First off thank you guys for the reviews, means a lot. Secondly I must confess (something that my cousin found hilarious) that I actually thought I had already posted this chapter on Friday, so you can imagine how down I was feeling when I thought not one person had left a review (since I'm not too keen on this chapter). I actually came online to change my pen name day before yesterday (I think) and I still hadn't realised that, although I had updated the chapter onto my account I hadn't actually posted it, I just simply read through it and logged out (Complete blonde moment). You would think the fact that I hadn't gotten an email saying I had updated a new chapter would have been my first clue *hides face behind hands sheepishly*
So apologies for the wait guys. Hope you like this chapter
Ruby turned to face him and was about to speak before a sound caught her attention. Her eyes widened at the sped of the car and she whipped her head back to Casey
"CASEY" she screamed. Her feet moved of its own accord, her arms pushing him out of the way but her feet not quick enough to safe herself
Everything around Casey seemed to slow down. Her screaming his name, the sound of the car making contact, her body crashing against the windscreen before it dropped lifeless on the other side of the road. Crawling to his feet, Casey felt the very breath leave his lungs, his legs shaking as if they would cave beneath him
"RUBY" he shouted, his voice echoing through the wind
…
Brax cussed under his breath as he realised he didn't have his phone on him. He had left Charlie's room to try and call Casey or Ruby. Deciding that would now have to wait, he turned to walk back in to the room she was in but stopped in his tracks as he saw Martha being wheeled in on a wheel chair, Jack beside her clutching a bag to his chest
"Jack" Brax called and met them half way "What's going on?" he asked Jack and then turned to Martha "Are you ok?"
Before Martha could answer, Jack did "No I am not. I feel a little dizzy"
Martha rolled her eyes, her hands caressing her baby smooth in a circular motion "I think he was talking to me"
"Oh right" Jack nodded "Yea she's good" he answered. Martha glared at Jack and had it not been for the uncertainty of what was going on with Charlie and the baby, Brax would have been in stitches laughing
"I'm having the baby" said Martha before another contraction hit. Brax watched as she grabbed a hold of Jacks hand, his eyes watering in pain as she squeezed hard
"Shit" Jack cussed quietly as Martha loosened her grip
"Oh" Martha, breathed out as the contraction passed "That one was a big one"
"Come on guys we have to get you to a room" said one of the nurses, as she wheeled Martha away
"Please call Charlie and Bianca for me" shouted Martha as she was wheeled into a room
Jack went to follow but stopped and turned to Brax "Wait, what you doing here anyway" he asked. He hadn't had time to call anyone yet and he knew Martha hadn't either
Brax frowned, one hand rubbing the back of his neck "Err… Charlie was having some pains so I brought her in"
Jack frowned, his gaze widening slightly "but she's ok right? Her and the baby?"
Brax sighed and shrugged his shoulders "We don't know what's going on yet. We only just got here a few minutes ago" Brax saw a nurse walk out of the room Martha had been taken in to
"You should go be with Martha. She'll kill you if you let her do this herself. Where's Sophia"
Jack glanced behind him before turning back to Brax "We dropped her off with Roo" he sighed, knowing he had to get to Martha "Keep me updated ok?" he asked as he lay a hand on Brax's shoulder "I'm sure she and the baby will be fine"
Brax tried for a smile as he nodded "Yea. Err…" he winced as he heard a loud grunting noise coming from Martha's room "You better get in there now, but don't tell her about Charlie. She shouldn't have to be worrying about that now, especially since we could just be worrying for no reason"
Jack nodded "I'll see you soon ok" he started walking backwards "Both of you"
Brax nodded before turning around and walking back into the room Charlie was in
…
"Ok, let's take a look at baby" said doctor Williams, as she placed the transducer probe on Charlie's small bump. Charlie hadn't even register the coldness of the gel, as she stared at the screen waiting to see their baby. Wanting to make sure she or he was truly ok.
The room remained airily silent for the longest moment before Charlie and Brax both let out breaths they had been holding. The steady sound of a heartbeat filled the small room and Doctor Williams smiled
"Your baby is doing just fine in there. Heart beat is strong and there are no signs that anything at all is wrong" she put the transducer probe back on its stand and handed Charlie some tissue
"So the cramps aren't a sign of anything serious?" asked Brax, his foot tapping against the floor
Doctor Williams shook her head "No. Nothing that we can detect" she looked to Charlie "In this stage of pregnancy, it is not uncommon for women to experience things such as cramps. All it means is that your body is changing to accommodate your child. Most likely chance is that your uterus is beginning to expand in preparation. Although it doesn't usually occur with women that have had kids already, it is not un-common."
Charlie blew out a breath "I just…" she sighed "After the twins…"
Doctor Williams nodded; she was well up to date with Charlie's situation with the twins "It is understandable for you to worry over these things. Even woman who have had trouble free pregnancies fret and worry when they experience these things so in your case it is only to be expected"
Charlie nodded "Thank you"
Doctor Williams nodded and stood to her feet "Has I said before we would like to keep you in for the night. Just to measure the severity of the cramps and make sure it doesn't have any effect on the baby or you"
Charlie nodded, willing to do anything as long as their baby was safe
"I'll get one of the nurses to clear all this away and leave you to rest" said Doctor Williams before leaving the room.
Charlie and Brax watched as Doctor Williams left the room, closing the door behind her. Brax squeezed Charlie's hand, his body now sagged in relief
"I'm sorry for freaking out and for freaking you out" said Charlie as she turned to look at Brax
Brax shook his head and leaned over her, placing a kiss on her lips "You can freak out anytime you want and plus I would have freaked out even more if you hadn't said anything"
Charlie exhaled and rested her head against the pillow "It's a good thing your mum has the twins for the night"
Brax nodded "Yea" he quickly remembered seeing Jack and Martha in the hallway. He hadn't been able to tell Charlie when he returned to her room, in fear that they were going to receive bad news about their own baby
"I actually bumped into Martha and Jack when I went outside before" he smiled lightly
That piece of news had Charlie sitting up fast "Why? What's wrong? It's not the baby is it?" Worry line surrounded her forehead
Brax shook his head "No. Well yes it is the baby but it's not a bad thing. I'm pretty sure she was in labour"
Charlie's eyes widened in excitement "Really" she clapped her hands together and Brax chuckled. The action reminded him of Hope, whenever she was excited about something
"You look more excited than Jack did, that's for sure. He looked as white as a ghost, you would have thought he was the one in labour. I wouldn't be surprised if he's passed out already, poor guy"
Charlie laughed "Poor guy" she rolled her eye "Maybe he should try pushing something the size of a water melon out of a grape sized whole"
Brax winced at the thought "Yea, Martha wins that one"
…
"Brax maybe you should go home and at least let Casey know where we are. We didn't tell him we were going out anywhere, he's probably wondering where everyone is" said Charlie "And plus I would really like some clothes for tomorrow. And seeing as I'm stuck to this bed till the morning, its your duty to go out there and get me an update Martha"
Brax chuckled lightly and nodded before standing to his feet "I won't be long. I should probably call Ruby too." Giving her a quick kiss Brax rubbed her belly before walking out of the room. No sooner had he turned the corner, before he frowned. He could hear the rambling of a frantic panicked voice and could swear it sounded like Casey. Unsure why, his steps slowed as if scared he was about to see something he didn't want to
"She…we, oh God. Please tell me she's going to be ok" Casey paced alongside the gurney that Ruby lay on, his gaze fixed on her face
Brax felt a cold chill travel the length of his body, that voice was most definitely Casey's. Brax picked up his pace and rounded the corner, then suddenly with no warning, it felt as if every nerve in his body had stopped functioning. His gaze followed the gurney as doctors and nurses pushed it down the hall, till he saw her. Ruby lay bruised and lifeless, her curls falling down the side of the gurney and blood. Too much blood
He felt light headed but somehow managed to move "What going on?" he whispered his voice seeming to have deserted him. When no one answered he spoke again but this time with volume "What the hell happened to my daughter?" He saw the nurse flinch at the level of his voice but he couldn't pay her any attention "Ruby" he paced along with the gurney and pushed her hair from her face, caressing her forehead lightly "Rubes hy wake up. Wake up" he gritted his teeth as a doctor tried to push him out of the way
"We have to get her into surgery now"
Brax felt a lump from in his throat "What happened?" He looked back down at Ruby, willing her to just open her eyes, let him know she was ok "Why won't she wake up?" he was all but shouting now but he had no idea how to channel the fear and dread coursing through his body
"Sir please move. We don't have time"
Brax pushed back from the gurney and watched as they wheeled her out of eye sight. "What…" he found himself stammering as he turned to look at Casey. His gaze followed the blood smeared on Casey's shirt and arms, before his gaze met his face "What" he blinked rapidly, praying this was some sort of nightmare "What happened Case?" he swallowed hard, trying his best to fight back the bile raising in his throat
Casey shook his head, his face as white as Ruby's had been. His hand ran though his hair roughly as he continued to shake his head "I didn't see it" a shaky breath escaped him "I swear I didn't see it coming"
Brax bent his knee's trying to fight the urge to throw up, he couldn't understand a word of what Casey was saying, maybe it was because the ground seemed to be spinning underneath him, he felt like he would faint any moment. Taking a deep breath, his head snapped back up as Casey was suddenly running down the wall way, Brax hot on his trial. Pushing a cubical door open Casey bent down and emptied the contents of his stomach
"Casey what the hell happened?" There was a tremble in Brax's voice as flashes of Ruby kept popping into Brax's mind
Casey slowly pushed himself off the floor and walked over to the sink. His eyes looked empty as he opened the tap, and placed his hand under washing away some of Ruby's blood. Turning the tap off, Casey looked up into the mirror in front of him before he broke down
Casey shook his head and did something that Brax hadn't seen him do since he was a kid. He cried. Bent over the sink Casey's shoulders shook as he cried. Moving quickly Brax pulled Casey into him, as Casey clung to his shirt
"She pushed me out of the way, Brax" Casey spoke through his tears "I didn't see it coming. I swear to you"
Brax didn't understand what Casey was trying to say
"Didn't see what coming?" asked Brax, trying to keep a hold of his own emotions
"The car" replied Casey and Brax dragged in an audible breath "They just hit her and drove off"
The fear that Brax had now felt seemed to dissipate as anger took control "They drove off" he repeated as Casey pulled away from him
Casey nodded "They didn't even stop for a second. Whoever it was just left" Casey's hands began to shake "Brax, she…" he shook his head
Brax closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to tamper down his fear but most of all the raging anger he could feel rising within him. He clasped both his hands around Casey's face "Nothing is going to happen to her ok. She's gonna make it out of this"
Casey nodded, his jaw clenched as he fought his tears "How… Charlie. We have to tell Charlie" said Casey and Brax stepped back both his hands resting on the back of his neck as he wondered how he was going to tell her. This shouldn't be happening
"She's already here" said Brax but before Casey could speak he continued "We need to get out there. You got your phone on you?"
Casey nodded and dug his phone from his pocket before passing it to Brax his hands still shaking
"I need to call Heath" said Brax
…
Heath and Bianca barreled into the hospital "Buckton, Ruby Buckton" Heath all but shouted at the nurse behind the desk
Before she could reply, Bianca placed her hand on his arm as she spotted Casey
"Heath, there's Casey"
Heath took no more than five steps to reach Casey "Where is she?" asked Heath searching his surroundings as if expecting Ruby to appear any second
Casey shook his head, his mouth opened but no words coming out. His hands were still trembling at his side "She…she…" he blinked rapidly "I don't know" he looked to his arms that still had blotches of her blood on them. Bianca pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him. She blinked and her own tears fell from her face as Heath's face paled. Brax had been so short on the phone. When Heath had heard the words car accident, he had paled but seeing the blood that was now dried to Casey's shirt and his arms, he had to lean against the wall to keep himself steady
"Brax? Where is Brax"
Casey looked up at Heath, and blinked several times. It seemed it was taking him a few seconds before he could register questions addressed to him
"Charlie" he finally answered "He's in Charlie's room" he answered.
Heaths gaze widened and he pushed himself off the wall. Bianca stepped back
"Why does Charlie have a room?" she asked, panic over taking her
Once again, Casey blinked a few times before answering "She had a scare but she's fine" He didn't meet Bianca and Heath's gaze "Brax has to tell her" it seemed at the thought of this, the tremble in his hands increased "he has to tell her that Ruby…" he choked on the words, swallowing back his tears
…
Charlie squinted at Brax "Babe what's wrong?" she felt the hairs on her arm and on the back of her neck stand up in a way that didn't settle well with her. She could feel a tight knot forming in her stomach but she couldn't figure out why
"Is something wrong with Martha?"
Brax stared at her. Since seeing Ruby he had forgotten that Jack and Martha where in the hospital "No, err Jack hasn't been out to give us any news yet"
"Us?" Charlie squinted "Are the others here too"
Brax shook his head "No err… just Casey" the same image of Ruby's pale face invaded his mind and there must have been a shift in the look on his face because Charlie immediately pulled herself up on the bed
"Ok Brax, you need to tell me what's wrong. Was Doctor Williams lying, is there something wrong with the baby?" her hand instinctively went to her stomach as if trying to protect what was theirs
How could he explain that she was worrying over the wrong child? That although the child she carried at the moment was fine, her other was fighting for her life
Brax shook his head "No, the baby is fine" he took a firm hold of her hand, only proving to increase the anxiousness Charlie felt "I…" Brax clenched his jaw and blew out a shaky breath "Casey is here and so is Ruby"
Charlie squinted "Why?" Do they already know about Martha?" asked Charlie, she was clinging to straws
Brax shook his head "Babe… There was an accident"
Charlie's blue eyes dulled "What do you mean accident? With who?"
"Casey said there was a car. Apparently it was coming too fast. He didn't see it coming before Ruby…" he paused and blinked not wanting to cry, he needed to be strong
Charlie's skin went cold "Ruby?" she questioned "Before Ruby what, Brax?"
"Babe, she err… she pushed Casey out of the way. But the car it…" the walls seemed to close in; he could feel his palms sweating in hers "The car hit her"
Never had Brax seen colour drain from a person's face as quickly as it did Charlie's. Brax watched as Charlie shook her head, her whole body trembling. Before he could stop her she pushed off the bed, her head shaking aggressively as if trying to deny Brax's words
"Charlie…" Brax reached for her
"I want to see my daughter" demanded Charlie. Before Brax could grab a hold of her, she had swung the front door open and was running down the hallway
"Charlie…" Brax ran after her but stopped as he saw her stood, staring at Casey, Bianca and Heath
"Ruby, where is she?" asked Charlie, her gaze darting around their surrounding
Casey looked at her, wide eyed and Bianca stepped forward just as Charlie turned back to Brax
"I WANT TO SEE MY DAUGHTER" she yelled "WHERE IS SHE?" her eyes were already raw red, as tears gathered
Brax stepped to her slowly, and caught her just as her legs gave way underneath him. Holding her to his chest, he let her cry, her sobbing racking through the whole of her body
…
Jack stepped out into the hall, and dialled Heath's number. He knew Brax and Charlie could still be in the hospital but he didn't want to disturb them at that moment. Walking down the hallway as the phone rang; he frowned as he heard Heath's ringing tone before Heath, Bianca, Casey, Charlie and Brax came into view. He opened his mouth to speak but the looks on their faces made him pause
"Brax?" he called and they all looked up to him "What's going on?" his first thought had been that something had indeed been wrong with Charlie and the baby, but seeing Charlie in the hallway rather than in a hospital room had him second guessing himself
He watched as Heath stood and met him before he reached the rest
"Ruby was in an accident" said Heath, and Jack's mouth gaped in shock "She was hit by a car, man. She's in surgery"
…
"Thank you so much for looking after them Irene" said Cheryl as she walked down the stairs after having gotten, Caleb, Hope, Abi and Reece settled. All four kids had been suspicious as to why they were now spending the night at Irene's but she had managed to get them settled with the promise that if they all went to sleep she would take them all out the next day.
"It's no problem dear. Just let Charlie and Brax know Ruby is in my prayers. And please call when you get any news"
Cheryl nodded "I will do. Thanks again Irene" practically running out the door, she got into her car and drove in the direction of the hospital. She had to be there for her family
…
Banging on the door, Mick cussed loudly as he realised Cheryl really wasn't at home. Her missing car was the first clue but he had hoped maybe one of her boys had taken it. They needed to leave that night.
He turned to look at his car and growled loudly, at the cracked in his windscreen mirror "Stupid bitch" he muttered before getting into the car. He would be back for Cheryl but first thing was first; he needed to get rid of the car