WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
4x8

"Has anyone talked to Charlotte?" Violet entered the kitchen holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

"I left her a couple of messages," Addison looked up warily at her sister. "but she— she didn't call me back."

"Well, what do we say to her?" Amelia asked from beside Athena.

"'Get well soon' or 'Sorry this happened' both seem pretty ridiculous," Sam said looking down at his cereal.

"Is there a card that says 'I'm sorry you got viciously beaten and robbed'?" Amelia attempted to joke.

Violet nodded with her words, "You need to learn to filter before you speak."

Everyone looks to Athena, "You must have talked to her, Athena?"

"Hm?" Athena looked up. "Oh, uh, n— no I haven't. Sheldon have you heard from her?"

"I sent her flowers," Sheldon shrugged one shoulder.

"Oh, flowers. Crap," Violet tilted her head back slightly, "I should've sent her flowers."

Everyone stops talking about the subject as Cooper hurries into the small kitchen, which contained pretty much every doctor in the practice.

"Hey!" Cooper pants. "Oh, Charlotte went to the hospital first. But now she's parking downstairs. So I need— I need, uh—"

"You need to go to the gym," Athena tilted her head, a small smile making its way onto her lips.

"Shut up," Cooper said still breathing heavy. "She's gonna be here.. any second. Just don't act weird."

"You're setting a great example," Addison situated herself on her chair.

"Just tell her she looks great," Cooper suggested.

"Does she?" Amelia brought her coffee to her lips, spilling it slightly when the brunette beside her kicked her under the table. "W—?"

"No," Cooper swallowed, his breathing still not letting up. "She looks like she got the crap kicked out of her.. but if we just— shh."

Amelia cleans the coffee off the kitchen island as the blonde chief of surgery enters the small kitchen.

"Morning," Charlotte greets.

Everyone miscellaneously say their good mornings.

"Take a good look then get it over with," Charlotte's hand was on her bag, everyone except Athena staring at the blondes face. She walks to the fridge and pulls something out, then turning to see everyone (except Athena) was still staring. "If you're gonna be all nervous and annoying around me, stay the hell outta my way."

Everyone watches as she leaves the kitchen and walked straight to her office.

"What'd I say?" Cooper asked when they were in the clear. "I said 'Don't act weird' and you all acted weird. Like weird people," Cooper shook his head as he left.

"Well I thought that went about as well as could be expected," Sam looked around the room.

"I think it's too soon for her to be back," Addison expressed.

"Me too," Athena said.

"Well, look, I mean, she faced everybody. Clearly stated her needs, she told us off— therapeutically speaking, that's a good days work," Violet looked at Sheldon for support.

"Violet's right," Sheldon agreed. "Either you get swallowed up by that kind of trauma or you try to regain control of your life. Charlotte's regaining control. Right?"

🪷

Athena didn't have very many patients—which she was ninety-nine percent sure had something to do with Addison.

She hadn't really talked to Charlotte since the night at the hospital, so she was really nervous as she approached the woman's office.

The Knotts woman knocked on her best friends office door, Charlotte snapping her head to the door with alert.

"Who sent you to spy on me," Charlotte sighed. She was sitting on the floor. "Cooper? Addison? Your girlfriend suggest it?"

Athena kept her head held high, "I came looking for you on my own. Figured your day was probably pretty weird, and you might need some of my sugary specialty get better cookies."

Charlotte let out a small chuckle, a real smile making its way onto Athena's face.

"So are you—"

"If you ask me if I'm okay I swear to God I'll take this cast and knock you upside the head," Charlotte clenched her jaw.

"I wasn't gonna ask you that," Athena let out a breathy chuckle.

Charlotte looked at the brunette with a curious look, inviting Athena to sit beside her. Athena accepted, sitting her box of cookies on the floor in front of them.

"When I first took up drugs it was after I stopped being friends with these girls in tenth grade. But I just kept on telling myself it was because of my mom," Athena's lips pinched together. "But, I was the star athlete of my schools girls wrestling team. I mean, an addicts gotta be addicted to something, else, right? So, I would spend most of my free time at home practicing with this girl down the street and we would practice for hours. Until, I banged my head off the cement. Really hard. I don't really remember much from that year."

Athena let out a breath. It was nice to tell her best friend about this. She never truly spoke up about her drug addiction to Charlotte—the blonde only knew she had an addiction.

"Obviously, I wasn't hurt the way you were, but I started craving pills again. So.. I was thinking that maybe you were craving pills again," Athena looked up off the ground at Charlotte. "I haven't went to any meetings lately, and I don't plan to. But maybe if you wanna go you could ask Am—"

"I grew up wrestling two brothers," Charlotte reminded Athena. "I have an incredibly high pain threshold. And you should too. Anything else?"

🪷

"Hey," Athena stood in Amelia's doorway.

"Hi," Amelia looked up with concern. "Are you okay?"

One thing Athena loved—Amelia cared about her, unlike most people in her life. The brunette neurosurgeon noticed the bags under the cardio surgeons eyes.

"Let's go," Amelia shut her computer off and grabbed the Knotts girls pinky in hers. "I've done enough for the day, and you look tired. Dinner?"

Athena was about to agree when they both heard heels clicking and looked up at the blonde coming their way.

"Charlotte?" Athena asked.

Charlotte swallowed back tears, "I need to go to a meeting."

"Um— o— of course," Athena wrapped her other arm around Charlottes.

The three make their way out of the building.

idek what this is