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Enjoy this dramatic chapter! x

Chapter 8: No news is good news.

"Morning Stud!" Heath piped up the next morning, clapping his hands as Brax walked out of Charlie's room and put his shirt that he'd left on the sofa back on.

"Don't." he said harshly as he buttoned the shirt up. Heath frowned as Brax dropped down to the floor and began rummaging through his bags before pulling out a bottle of bourbon.

"Brax?" Heath asked, sitting up on the sofa and looking at his brother warily

"You said don't do anything stupid." Brax said, chugging the first few gulps down his throat before dropping his bottle and hand to his waist and looking directly at Heath "and I did something stupid." He finished and walked towards the door of the apartment, slamming it with unnecessary force.

He was scared to let himself get close to Charlie in fear of losing her again.

Little did he realise he had already let himself get too close.

Charlie frowned as she opened her eyes the next morning, instantly missing a presence in the room. The whole apartment felt empty and cold again. She rolled over to have her thoughts confirmed. The spot next to her was stone cold. She sighed and rolled over onto her back, the covers of the bed riding low at her waist from the quick retreat from Brax that morning. She knew he'd taken one step too soon last night, the events that had unfolded in the past 24 hours were enough to confuse anyone, looking for comfort is the thing people naturally look for and Charlie was Brax's only source of it last night.

"Hey where's Brax?" Charlie asked as she walked into the kitchen to see Heath slaving over a hot grill, still dressed in Brax's shirt. Heath chuckled as he noticed what she was wearing.

"He went out for a bit." Heath replied, pretending not to notice as her face fell slightly.

"Oh right." She replied, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"He'll come back soon, but whilst he doesn't want to be found, he won't be found." Heath reassured her, her shrugging shoulders and downcast look not going unnoticed by him. "Spill." He said, nudging her as he slid a bacon butty over the kitchen bench. "What happened last night?" He continued as Charlie looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"I don't know," she said drowsily, yawning slightly.

"Did you…you know…" he insinuated, wriggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Heath!" she squealed as her cheeks burned crimson.

"What you did?" he chuckled, his eyes widening slightly, more in shock that he hadn't been woken up by any noise. She and Brax used to wake the whole of summer bay up he was sure.

"No!" Charlie yelled, throwing a tea towel at him and laughing, "No, we both couldn't sleep so slept together instead." She explained, rolling her eyes as Heath cocked an eyebrow "Literally slept Heath." She said as her laughter subsided.

An awkward silence overcame them both as Charlie picked at her bacon sandwich. Heath knew she was missing a certain presence.

"He'll be back." Heath said certainly,

"Yeah I know." Charlie sighed with confidence "That's part of the problem." She said, getting up and wondering over to the window of her apartment. It was on the top floor, but then again there was only a ground floor and a 1st floor to the apartment block, so it didn't disrupt the views of the harbour from the buildings behind.

"Nah- See that's where you're going wrong." Heath quipped "Brax see's you as the one that got away and you see him as the one that got lucky." Heath said, Charlie chuckled and shrugged off his comment. Looking into the truth of it was something her heart couldn't bare right now.

But she couldn't help but wonder if brax really saw her as the one that got away…

"You both need to wake up and see that life's too short."

"Don't I know it." Charlie agreed, turning back to face him, her body still close to the floor length windows.

"There's the spirit aye Buckton?" Heath said positively as he went to the fridge, only for his head to whip back around again at the sound of glass splitting and crashing over the floor, and Charlie's ear splitting scream. His eyes went wide as he ran over to Charlie who lay motionless on the floor.

"Shit!" He sat with his hands shaking on his legs, his eyes dancing between Charlie and the brick that lay next to her on the floor, both in a pool of glass. Shakily dialling 911 he glanced down at Charlie, his hands trembling on his phone as he saw the blood drip out from under her head.

"Buckton? Buckton?" he yelled, desperately "Buckton don't do this!" he shouted, desperately trying to bring her back round.

Heath watched Sid wheel her down the corridor.

Sid Walker, of all people had deceived them all.

Sid knew.

It was just one shock after another. He sighed as she was wheeled out of sight. And no sooner did his back crash back against one of the plastic chairs than his brother came rushing behind him finally. After 10 calls and 12 messages Brax had finally answered.

"Heath where is she!" Brax yelled jogging up to him and looking over Heath's shoulder, edging to go further down the forbidden corridor. Heath swallowed a lump in his throat at the look on Brax's face

"Mate calm down!" He yelled as Brax struggled to get past him, "Listen to me, listen to me." He said, placing both hands on Brax's shoulders, "She's in surgery, they're relieving the pressure on her brain."

"You won't lose her again ok?" Heath said, trying to reassure Brax as much as he was himself. He let go of his brothers shoulders as Brax sunk to the ground as his knees buckled under his weight. His body slid down the wall with ease from all the practise he'd had over the years. Every breath he'd had seemed to be knocked out from his lungs as if he were a punch bag. His heart seemed constricted and pulled in all directions at the same time, and his tears seeped out of him like water from a sponge. Heath couldn't do anything but watch silently as his brothers cries echoed silently down the corridors in an endless stream of pain.

An hour past that led to two, that led to three. Each time that set of double doors swung open the boys found themselves coming to a stand in the corridor, only for a doctor with a remorseful face to walk past them silently. Both of them were restless, the sound that echoed throughout the corridor was that of Brax's foot tapping, the sound of Heath's sighs of frustration and the irritation clock in the corner, reminding them constantly of how long they had been waiting. Each second they waited Brax felt his chest tightening further as the worst thoughts ran through his head. Time seemed to move painfully slowly, almost like it had stopped to let the lingering pain in Brax's chest go on for a little longer. The boys could no longer remember the time they arrived, and if asked they couldn't remember how they managed to get here.

Heath shot a few glances over at Brax and found himself wrecked by his brothers' composure; he felt a sudden guilt. He hadn't been there before when Charlie was shot, and now he was there for him, he had no idea what to do; no color remained in his brothers' face, no familiarity resided there. Brax's gaze was firmly on him but he was looking right through him, towards the off white wall that resembled the same slightly greyed complexion of Brax's face.

He had tried to keep Brax positive for the first half an hour but now found himself consumed with his own worry; his worry was that this wasn't the last that was to come. This wasn't the worst Brax could suffer. This wasn't the worse thing that could hit Charlie. He found his mind overpowered by the photograph in his mind of her on the floor, she lay so still you could have framed the moment. He couldn't shake the image of the blood seeping from her head. Heath, again found himself worried for one Charlie Buckton.

It reminds us that sometimes we find ourselves in situations we never expect to be in.

Situations we try to avoid but cannot prevent.

Heath watched as Brax lost his patience and began pacing restlessly.

"Brax-" He went to speak but was interrupted by his brothers voice.

"She should be out of there by now." Brax said, Heath didn't say anything he just nodded understandingly, knowing that Brax was probably right. "We should have heard something by now." Brax said adamantly.

"No news is good news?" Heath suggested hopefully.

"We had no news last time and were then told she was-" Brax stopped his sentence finding he couldn't go on with that thought. Heath looked up at his brother as he crumbled again, taking his frustration out on the wall behind him. His fist and head refusing to register the pain in his knuckles at the contact with the wall.

Heath cocked an eyebrow suddenly as Brax stopped instantly. "What?" Heath asked as Brax looked at him.

"I need to ring Ruby." Brax declared, pulling his phone out. Brax looked up as someone cleared their throat and tapped at the phone,

"That isn't your decision to make-"

Brax's eyes burned with anger as he looked up at the man before him. "Not my decision to make?" he yelled, shoving inspector Joyce in the chest as he pushed him back. "Whatever authority you had went out the window the second she got hurt." He yelled, angered by Joyce's calm composure.

"Brax, Charlie's needs come first." Joyce said in an ease that riled Brax up.

"No don't you dare tell me that!" Brax yelled, about to lurch forward until a voice pulled them both from their heated argument.

"Let him ring Ruby." Sid said from behind them, standing in his overalls.

"Sid?" Brax questioned, even though it was more of a disbelief stricken statement than a question.

"How is she?" Heath asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"She's fine, we relieved the pressure on her brain, Charlie and the baby are doing well," he said confidently, a small smile breaking out as he saw the relief in both boys' expressions.

There is nothing worse than a hospital.

Nothing worse than a hospital with someone you love inside it.

Life can change so easily. One-day things can be fine and the next your life is ripping at the seams. Or it can be the opposite, you can feel lost and the next you're found, seeing, hearing, touching one thing can make everything change.

For Ruby, it was that one sentence from Brax that made her begin to feel something inside again.

"Rubes?" Brax questioned as she picked up the phone.

"Hey Brax." She said chirpily,

"Where are you?" He asked,

"I'm in the city just heading back from a Uni interview." She said with happiness in her voice that Brax hadn't heard for a while. He beamed with pride briefly in the hospital as he heard her say 'Uni' She was finally getting her life back…and now he had to be the one to flip it on its head.

"I need you to come down to the hospital." He said, his voice trembling slightly.

"What now?" Ruby asked a worried strain in her voice being recognised by Brax.

"Yeah um, the city hospital." He said shakily.

"Brax you're keeping me in suspense here!" She chuckled,

"Ruby, Charlie's alive."

She'd managed to stay on the phone as Brax explained the situation to her, both of them crying in a mixture of relief and a worry that someone was still out there trying to hurt Charlie.

But somehow, through the crying and trembling Ruby had managed to get to the hospital in record timing.

"Brax!" Ruby yelled down the corridor as she set her eyes on his lost figure.

Ruby felt her knees buckle as she saw him down the corridor, her legs failing her as she stumbled along in a jagged line, her body not really sure what to do or how to react. She wasn't even sure how she'd managed to get to the hospital. All it took was one nod from Brax and she ran towards him, her tears streaming down her face. Her legs moved faster than her mind could register and all her emotions hit her with a raw punch as she flung herself into his arms, her grip on him tighter than she'd ever held onto anyone. Her composure crumbled like a just baked cookie. She let herself cry into his shirt as one of his arms held her waist and the other clung onto the back of her head, running his fingers through her soft waved hair. Brax felt his own emotions at their wits end as the girl he saw as a daughter trembled in his arms, a mixture of fear and joy, of pain and happiness, of grief and love.

"She's ok Rubes she's ok." He whispered, almost inaudible. He didn't even hear himself speak but she heard him loud and clear. It was only when she pulled back, she noticed his wide blood shot eyes. The ordeal was wrecking him just as much as it had her. As usual they both shared the same thing. They shared the same headspace. They shared a love for Charlie.

"Can I go and see her?" Ruby said tearfully, Brax let her go as one of Charlie's nurses nodded only for Inspector Joyce to hold her back.

"Actually we need to speak to you both first." He said, ignoring Brax's eyes burning angrily into the back of his head.

"Don't worry I'll go in and sit with her." Heath said reassuringly, nodding at Brax and Ruby as they were reluctantly led off down the corridor with Joyce and Sid.

"You watched us all grieve and yet you didn't say a word." Brax said dauntingly, half an hour later as he stood in the doorway to Sid's office where he and Ruby now stood rooted to the spot opposite Joyce and Sid.

"Brax I'm sorry." Sid said honestly.

"You're sorry, it's a bit late for that." Brax scoffed brutally, still standing with his hands on his hips, he'd declined Joyce's offer for a chair, and he couldn't relax after today's events.

He couldn't relax since he found out Charlie was alive.

"Look Brax, as hard as it is for you to understand I left the bay to be with her so that she could have some familiarity." Sid explained, trying to even things out steadily.

"She could have had that with me and Rubes, in the bay." Brax answered back, his voice harsh and brash.

"No, she left so that Ruby would be safe Brax!" He said, his voice raising slightly, Brax looked at Ruby who'd still refused to say anything. "She was used as a leash to reel Charlie in. She wanted you with her, but as long as she did that Ruby wouldn't be safe." Sid explained desperately, throwing an apologetic look at Ruby who sat in a dazed silence.

"I knew all of it and I couldn't stay and watch you all fall apart. I couldn't watch you crumble." Sid said honestly, looking at the harrowed faced man before him directly in the eye.

"As much as this chat is touching, we need to discuss Charlie's safety." Joyce spoke bitterly,

Brax's sharp inhale of breath didn't go unnoticed by Ruby or Sid as Joyce spoke.

"Yeah because you're the expert on that aren't you?" Brax replied tauntingly.

"Better than you were." Joyce swiped back in torment. Ruby quickly grasped onto Brax's arm as he clenched his fist and went to move forward,

"Brax." She said softly, standing in front of him and pushing him back softly, waiting for his anger to subside before she let go.

"Did you know Jake has a hit out on her?" Brax demanded.

"No." Joyce answered. "Which is why she can go back to the bay." He said suddenly, causing Ruby and Brax to look at him puzzled,

"You're joking right?" Ruby said, almost laughing in her seat. "She's in danger and you want her back in summer bay?"

"We can keep an eye on her there." Joyce explained.

"I thought that was the point of witness protection?" Brax said in a mimicking police officer voice,

"She will have you all around her, officers close by- watching your every move." Joyce said adamantly, "If anyone notices anything suspicious we'll be right on it."

"Just like you were before aye?" Brax said sardonically,

"We can't keep her in witness protection now- not now you all know." Joyce said, pointing to the two of them, "And summer bay may be the least obvious place for anyone to come looking" Joyce said, justifying himself, though none of them knew the irony of his words.

"Doesn't bring back the past six months though does it?" Brax spat out.

"How could you get it so wrong?" Ruby asked Joyce, shaking her head at him, tears brimming in her eyes,

"I was doing what I thought was best." He said, with some form of remorse in his voice.

"Well you thought wrong didn't you?" She said, raising her voice and her finger pointing accusingly at him, "Because now, we're the ones that have to live with your mistakes, and Charlie's the one that has to live in danger." She yelled, looking at him in anger for a few seconds, her breathing harsh and ragged. Sid looked between Brax and Ruby, noticing how Brax did nothing to prevent her outburst, because they both knew she was right.

"You were the one to put her in danger," Joyce yelled, shifting the blame onto Brax as he shouted at him "I can't believe Daryl Braxton of all people couldn't keep things under wraps for longer." He finished.

"It really breaks my heart to disappoint you Sarg." Brax drooled mockingly.

"For gods sake Daryl this isn't a game!" Joyce snapped, slamming his fist on the table.

"You want to play that card with me?" Brax boomed, "Protecting her safety is never your priority, covering your arse is number one." He barked truthfully.

"Where's Brax?" Charlie croaked, her eyes still shut as she began to wake up, her head pounding in pain.

"He's just had to go speak with the doc," Heath explained softly, chuckling as Charlie raised a brief smile at hearing Brax was at the hospital. "Hey Buckton-wakey wakey!" Heath cooed, leaning over Charlie as she started to become more alert, "You are just full of surprises aren't you?" he chuckled, leaning back into his chair as her eyes slowly began to open.

"Argh god, why do you have to be the first thing I see when I wake up." She groaned, trying to add a light-hearted spin onto the situation.

"What are you talking about I'm drop dead gorgeous." Heath said teasingly,

"I could think of better company after a brain operation." Charlie deadpanned, smiling through the pain aching in her head as Heath put his hand over his heart.

"Break my heart Buckton- I'm hurt."

"Heath, you give most people headaches on a good day."

"Hahaha Buckton." Heath laughed robotically, throwing her a hurt look. "It may come as a surprise to you but I have emotions." He said matter of factly.

"Just don't ever tell anyone I said that." He grinned as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Joking aside, you reckon I have a right to know who this guy is now?" Charlie asked, cocking an eyebrow up at him.

"Buckton-" Heath started, only to be stopped in his tracks by Charlie.

"That wasn't a question Heath. Tell me who he is!" Charlie demanded, her voice still dreary in her drugged up state.

Heath hesitated slightly as she looked at him through tired but pleading eyes, He couldn't lie to her anymore. "Danny, his name's Danny, Danny Braxton."

"What?" Charlie croaked, the disbelief in her voice blatantly clear as she realised whom the man was.

Heath sighed, "I know this is a lot to take in but we need to keep this between the two of us. If we tell them they're not gonna do anything until there is solid evidence." He rambled on, before looking up at Charlie who leant her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes, trying to will all of this away.

"So what we just sit pretty and wait for him to throw another brick at my head." Charlie said sarcastically.

"No I watch your back and we wait for him to slip up." Heath said,

"That's a real comforting thought Heath."

"Nice to know you have so much faith in me Buckton." Heath joked. It was only then Charlie realised, Heath had a pure strength inside of him, his willingness to protect her came from a loyalty towards Brax, a loyalty she once despised. Now, she found it giving her the strength to take a chance.

Heath lifted his head up from the foot of Charlie's bed as the door creaked open and a tired looking Brax and Ruby walked in one after the other, their eyes instantly landing on a sleeping Charlie.

Both Brax and Heath watched as Ruby peered at Charlie's paled complexion, her eyes saddened at the various wires springing out from Charlie's arms. She stood unblinking as she took in the sight of her mother.

"You didn't tell me she was…" Ruby trailed off as her eyes fell on Charlie's small baby bump. "Congratulations I guess." She said slowly as she glanced briefly at an unmoving Brax who stood paralysed to the spot as the familiarity of seeing Charlie still on a hospital bed. His eyes instinctively found the heart rate monitor-as though he was checking she was still with them.

Neither of them new what to say to each other, a calm silence fell over the room. They all just waited and watched the person whose death had broken them and waited for her life to revive them.

Ruby glanced at Brax, her eyes glistening with tears as she saw him gulp and blink a few times; she rested her hand on his back and tilted her head onto his shoulder. Brax watched as Ruby squeezed his hand slightly before letting go and making her way over to Charlie's bed. She paused for a moment as she held onto Charlie's hand, the familiarity of her mothers touch flooding her mind, the realization of how long it'd been aching in her heart. "It's a good thing I have you as a mum to take after." Ruby spoke softly, her hand brushing over Charlie's hairline, "Otherwise I don't think I would have been strong enough to get through this." She whispered, wiping a tear away. "I missed you so much." She whispered, moving closer to Charlie and leaning her head down next to their entwined hands.

"I'll bet money that I missed you more." A voice croaked teasingly,

Instantly Ruby's head snapped up and her eyes widened with tears at the familiar voice she'd longed to hear for so long. "You're alive." Ruby whispered in disbelief, the fact of hearing Charlie's voice making the situation more believable.

"Am I allowed to ask where my hug is?" Charlie smiled sweetly as she brushed her hand up to Ruby's cheek and wiped her daughters tears from her eyes. Ruby nodded and reached forward, eagerly but gently into Charlie's arms, Charlie pursed her lips and closed her eyes as Ruby sobbed gently into her chest, her body shaking slightly.

Brax and Heath watched the interaction, both suddenly feeling intrusive in the moment Charlie and Ruby were sharing.

"They told me you were gone." Ruby sobbed as she pulled back, clasping her hand over her mouth to try and quieten her uncontrollable stream of tears "I missed you so much mummy," Ruby said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Hey, hey it's ok, I'm here now." Charlie whispered, brushing a stray hair behind Ruby's ear and wiping the underneath of her daughters' eyes gently. She felt her heart flutter as Ruby called her mummy; it was like a little 5 year old girl crying to her mum but to Charlie it meant the world to hear it from her 20 year old daughter, hearing Ruby call her mum made her realise how lonely Ruby must have been.

"I love you mum," Ruby whispered as Charlie pulled her close and held her tightly.

"I love you so much baby." Charlie whispered back, kissing the top of Ruby's head, her eyes dancing up slightly to meet Brax who smiled weakly at her, his eyes glistening with tears.

Aw happy endings all round :') ...well kind of!

I wonder what Danny will do when Charlie arrives back in the bay… just a tease there!

Please review, I hope you all have a fabulous easter!