The Greatest Sacrifice

[Zetti]

Ooh I am not convinced that Jack will make it in time...but I really hope he is able to make it...

I get why Rach is pushing Tony away...but I hope that they can deal with it

Looking forward to reading more

[HighwayUnicorn]

I am feeling so sorry for Rachel in this story. It must be so difficult for her.

And Tony too, he's taking it extremely badly.

And I really hope that Jack will make it in time.

Really well written and I look forward to more.

Love Carina

xxx

[dee83]

great so far can`t wait for the next bit hope Jack makes it to the hospital and Rachael lets Tony into whats shes feeling

Update Soon

[Sabrina]

I can understand why Rachel is pushing Tony away.

I'm glad Rachel has someone to talk to, I just hope Barbara is genuine.

I really hope Jack will make it in time.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

[charmed60]

Thank you as always Red Ranger, Zetti, Carina, Dee and Sabrina for your lengthy comments and I'm so sorry as always for the delay. Sorry this chapter is a bit slushy and my knowledge of boats is very scarce so it might not be quite accurate but I hope you enjoy nevertheless!

“You have no idea how good it is to see you” Tony beamed; breathing in her smell and holding her even tighter; afraid to ever let her go. Months of built up anxiety and stress began to slowly fade away, with pure joy and relief replacing it.

“Trust me, I know” Rachel whispered to him, her breath tickling his neck. He closed his eyes as he felt her relax against him, her fists clenching the shirt he’d chosen to wear especially for her. He knew how much she loved him in it.

“I thought you hated me” he choked, “I tried to hard to keep in contact with you but you never replied.” Her body froze, something which caused his stomach to release more butterflies.

“I sent you loads of letters back” she replied quizzically, moving her head back so that she was looking at him. “I would never ignore you Tony; they must have gotten lost in the post.”

Tony felt his heart stop for a few seconds at the intensity of her face being so close to his; her eyes gazing deep into his. When he finally managed to compose himself he felt himself smiling, of course she wouldn’t have ignored him. She loved him. “You’re so beautiful” he breathed, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. He lent forward and kissed her softly; his hand placed gently against the small of her back.

“I want to come home with you” she cried, a single tear trickling down her cheek which Tony caught with his thumb.

“You will soon” he smiled sadly; his heart breaking as he watched the glowing eminence fade from her skin. Holding her face in his hands he suddenly noticed the sorrow and desperation in her eyes. He felt physically sick knowing that there was nothing he could do but offer her hope. “Jack and I have come up with a plan to get you out of here; it’s going to work Rach I know it will. You just need to hold on for a little bit longer. You’ve been so brave; I know you can do it.”

“I can, for you” she smiled bravely through her tears. “Thank you for fighting for me so much. Now tell me all about this plan, I want to know everything.”

Tony felt his heart lift at the hope in her eyes and so wrapped his fingers around hers before leading her over towards the bed. As he let go of her hand he heard her scream and suddenly couldn’t see her anymore. All that was in front of him was a thick iron door but there wasn’t a window to see through. He banged his fist against it, his punches becoming more frantic as he heard her desperate cries for him on the other side. “Rach, it’s okay I’m here” he assured her but she was sobbing so much that he doubted she heard.

“Dad” he heard Jack call urgently, “Dad.” He felt his son’s hand frantically shaking his shoulder before he turned round to find himself lying across a narrow seat of the boat they were on. It suddenly dawned on him that he’d been dreaming. His heart plummeted as he realised that he hadn’t actually seen Rachel and his fantasy dream that her letters had become lost in the post were just that. Closing his eyes in regret he sighed loudly. Jack’s plan of cheering him up by spending the day on the boat had actually turned out to be a pretty good idea. For once it had given him the opportunity to relax for a bit and let himself think of something other than Rachel’s appeal. But just as quickly as he’d managed to distract himself, his recurring dreams had once again taken hold and the agonising fear in his chest returned with a vengeance. A loud temporary roaring of an engine startled him and he jumped up quickly before turning in the direction of the noise.

“Jack, what on earth are you doing mate?” he questioned, stifling a laugh as he watched his son lent over the edge of the boat; his fishing rod dipped in the water as he frantically tried to paddle with it.

“Martha’s in labour” he rambled, his mouth instantly drying. “The engine isn’t working, I need to get back to the Bay.”

“Really? That’s awesome” Tony beamed; his heart fluttering with excitement at the thought of his first grandchild finally making his or her appearance. “Well you’re not

gonna get this beast to move anywhere with that flimsy thing” he chuckled, moving over to the motor before applying a sustained pull to the chain. “There you go” he smiled proudly as the engine roared dramatically, “you were probably pulling it too quickly where you’re so frantic.”

“Dad stop making jokes, this is serious” Jack sighed loudly, his eyes focused intently on the shoreline as he tried to convince himself that they were closer than they realistically were.

“Mate just let me give you some advice okay” Tony offered, kneeling down next to his eldest child. He saw the fear etched in every crease of his face and an overwhelming sense of protectiveness came over him. “I know you’re scared and you have absolutely no idea what to expect but Martha is going to be freaking out more than this believe me. And she’s gonna be relying on you to keep your cool so no matter how scared or grossed out you are you’ve just gotta hold her hand and rub her back and whatever she asks you to do, you do it. No questions.”

“Is it true that they squeeze your hand really hard? Like does it really hurt that much?” Jack cringed, unsure of how much his colleagues at work had told him was actually factual.

“Like hell” Tony exaggerated, chuckling at his son’s concerned face. “You’ll be fine mate, come on we better steer this thing or we’ll never get there.”

********

“Leah I can’t do this” Martha screamed in the grip of a contraction, her teeth clenched tightly together and she resisted the temptation to throw the gas and air across the floor in frustration. It hadn’t even touched the pain. “Where is Jack I’m gonna kill him. He said he’d be here for this.”

“He will, you’ll be fine” Leah reassured, wiping her forehead with a cold flannel. “Try the gas and air again, you haven’t used it properly yet. The nurse said to use it the second you start to feel the pain…”

“I know what she said Leah but she’s lying” she began to whisper as the pain faded away and the exhaustion she was feeling so strongly overcame her once again. She bent her knees slightly so her head was resting on the pillows of the raised bed.

“Martha” Jack exclaimed as he burst through the door, closely followed by his Dad. “I’m so sorry we were on the boat and we got here as fast as we could.”

“You are in so much trouble Jack Holden” Martha seethed, reaching out for his hand as a contraction began building again. However as the pain took hold stronger than she anticipated she instead took hold of his arm, digging her fingernails in desperately.

“Geez you weren’t lying were you Dad” Jack winced, looking helplessly at his father for advice.

“Tony’s here?” Martha shrieked, looking behind her despite the agony radiating across her abdomen and back. “Get out, I don’t want you seeing anything.”

“Sorry Martha, I didn’t mean to…I was just dropping Jack…I’m gonna go” he rambled, placing a hand over his eyes as he closed the door behind Leah who followed him out.

“Maybe you should get the epidural like I suggested” the nurse in the room gently encouraged again, finding it much easier to look after her patients when they weren’t screaming.

“I told you I don’t want the epidural” Martha bit back, trying desperately to focus on her breathing.

“Sweetheart if they think it’s a good idea and it will stop you being in pain then maybe you should” Jack suggested. He hated seeing his wife in so much agony, knowing there was nothing he could do. His thoughts turned to his Dad and how he was feeling so helpless with Rachel. He now understood where he was coming from.

“No Jack, I don’t want it” Martha pleaded with her husband, desperate for him to support her decision. “Rachel said the best thing I can do is to stay mobile and I can’t do that if I have the epidural.”

“Okay, okay that’s fine” he smiled, running his hand gently over her back. “Whatever you need to get you through. Do you want me to get you some juice?”

“That would be great thank you” she whispered softly, “I’m so glad you’re here, I’m really sorry I yelled. I don’t mean to take it out on you it just hurts.”

“You can yell at me as much as you like” he smiled warmly; his Dad’s advice firmly in his mind. “Here have some apple juice, it will give you some energy.”

“You’re an amazing husband do you know that” she croaked, her throat dry from where she’d been screaming so much. “Oh no, here comes another pain” she warned, handing the juice quickly back to her husband.

“Use this Martha; I’ll hold it for you.” He held the gas and air in front of her, realising that as long as he kept his hands occupied, she wouldn’t be able to squeeze them. She began frantically breathing in the pain relief hungrily, her respirations increasing in speed the stronger the contraction became. As Jack stood by her side encouraging her and rubbing the base of her spine she dropped the gas and air out of her mouth; a look of fear in her eyes.

“Jack I need to push” she gasped, “I can’t stop it. I need to push.” Jack quickly dropped the gas and air; the apple juice still gripped tightly in his other hand as he raced to the door and flung it open.

“The baby’s coming” he yelled desperately. “Dad help” he begged as he looked around but couldn’t see any hospital staff.

“Well what do you want me to do mate, I’m not delivering the kid” Tony shrieked, praying that a doctor would appear soon.

“I’ll go and get someone” Leah offered, holding her hands up in attempt to calm them both down as she stifled a laugh.

********

“Wow Martha’s not hanging around is she” Leah giggled as her and Tony sat on adjoining chairs outside of her room, waiting to hear the baby’s first cry.

“Yeah tell me about it, I thought I’d be sitting out her for hours. I’ve been saving up my spare change for about a week’s worth of machine coffee” Tony grinned, patting his jeans pocket.

“Do you think this will be you and Rach one day?” Leah queried; remembering Rachel’s excitement when she’d told her best friend how Tony had shared his desire to have children with her.

Tony paused, wondering if she’d been able to read his mind. “I hope so” her nervously smiled, “got to get her out though first Leah. She wanted to be here so much for

Martha” he sighed in frustration, “I hate that she’s missing this; for her sake.”

“It’s not fair” Leah agreed, “but just think how excited she’s going to be when she opens a letter with a picture of this gorgeous baby in, it’s those little things which I think are going to keep her strong. She needs to just know we’re all behind her and supporting her…”

“That’s exactly it” Tony beamed, “that’s why I had this idea for the appeal earlier…”

*******

“Look at her Jack, she’s perfect” Martha whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder she might wake her daughter from her restful slumber. Holding her newborn child tightly in her arms she pulled the pale pink knitted blanket closer to her to keep her warm and kissed her gently on the soft skin of her button shaped nose. “Can you believe she’s ours?” She looked up at her husband and was surprised to find tears trickling down his cheeks. He hadn’t bothered to wipe them away as he didn’t want to take his eyes off of his daughter for even a second.

“You’re crying” she gasped, cradling his cheek with her spare hand before kissing him on the lips tenderly. “I love you” she breathed softly, rocking their little girl gently as she began to whimper.

“I’m just. I’m speechless. Martha you’re amazing, she’s amazing, she’s perfect” he rambled, clearing his throat from the tears which were catching. “Aren’t you sweetheart;” he cooed, stroking her cheek gently. She was tiny he was afraid that she would break and he still hadn’t picked up the courage to hold her. “Do you mind if I ask Dad to come in? I want to show her off” he beamed, desperate for his father and closest friend to meet the new addition to the family.

“Of course” Martha giggled. Normally she would have totally objected to having visitors while her hair was still stuck to her forehead and her make-up had all slid off of her face but she knew how close Jack and Tony are and if she was being honest she wanted to show her daughter off to.

“Are you ready to meet your Grandad darling” she whispered to her little girl as she fluttered her tiny eyelashes and looked directly up at Martha searching her face. “You are going to be so loved by so many people. And I have a feeling that you will have your Daddy wrapped around your teeny tiny fingers wont you.”

“Dad” Jack cried, swinging open the door. He tried to start talking but the words caught in his throat; he was so overwhelmed.

“Mate, what have you got” Tony pressed, his heart thumping in his chest.

“Girl” he spluttered, “I’ve got a daughter.”

“Are you serious” Tony shrieked, “son that is amazing, finally a girl in the Holden family” he cheered, wrapping his arms tightly around his eldest boy. “I am so proud of you, can I meet her?”

“Yeah yeah, come look at her” Jack offered, grabbing his father’s wrist and pulling him towards Martha.

“Hiya love, congratulations” Tony smiled as he strolled towards his daughter in law, desperate to get a peek of the tiny bundle she was cradling protectively in her arms.

“Thank you” Martha replied, pulling the blanket down so he could see her face. “Do you want to hold your granddaughter?”

“I would love to” Tony smiled, touched at the gesture. “Hey, hey there beautiful; welcome to the world” Tony cooed as he held his hand under her tiny head and studied her every expression. The little girl pressed her lips tightly together and stretched her arms out before yawning widely and once again closing her eyes.

“Isn’t she perfect” Jack whispered, placing his arms around his wife as he placed a kiss softly on her head.

“Oh she is something else that’s for sure” Tony agreed, mesmerized by his first grandchild. He couldn’t help but think how Rachel should be standing beside him; he could just imagine how she would be besotted by her. “Rachel will be really proud of you love, you did a great job” he smiled at Martha.

“Well I listened to her advice and she was right” Martha nodded, “and hopefully soon she’ll be here to meet little Jessica.”

“Jessica hey? Is that your name?” Tony cooed, “it’s beautiful. Let’s give you to your Daddy shall we.” Tony kissed his new granddaughter gently on her cheek and walked around the bed towards Jack who was running his hands nervously through her hair.

“I don’t want to drop her” his voice trembled as he reached his arms out for her.

“You won’t I promise you” Tony winked, resting Jessica in Jack’s arms, his heart warming at the sight of his son holding his newborn daughter. “See. Perfect” he breathed."You're a natural."

Preview:

When Rachel finds out about the appeal, the inmates finally have something to blackmail her with

Tony meets someone on the beach who he hopes might be able to help. But will they?

Can a certain somebody persuade Rachel to let Tony in?

[Red Ranger 1]

Oh man, I loved that.It was so sweet, the way Jack and Tony were panicking around Martha. Tony's "That's awesome" while Jack's flapping about with the paddle was a laugh out loud moment. It's just a shame Rachel's missing out on it all.Looking forward to more!

[Sabrina]

I loved that chapter!

Jack and Martha have a daughter. I love the name.

I feel sorry for Rachel missing out on everything.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Barbara]

post #119: Going fishing with Jack is a great idea. Tony needs to get out of the house for a bit and have some fun even if it is hard without Rachel being around. He should let Morag focus on the appeal; after all, she is an amazing lawyer and will do all she can to get Rachel out of jail. I hope she'll be succesful because I can't stand seeing (or reading about) Rachel getting beaten up by those awful women. Barbara seems to be nice though (maybe it's in all Barbaras' nature ) and she made Rachel smile, which is probably something she hasn't been doing much since she entered the prison. Too bad, she couldn't keep Savannah and had to let that mean man adopt her.

I think it's sweet of Tony to take care of Leah and VJ and teaching him how to surf.

I understand Martha wanted Jack and Tony to go off fishing to keep their minds off what's going on with Rachel but she should have said something. Jack and Tony could have gone fishing some other time. The baby is more important. I really like the idea of Martha and Leah being friends. Too bad, they didn't interact more on the show. I loved the scenes where Martha and Charlie were trying to make Leah feel better after her breakdown at the re-opening of the Diner and would have loved for them to be friends.

post #125: I really thought Rachel had finally contacted Tony. Too bad, it was a nightmare.

I had to laugh with Jack trying to paddle with a fishing rod. I'm glad the engine wan't really broken though. Aw Jack is scared to be a father. How sweet! He is just like most men who are about to meet their first child. I loved Tony's reassurance speech.

Poor Martha! It looks like she is in serious pain. I had to laugh at her comment about the nurse being a liar, at her yelling at Jack for being in trouble (after all, this is partly his fault! ) and at her shrieking at Tony! Lol! I can't blame her though. I wouldn't want anybody but the father of my child to be there when I'm in labour. Lol at Tony and Jack panicking at the thought of delivering the baby! Thankfully, Leah kept her cool!

I enjoyed the talk between Leah and Tony. It was really sweet! I wonder what his idea for the appeal is.

Tony is right: it was about time there was a girl in the Holden family! Jessica is a lovely name! Aw Jack is nervous about holding her. So sweet! I'm still sad Jack and Martha never had a baby on the show.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

[HighwayUnicorn]

I loved that chapter! A girl! Aww, that's so cute!

I absolutely loved it. An amazing chapter! Really fantastic. Well done.

I look forward to more and the preview sounds amazing.

Carina xxx

[Zetti]

Aww, a girl! Jessica Holden how cute, its about time the Holden family had a girl in the family.

Looking forward to more x