Charlie paused by the door to Martha's hospital room and watched for a moment. Her cousin was lying on the bed next to Martha, resting her eyes she'd no doubt be claiming when she woke up, while Jay was sitting between his mums yabbering away in excitement.
"Aunty Chuck, mummy's awake," Jay enthusiastically yelled across the room when he saw her standing there.
Martha winced at his raised voice. "Jay, we're in the hospital, so you need to keep your voice down and you don't want to wake up your mama," she gently told him, not that she thought anything less than a bomb going off would wake her girlfriend since she'd been sleeping through their son's constant talking for the past ten minutes; she'd barely even murmured when Jay had just shouted out.
"So I can see," Charlie said quietly as she walked over to the bed and looked down at Martha. "It's so good to see those wonderful eyes of yours open."
"Thought it was about time to stop slacking off and wake up," Martha joked.
"I passed on the good news to everyone I could, including Robertson and Graves," Charlie said. "They'll be by to interview you in an hour or so." Her cousin had warned her about Martha's memory loss, so she avoided mentioning that the two detectives were currently speaking to April about Bianca.
"There's not much point," Martha said. "I don't remember anything."
"It's not unusual for accident victims to have some memory loss when they first wake up."
"That's what Rachel said when she examined me earlier. She told me that memories of a trauma can take time to sort out, but she also said that I may never remember at all."
"Don't stress yourself out too much trying to remember things," Charlie said to her, adding a silent prayer that Robertson and Graves could find enough to nail Angelo without having to rely on testimony from Martha. "Just concentrate on getting better first."
"I guess you won't tell me what's going on either," complained Martha.
"Not yet," she said with a shake of the head. "It's best that your first interview with the Detectives is based on what you can remember or don't remember, rather than risk having your testimony tainted by what you may have been told about the accident."
"I've lived with a cop long enough to know there's more to this than it just being an accident," Martha stated. "But as annoying as being kept in the dark is, I get why you and Georgie are being so tight lipped."
"Once you've spoken to Robertson and he gets a baseline for any memory that may return, then we can fill you in on the details," Charlie told her.
"It's bad though, isn't it?"
"The way things are looking right now, then yeah, it's bad," replied Charlie.
Martha sighed. "I should have been home and talking to Georgie about her extended family, instead of being in here and worrying everyone for the past couple of days."
"Ah, I take it then that you do remember parts of that day."
"Especially the bit about my girlfriend being a Palmer."
"That was certainly a surprise."
Martha gazed at her sleeping girlfriend. "I wish she'd told me herself, instead of finding out like that, but I'm just glad the secret is out now and we can finally start to deal with everything." Watson murmured in her sleep and Martha brushed a stray lock from her girlfriend's face. "Though, I'm not sure if things will ever change between her and John."
"There's certainly a lot of resentment on Georgie's part there," Charlie said. "But for what it's worth, I know that John wants to be there for his daughter and for all of you."
"So any chance of John being a part of our lives is likely to come down to whether or not Georgie can get past this resentment she has toward her father."
"Georgie hasn't said much since the day the secret came out, except to say she blames John for her mother's death."
"Shit," muttered Martha. "John said she blamed him for her horrible childhood and for leaving her in a house with a man capable of murdering his wife and it is understandable she'd feel abandonment in that regards, but she saw her own fa," she paused and corrected herself, "She saw her stepfather murder her mother, so I don't get why she blames John for her mother's death."
"Look, I don't know why she blames John, neither does he, only I get the feeling it's more than just resentment and feeling of abandonment in having been left in that situation."
"Ah, another secret to unlock from within that stubborn girlfriend of mine," Martha murmured, while gazing affectionately at Watson. "She drives me crazy at times, especially with her inability to open up about her past and her feelings, but underneath all that, she's the woman who stole my heart and I wouldn't change her for the world."
"I'd make her a little less cranky," quipped Charlie and Martha chuckled.
"Who's cranky?" mumbled Watson as her sleepy eyes slowly opened.
"Well, well, nice of you to join the land of the living," teased Charlie.
"What are you talking about?"
"Just resting your eyes, were you?" smirked Charlie.
Watson took in her surroundings and realised she must have nodded off.
"I think if anyone deserves to rest their eyes, it is Georgie," Martha came to her girlfriend's defence. "And Charlie, since we're on the subject of Georgie resting her eyes, I was wondering if you could take her home before you go back to work so that she can rest properly?"
"Of course," Charlie said at the same time Watson argued that she wasn't going anywhere.
"Georgie, you heard Rachel, she said I'm going to be fine and you," Martha jabbed her softly. "You need to rest."
"Martha's right," Charlie weighed in. "You've been here nonstop since the accident Georgie and now that Martha is awake, you should go home and get a decent sleep."
Watson looked between the two women, took note of their determined expressions and then shrugged in defeat. "I'd argue more, but I'm too damn tired," she said with a wry smile.
"I don't want to see you back here until tomorrow, is that clear?" Martha said to her.
"Fine, but if Robertson gives you any crap or upsets you in any way, then call me."
"I can handle him and mum is on her way, so I'll have her sit in and keep him in line if that will make you feel better."
"It will," Watson said. "You know, your mum's not so bad," she mumbled through a stifled yawn.
Martha stared at her. "I must still be asleep, because I'm sure I just heard my girlfriend, who has never gotten along with my mother because mum hasn't been all that friendly toward her, say that mum isn't so bad."
Watson shrugged at her surprise. "Roo and I have come to an understanding."
"Wow, that really is the last thing I ever expected to hear," Martha admitted. She had always hoped her mother and the woman she loved would learn to get along, but in all honesty, she had believed there was little hope of that ever happening, yet now it seemed like the first steps had been made toward making that hope come to fruition.
"Now, I'm not saying your mum and I are going to end up the best of friends or anything," Watson told her. "But we've both agreed that your recovery is the most important thing right now, so it's time to set aside our past animosity and start working toward a more amicable relationship."
"If only you could do that with your father," Martha wanted to say aloud, yet she didn't; it would do no good to push her girlfriend too quickly and Georgie had enough to worry about at the moment with her being in the hospital. A thought tugged at the back of her mind; she had a vague recollection of speaking to her mother the day of the accident and then her eyes widened when she remembered that conversation had come after talking to John in the diner.
"Martha, what is it?" Watson asked in concern when she saw the look on her girlfriend's face.
"I just remembered a bit more about the day of my accident."
"That's great," Charlie said.
"The accident is still a blank though."
"Don't try to force it Martha," Charlie told her. "If you're going to remember, just let it come to you."
"It's just so frustrating having this blank spot in my head."
"Are you ok mummy?" Jay asked and Martha smiled reassuringly at him.
"I'm fine Jay, I'm just trying to remember something I've forgotten, that's all." She ruffled his hair. "Now, why don't you get your things ready so you can go home with your mama."
"I want to stay here with you."
She tried not to laugh at his quivering lip. He'd picked up that habit recently and had quickly learnt he could use that, along with his puppy dog eyes, to his advantage whenever he wanted to get his own way. "I'd like you to stay Jay, but now that I'm awake, the hospital staff won't let you stay past visiting hours, so I want you to go home and keep your mama company."
"But who is going to keep you company?"
"Well, your grandmother is coming and there are people everywhere here, so I won't be alone." Her girlfriend had forgotten to mention her cracked ribs earlier and she'd found out the hard way how painful sudden movements could be, but despite the pain and discomfort, she held her arms out to her son and he went in for the hug. "I love you and I'm going to miss you, but I'll feel better knowing that you're home sleeping in your own bed and keeping your mama from being lonely."
"Ok mummy."
She let her son go and smiled at her girlfriend. "You'd better get out of here before I change my mind."
Watson leant in close. "I hate sleeping in an empty bed," she confessed quietly to her.
"So do I, but I'm going to be home soon."
"I love you."
"I love you too," Martha murmured and pulled her girlfriend in for a kiss.
Charlie went to help Jay get his things together, so as to give the couple a moment of privacy.
"Do you think Martha would prefer flowers or chocolate?" Joey asked Ruby as they walked into the Yabbie Creek gift shop to get a gift for Martha now that she had regained consciousness but was still going to be stuck in hospital for a while.
"Go with both," Ruby said. "Martha loves flowers and she can share the chocolates with Georgie." Her eyes lit up on an item to her right and she picked it up to show Joey. "Oh and Jay would absolutely love this."
Joey grinned at the little policewoman bear. "That's so cute," she said. "And it looks just like his mama."
"Yeah, warm and fuzzy," Ruby said with a chuckle. She loved her cousin dearly, but she was under no illusions about how prickly she could be at times.
"I'm sure she is warm and fuzzy with Martha and Jay," Joey said and grabbed one of the larger versions of the bear; it was so big it would tower over Jay if she stood it next to him. "Martha might like some company on those long nights in hospital when she can't snuggle up with the real thing."
Ruby turned the price tag around. "Shit, it's worth more than what a real cop makes in a week." She was exaggerating, but not by much. "I can't afford that."
"You don't have to, because I'm buying it," Joey told her.
"I can't let you do that Joey, it's too much."
"Nonsense," Joey said. "Martha is my friend and she's been great to me since I came here, giving me the job and support and all that, so the least I can do is buy her something to cheer her up while she's in hospital." Her father hadn't gone ahead with his threat to cut her off, not that she would have been too worried if he had, as the money and perks that came with it hadn't meant as much to her as it did to those she grew up with, but even if it had, the trust fund her mother had set up for her before she died, would have allowed her to live quite comfortably if she chose to.
"It's still a lot of money for a bear, Joey," Ruby said, still a little uncertain about Joey's generous offer.
"Not when it is for family and if the three of us are going to be a family, then that makes Georgie, Martha and Jay my family as well," Joey reasoned. "And after everything they've been through, they deserve to be spoilt a little."
"Yeah, they do. Thanks Joey." She patted the bear's belly. "It really is cute," she said. "But we'd better leave it at the bears, flowers and chockies."
"Fair enough," agreed Joey.
"I really am so glad you came into Charlie's life, Joey," Ruby told her. "Into all of our lives."
"Thank you Ruby and thank you for making me feel so very welcome."
"Well, after all that Charlie has done for me since we lost mum and dad, the least I could do is be nice to the woman who finally captured her heart."
"And if I hadn't captured her heart and it was just sex between us?" Joey asked with some curiosity, since she knew how protective the teen was toward her big sister.
Ruby shrugged. "It would have depended."
"On what?"
"On whether you were nice or a complete cow," Ruby replied. "And if you'd been a complete cow, then you would have been fair game."
Joey chuckled. "So what would you have done if I had been a complete cow who had captured your sister's heart and you were stuck with me?"
"Who said you aren't a complete cow?" Ruby fired back with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, very nice," Joey said drolly.
"Seriously though, as long as you made Charlie happy, then I'd have found a way to be nice and cope with you being a cow," she said. "But lucky for us, that is never going to be a problem I have to deal with, because you've not only won my sister's heart, you're also a very nice person."
Joey put her arm around the young teen's shoulders. "You know, you're a pretty great sister."
Ruby smiled warmly at her. "Since you think I'm such a great sister, can I get a few more driving lessons from you?" she asked with a hint of both cheek and hope.
"I said pretty great," Joey said with a completely straight face. "But why don't we see how the first couple of lessons go before you try to weasel more out of me?"
"Deal."
"Now, why don't we finish up here and then go have a coffee at that café down the road."
"Sounds good."