Two updates in 1 week! Haven't done that in a while :)
Here is Chapter 6 for you.
Thank-you for all of your support so far, keep it up.
Reviews make me type quicker.
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Despite his state, Brax pulled Charlie behind him and turned to face his younger brother.
"Fine, Charlie you go in the ambulance, Heath you take me," Sid demanded.
"You can't tell me what to do?" Heath argued, not liking the fact that everyone seemed to be ignoring him.
"She's coming," Brax ordered, the first time that night his voice came out crystal clear and left no room for anyone to argue.
"The ambulance is here," Leah called, just as Brax felt himself lowering to the couch, a small hand in his the entire time.
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At the hospital, Charlie refused to leave Brax's side despite multiple orders from Heath to do just that.
Heath's demands didn't last long; Sid threatened him with being removed from the room again which put an end to his childish outbursts. Sid was stunned that he was seeing Heath display the same behaviours Ruby showed a few weeks earlier when Charlie was in hospital.
So for the next few hours Heath and Charlie sat in silence waiting for Brax to wake up. Charlie at his bedside, Heath on the other side against the wall; they ignored each other completely.
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When Charlie woke the next morning, she was surprised to find Brax sitting up in bed, looking at her.
"Morning," he said quietly, Heath remained asleep across from where Charlie sat.
"Hey, sorry, how long have you been awake for?" Charlie yawned though a big stretch and sat on his bed.
"Not too long. I'm sorry about last night, you look tired."
"Don't be sorry, you should have called me earlier."
Brax scoffed and for a moment Charlie thought it was at her, she then realised Brax was glaring at his sleeping brother.
"That's a long story, but you should go home for a bit."
"Brax I'm fine."
"Were you here all night?" Brax asked.
The look on Charlie's face answered his question.
"Nah, it's ok, Charlie. I've been in those chairs, they aren't that comfortable."
"They're really not," Charlie laughed.
"Seriously, you go, I have a few things to sort out with boof head over here. Go have a sleep and I'll see you later."
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"Oi," Brax said loudly to his brother once Charlie had left, only after some heavy persuading.
Heath didn't move.
"Oi," he repeated, this time following through with throwing the nearest object, which happened to be a pen, at his younger brother hitting his nose.
"What the? Oh, hey? How are you feeling?" Heath asked once he noticed Brax was awake.
"What was the go with last night?" Brax demanded, his memory wasn't the greatest but he was able to recall most of what had happened including Heath's refusal to call Charlie.
"You lost," Heath answered.
"Nah, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about you."
"You're better off without Buckton, you know that?" Heath told Brax after he realised what Brax wanted an explanation about.
"You're kidding yourself and me, Heath, if you think I'm going to believe that shit. What's your problem all of a sudden?"
"All of a sudden? She's always been a problem, now it's just getting worse. Look at everything that has screwed up because of her, and look at you. You would have won that fight if it wasn't for her."
"Heath, at some point you are going to have to grow up, you know that," Brax sniped.
"And at some point you are going to have to stop being so selfish and only looking out for yourself and realise that a good lay isn't worth screwing up your whole life."
"Let me tell you right now, you speak like that about her again, you'll be the one in a hospital bed."
"See, threatening your own brother over some chick. Things aren't screwed at all, are they Brax?" Heath asked before he walked out of the room.
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After sleeping the day away, Charlie spent the next two nights at the hospital with Brax and both were relieved to find out he was being released the following day.
Charlie forced herself to keep her distance, Heath had made it clear that he would pick Brax up and Charlie didn't need another fight on her hands. As far as she was aware the relationship between the two elder Braxton's was unsettled and she didn't want to push it any further. She just hoped that Heath would see sense soon enough.
On the second afternoon Charlie made her way to the Diner to pick up a coffee before she planned to go and see Brax at Angelo's.
She was almost there when she saw Heath and Bianca talking and even from a distance she could tell that they were arguing.
Not wanting to turn away and have Heath think he was affecting her, Charlie continued to the diner and walked inside. She was relieved that nothing came to a head, Heath had stopped talking to give her a glare when she walked by but when she left the diner he was outside waiting for her.
"Do us all a favour, Buckton, stay away from Brax."
"Heath, always a pleasure," Charlie remarked and moved to walk around him but he blocked her.
"I'm serious; we're all over this little fling, time to give it a rest."
"I would, if that request was coming from Brax instead of you."
"Don't you think it's a bit coincidental that your daughter doesn't want you two together and now I don't either?"
"Again, it would mean more if that decision was being made by Brax or myself. Your opinion doesn't count for much funnily enough."
"Just stay away from him, you two are screwing everything up. Life would be easier for everyone else," Heath growled before he walked away from Charlie who was affected by his words more than she led on
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Charlie stood on the edge of the beach and looked out into the water. It calmed her greatly, watching the repetitive pattern of waves crashing into the beach, water lapped around her feet.
Two strong arms made their way around her waist. She had no doubt to who was behind her and Charlie leant back into him, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply.
"What are you doing down here, all alone?" Brax asked huskily, whispering in Charlie's ear despite them being the only ones on the beach.
"I could ask the same of you?" Charlie asked and Brax's arms tightened around her.
"I'm on lunch, saw you here, couldn't resist," Brax before leaving a gentle kiss on Charlie's neck liking when she turned her head more to allow him better access.
"I ran into Heath, this morning," Charlie said softly, the news caused Brax to stop what he was doing.
"Oh, yeah, bet he had something constructive to talk about."
"I dunno, he was arguing with Bianca about something so he was angry before he even started talking to me. I just copped it I guess."
"You think he's hassling her again?"
"I don't know, Bianca and I haven't been close for a while, not sure she'd tell me if he was."
"So what'd he say?"
"Told me to stay away from you, that I was screwing up your life."
Brax pulled his arms from Charlie's waist and gently turned her around.
"I thought I was screwing up yours," Brax joked referring to Ruby.
Charlie sighed and looked at her toes, mostly hidden underneath wet sand.
"Charlie, I'm getting sick of being told what to do by my little brother and your daughter."
"Me too," Charlie whispered.
"Then let them run their mouths. They've had their chance to get over themselves and I don't think they will anytime soon and frankly I just don't care enough anymore to listen."
Charlie nodded.
"Come on, have lunch with me. Let me take your mind of things."
"By having something to eat, right?" Charlie asked.
"Of course." Brax grinned.
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"Hey, what's going on with you?" Brax asked Heath later than afternoon, he'd found him at home on the couch, Casey was nowhere to be seen.
"Nothing, what's your problem?"
"My problem? My problem is you trying to get rid of Charlie. What did you say to her?"
"She would have already told you, you don't need to hear it again."
"Mate, what's going on with you at the moment?"
"I don't know why you're getting so worked up about it, she's just a chick."
"Nah mate, she's not just a chick, she's my chick! But you still didn't answer my question. What's up with you?"
Heath shook his head and refused to look at Brax who knew instantly that there was in fact something wrong with his brother.
"Bud, I'm not gonna know what's going on with you unless you open your damn mouth and tell me. I'm not a mind reader, Heath."
The two elder Braxton brothers stared each other down for a while before Heath came clean.
"Bianca's pregnant."
"Yeah, and?" Brax asked.
"It's mine," Heath stated and suddenly everything came clear.
The aggression and anger that surrounded his brother, how he couldn't stand seeing Brax or Charlie together and how he revelled in the fact that Casey and Ruby were not together.
If Heath was unhappy, Brax realised he wanted everyone else to be unhappy too.
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"Hey" Charlie smiled as she pulled up a stool at the bar. Brax was about to finish the dinner rush and being midweek, there weren't too many people in the restaurant.
"Hey," Brax said with a nod of his head.
"Well you're not as happy as you were this afternoon, what's up?"
Brax ran a hand through his hair and looked at Charlie.
"What's going on?" Charlie asked suddenly filled with worry.
"Come out the back for a tic," Brax asked, his voice remained calm but Charlie could see his eyes pleading with her.
"What's going on?" Charlie repeated as Brax closed the office door behind her.
"You're not going to like this but I think we should steer clear of each other for a couple of days."
Charlie's eyes widened and her mouth gaped. "What?"
Brax gave Charlie a recount on his conversation with Heath that afternoon.
"I don't understand how that affects us?" Charlie asked.
"Look, Heath's volatile at the best of times but I just, all of this baby stuff with Bianca, and her and Liam wanting to keep him out of it. I just, I just don't want to push him over the edge."
"So that means we should cool it?"
"No that's not what I mean, he's my brother, Charlie. I just don't want him going and doing something stupid and blaming us for it."
"So, let me clarify, you're letting your younger brother dictate your," Charlie began to speak but Brax cut her off.
"It's no different to how Ruby was at the hospital with me."
Brax saw Charlie take a deep breath, she ignored his remark and she continued.
"You're letting your younger brother dictate your relationship or is it just your relationship with me?"
"What's that supposed to mean."
"It seems Heath's happy for you to be in a relationship just not with me. Isn't that what the party is about this weekend."
Brax sighed, he had hoped that the news hadn't spread throughout the Bay yet but obviously it had. So much for telling Charlie himself. Heath had wanted to have a party for weeks, the kind the River Boys used to have weekly once upon a time. After hearing about Heath's troubles, Brax felt guilty for putting it off for so long and finally okayed it for that weekend. Brax hoped it would cheer Heath up a bit.
"The party is Heath's idea but you shouldn't worry about it, it doesn't matter."
"It matters to me Brax, especially when you're brother is that hell bent on us not being together and will use it to his advantage."
"Look everyone is having shit to deal with at the moment, Charlie, and we're the ones copping it from all angles. We're copping shit from Ruby and shit from Heath. It'll probably be someone else tomorrow."
"Yeah, we are, and what makes it worse is that you are not willing to do anything about it."
"Nah, that's not true and you know it."
"I'm telling you right now Brax, I don't know anything anymore. You made the choice to stay away from me in the hospital because of Ruby and now, you're making another choice for us to not see each other because of Heath. And you said I was the one who kept making up reasons for us to not be together."
Charlie didn't give Brax a chance to reply before she walked away not even bothering to slam the door behind her.
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Can't wait for the next chapter
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xoxox
