Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty Five
"So, um... were you tempted?" Joey asked coyly when she and Charlie were getting ready for bed that night.
Knowing exactly what she was talking about and also knowing that she already knew the answer, Charlie couldn't help but smirk.
"Yeah," she teased. "I was totally tempted by a twenty year old I have no attraction to whatsoever. It's a good job you were there really. Who knows what might have happened?"
Joey snorted and began to strip off. Charlie lay back on the bed and watched her with unashamed lust.
"Perv," Joey commented.
"Attention seeker," Charlie shot back playfully.
Leaping to her feet, she caught Joey up into her arms and tossed her on the bed. Giggling, Joey lay back and let Charlie lean over her.
"Asking me if I was interested in Mink just to get a few compliments," Charlie said. "Honestly..."
She tutted. Joey giggled again.
"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying," she said.
"I think you're the answer to your own question," Charlie told her, looking more serious.
Joey offered her a confused expression. Gently, Charlie kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose and then her mouth.
"When you've already got everything you ever wanted," Charlie whispered. "You have no inclination to look anywhere else."
Joey blushed. Charlie kissed her again.
"You are the only person I ever want to be with for the rest of my life," she added.
The following morning, Charlie and Joey drove Leah into the city to visit Hazem. Sensing that she was beyond anxious, Charlie paid the car parking fee and she and Joey both escorted her into the building and waited with her until it was okay for her to see him.
"He's finished his therapy now," the nurse said. "You can go in. But only two at a time."
"Oh, we're not staying," Charlie said.
She turned to Leah.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Fine," Leah replied. "Thank you both for your help."
Charlie patted her affectionately on the shoulder and said that they would text when they were ready to pick her up – probably mid afternoon. Leah thanked them again and watched them leave holding hands. She wondered if she would ever find, and most importantly, keep the kind of love that they had. Charlie had such a terrible history with relationships that the fact that she had found and held onto her soul mate, gave Leah some hope.
"Charlie!" Ross greeted warmly when he opened the door to his daughter. "And... um..."
His face fell.
"I know your face, I know I adore you and I know you like fishing but I can't remember your name," Ross said unhappily.
His awkwardness was taken away by the way Charlie's girlfriend smiled at him.
"It's Joey," she said, offering no sign of offence.
He beamed at her, nodding in recognition and pulling first her and then Charlie into a hug.
"Sorry," he said.
"As if you need to say sorry," Joey said easily.
"I'm pleased to see you both," Ross said, leading them through the house and explaining that Morag was in the kitchen making some brunch for them to eat out in the garden before they had to leave for their appointment.
Out in the sunshine, Morag, Ross, Charlie and Joey sat around the patio table.
"How was your journey down?" Morag asked.
"It was fine," Charlie said. "We brought Leah with us to visit a friend at the hospital."
"Oh," Morag said. "Anyone we know?"
Charlie shook her head and said it was a guy Leah had been spending some time with lately that had unfortunately got caught up in the race riot.
"What race riot?" Ross asked worriedly.
"At the Diner," Charlie said. "I called you and told you about it afterwards."
Ross shook his head uncomprehendingly.
"Was anyone hurt?"
Charlie glanced a little anxiously at Morag.
"The man that Leah's visiting in the hospital," she said.
"Who's Leah?"
Charlie faltered. So did Morag.
"She's the woman that runs the Diner back in the Bay," Joey said. "She makes awesome lasagne!"
Ross nodded and laughed, finally able to picture her face. Charlie reached for Joey's hand under the table and squeezed it gently in gratitude. Joey smiled at her.
"So, how's um..."
Ross rubbed his temples. Morag put a hand on his arm and told him to calm down. His memory was worse when he was stressed.
"How can I not be stressed?" he snapped. "I'm losing my fucking mind!"
Charlie sat up a little straighter in shock. Joey retained hold of her hand while Morag spoke gently and calmly and forced her husband to focus on his breathing.
"Sorry," he eventually said. "I'm not having a very good day. I was... I was asking about... about... your daughter."
"Ruby's fine," Charlie assured him.
"Ruby..." Ross repeated to himself.
"She's a bit sad because she's broken up with her boyfriend but she's fine."
"Ruby and Geoff have broken up?" Morag asked.
"He's gone to Africa to be a missionary," Joey said.
"Well, that's nice," Morag conceded. "But poor Ruby."
"Which one is Geoff?" Ross asked. "The blonde boy I caught her with that time?"
"No, that was Xavier," Charlie said. "They broke up and Ruby started dating Geoff."
"But they've broken up too now?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Is she okay?"
"She's sad but she's fine," Charlie said. "She's always been made of strong stuff."
She smiled. Ross smiled back.
"I um... we were hoping to visit sometime weren't we, Morag?"
"We'd love you to," Joey said. "We're actually going to be moving house soon."
She glanced at Charlie to check it was okay to speak about their plan and was reassured when Charlie smiled lovingly at her.
"Are you?" Morag asked.
"Joey, Ruby and I are going to find a place of our own to live," Charlie said. "We'll be renting to start with but we feel it's time to set up on our own, be more of a family."
"That's nice," Ross said. "How... how long have you been together?"
"Nearly a year," Joey said.
"Are you going to do anything nice for your anniversary?" Ross asked. "If it's soon?"
"We haven't actually talked about it yet," Charlie admitted. "But yeah, I reckon we'll do something pretty special. Neither of us have got this far in a relationship before!"
It was approaching four o'clock when Charlie, Joey, Morag and Ross finished the hospital appointment. The doctor had said that Ross would need a more intensive care plan now. He either had to go back to the care home he had previously been staying in, or he needed to have more nursing care at home. They hadn't reached an agreement but Morag and Ross had agreed to talk about it at home and let the relevant people know of their decision. Charlie suspected that he would choose to go back in the care home. He hadn't particularly liked it there but it would be less intrusive on Morag's life.
"Take care, okay?" Charlie said in the car park, hugging her father goodbye.
"I will," Ross said. "Keep in touch."
"Promise," Charlie said.
She hugged Morag while Joey turned her attention to her father in law.
"Joey, when we come to visit, do you think you would take me fishing one day?" Ross asked.
"Of course I will!"
"It won't be a bother?"
"She's obsessed," Charlie smirked. "It definitely won't be a bother. More like a good excuse."
Joey pretended to sulk.
"I just don't get it," Charlie admitted.
"Don't get what?" Ross asked.
"Fishing," Charlie explained. "I have no earthly idea why it's fun."
"Because..." Joey began.
"And I don't need an explanation!" Charlie interrupted, kissing her. "You're very cute and all but I don't need another monologue on the joys of catching fish."
Joey pouted. Charlie kissed her again. Ross chuckled.
"You two really are very sweet together," he said.
Both women blushed and thanked him a little shyly. Charlie could hardly believe that less than a year ago, she had been afraid of telling her father that she was in love with a woman. But he was more supportive of this relationship than he had any been for any other – although perhaps that was because this time she was truly happy.
In the car on the way home, Charlie and Joey were eager to find out how things had gone at the hospital with Leah.
"It was nice to see him," she said from the backseat. "But it was hard. We had a long talk and..."
She sighed. Joey glanced at her in the mirror.
"I've told him that I don't feel able to pursue a relationship with him," she admitted. "I feel bad about it but things were so new for us before this happened. He's going to need so much rehab and support and everything and I just... I don't feel able to give that to him."
"Well, it's good that you feel strong enough to say how you feel," Charlie said, focussing on the road. "It can't have been an easy thing to say so well done."
"How did he take it?" Joey asked, nodding.
"He was fine," Leah said. "He said it's what he expected and that he's okay with it. I feel guilty though."
"Try not to," Joey said. "It'll only make everything harder to recover from."
Leah sighed, knowing she was right.
"How was Ross anyway?" she asked, changing the subject.
"His memory is dwindling more rapidly than anyone expected," Charlie said sadly.
"He's pretty upbeat though," Joey said, trying to be positive. "He's making the best of things."
"Yeah," Charlie said, although she sighed heavily. "It's just so hard to see him that way."
"I know," Joey said gently, reaching across and holding her hand. "But I also know how much he appreciates the way you care about him. It meant a lot that you came with him today. That you keep coming. And I know you were hurting every time he struggled but you were so good, Charlie. You were so good with him."
"Not as good as you," Charlie sighed.
"He's not my Dad," Joey pointed out. "I might think of him as if he is but I didn't grow up with him. I've only known the person he is now. It's not as hard for me."
"Well, thank you for everything anyway," Charlie said. "I don't think I would have got through today without you."
Joey smiled, although she didn't think she'd really do anything.
"We'll come back again soon, okay?" she said. "And we'll make it on a weekend so Ruby can come too."
"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "I really want to spend as much time with him as I can."
"Then we will," Joey decided.
Next time... Miles has sleep issues, Angelo annoys Charlie and everyone discovers Martha and Liam's relationship...
