The Greatest Sacrifice

[suzannelgnz]

That last chapter was incredible, the way it was written was perfect as you could really understand how Rachel was feeling.

Can't wait for the next chapter.

[charmed60]

Thank you thank you thank you Red Ranger, Carina, Sabrina and Suzanne! Your comments are as aaaalways totally valued and appreciated! To celebrate the Royal Wedding I've got another update for you all! I hope this is realistic....

Tony hesitated as he pushed the door handle down, afraid of what would be greeting him on the other side. As much as he desperately wanted to be with Rachel, he knew he had to be strong for her which was something he wasn’t sure if he was capable of doing at the moment. He pushed the door open slightly and saw her instantly with her back turned to him; facing the window. His heart stopped.

“Rach” he whispered, not wanting to startle her. Whilst she didn’t move, he noticed the way she seemed to tense up. “Sweetheart it’s, it’s only me” he added, cautiously stepping towards her. The thought that she might be afraid of him devastated him.

“What are you doing here?” she tearily choked as she turned around slowly to face Tony, her hand hovering over the jagged scratch on her face in an attempt to hide it from him. She didn’t want him to be repulsed by her. Hearing his voice had made the strong, controlled exterior she’d managed to perfect start to crack and so she took a deep breath, afraid of losing control of her emotions.

“I, I was here with Martha. I bumped into Leah” he began, trying not to show the shock on his face as he cast his eyes over the bruises imprinted on her skin. He noticed how bloodshot her eyes were and it caused an overwhelming sense of wanting to wrap her in his arms and protect her to come over him. But he knew he had to tread carefully, he didn’t want to push things too far.

“What’s happened to Martha?” Rachel blinked, trying to distract herself from the tears she could feel threatening to fall. Despite the ache in her arm and the shake that her hand had instinctively begun to do, she continued to hold it over her face; avoiding looking for too long in Tony’s eyes. He looked exhausted, scared, concerned. It was making her want to run into his arms and beg him to never leave her again but she knew that would make her look weak.

“She’s been having this pain for a few days, they said it’s an infection but she’s fine” he explained, smiling weakly. A silence fell over both of them as Tony considered what to say next. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and began rolling his fingers over each other, his eyes glancing over at her fragile shell. Her shoulders were beginning to shake and he noticed how she was trying to put her hand over her mouth whilst still keeping it at the side of her face, for a reason that he didn’t understand. As a tear rolled down her cheek, she desperately tried to wipe it away with her other hand but it caused a cascade of further tears to fall.

“Rach” he began, his voice cracking at the pain he could see she was experiencing, a pain he felt deeply himself.

“No don’t Tony, please don’t” she begged him, her quiet whimpers now haunting sobs. But he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t stand there and watch her suffer without doing anything and so he rushed forward and placed his arm gently on her back. He expected her to recoil away from him and wouldn’t have blamed her after what she’d just experienced but instead she turned in towards him, causing him to wrap his arms tightly around her.

“Shh it’s okay” he soothed as she buried her head into his shoulder, her hair sticking to the damp tears which were now washing over her face.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him” she choked, gasping for breath and the guilt and shock at what she had been through, of what she had done suddenly hit her with an unbelievable intensity. “I just wanted him to stop.”

Tony gasped at how she could be so concerned with his welfare after everything he’d put her through and he allowed his emotions to take control, no longer able to keep them concealed.

“You listen to me” he begged, taking her face in his hands as he forced her to look at him. “Don’t you ever apologise for what you did to that man do you hear me.” A tear trickled down his own cheek which he didn’t even try to wipe away as Rachel’s lip began to tremble and her head nod in disagreement. “I don’t want to hear it” he added loudly, “he hurt you, you were just protecting yourself. He deserved absolutely everything that he got. You did the right thing.”

“He’s in a really bad way” she sobbed, squeezing her eyes tightly in an attempt to block out the images of his injured body. “What do I do Tony, I don’t know…I don’t know what to do.” She looked at him pleadingly, hoping that he would somehow be able to fix this situation before her but he looked as lost as she felt.

“Everything’s going to be okay” he promised feebly, hating that it was all he could offer her. He’d never seen Rachel depend on him like this; he knew she would only do it out of pure desperation which made him feel furious with himself that he couldn’t fix the one thing she was asking him to do.

“You don’t know that” she cried, her hand dropping to his chest as she clutched his shirt in her fist.

“Yes I do” he whispered, running his finger gently over the broken skin on her cheek. He breathed deeply as he tried not to let the anger he felt show whilst the images of Reynolds hurting her forced their way into his mind.

“How” she screamed, wincing in pain as her salty tears sliced through the cuts that had already caused her so much pain; “how do you know that it’s going to be okay because it’s not; he could die...”

“Because I love you” he shouted back, his heart stopping in fear as Rachel stared back at him in shock, the sound of their heavy breathing echoing throughout the room.

“You do?” she choked, the pain of her injuries suddenly becoming numb as her brain worked overtime to make sense of the conflicting emotions she was feeling.

“Yeah I do” he smiled feebly, still unsure of how she felt about his confession. “And I know that that can’t fix anything or get rid of this whole mess for you or this pain that you are suffering right now but the one thing it can do, the one thing I can do is promise to love you unconditionally and never leave you. You’re not going to go through this on your own Rach; I’m going to be by your side the whole way. You never have to be scared again okay because we’re going to get through this together.” He paused for a moment in order to catch his breath, feeling slightly embarrassed that he’d been so open about his feelings. He hadn’t intended to say any of that right now in a cold hospital room, particularly not at a moment like this but he was so desperate to offer her some hope, some relief that he prayed the sacrifice would be enough to comfort her.

“It’s not going to be easy” she breathed, overwhelmed by his declaration.

“I know” Tony agreed, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly. “But let me do all the worrying okay, you’ve been through enough tonight. Let’s sit you down” he offered, noticing her legs shaking and the paleness in her face increasing.

“Can you take me home” she pleaded, placing her hand on his side to stop him from moving. “Please.”

“Sweetheart I wish I could but…you need to talk to the police. And get these wounds cleaned up. But don’t worry; I’m going to stay with you.”

Rachel smiled weakly as she nodded, knowing deep down that he was right. “What you just said to me” she began, reaching for his arm as she slotted her hand into his for comfort. “It means everything because…I don’t think I could do it without you.” Her bottom lip began to tremble at the thought of what she was going to have to face, the interrogation by the police, having people studying every cut, every bruise on her body. Reaching forward, she wrapped her arms around his chest, one arm slid over his shoulder and the other hooked around his waist. She rested her head on his chest and allowed herself to close her eyes and receive the comfort he was desperately trying to offer her. Despite the unimaginable pain both physically and emotionally that she was feeling, Tony being there had offered her a glimmer of hope that things were going to be okay, that she was never going to be on her own again. And she clung to that desperately. It was the only thing she had that was keeping her going.

********************

Footsteps echoed behind her, each step becoming clearer and louder; moving faster and heavier towards her. She tried to turn around but her body had frozen, her throat constricted so tightly that she couldn’t even breathe. She felt his fingertips suddenly brush along her neck causing a chill to shoot down her spine, her legs becoming weak as tears stung at her eyes. Suddenly his fingertips clawed themselves around her neck; squeezing it so painfully that she was convinced her spine would break in half. She tried to scream out but every breath was being robbed by his violent hand and the pain she was experiencing was affecting her ability to function properly. She felt her eyelids flutter and her vision become nauseatingly blurry as she gasped for air, each breath becoming smaller and more painful. Her life was slowly ebbing away. Just as she thought she couldn’t fight anymore and she felt herself giving up she heard Reynold’s painful scream cry out behind her; an ear piercing, haunting howl. “What have you done” he wailed; “you’ll never get away with this. I’ll get you, I will. Just you see.”

Rachel gasped for breath as her eyes shot open and her hand flung immediately to her neck. She had tears resting on her cheeks and beads of sweat trickling down her neck, right where his hand had been choking her. Or so she’d thought; it felt so real. It always did. She turned her head cautiously to the side, praying that she hadn’t woken Tony again. He had his arm curved around his head, his mouth slightly open as his eyes flickered slightly beneath his tired eyelids. And he was snoring. Rachel giggled to herself, a slight smile spreading across her lips. She sighed heavily and removed the duvet from her, placing her feet by the side of the bed as she rested her head in her hands. These nightmares had been plaguing her ever since the incident and they were getting more frequent and even more terrifying. A headache began to form in her temples and the bridge of her nose as complete exhaustion swept over her; she could hardly keep her eyes open yet sleeping frightened her so much now.

Feeling thirsty she padded her way towards the kitchen, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her against the chill which was drafting through the bottom of the door. She squinted against the darkness and reached up for a glass, checking the temperature of the water was cold before filling it up. Taking a sip she hoped it would wake her up a bit yet she knew she’d need more than cold water to do that. As she tiptoed towards the kitchen table she stopped in her tracks and gasped as she saw the shadow of a figure hunched over; her heart stopping in her chest.

“Rach, sorry it’s only me” Jack whispered, holding his hands in a surrender position. “I couldn’t sleep, same problem?” he questioned, pulling out a chair for her.

“Erm, the opposite really” she laughed ironically, her voice croaking with tiredness. “Don’t want to sleep.”

“Still getting the nightmares?” he queried sympathetically, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the way her eyes would close for seconds every time she blinked.

“Yeah” she sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. “But hey, at least I’m not waking your Dad up anymore” she laughed softly, “he’s completely sprawled out in there. Bless him. He’s exhausted to; he’s been up nearly every couple of hour with me, it’s not fair on him.”

“He’d be glad to” Jack reassured her, taking her hand. “He’s been so worried about you and feels so helpless. We all do.”

“You’ve all been incredible honestly” she assured, “I’m just sorry it’s disrupted everybody’s lives so much.”

“It hasn’t disrupted…”

“Yes it has” Rachel interrupted, her head shaking regretfully. “Tony’s had to take time off work and he’s absolutely exhausted; poor Martha’s been in hospital and I’ve been so wrapped up in my own life that I haven’t even had a chance to talk to her about how she’s doing.”

“She’s doing fine” he smiled, “bubba’s growing strong and healthy and she’s got her smile back. Infection’s gone, pains gone. She’s back to sleeping like a baby. That’s all we can ask for.”

“That’s great” she beamed, relieved that her friend was recovering well.

“You’ve got to go to the station tomorrow haven’t you?” Jack queried, wrapping his hand tighter around his cooling mug of tea.

“Yeah I’ve got to give them a proper statement and they want to discuss my options or…whatever. They think I’m going to need a lawyer to just incase Reynolds doesn’t…you know… so I’ve got to sort that out” she sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Listen why don’t you leave that to me? It’s the least I can do” he suggested, feeling frustrated with how little he was able to do for her. The whole situation had caused a furore at the station and he felt like he was walking on eggshells at work; with everyone knowing that he was living with the woman who had put their superintendent in a coma.

“That would be great thank you” she smiled gratefully, “and please don’t feel bad Jack, I know what an awful position you’re in at the moment and I would never want you to sacrifice your reputation at work because of this situation.”

“Whatever you need, whatever I can help with, I want you to know you can come to me; despite all the stupid politics.”

“I do know that thank you” she smiled, taking another sip of water. “I think I might try taking something to help me sleep; perhaps it’ll knock me out so deeply even my brain wont have the energy to create nightmares” she joked wistfully, standing up from the table. “I’ve got some extra if you wanted to try some to?”

“Nah I think I’ll pass thanks” Jack replied, stretching his arms in the air. “This tea’s actually worked wonders so I’m going to go and give it another go” he smiled, placing his cup in the sink. “Night Rach, don’t let the bed bugs bite” he winked, chuckling as Rachel stifled a laugh whilst swallowing a tablet.

“Night” she whispered loudly after him, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She took a deep breath as she headed towards her room, tiptoeing carefully so as not to wake Tony. He was still in the same position. She eased herself gently into bed and turned to face Tony, nestling up close to him in hopes that his touch would somehow stop her from suffering the nightmares again.

“You okay?” she heard him slur sleepily as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

“Yer I’m fine, you go back to sleep” she whispered reassuringly, wincing that she’d woken him. She closed her eyes as she felt comforted by his breath tickling her forehead and laced her fingers gently around his; her heart racing as sleep began to wash over her.

Preview:

Rachel gets some good news but things soon take a turn for the worst

Martha has a bright idea

[Red Ranger 1]

Wow.That was seriously brilliant, I don't know what you were worrying about.I really want to be Tony Holden when I grow up, the way he handled Rachel and supported her was beautiful.And I'm glad that Jack's there for her and isn't willing to just toe the line at work.Worried how things might end up going for Rachel though...

[HighwayUnicorn]

I am so sorry. I did actually read this on my phone last night & have only just got onto the laptop to comment.

I loved that chapter; Tony's emotions were fantastic ... wanting to comfort Rachel yet not make her feel to pressured.

& Rachel, with needing to be comforted & being scared ...

Beautifully & sensitively written ... it was absolutely amazing, seriously, well done.

I look forward to more & the preview sounds amazing

Love Carina xxx

[Sabrina]

Wow! Amazing chapter!

I love how you described Tony and Rachel's emotions and I love how supportive Tony and Jack are being towards Rachel.

The preview sounds fantastic. Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Barbara]

#67: Julie was right to call someone to sit with Rachel. She really needs someone with her to support her. I see why Rachel is blaming herself for what she did but she shouldn’t forget she didn’t really have a choice. The man was trying to rape her and she had to defend herself. You described her feelings really well.

I’m so glad Martha and her baby seem to be okay. I hope she’s listened to Jack and will tell him if something goes wrong again. I’m sure Tony and Rachel wouldn’t want her to risk her baby’s life because she didn’t want to worry them as well, no matter what’s going on with them.

Aw Tony loves Rachel! I can understand why he worries about her. He already lost two women he loved and he is scared something would happen to her as well. And with Mr Reynolds around, I can’t blame him either.

#72: Maybe telling her he loved her in the hospital wasn't very romantic but I think that was the moment when Rachel really needed to hear it. She now knows she won't have to face all of this on her own as Tony will be standing by her. Poor Rachel! As if what she had been through wasn't bad enough, she keeps on reliving it in her sleep! I hope she won't be in too much trouble and it'll be possible to proof that the superintendent is the bad guy in all of this. I really enjoyed her talk with Jack.

More please.

[charmed60]

Thank you, thank you, thank you Red Ranger, Carina, Sabrina and Barbara - my ever faithful readers. The time you all take to read and review means the world to me! Sorry it took so long to update - have been a little busy! I hope you enjoy...

Martha yawned widely as she glanced around the holiday apartment for signs of life. She’d woken up only ten minutes ago to find her bed empty and after a good morning shuffle from her unborn child, set out to find her husband. She fanned herself wearily as the morning sun scorched through the glass ceiling windows; being pregnant in the heat was far more difficult than she ever imagined it could be and she sighed as she realised it was only going to get hotter. Realising he wasn’t in the apartment she headed towards the back porch and squinted instantly; the gentle lapping of the shore immediately causing a wave of relaxation to shimmer over her.

“Morning” she smiled at Rachel as she began to retain her eyesight back and spotted her friend huddled on the small step outside, her head in her hands. “Good night huh?”

“You could say that” Rachel laughed, wincing slightly as her head swam. “I managed until about 2am this morning and couldn’t take it anymore. Think I should have done the same as you and gone in at 10pm. Have you done the same as me and come to look for your man?”

“Yeah I have actually” she giggled, looking around the deserted white sandy beach, “where is he? I don’t think he made it to bed last night.”

“Neither did Tony” Rachel replied, rolling her eyes playfully as she pointed towards the backs of two deck chairs where Martha could see an arm hanging off one of them and a sandy foot poking to the side on the other.

“Aww they look so cute” she laughed at the sight of Tony and Jack sprawled across two deck chairs which were surrounded by beer bottles. They had sand stuck to their face and spread through their hair and both had their heads hanging sleepily in a similar fashion.

“They are gonna have one hell of a headache when they wake up from the look of all these empty bottles” Rachel winced, collecting a few as silently as she could. “I’ve put a glass of water and some pills to help Jack with the hangover when he wakes up; they’re just over there.”

“Oh thanks, although maybe I should make him suffer to teach him never to drink that much again” Martha teased as she took a picture of them on her mobile phone. “I’m so gonna be able to use that as blackmail one day.”

“Oh I look forward to that” she beamed, safe in the knowledge that she also had a picture of them both.

“I’m gonna head up and have a shower, hopefully he’ll be awake by the time I’m done” Martha waved, shaking her head amusingly at the sight of her dribbling husband.

As Rachel placed the beer bottles together on the porch she walked over to the deck chairs and perched on the edge next to Tony, smiling at the relaxed expression on his face. It had been a long time since she’d seen him this happy. He’d been an incredible support to her and whilst she was still having trouble sleeping and would frequently replay what had happened - wondering how she could have got away from Reynolds without causing so much damage – this week away that he’d arranged had made the world of difference. She’d managed to push recent events to the back of her mind for the most part and was able to concentrate on just having fun and spending time with the people she loved.

Rachel ran her fingers through his hair, brushing out tiny grains of sand as he began to stir. The shock of the morning light hit him as he tried to open his eyes and he brought his hand up immediately to block his face.

“Morning sleepy” she teased, wiping a patch of sand from the corner of his mouth. “Let me guess…you’re never drinking ever again.”

“How did you guess?” he croaked sleepily, his throat dry.

“Hmmm, because you say it every time” she laughed, offering him a chilled glass of water which he gratefully received. “I missed you in bed last night, didn’t have anyone to snuggle up to” she playfully frowned.

“Aww love come here I’ll make it up to you” he offered, holding out his arms as he shuffled over and pulled her towards him, despite her insistence that they wouldn’t both fit on there. “See, perfect fit” he bragged.

“Fine you win” she relented, wrapping her arm around his waist as she leant her head on his chest.

“It’s nice to see you smiling again” Tony whispered, wrapping his fingers around the natural curls in her hair.

“Thanks to you” Rachel grinned, looking up slightly at him, closing her eyes as he kissed her forehead tenderly. “This week away has been exactly what I needed, I don’t

want to go home tomorrow…back to reality” she frowned. “It’s been so nice for us to be able to spend some time together. And for you and Jack. You’re so funny, you’re like a little double act.”

“Yeah it’s great to be able to hang out with him, we should all do it more often” he smiled. “I love seeing him so happy and settled with Martha. He’s so excited about the baby, it brings back lots of happy memories.”

“You’re an amazing Dad” she sighed, circling her finger around his chest as the sea breeze swept coolly over them; refreshing them from the humid heat of the sun.

“It’s actually made me start thinking about how exciting a time it was and how maybe…I’d like it to happen again some day.” Tony’s voice shook as his nerves set in; he was unsure how Rachel would react to the idea and was convinced the only reason he’d been able to build up the courage to tell her was because he still had high levels of alcohol in his bloodstream. He held his breath as Rachel propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him, her eyebrow raised.

“You’re still drunk” she shrieked, poking him playfully in the ribs as she started laughing.

“I’m not” he insisted, amused at the way her eyebrow became raised again; “okay maybe I am a little bit” he admitted. “But I’m being serious Rach. I’m not saying now obviously but if this relationship is going to be a serious one – which I really hope it is – then I wanted to make you aware of how I felt about the whole family thing. I know all the issues you had with Kim and so I wanted to just be honest with you from the start.” He smiled nervously as he waited for her reaction.

“Thank you” Rachel grinned, “that means…a lot to me. And I want it to be serious to; you’re not going anywhere now I have you” she winked. “I would love to have a family with you, I really would I think you’re an incredible Dad, the best. But are you sure you want a baby with me I mean, I have no idea what I’m doing, at all” she cringed. She couldn’t believe how open and honest Tony was being with her, his thoughtfulness surprised her each and every time; it was so refreshing she smiled to herself.

“You are going to be a fantastic mother” he argued, “now come here and give me a kiss.” Rachel smiled as she reached forward and kissed him softly on the lips, stroking her thumb across his cheek.

“Can you two stop being gushy, I already feel sick as it is” Jack weakly moaned, holding his head as he tried to turn over whilst dizziness swept through him.

“Sorry son” Tony cringed, pulling away from Rachel as he wondered whether he looked as rough as Jack did. “I hope he didn’t hear all of that” he whispered to her .

“Only the kissing part don’t worry” he mumbled as he forced himself to sit up. “Ugh I am so glad Martha hasn’t seen me like this.”

“Actually she has” Rachel grinned, amused at the way his hair lay flat against his head, covering his forehead. “She has photographic proof.”

“What?” Jack shrieked, “please tell me you’re joking” he almost slurred. Rachel shook her head.

“Don’t let her get away with that mate” Tony advised, pointing his hand towards the door as he instructed him to find her phone and delete the evidence. As Jack stumbled into the house Rachel looked down at Tony; a mischievous smirk on her face.

“What are you grinning at?” he queried, suspicious of her expression.

“Hmm nothing” she shrugged, “just that he can delete it off of Martha’s phone but…I’ve got one of mine to.” The corner of her lips rose as she waved her phone in front of Tony’s face; pulling it away as he tried to take it off of her.

“Rach” he warned, trying to be serious “just give me the phone.”

“Nope” she grinned, “gotta catch me first.” As she tucked the phone back in the pocket of her maxi dress she clambered off of the deckchair despite Tony’s desperate

attempts to restrain her and shrieked as he chased her around the beach.

“Jack give me back my phone” they heard Martha whine as she waddled out of the apartment, one hand underneath her bump as she tried desperately but unsuccessfully to catch up with her husband. As Rachel became distracted by Martha’s attempts to run whilst pregnant; Tony stole the phone out of her hand and cheered wildly, running over to Jack as they both scratched their heads; wondering how to use the girls’ phones.

“Deleted” Jack cheered, giving his Dad a high-five as they revelled in their win.

“Damn it” Martha gasped, trying to catch her breath. “I can’t believe they got rid of them.”

“Don’t worry” Rachel sang, grinning mischievously. “I sent Leah a copy earlier so she’s keeping it safe for us.”

********

Tony squinted his eyes through the blinds of the police station; trying to seek out his son who he was hoping would be available. Unable to see him he pulled open the door and gazed around the room, jumping in his skin as a loud drunk man began screaming profanities at the officers. He heard his son’s voice before he saw him and he let out a breath he didn’t even realise he was holding. Putting on a smile he prepared to greet him until he noticed the anguish on Jack’s face, he looked like he was pleading with a colleague of his, his voice getting louder the more the conversation went on. As Tony stepped back, not wanting to interrupt a professional disagreement, he noticed a team of officers filter out of the room beside him and rip a document out of Jack’s hand. Tony raised his eyebrow in suspicion as Jack continued to plead with each officer until they’d all left; their sirens wailing in the distance until it was just a whisper.

“Not a good day?” Tony joked as he cautiously approached his son. “Was gonna ask if you wanted to grab some lunch, you look like you could do with a break.”

“Dad…”Jack began, his eyes frowning as he wondered how exactly he was going to break the news to his Dad. He felt so completely and utterly helpless, despite his best attempts there was nothing he could have done. The power was over his head. “It’s Reynolds…”

“What about him” Tony rolled his eyes, spitting with disgust at the sound of his name.

“We had a call from the hospital; he…he passed away about an hour ago. His wife made the decision to turn his machines off when he went into respiratory arrest. Apparently he’d suffered extensive brain damage and would never have recovered.”

“Well I can’t say I’m too upset but I know Rach will be” Tony frowned, “does she know?”

“You don’t understand” Jack began hesitantly, “with Reynolds deceased…he’s no longer able to give evidence.”

“So?” Tony shrugged, “it will stop him telling a pack of lies against Rachel, it’s a good thing isn’t it?”

“They’re charging Rachel for manslaughter” Jack blurted out, “they’re on their way to make the arrest now. Dad this is serious.”

“They can’t” Tony shook his head, his heart pumping faster in his chest as he suddenly realised the implications. “No Jack they can’t, isn’t there something you can do?”

“I tried” he sighed, disappointment flooding through his voice.

“Jack he hurt her, how can she be punished for defending herself?” he screamed, emphasising the final few words of his sentence.

“Look we’ll get her a good lawyer okay and as long as she can convince the jury that her story is right she’ll be okay.”

“I need to warn her” he muttered, pulling his phone from his pocket as he punched in the numbers.

“Dad don’t, you’ll make things worse” Jack warned.

“Jack she’s at work, think how embarrassing that will be for her, to be handcuffed and taken away in front of her colleagues and a bunch of random strangers.” He ran

outside where he could have some quiet and privacy and held his breath anxiously as the dialling tone began to ring.

********

“Don’t worry we’ll look after you Mr Payne” Rachel smiled as she held the hand of the elderly gentleman lying in front of her; his oxygen mask firmly planted on his face.

“I’m just going to chase up those blood results so we can get you home to your wife as soon as possible.”

“Thank you doctor, you’re very kind” he wheezed, resting his eyes as she left the room, his notes tucked under her arms. It felt good to be back at work again, helping people; doing what she loved. She was afraid that being back here would have brought up a lot of bad memories for her but her week away with Tony, Jack and Martha had been the healing therapy she’d needed and her confidence was beginning to build itself back up again.

As she asked Julie if she’d minded calling pathology for Mr Payne’s results whilst she admitted the next patient, her phone began vibrating in her side pocket. She hesitated answering it knowing there was a corridor full of injured patients but her curiosity got the better of her and as she pulled it from her pocket, smiling when she saw the name flashing up on the screen.

“Hey you, this is a nice surprise. What’s up?” she smiled, her heart fluttering the way it always did when she heard his voice.

“Rach…” he breathed. He’d rung her with the full intention of letting her know what was going on but the moment he heard her voice he felt his throat clam up. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell her. He didn’t want to be responsible for causing her pain.“I just…I just wanted to…hear your voice” he winced, hating that he had to lie to her.

Rachel giggled, trying to think of a witty yet romantic comment to make back but his gesture had caught her completely off guard. “Well hearing your voice is very welcome after the crazy day I’m having; it’s ridiculously busy. But it’s so nice to be back, you were right; it’s just what I needed.”

Tony choked back a sob at the happiness evident in her voice; it seemed so cruel that just when she was getting her life back on track it was being ripped away from her again. “Rach I just want you to know that whatever happens, I’m always going to be there for you. You know that don’t you?”

“Of course I do” she smiled, “why is there something you know that I don’t?” She laughed.

“You’re an incredibly strong woman; you can get through anything, absolutely anything” he emphasised, hoping she would remember his words later on.

“Tony, what you said to me the night that…with Reynolds. In the hospital room. I feel it to” she stuttered, her nerves causing her voice to shake. “I know this isn’t a very romantic way of saying it but seeing as yours wasn’t very conventional either” she laughed.

“What are you saying? I don’t understand.”

“I love you you idiot” she whispered, wary of people in the corridor hearing her declaration.

Tony pulled the phone away from his ear slightly as her words caused his heart to skip and break at the same time. He didn’t want her to hear him cry. “That means a lot to hear you say that” he admitted, clearing his throat.

“Listen, I’m going to have to go; the police are here, I think they want to talk to me” she explained as she watched a colleague point at her in discussion with an officer. “I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah I’ll see you soon” Tony winced, fighting the urge to tell her the truth. Would preparing her lessen the blow?

“I love you…again” she cheerily smiled, as the officers began walking towards her; a document clutched tightly in their hand.

“I love you to” he whispered sadly, dropping the phone to his chest as he fought back tears.

“Miss Armstrong?” one officer questioned as he approached her. “Constable Rogers” he continued, displaying his badge proudly in front of him. “I’m here to inform you that you are under arrest on the charge of manslaughter against Superintendent Reynolds. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand what I have just told you?”

“I’m what…manslaughter? No you have it wrong, Reynolds is okay; I checked this morning they said there was no change” she hysterically pleaded, instinctively holding her hands to her chest as another officer grabbed them roughly and wrapped a pair of metal handcuffs around her wrists.

“We’re taking you to the station for questioning; you’re welcome to call a lawyer off your own choice however if you don’t have one we can provide one for you” the officer continued to emotionlessly reel.

“Please don’t do this, not like this” Rachel begged as people began to look over at her; colleagues discussing amongst themselves. She felt her cheeks flush as they pushed her towards the door, their hands gripped tightly around her shoulders; just like Reynolds had done. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she was forced into the car and led away from the hospital like a criminal. She tried to understand what was happening, why they’d arrested her now. Surely Reynolds couldn’t be dead? She crossed her fingers as much as the cuffs would allow and prayed that this was all a big misunderstanding.

********

“Tony, I got Jack’s message” Martha gasped as she ran into the police station and found her father in law, his head in his hands and the lines in his forehead more fraught than she’d ever seen them. “I can’t believe this has happened, how is she?”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet” he frowned, biting his thumb nail as he shuffled along the bench and held Martha’s hand to assist her in sitting down. “I saw her briefly when they brought her in; she looked so lost Martha, so frightened. She shouldn’t be going through this.”

“I know” she agreed, placing her hand over his; “but she’s strong Tony, she’ll get through this.”

“But she’s not Martha” Tony yelled, wincing at the volume of his own voice. “People only think that because that’s what she wants them to believe but deep down she’s just as scared and as vulnerable as the rest of us. I don’t know what this is going to do to her.”

“She has all of us to help her through” Martha reasoned, deep down knowing that it wasn’t enough. Tony nodded gently before checking his watch and sighing.

“What she needs more than anything right now is a really good lawyer” he replied, “whatever it costs.”

“Actually that’s why I’m here” Martha began, a slight smile appearing on her face. “Jack was saying the other night how he promised Rach he’d find her a lawyer and he was stressing over who he trusted to get her the best result and…well it got me thinking. What do you think about Auntie Morag? She’s an amazing lawyer, knows the law like the back of her hand and doesn’t take any crap from anybody” she giggled slightly.

“Well Martha that would be incredible but…she’s got Ross to take care of. Don’t you think it would be too much for her?” Tony mused, afraid of getting his hopes up.

“Not at all, I’ve actually already spoken to her and she wants to help, in fact she told me not to let Rachel speak to any other lawyer; she’s on her down back to Summer Bay as we speak.”

“Oh…wow” Tony gasped, “that’s really kind of her. Rach is gonna be stoked, I mean, if anyone can help Rach then Morag can right? Rach is gonna be okay isn’t she?” Tony smiled. “I can’t wait to tell her.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Wow.Loved it.Liked the start with them all away on holiday and happy but then they had to come back to reality and...what a reality.I really hope Rachel will be able to convince them she acted in self-defence and she'll be all right.Looking forward to seeing where you take this!

[Zetti]

*hangs head in shame* I have been reading but I didnt comment.

Sorry!

Haha I loved the fact that Jack & Martha had the photo fight only for Leah to have it

Jeez poor Rach, she's really been through the wringer hasn't she

I hope Morag does help her.

I am looking forward to more and I promise to comment this time!

[HighwayUnicorn]

I'm glad you made it very realistic. Even though Rachel was luckily able to fight him off, she's still the one who is blamed to an extent when it comes to self defense.

I just hope that her side comes across strongly, seeing as in a lot of court cases, sadly, it doesn't.

Another amazing chapter & I really hope that Rachel will be okay.

Well done & I really look forward to more.

Perfectly written as always.

Love Carina xxx