Chapter Eighty
Charlie jolted awake and promptly fell off the couch when the phone rang, rudely interrupting the quiet of the house. Joey blinked and looked adorably bewildered as Charlie crawled over to the phone and picked up.
"Hello?" she said, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
"Charlie, have you heard anything of your father?"
It was Morag.
"What? Tonight?"
"Yes. He went out and he hasn't been back. It's one o'clock in the morning now and his phone just keeps ringing and ringing."
Charlie froze as she remembered her argument with her father. She'd been so consumed with everything that had happened at rehearsals and making up with Joey that her Dad had slipped her mind. Now, she was worried.
"I saw him earlier but... but not for hours."
Joey heard the worry in her girlfriend's voice and hurried over. She hugged her as Charlie continued to talk to her step-mother.
"Okay, we'll start a search party now," Charlie decided.
She hung up and turned to Joey, looking fraught.
"Is it your Dad?" Joey wondered.
Charlie nodded.
"He's been missing since um... since he and I argued outside work."
She hugged Joey a little closer, grateful that they at least, had made up.
"I'm going to go and get dressed," she said, heading into the bedroom.
"Me too."
Charlie looked surprised.
"You don't think I'm going to stay at home while you and Morag worry yourselves to death, do you?"
***
As they climbed into the car, Joey phoned the police station and explained everything to Angelo who took the call. He promised to get a team out searching for Ross immediately. Joey remained polite, although she still disliked the guy. Now wasn't the time for petty squabbles. Ross could have gone anywhere. He could be lost or in pain. They had to find him.
***
"Geoff?" Ruby whispered.
He mumbled a response from the floor.
"Geoff, are you awake?"
"I am now," he said.
She apologised and shifted to look at him, stretched out beneath a blanket.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I can't sleep. Something doesn't feel right and I don't know what it is."
***
Ross sat down on the sand and watched the tide turn. He felt like his grief would overwhelm him, although he didn't know why he was suffering. He couldn't remember his name or anything about where he lived. He wanted to go home but he couldn't find it.
***
"Ross!" Alf yelled.
He and his sister marched through their small town, calling out to the man that they were desperately trying to find. Aden had woken up in the panic and gone searching too. Charlie and presumably Joey were also on the case. But Morag couldn't be calm. Anything could have happened to him.
***
Charlie and Joey drove up and down the main road leading from Summer Bay. It was the place Charlie's father had got lost in one time, back before his diagnosis, when Charlie and Joey were mere strangers. Joey held Charlie's hand between their seats, keeping the contact firm and constant. She could see how terrified and guilty Charlie felt and she wished there was something she could do to ease her pain. It really had been a terrible day.
***
"Ross!" Angelo called as he walked across the sand.
It was very late or very early, depending on how you looked at it and the sky was almost pitch-black. The moon was regularly concealed by clouds, largely shrouding the world in darkness.
"Ross!" he called again.
Watson was on the other side of the beach and the plan was to meet in the middle, hopefully with one of them managing to find Detective Buckton in the process. The police officer paused when he saw a huddled figure on the sand.
"Ross?"
He raced up to him and found that the figure was indeed the man he was looking for. He looked frightened and confused.
"Ross!" he said, taking hold of his shoulders. "Everyone's been looking for you, mate."
The older man looked into his eyes but recognised nothing.
"Who's everyone?" he asked. "Who are you?"
Angelo sighed, promised him that everything would be okay and quickly phoned Charlie.
***
Charlie arrived quickly at her father and Morag's house, which still technically belonged to Roman and still housed Aden. She hurried into the room and knelt at her Dad's feet. He was seated beside Morag on the couch.
"Charlie!" he said, promptly bursting into tears.
Morag was relieved that at least he'd found some recognition. She watched him struggle as everything came flooding back. Up until his daughter had walked into the room, he still hadn't recollected anything.
"Charlie, I'm sorry," he whispered.
She hugged him. Joey hovered by the door.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Dad."
"What happened?" Morag asked, trying not to feel accusatory towards her step-daughter.
"We had an argument," Charlie explained, feeling ashamed.
She kept hold of her father.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"I'm sorry," he replied. "I never ever meant to make you feel like that. I never meant to let you down."
"You didn't," Charlie lied. "I was just angry. I'm sorry. Everything's okay now. I'm sorry."
***
It was three in the morning before Ruby finally drifted off again. She'd woken fraught and she wasn't sure why. Geoff had come up to sit with her on the couch and they'd talked it through, deducing that she was worried about returning to Summer Bay in the morning. He'd held her and eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
***
On the way out, as Charlie and Joey, Alf, Angelo and Watson were preparing to get into their respective cars to go home, Charlie paused and thanked everyone for looking for her Dad.
"And thanks for finding him, Angelo," she said.
He resisted the urge to tell her that he'd do anything for her and instead smiled and stated that it was his job as a cop and a friend. She smiled and thanked him again before she and Joey climbed in the car to drive home. Joey resumed their hand holding and Charlie was grateful. Her long day had become ever long and she was desperate to get back home and crash.
***
Morag tucked her husband into bed and crawled in beside him. Her mind was too fraught to sleep. How many times could any of them cope with the risk Ross posed to himself? The more she thought about it, the more she thought he needed proper residential care. The stressful situation in Summer Bay was just too much for him to cope with safely.
***
Lying in bed side by side, Charlie closed the gap between her mouth and Joey's. Joey smiled in surprise and readily responded. They wrapped their arms around each other, seeking closer and closer contact. Forgetting her own exhaustion, Charlie was overcome with a need to be with Joey and ensure she knew just how much she loved her. She slipped tentative fingers beneath Joey's night shirt and was repeatedly pleased with her girlfriend's responses. She pulled Joey on top of her, stroking her skin and kissing her lips.
"I love you so much," she whispered.
"I love you too," Joey murmured, kissing her harder.
After the day they'd had, it felt perfect to be close again. Charlie kissed her ever more passionately and they began to give themselves away to the sheer joy of intimacy.
