"That's my daughter!" Charlotte's body flinched in her sleep.

"Ma'am, you cannot-" A moan now escaped her cold lips.

"I can and I will. I have already lost my husband last week and I will not lose-" Her eyes opened.

"Ma'am, I am very sorry for your loss. But your daughter will be fine. She hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor said she should soon. Her case is still under investigation and until my boss is done with their conversation, you cannot see her." Once the words reached Charlie's brain, she moved her head in order to see more than just a very white ceiling above her.

Slowly, the young woman realized that she was in a hospital bed. Upon seeing a familiar face, she tried sitting up. But he stopped her by gently touching her wrist.

"You should take it slow, Miss Denver." Sheriff Peters said in the most calm voice Charlie had ever heard from him. She opened her mouth to speak, but started coughing instead. Her throat was dry and she was grateful her boss handed her the glass of water that stood on the table beside him.

"Thank you." Charlie said after emptying the glass.
"You're welcome. How are you feeling?" He asked, his hands moving back to the notebook in his hand. Charlie noticed it only now. And it was also in that moment that Charlie realized he wasn't visiting her for get well soon wishes. That made a deep sense of panic settle into her chest. What happened?

"I don't know why I'm here." Charlie tried her best to remember, but couldn't. 
"That is totally normal after an accident like-"
"Accident? What happened?" Now the panic was clear in her voice and Sheriff Peters mentally cursed himself for telling her like that. But someone had to rip the bandage off. And if he were in Charlotte's shoes, he would want it to be ripped of rather fast than slowly.

"You have been in a car accident last night. The doctors have given me permission to see you when you wake up. But I do not know anything about your medical condition. I just know that it's always a good sign when doctors let me talk to patients right as they wake up." He explained.

"A car accident? What car accident?" Charlotte now slowly managed to sit up, shaking her head even slower. It hurt to move too fast and the sheriff could see it in her face.
"Witnesses state that you seemed to have lost controll over your vehicle and drove against a nearby tree. You have been unconscious until now." He told her.

"Oh my God. Did I hurt anyone else? Is everything-" Charlie started.
"No, thankfully no one else was harmed. Somehow despite losing control, your vehicle swerved away from traffic. It was close to a miracle." Sheriff Peters interrupted.

Relief settled into Charlie's chest. She didn't know what she would do if she accidentally hurt someone. Thank heavens, that didn't take place. But how come she couldn't remember anything? Ironically, a knock on the door let Charlie momentarily forget about her memory loss. She watched as the doctor came inside with her file in his hand.

"Good evening, my name is Doctor Hall. I'm afraid to interrupt your interrogation, Sheriff Peters, but I need to talk to Miss Denver immediately. The blood tests results just came in." He sounded urgent, yet not worried. Charlie watched as her boss nodded, clearly unsatisfied with the short time he had with her.

"I will stay a little longer and we can continue this later." Without waiting for an answer, the man stood up and walked past the doctor before closing the door behind him.

"Is something wrong with me?" Charlie asked, her face and tone of voice worried.
"No, it is nothing serious. And I am sorry for delivering this news to you in such a manner, but I must ask. Did you know you were pregnant?" He asked, making Charlotte frown.

"I-" Charlie had to think. But she realized when the doctor told her, there was no feeling of surprise. All she felt was a weird sensation in her heart. Like a deep sense of sadness. And slowly, but surely she could remember holding a positive pregnancy test in her hands. It was a swift memory that flew away within the next breath she took. But it was clear enough for Charlie.
"I think so." She answered honestly.

"Good, I hate when I have to ask people that. Nine out of ten times it ends up being a surprise." He said and cleared his throat after opening the file in his hands.

"Your blood results show good news. You have not acquired serious damage during the accident. You have a mild concussion and considering the circumstances, it is a wonder you only have a mild one. Except for the dizziness and the short-term memory loss that you may be experiencing now, you should feel lucky. But we would still like you to stay here for a couple of days, just so we can monitor you and make sure you and the baby are okay. Nurse Kocniz will come in soon to make an ultrasound. Just so we can be entirely sure everything is fine. But your data looks good and I am sure you have nothing to worry about now." The doctor announced.

Charlie didn't know how to respond. She was shocked to say the least. Despite probably knowing about her pregnancy, it was really hard to form questions in her head. She had so many, but didn't even know how to express them.

"When will I regain my memories?" Finally, she asked.
"It is unwise to say an exact time. Some people regain it after a week or two. Some take longer and a minority doesn't at all. But in your case, I strongly believe you will remember stuff soon. Just don't exhaust yourself trying too hard. It will all come back when your brain has healed from the impact. Just give it some time." He told Charlie, who mentally gulped. What if she was part of that minority?

"I cannot imagine what you are going through, but I can see the worry in your face. For legal reasons, I had to inform you about the exceptions that never fully healed. But those were different cases, way more severe than yours. As your doctor, I recommend you stay with your family when you get released. It usually comes back when people with that syndrome are in familiar surroundings." Charlie nodded, unable to speak.

"Now that you are awake, you must be famished. I have ordered food to arrive after the ultrasound. If you have any more wishes, please feel free to press the red button next to your bed. A nurse will come immediately." He said and once again only received a silent nod from his patient. But Doctor Hall was used to that. So he simply nodded back and exited. Much to someone else's relief.

"Oh, honey. I'm here." Charlotte's mother, Elizabeth Denver said, rushing to her daughter's side.
"Who are you?" Charlie asked with a straight face, causing her mother to take a step back in shock. But it wasn't long until the younger Denver started laughing a little. It was a weak laughter, but it made her mother incredibly happy.

"Don't do that to me." Misses Denver let out a deep breath.
"Sorry." Charlie said, appreciating her mother's gesture of comfort when she gently stroked her head.
"How are you feeling, honey?" The elder woman's voice was so soft, Charlie immediately felt better.

"Fine." She shrugged.
"What did the doctor say? Will you be coming home with me today?" Her mother asked with hope in her eyes.
"No, they want to monitor me for a couple more days until I can go." Charlie had a feeling that now after the accident, her mother would insist even more on her moving back into her childhood apartment.

Ever since her father had died, Elizabeth Denver focused all her attention on her only daughter. She would call Charlie multiple times a day. They would eat dinner together every single day and lately the elder woman insisted on morning chats with a warm cup of coffee. Even before the accident, Charlie knew it was only a matter of time until she moved back in with her. If she was being honest, after all she went through, the thought didn't seem all too bad anymore. At least now with a baby on the way, her mother might focus on that more than her. She might soon feel true happiness again.

"Mom, I have to tell you something." She started, really unsure if it was the right timing to tell her. She didn't even know how far along she was and who the father was. Oh God. Who was the father? Charlie knew she wasn't supposed to try and remember. But this seemed like an awfully important detail. Her mother would most definitely ask her.

"What is it, my love?" Elizabeth Denver asked.
"I- well, I-" Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell her yet. Charlie herself didn't even know enough to talk more about it. She suddenly decided against telling her mother and now had to make up another story to tell.
"I-" She started again.

"Yes?" Misses Denver urged. Yeah, there was no way she could tell her.
"The doctor said it might help to stay with family for a while. So I was thinking-"
"That after you are released from the hospital you will stay with me? I was thinking of asking you, but didn't want to overwhelm you. Of course, you will stay with me. It is best to be with your mother after an accident like this. Especially when you've got no one else to look after you." The woman said, interrupting her only daughter.

Charlotte knew she didn't mean to sound harsh, but that reminder of her not having anyone really troubled her. She knew she should rest and wait until the memories would come back. But somehow she also knew that the child she was carrying would not grow up with a father. Even if she found him, something told her that she was still going to end up alone. That was scary and utterly depressing. That sadness from before settled back in. And not even her mother's gentle head strokes helped.

"Would you get me a cold Fanta from the vendor machine downstairs?" Charlie asked.
"Of course, my dear. I didn't even know there was a vendor machine downstairs. I will be right back." Charlie watched as her mother left the room. A second later, she also wondered how she knew about the vendor machine downstairs. She could not remember the last time she was in this hospital.

"Who cares?" She said to herself, sitting up straighter. But before her mind could wander off again, there was another soft knock at the door.
"Come in." Charlie said.

"Good morning, miss Denver. I am here for the ultrasound." The short woman smiled and Charlie nodded.
"Is this your first child?" Came her friendly voice.
"Yes." Charlie answered. She watched as the nurse came inside, pushing the ultrasound machine in front of her.

"And are we excited?" Another effort to keep the conversation going while she set up the object. Charlie inwardly sighed, but nodded nevertheless. She was not in the mood to talk.
"Can you free your stomach for me, please?" The woman asked while opening a bottle of blue gel.

"This will feel a little cold on your skin." She warned. Charlie bit back a hiss and watched as the woman put a generous amount of said gel on her stomach.
"Let's see. So, the blood results show that you are past fifteen weeks. We will have to-"

Her sentence was cut short when the two heard a loud sound behind the nurse.
"Oh, no." Charlie said, looking at her seemingly frozen mother, who must've been standing there for a few seconds too long. She probably forgot something again.

So much to not telling her...

A/N: The epilogue will be up tomorrow. I know this is an open ending and I am aware that a lot of people hate that. But personally, I have come to enjoy a good story with an intriguing ending. But fear not, there is more to come. This will not be the last time you have read about Charlotte and Morpheus. The second book will also explain any confusion you might have. But if you cannot wait, feel free to ask questions in this comment section or send me a direct message. I will make sure to answer everyone without spoiling too much.