Hidden Memories

"Jodi, I'm leaving," Matt called. "What's happening for supper tonight?"

Jodi came to the front door of the cottage and leaned against the doorframe. "We're going to Killarny tonight. Rhonda's cooking up a storm according to Ingrid."

Matt laughed and stomped his foot on the ground to settle the boot. Standing, he moved over to his wife and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. Jodi smiled and rested a hand on the back of his neck.

"Do you have to go?" she whispered. "Katie's still sleeping."

Matt shook his head. "You are bad. And as much as I'd love to stay in with you, I have to move some cows."

"Pfft. They'll keep." She reached up and kissed him lightly.

Matt groaned and pulled her against him. They had been married for three years now and he still felt like they were on their honeymoon.

"Matt, where are you?" Stevie called. "Marcus called and he's on the warpath. Jodi, let him go before the man gets fired and we have to hire him here."

"Won't that be a change?" Jodi murmured.

"Matt, if you don't get off that porch in one minute, I'll come get you." Stevie's voice was coming nearer and Matt closed his eyes in annoyance. "I really don't want o see what you two are doing."

Jodi frowned and pushed him away. "We need to get our own place."

Matt laughed and kissed her again. "I'll see you later."

"Wait," Jodi said, ducking back into the house. "Stay at Killarny. I'll bring Katie and hitch a ride with Stevie."

She reappeared with a bag in her hand. Matt took it and jumped off the porch. Stevie rounded the corner and jumped back.

"Hi, Stevie. Bye, Stevie." Matt waved at his wife's boss and hurried to the truck.

"Matt Bosnich, if you spend one more minute on that phone, I swear you'll be on your backside at Drovers!" Marcus yelled from the front of the truck.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Jodes, I have to go. My boss is mad."

Jodi laughed. "Mine's not in much better shape. I love you."

"Love you, too." Matt snapped his phone shut and tucked it into his shirt pocket. "Coming, Marcus."

Marcus leaned against the front of the truck, arms crossed over his chest. "Really? You can't work for three hours without hearing her voice?"

Matt shrugged. "It's love, man."

Marcus rolled his eyes and pointed to the bike in the shade of the barn. "Go get those cows. I have to fix a tractor because Nat has a new girlfriend and his head is in the clouds and Ben's worried about Jaz."

"And here I am chatting ninety to one to Jodi," Matt said. "Don't worry. I'll keep my wits about me for the rest of the day."

"Thank you," Marcus said. "Try to get those cows to the yard before dinner. Lunch time if possible."

Matt shook his head and strode to the bike. He had to get his head away from his wife and into the job. The faster he got finished the work, sooner he could be back by her side.

"And, mate, I know how you feel. Let's get this over with so we can get back to our girls." Marcus grinned at him. "Ingrid's got me all tied up to. Does it ever end?"

Matt shook his head. "I hope not. See ya."

Kicking the bike into gear he headed off towards the hills of Killarny.

Jodi lounged in the saddle and watched the sheep as they milled around the creek flats. Stevie and Banjo moved slowly down the creek, trying to find a shallow place to cross.

"Hey, Jodi, move them over here." Stevie waved at her.

Jodi sat up on Tucker and moved him behind the sheep. "Ha, you silly animals, let's go."

Stevie guided Banjo away from the creek and around the flock. "Let's get these animals to the yards so we can shower before supper."

Jodi grinned. "Why? Russ has seen you at your worst. I'm sure he won't run for the hills."

Stevie shook her head. "Oh, Jodi. Russ and I are just friends. But what about you and Matt? The two of you seem cozy."

"Stevie Ryan, we're married. Of course we're cozy. Some days I wish we were back on the cruise ship living the high life."

"Say what?" Stevie said. "Cruise ship? When?"

Jodi shrugged. "When we were hiding. For awhile we were a rich couple sailing the seven seas. It was great."

Stevie smiled and reached out to squeeze Jodi's hand. Jodi smiled at her friend and pushed Tucker forward. The sheep picked up the pace and moved across the creek.

Matt stood up on the bike and crested the hill. The cattle grazed peacefully in the bottom land. He sighed and headed down the grassy knoll. Something cracked on his left and he whipped his head around. The bike jerked beneath him and he saw the ground rise up to meet him.

Something hard poked against his back and he shifted away from the pain. His head felt like it was going to explode. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes tight against the sun. What had happened?

Sniffing he frowned. Something was burning. Rolling carefully onto his stomach he opened his eyes and looked around. Where was he?

A bike lay on its side not far from him. A flame crept along one side and somewhere a cow lowed softly.

He slowly clambered to his feet and shaded his eyes. Where to go? A bush rustled and he whirled. Something was behind it and he headed in the opposite direction. They weren't going to get him this time.

Jodi wiped her face with her shirt and slid off of Tucker. Stevie lead Banjo into the yard and shut the gate. The sheep milled around the yard by the shearing shed already for their date with the clippers tomorrow.

Jodi's phone rang and she pulled it out.

"Matt?" Stevie said.

Jodi frowned and shook her head. "It's Marcus. Hello?"

"Jodi, we have a problem," Marcus said.

Jodi's heart started racing. "What's wrong? Is Matt okay?"

"Yeah, that's the problem. I don't know where he is. I'm assuming he's not with you." Marcus sighed. "You'd better get over here."

"We're on our way." Jodi snapped her phone shut. "Matt's missing."

Stevie paled and headed towards her. "Go get Katie and some more water. I'll find the rest of the girls."

Jodi nodded and ran towards the cottage. "Matt, where are you?"

Moira stepped out of the cottage with Katie. "There's Mommy. What's wrong?"

"Matt's missing," Jodi said, snatching her daughter from the woman. "We have to go find him."

Moira nodded. "Of course. I'll get the first aid kit and some blankets. Go get some better clothes on."

Jodi carried Katie inside and set her on the floor. "Daddy's missing, baby. I'm going to leave you with Rhonda."

Katie gurgled and gnawed on a shoe. Jodi tossed aside her dirty shirt and grabbed a clean one from the dresser. Her fingers shook as she tried to close the buttons. They didn't seem to want to go into the buttonholes and she sat down on the bed. Clasping her hands between her legs she sat with her eyes closed.

"Oh, Lord, what am I going to do?"

"You are going to buck up and go out and look for that man."

Jodi looked up and saw Meg standing in the doorway. "Mom? He's gone."

Meg sat beside her and wrapped her arms around Jodi. "Jodi McLeod Bosnich, he is not gone. He has simply misplaced himself and we will find him."

Jodi sniffed and leaned her against her mother. Meg was right, she always was. "Alright, let's go."

"That's my girl." Meg scooped up Katie and handed Jodi two bottles of water.

Stevie stopped the truck in front of the house at Killarny. Ingrid hurried across the bridge with an arm load of blankets.

Jodi threw opened the door and slid out. "Where's Marcus?"

"He took the chopper up," Ingrid said. "I'll take Katie. Russ and the rest are at the barn. Ben's already out looking."

Jodi rushed towards the barn, Stevie, Grace and Regan right behind her. Rose and Gabe had already headed off from Drovers, thinking maybe Matt had headed that way to see Jodi and ran into a problem.

"Russ," Stevie said, "what's the plan?"

Russ looked up from the map he was studying. "Partner up and find a vehicle. Marcus said Matt headed this way to get the cows off the creek flats."

Stevie traced a line up from the creek bed. "Where did he start from?"

Russ pointed to the shed behind him. "From here."

Stevie sighed. "That means he could be anywhere."

"Can we just go and start?" Jodi stood by the barn door, staring out into the bright afternoon. "It's been three hours since he left and one since Marcus called."

"Jodes, we can't just go out hey willy-nilly," Regan said. "Let's make a plan and find him."

"Can we speed it up?" Jodi said. "I can't lose him again. I really can't."

Meg stepped into the barn and grasped Jodi's arms. "Jodi, stop. We are going to do whatever it takes to get him back. Now calm down and help us figure out where he might go if he's hurt."

Jodi took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Meg was right. Getting upset wasn't going to help anything. She sat down on a bale of hay. "Show me where he was supposed to go."

Russ pointed to a spot on the map.

Jodi sighed. "That's close to where we were when the sniper was after us."

Russ nodded. "Alright, where did you hide?"

"Here, the old tunnel."

"Then let's go, Jodes," Stevie said. "You guys find other directions to come from. Stay on channel 11 on the radios."

Jodi followed Stevie to the truck and climbed in. Stevie jumped into the driver's seat and reached over to squeeze Jodi's hand.

"We'll find him. It's going to be a good ending this time."

Jodi nodded and stared out the window. This wasn't going to end with Matt leaving her again, she knew that. They were safe now.

He walked across the grassy plain, stumbling on unseen things in the tall grass. Where was she? Had the man gotten to her? There was the safe place. He walked faster, trying to reach the tunnel to hide with the shadows. They wouldn't find him here.

It was cool in the tunnels; an inch of water ran along the bottom and he leaned against the concrete, trying to stay dry. Jodi would find him here when she could get away. She knew where to hide. Maybe they could head back to the cruise ship when they got away. He'd tell Roger that was what they wanted to do.

Jodi felt her heart clench as they drew closer to the tunnel. She tried to keep the memories at bay but they came in fast and furious. She kept looking over her shoulder, expecting the mad man to be behind her with his gun. Shivering she looked at her hands and saw that they were clean, no blood.

"Jodi, calm down. This is now. He's just lost." Stevie eased the truck over a hill and paused. "Now, which way?"

Jodi pointed to the right. "There. I see the tunnel. Hurry, Stevie."

Stevie rolled the truck down the hill and stopped at the tunnel. Jodi opened the door and raced towards the shadows.

"Matt? Matt, where are you?"

Ignoring Stevie's cries to wait, Jodi plunged into the darkness. The air was heavy and wet and she struggled to breath.

"Matt?"

"Jodi?" The faint call came from up ahead and she hurried in the direction.

By now her eyes had adjusted to the gloom and she could make out the shape of someone slumped against the wall.

"Matt?" She fell to her knees beside him and gently touched his face. "Are you alright?"

"You shouldn't be here, Jodi," Matt whispered, looking at her with glazed eyes. "He's going to get you. Leave me. I'll be alright."

"No, no, I'm not leaving you," Jodi said. "There's no one after you. We're safe."

"It's too dangerous. I should never have told you anything," Matt said. His eyes flittered from side to side before his eyelids drooped.

"Matt, wake up, don't do this to me," Jodi cried.

"Jodi, what's happening?" Stevie came into the tunnel with the flashlight. "Is he alright?"

Jodi shook her head. "He thinks the bad guys are still after us. Stevie, get Marcus here quick."

Sitting beside her husband, Jodi wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. He sighed and nestled into the warmth. Stroking his forehead, Jodi murmured soothingly to him.

"Jodi, find Roger and tell him to get you out of here," Matt whispered urgently. "He'll keep you safe."

"Ssh, Matt, you're okay."

"Don't call me that. I'm Rob now." Matt's eyes opened for a moment and he tried to smile. "I won't forget you."

"Of course you won't." Jodi struggled to hold back the tears. "We're not going to get hurt. We're safe."

As she spoke she ran her hand over his head. He must have hit himself pretty hard to be talking as he was. As her fingers explored she found a large bump on the back of his head and Matt groaned.

Pulling her fingers away, Jodi studied them in the faint light of the flashlight. They glistened with blood and she took a deep breath to keep the panic at bay. This was not happening again.

"Jodi, Marcus is on his way." Stevie reappeared in the gloom and crouched beside them. "Let's get him out of here."

Jodi nodded and carefully eased herself away from Matt. "His head's bleeding. He must have whacked it pretty hard."

Stevie frowned and slung one of Matt's arms over her shoulders. "Get his other arm."

Jodi carefully positioned herself and together the two women lifted Matt to his feet. He groaned but didn't protest as they brought him out into the sunshine.

A loud buzz filled his head with pain and he tried to back away from the noise but something pushed him forwards. Voices called back and forth, while hands pulled and pushed at his clothes and head.

"We've got you, mate," someone said. "Just hang on."

A familiar scent filled his nose and he breathed deep. She was still with him. Everything would be alright.

"Hang on, darling. We'll get you some help," she whispered. "Everything is going to be alright."

Of course it was. She was with him and Roger would get them out of this place to where they could start over. He relaxed against the softness and let the pain wash over him. It would all be over soon.

The sun streamed into the white room and Matt blinked. Where was he?

"Jodi?" His mouth was dry and he could barely get the word out. He coughed and tried again. "Jodi?"

Her beautiful face appeared in his blurry vision and he smiled.

"Hello, princess," he whispered, lifting a finger to trace her face.

"Hello, Matt." Jodi smiled and swiped at a tear. "You're awake."

Matt closed his eyes and swallowed, willing the nausea away. "What happened?"

"You fell off your bike yesterday. You have a pretty nasty bump but the doctor said you are going to be fine."

Snippets of the past hours came back. "Did I get lost?" He could remember the dark tunnel and the fear tasting like metal in the back of his mouth. "Why do I remember the tunnel?"

Jodi sniffed and laid her head on his chest. He lifted a hand to tangle his fingers in her curls.

"You got disoriented. For awhile you thought that man was after us with his gun. You kept telling me to call Roger."

Matt groaned. "I'm sorry, Jodi. I thought I was over that. I should be."

"Matt, look at me," Jodi commanded.

Matt squinted up into her blue eyes.

"I don't think we'll ever be over it," she whispered. "It's a part of us as much as Katie and our love are. The only thing we can do is make new memories to replace the bad ones."

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Drawing her down to his chest he kissed her cheek and held her close.

"I love you," he said softly. "You're not going to lose me again."

"I love you, Matt Bosnich." Jodi kissed his lips and smiled. "I can't you lose you. It's like a disease."

"Excuse me?" Matt frowned. "Are telling me I make you sick?"

"No," Jodi laughed. "You're just a part of me. Without you I am no one."

Matt nodded and held her tighter. "Right back at you. When can I get out of here?"

"Tomorrow," Jodi said. "Now sleep."

"Only if you stay right beside me."

Jodi pulled her legs onto the bed and he shifted to make room for her. She entwined her fingers in his and sighed. He smiled and ran a hand lightly up and down her back. They were together and everything was fine.

The memories were just that, memories and nothing else. It was enough.