Charlie's POV

It takes me barely 2 hours to arrive at the beachside cottage in Beautone Bay; I've rented it for two weeks, and I just hope that it's enough time for me to gather my thoughts.

After unpacking my suitcase, I text Ruby to let her know that I have arrived safely and am – as far as she needs to know – okay. I then turn off my phone, so that I will not be disturbed.

I step out onto the back veranda and stare out at the blue ocean, which seems to be within arm's reach. My mind spins as it replays the events of the last few weeks – it is not the kidnapping nor the shooting, but the conversation I had with Sid right before I left that lingers longest in my mind. This, in turn, causes me to remember that Sid had scheduled me in to see a specialist at the Beautone Bay Hospital tomorrow. I'm still genuinely amazed that he was able to get me an appointment at such short notice.

As the sun slowly starts to fade, the night air becomes cooler and the ocean turns deep blue, almost black. I make myself a salad, get into my pyjamas and set an alarm on my phone – which I regrettably had to turn on for that brief moment – so that I am not late for the appointment tomorrow. Before I know it, I am snuggled up under the covers of my bed, slowly fading into a dream. Or rather a nightmare.

Everything is happening in slow motion – I can hear my own heart pumping in my chest. Every police officer instinct in me kicks in but I can't bring myself to act on any of them, too afraid of what might happen to Brax if I do. Hammer is beating him senseless – I can feel every punch, every bit of pain, as if his blows were directed at me. Brax tries to fight back, but Hammer has his gun in hand. I lie uselessly on the ground, pushed back the first time I'd tried to intervene – and then suddenly the gun flies loose of Hammer's hand. In the next instant I feel as though I am watching from the sidelines as my arm starts to reach for the gun – it's like something else is driving me, and I can't regain control. I feel the weight of the gun in my hands, and I feel the eerily familiar tremors of gunpowder igniting as my finger pulls back on the trigger, sending forth a bullet, straight for Hammer. He and Brax both fall to the ground – and for a moment I think I've hit the wrong man. Oh God – Brax -

Waking up the next morning before my alarm was odd, seeing as I've never really been a morning person. I guess the nerves over my appointment have gotten the best of me.

Waking up that extra hour earlier gives me time to go for a run along the beach. The change of scenery along the way is nice, although I have to laugh at the fact that in order to escape the Bay I've retreated to a different bay. At least there's no possibility that I will run into Brax here, or anyone else I know for that matter.

Before I know it, it's time to go to my appointment. I drive to Beautone Bay Hospital, and walk towards the reception desk, but the nerves get the better of me, and I say nothing, just stare.

"Hi... are you okay there sweetheart?" a nurse asks me, coming around from behind the reception desk; she places a hand on mine. I am snapped out of my trance, and get up the courage to reply to her.

"Uh... yeah, I'm here to see Dr Williamson – Dr Walker from Summer Bay organised my appointment, I'm um..." Thoughts and words begin to choke me. "I'm...supposed to start my first round of chemo today." The words, as painful to say as walking through fire, finally escape, and a stray tear falls down my face. I find myself wishing that Brax was here supporting me, telling me that everything will be okay, that we've been through so much already so there's no chance of me not surviving this – that the stage 3 bone cancer will go into remission. But these wishes are utterly ridiculous because I couldn't possibly tell him about this. He would be so worried. He doesn't need that. Neither does Ruby. She doesn't need to worry that she might lose her mum. I am not going to them through that. I can't.

My train of thought is interrupted when I hear my name being called. I look up to see a man in a white coat standing near me with a clipboard.

"Hi Charlie, my name is Dr Williamson," he says, "and we are ready for you now, if you would like to follow me?" With a wave of his arm he motions for me to follow him, as he starts to walk into one of the rooms.

"I am going to need you to change into this," he says as he hands me a hospital gown. "I'll give you some privacy, while I go get your medication."

The doctor leaves the room, and I take a deep breath. Medication. I can hardly believe what's happening. As I get changed, the agonisingly persistent thought - God I wish Brax was here with me – breaks through the walls of my mind and opens up the floodgates. More than one stray tear escapes this time.

It doesn't take long for the doctor to return.

"Okay Charlie, let me run through what Dr Walker has planned for your treatment. The chemotherapy is designed to shrink the primary tumour. You are going to have 3 rounds, which we are going to start today, and then once you have finished that, you will have surgery to remove the tumour, then another 3 rounds of chemo, to prevent the cancer from returning. Unfortunately, we won't know how much of the tumour we'll be able to remove until after these first three rounds. That is when we will be able to let you know how good your chances are. Do you understand all this Charlie?"

I nod unresponsively, as he continues to speak.

"Now you must know Charlie, that there can be a few side effects of the chemo, and they're all in this brochure for you to read when you go home, or while you're undergoing the treatment, if you'd rather." he says as he hands me the brochure. "You should also know that, with Ewing's Sarcoma, there is the chance that it's spread to other areas of your body, but hopefully we've caught it before it's had a chance to do that." He says nothing for a moment, as if he expects me to say something. But there are no words... "Okay Charlie, now we're ready to start."

I smile weakly, my nerves at an all time high, as he hooks me up to the chemotherapy. The drip in my arm makes me feel so cold and I get shivers. At this moment, I feel so alone.