This chapter is sad...Like really sad. Sorry! But Kudos to those who guessed right! Thanks again for all of the reviews everybody...So glad you're all still following this story! Thanks!

Chapter 43

"What's wrong?" Joey asked as she tightened her arm around Charlie's waist.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Charlie replied as she turned over in bed to look into Joey's brown eyes.

"You're worrying about something" Joey said knowingly "I can tell. You're not sleeping and you're being way too quiet....So what's wrong?"

"Ruby" Charlie sighed as she sat up slightly in bed "I still think she's feeling slightly abandoned and...I think she needs us right now. Like really needs us Jo..."

"Why?" Joey asked in concern as she sat up next the other girl "What's wrong with her? Why does she need us now more than she usually does?"

"I don't know" Charlie frowned "That's what I don't understand...I know there's something wrong with her. I can sense it. Call it mother's intuition or whatever but...I just wish she would talk to me"

"Well has she been doing anything to make you think there's something wrong?" Joey responded, growing even more worried.

"Well...No" Charlie admitted reluctantly "But she seems to have been feeling a bit down lately. That's all"

"Have you asked her about it?" Joey questioned quietly "Like...Asked her outright if something is wrong?"

"No" Charlie said sadly "But I know that something is wrong with her Jo...I know it!"

"Well ask her" Joey persisted as she placed her hand on Charlie's arm.

"Wouldn't she have already told me if she wanted me to know?" Charlie asked softly "Maybe she doesn't trust me"

"Hey" Joey shifted closer to the older girl "I'm sure that's not the case. She'll tell you if there's something really wrong"

"I hope so..." Charlie murmured in a low voice.

"Now are you going to go to sleep?" Joey yawned tiredly "Because I'm really..." she was interrupted as Charlie's mobile phone began to ring.

"Who could that be?" Charlie wondered quietly as she reached for her phone on the bedside table "That's weird...It's Rachel"

"Rachel?" Joey echoed in confusion as she watched Charlie pick up the phone.

"Rach?" Charlie questioned into the phone "Is something wrong..." she fell silent for a moment.

Joey watched in rapidly increasing concern as Charlie paled and her grip loosened slightly on the phone in her hand "Is he going to be okay?" after a brief paused Charlie nodded to herself "O...Okay. I'll be right there"

"Where are we going?" Joey asked as she watched Charlie hang up before jumping out of the bed and begin to pull her clothes on. She quickly did the same.

"The hospital" Charlie answered in a panic voice "It's my Dad..." she raced out of the room and towards Ruby's room with Joey at her heels. She opened the door quietly in an attempt not to startle her daughter.

"Ruby?" Charlie whispered as she sat down on the bed and lifted a hand gently to the teenager's cheek "Rubz...Wake up" she began to stroke Ruby's soft hair as she attempted to push her tears down "Ruby?!"

"Hmmn?" Ruby mumbled as she blinked her eyes open sleepily to look up at Charlie and Joey "Mum? What's going on?"

"It's Dad" Charlie responded haltingly "He's in the hospital Rubz. Rachel says we have to hurry up and get there before..." she trailed off as her expression turned pained.

"What?!" Ruby jumped out of the bed and quickly grabbed her shoes and jacket pulling them on in a hurried motion "What happened? Is it bad?!"

"He's in critical condition Rubz" Charlie said softly "Rachel...She said we have to hurry"

"Well we have to go!" Ruby exclaimed in alarm as she rushed out of the room and down the stairs with Joey and Charlie behind her "We have to hurry up and get there. He'll be okay won't he? I mean he has to be..."

"I'll drive" Joey whispered as she took the keys from Charlie's hand and pressed a reassuring kiss to the older girl's cheek "Come on"

They rushed quickly out of the front door and towards the car.

---

"Rachel?!" Charlie asked in alarm as they rushed towards the young doctor "Where is he? Is he okay?! What's going on?"

"Charlie..." Rachel turned around and pulled the brunette into a tight embrace. She pulled back but made sure to keep a firm hold on the other girl's arms as she gazed at her sadly "Your Dad's health took a sudden turn for the worst a couple of hours ago. It's not looking very good right now..."

"What?" Charlie questioned her shocked response coming out breathily "What do you mean Rachel? He's going to be okay, right?"

"We're doing all we can" Rachel responded as she glanced at Ruby compassionately "But you had to be here just in case..."

"Just in case what?" Ruby asked shakily as she took a slow step forward towards the doctor "Nothing's going to happen to him, is it? It can't..."

"I'm sorry Ruby" Rachel apologised softly as she placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder "We can't tell right now. I promise I'll keep you all updated but right now...It isn't looking good." She cast the girl's another sympathetic look before she turned and walked away.

"Come on..." Joey took both Buckton's hands in her own and pulled them gently over to the seating area where they sank shakily down onto the hard plastic seats.

---

"It's been 2 hours" Ruby said a while later as she shifted closer to Joey and leaned her head on her shoulder "Why won't they tell us what's going on? And where is Rachel?!"

"I don't know Rubz" Joey tightened her grip on the teenager's hand "I'm sure that as soon as Rachel finds something out she'll come right back and tell you"

"I'm scared" Ruby admitted in a whisper as she cast a furtive glance at Charlie who was sat on the other side of Joey "What if this is it? What if he doesn't make it? What will we do?"

"I don't know Honey" Joey answered sadly "I'm sorry...I wish I could make you feel better but...I can't"

Ruby nodded and lifted her head from Joey's shoulder to look at Charlie who was staring emotionlessly into space "Charlie?"

"Huh?" Charlie snapped out of her daydream and turned her gaze towards Ruby "Sorry Rubz...What is it?"

"Are you okay?" Ruby sniffled against tears that suddenly stung at her eyes.

"I'm...Holding up" Charlie admitted with a sad smile "I'm sure it's going to be fine Rubz" she reached across Joey's lap and held her hand out. Ruby silent grabbed onto it and clung to it like a lifeline.

"Are you really okay?" Joey turned her head and whispered in Charlie's ear "You're shaking like a leaf"

"Scared" Charlie admitted in a voice that was just as soft.

"Charlie!" Rachel exclaimed suddenly as she walked into the waiting room and rushed over to them, a stricken expression on her face.

"No..." Ruby whispered as she noticed the doctors pained expression.

"Rachel..." Charlie didn't attempt to stand up for fear of falling right back down again "He isn't..."

"It's not good" Rachel said quietly as she took a seat next to Charlie and placed a hand on her knee "He's going down-hill fast. He had a heart attack on the operating table..."

"So...What does that mean?!" Charlie squeezed Joey's hand so tight that it caused her to wince slightly.

"His stats are rapidly decreasing and there's nothing we can do for him right now" Rachel said regretfully "I'm sorry..."

"Can we go to him?" Ruby asked shakily surprising Rachel for a moment.

"Of course" Rachel nodded as she stood up slowly "Just follow me"

"Hey" Joey whispered to Charlie and Ruby "I'm going to stay here okay? This is private. It should be between you and him"

"But..." Ruby began to protest instantly "But I need you there!"

"I'll be right here" Joey turned to the young girl she called family and hugged her tightly "I won't go anywhere. I promise" she dropped a quick kiss onto the teenager's head before pulling back.

Charlie and Ruby stood up slowly from their seats and instantly grabbed onto each other's hands.

"Charlie..." Joey spoke up softly.

Charlie looked back and locked eyes with Joey in a look of mutual understanding "I know" she took a deep breath drawing strength from the gaze before she turned and walked off after Rachel, clutching tightly to Ruby's hand.

Rachel turned to face her friend's as they stopped at Ross's door together and looked at them sympathetically "I'm really sorry..." she slowly opened the door and gestured for them to enter "If you need me I'm just down the hall"

Charlie and Ruby nodded and entered the room, stopping at Ross's bedside.

"It wasn't meant to be like this" Ruby whispered over the steady beat of the heart monitors "He was supposed to be getting better Charlie!"

"I know" Charlie wrapped her arms around Ruby from behind trying to keep her tears at bay "I know Rubz" she leaned her head against Ruby's and gazed down at her weak looking Dad.

"He isn't supposed to do this!" Ruby whimpered as she clutched tightly to the arm Charlie had wrapped around her waist "He's supposed to be stronger, he's supposed to..."

"I know" Charlie repeated as her daughter choked on her words "I know what you mean Ruby..." they stood in silence apart from the beeping of the machines around them until a weak voice sounded from the bed.

"Hey, how are my favourite girls?"

"Dad!" Charlie gasped as she glanced at him.

"Charlie" Ross offered a weak smile but a moment later his hand shot to his chest. He cast a look at the younger girl in the room "Ruby..."

"You're going to be okay, right?" Ruby pleaded as she stepped forward and grasped his hand "You're going to get better?!"

"No..." Ross's expression dropped sadly "I don't think so Ruby"

"You have to!" Ruby exclaimed tearfully "You can't leave us..."

"I don't think I have a choice" the man looked over at Charlie sorrowfully "I'm sorry" he turned his gaze back to Ruby and squeezed her hand "But you know I'll always be with you"

Ruby shook her head sadly as tears began to pour down her cheeks.

"You have to know that I'm so proud of you" Ross looked up and caught Charlie's gaze again "Both of you. Though I may not show it all of the time"

"You can't die" Charlie muttered slowly "You can't leave us"

"You have each other" Ross reminded them "Make sure that you hang onto that and Joey...Tell her to remember her promise to me"

"You can't..." Charlie repeated.

"Charlie" Ross reached out his hand to Charlie which she instantly took "I'm sorry. For what happened when you were younger...I should have tried to protect you. I should have done everything I could to get justice...But I didn't!"

"It's okay" Charlie whispered emotionally "I forgive you"

"I love you both" Ross said as tears clouded his own eyes "Tell Morag too...I don't know where she is right now but..." he tensed suddenly and his grip tightened on Charlie and Ruby's hands "Ow!"

"DAD?!" Charlie asked in alarm when he remained tense and his eyes squeezed shut "What's..." she was cut off as the steady beep of the heart monitor flat lined suddenly.

"No..." Ruby sobbed as she clutched tightly to his hand "This can't be happening!"

"Flat-Line!" a voice yelled somewhere from behind them. Rachel rushed into the room a moment later with a team of other doctors and pushed them both back gently.

"Charging 200!" she yelled as she grabbed the paddles of the defibrillator and pressed them to Ross's chest.

Ruby quickly turned into Charlie's arms and closed her eyes.

"Charging 250!"

Charlie blinked against her tears and hung onto her daughter as tightly as possible.

"Charging 300!"

A silence filled the air for a moment before a male's defeated voice sounded.

"Time of death...2:46 am"

"No..." Charlie whimpered as she looked up at them.

"Charlie..." Rachel moved forward and wrapped her arms around Charlie and Ruby.

---

"Shit..." Joey murmured as she paced slowly back and forth "What the hell is going on?!" Rachel had returned to her side to explain what had happened but merely 10 minutes ago she had rushed off with no explanation. She looked up suddenly and paled slightly when she noticed Charlie and Ruby walking towards her. She instantly noticed that Ruby's cheeks were tear stained and her eyes still held unshed tears while Charlie seemed close to sobbing herself "Oh My God..." she stepped forward and Ruby instantly rushed into her arms, sobbing quietly. Joey held the heartbroken teen tightly as tears formed in her own eyes. She looked up at Charlie and opened her free arm. Charlie stepped into her embrace and finally allowed her tears to fall unhindered. After a moment they sunk to the ground of the waiting room together in tears as they found their legs unable to support them.

TBC