Chapter 2

When Charlotte woke up, it didn't take long before she realised she was still alone in the house. She looked outside the window and found Alex' car still not being there. Concern filled up her heart when she recalled the words he had said before leaving. "I'll go and get that thing in the cliff." She realised she needed to get there, but it would take her at least one hour on foot. She stood up and got her coat. She decided to go and get Stevie. She knew Stevie would be the only one that would come with her without long explanations.

'Charlotte, came for a visit?'

She shook her head, gasping for breath.

'We need… we need to find Alex,' she said then.

Like she expected, Stevie got in her car and drove her to the cliff.

'What the hell was he doing here at that time?'

Charlotte sighed. 'It was Claire's birthday,' she answered, knowing that Stevie knew what that still meant to Alex. She shivered when she thought about what could have happened at the cliff, and knowing this place had taken another life years ago, didn't comfort her at all.

It didn't take long before they recognized Alex' car. It didn't seem to have moved that night, according to the leafs on it. A cord was hanging on it, ending a couple of meters from the cliff bottom. Stevie stepped out of the car and ran to the cliff edge.

'I think someone needs help in there,' she called to Charlotte. Charlotte came closer and looked over the edge. She sighted.

'Damn, Alex,' she hissed. Stevie stood there for a second, thinking of what to do now. She'd never admit she was very glad for Charlotte to come, because she still couldn't get rid of her old feelings… she shook her head, not wanting to recall that time in her life, like she had so many times in her life she didn't want to recall.

'I think I'll go down there,' she said, taking a cord out of her car. Charlotte shook her head and put her hand on Stevie' s arm.

'Let me do it, Stevie,' she begged. Stevie looked at her and sighed.

'Right. But be careful, ok?'

PE had never been Charlotte's favourite class, and especially climbing was something she really hated to do, but today all those endless PE classes turned out to be useful. She shivered as she realised her life was depending on it now and tried to push away the thought she was scared of heights.

Reaching the bottom didn't turn out to be the hardest part. The hardest part to her was letting go of the cord, running towards her friend and praying he wasn't dying.

'Alex!' she shouted, kneeling beside him and shaking him. She was frightened to find out how cold he was feeling. He turned his head to her and looked at her. He was having a very feverish look in his eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds.

'Claire?' he moaned then. She looked at him, shook her head, not knowing how to react on this. He called me Claire.

'No, Alex, it's me, Charlotte.'

He didn't seem to realise what she just said. He was just looking at her, looking happy and desperate at one time.

'Don't go, Claire,' he begged. 'Just don't go.'

"But I am Charlotte" she wanted to say at first, but she saw the look in his eyes and decided to let him think she was Claire.

'It's alright,' she said, a trembling in her voice. 'I'm not leaving.'

'I found your necklace,' he said, giving her something. Something sparkling. She looked at her hand and found a necklace, carrying a small, silver heart. "To my dearest Claire" was nicked in it. Tears made her view muddy. She put the necklace in her pocket and sighed.

'Charlotte,' Stevie called from above. 'Is everything alright?'

She rubbed away her tears and shook her head. 'Not really. Will you call for an ambulance, please?'

Stevie nodded and took her mobile phone. It lasted a while before she had found a spot where the phone was working. Charlotte sat down on the ground. It's gonna be alright. Everything's just gonna be alright.

'You WHAT!' Peter yelled at his wife sitting opposite him. She looked at him calmly.

'I gave Charlotte permission to go to Drover's Run,' she said.

'Julia, you know I totally disagree with my daughter being on Drover's.'

'I know that,' she said still calmly. 'But I want her to be with her family.'

'That stupid nitwit is not her family,' Peter grumbled, meaning Alex. 'Not that he cares, of course.'

'But he was her father figure since the day she was born!' Julia called less calmly. 'And just think about it, Peter, you're always fighting her. Natalie can go much further than Charlotte to you.'

'Are you insinuating I favour Natalie above Charlotte?'

Julia opened her mouth to say 'no', but decided against it. 'Maybe I do,' she said. 'She can't do anything right to you. And sometimes…' she went on talking louder not to give Peter the chance to interrupt, '… sometimes you hit her. And I'm against hitting your children and you know it.'

'I hit her when she deserves it.'

'No one deserves it to be hit by his father,' Julia said. 'You know what I think?' she asked him after a silence. 'You're ashamed of her.'

'I'm not ashamed of her,' Peter said weakly. 'She's happy with us.'

'Oh, don't talk rubbish, Peter, why would she take refuge with Alex all the time if she was?'

'And what is making her unhappy?' Peter asked sarcastically, his arms crossed.

'You,' Julia said determined. 'You and Natalie. She's making her life a misery and you refuse to let me talk some sense into her. And I won't let Charlotte take it any longer.'

With that, Julia stood up and left.

When he woke up and saw somebody coming Alex would have sworn it was Claire. But in hospital, that loved face turned into another one.

'You're not Claire,' he said confused. Charlotte smiled.

'No, I'm not.'

He looked around, unable to recall last night.

'God, I'm freezing. What the bloody hell happened?'

Charlotte opened her mouth, unsure what to say. 'Well, you might be a little under cooled and you broke a leg. But I don't know how you did that.' She paused. 'But… you gave me this.' She took the necklace and showed it to him. He looked at it for a long time, suddenly remembering where he'd been last night.

'It's Claire's,' he said after a while.

'yeah, I understood that,' she responded. 'But you seemed to think I was her.'

'I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'I just wanted to get that for you…' he pointed at the necklace she was holding, 'but the cord got slippery or something…'

She nodded. They were silent for a moment.

'Is this sad,' Charlotte said after a while. 'We use to have so much fun together.' He nodded smiling.

'It's just a bad day, I reckon.'

'Mr. Ryan.' A nurse came walking towards them, looked down at Charlotte and seemed to have several things to say at one time.

'Is this your daughter, Mr. Ryan?' was the first thing. Alex looked at Charlotte, his eyes asking her what to say.

'Well… sort of,' Charlotte decided. The nurse looked down at the two of them looking a bit confused.

'She's my goddaughter,' Alex added quickly. 'Her mom has… died.'

'Oh, well… I, I'm sorry to hear that,' the poor girl stuttered, 'but what I'm trying to ask is… is she gonna stay here tonight?'

'Why, am I gonna stay?' Alex asked.

'You are,' Charlotte said amused. 'And trust me, they have the rights to keep you here, you're not looking very healthy.'

'Oh, right, so… I reckon you'll have to call your parents to pick you up.' She saw him looking a bit sad speaking out the word 'parents'. She nodded and looked up to the nurse. 'Can I use your phone, please?'

Peter was not very happy for being called by his daughter to ask him to pick her up in some hospital. He got in his car swearing. It was always Alex to Charlotte, she was practically living in there. And now the big loser threw himself into a cliff, breaking his leg and getting under cooled, and he had to show up for picking up his daughter. It was just… not fair. Charlotte was HIS daughter, but she used to treat that stupid farmer as if he was her father, but when things went wrong he had to show up for solving her problems. Driving to the hospital he promised himself this would be the last time he would humiliate himself for Alex Ryan.

Charlotte wasn't even waiting for him in the hall, he had to ask the receptionist in which room Alex Ryan was being and pick her up himself. She was still sitting at his bed, of course, he thought angry. Talking. Laughing. Doing things she should do with Peter. But do I want to? he asked himself. Do I really want to treat her like I'm treating Natalie? Do I even want her to be a part of my family? He'd had a very happy, peaceful life before Charlotte was born, before Julia had to find out his affair with Claire. When he thought about it, Charlotte had almost cost him his wife and his family. He shook his head, feeling guilty. She was still his daughter, of course.

'Thanks for picking her up, mate,' Alex called him back from his thoughts. He was really looking miserable. All for Claire, he thought a bit shocked. And it's fourteen years ago.

'Yeah, anytime,' he responded shortly. 'Come on Charlotte.' He took her wrist and led her out of the room. Charlotte looked back over her shoulder and gave Alex a see-you-soon-but-no-time-for-talking-now-look.

'dad, I…' Charlotte started in the car.

'Keep your mouth shut, Charlotte,' Peter responded. 'Enough trouble with you for today.'

'But I couldn't help it,' Charlotte responded humiliated. 'It's a long story and…'

'I know, I know, your beloved Alex is still grieving about Claire after fourteen years and threw himself into a cliff, and I have to show up for taking you home,' Peter said louder than he meant to. Charlotte was getting that angry look on her face, like she used to when he said something about Alex, Claire or her friends at Drover's.

'He didn't throw himself into it,' she said, 'it was an accident.'

'Oh, come on, the big loser's still not over her.'

'And he is NOT a big loser,' she shouted, suddenly feeling furious with her father.

'Shut up, Charlotte,' Peter yelled even louder. She saw red, gasping for breath in anger, unable to say anything making sense.

'Stop the car, dad,' she grumbled, and he did. Surprising, but he did.

'Where do you want to go, Charlotte,' he asked, pretending he didn't care. She stepped out of the car and started walking back the way they were coming from.

'I'm going back! Back where I belong!'

Peter bit his lip, wondering if he'd follow her or not. But, she'd regret she did that.

Charlotte looked back as she saw the car leaving. Good, he was letting her go. But he didn't have to think she'd ever return. Never again.