Life had been a roller coaster for Charlotte over the last four months but suddenly things were beginning to fall apart. Her life with Bron was finished, over what Charlotte considered to be a terrible mistake and nothing more. She had forgotten to collect the kids one evening from school and Bron had gone ballistic in berating her. "I'm sorry, Bron, I got caught up in work and forgot that you had asked me to collect them. I apologise. It won't happen again." said a very contrite Charlotte. "You're damn right it won't happen again." replied Bron. "Charlotte, if you are still considering having that baby, you are going to have to do a lot of growing up. As far as I am concerned, I can't give you that support right now, and I under the circumstances, I don't think I ever will. I thought we had something very special going between us, but what you did today was so irresponsible I can barely look at you, let alone stay in the same house as you." Bron was now so angry that she walked out the front door and drove off to her mother's with the children in tow.
It was now 9.30 in the evening and Charlotte had been sitting around in her tracksuit trying to stem the flood of tears that kept streaming down her face no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She realised that it was now going to be impossible to mend her relationship with Bron, the love of her life, but she was going to have to make plans to enjoy life as a single person again. Getting some stamina into her body, Charlotte got up and poured herself a large Scotch, and in one quick gulp downed the lot. "That tasted good. It's warming the cockles of my heart. Another stiff one and I'll be ready to face the world." thought Charlotte.
Charlotte tried ringing Bron on the mobile but all she kept getting was "The customer you are calling is either out of coverage or has their unit powered off. Please try again later." "Damn you" thought Charlotte, "at least give me the opportunity to explain my actions." As it had now gone 11.00 pm Charlotte decided the best thing to do was to get some sleep so that she could face the world tomorrow. "God knows what Bron is going to say when she comes into work. I suppose I'll just have to take it on the chin and make the best of a bad job." said Charlotte to herself rather unconvincingly.
Charlotte woke bright and early and decided to have a long, relaxing shower to get rid of all the tension, and the alcohol, from the previous night. Dressed and ready to leave for work, Charlotte took a deep breath and headed to the lion's den, not quite sure what was going to happen. Once she had arrived, she was told they were short staffed as 3 nurses hadn't turned up, one being Bron, and 2 doctors had been called to a serious RTA. Charlotte was quite glad for the extra work to keep her mind off her own situation but it was certainly not like Bron, not to show up for work without calling in. "I could understand if she had rung in sick, but to leave no message, something's got to be wrong." "Jesus, Mary and Joseph" thought Charlotte, "maybe that accident involves Bron. Shit, I've got to try and get hold of her." Charlotte dialled Bron's number but she got the same recorded message again. No matter how many times she tried, it was always the same. There was no time for Charlotte to continue to try and get hold of Bron as Dr Patrick McKenzie hailed her to help him with the first casualty of the RTA. The woman was 23 years old and had been driving a pick up when she reached down to change the tape in the car and careered across the road. In the process she had hit 3 cars and a motorcycle causing serious injuries to everyone involved.
It had been 3 hours since the first patient had been brought in and the last was on the way. They had been badly trapped in the car and had to be cut out by the fire brigade. It was certainly touch and go as to whether the patient would make it. The state of the injuries to the head, pelvis and legs of the young woman who had obviously not been wearing a seat belt had shocked the ambulance drivers. She had just been lucky enough not to have gone straight through the windscreen. Charlotte and Patrick McKenzie were on standby at the ambulance bay to meet the casualty as they arrived. Once the stretcher had been removed from ambulance Charlotte got the shock of her life. There was Bron all battered and bruised and barely clinging to life. "Jesus Christ, Patrick we have got to save this person. She is a personal friend of mine." said a terribly distraught Dr Beaumont. Bron was rushed straight through to theatre and for the next 12 hours her life hung by the balance. Charlotte paced up and down the corridor unable to thing straight, blaming herself for what had happened. "If only I hadn't forgotten to collect the kids, Bron would never have been coming into work on that road. Shit, what have I done? Please God, don't let her die, I will do anything just to see her smile again and tell her I love her." Charlotte sat down in the chair and began to cry and before she realised what had happened, she had cried herself to sleep.
It was now gone 6.00 am and Charlotte awoke cold and hungry. Taking herself off to the bathroom she washed her face, just so that she looked a bit more respectively and the puffy eyes weren't as noticeable. Coming out of ICU, Charlotte encountered Patrick McKenzie. "Patrick, please tell me how she is." said and anxious Charlotte. "I'm not going to lie to you Charlotte, but she is in a critical condition and I would give her less than a 50 chance of making it. I'm sorry, but she really has got some horrific internal injuries." At this point, Charlotte nearly collapsed, not only had her relationship with Bron broken down, but she was going to lose her for good and that was something that Charlotte couldn't comprehend.
Every opportunity Charlotte got, she stayed by Bron's bedside until 3 weeks after the accident Bron finally woke up. "Hey there, glad to see you've decided to join us.' said an extremely relieved Charlotte. Bron was bleary eyed and unable to talk, but a faint smile spread across her face and her eyes just focussed on Charlotte with gratitude and love.
The day had come when Bron was being released from hospital and she was going to stay at her mother's due to the fact that she still needed round the clock nursing and as Charlotte was working all hours that God gave, it was impossible to consider Bron moving into her flat. As Bron got stronger, Charlotte began to open up and confess that she had never felt pain like the one she got when she saw Bron come in by ambulance. "I know I made a terrible mistake, but Bron, please let me look after you and children from now on. I know that I am not responsible enough to have a child of my own, and it took nearly losing you forever to wake me up to responsibilities in life. I love you and want to take care of you. Please let me do this for you." begged a very vulnerable Charlotte. It was a minute or two before Bron responded, "Charlotte, what you did was so irresponsible. All you had to do was make one phone call and the situation could have been sorted, but no you had to do everything your way and be like a bull in a china shop. After everything that has happened to me, my kids are the most important things in my life, and I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it is the truth. I do love you, but the situation is changed and only time is going to tell if we can work this out. I will give you the chance to show me how responsible you can be. I have to spend a week in rehabilitation and my mother isn't around to look after the children. You are going to take responsibility for them and that means making their meals, helping with homework, taking them to after school activities and all that goes with having children. If you truly have become responsible then this will make or break you but should you decide it is all too much then you must pick up the phone and call Ben immediately. He will help look after them." Charlotte was stunned. Was she going to be given the chance to show Bron, that she would do anything in her power to repair the damage that had been done. "I promise I will do my best for you and the children. Anything that has to be done, I will do it. I will take time off work, do whatever it takes to show you that you mean the world to me and not even an horrendous car smash is going to take you away from. I don't need any children of my own to make me whole. What I have is good enough." It was finally clear, that Charlotte Beaumont, could take responsibility for her actions and do the one thing that she was good at – being a doctor.
The end.