Disclaimer: I don't any of the BBC's characters
Chapter 4
Jo Mills was unusually sober on the warm January morning in Melbourne, after a long and tiring day in court the day before, where she had helped to free an innocent man. This would normally have made Jo's week, but not anymore, now it just made her week bearable. Suddenly Jo heard the shrill cry of her mobile and she looked at the display, which read Charlie Deed.
Not knowing what to do, Jo wondered why she would call and decided it must be important because she hadn't even had a call from Charlie or John in a year and a half. Picking her phone up hurriedly and with a hint of curiosity Jo answered.
"Hello."
"Hi Jo, its Charlie, I ………….dad needs you," Charlie said stumbling over her words and obviously distressed.
"Why? What happened?" Jo said her voice hitched at the thought that John was hurt.
"He was in an accident and he needs you, Jo."
"Oh my god! What kind of accident? Is he going to be alright?" Jo said getting herself worked up over something that was taking place on the other side of the world.
"It was a car accident, he ran into a truck. He's in a coma, he punctured a lung, broke some ribs and other than that he is just badly bruised. The doctors don't know if he'll ever wake up," Charlie said with the reality that her father might not survive finally kicking in, so the tears began.
"Oh, Charlie, what makes you think that I can help?" Jo said wondering how she could help John if he was in a coma.
"The doctor said that he's chances will improve if he is surrounded and talked to by his loved ones and if there is something or in dad's case someone that he can't leave because there are things he needs to say. Jo, dad hasn't been the same since you left, I understand how badly he treated you and I understand why you did it, but he really does love you. This time he needs you and so do I because you might be his only chance," Charlie said with a swollen face from her tears.
"I don't know Charlie, I don't think I can face coming back again, especially if your father doesn't make it because I'll just be ridden with guilt. If I do come back and he wakes up then I might not be able to leave again and the cycle that your father and I use to follow will just start again."
"Please Jo, the guilt will be a lot worse knowing that you gave up the chance to say goodbye and to help possibly bring him back to us," Charlie pleaded.
"Okay, I'll catch the next flight to London and I'll call you when I get there," Jo replied knowing that there was no way she wouldn't go, if she could help the man she would always love. Hanging up the phone Jo couldn't help but feel that this was fate and maybe as Charlie said John still loved her and maybe he had changed.
Charlie sat by her dad's beside with Nancy a day after the accident and couldn't help but think of all the well wishes she had received for her father. Every time she felt like screaming that her father wasn't dead and that he would be alright, but even she wasn't convinced. The conversation between Charlie and Nancy had died hours ago and they sat in silence each holding onto one of John's hands. Occasionally, one of them would say something to John, but when there was no response, they closed their mouth not wanting to have to believe that he may always be like that and reverted back into the safer silence.
At Heathrow International Airport Jo walked out of the terminal with her luggage and dialled Charlie's number. When it went straight to message bank, Jo guessed that Charlie must have switched her phone off because she was in the hospital with John. Jo put her phone away and hailed a cab, a good old London cab which she had missed so dearly. Jo had called Charlie before she boarded and found out what hospital John was in, so she gave the cab driver the address and sat back thinking about what John would look like, if he would look the same as she remembered. In all her dreams, the vision of John had slowly faded and now she wasn't sure if the image in her head was really John Deed or just a distorted version of him.
