Picture This

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Ian

Charlie stayed in the hospital for another week before she was finally discharged.  They had to make sure nothing else was wrong with her.  And when everything checked out good, she was home free. 

The day that she woke up was probably one of the best days that we’d been in the hospital.  When her dad and Liz finally got there, Charlie started crying when she hugged them.  There was something weird in the way she was looking at the two of them when they came in, though, but I didn’t know why.

My parents and Ellie came also, just a few minutes after they did.  And when everyone was finally together, Charlie told them that she had officially said ‘yes’.  They started cheering and clapping so loud that one of the nurses had to come in to tell them to calm down.  They really didn’t pay an attention because everyone was just too happy to listen. 

The first night Charlie came home was the first night that I hadn’t spent with her in almost two months.  I had gotten so used to her being beside me that I was having a hard time going to sleep.  Apparently she was also because we started texting each other and continued until early morning. 

Charlie stayed home another week before her parents even let her go back to school.  She was freaking out about missing so much and I just kept laughing at her. 

So when her first day back came, I was in the school parking lot before she and Freddie got there.  She’d gone the day before to get her leg cast off and was fitted with a boot.  The cast on her wrist came off the day after she woke up.  She didn’t have to wear a brace for it anymore. 

When Freddie’s car pulled into the space next to mine, I quickly got out so I could help Charlie with her stuff. 

“Hey,” I said, smiling down at her when I opened the door. 

“Hi,” Charlie said, looking up at me, smiling, from the passenger seat.  “So are you my man servant for the day?”

I laughed as I helped her out of the car.  “Nope, for life, babe,” I said, wrapping an arm around her waist.  When she put her hands on my face, I felt her ring on her left hand.  “So you wore your ring?  I didn’t think you’d want everyone to know.”

She shrugged.  “I just figured it wasn’t leaving my finger anytime soon so why not flaunt it a little?”

I laughed again and leaned down to kiss her. 

“Charlotte!” someone yelled as they ran toward us. 

Charlie and I broke apart to see Julia smiling with Cam right behind her.  To both mine and Charlie’s surprise, they were holding hands. 

“You’re together?” Charlie gasped, and Julia nodded shyly.  “Why didn’t you tell me then when I saw you a few days ago?”

“Um, I don’t know,” Julia said, blushing, as she looked at Cam.  “It’s still new so we really didn’t want to say a lot about it.”

“I so knew this was going to happen one day!” Charlie squealed.  She looked so happy I thought she was going to burst.  “I was having such a hard time keeping my mouth shut when you two would look at the way you do sometimes.” 

Julia’s blush darkened.  “Well, let’s get inside instead of freezing our butts off out here.  Plus the bell’s going to ring in a few minutes and you don’t want to be late for your first day back, do you?”

Charlie laughed.  “Sure, let’s get the subject away from you and Cam.  But I’m so going to be revisiting it later!”

I turned to get Charlie’s bag out of Freddie’s car.  Freddie was just getting out of the driver’s seat and walking over to us.  And after we talked for a few more moments, we headed for the doors.