through her.

She moans and he tells her. "That my lady!" He shoots out his white juice as she reaches her climax. They're both breathing heavy as he collapses on her.

Not a minute later she's regretting it. "Get off me. I've got to go home and I'm not your lady."

"Why?" He holds her tight with his hands still on her.

"Shit" She grumbles to herself. "Get off me Todd. I'm married to Cooper." She pushes him off her.

"It's a little late to say that." He chuckles, he's had too much to drink.

She looks for her clothes scattered on the floor. "I never should have done this." She can't stop the tears from coming to her eyes.

He grabs at her. "Awe come on. You had fun."

"I told you to keep your pants on." She buttons her blouse.

"I figured you wouldn't mind since your husband has a kid with someone else. You know, it'd be easier for you to forgive him this way." He smirks. "Who knows maybe you'll end up having a kid with me after this." He smiles at her.

"I damn well better not end up pregnant from this!" She pulls on her pants.

"Don't leave yet. " He watches her get dressed. " I'm waiting for us to go round two."

"I'm leavin' before you pull my clothes off again!" She buttons her pants and slips her stilettos on. "I feel disgusting. I need to go home and shower." She grabs her purse and rushes towards the door.

"Come on! Don't act like you didn't want it as much as me!" He shouts at her as she walks to the door. "You were yowling like a cat in heat."

"You're a nasty man when you're drunk. I don't know you right now!" She shouts, her voice cracking, tears in her eyes. Todd was supposed to be her friend.

Charlotte slams the door closed behind her. She feels like a disgusting cheater. She made a promise with Cooper that they'd never cheat on each other again. She gets in her car and drives off. She's crying and feels herself start to tremble. She wants to vomit. She wishes she could erase that last hour of her life. Her eyes are clouded with tears and she doesn't see the red light in front of her. She hears tires screeching and sees bright lights coming at her. BOOM. Everything turns black.

Cooper's home in bed and the phone rings. He looks at Charlotte's side of the bed and is surprised she's not home yet. She must have had an emergency at the hospital he thinks as he answers the phone. "Hello, Dr. Freedman speaking?"

"This is Dr. Meyers at St. Ambrose. I'm sorry to tell you Charlotte's been in a motor vehicle accident."

"What?" Cooper nearly drops the phone. "Is she okay?"

"She's unconscious with a subdural hematoma, other than that she sustained some minor bruises and abrasions."

"I have to call a babysitter and I'll be right there." Cooper hangs up the phone and pulls his clothes on.

At the hospital Cooper waits all night by Charotte's side for her to wake up. He holds her hand and talks to her. Nothing is as important to him right now as Charlotte waking up. He stays by her bedside and holds her hand all night.

Early the next morning she finally does open her eyes. She squints at him and looks around confused. "I feel like two elephants are having a party in my head." She rubs her hand over her head.

Cooper chuckles then tells her softly "You're at St. Ambrose. You were in a car accident last night."

"How bad?" She grimaces still holding her head.

"The car is totaled and you have a subdural hematoma which explains the elephants dancing in your head." He holds her hand. "You're going to be okay Cricket."

"I don't remember it. What happened? Where was I going?" She grimaces.

"They said you drove through a red light. It was late." Cooper shrugs his shoulders. " I think you must have fallen asleep on your way home from work."

"Was anyone else hurt?" She's concerned.

"You got the worst of it." He tells her. "But you're going to be okay. You have a small hematoma on your brain that we need to keep an eye on. You were lucky, there were no other injuries." He kisses her on the head. "You scared me though. Nothing else is important. Fighting with Allison about Sammie isn't important. You're important to me Charlotte. If anything ever happened to you….I'd..."

Charlotte interrupts and grabs his hand. "I'm okay, just a little headache. but I hate not being able to remember how it happpened."

"What's the last thing you remember yesterday?" Cooper holds her hand.

"I don't know." Charlotte tries to think back. "I remember coming back from lunch and going to my office to do some paperwork and that's it. It's like I fell asleep in my office after lunch and woke up just now." She worries.

"Do you remember seeing me in the hall yesterday evening. I told you I got the judge to order the paternity test?" Cooper reminds her.

"No, it doesn't ring a bell but congratulations on getting the judge to side with you."

"That's not important to me right now. I spent all night evaluating what's important and you and the kids are it." Cooper explains.

"I'm glad to hear it." Charlotte smiles, "But it's a strange feeling not to remember what you did the day before."

"It's from the brain injury. Short term memory loss is common." Cooper explains.

"I know that Coop, it's just unsettling when it happens to you." She tries to explain. "I hope I didn't do anything important or sign off on any important papers that I can't remember.

"So we'll retrace your steps and ask people you were around yesterday what you did?" Cooper advises still holding her hand.

"What did we have for dinner last night?" Charlotte's tries to jog her memory.

"You didn't come home for dinner. I thought you were working late or maybe you went shopping."

"I hate this." She scratches at her head. Cooper's gets a text message.

"It's Allison. She says it's important. She wants to meet me this morning to talk about the paternity test." He puts the phone back in his pocket.

"Go talk to her. I'll be fine here trying to figure out what I did for the past day." She smiles.

"I love you." He kisses her goodbye.

"Love you too." She squeezes his hand before letting it go so he could leave.

"Don't go anywhere." He jokes with her as he walks out the door using his cane for some support and security.

"I'll be waiting for you." She waves goodbye.

TBC...

I love reading the reviews so don't forget to leave me one! :)