(10:47am) 50 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Beach
Alf was stood looking out at the water when Rachel noticed him and decided to go over.
"Hey Alf." She said as she approached the older man "Any news from the search crews?"
Alf shakes his head in response to the question while still looking at the water.
Moving the piece of hair that the wind had blown into her face, Rachel says: "I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing anymore."
Still Alf doesn't say anything to the woman.
"It's the waiting and not knowing, it's unbearable isn't it?"
"How can you stand there and talk to me as if nothing's happened." Alf suddenly says turning to face her.
"As if…" Rachel starts to say.
Cutting her off Alf says: "What the flamin' hell were you thinking about sending them up there like that? Were you so keen to prove that you can be a super doctor that you didn't even think about the danger, did you?"
Shocked at what the man was saying to her, Rachel was speechless.
"I hope you can find a way to live with yourself because thanks to you six people we know and love plus that pilot have lost their lives." Alf tells her then turns and walks back up the beach leaving Rachel just standing there.
(11:22am) 35 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Caravan Park – Sally's house – Open Space Living and Kitchen area
Morag was folding some laundry when Alf walked through the back door taking his hat off.
"Where have you been?" Morag demands to know the moment she sees him.
"I told you I was going for a walk." Alf reminds her as he places his hat on the table then goes to sit on the sofa.
Sighing, Morag throws her glasses on to the table: "I never thought I'd see the day when Alfred Stewart would be the first man to give up."
"Oh, don't start again Morag." Alf tells her as he was getting sick of the constant nagging.
"I WILL start again and this time you're going to hear me out." Morag informs him as she sits on the chair beside the sofa "There's every chance that Rocco and the others are still alive. Now what we should be doing is putting our energy into finding them, not throwing our hands in the air as if it were all over."
"Do you really think that I don't want to believe that those kids are ok?" snaps Alf.
"Then believe it! It's that simple."
Alf turns away when Morag said that, so she continues to speak: "It's only been a couple of days and everybody is reacting far too prematurely. I mean what you should be doing is standing up and fighting. I went for a walk when you were out, granted it was only a ten-minute walk but still the feeling was of complete and utter despair and it shouldn't be. NOT YET! Because the greatest tragedy of all would be if this town fell apart as a result of what has happened. Is that what you want?"
"Of course, it isn't." Alf finally manages to say.
"Well then for god sake DO SOMETHING!" Morag emphasises on that last part before standing up and goes to walk away.
"I don't know that there's anything I can say that is going to make people in this town feel any better, Morag." Alf let's her know, as she sits back down again.
"Of course there is. They listen to you Alfred, you know they do. You are the spirit and soul of this place. You set the tones, so if YOU believe so will they." Morag says randomly pointing at anything in the room "And only then can we go about the job of finding them."
Just then there's a knock at the door interrupting their conversation.
Standing up and approaching the door, Morag goes: "Can I help you?"
"My name's Karla Talson from Coastal Radio. I was hoping for a word with Mr Stewart if I could." The reporter tells her causing Morag to look at her brother.
"Em, yes Miss Talson please come in." Morag replies letting the woman into the house.
Karla walks straight over to were Alf was sitting: "Sorry to interrupt Mr Stewart, but I em was hoping for a comment. You seemed to be the man who everyone looks up too in times like this. Is there anything you'd like to say?"
Alf looks at the woman and thinks about what she had just asked him.
(12:28pm) 1 hour and 6 minutes later…
Airing live from the Caravan park and broadcasting to everyone around the Bay, Alf speaks to the reporter.
Radio Broadcast
Alf: No, this isn't the first hardship our town's faced. In the past, we've been able to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and forge ahead, but today faced with the possibility that we could lose so many young lives, I'd began to have my doubts about whether we're capable of that. I've be wondering whether we could ever get past this. Then I realised I wasn't taking into account the strength of the people who live here, when the troops are down, we can count on the support of our family and friends to get us through.
Everyone from the searchers who were still at the base camp in Richland Falls to just the people sat at home were all listening to what the man had to say.
Radio Broadcast continued
Alf: When you feel like you can't go on. When the pain is to unbearable. Someone is there to pick you up and to a sure you that you're not alone, the fact is were all feeling the same things: Loss, Confusion, Fear, Hope, Despair, Love. Some of us are doing better at keeping it under wraps than others and at the end of the day, we all need a shoulder to lean on. Every day will be a challenge but until we know the fate of our loved ones, every minute will seem like an eternity. But the courage and strength we inspire in each other, will help this community through this difficult time. Regardless of the outcome, I know we can get through this.
(2:03pm) 1 hour and 35 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Living Room
Rachel was pouring herself another glass of wine when Tony sat down beside her: "Why don't you have a coffee? I'm about to make one."
"No thanks." Rachel tells her husband as she thinks about what Alf had said to her on the beach then to everyone on the radio.
"Rach, please talk to me about what's going on."
"What's the point? We haven't stopped talking about it since last night. I'm sure your bored of it by now."
"No, of course I'm not after all I'm your husband the one person who's meant to help you through things like this. If this is about that reporter earlier then she was just fishing for a story." Tony tells her thinking about the reporter who had come round looking to talk to them but ended up getting kicked out by Rachel after she had accused her of it being her fault.
"No, see Tony that's where your wrong. No, she nailed it just like Alf did." Rachel says as she screws the lid back on the wine.
"Alf? What's he got to do with it?"
"Well, I ran into Alf this morning when I went for a walk and he blames me for putting everyone on that chopper as well and he's right."
"Rachel."
"No, I was too busy running around at the hospital wanting everyone to think that I had everything under control. Like I wasn't worried about Matilda being seriously burnt but instead I was on top of everything. And, look what happened."
"Rach, you were just doing your job." Tony says taking her hand.
"No, I went too far Tony. And now a total of seven people are dead because of me." Rachel says then pulls her hand away from Tony and walks off to their bedroom with the wine bottle and glass in her hands.
Meanwhile…
Summer Bay – In the middle of the bush
While Rachel was telling Tony that they were all dead, what no one knew was that in fact they weren't dead.
They were all sat with newer injuries on top of the burns they already had, with the wreckage of the chopper behind them.
Belle was screwing the lid off the bottle of water with her arm that wasn't broken and taking a drink before passing it on to Kyle who took it from her and did the same before passing it to Colby who took it over to where Bianca was sat, making sure that she too had a drink to stop her from getting dehydrated.
"No one's coming for us, are they?" Belle says breaking the silence.
Which has everyone looking at her and Kyle slowly moves closer to pull her weakly into a hug.
Rocco who had been sat beside Xavier wraps his own arms around his legs and rest his chin on his knees as he just thinks about Cassie and their unborn baby.