Charlie found Joey and Ruby waiting for her just inside the hospital doors. "Everything alright?" asked Joey.
"Not really," she replied. "But there isn't much I can do right now to change things."
Joey put her arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.
"What was that for?"
"Being a good person who wants to help," she replied. "And for being the woman I love."
"I wish a kiss could solve everything that is happening right now."
"All we can do is offer our support and help in any way we can, like sharing this picnic basket with Georgie."
"It sounds like someone might be hungry," teased Charlie when Joey's belly rumbled.
"I worked up quite the appetite last night," Joey whispered in a suggestive tone that had Charlie blushing.
"Oh my god, I can't take you guys anywhere," Ruby complained with a despairing wave of her arms. "You're like a couple of sexed-up teenagers."
"No, more like a couple of loved up lesbians," Joey fired back at her with a grin. "Who intend to stay like this for the rest of our lives."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you're happy, but just spare a thought for me, doomed to be single for the rest of my life."
"You're a great girl Ruby," Charlie said to her sister while she tried not to laugh at her over the top theatrics. "And I'm sure there is a guy just around the corner for you."
"Problem is, there are only so many corners in Summer Bay."
"How about when Martha wakes up, the two of us do some shopping therapy?" suggested Charlie.
"In the city?"
"Don't push it."
"Yabbie Creek it is."
"Now, can we get this food to where it's supposed to be?" Joey queried good-naturedly.
Charlie watched her cousin from the doorway, her heart breaking at the sight; her cousin looked tired, her clothes like she'd slept in them and she probably had and the usual stubbornness of her features was missing. "Georgie?" she called out softly, then a little louder when she got no response.
"Oh, hey Charlie," Watson answered when she finally realised her cousin was there.
Walking over to her side, Charlie rested her hand on Watson's shoulder. "How is she?"
"The same," she replied in a tired voice.
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"A little."
"Joey and Ruby are here with me, so why don't you come outside and join us for lunch?" she suggested. "We have a picnic basket filled with yours and Jay's favourite foods." Charlie spared a glance to the corner where Jay was playing with one of his toys. She smiled at the way his head had shot up at the mention of food. "Come on Georgie, you need to eat and we won't be far from Martha."
Georgie didn't answer and held her girlfriend's hand tighter.
"You need a break," Charlie said gently. "And I'm betting Martha would appreciate having her girlfriend looking healthy when she wakes."
"Are you saying I look terrible?"
"Yes."
She smiled at Charlie's honesty.
"If you don't get any sunshine soon, you'll be looking as white as these bed sheets," she added lightly. It had only been a couple of days, but the stress really was taking a toll on her cousin, Charlie thought and so she wasn't taking no for an answer. "And I'm sure Jay would appreciate a run around with Ruby."
"Yes please," piped in Jay before he resumed with his current activities.
"You don't play fair," Watson murmured with a slight smile.
"And I have a few more dirty tricks I'm willing to try out if it means getting you outside for some sun, fresh air and food."
Watson turned her attention back to Martha. "I just wish she'd come back to us." Her voice caught and broke, her shoulders shaking as it all became too much for her.
Charlie gathered her cousin into her arms and held her while she cried. "Martha is going to make it through this," she said soothingly. "You have to believe that."
"I need her so much Charlie," Watson sobbed. "I don't know if I'll survive without her."
She closed her eyes tightly, fighting her own emotions at how terrified her cousin sounded. "You are the strongest person I've ever met Georgie," Charlie told her. "You have overcome so much in your life and as hard as it might seem right now, I know you'll come through this for both Martha and your son."
"I'm so tired of always having to fight for everything," she murmured. "It never seems to end."
And her fight wouldn't be over anytime soon, thought Charlie. When Martha woke and she believed she would, there was still her rehab to deal with and then there was all the family baggage that they couldn't keep putting off, because it was holding them all back in some way. She held onto her cousin. "You don't have to fight alone, Georgie."
"I know." Watson looked down when she felt a tug on her top.
"Mama, are you ok?"
She moved away from her cousin and picked her son up, hugging him to her. "I'm just tired."
"When is mum going to wake up?"
"Soon," she assured him and prayed that it would be so. "Are ready for some food?" She chuckled at his enthusiastic nod. "Well it's a good thing then that Charlie has brought your favourites."
"Moooose?" he asked excitedly and both adults chuckled.
"He's definitely your boy with his passion for dessert over everything else," teased Charlie. "And there is plenty of strawberry mousse just for you," she said to the toddler and in a flash, he was out of his mother's arm and off in search of his prize.
"Give me a minute, will you Charlie?"
Charlie nodded and left her cousin to go and join the others. When she was alone, Watson held her girlfriend's hand to her lips. "We need you baby," she murmured. "Please come back to us." She gently set Martha's hand back down and leant over, kissing her lips softly. "I love you so much."
"Watch it!" Charlie shouted as she ducked under the errant Frisbee. Once they'd found a spot on the grass, both Watson and Jay had tucked into their food, starting with the dessert. When the final bite was gone, Joey had pulled out a Frisbee and with Ruby's help, made Jay forget all about why they were at the hospital. When the Frisbee once more sailed a little too close, Charlie glared at Joey when she realised it wasn't such an errant Frisbee after all. Waving her finger warningly at them, she sent the Frisbee back from where it had come.
"It's nice to see him laugh," Watson said, but she was unable to rid herself of the heaviness that was over her heart, even with her son finally having some fun. He was too young to really understand what was going on but she knew the moment they were back inside, this joy he was having at the moment would disappear and that made this all so much harder for her to deal with. She'd do anything for her boy, but making his mother better was beyond her and she hated letting him down. She sighed heavily and lay on the grass, staring up at the sky. It was so blue, with not even a cloud in the sky, yet she got little comfort from it. Her whole life had been one struggle after another but with Martha, she'd found stability and had been given the chance at something she never dreamt was possible growing up; a family of her own and a loving and happy one at that, but now she was close to losing the best part of her. Martha understood her better than most, she didn't judge her or try to change her, she accepted her for who she was and despite that and what most others thought about her, Martha still loved her and trusted her with her heart and her son and that trust meant the world to her. There had been so few in her life who had shown her such love, trust and commitment and she was scared what would happen if she lost that and the stability Martha brought into her life. She would always be there for their son, but she doubted she'd ever really be able to move on from losing Martha. "I hate this feeling of helplessness Charlie," she murmured after some time.
"I know and I wish I could do more to help."
"You're here for me and Jay, that's more than enough." Watson looked at her cousin. "I heard that Poster Boy was brought in for questioning."
There was little point in trying to keep things from her cousin, so Charlie filled her in on everything she knew to date. "Robertson and Graves are still following up leads in the city, but we should know more soon."
"That bastard is just lucky Jay and Martha need me or I'd go after him and get an honest confession out of that lying shit."
"Robertson will find out the truth, so you just concentrate on your family."
"You don't have to worry Charlie, I'm not going to do anything dumb."
"I might end up doing it for you," she muttered. "The whole time he was speaking to Robertson and Graves, I just wanted to throttle him."
Watson stared at her cousin in surprise. Charlie usually had good control of her emotions and she didn't think she'd ever seen anybody, besides herself, get to Charlie like this, but then she supposed, Angelo was her girlfriend's soon to be ex-husband and had most likely hurt people Charlie cared about or once cared about. "It's not looking good for Bianca, is it?"
Charlie shook her head.
"I'm no fan of hers, but I wouldn't wish any harm on her."
"If Angelo is lying," and she was certain that he was, "Then Robertson will get him and Angelo will be forced to pay for what he's done."
"And he will be out of all of our lives," Watson added. "I just hope he doesn't take Martha's with him."
"Hey, Martha isn't going anywhere."
"I want to believe she's going to be ok, but every minute her eyes stay closed, it becomes harder to stay positive."
"Her condition is stable and that's a positive you need to hold onto," Charlie told her.
"I'm trying to but it's the waiting that is killing me."
"Yeah, it's not easy to sit by and just wait, in fact, it's probably one of the hardest things for a person's loved ones to have to go through and it can be terrifying," Charlie said. "When I found you after you'd been shot, I was so terrified you'd die and then every day when you lay there unconscious, I felt totally useless and frightened that we'd lose you, but every day, you hung on and you slowly got stronger until you came back to us and the one thing I know about Martha, is that she can be as stubborn as you are, which is why I know she will pull through."
"You really felt like that?" Watson asked in a small voice and Charlie nodded.
"I know we haven't always gotten along and that I don't always understand you, but we're family and I love you Georgie and finding you close to death and watching you cling to life like that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to experience."
Watson stayed silent, really not sure what to say.
"I'm always here for you Georgie," she said. "And you have so many people who care for you, who want to be here for you."
"Thanks Charlie." Watson sighed heavily, "And I appreciate lunch and the support, I really do, but I hope you're not about to mention John," she said, having seen her father earlier from the window in Martha's room.
"Look, I don't know what happened, but."
"No you don't," snapped Watson. "Please Charlie, I cannot deal with this right now."
"You're right and I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"It's not your fault, I'm the one who kept it a secret and I know you and everyone else have a lot of questions, but I'm just not up to talking about it now." She stared back up at the sky as a lone cloud floated over. "And I know you and I still need to have that much needed talk Martha is always reminding me we should have, but for the moment, she and Jay are my priority and everything else just isn't a concern."
"Caring for Martha and Jay is where all your energy should be going, but just don't forget that you need to look after yourself as well." Charlie flinched when the Frisbee came within an inch of her face and would have hit her if it hadn't of been safely plucked from the air by her cousin.
"Sorry Charlie," Ruby shouted out. "That one really did get away from me."
"I think they need some Frisbee lessons," murmured Watson and she got to her feet.
"Georgie, are you going to be ok?"
Watson nodded and sent the Frisbee flying. "Georgie!" Ruby shouted as she ducked.
"Oops, it got away from me," she shouted back.
"At this rate, it's probably a good thing we're in the hospital grounds and close to the doctors," Charlie said as she caught the returning Frisbee.