Charlie sat in the waiting room in a daze. The hustle and bustle going on around her was a noiseless blur. The only thing she could think about was Ruby. She had been joined by Nicole, Geoff, Leah, Morag, Aden, Irene and Ross and although they tried to talk to her she just couldn't bring herself to snap out of the trance like state she was in. Even when Angelo called from the station she still remained as she was. Motionless.

Her thoughts were racing through her head at a hundred miles an hour. All of the nights events were stuck on replay and the only thing that she though of clearly was why? Why did this happen? Why Ruby? But the one that really got to her was why couldn't she protect her? If only she had put her foot down and made Ruby move back home with her none of this would have happened. If she had called Ruby earlier that day instead of waiting then Ruby wouldn't have been in the house. She would have been with her and she would have been safe,

But she didn't do those things and Ruby wasn't safe. Instead she was lying on an operating table with a bullet in her chest. She was lying in limbo between life and death. The only thing keeping her alive at that moment was a machine. Charlie couldn't bear it. She hated the whole situation and the pangs of pain in her heart tore her up inside. All she wanted to do was hold Ruby. To see her smile. To tell her everything would be okay.

A nurse dressed in head to toe operating scrubs walked into the room. Geoff bounded to his feet and walked over to meet her, follwed by Nicole, Ross and Morag. The nurse was a little startled by his haste and took a few steps back.

"Are you here for Ruby Buckton?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah, we are" replied Geoff, anxiously awaiting news.

The second Charlie heard Ruby's name she snapped out of her daze. Heart pounding out of her chest. She climbed up out of her seat. She could feel her knees wobbling as she walked. She felt as though her legs were going to collapse from under her. Charlie continued on towards the nurse, pushing past her father and Geoff. She looked the straight in the eye and asked her the question she had been waiting to ask. Fearing the worst and hoping for the best.

"How is she? Is Ruby alright?", she asked, gripping her hands together.

"The bullet lodged passed through Ruby's pulmonary artery which is what caused the massive bleed out which of course cause massive strain on her heart. The surgeons managed to repair the damage, but now it's up to Ruby to do the hard work", she said. "Of course with her diabetes we have to be careful of infection and we will need to monitor her closely. The next 24 to 48 hours are critical, If she makes it through it's very likely she'll make a full recovery, but I must warn you not to get your hopes up just yet. She's still in danger", the nurse finished, sensing the dread that had overcome Charlie.

Charlie stood there silent. She crossed an arm over her stomach and wiped away a tear with the other. She didn't to cry. She needed to be strong for Ruby. She had to be strong for her daughter. There wasn;t much she could do but this was the one thing she felt she could and she was not going to sit blubbering like a fool. Her tears were not going to make Ruby better.

"Can I see her?", Charlie asked the nurse.

"Of course. I'm afraid it's only family right now so if the rest of you want to wait or go home," she said looking at the others gathered in the waiting room. "If you follow me I'll take you to the ICU and you can sit with your daughter", she said to Charlie.

Charlie hugged her father and then turned to the nurse and followed after her. She walked briskly. She was anxious to see Ruby, to hold her hand. All she wanted to do was sit by her sughters side and be with her. She wanted to do what she was never able to openly do for the last sixteen years. She wanted to be Ruby's mother. The thing to come out of the whole nightmare that Charlie remembered the most was that for the very first time, Ruby called her mum. She just wished the circumstances had been different. The nurse stopped outside the ICU and turned to Charlie. She started preping Charlie, making her aware of what to expect when she went inside. Charlie felt a little unsettled by the information. She braced herself, took a deep breath, exhaled and walked in to the room.

Charlie stopped. She felt a lump forming in her throat and tears began to well up in her eyes. She culd not comprehend the sight before her. Ruby lay in the bed, IV drip, an insulin infusion drip, breathing tube, feeding tube, heart rate monitior and anything else that could possibly be connected to her. Charlie caught her breath and made her over to Ruby's bedside. She looked her daughter up and down and began stroking her arm. She leaned down and gave her a kiss on the fore head, She turned around and grabbed the chair behind her. Pulling it over to right bedside the bed and sat down. She gently slid her hand under Ruby's and caressed it.

As she sat there watching over Ruby she began to quitely mumble the words to a lullaby that she used to sing to Ruby when she was little and couldn't sleep after a nightmare. Charlie remembered it well because it was the only time she was ever able to feel like Ruby's mother before the revelation. She felt like now was an appropriate time to sooth her daughter of the nightmare. As she sang, she could feel her eyes getting heavy. She felt drowsy and she kept singing until she finally nodded off, keeping Ruby's hand in hers. As she slept she began to dream.................


Sorry it's late but I've been having a hectic time lately. Enjoy and don't forget to rate,