Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty Five
Joey and Aden arrived at the hospital and found Charlie, Watson and a well manicured blonde woman waiting for them in the corridor.
"What's going on?" Aden asked immediately.
Joey stepped up beside Charlie, squeezing her hand discreetly and gently. Charlie smiled at her.
"There was an accident," she ventured. "This is Marilyn."
The blonde woman stepped up and shook hands with the newcomers, explaining a little about herself. Joey grinned, introducing herself also.
"I've just seen Alf Stewart," she explained. "And he's been beside himself with excitement over seeing you again."
"Really?" Marilyn gushed joyfully. "That's such a lovely thing to say!"
Joey grinned again. She already liked this woman.
"Anyway," Charlie said, not really wanting to dampen the mood. "While Marilyn was driving towards the Bay, she found a man wandering along the road. He doesn't remember anything about himself or why he was there. The only thing he remembered was that he was coming to see you, Aden."
The waiter nodded gravely.
"Would you like to see him?" Watson asked. "Maybe you can tell us who he is?"
Aden nodded again and hesitantly followed Watson. On the way, he grabbed hold of Joey's hand and dragged her into the side room with him. Charlie watched them go and sat down with Marilyn.
"I hope he can identify him," Marilyn said earnestly. "I hope he can help."
"So do I," Charlie said.
"Is Joey his girlfriend?"
Charlie laughed. Marilyn looked bewildered.
"Joey's my girlfriend," Charlie explained.
Marilyn blushed and apologised.
"It's fine," Charlie said. "Don't worry about it."
"I hope I didn't offend you. I mean, I love gay people..."
Charlie chuckled and reassured her.
"And I'm glad you love gay people," she added. "I'm a pretty big fan myself!"
Aden halted abruptly upon recognising the man in the hospital bed.
"Justin!" he said.
"Justin?" Joey wondered.
She ran through scenarios in her mind as she tried to recall why she recognised the name.
"Who...?" Watson began.
"He's my brother," Aden said.
Justin looked stricken, as if everything was starting to fall into place now that he had had one nugget of memory.
"I remember," he said quietly. "My name's Justin Jeffries and I'm in the army. You're my brother, Aden and I was heading here to see you."
Aden nodded anxiously and stepped forward, still gripping Joey's hand a little too hard.
"Why did you come here?" he asked.
The boys hadn't had a good relationship for a long time. Aden had never expected to see him again.
"That... I don't remember," he admitted. "But I guess... I guess I wanted to see you."
"I'll leave you guys to it," Watson said, heading back out of the room.
"Me too," Joey tried but Aden refused to let her go.
Charlie stood up as Watson approached her again, explaining that the patient was called Justin Jeffries.
"How does Aden know him?" Charlie asked.
"They're brothers," Watson said.
Charlie looked mildly alarmed. It was common knowledge that Aden had no time for any member of his family and after all they had put him through, it was hardly surprising.
"And he remembers being in the army," Watson said. "So that gives us a pretty good place to start if we need to find out more about him."
Charlie nodded and sat back down again. Marilyn jumped when he phone sprung to life.
"Mr Stewart?" she said in her fussy, high pitched but not unpleasant manner. "I'll be with you soon. I was... delayed."
She glanced uncertainly at Charlie who was still engaged in conversation with Watson.
Joey just about managed to extract her hand. She stepped forward and politely introduced herself to Justin.
"Are you Aden's...?"
"No!" Aden and Joey said quickly and in unison.
"We're friends," Joey explained.
"Best friends," Aden added. "My girlfriend's name is Nicole and Joey's girlfriend's name is Charlie."
Justin's eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm going to leave you guys to it," Joey decided, patting Aden on the arm. "It was nice to meet you."
"And you," Justin said.
Joey smiled, nodding and went to find Charlie.
"So, you know where you're going, do you?" Charlie checked.
"Well, I should," Marilyn admitted. "But with everything that happened today I'm all in a fluster."
"Well, you can follow us back into town if you need to," Charlie offered. "We can get you safely to the Diner. That's where you're meeting Alf, right?"
Marilyn nodded.
"Why don't I go with you?" Joey offered. "And then you guys can meet us there when you finish your shift?"
"Are you sure?" Marilyn asked. "I don't want to put you out."
"It's fine," Joey said. "In fact, I could do with the lift and not taking Charlie too much out of her way."
Marilyn beamed at her.
"Well, that's settled then," she said. "You'll guide me to the Diner that I should know like the back of my hand and you'll meet us there?"
"Sounds great," Charlie said.
She leant in to kiss Joey chastely goodbye. Joey then followed Marilyn back out of the hospital.
Alf was beside himself with excitement as he waited in the Diner for Marilyn to arrive. Irene and Leah were also excited, as were Miles, Romeo and Nicole who had all gathered to welcome her home. Colleen was the only person who looked sour. She had never quite forgiven her for breaking her son's heart all those years ago.
"She's here!" Alf said, peering through the window and seeing Marilyn and Joey climb out of the car.
"It all looks very different to the way it did when I was last here," Marilyn commented.
"They've gone through a few refits," Joey said. "Do you know the owner, Leah?"
"Vaguely."
"She's my housemate and she's amazing," Joey assured her. "And I can already see Alf peeping through the blinds so... you ready?"
"Absolutely!" Marilyn enthused, marching forward.
"Are you coming to the Diner?" Charlie asked as she and Watson got changed in the staff room, both relieved to have finished their shifts.
"Um, well, I wasn't really invited..."
"I'm inviting you," Charlie said.
She was always surprised at her friend's lack of confidence, even with all the good things that had happened to her recently.
"I don't want to crash a party..."
"Have you ever known Alf Stewart to ever think anything but 'the more the merrier'?" Charlie asked with a smirk.
Watson laughed and nodded, admitting that the Sergeant may have a point.
"Then let's go!" Charlie enthused, leading the way out of the building.
Colleen grumped about in the kitchen while Marilyn regaled the party about her encounter with Justin the amnesiac.
"But that woman... Charlie?"
Marilyn looked to Joey for confirmation. Joey nodded.
"She was amazing and her colleague..."
"Watson," Joey told her.
"Watson," Marilyn repeated. "They were marvellous. And I have to say that you two make the loveliest couple. You know, based on first impressions."
Joey blushed and smiled, thanking her quietly.
"I'm very lucky," she said honestly.
"Why?" said a voice behind her.
Joey turned and beamed at her girlfriend who pulled up chairs for herself and Watson.
"Because she has you," Romeo said in a particularly swoony voice.
Joey threw a straw at him and told him to stop being so cheeky.
"So, is Aden at the hospital?" Nicole asked anxiously.
She tried not to feel put out that her boyfriend hadn't even bothered to call.
"Yeah," Joey said gently. "I'm sure he'll call when he gets a chance. He was pretty overwhelmed to see his brother again."
"I'd almost forgotten that he had brothers," Nicole admitted. "He never talks about his family."
"He actually gets on worse with them than I ever did with mine," Joey sighed. "And that's quite a statement."
"Don't you have a nice family, Joey?" Marilyn asked, concerned.
"I do," Joey said. "But... not always. We've recently made up after a big fight."
"Oh, that's so sad," Marilyn gushed. "But at least you've made up now. That's got to be good, hasn't it?"
Joey smiled at her.
"I'm very happy we have," she said, holding Charlie's hand under the table. "In fact, this year is starting out as the best of my whole life."
"I'll drink to that," Alf said, proposing a toast.
Everyone lifted their glasses.
"To old friends and new coming together in happiness," he said.
Everyone celebrated.
Next time... Charlie and Angelo investigate Justin's accident while Aden confides in Joey about his relationship with Justin...
