Choni one shots

138: The One Where Cheryl Finds Toni

TONI POV:

"Toni!" Cheryl stops me, taking me off guard. She's not supposed to be here, she's not supposed to be at this AA meeting. "Hey! You ok?" She ask quietly. I refuse to look at her. "Toni..." She cups my cheek. "What are you doing here?" I ask her. "I had to drop some stuff for the food drive. What are you doing?" She ask concerned. I take a deep breath. "I was ahh... getting out of a meeting." I whisper. "For AA?" She ask confused. I sigh not wanting to admit it. "Y-yeah." I whisper. "I've never seen you drink." She whispers. "Yeah, I've been in these meetings before we met." I tell her. "We've been dating for 6 months. I'm just finding out." I nod. "I'm ashamed." I say quietly. "I'm sorry. I just was trying to find the right time to- to tell you!" She rubs my cheek again. "It's ok! I just kinda wish you said something sooner." I nod. "I'm sorry." I say. She kisses me. "Come on. Let's go to Pop's or something, the ex has Ray for the weekend." She smiles. I think for a second. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that." I whisper. "Also you need to be honest if you're gonna be in her life." She whispers. I nod. "I know! I haven't had a drink in over 6 years. I don't have temptations, I just go to keep myself from falling off." I explain. "We should just go to Pop's."

"Can I ask who your ex is?" I ask quietly. "Yeah." Cheryl drinks her milkshake. "Ok than, who is your ex?" I ask. "Archie..." she says slightly embarrassed. "Really?" I smile. "There's a reason we aren't together! Nothing bad happened, we just didn't want the same things in a relationship and I ended up getting pregnant right before I filed for divorce. It was kinda one last try to make things work and obviously it didn't work out. I don't hate him and he doesn't hate me." She explains. "So Ray hasn't grown up with her parents together." She says sadly. I take her hands. "She has 2 loving parents and she's 3, she doesn't know any different. Once she gets older you might have to worry but she's grown up with it like this her whole life, she'll be ok. Trust me, I grew up in the same situation." I explain. "You're a recovering alcoholic." She whispers. "It has nothing to do with my parents, I don't have self control when I start drinking and college wasn't any help to that." I smile. "Still! You're parents could have sent you to a good school or something." She shrugs. "I went to the Princeton University. It's the party college! It also has one of the best Physical Therapy programs in the country. I didn't have much choice." I tell her. "You could have picked a different occupation!" She says. "See? Not my parents divorce fault." Cheryl nods. "Also I wouldn't have reunited with you." She smiles. "Well, if Ray didn't break her knee we also wouldn't have reunited so..." Cheryl trails off. "There's that." I smile. "Yeah." She smiles. "There's that." I kiss her hands. "How are you allowed to be a doctor if you're an alcoholic?" She ask. "I haven't drank in years we just went over this. Also I'm not anymore." She nods. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just was afraid that you would hate me even though I know you wouldn't." I apologize again. "It's ok. I just want to know, is there anything else?" I think for a second. "It's ok. Unless you murdered someone or something like that." I smile. "I don't know." I whisper. "I don't think I have anything I'm hiding." I tell her. "If I do I'll tell you." She smiles. I take one of her fries and eat it. "How's you're brother doing?" She ask quietly. "He's good! He almost got arrested that was funny." She looks at me confused. "He got into a fight with someone and they thought he started it but didn't. I think they should lock him away for a few hours." She laughs quietly. "He's an idiot. But I love him." I smile. "He's a good person, but an absolute idiot." We both laugh. "Now I know were you get it from." She jokes. "Yeah." I smiles. "Even though I'm older than him." I say. "And he only has half of my DNA." I add. "Do you want to go back to my house." I say standing up and putting money on the table. "Yeah." She smiles. I take her hand and we go outside. "Wait, I want ice cream." I say. "Than let's get some." She smiles.

"Didn't you get arrested in high school?" Cheryl ask quietly. "Yeah! They thought I had weed on me but someone planted it and than they did a finger print a realized it wasn't me." I say. "Who planted it?" She ask. "I don't know." I shrug. "Some kid who thought it would be funny to play a joke on me." I whisper. I shrug. "It's over." I kiss her. "The ice cream is nice." She smiles. "When can I meet Ray? Like outside off giving her physical therapy a few months ago." I ask quietly. She looks down. "Toni, we've been dating for a few months and I just found out you went to AA meetings." She whispers. "Honestly I just need to make sure you're the right person because I don't want her to get attached and something happening between us." I sigh. "I'm sorry." She says taking my hand. I shake my head. "No! I get it! My dad was the same way! It's ok!" I smile. "You sure?" I nod. "My dad was the same way when I was a kid. Now he's happily married!" I wink at her. "You're so weird." She laughs. "Yeah!" I smile. "That's me." Her phone rings. "I have to take this." She whispers. She picks her phone up. "Hello?" I stare at the stars letting Cheryl have her privacy. "You let her have what?!" I look at her immediately. "Yeah! I'll be there in a few!" She hangs up and sighs. "Everything ok?" I ask quietly. "No! We have to go to the hospital."

CHERYL POV:

"You let her have nuts, she's allergic! You know this! This isn't the first time! You asshole!" I yell at Archie. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention for like 3 seconds." He says. "She's 3! She doesn't know any better!" I yell. "If this happens again you're not seeing her again." I threaten. "Cheryl!" He sighs. "I get the first time! Because we didn't know! But we know she has a nut allergy and you still let her eat whatever you let her eat." I say. "I didn't know! I thought it was peanut free and wasn't!" He whispers. "What did you give her?" I ask quietly. "I got her some cookies! I don't even remember what brand, but I didn't see anything that said they had nuts in them! A few minutes later she couldn't breathe and now you're yelling at me!" He explains. "You need to be more careful!" I whisper. "I know! I will." He says. "Do you want me to make a list of food she can and can not eat?" I ask quietly. He sighs. "I feel bad! I feel like such a shitty father!" He gets frustrated. I stop him from kicking something! "You're not!" I whisper. "We just need to be careful!" I tell him. "It's ok! I'll make you a list of safe foods she can eat!" He nods. "Ok." He sighs. "So you and Veronica?" He looks at me. "It's about time. She's good for her." I smile. "You and Toni!" He whispers. "It's about god damn time!" I nod. "Definitely." I look at Toni who's talking to Veronica. "How's she doing?" I ask quietly. "Good." I go in. "Hey kiddo!" I smile. She smiles widely. "How you doing?" I ask quietly. "Good." She smiles. I kiss her hand. "How's the meds?" I ask quietly. She shrugs. "Great." She nods. I rub her arm. "Everything ok?" I ask concerned. "Yeah! I didn't know and Daddy didn't know." I nod. "It's ok! I know." I smile. "You just need to be careful! Ok?" She nods. "It's ok! You're ok now!" I tell her. "Can you tell me a story?" She ask quietly. "Yeah!" She smiles. "Funny or love?" I ask. "Funny!" I nod. "Ok!" I smile and tell her a story about something silly I did a few years ago.

Toni hands me a teddy bear. "I got Ray a teddy bear and a little book that came with it." She says quietly. "She's out of the hospital and is fine." I tell her. "I know! I just thought she would like it. I remember when I was helping with her knee she talked about how much she liked getting stuffed animals for no reason at all." She explains. I smile. "Yeah! She does. Come on. You can give it to her." She looks at me confused. "Just say we're friends! She doesn't know." She nods. "Of course!" She smiles. "Come in." She slowly walks in. "I wonder how many people my dad said were friends but weren't." I smile. "A few." I nod. "So this isn't the first time?" I shake my head. "No. But I actually like you so it's different." She smiles. "That's good." I nod. "Ray! Sweetheart. I have a surprise for you." I say she comes out of her room slowly. "What is Dr. Topaz doing here? My knee is fine?" She ask quietly. "Well, we knew each other in high school and she found out you were in the hospital and got you a teddy bear." She smiles. Toni hands it to her. "Here." She whispers. "It has a little book too." Ray looks at her. "I can't read." She whispers. "Yeah! But I know your mom can. And you don't have to call me Dr. Topaz! You can call me Toni." Ray hugs the bear. "Toni!"

"Ray! Can we talk?" She nods and I pull her onto my lap. "So you know how Toni and I have been hanging out?" She nods. "You know the stories I tell you about how people fall in love?" She nods again. "Is she your girlfriend!" She smiles. I nod. "Yeah!" I smile. "Ooo! Are you gonna get married?" She gets happy. "I don't know! It's only been a few months." I whisper. "And you're just telling me about this?" I nod. "I didn't want you to bond with her and something to happen and you not know why." I explain. "What would happen?" She ask confused. "In case we didn't fall in love. You know?" She nods. "Wait so how long?" She ask smiling. "A year." I whisper. She looks at me. "I wanted to know!" I smile. "I know, but dad did the same with V." I tell her. "True." She nods. "We're going on a date and I think you should come and hang out with us." She smiles. "Yeah!" I kiss her cheek.

I pick Ray up and rap my arm around her. We go into Pop's and have a great night with Toni.