Hi everyone. Here is your next instalment. And for the record, I know 'duvet' isn't an Aussie word but I'm a British chickie and I use it shamelessly! Enjoy. Sort of. You know what I mean. IJKS xxx

***

Chapter Ten

Joey and Aden sat side by side on the beach. Both had abandoned their food as they shared their own personal sorrow. Joey told Aden about the suicide note and how she had rushed over to see Charlie as soon as she could and how guilty she felt that she couldn't save her. And Aden had shared all about his too short marriage and Belle's death. He was going through the motions now, working with Geoff on the trawler, looking out for Nicole who didn't seem to want to be looked out for and living with Ross and Morag while they visited Charlie every day. Joey was awash with more guilt over not being around for her friend. Aden had been so kind to her throughout everything with Robbo. He had seen the pain that she denied and he got help for her. He'd brought her and Charlie together in the first place. And then just when he was going through the worst time in his life, she hadn't been around. Consumed with her own pain over Charlie cheating on her with Hugo, she'd fled and only come back because of Charlie's pain. She hadn't kept in touch with anybody, not even Aden who had done no wrong, and she hadn't taken care of him when he needed support. Silently, she vowed never to abandon him again.

"I'm glad you're back, Joey," he said, letting her hug him. "I mean, I wish it was in better circumstances but still, I'm glad you're here."

"I'm sorry I haven't been around for you," Joey apologised.

"It's okay. How were you to know?"

"I should have stayed in touch. I just... when I left I felt like the most irrelevant, dumb, unloved person in the world. I didn't think it mattered if I stayed in touch with anyone. I just wanted to go away and start my life over."

Aden leant into her.

"And did you?"

"Partly. But no, not really. At the end of the day, I was still thinking about Charlie all the time. Every night when I went to sleep, she was still on my mind. So no, I guess I never truly started again. I never forgot her. And I still came running when she needed me."

"Did you... did you meet anyone else?"

Joey nodded.

"I dated a few girls here and there," she admitted. "Never anything serious. Never anyone who stole my heart."

"Because your heart already belonged to Charlie," Aden concluded.

"Tragic, hey? She moved on."

"Yeah, she moved on and yet she specifically told you goodbye when she decided to die," Aden pointed out.

Joey mind flashed to the letter she'd received. She'd been sleeping with it under her pillow and carrying around with her everywhere she went. Even now it was in her back pocket. She smiled, thinking that Charlie really might not have moved on as much as she appeared to have on the surface. Now, all she could hope was that there was a future. Aden caught her look.

"Is she going to be okay, do you think?" he asked.

Joey sighed.

"I have no idea," she said.

***

Angelo sat by Charlie's bedside from the moment that the afternoon hours opened at the hospital. He was glad to be able to spend time with her and desperately wished that she would wake up in his presence. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, to share with her. And there was so much love he wanted to give her. His heart ached from the knowledge that Charlie could die believing that he had cheated on her. The idea was absurd. He would never have betrayed her like that. It was frustrating that she didn't believe him and that she had been so unreasonable about him telling the truth. But he knew that should he have the chance, he would tell her everything. Sitting beside his unconscious, dying girlfriend suddenly put everything into perspective.

***

After she had left Ross and Morag's, Ruby went for a walk to be alone with her thoughts. She'd pondered calling Xavier but decided that she didn't really want to see him. She wasn't much in the mood for explaining everything all over again. It hurt too much. But she was acutely aware that she hadn't spoken to him since well before the incident with Charlie had happened. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sun and the world it lit up before her. Thinking about everything was too much for her to bear. Sleeping last night had been almost impossible. The image of Charlie lying there, half dead, was etched onto her brain. Her mother had a lot of apologising to do when she woke up for putting her through so much trauma. Or perhaps it was Ruby who had to make everything up to Charlie.

***

Joey and Aden had parted ways in order for Aden to get back to work and Joey to get to the hospital. Sitting in the waiting room, she had her eyes firmly settled on the clock, waiting for Angelo to be late out. She didn't want to be suspicious and think the worst of someone but she wondered if perhaps he would do whatever he could to sabotage Joey's time with Charlie. She supposed, if she was lucky enough to still be with Charlie, she wouldn't want one of her exes hanging around, especially one he appeared to feel so threatened by. She couldn't help but wonder what Charlie had told him about her. How had she described their romance? Joey supposed she could have been a little more tactful about the letter when she'd first arrived. She'd just assumed that Angelo would get a letter too. The door opened and she looked up quickly. He was out at three thirty exactly. Maybe she had got him wrong. She stood up, waiting for him to approach. He didn't. He just stalked past her. Maybe she hadn't got him wrong after all. Silently, she slipped inside Charlie's room.

***

Aden and Geoff tiredly stepped off the trawler. Aden said goodbye and headed home as quickly as possible. Geoff walked more slowly along the beach front. He spotted Ruby immediately. Wandering up to her, he sat beside her on the sand and nudged his shoulder gently into her. She looked up with a tearful smile.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

She sighed.

"I have no idea," she said.

***

Joey sat with Charlie, listening to the beeping of the machines and the gentle rise and fall of her tummy, wishing she didn't know that it was a machine breathing for her.

"Oh, Charlie," she said heavily. "Charlie, please wake up. I came all this way to see you and you're asleep? That's not very hospitable."

She tried to smile but surprised herself by bursting into tears. She hurriedly wiped her eyes but still more came.

"Charlie, why did you do this?" she asked. "You're the last person I ever would have expected to do... this. You're the hero. You're the strong, brave hero. What are you doing here? Why can't you wake up? You could just wake up and make everything okay if you wanted to. Charlie, I'll do anything to bring you back. I just don't know what to do."

She wept harder.

"I don't know what to do."

***

Leah served the wrong table for the third time. Frustrated, she stormed back into the kitchen and began taking deep breaths. Irene had an arm round her in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, love," she said kindly.

"I don't know what's the matter with me," Leah said, wiping her eyes.

"Everyone's feeling it with Charlie and everything," Irene said. "But people that were really close to her, people like you, are obviously going to feel it more. It's normal."

"I just... I lived with her, Irene. I should have been able to see the signs. I should have known. I should have helped. I knew she was down about Angelo and obviously about the murder investigation and everything. She's lost so much recently. It should have been blindingly obvious!"

"Nobody knows what goes on in a person's head," Irene pointed out. "If she wanted to keep it a secret, she would have. And she did. There was nothing you could have done."

Leah nodded and took a deep breath. Irene let her go and smiled kindly.

"What do you mean she was upset about Angelo?"

They both turned to find Colleen hovering in the background.

***

There was a soft knock on the door. Joey turned and smiled softly as Ruby entered the room.

"How is she?" Ruby asked.

"Pretty much the same," Joey replied sadly.

"Better than worse, I guess," Ruby said, moving closer.

Joey stood and bent to kiss Charlie's forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie," she promised.

Hugging Ruby, she said goodbye and began to head back to Leah's.

***

Angelo had gone into work for a few hours but knocked off early. He couldn't face Robertson parading around like he owned the place, treating Charlie's attempted suicide as just another piece of his puzzle. Charlie's life and death wasn't something to be played with. He was treating it all disgustingly casually and everyone was annoyed, especially Watson who had developed a habit of slamming things down on the desk instead of placing them politely. Angelo had escaped as quickly as possible and headed to the Diner. The idea was to have some food and beer and go home and try to forget about the world, not that that was possible. All he could think about was Charlie.

***

Geoff sat in the Diner, waiting for Ruby. When he'd found her on the beach, she was so upset and preparing to see Charlie so he had offered to meet her for dinner to try and cheer her up. He looked up and smiled, waving her over when he saw her enter. She smiled back with as much enthusiasm she could muster in the circumstances and came to sit opposite him.

"How was it?" Geoff asked.

Ruby nodded.

"Okay. It's hard seeing her like that," she said.

"Yeah, I can hardly imagine how you're feeling right now. I'm so sorry, Rubes."

They were interrupted by Colleen approaching them to take their order.

"How's Senior Constable Buckton?" she asked immediately.

"No change," Ruby replied.

Colleen sighed sadly.

"Do you know what happened yet?" she asked.

"She tried to kill herself," Ruby said flatly.

"I mean... I mean what led up to it? I heard it was..."

She looked awkwardly in Angelo's direction. Ruby glared at him. She hadn't noticed he was there, slouching in the corner, until now. Anger seethed through her veins. She stood quickly and stormed over to him, shocking Colleen and Geoff both. Angelo looked up at her.

"Hey, Ruby..." he ventured.

"Did you cheat on Charlie?" Ruby demanded.

He blanched.

"What? No! Of course I didn't!"

"Then what happened?"

"I..."

"You what?"

"I never cheated on Charlie."

"But she thought you did, right?"

"Well..."

"She might die because you messed her around," Ruby accused loudly.

"You know that's not true."

"We're all to blame for this, Angelo. Me, Grant, whoever killed him... and you. But at least I'm big enough to admit it."

"Ruby, I never cheated on Charlie."

"You lied to her though," Ruby snapped.

"It wasn't like that..."

"Well, she thought it was. And now she's in a coma."

Angelo was painfully aware that everyone, including Colleen was watching them. He swallowed and shifted in his seat. The last thing he needed was for people to start pointing the finger of suspicion at him.

"Ruby, I never cheated on Charlie," he insisted, keeping his voice level. "I would never do that. I didn't hurt her. I swear."

"Did she know that?" Ruby asked.

He chewed his lip.

"That's the point, Angelo," she told him.

She turned and left. Geoff jumped up and scurried after her, bringing her bag, which she'd left behind.

***

The house was empty and still when Joey arrived back from visiting Charlie. She'd taken a slow walk back to the house to gather her thoughts. It still didn't make sense that her beautiful Charlie would be lying there so fragile and at the mercy of the world around her. Letting herself into the house, she glided quietly to the room she had once occupied, first alone and then with Charlie herself for that last precious week. She swallowed and tears stung her eyes when she saw the mess in front of her. The bed was made but for a few ruffles. The bed spread was stained with blood. On the floor were some empty blister packs of pills and a discarded bottle of vodka with an open top lid. The floor was slightly darker in patches. She knelt on the floor and touched the carpet with her hands. It was damp and smelled of alcohol. She gathered up the pill packets and placed them gently in the waste paper basket. She set the empty bottle by the door to recycle. Reaching out towards the bed, she began to undress the mattress. She took the sheets out in the kitchen and put them in the washing machine. Adding the soap powder and conditioner, she turned the machine on and headed back into the bedroom with a cloth. She was grateful that there was no blood on the mattress but some had seeped through the covers and onto the duvet. Sinking to her knees again, she began to wash the floor, bringing out the stain and smell from the lost vodka.

***

"I would not like to be on your bad side," Geoff commented when he finally caught up to Ruby.

She continued walking and wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Perhaps berating Angelo for his treatment of Charlie hadn't been fair but it had made her feel better. And besides, now that Joey was home, Ruby hoped that Charlie would wake up and be with her instead of him. She'd known at the time that Charlie and Joey were meant to be together. Charlie had never loved anyone like she'd loved Joey and that included Angelo. If only Charlie would wake up and realise that she had something to live for, everything would be alright again. Ross would stop making himself ill through stress, she could make it up to Charlie for abandoning her, and Joey could be her girlfriend again. Unfortunately, it was based on a big 'if only' and in her heart of hearts, Ruby wasn't sure if it was realistic.

"That'll teach everyone not to mess with me," with mock ferocity.

"It will. Do you want me to make dinner at home instead?" Geoff asked.

He handed her bag over and they began to wander back to the house.

"That sound good," she said. "Thank you. It's nice to know I have someone I can count on."

He smiled, pleased with the compliment and insisting that he ought to not get carried away with Ruby's affection towards him.

***

Angelo escaped the confines of the Diner as soon as he could. Thanks to Ruby, his life was going to be even more difficult than normal. Charlie and his job were all he had in the world. His family had never forgiven him for Jack's death and most of the town just tolerated him these days. Charlie was his life and she was gone, even temporarily. And Summer Bay loved her so much that if they thought he had hurt her in some way, particularly leading up to her attempted suicide, he would go right back to where he'd started. Why did Ruby have to bring it all up so publically? He felt guilty enough. He'd planned to come and see Charlie and try and explain himself better than he had on the Friday. He'd called and texted repeatedly but she had ignored him and he'd done what he thought was best by giving her space. But obviously she'd had too much space and she'd stepped over the edge into oblivion. What had she done over those two days in preparation for her suicide? She'd obviously taken the time to write to Joey. And she must have done that on the Saturday at the latest in order for her to receive it on the Monday and arrive in time for her to get to the hospital. Charlie must have carefully planned everything. He was hurt that Joey had been the person that Charlie had contacted. Did she hate him that much that there had been nothing left for him at her final goodbye? Had he really hurt her so much that she didn't care about him anymore? And did Joey's presence mean anything? Had they been seeing each other in secret? Or had Charlie been gearing up to leave him for her? Had she ever loved him the way Joey had captured her heart? He sighed heavily at the unanswered questions swirling round in his brain. He needed to be alone.

***

Having finished scrubbing, Joey got up and worked her way around the room she knew so well. She pulled out new bedding. The blanket was still drying from where she had tried to get the stain out of it. She left it aside as she put a new sheet on the bed and then perched on it, trying to ignore what had happened right on that spot, in order to dress the pillows. She wanted everything to be perfect for Charlie when she got home. And she refused to accept the possibility that Charlie had come home for the last time. She laid the blanket on the bed smoothly and began her struggle to put the cover on it. When she was done, she stood back and checked that everything was clean and tidy. Moving to the window, she opened it to air the room of cleaning product and sorrow. Slipping out of the room, she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.