Charlie walked back down to the rehabilitation unit in the southern end of the hospital. It had been two hours since Ruby went in for her first session and it felt like it had been going on forever. Ever since the the shooting, the kidnapping, even as far back as the whole Grant drama, Charlie had been having serious seperation anxiety issues with regards being more than a few feet away from Ruby.
With everything that had gone on Charlie now understood the challenges of actually being a mother. She realised that, although she tried to be a strong presence in Ruby's life as her sister, she really had no idea just how much worry a parent feels for their child. How much they would do for their child. Until now. Peering in through the glass panel outside the physical workout area, Charlie glanced at her daughter as she struggled through her first session with a determination Charlie had never witnessed in another human being before.
The physio who had been working on Ruby spotted Charlie watching from outside and gestured for her to come in, to which she more than oblidged. She walked in the door and walked across the room, glancing around at all the other patients who were in Ruby's position. When she got where Ruby was being worked on she sat down on one of the chairs that was right beside her. Watching the doctor lift Ruby's leg and press it to her chest, saw her daughter flinch slightly. She reached down and stroked Ruby's hand. Giving her an encouraging smile as she tried to breath through the pain in her lower back.
"Ms. Charlie Buckton?", a voice said from beside where Charlie was sitting.
Charlie turned in her seat and looked up to find a middle aged woman hovering over her with a file craddled in her arms. She released Ruby's hand from her grasp and stood up to greet the woman.
"Yes, I'm Charlie. And you are?" Charlie asked shaking the woman's hand.
"I'm Dr. Jameson, I'm a phsychiatrist here at the hospital. I talk to patients who have been through traumatic ordeals and who have life altering injuries and conditions", she explained. "Basically I talk to patients before their first session. Somewhat of a cleansing of the soul session to free their mind of anything that may be blurring their vision and preventing them from moving forward and accepting their circumstances, which I conducted with Ruby today".
Charlie looked at the woman in confusion. What was she trying to say? That Ruby needed phsychological help? In a way Charlie felt slightly insulted that a trained professional felt the need to talk to Charlie about her own daughter. But at the same time their was a part of her, deep down, more upset than anything because she couldn't bear the though of Ruby opening up to a stranger and not to her.
"Right. So is there anything I should be worried about?", Charlie said trying not to sound to eager to get the information out of the woman.
"That's the thing", Dr. Jameson said taking a seat next to Charlie. "Ruby wouldn't communicate with me on a personal level. She felt uncomfortable which is very natural in these cases. She does however feel she can open up to you and it's in Ruby's best interests that she does so I would ask you to encourage her to confide in you", the doctor finished.
Charlie nodded at the doctor and gave her a quick smile. She watched the woman stand up and leave as she sat there digesting the information of the conversation that had just taken place. When she turned back around the physio had just placed Ruby back into her wheel chair and was praising her for a good first session to which Ruby gave him a half hearted smile. Charlie stood up and walked over to her daughter and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before wheeling her out of the rehab center and down the corridor.
The five minute trek from the center to Ruby's room was quiet. Neither said a word to each other. Both just remained lost in thought. Charlie thinking about having a serious heart to heart with Ruby and Ruby thinking about confiding in Charlie. Both knew that the thinking part was the easiest part. It was the follow through that would be the difficult part. Finally they reached Ruby's room and within seconds two nurses had arrived to help Ruby into her bed which was positioned in a way that Ruby was sitting upright as opposed to lying flat on her back which she had grown tired of.
With one quick check of Ruby's blood sugar levels, the nurse recorded the data and reconnected Ruby's IV line and both nurses left the two women by themselves. Charlie walked over to Ruby and sat herself firmly by her daughters side on the bed. She looked her in the eye and she could tell that Ruby knew what was coming. So she decided to take the plunge and just start the conversation.
"So Rubes, you know you can talk to me about anything right? Anything at all.." Charlie was about to continue when Ruby suddenly intervened.
"Mum, I know the phychiatrist told you what I said in the therapy session", she said. Ruby looked down at her hands nervously as she tried to find the words so she could tell her mother how she was feeling.
"Hey it's ok, come on you can tell me", Charlie said Ruby's face in her hands and then dropping them and taking a hold of Ruby's hands.
"It's just when I found out I was paralysed I just felt so angry and I couldn't stop thinking about how my life was ruined", Ruby said, her voice shaking with emotion as a tear slid down her cheek. "But then today when I heard you and Angelo fighting, I realised, that this is ruining your life too. I'M, ruining your life....", she said trailing off.
"What? Rubes no...", Charlie said in state of shock horror, but she was cut off by Ruby who continued on.
"....which is why I'm going to go to the rehabilitation programme in the city. I can work on adjusting to this and you can carry on with you life without being weighed down by me", she stated.
Charlie stiffened as she listened to what Ruby was saying, heart breaking as she watched her daughter unravel before her.
"Ruby you are NOT weighing me down. What's brought this on?" Charlie asked squeezing her daughters hands to try and stop them from shaking.
"Who'd want to live with a diabetic, paraplegic rape concieved teenager? I wouldn't be surprised if you felt disgusted by me, ashamed even....." Ruby said as she began to sob uncontollably.
The tension in the room was servere. Charlie looked at her daughter with a look of unbelieveable shock. How on earth could Ruby think so such a thing. She loved her more than life itself.
"No, no, NO!", Charlie exclaimed. She grabbed a hold of Ruby's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Rubes you are THE most precious thing in my life. I love you so much it hurts. I don't care how you were concieved or where you came from, that doesn't matter to me. I'm not disgusted by you or ashamed. I am incredibly proud of you and I don't want you to ever think or feel otherwise. You are my daughter, my flesh blood. You're everything to me and I could care less whether or not you can walk. Because I love you. I've always loved and I always will and nothing, I mean nothing will change that. I am going to be here for you no matter how hard or how difficult this gets, do you hear me?" she said wiping the tears from Ruby's face.
Charlie took one last glance at Ruby's pained expression and then pulled her into her embrace. Holding onto her for what felt like an eternity. It was at that moment that Charlie understood just how powerful a mothers unconditional love for her chil was. Because at that moment while Charlie sat their holding her daughter in her arms, she felt the rest of the world fade away.
Can Ruby adjust to her condition in the real world away from the hospital?
Will Angelo's attempts of a reconciliation be welcomed by Charlie?
