You Again

[soph1303]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while.

Btw I went to the Royal Adelaide show on Saturday with a few friends and Brax and Casey were there. Unfortunately there was to big of a line to get a photograph or autograph, but as they were leaving Steve Peacocke(Brax) gave me a high five!!! !!! Seriously the best day of my life!!!

Anyway, squealing over. Here's the next chapter.

Warning: More creepy Grant in this chapter. And some violence. You have been warned!!

CHAPTER 21

Ruby gasped and tried to slam the door shut, but Grant wedged his foot in the door.

“Ruby please let me explain,” Grant cried as he tried to keep the door open, as Ruby desperately tried to close it.

“Get the hell away from me!” Ruby yelled. She kicked his foot, making him withdraw his foot from the pain. A moment was all Ruby needed, and she quickly slammed the door shut and locked it. Ruby ran around to all the windows and locked those too, drawing the blinds as she did so. When she was sure that she had got them all, she stepped back shaking. She could hear Grant calling to her from outside, but she ignored him. “I’m calling the police!” Ruby yelled loudly. She listened hard, and eventually she heard Grant sigh and start walking away. But Ruby was taking any chances. Still trembling, she ran to find her phone. Ruby dialed Charlie’s number and held her phone to her ear.

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Charlie sat on the edge of her desk and stared at Jack. As soon as she had arrived at work, Jack had approached her and demanded to know what was going on. In answer, Charlie had silently gone and found her file and handed it to him, instructing him to read it. Jack had sat down at his desk to read it, and Charlie had sat on the edge of hers, watching Jack’s facial expressions change as he read her file. Jack slowly closed Charlie’s file, and turned to look at her, his face filled with anger, understanding, and something that Charlie just couldn’t quite read.

“Charlie,” Jack began. “I am so sorry. I had no idea.”

Charlie half-smiled at him. “Well it’s not exactly something I like to advertise about myself”.

“I guess not, but all the same, I am really sorry Charlie,” Jack told her, and Charlie realised that the expression that she hadn’t been able to read was pity.

Charlie opened her mouth to speak, when her phone started to ring. “Sorry, I’ll just be a minute,” she apologized to Jack, who nodded. Charlie clicked the button to connect. “Hello?” she said into the phone.

“Mum?” Charlie heard Ruby sob slightly.

“Ruby! Are you ok?” Charlie asked Ruby worriedly.

“No; Grant turned up at the house,” Ruby told Charlie.

“He what?!” Charlie yelled, standing up angrily, causing Jack to look up and mouth the words – are you ok? Charlie just shook her head at him and held up a finger, signalling that she would tell him in a minute. “Did he hurt you? Are you alright? Is he still there?” Charlie asked quickly into the phone; her fears for her daughter making her words come out faster than intended.

“He didn’t hurt me, I’m just shaken up. When he told me who he was, I tried to slam the door in his face but he put his foot out. I kicked his foot, and I managed to lock the door. He kept on yelling to me to let him in, but I yelled that I would call the police, and he left,” Ruby assured her frantic mother. Ruby tried to hide how scared she was, knowing that it would only freak Charlie out more.

“Are you sure?” Charlie checked; there was no way that she was taking any chances when it came to the safety of her daughter.

“I’m sure,” Ruby said.

Charlie held the phone away from her ear and said to Jack, “I know I only just got on, but Grant just showed up at the house and Ruby’s really freaked out, and I …”

Jack interrupted her, “Go home. I’ll cover your shift for you, and I’ll go word Grant for you as well” he offered.

“Thank you,” Charlie told Jack gratefully, before speaking into the phone to Ruby, “Ok Jack’s gonna cover my shift, so I’m coming home now. Are you going to be ok until I get back?”

“You don’t have to come home,” Ruby began.

“Yes I do,” Charlie insisted firmly. “So will you be ok until I get back?”

“Yes I’ll be fine,” Ruby assured her.

“Ok, see you soon,” Charlie said as she hung up. She gathered up her belongings off of her desk. “Thanks for this Jack,” she said as she headed to the door.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack told her. “Just concentrate on looking after Ruby and yourself, ok?”

Charlie nodded, not really listening. “Yeah ok. Bye Jack”.

-----------------------------

Ruby sat nervously at the breakfast bar waiting for Charlie to come home. Every small noise would make Ruby jump, and she had a can of spray next to her, to use as a weapon if Grant came back. She had assured Charlie that she would be fine, but Ruby was a lot more nervous than she was letting on to Charlie.

Ruby heard a bump outside, and her hand immediately went to her spray. Then she heard the sound of keys jangling, and the door opened to reveal a worried Charlie behind it.

When she saw Charlie, Ruby jumped up and ran towards her, throwing her arms around Charlie as she did so, and sobbing slightly into her shoulder.

“Shh, it’s ok,” Charlie told Ruby as she hugged her.

“Have you seen him yet?” Ruby asked. She felt Charlie shuffle uncomfortably before speaking.

“Yeah, he approached me earlier when I was with Brax,” Charlie told Ruby.

Ruby gasped, and pulled back slightly, so that she could see her mother’s face. “Are you ok? That must have been awful. What happened?”

“Well he was taunting me, and Brax knew who was, and what he did to me, so he punched him,” Charlie answered.

“Wow. Brax really likes you, you know,” Ruby hinted; not knowing that he and Charlie were back together.

Charlie smiled slightly. “Yeah I know. That’s why we got back together,” Charlie told Ruby slowly; anticipating her reaction.

“You guys got back together?” Ruby asked. Charlie nodded. “Yay, I’m so happy for you,” Ruby squealed. Charlie laughed at her daughters reaction, as she kissed the top of Ruby’s head. “I love you mum,” Ruby told Charlie.

Charlie smiled. “I love you too Rubes”.

--------------------------------

Grant sat on the beach, contemplating his situation. His meeting with Ruby hadn’t exactly gone as he had hoped. Though to be honest, if Charlie had told Rubythe truth, then he probably should have expected Ruby’s reaction. Grant felt himself get angry. Charlie had no right to turn Ruby against him, even if she was telling the truth. Grant had never got over that she reported him to the police for rape. The fact that she was telling the truth was besides the point. It had ruined his reputation, even though he had never been proven guilty. And Grant was all set on revenge.

Grant heard footsteps approaching where he was sitting and looked up. He saw the cop that had pulled apart the fight between him and the guy called Brax earlier walking towards him.

“G’day constable,” Grant said cheekily as the man stood over him.

Jack looked at him coldly. “Look, I know who you are, and what you did to Charlie. So don’t even try and go there,” the man told him.

“Well first of all mate, they never charged me, so you don’t really know what you’re talking about, And even if you did know what you were talking about, you seem to think you know the truth, so what are you doing annoying me for?” Grant asked.

“Listen, Charlie is one of my best mates. And you being in town is hurting her and Ruby. So I’m here to tell you nicely – this time – to get back in your car, and to leave Summer Bay,” Jack said pointedly.

“That’s not very professional is it? A cop telling an innocent citizen to get out of town. I wonder how that would go down with your superiors,” Grant hinted and Jack glowered at him. “Besides,” Grant said, “this is a nice town, and I still have unfinished business to attend to.”

“Stay the hell away from the Buckton’s,” Jack warned Grant before walking away.

Grant smirked. He was used to cops hounding him. But they hadn’t got him for anything yet, and he had a plan to make sure that never happened. And Grant was looking forward to putting it into action. Grant stood up and was brushing sand off himself, when he spotted two more men walking towards him. One of them he didn’t recognise, and the other was the man called Brax who had hit him earlier.

“What does a man have to do to get a bit of peace and quiet in this town?” Grant asked mockingly as the two men stopped in front of him, arms crossed, and both looking very angry.

“Maybe he could leave town?” the other man supplied.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Grant Bledcoe, but I’m guessing Mr Right hook here has already filled you in on that,” Grant said.

Both men glared at him. “Look, we’re just going to say this once,” the man called Brax began. “Leave town. Or Angelo and I will make sure you do for you. And believe me when I say that I am not joking.”

Grant pretended to size them up. “Yeah I believe that you’re not joking. But still, I don’t think that just between the two of you, that you could make me leave town.”

The man called Angelo turned to Brax. “Yeah maybe. But I’m pretty sure that you could rope some of the Riverboys into helping us, couldn’t you? I mean, there’s nothing you guys like better than a brawl, right?”

“Right,” Brax said to Angelo before turning back to a slightly worried looking Grant. “So maybe not two people could make you. But I’m pretty sure that about twenty angry men could,” Brax hinted. Grant swallowed audibly.

“Leave Summer Bay,” Angelo reiterated, before he and Brax turned around and walked off. Grant was deep in thought as they left. He had been planning on waiting a while, before carrying out his plan, and being able to fine tune it. But from the looks of how many times he had been told to leave the bay already, it seemed like Charlie had made a lot of friends already, and they would all be on the lookout, which meant that it looked like Grant was going to need to bring his plan forward.

----------------------------------

Charlie paced up and down the beachfront, as she prepared to face her fear. She had told Ruby that she was just nipping out to see Brax about something quickly, but that was a lie. The thought of seeing Grant again, let alone talking to him, made her stomach turn. But Grant had crossed the line when he had approached Ruby. She could see Grant further down the beachtop, looking out to the sea. But every time that she tried to make her feet move in his direction, her survival instinct kicked in and she could physically not make herself go near him. Eventually Grant looked up. He grinned when he saw her.

He started walking towards Charlie, and Charlie felt her heart beating fast with fear, suddenly very conscious of the fact that the place where she and Grant were was completely deserted. “Hey Charles,” Grant said mockingly as she stopped right in front of her, and Charlie had to resist the urge to start running and never stop, in the opposite direction. “How’ve you been?”

Charlie trembled as she forced herself to speak. “Look,” Charlie began quietly. “I don’t really care what you do or say to me, but stay away from Ruby,” she told him, her voice almost inaudibly quiet from the fear.

“What was that Charlie? I didn’t quite catch that,” Grant mocked.

“Stay the hell away from Ruby!” Charlie yelled; her fear for her daughter, making her find her voice.

“Touchy, touchy, touchy,” Grant said reprovingly, shaking his head. “Y’know, she’s just as much my daughter as she is yours.” Grant looked down at his watch and then around where they were standing. Making Charlie once again realize that there was nobody else near them. Grant took a step towards her. Charlie nervously took a step backwards. She was about to take another one, when Grant grabbed her wrist. Charlie tried to yank her wrist of his grip, but Grant’s grip was too firm, and she couldn’t free herself.

“Let go of me,” Charlie whispered. All the memories from when she was 14 came flooding back, and she was extremely scared for her safety.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Grant told her. Charlie whimpered, and tried to make a break for it, but Grant stopped her by grabbing her around the waist and roughly forcing her to stop. Charlie started to scream out; despite the fact that she knew no one would be able to hear her, before Grant covered her mouth with his hand. “Shut up,” Grant yelled at her, and Charlie knew that it would probably be safer to do as he said.

Once he was satisfied that she was quiet, Grant started dragging Charlie along, in the direction of his car. Still keeping one arm around Charlie, Grant removed the hand that was covering her mouth to open one of the back doors. He roughly shoved her inside. Using one hand to hold down a terrified, shaking Charlie, Grant used his other hand to reach into a small brown bag. When he removed his hand, he was holding a syringe. Unable to hold it in any longer, Charlie really started to scream. “Shut up!” Grant yelled at her again. Holding her firmly in place, Grant pressed the tip of the syringe into her leg and pressed down, until it all had been injected. He then carelessly threw aside the empty syringe, covered Charlie’s mouth again to stop her screaming and held her down. She continued to thrash against his grip, but as time went on, her struggles became weaker and weaker, until her eyes closed and she became still. When Grant was certain that she was no longer going to struggle, he let Charlie go, and closed the back door. Smirking, he walked back round to the front of the car, and let himself into the front seat. Looking around to make sure that no one was around, Grant pulled out, and set off, ready to put the next part of his plan into action.

Next Chapter:

* Brax and Ruby start to worry about Charlie's whereabouts.

* Grant continues to put his plan into action. What is it and what will happen to Charlie.

* Brax races to save Charlie, but will he be too late to save her?

[soph1303]

Thank you so much for the comments Chickiboomxx, Red Ranger 1, ~JarlieFanEver~ (glad that you liked Ruby not listening to Grant, because that annoyed me too on the show), JosieTash, Samantha28 (Grant might get put away this time - but then again he might not! You'll have to keep reading to find out), Lucii (re: Steve Peacoke highfiving me - trust me I know how lucky I am! I didn't want to wash my hand ever again, but obviously I had too. Lol my friend actually cried after she high fived him ), Pembie, Cally (Thanks for your reviews. Many of your comments made me crack up . And thanks for the compliment on my writing - it means a lot ), Danni02 (Thanks for your reviews too!), Dingoxx and -Carina-.

Warning: Violence, rape and drug refferences in this chapter!! And Grant being pyscho! You have been warned!!

CHAPTER 22

Charlie blinked groggily, and tried to see through the haze that was covering her vision. As she slowly became more aware of her surroundings, Charlie realized that she was lying face down in a dark room. The more awake she became, the more she noticed the pain in her leg. She moved her heavy hand to touch it, and screamed from the pain. It was definitely broken. Her scream seemed to have attracted some attention, as Grant came walking into the room moments after.

“You awake now? Finally. Took you long enough,” Grant leered as he walked towards where Charlie was lying, and pulled a chair from near the wall, and sat down on it a few feet away from Charlie. “Now, you’re a smart girl aren’t you Charlie?” Grant asked cockily. “So tell me, what is a common way Ketamine is illegally used?”

Charlie felt her heart sink in absolute horror. Not wanting to believe it, she looked down at the rest of her body. The shoulder straps of her top were ripped, the front of her jeans was open, and her belt she could see glistening from the other side of the room. Charlie felt hot tears starting to stream down her face, as she knew that she couldn’t deny the truth.

“Come on now Charlie, I think you know the answer, don’t you? So what is it?” Grant asked maliciously, but with a threatening undertone.

Charlie decided that it would probably be a better idea to comply with his questions. “It’s a date rape drug,” Charlie whispered, trying and failing to choke back her sobs.

Grant smirked. “Good girl Charlie, I knew we’d get there in the end. Oh and by the way - that was just a bit of fun before we got started,” Grant told her, with a look on his face that sent shivers down Charlie’s spine. Sighing, Grant walked over to the corner of the room and rummaged around in his bag for something.

When his hand emerged it was holding a gun. Charlie gasped with fear. Grant sighed. “Look Charlie, it’s all got to stop, one way or another, so I’m going to give you two options ok?” Grant asked wearily. “Option one – We go to the police station and you take back every claim you’ve ever made against me. I don’t care that they are true. I can’t handle the police harassing me anymore. So you go to the police and tell them that you lied, and then we can both live our separate lives in peace.”

Charlie looked at him in disbelief. “Why would I ever tell the police that you didn’t rape me? You did, and we both know that”.

“Which brings me to option two,” Grant continued, ignoring Charlie’s response. “If you tell the police that I didn’t rape you, then I have a chance at a normal life without being hounded by the police. If you don’t, then I have nothing left. My wife left me and she took her kids. The police will constantly hound me. So, if in the next say, 48 hours, you don’t agree to go to the police and do as I say, then I will shoot myself, but before I do, I will take great pleasure in shooting you first”.

Charlie gulped. “You’re bluffing,” Charlie stammered, but inside she wasn’t so sure.

“Aren’t I?” Grant asked malevolently. “Charlie, I would rather die than go to prison. So I assure you, if you don’t go to the police, then before I shoot myself, I will shoot you. I’ll leave you to mull over your decision,” Grant told her, before walking out of the room, leaving a sobbing, shaking and terrified Charlie behind.

***

Ruby looked around for Charlie as she walked into Angelo’s. Charlie had told her several hours ago that she was just quickly popping over there to speak to Brax about something, and she still was back yet. Ruby wasn’t too worried yet, she assumed that Charlie and Brax had just lost track of time, but it wasn’t like Charlie to not let Ruby know that she was going to be home late.

Ruby spotted Brax behind the counter, but she couldn’t see Charlie. Ruby walked over to the counter where Brax was.

“Hey Rubes,” Brax said, as Ruby stopped in front of him.

“Hi. Is Charlie still here?” Ruby asked, getting straight to the point as always.

Brax gave Ruby an odd look. “What do you mean still here? I haven’t seen her here today at all. Why would you think that she would be here?” Brax asked.

“Because she told me that she was coming here to talk to you about something,” Ruby explained, now starting to get concerned.

“You don’t think that something’s happened to her, do you?” Brax asked worriedly. Even if he hadn’t known what Grant had done to Charlie, just the brief meetings with the man, had left Brax convinced that Grant had something shifty planned. And Brax had a horrible feeling that this plan might involve Charlie.

Ruby blanched. “When you say that, you mean, do I reckon that Grant’s done something to her, don’t you?”

Brax nodded slowly. When he saw Ruby looking like she was about to throw up, he quickly added, “Look we don’t know that anything has happened to her yet. So, I will give her a call, and you go and ask around if anyone’s seen her. Alright?”

Ruby seemed grateful to be told what to do, because she quickly nodded, and set off silently. Once he was sure that she was gone, Brax walked into his office and got out his phone and dialled Charlie’s number.

***

Charlie lay shaking on the floor. She had heard Grant drive off about half an hour ago, and was terrified about when he returned. Charlie was unable to move her leg, and she still felt drowsy, which was why Grant felt safe leaving her unattended.

The options that Grant had given her, terrified Charlie. She knew that he wasn’t bluffing, and that he really would rather die than go to prison. Charlie had made a pact with herself when she was fourteen that she would never sway from her story, no matter how little believed it was. But was people knowing the truth more important than living? Would Charlie rather get shot, than let Grant get off for what he did to her. Charlie honestly didn’t know which decision she should make.

As Charlie mulled over her choices, she felt her good leg start to vibrate. Reaching down with her hand, she patted where she had felt it vibrating, and in relief she felt her phone in her pocket. She carefully eased it out, and looked at the caller ID. It was Brax. Charlie eagerly clicked the connect button, and brought the phone to her ear.

***

Brax strummed his fingers on the counter impatiently as he prayed for the phone to connect. He was just about to give up, when he heard the line connect.

“Brax?” he heard Charlie whisper.

“Charlie! Are you ok? Where are you?” Brax said quickly, his worry for Charlie’s safety making his words trip over each other in his hurry to get them out.

“I don’t know. I saw Grant, and he grabbed and drugged me and now I don’t know where I am,” Charlie sobbed quietly into the phone.

Brax felt his blood run cold. “Has he hurt you?” Brax asked angrily. Charlie didn’t reply. “Charlie...” Brax began worriedly.

“My leg is broken and he...well he...” Charlie stammered out, but seemed unable to finish.

“What did he do Charlie?” Brax asked, even though his gut was already telling him the truth.

“He raped me again Brax!” Charlie cried, and Brax felt a mix of emotions – fury at Grant for hurting her again, sympathy and worry for Charlie, and anger at himself for not protecting Charlie better.

“Charlie, I...” Brax began, but he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he could possibly say to make the situation any better. “I’m gonna get you out of there Charlie,” Brax settled for instead.

“How?” he heard Charlie ask.

Brax was about to reply, when heard a scuffling noise on the other side of the phone. “Charlie?” Brax asked worriedly. “What’s going on? Are you ok?” Brax heard no reply, but then after a few minutes he heard Charlie start to scream, and a man laughing callously, before the line disconnected. “Charlie stay with me! Charlie!” Brax yelled into the phone, but it was no use. Brax immediately tried again, but the phone went immediately to not available. Brax threw his phone at the wall in anger, and the screen cracked as it fell to the floor, but Brax didn’t even care. Not knowing where he was going or what he was doing, Brax grabbed his keys and ran out of the door.

***

Grant looked down at Charlie’s unmoving body. He inwardly kicked himself for not checking for her phone when he had left her. But it was no matter. Charlie didn’t know where she was, so there was no way that she could get herself rescued. But it meant that people would be trying to find her now, which was an inconvenience. Grant was glad that he had left to tell his parents to get of out town when he had, because almost certainly everyone would be on the lookout for him now.

Grant sighed. Charlie had really not left him with any alternative. Even if they couldn’t get him for the first rape, they could definitely get him for this one, as well as kidnapping, assault and drug charges. Cocking the gun, Grant aimed the gun at Charlie, and fired.

Next Chapter:

* Will Charlie survive after being shot?

* Brax and the police find a lead to Charlie's whereabouts.

* As the police close in, Grant takes matters into his own hands.

[soph1303]

Thanks for all the comments guys xx

Chapter 23

Grant cursed. Charlie was lying face down on her back. Grant had been aiming for the area behind her heart when he shot her. Much to his dismay, his hand had been shaking and the bullet had hit somewhere in the middle of her lower back instead. Grant checked the gun to see how many bullets were left. There was only one.

Grant sighed as he debated what to do with the last bullet. Did he use it on Charlie, just to ensure her death? Or did he keep it for insurance, and just assume that the bullet would do its job? After some deliberating, Grant decided to save the bullet and just keep watching until he was sure that Charlie was dead.

Grant walked over to where Charlie was lying, and inspected the damage. He placed his hand over where the bullet had entered her body, and when he brought it away, it was covered in blood. He rolled Charlie over, so that she was facing upwards. There was no exit wound, so Grant assumed that the bullet was still lodged inside her body. Grant smirked in satisfaction. Charlie was extremely pale and clammy, and as Grant listened for her breathing, he noticed that she was having difficulty breathing and that the breaths that she did manage to take, were short and laboured.

Confident that Charlie’s life wasn’t going to be lasting too much longer, Grant sat down on the chair he had left out earlier. Putting his hands behind his head, and leaning back so that he was comfortable in his chair, Grant began his wait.

***

Brax found himself running aimlessly out of the diner, with no real destination in mind, just his desire to find Charlie before it was too late. Forcing himself to stop, Brax paused for a moment to think through his next move. Without knowing where Charlie was, it was difficult Brax to know what to do next. Brax eventually decided to find Ruby and tell her what had happened and then for the two of them to head to the police station. Because as much as Brax hated to admit it, he was way out of his depth here and he knew that the police would be able to do a better job at finding Charlie then he could.

Not knowing where to try for Ruby first, Brax decided to try the diner first, as it was a public place and he knew that Ruby had wanted to ask as many people as possible if they knew of Charlie’s whereabouts.

Brax ran over to his car, and quickly drove the short distance to the diner. He quickly got out of the car and locked it, before hurriedly walking inside. Brax’s instincts proved correct when he instantly saw Ruby over the other side of the diner talking to Jack and Martha who were shaking their heads. Seeing this as a chance to kill two birds with one stone, Brax walked as quickly as he could in a public place towards them.

Ruby, Martha and Jack all looked up as Brax reached them. “Brax have you found mum yet?” Ruby asked straight away. Her desperation for Brax to say yes, clearly etched on her face.

Brax felt sick as he answered, but knew that he had to, and made sure that he directed his comment at both Ruby and Jack as they both needed to know for different reasons. “I tried her phone and she answered,” Brax began, and he saw Ruby’s eyes light up hopefully. “But she told me that Grant has her”.

Ruby gasped with shock and fear, Martha (not knowing who Grant was or what he had done) looked puzzled and Jack looked angry. “Where is she? Is she ok?” Jack asked, trying to keep his head, and ask the questions in a calm, professional police matter. But his anger was making it difficult.

“She doesn’t know where she is. And he...” Brax hesitated, not wanting to have to tell Ruby what had happened to her mother, and because he knew that Martha didn’t know the truth about Grant. “He hurt her again, Jack. Then I think he must have come back, because I heard her screaming, and he was laughing, before the phone cut off again”.

Both Jack and Ruby instantly understood what he meant, and the anger and pain displayed on their faces showed how they were feeling. “That’s it,” Ruby said angrily. “He is dead.”

Martha looked back and forth between the three people as they all nodded, in confusion. “Ok, would anybody like to tell me who the heck this Grant person is, and what he’s done to hurt Charlie?” she asked impatiently, not one who liked getting kept in the dark.

Brax, Ruby and Jack all looked at each other uncertainly, not sure how much Martha actually needed to know. They were saved the trouble however, by Colleen’s sudden appearance at the table.

“Oh Ruby, I was meaning to ask you; did that man that was in here earlier manage to catch up with Senior Constable Buckton?” Colleen asked in her usual busybody way.

“What man Colleen?” Ruby asked.

“He said he was a friend of your mother’s. He seemed very nice so I gave him your address. He said that he wanted to make it up to the senior constable, after the way that their meeting had gone that morning,” Colleen told Ruby before turning to Brax. “Though personally I think that you are the one who needs to apologize to that nice, young man after you punched him for no good reason,” Colleen lectured Brax who was no longer listening, and was staring at Ruby in horror as they both realised what Colleen had done.

“Colleen, do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Ruby asked her angrily, and Colleen looked quite taken aback by Ruby’s tone.

“Well I never,” Colleen began huffily. “I give that nice friend of your mother’s your address so that he can apologize and this is the thanks I get?”

“Colleen, do you realize that you’ve given a psycho, abusive rapist our address?” Ruby hissed, and both Colleen and Martha looked surprised.

Seeing that Ruby was about to open her mouth to give Colleen another (though very well deserved) tongue-lashing, Jack quickly spoke before Ruby had the chance. “Ok guys, it’s more important that we find Charlie safely, so Martha I’m going to need to go back to the station and I’m going to need Ruby and Brax to come with me,” Jack directed. Brax nodded and led a very angry Ruby to the door. Jack gave Martha a kiss on the side of the cheek, before hurrying after them, leaving a very confused Colleen and Martha to discuss what had just gone down.

***

Brax sat with his arm around a hysterical Ruby. They were sitting down in chairs just outside of Jack’s office and were desperately waiting for news. Knowing that he had to be strong for Ruby, Brax tried not to let the fear and anger that he was feeling show, but in reality he was having trouble trying to keep his hands from shaking.

Luckily Jack had managed to keep his head, and they quickly gone to retrieve Brax’s phone from Angelo’s before heading to the station. Jack had quickly explained to everyone at the station, the current situation, and every available officer was on it. Some officer’s were working to see if they could get anything from Brax’s phone, some had gone to try and track down Grant’s parent’s and others were looking for any possible witnesses. All the officers were taking the abduction of a fellow police officer very seriously, and Charlie was an extremely well liked police officer, which only increased her colleague’s determination to find her.

As Ruby sat anxiously waiting on news of her mother, she knew that the police were working as fast as they could, but she couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t going to be fast enough. Just as Ruby was mulling this over, she saw an officer escorting Grant’s parents into the station. Brax had to hold Ruby’s hand tightly to stop her from getting up and confronting them, as they were lead into the interview room.

Ten minutes later, Ruby had resorted to pacing the station, as she waited for Jack to come out from interviewing the Bledcoe’s. Eventually Jack came out, and Brax stood up, and Ruby stood still as Jack approached them.

“I’m sorry, but they’re denying knowing the whereabouts of Grant,” Jack informed the pair. Brax groaned and sat down in frustration, but Ruby stayed where she was, looking extremely angry.

“I don’t believe them,” she told Jack. Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Ruby spoke over the top of him. “I want to talk to them, and don’t tell me that I can’t because as much as I hate it, I am related to them, and I know that I’m allowed to speak to my family.” Jack still looked uncertain, so Ruby added, “Please Jack”. Jack looked at Ruby for a long moment, and Ruby held her breath, before Jack nodded and led Ruby into the interview room.

As Ruby walked in, she saw Mr and Mrs Bledcoe sitting silently on one side of the table, with their backs to the door. Jack closed the door quietly, and stood in front of it, indicating to Ruby that she should go and talk to them. Taking a deep breath, Ruby walked forwards and took a seat opposite her grandparents.

The Bledcoe’s looked surprise to see Ruby sitting opposite them, but neither said anything. So, Ruby opened her mouth, and did what only Colleen could do better than her – speak.

“Look,’ Ruby began, and Mr and Mrs Bledcoe stared at her. “I know that even though I’m your granddaughter, that you’ve never had anything to do with me, and that’s fine. And I know that you don’t believe that Grant raped Charlie. But you can’t deny that he has this time. He’s broken the law and he’s going to go to jail. But if he’s done something to my mum, then I don’t have anyone else. My mum is all I have. So, I’m begging you – if you have any idea where Grant is, then please tell me. I can’t lose her,” Ruby finished, and she could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke.

It was silent as nobody spoke. Just as Ruby was about to give up, with a quick look to her husband, Mrs Bledcoe spoke. “He came to see us today, and he mentioned something about being at shack just off Elliot Road, near the national park”.

Ruby looked up at Jack excitedly, who nodded to indicate that he had heard. Ruby stood up and was about to walk away, before she turned back to Mrs Bledcoe. “Thank you,” Ruby told her, before quickly walking out of the door.

***

Grant paced around the shack. Unfortunately Charlie was still breathing, but Grant was confident that she wouldn’t be for much longer. Just as Grant allowed himself a small vindictive smile, he heard the unmistakable sound of sirens, and the flashing lights.

Grant swore loudly. He knew that he had a choice to make, but the problem was which one?

***

Ruby and Brax quickly got out of the police car. They’d managed to convince Jack to let them come along, and Jack had agreed on the province that they had to stay back and let the police and the paramedics (who had been called as they that Charlie was injured) do their job.

Brax put his arm around Ruby, as they both anxiously waited as the police ran forwards. Ruby tried to smile weakly at Brax who tried to smile reassuringly back, but both smiles faded quickly, as the unmistakable sound of a gunshot clearly rang out.

Next Chapter:

(Don't want to give too much away, so it's only a short preview - sorry).

* A shot was fired, who did it hit? And will they survive?

[soph1303]

Wow, thanks for all the comments. This chapter's not as long as I would have liked, but the next one will be longer. Sorry for leaving you guys on a cliffhanger, but it was interesting to read your speculations and predictions .

Note: Ok. So, this chapter involved Charlie getting shot, so obviously some medical knowledge was going to be needed. I'm 14, so my knowledge is based on the Health lessons I have taken at school, so it isn't huge. So I did what any self respecting person would do in this situation - I researched gun shot wounds on google. This is the site that I used: http://www.tacticalmedicalpacks.com/files/...uma_article.pdf. So I do apologize if I have got anything wrong.

Hope you enjoy xxx

Chapter 24

Ruby felt her life go into slow motion. She was vaguely aware of Brax’s arms around her, trying to pull her back, as she frantically tried to run forward. She felt the tears stream down her face, as she tried to free herself from Brax’s grasp. But Brax was a strong man and his hold was unbreakable.

“Brax you have to let me go!” Ruby cried as she continued to fight against Brax. “I have to see if mum’s ok.”

“I’m sorry Ruby, but I can’t. You know that. Let the police do their job,” Brax told her, trying to make his tone reassuring. But in truth, his desire to do exactly the same as Ruby wanted to make his voice come out like he was being strangled.

Ruby spluttered, but seemed unable to voice exactly how she was feeling. Though Brax did think that he heard her mutter his name, accompanied by a lot of swear words. But despite this, Ruby did stop struggling, and buried her face in his chest. And so they waited.

About five minutes later, Brax was aware that the police officers and paramedics were exiting the building. He tapped Ruby on the shoulder, and she turned around, and they both watched as two stretchers were wheeled out of the building. Ruby tugged on his hand, and began running forwards. Brax didn’t even try and stop her this time; his desire to see if Charlie was alright was too strong. So they both ran forwards to where the stretchers were being loaded into the ambulance. As they got closer, they noticed Charlie lying unconscious on one stretcher and Grant lying unconscious on the other.

“What’s happened? Is she alright?” Ruby frantically asked the nearest paramedic, who turned to face the pair.

“Charlie has suffered a gunshot wound to her lower back, has a broken leg, and is suffering from hypovolemic shock due to the amount of blood she has lost. We need to get her to hospital as soon as possible,” the paramedic told her as gently as he could, before turning back to his colleagues and issuing instructions to them.

Ruby whimpered as she heard. Brax placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, fighting back the bile that he felt rise in his throat. Not trusting himself to be able to speak without choking up, Brax steered Ruby in the direction and helped her in.

***

Ruby and Brax sat on the plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room. As soon as they had reached the hospital, Charlie and Grant had been rushed in, and Brax and Ruby had been left waiting. They had been waiting for an hour now, and had no idea about how Charlie was, which was making both of them edgy and irritable. Sometime in that hour Ruby had become aware that it was morning now and that she was due at school. There was no way she was going to school though, so Ruby had phoned up and briefly explained that her mother had been rushed to hospital and that she needed to be there.

Just as Brax thought that he felt the remainder of his patience slip away, Sid came into the waiting room, and Brax and Ruby quickly jumped up.

“Is Charlie gonna ok?” Brax blurted out.

Sid looked at Brax and Ruby and seemed to choose his words carefully before answering. “Charlie has just come out of theatre and we were able to remove the bullet successfully. Now, Charlie was shot in her retroperitoneum, which is the area behind the abdomen and intestines. From what we can tell, the shot that you heard fired was not the shot that hit Charlie, which means that she was shot a while ago, which is not good. Because of this, she lost a lot of blood, we’ve given her some blood transfusions and we think that we’ve managed to stabilize that. But we’re unable to tell at this stage if there will be any long term effects at this stage. Charlie also has a broken leg, and we found traces of ketamine in her system. Do you both know what ketamine can be used as?” Sid asked gently.

Brax and Ruby nodded, and Ruby wiped away the tears that were making their way down her face. “Yeah, we know what he did to her,” Ruby told Sid bitterly, and Sid grimaced apologetically.

“Unfortunately the bullet that hit Charlie has damaged her retroperitoneum, and we’re not sure of the extent of the damage quite yet,” Sid continued. It was times like this that he hated his job; telling the loved ones of a patient bad news.

Brax looked worried. “It hit her retro... what ever you call it? What does that mean? Is she going to be alright?”

Sid hesitated. “The bullet fractured her retroperitoneum. We’re doing the best that we can. The surgery did go successful, so the best case scenario is that with intensive physiotherapy, that in time should be able to make a full recovery. But I must warn you though, the next 24 hours are critical, and I’m sorry to say it, but if there isn’t much improvement, there might not be anything that we can do,” Sid said soberly, and looked down at his feet.

Ruby’s sobs got louder as she tried to comprehend what Sid was saying. Brax tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat, and felt the corner of his eyes sting. “Can we go and see her now?” Brax asked hoarsely.

Sid nodded. “Follow me and I’ll take you to her”. Sid led them down the corridor, until he turned and opened a door, and motioned for them to go in. Taking Brax’s hand and squeezing it for support, Ruby took a deep breath and walked inside.

Charlie was lying on the bed. She was hooked up to the life support machine, and had bandages covering most of her arms and legs. Her head was severely bruised and her leg was set in a brace. She was unmoving and the only sound in the room was the steady beeps of the life support machine that was keeping Charlie alive.

Ruby made a pained noise, and quickly let go of Brax, and walked forwards and took a seat next to Charlie, holding her bandaged hand as she did so. Brax swallowed audibly. He turned to Sid who was just about to leave the room. “Sid, what happened to Grant?” Brax asked. Ruby looked up to hear the answer as well.

“It appears that he shot himself, and the bullet to his head killed him almost instantly,” Sid said without any emotion. He was very well aware of who Grant was and what he had done, and wasn’t particularly sad that he was dead. And from the relief he saw displayed on Brax and Ruby’s faces, he could tell that they felt the same.

“Good. He deserved it,” Ruby said coldly and Brax nodded his agreement.

“So I’ve heard,” Sid replied. He gave a quick smile to both, before leaving the room.

After Sid left the room, Brax took a seat next on the other side of Charlie, facing Ruby. Nobody spoke. Brax and Ruby just watched Charlie, hoping and praying that she would wake up.

Next Chapter:

* Will Charlie pull through after her operation?

* Ruby isn't coping with the possibility of losing another loved one, so soon after the death of her adoptive parents.

* A familiar face returns to the bay and Ruby finds a connection to her past that she didn't know that she had.

[soph1303]

Thanks for all the comments. Here's the next chapter xx

Chapter 25

Ruby struggled to keep her eyes open as she stared at Charlie’s unconscious body. It had been about 12 hours since she and Brax had been allowed in to see Charlie, and after her lack of sleep of the last few days and was an emotional wreck. There had been no change in Charlie’s condition. While Ruby was glad that Charlie’s health hadn’t deteriorated since the operation, she was also worried about what would happen if Charlie didn’t wake up soon. Her concern for her mother was making her snappy and disagreeable and she was taking her frustration out on Brax, even though she knew that he didn’t deserve it.

Brax had gone out briefly on a coffee run, and Ruby was struck at how silent the room was now that he had gone. Ruby had a sudden urge to talk to Charlie; the doctors had said that talking to people in comas might help them. Ruby had thought that it sounded stupid at the time, but her desire grew stronger, and she cleared her throat, and started to speak nervously.

“I’m not sure whether I’m being stupid by talking to you or not, but…” Ruby trailed off as she tried to form into words what she was thinking. “I need you to wake up mum. I don’t think that I could go on if I lost you too. I need you to wake up, and I need you to yell at me for not doing my homework or going to a party. I need you to come home from work and then attempt and fail at cooking me dinner. I need you to chat with me about the guys that we’re dating,” Ruby continued, and she could feel the tears starting to run down her face. She took a deep breath as she tried to sum up what she was feeling. “I just need my mum,” Ruby finished quietly. She took Charlie’s hand and squeezed it gently, and rested her head against the bedrail as she watched Charlie.

Brax stood outside of Charlie’s hospital room with the coffees. The door was ajar and he had heard everything that Ruby had said to Charlie. It broke Brax’s heart to know that as much pain as he was in about the whole situation, Ruby’s pain was greater than his. He still had his brothers and his mum, but Charlie was the only family that Ruby had left. Or was she? Inspiration hit Brax like a lightning bolt as he realized that Ruby did have other family. Family that she wouldn’t even know about. Brax edged backwards away from the door so that Ruby wouldn’t know that he had been there. He was sure that Ruby would want what she had said to Charlie to be private and that she wouldn’t appreciate him knowing. Once Brax was a safe distance away from the door, he put the coffees down on a conveniently placed table in the corridor, and sat down in a seat next to the table. He pulled his phone out from his pocket, thankful that it still worked alright after he had thrown against the wall the other day. Shaking his head as he scrolled down to the number that he never thought that he would call in his right mind, Brax clicked the button to connect.

“Daryl Braxton, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?” came her sarcastic reply as he knew she would.

Brax rolled his eyes, and managed to refrain from commenting on her continuous use of his full name. “It’s about Charlie Buckton,” Brax told her.

“What about Charlie? And why are you the one who is phoning me about her?”

“She’s in hospital. And the reason why I’m calling is because I’m dating Charlie”.

Brax could almost hear her pursing her lips in disapproval as she processed what he had said. “I see. And why is she in hospital?”

Brax hesitated. “It’s not exactly something that you should hear over the phone. But if I said the name Grant Bledcoe to you, would that possibly make it a little clearer?” Brax asked cautiously; not knowing how much that she knew.

“Yes it would,” she replied curtly, and Brax knew that she knew about Grant’s history.

“And there’s another thing. When Charlie moved to the bay, she’s managed to find her daughter,” Brax said.

“Charlie found her daughter in the bay? Who is she?” she asked in surprise.

“Did you know Jenny and Mark White? Well it turns out that their daughter Ruby is Charlie’s daughter who they adopted,” Brax informed her.

“Really? Well that certainly is something isn’t it?” she said.

“Yeah. The thing is though, Jenny and Mark died in a car accident about 2 months ago,” Brax told her sorrowfully.

“I’m very sorry to hear that. They were nice people,” she replied sadly.

“Yeah they were. But I don’t think that Ruby is coping with the fact that she might lose Charlie so soon after losing Jenny and Mark, and especially seeing as Charlie hasn’t been in her life for long. So I was thinking that…” Brax was cut off as she spoke over him.

“That a visit from me might be in order?” she suggested drily.

“Exactly,” Brax said.

“Ok. I’m just about finished here, so I’ll drive down in about an hour,” she replied straight away.

“Really? That’d be great. See you then. Bye,” Brax said, still shaking his head at the fact that the two of them could actually have a civil conversation as he hung up. Popping his phone back into his pocket, Brax picked up the coffees and walked into Charlie’s hospital. He deliberately made his footsteps obvious, so that if Ruby had been talking to Charlie again, she could pretend that she hadn’t been if she wanted to.

Sure enough, Ruby was quiet as he entered the room. Brax held out her coffee to her, and she smiled at him as she took it appreciatively. He took a seat on the other side of Charlie. Not wanting to start another argument, Brax decided his safest bet was to remain silent.

***

The hospital doors opened as she entered and surveyed the hospital with her critical eye. She walked over the front desk where a perky-looking receptionist was sitting.

The receptionist smiled as she approached. “Hi, how can I help you today?”

“Could you please tell me what room Charlie Buckton is in?” she asked.

“Sure, let me just have a look,” the receptionist said as she looked at some files on her computer. “Ah, yes. Room 101”.

The woman smiled. “Thank you very much.” She walked away from the desk and walked down the corridor and stopping when she reached the right room. Not wanting to intrude, she knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before entering.

She walked into the room, and saw Brax and Ruby sitting on either side of Charlie’s bed. Both looking up at her as she entered. Brax smiled, but Ruby looked confused as she walked towards the bed and stood at the edge, horrified by the state that Charlie was in.

“Thanks for coming soon,” Brax said to her.

“That’s quite alright. Besides I think it’s time that Ruby and I were properly introduced,” the woman said before turning to Ruby. “I’m not sure if we’ve ever properly met Ruby. I’m Morag; Charlie’s stepmother.”

Next Chapter:

* Morag and Ruby catch up.

* Brax has his turn at trying to talk to Charlie.

* There's a change in Charlie's condition. Is it for the better or for the worse?

[soph1303]

Sorry I've been on holiday and my internets been down, so sorry for the absence in updates. Here's the next one xx

Chapter 26

Ruby felt her mouth opening and closing kind of like a goldfish, as Morag coolly and calmly took a seat next to Brax, facing Ruby.

“But...but...” Ruby spluttered, and Morag looked at her patiently. “I don’t understand; how can you be Charlie’s stepmother?”

“Well I suppose I’m technically not anymore, but I still regard Charlie as being my stepdaughter,” Morag explained. “My late husband Ross was Charlie’s father, your late grandfather.”

Ruby stared at Morag in surprise. She had met Ross a few times before he died, but he had never shown any indication of the fact that he knew that she was Charlie’s daughter. “Did he know that I was...”Ruby began, but was unable to continue.

“That you were Charlie’s daughter that she gave up for adoption?” Morag guessed, and Ruby nodded. “No, neither of us had any idea. In fact I didn’t even know that you and Charlie had found each other until I received Daryl’s call.”

“What call?” Ruby asked straight away, and Brax looked at her guiltily.

“I didn’t think that you were coping with everything very well, and I figured that Morag would want to come down anyway when she found out, and I thought that both of you could benefit with spending time with each other,” Brax explained.

“For once I have to agree with Mr Braxton,” Morag added, noticing that Ruby had opened her mouth to give Brax a famous Ruby tongue lashing, and not failing to notice Brax rolling his eyes at her usual use of his full name. “I have finished my current business in the city and I want to be here for Charlie, and for you. But first, would somebody care to explain to me what that disgusting excuse of a man has done to put my stepdaughter in hospital?”

***

Morag and Ruby stepped into the bustling diner and stood in line, waiting to be served. Having informed Morag on the whole story, Morag and Brax had worked together to convince Ruby that she needed to take a breather from being at the hospital. Ruby had finally relented, on the conditions that it was only for a quick coffee and walk on the beach and that Brax would call if there was any change in Charlie’s condition.

They had barely reached the front of the queue when Colleen who was taking the orders started her usual gossiping. “Morag it’s good to see you back. Are you here about that horrible business with Senior Constable Buckton? It’s all over the town about what that man has done to her over the years. It’s an absolute scandal!” Colleen rambled, oblivious to Ruby and Morag’s attempts to get a word in. Colleen then turned to Ruby. “And how are you coping pet? It must be horrible to find out what a disgusting man your father is! And to find out that you’re a product of ra..”

Colleen was cut off by Morag, who decided it was time to intervene as Ruby looked ready to explode with embarrassment and fury. “Two cappuccino’s please Colleen, and two slices of chocolate cake to go as well,” Morag said firmly, with a threatening undertone to her voice, and Colleen mumbled something before turning to sort out their order.

Morag turned to Ruby who was staring at her open mouthed; as Colleen didn’t shut up for just anybody. “Stick with me kid, and you’ll go far,” Morag advised jokingly and she was pleased to see Ruby laugh slightly as she did so.

Colleen came back with their order, and Morag and Ruby quickly took it and walked off before she could say anything else. They walked down onto the beach, and walked in silence for a while until Morag motioned that they should sit down. As they both took a seat on the sandbank, Morag sighed and turned to Ruby, sensing without Ruby saying anything that she wanted to know what Morag knew about Charlie.

“I first met Charlie when I had to let her know that we needed to move Ross into full time care. I’d spoken to her on the phone a few times previously, but that was the first time that we met,” Morag began, and Ruby stared at her while sipping at her coffee. “I remember thinking as I met her that she was a nice woman, but she looked far more troubled than she should be just about the situation at hand. When I moved back to the city after Ross’s death and before Charlie moved here, we caught up quite a lot. And after a while, she told me about Grant, the pregnancy and the adoption,” Morag continued, a look of contempt sweeping over her face as she mentioned Grant’s name, and Ruby was sure that her face was displaying a similar expression. “I remember being horrified as Charlie told me, but yet it added up. Why her relationships never lasted, why she never fully trusted men, why she was the workaholic that she used to be.”

Ruby listened in silence as Morag told her about her own part in Charlie’s life. Although the things that Morag was telling her were depressing to say the least, Ruby was glad to hear more about her mother’s life, and glad that she had found a family connection to someone else besides Charlie. “What did she say about me?” Ruby asked, curious to explore this new portal of information.

Morag smiled sadly at her. “She told me that giving you up was the hardest thing that she ever had to do. Charlie often reiterated to me that she wished that the circumstances had been different and that she could have kept you. At the stage of Charlie’s life that I met her, she regretted giving you up, but she knew, as she did when she was 14 that adoption was the best option. But she often told me that she wished that she had asked your adoptive parents if they could have kept her in the loop about your life. She told me that she thought about her baby girl every day, and Charlie even kept all her ultrasound pictures in a drawer in her bedroom, you know” Morag told Ruby, trying to somehow let her know that even though Charlie had given her up, she had certainly never forgotten her.

Ruby smiled as she listened to Morag. Most of the things that Morag had told her were things that Charlie had told Ruby herself, but hearing Morag speak these words back to her proved to Ruby that they were real and that really was how Charlie had felt and said. “Thankyou,” Ruby said simply, hoping that that would express the gratitude that she felt hearing Morag’s story about Charlie. Morag smiled back at her, and Ruby knew that she understood.

***

Brax sighed. He had always hated hospitals. The only times that he had liked being at hospitals was for the births of his two brothers. Other than that, to Brax, hospitals meant pain and loss to those who were patients and to those who were there to visit loved ones. And right now, with Charlie laying so close to death on the hospital bed was no different.

And now the only thing that Brax could think of was all the things that he wished he had told Charlie already, just so that she knew, knew without a doubt that he cared. Brax smiled slightly as he remembered Ruby telling Charlie all the things that she had wanted Charlie to know, despite the fact that she knew that chances were that Charlie would never remember the words that Ruby had spoken. Brax had thought that Ruby talking to Charlie was sweet, but in the end pointless. But sitting here now, feeling as if he were about to go crazy, Brax wondered if there were some sense to it. He would be able to get out what he wanted to say, but nobody would be able to pick him up on the fact that he was showing a softer side to his personality than most people usually saw.

Brax sat in silence for a few minutes, before he eventually opened his mouth and started to speak. “I don’t know if there’s any point to this, but I think I might go insane if I don’t. So brace yourself, here I go,” Brax began, slowly at first, but gradually getting faster as he let his feelings pour out into words. “I don’t get it. We’ve known each other a few months at the most, and we’ve not even been actually together for that long either. So why do I care this much? I mean, I’ve dated girls for way longer than this, but I’ve never felt like this for any of them,” Brax spoke out loud, not really caring who heard him anymore, as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “So, why, when I’m sitting here, not knowing if you’re ever gonna wake up, do I feel like my world is falling apart? I feel so weak, letting myself care this much about somebody I barely know. But I can’t help it. That’s how I feel,” Brax admitted, taking Charlie’s hand and squeezing it as he did so with both of his own, and leaning his head against their intertwined hands, and fell into silence. Brax got the shock of his life when he thought he felt the slightest pressure on his hand.

“Charlie?” Brax asked uncertainly, and felt his heart leap as the pressure got stronger and Charlie’s eyes started to flutter. “I need some help in here,” Brax yelled into the corridor, and moments later Sid and a bunch of other doctors came rushing into the room. Brax felt himself get pushed out of the way, and to the back of the room as the doctors fussed around Charlie. Brax unable to see what was happening through the crowd of doctors, brought his hands together in front of his mouth, and prayed like he had never prayed before that she would wake up.

***

Morag and Ruby walked arm in arm back up from the beach. Ruby felt a lot more relaxed and calm after her talk with Morag, and was glad that she had agreed to have a break from the hospital. Ruby was just in the middle of laughing at something that Morag had said using her rarely heard sense of humour, when she heard her phone beep. Ruby paused where she was walking as she fished her phone out of her pocket.

“It’s Brax,” Ruby told Morag as she checked the sender ID. “Probably just telling us not to rush back,” Ruby guessed as she opened the message. Looking down at the message Ruby gasped slightly and looked up at Morag with wide eyes.

“Ruby, are you alright? What did Daryl say?” Morag asked in concern, as Ruby tried and failed several times to speak.

“He said...” Ruby began, before allowing herself to smile slightly. “He said that mum’s woken up.”

Next Chapter:

* Charlie struggles to come to term with what has happened to her. She is also given a diagnosis from Sid. What will happen to Charlie now?

* Ruby, Brax and Morag rally round to show support for Charlie.

* Bianca visits Charlie, and shares some of her past experiences and helps Charlie to move forward.

[soph1303]

Sorry for the long wait. I got really bad writers block trying to write this chapter, so I apologize in advance for the suckiness of this update. I don't really have many more ideas for this story, so I'm pretty sure that there is only going to be one more chapter left after this one, so there will be no preview at the end of this chapter. Thanks for reading and commenting though xx

Note: References to Bianca's rape from the B&S ball in this update.

Chapter 27

Charlie felt her eyes flutter as she struggled to open them. She was vaguely aware of a hand holding hers before it was removed and another set of hands took its place.

“Charlie? It’s Doctor Walker; you’re in hospital. Can you squeeze my hand as hard as you can if you can hear me?” Charlie heard Sid say. Using all the strength that she could muster, Charlie squeezed Sid’s hand as hard as she could, aware as she did so that her squeeze had probably been as feeble as it had ever been.

“That’s very good Charlie, now can you try and open your eyes for me?” Sid requested. With a great effort, Charlie finally managed to force her eyes to see through the haze clouding up her vision. As she began to see again, Charlie realized that she was staring straight up at the ceiling, and that she was lying flat on her back on a hospital bed. As she became more and more aware of her surroundings, Charlie remembered why she must be in hospital in the first place – Grant - and immediately began to panic.

“Grant,” she whispered. “What happened to him? Did they manage to catch him? Where is he?”

Seeing that Charlie was quickly working herself up into a state, Sid hastened to reassure her. “It’s ok Charlie,” Sid assured her. “He’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Charlie sank back into her pillows in relief as she heard this. Knowing that she was now safe, Charlie took more of an interest in her surroundings, and tried to sit up before she was hit with a sharp pain in her back and she did so. Charlie gasped as the pain took hold of her, and quickly stopped moving.

“What’s happening? Is she alright?” Charlie heard a voice say, and Brax quickly came into her eye view looking extremely worried.

“Charlie, the reason you’re feeling the pain in your back is because you were shot in your retroperitoneum, which is in your lower back. Injuries to this area generally take about six weeks to heal. We’ve given you some pain killers to try and ease the pain, but I’m afraid that you will still experience pain until it has fully healed,” Sid said apologetically as he explained, and Charlie nodded her head slowly as she processed this information. “Do you have any questions?” Sid asked.

“Will I have to go through rehabilitation once it has healed?” Charlie asked.

Sid nodded. “I’m afraid so. But we will get to that in due course.”

At that moment, Charlie heard the sound of running footsteps and the next second Ruby had burst into the room, and to Charlie’s surprise she saw Morag walking in behind Ruby.

“Oh my god! Thank god you’re awake!” Ruby cried as she approached the bed. Sid tactfully signalled to his team that it was time to leave, and shortly after the door closed leaving Charlie alone with her family and friends.

“How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?” Ruby fussed as she took Charlie’s hand.

“I feel a bit disorientated and my back hurts when I move it, but I suppose it could be worse,” Charlie answered, trying to sound braver than she felt. As she looked around at everyone’s faces, Charlie could tell that they didn’t really buy it. Before somebody could pick her up on it, Charlie quickly addressed Morag. “Morag, not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Daryl called me,” Morag answered simply as she lowered herself into the seat next to Ruby, and Brax took a seat opposite. “He thought it was important that I was here, and that Ruby and I finally met properly.”

Charlie turned to look at Brax. “Thank you,” Charlie said. Brax smiled, and made to take Charlie’s hand, but Charlie flinched and moved her hand away, and turned to stare at the ceiling. Brax tried to hide his hurt, knowing that it was understandable for Charlie not to be trusting of men after what had just happened to her, but still feeling hurt all the same.

“Are you ok mum? Do you want to talk about it?” Ruby asked gently, trying not to upset Charlie.

Charlie shook her head fiercely, and continued to stare at the ceiling as she felt her eyes welling up. “I know you guys have been waiting ages for me to wake up, and that you’re just trying to help, but I don’t want to talk about it. Not now, not ever,” Charlie said quietly, but firmly. “I’d rather just be by myself right now, so could you guys please leave me alone for a little while?” Charlie asked, and sensing that Ruby was about to argue quickly added, “Please?”

Charlie closed her eyes so that she wouldn’t have to see their reactions. But after a few moments of silence, she heard the sound of chairs being pushed back, footsteps walking across the room and then the sound of a door being opened and closed. Only when she was sure that they had all left, did Charlie allow herself to open her eyes and let the tears that she had been trying to hold back, cascade down her cheeks.

***

Ruby turned to look at Morag and Brax as they closed the door behind them. “Do you really think that she should be by herself right now?” she asked them worriedly.

“I don’t think so, but its Charlie’s decision, Ruby. We can’t force our presence on her if she doesn’t want us to,” Morag told Ruby.

“I wish there was some way we could help her,” Brax muttered as he walked over to one of the chairs in the corridor and sank into it gratefully.

Ruby chewed on her lip thoughtfully. “Maybe there is a way,” Ruby said.

“What do you mean?” Morag and Brax asked at the same time; both knowing that it was wise to be suspicious of Ruby’s grand plans.

“Don’t look at me like that. This one might actually be a good one,” Ruby protested and Brax raised an eyebrow, making Ruby quickly hasten. “Ok, you called Morag because you thought I wasn’t dealing with things well and because I need some form of family, right?”

“Right,” Brax confirmed slowly, not really sure where this was going.

“Well what if we called somebody who knows what Charlie’s going through and might be able to help Charlie deal with things?” Ruby hinted pointedly, and Brax quickly understood what she was on about.

“Bianca,” Brax said simply, and Ruby nodded looking quite pleased with herself.

***

Charlie stared at the ceiling without really seeing it. Her mind was a mess with a mixture of emotions. Guilt, for pushing away Ruby, Brax and Morag. Fear, of the long rehabilitation process that was to come for her to be able to walk again. Relief, that Grant was dead and would no longer be able to hurt. And most of all – pain. Pain, for the fact that she had been raped again.

Charlie knew that she shouldn’t have taken out her frustrations out on her family and friends, but the truth was that she was too depressed to really care that much right now. Even though all her family out there were being comforting and supportive, as try as they might, they would never be able to understand how Charlie felt. No one would.

Charlie was so lost in her own thoughts that she jumped when she heard a small tap on her door. Turning her head round slightly, Charlie was surprised to see Bianca entering the room. Whilst Charlie got along very well with Bianca, she hadn’t thought that they were close enough for Bianca to visit her while she was in hospital.

“Bianca?” Charlie asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Bianca smiled at Charlie as she made her way over to the bed and sat down on a chair on Charlie’s left. “Ruby thought that you might need somebody to talk to,” Bianca answered and squeezed Charlie’s hand sympathetically. Charlie was silent and did not answer. “I know what you’re going through better than you might think,” Bianca told her, and Charlie looked at her questioningly.

Bianca sighed. “A few months before you came here, I attended a B&S ball. During the event somebody slipped ketamine into my drink and raped me,” Bianca told Charlie frankly, and Charlie stared at her in surprise; having not heard about this up until now.

“Bianca… I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry,” Charlie told her honestly, feeling tears well up in the corner of her eyes as she spoke.

Bianca smiled sadly at Charlie. “After it happened I pushed everyone away. I thought that I was alone and that I could handle it by myself. But I was wrong Charlie,” Bianca admitted. “I know it’s hard,” she said, when Charlie turned her head away. “But you have to let your friends and family help you. Or you’ll never move forwards.”

Deciding to give Charlie a chance to mull things over, Bianca decided it was time to make her exit, leaving Charlie with food for thought.

[soph1303]

Ok, guys - here's the last update

Chapter 28

Bianca quietly closed Charlie’s door behind her, and turned to look at the expectant faces of Charlie’s family.

“Well?” Ruby demanded impatiently; her anxiousness making her ruder than usual.

“I told her what happened to me, and that the only way that I managed to move forwards was by letting people help. And then on that note, I decided that I should give her time to process what I told her,” Bianca explained.

“So should we wait a while before going to see her?” Ruby asked disappointedly, and Bianca smiled sympathetically and nodded. She smiled at the rest of Charlie’s family, before making her exit.

Brax, Ruby and Morag turned back to face each other as Bianca left. “And now we wait,” Brax said simply.

***

Charlie was once again found herself staring at the ceiling without really taking it in. It had been half an hour since she had spoken to Bianca, and yet, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what her blonde friend had told her. Over the last half an hour, Charlie had been back and forth over all her options, getting more confused every time she tried to sort everything out. But at last, Charlie was pretty sure that she had made up her mind.

Just as Charlie had decided all of this, there was a knock on the door, and Brax entered alone, closing the door behind him and taking a seat as he did so.

“Am I really that scary that nobody else is brave enough to come in?” Charlie wondered out loud, and Brax chuckled slightly.

“Well their theory was that if you shoot the messenger, then at least I’m the only one getting hurt,” Brax joked, but his smile quickly faded when he saw tears brimming in the corner of Charlie’s eyes. “Hey, it’s alright. I was just joking,” Brax hastened to say quickly, not wanting to be responsible for making Charlie anymore upset than she already was.

Charlie smiled at him weakly. “I know,” she assured him.

“Then what is it?” Brax asked in concern, as Charlie still didn’t look any happier.

“I’m sorry,” Charlie whispered quietly.

“For what?” Brax asked in surprise, and took Charlie’s hand to comfort her, and was happy that she did not pull it away this time.

“For pushing you away,” Charlie answered quietly.

“Hey, hey, nobody blames you for doing that, we all understand why. We know it’s nothing personal,” Brax insisted as Charlie did not look convinced.

“After I spoke to Bianca I realised that I was doing it again,” Charlie said out loud, and Brax was not really sure whether she was telling him or talking to herself. Seeing that Brax was confused, she continued, “I realised that I was going into shutdown mode again. It’s what I did the first time, and when I gave up Ruby. I thought the only way to deal with it was to trust no one, and not let anyone see how I was feeling”.

“So what did Bianca say to make you change your mind?” Brax asked curiously.

Charlie turned her head and looked at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know exactly what it was that she said, but when she was speaking it made me realise that when I did shut everyone out the first time – I didn’t feel any better for doing it. In fact I probably felt worse. And so it made me realise, I don’t ever want to feel like that I again, and the only way to do that is to not push people away,” Charlie finished sadly, but with a contradictory smile on her face, that made Brax realise that Charlie had finally found some small portion of peace to hold onto.

“So what now?” Brax asked gently.

“I get better,” Charlie answered simply. “I do all that annoying physiotherapy, and I will walk again. Then when all that’s done I’m going to see a counselor to help me move through this. And I make sure that I’m a good mother to my daughter,” Charlie continued, deliberately not mentioning Brax, knowing that he was too nosey not to ask what his role was in all of this.

“Oh, and where exactly, do I fit into this little plan of yours?” Brax pressed teasingly.

Charlie adopted an innocent facial expression. “Well, I don’t know…” Charlie began jokingly.

Brax mock-scowled at her. “Just because you’re in that hospital bed doesn’t mean that I won’t tickle you until you tell me,” Brax warned her.

Charlie grinned back at him coyly. “Well, I’m pretty sure that on our first date, I did mention something about allowing you the pleasure of going on fourteen more dates with me, so…” Charlie trailed off as Brax smiled, and gently took her face in his hands and kissed her softly.

***

Eighteen Months Later

Brax opened the door to the house that he shared with Charlie, and moved back slightly to let his girlfriend go in before him. She turned and smiled at him, thanking him with a brief kiss as she walked past and into the kitchen where she began putting away the shopping.

Brax couldn’t help but smile as he watched her; immensely proud of her for all that she had done and been through since they’d met all that time ago. Once Charlie had got the all clear from Sid that her retroperitoneum had healed, Charlie had quickly thrown herself into her physiotherapy sessions. And after a lot of blood, sweat, tears and an awful lot of swearing, Charlie had finally gained full use of her limbs again, and proceeded to enjoy her triumph by participating in every single thing that she could think that involved them, now that they were once again usable. Charlie had also been welcomed back to the station with open arms, and had recently been promoted to sergeant.

Ruby had stayed at home originally, but after a while moved into an apartment in the city to be closer to Uni. Charlie had been sad to see her go at first, but understood that it was something that Ruby needed to do. And besides, Ruby quickly appeased her mother by promising to come over for dinner every Sunday. Since the whole Grant ordeal, Charlie and Brax had been inseparable and had supported each other through their ups and downs, found their own place and moved in together three months ago.

Brax pulled out his wallet, and looked adoringly down at the ultrasound picture from three days ago. After Charlie had been feeling off for a while, they decided to get it checked out, only to discover to their surprise and delight, that Charlie was pregnant. Both of the pair had their own personal reasons why this baby meant so much to them. Charlie was glad that she finally had the chance to have a baby with someone that she actually loved and would be able to keep. And Brax was glad too, as he had vowed to himself all those years ago when his dad walked out that if he ever had kids, he would never abandon them and make sure that they were always loved. And now Brax and Charlie had a chance to make these wishes come true.

Brax looked up again at Charlie who was on the phone to Ruby. Once Ruby had found out that Charlie was pregnant, she had insisted on phoning about five times a day, just to make sure that Charlie was alright. As Brax watched Charlie laugh on the phone with her daughter, he fingered the ring box that he had hidden in his pocket.

He was proposing to Charlie.

Tonight.

THE END

I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who either read or commented on this fan fiction. I really appreciate you guys taking time to read my story, and the comments that I get, make writing the chapter so much more worthwhile. So, thanks xxxx

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