Epilogue

They get back from the hospital just before suppertime. Getting out the stitches wasn't nearly as painful as having them in, but she's feeling more tender than she wants to be, and a little sick. And she doesn't want to see Cooper.

"Oh, come on," Amelia says. This seems to be a favourite phrase of hers. "Can we call him at least? Tell him we're home?"

"I don't want to be home," she complains.

Amelia reaches for the phone anyway, and she tenses. If this is going to be like Addison, like Violet...

But Amelia reads her face, and puts the phone down again. "Oh, fine. Hey, let's go to my place. Take some measurements. Make our plan."

But she's too tired, Amelia sees it, so the first thing they do is inflate the air mattress. It's one of those fancy ones where all you have to do is push a button, and it's massive. She lies back, closes her eyes, inhales gratefully. And the next thing she is aware of is the smell of hot cocoa.

She props herself up on her elbows. "Where'd you get that?"

"There's a microwave in the kitchen. A filthy microwave, but a microwave just the same. I've been exploring. You've been out for an hour or so."

She frowns. "I have?"

"Yeah, you have. Hey, it's okay. You needed it."

"But I don't...what time is it?"

"Ten to seven." Amelia holds up her phone for her. "He's texted you, like, fifty times."

"He bailed on me."

"Yeah, he did. He won't, next time."

"No?"

"No. He'll learn. Like all of us are. Why don't I go and get him for you, Char? You could just sit tight for a second, have the cocoa, and I'll get him. Would you like that?"

She's tearing up before she can stop herself and pleading "Do it. Get him now."

By the time Amelia is back with Cooper, she's sobbing so hard that she hasn't even had a chance to notice that for the first time since the attack, she's had a few minutes free of her well-meaning chaperones.

In the dim light of the single over-head bulb in the bare apartment, Cooper looks soft and shadowy as he sits down beside her and wraps his fingers around her hand.

"Baby, I'm sorry," he whispers.

She tries to squeeze his hand, but she's shaking and she's crying, and she can barely see where he is. He lies down beside her, keeping his hand around hers.

Then she breathes, turns her face a little, rests it on his shoulder. He tries to put his arm around her. She flinches, shrugs back. And lets her head fall back on him.

"You bailed on me," she finally says.

"I know I did. I'm so, so sorry. I was scared..."

"I was too. I was scared, and you bailed on me."

"I just didn't know what to do. Charlotte, what was I...I didn't know what to do..."

"I don't either, you know."

"Yeah. We talked about this, at my group today."

"Oh yeah?"

"I'll spare you the therapy-speak. I know you hate that stuff. But I'll tell you that a lot of feelings I've been having...and I know this is not about me, but I'm just telling you...these feelings are actually extremely common. There's this horrible grief that this happened to you. Anger, that I couldn't stop it, that I wasn't there to...to...and now? Now, I am here, but I don't know what to do, how to help, what to say. So there's more guilt, that you needed me, and I bailed on you. And it just goes round and around..."

"Here's a thought," she says. "What if you didn't have to do anything? You can't fix this, Coop. I'm not sure I can ever really fix it either. I do think...with help, for both of us...we can get to a point where it happened, but other things-better things-will happen too. And we can get on with it. But in the meanwhile? I guess we just have to hurt a little. And ride it out until it passes. Don't leave me again."

"I won't. I promise you, I won't."

"Even if I thrash or scream or kick, don't leave me, Coop."

"I'm here, baby. I'm here."

She needs sleep, like she hasn't in days, and she needs it now. She lets it overtake her. She'll wake up in the morning and she'll still be at Amelia's lying on that mattress. And he'll still be lying beside her with his hand wrapped around her fingers.

the end

Want to see a sequel? If so, leave me a comment with your ideas for where you'd like to see this go. I have a few of my own, but I am not sure I have enough to sustain a whole epic. So, ideas? Interested? Let me know.

Thanks so much for reading!