"Mum, Mum wake up, we're going to the beach", a young girl siad.
Charlie awoke to the beams of bright sunlight shining through her window. The silhouette of a young girl staring down at her. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed. She looked around. How did she get here?. She turned around and looked at the little girl standing at the side of her bed, smiling. She couldn't have been much older than five. She had long wavy hair and bright blue eyes. Charlie smiled at her and hugged her.
"Ruby" Charlie said as she looked at the familiar face from her past and she gripped her tightly.
The young girl put her arms around her mothers neck and hugged her back.
"Mum are we still going to the beach today like you promised?" she asked.
Charlie released her daughter from from her grasp and cupped her two little hands in hers. She smiled at her and tucked a few strands of Ruby's hair behind her ear.
"We can go wherever you want" she said with a grin.
"Just me and you?" the little girl asked.
Charlie felt a heart soar. She had always wanted this. She always wanted to be a mother to Ruby but the circumstances didn't permit. She rubbed the little girls arms and smiled.
"Yeah, just me and you. Go get your things, I'll be ready in a tick", she said.
She beamed as the young girl raced out of Charlie's room and down the hall. Charlie brushed her fingers through her hair and stretched. She climbed out of the bed and walked over to her wardrobe. As she was making her over she suddenly stopped and looked at her dressing table. It was full of pictures of her with Ruby. Pictures of birthdays, holidays, and with family. There was even a picture Ruby painted for Charlie that read 'Happy Birthday Mum, Love Ruby'. Charlie could feel a lump form in her throat. How could she have let herself miss out on this. All those precious moments.
She continued over to her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of cream shorts and a pale pink vest top. She placed them over her arm and carried them over to her bed and laid them on it neatly. She picked up her robe and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.
When she had finished, Charlie walked out into the living room and saw Ruby lying on the ground on her stomach, legs in the air, drawing a picture. She crossed the living room and got down on her knees to get a closer look at Ruby's picture.
"What's that you're drawing?" she asked.
"It's you and me at the beach and we're making lots sand castles and eating ice cream", the little girl said as she handed her the picture.
Charlie studied the drawing closely. She could see all the sand castles and the ice cream van and in the middle was Charlie holding Ruby's hand. She smiled at her daughter and ran her fingers through her hair.
"It's beautiful, just like you".
"Are we going to the beach now?", the little girl asked as she hopped up onto her feet.
"Yeah, come on let's go", Charlie said as she grabbed the towels and and beach gear of the couch. They headed across the kitchen and out the back door. Ruby opened the back door and climbed in. She sat in the booster seat and buckled herself in without so much as thinking about it. Charlie was amazed.
"If I'm wearing my seatbelt I'll always be safe and I won't get in trouble with the police mummy works with", the little girl said with a smile.
Charlie smiled, she couldn't help it. She just couldn't get over what was going on. She put the beach gear in the back seat next to Ruby and then slammed the door shut. She walked around to the drivers side and got in. She fixed her mirrors, turned on the ignition and proceeded to make her way gently out of the driveway and when she had fully reversed out, she took of for the beach.
When they arrived Ruby jumped out of the car and ran for the beach. Charlie got out of the car and looked on.
"Hey, wait for me", she said grinning, grabbing the stuff out of the back of the car.
When she locked the car she ran down to where Ruby had stopped and toook her by the hand. The walked down to the beach together. Charlie placed the big towl down on the sand and sat down. She grabbed the sun lotion out of the bag and covered Ruby from head to toe. When she was done they grabbed a bucket and spade and ran down towards the wet sand to make sand castles.
"That's a pretty neat sand castle", Charlie said admiring Ruby's fifth attempt.
The little girl smiled at Charlie and stood up. She began to run down the beach. Charlie called after her but the little girl kept running. Charlie stood up and began to run.
"Ruby, Ruby come back", she shouted,"Ruby".
But the little girl vanished into thin air. Charlie couldn't catch her breath. Where was Ruby? Why couldn't she see her. Just then she felt a tug on her arm from behind. She turned around stunned.
"Hey Charles", the voice said.
It was Ruby. But she was her 16 year old self. She looked Ruby up and down and hugged her close to her.
"Charles, you're cutting of my air supply", she chuckled.
"Ruby, you're ok", Charlie said through tears of happiness.
Charlie stood back and smiled at her daughter. Then she looked down and dread set across her face. She looked at Ruby's chest and it was stained in blood. She looked down at her own shirt and it too was now stained.
"Ruby, no.....no", she exclaimed.
Just then Ruby began to tremble and Charlie grabbed her, gently falling to her knees with her daughter in her arms. Why was this happening again.
"No, Ruby please, please don't leave me", Charlie sobbed.
Ruby smiled at her and raised her head. She gently kissed her mother on the side of the cheek and then lay back in her mother's embrace.
"I'm not going anywhere", she said as she gripped Charlie's hand..................................................
Charlie awoke abruptly to the sight of a hospital room. She felt a squeeze of her hand and she looked down to see if it was real. It was, She looked. Ruby lay there, her eyes fluttering, trying to open them. Charlie jumped out of her seat and stood beside her daughter.
"Ruby, Rubes, come on baby open your eyes. Come on you can do it", she encouraged.
Ruby's eyes fluttered a little more before the gently opened completelt. Charlie pressed the alert button to alert the octor and nurses. Within seconds a doctor and two nurses were in the room with them. The doctor walked straight over to Ruby and placed his hand around the breathing tube, aware of Ruby's discomfort and coughing.
"Ruby, I need you to calm down and on the count of three I want you to give me one long continuous cough, alright. 1...2...3", he said and he gently removed the tube from her throat.
Ruby began to cough, wincing in pain. Charlie stood beside her daughter and gently stroked her forehead. Sobbing tears of happiness. The doctor momentarily interrupted them to place a nasal cannula on Ruby and then stepped back to update Ruby's chart. The nurses took note of all the information on the monitors, changed her drip and insulin line and then left the room.
Charlie smiled down at her daughter.
"Welcome back", she said, drowning her in kisses.
More chapters coming soon!!
