BLINK

By Bec

DISCLAIMER: Poem/Lyrics in order: Catherine, VIC and Anita Spring. I don't have any affiliation to Southern Star, Blue Heelers or Ch7

A/N: Thanks to X-Manda Panda-X, Jane W, Orlando Crazy, Kylie and Elle for the reviews! Here is the last part, hope you enjoy it!

CHAPTER TWO – MEANT TO BE

PJ ran out to the car feeling like his heart had been pulled to pieces. He gripped the wheel as he tried to gain some sort of control over his thoughts. They whirled furiously in his head – all familiar but none enough to recognize.

Hours earlier, his whole life had been mapped out before him. He'd had a great job in a great town with great friends and he was about to be married to a wonderful woman. Joanna Parrish, a woman, who in his eyes was so perfect, it couldn't be put into words. Smart, fun-loving, intuitive, loyal, loving, generous – perfect. He hadn't asked her yet, but he had been toying with the idea for months – PJ had just been waiting for the perfect time to pop the question. And the time had come that morning – the sun had been shining and her face shone with radiance, and he knew it was the time.

Then at what should have been one of the most magical days of his life his world had been turned upside down. Shattered. And it was all his fault. She had finally twisted the knife when she left. Picked up and left….not that he could blame her. Maggie had been on his mind a lot, an awful lot and he wasn't being fair to Jo at all. PJ knew he deserved it, but just when he thought he'd scraped rock bottom the remains of his shattered world splintered with the ring of a telephone.

"Hello?"

"May I please speak to Patrick Hasham?"

"Yes – this is he."

"Hi, this is Holly from Mt Thomas hospital. I'm afraid that Joanna Parrish has been taken to hospital. She was involved in a high speed MVA. She has you listed as her next of kin so it would be great if you could come down to the hospital as soon as possible."

"…All right."

"Fantastic, we'll see you soon."

As he hung up the phone PJ immediately cursed himself. His head was still spinning but already he was cursing himself for being so stupid. There were so many things he should have asked.

'Where is she?' 'How did it happen?' 'How bad is it?' 'Is she expected to recover?'

He was a detective. It should have been second nature. But there was no time to ring back now – It was too late. He bit his lip and stared into the dark night contrasted only by the dull light of the street lamp.

'It may be too late for that, just don't let it be too late for me to tell Jo how much I love her.'

PJ stared around the stark white room. The silence was deafening, ironic as it was, only lifted by the steady beeps of hope from the machines, telling him that Jo was still alive. How many times had he been in a room like this, waiting for a suspect or a witness or a criminal to regain consciousness? Countless was the answer, but never had he felt like this. Never had he been in a position where he stood to lose everything, absolutely everything that mattered to him with the beep of a machine.

When he'd arrived he'd only absorbed snatches of what the doctor told him.

'…broken elbow…concussion…possible head injury…unconscious at this stage…'

The words had intertwined his own thoughts as his head had started to spin. Was this God's way of punishing him for what he'd done? God hadn't he, hadn't they both been punished enough? He sat by her bed as silent tears choked up in his throat, as he gripped her limp hand. Her usually animated, tanned face was pale and her lifeless body looked so small and fragile it made his heart ache.

'God Joey,' he begged silently. 'Please just give me a chance to make it better.'

"Baby…please be okay…Jo, I love you…"

A sound, a voice wafted airily in her ears, like a mantra floating in and in, over and over. Jo tried to open her eyelids, but they were so heavy…so was her body, it felt like she was pinned back. She struggled to open her eyes and when she finally did, they whirled for a moment with black sun spots before white, all white came into vision. This wasn't her room. She glanced left as she tried to piece together her surroundings and her breath caught in her throat as she saw him – him – kneeling by her bed – talking to her.

It wasn't a dream…it was his voice. God how she loved that voice. She loved it when he whispered compliments in her ear, playfully teased her, told her he loved –

She gasped out loud as she suddenly realized what had happened. In a flash everything came rushing back. The proposal…the conversation in the flat…the fight…the letter…the car…

"Jo!"

PJ's brown, vulnerable eyes filled with unshed tears as he looked up at her.

"Thank god-"

He tried to grab her but she managed to dodge him.

She couldn't be here. She couldn't be here with him. Not after all that had happened. Not after what he'd done…what she'd done.

Unsteadily she pushed back the covers but as she stood her knees buckled beneath her as she stumbled grabbing the bed for support.

"Jo what are you doing, don't be ridiculous!"

His firm if not on edge, but caring voice penetrated her mind as she succumbed to his strong arms lifting her back onto the bed, carefully placing her head on the pillow.

"I can't be here." She croaked, her voice choking with tears.

"Not after everything."

"Jo…"

"Don't." She turned away, closing her eyes as tears slipped down her face.

"It hurts too much. It hurt so much driving away from you. It hurt so much that you didn't follow. It hurts so much that you don't love me like I love you."

"But I do. Jo, listen to me…I love you. I loved you this morning when I asked you to marry me and bought you that ring and I love you so much now…Maggie was my first love. I know that and I admit it. But you're my only love now. She was the past…and you're my future."

Jo wanted so much to believe him. She wanted so much to believe that he loved her, but how many times had he said it before…did her really love her like that?

"I want to believe you but…"

"Then do. Jo, I know you're afraid of being burnt, but I'm asking you to trust me. Do you trust me?"

She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. She loved him with all her heart….and with love came trust. And she could honestly say that she would trust her life with him.

"I do."

"Then there's something I need to do."

He pulled the ring from his pocket. When she'd left, he'd tucked the ring in his pocket, a bittersweet reminder of what he had lost. Everytime he touched it, the memory of what had happened haunted him, but he had also felt hope. A hope that maybe he would get the chance to give it to her again – the right way this time.

He tipped her chin towards him and looked straight into her tear-filled eyes.

"Jo, the moment I met you I knew you were the one for me and I love you with all my heart. But there is a piece missing in my heart…and that piece is you. Joanna Parrish…will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

She felt her tears flow freely now as a tearful smile broke out on her face.

"Yes! Yes I will."

And in that simple exchange of words, in the blink of an eye everything was okay again. Everything was perfect. Jo tried to savour the moment but then realized she didn't have to. Because in the arms of the man she loved she finally realized that a blink could last a lifetime.