LOST IN THE LAW

Chapter 12

Charlie awoke the next morning with a headache. She groaned and dug herself deeper into the covers. She shifted and her hand landed on an arm. An arm?

Charlie shot off her position, the sleep gone from her body. Finn laid next to her. Charlie tried to remember what had happened the night before. Charlie looked down. She was naked.

Charlie grabbed the bed sheets and twisted them around her body. "What the hell happened last night?" She whispered to herself.

Finn groaned and shifted. He opened his eyes. His eyes danced to Charlie and he sat up. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I-I don't know," Charlie said, "I can't remember anything from last night." Finn's lower half was barely cover by the blanket and Charlie could see he too, was naked.

"What happened?" Finn's eyes landed on the clothing scattered around the room. His eyes widened.

"Did we-did we have-" Charlie didn't finish the sentence.

"Have sex?" Finn finished for her. "It seems like it."

"How drunk was I?" Charlie mumbled. "We-we can't ever do this again."

"No, really?" The sarcasm in Finn's voice annoyed her.

"You!" She pointed an accusing middle finger at him. "You took advantage of me!"

"Hold up! I was just as drunk as you were!" Finn said. "I don't even remember what happened last night."

"I-I have to go!" Charlie jumped from the bed and rushed to her clothing. She ran from the room and outside. It seemed they didn't take her car.

"I'll take you back to the bar." She looked behind her to see Finn standing in some of his boxers. Charlie looked away. "I'll get dressed and take you back. You must've left your car there."

"Okay." Finn left and Charlie slipped on her clothes from the day before. She found her shirt torn to threads on the ground. Finn offered her shirt before he left to get changed. Finn returned moments later and they exited outside to his car.

Not a single word was spoken the entire ride to the bar. Charlie's car was parked outside. Charlie had found her purse along with her keys at Finn's house. Seems she remembered to grab them even in her intoxicated state.

Charlie exited Finn's car and rushed to her own. She started the car and pulled from the lot. She knew Finn had left. She felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. How could she have let that happen? She was usually level headed. Charlie was never going to get drunk around Finn again.

Charlie felt as if she was back in high school as she walked up the steps to Courtney's house. She had promised to help Courtney in any way. She was supposed to be at her house two hours ago.

"Where were you?" Courtney demanded once Charlie entered the house. "I thought you had just gone to Uncle's house, but imagine my surprise when Aunt Carol called to ask if you had stayed the night."

"I just got drunk at a local bar." Charlie replied.

"And? Who were you with?"

"Um...." Charlie's voice trailed off. "Okay, I got drunk and ended up having sex with Finn." Charlie rushed the words out.

"You had sex with Finn?!" Courtney shouted. "Oh my god!"

"I don't remember much from last night. My memory is slowly coming back to me." Charlie explained. "We were both drunk out of our minds."

"And what does Finn say?"

"I didn't let him say anything. I left almost as quickly as possible." Charlie groaned, placing her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do." Charlie checked her watch. "I gotta go, but I'll come back. I need your advice."

"Okay, go save some lives," Courtney said. "And I expect you here for dinner tonight." Courtney called out as an after thought.

"I will be!" Charlie said as she exited the house. She drove to the police station and sat outside for a moment. She felt out of place. She felt on edge. Things had been different for Charlie ever since Courtney went missing.

She entered and walked to her desk. A file sat on her desk with a sticky note that read; your case. Please look it over and Detective Daniels can answer any questions.

Charlie flipped the file open. A missing persons case. The victim was twenty-four. A close age to Courtney. Charlie felt her breathing sped up as the previous weeks events came rushing back to her.

She couldn't breathe. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths. Inhale. Exhale. She thought, trying to calm herself down. She needed to get out.

She pushed from her desk and almost ran to the door. She threw the back door of the station open and took two steps before collapsing on the ground. She felt as if everything was closing in on her and she couldn't get a moment to breathe. All the air seemed to have disappeared as her lungs tried to pull in more oxygen.

She calmed herself moments later. She felt her breathing return to normal as her vision began to become less blurry. "What was that?" Charlie whispered out. Her lungs took breaths in painfully.

"Charlie?" A voice asked. "Are you alright?" Charlie looked up.

"I-um," she stuttered. "I'm fine." She squeaked out. Why was it Finn was always finding her at the moments she didn't want him to find her?

"Did you just have a panick attack?" Finn's tone was too probing for Charlie.

"No, I'm fine," she said quickly. She brushed the dirt from her clothing and turned away from Finn. She didn't want to be bombarded with all the questions that would follow if she had said yes.

"Charlie," Finn reached out and touched her arm. "Are you alright? What happened?'

"Nothing. Its just the first day back. Just trying to get back to my routine." Charlie said, pulling her arm away from his hold.

"Charlie, if something is happening, you need to talk to someone," Finn said. Talk to someone about her panic attack because of a case? It had never happened and it wouldn't happen again.

"Its nothing. I'm fine." Charlie said, once again. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I'm just turning in any evidence that I found during Courtney's case. As a lawyer I always get my own copy of evidence. However, with the case closed, I have to turn it into the police." Finn said. Charlie hadn't noticed the thick folder in his hand. It looked to be bursting with its contents.

"Thats a lot of evidence," Charlie commented.

"Ya, I get into my work. This case was with Courtney so it was even more important." Finn said. "Anyways, if youre alright, I should go turn this in." Charlie nodded and Finn stepped back her and into the station.

Charlie took a moment to compose herself before she stepped back into the station. Her breathing picked up slightly. She took calming breaths as she walked to her office. Finn was at the front desk, talking with the secretary.

Charlie avoided him. The brief conversation outside had been awkward. Charlie didn't know what to say about the night before. They were both drunk and it wouldnt happen again.

Charlie entered her office and picked up the file again. She turned her attention to the words, trying to not let them get to her.