Hi guys, just wanted to say thank you for all your lovely reviews! Hope you are still enjoying the story xx

Chapter 8-Take a deep breath

Charlie POV…..

I woke up alone in the hospital bed. My immediate thought was 'where's Brax?' I immediately felt insecure.

Voices swam round my head

'Hello sergeant'

Gun shots firing in the distance. Screams and shouting burst right through me. I panicked and moved into a sitting position, too quickly. I screamed at the searing pain in my stomach, the voices still whirling round in my head

'For my brother' BANG

"No!" I yelled, throwing my head into my hands and crying "please don't hurt me, don't hurt me' I muttered in a whisper under my breath. My stomach seared in pain as I tried to move back into the bed, try to shield myself from the voices.

"Mum?" I heard someone say "Mum! Mum, you ok?" Ruby was sitting next to me crying

"He's still here." I sobbed uncontrollably into her arms

"Whose here mum? Who?" I heard Ruby cry as I clung onto her for dear life

"He's still trying to hurt me, he's here"

"Mum, no one's here no ones going to hurt you" Ruby soothed, stroking my hair

"Charlie? Charlie?" I heard Brax's voice and immediately felt his arms fall protectively around me, I held on to the front of his shirt

Brax POV….

"It hurts." she cried, sobbing

"Hey, baby, come here, its ok I'm here" I said, kissing her forehead gently, I honestly didn't know what to say, seeing Charlie cry like this was heart breaking.

I looked at Ruby who mouthed 'shall I go get Sid' I nodded my head slightly, and she quietly left the room, leaving Charlie and I alone

"Charlie, you need to tell me what's up ok? I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong" she looked up at me with her big blue eyes

"I don't remember… I don't remember and I keep seeing his face and the gunshots and, I can't get it out!" She cried, rubbing her face with her hands

"I'm here now ok, nothings gonna happen, you're ok, I won't let anyone hurt you" I said, I was honestly lost for words, confident Charlie was gone, she was so frail and vulnerable. It scared me.

3rd Person….

Brax locked Charlie in a warm embrace, wrapping her in the hospital bed covers as they snuggled up, Charlie crying softly into his shirt. They sat holding each other for a while, both of them only aware of each other and the fact that no words needed to be said in order to feel at home in each other's arms, everything was familiar, but different; they depended on each other. It gave them security. Charlie's tears finally subsided, Brax tilted her chin with his finger, so she was looking into his eyes

"Talk to me Charlie, Ok what's hurting?" he asked wiping away the stray tears that remained on her cheeks

"I just, I woke up and you weren't there and I heard voices and then I-my stomach was hurting" Charlie replied getting panicked

"Charlie, just take a deep breath" Brax said, mimicking her as she breathed in and out "Listen to me, Charlie, no one is ever going to hurt you again, you hear me, no one, no ones gonna keep you and me apart" She nodded her head violently, her hands resting gently around his waist

"It feels good having you here, it feels safe" she whispered, almost like she was afraid of what she was saying

"Hey I wouldn't want to be anywhere else" Brax said, smiling gently into her eyes

"I missed you, having you in my arms" Brax said softly, just hearing his husky voice made Charlie's heart melt

"Are you still gonna stay tonight?" Charlie asked, the thought of being left by herself, in a dark room, with only her own thoughts still petrified her.

"Yeah of course I will baby, I won't leave you" Brax said, pulling Charlie close to him and letting her put all of her weight on him. He could tell she was in pain.

Sid and Ruby entered the room, their voices low and worried, interrupting the moment

"Charlie, are you ok?" Sid asked, well informed and aware of what had been going on "Are you in pain?" Sid continued

"It just, it hurts a lot, I…um I can't get comfortable" Charlie said, she felt sick and weary, her stomach was on fire and the bottom of her back had a dull ache that wouldn't shift. Brax and Ruby looked at Sid, both eager to hear what he was going to say

"Right, well I can increase your dosage of pain killers, but other than that Charlie, I can't do anything else" Sid replied, Charlie nodded, acknowledging his sincerity.

"Right, umm…can I eat?" She asked, slightly hungry, willing to get some food down her, Sid looked down at the floor, he'd hoped this could wait until tomorrow.

"Charlie, the surgery you've just had, is serious; the bullets were lodged around your stomach area…at the moment any food you have has to be fed to you via the tube connected to your stomach. Your body's to weak Charlie. It can't handle it.

Ruby POV…..

I could see Charlie's eyes welling up, and she nodded her head at Sid, turning her head away. I instinctively went to her side, and held her hand. She looked exhausted, physically and emotionally, it must be hell for her. Waking up, not being able to eat, hearing gunshots, not being able to stay alone. We'd all been through hell for the last week, now was the time when we needed to support each other.

Apparently, time heels the broken hearted, or so they say. I hope those people are right.

Right now everything seems broken. I have my mum back, but seeing her screaming like that, she was a different person, she was broken, I'd seen her cry before, but nothing like that. By some miracle we have her back in our lives, so why isn't everything fixed?

I want to see my mum smile and laugh.

I wanted the dark circles under Brax's eyes to be gone.

I wanted to look into someone's eyes and not see the same torture staring right back at me.

And I didn't want to loose my mum.

After a minute or two Charlie turned back to Sid and broke the silence "Can I have something for my head, as well, it just umm…gets a bit noisy in here?"

"I can't give you that right now Charlie, coming out of the coma-"

"I don't want to know the details Sid" Charlie retaliated, Sid quickly adjusted the painkiller dosage through the drip and walked silently out the room, we sat in a somewhat awkward silence for a while.

"Brax can you give us a minute?" Charlie asked, breaking the silence, he nodded hesitantly, kissing Charlie's head, an agonizing look in his eyes.

Charlie POV…..

"I'm so sorry you had to see that Rubes" I felt like I could never make it up to her, she shouldn't have to see her own mum like that, I should be strong, not her, she looked down, fiddling with the braid in her hair.

"Charlie, you don't need to be sorry for anything, this last week without you, I fell to pieces, it was torture, all I wanted to do was hear your voice, and you weren't there" she cried, I pulled her close to me, never wanting to let go of my baby, but knowing we couldn't stay like this forever

"I'm never gonna leave you again ok? Now listen to me" I said, drawing back and looking at her, moving loose strands of hair behind her ears "Tonight, I want you to go and get some rest ok? And then in the morning, you can bring some DVD'S and we'll watch a movie together" I said, smiling at her

"I don't want to leave you though"

"Hey, I'm not gonna be on my own"

Ruby POV…

"But what if you have another nightmare" I said, I thought about the prospect of Charlie remembering all I could,

When we found her shot.

When she slipped into an unconscious state.

Who shot her.

"Rube's you don't need to deal with that ok? It's not fair" she said, reluctantly I nodded my head, I had gathered Brax would be staying with her, and made myself believe she was ok, when really she was falling to pieces. Made myself believe she was safe, when really there's no knowing.

3rd PERSON…

Brax, Leah, Casey and Heath all stood in the waiting room, the conversation in full swing

"So Heath, are you gonna tell us why your hiding here?" Brax asked

"There's nothing to hide from mate" Heath said, trying to get his brothers off of his back

"Yeah right, because you were so worried about Charlie when she got shot because she was your favourite person" Casey said sarcastically

"Yeah well actually Case, she's family now, so I don't have to like her" Heath replied

"Wow Heath, showing emotion there, real learning curve for ya" Casey teased

"Put a sock in it you old goat, I have a heart"

"So you being here has nothing to do with a certain someone you hooked up with the other week?" Casey teased

"Oh, who? Who?" Leah asked, intrigued

"Ask him what happened on the night of the formal, double dare ya" Casey said nudging Heath in the ribs, knowing that he'd slept with April

The conversation was interrupted by Ruby coming out of Charlie's room

"Hey Rubes, she ok?" Brax asked, worried about Charlie

"She says she is but…I don't know Brax" Ruby said, walking over to Casey and wrapping her arms around his waist "Just look after her tonight" Ruby said

"Yeah, 'course I will" Brax said, nodding his head and waving everyone off before going to see Charlie.

Charlie POV…

I was laying down in the hospital bed on my side, pillows around me to 'make me more comfortable' or so the nurses said, I felt someone take my hand and link my fingers between there own, kissing it softly. Brax.

I opened my eyes and turned on my back to face him

"Hey" I said sleepily

"Hey, you should go to sleep" he said, running his fingers softly over my cheek

"Can you come and lay here" I said tapping the space next to me, he got up, taking his shoes off and climbing into the bed, quietly slipping into the covers and wrapping his arms gently around me

"Thank you, for being here with me" I whispered. He looked down at me and cupped my cheeks in his hands, kissing me gently

"I don't want to be anywhere else but here with you Charlie" he said, kissing my forehead

I smiled at him, unable to resist, I slipped my hands underneath his shirt, letting them rest gently around his waist. He smiled softly at me, a twinkle in his eyes. He was thinking what I was thinking. This was how we normally were

"Shame it's a single bed" I said laughing slightly

"Nah, even if it's a double bed, we always sleep on one side together" he said, a cheesy grin on his face

"I missed this" I said, nodding my head at his shirt

"Oh so that's all you've missed huh?" he said sarcastically

"No, not all, and your cuddles…falling to sleep in your arms…seeing that smile of yours" I said moving my head closer and closer to his

"I missed you too" he said running his fingers through my hair

Brax POV…..

I had missed her so much. Getting through each day without hearing her voice was so hard, so I had resorted to taking it one day at a time, because the thought of weeks and months without her terrified me.

"You in any pain?" I asked

"mmm I'm ok" she replied, leaning into me "My back just aches and my stomach is sore" she said looking down and rubbing her hands over her stomach. I couldn't help but think of the baby that used to be in there.

"You need anything you just say" I said sternly, I didn't want to think of her in pain and not saying anything.

"What injury's did I have Brax? What happened?" she whispered, her eyes watering

"How about you get some sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning? Because right now doctor says you need rest" I said, trying to ignore the shaky feeling that had come over me when I thought of how to tell her about the baby

"Since when did you listen to a word the experts say?" she chuckled

"Since I don't want to loose you" I said, looking down, almost embarrassed that I'd just come right out and said that. She nodded her head and closed her eyes, snuggling into me; I wrapped my arms around her, drawing circles around her waist with my thumbs, trying to push the troubling thoughts to the back of my mind and focus on the fact that she was here. Alive. And nobody would ever hurt her again.

Next Morning….

I'd slept peacefully; Charlie still locked in the same position, curled into my arms, the comforting sound of the heart monitor. I rubbed my eyes, being blinded by the sunlight that poured through the blinds.

Charlie laid on her side, stirring gently in her sleep, her hair spread out across the pillow, I admired how peaceful she looked, I could lay here forever with her, just have her in my arms and forget about the world.

Charlie POV…..

I woke up slowly, treasuring the feeling of waking up in Brax's arms, I took in everything about him, fixing it permanently in the front of my mind. Relishing the love that poured in.

I know some people will wonder what made Brax stay last night, a few may think it was to make sure nothing hurt me, others will say its because I needed him. But me, well I think it was just so that he could feel human again.

I felt his thumb stroke my cheek; I couldn't help but smile at the feeling his touch on my skin made me feel. Electricity. I took his hand with my own, leaving it lingering on my skin for a while before opening my eyes and looking into the ones I knew so well.

NEXT TIME ON LOST THEN FOUND:

Ruby, Charlie, Brax and Casey try to have some family time

There are complications with Charlie's recovery

Brax is struggling, will he open up?