Knock, knock. Charlie's eyes sprang open at the sound of the knocking on the front door. She turned her head around to look at the clock and read the time. It was 7:30. She turned back around to check and see if the knocking had woken Ruby. To her surprise, considering the loud echo through the house, her daughter was still sleeping peacefully in her arms. Again she heard the knocking and not wanting Ruby to be disturbed, she gently removed her arm from under her daughter and edged out of the bed as quietly as she could.

Opening the bedroom door she walked out into the hallway and close the door over to drown out outside noises from the bedroom. As she made her way down the hall she stretched her stiffened arms and shook out her hair. Yawning as she finally got to the door. Just as she was about to open it the knocking started again.

"Alright, alright....", she said, trailing off when she saw who was standing at her front door.

Angelo stood looking in the doorway at Charlie, noticing the unhappy expression on her face. He removed his hands from his pockets and was about to speak when he was topped dead in his tracks.

"Don't say anything just leave", she said coldly.

"Charlie, Charlie please we need to talk", he pleaded as he put his hand against the door to stop her from shutting it. "Please, just give me ten minutes, that's all I'm asking".

Charlie stood at the door, her arms crossed. When she realised he wasn't going anywhere, she gave in, gesturing for him to enter into the living room. With a seconds hesitation, Angelo walked into the house and into the living room. He stood there and waited for Charlie to join him and when she sat down on the couch we sat down in the chair across from her. He sat on the edge so he was close to her but sat back slightly when he saw her move further back on the couch.

"Go on, say whatever it is you came here to say", Charlie ordered as she floded her arms across her chest and pulled one leg up under her.

"Look, Charlie. I never meant for Ruby to get hurt like she did. Alright when I saw Derrick speeding off I just....reacted. I thought if we got close enough to him we could force him into stopping", he explained with a nervous tone to his voice.

In her room, Ruby was awoken by the sound of voices coming from somewhere in the house. When she looked around she realised Charlie was no longer sleeping beside her. Curiosity getting the better of her, Ruby grabbed a hold of the pulley above her bed and used it to help lift herself into an upright position. Struggling with the lack of upper body strength she had, she eventually managed to pull herself up and lean against the headboard.

She pulled her wheelchair closer to her bed and grabbing the pulley, pulled herself up off the bed and manouvered herself into her chair, lifting her legs up on to the foot rest. Wheeling herself towards the door she began to recognise the voices outside. Angelo, she thought to herself. Ruby opened the door and wheeled out into the hallway and followed the sound of the voices down towards the living room.

Angelo stopped mid sentence when he saw Ruby wheel into the living room and he stiffened. Noticing Angelo trail off, Charlie turned around to find what had caught his attention and sat upright.

"Ruby", she said as she watched her daughter make her way from the edge of the room over towards the coffee table so she was closer to the conversation taking place.

"Hey....how, how are you doing?", Angelo finally managed, stumbling over his own words.

Ruby watched him as he sat in the chair shifting nervously, trying desperately not to stare down at the wheelchair. He finally realised he couldn't and bowed his head. Focusing his gaze on the floor until he recieved an answer. Charlie turned back towards Angelo and saw him staring at the ground.

"How does it look like she's doing Angelo? Go on look at her, get a good look", Charlie shouted at him as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mum, stop", Ruby said from behind as she wheeled up behind Charlie taking a hold of her hand. Charlie squeezed Ruby's hand and then turned away, unable to look at Angelo.

Realising Ruby was now closer to him than before Angelo looked up to face Ruby in the eye. He knew that his brash actions were the cause of her misery and he hated himself for it. He hated that he put Ruby in that chair and he hated the fact that he hurt the one thing in Charlie's life that she held high above everything else. It made him remember the conversation he'd had with Charlie when they first stated seeing each other again. How he promised her he would never let anything happen to her or to Ruby. It was then he realised he had failed.

"I promise, I will do whatever it takes to catch this John Doe guy", Angelo finally said, looking Ruby straight in the eye.

Looking into his eyes, Ruby remembered the last time she had ever looked him in the eye like that. It was after the crash and Angelo was after pulling her out of the wreckage, fear in his eyes and a realisation that he had made a huge life altering mistake. Angelo had that same look in his eyes at that moment. But, no matter how much Ruby thought about it, she couldn't help but feel anything else but emptiness.

"Angelo, it doesn't matter whether or not you catch him. Fact of the matter is I'm still not going to walk", Ruby stated, looking at the disappointment that spread across his face. "I know you didn't me for this to happen and for mum's sake I wish I could tell you that it doesn't matter and that we could all just move on. But I can't do it. Not now anyways".

Charlie having taken in all that Ruby had said, was amazed at how honest Ruby was being with him. She walked up behind her daughter and placed her hands on her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. Although she wished she had something to say she was relieved to find Angelo was standing up to leave. He looked at Ruby and nodded in acknowledgement of what she had said to him. Taking in one last glance at Charlie, he lowered his head and made his way over to the front door. Leaving the Buckton women alone.

Ruby pushed on one of the wheels to turn herself so she was facing her mother who was hovering over. She looked up at Charlie and saw her staring at the front door. A tear falling down her cheek. Ruby grabbed a hold of both Charlie's hands and squeezed them looking disappointed.

"I'm sorry mum", Ruby said, breaking the silence in the room.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. My feelings about Angelo are my issue. Don't you dare blame yourself for this alright", Charlie said, releasing one of her hands from Ruby's grip and placing it under her chin to lift her head so that she and Ruby were making eye contact.

Charlie stroked Ruby's hair and then placed a strand of blonde streaked wavy hair behind her daughter's ear. Checking the time on the clock hanging on the wall she thought about making breakfast but soon banished the thougth to the back of her mind when she had a better idea.

"Hey what do you say we have breakie at the diner today? It's a beautiful day, we can go for a stroll round the bay?", Charlie asked. hoping to have a relaxing day. The first in a long, long time.

"Yeah, sounds great", Ruby said a smile appearing on her face.

"Great", Charlie said. "Ok well it's only 7:50, so why don't you go check your levels and take your shot while I take out the garbage bags".

"Yes mother", Ruby said sarcastically as she wheeled away down the corridor.

Charlie laughed at her daughter as he shifted herself from the couch and down to the kitchen. She went to the fridge and pulled out a new bottle of glucagon and made her way to Ruby's room to give her the bottle. She walked in to find Ruby at her dressing table pricking her finger and dabing her finger on a strip and checking her results.

"You know I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this pricking my finger or sticking needles in myself", Ruby said looking at Charlie in her mirror.

"Oh stop being such a cry baby it's only a little needle", Charlie said jokingly.

"Oh yeah, well let's see how you like it", Ruby said as she pretended to try and jab her mother with a syringe.

Charlie laughed at her daughters attempts and got up from the bed and ran out of the room, Ruby hot on her heels as she chased after her.