Charity spent the night at Carter’s apartment. The next morning they awoke to the sound of Carter’s alarm clock.

“Damn it John, you didn’t tell me you have to be up at the crack of bloody dawn.” Charity said rolling over.

“I know, and it seems to get earlier and earlier every time it goes off.” He said. John got up and headed toward the shower. Charity headed to the kitchen to see if he had anything that resembled a coffee pot. She managed to find it and then the coffee. She was tempted to go into the shower with him, but she didn’t want him to be late getting to the hospital. Maybe today while he was at work she would look for a job in Chicago. John had asked her to stay, she would see if he meant it when he got out of the shower.

“Sorry the alarm woke you up. You can go back to bed if you want.” John said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

“Then you still want me to stay.” She asked.

“Yes I do. I meant it when I asked you to stay last night.” He told her.

“Well then I think I might try to find me a job today. I can’t freeload off you while I am here all the time.” She said. “That and maybe I should call my mom and see if she has calmed down any. I doubt she has but it’s worth a shot. But I think I’ll leave the living with you part out for awhile.”

“Suit yourself.” He said. “Do you want me to give you a lift anywhere on my way to work.”

“Could you drop me back off at Doug’s so that I can get my clothes. I can’t wear the same thing the entire time I am here.” She said smiling at him, “I know you don’t like my father but my stuff is there. I promise not to drag you into this family reunion anymore than I have to.”

“It’s okay Charity. You know I realize dating you means that I am going to have to put up with Doug and I’ll do it for you.” He said. “Come on let’s go before I am late. I don’t want to have to explain you to anyone.”

She followed him out the jeep. When they pulled up to Doug’s apartment she saw that his jeep was in the parking lot. She knew that she would have some explaining to do but she wasn’t going to get into details about it. Charity leaned over and kissed Carter goodbye.

“I’ll meet you at the hospital when your shift is over.” Charity said to him.

“I’ll see you later then.” He said and drove off.

Charity walked up the stairs to her father’s apartment. She almost felt like she was 16 again and sneaking in when she knew that her mother was awake and waiting for her.

“Hello,” she said walking in.

Doug was sitting on the couch. He looked mad to her, “About time you got in.”

“Now wait just a minute. You didn’t say be home at a certain time Dad.” She said looking at him like she was in deep trouble.

“No I didn’t but I assumed that you would be home at a reasonable hour. After all it was dinner and a movie.” He said.

“Hold on now, I did nothing wrong. I am not 16 years old and I don’t have to explain myself to you. I’m an adult and I met a guy that I like. So what if the two of you don’t like each other that doesn’t mean that I can’t like the two of you. Besides I know what went on between the two of you.” She said. “I don’t matter to me. Come on you said that you weren’t going to treat me like a child.”

“I’m not. Okay yeah I guess I am a little bit. But I don’t want to see you get hurt that’s all.” He said.

“Let me be the one to make the mistakes myself. It’s not like you and mom have any kind of perfect records. There wasn’t anyone telling you over your shoulder to not date certain people.” Charity told him.

"By the way Mark had this brought over by courier this morning. I thought that it would be appropriate to wait until you got here to open it." He said holding up an envelope.

"What is it?" She asked. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Its the results from the DNA test that you and I took the other night when you showed up in Chicago announcing that you were my daughter." He said. "This holds the answer to your question, and to mine." He said. "Shall we open it?"

There was a lump in her throat. She wanted to know, but then there was a part of her that didn't want to know. What if it didn't hold the answer that she was searching for? What then. She had told Carter that she would stay in Chicago. But could she really stay here if Doug wasn't her dad.

"Charity?" Doug asked her again.

"Sorry, I uh, yeah I guess we should open it." She said looking at him. Her eyes showed fear, the girl looked like a deer stuck in the headlights.

Doug opened it up. He grinned from ear to ear. Charity wasn't sure if that's because he was off the hook or if she really was his daughter.

"Well what does it say?" She said looking at him with a puzzled look, "I can't tell if you are pleased cause I am your daughter or if you're happy cause you're off the hook."

"I'm happy cause it says that you are my daughter with out a doubt Charity." He said. "I know for sure now and I don't have to just take Elaine's word for it. So I guess I can now officially welcome you into the Ross clan."

"Doug, uh Dad, there's something else you should know." She said looking at him quite seriously.

"What is it Charity."

"Look I know where the bad blood between you and John is coming from. I'm not taking sides either way cause I wasn't here when it happened. But he has promised to try to get along with you for my sake, would you do the same?" She asked pausing but not waiting for him to answer, "John asked me to move in with him and I said that I would."

"Charity, of course, I'll try for you, but aren't you moving a little fast. I mean you two just met and now you are moving in with him." Doug stopped he realized he was acting like a father to her for the first time, "what does your mother have to say about this. I'm sure she isn't going to like it either."

"I haven't told mom, and I don't think that I am going to for awhile. I know as well as you do she isn't going to like the idea. And from the sounds of it, you don't approve of it either. Did you expect me to stay here?" She asked.

"Well yeah I kind of did." He said.

"Dad, as much as staying here has meant, please come on I'm a grown up. I can't live with my Dad." She said.

"No I don't suppose that you could forever. But I thought that you could until you had a job and a place of your own. I didn't expect you to move in with the first guy that you met in Chicago." He said to her. "It's not that don't approve. Carter's a good doctor, young but good. But like I said, it seems a little fast. What if things don't work out between the two of you? You don't even know each other."

She bit her tongue. She wasn't going to go there. She wasn't going to tell him that she knew him better than he thought she did. That they hadn't gone to the movie's last night. Instead they spent the night at John’s apartment having sex, against her father’s warnings about Carter. That would be too weird. "No I know I don't know him as well as I should before moving in with him and sure it's kind of sudden, but I have that gut feeling that it will all work out." She said.

"Charity you are not going to tell me that you love him are you?" He asked.

"No I am not going to tell you that I love him, what do you think I am insane." She said answering his question.

"Yes, actually I do think you are a little insane. But if you want to move in with him that's fine by me." He said surprising her. She didn't expect her father to go along with any of this.

"Excuse me." She said to him looking confused, "did you just say to go ahead with this."

"Yes I did. And if it doesn't work out I expect that you will come running back to me when he ditches you for the next pretty young thing that comes along." He said.

"Well thanks for the support." She said.

"You're welcome." He said sarcastically. "Let's get out of here and go do something. Maybe hang at Carol's for a little bit and then we'll take you and what little stuff you have over to Carter's."

"That's cool with me. But I told Carter that I would meet him at the hospital when he got off." She said.

"Not a problem." Doug said. At least he was going to be spending some time with her. And if she was dating Carter at least then he could keep an eye on her when she came to visit him at work.

They spent the day watching basketball on television in Carol's living room. She had gone to work that day. Normally Doug and Carol had the same day off, but Doug had swapped shifts to spend some time with Charity. He was hoping that he could nip this little romance in the bud before Carter ended up hurting his daughter. He wasn't keen on the idea of the two of them dating.

Charity looked at the clock. She knew that Carter would be getting off soon and she didn't want to keep him waiting. That was the last thing that she wanted.

"Hey Dad, are you going to take me to the hospital or do I need to catch the EL." She asked him.

"Yeah I'll take you. Don't get your panties in a knot. I thought that I would pick up Carol while I was there too. You know you should spend some time with her and get to know her a little better." He said.

"I'll pass for right now Dad. I think I should get to know you first and give you and Carol some time to adjust to me." She said.

He started to head out to the Jeep. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. "Charity, what really is going on between you and Carter?"

"Why does something have to be going on between us? Really we are just exploring the possibility of a relationship." She told him. She hoped that he wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Don't play me for dumb Charity. I know that he wouldn't have asked you to move in unless you were putting out." He said point blank.

"You know Dad, sex is the last thing that I am going to talk to you about right now. I don't even discuss that with mom." Charity said coldly. She was not going to get into this conversation with Doug at all.

"Are you at least protecting yourself?" He asked.

Oh man, now what was she supposed to say as an answer. They didn't use anything last night. It had totally slipped Charity's mind and John didn't say anything about it. Christ what was she thinking. Doug noticed that his daughter had gotten awfully quiet.

"Charity, you're not are you." Was all he could say, "are you really ready for what could happen."

"Dad, uh, no, I wasn't thinking. Honestly really. It won't happen again I promise. It just didn't come up last night and well I wasn't too worried about it." She said. She wasn't going to lie to him. Besides her silence in thought gave it away that she hadn't used anything. She wasn't sure what he was going to say next.

"When we get to county I'll have Carol hook you up with something. My god, I am not ready to be a grandfather yet." He said looking at her.

She sat in silence the rest of the way to the hospital. Thank goodness it was a short drive there. She didn't think that she could take much more of this. Talking about her sex life with her father was way too much. The next thing she would know is that he was going to be calling her mother. No Doug wouldn't do that to her. He would not bring Elaine into this. Or at least she thought that he wouldn't.

Doug parked the car and Charity climbed out. She was going to head off to find Carter when Doug stopped her.

"First please go see Carol." He said. He did not want his daughter pregnant by Carter. Then he would never get rid of him. He knew that he would tire of her sooner or later, but he didn't want her heart broken and pregnant at the same time.

"All right, if I do will you drop all of this please, it's to weird." She said walking into the hospital.

Doug led her to where Carol was. She had only briefly seen her sitting on the couch last night when Doug had dragged her into the kitchen. Hopefully this wouldn't be too painful. Doug spoke to her for a minute and then motioned for her to follow Carol into an exam room.

"Doug said that you need some birth control." She said to Charity. "Its not often we have a dad asking for that kind of thing."

"Doug's well I guess worried or something." Charity replied.

"He's your Dad of course he is going to be worried. But you know that you can come to either of us if you need anything." She said. Carol was trying to put Charity at ease. She knew that talking to her Dad's girlfriend probably wasn't the easiest thing that she could be doing.

"I know. I really appreciate him taking the time to let me into his life, but I just wish right now that he would get out of the sex part of my life. I mean that isn't something that a daughter wants to talk with her Dad about." She said to Carol, "I mean I really don't even want to be discussing it with my future step-mom. But he insisted that I come and talk to you before I went and met up with Carter so here I am. Can I go now?” Charity said.

"Yeah sure, here go find Carter." Carol said to her.

Charity bolted out the door and Doug walked in.

"How did that go?” He asked?

"Well, let's just say that she said she really didn't feel comfortable talking with her future step-mom about sex either Doug. I think that you've crossed into the realm of where a father should not venture." Carol told him.

"I know, but it's Carter she's seeing. That can't be good in itself." Doug said, "If you're off let's get out of here. I have had enough parenting for one day."