Joey's P.O.V

I was just finishing up at work at around one in the morning when I noticed my phone ringing from the other side of the now deserted bar. I prayed it might be Lauren who was ringing me, desperate to see if she was okay. I answered the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Joey?" It was my Uncle Max. I sighed then answered him.

"Yeah? Uncle Max are you okay? Has something happened?" I asked. It was obvious from Uncle Max's rattling voice that he called for a reason.

"I took everything out on Lauren earlier and well basically she ran off. I didn't mean to but her silent treatment got the better of me on top of everything else." He proclaimed as I sighed, running my hand over my face, asking him to get to the point, "Tamwar Masood rang me earlier, Joey, to tell me that Lauren has been taken to hospital. No doubt she was drunk, but she tried to kill herself, Joey." I gasped not believing what I was hearing.

"I'm going to go to the hospital, Uncle Max. I'll let you know what's happening tomorrow, but by the sounds of it, she probably won't want to see you." I wasn't going to beat around the bush, I'd rather just be brutally honest with my Uncle.

"Thanks Joey. Now go make yourself useful" He replied, ending the phone call abruptly.

I know Lauren hasn't been in the best frame of mind recently but I guess you really can't tell what goes on behind closed doors. I feel so guilty now, for leaving her when she needed me, for letting her run away from the club earlier tonight. I can't help but feel this is my own fault. I told Sharon that I had urgent family business that needs tending to and she let me go claiming that herself and Jack could finish up. I also understand that Max sees me as a son in replacement for his own.

I ran up the steps of R&R and out of the front door as fast as my legs would take me. This was my time to make sure my beautiful cousin would be safe. As I left the club I broke into a steady jog to call a taxi over which was driving by as I shrugged my coat onto my shoulders. I told him where to go and he obliged contentedly. Thoughts continued to enter and leave my mind at the state she could be in, for all I knew, she might not even be alive. If anything bad had happened I swore to myself I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

"Lauren Branning?" I asked at the reception desk, relatively out of breath due to the run which broke out, indicating that I was her cousin.

"If you'd like to take a left down to the Alexander ward and she is in bed five." The nurse smiled at me somewhat sympathetically. I now dreaded even more what I would find as I made my way swiftly down to the ward.

Lauren's P.O.V

I woke up lying in a bed in a hospital ward, the draft from the small window chilling my movement, wondering what had happened. My hangover was awful to say the least.

I lay down, remembering the events from the night before, slowly regaining memory whilst I felt deeply embarrassed at my outburst. I was broke from my thoughts when the door swung open and I saw Joey. I smiled a small smile at him, croaking out a small hey, suddenly feeling a lot better.

"Look at you, Lauren. You're a mess. I'm sorry." Joey proclaimed, sitting on the chair next to my bed tears welling up visibly in his eyes.

I reached my hand up and stroked his cheek soothingly as a tear fell, wiping it away, unbeknownst to why he was saying sorry.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Joe. It was me that embarrassed myself. I bet you think I'm such a pathetic person. Your pathetic little cousin, always looking for a drama." I admitted, tears of my own now making an appearance as my voice broke mid way through the sentence, tears now threatening to fall.

"I should have went after you in the club. I could have stopped you from going so far. I should have been there for you before, too, when you wasn't talking to anyone. You said yourself that you needed me. You're not pathetic you beautiful girl." He said, leaning into my hand and pressing a brief kiss to the palm. Wanting to get out of the awkward conversation he added, "What's the injuries then?"

"My head is killing, just before you came in, the doctors said that there is no damage to my brain or skull. Guess I was lucky there. Not as lucky as anyone who wouldn't have been so stupid to have done in the first place mind." I laughed, Joey smiling at me.

"Well that's a good thing, isn't it." he smirked, taking my hand in his. I noticed how intently he looked at me. "You're all cut and bruised, babe."

I just shrugged, looking him in the eye. "Oh well, I'll heal." I replied, smiling at him. "I'm sorry for being such a drama queen."

We talked for a further half an hour, how he was, how I was, bits of banter.

"If you ever need to talk, babe, about anything, I'll be here." Joey said, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb contentedly.

"Do you mind if we talk now then?" I asked, unsure of the answer but feeling confident enough to confide in him. He nodded, signalling me to begin. "I can't find closure. Every time I go out of my bedroom, everything comes back to me. I miss her so much, Joey, it's untrue. Everything in my house, in the square, in Walford, reminds me of her. I hate it. Closure is what I need but how am I supposed to find that with my messed up head, Joey?" I said, breaking down in front of him as he gathered me up in his arms soothingly rocking me back and forth.

"I'm going to get you help, the best help" He smelt my hair, saying this bluntly, normally I would have something to say about this but right now I felt too emotionally drained to bother.

"You'd do that for me? What about the cost, Joey?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, babe. I'd do anything for you." He admitted, kissing the bruise on my forehead.

A/N

I haven't read this through so I'm sorry if there is any mistakes. I'm doing this from mphone as I haven't got my laptop wth me. Please leave a review! X