Handle With Care

A recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Soufflé precedes this chapter.

Charlotte takes Willow to Boston for pamidronate infusions. They do this twice a year, and while pamidronate is not a cure for OI, it helps Willow be able to walk instead of using a wheelchair. While there, Charlotte finds herself wishing someone from the lawyer’s office would call. Willow’s doctor encourages Charlotte to think about rodding surgery for Willow’s femur, which will lessen the magnitude of any future femur breaks. Sean is against the surgery and sees it as unnecessary. They argue on the phone about whether the surgery is worth it, and Charlotte says she’s just trying to save Willow’s pain. She then calls Piper to complain about her husband.

Charlotte considers the implications of filing a lawsuit against Piper. She knows she will lose her best friend but could provide a better life for Willow. She calls Marin. She schedules a time to come into the office to meet with Marin when she and Willow get back from Boston.

Piper recalls meeting Charlotte at the skating rink eight years earlier. The two women bonded over their daughters, and Piper was impressed by Charlotte’s pastry career. They quickly became best friends.