Hi, everyone. Thank you for your patience over the last couple of days. I hope you are having a good weekend and that you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Four Hundred and Seven

Charlie had phoned ahead that morning and told Watson that she was going to be late and that she was in charge of the team leading the needle hunt. Approaching the beach, which the team were struggling to keep from the onslaught of journalists, Watson wondered if her boss had known they were coming. Sighing, she put her brave face on and attempted to deal with the situation in hand.


At home, Charlie and Joey were sat at the breakfast table with a severely hungover Ruby.

"I don't know what you want me to say," the teenager told them.

Liam had brought her home, drunk beyond belief the night before, but there had been no trying to hide her antics or sneak her in. He had finally had enough and realised that Bianca had been right all along. Her parents needed to know the mess she was in and it had been his job to tell them.

"We want you to talk to us about what's been going on for you," Charlie said gently.

She felt terribly guilty that she'd had to have everything spelt out to her, that she'd believed Ruby's lies about everything being under control.

"I've been a bit down," Ruby said. "No big."

"You've been drinking a lot," Joey pointed out, keeping her tone un-accusatory.

"I'm a teenager," Ruby told her. "Are you telling me you didn't booze it up now and again?"

"But it's not now and again, is it?" Charlie said. "And it's not out at parties with your mates. You're finding drink from God knows where, drinking it by yourself, getting wasted and throwing yourself at older men."

Ruby flushed and looked down, studying the table with interest.

"It's okay, Ruby," Joey said, touching her hand. "We're here to help you."

The teenager burst into tears.

"I think I'm beyond help," she admitted.


With Joey also late for work, it had been Angelo's job to open up the restaurant and get it ready for customers.

"Uh, we're not actually open yet," he said, when a man and a woman entered.

He paused when he spotted the camera around the man's neck and realised they were journalists.

"We're just wondering if you know anything about the needle found on the beach," the woman said, taking the lead and fluttering her eyelashes at the barman for good measure.

Angelo blushed. It had been a long time since anyone had paid him any real attention and he was eager to develop a love life again now that he'd got everything else seemingly under control.

"I might know a bit," he said.


"You're not beyond help, sweetheart," Charlie said, gathering her daughter into her arms. "But you have to let us in, okay? You have to talk to us so that we can figure this all out together. We have to figure out how to make this all alright."

Ruby nodded, clutching Charlie tightly and never wanting to let her go.

"Sometimes I just… I feel like I can't breathe," she admitted.

Charlie released her and sat back down but held her hand. Joey caught hold of the other one.

"I feel like my whole life has spiralled out of control," Ruby admitted.

Charlie frowned and asked quietly if it was her fault. She was painfully aware of how badly Ruby had taken the truth of her conception.

"No," Ruby assured her. "Honestly, having you and Joey as my parents is the only thing I feel secure about. It's just… the rest of my life."

"Like what?" Joey asked.

"I don't think I'm ever going to fall in love," Ruby admitted. "Or at least, not with someone who loves me too. I had it with Xavier and then I hurt him. I had it with Geoff and then he hurt me. What if I never connect to another person again? What if I never have what… what you guys have?"

"Ruby, you're so young still," Charlie said. "You have your whole life ahead of you. You have plenty of time to find what we have. Look how long I waited!"

Everyone laughed softly.

"But I look around me and I feel like the only single teenager in the whole of Summer Bay," Ruby complained. "Romeo and Indi are together, Xavier and April… Nicole and Penn will probably get back together, if they haven't already. And then there's just me."

"Well, that's not totally true," Joey tried. "I mean, there's Dex…"

Ruby merely raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, perhaps not the greatest example but… just because a lot of your friends are coupled up now, it doesn't mean you never will be."

"But I won't be if I can't forget about Liam," Ruby said. "And right now, I can't."


Penn was feeling more than a little pleased with himself. Thanks to his needle stunt, Alf Stewart's precious Summer Bay was in turmoil. And thanks to his own personal handling of the situation, everyone was full of praise for the way he had looked after Nicole. If only they knew, he thought smugly to himself. Well, they will do soon. And then the fun will really begin.


"Ruby, what's so special about Liam?" Charlie asked seriously.

"He's funny and kind and talented," Ruby said. "He pays attention to me and treats me like I'm really worth something. He just so amazing."

"Do you think maybe you like him in part because he's unobtainable?" Joey wondered. "If you're feeling so lost and so broken, maybe wanting someone you can't have is safe?"

"But if I wanted someone I could have then I'd just be happy, wouldn't I?" Ruby asked.

Joey sighed. She couldn't come up with a solution.

"Sometimes things aren't as simple as we'd like them to be," Charlie said. "But one thing is for absolute sure, you'll find your way through this. And we'll be right there with you."

"You must be so ashamed of me," Ruby sighed. "I can't even get the most basic things right."

Charlie and Joey both hugged her at the same time.

"We could never be ashamed of you," Charlie assured her.

"We love you," Joey added. "We'll always be proud of you. No matter what."


Alf and John sat together in the Surf Club, drinking coffee and trying to figure out what to do. It hadn't been that long since the Australia Day riots and the Bay was still healing. The last thing the town needed was the needle crisis that was going on. The press were crawling all over the place, the beach was still shut and the police were still searching for needles. Things were not looking good at all.


"Now, are you sure you don't want us to arrange a meeting with Gina to talk all this through?" Charlie asked when she, Joey and Ruby pulled up, late, outside the school gates.

"I'm sure," Ruby said. "The less people that know what's going on, the better."

"But you will start taking better care of yourself, won't you?" Joey checked. "If you're struggling, all you have to do is call me and I will be right there, no matter what. Okay?"

Ruby nodded and smiled, thanking her.

"And you won't let the diabetic side of things suffer?" Charlie added. "You'll keep being sensible about that?"

"I will."

"And that means no more binge drinking," Joey warned. "It's not good for anyone but especially when you're in a vulnerable position like you are."

"I promise," Ruby said. "This is the first day of a new life."


"Good morning," Penn said pleasantly, entering the Surf Club.

"Is it?" Alf barked.

He was still not keen on the guy. He had won some points by the way he had helped Nicole but there was something Alf just couldn't bear about him. There was something that just wasn't quite right.

"It's a beautiful day out there," Penn said, following Alf to the bar to order a juice. "Shame the beach is closed."

"Shame it's crawling with journalists too," John said gruffly from the table.

"Well, I thought they should know what's happening," Penn said deliberately.

John and Alf both stared at him in horror.


Joey frowned when she saw two journalists exit her restaurant, looking rather pleased with themselves. She approached Angelo at the bar, who also looked rather smug.

"Who were they?" she asked.

"They were from the local paper," he informed her. "I managed to seriously plug this place for you and I got a date."

Joey just stared at him.

"What?" he asked, noticing and feeling a little worried.

"What were you thinking?" Joey finally demanded.

"Well, I… I haven't met someone I like in a long time and…"

"What did they get in return for letting you 'plug the business', Angelo?" Joey asked.

"Well, they just wanted to know a bit about the needle thing and…"

He trailed off, seeing the fury in her eyes.

"How could you?" she spat. "How the hell could you do that?"


Charlie and Watson stood on the beach together as the rest of their team continued to search the place. They were painfully aware of the press taking pictures and trying to get quotes. They just hoped that the residents would keep their silence until the police were ready to give a definitive statement.

"On the plus side, it looks like we'll be finished soon," Watson said. "And we haven't found anything yet, so that's good too. Maybe it was just a one off and then the beach can be reopened and everything will be fine."

"I applaud your optimism," Charlie said. "And I really hope you're right."


At school, Ruby was feeling quiet and thoughtful. She had avoided Liam like the plague, as well as most of her friends – especially Xavier who seemed sickeningly loved up with April.

"Hey, are you okay?" a voice asked softly.

Ruby turned from her locker, to find Indi hovering behind her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she lied.

She suddenly felt ever so tired.

"Are you sure?" Indi persisted. "You don't seem yourself."

"Yeah, I… I'm just struggling a bit," Ruby admitted. "And I'm feeling the need to do something nice for my parents."

"Like what?" Indi wondered.

"I don't know," Ruby said. "Like, buy them a gift or something."

"That sounds like a nice idea," Indi agreed.

"Except, I feel so flat and unimaginative that I have no idea what to get!" Ruby sighed, as they walked out of school together and into the sunshine. "Any ideas?"

"Um… well, I know a nice wine that Joey likes but apart from that, I can't say I know your folks that well yet," Indi said. "Sorry."


"How can you use what happened to poor Nicole, what's happening to the whole Bay at the moment, to further the business?" Joey asked, irritated, as she helped Angelo behind the bar.

Fortunately, custom was slow so far, so not many people were witness to their argument.

"What kind of businesswoman are you, Joey?" Angelo argued. "You're going to sink if you don't take every opportunity for promotion. It's a basic rule."

"I'm doing fine, thank you very much," Joey snapped. "I don't need to sell out my friends."

"I didn't sell anybody out!" Angelo insisted. "I said good things about this place and about the Bay. I told them that it was pointless exercise for the police anyway because there won't be any other needles out there."

Joey stopped and glared at him.

"So, now you're not a cop, you're slagging off the force, are you?" she accused. "You're telling the world that Charlie's case is a waste of time? You want to make her look stupid?"

"That's not what I meant!" Angelo snapped desperately. "Joey, you're not listening to me."

"Unfortunately, I am," Joey said. "And if you ever take it upon yourself to do something like that again then you're in deep trouble with me, okay? You do not use some poor girl possibly contracting HIV as an opportunity to get people in to try the seafood platter! It's not okay!"

Angelo glared at her and then stomped off to the kitchen.


Much later that day, at the beginning of her shift at Bucktons', Indi frowned at the bottle of wine in her hands. Joey was in the kitchen and had grumpily sent Angelo on an errand. All did not seem well between them today for some reason.

"I'm really not sure about this," she admitted. "I mean, you're underage."

"But it's for Charlie and Joey," Ruby insisted. "That doesn't count. And I'm seventeen, not seven." Indi sighed and handed over the bottle. She accepted Ruby's money just as Charlie walked through the door.


Next time… Ruby and Indi are in big trouble and Sid learns of Dex's crush on Marilyn…