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What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?
Chapter 21 – December 25th 2002

“Jingle Bells! Batman smells! Robin laid an egg, the bat mobile broke it’s wheel and the joker got away!” Sophie sang, bouncing into Charline’s room.

Charline groaned and rolled over to chock the clock. “Sophie!” She whined. “Get lost, it’s seven in the morning.” It was as if she and Sophie had switched roles. Sophie was now the happy-go-lucky one and Charline was the grump.

“Aw come on, we’re gonna open presents now!” Sophie squealed excitedly.

“You can do it without me, I’m sure mom and dad wouldn’t mind.” Charline replied smugly. Sophie rolled her eyes and grabbed Charline’s arm.

“Come on, Char.” She said seriously. “Christmas is your favourite holiday.”

“Fine.” Charline gave in, though she didn’t want to. She sat up and then fell back down. “Ugh I’m too pregnant to move.”

Sophie laughed and helped Charline up, even though she was pretty sure Charline was just being stubborn.

Making their way downstairs, they heard Christmas music playing and a perfectly lit up tree, with stacks of gifts underneath it. It was the perfect Christmas scene, but Charline felt like scrooge.

“Charline, you open one first.” Her mom smiled, handing her a gift wrapped package.

Charline examined it and glared at Sophie. “It better not be condoms!”

Sophie pointed to the tag on the gift. “It’s from Santa, you putz. Besides, it’s too big.”

Charline nodded and then started tearing through the paper. Holding up the box in front of her, she smiled. It was a 3D puzzle of the Eiffel Tower. “Thanks, Santa!” She grinned. Sophie smiled, even Charline cracked a smile on Christmas morning


“Wow, uh, thanks Nick.” Aaron said tossing the shirt Nick got him beside his other gifts, and reaching for another package. This was the one day that the whole family could spend together.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Your present wasn’t exactly great either.” He chucked, holding up the Nsync greatest hits CD that Aaron had bought him.

Aaron grinned and ripped the paper off yet another present. “Now this is a present.” He said, shoving Journey’s greatest hits in Nick’s face.

Nick’s jaw dropped and he snatched the CD away from Aaron. “Mom!” He whined. “I wanted this.”

She smiled after watching Bob open yet another gift. “You can share it.”

“No way!” Aaron protested, and Nick jumped up, running out of the room. “mom!” Aaron yelled.

Jane Carter ignored her sons squabble and continued watching the other girls open their gifts.

Nick grinned from inside the washroom in which he had locked himself. Aaron was acting happy again, the Christmas spirit must have been getting to him. He hadn't mentioned Charline yet, and he was being his old self. Maybe he was finally accepting the fact that he and Charline weren't getting back together.


After their gift opening session, Charline was sitting on their living room floor, putting together her new Puzz 3D.

“Daddy, can you help me with this?” She asked, trying to figure out how two pieces fit together.

Her dad scoffed, coming out of the kitchen holding a cup of coffee. “funny you didn't come to me when you decided to have sex. I think you're old enough to do things by yourself now.” He said, walking back into the kitchen.

Charline sighed, giving up on her Puzz 3D. She rubbed her temples, everything was going back to normal, even on Christmas her Dad still seemed to hate her and to top it all off she had a massive migraine.

She felt like she was going to throw up, and it was like the room was spinning. Suddenly everything went black...

When Charline woke up, everything was white. She pinched herself. Nope, not dreaming. Then she must be...

“Char?” Joce asked, walking into the room followed by Steph and Sophie. Hmmm... Joce and the others were there, so she wasn't dead. That meant there was only one place she could be.

The Hospital.

Ugh.

Steph sat in the chair beside Charline's hospital bed. Joce and Sophie stood beside her “You're up.” Was all she managed to say. She looked like she was about to start crying – again. The three of them looked as if they had their share of tears for the day.

Confused, Charline asked; “What happened? And why am I in a hospital?” She turned to Sophie. “Or is this an insane asylum?”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “You passed out.” She explained.

Charline shook her head. “Nu uh. Why were you crying then?” “We were just worried, Char.” Joce replied, staring at the floor. Steph nodded in agreement.

Again, Charline shook her head. She didn't believe a word they were saying. They may have been worried, but she knew something was up other than her just fainting. “Is something wrong with the baby?” She asked slowly.

Sophie quickly shook her head. “No, no. The baby's fine, don't worry.” Charline breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, that's good.”

The girls nodded, leaving the room as her parents came in.

As they walked down the hallway, Steph scratched her head. “I just had a thought, how come when Aaron and Charline broke up everyone comforted her, but no one comforted me when Nick and I broke up?”

Joce shrugged. “This is Charline and Aaron's story. Not yours and Nick's story. It's in the Aaron Carter section, not the Backstreet Boys section,” She explained.

Steph nodded. “Oh yeah.” She said as she continued down the hall. “Where are we going?”

Sophie rolled her eyes “Just continue walking.”

They got further and further down the hall, but you could still hear Steph's voice asking; “What's the relevance of this scene, anyway?”


.”Wait, back up for a second.” Charline interrupted her Dad; who had been explaining exactly why she was spending Christmas within the white walls of the hospital room. “What's this about problems?”

He sighed. “Since you're so young, your body might not be able to handle having the baby.”

“So in other words, I'll die.” She put it bluntly.

“No, not necessarily.” Her Mom said reassuringly. “You just might be really tired and worn out, more than someone who'd twenty five and having a baby.”

“But there is a chance I could die?” Charline asked sadly. When she woke up that morning, she actually thought it might be a good day. So much for that. What was she doing in the hospital on Christmas anyway?

“A very small chance.” Her Dad assured. “That's why it's important you came here.”

“Cause you thought I was dead?!”

“We were worried!”

Charline scoffed, ad if they were worried. Not the way they'd been treating her. “Okay.” She said quietly. “If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone right now.”

Her parents nodded and left. Once they were gone, Charline fell back. Everything was happening so fast, her life had become a living hell and she secretly hoped Aaron wasn't having the time of his life. Not after he left her to die, or so she felt.