The Empty Void

[mizziette]

12 hours ago

He put on the clothes that he had worn that eventful night several months ago when he had been arrested. He put on the charcoal trousers, the black button down shirt and shoes. The officer at the desk gave him a plastic bag with his belongings and he placed them in his pockets one by one. The wallet in the back pocket, the mobile phone in the front and as he took the engagement ring out of the bag, he saw a life he thought he would never get back. He put that in his pocket too and walked out of the prison for the first time in months, determined never to return.

After

Charlie reached the front door of her townhouse and placed the key in the lock, halting when she felt a presence behind her. Brax leant so close that his breath fogged her neck while he smiled mischievously. ‘You’re distracting me.’ Charlie breathed heavily.

‘I’m standing on a porch.’ Brax grinned and breathed out purposefully onto her neck.

He turned her around and pinned her against the front door, leaning in close until their noses touched and their breath mingled. ‘Hi.’ She whispered into his face, her breath heavy with desire. Brax leaned in closer until his lips touched hers and kissed her softly.

The front door opened and Charlie and Brax, who had been leaning on it, fell backwards into the house, just as Ruby moved to avoid them. All three straightened up, shocked and clumsily. ‘Um, I was just taking the trash out. Good night. Hi Brax.’ Ruby gestured to the trash bag in her hand and turned to walk towards the bin, smugly smirking.

‘Maybe we should do this another time.’ Brax smiled a disappointed smile regarding the unwelcome interruption and pecked Charlie on the cheek before leaving. As he walked away, Charlie saw a small blue box on the ground and picked it up. It must have fallen out of Brax’ pocket when they had lost their balance. Opening it, she found the most beautiful ring she had ever seen and gazed unbelievingly at the open front door Brax had just walked out of.

Before

She walked in to Charlie’s new room on the upper floor and found her moping around in bed with her head under the sheets. Walking up, she sat on the foot of the bed and pulled back the blanket, revealing a mass of unruly brown hair. Tear stains covered the pillow cover and Charlie was a mess. Since Brax had gone to serve his sentence, the poor woman had constricted herself to the bedroom, only getting out to use the bathroom. Ruby kissed her mum’s forehead and lay down next to Charlie, holding her closely.

After

Ruby walked into the house not long after Brax had left to find Charlie holding a beautiful ring in her hand, her mouth gaping open. She put her hand over her mouth and adopted her mum’s shocked reaction ‘Oh my god, he proposed?’

Charlie woke from her spell. ‘What? No. I don’t know. He dropped it on the floor.’

‘It’s beautiful.’ Ruby dragged her to the couch and the two curled up together. ‘Do you think he was going to do it tonight? I mean, you two looked cosy enough.’

‘Rubes, he broke up with me remember? I doubt he planned to propose to me before we even got back together.’ Charlie admiringly took the ring out of its box and twirled it around her between her fingers.

‘Are you getting back together?’ Ruby watched as her mum dreamily slipped the ring onto her engagement finger and realised she already knew the answer. The ring slid in perfectly as if it was made especially for her delicate little fingers. It was a perfect fit; the ring, the man, everything. That ring belonged on that finger and both mother and daughter knew it.

‘This is crazy, right? I couldn’t even move in with Angelo without hyperventilating into a paper bag first. I’m not actually considering this, right?’ Charlie looked at her daughter desperately seeking answers.

‘But Brax isn’t Angelo is he?’ Charlie shook her head softly, eyes still on her diamond encrusted finger. Hesitantly, she took the ring off and put it back into its box, as slowly as possible. She sighed. She was not going to get any sleep tonight.

As soon as the jewellery box snapped shut, the two women heard rustling outside in their front yard followed by a quiet thud. After scurrying Ruby off upstairs, Charlie slipped the ring into her pocket and grabbed the steel lamp shade, to ward off the intruder. Quietly as she could, she wrapped her fingers around the door handle and opened the front door slowly and cautiously.

[mizziette]

Before

Brax walked into his new four by four cell for the next few months and saw his brother lying on the bottom bunk. There was very little breathing room, as he glanced at the dirty toilet and sink installed for his use. A buzzer sounded and the automatic door shut behind him, shutting the two brothers in. Heath opened his eyes to find his brother was going to be his new cellmate and sat up. They were stuck together whether they liked it or not.

After

‘Hey, what are you doing?’ Brax exclaimed, squatting on the walkway, clearly surprised to see Charlie wielding a lamp shade

at him. Charlie put her weapon down when she saw the familiar face and calmed slightly.

‘I live here. What are you doing?’ She rubbed her arms against the cold. ‘Why are you on the ground?’

Brax stood up and walked over to her. ‘Um, I think I dropped something.’

‘You dropped something?’ Charlie knew what he was looking for, and failed to keep the amused smile off her face. ‘What something is that, exactly? It must be pretty important to bring you out here after midnight.’ She flirted.

‘I guess.’ Brax trailed off, scratching his head nervously. He didn’t want her to know exactly how important it really was. It would ruin everything.

‘You guess?’ Charlie faked outrage. ‘This mysterious thing, is it important or not? You can’t have it both ways.’

‘You know what; I probably left it somewhere else. I’ll let you get back to bed.’ Brax made his exit hastily, as Charlie watched him practically dash out of there with amusement. Although she was smiling outside, inside however, she was dreading going to sleep as it would only bring morning closer.

The next morning, Charlie woke up with a strange feeling. Opening her eyes, she realised what day it was. It was the anniversary of Joel’s death. Her son had passed away this time a year ago and she felt the loss at her very core. Slowly coaxing herself out of bed, Charlie got dressed in a navy jersey dress and flats before heading towards the beach as the sun rose on the horizon.

The sky was still orange as she walked. The air was crisp and the ocean still, the beach deserted, not one living thing in sight. It was as if the world had calmed just for Charlie as she remembered the loved one she had lost. Feeling a tear slide down her face, she looked up to see Brax walking down to beach and waited to greet him.

‘You’re up early.’ She called as he walked up to her.

‘So are you. I couldn’t sleep.’ Brax pecked her on the cheek in greeting. ‘Dingy motel bed didn’t help much either.’

‘Do you know what today is?’ Charlie whispered.

Brax nodded and put his arm around her as they watched the sky turn slowly from orange to a pale faded blue. Together, with their arms around each other, they walked down the beach in the direction of the diner. As they walked, amongst the bushes surrounding the beach, Brax found a single red rose. He picked it from its bush, picked off the thorns and handed it to Charlie.

The orange had now almost completely disappeared from the sky as Charlie and Brax reached the closed diner. Walking down the pier, they smelt the salty ocean air and sat on the far edge, dipping their feet into the cold yet refreshing water.

Charlie admired the rose before slowly placing it in the water, as a symbol of their love for their son. They watched the beautiful red flower float away slowly as they remembered. The ocean was his grave and the loving parents acknowledged his existence and found consolation in each other’s arms. ‘I love you.’ Charlie whispered into the ocean.

‘I love you too.’ Brax whispered into Charlie’s hair. ‘I love both of you. I always will.’

‘Even when I’m old and wrinkly.’ Charlie looked up at Brax as she leant on his chest.

‘Especially. It won’t matter anyway, because I’ll be old and wrinkly too, eh?’ He chuckled. ‘If I had it my way, in forty years, you and I would be living it big, rolling in money from my empire-’

‘The Braxton Empire?’ Charlie raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

‘Yeah, that’s right. Every business you can think of, we’ll have it. And we’d leave it all to our grandkids,’

‘We’re going to have grandkids, now? I think we need kids first, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, we’ll have those too. Quit interrupting me would you?’ Charlie put her hands up in mock defeat. ‘We’ll be nothing like those boring old couples who wash each other’s dentures either.’

‘Oh, god forbid we do that.’ Charlie smiled and whispered sorry when Brax glared at her for interrupting. ‘So, are we married

in this forty year plan of yours?’ she asked and Brax nodded. ‘Because we are in mine.’

‘You have one of those too?’ Brax smiled at the thought that Charlie wanted to marry him.

‘Yeah, it’s actually pretty similar to yours; marriage, kids, grandbabies. Although my dream works out a bit differently. You’re still this great business mogul of course, but you can’t really expect me to be a stay at home mum or grandma or whatever can you?’ Brax shook his head. ‘That’s why I’m going to have my own empire too. In the art world.’

‘I didn’t know you were into art.’

‘I can’t really see myself going back to the force after all these months. A gallery saw some of my work that I put on Facebook and want me to do a show for the New Year.’

‘Charlie, that’s great.’

‘Isn’t it? You’re the first person I told. Now, I’ve been thinking, this whole grandkids things is a little premature. I mean, we’re not even married yet, right?’

‘Maybe we should be.’ Charlie sat up as Brax said this. ‘I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Marry me. I want you to be my wife.’ Leaning in he kissed Charlie passionately.

[mizziette]

Before

He felt the punch in his gut, as the pain blew up to every inch of his body. His old mates, Pee Wee and Gordo stood over him kicking his helpless body. They screamed at him for abandoning them; the river boys. To them, their leader dating a cop was the ultimate betrayal. Brax saw his former boys being pulled away from him in the prison showers and found Heath holding his hand out to him. The next few months were going to be very long, sharing a prison with the River Boys, and Brax could use all the allies he could find.

After

The newly engaged couple walked into the house holding hands. Charlie threw down her house keys on the hall table carelessly. Brax watched as the keys landed next to the very expensive item he had been looking for all night and breathed in a sigh of relief.

Charlie undid the tight ponytail that was blocking her brain circulation and turned around to find Brax on one knee before her. She blushed and put her hands on her gaping mouth as he opened the little blue box, revealing the diamond ring she had been admiring all last night. ‘Charlie, will you marry me?’

‘Didn’t you just propose before?’ Charlie couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

‘I’m doing it properly now. With a ring.’ Brax smiled. ‘Well, what do you say? How about we grow old together, eh?’ He took out the ring and placed it on Charlie’s delicate finger. Standing up, he found himself holding her in his arms. She wrapped herself around him and kissed him with her feet in the air.

Ruby and Casey opened the front door, returning from their morning lectures at uni and found their relatives in a tight embrace, oblivious to their entrance. Slowly and quietly, they tried to move past them into the kitchen with little success. Ruby tripped onto the carpet and yelped as Casey held her arm, stopping her fall.

Brax and Charlie returned back to reality at the sound and turned to face the young adults. Wrapping his arms around his fiancé, he kissed the back of her head softly. ‘Hey guys, we have some news.’ Charlie held out her left hand, the jewel glistening in the soft afternoon light.

Ruby ran up to her mum and hugged her with fervency. After two hours of music therapy theory in uni, she was glad to hear the good news. They hugged and laughed for a while, as she rambled on enthusiastically, already planning the wedding in her mind, overloading Charlie. While the women celebrated, Casey walked up to Brax and congratulated him, giving him a hug. The house was filled with the sound of happiness.

‘How’re you doing, mate?’ Brax was glad to finally be able to see his little brother from somewhere other than the prison visiting rooms.

‘Alright, now that you’re here.’ Casey smiled. The girls removed themselves from their giddy conversation.

‘We should celebrate.’ Ruby pulled Casey towards the kitchen. ‘We’re going to make you lunch. You just relax.’

Before Brax and Charlie could argue, the cupboards were being opened and ingredients were being prepared. The couple planted themselves on the couch, settling into each other’s arms. ‘We have so much to discuss. When I’m done here, we need to start planning.’ Ruby called from the kitchen.

Charlie rolled her eyes at her daughter’s over enthusiasm. ‘I have a feeling our wedding’s going to end up more like a circus than a wedding if she keeps going at this rate. You won’t have to worry about me going bridezilla; Ruby’s probably going to end up being bride enough for both of us.’

‘She really is excited isn’t she?’ Brax replied.

‘Well, she doesn’t have to worry about nursing her spinster cop mum in her old age anymore, now that I’ve got you. A year ago, if I told her I was getting married, she would have laughed in my face. I would’ve laughed in my face.’

‘And now?’ Brax kissed her softly.

‘Now I’m going to give my fiancé a tour of his new house. Starting with the bedroom.’ Charlie grabbed both Brax’ hands and guided him upstairs.

[mizziette]

Before

He remembered his HSC results and smiled; he was almost at the top of the class. As he watched the ocean he realised exactly what he wanted to do with his life. With the exception of Brax, Mrs Palmer and Miles had been more supportive and believed in him more than anyone else in the last year. Casey knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to teach and help other kids like his teachers had helped him so many times.

After

Charlie leaned her chin on her hands and stared aimlessly into the distance as her daughter rambled on about the wedding as she had been doing nonstop for the last two months. Ruby had woken her up at three in the morning last night because she had had a ‘wedding epiphany’ in her sleep and it had taken Charlie almost an hour to talk her back to bed. Seeing Brax walk into the diner, she immediately leapt up from her seat and ran over to him, relieved for the excuse.

‘I think we should seriously consider eloping on top of a volcano in Hawaii wearing a grass skirt and coconut bra, just to spite her.’ Charlie pouted into the back of Brax’ flannel shirt, hugging him from behind.

Brax laughed and turned around to kiss her. ‘I’m up for Hawaii, but there is no way I’m wearing that. You don’t really want to elope though, do you?’

‘No, I don’t. But I am serious about this wedding thing driving me crazy. Brax, I think I’ve created a wedding monster. It’s horrible.’ Brax looked at her amused and Charlie frowned at him. ‘You think this is funny? She’s got you in a tail coat and silk bowtie.’

Brax’ smile immediately wiped off his face and his eyes widened at the horrifying image. ‘I’ll talk to her.’ He walked over to where Ruby was sitting while Charlie waited at the counter with Leah.

‘Hey Brax, do you think you could afford a private island? For the ceremony, I mean. Don’t you think that would be really pretty?’ Ruby’s eyes gleamed.

Brax sat next to her, a little uncomfortable. ‘Rubes, when we said we wanted an outdoor wedding, we were thinking more along the lines of Stewart’s point. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. You know how we have a budget for the wedding. The really small one?’

‘Yeah, it is pretty small, huh. I really don’t think we can work with that. Maybe we could increase it?’

Brax sighed. ‘No Ruby, see, the reason why the budget is so small is because we want a small wedding. Charlie and I, we just want to celebrate with close friends. Simple. Intimate. No drama. You understand, right?’

Ruby’s face dropped. ‘Oh, well, I guess if that’s what you want.’

‘It is.’ Brax put his hand on her arm caringly. ‘I’m sorry, Rubes. I know how much you wanted a big wedding.’

They both turned around as they saw Charlie half running into the bathroom with her hand over her mouth, ready to be sick. Brax, Ruby and Leah, who had been talking to Charlie at the counter, all wondered if she was okay.

Before

He looked at his new home and felt happy. When his mum had kicked him out, he had nowhere to go and he was lucky that Charlie had let him move in with her and Ruby. Of course, she had made it very clear that Casey wasn’t allowed in his girlfriend’s room, but that was just motherly protectiveness. Casey finally had somewhere he felt he belonged and felt lucky that he had finally found somewhere he wanted to call home. Now all that was missing was Brax.

After

Ruby and Brax hassled and fussed over Charlie the entire ride home. She had only thrown up a little and it annoyed her that her family was making such a big deal out of it. Walking in through her front door, she blamed fatigue and headed upstairs to rest.

Walking into her room, Charlie collapsed onto her bed. That was the fifth time this week that she’d thrown up in the morning; the second time this morning. She wondered if she could be but didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. Opening the bottom bedside drawer, she pulled out the pharmacy bag that had been hidden away for two weeks. It seemed too real and scary to take the test. She didn’t want to endure the disappointment if it showed negative, and realised how much she really wanted to be pregnant again.

Charlie sighed and took the home pregnancy test out of the bag, before taking it into the bathroom. She couldn't put it off any longer. She peed on the stick and started counting as the second hand on her watch struck twelve. Waiting, she wondered what she would do if she lost this one like she'd lost Joel. There was only so much loss a woman could endure. She didn’t even know if she was pregnant yet, and she was already in love with the possibility.

The second hand struck twelve for the fifth time since she'd started counting. It was time. Slowly and carefully, Charlie picked up the test and looked at the tiny screen on it as it faintly showed two red lines.

[mizziette]

Before

She looked at her ex-boyfriend and knew it was the right thing to do for both of them. They had slowly grown apart over the

last few months and it was no one’s fault; it was just life. Relationships end but she was glad that he was still her friend and that there were no hard feelings. Living in the same house with Casey had strained their relationship; they were too young and wasn’t prepared for it. Ruby was happy with her life and she just wanted Charlie to be happy too.

After

Brax lifted Charlie in his arms and kissed her before putting her down and kissing the belly that was carrying his child. He thought he was happy marrying the woman he loved but this feeling was a million times better. Darryl Braxton was going to be a father. ‘This is great. This is great, right?’ He wanted to make sure they were on the same page.

Charlie nodded and kissed him again. It had been two days since the home test had turned positive and she was glad that Brax felt the same way. Looking into his eyes, she could only see glee and she wondered why she couldn’t be as sure. In the deepest crevice of her mind, there was that maternal worry slowly nudging its way forward, and Charlie tried to supress all those negative thoughts. She was going to have a beautiful healthy baby. Nothing was going to go wrong.

When they went downstairs for breakfast, they found Ruby and Casey digging in to a delicious assortment of cake samples at the kitchen table. ‘Morning guys, Leah dropped off some samples before she went to work. You should try the chocolate truffle cake. It’s to die for.’ Ruby stuffed her mouth with more cake.

‘Sounds like a healthy breakfast.’ Brax kissed the back of Charlie’s head and grabbed a plate and cut himself a huge slice of white mud cake. Charlie sat next to him and commenced on devouring the last of the dark velvet. It was like her appetite had tripled and she couldn’t get enough.

Brax looked at his family and decided he couldn’t hold it in any longer. ‘There was something we wanted to tell you two.’ Brax gave a reassuring glance to Charlie who continued.

‘It’s no secret that I haven’t been feeling a little off lately.’ Charlie took a deep breath and held Brax’ hand. ‘A little while ago, I found out why.’

‘Is everything alright?’ Casey put down his spoon, worried.

‘No, everything’s fine. Better than fine, actually. It turns out I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.’

The spoon Ruby was holding crashed down on the table as she froze in shock. ‘Oh my god.’

Before

She went inside her small home and closed the door behind her. She was all alone. Her two eldest were in prison and it hurt. Unfortunately, she had directed all that hurt onto Casey and now he was gone too, playing happy family with the Bucktons. For the first time in thirty years, her nest was completely empty. And she was beyond broke. She had managed on nothing before but this time it was worse. The fine she had gotten for vandalizing Charlie’s window had taken a toll on her account. All alone, Cheryl wished she could change everything.

After

‘Ruby, are you okay?’ Casey patted his friend’s back as she recovered from the shock. Tears slowly began to form in her eyes and she Ruby tried to fan them away unsuccessfully.

‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ Ruby’s voice broke as she spoke. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just so happy for you guys.’ Everyone stood up and Ruby, now smiling through her happy tears, went over to hug Brax. ‘You guys totally deserve it, you know.’ Kissing Brax on the cheek, she gave her mum a longer, deeper hug. Casey and Brax hugged it out as well. It was truly a happy occasion for the Braxton/Buckton family.

A few days later, Charlie lay on the ultrasound table and pulled up her top to reveal her belly. As Brax stood next to her, holding her hand, the doctor squeezed the cold jelly onto her abdomen and spread it around with the probe. ‘Alright, you are currently at eight weeks. Let’s see if we can get a heartbeat.’ After a while, an echoing thumping consumed the room.

‘Is that my baby?’ Charlie was a little nervous about the ultrasound, given her last one ended in her heart breaking. The doctor smiled and excused herself, which prompted alarm bells in her head. It was hardly ever a good sign when the doctor left the room in the middle of an examination. ‘Brax?’

Brax stroked her shoulder, sensing her anxiety. ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure everything’s fine. She’s just checking something, that’s all.’ Right on cue, the woman returned with Sid in tow. ‘Hi Charlie, Brax.’ He nodded and checked the ultrasound monitor. ‘It seems we have a little unexpected surprise.’

‘What?’ If Charlie wasn’t anxious before, now she really was. ‘Is my baby alright?’

‘Yes, yes, your baby’s fine. In fact both your babies are fine. They look very healthy.’ Sid saw Brax and Charlie’s faces widen in shock. ‘Yes, that’s right. It seems you’re the proud parents of twins. Congratulations’

[mizziette]

Before

He lay on his bed and glanced up at the ceiling. He had thought the last few months alone in a cell with his brother would’ve been hard but he was actually going to miss being around Heath. He would be out on parole in two days and he was glad he had made amends with his brother. They had looked out for each other for the last few months and Brax didn’t know what he would have done if Heath didn’t have his back.

After

Ruby stood at the diner counter with Charlie to order lunch. She looked at her pregnant mother and couldn’t believe how big she was getting. At only five months she looked like she was carrying a bowling ball in there. They had just got back from the doctor’s appointment and found the sex of the babies. She was going to have a little brother and sister. Leah came out of the kitchen and she ordered two cheeseburgers for both her and Charlie.

‘Make that four.’ Charlie interrupted from where she was looking at the pastry selection. Ruby and Leah looked her like she was crazy. ‘What? I’m eating for three. One for each person, it’s only fair.’ Ruby shook her hand; Charlie’s appetite amazed her. Already this morning she had had two pieces of toast, an apple, two waffles and a bowl of ice cream and it was only noon.

After lunch, Ruby drove them to Yabee Creek to get bridesmaid dresses for her and Bianca. They had found it difficult to find a dress for Charlie because of her constantly increasing size but they managed to find the perfect flowing one. Meeting Bianca at the dress shop, the two women tried on all kinds of dresses until they found the perfect ones. Both were champagne coloured but that was the only similarity.

Ruby put on the silky fabric over her as it flowed until it reached mid-thigh. It was so similar to the one she had worn to Ross and Morag’s wedding that it made Charlie miss her dad. Her daughter and maid of honour looked beautiful in the flirty wrap dress. It was perfect for her; fun and flirty. Looking at Bianca, she found intricate detail; the dress was structured and sophisticated just like her friend. Reality set in and tears fell down her face; a mixture of joy and hormones. Charlie was getting married in less than two weeks.

Before

She knocked on the door to her former home at Leah’s and tall, dark and handsome answered the door. The mysterious stranger had a dark mass of curls masking his face and his broad tan chest was bare. She wondered why he was answering the Patterson’s door; she was curious to find out who he was. Looking up into his deep, inviting black eyes, Ruby knew he was just as attracted to her as she was to him.

After

It was the night before the big day and even though Ruby had insisted it was bad luck to see each other before the wedding, Brax and Charlie decided they didn’t want to spend the night apart. After making love, they lay in each other’s arms in the moonlit room just enjoying each other’s company.

‘This time tomorrow, I’ll be sleeping next to my husband.’ Charlie whispered into his chest.

‘And I’ll be sleeping next to my wife.’ Brax whispered into her hair. After a while, the two lovers fell asleep next to their fiancés.

The next morning, Ruby barged into their room at the crack of dawn and kicked Brax out, banishing him to a motel room to

get ready with his best man Casey. There was so much to do before the wedding on the Bay Beach at noon. They had to shower, wax, and do hair, make-up and nails. Ruby looked at the half awake bride intently and winced. Before any of that, they needed to get rid of that horrible morning breath. She hustled Charlie off to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Three hours later, Charlie looked at Ruby and Bianca as they gazed at her admiringly. Slowly turning around to face the mirror, she barely recognized the beautiful bride before her. Her hair was set in soft waves and the front strands had been pulled back by an intricate diamond hairpin which had been worn by her grandmother on her wedding – something old. Her make-up flawless and natural, the white floor length dress perfectly complimented the baby bump. Its empire waist, flowing chiffon and jewelled straps were simple, elegant and brand new. She admired the blue sapphire in the only jewellery she wore, a bracelet she had borrowed from Leah for the special occasion.

Charlie laid her hand on her belly and felt four hands and four feet kicking in excitement. ‘Let’s get married.’

[mizziette]

second last chapter. hope you enjoy the wedding!

Before

He walked out the door of his childhood home not sure what to make of the conversation he had just had with his mother. Despite their differences, he really wanted her to be there to witness his big day. After all, apart from Charlie, she was the only woman he had ever loved and even though he didn’t need Cheryl’s approval, he didn’t want to live without it. Taking a deep sigh, Brax hoped that she would accept his invitation and show up tomorrow.

After

Sitting in the car, Charlie thought she felt a little discomfort in her belly but dismissed it down to nerves. The babies had ceased their kicking for the time being on the ride to the beach and she was thankful for that. At 27 weeks, she was starting to get a little sick of the constant discomfort although she wouldn’t trade the unimaginable feeling of pregnancy for anything in the world.

The car door opened and a middle aged woman with defined cheekbones hopped in beside her. She was the last person Charlie had expected to see on her wedding day. Especially since she was marrying Brax, and especially since this woman didn’t approve. Thinking she was there to cause trouble, Charlie began to protest but was hushed by her guest. ‘It’s okay. I’m not here to mess with things. I just want to make my peace.’

On the beach, Ruby looked around for her boyfriend and seeing him, ran over to where he was. Drew Curtis saw Ruby and smiled. She looked beautiful all dressed up and he kissed her softly. The whole town was there. It had been a while since he’d seen every one. Most his high school friends had left and new people had replaced them but that was Summer Bay. People always came and went. And Drew was glad he had come back to stay with Leah and VJ. It was good to be back.

Brax stood in a simple black suit in front of the chairs that had been placed on the beach, creating a makeshift aisle. He was a bundle of nerves but he felt like something was missing. He looked around for her but couldn’t find her so he gave up and admired the ocean instead. A tap on his shoulder forced him to turn around and Brax’ eyes lit up as he faced his mum.

‘You came.’ He hugged her. ‘I didn’t think you would.’ His mother looked beautiful in her understated dress and her hair was combed and silky for a change.

‘Of course I came. I couldn’t miss my own son’s wedding, could I?’ Cheryl thought Darryl looked incredible in his suit. She couldn’t be prouder, he looked so happy standing there. Remembering how beautiful Charlie looked when she had seen her in the car, Cheryl thought he was about to be even happier. It was about time she put hard feelings aside and focused on what’s most important. Her sons. And if Darryl wanted to marry Charlie Buckton, she wouldn’t stand in the way.

Cheryl had thought long and hard about attending the wedding and eventually decided that she would regret it more if she didn’t go. Mothers lived to see their sons getting married and having kids. She remembered the beautiful belly on Charlie and smiled. She was going to be a grandmother.

Liam sat with his guitar and started the music. The guests all sat down and looked back down the aisle, waiting for the most important part of the ceremony; the bride.

Casey opened the car door and held out his hand to Charlie. She stepped out and smoothed down her dress. She thought about her father Ross Buckton. She had always hoped that when the time had come, her father would walk her down the aisle and his absence was felt more severely in that one moment. She looked at the young man in front of her. ‘You ready?’ Casey asked.

Charlie looked at the young man who in the last year had become like family to her. When Brax had left, it wasn’t only Ruby that had comforted her; Casey had definitely been there for her the last few months and he would soon be her brother in law. ‘Casey?’ Charlie looked up at him. ‘Will you walk me down the aisle?’

Charlie put her arm through Casey’s elbow and the music played. As they began their descent, Charlie’s eyes briefly met a proud Cheryl and the two shared a smile. Brax watched in amazement as his gorgeous bride walked slowly down the aisle. His eyes captured hers and never let go. Reaching the altar, Casey assumed his position as best man behind Brax and Charlie and Brax joined hands. Elijah officiated the ceremony speaking wonderfully loving words about his friends and the ceremony was beautiful.

‘I am very honoured and pleased to pronounce you as husband and wife. Brax, you may kiss the bride.’ Elijah closed his bible and Brax gently grabbed Charlie by the waist and pulled her towards him. The baby bump proved to be a little bit of an obstacle but they managed around it and embraced in their first kiss as husband and wife. The guests stood and cheered as the newlyweds kissed passionately.

Charlie felt a pain in her belly, almost like a contraction and broke the kiss. Every one fell silent and looking down, she couldn’t quite see her feet beneath the large belly but felt the fluid running down her thighs. Her water had broken.

[mizziette]

Before

He warned his friend that it pregnancy complications might arise during her current pregnancy due to the haemorrhaging experienced when she had Joel. It was only a slight possibility but they had to be careful in case history repeated itself. Sid assured Charlie that there was no reason to worry and that most cases turn out just fine. It was a one in a million chance and she had little reason to stress. It was most likely that she’d be one of the lucky ones.

After

Charlie lay in the hospital bed overwhelmed with worry. She had just had a C-Section to remove the babies but she hadn’t seen them yet. She had been barely six months pregnant; it was way too early for them to be born. It was too soon. Brax and Charlie jumped up when Sid came in to brief them.

‘Are my babies okay?’ Charlie’s forehead frowned in worry as Sid walked over to her bedside.

‘They are in the ICU. Premature births can sometimes cause lots of complications. I have to warn you, it’s going to be a long

battle for them from here on out.’ As Sid spoke, Brax watched as Charlie gulped. ‘Your daughter had a little trouble breathing so we put her on a ventilator to help things along. Otherwise, physically she seems to have a little trouble moving, but that will probably fix itself as she gets stronger. I have to tell you, your daughter is a very lucky girl, she is the healthiest premature baby I’ve seen in a while.’

Every one let out a little sigh of relief. ‘That’s my girl.’ Brax hugged Charlie. He had a daughter.

‘What about our son? How is he?’ Charlie asked and her smile dropped when she saw the hesitant look on Sid’s face. ‘Sid, just tell me.’ She took a deep breath.

‘We’ve put him on a ventilator as well but he seems to be entirely dependent on it. His lungs are very weak and haven’t developed as much as his sister. Charlie, I’m afraid your son has a bleak future. His kidney and liver seem to be failing.’

‘So we just get him a transplant right?’ Brax sat down next to Charlie on the bed; he couldn’t support himself any longer.

‘We can get one, but it would take time and that’s something he doesn’t have very much of. It’s pretty touch and go at this point. Charlie, Brax, if I were you I would consider saying your goodbyes while you can. I’m afraid he won’t make it through the night.’ Sid sympathised as best as he could. He hated delivering bad news.

Later that day, a baby incubator was brought into Charlie’s hospital room. Inside lay a little boy, half the size of Charlie’s forearm. The nurse gently removed all the cords and drips and wires clinging to the frail body keeping him alive and took him out of the incubator.

Brax reached out to take his son and gazed into his delicate face. He couldn’t even open his eyes against the soft light; he was that weak. Kissing his baby on the forehead, he turned to let his mother hold him and held Charlie from behind, supporting her as she sat on the bed.

Charlie was numb as she held her son. There were no tears, no emotion, just the inevitable reality tormenting her from the inside. She looked at how small he was; not much bigger than Joel had been. She was gaining a daughter and losing a son all in one day. Looking down at his beautiful face, she thought he resembled her father. ‘Ross.’ She whispered as her son’s breathing slowly got heavier each second he was off the ventilator.

Brax kissed Charlie’s shoulder, his eyes never leaving his son. ‘Ross. That suits him. ‘Ross Sean Braxton.’ Brax stroked Ross’ arm softly as his wife kissed him on the forehead. At the final moment, the baby opened his eyes for the first time and looked at his parents with his beady black eyes for the first and last time before making his peace with the world he had known for only a few hours.

Two days later, Charlie was physically strong enough to leave her hospital room. Emotionally however, she was numb. After Ross’ untimely departure, she still hadn’t cried and grieved properly. Brax had tried to console her as best as he could but there was only so much he could do.

Charlie and Brax walked together to the NICU so Charlie could see their daughter for the first time. After sanitizing herself, Charlie walked into the darkened room and saw a beautiful brunette girl in an incubator. Her fingers, the size of paper clips, moved softly on the mattress as if she were waving to her mummy.

Charlie took the little girl in her arms and gazed at her lovingly as she looked up at her mother with the same green blue eyes as her parents. ‘Hi.’ She whispered to the little angel. As mother and daughter gazed at each other, Charlie felt tears float down her cheeks silently as she sobbed for the first time since her wedding. Brax put his arms around them both and Charlie knew everything was going to be alright. She had her family and she was going to get through it. She hadn’t lost everything.

Brax stroked his daughter lovingly. ‘Ruby thinks she looks like a Haley.’

‘Haley.’ Charlie smiled through her tears. ‘Hi Haley. I’m your mummy. Mummy’s here.’ She moved closer to Brax. ‘And this is your daddy. We all love you so much. Your sister Ruby, Uncle Casey and especially Ross. He’s your brother but he had to go away. I bet you miss him huh. We all do but we’re going to be alright.’

Charlie looked up at Brax with Haley in her arms. She looked up into his loving eyes which only clarified her conviction. ‘Yes, we’re going to be just fine. After all, we’re family. We can get through anything.’ She kissed her husband softly. She looked at the ring on her wedding finger that signified so much; new love, new life and new beginnings.

THE END

Comments