An irish Lovestory - the summer of Life

Shocking news

Carlotta is examined immediately. Unfortunately, Luke has to wait outside the door and can only watch as she is pushed into the operating theatre barely ten minutes later. Then a nurse comes in and asks: "Can you tell me how something like this could happen?" Luke nods and tells her about the fight with Charlie and that Carlotta tried to intervene. "Well, that explains a lot. It's not too bad, but we need to stop the bleeding and then she'll have to stay here overnight. She should take it easy for the next few days, but then she'll be able to do sports again in a fortnight at the latest." She nods to him briefly as a farewell and is already turning on her heel when she remembers something else. "She doesn't happen to have a disease or anything, does she? Otherwise she definitely needs to eat more!" Luke looks down. "We've struggled with anorexia nervosa before, three quarters of a year ago, but she's actually gotten over that. However, we had a few little arguments over the summer holidays and that's why it might come up again." The nurse says she understands and will talk to the head doctor about it as soon as he is back from surgery. You can wait here until then and get some rest!"
Luke sits down in the waiting area and closes his eyes briefly. He doesn't notice Carlotta coming out of surgery shortly after he falls asleep.
When he wakes up the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee, his girlfriend is already sitting next to him in a good mood again. "Well sleepyhead, slept well?" she asks him. He hugs her a little too impetuously, causing Carlotta to moan a little. Immediately he pulls his arms back again. "It's all right, it just hurts a little at the seam. Luckily you got me more on the hip bone than the stomach, which means I can start training again in a fortnight!" Luke looks at her, stunned. "Carlotta, you do realise that you could have died just now and your only problem is that you can't go to training for a fortnight?! On top of that you've already lost weight again, you can't! You have to eat!" Carlotta rolls her eyes. He doesn't know what judo training means to her and that she is actually already on the road to recovery as far as her eating disorder is concerned. But before she can say anything else, a nurse shows up and wants to examine her again briefly before they can go back to the youth hostel.

"First of all, it's amazing that you can move so well again, because it must actually hurt a lot. But it doesn't matter now: please don't do anything too strenuous for the next two or three days. The way you look on the inside, you've definitely had sexual intercourse. That counts as exercise too, so you'll have to give it up for a fortnight. Apart from that, I just have to note that you're really very slim and need to eat a bit more." Carlotta says: "Yes I know I have to eat more, but have you ever eaten cabbage and bacon for a fortnight? That's when the food comes back up for you too." The nurse shudders at the very thought of this mixture and asks where, pray tell, one eats such things. Luke says that she spent half the holidays with her parents in Ireland, but has now decided to come back to Germany.
"Oh, then you're Carlotta Kaichonski-Warren? You took such good care of my cousin in Ireland, she wrote to me right away." Carlotta nods, a little embarrassed by all the attention. If it were up to her, she would continue to be the wallflower that is a bit nerdy and just trying to survive her school days. "How is your cousin doing? Now that she has a better life than before?" she asks her.

The nurse says that she is doing well, considering the circumstances, and that she will go to visit her cousin during the autumn holidays. Carlotta says that she should send her love, then the head doctor takes another look at her stitches before she is discharged.
No sooner have Luke and Carlotta arrived back at the youth hostel than they are bombarded with questions. A blonde pupil from the other school also turns to Carlotta. "Well, is the lady enjoying the attention?" she asks mockingly. "Oh shut up Vera. It wasn't my decision to be born into a noble family and certainly not to almost die again now. I'd much rather you did, as you might just have to behave yourself for a change, being persecuted all the time!" After this announcement Carlotta just leaves Vera standing there and goes to Helen who is standing a little apart. "Is everything alright Helen?", Carlotta asks her as she stands in front of her. Helen just fusses a little. Carlotta looks over at the cottage and together they walk over.
"So, what's going on?", Carlotta asks her friend as soon as the door has slammed shut behind them. "Last night our parents called here, Mrs Niebeck must have sent an email about the fight.... Well, then my mum called me and said she had to tell us something." She pauses for a moment and sniffles. Carlotta hands her a tissue which Helen gratefully accepts "Mum said that Charlie and I weren't actually her real children and after she had a twin miscarriage she just adopted two children born in the same week..." Carlotta shudders. That means they might not really be twins. Comfortingly, she puts an arm around her friend.
"Helen, but you know, deep down in your hearts you are twins, even if you shouldn't be. And that's what matters. You only have each other and your friends, but the bond that is between you two is very special. You grew up together, you know each other inside out and that's what counts. Whether you are really siblings or not, you will always be twins in your hearts," she whispers in comfort. Helen nods, she knows that Carlotta is right and that she and Charlie will always be twins in their hearts. But she is still hiding something from Carlotta, which she notices but still gives Helen time to think about.
The two girls spend the afternoon with Luke and Charlie outside at a small lake near the youth hostel, just talking. Although the two boys are not the best of friends, they talk reasonably to each other and act as if the fight the previous night never happened. Carlotta watches Charlie and Helen for a while and then suddenly gets an idea, but she doesn't say it out loud. She wants to calmly ask Helen if what she is observing is true.
In the evening, after dinner, the girls settle down to watch another film.
While Helen takes a quick shower, the others prepare the living room so that they can spend a cosy evening there. Carlotta goes back into the room and catches Helen there.
Helen looks at her cluelessly while Carlotta closes the door. "You know, I've always been good at observing and I noticed a little something about you and Charlie earlier. It's just an observation on my part and doesn't have to be true, but there have been a few shy looks between you two." Helen blushes and looks off into a corner. "Do you think he knows?" she asks Carlotta cautiously. She shakes her head and says that the secret is safe with her. She also confided in Helen relatively quickly that she fancies Luke, so she won't tell anyone else her secret. Although she knows very well that Luke is having the same conversation with Charlie, just to make sure that she has interpreted Charlie's looks correctly.