Guys,
Many thanks xtr75 & CJ4Eva! Wow, I've got some work to do to keep up to those standards.
Right, let's see what happened to Joey...
AJ. :-)
Chapter 12
When the ambos arrived, they had been taken to the managers office. Joey was sitting there, looking pale and shocked, shaking slightly, but trying to keep her chin up, as usual.
They started to check her over. She had a few scratches and scrapes on her arms and legs, which they cleaned out, and put some antiseptic on, before covering with a light gauze.
Her back was also scraped, but to save her embarrassment, they said they would get that looked at that in the privacy of a cubicle at the hospital. They were more concerned with her right arm. It was already starting to bruise, and swell, and there was a deepish gash in it, that needed some attention. There was also a chance it was fractured. So they wanted to put it in a bandage, and they were going to put it in a sling, and take her to hospital.
Joey heard a familiar voice while being treated. She looked up, and locked her eyes with a beautiful pair of blue eyes. She smiled weakly, and gulped, as Charlie smiled slightly and gasped, as she stood in the door frame.
Her heart started to beat faster, very happy and relieved to see her girlfriend.
She watched as Charlie turned to speak to Watson, and then as she glanced around briefly to look at her again, before turning back to Watson again.
Joey smiled weakly at Charlie, as she walked forward, and knelt on the floor, to the left of Joey. She hugged her carefully, trying not to hurt her any further. "You ok sweetheart?" Charlie whispered softly into Joeys left ear.
Joey nodded into Charlies neck, putting her left arm around Charlies waist, gripping her shirt with her left hand. "Yeah." She said quietly. "I'm fine now." Then she promptly burst into tears.
Charlie carefully hugged her tighter as she sobbed, and she kissed her on the cheek. Charlies heart was pounding, as her girlfriend broke down against her.
She just wanted to take her away from the situation, and wrap her arms around her, and keep her safe. She'd felt like that when she first met Joey, nearly 2 years ago. When she put her hand on her shoulder in the store cupboard, she'd felt such a deep affinity to her, and longing to just be with her, and look after her, keep her safe, and love her.
"Sweetie." Charlie whispered into Joeys left ear, so no one else could hear. "You'll be OK. He won't hurt you again."
Joey sobbed, and gripped Charlies shirt tighter with her left hand. She was shaking, and Charlie was fuming at the guy for hurting her.
"I'm here for you. I love you Jo." Charlie whispered again. "Let it out sweetie." Charlie encouraged Joey to cry, and let her emotions out. It was important to let go sometimes, and although it broke Charlies heart to see her like this, at least she could try and comfort her, and she was here for her.
The ambos and security looked on, wondering what was happening. The ambos moved backwards slightly, to give them some room, although one of them continued to bandage the gash on her right arm.
"Erm. I take it you two know each other?" A security man asked.
Charlie looked round at him. "Yeah. Joeys my girlfriend." She said, more than loud enough for all those in the room to hear.
"Ahh OK." He smiled. Nodding in understanding.
Joeys heart almost skipped a beat when Charlie announced to everyone she was her girlfriend. She was overcome that Charlie had gotten the courage to be open about them like that. She really had changed, and Joey was so happy, despite the circumstances.
Charlie could've have just hugged her, and comforted her as a friend would have done. She didn't need to tell everyone present they were girlfriends. But she did. She could've said they were friends. Joey's heart melted a little bit more for Charlie. The old Charlie would've found it more than difficult to be so open and honest in front of strangers.
Joey stopped sobbing, and Charlie released her, and handed her a tissue. She pushed her hair behind her left ear, so she could see properly. Then she got up, pulled a spare chair forward, and sat on it, holding Joeys left hand between her two hands, as the ambos resumed looking at her right arm again.
Charlie asked them what was wrong, and they told her that there was a chance her wrist or arm had been fractured, so they needed to take her to hospital for an X-ray to check it out. They also said she was a bit bruised and had a few bumps, from hitting the ground, and her skin was scraped and grazed, from her slipping on the gravel.
Charlie gripped Joeys hand tighter, trying to reassure her, and offer her some comfort. Charlie was seething inwardly. She was going to get to the bottom of what happened to Joey, and make sure whoever did it paid.
Watson walked in. "Hi Jo. Nice to see you." She smiled. "Shame about the circumstances."
"Yeah." Joey smiled back weakly. "Nice to see you too."
"So boss. I've handcuffed and read the assailant, a Mister Nichols, his rights. I've taken down some witness details, contact numbers and addresses and brief statements. I've also got CCTV to look through, back at the station. Now I need to take Joeys statement."
"Sure. Thanks Watson. Good job." Charlie said softly. "Thanks." She managed to keep her voice level. She was finding it very difficult to not let her inner feelings show. She was feeling very emotional about someone having hurt Joey, and she was dreading hearing what had happened to her.
Watson sat down in a spare chair. "So, can you tell us what happened Jo?" Asked Watson, as she began writing notes.
Joey sniffled, and began to tell Charlie and Watson what happened.
Charlie listened intently. Watson wrote it all down, every detail. Careful not to miss anything out.
Joey said she'd just finished feeding the sea otters, and she was on her way back to where they prepare the food for the animals, with her empty buckets, when she saw a guy, the guy that assaulted her, leaning over the wall to the compound where the penguins are kept.
He was lifting his daughter, Joey assumed, up over the waist high wall, and letting her dangle into the compound. Joey went over to him, and politely asked him to stop. He refused.
Joey then noticed the little girl, and the older boy standing next to him, presumably his son, had some pieces of bread in their hands, and the boy was also holding a virtually full bag of bread.
The man sat the girl on the wall, her feet still dangling into the compound, and then took some bread form the boy, and threw it in the cage. Joey looked on horrified, as the girl and boy followed suit.
She put her buckets down, and asked the man to stop throwing the bread in the cage. He refused.
She asked, no pleaded, with him to get the girl off the wall. Again he refused.
She pointed to the "DO NOT FEED THE ANIMAL" signs, and told him that he would hurt them if they continued to feed them bread.
He became abusive, and he said, rather aggressively. "Piss off. My kids are feeding the bloody birds. Leave us alone."
"But they don't eat bread." Joey pleaded. "Please stop. You're hurting them."
"Of course they eat bread. They're bloody birds." He insisted. By now he was shouting at her, and drawing a bit of a crowd.
Joey tried to reason with him again, about getting his daughter off the wall, and feeding the penguins.
He became aggressive. "Leave us alone." He then shoved her backwards, pushing her on the chest, and she landed rather hard on her backside, in the gravel. She was stunned for a moment, and then picked herself up off the ground.
She used her radio to call security.
Then she went over to him, and pleaded with him once more. This time, leaving his daughter sitting on the wall, in danger of falling off, he grabbed Joey by the collar of her work shirt, and pulled her towards him. His face was inches from hers, and she smelt his bad breath mixed with alcohol, as he breathed on her, bits of spittle flying into her face, making her feel sick.
"Hey leave her alone." An onlooker said, walking over to Joey.
The man glanced at the guy, and told him to. "Piss off." Too.
Joey started to tremble, as she tried to get his hands off her. He tightened his grip, and she struggled to break free.
He was too strong for her, and panic set in. She was terrified.
He spoke aggressively, 2 inches from her face. "I said, leave us alone. My kids are feeding the birds." He practically threw her across the ground then, launching her backwards. She landed in a heap on the floor, and scrapped the back of her legs and elbows, as she skidded on the gravel again. He walked over to her, and picked her up by the right arm. It burned her shoulder as he twisted it upwards, and she had to get up off the floor. His vice like grip was beginning to hurt her wrist, and she could feel his fingers bruising her skin.
She sniffled, and Charlie released her hand for a few moments while Joey blew her nose, and wiped her eyes again.
Joey said she couldn't talk, she was so petrified he would hurt or assault her further.
The memories of her rape had surfaced again, and a wave of emotion had taken her over. She didn't say this last bit out loud in the office, as only Charlie and Watson knew what had happened to her. But as she looked at them, it was obvious that they both knew how she felt during the attack.
He then marched her backwards, and flung her by the right wrist backwards again, and she landed on her right arm, so badly, she thought she'd broken it.
The member of the public who'd asked him to leave her alone, shouted at him to leave her alone again, and then security turned up.
The member of the public told security briefly what had happened, and they held the man who assaulted Joey, while another member of the public took the now crying girl off the wall. Security got on the radio to the office, and told them to call for the police and ambulance.
Another member of the public helped Joey to her feet, and they all went with security to the offices. The security men struggled with the attacker, and he punched one of them on their chin, and the other in the eye, before they forcibly dragged him away.
Members of the public brought the 2 kids and Joey with them.
When they got to the offices, they took the man and his kids to the canteen, where they attempted to restrain him, and Joey to the managers office.
The manager asked the witnesses to stay until the police arrived, they duly obliged.
The manager gave everyone involved free drinks and snacks from the canteen, as a small gesture of thanks for helping his staff, and apologies for interupting their day out.
Charlie and Watson asked the odd question as Joey spoke. Gently trying to get at all the details they needed.
Joey had started to shake when she told them how the man had threatened her menacingly, and pushed her over.
"Do you have a blanket please?" Charlie asked the ambos.
"Sure." They said, as they waited for Joey to finish giving her statement. Charlie wrapped the blanket, and her arm around Joey, to keep her warm, and comfort her.
Charlie and Watson also knew that Joey would be shaken up, due to her previous history. But they weren't going to let on to anyone else present about that.
When Joey finished, the ambos got ready to take her to the hospital. Joey got security and Watson to get her stuff from her locker.
She walked to the ambulance with Charlie, and Watson and a security guard brought out the assailant, and put him into the patrol car.
Charlie checked her watch. "Right Jo." She smiled at her girlfriend. "I'm gonna go back to the station with Watson, get this." She paused. "Guy." She said, although she wanted to swear. "Booked in and charged. Then I'll be due to finish. So I'll come straight to the hospital and take you home. OK." She stated, not leaving Joey much choice.
Joey smiled. "If you're sure." She said quietly.
"Yeah. I'm sure." Charlie nodded. "You should be finished in X-ray by then hopefully. So just wait for me yeah?" She said softly. "You got your phone with you?" She asked.
Joey nodded. "Yeah."
"Good. I'll ring you when I get there then." Charlie smiled at Joey. She hugged her carefully, and kissed her on the cheek. She whispered in her ear. "Love you sweetheart. I'll see you soon. You've been really brave Jo."
Joey had tears in her eyes, still trying her best to be brave about it all. "Ok." She sniffled. "See you soon."
"Look after her for me please." Charlie nodded at the ambos, and added. "Thanks." To them and security. She hated leaving Joey on her own, but knew she was in safe hands, and she would be with her as soon as the guy responsible had been charged.
The assailant asked Watson who Joey was, when he saw the cop hug her.
"The woman you assaulted happens to be the Senior Constables girlfriend." She smirked. "You picked the wrong woman to piss off."
"Shit." Said the assailant.
"Yep." Watson laughed. "You're in deep shit mate."
Then Charlie got in the patrol car. "Let's get this fucking scumbag back to the station Watson." She scowled at the guy.
Watson smiled. "I told you." She directed towards the assailant. He sunk into his seat, wondering what the hell he was going to do now.
