Sorry for the delay. Thanks for the responses. I really like this chapter, I hope you guy do too =)

Enjoy xo

Chapter 46

A few days later

Charlie's Point of View

Ruby was now allowed to go home from hospital, but we still hadn't talked about anything. She had refused to talk to Casey or me for that matter. Brax and Case had organised for Ruby to stay at their place while things were still tense between us. "You all packed?" I asked, walking into the hospital room ready to take her home.

"Yep" She snapped back as she pushed passed me with her bag. We signed her discharge papers and headed to the car in silence.

"I thought it would be best if you stayed with Casey and Brax, just until things go back to normal" I broke the silence as we drove home.

"So you're kicking me out are you?" She glared at me.

"No, I just thought it'd be best for you while your adjusting to the situation"

"Just like you thought it would be best if you lied to me my whole life about the fact that you are really my mother" Ruby retorted. I stopped the car and looked at her.

"I love you Ruby and I gave up my right to be your mother when I ran away 2 weeks after you were born and that's a decision I have regretted every single day since you were born!" I shouted back as I got out of the car and stormed off to the beach. I sat on the bench at the reserve, looking out towards the waves. I watched as Ruby came and slowly sat next to me.

"This is your chance to explain…I want to know everything" Ruby told me, also looking out at the ocean.

"I suppose I'll start from the beginning…when I was 14 I started hanging out with these girls at school. They were so popular and cool and I idolised them. They went out to all the parties and wagged school and before I knew it I was rebelling against mum and dad and doing everything that they would do. They always hung around the older guys at our school and soon enough I met this guy called Grant. He was 16 and was the coolest guy and I was so surprised that he liked me. I would have done anything for him because I thought I loved him, but all I was to him was the hot chick that boosted his reputation up that little bit more. We had been going out for about 2 months when I snuck out of home and went to this party with him and all his friends. I thought I was the greatest cause I was going out with this awesome guy, smoking, drinking…I thought I was so grown up. Grant and I went up to one of the bedrooms for what I thought was a make out session. We did make out, but soon enough he had his hands all over me" I thought back to that awful night as Ruby looked at me with anticipation. "He was touching me and putting his hands up my skirt and I wasn't ready for that. I wasn't as grown up as I thought I was. He pushed me back onto the bed and pushed himself on to me. I kept trying to push him off while saying no, but it was no use. He got what he wanted and I just took it." I said softly.

"How long after that did you find out you were pregnant?" Ruby asked, apprehensively.

"Well after that Grant went on with his life but I just couldn't look at him the same way. I got really distant with my friends and I was always fighting with mum and dad. It was about 2 months after Grant…did what he did, when I noticed my boobs had gotten bigger. I just thought puberty had finally blessed me with some sort of upper body, but that was until I starting feeling nauseas every morning and didn't want to go to school. Another month went by before I realised I hadn't had my period since the night of the party. I was starting to get scared so I went to see Aunty Michelle cause I knew she would understand. She took me to the doctors and when he told me I was pregnant I just burst into tears. I was 14, I was still a kid and I was now having a kid. The doctor told me I was 12 weeks along and it was too risky to do an abortion, not that I knew what I was going to do anyway. So I just kept acting like nothing had changed until Mum started noticing the belly I had put on under the baggy shirts I was wearing to hide my newly formed bump. I soon told mum and dad about it and the first thing dad wanted to know who the father was. I didn't tell him who it was or that I was raped cause I knew he would have killed him" I sighed.

"Did you tell Grant?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah I did, but he didn't believe me. He thought I was making up stuff just to win him back" I nodded. "So I dropped out of school and stayed at home being pregnant, while mum and dad constantly reminded me of how disappointed they were in me. I was the only child of a police officer and a lawyer and I had gotten myself raped and pregnant at 14…of course they were ashamed of me" I shook my head, trying to forget that looks of my parents face when they found out about my pregnancy.

"Did you decide what you were going to do with the baby when you gave birth?" Rubes asked.

"I honestly had no idea. Mum and Dad would have loved it if I gave you up for adoption so they could forget about this whole travesty, but I didn't want to give them the satisfaction. I wanted to keep you and love you and cherish you, because I didn't want you to think you were a huge accident. I had just turned 15 when I went into labour, 3 weeks earlier with you and it was honestly the scariest day of my life. I was about to give birth to a baby, a baby I was nowhere near prepared enough for. The doctor decided it would be best it I had a cesarean because my hips hadn't fully developed and were too narrow to give birth to a baby. But soon enough you were born and as soon as I held you I knew I wouldn't let mum and dad get their hands on you. You were mine and I had that feeling that I was grown up now and I could handle this…I was completely wrong yet again but I knew I didn't want to let you go. Within a week of having you home I went into post-natal depression. I couldn't handle the crying and I couldn't bond with you the way I wanted. You bonded with mum and dad so much better and I just felt they were better equipped to handle you…so I ran away after 2 weeks, back to Aunty Michelle's. I thought about you every day I was there. I enrolled back into school, I started hanging out with the right people and I thought about you every day and how when I was ready I was going to be the best mother I could possibly be to you. So after about a year I was now 16 and a lot more mature to handle a baby and decided to move back home. As soon as I saw you I fell completely, head over heels in love with you…but you had no idea who I was. I was just a stranger as far as you were involved. Mum and Dad had become your guardians and decided that I had given up my responsibility to be your mother, so they thought it would be easier if you were told I was your big sister. It hurt so much, they took you away from me and there was nothing I could do because it was my decision to leave you in the first place" I had started to tear up. I looked over to Ruby who was also tearing up. "So I got my life back on track, decided I was going to be the best sister I could be, finished school and joined the police force…just like dad" I chuckled, wiping away my tears.

"Charlie…what happened to Grant?" Ruby asked cautiously.

"As soon as I became a cop I did a background check on him. He is now married with 2 daughters of his own…I was considering going to talk to him, but I just can't look at him after what he put me through" I replied to her. Ruby looked into her lap before looking into my eyes.

"When you look at me, do I remind you of him?"

"Oh, no sweetheart! Every time I look at you I see the gorgeous baby I gave up and how much I love you and wish I hadn't had done that!" I hugged her gently. I felt her arms wrap around me also. "I know things aren't going to be the same between us now, but I'm just glad you let me explain the whole story to you"

"I'm sorry for pushing you away…Its just…I thought…I just don't…you're my mum!" She stuttered before finally saying something and bursting into tears.

"I am and I will always be your mum and I'll always be here for you" I whispered, kissing her forehead. Despite everything that had happened between us, she was my daughter and I would do anything for her. I knew she would still need more time to adjust but I knew we would get through this.