Alex Ryan's eyes flick open.
In darkness he feels a deathly chill.
His breathing is low and laboured as a crushing pain sears through every nerve of his body.
"Stevie." He whispers then closes his eyes.
…
Stevie wakes and moves slowly and without purpose to the bathroom.
Something woke her and she feels confused.
Looking in the mirror she acknowledges her pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes.
She pees and notes the discomfort, wiping herself she stands and moves over to the basin.
Washing her hands she leans on the bench breathing in deeply.
Feeling several different kinds of pain she exhales and moves from the room.
…..
Moira Doyle sits up suddenly.
Her heart pounding.
She brushes her hair from her face.
In the darkness of the night she struggles to make sense of her dream.
….
"Grace! Wake up! Stevie's gone." Moira yells shaking Grace awake.
"Gone where?" Grace asks as she sits up.
"I have an idea come on we have to find her." Moira exclaims.
….
On a picnic rug with fairy lights strung through the trees Stevie has cried herself to sleep.
She wakes hours later a pain so strong ripping through her centre.
"Arggghhhhh not now, not out here." She cries.
…
"Grace! Over there I knew she'd come here." Moira directs.
Pulling up they run towards Stevie .
As she leans against the tree she groans. "I knew you'd find me. I prayed you'd find me."
"What are you doing out here Stevie?" Moira growls.
"Moira." She says tears spilling down her cheeks. "I can't do this."
…..
Moira and Grace help her onto the blanket and the entire time Moira has an unnerving feeling.
Despite the warm evening she's cold.
An overwhelming feeling of suffocation causes her to struggle to breath.
As Stevie bears down she yells in a guttural voice. "Alex!"
His name echoes around the valley.
…
Fisher Mortuary…
"How many have you got tonight Cliff?" John Rylan asks as he takes over the shift.
"Six so far and another on the way in." Cliff replies.
"What's that noise?" John asks.
"What?"
"Listen."
"It's a tapping noise."
"Not really what you need to hear in the morgue. Must be water in the pipes or something."
The two men walk towards the sound.
"Open this one."
….
"Push Stevie push!" Grace encourages.
"I can't." Stevie cries tormented by the day.
"Push damn it Stevie this baby needs to be born now , so you need to help me get him out." Moira growls.
Stevie again bears down all but exhausted by the effort.
"Alex!" She screams.
Grace and Moira exchange glances with tears in their eyes.
…..
Fisher mortuary...
"What did you say?" John asks.
"I never said a word." Cliff replies.
Both look down to the body bag in front of them.
John rips at the zipper.
"This one's not dead." He exclaims.
…..