Chapter 54: No Hope
Charlie P.O.V
I flinched, my eyes were still closed but I just swore something touched me, maybe it was the medication they had me on. I was in the stage of sleep where you could hear and feel everything around you, you were fully aware of everything except you just can't break out of the cage to open your eyes. I flinched again except this time my eyes flew open and as they adjusted, and the blurriness left I noticed someone in front of me, I thought it must have been Ruby, or Bianca or many a nurse, but once I realised it wasn't I flinched back into the sheets.
"What are you doing here?" I questioned, as I began to notice his features, he didn't speak, he just looked down at me.
"Are you alright?" He questioned after a while, trying to take my hand but I gently slid it out from underneath his, his eyes dropped, and so did his heart.
"Brax, please..."I began.
"No Charlie, you have to tell me what's wrong I have a right, I'm going to be a dad I need to know about my child, tell me that at least." He begged, I swallowed back the tears.
"I'm going to be a mother but I haven't decided if you're going to be a father." I said sadly as I looked down at the drip in my arm.
"What, what are you talking about?" He questioned.
"Brax, these last couple weeks have been hell for me, we constantly fought, you... You just wouldn't believe me about anything, and I'm your wife Brax, you believed someone else over me." I said, I could hear my heart monitor start to beep a little faster, I sucked in a breath and tried to calm myself down.
"Babe I made a mistake." He stressed.
"No, you made a decision." I said looking back up at him.
"You chose him over me, over our child, over my child." I said, correcting myself.
"What do you mean your child?" He asked shocked, picking up on my correction.
"Yes, my child. I'm the one carrying him, and I will be the one raising him." I said simply.
"You can't do this to me Charlie, this is my kid to! You can't please." He begged as his eyes began to fill up with tears.
"You can't be serious, babe you can't take this baby away from me I won't let you, there are laws against this kind of thing." He said strictly, his voice cracking at the end.
"Brax, who do you think the court would chose if you took legal action? I'm a cop, and have been since I left high school, I have the cleanest track record and I am, have been, and will always be financially stable and then there is you." I said, not wanting to go on but he knows what I mean.
"Charlie I've changed I have and you know that, please don't do this to me baby." He begged again.
"Brax I just can't do this at the moment, please just leave." I asked, I was tired, sore, confused and just sick of crying. He didn't answer he just got to his feet, and walked towards the door.
"Brax." I said, he looked at me as he opened the door.
"I still love you babe, I just need time." I said, he smiled weakly before leaving the room.
Brax P.O.V
I walked up the stairs to Angelo's before getting my keys out of the pocket and opening the door, I didn't bother turning the lights on there was enough moon light shining through the windows for me to see where I was going. I headed straight to behind the bar, grabbing the vodka and sliding back down against the wall and to the floor, before popping open the lid and sucking it down. The alcohol burn my throat as it went down, kicking my stomach and making a warm feeling peel through my body and after a few more swigs I felt as if my throat was red raw after something sat their repeatedly rubbing my throat against coarse sand paper.
Every time the thought of Charlie taking my child away popped into my head I washed it away with a bottle of alcohol and now I think I crossed the line of just being drunk, my head was spinning and as I stumbled my way down Angelo's stairs I fell, hitting my head, but surprisingly it didn't hurt, alcohol diminishes the pain. As I stumbled back to my feet I touched my head, and I could feel the warm blood trickling through my hair, and as I brought my fingers back down I saw the sticky blood dripping off it.
I don't know how I managed to think of it, but I stripped my shirt off and held it to my head, I grabbed my keys out of my pocket, before sucking in a breath and shoving them back in and walking away from my ute and towards Heath's.
Heath P.O.V
I heard my phone vibrating on the bedside I table, I groaned and looked over at the clock, 8:03am. I picked up the phone and held it to my ear.
"It's Heath." I said drowsily.
"Heath, it's Liam. Where's Brax, it's his turn to open the restaurant, and he's no here?" Liam questioned.
"What!" I yelled down the phone line, this didn't sound usual.
"I don't know Heath! There are people already lining up, just get here with the spare set of keys." Liam said before hanging up, I groaned and got to my feet, pulling on pair of jean and a shirt before grabbing the spare set of keys and opening the door only to see Brax passed out on the doorstep.
He was lying in a pool of his own vomit, and it smelt rank, not to mention his hair was clumped together with sticky red blood and his face was covered in dried blood also, I stood over him and slapped his face, trying to bring him back. I slapped him once and he groaned, then once again his forehead crinkled and he flinched, the neighbours were walking past with their dogs and I smiled at them.
"Nice morning isn't it?" I questioned sarcastically, they just walked faster.
"Casey!" I yelled from where I was standing, I heard a groan and his feet hit the floor, his door creak open and then I looked back he had an angry look on his face until he saw who I was standing over.
"Holey shit, is he okay?" He questioned as he ran over.
"He's drunk, passed out and covered in vomit, but other than that he's fine, now listen take these keys to Liam at the restaurant now, I got to get Brax up and into bed." I said as I threw the keys to Casey, he went and got dressed before stepping over Brax and walking towards the restaurant.
I grabbed Brax under the arms and struggled to lift his dead weight up, I leant him against the wall before leaving him there and going to get a glass of water. Once I got back he had his eyes open slightly, and his head drooping and making groaning noise.
"Here sunshine drink this." I said, I put it up to his mouth but he pushed it away before leaning to the side and throwing up all over the ground and himself, I just sighed as I leant him over. I stripped his vomit covered shirt off before getting him to his feet, he leant heavily against me and to be honest he nearly pushed me over.
"Woah big man." I said as I placed my hand on his chest trying to steady him, only to feel his stomach lurch and I let go of him as he threw up again, he slid back to the floor.
Eventually I got him up off the floor and to his bed, he was covered in his own vomit and needed a shower, but we weren't that close. He groaned and moaned the whole way to his bed, and when I threw him down on his bed her threw up again. He rolled over and fell off the bed hitting the floor, before finally falling back to sleep, I grabbed his pillow and shoved it over his head.
"Sleep tight princess." I said before slapping his face.
Liam P.O.V
"Late for work." I said as Heath walked through the door.
"You know what rock star? Those words fall to easily out of your mouth." Heath said as he walked around the back of the bar.
"Well practice makes perfect." I said as he grabbed the new carton of beers on the table and walked towards the fridge to restock it.
"Where's the boss?" I asked after Heath didn't answer.
"Probably at home rolling around in his own vomit." He said, I just nodded, I somehow forgot about Charlie and Brax's break up.
"I spose Brax didn't take it very well." I said solemnly.
"No he went out and celebrated all night because his wife, which happens to be the love of his life, has dumped him and refused to let him see her and his child." Heath said sarcastically as he began packing the bottles away.
"Sarcasm isn't you're strong suit Heath." I said as I grabbed the paper work and headed towards the office.
I sat down in the chair I'd seen Brax sit in numerous times before, except this time I was doing his job, I grabbed a pen and began sorting through the massive piles of bills, receipts and cheques before I looked up and noticed all the pictures on his desk. I only ever saw the back of the picture frames, seeing I was never really in the office, although I had noticed that they were seven of them, but I never actually knew what was in them, until now. They were all of Brax and Charlie, some were of their wedding day, and honey moon, and the others were just of them in general and then I realised it. Charlie was Brax's everything, without her he was nothing, he was just a business man, but with Charlie he was a successful business man, with a wife and a baby on the way, and now he knew that she was gone, so was he.
Brax P.O.V
I groaned and rolled over onto my back, and I could feel cold liquid or something along the lines of it on my back, and then I opened my eyes and suddenly I could smell such a vial, disgusting smell. I sat up and my head was pounding, it felt as if something was inside my head knocking on it, I looked down and realised I was in my bed and covered in my own vomit, I groaned in disgust before holding onto my bedside table and pulled myself to my feet. The bedroom was a mess, and I knew I'd have to buy Heath a new mattress and carpet seeing I threw up all over both of them; I flung the door open and stumbled my way to the shower, where I stripped off and got in the shower.
I turned the cold water on and let it run down my body, I leant against the back wall of the shower before sliding back down against it and sitting at the bottom, the water hitting me in the face. I began to think about everything again, about Charlie, about my baby, about my marriage and it brought tears to my eyes. Drinking was the only way to make this pain disappear; it got my mind off the subject, but now as the numbness began to wear off my problem just slowly began to creep back into my head and overwhelm me.
"Brax are you alright!" I heard Heath yell from the over side of the door, I just began nodded but then realised he couldn't see me.
"Heath just fuck off." I yelled, trying to keep my voice angry but it cracked at the end when I finally began to realise that my life was over, and I fucked up the only thing I had going for me, my wife.
I crawled out of the shower about 45 minutes later to get dressed and walk out into the living, expecting to find the house to myself, just the way I wanted. But much to my annoyance Heath was sitting there on the couch watching TV.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work doing what I pay you for?" I questioned as I went to the fridge and grabbed another beer.
"No, because I have to say here and baby sit a grown man." He said sarcastically.
"I never asked you to Heath get the fuck out of here and go to work." I said as I sat down on the couch.
"Don't tell me what to do Brax, this is my house and you're a bloody wreck." He spat as he snatched the beer off me.
"Your house! Heath I pay for the rent every bloody week, I own this house, I own you! I raised you since you were a kid, you bloody owe me!" I yelled again, snatching the beer off him.
"Why don't you get off your arse, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and be that responsible pain in the arse you've always been!" He yelled back snatching the beer off me again.
"Feeling sorry for myself! Heath my life is fuckin' ruined; Charlie doesn't want anything to do with me... Heath I can't do this without her!" I yelled getting up and putting my hands behind my head.
"I bet she brought up the fact that you two are completely different and that you were a River Boy right?" He questioned, I just nodded.
"Yeah well you aren't giving her any reason to believe so, Brax I found you passed out in your own vomit this morning, and you've been drinking ever since you woke up, and yet you want Charlie to take you seriously. Mate you're acting like a River Boy, getting piss drunk instead of facing your problems, you need to get off your arse, sober up, and go see her again. Prove to her that you've changed, do something instead of sitting around, drinking and feeling sorry for yourself. And now that you're awake and not in danger of choking on your own vomit while you sleep I'm going to work." He said, getting to his feet and walking out the door.
Charlie P.O.V
I was flicking through the TV channels before finally giving up and turning off the TV, throwing the remote to the end of the bed and reaching over and grabbing a magazine off the table only to feel the baby kick me, a smile spread across my face immediately as I dropped the magazine and placed my hand on my belly.
"Welcome back little guy, you scared me." I said as I heard a knock on the door, I looked up as it open to see Heath pop his head in.
"Come in." I smiled as I looked back down at my baby bump.
"How is she?" He questioned, referring to the baby. It was funny, none of us knew the sex of the baby and yet we all had our little ideas.
"It's definitely a boy Heath, I just know it." I smiled as I looked up at him.
"Oh really, it's a boy? I'm glad, I can't wait to teach the little guy how to surf, and beside if he was a she Brax would have her locked up until she was 25." He laughed as he sat down on the bed, I just smiled.
"Brax still thinks it's a girl huh?" I questioned, a smile spreading across my face.
"He sure does, but he's too stubborn to believe otherwise." He laughed for a bit then his face went serious.
"How are you and the bub by the way?" He questioned as I shifted to get comfortable.
"You know what we're good; doc said everything is fine I just have to wait until everything goes back to normal before they let me out." I smiled as the baby kicked again; I placed my hand on it again, missing this feeling.
"Is he kicking?" He questioned, I nodded excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards me, placing his hand on my belly, letting him feel the baby kick.
"You know I'm actually pissed that I missed this with Darcy." He whispered as he looked at his hand.
"It's pretty amazing." I said as the baby moved again.
"That's an understatement." He said again, as the baby stopped moving, he withdrew his hand.
"Now I know you are just going to get up me when I say this, and trust me he didn't ask me to say this, he doesn't even know I'm here. But you need to hear him out, he is so broken, he's moping around the house, Charlie he needs you." He begged, my eyes dropping to my hand that were now resting on my bump.
"I know Heath, trust me I know. I just can't at the moment." I said, unsure of what to say because I was unsure of how I was feeling.
"Just give him a second chance." He begged.
"It's not a second chance when he's had a hundred of them." I said, his forehead creased.
"Yeah that's true... But when it comes to dad Brax just loses everything, since the day he left Brax has been the care taker of us, without him I'm not sure where we would be, I know we would have gone hungry every night, and I know we wouldn't have had a roof over our heads. And now Brax just wanted a father figure, something he never got. He made a mistake Charlie, and you have to realise that he loves you, and you are the only thing that keeps him sane, please give him another chance. Brax is so strong and if he cracks, there's no hope for me."
