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Day 3 – Chopper Missing – (6:16am) 10 hours and 33 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Beach
April was sat on the beach watching the waves hit the sand trying to not think about the real possibility her sister and boyfriend were now dead.
Rub spotted her sat on the sand and walked over: "Hey."
"Hey." April replies as her friend sat down beside her "I heard most of the search teams have already gone down south."
Ruby just listens to her friend.
"It's really happening. They're not going to find them alive." April tells her.
"We don't know that." Ruby points out to her "Okay."
April starts to cry at that point so Ruby just pulls her into a massive hug and the two friends just sit there watching the waves.
(7:06am) 50 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Living Room
Lucas and Charlie were sat watching TV when they heard voices from behind them.
"It's so good to have you home." Rachel tells Matilda as they enter the house.
Looking round, Charlie and Lucas see Matilda walk through the doorway holding Ric's hand, with Tony close behind her while carrying her bag.
"Hey." They both say to the girl.
"Hey." Matilda replies with a slight smile while her other hand brushes over the bandages.
"You look great." Lucas tells her as he goes to give her a hug.
Putting her bag and house keys down, Rachel asks Matilda: "So, what would you like to do? Oh, I bought a stack of your favourite DVDs maybe we could have a family movie marathon?"
Placing Matilda's things on the table, Tony suggests: "Em, perhaps Mattie might like to just settle in first."
"Yeah." Matilda says nodding her head in agreement "Ok."
"Aww, right well then is there anything I can get you?"
Matilda goes to grab her bags when Ric steps forward and says: "It's alright, I'll get them for you."
"Thanks." Matilda says placing a kiss on his cheek.
With that she turns and heads to her room with Ric close behind.
"Right then, I'll make some morning tea." Rachel says heading into the kitchen "Tony, Lucas, Charlie? Do you all want one?"
Watching his wife walk past him and then looking at his sons and nodding toward their bedrooms, Tony says: "Why don't we just sit down for a bit?"
"I should really get Matilda something to eat. I know what the food is like in the hospital after seeing so many patients having to eat it."
"Rach, please can we just talk about what's happening? You know with the search."
"Xavier will be fine. He's part of your family after all so he's strong." Rachel says trying to hide the guilt that was written all over her face.
"Well, I hope that's the case to for Xavier's sake, but you know the search has been scaled back and your acting like they've either not gone anywhere or like you think they are all dead."
Turning around to look at her husband, Rachel says: "Well how do you want me to act? I already feel bad enough knowing that none of this would have happened if I hadn't talked to Dr Lee in the first place."
"You can't blame yourself for the chopper getting caught in that storm. A storm might I add that had no way of knowing was going to happen." Tony points out to her trying to take away some of her guilt.
"That's still not the point Tony." Rachel says starting to cry.
Knowing nothing he said was going make her feel any less guilty, Tony pulls his wife into a hug and they just stand there holding each other.
(8:30am) 1 hour and 24 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Caravan Park – Sally's house – Open space living room and kitchen
Alf was looking at a picture of Rocco and Cassie which was taken at Rocco's 16th birthday party, when Morag came downstairs.
Taking a quick look at what he was looking at she shook her head and walked into the kitchen area.
"I'm making some coffee; do you want one?" Morag asks her brother.
Taking the photo off the fireplace, Alf replies: "A tea would be nice, thanks."
Turning the kettle on Morag says: "Did you manage to get any sleep?"
"Not a lot. I heard young Ric walking about too poor kid."
"Where is he anyway?"
"Matilda was getting discharged early this morning, so he headed to the hospital to help bring her home with Tony and Rachel." Alf explains to his sister.
"I take it Sally has spent the night at the hospital with Cassie."
Nodding his head then looking at the photo of the two teens, Alf says: "Wouldn't you think these kids have been through enough. You know with Rocco getting kidnapped and Adrienne getting killed in front of both him and Johnny. Not to mention the whole pregnancy mess. Even though now we are all supportive of it. And now this, poor Cassie has lost Rocco all over again and the others."
"Alfred, the search may have been scaled back but that doesn't mean they've gone." Morag points out to him.
"You heard Tony, Brax, John and Charlie last night Morag, this is now a body recovery mission."
"And that is absolutely preposterous, it's far too soon to be making a decision like that."
"Those blokes are out there. They've seen the terrain; they know what to expect after this amount of time has gone."
Pointing her finger at her brother, Morag demands: "Now you listen to me, Rocco is a very strong young man. He's just like his brother in that department. Now he wouldn't give up without a fight."
"We don't even know whether he had the chance to fight."
Morag sighs as he says that.
"I just feel like this whole town is just stuck in limbo." Alf informs her turning away "I've lived in this town all my life and I've seen more tragedy than I'd care to remember and somehow we've always come through it. But this time, with the crash so soon after the fire and those six young lives gone. How the flamin' hell is anybody supposed to come through that?"
Morag doesn't say anything instead she just looks at her brother's back and wipes away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.
Meanwhile…
Summer Bay – Braxton House – Kyle's Bedroom
Casey was currently sat on Kyle's bed looking around at the room and thinking to himself:
Where are you Kyle? Heath is only really concerned about Bianca and Brax is torn between being concerned about you and Bianca. I know I'm worried about her too but she's fitter and healthier than you are meaning she is more likely to survive this than you are. Why didn't you just take the bottle that was full? Why did you have to take the bottle that only had 14 tablets left? You know you need to take them twice a day. So, by now you'll only be down to what? 9? That's even if your still alive to take them. And if you are what will happen if you run out before we have a chance to find you?
Casey is broken from his train of thought when Brax opens the door: "I thought I'd find you in here."
"Yeah, I just wanted to feel closer to him and I guess this was the best place." Casey replies to Brax as he sits down beside him on the bed.
"We are going to find him. All of them."
"But what state will they be in when we do?" Casey asks him "I mean, Brax you and Ricky both said Kyle probably has 7 days' worth of medication and that's only if he hasn't lost them if they are alive."
"They are alive Case; we need to believe that." Brax reminds Casey "Besides Bianca is with him and Colby is a cop therefore he will know how to deal with injuries and stuff. You remember all the training Heath had to go through."
"I know but what if Colby is also injured and Bianca and neither of them can help Kyle? Because I don't know if you realise Brax, but they are the only two adults on that Chopper out of the six of them."
"What about the pilot? We all forget he was on there too and he would have had training for situations like this." Brax points out "Anyway, I need to pop the restaurant and Gym before I see Heath why don't you come with me?"
Shaking his head, Casey replies with: "I'm going to go meet the others for a bit."
Patting his brother's back in response, Brax gets up from the bed and leaves the room. Not before taking a quick glance at the photo stuck to the side of Kyle's wardrobe of the four of them all smiling.
(9:49am) 1 hour and 19 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Living Room
Tony is stood watching Rachel when Ric wanders into the room.
Noticing the teen, Tony asks: "Hey, how is she mate?"
"Yeah pretty tired." Ric replies to the man who had become like a dad to his girlfriend "She said she wanted to get some sleep."
"At least it will help."
"Yeah, look I might go home or go and see Cassie at the hospital for a bit then come back later." Ric says heading towards the door.
"Go, we'll let her know where you are." Tony said.
Ric says thanks then heads out the door.
Watching the teen leave, Rachel turns to Tony and says: "I think I might go for a walk."
"But Matilda just got home. Can it not wait, and we can go together later on?" Tony asks him wife.
"I'd rather be along as I want to clear my head. I won't be long." Rachel then grabs her phone and gives him a kiss before she to leaves the house.
(9:57am) 8 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Caravan Park – Sally's house – Open space living room and kitchen
Morag was just finishing cleaning the plates that had been left from breakfast when Alf re-entered the room holding his hat.
"Back soon." Alf announces as he walks past the kitchen area.
"Where you off to?" Morag asks him as she takes her glasses of and puts the cloth, she had been using to dry the plates on the kitchen island.
Stopping, Alf says: "I'm going for a walk. I won't be long"
"Alfred." Morag says which causes her brother to turn and look at her "I'm really very worried about you. I mean about the way you were talking earlier, and I've seen how you've reacted in the past. I don't want to see that again."
"You can't blame me for being a bit down, can yeh?"
"No, of course not it's a very horrible time and I know that at the moment it's hard to see that there's a light at the end of the tunnel but there is, believe me. I mean this town will get through it and so will we. You just have to believe that."
"It's to much Morag. It's to flamin' much."
"It's only to much if you let it be."
Alf just looks at her when she says that not knowing how to respond.
"Or have you forgotten all those talks you gave about," Morag then use her fingers to illustrate her quoting him "The Summer Bay spirit and how we can beat anything. These people need you Alfred, you're the one they turn to at times like this and they need to see you being strong."
"I can't do it Morag."
Slightly raising her voice: "Alfred, if…"
"Look, when I've been here for this town in the past, I've believed what I've been saying." Alf says cutting Morag off "This time, I don't believe it. I can't see a way out of this Morag. I can't pretend that I do."
With that Alf turns and leaves the house not giving Morag a chance to speak.