Disclaimer: Do not own anything McLeod's Daughters belongs to channel 9, and the writers and creators apart from Abby, Lily and Charlie.

Hello.' Abby said as she answered the ringing telephone.

'Abby.' Abby heard Claire's meek voice over the other line.

'Claire.' Abby exclaimed, she'd never heard Claire sound so, well so un Claire like. A wave of concern rushed over her.

'Claire what's wrong what's happened.'

'It Tess.' Abby could tell that Claire had started to cry.

'What's wrong, what's happened?'

'She uh she found a lump.'

'What?'

'Tess she found a lump in her breast.'

Abby stood there in shock for a few moments unsure of what to say, how to react.

'What has the doctor said.'

Claire tried to stop her tears, taking a deep breath she started to explain the situation to her cousin.

'We uh have an appointment at the doctors tomorrow.' Claire told her cousin.

'So it hasn't been confirmed that she's got cancer?'

'No.' Claire began to cry and this time she could not stop the tears.

There was a briefly silence between the two, Abby could hear Claire crying .

'Claire I want you to listen to what I'm saying ok.' Abby told her cousin. ' Stop thinking the worse, Tess she hasn't been diagnosed with anything yet so it could be nothing.' Abby said in a vain attempt to stop her cousin worrying.

'I know it's just with the family history with her mum and Lily's cancer.'

'Just cause there's a family history doesn't mean that Tess is certain to get cancer. Plenty of people find lumps and they turn out to be nothing.' Abby said in reassuring voice.

'I'm scared Abby I don't wont to loose my sister, I can't loose her not after all this time.'

'And your not, a lump doesn't automatically mean cancer Claire. You gotta think positive. Tess she's gonna be just fine ok.' Abby said trying to reassure her cousin.

'What if it cancer Abby?'

'Then she'll fight it, a diagnose doesn't mean an automatic death sentence, mum beat once, Tess is young and she's got everything going for her. And there all these treatments and things now days they've come along way you know.'

'I wish you were here.' Claire told her cousin sadly.

'I wish I was there too. Soon.'

The spent the next half hour talking as Abby tried to reassure her cousin over her fears about Tess. The call was finished when Charlotte awoke crying and Claire had to attend to her.

'You know you can call me, anytime of the day or night Claire.' Abby told her cousin.

'I know, thanks.'

'I see you soon ok.'

'I love you.' Claire told her cousin.

'I love you to, I'll speak to you tomorrow ok.'

'Ok.'

For the next couple of weeks Claire and Abby spoke daily, not really an unusual occurrence for them, before they had spoken every other day and would usually send an email on the days that they did not talk.

'So how's Stevie settling in.'

'Ok, I suppose.'

'You don't sound so sure.'

'I like Stevie and I love having her hear it's just she seems to make Tess uncomfortable and I don't want her to get upset about anything at the moment.'

'Heard anything more from the doctors yet.'

'No.' Claire sighed. 'Not since she had the biopsy.'

'When do you get the results?'

'Soon, I just hate all this waiting.'

'I know.'

Claire sighed.

'What you gonna do about Stevie?'

'I don't know.'

'Claire.' Claire heard Meg's voice calling her. 'I better go.'

'I speak to you soon.'

'Yeah.'

It was a couple of days later when Claire next spoke to Abby.

'Hello.'

'Good news Abby.' Claire was practically bouncing off the walls.

'What.'

'Tess she got her biopsy results back and she's in the clear, no cancer.' Claire told her cousin.

'That great news Claire, see didn't I tell you that everything was gonna be alright.'

Claire smiled at her cousins comment. 'I know.'

'I bet Tess is relieved.'

'Oh it's like a weights been lifted off her shoulders.'

'I bet.'

'The news gets better as well.'

'Alex proposed.'

'No, close. He's gonna be moving in.'

'Oh Claire that's great news. Is there gonna be room for at Drovers though.' She joked.

'Don't be silly there always room for you.'

'Good to know.'

'So Alex hasn't proposed yet.'

'Abby.'

'Well he's gotta do it soon don't you think.'

'Abby.'

'Oh come on.'

'You know something I don't.'

'No.' Abby replied. 'I just think that ..'

'I thinks he gonna propose soon.'

'What.' Abby exclaimed.

'He's been acting a little strange , he's up to something I can tell.'

'And you think he's gonna propose.'

'Well if he doesn't I will.' Claire told her cousin.

' Abby smiled, everything was coming together for Claire it would surprise that if Alex didn't propose soon she would. 'Can you wait till I get home.'

'Depends how long you gonna be?' Claire asked.

'If I told you sometime in the next week, could you hold out. '

Claire laughed. 'I think I might just be able to hold off. '

'Good. I call you in the next couple of days let you know what time my flight is and everything.'

'Ok I look forward to it.'

'I better go, I 've got lots to organise so uh, I see you soon.'

'I see you soon .'

'Love you.'

'I love you too.'

'And give my love to Alex and Charlotte and Tess and everybody and tell Tess I'm so happy to hear about her results.'

'You'll be able to tell them yourself soon.' Claire told her cousin.

'I know.'

'I can't wait to see Nick and Alex's faces when they see your back.'

Abby laughed. 'Yeah.'

'So doing anything interesting to celebrate all this good news?' Abby asked.

'Just a party here at Drovers.'

'That's nice.'

'Tess, Charlotte and I are going in to town in a minute to pick up a few things.'

'Well have a good time.'

'We will. Have to have another party once you get here.'

Abby laughed. 'I should hope so. I really must go now Claire I've got so much to organise.'

'Ok I see you soon.'

See ya.'

'Abby.'

'Yeah.'

'I really happy that your coming home you know. Once your home everything it will be perfect. I have Charlotte and Alex and Tess and now your coming home, it's everything I could of wished for, everything I wanted.'

'I glad your happy Claire. But I really have to go now.' Abby said laughing.

'Ok, ok. You coming home soon right.'

'Soon yeah. But Claire if I don't get off this phone then it's gonna take me even longer to get home.'

Claire laughed. 'Ok, ok I'll speak to you soon. Love ya.'

'I love you too.'

'So you call in the next couple of days let me know what's going on.'

'Claire.' Abby exclaimed.

'Right, right you gotta go.'

'Bye.'

'Bye.'

Abby put the phone down. What Claire didn't know as that Abby had arranged to come home that very evening, her flight was in a couple of hours time and if all went well she'd be home by the end of the evening. Abby thought it was the perfect surprise.

'You ready?' Charlie asked his daughter.

'Yeah.'

'Everything packed.'

'Check.'

'Got all your money.'

'Check.'

'Ok you can stop doing that now.' Charlie said laughing. 'I guess you're got everything.'

'I think so.'

'Got time for a drink with your old man?'

'Ok I think I can just squeeze you in my busy schedule.' Abby joked.

'Geez, thanks.'

'Let's get all this stuff in the car and then pop to the pub.'

Charlie picked up all of Abby's bags and started to load then into the car.

'Come lets go get that drink.'

They managed to find a quiet pub to have their last drink together.

'So excited?' Charlie asked his daughter although he knew it was a stupid question.

'Excited, nervous, anxious.'

'Why.'

'Well everything's gonna be so different. Tess is there and Charlotte and Alex is moving in.'

'Alex's is moving in.'

'Yeah.'

'Those kids they don't' hang about do they.'

'Should they?'

Charlie laughed. 'I suppose not. We'd better be making a move if you wanna catch your flight.'

'Ok I'm just gonna nip to the loo.'

Abby was in the toilet freshening up when she heard noise. She existed the toilet to find that her father involved in a fight with two men in the middle of the pub. Automatically Abby rushed to her fathers aid. Abby struggled to break up the fight, begin only a small little thing she was easy to push out of the way and found herself pushed to the fall several times in an attempt to separate the men from her father. By the now chaos had ensure tables and chairs were flying glass was all over the floor and several off the other punters in the pub had joined in the effort to break the three men apart. The landlord was yelling, telling them that the police were on their way. Abby called out to her father she could no longer see him, so many people were now involved in this scuffle. She tried to make her way into the inner circle of the fight where she assumed her father was, but once again she found herself pushed away only this time she landed face first on the floor next to several broken glasses. Abby stood and winced, her head was spinning and she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, she placed her hand where she felt the pain. Taking her hand away she discovered that it was covered in blood. She began to feeling very light headed.

'Dad.' She meekly called out. 'Dad.' But no one could hear above all the noise the fight was making.

Abby managed to get one more word out before her whole word went dark. 'Claire.' She whispered before she collapsed on the floor.