Sorry for the delay in updating and that it's not the right story. I've fallen behind with Road to Somewhere and was trying to get a chapter written of that. I have been poorly though and haven't managed to finish that yet so I thought rather than leave you hanging, I'd just update what I do have, which is this. But hopefully I will be able to update the other one tomorrow or Friday. I hope you enjoy this chapter instead though. Thank you to everyone who still reads these stories, so long after the storyline ended on the show. I really appreciate the community on here. Also, welcome back ttandme – so nice to hear from you again. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty One
Charlie and Joey listened to music together in the car drive back to Summer Bay, chatting quietly, although their minds were still in the clinic with Ruby. They wondered how she was and if she was settling in okay. Were the other patients and staff being kind to her? Would she be able to get a decent night's sleep tonight? They both already missed her terribly.
Paulie had been doing Angelo's head in all day. His whole life had been doing his head in. So now, he was up on the cliffs, feeling sorry for himself. He hated himself for how things had turned out. Joey had given him everything after he'd messed everything up for what felt like the millionth time. He'd lost his job with the police for the second time and escaped going to jail again. She'd had no reason to take pity on him, not after the way he'd acted around her and Charlie. But she had because she was kind and lovely and as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. He loved her and yet he had hurt her, betrayed her. And now, he had lost everything all over again. So now, he was stood on the same cliffs that Tony had once tried to throw him off. Standing on the edge, he couldn't help but wish that he'd succeeded.
Sid and Marilyn caught up for a coffee at the Diner, only it wasn't panning out the way they had hoped. Ever since he had worked out that she didn't actually have a cancer diagnosis and had only 'figured out' that she was dying because her zany friend Mitzy had told her so, things had changed.
"You don't believe in my end date, do you, Sid?" Marilyn finally challenged him.
The Doctor looked at her, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"No," he finally admitted. "I don't."
"How about a walk?" Joey suggested. "Stretch out the day a bit. Clear our heads."
Charlie nodded. That sounded like a good idea. Re-entering Summer Bay, she ignored the turning towards their apartment, they headed on past the town, eager to escape for a while.
"And then a nice dinner," Joey added. "Followed by a nice cuddle at home and a catch up on the sleep we didn't get last night."
Charlie nodded. Joey reached out and held her hand.
Bianca was anxious, as she entered the Diner. She furrowed her brow, as Sid passed her, obviously upset on his way out. Glancing at Marilyn, she noticed that she looked distressed. She considered approaching her and then decided she didn't really know her well enough. Instead, she went up to Colleen at the counter.
"Hi," she said urgently. "I don't suppose you've seen my phone anywhere, have you?"
Angelo remained close on the edge of the cliff. He closed his eyes, feeling dizzy and nervous. He thought about the day that he had taken the blame for the fire that Paulie had started in his parents' restaurant, clearing hearing the disappointment in his parents' voices as they cut him out of the business. He remembered the moment he'd discovered that Belle had been cheating on him with Aden. She might never have been the love of his life but he had cared a great deal for her and it had hurt so much.
Pain hit him as he remembered holding the lifeless body of Jack Holden in his arms on the night that he had fired his gun into the dark and a bullet had hit an accidental target. He tried and failed to block out his memories of life behind bars.
He thought of how he had been treated once he had returned to the Bay. He swallowed as he remembered his previous love for Charlie and all the stupid mistakes he had made in trying to get her back.
And he remembered his sacrifice in letting Hugo and Martha run off into the sunset while his own world crumbled around him. Then his heart surged just a little as he thought of the way that Joey had given him his last chance and he had started to fall in love with her. But it sank once again as he took in the fact that all was lost now. He was back to where he started. He had tried to help Paulie and made a stupid decision and everything was over.
He took a breath and prepared to take a step forward into nothing.
Alf was tending the bar at Bucktons'. Joey had called him in the morning and, with Ruby's consent, confidentially explained what had gone on and asked that he take control of the restaurant for the day. She had also promised that she would make it a priority to get a replacement for Angelo immediately so that they would no longer be so short staffed from now on. He hoped he had been kind and understanding.
"Hello, hello," said a sneering voice.
He looked up, immediately unhappy when he saw Penn sauntering towards him.
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly.
He hadn't had any time for this man from the start. There was just something about him.
"Well, that's no way to treat a customer, is it?" Penn asked.
"I'm eager for the opportunity to bar you," Alf replied.
Penn looked around.
"On your own today, are you?" he asked. "I guess Joey's got her hands full today."
Alf narrowed his eyes, immediately cautious.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Well, a whole bottle of vodka yesterday…" Penn said.
"Get the hell out," Alf snapped, immediately angry.
If he found out that this man had anything to do with Ruby's drinking yesterday, he might actually kill him. He was already furious.
"I was wondering if you wanted to have a beer with me," Penn said, ignoring his demand. "Thought we could talk about family."
"Do I look like I want to have a beer with you?" Alf said.
Penn shrugged.
"Don't you like beer?" he asked. "How about Tulips?"
He let the word hang in the air and watched Alf stand up a little straighter.
"I mean, you always used to," he added.
Alf remained silent.
"Does the name Tulip O'Hare mean anything to you?"
Alf remained rigid and silent. Aware that he had hit his target, Penn offered him a smile and left.
Charlie and Joey walked hand in hand along the cliffs, enjoying the fresh air and vastness of the land. It was nice to be alone and free and to pretend that there was nothing wrong with the world.
"Do you think the food will be nice at the clinic?" Joey suddenly fretted. "Maybe when we visit, we could take her something? Make sure she has some treats or…?"
Charlie smiled and squeezed her hand.
"You really are cute, you know…"
She trailed off and stopped walking abruptly.
"What?" Joey asked, turning to look where Charlie was staring. "Is that Angelo?"
They both broke into a run.
Marilyn returned to the caravan park and knocked on Mitzy's door. She felt sorry for herself and sad about how things had gone with Sid. She was glad at least that her friend, someone who understood her and the situation she was in, was around to comfort and advise her.
"Maybe you just need to talk things through with him?" Mitzy suggested, as they sat outside in the sunshine together. "If you love him?"
Marilyn shrugged and sighed, feeling fretful.
"I thought he was the person that I wanted to spend my last days with," she said. "He's kind and funny and handsome and everything was going so well but… I'm starting to think that we're from completely different worlds. And I'm not sure they were ever meant to collide."
Angelo turned when he heard two gentle but urgent and familiar voices behind him.
"Angelo, are you okay?" Joey asked.
He froze, flustered at having been caught on the cliff edge by the two women that meant the most to him. He didn't know what to do.
"I'm fine," he lied, embarrassed that tears were forming in his eyes.
"What are you doing up here?" Charlie asked worriedly.
"Just… thinking," he lied again, turning back to the horizon.
"Do you want to think a little bit further back?" Joey asked. "You're really close to the edge, Angelo. It's making me nervous."
"Why do you care?" he asked, looking down at the sheer drop. "We're not friends."
"Of course I care," Joey said, stepping closer to him.
The tears began to fall. She watched his shoulders shake ever so slightly.
"Angelo…" Charlie said softly. "Please step back."
"I don't want to be here anymore," he said quietly. "Everything I do turns to shit."
Joey and Charlie looked helplessly at each other.
"Step back from edge," Charlie tried again.
"Please?" Joey said. "We can… we can work everything out."
"How?" Angelo asked, not moving. "I've lost everything. Again."
Joey and Charlie exchanged another glance, silently agreeing with each other.
"We can work everything out," Joey repeated, emphasising the meaning.
He turned to look at her, through his tears. She nodded at him, reaching out a hand.
"Please trust me," she said.
For all her fury at him, she had never wanted it to be like this. She didn't want him to hurt so much. She never wanted anyone to hurt that much, no matter who they were or what they had done.
"Joey…" he managed.
"Come on…" she urged.
He reached for her hand, silently agreeing to step back. Then he slipped on a loose patch of ground.
"What were you thinking, Dad?" Indi exploded.
Romeo had made a quick getaway as soon as the debate had started. He didn't particularly want to get into a discussion about his girlfriend's father's love life!
"What was I meant to do?" Sid asked. "Lie?"
"Yes!" Indi said. "Marilyn is a vulnerable woman who may or may not have cancer. These could be her last days and you're her partner. She loves you and you're supposed to love her. Whatever the truth may be, she needs you. She needs your support. Run the tests, do whatever you need to in order to get the facts, sure, but in the meantime, support her, Dad. Yes, you're a man of science but you need to at least be open to her lifestyle and beliefs. This is part of her. And you knew that when you got together with her. Isn't that part of what you love about her?"
"Well, um…" Sid said, a little startled by his daughter's passion for the subject.
"Get it together, Dad," Indi told him. "Be there for her, no matter what. Don't let her down. She needs you."
Charlie and Joey both held onto Angelo for all they were worth. His survival instinct kicked in and he manage to scramble up with his legs and together, he was pulled to safety. He lay, facedown on the floor, breathing heavily. The girls sat back, also a little breathless from fright.
"Are you okay?" Joey asked him.
He sat up and nodded.
"Are you sure?" she checked.
"I'm okay," he promised.
"Good," she said.
Then she slapped him around the head.
"Don't you dare do that again!" she said.
He stared at her, open mouthed. Then he burst out laughing. She grinned. Charlie chuckled.
"Honestly!" Joey said, shaking her head. "How the hell could you do that to me, Angelo? I'm serious. Putting that on us… if you'd have…"
She shook her head, suddenly very serious and very sad. She looked away and quickly wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Angelo said quietly. "I just… couldn't cope."
Joey reached out and hugged him. He leant against her.
"Why did you do what you did, Angelo?" Charlie asked quietly when Joey released him.
Angelo sighed, twisting his hands together awkwardly.
"I just… I didn't know what else to do," he said. "Paulie's in so much trouble with the loan sharks. He's put my parents' business in jeopardy and we have no access to money. I was scared and…"
"You could have turned to us," Charlie said. "We could have found a way. You didn't need to take that burden on by yourself."
"I guess… I guess I'm still getting used to not being alone," he sighed.
Liam was surprised to open the door to Bianca.
"Hi…" he said.
She studied his face. He looked exhausted.
"Hi," she said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he lied.
The truth was, he hadn't slept. He hadn't been able to stop worrying about Ruby since yesterday and had been gripped to his phone, waiting for some sort of news from Joey. She had promised she would call to let him know she was okay.
"Okay," Bianca said, noting his abrupt tone. "Look, have you got my phone?"
He was immediately offended.
"Why on earth would I have your phone?"
"Well, it's missing and Colleen thought you might have taken it…" she said.
"I've got more important things to deal with than you and your stupid phone right now," he snapped, slamming the door in her face.
Charlie and Joey gave Angelo a lift back into town and to the restaurant, deciding to treat him to dinner, instead of the meal for two they had originally planned. They felt the need to look after him. On the way, Joey remembered that Liam had been desperate for news on Ruby, so she called him to let him know what was going on. It felt like the right thing to do.
"I'm really sorry to hear she's struggling so much," Angelo said earnestly from the backseat.
"Hopefully this place she's gone to will make everything okay again," Charlie sighed.
She was still very anxious about everything. She glanced in her rear-view mirror and smiled at her ex-colleague. He smiled back, touched by the kindness he and Joey had shown him.
At the farm, Sid sat alone in the kitchen, sipping an early whisky and contemplating Indi's words of wisdom. He held his phone, wondering whether he should call Marilyn or not. The word 'love' kept rattling around in his brain. It wasn't something that he used lightly. They hadn't been together very long and he wasn't sure he was there yet but he knew he cared deeply for her. She meant the world to him and he wanted to be there, right by her side, supporting her. But he also thought she was crazy.
"I wish he'd call," Marilyn sighed.
"Why don't you call him?" Mitzy suggested.
They had moved into the main house to have dinner together. Everyone else was out for the evening so they had the place to themselves.
"Because he's the one that was horrible," Marilyn said. "If I call him, it's like I'm apologising. And I don't have anything to apologise for."
Alf was surprised when Charlie and Joey arrived at the restaurant for dinner with Angelo. Charlie and Angelo took a seat while Joey approached her employee at the bar.
"How's Ruby?" the Summer Bay stalwart asked immediately.
Joey sighed, an ache in her heart every time she thought of the girl she considered to be her daughter.
"We got her settled in at the clinic," she said. "It'll be a few days before we're allowed to visit. That's part of the process, apparently. But we can talk to her on the phone and they've promised they'll take good care of her. Hopefully this means they'll get her better and she can come home to us."
Alf smiled and patted her hand.
"I'm glad, love," he said. "You've all three made a very brave decision."
"Thank you," Joey said.
He looked past her at Angelo, who was talking quietly with Charlie.
"What's the deal there?" he asked.
"Um… we had a long talk." Joey said. "And we've decided to give him a second chance."
"A second chance?" Alf remarked.
"Okay, like a millionth chance," Joey grinned.
Alf chuckled.
"So, he'll be back at work pronto," Joey said. "And hopefully things will go back to normal."
Next time… Angelo starts back at the restaurant, Romeo and Indi prepare to spend the night together and Alf tries to shut Penn out of his life…
