EPISODE 5.2 – Past Life

Disclaimer – I don't own the Rescue Series, but miss it dearly since it left TV. I don't own the characters either, but Jessica, Andy, Lucas and Mikayla are my own creations.

This is Episode Two, and is the beginning of a new season. It is recommended you read the fourth season and the first episode of the fifth season before beginning this season.


Jordan awoke to a cold empty bed. He missed Heidi being next to him, and waking to see her beautiful smiling face beside him. He shifted out of bed, feeling lonely and depressed. He made himself a strong coffee, thinking about his day ahead. He was paired with the newbie, Lucas, and he was an arrogant pain. Convinced he was God's gift to women everywhere, he was always stuck up and proud. Jordan hated being paired with him, but knew better than to complain to Michelle. Especially since she looked so exhausted at the moment. He drained his cup and got dressed, heading to work for the day. Lucas was already there when he arrived.

"Hey Jordan. Still womanless?" He laughed and walked away. Jordan balled his hands up into fists, wishing he could punch out his lights. Vince arrived soon after, having picked up the mail from the post office. He handed an envelope to Jordan.

"This arrived for you," he said, and walked upstairs, sorting through the mass of envelopes. Jordan flipped over the envelope. The return address was from South Sydney High School, Jordan's old high school. He pushed his finger under the flap, and slit open the envelope, finding a stiff card inside. He pulled it out, reading the card quickly.

Jordan Zwitkowski

You are cordially invited to celebrate the 100th year of

South Sydney High School

Please RSVP as soon as possible.

Jordan checked his watch. He had enough time to reply before the night. He ran up the stairs, colliding with Andy on the way up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She brushed herself down.

"No worries, it's all good." She smiled at him, and continued her way down the stairs. Jordan made his way up the steps, and picked up his desk phone.

"South Sydney High School, how may I help you?"

"My name's Jordan Zwitkowski, and I'd like to RSVP for the celebration," said Jordan into the receiver. The woman on the other end scrawled his name on the paper.

"Have you got a plus one?" She asked. Jordan sighed internally.

"No."


Lara gathered her things up, and bundled Mikayla into the car. She waved her arms around as Lara tried to buckle her in.

"Mikayla, stop moving," she laughed. Mikayla grinned back at her, a toothless smile. Lara packed their bags in the car, and headed to Rescue. It felt good to be heading back to work today for the first time in ages. She made it HQ, and parked her car. Dean met her, and pulled Mikayla out of her capsule. She gurgled as Dean held her close, and smiled at her. He took her upstairs, and put her on her baby mat in the newly decorated kid's corner. Vince appeared.

"There's my gorgeous god-daughter." Lara smiled.

"You won't think she's so gorgeous when she's screaming." Vince grinned.

"I came over here to tell you guys that there's been a jet-ski accident down on Bondi Beach, and they need our help down there." Lara grabbed her jacket, kissed Mikayla goodbye, and followed Dean down the stairs. Jess and Chase arrived just as the teams were leaving, and he gave Jess a peck on the cheek, and ran down the stairs. Jess wheeled herself behind her desk. The paperwork was piled higher than normal. She glanced at Vince.

"Has anyone seen Michelle? It looks like she hasn't been here for a while." Vince thought back, and realised that Michelle had been absent the past few days.

"You might want to ring her actually. I haven't seen her for a few days." Jess grabbed her desk phone, and dialled Michelle's number. She didn't answer until the twelfth ring, when Jess was about to hang up.

"Hello?" Said Michelle wearily.

"Hey, it's Jess. I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you're okay. Vince said he hasn't seen you for few days." Michelle took a deep breath.

"I'm fine Jess, just haven't been well. Listen, I'm a little busy at the moment. I'll be in tomorrow to fix up the paperwork." Michelle hung up as the doctor came into her room at the hospital.

"Ms Letourneau, you shattered several ribs in the car accident, and you punctured a lung. We're going to continue to monitor you, and we'd like you to stay for a few more nights whilst we monitor the head injury you received." Michelle nodded, the shaft of pain piercing down her neck. The doctor flipped the page on his charts.

"We'd also like to work out why you fell asleep at the wheel in the middle of the day."

"I've just been busy. One of the girls at work had a baby recently, and she asked me for help. I've also got a four-year old son, and he's quite a handful." The doctor nodded, scrawling notes on his page.

"Have you been doing anything overly strenuous recently?" Michelle shook her head.

"I was in here about three months ago with a morphine overdose. It's a long story, and should be in my file." The doctor looked at his page again.

"You were also running a fever when you were brought in, and it was unusually high. We're worried about the implications of a fever that high." A nurse entered the room.

"We're going to take some blood samples, and run scans on your body to determine the cause." Michelle gulped, nervous.

"What are you looking for?" She asked shakily.

"Many things, but one possibility is cancer."


Dean and Lara felt like they were back in sync again, on the same page. They sped toward Bondi Beach.

"Are you positive you'll cope with me and Mikayla moving in with you?" He nodded, focussing on the road.

"Of course I am babe. I'm looking forward to having both of you in the house with me." He glanced at her, grasped her hand, and smiled.

"It'll be fun." Lara beamed at him. They pulled up in the carpark, and the four teams tumbled out. They had several people come from the water, seriously injured. Being winter, the surf life and rescue teams were on holidays, and most people avoided the frigid water. Apparently, not their patients. Lucas climbed out of the patrol he was sharing with Jordan, and flexed his muscles. It seemed like mere seconds before he had a swarm of giggly girls surrounding him. Jordan grabbed the back of Lucas's shirt, and dragged him away.

"Hey, hey! Hands of the merchandise Jordy. You can't afford what's here." Jordan gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"We need to work," he hissed, and hauled Lucas down to the beach. He came unwillingly, glancing back at the girls who gathered on the beach to stare at him.

"I need two water teams out there. Chase and Andy, and Jordan and Lucas. Suit up and head out." Jordan stripped down, his suit on underneath. Chase and Andy had done the same thing. Lucas stripped down to mere speedos. Jordan glared at him.

"Where's your wetsuit?" He asked. Lucas shrugged his shoulders.

"It's too confining. Gotta give the ladies what they want." He flexed a bicep, and one of the girls on the beach fainted. He winked at them, and walked into the surf.

"Mate, is it always this cold?" He complained loudly. Jordan ignored him, and dove into the pounding surf, floatation device strapped to his shoulder. He felt like he was back home. Born and bred in Maroubra, surfing was like the lifeblood for him. He struck out easily, Lucas on his heels. As they got closer, Lucas realised it was a young woman out lying in the water. He surged forward, and kicked Jordan in the face as he kicked past. Jordan stopped, his nose bleeding, and swore at Lucas. He caught up to him quickly.

"She's my patient!" Said Lucas angrily as Jordan caught up to him. He pushed Jordan aside.

"We need to work together of you want to get her in." Lucas shook his head.

"No, I can do this on my own." He released the girl, and pushed Jordan underwater. Jordan fought back, and resurfaced, spluttering.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded, coughing up water.

"Getting rid of you," Lucas answered nastily. He ripped the floatation device off Jordan's back, and slid it over his patient. She was watching the whole thing, interested and intrigued. Lucas pushed Jordan under the water, holding him there. Jordan struggled, fighting him to try and get to the surface. He could feel the water closing in, pressing on his lips, and he could hold on no longer. The freezing salty water rushed past his lips and flowed into his lungs. He stopped struggling as the darkness crept in, and swallowed him whole, his last thoughts on Heidi. His body floated up, immobile, and Lucas smiled. He returned to attending the woman.

"You mean so much more to me than he does. Let's get you to shore."

Kate and Lachie were watching from the beach, and noticed something going on with Jordan and Lucas.

"Lachie?" She called. He jogged over the sand to her.

"What's up?" She pointed out to where Jordan and Lucas were.

"Something's wrong," she said, stripping down to her suit.

"Dean!" Yelled Lachie. Dean and Lara came down the beach to where Kate and Lachie were standing.

"What's wrong?" Asked Lara. Lachie pointed wordlessly out to where Jordan and Lucas were, and Kate ran into the surf, and dove under the waves. She swam under the water for several metres, then resurfaced. She swam strongly out to Lucas and Jordan, her radio slapping against her side.

"Lucas? What's going on?" Kate asked breathlessly as she got closer.

"I have no idea, he was struggling, and then he went under. I was trying to look after the patient. I thought the guy could swim." Kate nodded.

"He can swim." She pulled her radio up.

"Rescue Portable Seven to Rescue Portable Six, Lachie, we need to have oxygen ready. He's not breathing." She turned to Lucas.

"You okay to bring her in?" He nodded. Kate slipped an arm under Jordan's neck, and headed back to shore. His body was a dead weight, and as she got closer to the shore, Lachie met her out on the shallower water. He helped her pull his body onto the shore. Lara and Dean ripped off Jordan's wetsuit, towelling him off. Lara noticed the blood still coming from Jordan's swollen nose. They shifted him up onto dryer sand, and Dean pulled out the defibrillator pads, attaching them to Jordan's chest. Kate grabbed a towel, and dried herself off. Lara began chest compressions, trying to shift the water from Jordan's lungs.

"Clear!" called Dean. Lara moved her hands off Jordan's chest as Dean hit the button on the defibrillator. The pulse travelled down the wires and diverged into Jordan's chest. His back arched, and then he flopped. Lara continued the compressions as Dean waited for the defib to recharge. Kate and Lachie watched on, as Chase and Andy brought in their patient. Lucas came in with his, and dropped her off with the paramedic. He came back down to watch as Dean and Lara tried to resuscitate a colleague and a best friend.

"Come on Jordan, don't give up on us now." Lara moved her hands away as Dean pushed the defib again. Jordan's chest jumped. For a split second, Lara was reminded of when this happened to dean. Jordan coughed and spluttered, throwing up litres of water. Kate and Lachie helped Lara roll Jordan into the recover position. Lucas watched on with curiosity.

"You alright there Jordy?" he asked, patting him on the back. Jordan glared at him, brushing off his hand, and pointed an accusing finger.

"You…" Lucas looked shocked.

"What do you mean 'you'?" He asked indignantly. Jordan coughed, the seawater burning his lungs. Lara pushed an oxygen mask on his face, and he pushed her aside.

"You pushed me under. What were you trying to do, kill me?" Lucas looked, bewildered at the rest of the team.

"Jordan, mate, you have no idea what you're on about. Stay calm, you've just come back from drowning." Jordan didn't care. He staggered to his feet, ripping off the pads attached to his chest, wincing slightly. Dean stepped in front of him.

"Jordan, don't do it mate. He didn't do anything!" Jordan pushed Dean aside, blinded by rage. Lucas stood in front of him like a stunned deer, unable to move as Jordan advanced on him. Jordan let his fist fly, and it connected with Lucas's nose, breaking it. Lucas fell backwards, unseeing as the pain in his nose flooded his face. Jordan followed him down, punching him solidly. The rest of the team watched on in horror. They knew better than to try and get in between Jordan and his fists. Lucas's face became one of sheer terror as he realised Jordan wasn't going to stop, and he tried to get up. With a crushing blow, Jordan knocked him unconscious, and he lay on the sand, blood streaming from his face, already bruising. Dean and Lachie pulled him back, and Jordan stopped struggling. The adrenaline rush was beginning to ebb away, and could feel the pain in his chest increasing. Andy and Kate stepped around the three boys, and checked over Lucas.

"He's still bleeding. Crikey Jordan, you really tried to kill him then," said Andy, astonished. Chase ran to the patrol, and pulled out a spine board.

"Rescue Portable Two to Rescue Base, Vince, we need an extra ambulance for Lucas."

"Rescue Base to Rescue Portable Two, what happened?" Asked Vince.

"Jordan just went crazy on him. It's a long story, you might want to wait until Jordan's been checked over."

"What's wrong with Jordan?"

"We just revived him from a near drowning."

"What?"

"I know Vince, calm down," said Lara.

"We'll be back in a little while." Lara clicked off her radio. Chase, Kate and Andy transferred Lucas onto the board, and with Lara's help, carried him up to the waiting ambulance that had just screamed up into the carpark. Lachie and Dean felt Jordan's body get heavier.

"Mate, you alright?" Lachie asked. Jordan's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and crashed.

"Lara!" Yelled Dean. She sprinted across the sand, leaving a paramedic to help the other three with Lucas. She pulled her stethoscope out of her medi-bag as she ran, and pushed the ends into her ears. She came to a halt, and pressed the stethoscope into his chest.

"He's breathing, but not well. I think he's swallowed too much water." Dean and Lachie hoisted Jordan up, linking hands underneath his legs. The moved up the sand quickly, Lara pulling the keys to the patrol out of her pocket as they hiked up. Chase, Kate and Andy watched them go. Chase pulled out the keys to the other patrol.

"Guess we're going back ourselves." Chase climbed in the driver's seat. Andy and Kate climbed into the back seat together.

"Do you want to head out to lunch before we head back?" Asked Chase as he pulled out of the carpark.

"Sure, sounds good." Kate and Andy settled back.

"So, Andy. What made you join RSO in Melbourne?" Asked Kate.

"Well, my Mum was a part of Fire Rescue, and my Dad was a part of Ambulance Rescue, so I guess it's in my blood. My older brothers went into the firies, and my older sister went into the paramedical service. When I turned seventeen, my parents expected me to choose either Fire or Ambulance. I surprised them both, and picked RSO instead. I'm almost twenty-one now, and I've never been happier. I know my parents would have preferred me to pick one of the professions that they're in, but I love the excitement of rescue. There's only so many fires, or medical incidents that you can attend. With Rescue, there's so much more you can do." Kate nodded. Chase pulled into the carpark.

"Let's get lunch." Andy was excited to actually be a part of the team, and followed them inside for lunch. Afterwards, they headed back to base. Vince met them downstairs.

"What the hell happened out there?" He asked angrily. Kate took her dad aside and filled him in. Andy stood with Chase for a few minutes.

"Is he always like that?" Chase nodded, and disappeared upstairs. Kate returned.

"Hey, you want to hang out at my place for a while?" Andy nodded her head.

"Sure, sounds good."


Dean and Lachie arrived at the hospital, and helped a barely conscious Jordan inside. The nurses swarmed around him as Dean and Lachie tried to keep him upright. His breathing was laboured, and he wasn't looking well. Lara watched as Jordan was taken away, and knew she'd have to ring Heidi. Lara pulled her phone out of her pocket, and dialled Heidi's number. She answered after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Heidi, it's Lara. I'm at the hospital. You might want to come down here." Lara heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end.

"Are you alright?" Heidi asked, concerned.

"I'm fine…" Lara was interrupted by a voice on the other end of the line.

"Baby, hang up the phone, and come back to bed."

"Heidi, who is that?" Asked Lara.

"No-one. Listen, I really have to go. I'm sorry."


Jordan woke up in the hospital bed late that night, alone. He felt an emptiness in his heart that could only be filled by Heidi. He was breathing easier now, and was on light oxygen. He felt a tear course down his cheek. He couldn't remember feeling this lonely, or ever a moment when Heidi wasn't sitting vigil by his bedside.

The next morning, he discharged himself from the hospital. He was due to be at the school celebration tonight, and he wanted to go, more as a distraction than anything. He didn't want to think about Heidi anymore. He walked home, kicking a rock, imagining it was himself. He wished he could understand what was going through Heidi's mind right now.


Michelle awoke to severe nausea, and promptly threw up on the bed. She was too weak to raise her head, and was lucky that a nurse walked past, otherwise she could have been in a mess for a while. The nurse cleaned her up quickly, and held a basin under Michelle's chin as she retched again. Michelle could only cry, feeling helpless to control what was going on to her body. She flopped back against the pillows. She'd been in here almost a week, and she'd been poked and prodded in so many different ways that she'd lost count. A doctor came into her room, a sombre look on his face.

"Ms Letourneau, I'm afraid I have some bad news." Michelle looked distraught at the doctor.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly, a lump in her throat. So many things ran through her head.

"The cause of all your problems has been an ectopic pregnancy." Michelle gasped.

"You'll be alright, you just need to take this medication and stay here for observation." He left the room to organise the medication. Michelle thought back to around a month ago. She'd gone out for a drink, and it had turned into three, then four, and then she was plastered. She called Ian in a drunken haze that night, and couldn't remember what they did. She woke up the morning after feeling sore and exhausted, but ignored it as just the fun she'd had. She rolled over on the bed, and let the tears fall freely. She could have had another baby, and her body hadn't let her. She laid a hand on her abdomen.

"I'm sorry baby."


Jordan pulled a suit out of his cupboard, and dusted it down. He hadn't seen most of his school friends since he had been in high school himself, and was unsure as to what most of them would look like, or how they'd react to his change in life. He used to be a wild-child when he was in high school, the rebel. He pulled the itchy suit on, and straightened his tie. He'd ordered a cab for the night, as he wasn't sure if he'd be drinking, and besides, he still hadn't replaced his old smashed up car. A honk outside sounded to let him know the cab was here.

"Let's get this night over with," he muttered, and stepped outside, locking the door behind him. The cab sped away from Jordan's house. After five minutes he arrived at his old high school, and he looked at it with disdain. He followed the trickle of people into the auditorium, and accepted a drink from the student at the door. He looked around the room, feeling awkward as he watched people converse.

"Hey, Jordan!" Brad Simpson appeared behind him, and slapped him on the back. Brad and Jordan had been friends during high school, and were double trouble. Jordan shook hands with him.

"Brad, mate, how are you going?" Brad smiled.

"Yeah, going well mate. Stayed under the radar for a few years. Oh, you should meet my hot date tonight." Brad peered around, and pointed over to a red-head.

"Oi, Heidi! Come meet Jordan," called Brad over the music.

"We already know each other." Brad looked from Heidi to Jordan.

"What? How?" He asked, confused.

"We work together," said Heidi quietly. Jordan looked at her, and felt his heart start to break in two.

"Jordan, you work at Rescue? What happened? I thought you would have still been street racing, or doing something, oh, I don't know, a little more rebellious." Jordan shook his head.

"I did for a while, but after I was rescued myself from a serious car accident, I chose a different path." Brad laughed, slapping his knees with the humour.

"What? Jordan mate, you've got to be kidding me." Brad slapped Jordan on the back again.

"Hilarious joke mate. Heidi, you want another refill?" She nodded shyly, and Brad took her glass. She stood, the tension between her and Jordan growing by the second.

"Heidi, what are you doing?" She shrugged her shoulders, and twisted her foot on the spot.

"I don't know Jordan. I just needed time to think. Brad found me at a bar, and I was smashed. He took me home to his place, and things got hot. I can't say I remember a lot of it." Jordan went to walk away.

"Jordan, I'm sorry. It's just… I've got so much to deal with at the moment, and when you left the other night, I was so upset. By the time you came back, I'd worked myself into a rage. I'm sorry I pushed you away." He shook his head. A squealing of tires, and a honking horn sounded, and Jordan looked around, confused. A car came crashing through the brick wall, and Heidi was lost under the dust and rubble. Jordan dropped to his knees, pulling bricks away.

"Heidi?" Jordan stopped going through the bricks when he realised his efforts would be fruitless without help. He pulled his mobile out of his pocket, and dialled a number with trembling fingers. A voice answered after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Vince?" Asked Jordan, his voice shaking.

"Jordan? What's up?" Asked Vince, concerned.

"Vince, we need teams down here at South Sydney High School. There's been an accident, and I need help. There are people trapped." Vince scrambled out of his bed.

"Alright, I'll get the teams to you. Can you do some assessment until we get there?"

"Yeah. See you when you get here." Jordan closed his phone, and secured it into his pocket. He moved away from where he had last seen Heidi, and walked away, ascertaining the states of the people in the room. Brad had a piece of glass from one of the windows piercing his shoulder, and he was gasping slightly with the pain. Jordan pulled off his own shirt, and tore it into strips. He looked at the glass shard, and decided against removing it. He strapped Brad's arm to his body, to prevent further movement.

"Mate, don't shift your arm. You risk moving the shard out of the wound, causing more bleeding." Brad nodded, clearly in pain.

"How do you know all this stuff?" He gasped.

"It's what we do at Rescue," answered Jordan, and he left Brad propped up against the wall, clutching his arm. A siren, then two, reverberated off the walls as the rest of the RSO team arrived. Dean practically propelled himself from the patrol.

"Jordan, what happened?" Dean asked.

"The car just came through the wall. It had to have been going fast; it's done a lot of damage." Dean went to walk away, and Jordan grabbed his arm.

"Dean, Heidi's in there." Dean nodded.

"We'll get her out Jordan." He walked away. Chase and Andy climbed out of the other patrol, with Lachie and Kate close on their heels. They pulled tools and kits out of the back of the patrols, and Chase tossed Jordan his radio.

"Thought you might need it," he smiled. Jordan glanced at Chase gratefully.

"Thanks mate." Chase motioned for Andy to come over.

"We're working on Heidi, and getting her out. Where did you last see her?" Jordan pointed away from where they were standing.

"We were over there." Chase nodded, and he and Andy began pulling away the rubble carefully. Dean and Lara worked on the driver, and Lachie and Kate looked after the other patients in the room.

"I've got blood!" Called Kate. Jordan rushed over to her.

"It's flowing quickly," said Lachie as he lifted up a beam. Jordan saw an arm, and realised a patient was trapped underneath.

"There's someone trapped under there!" Yelled Jordan, and the adrenaline rush enabled him to lift up the heaviest of the rubble. A young girl, not unlike Heidi in looks, lay breathing heavily, blood bubbling from her mouth. She looked at them in pain, and Jordan knew there was nothing they could do for her. They got her out just as her heart gave up, and she stopped breathing. Jordan held his head in his hands. Kate put a reassuring arm around Jordan.

"We'll get to her Jordan." He smiled at Kate, and jumped up to help Dean and Lara as they pulled the driver out of the car. She was seizing, and Jordan recognised her as Emily Summers, one of the kids from his year eleven science class. Dean and Lara struggled with her.

"Woah, set her down!" Said Jordan urgently. Her necklace was cutting off her air, and as Dean and Lara set her down, Jordan ripped the necklace off. She choked a little, and took a deep breath. Her convulsions eased, and she eventually stopped. She came out of the trance, and wiped her mouth.

"What happened?" She slurred.

"You don't remember?" Asked Lara, pulling a flashlight out of her pocket. She checked Emily's pupils. Emily raised her hands, trying to shield herself from the piercing light. Lara flicked the light off. Emily touched a hand to her forehead, and felt the sticky blood there. She looked at it, confused.

"Emily, you were in an accident. Do you remember getting behind the wheel?" Asked Jordan gently.

"How do you know my name?"

"We were in science together in year eleven." She looked at him.

"Jordan?" He nodded. She shook her head.

"I don't remember getting behind the wheel of a car," she said quietly. Jordan looked at the other two.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Dean nodded, and got up. A cry sounded from Chase.

"Jordan, we need you!" He called. Jordan looked at Lara, and she nodded.

"Go. I'll be fine." Jordan smiled at her gratefully, and got up, running over to where Chase and Andy were working.

"What, what's going on?" Andy pointed down to the gap that they had made.

"Heidi!" He cried. She was trapped under the heavy rubble, struggling to breathe.

"Jordan," she gasped. One of her hands was freed next by Chase, and she gripped Jordan's hand.

"I'm so sorry Jordan. I should never have slept with him, I was just so upset." Jordan shook his head.

"Shh, Heidi. I don't care about that anymore, I'm more concerned about getting you out. Then we can talk about this." She nodded, and closed her eyes.

"Heidi, stay awake for me," said Jordan sternly. Her eyes fluttered open again. He caressed her head, and pulled his hand back, hand wet and sticky with blood. Andy saw it, and gasped quietly. Jordan leant closer to her.

"We need to get her out. Now."


Heidi felt woozy and nauseated. She closed her eyes to try and get away from the mixed signals her body was sending her. Jordan shook her arm again.

"Heidi, no sleeping on me." She nodded, and tried to fight through the wall of darkness that was making its way onto her. Jordan glanced at Andy.

"How much longer?" He asked quietly. Heidi was slipping in and out of consciousness, and he knew it wasn't a good sign.

"In a minute Jordan," said Andy impatiently. She lifted the last heavy piece of brickwork, making it look like toddler's building bricks. Heidi felt the pressure release off her lungs, and took a deep breath, savouring the oxygen. Jordan held her hand the whole entire time whilst Andy and Chase transferred her onto a waiting stretcher. He went in the ambulance with her, and kissed her hand. The attendant placed an oxygen mask over her face, and she pulled it off.

"Jordan, I'm so sorry." He put a finger to her lips.

"I know Heidi. I'm sorry for not talking to you about what I was really feeling, and I understand. We're both in the wrong. I forgive you though." She nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"I love you Jordan."

Lachie helped Andy load the gear into the back of the patrol. Chase, Dean and Lara were packing up the other patrol. He turned to Andy.

"Do you want to grab something to eat when we're done?" He asked. Andy nodded.

"Sure, maybe Kate wants to come." Lachie touched her arm, and shook his head.

"I was thinking more you and me." Andy looked at him blankly, and then it dawned on her.

"Oh, sure. Sounds fine by me." Kate was watching them, and dropped the gear she was holding. Tears sprang into her eyes, and she turned to run, running straight into Chase.

"Hey, hey. What's going on?" He asked. Kate shook her head.

"Nothing. Can I go back in your patrol? Lachie and Andy are going out to dinner." Chase nodded.

"Sure. Bout time he found himself a girl! I'm tired of him complaining to us that he's lonely, and we're no fun anymore." Kate choked back a sob.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Asked Chase as they climbed into the patrol. Kate nodded, and stared out the window, absorbed with her own shattered heart. Chase dropped her home, and she climbed up the stairs with a heavy heart.

"Kate, is ever…" Vince was cut off by a slamming door, then heard sobbing from her room.

"Guess not."


Chase made it home before eight, and found Jess curled up on the couch, asleep. He smiled to himself. Even when she was asleep she was absolutely gorgeous. He slipped his arms under her and lifted her gently. He staggered slightly as he carried her to their bedroom, and tucked her under the covers, kissing her on the forehead. She woke a little.

"Chase? What are you doing home so early?" She asked, yawning.

"Don't worry, we're finished. Go back to sleep." She nodded her head and closed her eyes again. He decided an early night wasn't out of the question, and climbed into bed beside her. She pressed her body against his, enjoying the warmth. He wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her neck. She whispered to him.

"I love you Chase Gallagher."


Lara and Dean came home to Mikayla asleep on Shane's chest, Fiona watching him lovingly.

"They've been like that since you left," she whispered as Lara tip-toed around to her.

"Thanks for coming over on such short notice Fee," said Lara. Fiona Gallagher stood up, and embraced Lara.

"It's alright. We'd do anything for our granddaughter." Fiona stepped over to Shane, and nudged him gently. He awoke with a start, and smiled at Dean and Lara.

"She's an angel," he said, in awe of her tiny beauty. Lara smiled, and picked her up carefully. She cradled Mikayla to her chest, and swayed gently.

"Yeah Shane, you got her on a good night," said Dean knowingly. He kissed Lara, and she took Mikayla out to the car. They were in the process of moving all her stuff over to Dean's, but they hadn't had a chance to do the nursery yet, so Lara was still staying at her apartment. She buckled Mikayla into her seat, and then drove off home.

"Do you guys want anything before you go?" Shane nodded, and grinned at Dean, slapping him on the back.

"I want you to hurry up and marry that girl!"


Heidi was admitted for the night, and after several scans, and what felt like a few hundred doctors checking her over, she was finally alone. Well, not alone. Jordan sat next to her, rubbing her hand.

"Babe, I know I haven't been honest with you. I know I said I was ready for kids, but I'm really not. It freaked me out to think about being a father. I watch Dean with Lara, and he just looks like he was built for the part. Me? I don't think I'm ready for all of that." Heidi nodded.

"I know Jordan. It's alright. I understand." He kissed her hand.

"What did I do to deserve you?" He asked. Heidi smiled at him, warmth and love lighting up her face.

"I don't know Jordan, but you must have done something good." He smiled at her, and leant in to kiss her. Their lips met…