She heads back to Noah's room after her discussion with Marlon. Though she's bone tired, there's a new current of energy, fuelled by hatred, running through her veins, making her fidgety and unable to settle. She pushes the door open.
"Right, that's everyone gone home now, so-"
"Shhh," Noah says and she glances up in surprise.
He nods to the foot of his bed, where she sees Vanessa with her head resting on her arms; she's fast asleep. Charity smiles and looks back at Noah, lifting a questioning eyebrow.
"One minute she was talking to me, next minute she was spark out." He smiles. "I must not be very interesting."
She knows he's joking, but it sends a pang of regret shooting through her chest. If only they'd paid him a bit more attention. If only they'd noticed he was sad, or scared, or whatever he was. But now's not the time for that kind of discussion, so she smiles back and rolls her eyes.
"You and me both, kid. Never known anyone who can fall asleep as fast as this one." She trails her hand along Vanessa's shoulders before dropping heavily into the chair by the bed. They both regard Vanessa and Charity sighs. "I better wake her up. She'll do her neck in sleeping like that."
"You both need to go home and get a proper sleep," Noah says. She looks over at him sharply.
"And leave you on your own on Christmas Eve?" She shakes her head. "No way. I'm stopping here."
"Mum, I'm knackered. I'm just gonna be sleeping." He sighs. "You can't leave the little 'uns to wake up on Christmas morning without you being there. It's not fair on them just because I've been-" His eyes fill with tears and he swallows with difficulty. "Because I'm so stupid."
"Hey," Charity soothes, on her feet immediately. She sweeps her fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead and rests her hand against his cheek. "You are not stupid, okay? Yeah, okay, you did something daft." She closes her eyes, pushing away all the horrible thoughts she'd had about how this might end during the interminable night she'd spent by his bedside. "But it's okay now. You're okay and we'll talk about whatever we need to talk about when you're better, yeah?"
He nods and sniffs, leaning his head into her hand. She presses a kiss to his forehead, leaving her nose buried in his hair, just for a moment. His hand slips into hers and squeezes and she pulls back to look at him.
"Please go home and have Christmas morning with Moses and Johnny," he begs. "You're both too old to spend another night sitting up in these chairs."
"Oi, you," she scolds, earning a smile.
"Like you said, I'm okay now. I'll have a sleep and you can come and see me tomorrow." He tilts his head. "Maybe you can sneak me in a turkey sandwich."
She laughs. "Fat chance, babe. Turkey's still in the freezer. We haven't really had a chance to think ab-" His face falls and she immediately feels guilty. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll sort something out. Lydia's bound to be cooking for half the village, yeah?" He sniffs, his lower lip trembling. "Listen, the only thing that matters right now is that you're alright. We can order a takeaway or shove a pizza in the oven tomorrow. We'll have our Christmas dinner when we're all together, okay?"
"Okay." He nods. "But go home and see the boys. Please?"
She's about to argue again when a snort from the bottom of the bed catches both of them by surprise and they look down as Vanessa lifts her head in bewilderment, blinking. She turns to look at them and winces, a hand flying to her neck.
"See?" Noah whispers. "Too old."
She shakes her head and plants a kiss on his cheek before moving to stand behind Vanessa, gently pulling her hand away and massaging her neck and shoulders. Vanessa groans, letting her head fall forward.
"Was I asleep just then?"
"Going by the amount of drool on this bed cover, I'd say so," Charity tells her, winking at Noah.
"Shut up, you." She tentatively turns to Noah again. "I'm sorry, what were you saying before I drifted off?"
"I was saying that the two of you need to go home and sleep in your own bed tonight," Noah says. "And spend Christmas morning with Moses and Johnny."
"What? No! We're not leaving you here on your own!" Vanessa twists in her chair, looking up at Charity in confusion.
Charity shrugs. "Reckons our old bones won't take a second night in these seats." She hides a smile. "And that he won't get a decent kip with you snoring."
"I'm not the one who snores, lady!" Vanessa protests.
"Don't- don't make me laugh," Noah says, holding his chest. "Everything hurts." Charity's at his side again, hands fluttering around, unsure how to make it better. He shakes his head. "I'm fine. Honest."
She nods. Vanessa moves to his other side, taking his hand. "You've been so strong and brave all through this. Proper fighter, you are."
He flushes, eyes flitting away from Vanessa's earnest gaze. "M'not."
"Yes, you are," Charity agrees. "And after all you've been through, you're thinking about the terrors and their Christmas before your own."
"Christmas is for kids, i'n't it?" he says.
"You're my kid," Charity tells him, running her thumb down his jaw. "No matter how much bumfluff you get on your chin, you'll always be my kid." Her eyes burn with tears when she thinks how close she was to losing him. If he hadn't be found when he was. If he'd taken more. If he'd wandered further away. She shakes her head. "I love you."
"I love you too," Noah says. He turns to Vanessa. "You an'all."
The shock on Vanessa's face brings Charity's tears out in earnest and she covers her mouth when Vanessa leans down to kiss Noah's head and whisper that she loves him too. He clears his throat and blinks far too much.
"Right. The two of you need to go. I'm tired. You can bring the boys by to see me tomorrow if you can drag them away from their pressies."
"Oh God," Charity says, closing her eyes. "I can see it now." She nods to the medical equipment still beeping away by Noah's bed. "Moses swinging from them tubes and Johnny pressing every button he can reach. It'll be carnage."
"It'll be ace," Noah says. "Go on."
They both kiss him goodbye, and wave until they can't see him anymore. Vanessa's hand slips into hers, their fingers intertwining. "I might need to stop by the coffee machine if we want to get home in one piece."
Charity smiles, turning to press a kiss to Vanessa's head and holds out her free hand. "Gimme the keys."
"No!" Vanessa straightens her shoulders and widens her eyes. "You're just as tired as me, if not more. I'll drive."
"Coffee, then," Charity says, pulling Vanessa over to one of the machines and shoving a quid into it. Vanessa's phone beeps in her pocket while the coffee's dispensing and she pulls it out, smiling at whatever's on the screen. She turns it around to let Charity see; it's a picture of Johnny and Moses sat on the sofa in their Christmas jammies, eating cookies and transfixed by whatever's on the telly.
"Tracy's got them bathed and watching Elf," Vanessa tells her. "If we hurry, we'll be in time for a cuddle before bedtime." She smiles. "And once they're all tucked in, we can get ready to take Christmas to Noah tomorrow."
Charity hands Vanessa the cup of coffee, tilting her head and smiling. "That sounds amazing, babe."
Wrapping an arm around Vanessa's shoulders, they head out of the hospital together, secure in the knowledge that Noah's on the mend, and that they'll all be spending Christmas together.