A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

I'm scared, Char

TW: ED

As Charlotte and Mia walked back into the house with shopping in hand, they caught a bit of Carly's conversation with her mum from the hallway. "Yes mum, I am eating...I promise!...Mia asked me to stay for dinner...yes, the mean redhead...she's kinda cool actually." Mia and Charlotte looked at each other with a loving gaze and a smile. Mia could tell Charlotte was proud of her, thanks to her sweetheart, Mia had come a long way from when she earned that nickname.

Charlotte went back to sit by Carly at the kitchen island whilst Mia unpacked the shopping, strategically showing them both the ingredients for the dinner she had planned so that Carly would feel comfortable knowing what she's eating. Mia understood Carly's struggles with food and after being with Reece for so long, she had adopted some useful habits and solutions. She then got to the end of the bag and pulled out the pregnancy test, placing it on the counter, saying nothing. Charlotte looked at Carly and said "Do you want me to come with you?" Carly didn't say a word, she felt a weight in the pit of her stomach. Charlotte stood up and held out her hand which Carly accepted and followed her upstairs to the bathroom whilst Mia started cooking.

Charlotte went through with Carly what needed to do and then waited patiently right outside the bathroom door. Charlotte bit her nails anxiously and prayed for the test to be negative, Carly was already struggling with so much, and she was worried about how Carly would cope with a positive result. Carly came out of the bathroom, test in hand and Char set a timer on her phone. They went and sat on the bed whilst they waited for the result, Char holding Carly's hand the whole time. The room was completely silent, until the alarm went off. Carly picked up the test and paused for a second, whilst the anticipation in the air was thick, Carly couldn't bring herself to look. She handed it to Char.

Charlotte felt like she'd just been handed a bomb, she turned the test over and she immediately cringed at the result. "It's positive" she whispered. Char waited for Carly's reaction before she said anything else. Poor Carly burst out into tears and fell into Charlotte's lap, unable to control her breathing. Charlotte stroked the girl's hair and encouraged her to take some deep breaths. As Carly's sobs slowly turned to sniffles and her breathing levelled out, she lay there in Char's lap a little longer not saying a word. The two of them sat there on the edge of the bed, in that exact position, not saying a word, for what felt like hours.

"I'm scared, Char."

Mia didn't want to disturb the pair, after briefly hearing Carly's sobs from downstairs, she knew the result and she sympathised with Carly. Mia saw her younger self in the bubbly teen and was starting to feel more inclined to protect her innocence. She contemplated if her younger self were to have someone in her corner like her growing up that she would've turned out differently. Happy, kind, warm, likeable, much more like her sweetheart perhaps? Her past dawned on her every time Carly was around, almost as though she was reflecting in a mirror and she wanted to prevent it from repeating itself. Mia gathered herself and sent Char a text to let her know that dinner was ready, knowing that her sweetheart would understand that she wasn't rushing them.

"Carly, dinner's ready, would you like to go have something to eat and then we can talk?" Charlotte lightly suggested, hoping that Carly would still want to eat. She knew this was a hard pill for her to swallow. Carly sat up and nodded so they both slowly made their way downstairs to the kitchen and sat at the dining table. Mia had served the food family style placing it in the middle of the table so that Carly could take as much or as little as she liked without any pressure. Again, being so mindful of Carly's relationship with food. As Mia walked around Charlotte's seat to get to her own she softly placed her hand on her shoulder prompting Charlotte to look up at her. "Positive" Charlotte mouthed with a concerned look. Mia gave her shoulder a little rub in acknowledgment and went to sit down across from Carly with Char to her left.

The three of them sat eating their food, but the air was filled with tension. Conversation wasn't flowing, although there were attempts made here and there. "This is really tasty Mia, thank you!" Carly praised. Mia thanked her, she felt absolutely useless, she has only ever comforted her sweetheart, and Carly was a whole new ballgame. But she had try. "Carly, please put me in my place if you're not ready to talk about it but, I know you're scared, and I want you to know that whatever your decision, Char and I will support you in any way that you need, okay?" Char gave Mia's hand a squeeze under the table, a gesture of gratitude for showing her friend the kind and caring side that she knows and loves.

Carly hesitated as she debated whether or not she was ready to acknowledge what she'd just found out upstairs. But she finally broke her silence and simply responded, "Thank you, Mia."