According to his memory

Chapter 22

CJ Flint

Mike arrived back with the coffee he was sent to get. We all sat in silence, thinking. 

"When do you think the wedding should be? Before she gets big?" PrimRose speaks up when she can't handle the silence anymore.

"Mom, we aren't planning-" Mike starts.

"Well, it's very clear you weren't planning." she chuckles lightly at her own joke.

"Mom, we weren't going to get married." Mike explains with pain in his voice.

"What do you mean, you aren't getting married! I raised you better than that to know you don't just be with someone for fun." PrimRose started, stammering with confusion. 

"He's joking, Rose." I say before Mike gives her a heart attack.

"What?" Both PrimRose and Mike gasp at my words.

"We'll get married before the baby is born." I say to PrimRose more than Mike.

"Thank God." PrimRose gives a sigh of relief.

"Mom, can you give CJ and I a few minutes please?" Mike furrows his brow as he escorts his mom to the door with directions to the cafeteria. 

"Vodka, what the hell are you talking about?" Mike shakes his head trying to figure out what is happening. "We literally just talked about how we weren't going to get married."

"I know, I know." I say motioning for him to come over to me. He complies and takes a seat in the chair next to my bed. "This is what she wants and she's your mom. Can't we just go to the courthouse and sign our names to a piece of paper? It won't change anything, won't change how we are now. " I rub his cheek while I speak and make eye contact to lock in our souls. 

Mike takes in all of the information before speaking again. "Ok, ok. We can sign our names at the court house." He chuckled a little. I give him a kiss on his cheek and Mike grabbed my chin between his fingers and gave me a real kiss. 

Right then Cheyenne burst through the door with Scott behind her saying something about knocking first. Mike and I pull away from each other and PrimRose follows in with them. 

"PrimRose found us downstairs and said that she would show us up so she could see our reactions to 'the news.'" Cheyenne said suspiciously while bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

"You're going to be an aunt." I laugh a little but feel as if I am going to cry.

"NO WAY!" Chey squealed and ran over to hug me. 

"Mike and I are going to the courthouse once I'm out of here so we can be married." I smile when Chey lets go of me.

"I never thought I'd see the day." she grins from ear to ear. 

Thanksgiving Day

 I have been in the hospital for who knows how long, but at least my skin is almost all healed. I have been walking about and begging to be let free. Mike comes to my room when he isn't working or at the house with PrimRose who has decided to stay until Christmas. I fall asleep late at night watching some crappy night show. I wake up for my nurse to put on the ointment for my skin and Cheyenne burst through the door like she does where ever she finds herself. 

"We brought food." she says in a sung song voice, arms full. PrimRose follows with more in her arms and a big smile on her face. Finally Mike walks in with his arms filled, identical to the others. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask. 

"You couldn't come to Thanksgiving so we brought it to you." Scott quietly spoke while setting up the surplus of food on the tiny table in my room and Chey set up football on the television. 

We sat in the room all day laughing, eating, talking and enjoying one another. 

The doctor came in some time in the late afternoon, "Well, I think I found the party that everybody is talking about." he laughs at the sight of the now picked over food pile. "Charlotte, I think you will be happy to hear that you can now be discharged,  if you promise to keep applying your ointment every morning."

"Yes, yes, I promise I will." I scramble out before he can change his mind.

"Alright, I'll go get the paperwork." The doctor smiles at me before leaving shortly to grab the papers. I quickly read through them before signing my name on the appropriate line.

I look up at everyone who came to have thanksgiving with me in my tiny hospital room. This was going to be one of those years that we remember forever. "Let's get out of here." I grin widely.