Remember Me?

[Danni02]

Story Title: Remember Me?

Type of story: S/M fic

Main Characters: Charlie, Angelo, Ruby, Leah and Rachel.

BTTB rating: G

Genre: Drama/General

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: No

Summary: Charlie has an accident. Will her life still be the same when she recovers?

Chapter 1

Angelo sat at the table in silence as he ripped at the label on his empty bottle of beer. He threw the pieces of label down on the table before gently pushing the bottle away from him allowing it to join the 3 empty bottles already sitting at the other side of the table. He stood up and made his way across to the fridge taking out yet another bottle of beer. Picking up the bottle opener from the kitchen worktop he opened the bottle before throwing the opener back down and discarding the lid in the bin. He made his way back across to the table and sat down before taking a large swig of his beer. As he drank his thoughts went to Charlie, the love of his life who was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. He felt responsible for her being in there and the guilt was tearing away at him.

Ruby tossed and turned in the bed afraid to go to sleep. For every time she did she had that same dream. She didn’t want to see it again. The crash itself was bad enough but having to relive it every time she closed her eyes was just too unbearable for her. She sat up in her bed and put her hand out looking for the switch to turn her bed side lamp on. Soon enough there was a small amount of light in her bedroom and immediately Ruby’s eyes focused on the photograph that was sitting on her bedside table. It was a picture of her and Charlie taken just moments after Ruby had called her mum for the first time. She moved her finger over Charlie as she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She felt responsible for her being in there and the guilt was tearing away at her.

Angelo once again ripped at the label on the bottle before pushing the bottle along the table to join the rest of them. He looked up at the clock in the kitchen taking notice of the time. 11.25pm. He sighed heavily before standing up from the table and slowly made his way up the stairs. As he walked along the hall the noticed the small glare of light coming from Ruby’s bedroom and he took a deep breath before knocking gently on her door.

“Come in” Ruby said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Hey Ruby, not sleeping again?” Angelo asked as he took a seat at the edge of her bed. Ruby looked up at Angelo and shook her head.

“I can’t. Every time I close my eyes I relive the accident. I keep seeing mum…..” Ruby trailed off and looked away from Angelo. “I don’t understand how we came away with a few cuts and bruises and then mum might never….” Ruby stopped talking as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Angelo moved along the bed closer to Ruby and put his arm around her reassuringly.

“Charlie’s strong, she’s a fighter, she will wake up Ruby” Angelo said, trying to stay positive and sound confident for the young girl sitting beside him.

“You can’t stay that. You don’t know if she will or not. Even the doctors don’t know. Mum might die and it’s all my fault. If she doesn’t make it I will never forgive myself” Ruby cried as she looked down at the photo that she was clutching in her hands.

“Hey, Ruby it wasn’t your fault, I was the one that was driving if anyone is to blame it was me” Angelo said as he tightened his grip on Ruby and the teen leaned into him and rested her head on his chest.

“No, I was the one who wanted to go in to the city so if it wasn’t for me the crash wouldn’t have even happened”

“But I was driving Ruby” Angelo said “I should have….”

“I guess we can sit here all night blaming ourselves for this but it’s not going to change the fact mum is unconscious in the hospital” Ruby cut in as she sat back up and looked at Angelo.

“Yeah, I guess you are right” Angelo said.

Ruby took a deep breath and looked at the photo once more. She smiled as she placed it back down on the bed side table before looking back round at Angelo and sighing.

“Let’s hope I can get some sleep tonight” Ruby said and she settled herself down in her bed.

“Why don’t you speak to Rachel and see if she can give you anything to help you?” Angelo suggested but Ruby looked far from impressed with his suggestion.

“No Angelo, I don’t want to start relying on pills” Ruby said

“Ruby you’ve hardly slept for a week now. You should get some help” Angelo said and Ruby looked up at Angelo and sighed.

“Okay, I will speak to Rachel tomorrow” Ruby said

“Good. Well I’m heading to bed” Angelo said with a yawn.

“Night Angelo” Ruby said as Angelo walked across Ruby’s bedroom.

“Night Ruby” Angelo said before walking out the room and along the hall into his bedroom.

[Danni02]

Chapter 2

Angelo and Ruby walked along the corridor and in to the hospital room. Seeing Charlie lying hooked up to the machines always made Ruby well up and feel uneasy. She walked up beside the bed and took Charlie’s hand in hers.

“Morning mum” Ruby said as she hoped for some kind of response but she didn’t get anything back. She sighed lightly as she looked around to Angelo who was standing behind her. “They say talking helps, don’t they?” Ruby said and Angelo nodded his head.

“Yeah it’s supposed to” Angelo said as he walked around to the other side of the bed and took Charlie’s other hand in his.

They sat there for a few hours talking to each other and Charlie trying to get a response from her. Ruby suddenly started to feel dizzy and she couldn’t make out what Angelo was saying to her. Her vision had blurred and she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to ask Angelo for help but she had blacked out before she had the chance. The next thing she knew she was lying in the hospital bed with Rachel and Angelo standing by her side.

“Hey, Ruby” Rachel said as she smiled down at her.

“What happened?” Ruby asked feeling confused. She had never felt like that before and it was a feeling she never wanted to experience again.

“You had a hypo” Rachel explained to Ruby who nodded understandingly. “Ruby did you eat breakfast this morning?”

“Well I kinda skipped breakfast because I wanted to see mum” Ruby confessed.

“Did you take your shot this morning?” Rachel asked and Ruby looked away in silence.

“Ruby, you have to take this seriously” Rachel said in her stern doctor’s voice.

“Sorry, I forgot, all I wanted to do was get up and see mum” Ruby said

“Ruby you can’t just forget. It’s very important you take your shots and eat properly” Rachel told her.

“Okay, from now on I will, I promise” Ruby said and Rachel smiled.

“And you should have made sure she ate something before coming out here today” Rachel said as she looked round at Angelo.

“She told me she’d had breakfast when I offered her some” Angelo said as he gave Ruby a disapproving look.

“Look I’m sorry, I know it was stupid but I just wanted to get here and see mum. I won’t do it again okay?” Ruby said as she looked up at Rachel. Rachel was about to reply to the teen when Angelo spoke.

“Don’t you have something you wanted to speak to Rachel about?” Angelo asked.

“No I don’t, just leave it Angelo” Ruby told him.

“Ruby, you promised you would” Angelo said. Ruby let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve not really been sleeping since the crash so I said I would speak to you about it” Ruby said as she looked round at Rachel.

“Okay, well I’m sure I’ll be able to help you with that” Rachel said as she nodded her head slowly.

After talking with Ruby about her sleeping problems Rachel prescribed her with some pills and then Angelo and Ruby went to the canteen to get something to eat.

Leah was sitting at Charlie’s bedside reading to her from a magazine. She looked down at her from the corner of her eye and saw Charlie eyes starting to flutter. She dropped the magazine to the floor and leaned down closer to her friend.

“Charlie can you hear me? It’s Leah” Leah said as she took Charlie’s hand in hers. Charlie’s eyes fluttered once more and Leah felt Charlie trying to take grip of her hand. Leah shouted out for a doctor and soon enough Rachel came running into the room. “She tried to grab my hand and she’s trying to open her eyes” Leah said quickly and Rachel nodded as she looked down at Charlie. Leah stepped to the side and let Rachel check over Charlie. Leah stood there tightly gripping her left hand in her right, her heart rate had increased and her eyes were fixed on Charlie as she hoped this was her beginning to wake up. After was seemed like an eternity but in truth was only a few minutes Leah heard Rachel talking.

“Morning Charlie” Leah heard Rachel say and Leah let out a huge sigh of relief.

Charlie looked around the room with a confused expression on her face.

“Hello Charlie, it’s alright you’re in the hospital” Rachel said and Charlie gave a slight nod of understanding.

“R….Ru….Ruby” Charlie said quietly using a lot of energy just trying to say that one word. Rachel looked round at Leah and without either of them saying anything Leah nodded her head and walked down the corridor and made her way to the canteen to find Ruby and Angelo. Rachel fetched Charlie a jug of water and poured a class for her. Charlie took a long drink before putting the cup back down on the bed side table.

“So, how are you feeling?” Rachel asked as Charlie repositioned herself in the bed.

“Like my head is going to explode” Charlie croaked as she moved her hand up and gently rubbed her forehead. Rachel let out a slight laugh before she picked up Charlie’s file and started to jot stuff down.

“Charlie, you had a pretty serious bang to the head in the crash and there was some swelling to the brain but it looks as though you have been very lucky. I would still like to do some more checks on you though” Rachel paused as she looked back down at the file in front of her.

“Wait, Rach I think you’ve had a mix up. I wasn’t in a car crash. I fell while chasing a suspect” Charlie said and Rachel looked down at Charlie with a puzzled expression on her face.

“No, Charlie you were in a car crash” Rachel said again trying to convince Charlie.

“No, I remember that Jack and I were running after a suspect and I slipped and fell, most probably banging my head and then I wake up and I am here” Charlie said. Rachel looked down at her friend who seemed pretty adamant of how she ended up in the hospital.

“Okay Charlie, I just want to ask you a few questions” Rachel said and Charlie nodded her head understandingly.

“Full name and year of birth” Rachel said and Charlie screwed her face up at the question she had just been asked.

“Charlie Buckton, 1979” Charlie said with a puzzled expression on her face. “Why are you asking, you know all this” Charlie said.

“Yes, I know, it’s just routine after a head injury” Rachel said and Charlie nodded her head.

“Charlie can you tell me what year you think it is?” Rachel asked and Charlie pulled a face wondering if she has heard the question right.

“Don’t be worried, it’s just a routine question” Rachel said reassuringly.

“Okay, its 2008” Charlie said confidently but her expression quickly changed when she saw the look on Rachel’s face.

“What, what’s wrong?” Charlie asked.

[Danni02]

Thank you for commenting

Chapter 3

“Well Rachel, what’s wrong?” Charlie asked again. Rachel took a deep breath before she spoke.

“Charlie its 2010” Rachel informed her

“What, no it’s not it’s 2008” Charlie said

“Charlie today is 28th March 2010” Rachel said. “You were in a car accident 10 days ago”

Before either of them had the chance to talk any further Ruby burst into the room. She looked round at the bed and a huge smile appeared on her face. She ran to the bedside and pulled Charlie into a hug causing her to wince slightly. Ruby loosened her grip slightly before pulling away from the hug and taking a seat next to the bed keeping a firm grip on Charlie’s right hand.

“How are you feeling?” Ruby asked

“Not too bad considering” Charlie said and Ruby nodded.

“Angelo should be here any minute” Ruby said and Charlie sat there confused. Who was Angelo? Charlie looked up at Ruby and was about to ask her when the door opened and Leah walked into the room with a man Charlie presumed was Angelo. He smiled at her and as he walked over to her bed. Charlie felt uneasy as she saw the strange man approach her. She tried hard to place who he was but nothing could come to her.

“So how are you feeling?” Angelo asked as he placed the flowers down on the bed next to Charlie and leaned forward as if to kiss her. Seeing this panicked Charlie and she quickly turned her head to the side. Angelo’s lips brushed passed her cheek before he stood back and looked down at her again.

“Ehm, I don’t know. Can you all leave, I want to speak to Rachel alone” Charlie said not making eye contact with anyone in the room. Ruby and Angelo stared at each other before they got up to leave.

“Okay, we’ll be right outside” Ruby said before she kissed Charlie on the forehead. Ruby, Angelo and Leah then left the room. Charlie looked up at Rachel who had made her way across the room and took at seat on one of the chairs next to Charlie’s bed.

“Rachel who is that man? Am I supposed to know him?” Charlie asked and Rachel took a deep breath.

“Charlie, Angelo is your fiancé” Rachel said and Charlie sat there shocked at what Rachel has just told her.

“My what? I don’t have a fiancé. Are you expecting me to believe I would forget something like that?”

“Look Charlie, I know it’s hard to take in but you have amnesia so you’ve lost the last two years of your life” Rachel said

“Is this a joke? Did Rubes put you up to this?” Charlie asked. She knew it was a long shot but she just wasn’t able to accept the fact that she had forgot the last two years of her life.

“Charlie it’s not a joke. You really have lost your memory” Rachel said. Charlie sat there as she tried to take in what Rachel was telling her. After a long pause Charlie eventually spoke.

“Will I ever remember?” Charlie asked apprehensively.

“Most probably yes, you will gradually start to remember things but when and what is anyone’s guess” Rachel informed her and Charlie nodded her head understandingly before taking a deep breath.

“So I guess we need to let them know” Charlie said. Rachel smiled at her friend as she gave a small nod of her head. Rachel stood up from the seat and walked across to the door and walked out in to the corridor to Angelo, Ruby and Leah all sitting waiting patiently for an invitation back into Charlie’s room. She took a deep breath before telling them about Charlie.

“Due to the severity of her head injury from the collision, Charlie has developed amnesia” Rachel paused as she looked at Angelo then to Ruby.

“Like she can’t remember how she got hurt?” Ruby asked

“Well yes that she didn’t remember, but Ruby I’m afraid it’s a bit more serious than that” Rachel paused. “She thinks its 2008”

“2008? She thinks it’s still 2008?” Ruby said and Rachel nodded her head.

“Poor Charlie, she must seem so confused” Leah said

“So she can’t remember anything at all since 2008? When in 2008?” Ruby asked and Rachel exhaled lightly before she walked over to the teen and sat down next to her.

“She said the last thing she can remember was when she got injured when she was working with Jack. Looking back through her file that happened in February 2008” Rachel stopped talking as she gently placed her hand on Ruby’s.

“So she can’t remember the last 2 years of her life” Ruby said

“No she can’t” Rachel said before looking round and Angelo who had remained very quiet since finding out Charlie had amnesia.

“March” Angelo said and Leah, Ruby and Rachel pulled the same confused expression. “We met in March. She won’t remember me” Angelo said.

“Oh Angelo” Ruby said as she stood up and walked over to the chair in which he was sitting. She placed a hand on his shoulder and Angelo looked up at his almost step-daughter.

“We will help her remember” Ruby said before she looked round at Rachel. “She will get her memory back, wont she?”

“Most likely yes, but it could be years before she remembers anything” Rachel said

“But we can help her. We can tell her stuff” Ruby said

“Yes Ruby but telling her about things and her remembering them are two different things” Leah said

“But she can’t forget Angelo. She loves him; they live together, they are getting married in June” Ruby said

“I don’t think that will be happening Ruby” Angelo said

“But you haven’t even spoken to her yet. Maybe she does remember you” Ruby said. Angelo looked up at Rachel and the look on her face said it all.

“She doesn’t remember me does she?” Angelo said. Rachel bit her lip and she lightly shook her head.

“No, she doesn’t. I’m so sorry Angelo”

[Danni02]

Thank you all so much for commenting.

I am going away on holiday tomorrow so this will be the last update for a couple of weeks.

Chapter 4

Charlie woke up to find Ruby sitting at her bedside. She pushed herself up in the bed and got herself into a comfortable sitting position. She turned her face to Ruby and smiled at the girl staring back at her.

“Hey Rubes, how long have you been here for?” Charlie asked.

“Not too long. 5-10 minutes” Ruby said and Charlie smiled as she leaned forward and put Ruby’s hair behind her ear. She moved her hand down her cheek and cupped Ruby’s chin in her hand and stared deeply at Ruby, as if studying her face.

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked as she pulled a puzzled expression on her face.

“You look different” Charlie said

“How do I look different?” Ruby asked

“Your hair is darker, it’s a different style, you are wearing make-up and your style of clothing has changed” Charlie said

“Yeah but I’ve been like this for ages” Ruby said

“Well it’s not how I remember you. You didn’t look like that at 14” Charlie said.

“Oh right yeah, that’s how you’ll remember me. As a 14 year old” Ruby said. Charlie looked down at the bed covers and sighed.

“I hate it Ruby. I hate that 2 years of my life is gone. What if I never remember?” Charlie said almost in tears.

“Aww mum, don’t cry. Everything’s going to be alright. We’re all going to help you and things will come back to you” Ruby said as she put her hand on Charlie’s arm and rubbed it gently.

“I hope so” Charlie said as she looked up at Ruby again. Then her eyes widened at what Ruby had just said.

“Did you just call me.....” Charlie trailed off. “You called me mum?” Charlie questioned

“Ehm yeah, I know” Ruby said.

“When did you....how did you....” Charlie said unable to string a sentence together.

“Well about 8 months ago now you got hit by a car and the doctors started talking about your c-section scar and it all came out from there” Ruby said and Charlie nodded her head.

“I’m so sorry Ruby, I -” Charlie started to speak but Ruby stopped her.

“No, mum its fine, we’ve been through it all. We had a tough few months, I mean don’t get me wrong I was mad, we argued, I moved out but then I actually listened to you and thought about what you must of went through after what happened to you and things got better again” Ruby said and a tear fell down Charlie’s cheek.

“Hey, what that’s for?” Ruby asked as she once again rubbed Charlie’s arm. Charlie quickly wiped away tear and cleared her throat.

“It’s just...” Charlie paused “This will probably sound stupid but it’s that you called me mum. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you call me that and hearing it for the first time - well I guess it’s not the first time but it is the first time I can remember - it’s was nice” Charlie said and Ruby smiled.

“Oh yeah, actually I remember the first time I said it you were a right teary mess” Ruby said before both Charlie and Ruby let out a small laugh. “Come here” Charlie said as she held her arms out and Ruby stood up and leaned forward and they hugged. After a while Ruby pulled back and sat back down on the seat. Charlie looked round at Ruby.

“Ruby I have to ask you….” Charlie paused as she looked down and started to pull at a loose thread on the bed sheet. A few moments later she looked back up at Ruby and took a deep breath. “When you found out I was your mum, did you do anything in terms of finding Gra- him” Charlie spoke apprehensively before biting her lip. Ruby looked away from Charlie and bowed her head almost in shame.

“I did. I’m so sorry but I did” Ruby said as she looked back up at Charlie.

“What happened? Ruby please don’t tell me you have some sort of relationship with him” Charlie asked tentatively.

“No, I don’t. I just wanted him to pay for what he did to you. Confront him about it” Ruby said before she stopped talking and once again looked away.

“Rubes, it’s alright” Charlie said as she reached her hand out and placed it on Ruby’s shoulder. “I expected if you ever found out the truth that you may want to meet him. I mean as much as it pains me to say it he is your father Ruby” Charlie said.

“No he is not, don’t say that ever again. He will never be my father” Ruby shouted sharply causing Charlie to jump slightly at the teen’s sudden outburst.

“Okay sorry” Charlie said and she gently rubbed Ruby’s shoulder.

“It’s Ross. He will always be my father” Ruby said and Charlie smiled as she nodded her head. Moving her hand from Ruby’s shoulder she took a drink of the water sitting on her bedside table.

“How is he anyways? I thought maybe he would have been here when I woke up” Charlie said placing the cup back down.

“Oh” Ruby said remembering that Charlie wouldn’t remember about her dad. She was going to have to tell her. “Sorry, I’m thirsty I’m just going to go get a drink” Ruby said as she stood up from the chair.

“Rubes just have some of the water” Charlie said as she pointed to the jug sitting on the bedside table.

“No, its fine, I’ll just go buy something” Ruby said

“Ruby” Charlie raised her voice. “What are you not telling me?” Charlie asked and Ruby pulled a face. “I may have lost my memory but I’m not stupid Ruby. I know you are keeping something from me”

“There’s nothing, honestly” Ruby said trying to sound convincing. She knew she needed to tell Charlie about Ross but she just wasn’t sure how she was going to say it.

“Okay then” Charlie said as she raised her eyebrows. She could clearly see that Ruby was hiding something from her but she just didn’t have the energy right now to press at the issue. She would find out soon enough she thought to herself.

“I’ll be right back” Ruby said as she rushed out of the room and started to make her way down the corridor desperately looking for Angelo. She found him at the coffee machine talking to Rachel about Charlie and her condition.

“Ruby hey, how is she?” Angelo asked as Ruby walked up to them.

“Yeah, she’s fine. I called her mum. I totally wasn’t thinking that she wouldn’t remember that, you know it just comes out now, but then I remembered she wouldn’t remember and we talked about it and she cried because she was so happy I call her mum” Ruby said and Angelo laughed slightly as he tried to make sense of what Ruby was blabbering on about.

“That’s great Ruby” Rachel said and Ruby smiled.

“Yeah but then she asked about Grant and Ross” Ruby said and Angelo’s eyes widened.

“Did you tell her what happened?” Angelo asked.

“No, I couldn’t say it. I mean how am I supposed to tell that” Ruby stopped talking and looked up at Rachel. “How do I do it?” Rachel gave Ruby and empathetic smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder.

“I can do it, if you want” Rachel offered and Ruby contemplated the idea.

“Rach, that’s a nice offer but I think its best Ruby tells her” Angelo said “I mean I would have offered but I’m a stranger to Charlie so I don’t think it’s a good idea me telling her something like that”

“Angelo’s right” Ruby said as she took a deep breath. “I need to tell her”

“Okay, if you think you can” Rachel said as a she gently rubbed Ruby’s shoulder.

“I can” Ruby said as she nodded her head. “But just not right now. I need more time. Angelo maybe you could go speak to her first”

“To say what. ‘Hey, I’m your fiancé but you remember nothing about me?’” Angelo said.

“Well maybe if you spoke to her and told her about you it might jog her memory and she will start to remember you. Or at least remember she knows you” Ruby said and Angelo sighed before looking round at Rachel who gave him a nod.

“Yeah okay, your right. I need to speak to her” Angelo said “But the thought of going in there and making conversion with her when I’m literally a stranger, it’s hard” Angelo said.

“Yeah, but think how much harder this must be for Charlie, Angelo” Rachel said. Angelo exhaled heavily as he nodded his head. He walked along the corridor and knocked on the door before walking into Charlie’s room.

[Danni02]

Thank you all so much for commenting. Sorry I took longer than planned to update. But here is it now, better late than never right? Also not so please with the way the Charlie/Angelo conversation went, but hopfully I will get something better in later chapters. Hope you like this one.

Chapter 5

Charlie looked round at the stranger who had just entered the room. She bit her lip as Angelo took a seat next her. There was an awkward silence in the room before Charlie eventually found the courage to break it.

“So, you must be Angelo” Charlie said

“Yep, that’s me” Angelo smiled and Charlie nodded her head ever so slightly.

“So we’re engaged?” Charlie asked and Angelo nodded.

“Yeah we are” Angelo said as he turned to face the bedside cabinet and took out a small bag which had Charlie’s jewellery in it. He picked out the ring and handed it to Charlie. She looked at it and felt tears forming in her eyes.

“It’s a beautiful ring. But I don’t remember ever seeing it before” Charlie said as she shook her head. “I’m sorry but I don’t remember you” Angelo nodded his head as he tried to fight back tears. It hurt him so much that Charlie couldn’t remember him and he left like it was his fault she’d lost her memory, just like he blamed himself for the crash.

“Lets hope one day you do remember” Angelo grinned and Charlie smiled awkwardly.

“So, I can remember up till February 2008 so I guess we didn’t meet till after then” Charlie said.

“We met in March of that year” Angelo said

“How did we meet?”

“At work” Angelo said

“Oh so you’re a cop too?” Charlie asked

“Yup” Angelo smiled

“So how long have we been together?” Charlie asked

“Almost two years. We got together around the end of April of that year” Angelo said and Charlie nodded as she took in the information she should have already known. She looked down at the ring still in her hand and exhaled lightly.

“And the engagement?” Charlie asked

“In December. The wedding is in June.” Angelo said “Well it’s supposed to be” he added. Charlie nodded slightly before silence hit the room. She reached for her water and took a long drink.

“So Charlie we need to speak about...”

“....Martha” Charlie said interrupting Angelo mid-sentence.

“Sorry?” Angelo said

“She had cancer” Charlie said “Is she okay now?” She asked apprehensively.

“Oh, yeah, she’s fine now” Angelo said. “Her and Jack decided to go travelling for a few months after she got the all clear but almost 18 months later and they haven’t appeared back yet” Angelo told her and she nodded as she once again took in information that she should already know.

“So what else has happened that I should know?” Charlie asked

“Well a few things, but don’t you want to want to talk about us and our relationship?” Angelo asked hoping that in some way he did in fact still have a relationship with Charlie. Charlie looked away from Angelo and bit her lip. She took a deep breath before she turned back round to face him. Slowly shaking her head Charlie began to speak.

“I’m sorry Angelo but I can’t be in a relationship with you when I know nothing about you. I mean I don’t even know your surname -….”

“…But that’s why I’m here. I can tell you everything you need to know. Everything about me, about us, our life together. Babe please don’t throw away what we have” Angelo said with tears forming in his eyes.

“Don’t call me babe” Charlie said “Please, I can’t deal with this. I think you should, no, I want you to leave” Charlie said avoiding eye contact with the man.

“Charlie please we need to talk about us” Angelo said and Charlie shook her head.

“Please, just go” Charlie said. Angelo wiped away the lone tear that was falling down his cheek and stood up from the chair in which he was sitting. He looked down at Charlie but she continued to look away from him. He stepped back towards the door and reached out for the handle.

“Rosetta” Angelo said causing Charlie to turn to face him.

“What?” Charlie said

“My surname. It’s Rosetta” Angelo said opening the door and making his way out of the room. He had barely taken a step out into the corridor when Ruby appeared as if from nowhere right in front of him.

“Well how did it go?” Ruby asked anxiously. Angelo ignored the teen and kept walking keeping his gaze firmly on the ground before him.

“Angelo” Ruby shouted as she ran after him. Angelo stopped walking and turned round to face the girl.

“She doesn’t want to know Ruby. She doesn’t want to know” Angelo said sadly trying to fight back crying in front of Ruby. Ruby put her arms around Angelo and he welcomed the hug from the girl.

“I’ll talk to her” Ruby said “She listens to me”

“No, Ruby you have enough to worry about. You need to tell her about Ross” Angelo said

“Angelo I want to help you. And besides, you are the best thing to ever happen to mum. I’m not going to let her throw that away” Ruby said and Angelo smiled as he looked down at the teen.

“Thanks, Ruby. I’m going to leave just now but I’ll be back later to pick you up” Angelo said and Ruby nodded.

“Okay, bye Angelo” Ruby said. She watched as Angelo walked down the corridor and out of the hospital and couldn’t help but feel sorry him. She took a deep breath before she went to find Rachel. She found her at the desk talking to Nurse Julie. She cleared her throat to make Rachel aware of her presence. Rachel looked up and made a hand gesture at Ruby, telling her to wait there until she was ready to talk to her. A few minutes later and Nurse Julie walked away. Rachel looked round at Ruby and smiled before leading her to the chairs at the end of the corridor.

“I’m going to tell her now” Ruby said before she paused. “At least I want to tell her. Well actually I don’t want to tell her this but I know I have too. She needs to know and the longer we keep it from her...”

“…Ruby are you sure you want to tell her?” Rachel interrupted as she placed her hand on Ruby’s shoulder.

“I have too” Ruby said

“No Ruby, you don’t. You only 16, you shouldn’t have to feel responsible for telling her this. This kind of stuff, it comes with my job. I can tell her for you” Rachel said and Ruby shook her head.

“No, this needs to come for me. I need to tell her. But maybe you could be there with me when I tell her?” Ruby asked and Rachel nodded.

“Of course I can Ruby” Rachel said as she smiled down at the teenager sitting next to her. Ruby took a deep breath then rose to her feet.

“Ok let’s go” Ruby said. She walked into the room closely followed by Rachel. She walked up to Charlie’s bedside and smiled down at her mother.

“Hey, I wondered where you’d got too” Charlie said. “Have you got in touch with dad yet? Does he know I’m awake?” Charlie asked and Ruby looked round at Rachel who gave her a nod of encouragement. Ruby took another deep breath and began to speak.

“Mum, about Ross, he…” Ruby stopped talking and looked around at Rachel. Tears began to form in her eyes as she shook her head. “I can’t” Ruby voice came out in a whisper and Rachel stepped forward and took hold of the girl’s hand. “I can’t say it Rachel” Ruby croaked as she looked back round at Charlie. Charlie sat in the bed a puzzled expression on her face a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Rubes, what’s wrong? What cant you say?” Charlie said as she reached out and rubbed her daughters arm gently. Ruby looked up at Rachel and Rachel nodded down at her.

“Charlie….” Rachel paused as she looked down at her friend sitting in the hospital bed, a look of worry on her face, her eyes looking red and puffy as if she knew she was about to receive some bad news.

“I’m so sorry but it’s Ross. He’s….” Once again Rachel paused. She had told this news to people many times before but this time she was telling someone she knew, someone who was one of her good friends and she found it difficult. She didn’t even find it this hard telling Charlie the first time round. Maybe this situation had made it all the more difficult for her. She took a deep breath and placed her free hand on Charlie’s leg. “I’m so sorry Charlie, but Ross is dead”

“What?” Charlie said. “He can’t be dead. I only saw him a few days ago. He was fine…” Charlie paused and looked away from Rachel and Ruby. Silence hit the room for the next few minutes, Rachel and Ruby not knowing what to say to Charlie. “Except I didn’t” Charlie eventually spoke “I already knew this, but I just don’t remember” Charlie paused and looked up at Rachel. “What happened?” Charlie asked tears streaming down her face.

“It was my fault. It was all my fault” Ruby cried before she ran out of the room.

[Danni02]

Thank you to those who read this fiction. Special thank you to JarlieFanEver, Zoe, Barbara, charlie29, twinkletoesjess, welshjess, callyha, freckleface, leylaa and beach16 for taking the time to leave a comment. Here's the next part. I hope you like it.

Chapter 6

Charlie pushed herself up and made to get out of the bed but was quickly stopped by Rachel.

“Charlie, you need to stay in bed” Rachel said as she gently pushed on Charlie’s shoulder to stop her trying to get up.

“No Rachel I need to speak to Ruby” Charlie said.

“Charlie, you need to stay in bed” Rachel said with more authority in her voice.

“No, I need to go see Ruby. She’s upset, she needs me” Charlie shouted as she once again tried to get out of the room.

“Charlie, you need to stay in bed and that’s your doctor’s orders” Rachel spoke more sternly causing Charlie to back down and sit down on the bed.

“Well can you please go and find Ruby for me?” Charlie asked

“Charlie don’t you want to know what happened to your dad?” Rachel asked

“I just want to speak to Ruby” Charlie said and Rachel nodded.

“Okay, okay, I will go and find her for you” Rachel said and Charlie smiled up at the woman and thanked her before she left the room. Charlie lay down in the bed and a tear fell down her cheek as she thought about her dad. She closed her eyes as she desperately tried to remember anything about what had happened.

Rachel walked out of the hospital and across the car park to the grassy area where she saw Ruby kneeling down; tears streaming down her face. She walked up to the girl and sat down beside her placing her hand gently on Ruby’s back. Ruby fell into Rachel and Rachel wrapped her arms around Ruby as she cried. She didn’t say anything, she just let her cry. A few minutes later and Ruby sat up as she wiped the tears away.

“How do I tell her what happened?” Ruby spoke quietly. “It was all my fault he died. If I never got in touch with Grant then dad would still be alive and –…”

“Ruby, stop. What happened, it wasn’t your fault and I want you to stop blaming yourself. No-one blames you for what happened that night. It was just a terrible accident.” Rachel said.

“But Rachel, I -…”

“Ruby” Rachel spoke over her and she placed her hand on Ruby’s arm. Ruby looked up at Rachel and sighed.

“Okay, sorry, your right. I need to stop blaming myself. It’s not going to bring dad back or change anything that happened” Ruby said and Rachel smiled empathetically at the teen.

“Now, Charlie wants to speak to you, so let’s go back inside yeah?” Rachel said as she once again gently rubbed Ruby on the back. Ruby looked up and Rachel and took a deep breath before she rose to her feet. They walked into the hospital together and made their way back along to Charlie’s room. “Are you alright from here?” Rachel asked and Ruby was silent for a moment before nodding her head.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks Rachel” Ruby smiled. Rachel smiled back at the teen before she walked down the hall and into another room to see another patient. Ruby walked into Charlie’s room and stood next the bed.

“Hey, Rubes are you alright?” Charlie asked concerned for her daughter after seeing her run out the room like that.

“I’m fine” Ruby said. “How are you feeling?” Ruby asked as she placed her hand on Charlie’s. Charlie bit lip as a tear fell down her cheek. She exhaled lightly before she looked up at Ruby.

“He’s dead” Charlie said before pausing. She looked away from Ruby and wiped the tears from her face. Ruby climbed up onto the bed and sat next to Charlie. Charlie turned to face her and stared down at her for a few seconds before finding the courage to ask her what had happened. Ruby took a deep breath and began to speak.

“I’d been out for the day with dad. He bought me this” Ruby said as she played with the necklace she was wearing “We got back to the house and heard shouting. At first we thought maybe you and Angelo were having an argument but when we got closer, it wasn’t Angelo’s voice” Ruby paused as she looked away from Charlie. Charlie put her hand onto Ruby’s shoulder and encouraged her to continue. “When we walked into the house, he was there, Grant I mean. He was...” Ruby stopped talking again as fresh tears began to fall down her face. “He had you…you were on the couch….he was going too…” Ruby looked away from Charlie unable to tell her what they walked in on. Charlie gasped in shock as tears began to form in her eyes. Ruby took a deep breath before finding the courage to speak again “Dad pulled him from you and wrapped his hands around his neck; I thought he was going to kill him. Next thing I remember was dad’s lying in a pool of blood and Grant was standing over him with a knife in his hand” Ruby stopped talking as the tears continued to fall down her face. She looked up at Charlie who also had tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry mum” Ruby cried. Charlie sat there frozen in shock at the news she had just been told. After a few minutes she eventually spoke.

“What happened to him?” Charlie asked keeping her gaze firmly on the ground, where she had been staring for the last few minutes.

“He got life imprisonment” Ruby said. ”Pleaded guilty to murder and owned up to what he did to you and a few other women” Ruby said and Charlie nodded before breathing a sigh of relief. She put her head in her hands as she cried. She cried because she was sad for her father but she was also crying tears of joy that Grant was finally paying for what he did.

“I’m so sorry. If I never contacted Grant then dad would still be alive and he wouldn’t have tried to....”

“Ruby, no. Don’t start that” Charlie said as she looked up at her daughter. She ran her hand through Ruby’s hair before cupping her hand under Ruby’s chin. “I never want to hear you blaming yourself for what happened, okay?” Charlie said and Ruby nodded as a tear fell down her cheek. She wrapped her arms around Ruby and the pair embraced in a hug. There was a knock at the door and Angelo walked in.

“Hey, what’s wrong? He asked as he quickly walked over to the bed as he noticed they had been crying.

“Nothing, were fine” Charlie said

“Well actually no you are not” Angelo said

“And what makes you think that?”

“Because I know you Charlie and you’re not fine” Angelo said. Charlie sighed heavily as she looked down at Ruby.

“Well he is right mum” Ruby said as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Ruby was just telling me about dad and everything that else that went on” Charlie said

“Oh right” Angelo said. Silence then hit the room for a few minutes before Rachel walked in.

“Hey, Ruby. It’s time to leave. Visiting hours are over” Rachel said and Ruby nodded as she jumped down off the bed.

“Bye mum, love you” Ruby said as she gave Charlie a kiss.

“Love you too Rubes” Charlie said as they were beginning to walked out of the room.

“Angelo” Charlie shouted and Angelo stopped in his tracks and turned round to face Charlie.

“Yeah?” Angelo asked

“I wanted to give you this back” Charlie said as she handed Angelo her engagement ring. Ruby and Rachel opened their mouths in shock. “I’m sorry but I can’t keep it. I can’t pretend everything’s okay and carry on being engaged to you” Charlie said and Angelo nodded as he kept his glance on the engagement ring now in his hand.

“Okay” Angelo nodded as he tried to hold back the tear that was desperate to fall from his eye. He walked out of the room and started to make his way down the corridor. Ruby quickly followed.

“Angelo, don’t just give up like that say something” Ruby said as she caught up with him.

“There’s no point right now Ruby. Not when she’s like that.” Angelo said.

“But you’re not going to give up on her?” Ruby asked

“Of course not Ruby. She just needs some time and she’s had an eventful day already” Angelo said and Ruby smiled before they walked out of the hospital and made their way home.

[Danni02]

Thanks for the comments. They really keep me going. Hope you like this next part

Chapter 7

Charlie slipped her shoes on and then jumped down from the bed. She was getting to go home and she was glad she could start to try to get her life back on track. Rachel had told her once she had gotten back into familiar surroundings it may bring on memories of the past two years. Although she wasn’t looking forward to having to live with Angelo, she knew that she needed to keep things how they used to be if she wanted to start to remember things.

“Hey Charlie, are you ready to go?” Leah asked as she walked into the room.

“Yes” Charlie said as she walked over to her friend. Leah smiled then the pair walked out to the car.

“So I bet you are glad to be going home” Leah asked as she pulled out of the car park and started the journey back to Charlie’s house.

“Ehm, yea” Charlie said as she looked out of the window.

“You don’t sound too convincing” Leah said

“It’s just, living with Angelo when I know nothing about him. I just don’t feel that comfortable with the idea” Charlie said

“I know, but its best you keep things as they were and Ruby will be there so it’s not as if it’s going to be just the two of you” Leah said

“Yeah I know but knowing how he feels about me and not being able to return the feelings or know anything about what we had or the fact that I broke off the engagement before I even gave him a chance is just going to make things all the more awkward” Charlie said and Leah gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Charlie, it will get easier and even if you never remember him you are still going to be able to get to know him again” Leah said. “Well providing you want to that is” She added.

“I hope it does” Charlie said “And he does seem really nice” She added and Leah smiled at her.

“He’s a good guy. Was great support for you throughout the whole Grant business” Leah said and Charlie smiled.

“I just wish I could remember something. At least then I would have a starting point, at least remember I know the guy” Charlie said and Leah nodded understandingly wishing she could do something to help her friend remember the missing parts of her life.

“Well here’s home” Leah said as she pulled into the drive way. Charlie looked up at the house and nodded before taking a deep breath.

“Well here goes” Charlie said as she took her seatbelt off and opened the car door. They walked into the house and found Ruby and Angelo standing in the living room awaiting her return. Ruby had taken the liberty to put a ‘Welcome Home’ sign up in the living room. Charlie noticed this and felt a little uneasy at the thought of calling this house her home.

“Hey, mum” Ruby beamed as she walked forward and gave her a hug. Charlie still hadn’t got used to hearing Ruby calling her mum and every time she said it she was taken aback.

“Hey Rubes” Charlie smiled down at Ruby as she parted from the hug. She then looked up at Angelo who was standing next to the couch and had a huge smile on his face.

“Hey Charlie, how are you?” Angelo asked the smile still plastered on his face.

“Yeah, I’m good” Charlie replied, managing a small smile back.

“Great. Take a seat” Angelo said as he pointed to the couch. Ruby sat next to her and Angelo took a seat on the chair next the couch.

“Sorry I can’t stay. I have to go pick up VJ from Stella’s but I’ll call round later” Leah said.

“Yeah great, thanks Leah” Charlie said

“Oh wait what time is it?” Ruby shouted as she jumped up from the couch.

“Its 5 to twelve” Angelo said as he looked down at his watch.

“Oh, I said I would go to Xavier’s around noon to help with his English essay. Leah could you give me a lift please?”

“Eh, yeah sure” Leah said

“What Ruby, you’re not going out are you? I’ve just gotten home” Charlie said.

“I know, but I forgot I promised Xav I would help him with his essay. I won’t be that long so I can spend the rest of the day with you” Ruby said

“Rubes don’t leave me alone with...” Charlie stopped talking as she realised Angelo was sitting in the room.

“Relax mum it’s not as if he an axe murderer. You’ll be fine” Ruby said before kissing her on the cheek and running to the door to where Leah was standing.

“See you later” Ruby said before she ran out to the car.

“Bye guys” Leah said

“Bye Leah, and thanks again for picking her up” Angelo said

“Oh it’s no bother” Leah smiled before walking out to the car. Silence hit the room for a few minutes before Charlie spoke.

“So who’s Xavier?” Charlie asked

“Ruby’s boyfriend” Angelo replied

“Ruby’s boyfriend?” Charlie questioned what Angelo had said and Angelo nodded. “What’s he like?” Charlie asked feeling apprehensive knowing that her daughter was out at her boyfriend’s house; a boyfriend Charlie had no recollection of knowing.

“He’s a good lad Charlie” Angelo said “He’s Tony’s nephew. Lives with them”

“Them?” Charlie questioned

“Tony and Rachel” Angelo said

“Oh right” Charlie said. That must be something else I don’t remember. Tony and Rachel live together Charlie thought to herself.

“So how long have Ruby and this Xavier guy been dating?” Charlie asked

“Oh…around 8 months, I think” Angelo said

“Right” Charlie nodded. “What kind of boyfriend is he? I mean, are they like serious?” Charlie asked and Angelo shrugged his shoulders as he waved his hands out in front of him.

“You should probably just speak to Ruby about that kinda stuff” Angelo said and Charlie nodded.

“Right, yeah” Charlie said

“So I’m going to put the kettle on. Do you fancy a coffee?” Angelo asked

“Ehm, yeah please” Charlie said. She was about to tell him how she took her coffee but then remembered he would already know. Angelo smiled at Charlie before he left the room and walked into the kitchen. Charlie’s eyes wondered around the room and she noticed a few photo frames sitting on a shelf. She walked up to them and picked the first one up and stared down at the picture. It was a picture of Angelo and Charlie standing with their arms wrapped around each other with huge grins on their faces. Charlie wearing a purple dress, Angelo in a suit. She looked up slightly as she heard Angelo approaching her. He handed her the cup of coffee and then looked down at the picture she was looking at.

“Tony and Rachel’s wedding” Angelo informed her.

“Tony and Rachel got married” Charlie said and Angelo nodded

“Yeah, they’ve been married over a year now. Angelo said. “It was a great day” Charlie nodded as Angelo spoke. Her good friends had gotten married and she couldn’t even remember. Charlie put the picture back on the shelf and took a few steps to the side and stared at the next picture. Seeing this picture slightly alarmed her. It was a picture of Charlie and Ruby with Charlie cradling a baby in her arms, the baby wearing a christening gown.

“Who is this baby? Oh my god, do we have a child? I have a son and I can’t even remember him. What kind of mother does that make me” Charlie said as she started to pace back and forward. Angelo let out a laugh as he shook his head.

“Charlie we don’t have a child” Angelo said as he took hold of Charlie’s arm in order to stop her pacing about. Charlie let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s Harry. Tony and Rachel’s son” Angelo said and Charlie nodded. Every time she learnt something she should already have known the worse she felt. But it made her all the more determined that she was going to get her memory back, that she was going to remember. The third and final picture on the shelf was of Charlie and her dad. Charlie picked it up and immediately she felt a tear in her eye as she looked down at her dad’s smiling face. She placed the coffee cup down on the table and ran her hand over the picture before clutching it to her chest. Angelo stood there unsure of what to do. He wanted to hold Charlie and comfort her, tell her everything would be alright but he didn’t know how comfortable she would feel if he were to wrap his arms around her. Before Angelo had the chance to make a decision Charlie had moved from where she was standing and was now sitting on the couch looking down at the picture. Angelo took a seat next to Charlie and tentatively put his arm around her. Charlie looked up at Angelo and smiled slightly before looking back down at the picture.

“So what did he think of you then?” Charlie asked as she kept her gaze on the photo.

“Well I got his approval to ask you to marry me so I guess he thought I wasn’t too bad” Angelo said and Charlie let out a small laugh. “We got on well” Angelo said. “Lots of fishing trips” he added and Charlie smiled.

“How long has it been since he died?” Charlie asked.

“4 months” Angelo said and Charlie nodded before silence hit the room.

“I think I’m going to go for a lie down” Charlie said and she stood up. She placed the picture back on the shelf made her way to the stairs. She stopped when she reached the bottom step and looked round at Angelo.

“You need me to show you where your bedroom is” Angelo said as he walked across to the stairs and Charlie nodded.

“Eh, yeah please” Charlie said. They walked up the stairs and began to make their way along the hall.

“That’s a bathroom” Angelo said as he pointed to the first door they came to. “Although it’s really only Ruby’s because we have an en-suite” Charlie nodded at the information as she continued to walk along the hall. “And that room there is Ruby’s” Angelo pointed to the room on his right. “You’re always telling her to clean it. Little good it does” Angelo laughed. The door was slightly ajar so Charlie poked her head around and had a look in the room.

“I can see why. It’s a tip” Charlie said before stepping back out into the hall. They walked to the end of the hall and then into the bedroom.

“So this is our room” Angelo said. Hearing this alarmed Charlie.

“Angelo, I’m sorry but I can’t sleep in the room as you. I mean, I don’t…”

“Oh I know, sorry. I mean this was our room, but it’s just yours for now” Angelo interrupted Charlie mid sentence. “I’m going to use the guest room” Angelo said as he pointed across the hall and Charlie nodded.

“Right, thanks” Charlie smiled.

“It’s not a problem” Angelo said. “I just hope things can get back to normal soon” Angelo smiled waiting for a moment for Charlie to respond but when she didn’t he spoke again. “Right, well I’ll leave you in peace. I’ll be right down the stairs if you need anything” Angelo said as he made his way to the door.

“Thanks, Angelo” Charlie said and Angelo turned round and smiled at her before leaving the room.

[Danni02]

Thank you so much to those who commented. Hope you like this next part.

Chapter 8

Angelo heard a door slam shut and the sound footsteps running down the stairs. Charlie walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard and took a bowl out before slamming the door shut.

“What’s wrong?” Angelo asked

“Oh it’s nothing” Charlie said

“C’mon Charlie, its something” Angelo said. Charlie opened another cupboard and took out the box of cereal before banging it down on the worktop. She turned around to face Angelo and sighed heavily.

“Ruby and I just had an argument. I’m surprised you didn’t hear us actually” Charlie said.

“Well I heard raised voices” Angelo said just as Ruby walked into the kitchen and threw her school bag down on the floor. She threw the fridge open and pulled out the carton of orange juice and poured herself a class before taking the bread out of the bread box and putting a slice in the toaster.

“Rubes listen, I-“

“I don’t want to hear it” Ruby spat as she put the bread away and slammed the lid on the bread box shut. Charlie sighed as she walked passed Ruby and took the milk from the fridge. Angelo sat there not sure of what to do. He wanted to help, like he normal would in a situation like this but he didn’t want to make Charlie feel as if he were intruding. Charlie picked up her cereal bowl and went over to the table and took a seat and began to eat, leaving the room in silence.

“So, Ruby, what’s on at school today?” Angelo asked as he tried to ease the tension in the room.

“Just the usual” Ruby replied as she lightly buttered the slice of toast. “Well I’ve got to go meet Xav” Ruby said before taking a big gulp of her juice and banging the glass down on the worktop. She picked up her school bag and flung it around her shoulder before running to the door and slamming it shut on the way out. Charlie let out a sigh before placing her head in her hands.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Angelo asked apprehensively. Charlie looked up at him and sighed lightly.

“I walked in on her taking her insulin but of course I had forgotten about the diabetes so I assumed something else” Charlie said and Angelo’s eyes widened.

“Oh right, I’m sure Ruby wouldn’t have been pleased at that”

“Well no she wasn’t. “I can’t believe I thought Ruby would do something like that. I’m so stupid” Charlie said.

“Charlie it was an honest mistake to make. Walking in on someone sticking a needle –“

“No, Angelo. I should know my daughter wouldn’t do that. I should have thought there would be another explanation” Charlie said and Angelo nodded.

“Okay, well I’m sure Ruby will calm down soon and you can sort things over tonight” Angelo said

“Yeah, I hope so” Charlie said. “It’s hard enough not remembering anything but not having Ruby talking to me as well”

“I’m sure she fine by tonight” Angelo said again as he placed his hand on top of Charlie’s. Charlie smiled at Angelo and their eyes met and they stared deeply at each other.

“I’m going to make some tea if you want a cup” Charlie eventually spoke and broke their gaze.

“Yeah, would love some thanks. Its milk –“

“Milk and 1 sugar, I know” Charlie said cutting Angelo off. She turned around and walked up to the kettle and checked there was water in it before flicking the switch down. She took two cups out of the cupboard and sat them down on the worktop before turning around to find Angelo standing behind her with a grin on his face.

“You remembered” Angelo said excitedly.

“I did” Charlie grinned before letting out a small squeal of excitement.

“That’s great Charlie” Angelo said enthusiastically.

“Yeah” Charlie smiled. Even though it was only a tiny detail that she remembered she was glad she had recalled something from the past 2 years and hoped it was a start for lots more to memories to come.

“And now you’ve remembered one thing maybe you’ll start remembering a whole lot more” Angelo said as he looked at Charlie and smiled. He knew she only remembered a tiny detail and that it meant nothing for their relationship but he was being hopeful that she would remember soon enough.

“Yeah I really hope so” Charlie smiled before getting back to making the cups of tea. They finished the rest of their breakfast before Charlie went up stairs to change into her uniform. It was going to be her first day back at work since the accident and in a way she was looking forward to getting back to some normality, to doing something she remembered. Angelo had finished emptying the dishwasher and re-loaded it with the morning’s breakfast dishes when Charlie came back down the stairs and quickly walked into the kitchen and up to Angelo.

“Sergeant” Charlie said “Since when did I become a sergeant?”

“Oh, about 10 months ago” Angelo smiled. “We solved a pretty big case” Charlie smiled as she learned she had advanced in her career. “Of course, I really did all the work, I just let you take the credit” Angelo smirked.

“Yeah, right” Charlie said and Angelo laughed.

“No, you worked really hard. You deserved it” Angelo said and Charlie smiled.

“So, did you get a promotion too then?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, but not as great as yours” Angelo said as he pointed to his badge. “I’m a Leading Senior Constable”

“Leading Senior Constable is not exactly anything to be ashamed about” Charlie said

“Yeah, guess not” Angelo said “So Sergeant Buckton, are you ready for first day back at work?”

“Yeah, lets go” Charlie said as she grabbed her car keys and made her way to the door.

****

Charlie looked up from her desk and sighed. Angelo looked round at her.

“Everything alight?” Angelo asked

“Yeah, just forgot how much paper work this job included” Charlie said and Angelo let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I tried to get as much of it done for you as I could but I’m only one person” Angelo said. Charlie gave Angelo a thankful smile. Living with him the past few weeks hadn’t been as bad as she thought. In fact she was surprised at how comfortable she felt around him and could see why she would fall for him in the first place. “Hey, why don’t you go for a walk?” Angelo suggested.

“Angelo I have work to do” Charlie said

“And you can do it when we get back. A little break might do you good” Angelo said “And besides you’re the boss so you can do what you want” He added with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah I guess so” Charlie said as she stood up and walked over to Angelo’s desk. She looked down one of the photos and smiled.

“We look happy there” Charlie said and Angelo looked down at the picture.

“Yeah” Angelo smiled. “Can you remember that day?” He asked hopefully. Charlie thought for a few moments before a blank expression fell on her face.

“Sorry, I don’t” Charlie said. She studied the picture again. It was of Angelo, Ruby and Charlie. Angelo was sitting in the middle of them with his arms around them both. The three of them with big smiles on their faces. “I know it’s at Miles’ house but I don’t remember anything about it” Charlie said.

“It was a BBQ he threw last summer” Angelo said and Charlie nodded before letting out a sigh.

“Well, let’s go for that walk” Charlie said and Angelo pulled a face.

“You want me to come with you?” Angelo questioned

“Yeah” Charlie said as Angelo stood up. “And you can buy the lunch” Charlie said and Angelo laughed.

“Oh I can can I?” Angelo said as he folded his arms.

“Yeah you can. Boss’s orders” Charlie laughed as she pushed Angelo out of the room.

[Danni02]

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments

Chapter 9

Charlie and Angelo were sitting in the Diner having just finished their lunch when Ruby and Xavier walked in.

“Hey mum” Ruby said as she walked up to the table.

“Hey Rubes” Charlie smiled before they stared at each other silently for a few minutes.

“Eh, I’ll just go pay for this” Angelo said as he stood up and walked up to the counter. Ruby took a seat and took a deep breath before starting to speak.

“Mum, I’m really sorry for this morning I-”

“Rubes, you don’t need to be sorry” Charlie said. “It was my fault. I should have let you explain before I went off at you”

“No, I do need to be sorry. I should have told you I had diabetes” Ruby said

“I know, but you probably weren’t thinking. I mean stuff like that, I should already know”

“Yeah but you forgot after the accident. You should have been retold something like that. I guess it just slipped my mind” Ruby said

“Its okay Ruby, I’m just sorry I assumed the worst of you”

“Don’t worry about it. I think I may have over reacted a bit” Ruby said

“No you didn’t Rubes” Charlie said as she reached forward and took hold of Ruby’s hand. Ruby smiled at Charlie before looking up to find Xavier making his way across to the table.

“Hey, you guys alright now then?” Xavier asked and Ruby nodded.

“Yeah fine” Ruby smiled.

“Great. She did my head in this morning. Was in a foul mood because you two had had an argument” Xavier said.

“Well we are fine now” Charlie smiled

“Great. So how are you today?” Xavier asked

“Yeah I’m fine thanks Xavier, how about you?” Charlie smile up at the boy.

“Yeah alright” Xavier smiled. “Will be better once we get this maths test out of the way”

“Speaking of which, we should probably go look over our stuff once last time” Ruby said

“Yeah, we’ll get some lunch first though” Xavier said and Ruby nodded as she stood up from the seat. She gave Charlie a hug before walking over to a free table. Xavier went up to the counter to order their lunch. Angelo walked back up to the table and asked Charlie if she was ready to go. They walked out of the diner and made their way down to the beach.

“So did you and Ruby talk then?” Angelo asked and Charlie nodded.

“Yeah, it’s all sorted. She’s fine now” Charlie smiled.

“I knew you would sort things soon enough” Angelo smiled.

“Yeah” Charlie agreed as the continued to walk along the beach. After walking for around 5 minutes she stopped and her eyes looked around the area where she was standing. She looked like she was deep in thought as she sat down in the sand. Angelo sat down next to her.

“What you thinking?” Angelo asked as he noticed the look on her face.

“We’ve had a date here” Charlie paused “Or at least, I think we have” Charlie said as she looked around at Angelo, who had a big grin appearing on his face.

“We did” Angelo said “Our first date”

“We had prawns and champagne” Charlie said proudly with a smile on her face.

“And for desert?” Angelo asked and Charlie looked at him blankly.

“Yeah, that’s not came back to me yet” Charlie said and Angelo nodded.

“It’s just great you’ve remembered our first date” Angelo beamed before he gave Charlie a hug. When they parted their eyes met and they stared at each other for a moment before Angelo kissed Charlie softly on the lips. Charlie was slightly shocked by this and she quickly pulled away.

“Charlie I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking I just-”

“It’s okay” Charlie said. “It’s just we’re not really at that place at the moment are we?” Charlie said

“No” Angelo spoke, sounding disappointed.

“Angelo” Charlie paused as she took a deep breath. “These past few weeks have been hard. I don’t know you at all but I feel this amazing connection when we are together and I want to remember, I really want to be able to remember what we had. Charlie stopped talking and her eyes looked like they wanted to release tears.

“I know, I just wish there was something I could do to help” Angelo said and Charlie smiled up at him before they fell silent for a few minutes.

“Doughnuts. Desert was doughnuts” Charlie said and Angelo smiled before laughing.

“Yup it was”

“Why on earth did you bring doughnuts?” Charlie asked.

“Well, we’re cops, we love them” Angelo grinned and Charlie laughed. “Well we should probably get back to work” Angelo said as he looked down at his watch. Charlie nodded as Angelo stood up. He took a few steps forward before pausing as he realised Charlie was still sitting there. “You coming?” Angelo asked

“Yeah, just go up to the car, I’ll just be a minute” Charlie said. Angelo pulled a confused look on his face before nodding.

“Okay” Angelo said. Charlie watched him as he walked away and she thought about what had just happened. That she had remembered about their first date and then the kiss. She brought her hand up to her mouth and touched her lips lightly as she smiled.

[Danni02]

Thank you, once again, for commenting.

Charlie’s memories are in purple.

Chapter 10

“That’s great Charlie” Rachel said as she learned of what Charlie had remembered during the day.

“Yeah Charlie it really is” Leah said

“Yeah, it feels great to finally been getting parts of my life back” Charlie told them and Rachel nodded.

“And I bet Angelo was pleased you remembered something about him” Leah said

“Yeah he was” Charlie smiled as her mind once again wandered back to the kiss.

“So what does this mean for you and Angelo then?” Leah asked

“It means that I can remember we went on a date” Charlie said pointing out the obvious.

“But there’s no feelings coming back?” Rachel asked. Charlie sat silently as she looked away from her friends.

“Charlie” Leah said

“Ehm, well he’s making it very difficult for me not to fall for him” Charlie blushed as Rachel and Leah let out girly squeals. “He’s been so great about everything” Charlie said. “And he gets on well with Ruby which is great” Charlie added and Rachel and Leah both nodded.

“You guys did make a pretty good family” Leah said and Charlie smiled

“Hopefully one day we’ll have that back” Charlie said

“Aww, I’m sure you’ll get there” Rachel smiled before walking to the kitchen and picking up the bottle of wine and topping up their glasses.

“Yeah” Charlie said. “So anyways Leah, how are things going with Elijah?” Charlie asked

“Good yeah” Leah said. “It’s still early days but yeah” Leah said as big smile plastered on her face.

“Aw that’s great” Charlie smiled

“Yeah and VJ has taken to him really quickly aswell so that’s good” Leah said just as the doorbell rang.

“Excuse me” Rachel said as stood up from where she was sitting and walked across to the door. When she opened it she was surprised to see Jack and Martha standing at the other side.

“Jack, Martha, Oh my God, what are you doing here?” Rachel said sounding shocked.

“Nice you see you too” Jack laughed as they walked into the house.

“No, it’s great to see you. We just had no idea you were coming home, that’s all” Rachel said

“Yeah, this one wanted to keep it a surprise” Jack said as he pointed to Martha. After everyone gave them welcome home hugs Rachel grabbed a bottle of beer out of the fridge for Jack and poured Martha a glass of wine.

“So where is dad?” Jack asked

“He’s out with Angelo and Elijah” Rachel said and Jack nodded

“And what about Harry, I can’t wait to meet him” Jack said

“He’s sleeping” Rachel smiled

“So are you guys back for good?” Leah asked

“Yeah we are” Martha smiled

“Are you alright Charlie?” Jack asked as he noticed she was blankly staring in front of her and that she didn’t seem aware of the conversation going on around her.

“I hate this, Jack” Charlie said as she turned in the car to face him. “I hate lying to him”

“I know. I hate it aswell” Jack said as he kept his eyes on the road. “But hopefully all this lying will be over soon, and everything will be perfect” Jack quickly turned his head and smiled at Charlie who smiled back at him before looking back at the road again.

“I hope so” Charlie smiled

“Charlie” Jack shouted again

“What sorry?” Charlie asked but once again thoughts took over her.

Charlie walked into the house and quietly hid the bag of clothes into the down stairs cupboard, careful not to be heard. She walked up the stairs and into the bedroom and over to the bed.

“Angelo, Angelo, are you awake?” Charlie whispered as she bent down next to him but there was no answer. She walked over to her side of the bed and picked up her pyjamas before walking through to the bathroom and discarding her police uniform onto the floor and getting redressed. As she got into the bed and watched her sleeping boyfriend a wave of guilt washed over her.

“Charlie, are you okay?” Rachel asked as she put her arm around her. This startled Charlie and interrupted her from her thoughts.

“Sorry, Rach. I’m going to go home” Charlie said as she stood up and made her way to the door.

“Are you alright?” Leah asked

“Eh yeah, I’ll be fine” Charlie said as looked back into the room and her gaze fell on Jack for a second before she looked away again and walked out of the house.