Behind The Smile...

[defying_gravity]

thanks so much 4 updating!! plz update again soon:)

[WYN100]

STILL ALIVE LOL - Anyway, hoped it might still be worth posting again...

**PART 18

Martha's return to 'the land of the living' was slow, groggy and imprecise. Dull, thudding shadows both inside and outside the back of her head each told a tale - one that there was an over-arching issue of some significance she hadn't yet been able to squeeze back through the keyhole of her mind- the other that painkillers were likely to be be neccessary for the spot where she'd cracked her head.

As the room around her began to organize itself into some sharper focus she became aware of the faces of both Norris and Harper looking her with some concern. As all the previous events, including the shooting at the railway cuttings and her fears for Jack came cascading back into her mind, she grasped the topsheet between the fingers, sat bolt upright and wailed "Oh my God, he's dead isn't he, ISN'T he !!", and lapsed into a patchwork of low, gulping sobs, embroidered by an inaudible conversation held with herself , clearly of a highly volatile and mournful subject matter.

Norris and Harper exchanged glances, the superior from the city clearly puzzled - "Sergeant, I had no idea whatsoever that this girl was close to him - why wasn't I told ? = it might have been a great help in this case..!!"

Harper in response made a series of goldfish-style movements amid a mildly dumbstruck expression, but before he could answer, Norris had swept out to alert the medical team that Martha had regained consciousness. In his absence, Harper made a couple of aborted general movements towards talking to Martha, but uncertain about how much or little he should disturb the patient, ultimately remained quiet. As for Martha, a sub-reality world swirled around her as the back of her head continued to throb intrusively like an uninvited guest refusing to leave a party . Why Jack ??- Why'd she wasted so much time ? Why hadn't she..why, why, why, why...

"WHY wasn't anyone watching the squad car ???"

Reality precisely punctured dream-world via the key-word she heard repeated .."..WHY, just tell me..."

A Verbal explosion from behind cut him short !..."JAAACK !! = oh thank the Lord, you're ok !!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jack responded with a slightly puzzled smile and "..uh, yes, thanks, I could say the same for you, but....?"

"But they said you were dead....!!!"

"WHAA...." - Jack swivelled round to the by-now utterly mystified looking Harper, but stopped short as the truth dawned.."Ah, no that was LOGAN not me that was killed..."

"But that's good, isn't it..?"

"Oh you'd THINK, wouldn't you !! " Jack's brow clouded over again as he again brandished the piece of paper he'd brought in with him - "but firstly the girl -Kate Amery -drives their car straight at me to get away, and then - that car's left alone out there for FIVE minutes - and THIS is left on it !! Peering across his arm, Martha read..."YOU SCUM MAY HAVE GOT MY GUY - - BUT YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET, -BELIEVE ME ...!!"

Martha gave an involuntary shiver, and looked nervously around her.....

McGrath eyed the two men before him alternatively and extremely closely as he sought to take in this latest- and seemingly very compelling twist in the Henk Van Patten murder case.

Jabbing a forefinger at Brad, he asked with all the patience he could muster "So YOU knew this Bradshaw character too, am I right..?"

Brad breathed in to reply, but the officer drilled on .." And - don't tell me...THAT'S why you came back to the Bay that one other time - WASN'T it ..!!"

Brad's face fell right through the gears from furiously defiant to quietly crestfallen within seconds. His eyes turning down towards the table he nodded glumly.

McGrath made a motion as if to wave away Brad's newly guilty aspect - "no - NO, that's GREAT -GREAT -I feel a case forming here by the minute !"

Tapping his biro against the table, he trained eyes on the other chair - "So - - run it by me just one more time -from the top .?"

Running his fingers back through his hair, Miles Copeland sighed patiently and nodded. It had been far from his intention to bring this side of his mid-to-recent history before police scrutiny, but after being collared by and found himself talking to Alf Stewart after the earlier phone-call he was now convinced he was onto something over the death of Henk, and was determined to push it as far as he could.

Nodding wearily, he re-opened "Well Sergeant, you know very well that before I settled here, my life was what you might call...well...unconventional ?- and when you're on that kind of 'circuit' , you're vulnerable to any and all kinds of people ..

AND certain places - pubs, cafes - NOT the elite variety you'll understand - well, they kind of home in on you there - you need money, they've got it - but to be repaid at evil rates of interest that they SOMETIMES tell you beforehand - - but sometimes, as I discovered today, AFTERWARDS, and I mean pretty long afterwards. Anyway, Bradshaw lent me a sum of money, and when it came out that I was heading towards Summer Bay - he mentioned he already had a 'client' there - of course the name Henk Van Patten meant precisely nothing to me at the time - though of COURSE it does now ! PLUS - when he mentioned Henk, there was something in his attitude that showed he wasn't perhaps his FAVOURITE person in the world, so - as Alf and I discussed it it just seemed to grow more and more possible that Henk had failed to pay him, and he'd come here to make him pay in a DIFFERENT way - it's got to be possible hasn't it Sergeant ?"

McGrath nodded with growing enthusiasm - though with a modicum of typical policeman's reserve.. "Oh yes, CERTAINLY possible - but with no hard facts I can't just go hauling him in of course..."

Brad and Miles watched anxiously as McGrath, head bowed studiously over his regulation ring-topped notepad continued to tap hard with the biros before his face rejoined the trio, cloaked in an enigmatic , thoughtful smile.

"Right, Miles - he's trying to squeeze you for non-existent interest, right..?" - he nodded - "So Brad----he could try the same trick with you..."

"I suppose so, yes.."

"But you'd BOTH like to at least reel this guy in, right...?"

Two nods in reply..

"Well...there IS a way I can think of - it would need both your co-operation - and it could well be very dangerous...you both up for it ?"

In front of the officer, two uncertain and tension-filled glances were exchanged...

+

++

Rachel and Tony had left the police station just minutes before the new arrival there had lit a beacon of hope for Brad's very shaky-looking situation- Rachel had been very reluctant to go, but Fitzy had been adamant the interview would take at least 2 hours, and though she was very much prepared to write off her work shift that evening if Brad needed her, Tony took his courage in both hands to remind her gently that her appraisal interview re-run with Dr Lewington wasn't all that far away, and to miss a night-shift at zero notice to offer TLC to a murder suspect - brother or not - - might be quite a wide paving-slab for the good doctor to swallow.

They walked with conversation swerving from the high pitch of Rachel's protestations on the slow speed of the Australian legal system to mutual pensive silences, punctuated only by the sound of the passing traffic and, - as they got nearer the Bay, the familiar jangling gossip of the seagulls, shifting en masse to some mutually pre-agreed venue - and letting as many people know about it as possible.

Rachel was beginning wish they'd come by car instead of on foot as with every step her legs were beginning to send her reminder messages written in large red letters of fire about the re-awakening of her pain. It would of course be a snowy July day on Bondi Beach before she'd want to admit to Tony that the pain was back - firstly because he berated himself so much over the initial accident itself , and secondly because he'd been so thrilled with the progress she'd seemed to make at the group meeting the other night, and she was reluctant indeed to puncture his feelgood bubble by admitting that just at that exact moment, she'd do almost ANYTHING for two painkillers, and intended to head straight in their direction as soon as she could most inconspicuously do so on their return. As they reached the end of their road, Tony smiled weakly across at her, and -largely mistaking the reason for her pained expression, said "try not to worry about Brad Rachel - you know yourself how long the police can take and I' m sure Brad'll have had nothing to do with Henk's death, AND he'll be able to explain that to them, right ?!" Her answering smile was just as weak, but she nonetheless linked arms with him as they strolled down the familiar street, only pulling up sharply as they came opposite their own property. Feeling Tony's grip on her hand slacken, she looked up to see his face in 'full alert' node as his eyes flitted sharply and economically over what he could see in front of him, but before she could pose a query, his voice tightened as he exclaimed "Oh my LORD - FIRE !! THAT'S what it is !! " And, as her own heart started to thump, she followed his eyeline and was forced to agree - tall , rake-like plumes of smoke were beginning to make a vertical ascent from somewhere at the rear of the property, being steadily coloured an opaque orange as they did, the flames gathering power from just behind as they stood, momentarily transfixed. Then, almost instantaneously, the same thought struck them about the other crucial element in this whole situation, looking at each other and shouting "LEWIS !!" Indeed, there had now started to come some disembodied cries, presumably for help from the stranded one-time Dr Rigg. Reacting instinctively, Rachel sprinted towards the drive leading up towards the house. Before he could offer an admonishing counsel to take care, Tony's face was frozen to a mask of horror on seeing Rachel pulling up sharply and-, reaching down to grasp her leg, she suddenly crumpled to the grass at the lower end of the garden path. "RACHEL ...!!" cried Tony in alarm and concern as he quickened his stride only to stiffen with horror as the familiar but seemingly for that moment at least -highly incongruous sight of Lewis's car as it came screaming out of the drive, and caught the crouching Rachel a glancing blow as it veered past , leaving a gaping Tony just a split-second of all-round mental and physical paralysis before he could leap to her aid...

[defying_gravity]

oh no! i hope rachel's ok!! plzz update again soon

[QUIET ACHIEVER]

Great chapter! I also hope that Rachel is okay. Please update soon.

[WYN100]

THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN - SORRY IF WAS A BIT SLOW WITH THIS..

**PART 19

The barely suppressed actress within Josie Russell could usually be relied upon to snap into action at a handful of seconds notice whenever required and had famously steered her through a variety of testing life situations , with only the aborted wedding to Jesse being genuinely filed under the 'one that got away' column.

And now those skills were required again - this time with all but zero notice - and not just because she'd been caught 'red handed' rather smugly acknowledging her recent trail of trouble - but because here was someone in Tasha that she genuinely cared about. Most people that Josie encountered in her life were ephemeral, even disposable - but Tasha was different - very different. She was someone from whom Josie sought, craved, even NEEDED approval. Her own shambolic family life would win no prizes on the society pages- she knew that- but Tasha was someone who had seemed to offer stability, shape, direction - which is why it had hit her so hard when she and Robbie had decamped to the USA. And now - here she was once again - on the one hand a surge of joy to the heart - but she was HERE seemingly as a hostile jury for a painstakingly prepared trap into which she had unwittingly fallen. As she tuned back into her own soundtrack she heard the theatrical alter-ego peal a less than convincing laughing and saying dismissively "and as for me going after JESSE !! - been there, done that - I mean like I'd go down THAT road again ! Tasha, of all people YOU know me well enough to know that..!?"

Having watched Josie's performance with the weary resignation of someone unwisely accepting an invitation from a favourite aunt to attend a sub-standard local am-dram performance just because her local postman was taking the lead role, Sally then turned to look at Tasha, fully expecting her desired outcome of outrage, hostility and recriminations - possibly with a threat of outright rejection laced in.

There was certainly no spontaneous eruption however, and as the seconds ticked by Sally felt obliged to break the personal silence she'd resolved so hard to maintain - "Tash...? - you head all of that... you see what she's been up to....?"

Tasha had been holding Josie with a studied, thoughtful stare - but now broke her silence - "No Sal, I really can't see very much harm in any of this - you know what Josie's like -she lives on the edge a bit, but hey - after all, Jesse's still WITH you, isn't he...?"

Sally was gaping at this wholly unexpected turn of events - made all the more galling by the complacent, triumphant smile that had formed itself across Josies's face. "Y-yes, but..."

Tasha was continuing briskly "So - if that's all, Josie, how about you go and pay, and we'll head off for a bit of girlie shopping, right ?" Josie willingly concurred - but - before turning to join her, Tasha sent further surges of confusion through Sally's already highly perplexed view of proceedings by dropping one eyelid in an almost imperceptible wink..

Nurse Julie paused, wondering whether to intervene - - - then, for a whole variety of reasons, decided against it. As she slipped out of the room, she left Inspector Norris's voice behind her, probing and chisel-edged..

"So Doctor Rigg...or.." with a slight but recognizable edge of disdain in his voice - "should I say MISTER Rigg, - where shall we start with what went on at the Holden house tonight ..? Or - how about I provide YOU with a scenario we can discuss, how would that be ..?"

Summoning up a concerted effort, Lewis dragged himself upright in the hospital bed - at some clear discomfort to himself he gave a low, barking cough and demanded.."Rachel...how is she ? I've..I've got to know...I heard she got hit..." His hand flying back to his mouth, he lapsed into a paroxysm of smoke-induced coughing as Norris responded, "There now Mr Rigg, you see we just mustn't;t get ourselves over-excited, must we ,,?", and - with the flint edge returning to his voice- "And questions about others aren't a luxury that's open to you at the moment - now - let me save you some effort. You were at the house tonight when your acquaintance from the substance group known as Seb - or Mr Sebastian Lomas to give him his full name - arrived once again with the bright idea of following up the theft of Mr Holden's "Rainy Day Box" and the two hundred dollars within it by seeing what else the pair of you could select to take. We have of course got some quite close details on Mr Lomas - he's got quite a record of petty theft already for which his court defence has almost inevitably been the over-use of marijuana - something I think he told you at the group he now has in hand - am I correct ? Then it all got a bit out of hand - you tried setting a small fire to cover your traces and make it seem like a random burglary and it just went too far - - - FAR too far, yes ?"

He'd continued despite animated head-shaking and various attempts at croaked intervention from the unfortunate Lewis, culminating in another volley of what was clearly becoming quite painful coughing for him.

Eventually he handed the patient a glass of water, and while it was being drunk, sat back to hear the inevitable rebuttal that would come. Indeed it did of course - slow, halting, but - as it developed - with something of a credible air around it.

"You are so wrong.." said Lewis ponderously and uncomfortably - "I'd NEVER deliberately spit in Rachel and Tony's eye after the second chance they've given me - especially her..!"

Between further copious draughts of water, he outlined to Norris that Seb hadn't been at the house that night, indeed he was staying out of town with his aunt, a fact which could be definitively checked out.

Rising from the chair where he'd squatted in the meanwhile, Norris loomed over the bed and continued "So who WAS it then, Mr Rigg, who WAS it ? You know this can only be delayed and not avoided now we've come this far - - why don't you just make it easier for everyone and just say..?"

It was clearly information Lewis was extremely reluctant to shed. Sinking back against the pillows and emitting a long, angst-laden sigh, he lapsed into several further minutes of silence under the steely gaze of the Inspector before eventually succumbing to the inevitable - "Right, I'll tell you then - but I want it known this was something I NEVER wanted coming across Rachel and Tony's path - and it never SHOULD have, right ..?"

"Of course.." from Norris..

"It wasn't Seb, it was a guy called Bradshaw, and he was the one that stole my car and hit Rachel too, so.."

He broke off, aware of Norris's very distinct reaction to this news. Having earlier taken an update from McGrath via walkie-talkie, he cut in "... Bradshaw the money-lender ? You mean you were involved with him too...?!" Giving a glum nod, Lewis affirmed "Yes, the kind of moments in people's lives like when I hit my lowest are when leeches like that thrive...." Eyes bright and emitting renewed positive energy, Norris told him "Well, I don't think I'm giving too much away when I tell you we're in an advanced state of closing in on our Mr Bradshaw, with 2 ordinary members of the Summer Bay community going in as the front face of an operation which should hopefully bring some long overdue justice to his door ..!"

He halted, struck by another dramatic change that had swept across Lewis's face.. "Inspector you're using regular guys to draw out Bradshaw- unarmed I presume,,? "

Nod, from Norris.

Lewis was gasping again now, but before reaching for the water managed to emit hoarsely "Inspector you HAVE to remember, I've seen how this guy works, and I'm not even talking about last night - you need to believe me, that would be one bad - and I mean SERIOUSLY bad idea..!"

Norris's usually implacable countenance displayed rare concern as he found himself hoping that - despite the unorthodox source of this warning -McGrath's plans hadn't yet reached or gone past the point of no return...

Just outside and further down the passage a taut and increasingly fractious Tony had waylaid Nurse Julie as his ire escalated over the length of time it was taking to get Rachel into the operating theatre.

A particularly prominent vein was starting to bulge ominously on his forehead as he demanded at steadily escalating volume, "What in the HELL is taking so long Julie - it's got to be nearly two hours since we got here, and even longer since that damn car hit her - we see Dr West, he says she needs surgery, then - - well then it's sweet fresh air, that's what !! So what can POSSIBLY be going on all this time ??"

Nodding in as placatory a way as possible, Julie removed his hand from the top of her shoulder where he'd gripped it and replied "Look try and calm down Tony, I haven't been on shift too long - you hold fire and I'll check the nurses' station. She drifted over to a small alcove where she began an earnest and spirited discussion down the internal phone while Tony continued to pace the floor fiercely, indeed kicking out at a dustbin that became entangled in his stride. The stark jangling of that object as it skimmed across the floor was still reverberating tinnily around the marble floor of the waiting area as Julie crossed slowly back across to him, looking just a little cautious as she did. Tony's radar was too comprehensively jammed to recognize fine shades of feeling - spinning round , he gasped "Well ?...did you find out anything..?"

Trying to relate as methodically as possible she said "Well look Tony, as I can make it out there's been a major road crash out on the east freeway - that's why Rachel's status was stood down when the ambulances were able to start bringing the casualties in.."

Tony's look showed he only partially appreciated the significance of her ongoing report..

"BUT...the difficulty IS - - three of tonight's duty surgeons are now apparently totally boxed in by a five-mile jam that's stacked up behind the crash.."

"So...?" he demanded

"So- it means that while we DO have spare surgery capacity tonight, we DON'T actually have any surgeons to work on Rachel - or any other casualties from the crash..."

Tony's face was a mask of barely comprehending horror - he replied haltingly.."So- when WILL we...??"

Julie began to shrug a little helplessly, but, hearing a voice some distance down the corridor, she paused, saying slowly "Unless....?" Telling Tony to stay where he was, she bustled the twenty paces or so down to the ward swing doors, where, as she;d correctly judged, she'd heard the distinctive drawl of Doctor Lewington as he greeted the duty security guard. She quickly worked out that he was in on one of his regular evening "drop-in" sessions to see how the department was coping. Briefing him quickly and efficiently on the state of affairs as it stood, she concluded with the vital, telling question..."so then sir, is it possibly you'd be able to operate on Dr Armstrong's injuries after that car hit her...?"

Puffing up with characteristic self-importance at being asked, Lewington appeared to think for a few moments before responding.."...of course - you find me the notes and of course I'll be delighted to fill the breach...."

- and only for brief seconds did the surgeon's conscience prick him about the second large glass of brandy he'd consumed at his club in Yabbie Creek within the last hour - a history item his pomposity was already airbrushing and re-writing by the minute..

[defying_gravity]

great chapter!! plz update soon!!! and dnt kill of rachel!...or i will be forced to stop reading! hehe.

[rachel&kim]

oh my gosh, that's so cliffhangerish!! I really hope he doesn't do anything stupid.

Also, weirdest thing reading that, because I have a really good friend called Sebastian Lomas!!

[WYN100]

HI ! -Hey, wow @ the Sebastian Lomas thng ! - just a name from thin air, truly ! - no offence intended ! lol. Hope you like this anyway....and oh my !! DG - so wouldn't want u to stop reading.. ..but hmmm.......

**PART 20

Jas smiled enigmatically as she stood over the answering machine that had brought the news so central to advancing the plan in which she and Josie were engaged.

She recalled his mother's prim, clipped and vaguely disapproving tones - "Dominic...? are you there....Dominic....?..." then a long silence followed by a deep sigh favoured by certain relatives who've never seemingly quite grasped the principle of answering machines or voicemails and who appear to take the absence of a human voice at the other end to answer their call as a pre-planned personal insult.

Eventually, the message had heaved itself forwards to the point where Jas had really started to get interested...

"well...anyway... I've been talking to your Uncle Adrian..and...though I can't quite work out his reasoning for the life of me, he says yes he DOES want to ease his workload, and..."

..another sigh..

"..yes he IS going to sign over half the printing business to you..and he just wants to arrange a time to meet at the lawyers to get it all sorted..................he says he's been so impressed with you in this job..........." - and as the whole cocktail of detail and emortion seemed to become a little too much for her, the message had just faded away , leaving the incomparably more emotionless "thank you for calling.." voice to click in and bring an end to the little scenario.

"Couldn't be better..." she found herself articulating to the empty room. She picked up her mobile , tapped in a message, then smiled as the reply told her Dom's return was imminent.

And her ideally choreographed day continued as he got back, and as he listened to the messages sharing his overawed response with the apparent spontaneous delight of someone also hearing it for the first time. Relocating to the kitchen, she poured them both a large glass of wine and cradled her arm behind his back as they flopped on the sofa. Wriggling closer, he kissed her on the cheek, and after several deep draughts of wine, nodded towards the bedroom door and said "How about you and me....?"

That not being remotely in Jas's script, she squeezed his hand, and placing her mouth close to his ear, said breathily.."No - how about you and I go and CEL-E-BRATE !! - I think YOU and I should head for La Riga - then I feel like some serious CLUBBING..!!"

Wrinkling his brow momentarily at his own preferred plan being put on hold - and not for the first time - the kind of quality cuisine available at the exclusive Yabbie Creek eaterie was certainly very tempting - and for someone like him to be seen at a nightclub with a classy lady like Jas certainly wouldn't go amiss either. Launching into an impromptu slow twirling dance, she reached and pulled him up with both hands, shimmying over to collect her coat before guiding him out of the door and turning the light out behind her. It's doubtful however that either would have left in similar good humour if they'd known the identity of the OTHER person Dom's uncle was signing his business interest over to....

Whenever Doctor Lewington was placed in a situation where his ego and personal image were set in any kind of negative conflict, there would only ever be one winner. Despite years of consummate study, practice and elevation to consultant status, his yardstick had always indicated that nothing was ever more important or relevant than he himself, and every kind of good habit within him all too regularly became the debris from the spade with which he started digging and could almost never be persuaded to stop. This had tended to carry with it a low to medium overall risk factor - from insisting medical students followed and practiced one strict avenue of research or theory as opposed to another up to more hazardous areas such as demanding patients in post-op be treated with an older, more traditional regime of drugs and medication, whereby a more modern progressive approach would have been favoured by many.

But this was now the sharp end - human life to be secured or even saved - and while it should have been hastening out of the exit door, the Lewington ego was instead striding forward to greet and milk the spotlight- regardless of all the complications bristling around the situation following his hour or 2 of 'social' drinking earlier in the evening.

And so it was that with Rachel being prepared for pre-op in the theatre through the glass to his left, he stood scrubbing up and even expressing irritation at the delay in supplying him with the final case notes. "I can see I'll have to start knocking this place into shape !" he commented disdainfully to the preparing anaesthetist alongside him , "things will need to smarten up, that's for sure !"

The self-appointed guardian of high professional standards stopped momentarily as he turned away from the handbasin, - the room seeming just a little hazy for a moment , but, as he gripped the towel rail, all those doubts were sluiced away with a brisk stroke of a damp cloth over his forehead, and he proceeded through to the operating theatre. Adjusting his gloves and making a mental checklist that all the equipment neccessary was present and switched on. He noted with disapproval from the corner of his eye the late arrival of Nurse Julie darting into place - that girl would need some SERIOUS sorting out, he told himself.

Nodding at all; concerned, Lewington prepared to commence the surgery. Nurse Julie's highly pensive expression was telling its own tale about her perspective on proceedings and associated concern for Rachel - - then, - swivelling alertly to the door as a swift, taut knock was heard and in bustled Senior Staff Sister Diane Maddox. Easing Lewington away from his team at the table, she spoke in low, discreet tones. Not favouring either quality in his make-up, the others could clearly hear the surgeon reply disdainfully "But that's absurd sister, I'm about to operate...well I'm sorry if that's how you feel...well if not you then who...."

Sister Maddox turned slightly and indicated via a jerk of her thumb to the doorway where a figure in his late fifties wearing a smart loose grey jacket was standing. The intermittent staccato bleep of the surgical machinery pealed cleanly through the expectant air of the theatre - Rachel still prostate on the operating table as Craig Flanagan the hospital Administrator beckoned Lewington towards him. That surgeon's celebrated and well-documented ego quickly persuaded him the imminent exchange should be for as little general consumption as possible, so - treading as confidently as he could manage he stood close to the new arrival in the doorway , enquiring in muted tones, "What brings you here at ..this..particular sort of moment ..?"

In steady, economical tones, Flanagan replied "Just to let you know Doctor Andrews has made it through the traffic jam in - ah-the nick of time, and he's scrubbing up as we speak you'll be pleased to know..." Lewington bridled and his voice scaled down into something approaching a hiss as he replied " I'm not certain I agree with THAT Craig...is there some other agenda at work here...?" Flanagan's face remained implacable - "Let's perhaps say....saving you from going down a route that's...ah..best left untrodden...?" Long second passed as thunderclouds gathered on the Lewington brow before slowly, extremely reluctantly, he peeled off his surgical cloves and headed for the door, to be crossed at that point by the alert, eager figure of Doctor Andrews who strode confidently towards his patient. The outlook for a successful execution of Rachel's procedure had - at a stroke - become hugely more encouraging .

But - as facts began to stack up piece by piece in Lewington's mind as he glanced back resentfully through the small windows on the operating theatre swing doors - the same could not in any way be said for the imminent prospects of Nurse Julie Cooper on that senior consultant's radar. Even though Craig Flanagan lived adjacent to the hospital, it certainly wasn't a time of the evening where one would naturally have expected to find him there - far from it in fact - so contact must have been made to summon him there. Lewington's mind re-ran the late and somewhat scurried arrival of Nurse Cooper to the table, and a selection of her subsequent expressions of tension and uncertainty - even beyond those that could be generally be expected of the normal taut surgery environment. He nodded slowly and meaningfully -no-one caused him to have to endure that kind of humiliation and got away with it - that was for sure and certain- his mounting indignation having already characteristically and conveniently obscured the reason the whole issue had arisen in the first place. Inside, Rachel's operation was thankfully finally underway -the implications though were seemingly set to rumble on far more ominously for one particular nurse currently earnestly engaged and focused on securing the health of her great friend and colleague...

Jack had headed back to the police station with a cocktail of frustration and determination burning at high intensity inside him, HOW, between them could they have left that car unmonitored in that hospital car park even for those few minutes was now a cause of intense and brooding aggravation for him, while the dark and ominously direct threat scrawled by Kate Amery on the under-windscreen wiper note had now thrown the whole ongoing issue further forward into possibly even murkier waters.

Yes it would in one context be possible to dismiss or limit it as the reflex outpourings of one still in the shock-shadow of an unexpected death - but given Amery's connection with the early seeds of the whole Zoe McAllister issue and everything that had happened since including the abduction of Ric's baby he knew their collective outlook had to be an extremely focused one on this.

Pulling his chair close to the desk he resolved to hunt back over anything and everything his computer may be cradling somewhere deep within that may offer them a vital next step in how to proceed. His fingers skating across the keyboard, brow furrowed in determination he probed court records, parking offences, public order, even late or 'suspicious' tax declarations with a close eye of scrutiny before turning to the Internet - the Summer Bay website itself, Face book, MySpace, Bebo -but still no fanfare for the golden but elusive information nugget on Ms Kate Amery that he was so keenly seeking.

An extended sigh of frustration was still fluttering the top two or three paper documents on his 'Amery pile' when there was a tap on the door and Fitzy craned her head round saying "Night Jack, I'm off then - it's all pretty quiet out there - Kelli's on front desk but Harper's due on shift around 2am, so it should all bob along fine , cross fingers....!" Allowing himself the luxury of a deep, wide yawn and stretch before replying, Jack eventually responded "Oh yeah, that flu's got two or three off hasn't it - but , " - with an ironic smile "...I'm sure McGrath would be just TOO delighted to leap out of bed around 4 if I had to give him a call, you reckon..?" Fitzy feigned a moment's deep thought before responding - "YOU try it matey...!!" And with a wink of shared understanding, she was gone. Reflecting with a little surprise on the unexpected arrival of the previous elaborate yawn, the office wall-clock gave some clue as to its origin and reason, showing as it did a time of a minute or two before midnight.

Fitzy's flat being in close proximity to the main police station meant she walked the short distance home more often than not, so , rubbing his eyes Jack returned to the computer and his pursuit of attempting to enliven the so far stubbornly cold Amery trail. Two or three further fruitless websites later, Jack instinctively sat bolt upright and turned to the window next to his desk. It backed onto the police-only car park at the rear of the station - and he'd most definitely heard muted voices and seen some kind of light out there in those last few moments. His hand patting one hip to reassure himself his utility belt and gun were in place, he called to the new intake Kelli at the front desk and slipped out of the back door into the cool night air. The back door led out into a 10 or 15 yard outdoor passageway before opening out into the main car-park. Treading as steadily yet confidently as he could, Jack called out firmly "Who's there ...?? what's going on...come on...oops, whooa..wha...?!!" With a sudden, highly intrusive impact, Jack suddenly realized the cause of the light he'd spotted flicking around outside in the darkness through the office window. It was one of those laser pens - banned in so many countries, but now being shone directly at him - and more specifically at his eyes.

He looked to duck and dip his head away from the sharp, piercing beam, already beginning to take a major toll on the rear of his eyes.

"You just DROP that thing, do you understand !?" he shouted, attempting both to back up the way he'd come, and reach his gun at the same time. He'd achieved neither to any great effect when he felt a hard, thick object of some description being dashed into the back of his head with considerable force and power. His knees buckled beneath him, and suddenly, for Jack, everything had become a uniform black...

[rachel&kim]

No offence taken at all!! Seriously, just a very weird coincedence. I would never stop reading!

SO glad that Lewington was asked to stop, go Nurse Julie! Although now I'm very worried for her safety. Stupid egotistical doctors Thanks for the brilliant update, can't wait for the next installment.

[WYN100]

REALLY SORRY HAVEN'T UPDATED LATELY BUT BEEN IN HOSPITAL TJROUGH MOST OF OCT/NOV : BUT BACK HOME NOW SO WILL TRY AND OPDATE AS SOON AS POSS