Okay the time is finally here: It's the last but one chapter!
I know I've taken my time to get here but the end really is in sight!
Hope you enjoy this one and look forward to the next and final chapter.
First song: Hallelujah by Alexandra Burke (I do not own this)
Second song: I'll see you again by Westlife (I do not own this)
First poem: I found the first part of the poem on the internet but I wrote the second part myself.
Second poem: Footprints in the sand - found it on the internet.
Enjoy!
Rebecca nervously opened her baby blue eyes and gasped. The sun was shining brightly and she was standing outside St. Mary's Street church. Looking down, Rebecca realised that she was no longer bleeding. In fact, there wasn't a mark on her. For a moment, the young blonde was too stunned to move but then, after taking a deep breath, moved her size five feet and walked inside the white marble church.
"I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah"
"Smithy!" Gina called out as she chased him down the corridor.
Dale Smith pushed open the locker room door, unlocked his locker and ripped his uniformed jacket and shirt off.
"Smithy, are you alright?" Gina asked, closing the locker room door behind her.
Full of emotions, Smithy didn't say a word but instead, pulled a plain black t-shirt over his head.
"I can't...I can't believe what's just happened. But, at least Gabriel's gone for good now"
Smithy threw his blood stained uniform into a carrier bag and slammed his locker shut.
"Yes Gina, Gabriel's gone but so has everyone else! Kerry, George, Cameron, Yvonne, Eddy and now Rebecca. Every bloody one! It's not fair Gina!"
"Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah"
Sitting down on the brown wooden bench, poor Smithy started to cry. Gina perched herself next to him and put a comforting arm around her best friend.
"I know it's not Smithy. It's even worse that three of them were taken at the hands of Gabriel. The one and ONLY good thing to come out of this is that Gabriel Kent has gone and will never be returning. Justice has been done!"
"Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah"
Smithy snuffled, wiped the tears from his eyes, sighed and added
"Yea but at the loss of the girls"
Gina nodded and sighed, realising that the next few weeks were going to be tough.
"Kerry?" Rebecca called as she walked down the long corridor in the church where she'd previously walked through when she had 'died' in the ambulance. Stopping at the bottom of the corridor, Rebecca gently pushed open the door on the left hand side, expecting to see her loved ones but instead, walked into a room full of coffins. Pulling the door shut, Rebecca slid down the clean white wall and sat on the floor with her head on her lap.
'It was all a dream after all' Rebecca thought to herself as she cried.
A few moments later, Rebecca lifted her head up from her lap and noticed something. Just a few meters away from her was a big brown door and there was a light shining underneath. Wiping the rolling tears from her cheeks, the emotional young blonde cautiously stood up and swiftly walked towards the door. Taking a deep breath, Rebecca placed a hand on the door handle, turned it, closed her big blue eyes and then pushed on the wooden door until it was open.
"Please don't let it be a dream" Rebecca whispered to herself before re-opening her eyes and walking into the room.
"Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya"
With that, an emotional smile spread across her face as she realised, it was true. Rebecca stood for a moment and watched as her loved ones hugged each other, smiled and greeted each other. A huge smile came across Rebecca's face and she took a few steps forward.
"Hey Sis!" Kerry said, wrapping her arms around Rebecca.
After pulling out of the embrace with her sister, Rebecca spotted her Mum and Dad who were stood together with their arms around each other, obviously very happy to be reunited after many years.
"Hello darling" both parents spoke in unison.
Without saying a word, Rebecca wrapped her arms around her parents and held them tight, not letting them go for a good few minutes. Even though Rebecca loved both her parents the same amount, she was so overwhelmed to be even standing in the same room as her mum again as she had passed away when Kerry was four, making Rebecca just two years old. When Rebecca had 'died' in the ambulance the previous year and come to this special place, she had hugged her mum before regaining consciousness but it had felt nothing like the feelings and emotions that were flying through her body at that precise moment. Cree Young (Kerry and Rebecca's Mum) had the same beautiful smell that Rebecca remembered from her childhood, before Cree died. As Rebecca opened her eyes, she pulled away from her parents. Standing just behind Cree and George, chatting away to Yvonne and Cameron, was Rebecca's fiancé Ryan, who had died after being involved in a car crash a few years before.
"Hey beautiful" Ryan called out, smiling lovingly at the woman of his dreams.
Both Ryan and Rebecca walked towards each other and before any other words could be spoken, Rebecca flung her arms around him and cried.
"It's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not someone who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah"
After a minute or so, Ryan pulled away, looked at his beautiful blonde haired fiancée and planted a huge kiss on her lips. Once Rebecca had finished letting Ryan know how much she had missed him, she made her way around the room, greeting the rest of her loved ones including her two great friends Cameron and Yvonne, her Chief Superintendant Uncle Eddy, Kerry's best mate Cass Rickman and of course, both sets of hers and Kerry's grandparents. After a lot of tears, hugs and kisses, Rebecca headed to the front row of pews where Kerry had sat herself down.
"How you feeling babe?" Kerry asked as she saw her younger sister approaching.
Rebecca nodded and sighed before admitting
"I was devastated when I thought it was a dream. I walked into a room of coffins by accident!"
The girls gave an identical laugh before Rebecca asked
"So, I'm here now. Is it...is it time to leave?"
Kerry shook her head before flashing her smile.
"Actually, it's not quite time. Nearly though. We just have one more person to wait for"
Rebecca didn't even need to ask who before she already knew. She just smiled back at her sister and together, they stood and headed towards their friends and family for a good catch up. Rebecca didn't know how long they'd have to wait but at that moment, it didn't bother her that she was dead before she was in a beautiful place with all her loved ones.
"Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah"
A week had passed since the deaths of Rebecca and Gabriel (David). Kent's parents travelled to Sunhill to hold their sons funeral but not one of the officers attended, including June. A group of Rebecca's close cousins also travelled down to Sunhill to organise Rebecca's funeral as they were her only remaining family.
"Gina, could I have a word please?" Superintendent O'Karo called down the corridor after the Inspector.
Ten minutes later
"About Smithy...there's no way we can stop him from finding out 'cos it's everywhere but, we can prolong him from seeing it. Don't mention it to him or bring it up in conversation okay?"
Gina nodded and replied
"Yes Sir" but when she opened the door, Smithy was standing there looking angry.
"Have you seen this?" he questioned, waving the morning newspaper in the inspector's face.
Gina sighed but before she could say anything, the Super spoke.
"I think you better come in Sergeant Smith. Gina, you too"
Smithy brushed past Gina and sat on one of the chairs opposite Superintendant O'Karo's desk while, after shutting the door, Gina sat next to him.
"So you're already seen it then?" Smithy asked his two bosses.
Adam and Gina exchanged a look but before anything could be said, Smithy spoke again.
"It's sick! How can that tw..."
"Sergeant Smith!" O'Karo interrupted. "Look, I completely understand why you're angry. Gabriel Kent lied about a number of things and...and hurt a lot of people"
"You mean killed!" Smithy spat.
Smithy turned his attention towards his Inspector.
"So how did the reporters find out about his funeral and, how on earth were they allowed to take photos? Who the heck wants to see his coffin and grave?"
Gina and Adam could see that Smithy was understandably angry but after sitting with him for nearly forty five minutes, they managed to calm the young Sergeant down before informing him about Rebecca's funeral which would be held on the following day. Adam and Gina had remembered something that Rebecca had told them after her Dad's funeral. She had told her bosses that, when it was her time to go, if she was still a police officer at Sunhill, she didn't want a police officer funeral like Kerry had, where her colleagues arrived dressed in full uniform etc. She wanted a normal, black dressed funeral so Gina and Adam made sure to inform Rebecca's remaining family of her wishes. After leaving the Super's office, Smithy headed towards his office, shut the door and flung himself into his desk chair. Closing his eyes for a moment, Smithy just sat in silence but then, for some bizarre, strange reason had a desire to pull out the photos from his desk draw. It was as if someone was telling him something because when he pulled out the photo frame containing the photos, one of himself and Kerry and one of himself and Smithy, he noticed a white envelope had been stuck onto the back of the frame. Intrigued, the young Sergeant pulled it off and placed the frame back into the drawer before locking it with the silver key. Delicately, Smithy peeled open the envelope and pulled out the contents. Inside, was a small photo of Kerry and Rebecca together and written on the back was
'Now you can keep the both of us together until it's your time to join us in the special place'.
Smithy opened the piece of paper and read what was written.
"To Smithy,
If you're reading this, I've either passed on or you've been looking at those photos again!"
Smithy laughed to himself before reading on.
"Seriously though, if you've been looking at the photos again well, now you have a new one to keep in your wallet :) haha but on the other hand, if I have passed on, well, that's not so funny. But, please make sure I have a good send off yeah! Below, is a poem that my Mum used to read to Kerry and me every night before we used to go to bed. Well, the first part anyway. Our Dad told us that, when our Mum became unwell, she added the second part so that when she had gone, he could read it all to us every night, which he did, fair play to him. Both myself and Ker were brought up with that poem. Even up until my Dad died, he'd ring me every night, just to tell me it. So, I'd love it very much if it could be read at my funeral and, I'd like you to read please Smithy. One other thing, I really hope that the 'special place' wasn't a dream because the only thing keeping me going writing this is thinking that I'm going to be reunited with my parents, grandparents, Kez and everyone else so I have to believe that it's true. And remember, even if you don't believe, we'll be waiting for you there, when you're ready. Thank you for being such an amazing friend to both of us and Smithy, we'll be seeing you soon"
Below, Rebecca had written the poem that she wanted Smithy to read out and as he flicked through it, tears started filling his eyes. The funeral was definitely going to be an emotional one.
After a very sleepless night, Smithy woke up and jumped into the shower. After adjusting the dial until the water reached a lovely warm temperature, Smithy stood underneath the shower head and let the water flow onto his face. As the young sergeant shut his big green eyes, visions flashed before him of himself and Rebecca. It was like a slideshow right in front of his eyes. As he re-opened his eyes, a strange feeling overcame Smithy and he started thinking about Rebecca. Was the 'special place' she had told him about really real? If so, was she there? When Rebecca was dying and started thinking that the place really was a dream, Smithy had reassured her that it wasn't and that she'd be reunited with Kerry, their parents and loved ones again. However, a feeling of guilt suddenly came flooding over him as he realised, that was actually doubting himself if it was real. After glancing at the clock and noticing the time, Smithy got a move on and prepared himself for Rebecca's funeral.
An hour later, as he headed towards St Mary's Church with the rest of the relief, Smithy felt a feeling of de-ja vu. Rebecca's funeral was being held at the same church as Kerry's had been and that on its own, was emotional enough. On top of that, Smithy decided to carry out Rebecca's wish and read out the poem. He was feeling very nervous and emotional but, he was determined to give Rebecca a great send off.
"Always you will be part of me
And I will forever feel your strength
When I need it most
You're gone now, gone but not forgotten
I can't say this to your face
But I know you hear
I'll see you again
You never really left
I feel you walk beside me
I know I'll see you again"
The church was filled with people who had come to pay their respects to Rebecca and there were even people standing at the back of the church as there were no more empty seats. The first front pew was filled with Rebecca's remaining family, all cousins or distant relatives. Smithy was sat in the second row alongside Gina, Adam and some more of the relief. The rest of the relief filled the rows behind.
As Reverend Brian Watkins stood at the front, everyone in the church stood to sing the first hymn 'The Lord Is My Shepherd'. Once the song had finished, everyone sat back down and Superintendant O'Karo walked to the front so he could say a few words about Rebecca.
"Rebecca Young was a very brave young lady. Before she started at Sunhill, her Uncle, Chief Superintendant Roberts, who has also sadly passed on, came to my office and told me that, Rebecca wanted to come to the station to get justice for her sister's death. They knew who did it but, needed evidence. The following day, I bumped into Rebecca in the corridor and, she was smiling. Even though we both knew the real reason why she was at the station, she was still smiling. When she lost friends and loved ones, she'd put on a brave face and smile. When Rebecca...just before Rebecca closed her eyes for the last time, even then, she gave a smile. Rebecca Young was a beautiful, brave lady and a wonderful copper, even if it wasn't her full intention. She was a beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin and friend and I know that we will all miss her dearly".
With that, Adam stepped down from the platform and returned to the pew where he had been sat next to Gina Gold.
"When I'm lost, when I'm missing you like crazy
I tell myself I'm so blessed
To have had you in my life, my life
I'll see you again
You never really left
I feel you walk beside me
I know I'll see you again"
The Reverend read a few pages from the bible and then it came the time that Smithy had butterflies about. It was time for him to read out the poem.
"Now Sergeant Smith has a poem to read" explained the Reverend.
Smithy stood up and walked to the front, his legs feeling like jelly and his heart beating faster with every single footstep. Reaching into the inside pocket of his black suit jacket, Smithy pulled out a folded piece of white paper. Unfolding it and giving a little cough, Smithy took a step forward so he was in line with the microphone.
"Hi. I'm Sergeant Dale Smith and I am...was not only Rebecca's work college but also her friend. After she...died I found an envelope that she had hidden in my desk at work. It a photo of herself and her sister Kerry, a little message and a poem which she's asked me to read out. Before their Mum passed away, she used to read the first part of the poem to them every night and then, after finding out she was unwell, their Mum wrote a second part and when she passed away, their Dad George read it to the girls every night before they went to sleep. In the letter, Rebecca told me that, even right up until George passed away, he'd ring Rebecca every night, just to read her the poem. So, here it is. The poem from Cree Young to her daughters, Rebecca and Kerry Young"
Smithy took a deep breath and fought very hard to hold back his tears. He opened his mouth to read the poem but no words came out. As he glanced over at Gina who was sat in front of him, Smithy felt reassured by the slight nod and smile that she gave him. Giving another slight cough, Smithy read the poem.
"Girls are made of sugar 'n spice,
Everything sweet, & everything nice,
Girls are ruffles, bonnets, and bows,
Dimpled smiles and dancing toes,
They're tears and giggles, dolls and curls,
That's how it is with little girls.
Daddy will now take care of you
And help you with things both old and new
I'm an angel in Heaven now
And one day, you'll learn and understand how.
But for now, when the sun shines bright
Or a colourful rainbow is in sight
Wave and say hi,
Cos it's your mummy in the sky.
Looking down on my two beautiful girls
With their bright blue eyes and their long blonde curls.
I will always love you my little darlings.
Lots of love and hugs and kisses,
Mummy
Xxxx"
Smithy wiped a tear from his eye and returned to his seat. Once he was sat down, Gina handed him a tissue and he wiped the tears which were now rolling down his face.
"Okay we are now going to sing our second hymn 'Amazing Grace' so, please stand" requested the Reverend.
"When I had the time to tell you
Never thought I'd live to see the day
When the words I should have said
Would come to haunt me
In my darkest hour I tell myself
I'll see you again"
After the song finished, everyone made their way out of the church and into the cemetery where Rebecca's burial was to take place. Knowing how close Rebecca was to both Kerry and their Dad, the remaining family managed to buy the burial plot next to George Young which meant that Rebecca would be one side of her Dad and Kerry the other. Everyone gathered around the big hole in the ground as the pallbearers brought Rebecca's coffin from the church and laid it down.
"Today we are gathered together at the graveside for Rebecca Young. On behalf of the remaining family, I would like to thank you all for coming today. Rebecca was a popular young lady and a lot of people are grieving. I say to you, do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid"
People around the grave started pulling out tissues and wiping their tears.
"There is a beautiful, poem that George liked to tell his two daughters and it's called Footprints. It's a very popular poem, especially with Christians and I know it brought Rebecca a lot of comfort when she lost her Dad so I hope it brings you all comfort too at this difficult time"
The Reverend pulled out a white piece of paper from the leather bible he was holding in his hand.
"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprintsinthesand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprintsinthesand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you have seen only one set of footprintsinthesand,
is when I carried you."
I want to tell you that, the Lord is with you. If you let him, he will comfort you and take away your pain"
Gina looked in the corner of her eye and saw that Smithy was filling up. So, she held his hand tightly and comfortingly. The Reverend continued.
"We therefore commit Rebecca's body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life"
"I will see you again
you never really left
I feel you walk beside me
I know I'll see you again"
"Oi you. You alright?" Gina Gold asked as she spotted Smithy kneeling by Rebecca's fresh grave.
Smithy looked up and smiled before standing up to join Gina on the brown wooden bench.
"They're pretty" Gina kindly said, pointing to the flowers that Smithy had just laid down.
Smithy nodded and smiled.
"White lilies, they're beautiful. You know, I'm glad Rebecca had a good send off today, she deserved it after what she's been through since starting at the nick"
Gina nodded in agreement.
Smithy looked shifty for a moment and Gina could tell that he had something to say.
"Go on..." Gina encouraged.
Smithy coughed and sat up straight on the bench.
"Erm...well, you know when Rebecca got shot by Kent, in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, she died. When she got out of hospital and recovered, Bec told me that, she went to this place and she saw Kerry, their Mum and some other people there. A kind of heaven place. Apparently, Kerry told Rebecca that it wasn't heaven but it was some place they had made together, so that they could leave together. Like some kinda...waiting room for heaven or something"
Gina raised her eyebrows and looked confused, not really sure what to think of what her sergeant was telling her but, not wanting to be rude, she continued to listened.
"Anyway, when George, Cameron and Yvonne died, Rebecca told me that they had gone to this place and they were now with Kerry, waiting for us to join them when the time was right. The thing is, 'm not really sure what to believe. When Bec was dying, she told me that she was scared in case this place really was a dream and that she would be heartbroken if she couldn't see Kerry, their parents and friends again. She was bleeding to death and I was panicking so, I told her it was true and wasn't a dream"
Gina looked even more confused than ever.
"I understand what you're saying Smithy but...I don't really see the problem. If this 'place' is real, then Rebecca is now reunited with Kerry and everyone else but if it was really just a dream, at least the last thing she heard was you telling her that it was real"
Smithy stood up and turned to face Gina.
"It's just so confusing. Rebecca really thinks this place is true. She even told me that, her, Kerry and everyone else will be waiting for me there, when I'm ready. Hmph. Anyway come on; let's get back to the station"
"I miss you like crazy
You're gone but not forgotten
I'll never forget you
Someday I'll see you again
I feel you walk beside me
Never leave you, yeah
Gone but not forgotten
I feel you by my side
No this is not goodbye"
Back at the station, everyone continued with their work for the day. Rebecca's new recruit was due to start the following day and everyone was wondering who it would be. In his office, Smithy pulled out Rebecca's hand written letter from his black suit pocket and, after unlocking the top drawer, delicately slipped it back into the envelope then locked the door straight away. For a moment, Smithy closed his eyes and thought about the Young sisters. He really had loved Kerry and wished they'd been given a chance to be happy together. If Rebecca was right about the place she saw and if he really was going to join them there, then he would finally be able to get a chance of happiness with Kerry. It would be perfect. Maybe too perfect. Was the place real? Or was it all a dream? The only thing Smithy could do...was wait and see.