Chapter 43

April 20, 1996

The next morning, Tiegan woke up feeling down. First, Hillary leaves without saying goodbye and now Jack hates her. She made her way downstairs to find Nicholle eating breakfast.

"Where's everyone?" Tiegan asked her.

"Aunty Pippa and Sal stayed at the hospital overnight with Jack." Nicholle replied.

"Oh."

"Didn't sleep much last night?" Nicholle asked Tiegan.

"I had so many 'what ifs' running through my head. It was crazy." Tiegan replied.

"I might check out that local diner Aunty Pippa goes on about." Nicholle said.

"I'm going over to see Steph and then I'm going to visit Jack in the hospital." Tiegan told Nicholle.

"Fair enough." Nicholle said.

When Tiegan arrived at Travis and Kelly's house, she found Stephanie laying on her bed reading a Dolly Magazine.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that Jack hates my guts now." Tiegan said.

"What happened, Tiegz?" Stephanie asked.

"I found him self-harming with a box cutter." Tiegan replied. "And as if that wasn't enough, I discover that Hillary left without saying goodbye to me."

Stephanie looked shocked.

"Hillary's gone?"

Tiegan nodded her head. Stephanie, however, was feeling guilty. Her argument with Hillary must've caused her to leave the Bay.

"I had planned to confront her about the cocaine that she was snorting and she goes and does this?!" Tiegan said angrily.

"You were a bit late on that one." Stephanie told her.

"Why's that?" Tiegan asked.

Stephanie then confessed everything to Tiegan. Needless to say, Tiegan wasn't happy.

"Hillary has turned out to be such a coward!" Tiegan snapped.

"You're supposed to be angry with me." Stephanie said.

"Angry with you? No way!"

Stephanie was quite surprised, but grateful. Tiegan was such a good friend to her.

"Anyway, you did the right thing." Tiegan told Stephanie. "I'm very proud of you, sister from another mister."

Stephanie smiled.

"Thank you." she said.

Tiegan then gave her best friend a hug.

At the Bayside Diner, Nicholle is drinking a milkshake when Curtis Reed approaches her.

"Hi."

Nicholle gives him a weird look. "Uh..hi?"

"I'm Curtis Reed. I'm one of Jack's friends."

"Yes, I've heard a lot about you." Nicholle said, laughing lightly. "You and Jack are really close mates."

"That's true." Curtis said.

"I'm Nicholle Singleton, otherwise known as Pippa's niece." she said to him.

"That's cool." Curtis said.

Nicholle smiled as she flicked her long curly hair aside.

"You go to school, Nicholle?" Curtis asked her.

"No, I don't." she replied. "I actually work as a beauty care consultant."

"Nice." Curtis said.

"I could give you some tips." Nicholle said, stroking Curtis's hair which caused him to blush.

"Uh...sure." Curtis said, stammering.

"Yeah."

"Well, I have to go and see Jack at the hospital." Curtis said before literally racing out of the diner.

"See you around." Nicholle called out as she smiled.

At that moment, Melissa walked over.

"What was that about?" she asked Nicholle.

"Men. They're so gorgeous." Nicholle replied.

That afternoon, Donna has Rob Storey over her house.

"It's so good to see you again, Rob." she told him as they hugged.

"I've really missed you."

"So have I."

"What brings you back to the Bay?" Rob asked Donna.

"I'm going to resume my role as school counsellor." Donna replied.

"That's great!" Rob said.

"Still working at the boatshed?" Donna asked him.

"Yes." he replied.

Donna and Rob sit on the couch together.

"Rob, I'm going to come right out and say this." she told him. "But I still love you."

Rob looked shocked, but didn't say anything.

"Being with Travis in Canada, it just wasn't the same. After I left, I wanted to resume my relationship with you but I ended up heading back to the city for a little while."

"I see." Rob manages to reply.

"I would like for us to go out again. Just like old times." Donna said.

Rob looks uncertain.

"I guess we can start again." he told Donna, smiling at him.

"Thank you!" Donna said, looking grateful.

Rob then hugged Donna tight as he smiled.

Later that afternoon, Tiegan visits Jack in hospital.

"Hey Jack."

Jack looked at Tiegan.

"Yo." he replied.

Tiegan put some flowers near his bed.

"I didn't expect you to come after the way I spoke to you yesterday." Jack said to her.

"Don't worry about it." Tiegan said.

"I'm really sorry, you know."

"It's alright." Tiegan said softly. "I know you didn't mean it."

"My life sucks, Tiegan." Jack said. "What did I ever do to deserve being kidnapped by that crazy Andrew Warren?"

"It's not your fault." Tiegan told him.

"It is!" Jack said, fighting back the tears. "Just like Kerri. It's my fault that I still love her and she lives so far away!"

Tiegan was speechless.

"I really love Kerri." Jack told her. "We had something special. I'm going to be the father of her baby and I can't be there to see her give birth."

"Mrs James told Pippa that she would work something out." Tiegan said to him.

"I miss her, Tiegan."

Tiegan held Jack's hand as he started to cry.

NEXT TIME...
- Nicholle is invited to a party and we see the wild side of her personality
- Pippa and Jack have a heart-to-heart
- Stephanie and Tiegan prepare to say goodbye to their friend, Melissa