Chapter Five Hundred and Eighty

"Oh, hey," Bianca greeted when she bumped into Charlie, grabbing a coffee in the Diner before work. "So, is life just heaven for you right now?"

She grinned, teasing her newly engaged friend. Charlie blushed. It had definitely been a good anniversary this year. If someone had told her two years ago that she would have proposed, she never would have believed them. And if they'd told her she'd have proposed to a woman, she would have placed a bet against them while laughing in their face.

"It's pretty good," she admitted. "How's life back at Irene's?"

Bianca frowned.

"It's not the best," she said. "April isn't exactly appreciative of me uprooting my life and risking my relationship to be there to look after her. In fact, she seems kind of pissed off about it."

"She'll come round," Charlie said, patting her on the arm. "If she's anything like my teenager, deep down, she appreciates what we do, even if she can't always admit it at the time."

"I hope so," Bianca sighed. "Otherwise my sister and my boyfriend are both annoyed with me right now and it's all through me trying to do the right thing."

"Liam's still not happy?" Charlie asked.

Bianca sighed and shrugged at the same time.

"He's moving in across the road from you – into Roo and Angelo's place," she revealed. "Says he doesn't want to be in the tent without me, that there isn't any point. He's barely speaking to me, to be honest. I think he feels like I've betrayed our relationship or our plan or something. He doesn't understand how worried I am about April or that I need to be there to look out for her because I don't understand what's going on in her head."

"Look, he loves you and he loves April," Charlie reminded her. "Even if right now, he can't see beyond what he wants, he will. He'll get it and then you can get back to how annoying loved up you were before."

"Oh, right, like you're one to talk!" Bianca joked.


Elijah took a deep breath and knocked on Leah's door. She wasn't pleased to see him.

"I've come to apologise," he said. "I know it wasn't you who reported Grace and I to the authorities. Thabo said something at the hospital and a nurse decided it was her duty to report the situation after a grieving mother had just lost her child."

Leah sighed. She felt terrible for Grace. But she was still angry with Elijah.

"Well, I'm sorry," she said. "But you should always have known that I would never have done that."

He nodded and apologised again.

"What will happen now?"

"Grace told them everything, handed herself in," he said. "She was arrested. At best, she'll be deported. I'll probably never see her again."

"I'm sorry," Leah said again. "She was a good, kind person. I liked her. She didn't deserve that, especially after losing Thabo."

"No, she didn't," he said. "Please will you accept my apology?"

"I need time," Leah told him honestly. "I cannot believe that you would accuse me like that. It makes me wonder what kind of person you think I am."

He nodded sadly and left.


It was the evening and Joey was stuck working a double shift at the restaurant. She refused to complain though; she was just relieved to see the place still busy after the opening of The Pizza Oven. She hoped it would continue once his new takeaway plan got underway. She had gone through her own menu and considered doing the same but her food really did lend to a dine-in experience and Charlie had told her she shouldn't try and bend to fit the sort of thing that Brax was offering. They were different venues. People had been coming to Bucktons' for a long time now and Charlie was confident that they would continue to come.

"Hi, darling," she greeted when she answered the phone to her fiancée.

"Hi," Charlie greeted just as warmly. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she said. "I'm going to be stuck here till close of play though."

"Me too," Charlie said. "That's what I'm calling about. There's been a big accident just out of town. It's all hands on deck. I won't be finishing till late. I just wanted to let you know."

"Well, as long as you're okay," Joey said. "Call when you're done. I might still be here."

"No worries," Charlie said.

"Be safe."

"Promise."


"You not working with your new gang tonight?" Liam asked Angelo.

"Night off," Angelo replied, ignoring the comment about the River Boys. "Roo and I are just having a few drinks and a game of poker."

Liam's eyes lit up.

"That sounds fun!" he said.

"Aren't you meant to be going out with Bianca tonight?" Angelo asked.

They'd already talked about it. Otherwise he wouldn't have mentioned his plans. He knew Roo had technically already turned him down for a date but he still lived in hope that one day, she would be so bowled over by his charm, wit and intellect that she wouldn't be bothered by the age gap or the fact that they lived together. He could kick himself for making such a mistake as to put even more obstacles in his way when he thought he was drawing them closer together.

"Not till later," Liam said. "I'm sure I could join you for a bit. If you didn't mind?"

"The more the merrier," Angelo lied.


Joey was concerned. Elijah had taken root at the bar and was drinking heavily. She hadn't noticed at first; the restaurant was so busy, she'd had hardly any time to think all evening.

"Scott, don't serve him any more drinks," she instructed quietly, nodding towards Elijah.

Scott looked worried, fretful that he had done something wrong.

"It's fine. We're a bar. Why wouldn't you serve him?" Joey said, patting him on the arm. "Just cut him off now."

He offered his usual winning smile and agreed. She beamed back at him and hurried back into the kitchen to continue helping with the food. Everyone seemed very hungry and very thirsty this evening. She wasn't about to complain.


"You alright?" Watson asked, approaching Charlie, who had been managing the scene of the crash for several hours.

Charlie nodded but they both knew she was lying. There had been several fatalities and several people, including two children, rushed to hospital with life changing injuries. They had both seen things they would never forget. It was part of the job that would never get easier.

"You?" Charlie asked, catching hold of her friend's hand.

Watson swallowed.

"Just makes me really want to get home to Kerri," she admitted.

Every time she went to a car accident, she could imagine only too clear what her girlfriend would have endured that day.

"We're nearly wrapped up here," Charlie said. "You go, okay?"

"Oh, I didn't mean…"

"I know," Charlie said. "But please… go to home to Kerri."

Watson hugged her and left.


"What do you mean you're refusing me?" Elijah snapped. "What for? I'm not causing any harm!"

"I've been told to serve you soft drinks," Scott said, keeping his voice cheerful. "I could do you a mocktail?"

"I don't want a mocktail," Elijah said darkly. "I want neat whisky and I want it now. Thank you very much."

Scott looked helplessly at Joey who had been in her office trying to call Miles but to no avail.

"Elijah," she said, taking over. "I really don't think you should be drinking anymore."

"I really don't think it's for you to say," he replied.

"Well, it's my name over the door so actually, it is," she told him.

He glared at her. She had never seen him look so mean.

"I would like another drink please," he requested.

"I really want to call someone for you to take you home," Joey said. "Or get you a soft drink or a coffee or something? Maybe some food? On the house."

"No thank you."

"Please let us help, Elijah," Joey begged.

"Either give me a whisky or I'll go somewhere else."

"I'm not serving you," Joey said firmly.

He stood, practically falling off his chair and stumbled out of the building. Joey sighed heavily. Scott put his arm around her, reassuring her that she had done her best.

"It wasn't enough though," she said.

She tried calling Miles again but he still didn't answer. She resisted calling Leah, knowing that the pair of them had fallen out.


Angelo was not having a good time. He had been expecting to get closer to Roo this evening but instead, he was feeling extremely left out as she and Liam bonded over poker. He was losing, which was also really annoying and Liam was three sheets to the wind.

"Aren't you meant to be meeting Bianca?" Angelo reminded him.

"Oh, later," Liam said, finishing his beer, standing up and wobbling to the fridge to get more for them all.

He had no idea that his phone was on silent and his girlfriend had been ringing him repeatedly. It was already 'later' and he had missed his date completely.


"I don't think so, mate," Brax said when Elijah ordered a double at the bar.

"What is wrong with people in this town? Joey wouldn't serve me either!"

"Well, there's not a lot that Joey and I agree on but in this case, there's no way I'm pouring more booze down a fine pastor's throat," Brax told him firmly. "I'm happy to shout you a pizza and listen to your troubles if that would help?"

Elijah sighed, feeling guilty for how he had spoken to Joey who he knew had only been looking out for him.

"Fine," he said. "Thank you."


Joey was closing up at the end of the night when Charlie arrived, utterly exhausted from her late shift. They immediately fell into each other's arms.

"I missed you!" Joey said, kissing her.

"I missed you too," Charlie said. "It was just one of those nights when you just take stock of everything."

They held each other tightly.

"How was your night?" Charlie asked.

"Long," Joey replied. "And I had a bit of an altercation with Elijah…"

She trailed off. Charlie followed her gaze. They watched as Brax carefully put Elijah into a taxi.

"Mind how you go," he said.

"Thank you," Elijah said. "For everything."

Brax nodded and saw him off, handing cash over to the driver. As he turned back, he spotted Charlie and Joey watching. He nodded at them and headed back into his restaurant.

"What was that?" Charlie asked.

"I think Brax might have succeeded where I failed," Joey admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"Elijah was drunk and got really mad at me when I cut him off," Joey explained. "He must have gone over to the Pizza Oven and Brax must have got through to him because he's in much better shape now than he was earlier."

Charlie put her arm around her fiancée.

"Maybe he's not bad all the time," she remarked.

"Maybe…" Joey said.

She yawned.

"I think we need to get home to bed!"


Next time… Claire celebrates her 21st birthday, Charlie and Joey start wedding planning and Indi leaves Romeo heartbroken…