[DISCLAIMER - I do not own Home & Away or their characters but I do own any plots or characters I have made up]

Ruby squinted at the car travelling towards them, pulling overover immediately when she recognised Charlie and her partner Watson. Ruby got out, and ran for her Mother's arms, scurrying her face in her chest. Watson walked over to Ella's passenger side door and opened it slowly, asking if she was alright. Ella stepped out of the car, looking from Watson to Ruby and to Charlie
"Where are the boys?" she asked in a vague tone, not entirely sure how to act after the scene they had just ran from. Ruby looked up to her Mums eyes for an answer but Charlie shook her head, side to side.
"Another patrol car was on its way to Hammers..." she began to say but Ella irrupted with a sudden burst of fear "Where is Heath?"

Brax opened his eyes, blinking a few times trying to concentrate on his surroundings. Brax leant up from the wheel where his head had been leaning on, turned to his left and saw his little brother Casey, unconscious. Brax leant up further, but everything was in a daze and every time he moved, every muscle in his body ached.
"Heath" he finally managed to say when he sat up right in the back of the chair, putting his hand to his head, letting stray glass fall from it. When he didn't get an answer, Brax looked in the smashed window, making out the image of Heath, whose head was leant up against the window, also unconscious and blood everywhere.
Brax tugged at his seat belt, panic starting to take over, grunting and swearing – but it was no use, he was stuck. After a few more seconds of useless tugging, Casey started to murmer some words and lightly open his eyes
"Hey Case, mate. You've got to wake up" Brax said trying to reach over to his brother but was too restricted because of the seat belt. Casey shook his head, looking at Brax confused at their situation
"What?... what happened Brax?" he asked, looking around car, then to Heath in the backseat. Casey started to panic too bur Brax told him to calm down and look at him.
"Case, I need you to try and get out, then find something to cut my seat belt. Go to the boot, there might be somethin' in there"
Casey obeyed Brax's order, finding no trouble in undoing his seat belt and got out of the car, continuing to look back at Heath who was still unconscious. After a few minutes of Casey rummaging through the boot, he ran to Brax's side, holding a tool which managed to cut through the seat belt. As Brax carefully manoeuvred his body of the damaged front end of the car, he went to Heaths window, not knowing if he should try to move him.
"Brax, what do we do?" Casey yelled at his side. Brax thought for a second, biting down on his bottom lip. Brax turned to his little brother, pointing to the road ahead
"Case, find help, flag someone down"
Casey was hesitant to leave Heath at first but Brax yelled, telling him to get help now. Casey nodded, running off, continuing to look back at the car wreck where his brother was still stuck in. Brax looked back down at Heath, the more troublesome Braxton, leaning down on his knees so his face was at the same height as his, which was still leant up against the smashed glass.
"Don't go doin' anythin' stupid Heath" Brax paused for a second looking down at the road then back up to his brother "... I need ya" he whispered, hoping Heath could hear, then raised himself back up when Casey came running back, followed by a Cop car.

Ella and Ruby sat together in the Emergency room, waiting anxiously for their boys to arrive. As the doors swung open, Ella's heart skipped a beat thinking Heath had been brought in safely , but instead Indi came running in, looking from one direction to the other until her eyes fell upon her best friend and a flutter of relief overcame her face. Charlie and Watson had been told by fellow colleagues that they had found the boys in a car crash on the highway and one was in bad shape but they weren't told specifics about who it was.
Indi had come back with two cups of water for Ruby and Ella, but Ella declined the offer and continued to bite her nails. Charlie and Watson had already gotten the statements from the girls about the events leading up to the crash which included Hammer and his gang kidnapping them, the boys coming to save them then the huge brawl erupting and Hammer pulling a gun. Watson had asked someone back at the station to see if Hammer had any licensed guns, but they would have to get back to them.
"If we don't find the gun, then we can't really charge Hammer with anything, it's all circumstantial. There were no witnesses to your kidnapping earlier in the day, so there all this is, is circumstantial and it won't hold up in Court." Watson said to Ruby and Ella with Charlie sitting down next to her daughter.
"Do you know who was in the other car? The one that hit the boys?" Ruby asked. Watson shook her head
"By the looks of it, it was a hit and run. So the other car mustn't have gotten much damage if they could still drive off" When Watson finished, Ruby's head shot up and she turned to Ella who hadn't been paying attention.
"Didn't we see Hammer driving towards us? Just before we saw Charlie?" Watson and Charlie shared a glance at each other as Charlie rose from the seat. But as she did, the doors swung open once again, as someone came in lying down on a gurney with millions of people around them.

"Male 26 years old – non responsive... BP 180..." said an ambulance officer to Sid who took over and beside Heath were Brax and Casey.
Ella and Ruby ran over to the boys, everything was so frantic. People screaming and shoving, it was a mad house. By the time Ella got to Heaths side, she looked down at him and could barley recognise him. There was a tube down his throat, a drip coming out of his arm and there was blood everywhere.
"Ella, move!" Sid said, pushing her out of the way of the gurney and into the emergency room. Charlie felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders once Brax had appeared, with only a few cuts and bruises. He stood looking down at the floor, this his hands on his hips and his eyes closed tightly. Charlie walked past Ruby and Casey who had their arms tightly bound around each other, over to her ex boyfriend.
"Hey" she softly said, looking at him with concerned eyes making Brax looked up at her. They didn't need to say anything more to each other; Brax was safe and Charlie could breathe again and go on with her job.
"Watson and I will go have a chat with Hammer, will you be alright?" Charlie asked, looking down at her distraught daughter and her boyfriend, who nodded and tightened her grip on Casey's hand. Charlie and Watson headed out of the emergency door; quickly glancing at Brax's back, thinking thank god he's alright.

Ella stood at the door of the emergency room which Heath was in, trying to get answers from every nurse or doctor who came back out but no use, they weren't talking. Indi came up beside her, placing her hand on her back thoughtfully while Brax said some last words to Casey as a doctor checked him out and walked over to Ella and Indi. He stood next to her for a moment before she turned to face him, starting to bat his chest. Indi tried to pull her back, but she wouldn't budge. Ella kept slapping and hitting Brax until he finally grabbed both of her arms, pulling her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her weeping body.
"How could you let this happen?" she kept sobbing into his chest, finally her cries stopped and she looked up at him "Your his big brother, you're meant to look after him".
Indi took Ella's arms, pulling her into a hug as she let out a few more tears, and leant back out. Indi moved some hair off her face soothingly and calmly looked into her eyes.
"You should get checked out too" she said while Brax watched the two, a bit confused as to why Ella would need to be checked out.
"Why? Why do you need to see a doctor?" he asked. Indi went to reply but Ella saw the doors open and Sid walk out, taking off his white gloves.
"Sid! Whats happened? Is he alright?" she asked and by now, the others had joined her side. Sid looked at his daughter Indi then to Ella and the brothers.
"He's sustained serious injuries. Blood loss, contusions to his kidney but it's the head trauma I'm worried about."

Hammer stood outside his house, lighting a cigarette with one of his mates, slowly breathing it in.
"I don't understand you Hammer. Why didn't you just smash into that stuck up Ranga's Ute? You were headin' for it then you swerved to miss it? I don't get it. I thought you wanted the Braxton's to suffer, this would have done that for ya".
(Flashback)
Hammer looked out into the distance, automatically recognising Brax's ute, stepping down on the escalator. At the last minute he saw two females noticing the red hair and swerved toi the side just in time.
"Was that Hammer in that guy? Did he try to run us over?" Ruby squealed.
Hammer held onto the steering wheel for a minute, catching his breath then he heard a car roaring towards him, and saw his target. The Braxton brothers. And it went for it, smashing into the side. Hammer looked in his rear view mirror at the mess he had just made, laughed it off with his mate and sped off out of there.
(End of flashback)
Hammer thought for a moment looking up to his mate "Yeah I was aimin' for the Brax's Ute but when I saw Ella and Ruby in it, I don't know what happened I just swerved for some reason. But hey, its worked in my favour anyway, I got the Braxton's good and Heaths in far deep. Who knows if he'll survive"
Just as they finished smoking, a Cop car pulled into their street, stopping outside the house with Charlie and Watson stepping out.

"What can we do Doc?" Casey asked frantically as he came out with Ruby as his side, trying not to move his arm which was now in a sling.
Sid replied in his serious doctorly tone "Well we won't know his full condition until he wakes up... if he wakes up." Indi tightened her grip on Ella's hand as she looked from Brax back to Sid "If he wakes up? What does that mean?"
"Most people with his injury wouldn't have survived this long. He's fighting very hard, but you need to have realistic expectations." He finished, sympathetically nodding to Brax and Casey, and then headed back into the hospital room.
Casey sat down on the closest chair near him, placing his head between his knees while Ruby stood patting his back softly. Brax was speechless, with his hands behind his head trying to let everything sick in while Indi kept trying to calm Ella down and make her see a doctor too. After a few more minutes of silence, Sid walked back out with two nurses behind him.
"You's can go see him now, and we'll just have to wait for Heath to wake up"
Brax looked to Casey as if to say for them to go see their brother but Casey shot up from his seat, edging towards the exit
"I'm sorry I errr I can't go in there" he said freaking out and ran off out of there. Ruby yelled at him, chasing after him. Indi told Ella she'd be back in a minute while she went to check up on Casey and Ruby while Ella waited outside Heaths room.
Brax approached Heaths side cautiously, thinking any small movement could hurt him. He lightly dragged a seat, judging his brothers closed eyes as he sat down.

"Well Hammer, I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon" Charlie said to Hammer and his friend and returned back to their police car with Watson. Once in the car, Charlie watched on as Hammer and his mate headed back into the house.
"What do you think?" Watson asked. Charlie looked back at her partner then back to the house "It's obvious they were involved in the accident. Lets ring around at he local mechanics to see if they have any cars that look like that could have been in an accident in the last day, and get someone back at the station to see if the speed camera on Highway 9 caught anything. You never know"

Brax had been sitting at his brother's bedside for the past 20 minutes, not knowing what to do with himself. He remembered back to a random episode of Greys Anatomy he had watched where they said, if you talk to someone whose unconscious it helps them to wake up.
"Well I guess it won't hurt" Brax said to himself quietly, coughing as he thought of what to say. He pressed his hands together in front of his mouth, sighing.
"Heath." He said, pausing then continued on "You've gotta snap out of this mate. I know that you love to make a show out of everythin' but this... this is just ridiculous."
Brax leant down closer to Heath, laying his hands on the bed "Look mate... " he started to say but out of the blue, Brax felt his eyes tearing up and he tried to keep his composure as he turned to the door, where Ella stood.
Brax quickly wiped a couple of tears that escaped his eyes, sniffling as Ella walked to the other side of Heath, looking down at him.
"I need you to wake up Heath" Ella said, taking his hand and holding it, "We both need you" she said looking at Brax for a split second, then Heaths hand moved in hers. Brax yelled out for the doctor then grabbed Heaths other hand, laughing as Heaths eyes began opening.

Charlie arrived back at the hospital half an hour later, after she had dropped Watson back at the station. She had received a phone call from Ruby who'd told her that Heath had woken up. Charlie found herself watching Brax from a distance as he spoke with Sid, slapping his hand on the doctors back.
Once Sid had walked off, Charlie made her way over to Brax who looked like he was the happiest man in the world.
"Ruby called me, Heaths awake that's great news" she said. Brax nodded straight away looking across from them at Heaths room where Casey and Ruby were now in.
They stood in silence for a minute as Ella and Indi walked out of another room with Sid, who was holding a file and smiling at the young women.
Charlie noticed Ella hold her stomach and knew straight away from what Bianca and her had seen in Yabbi Creek.
"I guess Sid was checking the Baby" Charlie stated then looked back up Brax when he had said nothing in return.
"Baby?" he finally asked, moving his eyes from Ella to Charlie. Ruby and Casey emerged from Heaths room and Charlie knew she had said too much, Brax had not known Ella was pregnant. Ruby and Casey walked towards the two, Casey confused at Brax's dumbfounded expression.
"You okay Brax?" he asked as Ruby held onto his hand. Brax nodded reassuringly back at his brother "How bout' you stay with Charlie and Ruby tonight? Your probably beat mate, I'll stay ere' and keep the patient company" Brax more so told rather than asked.
The three walked with each other towards the exit, Charlie looking back over her shoulder at Brax who once again had worry written over his face.

"Hey stranger" Ella said as she closed the door to Heaths room, walking over to his left side. Heath looked beaten and tired but he managed to pull off his legendary cheeky smile just to make sure she knew he was going alright.
"Should this be the other way around" Ella said with a small laugh, sitting down next to him. Heath chuckled lightly, thinking back on the last time they were both in a hospital room together after Heath had saved Ella from drowning in the surf.
"This isn't funny" Ella said stubbornly as Heath shrugged his shoulders, continuing to laugh "Babe, c'mon. I remember that day that it was yesterday. I had told you to get off the rocks but bein' the person you are, you didn't listen to me and you were where I am right now"
Ella held back tears, looking up towards the ceiling, trying to keep her emotions under control. Out of nowhere, Heath lovingly took Ella's hand, making her look back down at him and in all seriousness he said
"I've been thinkin'... if ya are pregnant... I'm in. If todays taught me anythin' its that life is short and I love you too much to lose ya"
That was the last straw, tears were falling down her cheeks but they were happy tears "Thats good because, I am pregnant. I just saw Sid and yeah... I'm definitely pregnant"
Heath grinned and tightened his hold on Ella's hand, closing his eyes for a small moment. Sid walked back into the room, holding Heaths file, asking how he's feeling.
"Well we've sent off the MRI scans, but from what we can already see from how your responding you won't have problems but its always good to be safe" he added with a gentle smile at the couple who were still holding hands.
Brax had made his way to the doorway, looking on as Sid continued to talk to Heath and Ella. Sid finished writing his notes on the file, looking down at Heath.
"I hear congratulations is in order Heath, you're going to be a Father"
Heath turned his face toward Ella with a half smile, nodding "Yeah Doc, I've never been more happier in my life"
Ella's smiled widened then at the corner of her eye, something got her attention. As Heath turned back to Sid, Brax and Ella's eyes met and for that split second they both thought the exact same thing.
Is Brax the father of her Baby?

Next time
Heath is out of hospital, and ponders asking a life changing question and Brax demands to know if he's the father of Ella's baby.

Authors Note - Dear all, thank you for being so patient! sorry it took me so long to update, I was on holidays. And I'm so sorry for all who reviewed, I'm pretty sure I forgot to send you a sneak peak of this chapter SORRY!
But yeah, so how was that? What will happen next people?
Please review and I WILL DEFINETLEY send a snippet of the next chapter!
Ness xx