The Other Side

Charli cringed as Andy rubbed at his crotch before he grabbed it. He had never acted like this before. It was like a switch had flipped when she walked away and he had become a completely different person. The smell of marijuana filled her nostrils and she gagged, covering her mouth with her hand.

“You’re high.” She coughed.

“I might be a little.”

“From the smell, it wasn’t just a little. What the hell did you take?”

“Just a little weed.” Andy shrugged. “K2, some X.”

Charli felt sick. Andy had been a driving force behind a drug prevention program at university. He had declared that he would never try drugs because it would ruin his chances of doing what he wanted to do. This wasn’t the same Andy and Charli didn’t like the new one.

“You do know your tennis career is over, don’t you?” She demanded. “You can’t take drugs and expect to be a top player, or a player at all.”

“It’s never over.” Andy suddenly darted forward and leaned over her, his hands on the wheelchair arms. He shoved his face closed to hers and the stench of booze hit Charli in the face. “And neither are we.”

Charli shrank back in her chair. She was trapped and she didn’t want Andy this close. She wished she had listened to her mother and sent Andy away.

“Hey! Get off her!”

Mark. Charli had forgotten that he had headed out ahead to get the car. He suddenly loomed up behind Andy and grabbed him by the collar, yanking him away. Andy stumbled back and tumbled to the floor. Mark stood between Charli and Andy, hands clenched into fists by his sides. Charli could see he was close to losing it and wanted to reach out and touch him, tell him that she was all right.

Andy sat up, looking a little unsteady as he pushed himself to his feet. He glared at Mark and jabbed a wobbly finger in Mark’s direction as he swayed.

“I’m going to kill you, Hildenstern.” He snarled. “Stealing my girl was a big no-no.”

Mark took a step forward. Charli knew he was going to swing. Before she could open her mouth Kimberly came running in.

“Andy!” She grabbed Andy’s arm and tried to tug her back outside. “Come on, let’s go.”

“No!” Andy pulled his arm back. “I’m staying.”

“If you stay that means you are violating the restraining order. If we don’t leave now you’ll be arrested.” Kimberly grabbed his arm again and tugged. “Come on!”

For a moment Charli thought Andy was going to shake Kimberly off him like a rag doll. But he seemed to do as she said and allowed the older woman to lead him out the lobby, stumbling into the sunshine. Mark turned to Charli and knelt before her, his hands on her knees.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Charli wasn’t fine but she wasn’t about to say that here. Everyone was watching them, some of them even holding up their phones recording the scene. She felt sick. She gripped Mark’s hands pleadingly.

“Just take me home.”

*****

“You don’t need to carry me in.” Charli protested.

“I do need to carry you.” Mark held Charli close, resting his cheek on her head as they stood on the steps of her apartment building. “I just want to hold you.”

Charli shook her head.

“You big softie.” She said affectionately.

She didn’t move away, leaning further into him and wrapping her good arm around his neck.

Even though it had been two days since Charli had been shot Mark was still shaking, knowing that a few inches more and Charli could have been killed outright. Then he would have lost her and their baby. He had to have her in his arms to know that she was okay.

And after seeing Andy towering over her in her chair, right up in her face, Mark was frightened he would lose Charli for real by Andy’s hand. Roberto hadn’t found anything on the shooting or that Andy had been involved. He had told Mark not to expect results immediately. Mark knew it wasn’t Roberto’s fault but that didn’t stop him from lashing out. Stephen had had to restrain him after he broke Roberto’s nose. If they hadn’t been good friends Roberto would have thrown Mark in a cell.

It had been hard to keep his hands to himself when Atalya was in the car but as soon as Charli’s mother had gone into her house Mark had grabbed Charli’s hand and not let go as they drove back to Charli’s apartment. Mark wanted to go to his but he figured that Charli wanted familiarity and comfort right now and his apartment wasn’t exactly the best place for it.

Somehow he managed to get the door open and they took the elevator, Mark cuddling Charli closer. She felt soft and warm, lighter than he expected. His co*k stirred to life, demanding that he stripped her clothes off as soon as they were in the apartment and made love to her, just so he knew that Charli really was safe. But Mark remembered the doctor’s mock stern orders and fought with his self-control. He wouldn’t bust her stitches and Charli was still delicate from the surgery.

Charli had given him her key and Mark unlocked the door, kicking it shut behind him as he carried Charli to the bedroom. He set her down on the edge of the bed and knelt before her, undoing the laces on her sneaker.

“You make yourself comfortable and I’ll get some lunch on.” He took off the shoe and started on the other one. “I bought some things for a cold lunch. Cold meats, potato salad, things like that.”

“That would be great.”

Mark paused when he heard the sudden quiet tone. He had known Charli long enough to know that something was wrong. He looked up and Charli refused to meet his gaze, her head turned to the side with her eyes closed. Mark was shocked to see a stray tear fall.

“What’s wrong?” He rose up onto his knees and put his hands over hers in her lap. “Charli, talk to me.”

“What do you want from me?”