BRAX'S POV:
My phone rang the next morning as I was getting dressed after having a shower. Picking it up, I saw it was our solicitor… "Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Braxton" he greeted me "I'm just ringing to confirm our appointment this afternoon?"
"I'll be there" I assured him "there's something I need to discuss with you as well"
"Okay" he replied "I'll see you and Miss. Sharpe at the office at 1pm, yes?"
"We'll be there" I informed him, both of us hanging up the phone as Ricky walked into the bedroom
"Who was that?" she questioned as she began to put some clean washing away
"Our solicitor" I replied "checking we're still on for our appointment this afternoon"
"And we are, aren't we?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me as I sat down on the end of our bed
"Yeah, I just think maybe we should withdraw our application for guardianship of Case" I admitted
"What?" she asked "Brax, no!"
"Ric, it's getting too much" I sighed "Mum being in hospital, you expecting our baby, I don't think I've got the energy to fight a legal battle for Casey"
"I thought you wanted a loving family for Case? Brax, we can give him that" she replied "just talk to the solicitor about the situation and see what he says. Don't give up without knowing all our options, please"
RICKY'S POV:
Brax and I followed our solicitor into his office a little after 1pm, his last meeting having overran. Sitting down in the chairs in front of his desk, he pulled our case file out…
"So, what's been happening then?" he questioned
"My Mum's in hospital" Brax informed him "I don't know exactly how it happened but her neighbour found her unconscious and now she's suffering from memory loss"
"Okay" he replied
"And what we really want to know is what can happen now in terms of Casey's guardianship application?" I inquired
"It doesn't change a thing" he informed us "your mother withdrew her application for challenging the guardianship before the accident, so if you're still all set, we can continue to work on a case to take to the court?"
"Brax?" I asked, squeezing my hand in his
"Hmm?" he questioned "yeah, we're still up for it"
"Good" our solicitor replied "so how's Casey doing?"
"He's brilliant" I informed him "he's coming on in leaps and bounds at school and in general he's just a happy little boy"
"And, Mr. Braxton, how're you and Miss. Sharpe coping looking after Casey? Given your circumstances?" he inquired
"We're coping just fine" Brax replied "we have my brother Heath and his partner Bianca to lean on if times get tough, but everything's great"
Our solicitor smiled at us both and jotted down some notes…
BRAX'S POV:
Ricky and I arrived back in the Bay later that afternoon, having being to see Mum after our meeting with the solicitor. She was doing better, but still couldn't remember anything. Sighing heavily as I switched my car engine off, I rested my forehead against the steering wheel…
"Brax…?" Ricky questioned, placing her hand on my back, rubbing up and down soothingly
"I don't know how much more I can take, Ric" I admitted
"Talk to me, please" she begged
"Seeing Mum the way she is" I informed her "I know she's done a lot of bad things but she doesn't deserve this. Maybe it's karma?"
"What do you mean?" she questioned
"Maybe I'm being punished for taking her sons away from her" I replied "maybe it should be me in hospital and not her"
"Don't you dare" she proclaimed, her tone of voice startling me "just stop with the self-pity"
Before I had the chance to reply, she was climbing out of the car and making her way down to the beach, me having pulled up in Angelo's car park so I could get the books…
"Ric, wait" I sighed, hurrying after her
"I don't know how much more I can take myself" she admitted
"What?" I inquired
"Seeing you go through all this pain, knowing there's not a thing I can do to take it away, how do you think that makes me feel? I'll tell you, it kills me, Brax, but I love you so that's why I go through it with you, and then to hear you say all that, that you wish it was you in your Mum's position, you make me so angry sometimes" she informed me
"I'm sorry" I replied "but I can't help what I think"
"I know" she sighed, moving closer to me, leaning up on her tiptoes and resting her forehead against mine "but I'd be lost without you, you know that, so please don't say things like that"
"I promise" I assured her, pressing my lips against hers softly
When are Brax and Ricky going to catch a break, eh?