Only You

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter. I don't like this one much.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“No, he’s gone,” Macca started to cry softly.

“No, it’s not true,” Martha cried.

He was alive. He had to be. They had just made a mistake, Martha thought to herself.

“Please help him,” she yelled again.

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do. He’s gone,” the doctor told her.

“No,” Martha screamed.

“Martha, stop it,” Macca held her tighter, as he started to pull her away towards the door.

“Let me go,” Martha continued to scream.

Macca pulled Martha into his chest and picked her up; walking them both out of the room. Martha was trying her hardest to get away from him. She was hysterical; she had tears streaming down her cheeks, and her whole body was shaking. He kept a tight grasp on her and leaned up against the wall. He slowly lowered himself and slid down; pulling Martha down with him.

“Calm down,” he told Martha, as he smoothed her hair back. “Calm down,” he whispered again.

But she couldn’t.

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Jack watched in shock as Macca practically carried a hysterical Martha from Ray’s room. Himself, along with Alf and Megan, had stood out in the hall as they heard Martha’s screams coming from the room. They could only guess what had happened.

As soon as Martha and Macca had exited the room, Alf had thundered down the hall towards them. Jack started to head there himself, when he felt Megan pull him back.

“I think that it should just be a family thing,” she told him.

Jack snatched his arm away and glared at her. “They are my family,” he snapped.

Just as Jack was about to walk off, Racheal came racing around the corner. As soon as she saw the state that Martha was in, her eyes went wide.

“What’s going on?” Racheal asked, even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

“I think Ray’s dead,” Jack answered in a choked up voice.

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Martha looked up and through her tears she spotted her grandad, Jack and Racheal moving down the hall towards her. Behind her; Macca was still holding her tight, and she could hear him crying softly into her hair.

“This was not supposed to happen. We were not supposed to lose him too,” Martha cried harder.

“You need to calm down,” Macca told her.

“How am I supposed to cal………..,” she started, but stopped when she felt a tight pulling sensation in her chest. She moved her hand to her chest and tried to take a deep breath; but couldn’t. She couldn’t breathe.

“Martha, what’s wrong?” Racheal asked when she saw the panicked look on her face.

“I………..can’t……….breathe,” Martha managed to get out.

“What?” Alf exclaimed.

Martha was all of a sudden starting to feel light headed, and the whole room seemed like it was spinning.

“I need a bed, and some oxygen,” Racheal called out.

“What’s wrong?” Jack demanded. He was scared. Something was wrong with Martha, and he wanted to know what.

Racheal ignored everyone and looked back at Martha. “Martha, I need you to try and take a deep breath,” she said. “I need you to calm down. I think you might just be having a panic attack. But you need to calm down; for the babies sake. It might not be good for the baby,” Racheal explained.

Hearing this just made Martha worry more. The thought that she might be hurting her baby, upset her more.

She went to take a gasp of air, but stopped when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She grabbed her stomach and started to cry harder. “The baby,” she gasped. “It hurts”.

“You’re stomach?” Racheal asked. Martha nodded.

“Martha, you really need to calm down. Take deep breaths,” Racheal pleaded.

“What’s wrong?” Jack was frantic.

The dizziness and light headedness was now started to get worse, and the last thing Martha saw before falling unconscious was Jack’s panicked face.

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Jack, Macca, Alf and Megan watched as Martha was pulled up onto a bed. She had an oxygen mask over face; which was giving her air. But she was still unconscious.

“Is she okay?” Macca asked. He had just lost his father; he couldn’t lose Martha aswell.

Racheal nodded. “Yeah, she’s fine. I’m sure it was just a panic attack,” she started to explain. “The attack caused her to feel dizzy and probably a little light headed; and I’m guessing that’s what caused her to pass out. But she’s fine now, and she’s breathing easily,” Racheal finished.

“What about the baby?” Jack asked. “She had sharp pains in her stomach. Is the baby okay?” he wanted to know.

“I’m sure the baby is fine. It was probably just feeling distressed. But I’ve paged Martha’s doctor, and she’s coming down as soon as possible. She’ll do an ultrasound, just to make sure everything is okay,” Racheal told him. “Now, I’ll have to ask you all to wait out here while we take another look at Martha,” she then said before walking into the room and closing the door.

Jack sighed and turned away. They had to be okay. They just had to.

“Are you alright?” Megan asked.

“I think you should just go home,” Jack told her.

“But…..,” she started to protest.

“Just go,” Jack ordered.

“Fine,” Megan turned and walked away with Grace.

Jack then walked over to where Macca and Alf were talking quietly together. “I’m sorry about your dad,” Jack told him.

Macca just nodded. “Um, I’d better go and give my brothers a call,” he then said, before walking off.

“I can’t believe it,” Jack said to Alf. “I can’t believe that he’s dead”.

“I’ve never seen Martha like that before,” Alf said. “I just hope that this hasn’t hurt the baby”.

“Me too,” Jack nodded.

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PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The first person Martha saw when she woke up was Macca.

“Hey,” he smiled and picked up her hand.

“What happened?” she asked him in a whispered voice.

“You had a panic attack, but you’re okay now,” Macca reassured her. Martha then noticed that Alf and Jack were also in the room.

“Don’t you frighten us like that again,” Alf said.

Martha went to apologise but then she remembered what it was that triggered the attack. “Dad,” she sighed. She knew he was gone.

“He’s gone bug,” Macca’s voice wavered. “But you need to think about yourself right now,” he insisted.

“Oh my god. The baby,” Martha started to panic. “Did I hurt the baby?” she cried.

“Hey, calm down,” Jack soothed as he moved in beside her. “The baby is going to be fine. And your Doctor is coming down soon; she’s going to do an ultrasound,” he told her.

Martha felt a tear slide down her cheek. She couldn’t hold them in; so she just let them flow freely. She cried for her dad, and for her baby. She’d hate herself if she had hurt the baby. She would never be able to forgive herself.

“Have you called Greg and Davie yet?” Martha then asked Macca.

Macca nodded. “Yeah, about half an hour ago,” he replied.

“How were they?” Martha sniffed. She could only imagine how they reacted.

“Ah, not too good,” Macca told her. His eyes were starting to get teary again, and this only upset Martha more.

“What are we going to do Macca?” Martha gasped. “What are we supposed to do without him?” she cried.

“We just need to stick together, and help each other out. Exactly what we did when we lost mum,” Macca explained.

“But we had dad when we lost mum. It’s going to be different now,” Martha sobbed.

“Yes, maybe it will be,” Macca started. “But look at all the new people that have come into our lives since then. They are all going to be there to help us,” he continued.

“That’s right love. You have me and everybody else here in Summer Bay to help. There’s always going to be someone around,” Alf added.

“And as long as we have each other; we’ll be fine,” Macca kissed her hand.

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“Maybe you and I should wait outside while Martha has the ultrasound,” Macca suggested to Alf, as Doctor Morgan prepped Martha.

“Yeah, we’ll leave you and Jack to it. But we’ll be right outside in the hall,” Alf told Martha.

“No, I want you both to stay,” Martha insisted.

They both just nodded their agreement, and moved closer to the bed.

“Ok, so this is really just to make sure that the baby is okay,” Doctor Morgan started to say. “Like Dr Armstrong already told you earlier, it’s likely that the baby was just feeling a little distressed due to your panic attack, and that’s what caused the sharp cramp in your stomach. But it’s better to be safe than sorry,” she explained.

Martha nodded and grasped tighter onto Jack’s hand. He was sitting right up next to her, and she could tell from the little smile that kept creeping up into his face; that he was excited about seeing this. He’d missed out on the first one, so she knew that this was important to him.

Martha closed her eyes as Dr Morgan started moving the probe across her stomach. She wouldn’t open her eyes until she heard a heartbeat; until she knew that her baby was safe.

And then she heard it; the steady rhythm of one tiny little heartbeat. Her eyes shot open and she glanced towards the screen. There it was; her little baby. It was alive, and it looked okay. And it had grown so much since the first ultrasound.

“Everything looks fine to me. Heartbeat is normal, so I’d say that the baby is fine,” Dr Morgan smiled. “You’ve got a healthy kid in there”.

Martha turned her head to look at Jack; his eyes were glued to the screen. “That’s amazing,” he exclaimed. Jack was suddenly feeling something inside of him that he’d never felt before. It was so new and different, that he couldn’t even explain it. He was in total awe of what he could see and hear right in front of him.

“See, I told you that the baby bug would be fine,” Macca said to her.

Martha smiled at him and nodded. She then looked towards Alf, and she was so sure that she could see a tear in his eye.

“So Martha, do you want to know the sex of your baby?” Dr Morgan asked.

“No,” both Martha and Jack exclaimed at the same time. Martha looked at Jack, and then back at the Doctor. “We want it to be a surprise,” she told her.

Martha looked back at Jack and smiled shyly at him. “Thanks for being here,” she said.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Jack squeezed her hand.

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Martha looked up at the ceiling; she was alone in her hospital room. It was late, but she couldn’t get to sleep. She’d had a long day. A long day full of sadness and pain. A long day that would be etched in her mind forever.

She’d lost her dad, and had almost lost her baby. Could it get any worse?

Jack, Macca and Alf had stayed with her until a nurse had kicked them out. She’d also received a visit from Flynn and Ric later on in the evening. Tony and Beth had also popped in. Martha had been left alone with Beth for a short while; and she had ended crying in the older woman’s arms.

But now she was alone; and she felt empty and scared. She didn’t want to be there; she wanted to go home. Home to her nice warm bed. But the Doctors wanted to keep her in for a couple days, so her warm bed had to wait.

Martha slightly rolled to the side, and placed her hand over her stomach. She closed her eyes and a few tears rolled down her face. She lay that way until she finally cried herself to sleep.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

NOTE: Peter’s alive.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t here for you yesterday,” Tasha said softly, as she sat on the end of Martha’s hospital bed. “Rob feels the same way”.

Martha smiled lightly at her. “It’s okay. You were in the city, so you weren’t to know,” she said.

It was only the next morning and Martha was already going crazy. She just wanted to get out of that hospital and go home. Sally and Cassie had both dropped in earlier that morning. Shortly after they left, Alf, Ric and Macca had showed up again. And now Tasha and Robbie were in visiting her. But Robbie had just left to go to the toilet, so Martha and Tasha were alone.

“So, now that it's just us, do you want to tell me how you’re really feeling?” Tasha questioned.

“I told you I’m fine,” Martha replied, but didn’t look up. She just continued to pick at her nail.

“You’re not fine Mac,” Tasha started. “You’ve just suffered a terrible loss. And I can tell from your face, that you’re not doing well,” she continued.

“Please Tash, I really don’t want to talk about it,” Martha insisted as her eyes started to well up. “Let’s talk about something else”.

Tasha frowned, but she wanted to respect Martha’s wishes, so she dropped it. “Okay, well have you heard that Tony and Lucas are moving into Beth’s over the weekend?” she asked Martha.

“No, I didn’t even know that they were thinking about it,” Martha shook her head. “What about Jack? What’s he doing?” she wanted to know.

“Jack’s staying where he is. But Kim called us this morning and told us that he’s moving in with Jack,” Tasha explained. “And now that Kit and Kim have decided to give their relationship a chance, Kit’s gotten a transfer to Yabbie Creek University. So she’s moving back to Summer Bay,” she continued.

“That’s great,” Martha smiled. “So does that mean that she’s going to be moving in with Kim and Jack,” she then asked.

“Not right now. They don’t want to rush things, so for the moment Kit is going to take Kim’s old room at Irene’s,” Tasha told her.

“Anything else interesting that you can tell me?” Martha asked Tasha. She just wanted to take her mind off her dad. So she was willing to talk about anything.

“Um, well you probably already know, but, I think Ric and Belle are already having problems,” Tasha replied.

“Ah, yeah,” Martha nodded. “Ric mentioned it to me the other day. I think he and Cassie may still have feelings for each other,” she explained.

“And Belle’s been spending a lot of time with that new kid, Drew. Did you hear that he is Peter’s son?” Tasha laughed.

“What? No,” Martha exclaimed. “When did all this happen?”

“Apparently, Peter’s known about him for a few years and never told anyone. But last week, Peter decided that it was about time he spilled the beans,” Tasha began. “He went and picked Drew up from boarding school, and brought him to Summer Bay, and now he’s staying for good,” she finished.

Martha smiled lightly as Tasha continued to talk. She was thankful because it took her mind off her dad. She just hoped that it would stay that way.

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LATER THAT DAY

Jack decided to go for a walk along the beach with Tony before he went back to the hospital to see Martha. He’d already been in before lunch to see her, but she didn’t speak much. He couldn’t blame her though. She’d just lost her father, and he knew that it would take a while for her to get over it. But no matter what; he was going to help her get through it.

During their walk they came across Megan. She had gotten a bit snotty with him, because he didn’t go and visit her and Grace that morning like he had promised. Jack just wanted to yell at her. It was like she had forgotten what had just happened with Martha the day before. It was either that, or she just didn’t care about anyone but herself.

Jack was just about to have a go at her when Tony’s phone rang.

“Hello,” Tony said into the phone.

Jack looked away while his father spoke quietly over the phone. A few moments later, Tony hung up. “Um, that was Alf,” Tony told Jack.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked.

“The hospital just called him, and apparently Martha just got up out of bed and walked out,” Tony explained.

“What?” Jack yelled.

“Yeah, and now they can’t find her,” Tony sighed.

“We got to go fin………….,” Jack started to say but was cut off by Megan.

“I think that’s her sitting up there in the sand,” Megan blurted out and pointed to a spot further up the beach.

Jack and Tony spun around and took off up the beach with Megan close behind them. The closer they got, the easier it was to recognise that it was Martha. She was crouching in the sand, and sobbing uncontrollably.

“Is she crazy? The doctors ordered her to stay in hospital, but she ignores them. Is she trying to hurt her baby?” Megan spat out. “Talk about stupid”.

Tony turned around and glared at her. “No, she’s not stupid. She’s just lost her father and she’s grieving,” he snapped. “So why don’t you just mind your own business”.

Jack couldn’t help but smile to himself. Finally someone put Megan in her place. And it was his dad, of all people.

“I’m going to go talk to her,” Jack told his dad, and started walking towards Martha.

“Wait,” Tony pulled Jack back. “Let me,” he said.

Jack nodded and let his dad go to Martha. He stood back with Megan.

“What’s your dad’s problem?” she spat out. Jack just glared at her, and chose to ignore the question.

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Martha looked out at the sea; her vision was blurry due to the tears that were streaming down her face. She jumped a little when she felt someone sit down beside her and pull her into a hug. It was Tony.

“What are you doing love? You should be at the hospital,” he said to her.

“I hate it there,” Martha started to sob. “I feel so lonely when I’m there. And when I’m lonely, it makes me think of my dad. And I don’t want to think about him, because it hurts so much,” she cried.

“Of course it’s going to hurt. It only just happened yesterday,” Tony soothed.

“It isn’t fair. Everything was fine, and then all of a sudden he was gone,” Martha started to cry harder. “And he was so happy about the baby, and now he won’t even get a chance to see it. He’s gone, and I just feel so empty,” she said.

“You just need to stay strong. You need to stay strong for yourself and for the baby. And you don’t need to feel empty or alone, because you have so many people around who want to help you,” Tony began. “Especially Jack. He loves you, and your baby. And he hates seeing you so upset. He just wants to help,” he finished.

“I don’t need help,” Martha said stubbornly.

“If you don’t want help from anybody, then at least help yourself by getting up and going back to the hospital. Everybody is worried, and Alf’s running around the bay like he’s just had his head chopped off,” Tony told her.

“I hate it there,” Martha told him again.

“I know, but you have to go back. If not for your sake, then at least for the baby’s sake. Please,” Tony pleaded.

“Okay,” Martha agreed.

“Good,” Tony smiled. “Come on,” he said as he helped her up.

Martha then noticed Jack and Megan standing further up the beach.

“I don’t like her,” Martha exclaimed.

“Really, I hadn’t noticed,” Tony laughed sarcastically.

Martha smiled and took Tony’s hand.

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“So, I heard that your dad and Lucas were moving in with Beth, and that Kim was moving in with you,” Martha said to Jack, when they were back alone in the hospital room.

“Yeah, I was going to tell you, but I never got the chance,” Jack told her. He then looked at her, straight in the eye. “Don’t you ever do that again,” he said in a serious tone.

“What are you talking about?” Martha asked him.

“Do you have any idea how scared I was when I heard that you had just got up and walked out of here?” Jack said sternly. “What if something had happened and we couldn’t find you?”

“I’m sorry,” Martha looked away from him.

“Hey, I’m being serious,” Jack grabbed her arm, and turned her to face him again. “Don’t ever do it again, do you hear me?” he ordered.

Martha glared at him. “Loud and clear Constable,” she snapped.

Stupid Jerk, she thought.

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PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

NEXT MORNING

“So, how are you feeling this morning?” Jack asked Martha.

Martha shrugged. “Same as all the other times you’ve asked me,” she replied, not even bothering to look at him.

“Okay,” Jack trailed off. He was trying his hardest to have a proper conversation with her, but she never seemed to try. She’d just sit there staring off into space or picking at her nails until they bled.

“Didn’t Racheal tell you that you could go home tomorrow arvo? That must cheer you up a bit,” Jack said.

“I guess,” was all she could say.

Jack let out a loud sigh. He’d just have to sit there until she decided to speak. But he was soon saved when Alf and Macca arrived.

“Oh, Macca,” Martha started as soon as he entered. “Racheal said I can go home tomorrow, so you’ll be able to book our tickets for the trip home for dad’s funeral,” she told him.

Macca started to shuffle on his feet, and Martha could tell that he was feeling uncomfortable. “What is it?” she asked him.

“I’ve spoken to Racheal and Flynn, and even Dr Morgan, and they don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be traveling at the moment,” Macca answered.

“What?” Martha said through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry bug, but you can’t come,” Macca told her.

Martha could feel her temper starting to flare. “Wait, are you telling me that I can’t even go to my own father’s funeral? Are you nuts? Of course I’m going,” she snapped.

“Martha, I know how much you want to go, but it’s not safe,” Macca tried to reason with her. “You have a baby to worry about, and you had an awful scare the other day. It’s not a good idea for you to fly in the state that you’re in at the moment”.

“But it’s only a couple of hours,” Martha started to cry.

“I know, but you can’t,” Macca said softly.

“Just imagine what everyone back home will think when his own daughter doesn’t even show up for his funeral,” Martha sobbed.

“Look, everybody back home knows what’s going on,” Macca started. “They know that you’re pregnant, and Greg and Davie think that it would be safer for you to stay here aswell. Please Martha, just do as I say”.

“When are you going?” Martha asked him.

“The funeral has been organized for tomorrow morning, so my flight is for this afternoon. I’ve already arranged for dad’s body to be transported from here to the airport,” Macca explained to her.

“This is so unfair,” Martha continued to cry.

“What if I go?” Alf suddenly popped into the conversation.

“What?” Martha looked at him through her tears.

“Since you can’t go, I’ll go in your place,” Alf suggested. “Ray and his family were kind enough to take you in as a baby and raise you as their own, when my family couldn’t. And I’ll always be grateful for that. The least I could do is go and pay my respects properly,” he said.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Macca smiled at Alf. “Don’t you bug?” he looked back Martha.

Martha nodded. “That would be nice. Thanks grandad,” she exclaimed.

“Well, if that’s settled, I’d better head home and ring the airlines, and see if I can get on the same flight,” Alf told Macca.

“I’ll come with you. I need to get my stuff packed again. But I promise that I’ll stop in before I leave, okay?” Macca said to Martha.

Martha nodded. She put on a fake smile, and kept it there until they left. Jack was still there of course. He’d been quiet all through the conversation.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

“I can’t go to my dad’s funeral,” she snapped. “How do you think I feel?”

“Look, I’m going to go and get something to eat,” Jack sighed. “Do you want anything?” he offered.

Martha shook her head, and rolled over to face the wall. She waited until Jack had left and finally let the tears fall.

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A few hours later Macca and Alf returned to the hospital to say goodbye to Martha. Jack was also still there, but Martha still hadn’t spoken much.

“We should probably head off soon mate,” Alf said to Macca. “We don’t want to miss our flight”.

“I still wish I was going,” Martha told them. She was still very upset that she couldn’t go. It was her father’s funeral and she wouldn’t even be there. It hurt.

“So do I,” Macca told her. “But you need to look out for the baby, so it’s best you stay”.

“Yeah, I know, you’ve told me ten times already,” Martha sighed.

“So, how long will you be gone?” Jack asked Alf.

“I’ll be back in four days,” Alf replied. “So Martha, I want someone to stay with you at the apartment while I’m gone. I don’t like the idea of you being left alone there,” he then told Martha.

“I’ll stay with her,” Jack offered.

“No, I don’t ne……..,” Martha started to protest, but was cut off by Alf.

“Thanks Jack. I appreciate it,” Alf ignored Martha’s protests.

“Well we better go,” Macca looked at Martha.

Alf leaned down and gave Martha a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you when I get back,” he said. He then walked out; leaving Macca and Jack.

Macca moved towards the bed and sat down next to Martha; pulling her into a hug. “Can you do me a favor?” Martha asked him.

“Sure, what is it?” he replied.

Martha reached under her pillow and pulled out a white envelope. “Can you put this in dad’s coffin? It’s a letter,” she told him. “I never got the chance to thank him or mum for raising me as their own child, and this is the only way I could do it,” Martha explained.

“Of course I will,” Macca assured her. He then picked up her hand and squeezed it. “Now, I’m coming back okay. It probably won’t be for about a week or so, but I’ll be back. I promise. And then that way I can take care of you, and the baby. Dad would have wanted me too,” he explained.

“Okay,” Martha started to cry.

“I’ll see you when I get back,” Macca gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood up. He then turned to Jack. “Take care of her,” he told him.

Jack nodded. “Of course,” he said.

Macca gave one more goodbye before walking out; leaving Jack and Martha alone.

“You don’t have to stay at the apartment with me. I can take care of myself,” Martha told Jack.

“Don’t even bother trying to talk me out of it,” Jack scoffed. “I’m staying with you and that’s final,” he insisted.

“Whatever,” Martha glared at him.

Jack sighed for what he thought must have been the hundredth time that day. What was wrong with her? He hadn’t done anything to upset her, so why did she keep giving him the vibe?

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone,” Martha then said.

“Alright,” Jack said hesitantly. “I’ll go home for a while, and then come back a bit later,” he told her as he moved towards the door.

“Fine,” Martha exclaimed.

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

THE NEXT DAY

Martha heard a knock on her hospital room door. She looked up; expecting it to be Jack. She was ready to be discharged, and Jack was supposed to be picking her up. But she was surprised when Robbie and Tasha walked in.

“Hey,” they smiled at her.

“What are you guys doing here?” Martha asked them.

“We were on our way to Yabbie Creek to do some shopping, and we thought that we’d stop in and say a quick hello,” Tasha explained.

“Oh. Well, you’re lucky I’m still here. Jack’s picking me up soon,” Martha said as she finished packing her bag.

“So, how are you and the baby?” Robbie asked.

“We’re good. I’m feeling much better, and I’m glad to be getting home,” Martha told them. “The only problem is that I’m getting treated like I’m helpless. Everybody thinks that I need a babysitter, and of course that babysitter is Jack,” she huffed.

“He just wants to help,” Tasha exclaimed.

“I don’t need help. I can take care of myself,” Martha insisted.

“Look Martha. We don’t mean to pry or stick our noses in your business, but Jack told us that you’ve been acting really cold towards him over the last few days. And the truth is; we’ve noticed it aswell,” Robbie said.

“Isn’t it great that instead of talking to me, Jack goes and talks to everybody else about his problems,” Martha said sarcastically.

“But that’s the thing Mac. He does try to talk to you, but all you do is shut him out or ignore him,” Tasha sighed.

“No, I don’t,” Martha stated stubbornly.

“Yeah, you do,” Robbie pointed out.

Martha glared at them. "I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my father died a few days ago,” she spat out. “It’s not something that I can just get over. I’m hurting so much, and now everybody thinks that I’m being a bitch. I’m sorry if you all think that. So what if I don’t want to talk. Because talking about it makes me hurt more,” she continued.

“Mac,” Tasha started but was cut off.

“And I’m so sorry that I’m not sipping friggin milkshakes down at the diner, and pretending that I’m happy and okay. Because I’m not happy and I’m not okay. My father is dead,” Martha cried.

“Hey, we’re sorry. We weren’t trying to upset you,” Robbie said.

“All we’re saying is give Jack a chance. Don’t shut him out. He loves you, and he just wants to help,” Tasha told Martha.

“Like I said before; I don’t need help,” Martha exclaimed.

Just as Martha stopped, Jack appeared in the doorway. “Hey,” he smiled as he walked into the room. Jack noticed that Martha’s bag was already packed, so she must have been ready to go.

“Can we go now?” Martha asked him.

“Yep, let’s go,” Jack picked up her bag.

“Good,” Martha stated, and walked out without even saying goodbye to Robbie and Tasha.

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LATER THAT EVENING

Jack made his way into the lounge room where Martha was sitting; watching the evening news.

“Are you sure that you don’t want anything else to eat?” he asked her.

“I told you before that I was fine,” Martha replied harshly.

“Just let me know if you want anything else,” Jack told her, as he sat next to her on the couch.

“You don’t have to stay here, you know,” Martha looked at him. “I can take care of myself”.

“”I know that, but I’m staying and that’s final,” Jack stated.

Martha huffed and looked back at the TV. She knew that she was being unfair to him. He didn’t deserve it, but she couldn’t seem to stop. And besides she didn’t want to get close with him. She couldn’t. She’d already lost her mum, and now her dad. Everybody she loved always ended up getting taken away from her. The same would probably end up happening with Jack. So, if she kept a distance between them, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much when that time came.

“So, how about I run you a nice hot bath,” Jack then offered.

“No Jack,” Martha snapped. “If I want one, I’ll do it myself”.

“You know what? I’m sick of this. What is it that I’ve supposed to have done?” Jack demanded. “Because I have no idea why you’re being like this”.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not doing anything,” she fobbed him off.

“Martha, come on,” Jack said softly, and reached out for her hand. “What’s going on? Tell me, please. I just want to help you get through this”.

“Stop it,” Martha cried as she jumped up from her seat. She started to storm off towards her room.

“Why do you do that?” Jack called after her.

Martha stopped in her tracks, and turned slowly to face him. “Do what?” she asked.

Jack got up and started walking towards her. “Cruelly shut other people out. People who are trying help you,” he said.

“I don’t need their pity. Or yours for that matter,” Martha said to him.

“Someone offers you tenderness, and you misread it as pity,” Jack started. “Besides, what’s wrong with a little pity? We all need to be pitied sometimes,” he said softly.

Martha looked at Jack. He was standing right in front of her now. He was so close, and he smelt so good. All she wanted to do was touch him, and kiss him. She moved forward.

“Well then,” Martha said silkily, as she placed one of her hands on his shoulder and the other on his chest. “Pity me,” she purred in his ear.

Jack stood still. What the hell was going on? One minute she was having a go at him, and the next she was all over him. The next thing he knew; her lips were pressed against his, and she was instigating a deeper kiss. Without even thinking, he pulled her in closer and kissed her back. But then all of a sudden he pulled away. This is wrong, he thought.

“Martha,” he shook his head. God, he wanted too, but he didn’t think it was a good idea. She was in a fragile state at the moment, and he didn’t want to take advantage of that.

“Don’t you want me anymore?” Martha whispered as she blew soft kisses across his cheek; trying to entice him.

“Of course I do. You have no idea how much I want you,” Jack said huskily. “But we can’t,” he said as he moved away.

“Excuse me,” Martha stared at him in shock. What was he doing? This was the second time that he had done this to her.

“We can’t Martha,” Jack started. “You’re in a fragile position at the moment. You’ve just lost your dad, and you’re not thinking straight,” he continued.

“I’m thinking perfectly straight,” Martha snapped at him. “You’ve been at me for weeks; trying to get back together. And now all of sudden you don’t want too. What’s wrong?” she wanted to know.

“I don’t want to take advantage of you while you’re so upset,” Jack began. “I don’t want you to wake up in the morning and regret anything. If we get back together, I want it to be because you really want too, and not because it was just a spur of the moment thing,” he explained to her.

“You are such a liar,” Martha laughed sarcastically. “That’s not the reason. It’s just an excuse, because you don’t want to be with me anymore. You don’t love me anymore,” she then started to cry.

“What?” Jack looked at her like she was crazy. “I never said I didn’t love you. Of course I love you. I always have. Why would you even think that?”

Martha didn’t listen to him; she just kept on with her rants. “So what is it? What’s wrong with me? Is because I look like a fat pig now? Is there somebody else? Maybe you’ve realized that you want to be with Megan, and not me,” she kept crying. More and more tears were falling down her cheeks.

Jack looked at her; still in shock. Where was all this coming from? He moved towards her, and grabbed hold of her shoulders. “Stop it,” he ordered. “Are you listening to yourself? All this crap is coming from your mouth, and none of it is true. You need to stop this, right now”.

“You were the one who said that you didn’t want to be with me anymore,” she looked away from his gaze; still crying.

“No. No, I didn’t. You just presumed that’s what I meant,” Jack told her. “I love you. Just you,” he said.

Martha pulled away from him and spun around to walk away. “Screw you,” she spat out and stormed off to her room. A few moments later Jack heard her door slam.

“Damn it,” he cursed out loud.

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PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter. It's very short. Sorry. Not much goings on in this chapter. I’ll try to get another one up tonight.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

THE NEXT MORNING

Martha felt really bad after the way she had treated Jack the night before. She didn’t know what had come over her. He didn’t deserve it; that was for sure. And now he probably thought that she was crazy. She had acted like a crazy person; accusing him of things that she knew in her heart weren’t true. She was actually quite embarrassed.

After showering and getting dressed, she slowly made her way out to the kitchen, and over to where Jack was sitting. He looked up at her; but he didn’t say anything. She sat down opposite him; ready to make an apology. She was so bad at apologies, but she knew that it had to be done.

“I’m sorry,” she exclaimed, her voice breaking the silence. “I don’t know why I acted like that last night. All I know is that you didn’t deserve it,” she continued.

“You were just upset. It’s okay,” Jack said to her.

“No, it’s not okay,” Martha sighed. “I jumped to conclusions and I treated you like crap. You must have thought that I was going crazy”.

Jack laughed lightly. “For a while there I definitely thought you were nuts,” he smiled at her. “But seriously, it’s fine. You’ve been through a lot over the last week, and you just needed to let some steam off. I just happened to be the person that you let it out on,” Jack continued.

“Well, I really am sorry,” Martha told him again.

“You’re forgiven,” Jack accepted her apology. They smiled shyly at each other, and suddenly another silence filled the room.

“Have you had breakfast yet?” Martha then asked.

“Nope,” Jack shook his head.

“You want to go down to the diner?” Martha suggested.

“Sure, lets go,” he agreed.

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After breakfast Jack and Martha decided to head over to Jack’s, to give Tony and Lucas some help moving their stuff next door to Beth’s. When they got there, Kim was already there with Kit, moving some of his stuff in.

Jack ordered Martha to sit down; he didn’t want her moving or lifting anything. Martha managed to bite her tongue. Usually she would have had a go at him for ordering her around. But this time she managed to keep quiet. She didn’t want a repeat of the night before.

Kit decided to take a break, so she sat down and had a chat with Martha while the boys kept busy.

“I heard about your dad. I’m really sorry,” Kit gave Martha a hug. “If you need to talk about anything; I’m here for you,” she added.

“Thanks,” Martha smiled.

“So, how are things going with Jack? Are the two of you any closer to getting back together?” Kit asked.

Martha sighed. “Sometimes things are great, and we get on really well. But then we’ll have an argument over something incredibly stupid,” Martha started. “I’m usually the one who always jumps to conclusions and makes things worse. And now with everything that’s happened over the last week; I’ve seemed to have gotten worse,” she explained.

“Hey, at least you have a good excuse. You’re having a baby, and your hormones are probably going crazy; therefore making you crazy,” Kit said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Martha laughed. Martha was pretty sure that that was the first time she had laughed since her dad died. It felt strange.

“And what about this Megan girl. Is she still on your case?” Kit then asked.

“The last time I saw her was the day after my dad died. But that’s totally fine with me. The less I see her; the better,” Martha exclaimed.

“You know, I can get rid of her if you want,” Kit joked.

“If you need a hand, I’m more than willing to help you with that,” Martha laughed along with her.

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Megan was angry. She had just found out that Jack was staying with Martha. He was looking after her apparently. No wonder she hadn’t seen him for two days. He was too busy running around after Martha. He hadn’t even been to see Grace. And he hadn’t even called to see how they were. It was like he didn’t even care about them.

Megan knew that she had to work harder if she wanted Jack for herself. She knew that Jack would eventually realize that she and Grace were the ones for him. Not Martha. She didn’t deserve Jack.

Megan was down on the beach playing with Grace; when her phone started ringing. When she saw the name she groaned. Great, she thought herself sarcastically. She answered the phone and spoke quickly before the other person on the other end even had a chance to say anything.

“Stop calling me,” she spat out, and hung up. God, couldn’t they take a hint; obviously not.

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PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

TWO DAYS LATER

Jack looked at the message on his phone from Megan. She was having a good old whinge because he wasn’t spending anytime with Grace. She knew that Martha was going through a rough time at the moment, and that he needed to be there for her, but Megan didn’t seem to care. He erased the message; he couldn’t even be bothered replying to it.

Jack looked at the clock, and realized that it was 10:00 am. Martha wasn’t even out of bed yet. He hadn’t heard a peep out of her all morning. He thought that maybe he should go check on her. He slowly made his way to her room, and when he reached the door, he was certain that he could hear Martha crying.

“Martha,” he knocked on the door.

“Go away,” Martha cried out.

Jack ignored her orders and opened the door to her room. He wanted to know what was wrong. She was sitting on the middle of her bed, with her sheets bunched all around her. There were photos scattered all across the bed in front of her.

“I thought I told you to go away,” Martha sniffed.

“And you actually believe that I would do that?” Jack said to her.

“Guess not,” Martha shrugged.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked as he sat down next to her. He looked down at the photos, and most of them were of Martha with Ray.

“I was just looking at some pictures of me and dad,” Martha started. “I probably shouldn’t because it makes me feel worse. I still can’t believe that he’s gone,” she said.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jack asked as he reached for her hand.

Martha shook her head. “No,” she answered, and pulled her hand away from his grasp. “What’s the point? It won’t change anything,” she told him.

“Martha,” Jack looked at her with sad eyes. “You can’t keep it all bottled up inside. You need to let it out. Talk to me; let me help you,” he pleaded with her.

Martha shook her head again. “I can’t. It hurts too much,” she started to cry.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jack soothed, as he pulled Martha into a warm embrace.

Martha welcomed the hug, and she fell into him; wrapping her arms around him tightly, and resting her head on his chest. Jack could soon feel her warm tears seeping through his shirt; but he didn’t care.

“I want him back,” Martha sobbed. “I just want him to come back”.

They sat like this for a while; until the sobs that wracked Martha’s body, subsided. Jack looked down into Martha’s face, and realised that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep. Jack gently fell back onto the pillow; bringing Martha down with him. If he tried to untangle himself from her arms; she’d probably wake up. And he didn’t want that. So he would just lay with her, until she woke up.

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By the time Martha woke up; Jack was asleep. She looked at the bedside clock, and she realized that it was now 11:30 am. They’d been asleep for nearly an hour and a half.

Martha had to admit that waking up in Jacks arms again was amazing. She had missed waking up with him. He was so warm and he made her feel safe. She snuggled back into his arms and rested her face back on his chest. She wished that they could stay that way forever, and not have to worry about anybody else except for themselves and their baby.

It was then that Martha noticed that one of Jack’s hands was resting protectively over her stomach. It made her smile, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. Jack always managed to give her the butterflies: even if it was just with a look, a touch, or a smile.

Martha knew that she had to get up soon. Alf would be arriving home in a few hours and she wanted to tidy the house up a bit before he got home. Not that it was messy; Jack was always making sure that the apartment was being kept tidy.

Martha gently pried herself from Jack’s arms, and slowly moved off the bed; hoping not to wake Jack. She knew that his nights had also been quite restless; and she knew that it was because of her. He would stay up worrying about her; and it would stop him from getting any sleep. He had actually admitted that to her; and it made her feel a little guilty.

She walked to her cupboard and pulled out some clean clothes. She turned and looked back at Jack. He looked so peaceful. She then quietly left the room and headed towards the bathroom for a quick shower.

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“Grandad,” Martha threw her arms around Alf as soon as walked through the door.

“Hey love. How are you feeling?” Alf hugged her back.

“I’m okay,” she said softly.

“Thanks for staying here with her,” Alf then looked at Jack.

“No problem” Jack told him.

“So, how was everything at the farm?” Martha then asked Alf when they sat down at the dining table.

“It was very quiet. Your brothers were doing their best to stay strong,” Alf said truthfully. “I met some of the locals while I was there, and they only had great things to say about your dad, and your family”.

“I can’t wait to go back for a visit,” Martha sighed.

“The funeral service was beautiful. I felt quite privileged to be there. And I’m glad that I went,” Alf told her.

Martha smiled. “The farm’s great, isn’t it?” she said.

“Your brothers took me around and showed me all the places that you used to go while you were growing up. Now that I’ve seen them: I feel like I know you even more,” Alf smiled at her. “Now, Macca told me to tell you that he will be living up to his promise. He’s booked his ticket, and he’ll be here in four days. He was going to come back today, but he had a few things to take care of first,” he explained.

“I’m sure I can wait a few more days,” Martha exclaimed.

“How about I make us all a hot drink and you two can talk a bit more,” Jack suggested, as he got up and walked into the kitchen.

“Maybe I should hire him full time,” Alf joked.

Martha laughed. “Maybe,” she said.

“It’s good to see you smile,” Alf then told her.

Martha didn’t know why, but she felt bad every time she smiled or laughed. Her dad had only been gone for a week, so she felt that she shouldn’t be doing either. But she knew that her dad wouldn’t want her moping around. He would want her to get on with life.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Macca’s back.

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[bay girl]

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The next few days flew by quite quickly. Martha was happy because Macca would be arriving back in Summer Bay later that afternoon. It would be good having him back. Macca was so much like her dad, and if she couldn’t have her dad around, then at least she had the next best thing.

Martha decided to go down to the beach for a while. She had been spending a lot of time there lately; just sitting in the sand or down by the rock pools. The sound of the waves seemed to calm her. It was peaceful. It gave her time to think about things; her dad, Jack and the baby.

She hadn’t really seen Jack much over the last couple days. Because he had taken those few days off work while Alf was away; Jack now had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. So he didn’t have much time for anything else.

Martha sat down and started burying her feet in the sand; letting the sand run silkily through her fingers. She then fell onto her back and closed her eyes. She rested her hand on her stomach, and gently rubbed it. When Martha opened her eyes, she got a surprise when she found Jack smiling down at her.

“Having fun,” he smirked.

“I was until you came along,” she smirked back up at him.

Jack laughed and fell down beside her. He rolled closer until they were lying side by side; looking up at the clouds.

“See anything interesting up there?” Jack asked her.

“Not today,” Martha answered. “Just some fluffy balls, that’s it”.

“Damn,” he faked a sigh. “Hey, sorry I haven’t seen you much over the last couple of days,” Jack apologized.

Martha shrugged. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Besides being alone has given me time to think,” she told him.

“What sort of things have you been thinking about?” Jack wanted to know. Honestly, he just wanted to know if she had been thinking about him.

“Everything,” Martha sighed. “My life, my dad, and the future. Oh, and we can’t forget the baby. The kid is on my mind practically twenty-four seven,” she explained.

Jack sat up a bit and looked down at Martha. “How did we even manage to get ourselves into this?” he smiled as he rubbed her stomach.

Martha laughed. “I have this vague memory of something called sex,” she exclaimed.

“How could I forget,” Jack laughed as he lay back down beside her.

“Well, it has been nearly two months since we last……..you know?” Martha suddenly felt shy.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Jack muttered.

Martha sat up quickly and laughed. “Aww, Is Jack upset because he hasn’t gotten any in a long time,” she looked down at him with a pouty face.

“I never said that,” Jack huffed.

“You didn’t have too,” Martha exclaimed. She then gave him a rough poke in the chest. “And besides, you’ve only got yourself to blame. I offered it twice over the last three weeks, and you rejected me. So deal with it,” she teased.

Jack smirked at her. “Well, maybe you should offer ……….,” he started, but was cut off by a loud voice.

They both looked up quickly and spotted Robbie and Tasha walking towards them.

“Saved by the bell,” Martha said smugly.

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Martha sat on the couch next to Macca. He had arrived about an hour ago; and they had just been sitting quietly together.

“How long do you think that you’ll be staying in Summer Bay?” Martha asked him.

“As long as you need me,” Macca replied.

“What about the farm? Don’t they need your help there?” Martha questioned.

“Greg and Davie know that you need someone around at the moment,” Macca started to explain. “They’re glad that I’m here with you. They don’t want you to be alone. And besides, I’m sure the farm will be able to cope without me for a while,” he said.

“Thank you,” Martha smiled. “I’m glad you’re here,” she told Macca.

Macca pulled her towards him and Martha rested her head on his shoulder. “So, how are things with Jack? I noticed that you seemed a bit cold with him for the first few days after dad died,” Macca commented.

“I was just being a bitch. I was just pushing him away, I guess,” Martha started. “But things are okay now. He’s been really good; making sure I have everything that I need. Things are slowly getting back on track,” she finished.

“Has Megan been giving you any trouble?” Macca then asked.

“No, she hasn’t. It’s quite surprising really. I’ve only seen her around a couple times actually. The only thing that has been annoying about her is the constant whining. She’s always on Jack’s case; wanting him to spend more time with Grace,” Martha said. “Jack’s actually having trouble bonding with her. I told him that it will come eventually. But he told me that he feels really bad about it. But I’ve told him it’s not his fault,” she explained.

“Has Jack ever thought that there could be a chance that Grace isn’t even his? I mean, that could be the reason why he doesn’t feel a connection with her,” Macca added.

Martha sighed. “Believe me; it’s gone through my mind a few times. She’s doesn’t actually have any proof that Grace is Jack’s daughter. He’s just taking her word for it,” she said.

“Maybe he should get a paternity test,” Macca suggested.

“I’m actually thinking about mentioning it to him soon. I just don’t want to upset him,” Martha shrugged.

“Well, you should do what you think is right. And when you think the time is right,” Macca told her.

But when would the time be right? Martha thought.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Trouble’s brewing

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[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

NOTE: Martha’s five and half months pregnant. It’s been two weeks since Ray’s death.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Martha spent the next three days working up the courage to mention a paternity to test to Jack. She was scared that he might get angry or upset with her; so she kept putting it off. If there was a chance that Grace wasn’t Jack’s; then he deserved to know.

“So, what is it that you want to talk about?” Jack asked, as he sat down next to Martha on his couch.

Martha looked at him and inhaled a deep breath. “Um………,” she trailed off. She didn’t know how to start.

“Okay, well you’re clearly nervous. So it must be something serious,” Jack said, when he noticed that Martha looked a little uncomfortable.

“It is,” Martha nodded. “Well, I think it is,” she added.

“What is it?” Jack was worried.

“Look, you’re probably going to think that I’m being selfish,” Martha sighed. “And honestly, I probably am being a little selfish. I just don’t want you to get upset or angry with me, because I’m just looking out for you. And if there’s even a slight chance that she’s not yours, then I think it should be done,” she blathered.

“What are you talking about?” Jack asked.

“A paternity test,” Martha stated. “You said yourself that you couldn’t bond with her. Maybe it’s because she’s not yours. I mean, would it really hurt if you were to just get the proof?”

“Are you saying that you don’t think Grace is mine?” Jack said.

“No, I didn’t say that,” Martha defended herself.

“But you think I should get a paternity test done?” Jack pointed out.

Martha sighed. “I’m not telling you to do anything. I’m just making a suggestion. It’s your decision if you do it or not,” she told him. “Hey, if you want me to mind my own business, then just say so”.

“No, it’s okay,” Jack assured her. “Truthfully, I’ve thought about it a few times. It’s just I really don’t think Megan would lie about something like that. I know that she can be nasty at times; but I really don’t think that she’d lie about me being Grace’s father,” he explained.

“So, you’re not going to get a test done?” Martha questioned him.

“I don’t know,” Jack shrugged.

Martha just nodded, and then quickly looked away. She couldn’t help but be upset; and Jack noticed this. “Hey, if you want………,” he started but Martha cut him off.

“No, no. Its fine,” she told him as she stood up. “I shouldn’t have even said anything. You and I aren’t even together, so it’s none of my business. It was selfish of me to even bring it up. Listen, I have to go. I’m meeting Macca for lunch,” Martha said as she walked to the door. She wanted to get out of there fast. She felt too uncomfortable.

“Bye,” Jack sighed as Martha walked out.

Maybe she was right. Maybe he should have the test done. The only problem he had to worry about was Megan. Would she agree?

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Later that evening Jack decided to go and see Megan. He had thought about it and had decided that he would ask her about a paternity test. But as predicted; Megan wasn’t too happy about the suggestion.

“Where has all this came from?” she demanded.

“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile,” Jack sighed.

“Well why didn’t you ask me to get one done when I first told you about Grace? Why have you waited so long?” Megan was getting upset.

“Look, I’m not going to lie to you anymore,” Jack began. “I’m having trouble forming a bond with Grace. I don’t know why, and I feel really bad about it. But if we get this test done, and I see the information that says that she is definitely mine; then maybe it will help me get closer to her,” he explained.

“You don’t feel anything towards Grace?” Megan cried.

“No, not really. And like I said; I feel really bad about it,” Jack told her.

“I can’t believe that you don’t think she’s yours. Look at her Jack,” Megan pointed to Grace who was playing on the floor. “She is yours, whether you believe it or not”.

Jack was beginning to get frustrated. “I never said she wasn’t mine. And if you say she is, then I believe you. I know that you wouldn’t lie about something like that,” he said.

“If you believe that she’s yours, then why do you want some test to tell you what you already know?” Megan questioned.

“It would just make me feel better, okay. And Martha and I w………….,” Jack started, but was cut off.

“Wait, Martha?” Megan scoffed. “She told you to do this, didn’t she? God, why doesn’t that surprise me,” she laughed sarcastically.

“Leave Martha out of this,” Jack defended. “It was my decision”.

“You know what? We’ll get your stupid test done if it makes you happy,” Megan snapped.

“Yeah, it would make me happy,” Jack thanked her. “Now, I can’t stay any longer. I have to go; I have plans,” he continued as he walked to the door.

“Let me guess, plans with Martha?” Megan huffed.

“For your information, Kim and I are going to Rob’s for a few drinks,” Jack glared at her.

“Oh, well have fun,” Megan exclaimed.

“I’ll call you tomorrow so we can organize a day to go to the hospital for the test,” Jack then told her and walked out. “Bye,” he called.

“Whatever,” Megan muttered after Jack was gone.

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NEXT MORNING

Martha walked up to Jack’s front door and knocked. It seemed to take ages for someone to answer the door; and when it finally was answered it was Kim. He looked a little worse for wear.

“Jack’s still in bed. Late night,” Kim yawned.

Martha sighed. “Oh well, I won’t stay. Can you tell him I popped in?” Martha asked.

“Yep, sure,” Kim yawned again. “Oh, if you see Kit, can you tell her I need her?” he asked Martha.

“Ewww,” Martha exclaimed. “Hell no. I’m not your pimp. Do it yourself,” Martha laughed and walked back to the front door.

When Martha walked out she crashed into Megan; who was standing on the front porch.

“Let me guess. You’re here trying to talk Jack into getting a paternity test done?” Megan glared at Martha.

“Get out of my way,” Martha pushed passed her.

“Are you in a bad mood?” Megan laughed. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with what Jack got up to last night, would it?” she smirked.

Martha froze in her tracks. She then slowly turned to face Megan. “Excuse me?” she said softly.

“Whoops, I guess Jack hasn’t told you yet,” Megan said.

“Told me what?” Martha demanded. She didn’t like the sound of this.

“Jack’s going to tell you eventually, so I may aswell tell you now,” Megan started. “Jack came to see me last night. And I guess you could say he stayed a little longer than expected,” she explained.

“What?” Martha was confused. She didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to believe that Jack would go to her.

“Remember how you said that it would be hard task for me to get Jack? Well, it wasn’t so hard,” Megan laughed. “I only had to touch him, and he was putty in my hands. He was as good as I remembered,” she smirked.

“You’re a liar. Jack would never sleep with you again,” Martha snapped.

“Sorry, but it’s true. And look, he even left his jacket at my place,” Megan held up Jack’s leather jacket. “He was in such a rush to get home early this morning, that he forgot it,” she explained.

Martha didn’t know what to say. Megan had the proof that Jack was with her. She had his jacket. She could feel her eyes starting to well up with tears. And they would soon start dripping down her cheeks.

“Lost for words,” Megan laughed. “Look, Jack’s with me now. I can give him so much more than you ever could. So just deal with it,” she said smugly.

Martha let out a sob, and quickly spun on her heels. She ran as fast as she could and jumped into her car. She clicked her seatbelt in and revved the car. She sped off without even taking a glance back.

How could he? How could Jack hurt her like that? He said that he loved her. It was a lie. It was all a lie. Jack was just like every other jerk on the planet.

She hated him. She never wanted to see him again.

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NEXT CHAPTER: How will Jack get himself out of this latest fiasco?

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On a lighter note........I just beat the crap out of a tarantula. It crawled over my computer screen and nearly gave me a friggin heart attack. I'm a major arachnophob.

[bay girl]

Hey guys. Here’s a new chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY

Martha walked into the apartment and slammed the door shut as hard as she could. She then leaned against the door and took a deep breath; trying to calm herself down. But she couldn’t. The tears continued to stream down her face. But she wasn’t just upset anymore; she was angry.

“What’s with the slamming of the doors?” Macca called as he walked out from the bedrooms. But as soon as he saw Martha, and realised that she was upset, he paused on the spot. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.

Martha stormed across the room; flinging her hand bag on the ground. “I hate him,” she yelled. “He’s just like every other jerk on this friggin planet, and I hate him,” she started to cry as she sat down on the couch.

Macca sat down next to her and took her hand. “Who are you talking about? What’s going on?” he wanted to know.

“Jack,” Martha stated. “He was with Megan last night. She told me everything,” she cried.

Macca looked at her in shock. “You’re kidding right?” he exclaimed.

“No Macca. Why would I kid about something like that,” Martha snapped.

“I can’t believe it,” Macca shook his head in disbelief.

“How could he do that to me? We’re having a baby,” Martha sobbed. “I know that we’re not together, but he said that he loved me, and that he wanted to be with me. He said that he’d never hurt me. It was all a lie,” she continued.

“Hey, calm down. We don’t want you having an attack again,” Macca said to her as he rubbed her back.

“How am I supposed to look at him after knowing what he did with her?” Martha ignored Macca’s plea for her to calm down.

“How did you find out?” Macca asked.

“I ran into her out the front of Jack’s. She was bringing his jacket back. He left it at her place after they did god knows what,” Martha started. “You should have seen how smug she was about it; rubbing it all in,” she continued.

Macca sighed. “Did you talk to Jack about it?” he questioned.

Martha shook her head. “God no. I had to get out of there before I threw up in disgust,” she told him as she wiped away her tears. “What am I going to do Macca? I can’t take this anymore. I can’t take seeing her anymore. She makes me so angry. And now she finally got what she wanted. What am I going to do?” she sobbed.

“I don’t know bug,” Macca said honestly. “I just can’t believe that he’s done this,” he said.

“Let’s go home,” Martha shot out.

“What?” Macca looked at her; confused.

“Take me home. Get me away from this place. Let’s go back to the farm,” she told him.

“Martha,” Macca shook his head in protest.

“We don’t have to go by plane, we can drive there,” Martha sniffed.

Macca pulled Martha into a hug. “I think you should just calm down a bit, and think things through before you go making any rash decisions,” he insisted.

But Martha had made up her mind. She wanted to go back to the farm. She’d be happy there, and she’d have no problems. And the most important thing was that she’d feel closer to her mum and dad. Being back on the farm would be great.

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“I feel so much better now that I’ve had a shower,” Jack said as he walked into the kitchen. “I felt like total crap when I first woke up”.

“Me too,” Kim exclaimed. “But it was worth it. Last night was great. I haven’t had that much fun in ages,” he laughed.

“Yeah, especially when Robbie started doing those impressions of Colleen,” Jack laughed along with Kim. “Do you think he remembers doing it?” he asked.

“Probably not,” Kim chuckled. “Oh, before I forget, Martha popped in this morning,” he told Jack.

“You should have woken me up,” Jack said.

“Yeah, but I thought you’d appreciate some more sleep. Besides, just after she left, Megan arrived,” Kim explained.

“What did she want?” Jack asked.

Kim shrugged. “Wouldn’t have a clue. But she did find your jacket out on the front lawn. You must have left it on the grass when we were still drinking out there earlier this morning,” he told him.

“Mind if I come in?” an angry voice asked from the front door. Jack spun around to see who it was. It was Macca, and he didn’t look very happy.

“Hey mate. Come in,” Jack invited. “What’s going on? You don’t look very happy”.

“How could you do that to her? I thought that you loved Martha,” Macca snapped at him. “You promised me and you promised our father that you’d look after her, and you told us that you loved her,” he kept on.

“I do love Martha,” Jack insisted.

“Really,” Macca scoffed. “Well you have a nasty way of showing it,” he exclaimed.

“What are you talking about?” Jack was confused.

“I’m talking about you spending the night with that bimbo Megan last night,” Macca growled at him.

“Wait a minute. What?” Jack spat out. Why on earth would Macca think that he slept with Megan?

“Don’t act dumb. Megan explained it all to Martha this morning. She told Martha that you spent the night with her,” Macca explained.

“I did not sleep with Megan,” Jack protested his innocence.

“He’s telling the truth mate,” Kim finally entered the conversation. “Jack and I went to Rob’s place last night for a few beers. We didn’t get home until about three am this morning. You can even ring Robbie and Tasha; they’ll tell you that we were there,” he told Macca.

“But she had your jacket. She told Martha that you left it at her place because you were in a hurry to get home,” Macca pointed out.

“Jack and I sat out on the front lawn and had a few more drinks when we got home. He left his jacket out there by accident. When Megan came here this morning; she found it out there and brought it in,” Kim explained a little more.

“Then why the hell would she tell Martha that the two of you slept together?” Macca looked back at Jack.

“Because she’s nasty and conniving; just like I always said,” Jack sighed. “She doesn’t want me and Martha to be together. She’ll do anything to make sure that we stay apart”.

“Well she’s getting what she wants, isn’t she?” Macca said. “Listen mate, you better get your butt over to the apartment and explain this all to Martha. She’s devastated. She’s so upset that she’s asked me to take her back to the farm,” he told Jack.

“What?” Jack yelled.

“She wants to go back to the farm, and if Martha wants to go, I’ll take her,” Macca said to him.

“You’re not taking her anywhere,” Jack ordered.

“That girl is bad for Martha’s health. She’s driving her crazy. And if taking her away from this place means that bug and her baby are safe and happy; I’ll do it. If something isn’t done soon about Megan, then I won’t hesitate in taking Martha home with me,” he threatened.

Jack just shook his head and picked up his car keys. He needed to get over to Martha’s and explain that it was all a misunderstanding. If Martha went back with Macca to the farm, he honestly didn’t know how he could cope.

And after he spoke with Martha, he’d be paying a visit to Megan. And it wouldn’t be pretty.

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Martha was mopping the floor when she heard a knock at the door. She let out a loud groan; she hated getting interrupted when she was in the middle of something. She leant the mop up against the wall and made her way over to the door. She opened it, and came face to face with Jack. She couldn’t help but laugh a little in his face. Did he actually have the nerve to come see her?

“Ah, no,” she snapped at him, and slammed the door in his face.

She walked back into the kitchen and continued with the mopping. But a few moments later the door opened and Jack walked in.

“When someone slams a door in your face it usually means they want you to get lost,” Martha glared at him.

“I’m not going anywhere until you listen to me,” Jack said.

“Let me guess, you got a visit from Macca. God, that guy needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut,” Martha laughed.

“Yeah, he just came round to my place and abused me,” Jack started. “Oh, yeah, and he also said that you’re going back to the farm. Hmmmm, I don’t think so,” he snapped.

“If I want to go back to the farm, I will,” Martha spat out.

“Over my dead body,” Jack exclaimed.

“That can be arranged,” Martha stated.

“Why do you want to go back to the farm?” Jack asked her.

“Oh gee, I don’t know Jack,” Martha laughed sarcastically. “It might have something to do with you sleeping with that thing. So why did you do it? I wasn’t giving you any sex, so you had to go elsewhere? Well I hope it was worth it,” she yelled at him.

“I didn’t touch her,” Jack yelled back at her.

“Yeah right, pull the other one,” Martha scoffed, as she vigorously continued to scrub the floor with the mop.

“What are you doing? Give me that, I’m trying to talk to you,” Jack snatched the mop from her hands and threw it on the ground. “What is your problem? Why don’t you believe me?” he yelled again.

“My problem is you and her,” Martha looked up at him. It was only now that Jack noticed the tears in her eyes, and he suddenly felt bad about yelling at her.

“She told me straight to my face Jack. She told me that you spent the night with her. And of course there was me, standing there; controlling the urge to spew,” Martha cried.

“I did not sleep with her. She lied,” Jack said to her.

Maybe he’s telling the truth, Martha thought.

“He’s not lying bug,” Macca said from the doorway. Martha swung around to face him. She wondered how long he had been standing there.

“I thought you might need some back up,” Macca said to Jack.

“Thanks,” Jack laughed.

“Megan lied to you. Jack was at Rob’s place with Kim last night. They were there until about three am. If don’t believe it; you can ring and ask them,” Macca began.

“And as for her having my jacket, she found it on my front lawn this morning and picked it up. Kim and I sat out there and had a few more beers before we went to bed. I left my Jacket out there and she found it,” Jack explained.

Martha just stood on the spot. She didn’t know what to say. She’d jumped to conclusions yet again; she had never felt so embarrassed in her life. It was worse than the embarrassment she had felt the other week when she had flipped out at Jack. And now she’d just done it again.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Macca smiled and walked back out the door.

Martha looked up at Jack, but then quickly looked away. Jack then placed his hand on her back and guided her over to the couch.

“I think it’s time you and I had a little talk, don’t you?” Jack suggested.

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