Linger

[bay girl]

Story Title: Linger

Type of story: long fic

Main Characters: Martha/Jack, Lucas, Tony, Alf

BTTB rating: A, Recommended 15+

Genre: Mixture

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: V/D SC L

Summary: Martha's life has changed and it's not for the better. Can she accept the change in her life and learn to love the people that used to mean the world to her?

Welcome to my new Fan Fiction. Yes, it’s yet another Jack and Martha story. They’re my favourite couple to write about, so yeah.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

Summery – This story is set about a year and a half into the future. Let’s say around…. mid 2008. Martha and Jack have been happily married for almost two years and they have a 7 month old daughter together.

Since this is my fic; I can change things in the past. Here’s a few……

# Martha and Jack still went through their rough patch at the end of 2006, but they sorted it out.

# Jack never had his accident.

# Ash and Sam never existed. So J/M never had relationships with other people during their short time apart. Meaning Martha never cheated.

Hmm, I think that’s all for now, so on with the story.

CHAPTER ONE

Jack opened his eyes, but then squeezed them shut again. A bright ray of sunshine was peeking through the curtains and it was shining directly onto his face. He snatched up a pillow and held it down over his face; trying his hardest to block out the light.

He inhaled deeply. The pillow smelt like Martha. You’d think that after a month, the smell would have disappeared. It probably would have disappeared if Jack hadn’t of kept spraying Martha’s perfume over it every few days or so.

The smell kept him sane during most nights. When it was dark and he couldn’t see; he’d inhale the scent and it would actually feel like she was there with him. What was the harm in pretending that she was there?

Jack sat up and let the pillow fall from his face. He looked across to the clock; noting that it was only seven in the morning. He flung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He grabbed a singlet that was hanging over the side of a chair, and pulled it on. He opened the door to his room and walked out; heading down the hall towards Alexandria’s room.

He was just about to walk into her room when he heard a playful squeal coming from the lounge room. Jack smiled to himself and headed back in the other direction. He entered the lounge room and found his brother playing on the floor with Alexandria; his daughter.

She was seven months old now and was now starting to crawl around. Jack kept his mouth shut and watched the pair in amusement. Lucas would roll away and then Alexandria would quickly crawl towards him; only to have Lucas roll away from her again. For some reason unbeknownst to Jack, Alexandria found this highly amusing and would burst into a fit of baby giggles. But, that was babies for you. They laughed at the most silliest things. And in his daughter’s case, the silliest thing was practically anything that Lucas did.

“I still don’t understand what it is about you that she finds so funny,” Jack finally made an appearance. “Because lets be honest; there’s nothing amazingly great about you,” he laughed at Lucas.

“You’re just jealous because she doesn’t laugh at the things you do,” Lucas smirked at his older brother.

“She laughs at me plenty,” Jack scoffed.

“Really? Show us then,” Lucas asked,

“I don’t feel like it,” Jack shook his head as he sat down on the couch.

Lucas laughed. “Yeah, coz you know that I’m right and you’re wrong. She won’t laugh at you,” he looked proud of himself.

“Whatever,” Jack muttered.

“Touchy,” Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Jack laughed. He liked having Lucas around. Lucas had been staying with Jack for the last three weeks; keeping him company. The house had been so quiet with just himself and Alexandria there, so it was great having Lucas around. And Alexandria seemed to love him.

“What time are you heading off to see Martha?” Lucas broke the silence with a question.

Jack shrugged. “As soon as I get ready, I guess. I need to bathe Alex first and she needs to have something to eat too,” he answered.

Jack then dropped himself down onto the floor and pulled Alex into his arms. She reached a hand out and touched his face. He smiled at her. She was such an angel.

“Well if you want to go and have a shower, I’ll get her breakfast ready,” Lucas offered.

Jack nodded. “Alright. Thanks,” he said as he gave Alex a quick kiss and then stood up.

He headed off towards the bathroom and before he even reached the door he could Alex’s giggles echoing though the house again.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Jack reached down and pulled Alex out of her high chair. “Let’s go and see mummy,” he cooed at her. He then looked over at Lucas who was now getting himself some breakfast. “Thanks for getting her ready,” Jack said.

“No problem,” Lucas waved it off. He then peered down at Alex. “Besides, we had fun making a big mess with your breakfast, didn’t we?” he laughed at his niece.

Jack picked up his car keys and Alex’s change bag and then headed towards the door. “Great, if that’s the case then you can now have some fun by yourself cleaning up that big mess,” he laughed as he headed outside.

“I’m not your maid,” Lucas’ voice was heard calling out.

Jack just kept laughing and walked towards his car.

“Is that boy giving you grief,” another voice joked.

Jack looked up and spotted his father walking up the driveway. He smiled. “Na, we’re just messing around,” Jack answered as he strapped Alex into her baby seat.

Tony just nodded. “Are you going to see Martha?” he then asked.

“Yeah,” Jack answered as he looked down to the ground.

Tony sighed. “You know, things are going to turn out great. Everything is going to be fine and things will go back to normal,” he said to his son.

“I just want her back,” Jack exclaimed.

“I know you do,” Tony said. “We all want her back,” he then added.

Jack smiled lightly and then headed around to the other side of the car. “I should probably go,” he told his father.

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll see you later then mate,” Tony gave a small wave and then walked up to the house to pay Lucas a visit.

Jack sat in the driver’s seat and slammed the door. He then rested his head on the steering wheel and let out a loud sigh. He missed her. He missed her like crazy. Things just didn’t seem right without her around.

A gurgling sound coming from the back seat brought him back to attention. He sat up and looked around at his daughter.

“Let’s go Joey,” he smiled. “We don’t want to keep your mother waiting, do we?”

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

PLEASE REVIEW

Well, there it is; the first chapter.

Just to let you all know; I will be taking my time with this story, so there probably won’t be updates everyday. Probably one every two or three days.

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER TWO

Jack gently pushed the door open and rolled the pram into the room. He let the door close quietly behind him. He moved over to the bed and looked down at his wife. He smiled. She looked so peaceful; so beautiful.

He leant down and brushed his lips across her mouth. “Hey baby,” he said softly as he pulled away. “I’m back; again. Sorry, but I just can’t seem to keep away,” he laughed as he sat down next to her.

“Yes, I brought Alex with me. As if I wouldn’t; she needs to see her mum everyday,” Jack then said as he pulled the pram towards him. He unclipped the straps and pulled Alex out. He sat her up on the bed next to Martha. “She misses you. I miss you. Actually, everybody misses you,” Jack smiled.

For the millionth time, Jack wished that Martha could talk back to him. For the millionth time he wished that he could look down at her and see her looking back at him with those beautiful blue eyes. He wanted her to be able to touch him and kiss him back. And most of all he wanted her to be able to hold their daughter in her arms. It had been a month since she had been able to do any of those things. And Jack didn’t know when or if she’d ever be able to them again.

Jack remembered the day so clearly; the day his life had been ripped apart. It was a Monday afternoon and he had just gotten home from work. He just pulled his car into the driveway and before he had even reached the front door he had heard Alex’s loud cry. At first Jack had just thought that Alex was hungry and was using her cry to get Martha’s attention. How wrong he was.

He had opened the front door and walked into the house. He had called out to Martha but there was no answer. Alex’s cries where getting louder so Jack turned around and headed for her room. Alex was in her cot, lying on her back; wailing her lungs. He had picked her up and cuddled her into his chest; soothing her and her cries had stopped immediately.

Jack had wondered why Martha wasn’t attending to their daughter. It was so unlike Martha to just let her baby cry hysterically like that. He didn’t know why but at that moment something didn’t feel right. He had called out to her again, but there was still no answer. He had laid Alex back into her cot and headed out to the lounge room. What he saw next had stopped him in his tracks; it had made his blood run cold. Martha was lying on the ground; unconscious. He’d tried to get her to wake up but to no avail.

And now, a month later; she still hadn’t woken up. And Jack still didn’t know how this had happened. The only injury that she had gotten was a deep gash to the fore-head and the doctors had predicted that she had hit her head on something as she fell to the ground. Other than that; everything was a complete mystery.

Jack let out a loud sigh. The last month had been so tough for him. He was trying his hardest to stay strong. He needed to be strong; for Alex’s sake. The first week without Martha had been the worst. He had felt as though his life was over; because without Martha he felt as though he had nothing in life to live for. He felt empty; it was though he was just the shell of the person he once used to be. He felt nothing.

It had gotten to the point where his father and Beth had to take Alex away from him. Jack couldn’t even look after himself; let alone a seven month old baby. But after a stern talking to from Tony; Jack finally started to see things differently. He needed to stay strong for his daughter. After a week; Tony and Beth had decided to let him take Alex back home again. But he’d also gained Lucas.

Jack was thankful that he had Lucas around to help him. Lucas had become his rock. He honestly didn’t think he would have been able to do it without his brother’s help.

A gurgling sound emitting from his daughters mouth finally broke Jack from his thoughts. He glanced at Alex and smiled. She was the most beautiful little thing he had ever laid eyes on. The very first time he saw her; he’d fallen in love. She looked just like Martha. She had the same pair of gorgeous eyes and the same shade of hair.

Jack felt his eyes welling up with tears. It hurt so much to know that Martha wasn’t able to see their daughter growing. If she didn’t wake up soon; she’d miss out.

Jack picked up Martha’s hand and held it up to his cheek. Her fingers felt so warm against his skin. “You have to wake up Martha. I need you to come back to me,” he said as he brushed his lips gently across her knuckles.

Jack and Alex sat with Martha for about an hour before Alf arrived for a visit. Jack decided to take Alex home; she needed a nap and it was nearing lunch time. Alf had a quick cuddle with Alex before Jack eventually left; leaving Alf to spend some time alone with his granddaughter.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

ONE HOUR LATER

Her eyes flickered open. She was surrounded by white. It hurt her eyes at first and everything seemed blurry. From the corner of her eye she could see one lonely figure standing by a window; looking out. This person was oblivious to the fact that she was now awake. A few moments later, her eyes had finally adjusted to the brightness of the room. She recognized the figure as her grandfather.

“Grandad,” she called out; her voice scratchy.

She watched as her grandfather spun on his heels and looked at her. Alf stood there in shock; hardly believing his eyes. “Martha,” he managed to speak.

“Hey,” Martha sighed.

Alf was across the room in a flash; grasping hold of her hand. “Oh my god. I never thought you would wake up. I thought we’d lost you,” he cried.

Martha smiled. She could see the tears gathering in her grandfathers eyes. “Are you crying?” she teased him.

“Tears of happiness,” Alf exclaimed.

“It’s great to know that I’m loved,” Martha laughed. She then stopped and started to frown. “What happened?” she asked.

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Alf smiled. “You’re awake and that’s what is most important. I should probably get a Doctor,” he then said.

Alf started to rush towards the door. “I’m going to have to call Jack. He’s going to be so thrilled,” he said excitedly.

“Wait,” Martha called out; stopping him. She was confused about something.

“What is it love?” Alf walked back to the bed and looked down at her.

“Jack?” Martha said; clearly confused. “Who’s Jack?”

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER THREE

“What did you just say?” Alf moved back towards Martha’s bed.

Martha coughed; clearing her itchy throat. “You said you had to call Jack. Who is he? I don’t think I know anybody named Jack,” she said to her grandfather.

Alf looked away; his face starting to pale. “You don’t know who Jack is?” he asked in whispered voice.

“No, am I supposed too?” Martha shook her head.

Alf was lost for words. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say. His granddaughter had just told him that she had no idea who Jack was. How was he supposed to tell her that he was infact her husband? More importantly, how was he supposed to tell her that it looked as though she had lost some of her memory?

“I should go and get the Doc. Just relax and stay put. I’ll be back soon,” Alf tried to smile. He then leant down and kissed her fore-head. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said and then moved towards the door again.

Alf quietly shut the door behind him and then leant up against the wall; letting out a loud sigh. He couldn’t believe that this was happening. He didn’t want to believe it. Martha was awake and things were supposed to go back to the way they were before. But now, it seemed as though things had just gotten worse. It wasn’t fair.

Alf pushed himself away from the wall and headed down the hallway; looking for a Doctor. He spotted Rachel walking from a room and called out to her.

“Hi Alf,” Rachel smiled as she approached him.

“Doc, Martha’s awake,” Alf told her.

Rachel’s face lit up with a huge grin. “Oh my god. When did this happen?” she said happily as she pushed passed him and headed towards Martha’s room.

“About five minutes ago,” Alf said.

“Has anybody checked her out yet? Oh gosh, I can’t wait to see her,” Rachel ranted.

Alf shook his head. “Nobody has seen her yet,” he started. Rachel had just reached the door to Martha’s room when Alf grabbed onto her arm. “Wait,” he said to her.

Rachel turned to look at him. “Why? What’s wrong?” she asked.

Alf let out a loud sigh. “We have a huge problem,” he exclaimed.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Martha lay patiently on her hospital bed; waiting for her grandfather to come back with a doctor. While she waited, she tried to remember what it was that caused her to end up in hospital. But there was nothing. Everything seemed so jumbled. She had no idea what had happened.

She also thought about her grandfather. Something was up with him. He had been acting strange. She felt as though he was keeping something from her. She didn’t like it one bit. She wondered if it had anything to do with this Jack person he had mentioned. She had found it weird that her grandfather had wanted to ring a person that she didn’t even know. She had thought that the first person he would have called would be Ric, or maybe even Tasha and Robbie; not some stranger. Maybe this Jack guy had something to do with her accident and had wanted to know if she was okay. She’d just have to ask her grandfather about it again. Hopefully this time he’d tell her instead of running off.

Martha was getting sick of lying down so she decided to push herself up. She was just about in a sitting position when she heard the door open.

“About time,” Martha laughed. “For a while there I didn’t think you were going to come back,” she said as she looked towards the door.

“Sorry love,” Alf exclaimed. A few moments later Martha noticed a young curly haired Doctor walk into the room behind her grandfather. “Martha, this is Dr Armstrong,” Alf introduced.

“Hi,” Martha smiled.

“Hello Martha. It’s good to see you awake,” Rachel smiled back at her.

“How long have I been out?” Martha asked.

Martha noticed her grandfather and the Doctor giving each other a look. Martha coughed; gaining their attention. “How long?” she asked again.

“Um, how about I check you over first and then I’ll let you and your grandfather talk,” Rachel suggested.

“Kay,” Martha shrugged. She knew something was going on. She wasn’t stupid. But she’d let the lady do her job and then she’d ask questions about what had happened to her. “So, Doctor Armstrong, are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” she then asked.

“Oh, I’ve been around for a while. You probably just haven’t seen me before. Oh and you can call me Rachel; everybody else does,” Rachel replied.

Still, Martha noticed the Doctor and her grandfather giving each other these weird glances. Martha couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. The next twenty minutes were spent with Rachel checking over Martha and making sure that she was fine.

“Well everything seems to be fine. We still want you to stay here for a few days and keep you under observation, but other than that; you’re completely healthy,” Rachel explained to her.

“That’s great,” Martha nodded. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I thought that Flynn probably would have been my Doctor. He has been the other couple of times I’ve been here,” she said.

Rachel and Alf both went silent; glancing at each other quickly. “Flynn isn’t here at the moment love,” Alf then said quickly.

Martha had had enough. They were keeping something from her and she wanted to know what it was. “What’s going on? You keep giving each other these strange looks. It’s sending off weird vibes and I don’t like it. Is there something you’re not telling me?” she started to say. “Has it got something to do with why I’m here? And since we’re on the subject, I’d really appreciate it if someone actually told me what happened, because I can’t seem to remember,” she continued to rant.

“Ah, how about I leave you with your grandfather and I’ll go and make a couple of calls. Let everyone know that you’re awake,” Rachel tried to smile and then quickly exited the room.

“She was in a bit of a hurry, wasn’t she?” Martha laughed a little.

“She’s just a bit upset, that’s all,” Alf told Martha.

“Oh, what about?” Martha asked.

“About you,” Alf answered honestly.

Martha was confused. Why would the Doctor be upset about her? “I don’t even know her, so why would she be upset about me?” she exclaimed.

Alf let out a sigh and pulled a chair over to the bed; sitting down. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he said.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Jack was sitting in the lounge room; watching TV with his father and Lucas. Alex was sleeping peacefully in his arms. She’d been a bit restless when he’d first put her down for a nap and the only way she would go to sleep, was if she was in his arms.

He knew it was because Martha wasn’t around. Martha was nearly always the one who put Alex down for her sleep and now Martha wasn’t around to do that. Alex was still only a baby, but there was no doubt that she had noticed that Martha was no longer around. Alex still really needed Martha, and Jack knew that she could feel that something was wrong.

Suddenly the sound of the house phone rang loudly through the room. “I’ll get it,” Lucas jumped up quickly and answered the phone.

Lucas was speaking quietly, so Jack couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he knew that call was a good call. Lucas’s face had broken out into a grin. “We’ll be there straight away,” Lucas then said loudly. He slammed the phone down and ran back over to them.

“What’s going on?” Tony laughed at his son’s excitement.

“That was Rachel; Martha’s awake,” Lucas exclaimed.

Jack’s breath caught in his throat. Did he just hear right? Martha was awake. He stood up quickly. “She’s awake,” he said softly.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

“What is it grandad?” Martha questioned; waiting for Alf to start talking.

He didn’t say anything; he didn’t know how to start.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Martha said softly. She then started to get upset. “Is there something wrong with me? Oh my god! Somebody’s dead. I know it. Did I kill someone?” she was starting to get paranoid.

“No, no, you didn’t hurt anyone,” Alf tried to calm Martha.

“Well, will you please tell me what’s wrong?” Martha cried.

Alf let out a sigh before speaking. “What is the last thing you remember?” he asked her.

Martha shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Everything just seems really blurred at the moment,” she started. Martha lifted her right hand to her fore-head and rubbed; thinking hard before she began to talk again. “I think there was a party at Rob and Tasha’s house. Yeah, that’s right; it was a house warming party. They’d just moved into Josie’s old flat,” she explained.

Alf lowered his head into his hands. Martha could tell that he was upset. She went to ask if he was okay but he spoke up before she got the chance. “Do you remember anything else?” Alf asked.

“Um, Cassie and Ric were being annoying with their stupid little arguments and Rob and Tasha were trying to set me up with some of their friends. I got angry at them and kinda yelled,” Martha began. “The cops turned up after that. One of them was a real jerk,” she exclaimed.

Alf jerked his head up at the mention of the cops. “Do you remember what the cop’s name was? Do you remember what he looked like?” he fired off questions.

“I don’t know what his name was and I don’t particularly care,” Martha scoffed. “Him and his stupid smirk,” she muttered under her breath.

Alf chuckled but then turned serious again. “Do you remember anything else?” he wanted to know.

Martha shook her head. “Everything is blurry after that. I can’t remember,” she replied. “Wait; did something happen at the party? Is that why I’m here?” she asked.

“No,” Alf answered. “Love, what I’m about to tell you may upset you a bit. I hate to be the one to tell you, but it’s probably best that you hear it from me,” he said.

“You’re scaring me grandad,” Martha exclaimed. She didn’t like this. She was scared. He was about to tell her something bad; she could feel it.

“You’ve been in a coma for the last month,” Alf stated.

Martha looked at him in shock. “Oh my god,” she said in a whispered voice. “How?” she asked.

“We’re not sure how it happened. You were found unconscious on the floor and you’d hit your head; that’s all we know,” Alf explained to her.

“Wow,” Martha laughed a little. “No wonder my memory is a bit blurry,” she joked.

“That’s not the worst of it,” Alf pointed out.

“How could it get any worse?” Martha laughed.

“This isn’t a joke Martha,” Alf groaned.

Martha couldn’t possibly think that the situation could get any worse. She’d been in a coma for goodness sake. Could it really get worse? Of course the answer was yes; she could have died. “Keep going then. Tell me,” she urged her grandfather on.

“You have a case of Amnesia,” Alf told her.

“Excuse me,” Martha scoffed. Was her grandfather crazy “Are you high?” she tried to laugh.

“I’m serious love,” Alf sighed. Martha noticed that his eyes were welling up with tears, and this upset her. She hardly ever saw him this upset. She knew that he was telling the truth.

“That housewarming party that you just mentioned; that was held almost three years ago Martha,” Alf broke it to her in a gentle voice. “You’ve lost almost three years worth of memories,” he said softly.

Martha swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat. “No, she shook her head. “You’re just tricking me,” she didn’t want to believe it.

“I’m sorry Martha,” Alf started to cry.

Martha looked away from him. She didn’t want to believe it, but she knew that she had to. Her life had been taken away from her.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER FOUR

Martha lifted her right hand to her face; using her fingers to brush away the tears that streamed down her face. Her grandfather had just spent the last ten minutes filling her in on all that had occurred over the last three years, and none of it seemed remotely familiar at all. Her mind was a total blank.

She was still having trouble accepting that she had lost almost three years of her life. It didn’t seem real to her. She felt as though it was all a dream. Maybe it was just a dream, and at any moment she would wake up and everything would be fine again.

“I don’t know if I can believe all of this. It doesn’t seem real,” Martha sniffed.

“It’s going to take a while to accept, but just know that I will always be there for you,” Alf started. “And who knows; this may be temporary. Your memory could come back one day. And it could be soon,” he said.

Martha scoffed. “Yeah, and it could take ages. Or even worse; I’ll never get it back,” she spat out.

“We just have to stay strong and stay positive. You have so many people around you that will want to be there for you, so we will get through this,” Alf tried to reassure her.

“What people, grandad?” Martha laughed sarcastically. “Tasha and Rob, Hayley and Scott are living in another country. Kim’s in the city. They were my friends and they’re not even around anymore. I don’t have anybody else,” she pointed out.

Alf let out a loud sigh. “You have Sally, Leah, Cass, Mattie and Rachel,” he said to her.

“Rachel? The Doctor? Grandad, I don’t remember her,” Martha snapped.

“Well, you’ll just have to get to know her again, won’t you?” Alf sighed again.

“I suppose,” Martha sniffed.

Alf and Martha sat in silence for a few more moments. She was still trying to take it all in.

“I can’t believe Flynn is gone,” Martha suddenly spoke again. When her grandfather had told her that Flynn had died; she was shocked. Flynn was such a great man, and she would always be grateful to him. He had practically saved her life after the car accident that had claimed Chloe’s life. She would never forget him.

Alf nodded. “It took us all a long time to get over it. But we stuck together and we managed,” he said. “But Sally’s happy again now. Brad is a great bloke; you’ll like him,” Alf told her.

Martha just nodded. “I guess there are few new people that I’m going to have to meet, huh?” she tried to laugh.

“You’ll be fine,” Alf exclaimed.

Martha smiled. She was upset, but she knew that she should be thankful that she was still alive. Martha suddenly snapped her gaze back up Alf. Jack; she was still curious to know who this Jack person was. He still hadn’t told her.

“So, who’s this Jack bloke you keep talking about?” she asked.

Alf’s eyes widened. He had told her everything. Well, everything except for the fact that she had a husband and child. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell her.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Jack sprinted into the hospital. Lucas, Tony and Beth, who was holding Alex, were right behind him. Jack spotted Rachel sitting on a chair. He noticed that she looked a little upset.

“Rachel,” Jack called out.

Rachel sat up; quickly drying her eyes. “Hey guys,” she tried to smile.

“I want to see her,” Jack started to get excited. “I need to see her. I need to see with my own eyes that she is awake,” he said to Rachel.

Jack’s insides were squirming around. He was so anxious to see Martha. He just wanted to touch her and kiss her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. He swore to himself that he would never let her go again. Ever.

Jack had now noticed that Rachel didn’t seem to be as excited as him or the others. Infact, she had a deep frown on her face.

“What’s wrong love?” Tony asked; putting a hand on Rachel’s shoulder.

Rachel let out a small sob and looked away. Jack felt his stomach fall. Something was wrong with Martha. Why else would Rachel be acting like this?

“Is something wrong with Martha?” he asked softly; dreading the answer. “Please tell me that she’s okay,” Jack cried.

Rachel looked up into Jack’s face. “Martha is okay physically, but there is a bit of a problem,” she started.

“What sort of problem?” Jack’s voice grew louder.

Rachel sighed. “It seems Martha has lost some of her memory,” she exclaimed.

Jack was silent for a few moments; as was Beth, Tony and Lucas. They didn’t quite understand.

“What?” Jack looked at Rachel in disbelief.

“She’s lost about three years worth of memories Jack,” Rachel began. “She doesn’t remember me. And I’m sorry to say this, but she doesn’t remember you. And she doesn’t remember Alex,” she said slowly; a lump forming in her throat.

Everybody went silent. Jack took a step back and shook his head. “No,” he exclaimed. “This is some sort of joke, right?” he said as he moved away from the group.

Jack didn’t want to believe that Martha didn’t remember him or their daughter. Rachel had to be wrong. Martha knew who he was. She knew who Alex was. She just had too.

“I’m sorry Jack,” Rachel said. “I’m so sorry”.

Jack fell down into a chair. Tony was immediately sitting by his side; rubbing his back.

“She doesn’t remember me dad. My own wife doesn’t even know who I am,” he started to cry.

His body wracked with sobs as Tony pulled him in for a tight hug. “Everything is going to be fine son. It’s going to be fine,” Tony exclaimed.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Martha looked at her grandad; waiting for him to speak.

“There is something else I need to tell you love,” Alf started. “Something very important; something you may never have comprehended,” he said.

“Grandad, I’ve lost my memory. I could probably take anything you tell me now,” Martha laughed. “So, just hit me with it,” she urged.

Alf picked up Martha's left hand and held it in his own. “You haven’t noticed them yet, have you?” he asked.

“Noticed what?” Martha was confused. Her grandfather seemed to be talking in riddles.

“The rings on your wedding finger,” Alf answered.

What did he just say? Martha thought to herself. He did not just say what she thought he said. There was no way. Martha looked into Alf’s eyes. Was he lying? She slowly cast her eyes down to her hand that was clasped gently in Alf’s; and the answer was practically thrown back in her face.

There, wrapped neatly around her wedding finger were two rings. An engagement ring and a wedding ring to be exact. She quickly snatched her hand away from Alf’s and inspected it more closely.

“No way,” she exclaimed as she looked back up at her grandfather. “There is no way that I’m married. There is absolutely no way that I’m married. I’m only twenty one for god’s sakes,” she ranted.

She wasn’t married. She couldn’t possibly be married. “No way,” she exclaimed again as she kept looking at the rings; twirling them around her finger.

“You’ve been married for almost two years Martha, and the two of you are very much in love,” Alf explained. “His name is Jack,” he then said.

Jack! Martha looked up. “So this Jack guy you keep talking about is my husband?” Martha cried. “Oh my god,” she suddenly felt a little light headed.

“Yes,” Alf nodded. “There is one more thing. There’s Alex,” he said.

“Who’s Alex?” Martha asked; clearly not interested. There was no way her grandfather could surprise her anymore. Nothing could beat the fact that she had a husband.

“She’s your daughter,” Alf replied.

Martha’s breath hitched in her throat.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER FIVE

Martha had been sitting in silence for the last five minutes. So many thoughts were going through her head. She honestly didn’t know what to think or feel anymore. She’d just found out that she had a husband and also baby daughter and she didn’t know if she was ready to accept it. There was such a large part of her that wished it would all just go away. She wasn’t ready for all this.

She knew it was harsh, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. And she hoped that her family didn’t just expect her to pick up where she left off. She couldn’t just go home to a ready made family. It wouldn’t feel right to her. She didn’t know them; they were strangers to her.

“Martha,” Alf’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Martha looked up quickly. “What?” she sighed.

“Are you okay?” Alf asked her.

Martha shrugged, but then started to laugh. “I don’t know who I am anymore, of course I’m not okay,” she answered. “I don’t think I can handle this. I’m not ready for marriage or a family. I can’t do it,” she said truthfully.

Alf let out a loud sigh. “Nobody is going to expect you to just jump back in there and pretend that it’s all okay. You’ve just received a large shock, and you’re going to need time to adjust. All I’m asking is that you try; for your daughter’s sake,” he pointed.

Martha laughed again. “My daughter? Oh, you mean the one that I don’t know,” she said sarcastically.

“She’s an eight month old baby Martha, this is not her fault. Do not just push her to the side. She needs her mother. She needs you,” Alf snapped at her.

Martha looked away from him. “I never said I was going to push her away,” she said softly. “I just need time to get my head around this. I don’t know what to do,” she started to cry.

“It’s okay, just remember that I’m here for you whenever you need me,” Alf comforted her.

“I’d like to have some time alone, if you don’t mind,” Martha then exclaimed.

“Of course,” Alf nodded. He got up and headed for the door. Before opening it he turned back to face Martha. “Um, I’m sure Jack’s probably here by now, and he’s going to want to see you and he’s going to want to bring Alex in aswell. But I’ll tell him that you need bit of time to yourself, okay” he said.

“Thanks, grandad,” Martha nodded at him. “Give me half an hour to gather my thoughts, and then maybe I’ll have enough guts to face them,” she explained.

Alf smiled and then walked out. Martha immediately let her face drop into her hands. She cried.

Why on earth had this happened to her? It wasn’t fair. She had a husband who was apparently madly in love with her and she had child with him, and here she was thinking that she didn’t want anything to do with them. She didn’t know if she could be a part of their lives.

She didn’t think she was ready for that sort commitment.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Jack was slumped on a chair in the waiting room; cradling a sleeping Alex in his arms. He looked down at her and stroked her cheek. Jack then leant down and placed a soft kiss on her fore-head.

“You’ll get to see mummy soon,” He whispered to the sleeping child.

He looked across the room and found his dad, Beth and Lucas watching him; all giving him apologetic smiles. They felt sorry for him. His wife didn’t remember him or their daughter and they felt bad about it. But Jack didn’t want their pity. He didn’t want anything from them.

Jack turned his head to the side and spotted Alf walking towards him. “Alf,” he jumped up; trying not wake Alex. “How is she?” he asked as Tony and the others stepped up beside him.

“As good as can be expected, I guess,” Alf sighed.

“Does she know about Jack and Alex yet?” Tony wanted to know.

Alf nodded. “Yeah, she knows,” he answered.

Jack lowered his eyes to the floor. “How did she take it?” he asked; dreading the answer would be bad.

Alf shrugged a little. “She’s in shock I think. She’s not handling it very well,” he replied with honesty. There was no use in lying and letting Jack get his hopes up.

“Can I see her?” Jack was desperate. He wanted to see her so bad. He didn’t care if she didn’t recognize him; he just wanted to see her.

“She wants a bit of time to herself for a while. Martha just needs to get her head around things. She said to give her half an hour and then she might be ready to see you and Alex,” Alf explained.

Jack nodded. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he muttered. He then let out a loud sigh. “I guess I should just be happy that she’s awake and will be coming home in a few days,” he said.

Alf coughed. “Yeah, about that,” he trailed off. “I don’t think Martha will be going back to your place when she gets out of here. She won’t be ready for that Jack. It’s going to be a strange place for her, and I think she would be better off being in a place more familiar,” he told Jack.

Jack glared at Alf. “She’s my wife and I want her home with me and Alex. It’s where she belongs,” he started to get angry. His raise voice had gotten so loud that he woke up Alex and she started to cry.

Beth walked over and took her out of his arms. “Stop yelling. You’re scaring her,” she snapped at Jack as she tried to calm Alex.

Jack ignored Beth and continued to glare at Alf. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder. It was his father. “Jack, you need to calm down,” Tony told him. “Alf is right mate. I don’t think Martha will be ready to go home with you. You need to give her time,” he said.

“How is she supposed to remember me, if she isn’t around me? If we spend time together, she may start to remember things. That’s why she should come home with me and Alex,” Jack growled.

Tony sighed. “I really don’t think it’s your decision Jack. In the end, Martha will do what’s best for her,” he said.

“And what about what is best for Alex? She needs her mother. I can’t look after her by myself,” Jack cried.

“You’re not expected to look after her by yourself,” Tony pointed out. “You still have us; you’re not alone,” he added.

“Yeah,” Lucas agreed. “I’ll stay at the pad with you as long as you need me to,” he offered.

Jack just nodded. He didn’t want to argue with them anymore. He was tired, and he just wanted to see Martha. He turned around and walked back towards his chair.

“Jack, there is something you need to know,” Alf spoke as he walked towards Jack.

“What is it?” Jack asked but didn’t look up at him.

“The last thing Martha remembers is Tasha and Robbie’s house warming party,” Alf began.

Jack’s eyes shot up and met with Alf’s. “That’s the day I arrived in the bay,” he pointed out.

“Yeah,” Alf nodded.

“So, what are you saying?” Jack was curious as to where this was heading.

“I think Martha remembers you from that night. She said something about the cops turning up and telling them to turn the music off, and then she mentioned a cop who she claimed was a complete jerk,” Alf explained.

“That would be you Jack,” Lucas laughed as he pointed at him.

“She remembers me,” Jack said softly.

“It certainly looks that way mate,” Alf nodded.

Perhaps this wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. At least she remembers him from that night, so he wasn’t going to be a complete stranger to her. His hopes suddenly perked up.

“Don’t go getting your hopes up mate,” Tony interrupted his thoughts. Jack looked up and found his father smiling at him.

“Why’s that?” Jack questioned.

“If Martha does remember you from that night, then that might not be a good thing. She thinks you were a jerk,” Tony pointed out.

“Oh,” Jack exclaimed.

“Meaning; I don’t think she likes you very much mate,” Tony laughed.

Jack slumped back into his seat. “Great”.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Martha was sitting up in her bed when Alf returned about half an hour later. She knew it was time to face her husband. She was scared, but she knew it had to be done. Who knows, maybe he’ll turn out to be an okay guy, she thought to herself.

“Are you sure you’re ready to do this now?” Alf asked her.

Martha took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I just want to get it over and done with,” she said.

“He’s a good guy Martha; you’ll like him,” Alf told her.

Martha tried to smile. ‘I really hope so,” she sighed.

“Um,” Alf stuttered. Martha could tell that he wanted to say something; he looked uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?” Martha questioned him.

“There is something else you should know,” Alf exclaimed.

Martha groaned. What else could he possibly have to say? “Grandad, I don’t think I can take anymore surprises,” she said to him.

“It’s about Jack,” Alf started. “You know how you were telling me about the house warming party before and that it was the last thing you remembered,” he trailed off.

“Yeah,” Martha nodded. For some reason she didn’t like where this was heading.

Alf rubbed his hands together. He was nervous. “You also mentioned that copper. You said he was a complete jerk,” he said.

“Yeah, he was. He had this smirk that just really pissed me off. He seemed totally up himself,” Martha explained to her grandad. “But what has he got to do with this?” she asked.

“He’s your husband,” Alf blurted.

Martha felt herself tense up. She then started to laugh. “I’m sorry,” she scoffed. “What?”

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

NEXT CHAPTER: Martha and Jack finally get the chance to talk. And Martha has a very big decision to make.

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER SIX

“Jack is the copper from that night at the party,” Alf said again.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Martha started to shake her head in disbelief. “He can’t be my husband. There’s no way I would have married him. I mean; he’s a cop for god sakes. I would never marry a cop,” she stated.

Alf shrugged. “Things change. You married a cop,” he exclaimed.

Martha wanted to disappear. Why was this happening to her? Why did god feel the need to punish her? She didn’t do anything to deserve this.

“This is insane,” Martha blurted out. “I married a cop; who is a complete ass-hole. Was I high at the time? Did I smoke some crack or something? Or am I just dead and now living in hell?” she started to talk to herself.

Alf laughed. “I’m beginning to think that you’re high right now. What did those nurses give you?” he chuckled.

Martha snapped her gaze onto her grandfather. “This is not funny,” she growled.

Alf stopped laughing but still held a small smile on the corner of his mouth. “I know. I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“Kill me now,” Martha muttered.

“So,” Alf started but then paused for a moment. “I’ll go get Jack,” he announced.

Martha started to panic. “No, I’m not ready. I don’t want to do this now. Infact, I don’t ever want to do it,” she started to ramble.

Alf moved away from the bed and headed towards the bed. “You need to do this Martha; sooner rather than later,” he told her as he opened the door.

Martha reached a hand out and grabbed Alf. “No, don’t leave me here alone,” she pleaded. “I’m scared. Don’t leave me alone with him. Please, don’t leave me alone with him,” she panicked.

Alf shook himself away from Martha’s grasp. “You’ll be fine,” he promised.

“Yea, I don’t bite,” a voice said from the doorway.

Martha looked up. Jack; the man she was supposedly married to, was standing right there with the baby in his arms. Martha locked eyes with him for a second, but then turned away quickly.

She could fell her heart thumping hard against her chest. Her palms were feeling sweaty and she felt like she was going to pass out. She readjusted herself into a sitting position on her bed and stared straight ahead; ignoring the three people who were still in her doorway.

“I’ll leave you two alone then,” Alf spoke up and then quickly exited the room.

Martha still had her eyes locked on the white wall across the room. She heard the door shut quietly and then footsteps moving slowly towards her bed. Martha squeezed her eyes shut; in hopes that when she opened them, he would be gone. Of course he was still there when she opened them.

Martha knew that sooner or later she’d have to look up at him, so she decided to just get it over and done with. She slowly raised her eyes and looked at him.

“Hi,” Jack smiled at her.

Martha didn’t speak. She just kept her eyes trained to his. He looked a little different than the last time she saw him; older perhaps. It has been three years, Martha thought to herself.

“Hey,” Martha finally said after a few moments. She then let her eyes drop from his face. They landed on the small child in his arms; her daughter.

“Um, this is Alexandria,” Jack told her. “But most of us call her Alex or Joey,” he said.

“Joey?” Martha exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Jack nodded. “Your dad and your brothers have called her that ever since they first met her and it kinda stuck. So, now most people call her that,” he explained.

“Oh,” Martha nodded as she looked away. “How old is she?” she then asked.

“Nearly eight months,” Jack answered.

Martha didn’t say anything; just nodded again.

Jack let out a loud sigh. “So, how are you feeling?” he then asked as he stepped right up beside the bed.

Martha shifted a little. She hoped that he didn’t plan on touching her. She wasn’t ready for that yet. “I feel okay,” she finally replied to his question.

“That’s good,” Jack smiled at her. He then paused for a moment. “So, Alf mentioned that you remember me from Tasha and Rob’s party,” he said.

Martha cleared her throat. “Ah yeah, I do. You were that cop,” she said.

“Yeah, I was. Apparently you thought I was a jerk,” Jack smiled.

“You were,” Martha stated; feeling slightly more confident.

“Pardon,” Jack scoffed.

“Nothing,” Martha smirked at him.

Jack started to laugh. “You soon changed your mind about me,” he smirked back at her.

“Yes, well I’ve already come to the conclusion that I must have been high at that point of time, because there is no way that I would have agreed to go out with you,” Martha stated; holding her head high.

“You think what you want, that’s fine with me,” Jack laughed. “I’m just glad that you’re okay,” he then said; turning serious.

“I’ve lost my memory; I’m not okay,” Martha exclaimed.

“But you’re alive,” Jack pointed out. “You came back to us; I always knew you would,” he added.

Martha started to feel shy again. The way that he looked at her made her feel strange. She could tell that he loved her. It was written all over his face.

“Alex missed you,” Jack told her as he moved right up next to her.

Martha looked at the small child in his arms. Alex was almost a spitting image of her when she as a baby. They had the same eyes and the same facial features. She felt her eyes well up with tears as the baby held her arms out; wanting Martha to hold her.

Martha was unsure of what she wanted to do. This baby was her own flesh and blood. She created this child with Jack. She was her mother. Martha was scared. She didn’t know if she was ready to be a mother.

“She needs you,” Jack exclaimed. “She hasn’t been held by her mother in a month. For her sake; I really need for you to accept her,” he said.

Martha knew he was right. She couldn’t abandon the child. Alex was a part of her. She reached her arms out and took the baby from him. She pulled Alex in close to her and held her tightly to her chest. Alex automatically snuggled into her; making Martha feel warm inside. It was like something had just triggered inside of her; her maternal instinct maybe. She loved this little girl already and she’d only met her a few minutes ago.

“She’s beautiful,” Martha exclaimed.

“Like her mother,” Jack stated.

Martha looked back towards Jack. She wished he wouldn’t do that. She didn’t want him saying nice things about her; especially when she didn’t have anything nice to say back to him. She didn’t know him. She couldn’t yet look at him as though he were her husband.

She was willing to accept Alex as her daughter. But she was in no way ready to accept Jack as her husband.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Jack smiled as he watched Martha bonding with their daughter. She hadn’t spoken much to him after he handed Alex over to her. She wouldn’t look at him and as much as it hurt him; he knew that he had to accept whatever she gave him. Even if it was nothing.

When he first entered the room with Alex, he half expected Martha to tell him to **** off. He remembered clearly the way Martha used to treat him when they first met. She had disliked him quite a bit and had always made her feelings quite clear. That was always one of the qualities that he really loved about her. She always spoke her mind; even if it meant being a bitch.

Jack snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Martha. She was tickling Alex’s toes’ making her giggle. It was so good seeing them back together, and Jack was so pleased that Martha hadn’t pushed Alex away.

Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“It’s nice to meet you,” Martha smiled lightly as she shook hands with Tony and then Lucas; her apparent father and brother in law.

They seem like nice guys, Martha thought to herself. After spending half an hour with Jack and Alex in her hospital room, Martha decided that she would like to meet the rest of Jack’s family. They were Alex’s family and Alex was her daughter; meaning that Tony and Lucas were going to be a big part of her life from now on. So she wanted to get to know them. And so far, they seemed okay.

Tony and Lucas moved away from the bed and Beth rushed up quickly; giving Martha a warm hug. “I’m so glad you’re awake sweet,” Beth whispered softly as she pulled away.

“Thanks,” Martha smiled. “Between you and me; it’s kinda nice to see a familiar face,” she then said in a quiet voice, so only Beth could hear.

Beth gave her a sad, sympathetic smile. “It’ll get better love,” she said to Martha.

“So everyone keeps saying,” Martha exclaimed with a roll of the eyes.

Beth squeezed Martha’s hand and then moved away; standing next to Tony who was now nursing Alex.

“So, I’ve been told that the two of you are getting married in a month,” Martha spoke again; directing the conversation towards Beth and Tony.

Beth nodded her head in excitement. “Yes we are,” she answered.

“I’m a lucky guy,” Tony exclaimed.

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Martha smiled. She paused for a moment before speaking again. “Are Rob, Tash and the others coming back for the wedding?” she asked.

“Yeah, they are,” Beth replied. “Scott and Hayley are coming from France, and Kit and Kim are coming down from the city. And Rob and Tash are coming from Boston; that’s were they’re living now,” she explained.

“Grandad told me,” Martha smiled sadly. “I can’t believe all my friends are gone. It doesn’t feel real,” she added.

”You have us,” Lucas said in a cheerful voice. “And Jack,” he pointed out.

“Lucky me,” Martha muttered as she looked in Jack’s direction. “All my friends are complete strangers,” she said harshly.

The three Holden men looked to the ground; clearly hurt by Martha words. They didn’t expect her to be so rude.

“Martha,” Alf scolded as he sent her disappointed look. “There’s no need to take it out on them. They didn’t do this to you. So don’t speak to them like that,” he said.

Martha hung her head in shame. She immediately felt bad. She knew it wasn’t their fault. She looked up at them. “I’m sorry; that was uncalled for,” she apologised.

“It’s alright,” Tony waved it off. “You’re having a rough time at the moment and you’re just not used to us yet. It’s okay,” he told Martha.

“I liked the old Martha better,” Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Jack gave Lucas a dirty look. “Shut it Luc,” he hissed.

Martha laughed. “No, its fine,” she told Jack. “I was rude first; it’s only fair that he get a shot in too,” she said.

The room then went quiet for a few moments; nobody sure of what to say next. Lucas coughed; clearing his throat. “So……,” he trailed off.

Alex, who was still resting in Tony’s arms, gave out a small yawn. “Maybe I should take her home. She needs to take a nap,” Jack suggested.

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “We should all probably head off. I’m sure Martha needs some rest,” he said.

They all said a quick goodbye and walked out; leaving just Jack and Alf alone with Martha.

“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Jack told Martha as he stepped up closer to the bed.

Martha shook her head. “No, it’s alright. You don’t have too. I’m sure you’ve got work or something. You don’t have to worry about me,” she told Jack.

Jack smiled softly. “I want too. I’m not working at the moment anyway. I’ve taken the last month off. I needed to look after Alex,” he started. “Besides, you and I really need to talk. We have some important things to discuss,” he said.

“Oh goody,” Martha exclaimed sarcastically.

“Right,” Jack sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Seeya Alf,” he said and then quickly exited the room; shutting the door behind him.

Martha let out a loud sigh and flopped back onto the bed. “Well, that sucked,” she told Alf.

“You made it worse by being rude,” Alf shook his head in disappointment.

“I’m not going to pretend to be happy about this grandad. And you shouldn’t expect me to,” Martha snapped.

“All I’m saying is that you could have made an effort,” Alf sighed.

“I did make an effort,” Martha pointed out. “I’m willing to accept Alex as my daughter. I thought I’d made that pretty clear. But as for Jack; I’m not ready to accept him as my husband. And honestly; I might not ever be ready,” she added.

Alf nodded. “I guess Alex is the most important thing in all this. I’m glad you’re making an effort with her. But don’t give up on Jack so quickly,” he started. “He’s a great guy and a great father. You may grow to like him. Maybe even love him again. Just give it a chance,” he pleaded.

“I can’t make any promises grandad,” Martha exclaimed. “I just….I just can’t do it”.

Alf shrugged. “I guess I can’t do anymore then,” he said. “Look, I’m going to go and get you something to eat; I’ll be back soon,” Alf told her.

“Thanks,” Martha smiled.

Alf moved towards the door but then stopped. “I placed a mirror beside your bed. I thought you might like to take a look at yourself. See how much you’ve changed in three years,” he said and then quickly walked out; leaving Martha alone.

Martha leaned to the side and grasped the mirror that Alf had left. She held it in her shaking hands. She was scared. She didn’t know why. It’s not like she would have changed drastically. She’d probably look a little older; but that was it. She slowly lifted the mirror and took in her appearance.

Yes, she did look a little older and her face looked a little fuller. Her face was quite pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. But she guessed that was what happened when you were in a coma for a month.

Martha placed the mirror back down on the bed. She then lifted her hand up and looked at the rings on her finger. She still wasn’t used to them being there. She really wanted to take them off; but a part of her was telling her to leave them on. She was confused. She didn’t want to be married, but she knew it was something she’d have to accept.

Besides, who said she had to stay married? If she really wanted to, all she’d have to do was divorce Jack.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

“I’m really glad you’re awake,” Ric squeezed Martha’s hand. “It’s good to have my best friend back,” he smiled.

“Best friend?” Martha smirked.

Ric laughed. “Oh that’s right, you don’t remember,” he teased. He stopped laughing and then turned serious. “You and I have become pretty close over the last couple of years. After all the bad stuff that’s happened; Flynn dying, the explosion at the wedding, the chopper crash, Jack’s accident and Sally getting stabbed; it’s just brought us all closer, you know,” he explained.

“Wait. What?” Martha was confused. What was he talking about? “I don’t understand what you’re saying. What bad stuff?” she asked her cousin.

“Oh, you haven’t been told yet,” Ric realized.

“Told what?” Martha was starting to get worked up.

“Maybe I should let grandad or Jack explain all this to you,” Ric said.

“Or maybe you should tell me now before I kick your ass,” Martha threatened Ric.

“Alright, I’ll tell you,” Ric sighed.

Over the next 20 minutes Ric explained to her in great detail all the horror that had befallen them over the last couple of years. Martha was shocked to hear about Zoë still being alive and how she ruined her wedding reception, and how Jack nearly died. He told her about the chopper crash and how she was lost out in the bush for three weeks and then while she was missing her grandad had a heart attack. Everybody had thought they were dead. He told her about Mumma Rose and how she had kidnapped her and Tasha. And then how her marriage to Jack had started to break down after only a few months. Ric told her about Jack’s accident and how there was a chance he’d never walk again.

“Jack needed a blood transfusion, and the two of you shared the same blood type,” Ric started to explain. “You saved his life. After that you realised how close you’d came to losing him and how much you loved him. You decided to give your marriage another shot and since then you and Jack have been more in love than ever. Jack was able to walk again and then you found out you were pregnant with Alex; and everything just started to fall into place,” he finished.

“Wow, our lives have been pretty hectic then, huh?” Martha was still flabbergasted. “Maybe it’s a good thing I’ve lost my memory; I don’t have to remember all the bad stuff,” she said.

“Yeah, but you’ve forgotten all the good stuff too, and that’s not a good thing,” Ric pointed out. “Things may have gotten rough at times, but you’ve also had some amazing times. But the fact that you’ve forgotten Alex and your life as a Holden; it’s sad. They are a part of our family now and you’ve given them so much joy. They adore you Martha; you’re one of them now,” he told her.

Martha groaned. “Please Ric; don’t. I’ve heard all this from grandad,” she said.

“But Jack’s a great guy and you love him, and he loves…..,” Ric began, but Martha cut him off.

“He loves me. Yeah, yeah, so I’ve been told,” Martha shrugged. “But I don’t remember that love. Why can’t everybody just understand that? I need time to figure out what I’m going to do with all this. I’m confused Ric. I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know what I want anymore. And if we’re as close as you say we are, then you’ll respect my wishes and let me make my own decisions,” she said; getting frustrated.

Ric nodded. “Of course; I’m sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just, Jack is one of my best mates and I’d hate to see him hurt, you know?” Ric told her.

“Are you trying to guilt trip me?” Martha laughed lightly.

“I would never do such a thing,” Ric smirked.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

THE NEXT DAY

“So, you’re feeling much better today then?” Jack asked Martha.

“I guess,” Martha shrugged. “I get to leave tomorrow, so I guess that’s good,” she added.

“It is good,” Jack nodded as he moved closer to the bed and sat down on the chair next to her.

Martha tensed up a bit and Jack noticed this. “You don’t have to feel weird or shy around me,” Jack said.

“I don’t,” Martha said; hoping she sounded confident.

Jack let out a loud sigh. “Look, I understand that you’re feeling uncomfortable around me; I don’t blame you. It’s okay to feel…..,” he started.

Martha was starting to get angry. This guy was really starting to **** her off. “I feel fine, okay? I don’t feel weird and I don’t feel shy, so stop telling how I feel. Because you have no idea how I feel, so just stop it,” she snapped at him.

“Alright, alright,” Jack held his hands up in surrender. “There’s no need to get upset,” he muttered.

“I’m not getting upset. You’re just really starting to **** me off,” Martha snapped again. “Now, you said we had important things to discuss; so let’s get on with it,” she sighed.

Jack nodded. “I guess I just wanted to talk about us,” he told her.

“Us?” Martha asked.

“Yes, us. As in me and you; husband and wife,” Jack said sarcastically.

Martha scoffed. “Okay, let me get something straight. There is no us,” she told Jack. “As far as I’m concerned, we are not together. I don’t remember you or our marriage, so in my mind; it never happened,” she said softly.

Martha could see the hurt in Jack’s eyes and she felt bad about it. But she didn’t want to lead him on. It was best he knew her true feelings. She didn’t want to be with him.

“I’m sorry, but that’s just the way I feel,” Martha told him as she looked down at her hands.

Jack looked at Martha in sadness. He couldn’t believe that this was happening. She didn’t want to be with him. She didn’t want to be married to him. Jack knew he shouldn’t be angry with her. It wasn’t her fault.

“So, that’s just it then. It’s over?” Jack wanted to hear it again; just to make sure that he had heard correct the first time.

“I’m sorry,” Martha nodded. “But I just can’t see myself married to you. I know that sounds harsh, but you need to know the truth. I can’t be with you,” she exclaimed.

“What about Alex?” Jack asked her; his voice growing louder. “You’re going to give her up too?

“No, I didn’t say that,” Martha shook her head. “She’s my daughter, and I’d never abandon her,” she told Jack.

“You can’t take her away from me. She’s my life and the only thing I have left that represents the life that you and I had together,” Jack explained. “I won’t let you take her away from me; she’s my daughter,” he said angrily.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Martha sighed. “We’ll just have to work out something I guess,” she added.

“She’s staying with me and that’s that,” Jack stated.

“Like I said, we’ll have to figure something out,” Martha glared at him.

“So, I guess this means you won’t be coming home with me and Alex tomorrow,” Jack laughed sarcastically.

“I guess not,” Martha exclaimed softly as she looked away from him. She couldn’t bear to see the pain in his eyes anymore. She could tell that she had just ruined this guy’s life.

NEXT CHAPTER: Martha goes home. But will she go home with Jack or Alf?

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Martha dumped her bag on the ground and flopped down onto the couch; letting out a happy sigh. “It’s so good to be home,” she smiled at Alf as he sat down next to her.

“I’m not too fond of hospitals myself,” Alf chuckled.

“I bet,” Martha laughed.

Martha took the chance to look around the room. It looked different. The furniture had all been rearranged. “It looks different,” she said.

Alf nodded. “A few different people have lived here over the last two years,” he started. “Brad lived here for awhile before he eventually moved in with Sally. And then Kim and Kit stayed here for a few months after little Kerry was born. But now I’m back here, and Morag comes and stays whenever she’s in town,” Alf explained to Martha.

“I’m guessing I don’t exactly have a room here anymore, huh?” Martha laughed.

“All of your stuff is at your place….,” Alf trailed off. “Sorry, I mean at Jack’s place,” he sighed.

“It’s alright grandad,” Martha patted his shoulder. “I’ll just have to organize a time when I can go and grab some stuff from there,” she said as she stood up.

Alf shifted uncomfortably in his chair and then stood up aswell. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked Martha.

“What do you mean?” Martha shook her head; confused.

“I’m just saying you shouldn’t make any rash decisions. I mean, who knows, you might end up back at Jack’s. So what’s the point in bringing all of your stuff here,” Alf pointed out.

Martha laughed. “I’m not going to live in a house with a complete stranger. And Jack is a stranger to me,” she began. She then turned serious. “I’m not going back there; I thought I made that pretty clear. So just drop it, because I’m not going to change my mind. Not now, not ever,” she snapped.

“Fine,” Alf held his hands up in defeat.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

After an hour of convincing her grandfather she would be fine staying by herself for a while; Alf finally headed off for his short shift at the bar. Martha was actually looking forward to spending some time alone.

Martha was sitting at the dining table eating a sandwich when she noticed a few new photographs hanging on the walls and sitting on the shelves. Curious; she got up and took a look.

The first one was of her and Alex; sitting up in a hospital bed. Alex was tiny, so Martha guessed that it must have been taken not long after she was born. The next photo was of her and Jack, on which she presumed, was her wedding day. She had to admit that Jack looked pretty handsome in a suit. She and Jack looked so happy together in the photo; so in love. Starting to feel weird, she put the photo back in its place and moved onto the next one.

It was another one of her and Jack, but this time, Alex was with them. Martha thought they looked like one happy family. Suddenly Martha started to feel bad. That happy family was now ruined and it was all her fault.

Martha scolded herself for feeling bad about it. She knew she shouldn’t blame herself. It wasn’t her fault that she had lost her memory and became a bitch. Okay, maybe the bitch part was true. She knew she had been pretty harsh towards Jack the day before, but she couldn’t help being a cow to him. Her shackles always seemed to rise when she was around him. He pissed her off. But she liked it.

Martha laughed out loud. Why was she suddenly thinking about Jack? He was a jerk. She didn’t want to think about him. Because every time she did, she thought about that smile of his and how sexy she thought it was. She didn’t want to think of him as sexy because then that would mean that a part of her liked him. And she didn’t want to like him.

She shook her head; trying to rid her thoughts of Jack. She let out a loud sigh and walked across the room. From the corner of her eye she spotted a stack of videos. She picked one of them up and looked at the writing on it.

Jack and Martha’s Wedding

Without even thinking first, she slid the video from its case and popped it into the video player. She mentally kicked herself for doing this, but there was a part of her that really needed to see this. She picked up the remote control and pressed play. She crossed her legs and sat on the carpet; waiting for the tape to start.

Her face suddenly appeared on screen. She was grinning from ear to ear. Her arm was looped with her grandfathers and he was walking her down the aisle. Martha’s heart was racing so fast, her palms were starting to feel sweaty and she had butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach, but she kept on watching. She needed to.

She watched as she placed a soft kiss on her grandfather’s cheek and then moved closer to Jack; who then took her hand in his.

Martha was then startled when she heard a noise at the door. She quickly flicked off the video and then the TV; jumping up and sitting in the closest chair.

“Hey love, just me,” Alf smiled as he entered the apartment. “I didn’t have to work after all,” he told her.

Martha just smiled and nodded; hoping that she didn’t look like she had just been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. “That’s nice,” she swallowed the lump that had just formed in her throat.

Alf looked at her curiously. “You seem a bit flushed; are you alright?” he asked her.

“I’m just feeling a bit warm,” Martha lied as she got up and walked towards him.

“Okay, as long as that’s it,” Alf nodded; accepting what she had told him.

“Yeah,” Martha nodded. She quickly averted her eyes from him and they fell onto the photo of her with Jack and Alex. She picked it up and smiled. She wished she could be as happy now as she looked in that photo.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Alf pointed out; referring to Alex.

“That she is,” Martha agreed.

“So, have you figured out what you’re going to do about her? You’ll have to come to a decision soon. Jack’s already told me that he doesn’t want you to take Alex away from him, but he’s also told me that he’s willing to compromise,” Alf explained.

Martha wasn’t really listening to Alf. She was too busy looking at the photo that was still in her hands. Her eyes drifted away from Alex and landed on Jack’s face. It was now that she noticed how nice his brown eyes were. There was something in his eyes that told her she could trust him. Why hadn’t she ever seen it before?

“Martha, are you even listening to me?” Alf pulled Martha away from her thoughts.

“Huh, oh yeah. What were you saying?” Martha asked Alf; still in a daze.

Alf groaned in frustration. “I asked what you were going to do about Alex. She really needs to have both of her parents around; I just wish that you would realize that,” he said.

“I do realize that,” Martha told her grandfather. “Infact, I need you to take me somewhere. Can you get my bag?”

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

“Can you make sure that you don’t get the custard all over her face this time?” Jack laughed as he watched Lucas feeding Alex.

Lucas weaved the spoon through the air; making aero plane noises. He kept going until the spoon reached Alex’s lips. “Open up,” he said in a gruff voice which made Alex laugh.

Alex opened her mouth and Lucas spooned the custard in onto her tongue. Purposely, Lucas made sure that he got some on her face.

“Did you not just hear what I said?” Jack asked.

“Sorry, it was an accident,” Lucas said innocently.

“Accident my ass,” Jack muttered under his breath.

Lucas looked at Alex and fed her another spoonful of custard. “You know, your father is such a party pooper,” he exclaimed.

“I heard that,” Jack glared at Lucas. He was just about to open his mouth and talk again when he heard a knock at the front door. He stood up quickly and moved across the room. He was surprised when he found Martha standing there with a bag.

“What are you doing here?” he asked softly.

“This is my house, isn’t it?” Martha scoffed.

“Yeah, it’s just…,” Jack stuttered. “What are you doing here?” he asked again.

“I’m moving in,” Martha smirked and shoved her way inside.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

NEXT CHAPTER – Martha lays down the rules.

PLEASE REVIEW

[bay girl]

I'm at work at the moment and it's really quiet and i was bored, so i thought 'why not write up the next chapter on my work computer'. So here it is.

WARNING- This fic may contain stuff that isn't suitable for younger readers. Thank You.

CHAPTER NINE

“Nice place,” Martha exclaimed as she looked around the room.

“Ah, yeah,” Jack stuttered; still in a state of shock.

“So,” Lucas coughed. “You’ve decided to move back in after all?” he asked as he pulled Alex out of her high chair and then sat her in the playpen.

Martha nodded. “Yeah, that’s okay, isn’t it?” she questioned.

“Of course it is. It’s great,” Jack grinned. “I’m really glad,” he added.

Martha looked over at his smiling face. She could tell he was pretty happy. “Yeah, well don’t get to excited. I’m not doing it for you; I’m doing it for Alex,” she told him.

Jack tried not to look disappointed, but Martha still noticed the frown that appeared on his face. “I know that. Why else would you be moving in?” Jack muttered as he walked into the kitchen; picking up Alex’s empty bowl on the way.

Lucas started to smirk. “You probably thought she was moving back for you……,” he started, but Jack cut him off.

“Shut it,” Jack pointed a finger at him.

“Excuse me for speaking,” Lucas kept on smirking.

Martha held her fingers up to her mouth; trying her hardest not to laugh. She had noticed the blush that had rushed into Jack’s cheeks. It was also funny watching these two brothers tormenting and nipping at each other. “Are you two always like this?” she asked.

“No,” Jack stated. “It’s just Lucas sometimes doesn’t know when to shut his mouth,” he explained.

“Right,” Martha smiled lightly. “Anyhoo, let’s lay down some rules, shall we?” she clapped her hands together.

“Rules? What rules?” Jack looked at her like she was crazy.

“Rules that state what you can and can’t do,” Martha replied.

Jack scoffed. “Hate to break it to you sweetheart,” he drawled. “But I can do whatever the hell I want,” he told her.

It was Martha’s turn to scoff. “Well sweetheart,” she mimicked. “When it comes to me, you can’t do whatever you want,” she smiled sweetly.

Lucas laughed out loud. “This is going to be so much fun to watch,” he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

“Go for a walk,” Jack ordered his brother.

Martha held her hand up in protest. “No, no, he can stay. It’s totally fine,” she said.

“Eat that,” Lucas smiled smartly at Jack.

Jack sighed. “Okay, lets here these rules then,” he groaned.

Martha smiled. “Good, but first off, no interrupting. If you have something to say, you can say it when I’m done,” she ordered.

“Whatever,” Jack rolled his eyes. “Just get on with it,” he said.

“No need to get snotty,” Martha laughed. “Okay, rules then. Firstly, you will not tell me what to do, especially when it comes to looking after Alex. And tomorrow you can go back to work. I don’t need you here hovering over my shoulder and picking at everything that I do,” she started.

“I’ve already organized to go back to work on Monday, so I still got two days to go,” Jack told Martha.

Martha held her hand up. “Didn’t I just say to wait until I was finished talking?” she asked.

“Yeah, but I just needed to tell….,” Jack started.

“Zip it. I’m not done yet,” Martha huffed.

Jack laughed. “Was she ever this bossy?” he looked over at Lucas. Without waiting for an answer, he quickly looked back at Martha. “You were never this bossy,” he exclaimed.

“Deal with it buddy,” Martha glared at him. She shook her head and started again. “Next rule is about a hundred rules all rolled into one, kay. You will, I repeat, you will keep your hands to yourself at all times. No touching, no hugging, no hand holding, no kissing and especially no flirting,” she continued.

“Wait. Why not? You’re my wi….,” Jack once again butted in.

“I’m still not done,” Martha raised her voice. She paused for a moment before starting again. “I swear to god, if you even try to hit on me or make a move; I will beat the living crap out of you. Got it,” she smirked at Jack.

Jack just nodded. He didn’t have anything to say at this moment in time.

Martha laughed to herself. The look on his face was priceless. She loved being in control and being able to control this man in front of her was so much fun.

Martha heard a snicker come from behind her and she whirled around to face Lucas. “And you,” she pointed her finger at him.

Lucas took a quick step back; a look of shock registering on his face. “Me? What did I do?” he asked.

Martha smiled and lowered her finger. “I like you. The other day you basically called me a bitch to my face. You were the only one who had enough guts to do it. I like that,” she told him.

Lucas started to smile. “Did you hear that Jack? She likes me. She probably likes me more than she likes you,” he tormented his brother.

Jack looked over at Martha. “I’ll call you a bitch if you want me too,” he exclaimed.

“Your life will end if you ever call me a bitch,” Martha warned him.

“Righty-o then,” Jack backed down.

“So, now that the rules have been set; where will I be sleeping?” Martha asked.

“Um, you can have our room. I mean my room…..,” Jack trailed off. “I can sleep in Alex’s room on the spare bed,” he told her.

“No,” Martha shook her head. “I can sleep in with Alex,” she protested.

“No, it’s fine. You can have my room. End of story,” Jack told her.

“Fine,” Martha huffed in defeat. “Where is it?” she asked.

Jack pointed towards a room with its door closed. “In there. I changed the sheets this morning, so it’s clean,” he said.

“Thanks,” Martha smiled gratefully and then picked up her bag; heading off towards her new room.

Jack waited until she was out of ear shot before turning to Lucas. “My life has just become hell,” he exclaimed.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Martha closed the door behind her and glanced around the room. She had to admit that it was a nice room. It was tidy, and the bed was huge. She liked it; although she’d never admit it of course. She moved towards the bed and sat down. It was comfy.

Martha looked at the bedside table and noticed a couple of pictures. One of them was the same picture her grandfather had. It was the one of her and Jack on their wedding day. There was also another picture of Alex. Martha picked it up. Alex was such a beautiful little thing. She could see traces of both herself and Jack in Alex’s face. There was no doubt that she belonged to Martha and Jack. Martha gently placed the frame back down on the bedside table and then stood up.

Feeling curious, she walked towards the wardrobe. She opened it and took a look inside. One side was filled with Jack’s clothes and the other half with her own. She flicked through some of her stuff; noting all the new stuff that had been added to her collection. She noticed that her taste in clothing had changed a little bit, but she still liked what she saw.

Martha closed the wardrobe door and spun around; thinking about what else she could look at. But before she did, she decided to go out and grab a drink. Her mouth was dry. She took a hold of the door handle and started to pull the door open. But she stopped when she heard Jack and Lucas speaking. She didn’t want to ear wig, but hey, they may have been talking about her. She held her breath and listened carefully.

“I can’t believe that you gave up your bed,” Lucas said to Jack.

“Yeah well, I thought that maybe if Martha slept in her own bed and in her own room, she might remember something,” Jack told Lucas.

“Remember what Jack?” Lucas asked.

Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. Something, anything. Just as long as she remembers,” he sighed.

Lucas started to laugh. “Jack, the only things remotely interesting that she could remember from that room, are the dirty things the two of you used to do in there,” he teased.

“That’s totally fine with me,” Jack smirked.

Martha quietly shut the door. She didn’t want to listen to anymore. She turned around and stepped forward, but then stopped. The bed. The very thing Jack had just been talking about.

Damn Jack Holden for putting thoughts into my head, she thought to herself.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

PLEASE REVIEW

I might try to put up another chapter tomorrow sometime.

[bay girl]

Hey people. Here’s new chapter. Enjoy.

Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn’t suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.

This chapter is pretty boring. There's nothing major going on.

CHAPTER TEN

“So, what have you got planned for today?” Jack asked Martha the next morning as they all sat down for breakfast.

“Nothing much. Just going to catch up with Cassie and Matilda,” Martha spoke before taking a sip of tea. “They’re going to introduce me to Belle. Well, re-introduce us, that is,” she sighed.

Martha knew that there were a lot of people that she had forgotten. Most of them close friends; Belle, Rachel, Brad. Apparently there was even a guy named Drew, who turned out to be Peter Baker’s love child.

“Did you want to take Alex with you?” Jack then asked.

Martha nodded. “Yeah, if that’s okay,” she answered.

“Of course it’s fine,” Jack smiled across at her.

“I need to make up for all the time we lost,” Martha cooed as she reached out and tickled Alex’s chin. Lucas had told her that Alex loved having her chin tickled. Martha found that she couldn’t stop doing it. She loved the way Alex’s eyes would light up in excitement every time she done it.

“If you have any problems with her, just give me a call,” Jack then told her.

Martha rolled her eyes at Jack. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I can look after my own child,” she said to him.

“I was just saying,” Jack protested.

“Yeah, well don’t just say,” Martha snapped at him. “Like I said yesterday; I don’t want you hanging over my shoulder picking at all my faults,” she continued.

“Geez, don’t have a fit,” Jack exclaimed with a laugh.

“You are so not funny,” Martha scoffed as she stood up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me; I promised the girls I’d meet them at the Noah’s at ten am. I don’t want to be late,” she said as she lifted Alex from her highchair.

“Bye Joey,” Jack leant down and kissed Alex’s head quickly.

“Say goodbye to the moron that is your father,” Martha said sweetly to Alex as she placed her in the pram.

Jack laughed. “You are so not funny,” he mimicked.

Martha shot Jack a dirty look before turning around and heading for the door. As she exited, Lucas entered. He’d gone out earlier that morning for a surf.

“Hi Lucas. Bye Lucas,” Martha called out as she kept on walking.

“Bye Honey,” Jack yelled out sarcastically.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Martha spent a few good hours talking with her friends. She found that she really liked Belle. She was feisty and stood up for herself. She didn’t care what people thought of her. In some ways, Belle reminded Martha of herself. And that was probably why they got on well.

Martha made her way up to the front door of Jack’s place and entered; pushing the pram in front of her. She had thought it would be best if she took Alex home for lunch. When she entered, she found Lucas and Jack standing at the bench making up some sandwiches.

“Hi,” both Lucas and Jack said at the same time.

“Hey,” Martha said back as she took Alex out of the pram.

“Are you hungry?” Jack asked her.

Martha nodded. “A bit,” she answered.

“Good, we’ve just made some chicken and salad sandwiches,” Jack told her.

“My favorite,” Martha exclaimed.

“I know,” Jack smiled sweetly at her.

Martha suddenly felt shy. She hated that Jack could make her feel that way. She was never a shy person until she met him. She sat Alex in her highchair and tried to change the subject.

“Um, what about Alex? What does she like?” she asked.

“She really likes the custards and jellies,” Jack told her. “She’s only been on solids for a couple of months, and she’s seemed to have taken a liking to those,” he explained.

“More like Jack’s taken a liking to those,” Lucas scoffed.

“What? No, I haven’t,” Jack protested.

“Lie,” Lucas laughed as he pointed his finger at Jack. He then turned to face Martha. “When Jack does the groceries, he always picks out the flavors he likes. So that way, he can eat Alex’s leftovers,” he told her.

“Shut up,” Jack shook his head.

“Jack likes the banana and chocolate flavored custard,” Lucas added in a baby voice.

Martha started to giggle, but Jack soon put a stop to that. “Hey, don’t you laugh; you used to do it too,” he pointed out.

“Sorry, but I don’t remember that. And if I don’t remember, then it didn’t happen,” Martha laughed.

“Sorry Jack, but you’re the only loser in this room,” Lucas tormented.

“Can we just shut up and eat,” Jack sat down at the table in a huff.

Lucas and Martha continued to laugh at Jack for a few more minutes, but then settled down so that they could eat their lunch. The conversation soon turned towards Martha’s morning with the girls. After a while she started to get sick of talking about herself, so she changed the subject.

“So, do you guys have lives, or do you prefer to be losers and sit at home all day,” she smirked.

“We’ve been surfing and we played x-box. We are so not losers,” Lucas exclaimed.

“X-box? Hmm, how exciting,” Martha said sarcastically.

“Hey, don’t knock the x-box,” Lucas told her. “Besides, you used to love playing it with me,” he added.

“I did?” Martha asked with a frown.

“Yeah,” Lucas smiled. “We always used to do fun stuff together. You took me horse-riding this one time. It was great. I loved it; even if I did fall off and almost break my leg,” he laughed.

Martha tried to smile, but couldn’t. It was like she being reminded every five seconds that she had amnesia. Her friends and family couldn’t help it, but they were always bringing it up. They were always saying things about her and saying how much fun she was. But she couldn’t remember. And it hurt.

“I’m sorry that I don’t remember. I wish I could,” she frowned. She then stood up and pushed her chair out. “Um, I’m not feeling well. I might go and lye down if that’s okay,” she smiled softly and then quickly walked off to her room.

Jack turned to Lucas and glared at him. “Good one idiot,” he snapped.

Lucas was confused. “What did I do?” he said.

“She doesn’t need to be reminded every minute about how different she is now. She knows that she’s lost her memory, so there’s no need to keep saying it over and over again,” Jack explained to him.

“I wasn’t doing it on purpose,” Lucas frowned at Jack.

“I know,” Jack sighed. “But how do you think she feels every time someone brings up something from her past; something that she doesn’t remember. It’s obvious from the look on her face that it hurts. Besides if she wants to know something about her life, she’ll ask,” he added.

“I hope you plan on taking that advice also,” Lucas said to Jack.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack questioned.

Lucas rolled his eyes. “You’re living in the same house as your wife, yet you’re not allowed to touch her. Don’t tell me you’re not going to do everything you can to make her remember your life together,” he started. “Soon enough, it’s going to start eating away at you and if Martha doesn’t remember anything soon, then your marriage is going to be over. And there won’t be anything you can do to stop it,” he finished before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Jack demanded to know.

“I’m going to see dad. You got a problem with that?” Lucas snapped and then quickly exited.

Jack let out a loud sigh before looking over at his daughter. “If mummy doesn’t remember anything soon, then we’re screwed Joey,” he said softly as he reached out and rubbed her cheek.

“Totally screwed,” he muttered.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

It was a few hours before Martha came out of her room again. Lucas still wasn’t back either.

“You feeling better?” Jack asked her.

“Yeah,” Martha nodded. “Where’s Alex?” she then questioned.

“I just put her down for a nap,” Jack answered as he sat down next to her on the couch. “Look, I hope Lucas didn’t upset you earlier. You know; when he was talking about all the stuff you used to do with him,” he then said.

“It just sucks that I can’t remember. Sometimes I forget about it, but then someone brings it up again. And the more they talk about it, the more real it feels,” Martha started to explain. “I feel like a complete stranger in a brand new world. It’s like everything I once knew is gone. I’m not the person I used to be. I can’t be her anymore and people need to stop expecting me to be,” she finished as she blinked away her tears.

“I’m sorry if you think that I’m pushing you,” Jack said and reached out and touched her hand softly.

Martha couldn’t help but flinch. She quickly moved her hand away from his. “Don’t do that, please,” she begged.

“I’m sorry. I just keep forgetting that I can’t do that anymore,” Jack apologized.

Martha shrugged. “I just can’t deal with that sort of stuff right now. I know that we’re married and you should be able to touch me whenever you want, but I just can’t deal with it right now. I need to take things one step at a time. And Alex is the most important thing at the moment,” she explained to him.

“I understand that,” Jack nodded. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do,” he said.

“Thank you,” Martha smiled gratefully. She then coughed and stood up. “I promised Sally that I would go and visit. She wants me to meet Brad. Again,” she laughed.

“Okay,” Jack said.

“I won’t be long,” Martha told him as she picked up her car keys and then left.

Jack groaned and fell back onto the couch. Lucas was right. It was starting to eat away at him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had told Martha that he understood, but in reality, he didn’t. He was angry. He hated the life that he now had. Alex was the only thing keeping him sane.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

NEXT CHAPTER –Martha remembers something and someone from her missing years. But who and what will it be?

PLEASE REVIEW