There are five chapters left to go after this so we'll soon be reaching our climax. And it's all kicking off now...! Enjoy! Love IJKS xx

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Joey told me not to say anything," Ruby said.

She anxiously twisted her fingers in her lap, worrying about what she should and shouldn't say. Originally, she had wanted Charlie to know everything but she'd been convinced otherwise as nobody wanted their loved one to come under any more stress than she was already having to endure.

"Please?" Charlie said. "It's more stressful knowing I'm having something hidden from me."

Ruby sighed and perched on the edge of the bed. She held her mother's hands and tentatively began to explain that Angelo had hated Joey from the moment she first showed up.

With her shift long since over, Watson remained at her desk, trawling through the Grant Bledcoe murder case for the hundredth time. There was no murder weapon. There were no finger prints. There was an assumption that he had been stabbed at the fish market but died at the beach. He'd been stabbed several times. Only his and Alf's footprints could be seen at the crime scene. Sipping her coffee, Watson's eyes suddenly widened.

"They're not necessarily his," she said to herself.

Rummaging through the papers she felt her heart leap with joy as the footprint size didn't quite match Grant's. And they were certainly too big to be Charlie's. She picked up the phone to call Robertson.

"He threatened her?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

She had always thought that Angelo was so gentle. Jack's death had been an accident and she had never known him to be aggressive any other time in his life. And the idea of him bullying her beloved Joey was absolutely abhorrent.

"He tore up the letter you sent her," Ruby added. "I think she was more upset about that than about anything."

"And that's why she was leaving?" Charlie asked. "Because he was forcing her to?"

Ruby nodded and retained her grip on Charlie's hand. Her mother was trembling slightly. She felt terrible for putting Joey in danger and she wished someone had told her what Angelo had done. Perhaps then she wouldn't have worried so much about hurting his feelings.

"Okay, we need to get shoe size samples of every suspect," Robertson told Watson.

Nobody would have believed him but he was glad that it looked like they might be able to clear Charlie's name. He didn't want her to go down for killing her rapist if she didn't do it. And even if she did do it, he couldn't say that he was sad that the guy had died. He was evil as far as Robertson was concerned. But unfortunately, the victim's personal life didn't make their murder any less of a crime.

"So that's Charlie, Ruby, Angelo..."

"Throw Joey in as well," Robertson said. "And the parents."

Watson nodded, although she didn't see the point in adding Joey. She hadn't even been on land at the time, let alone in town.

Charlie was unhappy with the news although she definitely no longer cared about upsetting Angelo. Even if Joey wasn't in the picture, being with a man capable of threatening a vulnerable woman was definitely not something she wanted. She was surprised and disappointed and very much wanted him out of her life now. She and Ruby looked up when the door opened.

"Hi there," the nurse said cheerfully. "I have some good news."

"Can I go home?" Charlie asked immediately.

"The next best thing," the nurse replied. "We're moving you to a regular ward."

"Thank goodness," Charlie said, genuinely relieved.

Moving to a normal ward was the next step to being allowed home. Certain that she was now facing years in prison, she was desperate for as much freedom as possible.

Joey and Aden were enjoying a beer together at the Surf Club. Life felt a lot easier now that Charlie was awake and Joey hadn't been able to resist telling her best friend how close she and Charlie were becoming, although she chose not to think about Charlie possibly going to jail. Aden was happy for her and particularly enthralled by the kisses.

"Is she a good kisser?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Joey smirked back.

It felt naughty but nice to have this kind of gossip. It made her feel like a teenager.

"I think she's probably awesome," Aden said reasonably. "She has beautiful lips."

"She does," Joey agreed. "And, hey! Don't you start getting a crush!"

Aden held his hands up defensively and promised he wouldn't but that he couldn't help it if Charlie was hot. He then added that Joey was pretty damn hot too and they made a perfect fantasy couple. Joey pretended to be horrified but couldn't quite help but take it as a compliment.

Ruby was allowed to stay with Charlie for a little while as she settled into her new ward. There were five other people in with her, each with a different degree of sickness. But most of them welcomed her and seemed friendly enough. Charlie was sure she had been spoilt by being allowed a side room in intensive care and now she worried about her fellow inmates snoring or keeping her awake.

"Will you be okay?" Ruby asked when it was time to leave.

"I'll be fine," Charlie promised.

"Who's visiting first thing?"

"Angelo," Charlie sighed. "And I've got a few words to say to him."

Ruby kissed her cheek and wished her luck.

The following morning, Robertson showed up at Charlie's house. He was met by Leah who welcomed him a little awkwardly inside. Ever since Charlie had attempted suicide, Leah hadn't really been interested in talking to him which made him sad. He liked her and he had hoped that they might have developed something special, at least for the short time he would be in town.

"Permission to look at some shoes, please," he said brightly.

Leah looked puzzled.

"Any in particular?" she asked.

"Anything belonging to Charlie or to Joey."

"Is this a foot fetish or something serious?" Joey asked, appearing in the kitchen.

"It's a chance to either condemn or clear someone's name," Robertson explained.

Joey looked a little unsure but eventually relented and led him first into Charlie's room and then the room she was staying in.

The next day, Angelo left home early in order to stop off at the Diner and then get to the hospital dead on ten o'clock. He was confused when he didn't see Charlie through the window of her room but then the nurse redirected him to the ward. He smiled brightly and sat down.

"I wasn't expecting to see you," Charlie said.

She wasn't looking or feeling particularly cheerful.

"It's my turn, so..." he said.

"I mean after yesterday," Charlie said impatiently.

He bowed his head and apologised.

"Can we just put it behind us?" he asked.

"No."

He stared at her, feeling startled.

"Look, Joey and I were never going to get along that well," Angelo said. "She's your ex, Charlie. And you really hurt me by writing to say goodbye to her and not me. And... and seeing you yesterday..."

"Hurt you enough to tear the letter up?" Charlie accused.

Several other patients tried not show that they were listening with interest.

"Hurt enough to threaten her?" Charlie asked. "Do you have any idea what that girl has been through over this last year?"

"Charlie..."

"How could you do that to her?" Charlie demanded.

"She was trying to steal you away!" Angelo argued.

"She hasn't stolen me!" Charlie snapped. "I love her. I'm with her willingly!"

"Charlie, you're sick... you don't know what you're saying..."

"I know exactly what I'm saying," Charlie snapped. "I don't want to be with you, Angelo. Right now, I don't even want to be your friend. You can't seriously threaten someone I love and then expect me to welcome you back with open arms, can you?"

Angelo stood quickly, feeling defensive.

"If you leave me, you lose everything, Charlie," he warned.

"How do you figure that out?"

"Because I am perfect for you. Nobody will ever love you the way I do. And when you're done with this stupid lesbian crush, you'll be left completely on your own."

"Joey and I are forever," Charlie insisted.

"So forever that the first time around you had sex with Hugo Austin behind her back? So forever that she was so disgusted by you that she sailed out of your life?" he snapped.

"So forever that as soon as she heard I was in trouble, she forgot everything that went on in the past and came back to save me," Charlie said evenly.

Everyone was listening now and nobody was bothering to hide it.

"I can't believe I..."

"You what?" Charlie asked.

"I can't believe I loved you," he said. "You'll never know the things I've done for you, Charlie, the sacrifices I've made. I've been there for you every step of the way. You never deserved any of it."

"Then it's good you don't have to give it anymore."

Along the corridor, Joey arrived a little early for her hour with Charlie. A nurse said the police officer's name and began to head over so Joey followed.

"I wish you'd just died!" Angelo shouted. "Then at least I would never have known what you were like! I'd never know how damn ungrateful you'd be about me getting Grant Bledcoe out of your life!"

Charlie and Angelo both froze.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.

The nurse and Joey stared at them, having caught the last sentence.

"What do you mean?" Charlie demanded.

"Nothing," Angelo said.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and stormed past Joey and out of the hospital, leaving Charlie to apologise for the disruption to the ward.