Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven
Rachel exited her patient's room and approached Martha who had now been joined by Angelo as well as Tony, Gina and Bambang.
"Um... Martha?" the Doctor ventured.
Her friend looked up expectantly.
"I've got a patient in here called Wayan," she said. "He doesn't speak much English but he was asking for his son, Bambang."
The child looked suddenly alert.
"You've found Bambang's father?" Martha and Angelo asked in unison.
"Seems like it," Rachel said.
"I need to question him," Angelo said urgently.
"He's recovering from a serious operation," Rachel said. "He's not ready to talk to the police. But he does want to see his son."
Angelo relented and let Martha take Bambang in to see his father.
Avery and another colleague pulled up outside the police station. As soon as they opened the back door, Suzy was ready to attack. Kicking out furiously with her heeled shoes, Avery fell, crying out in pain. By the time his colleague had realised what was happening, Suzy, still handcuffed, had fled.
Angelo, Tony and Gina leapt up when Charlie was carried into the hospital by Watson and Joey, desperate for help. Rachel hurried to their aid with a wheelchair, taking Charlie into the closest room.
"What happened?" Angelo asked, rushing up to Joey who had turned very pale.
"Hugo Austin happened," Watson informed him.
Gina and Tony hurried to join the group.
"What was that about Hugo?" Gina asked worriedly. "Is he okay? I don't understand what's going on..."
"Your son tried to murder my girlfriend," Joey said coldly, although she was aware that none of it was Gina's fault.
"Hugo attacked Charlie?" Angelo asked.
"We don't know exactly what happened," Watson said more calmly. "Charlie was too out of it to explain and Suzy and Hugo wouldn't talk but it looks like Charlie got to the bottom of your secret mission."
Angelo swallowed.
"And it nearly cost her life," Joey added sourly, moving to sit in a chair.
Exhaustion overwhelmed her.
Two hours passed far too slowly. A team had been sent out to hunt for Suzy but they hadn't had any luck so far. Hugo was in custody awaiting interview. He had so far been treated with utter contempt as Charlie's colleagues waited to hear news of her health. At the hospital, Wayan had explained in better English that he had admitted he knew before, that Hugo and Suzy had promised him safe passage from Indonesia to Australia in exchange for cash. They had brought him and his son, Bambang over and they had since been waiting for Wayan's wife and daughter. When he'd realised that the rest of his clan weren't coming, he'd asked Hugo to take him home again but his request had been refused. Since then, he had been stuck in Summer Bay and separated from his son.
"I've done my best to look after him," Martha said.
Bambang sat on the edge of his father's bed, holding his hand.
"I'm grateful," Wayan managed. "Thank you."
"Thank you," Bambang echoed.
"And I'm sorry for what Hugo did," Martha added.
She felt sick to realise that she had forced Bambang to live with the man who had almost ruined his life – and the life of his family. The only thing she could be grateful for was that Bambang didn't seem to have recognised Hugo for who he really was.
Joey was relieved to finally be allowed to go in and see Charlie, who'd had to have a brain scan to check for any lasting damage after two head injuries. Hurrying to her sleeping partner's side, Joey held onto her hand. Charlie's eyes fluttered open and she gazed lovingly into her girlfriend's face.
"Don't you ever do that to me again," Joey warned playfully, her voice catching on the last word.
"Sorry," Charlie said weakly.
Joey leant closer and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I have a headache," Charlie said. "But Rachel said it would pass soon. She thinks I have a little bit of concussion."
Joey nodded and kissed her again. She moved to pull up a chair.
"Charlie, what on earth happened out there?" she asked.
The following morning, Angelo was relieved to be reinstated at work and to have been delivered no repercussions for drinking and driving. Fortunately, the crash itself hadn't had anything to do with him and while he might have been just under or perhaps just over the legal limit, he hadn't caused any damage to anyone or anything. He had also been granted permission to interview Wayan at the hospital with Watson. He was saving Hugo for later and was determined to throw every book he could find at him.
"Okay, let's get you home," Joey said.
Charlie had reluctantly agreed to stay the night but with her headache gone now, she was itching to leave.
"I want to go to the police station," Charlie admitted, sitting up on the edge of her hospital bed.
Joey, Ruby and Leah all looked horrified.
"Charlie, you're not well," Joey tried. "You need to go home and rest. I think it's pretty safe to assume you're on sick leave for a little while now."
Charlie shook her head and ignored the fact that it made her dizzy.
"Hugo nearly killed me," she said firmly. "I am not about to let him get away with that."
"Angelo and Watson will deal with it," Joey insisted. "You need to come home."
"Please?" Charlie said, taking hold of her partner's hand. "I want to be there when they interview him. I want to know exactly what happened yesterday, what's been happening for months. And I want to hear it from him."
Sighing, Joey glanced at Leah and Ruby who all knew as well as she did that there would be no arguments. Once Charlie had made her mind up about something, it was unlikely to change.
"Are you sure you're well enough?" Joey asked gently.
Charlie pulled her into a hug and kissed.
"This is just something I have to do," she said. "But when I'm done, I'll come home and be the perfect patient. I promise."
In the afternoon, Hugo was led into an interview room. He tried to ignore the glares of everyone at reception, including Watson behind the desk and Joey sitting in the waiting area. Her glare was the harshest by far. Entering the room, Hugo was surprised to come face to face with Charlie. He'd assumed, after everything she'd been through, she would either be resting at home or still in the hospital. Angelo sat beside her.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for the chance to hang you out to dry," Angelo told him.
Hugo glared.
"Why don't we start at the beginning?" Charlie suggested.
Next time... Angelo strikes a deal with Hugo, Martha refuses to make peace with her ex-boyfriend and Charlie arrives home after a gruelling interview...
