'Charlie?' Nate called.
Charlie surfaced the pool and tried to get her bearings. The man pulled her back under the water. The man tried to cut her with a knife, but she got free. She got to the surface and tried to swim away.
'Mel and Kirsty are ok, Sarge!' Leon called.
Charlie just saw Callum enter the room for the pool when she was dragged under again. She tried to fight the man, but she was getting weaker. She managed to kick him away and get to the surface.
'Charlie!' Callum saw her.
'He's in the water with a knife!' Charlie called out.
She went under and looked for the man. He swam right for her. She managed to get the knife out of his hands, but it fell to the bottom of the pool. The man tried to strangle her. Two splashes of water entered the water and the man was grabbed by Leon. Charlie was held onto by Callum. All four of them got to the surface. Nate was on hand and helped get the man out the water, cuffing him. Callum got out the water, as did Leon, but Charlie went down from a pull at her leg. She saw it was another man that tried to strangle her. She kicked him off and managed to surface, but was pulled down again. She fought the man as best she could, but he was stronger. She drifted towards the top, not moving.
'Charlie!' Callum got back into the water.
Callum swam for Charlie. He managed to grab hold of her and pull her towards the edge of the pool. Leon and Nate helped Callum get Charlie get out. Callum got out the water and checked her breathing. He started CPR on her and she coughed water up, so Callum helped her sit up.
'Are you alright?' Callum checked.
'They tried to kill me, didn't they?' Charlie was shaking, looking at the cuffed man.
Callum held her close, trying to make her feel better. Charlie let Callum help her to her feet. The four of them left the pools with their handcuffed prisoner. Mel and Kirsty were ok and had called for extra units to assist. Smithy and Jo got out the car and saw they had four wet officers. Charlie was shivering badly. The ambulance at the scene checked them over. A medic got a towel round Charlie, but she was still shivering.
'What happened?' Smithy asked.
'Leon and I had got called out by a Mrs Locksley that her daughter was missing. She said her daughter loved coming here to think. I got the daughter's number and called her. She was here, but said someone was here that shouldn't have been. Leon and I arrived here with backup to check the place out, only for there to be a man that tried to hurt the daughter. I got him off, but a voice over warned that they were going for the girls, so I was chased upstairs and chucked into the pool. Almost strangled a few times I was found by Callum. There was a second guy in the pool, who actually stopped me breathing at all.' Charlie explained.
'You got two of the men in the cars?' Smithy checked.
'Yeah, we do.' Callum said.
'You saved Charlie?' Smithy looked at Callum.
'I could hardly leave her there. I did CPR and she's fine.' Callum shrugged.
'Ok. We'll need to get you back to the nick when you're deemed alright.' Smithy left them to it.
Charlie kept shivering, so Callum sat next to Charlie and wrapped his towel around her, holding her to him.
'You're freezing.' Callum was worried.
'I'm ok.' Charlie lied badly.
'Of course you are.' Callum knew otherwise.
Charlie was checked over by a medic again and they let her go.
'Come on. Let's get you back to the nick.' Callum guided her to his car.
Charlie got in and let Callum drive her back to the nick.
Charlie got into a dry uniform and headed for the writing room. She got out a log form and filled it in as quickly as she could in as much detail as possible.
'Working still?' Smithy found her.
'Thought I'd get the log done, sir.' Charlie explained.
'You alright?'
'I almost got strangled under water and then I almost drowned. I guess I owe Callum now.'
'He's worried about you.'
'He thought I was ok after the first guy had a go, but there was a second and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't fight him from my energy going on fighting the first guy. They made sure I was vulnerable and it worked. I'm just glad we had backup.'
'Maybe you should talk to Callum. I'm sure he can help.'
'Thanks, sir.'
'I think I know what your problem is.'
'What's that?'
'You don't do take it easy.'
'If I did that, you'd tell me I'm not your usual PC Charlie Croft, Sir.'
Smithy laughed at that.
'Go for refs. I'll send Callum down to you, alright?'
Smithy left her to it. Charlie smiled a little and walked to the canteen. She got a drink of water and sat by herself. She got flashes of her struggling in the water. She couldn't stop them going round in her head.
'Charlie?' Callum sat next to her.
Charlie wiped a tear off her cheek.
'It's not your fault. None of us knew that was going to happen. You saved that girl and got her back to her family.'
'I shouldn't have put you in that position. If I had tried to get out the pool sooner, I wouldn't have flashbacks as soon as I close my eyes.'
Callum held Charlie close, trying to comfort her.
'I'm sorry. I should have gotten to you faster. If I had, I could have saved you from this. I was right behind you when you found the girl. I got her out and headed straight back to find you. I should have been quicker. I'm sorry.'
'You're not to blame.'
Charlie let Callum hold her closer as she got more upset.
'Come on. Let's get some air.'
Callum guided Charlie out to the yard. She stood by the metal bar near custody, trying to gather herself. Callum stood with her, trying to make sure she was ok.
'Charlie?' Callum knew there was something.
'I guess going through that brought everything back. My Uncle, Richard Croft, he'd had a daughter. She was called Charlie. She was about fifteen and I was two. My grandparents had taken me up to Scotland for a holiday. She'd gone into the water, but got into difficulty. I screamed for the adults, but they left us. She ended up drowning in the pool. I somehow got out and wouldn't stop screaming until Uncle Richard came out to shut me up. He saw his daughter and managed to get her out the pool, but it was too late. She'd drowned and what hurt was she had no one to save her but me and I couldn't do anything. I was just as helpless. That's why I couldn't get myself out the pool because I just froze.' Charlie was in pieces.
Callum held her to him, trying to comfort her as best he could.
'I'm sorry.' Callum gently kissed her head.
Charlie tried to hold her tears back, but she was struggling. Callum wiped a few away for her.
'You know you can always talk to me. It doesn't matter what hour of the day or night it is, you call me, ok?'
'I can't do that to you, sarge.'
'I mean it. I don't mind if you need to call me in the middle of the night. I want to know you're ok. I care about you.'
Charlie nodded, giving in.
'Come on. The shift's finished. I think I could use a drink. Why don't you join me?'
'Are you sure?'
'Yeah. I think the others might be going out. I think they'll want to have the newbie in the group out drinking at last.'
'You know it won't be alcoholic?'
'No?'
'Dad put me off it. He ended up belting Jake and I a few times. I never wanted to get to his level, so I just drink water.'
'Then you're a better copper than I thought.'
Charlie laughed a little at his joke. Callum led her back into the nick towards the changing rooms.
