Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Shattered

Charlie looked up with narrowed eyes when she saw Dr. Orwell exit the room moments after she did. She watched as the doctor poked her head into the examination room two doors down. She wished she could hear what was being said, but something told her she didn't want to. The look on Dr. Orwell's face was loud enough with bad news. Charlie felt the same feeling of uneasiness that Denise had complained about earlier. She shifted unnervingly in her office chair, tapping her pen anxiously against her clipboard. Had Charlie been wrong to disregard Denise's nerves as excitement? Did Denise's body know something she didn't? Had she been wrong to dispute what Denise had been feeling? It was now Charlie's turn to feel sick.

She returned her gaze to her clipboard as Dr. Orwell took a step back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Dr. Carson emerge from his examination room. The second the door closed behind him, they began to discuss Chris and Denise's situation. Charlie diverted her attention to the conversation. Even from a distance away, she could hear every word clearly. Tears filled her eyes when she heard the sentence, "there is no heartbeat." She covered her mouth with her hand, choking back her urge to sob for her friends.

Charlie watched as the two doctors entered the examination room Chris and Denise were in, then exit moments later. Her hands shook as she rose to her feet. She walked across to Dr. Orwell and Dr. Carson, who dismissed her with a shake of their heads before she could speak with them. Both Dr. Orwell and Dr. Carson knew about the relationship Charlie had built with Chris and Denise, talking about their unfortunate miscarriage with her would only end in an emotional scene. The couple didn't need that, not when majority of the people in that clinic knew exactly who they were.

Twenty minutes must've passed before Chris and Denise emerged from the examination room, Charlie's heart broke seeing how sullen both were. Chris spotted Charlie and was genuinely startled by her presence. It seemed he'd forgotten they had befriended someone working there and was unsure if he was glad they did. He sat Denise down in the nearest empty chair, whispering something into her ear while she stared blankly at the ground. Chris let out a quiet sigh as he walked over to Charlie. He was about to tell her what had happened when she shook her head, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. She wanted to save him from repeating the abhorrent news, using her heavy expression to inform him that he didn't need to say anything because she already knew.

"I'm so sorry," Charlie whispered.

"Yeah," Chris agreed softly, "me too."

Charlie didn't know what else to do or say. Though she was a professional who knew how common miscarriages were, these people were her friends. She'd heard the stories about their failed attempts to conceive and how happy they were when they finally did. She knew about Denise's uncertainty when it came to having children, and that this child had been her turning point- a decision she had made on her own because she finally felt ready. She'd met their son, Jack, who was so excited about having a new baby come into their lives. She'd even gone shopping with Denise for baby clothes, so no- she didn't know what to do or say. She'd no idea the day would turn out this way, or that their baby wouldn't have a heartbeat after twelve weeks. She hated the world for doing what it did to Chris and Denise, she hated everything at the moment.

"I need to um-" Chris couldn't say the words he needed to, he just pointed at the reception counter. Charlie nodded, stepping out of his way so he could walk over. He didn't know what was harder, hearing that his unborn child no longer had a heartbeat or sending his heartbroken wife to a procedure to remove said child. "Please watch her for me," he mumbled as he walked away.

Charlie's steps towards Denise were slow and measured. She was contemplating her actions and words. She didn't want to do anything to trigger an explosion of emotions she didn't know how handle. It was an incredibly sensitive subject she didn't want to address in case she made things worst, but she also couldn't just disregard the tragedy. She descended to her knees in front of Denise, taking both of her hands into hers.