Chapter Eight
Charlie watched in confusion as she watched Ruby smile and look amused.
"What?" she asked.
"You weren't dreaming," Ruby said. "Joey did save you."
"Excuse me?" Charlie squeaked.
She tried to furrow her brow but it hurt too much. Her mind reeled at the thought that Joey was around, that she'd saved her, held her, brought her to the hospital. Suddenly, she froze. Embarrassment and humiliation overwhelmed her as she remembered the things she had said. She'd believed she was dying or dead and that Joey was taking her beneath the earth, or that she was figment of her desperate imagination. She'd rambled and said all kinds of things. She had a vague recollection of leaving a message of love for her and Ruby in the sand. No, Joey being around was not a good thing! It was mortifying.
"Joey saved your life," Ruby said.
"But... oh, no..."
"What?"
"I said some seriously embarrassing things!" Charlie whimpered. "I think I was certifiable out there."
Ruby giggled and pulled up a chair in order to get comfortable.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Charlie shook her head and winced. She couldn't even begin to go into it now. Ruby took her hand.
"She's out in the corridor," she said. "She's waiting for you."
"What was she doing there?" Charlie wondered. "I mean, how did she find me? I'm so confused."
"I honestly don't know," Ruby said. "She was a bit too broken up to explain herself."
Charlie looked worried.
"Whatever happened today, Charlie, she's been desperately worried about you. She still loves you."
"She said that?" Charlie asked hopefully.
"She didn't have to."
Charlie closed her eyes. Opening up, she looked at the clock on the wall and wondered when she would be due another dose of painkillers and that soothing cream Rachel had given her for her burns. She frowned at the drip in her arm. Apparently she needed to be rehydrated.
"Do you still love her?" Ruby asked.
Things were more than a little awkward in the waiting area. Joey was sitting quietly on an uncomfortable plastic seat, with her legs drawn up in front of her as she rested her chin on her knees. Aden and Nicole sat beside her and Angelo was pacing, pausing only to give Joey the odd glare. He felt more than a little threatened by her presence and he couldn't even begin to think about what had happened with Hugo and what the consequences would be. He'd shot another man. He'd killed him. And Martha might be in shock now but sooner or later, she would hold him responsible for what happened. Whatever Hugo had done, whether he was a bad guy or not, Martha loved him. That wasn't something that would just stop in a heartbeat. He stopped when Watson appeared and walked towards them. She immediately asked about Charlie. Joey quietly explained that she'd found her in a state on the island and taken her back to Summer Bay. Not looking at Angelo, she explained that her cries for help out at sea when they passed a police boat, had been ignored but that on land, she'd run into Aden and Nicole and they'd taken them to the hospital. Watson glanced at Angelo and took him to one side.
Charlie focussed on the pain she was in instead of Ruby's expectant face. She didn't know what to say. She did still love Joey. She had always loved Joey. She'd just had a terrible way of showing it. She knew she'd deserved to lose her. She'd deserved all that pain and suffering. And while she did care for Angelo, she'd known all this time that he was a substitute for what she really wanted. She imagined a future where they could easily be happy together, aside from all the drama they seemed to put each other through. But the happiness she felt with him had never come close to what she had experienced, far too briefly, with Joey Collins. Looking up at Ruby, she nodded silently.
"You need to get to the police station right now," Watson warned.
"What about Charlie?" Angelo asked.
"Charlie is being looked after," Watson replied. "She's safe now. But you need to explain shooting a man in cold blood. Again."
Angelo swallowed and ran his hands through his short hair.
"It was necessary," Angelo said. "He was our prime suspect and he was getting away. I was always warned what this kind of mission could involve."
"It's not for me to judge," Watson said. "But you still have some explaining to do. So, go."
"But..."
"If you don't go willingly, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. Whether you're a cop or not, you still shot someone. You have a lot of explaining to do, Angelo."
Watson looked resolute. Angelo hesitated but was about to head for the exit when Ruby appeared.
"Joey, Charlie wants to..."
Changing direction, Angelo stormed past Ruby and Watson and charged into Charlie's room. Watson called his name in frustration, wondering why he always made everything harder for himself.
Charlie was startled when Angelo appeared in her room. She'd been gearing herself up for seeing Joey. She tried not to be disappointed. He approached the bed and kissed her without permission. She winced.
"Sorry," he said, taking her hand.
She winced again and drew away. He swallowed and stared down at her burnt, blotchy skin.
"You look awful," he said.
"Thanks!" she remarked sadly.
"What happened, Charlie?" he asked.
"I caught Hugo," she explained. "Or, well, he caught me. I found... Oh!"
Her eyes widened in horror as she suddenly remembered the people in the shipping container. What with everything that had happened, they'd become lost in her mind. She quickly explained what she'd found. He nodded.
"They've been taken to the hospital," he told her. "We found them when we were looking for you. How did you end up on the island?"
"Hugo. He kicked me off the boat and made me swim. And I... I don't really remember a whole lot after that."
She sighed heavily.
"Do you know who rescued you?" he asked.
She nodded, not looking at him.
"What was she doing there, Charlie?"
"I don't know."
"You haven't been in touch with her?"
"I haven't spoken to Joey since she left me back in May," Charlie said unhappily.
"Well then..."
She looked up sharply.
"Well then what?"
"Well then I'd suspect her of being involved in this somehow," Angelo said.
Charlie laughed and then frowned when she realised he was serious.
"You think Joey was involved in human trafficking? Are you serious?" she asked incredulously.
"Why not?" he said. "Who knows what she's capable of?"
"I know what she's capable of."
"You didn't believe me when I said Hugo was involved," Angelo pointed out. "Who says that Joey and Hugo haven't been working together all this time?"
"I can assure you that that's not the case," Charlie said firmly. "The last person in the world Joey would ever want to have anything to do with is Hugo. Well, second to last. The last would be me."
Angelo caught the look of sorrow in her eyes. He felt suddenly desperate for Joey to be guilty. The sadder Charlie looked and the more grateful he knew she felt to her hero, the less confident he was. What if all of this ended in disaster? What if he lost Charlie and she ran off with Joey? What if he was arrested for Hugo's murder? He'd lose everything. Again. He couldn't bear it.
"I know she means a lot to you, Charlie but it seems a little bit too much of a coincidence that she just happened by to save you when Hugo left you for dead. Do you know what she was supposedly doing on the island?" he asked.
"I don't know," Charlie admitted. "I haven't spoken to her since I stopped being utterly delirious. But I know she wouldn't do anything you're accusing her of. Hugo is to blame here. Arrest him. Don't go after Joey. She hasn't done anything wrong."
Deciding not to tell her that Hugo was dead, Angelo made eye contact, focussing on trying to read her.
"You don't still have feelings for her, do you?" he asked.
