I was really worried about the last chapter so thank you all so much for your reviews. I really didn't like Ruby during this storyline – can you tell!? I hope you like this one and that you're all happy and well. Love, IJKS xx
Chapter Eighty-Six
"So, what was she really doing here?" Charlie asked her partner when Ruby left.
The teenager had stayed for all of five minutes before she'd escaped home looking like she had a lot on her mind. Joey sighed and took Charlie into her arms.
"She came looking for Grant," Joey explained.
Charlie shot up so fast she nearly fell off the sofa. She stared at Joey helplessly.
"I found her looking through your yearbook," Joey explained. "I think she was wanting to..."
"Find him," Charlie concluded quietly.
She turned and rested her chin on the hands while her elbows rested on her knees. When she started to rock ever so slightly, Joey moved forward and put her arm around her, cuddling her close.
"I think I talked her out of it," Joey said. "I hope I did."
"What did you say?" Charlie wondered.
Joey sighed and leant against the back of the sofa. Charlie shifted and peered at her worriedly.
"Joey?"
"I gave her a few home truths about what you went through," Joey admitted.
"You...?"
"I know I was probably harsher than you'd want me to be and I understand that we have to be patient with her but... I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm furious with her."
"Furious?" Charlie questioned.
Joey leapt to her feet, making Charlie jump and began pacing in front of her.
"Joey?" Charlie probed.
"You went through the biggest trauma of your life," Joey said, letting all her bottled feelings come tumbling from her mouth. "That man, that boy, whatever... he raped you, Charlie. He overpowered you and forced himself inside you. He hurt you. He broke you. He made you hate yourself and keep this big secret for sixteen years. And yes, okay, you lied to her. But then she told you she hated you and stormed out of your life without giving a flying fuck about how you feel!"
Charlie was surprised by her girlfriend's fury.
"Then she comes back and she's holding all the cards. You're pretty much willing to do anything in the world for her and she's not responding. You're crying yourself to sleep every night."
Charlie blanched. She hadn't realised that Joey had heard her sobbing in the dark.
"And now she wants to find the shit that did this to you? She wants to bring him back into your life?" Joey ranted. "I'm sorry but no. No way. As far as I'm concerned, she has no comprehension of what he put you through. And she needed to be told."
Joey finally stopped pacing and looked at Charlie.
"Sorry," she said meekly. "I know she's your daughter and the girlfriend criticising the kid is the eighth deadly sin but..."
She sighed heavily and was grateful when Charlie reached out to her and pulled her into her lap. She kissed her tenderly and held her close.
"Thank you for sticking up for me," Charlie said.
Joey smiled in relief.
"I'll always stick up for you, Charlie," Joey promised. "I love you. And I want to protect you."
She gazed into her eyes.
"I want to protect you the way you protected me."
Charlie leant in and kissed her.
"I wish I'd have done a better job," she admitted.
Joey stroked her face.
"Charlie, you saved my life. Twice. I don't think anyone could have done a better job than that. I dread to think what my life would be like if I didn't have you in it. I just wish..."
She looked away.
"You wish...?"
"I wish I'd met you sooner," she said. "Then maybe I could have protected you too."
Charlie hugged her tightly.
"It was the worst time of my whole life," she said. "Almost matched by now. But the one thing that's getting me through it, the one thing that's keeping me going, is you. I don't have any earthly idea what my life would be like if I didn't have you. You've been my rock."
They kissed again, losing themselves in each other for a moment.
"Whatever you said to her... I'm sure you did the right thing," Charlie said. "I know you were only looking out for me and doing your best for me. Ruby knowing the details of what happened... well, there are definitely worse things. Ruby tracking Grant down for starters."
***
Geoff frowned when he saw Ruby storm into the house and into her bedroom. Ceasing with his washing up, he followed her and knocked tentatively on the door. She didn't answer so he poked his head around the door anyway.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
She sat up on her bed tearfully. He moved to sit beside her.
"I just got a very detailed description of exactly how I was conceived," she told him. "And I hate myself for being the product of it."
Geoff quickly put his arm around her.
"It wasn't your fault, Rubes," he said gently.
"Maybe not but... she literally went through hell."
"How did it even come up?" Geoff asked. "What did she say?"
Ruby leant into him, content with the comfort he was offering. She felt closer to him these days than to anyone else on the planet. And she'd never believed that she'd ever achieve the kind of bond with anyone else that she had forged with Charlie.
"It wasn't her," she explained. "It was Joey. She caught me... um... looking through Charlie's yearbook. I was trying to find... him."
Geoff frowned. He certainly didn't think that finding the man who had raped Charlie was one of Ruby's better ideas but he wanted to support her no matter what.
"I've never seen her like that before," Ruby said. "She's normally so personable, so ready to just go with the flow no matter what. But she was really forceful. She didn't exactly hold back. She seemed pretty desperate for me to forget the whole idea."
"And are you going to?" Geoff asked, hoping the answer would be yes.
She shrugged. She had no idea.
***
Morag arrived back in Summer Bay and headed straight to the Surf Club to catch up with her brother. He was surprised to see her. She sadly explained that the hospital had told her she needed to spend less time with her husband and that some space would do him some good. It had been hard but she'd decided to split her time between Ross and Summer Bay in order to keep herself busy and help the man she loved.
"Anyway," she said, what have I missed?"
***
After school, Ruby ventured round to see Charlie with one thing only on her mind. Her new mother opened the door and eagerly welcomed her inside. She fussed around making drinks before they both seated themselves a little shyly at the table.
"How are you?" Charlie asked.
"I know Joey told you what happened," Ruby said, ignoring the question and getting straight to the point. "She said she would."
Charlie chewed her lip.
"Please don't try and find him," she begged. "Please?"
"Will you tell me about him?" Ruby asked.
Charlie looked stunned for a few moments. She swallowed.
"What... what do you want to know? He's a violent rapist. There's nothing else to say."
She knew she sounded defensive but she didn't care.
"He must have had some good qualities or you'd never have dated him," Ruby pointed out.
"Well, anything I saw in him kind of got overshadowed when he..."
She trailed off, feeling bitter. They looked at each other.
"He was very charming," she said. "And I thought he was handsome. That's all I've got."
"That's good enough," Ruby said quietly.
They forced smiles. Ruby finished her drink and stood to leave.
"Ruby, please don't try and find him?" Charlie begged. "Please? No good can come of it."
Ruby nodded and left.
***
When Ruby got home, she was glad that Geoff was there. He was finding things hard, having left school and ending up unemployed. He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life so he'd taken to obsessive cleaning. Irene had been pleased.
"Hey," she said, flopping down into the couch.
He presented her with a drink.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"I'm going to find my father," she told him.
