Darlene shuffled into her bridesmaid dress, the peach coloured material straining over her swollen belly. With hindsight, she wished she'd dropped out as soon as she found out she was pregnant but it was too late now.

"I'm sure it can be let out a bit more," Charlotte said tentatively while Judy stood beside them with a deep scowl on her face. Darlene knew she wanted everything to be perfect but she'd become a real pain in the ass.

"If I could put the pair of you together I might have two halfway passable bridesmaids," Judy said with a forced laugh. "Seriously, Charlotte can you please not lose any more weight? Darlene's got an excuse for getting fat but there's no reason for you to get so skinny."

"You think I'm fat?" Darlene asked placing her hands where her hips should have been. If Judy didn't drop the attitude she was going to kick her butt out of the house before much longer.

Judy's cheeks turned pink and she turned her attention back to Charlotte, nipping in her dress around the waist. "Of course I don't think you're fat, you're pregnant," she said with a conciliatory smile. "It's Lottie I'm getting pissed off with."

Charlotte's jaw dropped and Darlene regretted opening her mouth. "Lighten up Jude, the only dress that matters is yours. It's kinda traditional to have your bridesmaids looking terrible, that is why you've put us in peach isn't it?"

Judy laughed. "Be grateful you're not in frilly pink! But I want us all to look our best and we won't if your dresses don't fit properly."

"Fine I won't lose any more weight," Charlotte said grabbing a safety pin. "I didn't realise I had until we tried the dresses on. I guess life has been a bit hectic lately."

Judy opened her mouth but Darlene shot her a warning look, lest she put her foot in it even further. She turned around to face the mirror, grimacing at her reflection. She looked like an over-ripened tangerine with a ribbon around her waist. There was no chance of her upstaging the bride!

"So what is going on with you Lottie?" Judy asked while Darlene tried to shush her.

"I honestly don't know where to begin," Charlotte said looking critically at herself in the mirror. "This only needs taking in an inch or so, I'll do it myself this weekend."

"Okay, but you haven't answered my question." Judy gave her a sly look. "Have you been seeing Louis? You two looked pretty cosy at the funeral."

"I've seen him, I guess we're friends."

"That's all?"

Charlotte sighed. "That's all it ever can be with me, it's a waste of time me getting involved with anyone."

"Don't be stupid," Darlene said putting her reservations about Louis to one side. "You've got to stop thinking like this."

Charlotte glared at her, her lips pursed. "How can you say that when you're stood there pregnant? And Judy will no doubt soon be starting a family of her own. That's over for me, it's more than just leaving my husband; the possibility of ever having another child has gone." Her eyes welled with tears and Darlene felt ashamed, she was guilty of trying to make light of Lottie's situation.

"Look you don't know for certain that you can't have another child," she said putting her arms around her. "The doctor said it would be difficult for you to conceive but not impossible."

Charlotte shrugged her arms off. "That's pretty much what he meant. After what happened he said there was trauma and probably lasting damage, plus my womb is the wrong shape so the baby will more than likely implant in the wrong place and I'll miscarry." She let out a strangulated cry. "The odds are massively against me, I was lucky that I even had Jamie."

"Isn't that unlucky?" Judy asked her eyebrows furrowing. "I mean it was the worst time for you to have a baby, and with the worst person. If the doctor is right about the shape of your womb then it's pretty awful luck that you had a successful pregnancy when you did."

Darlene gasped. And to think people think I'm tactless. Charlotte however simply nodded.

"Yes, it probably was the best and worst luck ever." She laughed without humour. "And to think all those times with Louis I was paranoid about getting pregnant. What a joke that was."

Darlene cleared her throat. "About Louis, I have a confession." She looked down her fingers playing with the ribbon on her the front of her dress. "I told him about Nick, about what he did to you. I didn't mean to but it sorta slipped out."

"Oh, that's just great," Charlotte said sarcastically. "No wonder he's been walking on eggshells around me." She stood up and threw her arms out. "Just when I thought there was one person who was treating me normally, who didn't pity me, who liked me for me-"

"So you do like him?" Judy asked grinning.

Charlotte sighed. "I've always liked him but it can't go anywhere now."

Darlene stood up, placing her hands on Charlotte's shoulders as they looked at their reflections in the mirror. "Lottie, I wish to god I could convince you that you are wrong about this. You're kind, beautiful, intelligent, any man would be lucky to have you, and if you think Louis is that man then you should go for it." Oh, John is gonna kill me for interfering.

Charlotte shook her head. "I think too much of Louis to condemn him to some kinda half-life with me."

"Don't you think he should be the judge of that?"

Charlotte frowned. "I was under the impression you thought it was a bad idea us getting together?"

"I did," Darlene admitted as she tried to remember her reasons why. "But, say your doctors are correct about the baby thing. I think he's someone who knows you well enough, knows what a catch you are, to not be put off by that."

Charlotte laughed. "Nice try but it's not that straightforward." She unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, quickly pulling her blouse and skirt back on. "Oh, guess who's trying for a baby? Dale and Ros, he told me the other day." She blew out her cheeks. "To be honest, it's got to me, I suppose it's reminded me of the life I could have had."

Darlene took a couple of deep breaths, not reacting to the news any better than Charlotte had.

So Rosalind gets to walk away, oblivious to the hurt she's caused? 

"Dale's a fool to have a baby with her, he should leave." She paused as she heard the front door open, John calling out a greeting. "Hey honey, we're in the living room."

He stepped inside, his eyes taking in the dresses. "Not intruding am I?"

Darlene laughed. "Half an hour earlier and you would have been! We're all done now."

"Until next time," Judy added playfully. "Let's hope the dresses fit then."

"Don't be such a worrywart," Darlene said rolling her eyes while Charlotte began to fold the dresses up.

"Actually, about the wedding," Judy said tentatively. "Now that I've uninvited Dale and Ros, I have a spare two places. I was thinking of asking Louis, I would have invited him in the first place had he been home." She looked expectantly at Charlotte who was fastidiously putting the dresses into bags.

"Yeah, good idea," John finally said sitting down and stretching out his legs.

"Do you think I should give him the other place as a plus one? He might want to bring someone."

"I think his plus one will already be there," John said giving Charlotte a pointed look and she flushed.

"Can you guys please stop talking like this?" she asked holding her hands to her face. "You're embarrassing me."

"Yeah, knock it off Johnny," Darlene said feeling inexplicably irritated. It was all well and good him joking about matters of the heart, he'd wasn't exactly suffering in that respect. "You know, we were just talking about Rosalind?" She was unable to keep the snide tone from her voice. "She's having a baby."

John gawped at her. "Seriously?"

"She's planning to," Darlene said her stomach roiling. "I guess she's moving on." John made a noncommital sound but she did not miss his face blanching or his clenched jaw. He still cared about Rosalind, there was no denying it.

                                                                  ~~~

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