The Other Side

Her vision was beginning to glaze over. Charli leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to stop the spinning. She felt Mark move closer to her.

“Charli? You okay?”

That was the last thing Charli heard before her legs gave way.

*****

Mark couldn’t sit still when he got to the hospital. He paced back and forth across the hallway, his nerves having him on edge.

When Charli had collapsed in his arms he had been terrified. It scared him to see Charli unconscious like this, her face battered and bruised from her earlier beating. His hands had been shaking when he got his cell phone out and dialed 911.

All his thoughts now were on Charli and their unborn baby. Mark wasn’t going to give up on either of them, especially Charli. He didn’t know what he was going to do if something happened to her.

They hadn’t spent much time together but Mark was determined to change that. If Charli would allow it.

“Mark.”

Mark looked around. Stephen was coming down the corridor with a petite, pleasantly plump woman in her mid-fifties wearing a cream pants suit and a bright blue blouse. Her hair was graying and styled into tight little curls.

Mark didn’t need to ask to know that this was Charli’s mother, Atalya. From what he remembered, Charli was close to her mother and Atalya didn’t suffer fools gladly. He nodded at her.

“Mrs Fraser. I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances.”

“I’m of the same mind.” Atalya looked at Charli’s hospital room, the door closed. “How is she?”

“I’m not family or her boyfriend so they wouldn’t tell me.”

Atalya’s jaw tightened.

“What happened?”

“Andy hit her because she got pregnant by me. He accused her of cheating and smacked her.” Mark gulped. “She fell as well so they’re checking the baby as well as signs of concussion.”

He saw Atalya’s face pale and wished that he could comfort her. But they didn’t know each other and he didn’t want to overstep the mark.

“I remember Andy as a kid. I’ve known him since he was twelve years old.” Atalya shook her head. “He was never like this.”

“People change, Mrs Fraser.”

“That they do.” Atalya looked up at Mark without blinking. She had a piercing stare. “What are you going to do about my daughter, Mr Hildenstern? You got her pregnant. Are you going to do the right thing?”

“It’s Mark, Mrs Fraser.” Mark knew the answer already and told her without hesitation. “I want to be there for the baby. And I want to be there for Charli. But it’s up to her if she wants me in her life, financial support and all that. I won’t rush her if she’s not ready to think about that.” He glanced at the closed door again. “She’s got a lot on her mind right now.”

Atalya surveyed him for a moment. Then she nodded, her eyes showing her approval.

“You’re a good man. And my daughter has said that. As long as you don’t desert that little baby when it’s born and leave my daughter in the lurch, you and I are going to get along just fine.” A small smile touched her lips. “And you can call me Atalya.”

The door to Charli’s room opened and a nurse came out. Touching Mark’s arm, Atalya went over to the nurse and introduced herself. Mark hung back with Stephen, watching as the nurse led Atalya into the room, closing the door behind her.

“She’s a classy lady, isn’t she?” Stephen commented.

Mark smiled.

“Isn’t she just?”

He liked Atalya Fraser. It was easy to tell she was Charli’s mother beyond their similar looks; their personalities were the same as well.

“Did you mean what you said?” Stephen asked. “That you going to be around for the kid?”

“Yes.” Mark turned to his friend. He had made up his mind driving after the ambulance. “I want to support Charli through her pregnancy if she’ll let me. Help out with the medical bills as well. It’s the least I can do since I got her knocked up.”

“Henson’s not going to make it easy on you. He clearly wants her back.”

“I know.”

Mark also knew that he wasn’t giving up on Charli that easily. Andy Henson would have to fight him to get her back. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

For Charli and their baby, he was willing to do anything.

*****

“Charli, honey?”

Charli came back to earth with a thump. She jerked her attention away from the window and looked at Atalya, who sat in the back of the car with her. Her mother was giving her a worried look. Charli smiled and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

“I’m fine, Mom. Really,” She added when Atalya looked unconvinced, “I’m just tired.”

Atalya’s lips pursed but she said nothing. Charli knew she was worried and she had a right to be; being in the hospital checking over her baby had been very scary. She didn’t have a concussion but she did have a splitting headache. Plus a scan on the fetus showed that it wasn’t in any type of distress and it was quite happy. Her only worries were her swollen and cut nose; it wasn’t broken but she was going to be swollen up like a balloon for a while.

While the doctors at the hospital were happy to release her since she was showing signs that she was relatively fine, they had told her to take it easy and not stay on her own so she and the baby could be monitored. Charli had protested – she had to go to work or she was going to lose her job – but they had been firm about it. And with her mother also on their side, Charli knew she was fighting a losing battle.

Mark had hung around as well, waiting out in the hall until Charli left. He looked exhausted and Charli wanted to go to him. But she hung back, knowing that they weren’t alone. If they had been alone she would have done more than hug Mark; just being in the same room as him had her belly being licked by flames and her pu*sy throbbing. Her bre*sts felt heavy just looking at him but that could have been her body changing to the hormones the baby was developing.

Mark was the complete gentleman, offering to drive them to Atalya’s house, where Atalya insisted Charli stay for the weekend. Charli had weakly protested but deep down was delighted. She didn’t want to admit that she wanted her mommy. Although she wouldn’t complain if Mark looked after her.

They pulled up outside Atalya’s suburban home and Mark helped Atalya out first before going around to her side and holding his hand out to Charli. Charli felt the tension crackling between them as she took his hand and stepped onto the sidewalk, and from the way Mark’s breath caught and his pupils dilated, he had felt it as well.

There was still something between them. That gave Charli some confidence after that morning when she had dropped the sudden news that he was about to become a father on him.