This is the second to last chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Thirty Two

"Charlie!"

Joey didn't even recognise her own screams as she raced towards her girlfriend, sprawled on the ground. Ruby and Xavier also ran forward. Ruby screamed too. Xavier pulled out his phone to call an ambulance.

"Charlie!" Joey said desperately, skidding on her knees across the tarmac until she was beside the woman she loved.

She held back tears as she touched Charlie's hair, matted with blood from landing so hard. The police officer's eyes flickered, not quite opening but not quite closed.

"Charlie?" Ruby said, hurrying to her other side and holding her hand.

The night suddenly felt too dark, the world was closing in on them. Xavier hurried forward.

"An ambulance is on its way," he said, hovering behind his girlfriend.

"Charlie, everything's going to be okay," Joey whispered, to reassure everyone concerned, including herself. "We'll get you to the hospital and they'll fix you. You'll be okay."

Xavier glanced up to see the driver stumbling out of his car. He looked shaken and had a cut forehead.

"She just ran out!" he said. "I had no time to stop!"

"Maybe you would have if you hadn't been driving so damn fast!" Xavier snapped.

Joey turned her head, having recognised the voice behind her with some horror. Sure enough, she came face to face with her brother.

"I didn't see her," he said weakly.

"I don't care," Joey said. "I don't care about you!"

She turned back to Charlie, whispering her name and stroking her face.

"Hold on," she said. "Just hold on, okay? Hold on."

"I'm going to go and see if Alf's still at the Surf Club," Xavier told them.

Careful to look both ways, he dashed towards the venue they'd just left. Ruby and Joey longed to hear the sound of sirens, of someone coming to the rescue of the woman they both loved so much.

The next hour passed by in a blur. An ambulance had arrived and rushed Charlie into surgery. Alf had still been at the Surf Club and driven Joey, Ruby and Xavier to the hospital to be with her. They'd called Ross and Morag on the way and they'd arrived only five minutes later. Joey sat blankly on the uncomfortable seats in the waiting room, desperate for news that didn't seem eager to arrive. She glanced at Ruby. The sight of the teenager looking so broken was enough to destroy her. Claiming thirst, Joey headed towards the vending machines.

Joey had only been hidden in the next corridor for a few minutes when Morag arrived. Joey tried to make some kind of excuse as to why she had run away but the older woman surprised both of them by pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Joey," she said gently.

"What if she's not?" Joey replied, burying her face against Morag's shoulder.

"She's a fighter," Morag said certainly. "She's strong. And you don't think getting hit by a car would stop her from being with you, do you?"

Joey lifted her head and managed a smile.

"I just feel so guilty," she admitted.

Confused, Morag took her hand and they sat down together.

"Why ever would you feel guilty, Joey?" she asked. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I've done so much wrong, Morag," Joey said. "I hurt her so badly. I've been so horrible to her for the past few months. I..."

"I gather she'd broken your heart," Morag interrupted. "And I gather that she completely understands and accepts that you needed to recover in any way you could, even if that meant a few sharp words."

Joey closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry.

"The accident was my fault too," she said.

"How so?"

"She was crossing the road to tell me something," Joey explained.

"That doesn't make it your fault."

"But if I'd have just heard what she said the first time..."

She trailed off and wiped her eyes hurriedly and took a deep breath.

"And she'd asked me to go home with her," she added. "If I'd just agreed instead telling her we needed to go on a proper date first. If only I'd..."

"Joey, we could spend our whole lives thinking about 'if only'," Morag said firmly but gently. "And we'd drive ourselves crazy with every scenario. Who's to say that if you'd heard what she said or you'd gone home with her, something else wouldn't have happened? Who's to say it wasn't fate that she got hit by that car? I don't know the answers but what I can categorically tell you is that it wasn't your fault. You weren't driving the car..."

"My brother was though."

"And you have no control over anyone's actions," Morag continued unfazed. "Neither how your brother drives, nor how your girlfriend crosses the road. All you can do now is be there for her. Take care of her the best way you know how. The past is the past. Watching the two of you today, both Ross and I saw Charlie happier than we have ever known her to be. It's like you've set something free in her soul. She loves you so much and it's obvious that the feeling is mutual. So stop feeling guilty, go and sit with Ruby, comfort her and wait for the Doctor to tell us that Charlie is going to be absolutely, perfectly fine."

Taking a deep breath, Joey nodded, stood and did just that.

Half an hour later, the Doctor arrived. He looked serious but not like he had something truly awful to say. Joey, Ruby, Xavier, Alf, Ross and Morag all stood up expectantly.

"Charlie's going to be okay," he said firmly.

Ruby and Joey sank against each other in relief.

"She hit her head pretty hard but the scans show no signs of brain damage. She's dislocated her hip so we've put it back in place. She'll need some physiotherapy for a good few weeks but other than that, she'll be fine. There were a few complications because she has such a small pelvis but I suppose that's not news. I presume that's why she had the caesarean."

"Caesarean?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"It's not a caesarean scar," Ross said quickly. "It's just from an operation she had as a kid. But it looks similar."

The Doctor looked confused but didn't contradict him. Joey was very grateful. The last thing Charlie needed right now was the truth about her past tumbling out.

"Can we see her?" Ruby asked.

"Three at a time," the Doctor said.

Morag instructed Ross, Ruby and Joey to go in first.

It was late before the family finally and reluctantly agreed to go home and let Charlie rest. She'd still been asleep when they'd first come into the room but after a quarter of an hour, she had begun to stir.

"Do they have to go?" she asked the nurse.

"I'm afraid so," the young woman replied. "But visiting hours start at ten tomorrow."

"I'll be here on the dot," Joey promised.

She reached out and tenderly stroked Charlie's face. Charlie turned slightly and kissed her finger tips.

"I'll hold you to that," she said softly.

Joey bent and kissed her.

"Sleep well, okay? And stay safe."

Having had a particularly bad night's sleep, Joey arrived a little early to visit Charlie. Getting permission to go in anyway, she arrived in the side room with flowers, chocolates and the book that Charlie had bought and got signed for her during their breakup.

"I thought you'd like to read it," she said. "I've read it three times now."

"Really?" Charlie asked with a smile.

"It was a way of keeping close to you when I couldn't actually be close to you," Joey admitted, bending to kiss her.

When she pulled away, Charlie held onto her. Awkwardly shifting, she requested a proper cuddle. Smiling, Joey closed the door and slipped onto the bed beside her, holding her kiss and kissing the side of her head.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry for what happened."

The police officer just looked confused.

"If I'd have just gone home with you then this might never have happened."

"Don't be silly," Charlie scolded gently, holding her hand. "It was my fault, not yours. I should have looked where I was going. I mean, come on, basic rules for crossing a road or what?"

She laughed and then winced a little. Joey immediately worried.

"I'm fine," Charlie said. "My hip just hurts a bit but they'll top me up with painkillers soon."

Joey nodded.

"What were you trying to say anyway?" she asked.

"Say?"

"When you were crossing the road to talk to me."

Charlie laughed again.

"I wanted to tell you that I love you," she revealed.

Joey laughed too.

"All this for love?" she asked. "You could have just bought me flowers!"

"Well, those didn't turn out too well last time," Charlie teased.

Joey looked immediately guilty. Charlie shifted to hold her closer.

"I was joking," she promised. "And personally, I think everything you said and did was justified. I'm still completely overwhelmed that you've been willing to take me back now."

"Well I realised that life is a hell of a lot better loving you up close than it is from far away," Joey replied. "Honestly, Charlie, I don't think I could live without you. I've missed you so much. Every single day that's passed has been so painful, so hard. I'm so glad we've finally got this chance now."

"Me too," Charlie said sincerely. "And don't think a damaged hip is going to stop me taking you out on that date. It won't be today of course but as soon as I get out of here..."

She smiled. Joey smiled back.

"I look forward to it," she said.

Suddenly she grew very serious.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"Yesterday, the Doctor mentioned your caesarean scar," Joey ventured. "You know, the one you tell everyone was from a burst appendix."

Charlie cringed.

"I still can't believe I fell for that," Joey added. "But anyway, your Dad dismissed it sufficiently but the Doctor did mention it in front of Ruby. I don't think it will come up again but I just wanted you to be aware in case she mentions it. I didn't want you to be blindsided or anything."

"Thank you," Charlie said. "And thank you for not judging me for all of that."

"Of course I didn't judge you," Joey said. "How could I? I mean, when I think about what you went through, I..."

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried myself to sleep thinking about it the night you told me."

Charlie reached out and ran her hand through Joey's hair.

"I never thought I'd ever feel safe enough to trust anyone with my secret," she said. "But I do feel safe with you. I feel so safe, so complete and so happy. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I swear I am never going to let you go again. Never."

"And I'm never going to let you go either," Joey promised. "I know how it feels to lose you and I'm not putting either of us through that – ever again."

Next time... Charlie and Joey celebrate one month together...