A New Life

-Charlie-
“After the break, we will be joined by a woman who has overcome so much adversity, and has inspired thousands with her heroic story. Many of you may remember the last time she was on here, right after she got married to Philadelphia Flyers forward, Sean Couturier. Stay with us.”

Ellen smiles into the camera and I take a deep breath as it goes to commercial.

“You’re going to be amazing, love.” Sean says, wrapping his arms around me. The comfort of his arms calm me slightly. “Everyone is going to love you again just as much as I do.”

“I wish you were joining me.” I admit, smoothing out my short dress and inspecting my prosthetic.
He presses a kiss to my temple.
“Me too, baby. But you know I can’t. NHL rules.”
“I know.” I sigh.

“Mrs. Couturier, we’re ready for you.” The stage manager says, poking his head into the back-stage room.

“Deep breath in.” Sean says, rubbing my growing bump. I suck in. “And let it out.” I breathe out slowly. “You’re beautiful. Anyone who doesn’t see that is blind.”

I give him a smile and peck my lips to his, making sure not to ruin my makeup.

“I love you.” I say.
“I love you too. I’ll be waiting here for you and our little princess.” He smiles.
“I thought HE was going to be a hockey player? Although, if you can play you can play... right?” I wink, following the manager into the hall and towards the entrance to the stage.

Since I told Sean we’re having a baby, the two of us have been going back and forth about what it’s going to be. He’s convinced it’s going to be our first little princess, and I’m convinced it’s going to be our power forward. We still have two months until we can find out, though.

I hear Ellen’s voice come back over the speakers and take a couple deep breaths to calm my nerves.

“One year ago, our next guest was on her way to Afghanistan to serve her second tour with the United States Air Force. A couple months and a tragic accident later, she found herself in a hospital bed facing a devastating injury. Her story and her work with the Wounded Warriors Project has inspired thousands to take the extra step to learn all about the struggles of returning military members, including dealing with PTSD. Please join me in welcoming former Senior Airman, Charlie Couturier.”

The crowd cheers, and I make my way towards the center of the stage and Ellen’s open arms. I give her a brief hug and take my seat next to her, crossing my ankles.

“Welcome back, welcome back!” Ellen beams.
“Thank you so much.” I say.
“First of all, I’d just like to say you look absolutely beautiful. If we both weren’t married women, I’d totally slip you my number.”
I laugh.
“Likewise.” I chuckle.
“Now, let’s get down to what you’re here for. Your work with The Wounded Warriors Project. You’re here to announce something really special, right?”
“Yes!” I smile. “The Wounded Warriors Project is really excited to announce that they have officially partnered with both the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.”

The audience claps and Ellen smiles.

“Now, for our viewers who don’t know what that means, tell us a little bit about what’s going to be happening now.” She prompts.
“Well, with these new partnerships come a lot more opportunities for public appearances supporting the Project. MLB and NHL players will all be participating in signings, photo sessions and general appearances that will benefit the Project. Also, players who are interested will be given the opportunity to get involved with the Warriors benefiting from the organization’s efforts on a more personal level.”
“Amazing.” Ellen says, getting the audience to clap.
“We’re really excited about it, and really appreciative of the generosity of the two leagues.” I respond.

Ellen smiles and I breathe a sigh of relief. I got across exactly what the Project needed me to say. I have no idea how, but since my social media accounts took off I’ve become one of the public faces of The Wounded Warriors Project.

“Now, I want to talk about your personal life.”
I smile, knowing this was coming. You can’t be married to a professional athlete and not have people ask questions.
“A couple months ago, you tweeted this picture....”

The screen behind me comes to life, showing my tweet from Father’s Day of Sean and my hands resting on my belly.

”@SrACharlieC: Happy Father’s Day to all current and expecting dads! #Happy”

It makes my heart flutter to look at. Ellen turns to me, smiling.

“So can we assume that caption means what we think it does?” She asks.
“Yes, you can.” I giggle. “I am four months pregnant and Sean and I are expecting our first child in either the end of January or beginning of February.”
“Congratulations!” Ellen beams.
“Thank you so much. We’re both so excited.”
"Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?" She asks.
"Not yet. But Sean is convinced it's a girl."

“Now, forgive me if this is too personal, but how does your injury affect being pregnant?”

I smile because I was hoping she would ask this.

“Actually, I love this question. A lot of people think that having one leg would affect my ability to carry a baby. But in actuality, there’s really no problems at all. My prosthetic is essentially like a real leg. It can handle the same weight, pressures, change in walking movements and everything else that a real leg can handle. That’s one of the Project’s biggest points of emphasis- that Wounded Warriors are just like everyone else, just with a disability of some sort. For the most part, we can still do all the same things as before.”

Ellen smiles at me.
“That’s absolutely fantastic. And something I obviously didn’t know. Thank you for sharing that and coming on the show today.”
“Thank you for having me.” I respond

She turns to face the audience and the cameras.
“Coming up next, we have our musical guest for the day, Ariana Grande. Stick around.”

As soon as the lights on the cameras go off, Ellen turns to me.
“You’re truly an inspiration. Thank you for being on the show today.”
“Honestly, Ellen. Thank you. It’s such an honor to be here, having the chance to raise awareness for the Project.” I respond.
“Congratulations on the baby. I can’t wait to see the pictures on twitter of the entire experience!” She smiles as the stage manager comes over to take me back to the dressing room.
“Thank you so much. I promise there will be plenty of fun pictures. Especially once I start showing!” I laugh.

Ellen gives me a hug and I leave the stage, following the manager to my dressing room. On my way back, I pass Ariana Grande who is making her way towards the stage.

“Charlie!” She calls. I turn, surprised that she knows my name. “I just wanted to say you’re such an inspiration. My cousin is a wounded veteran so my whole family appreciates that you’re raising awareness of situations like his.”
“Thank you so much.” I respond with a smile.
“I have to go now.” She laughs, being pulled towards the stage by one of her dancers. “But it was nice meeting you!” She shouts.
“It was nice meeting you too!”

I open the door to my dressing room and find Sean sitting on the couch, playing with his phone.
“Apparently Ariana Grande is a huge fan of yours.” He says, not looking up.
“Yeah, she just stopped me in the hallway.” I respond.
“She poked her head in here hoping you were here, but you weren’t.”
“That’s so sweet. What are you doing?” I ask.
“Playing 2048. Stupid game.” I chuckle.
“So don’t play it.” I say, swaying my hips as I cross the room to my bag.

I know I’ve caught Sean’s eyes, and it makes me feel powerful. The pregnancy might not have hit my stomach yet but it’s certainly found it’s way to other parts of my body, namely my breasts and ass. Sean is such an ass guy, it’s been driving him crazy. I’m not going to complain, though. It’s true what they say about sex during pregnancy. Absolutely amazing.

“So where are we off to next?” I ask.
“Th-the hotel.” He stammers. “Nothing on the schedule for the rest of the day. Just spending the entire time in the hotel.”
I laugh, knowing that’s not true.
“Aww, is someone horny?” I tease him.
“You’re joking, right? We haven’t had sex in like.... four days.”
I laugh out loud.
“What are you going to do after I give birth and we’re not allowed to have sex for a couple weeks?” I ask.
“Wait, that’s really a thing?” He’s bewildered.
“Yes! You’re supposed to wait like six weeks.”
“That’s not fair!” He groans, making me chuckle.
“Imagine how I feel! I’ll make you a deal. For every ten dirty diapers you change, I’ll give you a blow job.”
His eyes spark.
“Wait, really?” I nod. “Hell yeah! I’m gonna change every dirty diaper.”

We both burst into laughter and he stands up, crossing the room to kiss me. His touch is soft, but his lips are forceful, causing my pregnant self to moan. His hips brush against mine and I feel his growing bulge against my lower stomach. This asshole already knows exactly what to do me in order to ensure he’s getting laid tonight. Fucking hormones.

“Right now, we have places to go. But tonight, you’re mine.” I promise.

“I’m totally okay with that. As long as you make it good.” He winks. “By the way, you were absolutely amazing. You were sexy and adorable and smart and inspiring and everyone loved you. Just like I said they would.”

“Stop sucking up, you dork. You’re already getting laid tonight.”