The Journey: Chapter Seven SONG LYRIC CREDITS 7: Painters (Jewel), Lightning Crashes (Live).

Chapter 7

"It's Monday night, pickup night," Jeff announced. "Ax will make the drop as usual, only this time we'll be there."

"Look Jeff, we don't even know where this location's gonna be," Alex complained.

"If it's on tonight, Jeff, there's not much time to set it up," Jack added.

"This guy's the only link we've got," Jeff told them. "I want him to know that you two are just *this* far behind him all the way," he ordered. Alex nodded.

"We're gonna need Mick for this," Helen added, "I'll call him."

"Right."

~~ * ~~

Rachel shifted uncomfortably, as she felt another twinge. She'd been having them on and off for a couple of hours, and they were definitely getting stronger. She put her book down and levered herself out of the chair she was sitting in. Picking up the phone, she dialled her father's number.

"Dad? Yeah, it's me. Are you busy? Can you drive me to the hospital?"

"I'm on my way, Rachel," he told her, and she hung up, going upstairs to pick up her already packed overnight bag. She paused for a moment, seeing the photograph of her and Frank in the frame Helen had given her, and then picked it up and put it in the bag as well.

~~ * ~~

Ax's mobile phone rang.

"You just remember what I told you," Jack warned.

Ax answered the phone. "Yeah? Yeah, it's Ax. OK, five minutes." He hung up

"Ok, it's the end of the Glebe Island Bridge," Jack told Alex, "I couldn't pick the sex, the voice was muffled."

Alex relayed the information back to Helen.

~~ * ~~

It wasn't until they pulled into the hospital car park almost half an hour later that the contractions became painful. Rachel grimaced, waiting for the latest one to pass. Her father looked at her worriedly, as he opened her car door for her and helped her out of the car.

~~ * ~~

"Where on earth is he?" Helen wondered aloud, as she tried Mick Reilly's mobile for the seventh time. "He knows he's on call!"

She kept trying, but it was still switched off.

~~ * ~~

"I need the phone," Ax said suddenly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well I get another call after I arrive!" Ax told them

"Yeah, sure mate, sure you do," Jack scoffed, as his partner got back into the car.

"Look, I gotta wait for the phone to ring before I can go in, honest! I'm serious!" Ax protested.

"Come on! Get in the car!" Alex complained.

"Look if they don't go for it, that's your problem!" Ax stormed back to his car.

"Hey, hey, why didn't you tell us this before?" Jack asked, suspiciously.

"I didn't think of it!" Ax replied.

Jack gave him the phone back, reluctantly. "You better play this straight with me, you bastard," he warned.

"What's going on with the phone?" Alex asked, when he finally got into the car.

"Oh, he's waiting on another call. Let's go."

~~ * ~~

Rachel bit her tongue as another contraction hit. They were definitely getting worse. She was beginning to regret refusing the gas, but she felt she needed a little pain to keep her mind on things. She'd also told her Dad he didn't need to stay with her.

She wished desperately for Frank.

~~ * ~~

Jack and Alex followed Ax's car through the streets of Sydney.

"What if he tips them off?" Alex asked.

"Well, if he does that, we hear him on the wire, and we have his balls for breakfast."

"I just lost my appetite," Alex replied.

The sound of a ringing phone emitted from the wire. "He's pulling over," Alex said unnecessarily, driving in unobtrusively a few metres behind.

They waited.

"C'mon, how long does it take to say g'day?" Jack complained.

"Not this long," Alex agreed.

Jack opened the car door and was about to step out when suddenly Ax took off.

~~ * ~~

Rachel closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She couldn't shake the feeling something had gone wrong, although she couldn't pinpoint it either.

The doctor carefully felt her stomach and frowned. Rachel felt a chill shoot down her spine.

~~ * ~~

Alex concentrated on staying on Ax's tail, as the radio crackled to life with questions, and Jack swore.

"We don't know where they are, they're not talking," Jack told Helen. "Yeah, when we know, you'll know." He informed them of their heading and signed off again.

Then they found Ax's car, parked in front of the disused power station. The lights were still on, and the driver's door was left open.

Jack radioed their location in, and Alex checked out the car. The phone was on the dash, and the keys were in the ignition.

~~ * ~~

"What's going on?" Rachel demanded.

"Nothing to worry about," the doctor soothed, with a smile that worried her even more.

Rachel summoned her best glare. "Tell me what's wrong," she demanded again.

The doctor sighed. "Your baby is presenting in the breech position. Posterior first," the doctor explained.

In any other circumstances Rachel would have laughed.

"What does that mean?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, obviously head first is preferable, but there isn't really any cause for alarm. We'll monitor you both carefully to make sure there are no complications. You'll be fine," the doctor assured her.

~~ * ~~

The power station was silent, except for an eerie hum. There was no sign of Ax, or anyone else, for that matter. Jack and Alex looked at each other, silently agreeing. Each drew their gun and carefully checked all the nooks and crannies. Finding nothing, each searched one side of the building, before climbing opposite flights of stairs to a second floor platform. Both Alex and Jack padded silently along their half of the platform, looking this way and that, until they bumped into each other in the middle.

~~ * ~~

Despite the doctor's reassurance, Rachel couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. The contractions were coming closer now, and were much more painful, although not unbearable.

"You're fully dilated now," the doctor told her. "Next contraction you can start bearing down for me."

Rachel did as she was instructed. It was such a relief to be finally doing something.

~~ * ~~

Both detectives sighed in relief and holstered their guns.

"C'mon, let's go and have a drink," Jack suggested.

Alex smiled, "Maybe the dogs'll pick him up outside," she suggested.

"Now maybe Ax, maybe he's not as stupid as he looks," Jack theorised, leading the way down the stairs, "Maybe there never was a meet. Maybe he's the supplier. Maybe this was all a set-up. I tell you what, I find the little bastard, I'll kick his ass for him."

Alex laughed, and turned to follow him down the stairs, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a movement. She turned to see what it was, and spotted a man, huddled in the shadows, staring at her in fear. It took her a bare moment to place the features.

Graham Denton.

They'd met him that morning, along with another immigration employee. She was so surprised to see him there that she was slow to react when he flew at her.

Too slow.

~~ * ~~

An alarm went off on one of the monitors, and Rachel had to force herself not to panic.

"What's that mean?" she demanded, wide eyed.

"The baby isn't getting enough oxygen," the doctor informed her. "The cord may be obstructed in some way. I think we're going to have to perform an emergency Caesarean section."

"Do whatever you have to," Rachel told him.

~~ * ~~

White hot pain shot through Alex, and she crumpled, trying to call for Jack, but she couldn't seem to find the breath.

She must have made some sound though, because he turned, calling her name. He fired his weapon, but she knew the bastard had gotten away.

Alex groaned and fought for breath as Jack found her, and the look on his face told her that it was bad. He called for an ambulance, a tear escaping from his eye.

~~ * ~~

A thin but piercing cry echoed through the night air.

"It's a girl!" announced the doctor, smiling. Rachel watched him tie off and cut the umbilical cord, and then the nurse put her daughter in her arms. The baby, red faced and bald, studied her for a second, and then promptly fell asleep. Rachel would have laughed, if she hadn't been so tired herself. The nurse gently took the baby away again, and Rachel felt her eyelids get droopy.

Exhausted, she fell asleep.

Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes
The confusion sets in before the doctor can even close the door

~~ * ~~

"It's okay, Alex, it's okay," Jack repeated over and over, trying to convince himself as well as her. "You just hold on, it's okay."

Alex couldn't think of anything but pain. She writhed on the ground, feeling his arms around her. They helped, somehow, but oh, the pain! Take it away, Jack, please! she begged silently.

Jack forced himself to stay together, for her sake. They were out of the way here, so he carefully picked her up and carried her down the stairs, and outside. There was no sign of the dogs or the ambulance.

Alex's groaning had degenerated to a quiet whimper.

"Alex? Hang on, Alex, just hang on," Jack cried, feeling more and more desperate. Where was the ambulance?

Finally, he heard sirens. Alex looked up at him, seemed to be trying to say something.

"Jack? I'm..." she drew another shuddering breath. "I'm dying, aren't I?"

Love I leave, but only a little,
Try to understand
I've put my soul in this life we've created
With these four hands

Jack shook his head, refusing to believe it. "You can't die, Alex, I love you," he sobbed. "Can you hear me, Alex? I love you, I love you!"

Alex tried to focus her eyes, but everything was blurry. She knew she was dying, but all she could think of was the baby... the baby would be dead too. If it wasn't already. She was so tired... She closed her eyes, just for a second...

"Alex! No, Alex, stay with me, stay with me, please!!" Jack begged.

With great effort, Alex forced her eyes open once more. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

And she died.

Lightning crashes, an old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes
The confusion that was hers belongs now to the baby down the hall

~~ * ~~

Chapter Eight

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