Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty
Dex was frantic as he waited for the ambulance to arrive. He had never been in an emergency situation before and it was frightening, especially as he knew and cared for the person in danger. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard sirens in the distance.
"Not long now," he told Mitzy, even though she couldn't hear him. "Help is coming. Everything is going to be alright."
"Charlie?" Joey said, catching hold of her partner's hand.
Watson was sat at a table and chatting with Claire, who was back serving while Alf was behind the bar. Joey led her partner into the office and pulled her in for a deep, lingering kiss.
"Wow, I know my speech was pretty good but…" Charlie grinned.
"I am so sorry for what I said before," Joey said. "I didn't mean it. I was het up about Alf and Penn and desperate for him to talk to you. But you didn't badger me. You saved me. And I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm sorry. Please for…"
Charlie interrupted her with a kiss that took her words and her breath away.
"Give me."
She grinned.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," Charlie replied.
Marilyn arrived at the hospital in a complete and utter state. Dex had phoned her from the ambulance to let her know what had happened. She had dropped everything to be with her friend and now she was waiting with Dex while Sid tried to save her life.
"Can I persuade you to have lunch with Watson and I?" Charlie asked, as she and Joey left the office together, having sneaked in a few more kisses.
"Hmm… let me think… yes!" Joey grinned. "As long as I can be around to support Claire, it'll be fine. Not that she needs much guidance. She's great. Just a little under confident."
Charlie stopped walking and caught hold of her hand.
"I think it's so great that you've taken her on as staff, by the way," she said. "It's so great that you've given her that chance."
"Well, it's only to cover maternity but hopefully it'll give her a step up," Joey said. "She just needs a break and whatever we can do to give her that, we should, right?"
Charlie nodded in agreement. She kissed her one more time and then led the way over to Watson.
Bianca exited the Diner and was about to head back to school when she bumped straight into Vittorio. The same rush of terribly mixed emotions flooded her soul and she had no idea what to do.
"Hi," he said, gazing into her eyes.
She couldn't help but gaze right back.
"Hi," she replied.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'm desperate to take you to dinner."
"I… I… I can't," she said.
She hurried out past him and to her car.
"We just saw an ambulance take somebody to hospital," Watson said, when Charlie and Joey came to sit down with her.
"Oh no!" Joey and Charlie said in unison.
"Did you see who?" Joey asked.
"No, they were too far away," Watson said. "On the beach."
"Hopefully not serious. And hopefully nobody we know," Joey said. "I mean, it's sad for anyone but…"
Charlie and Watson both nodded, understanding what she meant.
Sid was stood by Mitzy's bed, writing notes when she began to stir. He moved to her side and waited patiently for her to come round. As a reluctant friend, rather than a Doctor, he held her hand, he tried to comfort her in her confusion.
"What happened?" she managed when she could speak.
"You had a seizure," he explained. "On the beach when you were with Dex. Do you remember?"
"I remember talking to Dex but… why would I have had a seizure?" she asked. "I don't understand."
It was after school and Bianca was driving home from work when she passed the beach and a crowd of paparazzi. She slowed to spy on what was going on. There stood Vittorio, talking to the press. Curiosity got the better of her. She pulled up and listened.
"I know you're all wondering what I'm actually doing here in Summer Bay," he was explaining. "So I thought I'd stop keeping you guessing and let you all know. I'm here to win back the love of my life, Bianca Scott. She's a woman who means the world to me and I messed things up with her the first time around but I'm determined not to do that again. Whatever it takes, I'll do. I love her with all my heart."
Bianca parked properly and headed up to the restaurant, hoping that Joey and also Charlie would be there.
Marilyn was sat by Mitzy's side at the hospital when Sid entered the room with her test results. His face alone told them it was bad news.
"What is it, Sid?" Mitzy asked.
He took a deep breath. He might not like the woman and he might think she was bad for Marilyn but this was a hideous thing to have to say to her.
"I'm afraid that as well as the lung cancer, you have a brain tumour," he managed.
Mitzy swallowed.
"It's… it's inoperable and you may only have weeks left now."
Charlie arrived back at the restaurant two minutes after Bianca had shown up and before long, the three of them were happily pulling apart Bianca's love life.
"So, he just laid his heart bare to the cameras and the press?" Joey asked.
"Yep," Bianca said. "Right outside. Just like that."
"Wow," Charlie said. "I guess he must really be serious."
"This isn't the Vittorio I knew back in Italy," Bianca said. "It's like he's finally decided to put me first. I don't know how to handle it."
"Maybe… enjoy it?" Joey suggested. "Just an idea."
"But only if you want to be with him," Charlie said.
"Exactly," Bianca sighed. "I'm still completely lost when it comes to him."
"And Liam," Joey nodded.
Charlie nudged her.
"What, am I really not supposed to mention him? We all know why this is so complicated."
"Joey!"
"No, no, she's right," Bianca sighed. "No point in ignoring the white elephant in the room. Liam is still on my mind."
"Who's Liam?"
Bianca spun round so fast on her chair that she nearly fell off it. Vittorio had just entered the building.
Marilyn held onto her friend's hand, tears falling from her eyes.
"No matter what happens, I will always love you and I will always be your friend," she promised. "I'll do anything for you. I'll always look after you, just like you always have for me."
Mitzy squeezed her hand weakly.
"You're the best friend I have ever had in all my life," she said softly.
"Thank you for everything," Claire said, letting herself into the flat next door.
"No worries," Joey said. "Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit less eventful."
Claire grinned and said goodbye while Charlie and Joey headed indoors. Ruby was already home, sitting at the table and doing her homework. She waved and said hello, announcing that she was stuck in the nineteenth century but would speak to them if she survived.
"I hope Bianca and Vittorio manage to talk things through," Joey mused, allowing Ruby to get on with her work.
She flopped onto the sofa. Charlie sat beside her.
"Yeah," she said. "And that she can work out what she actually wants to do."
"I guess it's easy for me – and I hope you," Joey said. "I mean, I cannot imagine a world without you. So I can't imagine ever being conflicted over how I feel romantically."
"I can't imagine it either," Charlie said. "You and me, this is for life."
She leaned in for more of the kisses that she had so willingly given and received at lunch time.
Vittorio, usually so unflappable, ran his hands through his hair, his stare shifting between Bianca and the sea.
"So… you… you came here and starting fucking some guy behind my back?" he finally demanded.
"No!" Bianca said, aghast. "No, that's not what happened at all!"
"Then tell me again, who is Liam Murphy?"
"I came here absolutely broken hearted after I found you in bed with some woman at our engagement party," Bianca reminded him calmly.
He hung his head, looking down at the sand beneath them.
"I had a connection with Liam," Bianca said. "We made friends. We clicked. We dated very briefly. Then I found out you were coming back. I didn't know how I felt about him, about you. Then he left."
"How do you feel about me?" he asked, turning to face her.
"I've been so confused," she said. "On the one hand, you hurt me worse than any man has ever hurt me before. On the other, when I heard you talking at your press conference today… I… I really believed in you."
He took her hand and looked into her eyes.
"I meant every word," he said.
She sighed, wanting to trust in him.
"But… how do you feel about this other guy?" he wanted to know.
"He's gone."
"That's not really an answer."
"We… we liked each other but it didn't exactly have a chance to develop," Bianca said vaguely. "It was… well, it wasn't what you and I have."
A small smile crept at the corner of his lips.
"You're talking in present tense," he pointed out.
She kissed him.
It was much later that evening and Ruby had long since gone to her room while Charlie and Joey had gone to theirs.
"I really am sorry about what I said earlier," Joey said.
She was stretched out on the bed, half undressed in her work trousers and bra. Charlie had made it a little further and was in her underwear, leaning over her and covering her mouth in kisses.
"What earlier?" Charlie asked.
"When we met," Joey said.
She knew Charlie had forgiven her and probably genuinely forgotten about it but she still felt bad. She was a bit of a one for holding onto guilt.
"Oh, don't be silly," Charlie said. "I'd forgotten all about that."
She kissed her.
"And besides," she added, slipping her hand between Joey's legs.
"We have far more pressing matters to be getting on with…"
"Oh really…?"
"Mmm hmm…"
Next time… Romeo makes a nuisance of himself, The paparazzi are causing trouble for the police and Penn threatens Miles…
