Part 7

When Megan finally got over the initial shock of seeing Kelly standing there next to Katrina, she was furious. She forced Kelly's arms away from her. "Don't you ever touch me again."

"But darling, surely you can't still be angry about my little mishap before you left." Kelly smiled flirtatiously, but inside she was very unsure of herself after seeing Megan in the arms of the tall woman.

"I'm not angry, I'm grateful, but right now I could cause you some serious bodily harm if you don't get out of my way this instant." Megan sidestepped Kelly as she ran after Charlie.

Kelly had a confused look on her face as she watched Megan run away. "If she's not angry, I can make it work for me," Kelly whispered to herself as a smile formed on her face.

When Megan caught up with Charlie, she was about to close the study door behind her. "Stay away from me," she yelled as she saw Megan behind her.

"Not until you listen to me," Megan replied adamantly while following her into the study.

"I think your girlfriend said enough, don't you?"

"She's my ex-girlfriend, and she doesn't speak for me."

Charlie was fuming as she opened and closed desk drawers looking for nothing in particular, but needing something to do. "It didn't look that way."

"If you had stayed around a few more seconds, you would've seen more."

"No thanks. Her arms wrapped around you, and her lips all over your face were enough for one evening."

Megan threw her hands up in the air. "What must I say to make you believe me? Stop being so stubborn and think. Was I kissing her, or was she kissing me?"

Charlie looked at her and answered sarcastically, "Let me think. I didn't see you fend her off. Mmmmmm, what on earth should I have thought?"

"You didn't wait long enough to see me throw her arms off me!"

"I don't care. I saw what I needed to see."

"Well I care, and you only saw what she wanted you to see!"

"Just give up while you still have some dignity left. Run to your girlfriend, because this entertainment booth is closed for business."

"I can't believe you would say that. I told you that I wanted to stay with you."

"Believe what you want, because I don't believe you!" Charlie slammed a drawer shut and almost pushed the chair into the wall as she rushed past Megan to get out of the study.

For the second time that night Megan found it impossible to move. Her mind was racing to find something else to say to Charlie as she was walking out, but she couldn't think fast enough. She slipped into the chair behind her as she found her legs unable to hold her anymore. After sitting in silence for more than an hour, she eventually got up and moved to the liquor cabinet where she poured herself some whisky. She swallowed it in one go, just to pour another and do the same. After the fourth one she took the bottle in one hand and the glass in the other as she made her way to her room. She stopped at least twice to pour more whisky into the glass and swallow it before she made it to her room. Once inside, she placed the bottle and glass on the nightstand beside her bed before stripping and getting into bed with only her underwear on. She took hold of the bottle and glass once again and kept on drinking as she stared into the darkness.

Katrina offered Kelly a room for the night because she didn't know what else to do. She was hoping that the whole mess would be sorted in the morning. After Charlie and Megan rushed off, Katrina played host to the rest of the people until they eventually left. She was very worried, but knew that it wasn't the right time to approach either of them.

At three in the morning, when the house was silent, Kelly got up and made her way to Megan's room. She had conned Harry earlier into telling her which room Megan slept in. She had a wicked smile on her face as she found the door unlocked. "Life just keeps on going my way," she thought as she moved into the room. She found Megan asleep against the headboard with an empty whisky bottle in one hand and a glass in the other. She gently removed the items from her hands, but soon realised that Megan was completely out of it. She lifted the covers and helped Megan out of her bra before she undressed herself completely and got into the bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around Megan and waited for the long day to take its toll.

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Charlie made her way to the kitchen early the next morning where she found Katrina already nurturing a cup of coffee. "Hi Kat."

"Morning Charlie. How are you feeling?"

"I've had better days in my life."

"Have you spoken to Megan yet?"

"Not really, and I don't want to either?"

"Why not? It wasn't her fault."

"How can you say it wasn't her fault? She invited her girlfriend who showed up. What more is there to it?"

"I can't believe your attitude Charlie. She loves you for crying out loud!"

"She doesn't love me, she just used me."

"Charlene Palmer, if I was in my prime I would take you by the shoulders and shake some sense into you." Katrina slammed her cup down onto the kitchen table.

Charlie jumped at the sudden anger in Katrina's voice. She had never seen this gentle person in such a state. "Kat, calm down."

"Don't you tell me to calm down. Everyone else could see that she was as shocked as you were when Kelly showed up. Everyone else could see that Kelly was pinning her down in front of you without her permission. You seem to be the only one who was oblivious to it. Don't let your pride and stubbornness ruin your chance at happiness. You both deserve it!"

"But Kat…" Charlie tried to get a word in.

"Don't you 'But Kat' me. Today you keep quiet and listen. She loves you. She might not have known it, but I'm telling you she loves you and I know you love her. You can't fool this old woman, I've been on this earth a lot longer than the two of you."

"But Kat, she's never told me that she loves me."

"And you did?"

Charlie dropped her head and looked at the floor. "No, I didn't."

"So you haven't told her, but you love her nonetheless?"

"Yes." Charlie gave a frustrated sigh. "You're right. I'm so stupid. I need to make this up to her before it's too late."

"That's more like it. I suggest you organise her some breakfast in bed."

Charlie got up and wrapped her arms around Katrina. "You're just an old romantic aren't you? Who's making breakfast?"

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Charlie knocked softly on Megan's door while balancing the breakfast tray in her left hand. She didn't hear any response, so she opened the door and walked quietly into the room and turned to close it again. She turned towards Megan's bed and was frozen on the spot. The breakfast tray fell out of her hands and landed with a bang on the wooden floor and the sound of breaking glass tore through the room.

Megan sat up in a flash and grabbed her head with Kelly following. "Who's making so much noise?" Kelly asked with a yawn.

Megan looked at Charlie's shocked form standing in front of the bed and closed her eyes again. She opened one eye and looked down at her half naked form, and then to the body that was sitting next to her. "What the fuck…" she started, but grabbed her head again as the sound of her own voice made her wince in pain.

"I came to apologise for not believing you last night, but I see no apology is needed; I was right." Charlie had a defeated look on her face as she spun around and left the room. "I need to get away from here," she muttered under her breath.

Silence fell over the room again before Megan spoke in a very calm voice, but it was too calm for Kelly's comfort so she moved slightly away from her. "What the fuck are you doing in my bed?"

"You said you weren't angry at me, so I thought we could sort things out this morning."

"You really are one of the most stupid or the most thick hided people I've ever known. I don't want you in my life; sex will not solve our problem. What part of this do you not understand? And get your ass out of my bed. It wasn't invited! I've always been able to destroy my own happiness, I really don't need any help from you." Megan got out of bed and walked towards her cupboard to get changed. "When I turn my back, you better be gone, because bodily harm is nothing compared to what I'm thinking of inflicting on you."

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Katrina saw Charlie walk past her with an overnight bag over her shoulder. "Where are you going?" She almost had to run to keep up with Charlie.

"Your idea didn't work. I couldn't have been a bigger fool if I tried." She stopped in her tracks and Katrina almost bumped into her. "I found them in bed together."

Katrina was shocked but tried to calm Charlie down. "Don't do anything stupid. There might be a good explanation for it."

"No chance of that, and I already did the stupid part. Now I just need to get away, but I can't go to the cabin." Charlie had a wry smile on her face. "I took her there. Every time I walk in there, I'll be reminded of her. I need to find another place to get away to."

"How will I contact you?"

"I'll call you when I get to wherever I'm going."

"You can't just up and leave. You have a farm to look after."

"You know as well as I do that between Rubin, Martin, and Kevin, this farm will run just fine without me for a while."

By now they were outside and Charlie unlocked the truck. She threw her bag into the back and got into the driver's side. "I'll be back once she's gone." With that she started the truck and drove off.

Katrina walked slowly back into the house. She couldn't believe that she could be so wrong about a person. Megan almost crashed into her as she came running down the stairs holding onto her head with one hand. "Where's she going?"

"Away from you. How could you do that Megan?" Katrina asked in disbelief.

"I didn't do anything but drink myself into a stupor after Charlie refused to believe me." Megan was close to tears. "Kelly snuck into my bed last night after I passed out. I only woke up when Charlie dropped the tray this morning. I swear nothing happened."

"I had my doubts, but I knew there had to be an explanation for it." Katrina opened her arms and wrapped them around Megan as she walked into them.

"I need to find Charlie. She just has to believe me." The tears were running down Megan's cheeks now.

"She wouldn't tell me where she was going, but she'll phone me once she gets there. Don't worry, we'll find a way to fix this. Let me get you something for that hangover in the meantime. To fight a battle like this, you'll need all your strength and need to look your best." Katrina smiled as she pushed Megan away from her and wiped the tears away with her hand.

They walked into the kitchen where Katrina prepared a drink for her. "I used to be young and wild you know, so I lived on this stuff. All these new wonder drugs today don't mean a thing next to this."

Megan smiled as she sat down at the kitchen table while watching Katrina. "Oh Kat, what would I have done without you in my life?"

Megan pulled a face as she drank the offered wonder cure. "Are you sure that you're not trying to kill me?"

"Stop moaning and drink up. You'll feel better in no time."

"I don't think I'll feel better until I've sorted this mess with Charlie. I love her so much, and I can't believe that I haven't even told her."

"Love is not about a spoken word Megan. When spoken it's only because people feel that they need to hear it to be convinced and feel secure. It's the deed that should be the most important part. If you tell someone you love them a thousand times over, but never show it in your deeds, they only need to see you in the arms of another once to make all those words meaningless. You haven't really had time to show your feelings yet. Unfortunately Charlie got misled into thinking what she saw was true, but even if you had told her you loved her yesterday, or if she had done the same, the deed would most probably have had the same consequences." Katrina smiled again. "My point being, Kelly's timing stinks."

Megan couldn't help but laugh at Katrina's words. She was about to comment when Kevin ran into the kitchen. "Kat, who drove the truck?" he asked gasping for air.

"Charlie. Why?" Katrina asked concerned.

"Because I'm sure I saw it spin off the road in the distance while I was working in the first camp. It looked like it went into the trees at the third camp."

"No," Megan whimpered.

"Let's not think of the worst right now." Katrina tried to keep her voice calm, but she didn't feel that way. "Megan, take Kevin with you and get there as quickly as you can. Phone me to let me know what's happened. There is only room for two people in your car, and Kevin is stronger than me."

Megan and Kevin got into her car and sped off on the dirt road. Kevin was holding onto anything he could find. "Megan," he started nervously, "We're not going to be of any help to her if you kill us on the way there."

Megan clenched the steering wheel as she slowed down a bit. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just can't handle the thought of her being hurt because of me."

"She was driving, not you."

"Yes, but I'm the reason she was driving."

"There!" Megan jumped when Kevin shouted. "The truck doesn't look damaged from here."

"I hope you're right," Megan whimpered. When they got to the truck, she braked and almost skidded right into it. They jumped out of the car to find an unconscious Charlie slumped over the steering wheel.

"Charlie!" Megan shouted as she tried to get to her from the other side. She realised that the truck had slammed sideways into the trees. She moved around to the passenger side while taking out her phone. She tossed it to Kevin. "Call Kat and tell her to get the helicopter here." She got into the truck and tried to examine Charlie as best she could without moving her. She established that she was breathing, but her stomach turned when she saw the piece of glass embedded in the side of her head. "She has a piece of glass in the side of her head and it's bleeding badly. Tell them to hurry up."

She tore a piece of her shirt and tried to keep some pressure around the wound. "I'm sorry Charlie. I know this must hurt, but I can't remove the glass. It will just bleed more." She brushed away some of the hair that had fallen into Charlie's face, and couldn't keep the lump in her throat back anymore when she saw the tear-stained face. "This was all my fault again. Please don't die. I can't go through life knowing that you're not in it."

"Kat says the helicopter is on the way. She got hold of Rubin, and they are on their way now as well. Is their something you want me to do?" Kevin felt like crying himself when he saw Megan's face and the emotions on it.

"No, I don't think we should move her. She might have damaged her neck or spine. Keep an eye out for the helicopter. I'm just trying to keep the wound from bleeding too much."

"OK, but I'll stay within hearing distance if you need me."

Katrina and Rubin got there before the helicopter did. When they saw the scene in front of them, they knew there wasn't much that they could do except to wait. Katrina stood at the truck next to the passenger side. "Don't worry Megan, Charlie is a strong one. She won't give up a fight easily."

"She gave up on me," Megan said softly. "And why not? Look at what I've done to her. All I do is bring pain to those I love." A new flood of tears ran down her face.

"Don't talk like that Megan. Things happen when people live. You can't control it all."

They heard the sound of the helicopter approaching. When it landed, the medics took over and got Charlie in the air within minutes. Katrina arranged with Rubin and Kevin to stay on the farm while she and Megan drove to the hospital. She would phone them the moment they knew what the situation was.

When Megan wanted to get into the driver's seat, Katrina took the keys from her hands. "Although I think you handled the situation well, I don't think you're in any condition to drive right now." Megan didn't put up any fight.

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By the time they made it to the hospital, Charlie was already in surgery. They once again found themselves in the waiting room. After two hours Doctor Dave came out to speak to them. "That Charlie is one lucky lady. The glass didn't go in very deep, and I think it caused minimal damage, but we can only really be certain once she wakes up because that was a hard knock that she took to the side of her head."

"Thank you Dave. Can we see her?"

"Unfortunately, not until she comes out of the post operation unit. Once she gets moved into intensive care, you can see her one at a time, but only for five minutes. It might look promising, but we can't take any chances."

"We'll be here waiting," Megan said softly.

"Fine, but you might be waiting for a while though. I need to run, but I'll see you both later."

Katrina took a magazine and made herself comfortable on a couch while giving Megan a worried look as she saw her take a seat and stare at nothing in particular. The most worrying part was that Megan had a strange calmness about her since they had got in the car to drive to the hospital.

"Do you want some coffee Megan?" she asked, trying to get Megan to talk after a while.

"No thank you."

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No thank you."

"Do you want to go for a walk in the hospital garden? I think we need some fresh air."

"You can go if you want."

"I really think you need to get out of this waiting room for a bit."

"No."

"Megan, stop treating me like a stranger. All I'm getting from you are short remarks. Talk to me, tell me what is going through that head of yours."

Megan looked up at Katrina with a dazed look in her eyes. "I'm leaving."

"OK, let's go for that walk then."

"No, I'm leaving Lentegeur as soon as she wakes up."

"Megan, don't be silly; Charlie will be fine."

"She'll only be fine if I'm not around."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it's the truth. I have done nothing but bring her pain, both physical and emotional. This is the second time she's in hospital because of me. She could have been dead right now, and don't tell me that it wasn't my fault. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have driven off this morning."

"Yes, but it wasn't you who created the circumstance under which she left. You were oblivious until that moment."

"No matter what you say, it will always come back to me. If I hadn't drunk myself into a stupor, I would've woken up when Kelly got into bed with me."

"Megan, you can't argue like that. What happened is over and done with. There is nothing you can do now to change it. The only thing that you can do is look at the future and work on it. You can't do that if you leave now."

"Her future will be much better if I'm not in it. I love her too much to cause her any more pain."

"If you love her that much, you should stay with her and try to sort it out."

"No, she'll get over me and get on with her life."

"Why don't you give her the chance to tell you what she thinks about your idea?"

Megan just shook her head from side to side. "No, if I talk to her again, I won't be able to walk away."

"What about your part of the farm then?"

"I don't give a damn about the farm; all I want is for her to be safe."

"You're making a big mistake Megan."

"I've made plenty of those in my life that I have to live with. At least it won't be a mistake that will cost her her life."

Katrina stared at Megan not knowing what else to say. The conversation was going around in circles and getting to the same wrong conclusion every time. "Well Charlie, you better wake up soon, because you'll be the only one to talk some sense into her," she thought as she got up to get herself some coffee.

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Charlie eventually got moved into a normal room when she was out of immediate danger, but she hadn't woken up yet. Megan had refused to go home with Katrina after seeing Charlie. Katrina agreed to bring her some clothes after Megan promised to book herself into the local hotel to get some sleep, because she didn't want to be too far away from the hospital. She stayed next to Charlie's bed holding her hand instead of leaving.

"Please wake up," she whispered with tears forming in her eyes. "Show me that you're fine." She brushed her fingers along Charlie's cheeks where she remembered the tear tracks were. "No more tears I promise." She took Charlie's hand in hers again and placed a light kiss on it before she rested her head on it.

This is how the nurses found her the next morning. They pushed her out of the door to do their normal checks on the patient, after which she insisted on being let back in. This is where Katrina found her.

"Megan, you promised to get some rest."

"I did sleep," Megan defended herself.

"You might have slept, but I don't think that you really got any rest."

"Please don't fight with me Kat," Megan pleaded.

"Why are you staying with her if you are planning on leaving?"

"Because I don't think I can go on if I don't see her wake up with my own eyes."

"Megan, I must be honest. You're not thinking straight. All your arguments are half hearted ones." Katrina placed the bag with Megan's clothes in front of her and the one for Charlie next to the bed.

"They may be half hearted, but I'll do anything to prevent her from hurting anymore."

"You leaving will hurt her tremendously. Did you even think about that?"

"Yes, that's why you mustn't tell her the truth about how Kelly got into my bed."

Katrina was flabbergasted. "Why not?"

"She already got hurt after she saw what she thought she saw, so if she doesn't know the truth, she won't care that I'm not there anymore. If she stays angry at me, it will be better."

"I disagree, but it's obvious that nothing I'm going to say will make you change your mind. Why don't you go and book yourself into the hotel and get cleaned up. You can come right back after you're done and I'll stay here in the meantime."

"Thanks Kat, but please let me know the minute something changes." Megan took her bag and walked out of the room briskly.

"Well Charlie," Katrina turned towards the bed, "This is one fine mess you got yourself into, and you better get out of it fast. I don't know what to do." She gave a frustrated sigh.

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This routine continued for five days before Charlie eventually woke up. It was four in the morning when Charlie eventually won her fight against the darkness. She felt like she was in a dream that she couldn't wake up from, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make a sound. She could hear a voice continuously calling her, but the hands of darkness kept on pulling her back in. She knew she needed to get to where the voice was, because it promised her no more tears and she was desperately trying to get that.

When she opened her eyes she needed to close them again. There was a faint light next to her, but it was too strong. She slowly opened one eye, and then the other again. She tried to focus on anything and found a figure next to her bed. She tried to move her hand towards it, but found she couldn't, because the figure was on top of it. She closed her eyes again and re-opened them, which helped her to focus. She could now see that the figure was a woman sleeping with her head on Charlie's hand. Charlie tried again to pull her hand out, which made the woman stir and wake up. Before long Charlie was looking into Megan's green eyes with confusion in her own.

"I'll get the nurse," Megan whispered as she got up quickly and left before Charlie could say anything.

Shortly afterwards a nurse came in to check on her. While she was doing her checks Charlie kept on checking to see if she could see Megan, but she never came into the room again. Two hours later Charlie asked the nurse to please ask her to come back in, but the nurse informed her that she was gone. Charlie wasn't very impressed. "Did she go to the toilet or something?"

"No," the nurse replied. "She thanked us for all our help and left the hospital."

"Why…" Charlie was interrupted when Katrina walked through the door.

"Charlie, I'm so glad you finally woke up. You had us a bit worried for a while, but I knew you would come out of it." She placed a kiss on Charlie's forehead. "You always come out on top eventually."

"Thanks Kat, but maybe you can answer a question for me. Was Megan here all the time?"

"Uhmmm… well… I'm not sure…"

"Don't lie to me Kat. You're most probably the world's worst liar. Please just tell me the truth." Charlie looked at her pleadingly.

"Yes, Charlie, she refused to leave your side. I almost had to force her to take a shower and eat."

"I'm sure Kelly couldn't have been too impressed about that."

"Well, she wasn't but… I mean…"

Charlie gave a sad chuckle. "Out with it Kat. You should really think what lies you want to tell before you start, because that's a dead giveaway. What is the 'but' for?"

"Well, seeing that you are forcing it out of me." Katrina gave a mock sigh. "She was furious when she left the house according to Kathy. On the way out she told Kathy that she was crazy for working there, especially with people like Megan who had murderous tendencies. I'm just glad she left before I got home, or I would've shown her what murderous tendencies really were. What she did to Megan was unforgivable and… oh shucks." Katrina placed her hand over her mouth.

Charlie looked at her with a bit of amusement showing on her face. "You got that far, don't stop now. What unforgivable thing did she do?"

"I wasn't supposed to tell you this." Katrina looked sorry for herself.

"Like I said, you already went too far. You might just as well continue, because I will get to the bottom of it."

"From what I understand, Megan drank a whole bottle of whisky after you left her in the study on her birthday. Kelly sneaked into her room and into her bed after she passed out, and that's how you apparently found them. The murderous tendencies apparently got shown at that point." Katrina laughed.

"Where is Megan now? The nurse said she left the hospital shortly after I woke up."

"She didn't just leave the hospital Charlie, she left Lentegeur for good."

"How could she do that?"

Katrina sighed. "I tried Charlie, but in her head she is doing this for you."

"How could this be for me?" Charlie asked amazed.

"She now, more than ever, believes that she brings pain to those she loves. She thinks if she stays away from you, your life will be better."

"I should be the judge of that. She sat here for days promising me no more tears. It wasn't my imagination. I need to go after her." Charlie made a move to get out of the bed, but she had to sit back quickly when her world started spinning.

"Haste hasn't done anything good for either of you. Get yourself well before you attempt anything." Katrina leaned over and pulled the covers back over Charlie. "We can start planning once you get home."

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Charlie had been home for four days, and she couldn't wait to go after Megan, but she had promised Katrina that she would rest for a week as the doctor suggested before taking on the trip. She was resting on the porch couch when she saw Megan's car approaching. "She's back." She almost fell off the couch in her attempt to get up. "Kat, she's back," she yelled again into the house.

Katrina came running out of the house breathing heavily. "Don't give an old woman such a scare."

"But she's back Kat. That's her car on its way here." Charlie couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice, but her face fell when she saw that the driver wasn't Megan, but a middle aged dark haired woman.

The woman got out of the car once it stopped in front of the porch, and smiled at the two women staring at her. "Hi, I'm Belinda, Charlie's personal assistant." She stretched her hand out to greet the two women.

"Welcome. I'm Katrina and this is Charlie. What do we owe this pleasure to?" Katrina asked politely.

"Megan instructed me to get these documents to Charlene Palmer for signing the moment they were ready." She looked back at the little sports car. "She told me to use her old car as a company car, because she bought herself a large 4x4 truck. It's quite funny seeing her behind the wheel of something so big." She chuckled. "Anyway, I decided to make the trip myself seeing that I'm on holiday for the next week, and she told me I could use the car during that time as well."

"How's Megan doing?" Charlie asked with a strained voice.

"Working herself to death on some new project. I don't think I've ever seen her like this."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with her?" Charlie moved closer to Belinda who took a step back.

"Maybe I said too much already." Belinda swallowed hard. She was very good at her job, but she did have a reputation for talking way too much.

"You will tell me!" Charlie was about to grab Belinda by the throat when Katrina stopped her.

"Charlie, calm down. That's not the way to go about it."

Charlie closed her eyes for a second and opened them again. She seemed more in control of her emotions. "Belinda, it will be in your best interest to tell me how Megan is doing."

Belinda looked a bit nervous, but decided to tell them. "In all honesty, she doesn't look too good. She walked back into the office three weeks ago, but she's not the same person. Her fiery personality is gone. She used to scare people to death, but now she treats everyone around her like a person. We're all speculating about what happened to her, and most people are convinced that she's dying from some terminal illness and is now trying to make up for her past. She surely looks the part. She's worse now than she was two weeks ago. She's lost weight, and has permanent dark shadows under her eyes. She's the first person at the office, and the last to leave. Sometimes it actually looks like she never went home in the first place."

"I'm leaving now," Charlie said as she quickly turned to walk into the house.

"Charlie, wait." Katrina followed her. "You know what the doctor said."

"I've listened to you and the doctor now for two weeks. I'm not dead, and I'm feeling much better. If that piece of glass in my head couldn't kill me, there's no way this trip will. The woman I love is killing herself, so there is no way that I'm going to sit around here waiting to feel a little better. She's the only one that can do that."

"You're right. Let me know what happens." Katrina gave her a quick hug.

"I'll do better than that. I'll bring her home," Charlie said in a confidant voice.

Back on the porch, Belinda couldn't believe her ears. She had had the good fortune to get this piece of information first-hand, and knew just who to call. When Charlie came back out of the house she gave her the papers. "Maybe you could take these back with you and sign them there."

"What are they for anyway?" Charlie asked

"Something about her giving you everything that was left to her in Claire's will."

"Like hell she will," Charlie said determinedly. "How long is the drive back to the office?"

"It's about four hours. I left home at six this morning to have a nice quiet drive. I really love driving and especially in that car. There is just something about that amount of power under your control, and the feeling of complete…"

"Just explain to me how to get to your office," Charlie interrupted her. "You can explain your driving pleasure to Kat once I'm gone."

Belinda gave Charlie all the information she needed, and Charlie worked out that she should most probably reach Megan after four.

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When Charlie got out of the elevator, she was even more stunned than when she had walked into the front of the building. From what Megan had said, she knew that she had to be successful, but obviously she had no idea how successful the company was. She walked towards the woman who sat at a desk in front of the office that was marked with Megan's name. When the woman saw her, she almost jumped out from behind the desk.

"Good day Miss Palmer, I'm Wendy, Miss Callaway's secretary," she greeted her with a huge smile on her face. Charlie lifted her eyebrow in confusion. "Don't worry, Miss Callaway doesn't know you're coming. Belinda phoned me this morning to inform me about your trip. Unfortunately, Miss Callaway is in a meeting in the boardroom, but should be out shortly." She indicated for Charlie to follow her. "You can wait in her office, and I'll make sure you're not interrupted." She winked at Charlie with a broad smile on her face.

"Wow, thank you very much Wendy." Charlie walked into the huge office and took a seat in front of Megan's desk. She looked around the spacious room while waiting. She decided to move the chair and sit just out of view next to the door.

It took about twenty minutes before she heard Megan's voice as she talked to Wendy. It took a lot to restrain herself from jumping up and grabbing her. Megan walked into her office reading a note that Wendy had given her. She automatically closed the door behind herself before she walked towards her desk. She visibly stiffened when she heard the click of the lock behind her, but before she could turn a bunch of papers landed at her feet.

"You don't honestly expect me to sign that do you?" There was no mistaking who was standing at her door. Megan picked up the papers, but didn't turn around.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Because you decided what's best for me?"

"I didn't decide, my life did that for me."

"Well, I have news for you. I decide about my life, no one else. If I want to throw myself off a bridge, it's my choice. If I want to climb in a car and drive while I'm in no state to do so, it is still my choice. Guilt will not rule my life, and I won't allow it to rule yours," Charlie said determinedly while taking a step closer to Megan.

"No, please don't come any closer," Megan pleaded.

"What are you scared of? That you might actually have to feel something?"

"No, that's the problem. I feel too much, and I know it will hurt you."

Charlie took another step closer to Megan. "I think I'm strong enough to look after myself."

"But I'm not strong enough to see you hurt again." Megan's voice was bordering on breaking as she tried to keep the tears back.

Charlie took another two steps towards Megan. "Together we can be strong enough. We can be there for each other."

"But I'm not someone you can rely on. I'll fail you." Megan's knees almost gave in when Charlie took another step towards her and was breathing down her neck.

"Let me be the judge of that," she whispered in Megan's ear.

"No, I can't." Megan quickly moved out of reach and turned to face Charlie for the first time. They both let out a gasp.

"What have you been doing to yourself?" Charlie took another step closer to Megan while she tried to keep her emotions under control. Megan looked even worse than Belinda had described her. "Have you gone on a no-sleep, no-food strike of some kind?"

"Charlie, please leave. You're just making it worse." Megan moved to stand behind her desk.

"No, you've already done that. Do you really think I'm going to leave after seeing you like this?" Charlie moved towards Megan again, but this time she didn't stop. She kept on advancing towards Megan like a hunter towards its prey. Megan gave another whimper as she quickly retreated again, but never took her eyes off Charlie. For every step towards her, she took one back.

"Charlie, why do you have to be so difficult? What do you want from me?" Tears started flowing down Megan's face when she felt the wall behind her. She had backed herself into a corner.

"I'm not being difficult, I just know what I want, and it's right in front of me." Charlie quickly closed the gap between them when she realised Megan was stuck. She stopped in front of her and placed the palms of her hands on the wall next to Megan's shoulders.

"I will not allow you to walk away from me again." She leaned her body closer to Megan, with just millimetres between them, but didn't touch her.

"I love you and I know you feel the same." She moved her face to whisper into Megan's ear. A shiver ran through Megan's body when she felt Charlie's breath on her skin.

"Even if it takes the rest of my life to convince you, I'll show you that we belong together, no matter what lies in our future." She moved her lips down Megan's body towards the front of her neck, but still didn't touch her. All she did was breathe on her skin.

"I'll show you that you can't be without me, the way I can't be without you." She continued her path downwards towards the cleavage between Megan's breasts. She saw another ripple run through Megan's body, and she smiled while blowing hot air down her cleavage.

"I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms after a night of passionate lovemaking." She moved back up again, but still didn't touch any part of Megan's body.

"I want to take you to the cabin, and ravish you for days on end without any interruptions. I want to go for long rides with you, preferably with us both on one horse." She could see another ripple run through Megan's body.

"I want to swim naked in the pond with you. I want to clean the chicken coop with you." She moved towards Megan's other ear now.

"I want to milk cows with you, I want to work in the vegetable garden with you, I want to sit on the front porch with you, I want to spray water all over you just to see your nipples harden." Her voice was sultry in Megan's ear, who wasn't sure if it was the words or the breath on her skin that was holding her against the wall, because it definitely wasn't any part of Charlie's body. Megan closed her eyes in frustration.

"I want to open the gates for you, I want to dance with you pressed against my body, I want to lose myself in your body, I want to stare into the endless depths of your eyes." Megan opened her eyes when nothing more was said to find Charlie's eyes right in front of hers.

Charlie stared into her eyes for what seemed like an endless time before she spoke again. "I want you to be my wife." Her words were barely a whisper spoken onto Megan's lips, but still no part of them touched.

Megan couldn't take anymore. She wrapped her arms around Charlie and pressed her body into hers. "Please touch me," she begged breathlessly.

Charlie kissed her as she allowed her hands to roam over Megan's body. She pushed her up against the wall, but it didn't take very long for Megan to turn the tables. In a quick move, she turned Charlie around and had her pinned to the wall while running her lips down Charlie's neck. When she reached Charlie's shirt, she released her hands and ripped at the shirt to send buttons flying.

Charlie helped her to remove the shirt, and used the opportunity to step behind Megan and push her against the wall as she ripped at her shirt. She also managed to get Megan's bra off before she got roughly shoved in the direction of the desk. She stumbled against it while Megan managed to get hold of her bra and pulled at it until the snap gave way.

"You do know we'll have a problem leaving your office if we continue like this," she whispered while nibbling on Megan's ear.

Megan pushed her all the way onto the desk while pushing things off her desk at the same time. She smiled at Charlie. "At this point, I don't give a damn if I have to walk out of here covered in a plastic bag." She got hold of Charlie's pants as she pulled her back towards her.

"You're quite forceful aren't you?" Charlie laughed as she felt herself move over the desk and Megan unzipping her pants.

Megan's hands stilled and she looked up into Charlie's eyes with a naughty smile on her face. "Will you please shut up and start living up to those promises you just made? We can start with a night of passionate lovemaking, and take it from there."

The End