Hello everyone. Here is the next chapter of this story. We're getting so close to one hundred! And considering how far behind I am, and considering Esther hasn't announced any kind of departure, it looks like we'll be rolling on for hundreds more! If you want me to, of course. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xx
Chapter Ninety-Seven
Joey woke up in a small amount of pain the following morning but was determined not to show it. Once she'd turned the shower on and stripped off, she looked down at her abdomen where a small, elbow shaped bruise had formed.
"Why do I have to bruise like a damn peach?" she wondered aloud, stepping beneath the hot spray.
Grant woke up in bed with his wife. His secret trip to Summer Bay hadn't worked out so well and he was no nearer getting Charlie to shut up and Ruby to trust him than he had at the start. Sighing, he hauled himself out of bed and towards the bathroom, wondering what his next move ought to be.
Charlie was making breakfast for herself, Joey, Leah and VJ in the kitchen when her girlfriend arrived, fresh out of the shower. She hugged her and kissed her before seating her on a chair and serving eggs and waffles with a coffee and a glass of orange juice. Leah and VJ came to join them and everyone thanked Charlie for the food.
"Are you feeling okay?" Joey asked.
Charlie nodded and took a deep breath.
"I'm not letting this ruin my life again," she told her.
As far as she was concerned, Grant had lost his power. Joey was relieved. Maybe it meant that the nightmares would stop and Charlie could calm down and feel safe in her own skin again.
Angelo was already at work when Charlie arrived. He'd got in early in order to make some headway on his case. Life was becoming tiring as he worked almost night and day in order to try and find Hugo Austin's guilt. He looked up as Charlie walked past him. She waved briefly and headed right into her office, closing the door behind her.
"Are you okay?" Aden asked when Joey winced for the fifth time.
She straightened up, smiled and nodded. He didn't look entirely convinced but he let it go. Joey tried not to make it obvious that her ribs hurt as she continued to work.
"Hey, could you go and check we've got enough containers?" Aden asked.
He carefully watched her freeze.
"I'm sure we've got enough," she said quickly. "There's no need."
Sighing, Aden decided for sure that Joey wasn't as happy and confident as she outwardly appeared to be.
Charlie sat her desk, rifling through the police database. She sipped coffee and concentrated hard as she sought to discover everything she could about Grant Bledcoe. For sixteen years, he had been walking free when he should have been in jail for raping her. He'd told her at the time that it wasn't his first time and she very much doubted it had been his last. Her father had let her down at the time. He had let Grant go and not attempted to get him to pay for his crimes. Now, if that monster was determined to interfere with her life and get to know her daughter, she was going to make sure that he didn't get the chance. She was going to make him pay once and for all.
At lunch time, Geoff made his excuses about seeing a friend. Both Aden and Joey knew he was going to see Ruby. The fact that the two of them liked each other was blindingly obvious. Joey couldn't help but feel sorry for Xavier though. He obviously worshipped Ruby and she wasn't sure why Charlie's daughter was stringing him along if she didn't want to be with him. Still, she supposed it wasn't really any of her business. Joey and Aden headed into the Diner and sat at a table. Joey nosed through the menu even though she knew it off by heart and Colleen came over to take their order. When she had bustled away, Aden turned to Joey, looking very serious.
"Jo, what's up?" he asked.
"Nothing," she replied.
"You just don't seem yourself right now," he said. "And you were wincing earlier."
Joey shrugged and winced again.
"I think I pulled something," she admitted.
He frowned at her.
"Is there something on your mind?" he asked. "You're my best mate. You know you can tell me."
Joey sighed heavily and chewed her lip.
"I'm worried about Charlie," she admitted.
He nodded and waited for her to continue.
"She's such a mess, Ade. She cries all the time and she's so stressed. Her nightmares... they're awful. I think they're worse than mine."
"Yours?"
"I had really bad nightmares after... well, you know. That was kind of how Charlie and I got together. She used to come in and sleep with me, keep me safe."
He smiled, thinking that it was a sweet gesture.
"But I was just screaming my head off. Charlie's physically fighting her way out of her dreams. She's terrified. And I..."
She paused.
"You?" Aden nudged.
"I keep getting caught in the cross-fire," she admitted.
"The head injury and stuff?"
Joey nodded.
"I don't really care about getting hurt," she explained. "But it's hard to hide it from her. And I have to hide it because she feels so awful when she finds out what she's done. I don't... I don't know how to help her."
Colleen appeared with their lunch and Aden began to poke his salad with his fork.
"Maybe you need to take her mind off everything?" he suggested.
She eyed him curiously.
"Do something special for her," he said. "Make her feel happy. Maybe if she's got something else to think about than Grant and Ruby and everything, she might be able to relax a bit."
Joey nodded in agreement. She pulled out her phone and called Charlie, who answered after the third ring.
"Hey," Joey said. "You don't have plans tonight do you?"
"No," Charlie said, curiosity in her tone.
"Well, you do now. Make sure you leave work on time, okay?"
Charlie smiled into the phone.
"Okay," she said. "What's the plan?"
"A surprise," Joey said.
"I look forward to it!"
Joey hung up and turned back to Aden.
"What's the surprise?" she asked.
"A romantic evening in," Joey said.
Suddenly she frowned.
"What?"
"I've got bruises on my ribs," she said. "How am I going to hide them when we...?"
She raised her eyebrows. Aden leant forward and smirked.
"Sorry," he said. "I don't know what you mean. You'll have to explain in graphic detail!"
Laughing, Joey threw a couple of fries at him. He picked them up from where they landed on his plate and ate them cheerfully.
Charlie's body was slowly going numb. She had been sat her desk all day, researching Grant's history and tracking his life. Between police records and the Internet, she had quite a good picture of what he had been up to throughout his life and she was sure she could pinpoint several other victims. She was determined to track them down and finally press charges against the man who had violated her.
Joey had gone straight to the supermarket after work and convinced Leah to go out for the evening so that she could wine and dine her girlfriend. She'd made a salad starter and a lasagne completely from scratch with chocolate pudding for dessert. Charlie was due home in half an hour and Joey was looking forward to seeing her. She had dressed up in black trousers and a smart white shirt. Her hair was loose and she had decided to cross the bruise bridge when she came to it.
Xavier had sought permission to have Ruby stay over and the two of them had gone for dinner at the Diner and were now heading home hand in hand along the beach. Ruby was surprised to find herself really enjoying the evening and it was starting to feel like the old days when life had been simple. Before she'd known that Charlie was her mother, she'd been so happy. She'd loved her sister and thought she was pretty much perfect. She'd been happy at home with her, Joey, Leah and VJ and she'd believed she'd met her perfect partner in Xavier. Then everything had gone wrong and she hardly knew where she stood with anyone anymore.
Charlie was ten minutes late. A little deflated after all the effort she'd made, Joey sank down at the kitchen table and waited. Minutes became hours and before long, Charlie was two hours late. The salad was soggy and the lasagne was cold. Joey reached for the bottle of white wine she'd opened in order to pour another glass. She hesitated and pulled out her phone, calling herself a taxi. Twenty minutes later, Joey arrived at the police station. She marched past Angelo and knocked on Charlie's office door.
"Come in," Charlie said.
Joey burst through the door and dumped the cold lasagne unceremoniously on her desk. Charlie looked alarmed and guilty. She looked at her watch and began to apologise.
"Forget it," Joey said, turning to leave.
Charlie raced forward and shut the door. She turned Joey round and looked into her eyes.
"I totally lost track of time," she said. "I really am so sorry."
"Sure," Joey replied.
"Joey, please?"
Not feeling terribly forgiving, Joey remained silent.
"I had no idea it was this late," she said. "I'm sorry."
"I went to a lot of effort," Joey said. "I had a starter and serviettes and everything. I was trying to make you happy."
"You don't have to try," Charlie told her. "And thank you. It's so sweet of you. I really didn't mean to mess it up."
"I made Leah go out," Joey said, still looking glum.
Charlie moved backwards and sat in her chair, pulling Joey with her and onto her lap.
"What kept you anyway?" Joey asked.
"I've um... I've been digging around into Grant's past," she said. "I think I've found more rape victims."
"Charlie..." Joey began to protest.
She didn't want her girlfriend to be any more hurt than she already was.
"I've arranged to go and see them at the weekend."
"Charlie, I'm not sure that's such a good..."
"Look," Charlie interrupted.
She directed Joey to the computer screen and scrolled through everything she'd found out. Joey read it with interest and sighed heavily when she reached the end of the document.
"Do you really think you should get involved?"
"I think I owe him sixteen years of pain," Charlie said.
Joey nodded and leant against her. Charlie frowned at the lasagne.
"I really am sorry about tonight, Joey," she said.
Joey turned and smiled.
"It's okay," she said.
"It's not," Charlie said. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."
Joey smiled.
"Dessert should still be good," she said.
Charlie smiled. Joey stood and guided Charlie to her feet. The police officer tidied her desk up and Joey grabbed the lasagne before they headed out to the car together. Angelo continued to work at his desk.
