Chappo's POV
I know Brooke is upset but I need to know where I stand, what I'm allowed to do without it being weird. We drive out to Tama and sit, watching the waves. "I know you want to know what I'm thinking but I don't even know.." she mutters, pulling at her sleeves. "I was hoping we could just leave it open.. I'm not ready to commit to anything new, I have enough at the moment. But yeah. Okay. I do like you.. Can we not just see what happens?" I think for a moment. At least she's admitted something, even if it's not exactly what I wanted to hear.
"We can." I tell her as she rests her head on my shoulder. "There's a storm coming in." I point to the clouds rolling in over the sea. She smiles.
"I love storms.. Back home we had the best of them. They're not exactly great to be out in though. They play havoc with my body."
"We can go up to the Tower? I don't know who's on though." she nods and I help her up. I can see Jake and Deano through the window and smile, knowing they'll be okay with her. "In again Chap." Jake grins as he opens the door, "Hey Brooke! Have you met Deano?" She shakes her head as Deano turns.
"Hey," he stops as he sees the crutches, "You want a chair?" She smiles sympathetically.
"I'm good. We're sheltering from the storm." she laughs as it starts raining heavily, "I'm psychic too y'know!" Jake laughs as they go to sit in the corner and talk.
"Okay mate?" Deano asks as I sit down.
"Yeah, we're good."
"You look scared?"
"I'm just not used to it all yet. It's okay. She's amazing." I hear Jake laugh as Brooke appears behind me.
"Amazing hey?" she laughs softly. "Does that mean I get to surf?" I smile at her.
"Maybe one day." Her face falls and I quickly look over her body. Her knee is out again. "Sit down." I say as I stand and hold the chair for her before grabbing ice. "Take it easy.." I mutter, knowing she'll be embarrassed by our audience and almost certainly try to do it all too quickly. She moves her hands slowly over the joint before easing it back. I smile until her body falls into me. I lay her down carefully, desperately trying to work out what's happening. "She okay Chap?" Jake asks concerned as he sits back next to me. There's no point in worrying him.
"Probably.. Her knee is back isn't it?" I look up to Deano who nods. "I think she just needs to rest. It's probably the storm.. It doesn't even make sense how can the weather affect her joints?" Deano looks up again.
"It's quite common in chronic illness really, especially cold and rain. She's probably doing better here than she would be back in England to be honest. What does she need?"
"I don't know.. She generally just sorts herself out.. Just stay back, don't overwhelm her and we'll work something out."
"Of course mate. Just keep an eye on her airway too yeah?" Deano says. I nod and take her hand carefully. After a few minutes she starts to stir. "I'm here Brooke. You okay?" she smiles, moving her hand. "Take it slow."
"Okay?" she asks, trying to lift her head.
"We're fine. Should we sit up a bit?" She nods as I move behind her and try to maneuver her into a sitting position, without hurting her anymore. She leans back into me, too exhausted to even hold herself upright.
"Do you want a drink or something?" Jake asks as he watches. She nods and he hands a bottle of water to her. Her hands shake too much to even take it so he lifts it to her lips.
"Sorry," she mutters.
"Hey, it's fine. We'll just sit in here and wait for the storm to pass. Relax." I tell her as Jake sits back on his chair. She nods slowly but tries to sit further up. "We'll move in a minute. Just rest first." She smiles.
"Still worrying too much Chap," her words are slurred again but I try to ignore it.
"I'm allowed to worry." I tell her as she tries to stand again. "Okay then, we'll stand now." She grins tiredly as I practically push her off the floor, avoiding her shoulders. Jake holds her steady, looking concerned. "Well, the storm's passed. Should we get you home?" I ask. She smiles and tries to get to the crutches. "You're not going to get down the steps with them. Let me carry you." I whisper to her but she shakes her head. I sigh and hand them to her. She walks in front of me and tries to make her way down the stairs. Before she's even taken 2 steps, she falls but I manage to grab her before she hits the floor. For once, it looks like she's managed to stay in one piece. I pick her up awkwardly, trying not to move her too much. "Just rest Brooke." I tell her as Jake grabs the crutches and follows us back to the car.
"Are you gonna be okay mate? Sure she doesn't need an ambo?" he asks as I place her carefully in the car.
"Yeah, she just needs to sleep. Don't worry about her mate, she's more than used to it. We just have to be thankful that she has us to keep an eye on her now. Thanks for your help."
"Alright, you know what to do if you need us." He starts to walk back as I climb into the car.
"He's scared?" she asks, slurring.
"He's fine Brooke. He just isn't used to not calling an ambulance every time something happens. We just need to get home and sleep." She smiles slightly.
"I love you Chap." She whispers as her eyes close again. I don't believe her, in this state she probably doesn't even know what's happening around her but I want it to be true, almost as much as I need her to be safe.
