WYN100 Posted October 7, 2005 Report Posted October 7, 2005 **PART 16** Dan Baker made his way slowly through the streets adjoining the casino – head bowed, shoulders sagging – he radiated the defeated air of a man whose every move was on last-ditch autopilot. He replayed the fateful moment over and over in his mind “Number 13 – put EVERYTHING on it …†swirled around and around his head in a nagging, echoing, mocking refrain. Where he went from here wasn’t even something that could effectively pierce the stunned cocoon into which he’d retreated since the roulette wheel had ended its fateful journey on 17 –a number that was certain to haunt him for many a year to come. But when he DID emerge to touch the razor-sharp edge of reality he’d have to consider his “benefactorâ€, and the kind of scant attention that would be given to any hard-luck story about repayment –there were the signs that his brother Peter was beginning to be aware there were issues of some sort affecting his life – and – most horrifically of all – that he’d used Leah’s share of the diner to raise the money for this last, “grand gesture†trip to the casino. He’d hatched the plan as his troubles massed around him the previous week- visiting the local branch, replicating Leah’s signature on a form for a special high-rate, short-term loan- with the stipulation that if the cash wasn’t repaid to deadline – the bank would assume control of the diner share Suddenly Dan’s zombie-like progress along the pavement was interrupted by his text alert tone. Turning his haggard, putty-coloured face to the phone he saw a message from Leah “So where’s my special man then ?..â€To Dan’s reeling subconscious it seemed a very good question – as he certainly didn’t feel like HE fitted that description any longer – if indeed he ever had…… While his brother was absorbing the post-casino trauma, Peter Baker was himself far from amused. He reflected that he’d hardly joined the force to play hide-and-seek for one teenage boy, while being hindered by another one whose response to his questions had been about as useful and comprehensive as if he was a mime artist with laryngitis. By a process of elimination of the rooms in Leon’s house, he’d eventually discovered Henry standing in a walk-in wardrobe on the top floor, sandwiched between a flowing blue evening dress and a threadbare red tracksuit that had clearly seen better days. And yet, despite the annoyingly trivial pantomime in which he’d become embroiled by the two boys, suspicions were beginning to take root and flourish in Peter’s mind. Unless Henry was thinking of auditioning for a new career as a tailor’s dummy, there must be a pretty solid reason why he’d fled from he big bay window as the police car had drawn into the drive and concealed himself uncomfortably like the ham in a very compressed clothing sandwich – presumably hoping to avoid detection. As Peter turned the car onto the long main road towards the hospital, he tried again . “Yes, Matilda was very keen for you to know she and Kit were at the hospital- sounded quite urgent. “ He delayed the playing of his main card ---“Yes, Eric’s had a very serious accident…†–he turned his head to scan Henry’s face and was met with “Um-right, er – yes…†Peter’s brow furrowed a little “Do you KNOW anything about that accident already Henry ?†he cut in sharply. His reluctant passenger gave a convulsive start – “NO ! And why SHOULD I ?? Why should I know or care ANYTHING about him ??†Peter observed him with a glance of sidelong interest as the car drew into the hospital car-park. Sometimes you pushed a purely random button and spilled a possible jackpot, he reflected. There was definitely more to this whole Ric-accident-Henry triangle than . Flynn’s concern was rising by the second. With Ric’s need for a blood transfusion urgent and increasingly pressing, he’d sent the junior doctor out to the adjoining waiting room as a “last resort†option to run swab tests on the waiting ladies of the Hunter family. Kit and Beth had both failed to match the required blood type, and Flynn was mentally preparing himself to resign the operating team to the grim inevitable. But – this exhausting and unpredictable shift had yet one more twist in store for the weary doctor Saunders. As he mentally composed a paragraph along the lines of “ Well guys, we did all we could..†– the junior doctor bustled out of a small lab facility leading onto the waiting area – raw excitement joining his words as they flowed out of him in a cocktail of rising excitement . Against all the odds – he appeared to have good news ! In the fatigue and concern of the crisis surrounding Ric, not surprisingly, none of the Hunters could accurately and crucially recall their exact blood types, but now Liam Burnett was able to announce “Folks, all systems go – Matilda you ARE AB negative ! I’ll just go tell Flynn, then we can get cracking !†As he tore off up the corridor, Matty felt a powerful wave of relief surge across her –Ric would be OK !! – and it would be through HER ! That MUST mean something ! Within seconds however, that wave was swept aside by another – of harsh, ice-cold water. Kit had taken her by the shoulder, and – checking to make sure Beth was far enough out of earshot – hissed urgently into her sisters’ ear “Uh – HEL-LO ! Did you HEAR what that guy said ? They want at LEAST three pints of blood – and that’s probably just for starters !†“And your point is..?†asked Matilda a little crossly. She’d seen a thoroughly traumatic day offer a gleam of hope for a positive outcome, and was in no mood to entertain any further discussion. “My point IS “pressed Kit “That not only are you just fifteen years old, but you could be PREGNANT !†Matty ‘s face dropped – now that was something that HAD temporarily slipped her mind, “Who KNOWS what sort of effect suddenly letting that much blood go all at once in your situation may have on an unborn baby !†Matilda was left merely gaping – within two minutes they could expect Liam Burnett back down the passage, ready and eager to begin the vital transfusion... Barry Hyde was beginning to feel like a passenger in a small boat at sea where at a given point in time the oarsmen change tack and begin to row backwards. He’d actually managed to say very little since sitting down, rather having to listen while Mr Rogers offered a range of colourful opinions on and remedies for every existing flaw in the secondary education system and plenty of others besides. Hyde’s discomfiture was in no way eased as , framed in the window over his host’s shoulder he could see the form of Robbie, clearly standing on a very unstable garden bench or something similar to try and get a better view of the showdown inside. Barry had to resist a sore temptation to angrily gesture him away – but meanwhile he found his head becoming submerged by the relentless monologue of his host – until, taking a deep breath, he opted for drastic action. Placing the palms of both hands on the table he elevated himself slightly, and summoned up his most commanding School Assembly headmaster’s tone. “Mr Rogersâ€, he boomed “In respect of these absurd exam allegations against the school – I have to ask you – did you anonymously deliver a letter on the subject to the local newspaper in the last couple of days ?†The effect was almost immediate “How DARE you !! “ he rose from his seat, grabbed Barry by his left shoulder and went on “You burst into my house uninvited and fling accusations around….†“I didn’….†Gasped Barry, but there was no stropping the enraged one…â€And YOU’RE a fine one to talk – carrying on with any woman that sits longer than five minutes in your secretary’s chair..!†“REALLY Mr Rogers…†– but by now his host had bundled him close to the front door ready for an ejection. Barry cast one last desperate look back over his shoulder – just in time to hear a loud crash as Robbie’s spellbound face disappeared suddenly from the dining room window… Relief and apprehension were written in equal measure on the faces of Kirsty and Kane as the auction-bought car snaked up towards the rear of the Caravan Park main house. As the latest of many precautions they’d been careful to employ, Kane had switched off the headlights once they’d turned off the main road, and turning to his wife, stressed – certainly not for the first time – “Remember Kirst, WHATEVER happens, NO-ONE but Sal and Jess can know we’re here – that’s NO-ONE !!†“Babe, I KNOW “ she replied wearily “Let’s just find them first , and that’s half the battle.†By now Kane had parked close to the rear side wall of the house and whispered “Right –you sit tight here, and I’ll go round and try and make contact.†“Good luck babe†said Kirsty, stretching across to kiss him on the cheek and feeling a shiver of trepidation ripple across her as he clicked the driver’s door gently shut. Watching every footstep carefully, Kane inched his way painstakingly round till he reached the front door. Opting against using the bell, Kane tried a mild knock – but vaguely discouraged by the lack of any lights showing, gripped the handle and was about to try and apply some gentle pressure with his shoulder when – he was suddenly thrown sideways by the weight of a solid blunt object crashing against the side of his head.. “What the….!!??†– he spun round in confusion to see a familiar short diminutive form with a frying pan gripped in its right hand. “MY LORD – KANE PHILLIPS !! – what in Heaven’s name are YOUUU doing skulking round HEERE ?â€shrieked Colleen Smart – bringing a quiet internal groan to Kane’s lips, as the chances of he and Kirsty keeping their return to an essential low profile seemed to melt away like butter on a newly-toasted muffin……..
lynhay Posted October 7, 2005 Report Posted October 7, 2005 Brilliant yet again - can't wait to see what happens next!
qutee_001 Posted October 8, 2005 Report Posted October 8, 2005 Ooh that was SOOOOOOO brilliant once again!!! I cant wait to read the next part and hopefully i can do it sooner this time!!
Jackieleanne Posted October 9, 2005 Report Posted October 9, 2005 Ohh great work, she best not blow it for them. This is a brilliant fanfic.
tasha7905 Posted October 10, 2005 Report Posted October 10, 2005 Briliant, cant wait for the next chapter!
WYN100 Posted October 11, 2005 Report Posted October 11, 2005 ** HI ! HOPE YOU CAN STILL ENJOY AT LEAST SOME OF IT ! ** **PART 17** Scott looked out on the moonlit water and sighed. He’d never felt 100 per cent at ease with the extended bookings that took in the hours of darkness and beyond – originally because he’d missed being with Danni, and now the same emotions applied to Hayley – if he was honest, those feelings for her were even stronger. He sighed again – even that quiet sound being completely audible in the still hush of the night-time air sitting over the millpond-still water. He’d been trying to contact Haylz for quite some while – initially on the home number – that just rang and rang –while her cellphone went straight to voicemail. He knew it wasn’t a night where she was due to work at the bar, but resolved to try there next. His doubts and worries about the Johnson party who’d booked the Blackslund for the trip had continued to grow when all bar one of them had gone ashore earlier in the evening. He reakized of course their plans could have been completely innocent – dinner, movies, maybe tenpin bowling – but somehow he doubted THAT ! His misgivings were further heightened by the fact they’d taken with them some –though not all- of the bulky container-bags stored in the central luggage hold – and left one of their number remaining behind on board. Scott figured that could well be down to suspicion on their part after their front man Mr Johnson had earlier in the day “sprung “ him almost on the point of rummaging through one of the bags – but whatever the reason , the man who remained was strolling quietly up and down both sides of the boat bordering the central area where both Scott and the bags were housed- so ruling out the further detective work Scott would dearly have liked to undertake. In an attempt to quell his mounting unease and frustration at least temporarily he thought he’d try Hayley one more time and see if he could track her down. He headed back into the main engine and steering area to try and fin his contacts book and the number for Noah’s bar as there were always two digits he kept muddling up. Finding the book and turning to the number , he was about to dial, when his eye was taken by a light on a vessel that was sailing towards them on the port side. It looked familiar at first , but then curiosity quickly checked out to be replaced by a cold, gripping foreboding. The vessel heading towards them was the Water Police boat- and a quick audit of his current situation was less than encouraging. He was the registered guardian of a boat on which were situated bags whose content he could only guess at, and one member of what might arguably be called a gang who may be moving in the sort of areas one could only worry about. As the reading on Scott’s worry-meter soared the blue light drew closer… Dan let himself in to the house and entered at a slow plod – his clarity of thought not having been helped by the fact he stopped off for two strong lagers on the way home to supplement his well of courage. As the dead weight of his body surrendered with a downward thud onto the chair he could hear Leah in VJ’s room singing a quiet lullaby – quite possibly in Greek – to the drowsy infant, while he was pretty sure it was moussaka he could smell drifting lazily out of the kitchen – the meal she had obviously cooked specially – and kept warm – just for HIM – while he’d been out putting her treasured investment and BOTH their futures at differing kinds – but similar levels of risk. He exhaled heavily and ran the palm of one hand over his clammy brow. The singing gradually faded away and Leah padded out, dressed already in her red and white spotted pyjamas, and leaning behind Dan, she lowered her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head. Had he had the ability of peripheral, reverse and upward vision all rolled into one, He would have seen that she was smiling -a smile which was a combination of affection and having some interesting news to impart. Not being able to see it though, he took a deep breath and prepared to start on the guilty secret weighing so heavily on his heart. But as he did, she’d already started.. “Leah, there’s something I need to….†“I’m sooo glad you’re finally back, there’s something I can’t WAIT to….†She giggled – he didn’t – at the pile-up of words and said “Oh alright, you go first “ His courage – even fully extended – had only ever got him to within fingertip reach of a confession – with this interruption, it was grateful for the chance to slither quickly back down its rope as he said “ No honestly – you first !†Without even entering the usual table-tennis argument in these situations, she slipped round to sit alongside him, and without noticing his stony features, carried on excitedly “Well, I was talking to my father, and HE said for my birthday coming up – he wants to help me redevelop the diner !!! Upgrade some of the furniture, re-do the layout a bit, improve the kitchen an bring us more up to date !! And – all I’d have to do is square it with Irene, go to the bank for them to ok the paperwork, and then it’d be all systems go ! Isn’t that EXCITING !!†Then, without turning her head as she gazed contentedly in front of her, said “Now, go on – what were you going to say ?†Dan was also staring straight ahead, but in a fixed, stunned manner – as he moistened his sand-dry lips with his tongue, from somewhere he found a voice to reply “That’s – wonderful - uh – me – no, I wasn’t going to say anything – not anything at all…..†Henry Hunter wanted nothing more from his life at that moment than to get out of the elevator in which he and Peter Baker were continuing their unlikely coupling en route from Leon’s house to the hospital and discover more about how Ric was doing. Henry had long since resolved in his mind to never watch another cop show on TV in his entire life as Peter – intensely curious at Henry’s defensive attitude had continued to probe, push and inquire. After what seemed like an eternity to Henry, the display inside the lift finally showed they’d reached the 8th floor, and even while the chimes of the bell were still dying away, Henry plunged out towards the waiting area to escape his captor. His heart sank however as Peter’s words followed over his shoulder “We’ll talk more about this later Henry !â€The scene they were met with was many-layered. With the critical point having been reached in Ric’s surgery. Jesse had come to the door of Sally’s room, while Beth was pacing around anxiously and the two sisters whispering animatedly at one end of the line of plastic chairs. The other participants in the day’s drama Sally and Donald Fisher had both long since fallen asleep. Peter made his way over to Jesse and said “Hey Jess – that’s quite a thing with Ric’s accident – do we know ANYTHING about it – how have things been with him and Henry lately ? Jesse was shaking his head “ No – nothing- it’s a real myst…†But as they spoke, an exhausted looking Flynn headed down the passage – and he was smiling ! As they all clustered around him he said “Folks –at the moment it’s looking positive ! We finally managed to get the blood flow to Ric’s vital organs flowing again, which allowed us to straighten the discs that were causing the obstruction – and it’s largely down to Matilda – we certainly owe you a big vote of thanks, particularly Ric of course ! BUT – it is early days remember, and we still have plenty more observation to do. It certainly is a much more promising outlook than it was though. Thanks again Matilda†Matty gave a weak smile of acknowledgement, and said modestly “I guess I was just lucky with the blood type..†but at Beth, Jesse and Peter asked further questions of Flynn, she felt herself being wheeled away by her sister’s arm and pushed into a corner away from the adults. Kit was in full swing “I can’t BELIEVE you gave that blood – And after EVERYTHING I said ! Did you TELL that Burnett you think you may be pregnant ? I assumed when you went in that room with him you’d put him STRAIGHT !†Matty felt her face burning with sudden indignation under the lights of the already stuffily warm waiting room. “What is your PROBLEM ??I LOVE him, and wasn’t just going to let him DIE was I ?†But Kit wasn’t to be placated “Oh yes, and what about that baby YOU may be having – how about IT’S health ? And how MUCH blood did you give in the end ? JUST three pints or MORE ?†, she demanded, emphasizing her point by jabbing her sister in the chest. “Look just BUTT ou…..†Matilda started to hiss back, but suddenly all in her mind was grey, all before her eyes white and flash-tinted. her legs slipped from under her, and she sprawled to the floor…… Kirsty and Kane had taken quite some persuading to wait in Colleen’s mobile home until Jesse returned home. After her foghorn-style reaction to running into Kane outside the main house, he was convinced that there’d be innumerable pairs of prying eyes watching from behind every twitching caravan curtain and their urgent need to lie low would be blown in a matter of minutes. Colleen though wouldn’t hear of them heading off again without something to eat and drink, hissing at him in a stage whisper “There’s haaardly anyone staying here at the moment, you’ll be fine !†After finally shedding his considerable misgivings, he crept back to the car to collect Kirsty, who expressed understandable astonishment that their cloak and dagger under cover of darkness dash should now find Kane’s agreement to have its next stop-off in the gossip capital of Summer Bay – otherwise known as Colleen’s mobile home ! Eventually though a combination of gathering fatigue and a sudden realization of how long it had actually been since she’d last had something to eat made her concede and join the surreptitious party of 3 snaking its way round the fringes of the park to Colleen’s front door. Once inside Colleen was in her element, relishing the role of “The first one in Summer Bay to see the fugitives†She gabbled happily “Well I couldn’t believe my own EYES when I saw it was Kane I had hit – I mean it could have been ANYBODY - like that low-down no-good father of yours pet !†With a neat shimmy Colleen took the quantum leap from being the woman who’d scorned hanging and flogging as being too good for Kane after he’d run away to that of his closest and most noble protector “You know there WERE some people in this town who reckoned you really WERE guilty of that robbery, but oh no, I told them – he’s a good boy and it’s that father of his you want to point the finger at…†The monologue continued unabated including bringing them up to date with the latest she knew on Sally’s health situation while a tired pair of visitors made short work of their ham sandwiches and coffee until Kane, who’d stationed himself at the main window since they’d arrived there let out a cry “Kirst- Kirst !†“What babe ?†came a sleepy reply “It’s Jesse’s car – I can see him – he’s back ! – I think he’s even looking over here…?†“Ah that’ll be him noticing the light from the window†chimed in Colleen – it can shine ALL the way over to the main house on a clear night !†Kirsty had grabbed her bag and was heading for the door, saying “Thanks SO much Colleen and remember, not a word to ANYONE about seeing us !†“Oh, I hope I’m the very SOUL OF DISCRETION..†But their heads were both jerked round by a sudden sharp cry from Kane –“Kirst, STOP†“Kane, what is it ??†He turned from the curtain, his face a frozen mask of horror. “It’s Jesse – he’s got Peter Baker with him –and I think they’re coming this way…..†The bombshell nature of that news could be gauged by the fact that even their hostess was left gaping – and momentarily at least struck dumb……
LIZ83 Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 wow this is really gripping!!!! I hope maddy is ok! cant wait 4 more! x
lynhay Posted October 12, 2005 Report Posted October 12, 2005 Brilliant - as usual! Can't wait for more!
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