With only a few chapters left, our Charlie is definitely making the transition from her messy Angelo relationship to her lovely future with Joey. I hope you are all still enjoying this fic! Thank you, as ever, for all your lovely reviews. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Charlie and Joey found Rachel and asked after Angelo. She took them into the relative's room and sat them down.

"Firstly," she said. "Hi, Joey. It's lovely to see you again."

Joey grinned and waved.

"As for Angelo... he's got some bruising, a cut to the head, a fractured shoulder and a broken leg," Rachel continued less cheerfully. "He may have a little concussion but the tests have come back showing no brain damage. He's pretty emotional though, feeling very sorry for himself."

"Maybe he shouldn't have been drinking and driving then!" Charlie remarked. "He could lose his job over this!"

Rachel looked awkward.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"It looks like he's already lost his job. You know he was suspended this week?"

Charlie shook her head.

"I haven't really been around," she explained. "It was Robbo's trial so I was spending all my time with..."

She trailed off and gazed at Joey.

"Well, he got suspended," Rachel explained. "According to what I've heard. And today they fired him."

Charlie sat back in her seat, stunned. She certainly hadn't seen that coming.

"And now he's been arrested," Rachel said.

Charlie's eyes widened.

"Watson's in with him now," the Doctor said. "She's had to arrest him for driving under the influence and it also looks like he started a fire on the beach that got a little out of hand."

"Out of hand, how?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Nobody was hurt," Rachel said. "But it could have spread terribly. It took the fire service a good while to put it out."

Charlie sighed heavily.

"How did this even happen?" she wondered. "I mean, this time last year, he was a mess but at least he was doing everything he could to make things right. Even with Jack and everything, the whole point of Angelo coming here was to make things right, to start again, to rebuild his life. I don't understand why he's like this. What's happened to him?"

"Well, personally I'm going to recommend counselling," Rachel admitted. "If I can get him to see a psychiatric Doctor before he's released, I will. But I think he's going to need some help in the longer term. He sounds like he has a lot of issues. And being obsessed with you seems to be one of them."

Joey and Charlie exchanged worried glances.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked meekly.

"Well, let's just say, I'd keep Watson on hand if you're planning on going to talk to him," Rachel said.

Charlie nodded. Rachel excused herself.

"Are you sure you want to see him?" Joey asked. "Maybe we should just go. If he's fixated on you... what if it's not safe to see him?"

Charlie stroked her face tenderly.

"I'll be fine," she said. "I'll keep Watson in there with me."

Joey nodded but clearly looked unhappy. Charlie kissed her and headed for the door.

Angelo was elated when he saw Charlie push the door open and enter his room. Watson stepped back, asking her if she wanted privacy. Angelo's heart sank when Charlie said no and asked Watson if she would stay with them while they talked. Nodding, Watson sat in the corner of the room while Charlie approached the bed.

"I'm so happy to see you," Angelo said. "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"You've been hell bent on destroying yourself tonight," Charlie said. "Not to mention other people. Of course I came."

Angelo reached for her hand but she moved it out of the way. He frowned.

"I never hurt anybody else," he said.

"You could have," Charlie told him. "When is drinking and driving ever a good idea, Angelo? Not to mention the fire."

"I was burning my work stuff," Angelo said. "It wasn't intended to hurt anyone. It was symbolic."

Charlie sighed. He sounded pathetic. She wasn't sure whether to feel anger or sympathy.

"Well, it spread," she said. "It took a while for them to get it under control."

He gazed into his ex-girlfriend's eyes and apologised.

"I never meant to hurt anyone," he said. "Charlie, I just feel so lost."

She managed a sympathetic smile.

"Please don't be angry with me," Angelo begged.

Charlie sighed heavily and sank into a chair. She rested her arms on the rails around the bed and clasped her hands together.

"I'm not angry with you," she said. "I don't really understand you, that's all."

"It means everything that you came here tonight," he told her.

"When I get a call in the middle of the night to say someone's wrapped their car around a tree, of course I'm going to come," Charlie said. "But you dragged me out of bed. I can't say I'm exactly happy to be here."

"But you came all the same," he said. "That must mean you care about me."

"I do care about you," Charlie agreed.

His eyes lit up.

"So maybe we could try again?" he asked.

Charlie shook her head but he ignored her.

"We could, Charlie. We could make it work this time."

"That's not going to happen."

"But we're so good together!"

"Maybe once upon a time, we could have been," Charlie admitted. "But not anymore."

"Why not?" Angelo asked.

Charlie just stared at him.

"Why not?" she asked. "Are you kidding me?"

"Because of her?" he asked sourly.

"Yes, because of Joey," Charlie confirmed. "And also because of you."

"Me?"

"Angelo, can't you even see what you're like right now?" Charlie asked. "You climbed up a tree to spy on me..."

"You forgave me for that!" Angelo snapped. "Or at least I thought you did until you made a complaint about it."

"It's not about forgiving you," Charlie said calmly. "It's about being concerned. Honestly, Angelo, even if I had been seeing someone else, do you really think spying on your ex is a sane move?"

"I love you so much, Charlie," Angelo argued. "I just couldn't..."

"Behave like a normal person?" Charlie challenged.

He clenched his jaw and glared at her.

"You spied on me, you befriended my therapist, you hit me with a desk for goodness sake!"

"And you've damn well made sure I've paid for it," he said darkly, glaring at Charlie and Watson both.

Watson shifted but remained silent, still certain she had done the right thing.

"I've lost everything because of you," Angelo said.

"No, you've lost everything because of you," Charlie countered. "I never asked you to do any of those things, Angelo. You harassing me, isn't my fault. Once upon a time, I would have taken it as such but I won't now. At the end of the day, we all have to take responsibility for our own actions. I'm doing it and you have to too. And that includes this fixation you've got on me, losing your job and drink driving."

"They've arrested me," Angelo said.

"Good."

He looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said. "But you broke the law. You could have hurt way more people than just yourself tonight. Don't you remember Larry and that kid? He died because Larry was drinking and driving. It's an entirely selfish thing to do."

"I couldn't cope," Angelo protested. "I just wanted to escape. But Charlie, if you'll just help me..."

"How can I help you?" Charlie asked.

"Be my girlfriend again. Or if not, at least be my friend..."

"I'll be your friend if you stop treating me the way you are," Charlie said. "I do care about you. You do mean a lot to me. But we're not meant to be together. I don't want to be with you. I'm moving on with my life."

"With her?"

"With Joey," Charlie confirmed, irritated that he wouldn't even say her name.

"How can you possibly think she's better for you than I am, Charlie?" Angelo asked.

"Because she treats me better than I deserve," Charlie replied. "You treat me worse than I deserve. And I don't deserve much."

"I'd give you the world if I could!" Angelo insisted. "Charlie, if you just give me the chance to make things up to you... I can be a better man. I can be a better man with you. For you. Please, just one more chance. I'm lying in a hospital bed for goodness sake! What more do you need me to do to ask for your help?"

"Angelo, seriously if you did this to get my attention, it wasn't worth it," Charlie said.

He leant back and looked at her a little smugly.

"You're here, aren't you?" he asked.

Charlie leant in closer and looked directly into his eyes.

"I've said it before and I will say it again. You need help. Your obsessive personality is a problem. It's getting you into trouble. I know you can be a good man but Jack's death... it changed you into something else."

He glared. Jack's death was definitely not something he wanted to be reminded of.

"I thought all this time you were trying to redeem yourself," Charlie said.

"I am!"

"Well, you're failing! You're letting all the mess in your head get in the way. It's controlling you. You've lost your job. Rather than insisting that I can save you and focussing on our break up, you need to figure out what you're going to do next. How are you going to get your life back?"

"You did this to me," Angelo accused.

"If that's the case, I'm sorry," Charlie said sincerely. "I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to mess your life up. But let's get things right now."

He looked hopeful.

"Let me get on with my life, with my job, with my relationship," Charlie continued. "And you need to focus on doing everything you can to make right what you did tonight, what you've been doing for months. You need to save yourself and move on."

Without another word, she turned and left. Angelo sank back against the insufficient pillows of the hospital bed. He looked at the door and then at Watson who was trying to pretend she hadn't been listening.

Joey looked up when the door to the relative's room opened. Charlie looked tired but relieved. Joey stood up and immediately gathered her into her arms. Charlie wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend and kissed her.

"How did it go?" Joey asked.

"He needs a lot of help," Charlie said. "But not from me."

She stroked Joey's face and hugged her again.

"Let's go home."