Sorry for the delay in updating. I was away for the weekend with my wife. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Twelve

Brax stood outside Charlie's hospital room, looking through the slats in the glass window. His girlfriend was in bed, as she always was. Her eyes were closed as she was smiling in a way he hadn't seen her smile in a long time. A dark haired woman was sat beside her, stroking her palm, across her wrist and up her forearm. Then back again. The woman hadn't noticed him. All her attention was on Charlie. She was looking at her in the most adoring way he had ever seen anyone ever look at another person. It was making him sad. And angry.

His fists clenched on either side of him as he watched the intimacy between the two women. Why were they so close when he and Charlie were such worlds apart? Why couldn't he connect with his own girlfriend when she needed him like that? And who was this woman anyway? How could she be so close to Charlie that she could touch her like that and Charlie was permitting it? Enjoying it?

He studied the two of them, still oblivious to his presence. The visitor continued to stroke Charlie's hand and arm. She paused when Charlie opened her eyes. Brax leaned closer to the glass, attempting to read Charlie's expression, his heart pounding.

Inside the room, Charlie gazed at Joey, who had been tirelessly stroking her hand and arm, just because Charlie had told her how nice it felt. But that was Joey, always kind. She sighed, silently asking herself, not for the first time, how she had been so stupid as to let her go. Then perhaps it wouldn't be so scary to face the situation she was in now. Perhaps she wouldn't feel so alone. But then perhaps if she and Joey had stayed together, she wouldn't have ended up like this.

"I understand if you've got other stuff to do," she said.

"Hey, I came here for you," Joey said. "I've got all the time in the world."

They smiled at each other. With some pain, Charlie reached out and rested her palm against Joey's cheek.

"You're so lovely," she said sincerely.

They were interrupted by the door bursting open. Charlie jerked her hand back and Joey sat back in shock as Brax barrelled into the room.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Joey tried not to feel scared. She still didn't deal with aggression well.

"Hi, my name's Joey Collins," she tried as calmly as possible.

"And why have you got your hands all over my girlfriend?" Brax wanted to know.

"Brax, stop!" Charlie snapped.

She wanted to insist that it wasn't what it looked like but for her, perhaps it was. She had no idea how Joey felt but this was the most alive she had felt since she had nearly died. She knew she was supposed to be grateful for her survival and she was supposed to be grabbing life with both hands. But she couldn't find it. She couldn't find the gratitude for the second chance she'd been granted. Today had been the first moment she had been close.

"And who the hell are you?" Brax demanded of Joey.

"I'm a friend," Joey said.

It wasn't a lie.

"Well, it looks like you want to be a bit more than that," Brax hissed. "I'm sorry but you're barking up the wrong tree so why don't you just get the hell out?"

"Brax, stop!" Charlie begged desperately.

But Joey was already gone.

Joey charged down the corridor, desperate to escape and not paying attention to where she was going. She immediately collided with Alex.

"Woah!" the Doctor said. "Joey? Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Joey lied. "I just… I have to go."

Alex held onto her shoulders, studying her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

It was more than a little disappointing to see her coming out of Charlie's room in this state. Presumably that meant that things had gone south between her and Charlie.

"I'm fine," Joey said. "I just… You might want to check on Charlie."

She left. Alex obeyed and headed towards Charlie's room, worried for her patient.

"Who was she?" Brax demanded. "I mean, I told her she was barking up the wrong tree but honestly, it didn't look that way to me. Not really."

Charlie swallowed, feeling vulnerable.

"Joey's my ex-girlfriend," she said, deciding to be honest.

Brax stopped and stared at her, hardly able to believe what she was saying.

"And you never thought to tell me something like that before?" he said.

"It was in the past," she replied.

"Well, it's not now!" Brax yelled.

"But are we?" Charlie challenged.

He stared at her again, his mouth slightly open.

"Are you actually upset that I'm bisexual and my ex-girlfriend's back in town or are you pissed off because she's the one willing to sit by my bedside and hold my hand while I face the rest of my life in hell and you, my actual partner, the guy that I was meant to be spending the rest of my life with… the guy I was about to give up my career for… you… can hardly bear to even look at me?"

The question hung between them. Brax opened and shut his mouth a few times.

"I can look at you," he eventually said.

"Can you though?" Charlie said, not feeling vulnerable anymore. "Because you haven't. Not really. You certainly haven't touched me."

"I've held your hand!" he snapped.

"Hardly!" Charlie said dismissively, shaking her hell. "I've felt so rejected by you since this happened. You haven't been there, Brax. You haven't been someone I've been able to count on."

"What, like her?" he snapped.

"Yeah, like her," Charlie said. "She came running here as soon as she found out what happened to me. And she has offered nothing but support."

"Well, isn't she precious?" he sneered.

"She is," Charlie said coldly. "And it wasn't even her fault."

"There it is," he said bitterly. "What this whole thing is about! You blame me!"

"Don't you?" Charlie asked.

"Of course I do!" he yelled. "How could I not? Of course I blame myself for you being in here! Why do you think I can't bear to look at you? I feel so guilty that you're here! I love you, Charlie!"

"But it's not enough," Charlie said sadly.

He too looked sad.

"All of this… it's just been a waste," the police officer continued. "If only we'd realised it sooner, it didn't need to come to this."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You're the guy that's there for the drama, the passion," Charlie said. "You're there for the fights, the sex. With you it's about kidnappings and shootings and scandals and heartbreak. Breaking up and getting back together a thousand times. But we would never, ever have worked in the real world."

"Charlie…"

"No," she interrupted. "If we thought we could do parenting and kids, breakfast in the morning, work in the day and sitting down to dinner, TV and bed, day in and day out every day, we were absolutely kidding ourselves. You would have been having an affair before the end of the month!"

"I would never have cheated on you!" he protested.

"Brax, we've been together for less than a year and you've already screwed two other women right in front of me," Charlie reminded him.

"But…"

"It's who you are, Brax," Charlie said almost kindly. "It's who we are. It's what we do to each other. It's part of the drama of us. What we aren't, is you sitting by your paralysed girlfriend's hospital bed."

"I have been here, Charlie," he said, stepping closer.

He attempted to take her hand but she pulled it away.

"But you haven't," she said. "Not in your head. So do the right thing, okay? Walk away now. Stop pretending that you're going to be here for this."

"I want to be here, Charlie," Brax said. "I'm sorry."

"No," Charlie said. "It's done. I'm done. You're done. Let's just stop dragging it out. Okay? Your life is surfing, sex, gangs and excitement. It isn't hospitals, physio and a disabled girlfriend. That isn't what you signed up for. We both know it."

Without another word, Brax turned and left.

Alex was just heading into Charlie's room, having got waylaid by another patient when she saw Brax burst out of it, looking deeply unhappy. She hurried in quicker and found Charlie in tears.

"Charlie, what's happened?" she asked worriedly.

"It's over," Charlie told her.

Alex gathered her patient into her arms and hugged her. Charlie clung on for a moment and then drew away, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath. She put a practiced smile on her face.

"It was the right thing," she said. "I did the right thing."

"Well, from an outsider's perspective, I tend to agree," Alex said. "If you don't mind me saying."

"I don't mind you saying," Charlie assured her. "I think you probably get a pretty good view of people's relationships from where you sit."

"Sometimes."

Charlie asked for her phone.

"I need to text Joey," she explained.

"Oh, yeah," Alex recalled. "I saw her rushing out of here in a bit of a hurry."

"Brax was awful to her," Charlie said unhappily. "It was the most helpless I've felt since the shooting. And I've felt pretty damn helpless."

Alex nodded in understanding.

"I just… he was shouting and Joey was trying to speak to him and I couldn't protect her," Charlie said tearfully. "I couldn't get my voice heard. I was just trapped here. I guess I never realised before how much I would have normally relied on my physical body in a situation like that. But now I just feel like my body is completely useless. I'm stuck here. I can hardly move. I couldn't do anything. And I couldn't make myself heard."

"Look, it's not always going to be this way," Alex said.

"Isn't it?" Charlie challenged. "Because there doesn't seem to be any improvement, Alex."

The Doctor sighed awkwardly.

"Let's just see what these scans come up with," the Doctor said, trying to be positive.

"Alex, you know what they're going to come up with," Charlie said desperately.

"Okay…" Alex sighed. "I have an idea. But it's really better to wait until we know…"

"Just how screwed I am?"

"This doesn't mean your life is over, Charlie," Alex said gently. "I've got Specialists coming in to look at your scans. I've arranged the CBT for you. You'll have physio and pain management techniques. You're not leaving this hospital until you have absolutely every single thing you need."

Charlie nodded anxiously.

"Please don't lose faith."

Charlie sighed and squeezed Alex's hand, promising she wouldn't. Alex left her to get in touch with Joey.

Willow spotted Dean coming in from surfing. She stopped and waved. Her head was still full of Alex. She had thought that talking about things would have made them better but actually, no, she was more confused than ever. She should be happy that Alex had retracted the kiss and just wanted to be friends. But the truth was, she wasn't sure she wanted to take the kiss back. And that felt more confusing than anything she had ever felt before.

"What's up with you?" Dean asked, approaching her.

"Oh… you know," she said vaguely.

"Not really," he replied bluntly.

She just shrugged and told him she was okay.

"Up for a drink tonight?" she asked.

He agreed and said he would text his girlfriend, Ziggy. Willow suggested she would invite her housemates too.

"Then maybe it'll cheer up your face," he remarked. "Seriously, what's up?"

"Nothing," Willow said. "I saw Charlie this morning. She's pretty beat up."

"Oh," he said unhappily. "I haven't been in. I feel too awkward. I think Zig wants to go but she doesn't want to intrude. I know Ruby's been there round the clock."

"Pretty much," Willow said. "Every time I see her, she looks exhausted, poor kid. I saw Brax earlier too. He's a mess."

"Yeah," Dean sighed.

He stopped abruptly, looking ahead of him. Willow followed his gaze.

"Is that…?" she managed.

"No way," Dean muttered.

Ahead of them, dressed in a police uniform was their old childhood friend, Colby Thorne, clearly patrolling the beach front with Georgie Watson.

"Dean!" Willow called out as Dean bolted towards Colby.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean demanded.

Colby straightened up, anxious about his old life colliding with his new one, especially as he had just spent the morning trying to prove to his superiors, including Watson that it wouldn't happen.

"Hi, Dean," he said calmly.

He looked past him.

"Willow."

"What are you doing here, Colby?" Willow asked more calmly.

"I got transferred here," Colby explained.

"You're got transferred here," Dean mocked. "Look at you! A cop! Come off it."

Watson watched them with interest.

"So this is where you ended up after you walked out on us?" Willow asked. "You became a police officer?"

"I'm a Senior Constable now," he said. "I needed to turn my life around."

Dean looked disgusted. Willow touched his arm.

"Just like we did," she reminded him.

He seemed to soften a little but she knew it would take more than one conversation for the former friends to make up. But perhaps it was a start.

"Have you walked away too?" Colby asked hopefully.

"I'm walking away from this conversation," Dean informed him.

He turned and left, leaving Willow, Colby and Watson together.

"Willow?" Colby asked.

"Brax and Dean have both left," she told him. "It's all changed here. But it's also never been more dangerous. I mean, I guess you're here working on what happened to Charlie?"

She looked between Colby and Watson, who nodded.

"Will Jake actually go to jail for what he did?"

"We hope so," Watson said. "If nobody goes vigilante over it. If nobody makes any stupid mistakes. And if he doesn't manage to wriggle out of anything thanks to his sleazebag lawyers."

Willow nodded sadly.

"We'd better get going," Watson said, bringing the conversation to a close.

"It's good to see you again, Willow," Colby said earnestly.

"Yeah…" Willow replied, still reeling from the shock. "You too."

That evening, Joey was in a much better mood than she expected. After the incident at the hospital, she had been more than a little shaken. She had rushed back to the caravan park to Aden who had been nothing but supportive, as had Jasper.

However, she had barely been home when she had got a phone call from Charlie, full of apologies for the way Brax had spoken to her. She had also told her that she had broken up with him. Joey wasn't entirely sure what the appropriate response to that was. But secretly, she was thrilled.

With her mood lifted, Aden had persuaded her to go out to Angelo's. She had misgivings, being that Brax owned the restaurant. After their encounter today, she did not especially want to run into him again. But Aden was confident that he could and would protect her.

Walking into the bar, Joey was pleased to see Alex also there, having a drink with Leah, who waved them over. Relieved for the extra company, Joey led the way over and joined the girls at their table, sending Aden off to buy a round of drinks.

"I was just grilling Alex on Charlie's progress," Leah said. "I didn't get there today. But she can't tell me much."

"Doctor/Patient Confidentiality," Alex apologised.

"She's coping well," Joey said. "That's the main thing."

"Yeah," Leah smiled. "I'll make sure I go and see her tomorrow."

"Hey, Alex, thank you for all your help today," Joey said. "Charlie said you calmed her down."

Alex shrugged. Aden returned to the table and handed out the drinks.

"She actually seemed pretty okay by the time I arrived."

"Okay about what?" Leah wondered.

"Charlie and that Brax guy have split up," Aden replied.

Leah choked her drink.

"Are you serious?"

"Aden, I don't think that was meant to be common knowledge," Joey hissed.

"Hey, I'm not common!" Leah protested. "I'm her housemate!"

Alex chuckled. She was then distracted by Willow walking to the bar with Jasmine, Dean, Ziggy, Bianca and Liam. She caught Willow's eye almost by accident. Willow tried to look away but failed, as her friends took the table opposite.

"It's better for people to know, isn't it, Alex?" Aden said. "Then they don't ask endless questions."

Alex was still looking at Willow, who was half looking at her and half looking at the menu. Joey smiled to herself as she realised why her new friend was so distracted.

"Alex? Hello?" Aden said.

"What?" the Doctor said, snapping out of her trance.

"It's better for people to know?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Alex said, not sure what she was agreeing to.

Joey sipped her drink, smiling quietly to herself. Watching someone else with a crush could be fun.

Next time… Willow battles with jealousy as Alex bonds with Joey…