A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

In the middle of the night

Charlotte called Marjorie from the hospital waiting room. Whilst it's true that Marjorie and Mia didn't particularly get along, Charlotte needed a friend, and she knew Marjorie's heart was in the right place.

"Charlotte? It's nearly midnight, what's going on?"
"Marjorie, Mia...she's...she's" Charlotte started hyperventilating, she couldn't get her words out.
"Reece get off me" Charlotte heard Marjorie whisper in urgency. For a moment Charlotte fixated on what she may have been interrupting. "Oh god!" She thought to herself before snapping back into reality.
"Charlotte, what's happened? What's wrong with Mia?"

Charlotte managed to gather herself enough to tell Marjorie that Mia was in a car accident and needed brain surgery. It wasn't long before Marjorie showed up at the hospital along with Reece.

"Oh my love, come here" Marjorie said as she approached Charlotte and embraced her with arms wide open. Charlotte had been pacing around the waiting room, trying to control her sobs. The second she fell into Marjorie's arms, it all came out. It was a painful cry, one that echoed through the hallways of the hospital.

Reece watched as Marjorie consoled her dear friend, and it troubled him to see Charlotte so distraught. He placed his hand on the small of Charlotte's back as she weeped into Marjorie's shoulder as a small gesture to let her know he cared.

"I've called Autumn too, so her and Winter are on their way, okay?" Marjorie mentioned as she pulled back slightly, putting her hands on Charlotte's arms. Charlotte couldn't muster up any words through her sniffling, so she just nodded.

Reece and Marjorie took Charlotte to sit down, seating her between them. Charlotte laid her head on Marjorie's shoulder, still sniffling slightly. And to Reece's surprise, she held out her opposite hand waiting for him to hold it. It warmed Reece's heart a little to know that Char sought comfort in him. He gave Char's hand a little squeeze and kept hold of it as she fell asleep.

After around half an hour, in walks Autumn closely followed by Winter, and to everyone's surprise, Carly.
"Sorry it took us so long to get here, but we picked up an extra passenger" Winter announced as Marjorie and Reece looked at Carly in confusion. To their knowledge, Carly hated Mia. Autumn knew how much Carly cared for Mia and felt she deserved to know about her circumstances. Carly insisted in going to the hospital with them, after all, Mia had done so much for her in recent months, some of which Autumn knew. But to everyone else, it was a complete mystery.

"How's Charlotte?" Autumn asked, her tone as formal as ever.
"She pretty much cried herself to sleep, I've never seen her like this" Reece replied, his voice laced with concern.
Marjorie interjected, looking over Char's head to address Reece. "Darling, I don't think any of us have, and we've known Charlotte a long time."

Hours had passed, and everyone was growing tired. Poor Reece was now sat with Char clinging onto his hand on one side, and Carly on the other side with her head asleep in his lap. Autumn and Winter sat across from the other four, hand in hand as they occasionally exchanged meaningful glances. Just then, Charlotte jolted awake letting out a loud gasp, drawing everyone's attention. She even woke Carly.

It seemed that Char had a bad dream, understandably so. But she was only resuming another. Reece gave her hand another squeeze in attempt to bring her down to earth and to remind her that she wasn't alone. Charlotte sat up and looked around, noticing that she was surrounded by all her friends. It lifted her sprits to see that, even in the middle of the night, her friends rallied together to show their support.

"My darling, what did Mia think she was doing getting behind the wheel of her car drunk?" Marjorie questioned slightly, trying to understand the situation.
"Well I can't help but think that's partly my fault, we kind of broke up a week ago" Charlotte answered honestly.
"WHAT?" Everyone collectively exclaimed in shock.

Charlotte didn't mention the break up to anyone. She hadn't been ready to admit it yet, and the idea of saying it out loud made it too real and too painful. She went on to explain that Mia started ignoring her calls and didn't speak to her for 2 weeks. She didn't mention the kiss, it was none of their business and she didn't feel like enduring their judgment until she had heard the full story from Mia. Because no matter what, Charlotte was going to see her love through this difficult time.

"Miss Hale?" Doctor Rowlands called out as he approached Charlotte tentatively. Everyone stood in solidarity, eagerly awaiting to hear what the doctor had to say. "I'm glad to see you have a big support system" he said, noticing all the bodies that now surrounded him. "Well, I have good news. Amelia's surgery went well, there were no complications. We'll be keeping a close eye on her over the next few days, but she should make a full recovery."

Everyone sighed in relief and relaxed their posture. Charlotte's face beamed, now with happy tears pooling in her eyes. She immediately turned to Carly, giving her a hug. Char had noticed the teen's anxious fidgeting and tearful expression. Whilst Charlotte was grateful that everyone came to stand by her, she knew that the redhead had come to mean a lot to Carly and was glad that Mia had another person in her corner. "She's going to be just fine, okay?" At the sound of Charlotte's words and the gentle touch of her hand stroking her back, Carly began to sob out of relief into Char's shoulder. This only enhanced the confusion on Marjorie and Reece's faces. Clearly, they had missed a chapter or two here.

Charlotte thanked everyone individually for coming and urged them all to go home and get some sleep, it had been a long night. "Charlotte, you can go home too, you know? Mia won't be awake for a couple of hours" Reece suggested, wanting Charlotte to take care of herself.
"I can't leave until I've spoken to her" Charlotte admitted, shaking her head whilst looking at her feet.
"Charlotte, if you two aren't together, then why are you here?" Autumn interrogated.
Charlotte's answer was simple. "I love her."