"Joey. Come Back!!" Charlie's voice cried out....

Unable to walk beyond the door to Charlie's room, Joey heard her cry out as she slumped to the floor in a heap. Crying without any self control, she held her head in her hands, wondering how on earth her happiness could have been shattered so quickly. 'What is to become of us now?' she thought to herself.

With tears streaming down her face, Joey had blocked all that was going on around her. She failed to even notice a set of arms embrace her until a voice spoke up...

"Joey, what's wrong? What's happened? Joey...."

Looking up, Joey's eyes met Ruby's. Between tears she attempted to explain,

"Charlie.... she woke up... she's not the woman we know Ruby. She doesn't remember me coming back. She only remembers me leaving. You should have seen her eyes Ruby. They were a sea of nothing, maybe just pain and hatred. Gone are the sea of happiness I woke up to each morning these last few months. Oh Ruby, what are we going to do?"

Ruby continued to hold Joey in her arms. She wanted to help but was unsure exactly how to.

"Joey, will you be okay on your own if I go and talk to Charlie? I don't want to leave you but Charlie needs to get her memory back. As soon as possible."

Joey had stopped crying just a little and managed to nod in response. As Ruby got up to see Charlie, she noticed Joey's hand. She gasped as she said "Joey, your ring. You've lost it!!"

"No Rubz, I gave it to Charlie. I couldn't stand to see the anger in her eyes. Until she remembers what we had, it's not my place to wear it" Joey replied with a sigh.

"Oh Joey" Ruby said in response, while giving Joey one last hug. "Wish me luck huh? Maybe I'll set off a stack of fireworks of memories." Ruby laughed as she headed for the door.

"Good luck" Joey whispered. 'We really need it now' she thought to herself.

....

"Joey, come back" Charlie cried out once more in exasperation.

"Wow Mum, the whole hospital can hear you, pipe down will you?" Ruby exclaimed as she walked in.

"What?" Charlie stammered "What did you just say?"

"I told you to pipe down. The whole hospital can hear you!!"

"No.... before that"

"Mum, you're seriously making no sense. I'm getting Rachel."

Charlie's eyes had popped, almost out their sockets in shock.

"You called me Mum!"

"Well yeah, you are aren't you?" Ruby questioned.

"How.... how do you know?"

"Mum, you told me last year when Joey was away, before she came back."

"Joey came back?"

"Geez Mum, where are you? You know she came back. You've been together for months now. I sometimes wonder how she puts up with you. I mean you don't even remember her returning?"

"Rubz"... Charlie hesitated as she clutched her head with both hands. "Make them stop"

"Make what stop Mum?" Ruby asked, putting her hand on her Mothers leg.

"I have images. They won't stop. I don't know what's real anymore. Are they real? Are they my imagination?"

Reaching for Charlie's hands, removing them from her head, she held both with her own.

"Mum, you were shot. We don't know why and we don't know who did it. Joey and I, we've been beside ourselves with worry. You've been asleep for much longer than expected and Rachel tells me you've got short term memory loss. These images are probably your memories coming back. You will know when they have. You will know what they are and split them real from imagination."

"But Joey, she's gone. She left me with this", Charlie opened her hand to reveal the gold ring.

Ruby took it from her and placed it on Charlie's left hand. "You'll know what to do with this Mum. When you remember what happened and how you gave Joey this ring, everything will make sense." Ruby reassured Charlie with a hug.

"I'm scared Ruby. What if my memory doesn't come back. What if it only remembers the bad things?"

"Then we'll get the loser that turned our lives upside down" Ruby winked.

"Mum, I want you to know.... Joey... she didn't leave. She couldn't. She just doesn't know what to do. She thinks you hate her. Your last memory is of her getting onto that boat. But so much has happened since then. She loves you. She wants to be with you. Memories or no memories. She wants to be by your side. Don't shut her out please!!??!" Ruby implored.

Charlie suddenly fell silent as her thoughts swum with images of Joey. 'She's outside. She still loves me. Oh what have I done? I shunned the woman of my dreams. How do I get her back?'

Almost as though reading her thoughts, Ruby asked,

"Mum, do you want me to get Joey?"

"Please Darling. I should never have said what I did. I broke her heart without reason. Try and convince her to come back. I promise I won't yell."

"Oh Mum, you and Joey can get on like an old married couple at the best of times. Trust me, she'll be here in a split second if she knew it was ok to come in." Giving Charlie a hug, she set out to find Joey, hoping she wasn't too late.

....

Joey had calmed down just a little. Realising in hind sight, the love she felt for Charlie was strengthened now by her determination to remind Charlie of what they had. She couldn't give up. She wouldn't give up. So she set out to do what anyone crazily in love would do.

Fight!!!

......

Ruby stepped out into the corridor. Joey was nowhere to be seen.

As she looked around she hoped Joey was not too far away. But what if she was too late?

Walking from one end of the corridor to the other, looking down the side lanes, she sighed in relief when she saw Joey walking towards her. Her arms filled with several items from the gift shop.

"Joey, you look adorable!!" she cried out in excitement.

"Rubz, they're not for me!! Joey exclaimed.

"I know, they're for that love torn Mama in there, who hates hurting you so much."

"She remembers?"

"No, but she's getting images flying through. Maybe something will prompt her to remember and everything else will come back at the same time", Ruby sighed.

"Wish me luck!!" Joey yelled out as she headed back to Charlie's room. An air of confidence which Ruby observed wasn't there just a mere half an hour ago. 'Love can make you do crazy things' she thought to herself with a chuckle and headed to the cafeteria to grab some drinks for everyone.

....

Joey walked through the door and stopped in hesitation. Charlie still looked beautiful, even when she was hooked up to all the medical equipment. But would she still let her come back in?

Charlie looked up as she heard the door open. A smile creaping up onto her face. she put out both arms reaching out to Joey, she said

"Joey I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You deserve more than that kind of treatment. I should be showering you with affection just for coming back."

"You remember?"

"Not really, but i keep seeing things. They don't make any sense but they're there."

Joey rushed over to Charlie, embracing her in a hug, she just didn't want to let go. For a moment she almost forgot the gifts she came bearing.

"Oh, yeah i forgot"... she stammered... "I couldn't leave. I heard you cry out for me to come back, but I lost my self control. I couldn't face you.... then I remembered something.... something I should never have let go of."

"What's that Jo"

"The power of Love. That feeling you get inside even when things are down. I picked myslef up and headed to the gift shop where I found these..."

Hidden in a bag, Joey pulled out her gifts one by one..

"Flowers, well because no hospital room should be without them...

Love heart candy .... I love you too much to eat them alone..." Joey laughed

" and something I wanted to give you for some time but was unable to find."

"What is it Jo?"

Joey pulled out the last gift, a beautiful fluffy teddy bear with a sailors outfit. She looked deep into Charlie's eyes. A sparkle had reappeared.

They both burst out laughing.

Charlie pulled Joey in, whispering in her ears, "You came back to me Jo. On the beach, you found me and gave me another chance."

"Charlie... honey... you remember?"

"That's all i got. Visions of me on the beach day after day wishing you came home. Then one day you did. You wrapped yourself around me for what seemed like eternity. That day I knew, this was my chance. You gave me a second chance."

"Oh Baby, I love You" Joey exclaimed as they both pulled each other in, planting passionate kisses on their lips.

"Jo. Please forgive me for what I said before. I couldn't toss you out. You backside is too beautiful to even consider such a thought. I' m so sorry."

"Think nothing of it Honey please. You've come out of surgery. You were shot. Some things will be a little messed up. We'll get throught this together. I promised you I would never leave your side, and I have no intention of breaking that promise."

With that she resealed her promise with a kiss.

....

Night had fallen and both girls had fallen asleep, arms wrapped around each other.

.....

Their loving embrace was broken when Joey woke up to hear Charlie whimpering

"No Hugo... No....

No Angelo... No ... Don't do this!!

No Robbo... Stay away from us!!"

TBC

So who was it that shot Charlie. Any ideas. Any reasons?

Please R&R and let me know what you think.