Chapter Nine
Alex peeped through the window of Charlie's hospital room. She smiled as she saw Charlie and Joey, close together and holding hands. She walked out of the hospital and towards her car. In the driver's seat, she checked her phone. She smiled more when she saw she had a text from Willow, inviting her out for a drink if she was free. She replied and accepted, apologising for the late reply and asking if she was still out. She got an immediate, affirmative response with a smiley emoji. Pleased, Alex started her car and headed down to Angelo's.
"I still can't believe you're actually here," Charlie said. "I feel like I'm having a weird dream."
She stroked Joey's hand, never wanting to let her go.
"It does feel a bit surreal," Joey admitted.
She couldn't take her eyes off of her ex-girlfriend. She felt drawn in by her beauty but broken by her tragedy.
"Charlie, what happened to you?" she finally asked. "And please don't joke."
Charlie swallowed.
"I've been seeing this guy," she explained awkwardly.
"Charlie, it's been three years," Joey said gently. "We're allowed to see other people."
Charlie nodded and continued.
"His name is Brax and he's involved in this gang," she said. "The River Boys."
"This River Boys?" Joey exclaimed. "Shit, Charlie! You're dating a River Boy?"
Charlie had almost forgotten that of course Joey would know who they were. They had been notorious for years in the area and Joey had lived in Summer Bay all her life. Until Charlie had broken her heart and chased her away, that is.
"It wasn't planned," Charlie said. "Believe me. I tried to fight how I felt. We both did. He didn't want to date a cop any more than I wanted to date him. We must have split up and got back together about a thousand times."
"But you love each other," Joey realised.
"He's the only person who ever came close to how I felt about you," Charlie said. "And you were the first person that I had ever fallen in love with before."
Joey smiled sadly.
"And you were my first love too," she said. "My only love."
They sighed in unison.
"Anyway, how did you end up shot?"
"A rival gang member," Charlie said. "It's a long story but it was revenge. It's been a constant game of revenge for years."
"And you got caught in the crossfire," Joey concluded.
"I killed his brother," Charlie confessed.
Joey looked alarmed. Charlie quickly explained that it was kill or be killed and she hadn't stopped beating herself up over it. The more she tried to explain that she had been held hostage and hers and Brax's lives had been in danger, the more she began to panic. Her heartrate increased and she began to tremble, terrified of what Joey would think of her.
"Charlie," Joey said gently but clearly. "Charlie… Charlie, calm down. Please."
Charlie stopped rambling as Joey managed to make eye contact with her.
"I know you would never do anything like that without a reason," Joey said.
Charlie began to weep. She hadn't cried since the shooting, not properly. The odd tear may have slipped out but she hadn't properly let herself go, not even earlier with the police. She had tried to stay strong in front of her family and friends, especially Ruby and with the distance between herself and Brax, it didn't especially feel like a safe environment to open up. But suddenly, Joey's kindness overwhelmed her. She sobbed hard, her whole body shaking. Joey stood up and gathered Charlie into her arms. It was a long while later before the tears stopped. Joey shed a few of her own but thankfully, Charlie hadn't seen them.
Alex was a little nervous as she entered Angelo's All these people were still very new to her but she was very much looking forward to seeing Willow again. They'd had a lot of fun last night and this morning and she was making her feel very welcome in Summer Bay.
"Hi!" the woman in question hollered, waving her over.
She was sat with Jasmine, Dean and Ziggy and immediately offered her a drink. Alex ordered a soft drink. The others look puzzled until Alex explained that she had just come from the hospital and was driving. Willow took everyone's orders and headed up to the bar. Alex took the seat next the one she had vacated and waited anxiously for her to return.
"So, you've been at the hospital all day?" Ziggy asked.
"Yeah," Alex said. "Pretty long shift. Mind you, you mustn't have finished much earlier?"
She directed her question to Jasmine.
"A couple of hours ago," the nurse said.
"Well, it's nice of you both to come out when you must be tired," Ziggy said.
"It's nice to be invited," Alex admitted a little shyly.
Willow returned with the drinks.
"We like hanging out with you," she said, having overheard her new friend. "Don't we?"
The others agreed, making Alex chuckle.
"Well, I like hanging out with you guys too," she said.
"Cheers to that," Dean said, raising his glass.
Joey reluctantly sat back down but stayed close. She stroked Charlie's hair gently. Charlie closed her eyes. It felt good to have let everything out of her system properly. It felt cleansing, if a little embarrassing.
"Sorry," she managed.
"You don't have to apologise to me," Joey said.
Charlie opened her eyes, looking directly at her.
"Well, that's not true really, is it?" she said seriously. "I have so much to apologise to you for."
"No," Joey said seriously. "That's done, okay? The line is drawn. No apologies. This is the reality we're living in. You've been through hell. I'm not here for an apology or to try and steal you away from your boyfriend or complicate your life."
Charlie found herself feeling a little disappointed by her last statement. Then confused.
"I'm just here to support you, okay?" Joey said. "Whatever you need."
She took Charlie's hand and kissed it softly.
"I'm here."
"How was Charlie today?" Willow asked. "I really need to go to the hospital and visit her. Things have just been so full on with work. I've just taken on this really challenging new client."
She smirked at Alex who pointedly ignored her. Dean picked up on it.
"What's going on with you two?" he asked curiously.
"I'm the crappy client," Alex informed him.
"Hey!" Willow protested. "I never said crappy! I said challenging. I mean, I'm going to earn so much cash out of you!"
"Push your luck and I will cancel," Alex warned.
"Well, you paid up front so…"
"I won't renew then," Alex told her.
"Yeah, you will," the Personal Trainer said certainly.
Alex just shook her head and informed her that her confidence was irritating.
"The way you two carry on is as if you've been married for ten years," Jasmine told them.
Alex laughed. Willow shifted a little in her chair. She wasn't prepared to tell anyone about it but ever since they'd met last night, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Alex. It was strange. It felt like they had known each for so much longer that just a day. Somehow they had just connected. Conversation with Alex was so fun and easy. She had never really had that with anyone before.
"So, how is Charlie?" Ziggy asked. "I think the question got lost in the banter."
"She's doing okay," Alex said. "Every day she gets a little stronger. But I think she'd love a visit from anyone willing. She seems to thrive from the company. I gather she was a very active, sociable person before so being trapped in a hospital bed isn't suiting her terribly well."
"I can't even begin to imagine how she's feeling," Ziggy said sadly.
"It's pretty stressful for her," Alex said. "We're doing everything we can to get her well again but it's going to be a very long, difficult road."
"How long is she going to be in hospital for?" Dean asked.
"For the foreseeable," Alex said.
"At least they got the scumbag," he said. "Not that that's ever going to end the situation. Nothing's ever really going to end it."
He looked stressed. Alex suspected that there was a dark underbelly to this town that she didn't want to know about.
"At least none of it's anything to do with any of us now," Willow told him.
Alex kept her face neutral but it was a surprise to learn that the Willow she had met had anything to do with anyone connected to what had happened to Charlie. But then, Willow had been full of surprises so far. She was looking forward to getting to know her more.
"You're right," Dean said, snapping Alex back to attention. "We're much better off."
"Cheers to that," Ziggy said, raising her glass.
"Sorry!" Watson said, walking into the changing room.
The newest recruit to the team, Colby was just reaching for a t-shirt. He turned. Watson froze. Emblazoned across his back was a tattoo: Blood and Sand.
"What the fuck is that?" she demanded.
He hurriedly put his t-shirt on.
"What?" he managed.
"Your tattoo," she said, striding further into the room. "Why the hell do you have a River Boys tattoo on your back?"
"Look, I can explain," Colby said.
"Explain that you're part of this whole mess?" she accused. "You're one of the reasons that one of our best officers is a hospital bed? That she'll never serve again? Never walk again?"
"I'm not a River Boy!" Colby insisted.
"Like hell you're not!" Watson snapped. "Just like the words, do you?"
"I swear!" Colby said, holding his hands up. "Please! Let me explain!"
Watson folded her arms, glaring at him.
"You've got two minutes to persuade me," she told him.
Joey didn't want to leave. But she could see that Charlie was tired and needed to rest.
"You will come back, won't you?" Charlie asked urgently, holding tightly to her hand.
She accepted that she was exhausted but she was afraid that if she let Joey walk out the door, she would never see her again.
"I promise," Joey said.
"Your phone number," Charlie said. "Please can I have your phone number? Your old one stopped working ages ago."
She blushed. Joey smiled with both sadness and curiosity. She picked up Charlie's phone from the beside and typed in the code the police officer gave her, discovering that she was still a contact, complete with a photo in her address book. She updated the number.
"Mine's still the same," Charlie told her.
"I'll call you tomorrow," Joey promised. "Arrange a good time for me to come back and see you, okay?"
Charlie thanked her. Joey leant over and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Charlie closed her eyes, feeling Joey's lips on her skin. The former couple smiled affectionately at each other before Joey slipped out the door as quietly as she had come.
"I was a River Boy," Colby explained. "Once upon a time. A long time ago."
"You're not making this better," Watson informed him, her arms still folded.
She stood over him, where he was sat on the bench in the changing room.
"But I left," he stumbled. "I turned my back on my friends, my family, everything I knew. I wanted to do something good with my life, Watson. I abandoned my whole life and joined the police force."
Watson tried to resist softening towards him.
"So you're not affiliated with them now?" she asked, her arms relaxing just a little.
"Not at all," Colby promised. "And the force do know about my past."
She was annoyed that she hadn't been informed, being that she was meant to be working with him.
"I haven't spoken to anyone in the gang for years," he said. "I have no involvement or connections."
"Well, that's probably about to change," she told him. "You know what's been going on here?"
"Yeah," Colby sighed.
Watson sat down beside him, suddenly understanding why he had been so uncomfortable in Charlie's hospital room.
"Do you know Brax?"
"Everyone knows Brax," he said. "I haven't seen him since I was a kid."
"And Jake? The guy that shot Charlie?" Watson asked.
"I was fighting his gang before I could shave," Colby said.
Watson sighed heavily.
"And you've kept your seniors informed of everything?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Let's have a proper meeting tomorrow," she suggested. "Maybe you could be genuinely helpful. We need to close this case properly. For Charlie."
He agreed. He wanted to help.
Alex and Willow walked out of Angelo's together.
"So… you have an interesting back story..." Alex ventured.
"Oh… right," Willow said. "Well… probably. I'm sure you do too."
She felt awkward. She liked to think she that she was an upstanding member of the community now but in the past, she hadn't been such a shining citizen. She had charged into Summer Bay like a bat out of hell, causing chaos. She had shouted loudly and demanded everything she thought she was owed. It had actually been Charlie who had taken her under her wing. She had seen right through her and recognised that really, she just needed support. She had found her a place to live with Irene. She had got her a job at the gym, which she was doing really well at. She genuinely had a lot to thank Charlie for.
"My life's been pretty boring, actually," Alex confessed. "I went to Uni. I studied. Became a Doctor. That's pretty much all I've known."
Willow stopped talking and faced her.
"What about relationships?" she asked.
Alex cringed. She didn't know what to say.
"Also boring," she ventured. "I was with someone for ten years. We broke up a couple of years ago. And I've been on my own since then."
"Wow," Willow said. "Ten years? That's… that's a long time to love someone."
"Yeah," Alex said. "It was hard to say goodbye."
"What happened?"
"We just wanted different things in the end," Alex said. "What about you? Are you with anyone or…?"
"Nope," Willow told her. "Nobody loves me!"
Alex chuckled.
"I find that hard to believe," she said.
"Oh, believe it!" Willow said. "Dean and I used to date on and off. But otherwise… nobody really. I've always just been kind of on my own in life. I mean, I'm not sad about it. Well, maybe a little sad. It kind of sucks when you're always the single friend!"
Alex chuckled.
"Yeah, I get that," she said. "Half the reason I moved away from where I lived was because I'd always been in a couple. Then suddenly I was Sad Alex, always tagging on as a third wheel to dinner parties and drinks. One night, I was sat there with my mates and I looked around at them, all in pairs and I just thought… screw this. I can't do it anymore. And I left. I quit my job. I sold my house. I just left."
Willow's eyes widened.
"Are you serious?" she squeaked.
Alex nodded.
"Deadly," she said.
"So, you can be pretty spontaneous then?" Willow half laughed, as they began walking again.
"Sometimes a little too much," Alex admitted.
"I kind of thought you were too sensible!" Willow grinned.
"Oh, really?" Alex said. "I'm not sure how to take that!"
"It's a compliment," Willow said.
They had found their way to the beach.
"I guess it's just because you're so clever," she said. "I didn't think that went hand in hand with being impulsive. I mean, I'm impulsive! I didn't think you were!"
Alex chuckled.
"Not always," she said. "But sometimes I can't stop myself."
"So, you sold up, quit your job and…?"
"I took up temp work and I've spent the past couple of years just renting and going from place to place on different contracts," Alex explained. "And I guess I'll carry on doing that until I find the right place to settle down."
They sat down on the sand together.
"Well, I hope it's here," Willow said earnestly. "I've only known you for a day and I feel like I've known you forever. I don't think I've ever met someone before that just gets me the way that you do. You know, like Dean said upstairs – like we're an old married couple or something. I don't know what it is but I feel so connected to you. I'm being weird, aren't I? I'm freaking you out. I'm sorry. I just… I really like you and I…"
She was cut off when Alex kissed her.
Next time… Willow and Alex try to work out where they stand with each other…