Morton Residence

Chip had made his way home and was now sitting out on the deck. It was a warm day and he was enjoying the fresh air. Being indoors so much he hadn't forgotten how nice it was to have the cool breeze from the ocean on his face. He took a sip of his water and watched the world pass by as he waited for Lynsey to return home from work.

She had called him a couple of times earlier; obviously during a break in her shift and Chip had been unable to get back to her since she left her messages. He listened to her voicemail again and smiled as he heard her voice. She had nursed him back to health and he didn't know how he would have coped if she hadn't been by his side every day.

Lynsey was parking the car in the driveway and noticed that Chips SUV was parked up. She was slightly anxious to go into the house. Not because she didn't want to see Chip but she wasn't sure how things had gone with Jamie. Despite this testing time for the Morton's one thing she had enjoyed was that when she came home from work, Chip was home. It was rare that this was the case and she almost didn't want him to return to work so he could always be there. She realised that this of course was a pipe dream. As much as she knew Chip loved her very much his job was very important to him and that is also why she loved him so much. A dedicated officer and a complete gentleman. She grabbed her bag from the car and walked into the house.

"Chip? Honey you home?" There wasn't a response from anywhere so she made her way through to the kitchen and saw that the patio doors were open. She walked out to the deck and seen Chip sitting staring at the ocean. She made her way over to him and placed her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, when did you get home?" Chip asked being distracted from his daydream.

Lynsey made her way round to Chip and sat on his lap. "Just now" she smiled.

Chip held his wife's back and pulled her close to him.

"So…" Lynsey hesitated "How did the visit with Jamie go?" Her heart was racing with the anticipation of what Chip was going to reply.

"It went ok. He said that all my bloods were normal"

"And the x-rays? How are the lungs looking?"

"He said that there was some scarring" Chip said sighing.

"Ok. Just some?"

"Yeah. Nothing that is going to stop me retuning to duty"

"So are you fit for duty?"

"Medically yes"

Lynsey was trying to understand why her husband wasn't at least smiling at this good news. Or was that the problem; did he think it was good news? During the first couple of days when Chip came home, Lynsey found it difficult to hold a conversation with Chip. He was still extremely tired and the medication had him a little zoned out when he was conscious. She didn't hear the full story of what had happened aboard Seaview. Sure Jamie and Lee had told her what happened but Chip had not said very much. She wondered if it was maybe because he couldn't remember but as the days and weeks passed by she realised that he hadn't spoken much about it because he didn't want to.

One night she had woken up and Chip wasn't beside her. She had gotten out of bed and found him downstairs sitting at the kitchen table in the darkness. He had poured himself a malt whiskey and swirled the glass round in his hand. He didn't drink it but instead he stared at it. Lynsey knew that this was not how her husband behaved. Chip did like the odd beer but he was not one for whiskey or much alcohol at all. That night she didn't switch on the light nor did she confront her husband as to how he was feeling. Chip would tell her in his own time and she would not push him.

"Chip..are you ready to go back to work?"

Chip looked into her eyes as she sat there holding his hand. He knew that Lynsey would support him no matter what.

"I want to go back to work."

"Then what's stopping you? "

Chip moved Lynsey out of his lap and walked over to the balcony. He turned his back on the ocean and leaned against the post and turned to face her.

"I know when I came round I asked Lee and Jamie what happened but the truth is…I remember everything. I remember…being helped to my cabin, I remember feeling them lift me onto the stretcher taking me to sick bay. I remember feeling that….I couldn't breathe"

Lynsey was watching her husband completely fall apart in front of her. She didn't run to him and throw her arms around him and say "it's all alright" because clearly for Chip it wasn't.

"What else do you remember?"

He hesitated and gestured to his chest "The tube being down my throat….the tightness in my chest but that wasn't the worst of it"

"What was?"

"I lay there feeling that it wasn't just my life slipping away… it was ours" His eyes were filled with tears; he was reliving everything about that day. "I was going to lose you…I don't want to ever lose you"

Lynsey walked over to her husband and took her hand in his. She placed his other hand on his heart "Every time you feel your heart beat…you'll have me". Chip was overcome with emotion and completely broke down. They held each other tightly and cried together. The wall was down and now they could rebuild it together. With or without Seaview.