Charlie then realized that Val had moved to another room when the background noises became more faint. "Two weeks? Are you sure about this?" He was genuinely surprised, especially since they had only agreed to let him see his son every other weekend while he was still on active duty but quickly agreed before she changed her mind about it. "Yeah, I believe we can make it work now that I'm pretty much staying home."

It took her a while to process everything, and she asked him again if he was absolutely certain about taking on this responsibility even though deep down she was aware that Charlie was reliable and would fulfill his commitments.

"I admit that I haven't been very dependable lately to take him for the weekends, but it wasn't easy for him to stick around during my recovery." He sighed softly. "Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. I'm not saying you're the bad guy here. I know, you're trying to do your best but... Please listen. My main goal is to provide Miles with a stable environment because I can, now that I'm homebound, instead of our son constantly bouncing back and forth between our homes. Give you some room to breath, because I know how exhausting taking care of him can be sometimes." Charlie tried to reason with her.

"I'm not sure if he meant we should move back in together or something else entirely," Val said. She knew that this was a decision that they couldn't rush, so she told Charlie to take his time. However, Val was aware that Miles wanted his parents to be together again. Despite her own desire for the family to be reunited, she knew it was impossible now that Charlie had a new partner. But she brought up the idea for Miles' sake and hoped that Charlie would be open to it.

He leaned back in his side of the booth and let the new situation sink in. Wondering why she'd waited up until now to tell him. However, Charlie appreciated that she kept the news to herself with his parents. "Okay, thanks. I guess the Captain wasn't exactly happy to see you again, hmm?" His voice became softer as he voiced his concerns about the surprising reunion. The situation with his father had been complicated enough since he enlisted. Val knew it wasn't much easier before either while they were still together.

"She was out with her sister from what I remember." Charlie returned truthfully. Locking the phone between ear and shoulder again, he wheeled himself back to the small kitchen area. Under different circumstances, he'd be ready to grab his keys to drive over to help out since the continuing background noise on her end was making him feel restless. "So? Get to the point, Val. I don't think we should discuss this right now. Let alone on the phone. You either get the toy back or come over with him, since I can't get away here without a cab." Did he seem increasingly annoyed? Perhaps, but it was primarily due to his worry about her current priorities while their son was clearly in distress. "Then we can talk about the rest."

"Can I ask why you got a cuddly toy? Not that it matters," she inquired while walking towards Miles's room and started to put some of his things together. "If you have the strength and desire, we can try to have the little one stay with you for two weeks, but only if it doesn't bother you," Val suggested a bit awkwardly.

"It's possible that his mood changed at that moment," he said, without placing blame on her for the situation. It was possible that anyone could have made that mistake without considering the consequences. Charlie detected a sudden change in Val's tone, a skill he had developed during the early months of his new relationship. "If you're talking about Andrea, then yes. It was a spontaneous gesture while I was stuck at the rehab center. She got me a stuffed Eeyore as well when she saw the toys." He enlightened her about the story behind their son's comfort toy. "Don't tell me you're suddenly jealous. I thought we were on good terms for Miles' sake."

"Well, I'll try if you can tell me what got him so upset." Charles rubbed the back of his neck while holding the phone with the other hand. Slightly pacing in the living room of his small on-base apartment. "Miles usually calms down pretty quick with the help of his favorite stuffed toy." Something he'd expect Val would and should know by now. "You know, the piglet one he got a while ago when he stayed over for the weekend."

"You gotta be kidding." Charles ran a hand through his short hair at the revelation. "Did you... tell them why you need the address?" She could have simply asked Dana. On the other hand, he surely would have received a call from his parents beforehand, giving him a speech about the existence of a son he didn't tell them about.

you're going to get someone killed.