Ruby had returned home in a state of blissful happiness. Despite all that had been going on recently with Charlie and Joey, today was a wonderful day. With a good day at work, and a sunny afternoon to walk home in, Ruby just soaked up the sun and smiled.
Walking into the house, she called out "Charlie, Joey!"
Neither replied. Walking into the kitchen, she discovered her mother slumped, one hand hugging a bottle of vodka, the other the resting point for her head. Shaking her head, she attempted to remove the bottle from Charlie's grasp.
"Don't move it Rubz" . She jumped as she heard Joey's voice.
"Jo, what is she doing? drinking vodka straight? Seriously this is wrong on so many levels!"
"Leave her, she has created her own demise so let her be."
"Honestly Jo, we can't leave it, it will escalate like my problems with Liam. Getting drunk didn't help. We have to find out why she's going down this path. I mean I know that she drunk shots when things went wrong in the past, but seriously a whole bottle. This isn't like Charlie!"
Joey agreed with Ruby but to avoid all out war of words with her daughter she smiled and reassured her everything would work itself out.
Sitting down in the lounge room together, Ruby had so many questions for Joey but only one she dared to ask. "Why do you stick around Jo…? I mean look at you, you're a domestic goddess, and you cook and clean. You go to work and still come home to do everything here. You should have let go of Charlie long ago".
Moving closer to Ruby she looked into her eyes, she could see Charlie radiating from within. "Rubz I love you. You're the daughter I never had. I want to be able to give you something more than reassurance right now but you have to trust me. Your mother and I, it's like being on a rollercoaster ride. For a time I could say I would have enjoyed it but recently since Charlie has returned home from hospital there have been more bad days than good days I agree…. But I can't abandon her. I left her in 2009 and it destroyed me. The separation took all my strength and I knew if were to ever return I couldn't just jump ship when something went wrong. I want to have a family with Charlie, you and a couple of babies running round the house. Charlie isn't thinking that way right now, she isn't ready to move forward. For now she's adjusting to this major change in her life that Brax imposed on her. She never asked for this."
Breathing in, Ruby closed her eyes, every attempt to keep the tears away but in the end they flowed like a river. Each tear was representative of what she had lost in her mother that day when Brax took her away.
Joey was torn at the image of Ruby crying, she moved in closer and gave her a hug, the biggest warmest one she could muster. How were they to ever get through this if Charlie was drunk so often she couldn't think let alone be sober she asked herself.
A knock at the door broke the hug, Joey moving to open the door. She gasped in shock as a brunette hugged her and planted a kiss on her lips passionately. "So my beautiful girl has finally grown up!" she exclaimed as she took in her surroundings and the beautiful woman who stood in front of her.
In the kitchen Charlie had woken up from her drunken slumber to hear Joey's conversation with Ruby. The knock at the door had allowed her an opportunity to make her way to the front door slowly. As she stood at the door frame, she had seen the moment between Joey and this unknown brunette take place. Joey was shocked to say the least. Wanting to make her presence known, with a loud slurring voice she exclaimed "Joey!"
Joey looked both ways, from her ex to Charlie, random thoughts of how to deal with this situation flying through her head. None of them seemed like the right choice. "Charlie, you're up, here let me help you to a chair".
Charlie shooed Joey away, her arms pushing her away, her eyes firmly remaining on this mystery woman. "You know Jo; if you wanted to leave all you had to do was tell me. Inviting her over while I'm out cold over a bottle of vodka, that doesn't seem like you".
Joey looked to her ex, her eyes begging her to leave but she didn't do any such thing, instead inviting herself in.
"Charlz, Liv's surprised me, it wasn't planned."
"So you say!"
"Charlie"… kneeling in front of her, Joey hoped she would convince her "you and I have the doctor's appointment this afternoon. I was going to ask Ruby if she could come since you'd drunk yourself into oblivion."
"I can still come, besides we know the diagnosis, no babies for me" Charlie replied with a pout, evidence of a very drunk soul still.
"I was going to find out about me, I would be the one to carry the bub if you agree to it. I've done the tests; I just want to know our options."
"OK" a simple reply from a very drunk Charlie.
Joey left Charlie to make some coffee for everyone. Charlie had followed her slowly to the kitchen but stopped at Olivia's side. "What do you want with my Joey?" Her questions slurring with drunkenness.
"Actually honey, I wanted you" came a short reply with a sinister smile.
"Me?" Charlie questioned with
"Yeah"… Olivia got up to meet Charlie's gaze which had not left her since she walked in the door. "I want you right here right now" she seductively teased as she walked up to her.
"What?" Charlie was holding onto her walking aid for dear life, her hands trembling as Olivia walked closer and closer.
She gasped as she felt Olivia's lips on her own; in her drunken state she melted into the kiss and continued it, her heart doing double flips of joy.
Joey meanwhile had come back with two coffees, dropping them on the floor as she saw Charlie in the arms of her ex.
Olivia had let Charlie go, both of them looking to the sound of the shattered cups on the tiled floor. "Joey whoa, ok! Let's get that cleaned up" Olivia ran into the kitchen looking for a towel and dustpan.
Joey couldn't move, her eyes locked with anger on Charlie. Tears were threatening to fall.
"Joey I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me" she replied, sadness lacing her every word.
Joey shook her head and headed out the door, at the last moment she turned around and laid her heart on her sleeve. "How could you Charlie, after everything you and I have been through. How could you throw it away in a moment of drunken stupidity?"
Charlie watched as Joey left, the door swinging back and forth until it shut. Joey was gone.