Chapter Five Hundred and Forty Four
Charlie woke up happy. It felt a little strange at first, having been so stressed and pumped full of adrenaline while in the midst of the Penn Graham case these past few days, weeks and months. But this morning, it was all done. Both Will and Daria had been denied bail and would be held in custody until their trials.
Charlie had adamantly stayed at work the previous day to complete all the paperwork so that she could actually take the day off today and not think about work at all. She had persuaded Joey to take the day off too, not that much persuasion had been required and this morning, Charlie definitely felt happy. She smiled to herself, recalling their lovely bubble bath and all that had followed. It had been a later night than she had expected. And she hoped for a lazy, joyful morning.
Beside her, Joey began to stir. Charlie watched her stretch, the covers shifting and revealing her slender body. Charlie could only smile more. She stroked Joey's face and kissed her, wishing her good morning. Joey smiled.
"It is, isn't it?" she said.
It was a less happy morning at Irene's house as she attempted to console Lily, whose life had been turned upside down yet again. She had seen and heard and understood far too much for her young age and it wasn't fair. She had been ripped away from her mother and now her father had been ripped away from her. She had already been told that Will was refusing to see his daughter. While Irene understood that he was trying to protect Lily from seeing him behind bars, she also felt that it was a little too late for her. Seeing her father, even if it was just one last time, would at least possibly give her some closure. She felt that he owed her that.
"Knock, knock!" said the exact voice that Irene both expected and didn't want to hear.
Collen was stood in her kitchen doorway, some sort of food parcel in her hand and a smile on her face, as if all their weeks of not getting along was forgotten.
"I heard about Will's arrest," Colleen said. "I just wondered how you were."
Irene hurried to the door.
"I'm fine," she said. "But Lily isn't so I don't really want to talk about it, thank you."
She ushered her colleague out the door.
It had been a leisurely morning and Charlie didn't want the day to end or anyone to come and burst the bubble she and Joey were in. With Ruby at school, she and Joey had made the most of having the house to themselves. Lying back in bed together, Joey giggled when Charlie's tummy growled loudly.
"Excuse me!" Charlie blushed, making Joey laugh more.
"Sounds like I need to feed you!" Joey said, patting Charlie's stomach.
"I am getting seriously looked after," Charlie commented. "I should work this hard all the time."
"No!" Joey protested, pouncing on her and pinning her down, straddling her hips. "I have missed you and worried about you way too much. No more work like that please. Hey, maybe you should just get an office job or something."
"Oh, really?" Charlie asked, nodding towards handcuffs, still half attached to the headboard. "You want me to get an office job?"
"Oh," Joey frowned. "You wouldn't get to keep those?"
"No," Charlie said, wrapping her arms around Joey's neck and pulling her closer, stealing a kiss.
"Okay… well, maybe your job has one or two perks," Joey said. "So… did you want lunch?"
Charlie turned, flipping Joey onto her back.
"Maybe in a little while," she said.
Alf was also feeling good. He felt like he had been living under the darkest of clouds for several months now. Even before Penn Graham had died, his mere presence in Summer Bay had made life difficult for him. But now, with the real murderer behind bars, as sad as Alf felt about who that person was, it meant that he was free to move on with his life.
He had been up and out early, fishing and enjoying the fresh air in a way he hadn't been able to, even since being released on bail. He'd then gone for a long walk along the beach and up to the lighthouse, relishing the beautiful place that he lived.
Now, with a spring in his step, he walked into the Diner. He stopped when he saw his old friend, Irene, settling young Lily at a table in the corner. He took a breath and approached her.
"Look, Alf, I really don't want any trouble," Irene started immediately.
He felt sad for how utterly exhausted she looked.
"I only came out to give this one a change of scene," she continued. "Colleen has already laid into me about Will. I think she's annoyed because I rejected her this morning when she came looking for gossip and I just…"
"Irene," Alf said firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders.
She looked a little startled.
"You're one of my closest and oldest friends," he said. "I just want to forget this hell we've been through and move on. Please?"
She hugged him. They were interrupted by Colleen hurriedly approaching.
"Don't tell me you're forgiving her for…?"
"Colleen!" Alf snapped.
He didn't need to say anything more.
It was late afternoon when Charlie and Joey finally dragged themselves out of the house and down to the restaurant for a late lunch. Romeo was just starting his shift after school, having been joined by Ruby and Dex for company.
"You look weirdly happy," Ruby told her parents. "I don't think I even want to know what you've been doing all day."
"Probably not," Joey agreed with a naughty grin.
Ruby turned to Dex and Romeo, recalling their conversation from the other day and warned them not to start. Charlie and Joey looked confused.
"It's best you don't know," Ruby said, catching the boys both blushing.
They were interrupted by Alf walking through the door, looking happier than they had seen him in a long time. Joey hurried up to him and gave him a big hug, which he returned. She really was as close as a daughter to him.
"How are you?" Joey asked eagerly. "Have you had a good first day of proper freedom?"
"Yes, I have actually," Alf said. "That's kind of why I'm here. I was wondering if I could reinstate my shifts here."
"Of course!" Joey said eagerly.
Ruby glanced at Romeo who looked disappointed. Alf noticed.
"I don't want to take from you," he said.
"No, no," Romeo said. "I was only keeping your seat warm. And I'm not doing that many shifts now anyway because I've started back at school again."
"We can still give you a few hours," Joey offered him. "But we're so happy you're back, Alf!"
She hugged him again, one of the only people who could get away with such a thing.
Across the room, John was sat anxiously at a table with Gina, waiting for his real daughter, Daria to arrive. He had told Gina that he didn't want to get in touch with Daria. She had known about him all along and hadn't had any inclination to get in touch with him. He hadn't wanted to invade her life if she wasn't interested in getting to know him. However, Gina had gone behind his back to arrange a meeting.
"I don't think she's coming," he decided, standing up.
His movements caught the attention of Alf, who approached him, eager to make as much practical use of his day.
"John," he said. "I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to talk to you about the Surf Club."
"What about it?" John asked cautiously.
"What he means is, congratulations on your news," Gina put in.
"Oh, yes, congratulations," John said, glancing at the door. "We knew the truth would come out."
Alf thanked him.
"So, could we meet to do a handover?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," John said. "I've been working pretty hard in your absence. I think you'll be pleased with the changes I've made."
Alf was about to object when John suddenly announced that he thought 'that was her'. He opted to leave them to it, as a young woman nervously approached them.
"Who's that?" Alf asked Charlie and Joey, returning to the bar area.
"That would be Shandi Palmer," Charlie informed him. "The real Shandi Palmer. John's daughter."
"Oh!"
"I guess they're trying again," Ruby said. "For real this time."
"Good luck to them," Joey said, putting her arm around Charlie's waist. "Anyway, we were actually here for a table."
She led Charlie over to their favourite place to sit, grabbing a couple of menus on the way.
Robertson took a deep breath and knocked on Leah's always open back door. She called 'hello' as she approached.
"Oh, hi," she said, stopping short. "What are you doing here?"
"I just came to say goodbye," he said.
"Oh."
"The case is closed so it's time for me to move on," he explained.
"Right."
She was still torn between liking him and knowing she would miss him and feeling like his departure would make Summer Bay a better place. The sooner everyone would be able to move on from everything that had happened, the better and Robertson's presence would just be a constant reminder.
"Well, I'll miss you, Leah," he said, leaning forward and placing a small kiss on her cheek.
"I'll miss you too," she said. "Genuinely."
"I wish things could have been different between us," he said. "Maybe one day."
"Maybe," she said.
He turned and left.
John was sad as his daughter, Shandi walked away. They'd had a pleasant dinner but it had quickly become apparent that this was the first and last time. She had had a happy life without him, which he was genuinely pleased about. But that meant that she felt his absence had left no great hole she needed to fill. She had politely explained that she was pleased to meet him but really, she just wanted to continue her life as she previously had been.
"I'm sorry," Gina said. "I just hoped…"
He knew she was worried that he was upset with her. He put his hand on top of hers.
"I appreciate how much you care," he said. "I know you were trying to help."
"I was," Gina said quietly.
"And I am genuinely glad that she's happy and fulfilled," he added. "Who wouldn't want that for their kid?"
Gina smiled thoughtfully, thinking of her own children. She worried constantly about Brendan and she had long since lost hope for Hugo. But she did hope that Xavier would achieve a long and happy, fulfilling life.
"I can't tell if that went well or badly," Joey commented from hers and Charlie's table.
"Nor can I," Charlie said, holding Joey's hand across the table. "Oh well. I'm sure we'll find out. Nobody can keep anything to themselves round here."
"True," Joey chuckled.
Charlie caught her eye and smiled, thanking her for a lovely twenty-four hours.
"Hey, it's not over yet," Joey grinned. "I have a few hours left until I lose you to work again. And I'm not planning on sharing you!"
Charlie laughed. She lifted Joey's hand and kissed it, telling her that she loved her.
"I love you too," Joey said sincerely. "Always have. Always will."
Next time… Alf makes a snap decision, Nicole's adoption plans cause tension and Claire is worried about Ruby's new crush…
