This is a work of fiction loosely based on the character of Terry Thorne established and defined in the movie Proof of Life.  It is strictly for entertainment purposes. Please do not copy, publish or alter this work in any way without the written permission of the author.

In Sickness and in Health

By: Thorne's Rose

©2008

Part Three

Jake was homesick. He'd only been in Chicago for three weeks, but it was spring in Australia and he wanted to get up to the farm for a few weeks before it got too hot. He had decided to take Star back with him and wanted to show her the farm, but wasn't sure how well she would manage a full blown Aussie summer unless she had a chance to acclimatise first. She was doing very well and he hoped that she would do just as well in the Sydney office. Everyone was looking forward to meeting her, although they had no idea it would be this soon, and Jake had high hopes for her advancement.

Alex brought him in a steaming mug of tea. That was something else he was missing. The tea in the US just wasn't the same as back home. He took the mug from her, smiling absently as he turned to look out of the window across to the lake.

“It won't be long now, Jake.”

“Until what, luv?”

“Until you can go home.”

“That obvious is it?”

“You're like an open book, hon.”

“Don't get me wrong, Alex. You know I love it over here, but without the old man ragging me all the time it just isn't the same. Now that I've done Mike's presentation there doesn't seem a lot for me to do.”

“You could always go up to the fitness centre,” Alex replied, poking her tongue out at him.

“I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out,” Jake giggled. “I'll be right, luv. Mike's coming back to work in a couple of days so I'll make arrangements to head back home. I've already got Jim and the crew on standby.”

“Well, you know we'll all miss you when you go back, you're always a little ray of sunshine.”

“You trying to make me blush, Alex?”

Alex didn't answer, but walked up to him, took his now empty mug and kissed him on the cheek before smiling and walking out of the office. Jake grinned to himself before spotting the pile of papers on the desk and sighing as he headed over to try and make a dent in them.

~*~

Mike had been back a couple of days, but every time Jake went to his office to speak to him, he was always missing. Jake was due to head home and needed to make sure Mike was up to speed before he headed out to the airport later in the day. He went out to the reception area where Alex and Roxanne were chatting quietly with Star.

“Hey, ladies. Have any of you seen Mike?”

“Not for a while,” Star answered, not able to say any more as the phone began to ring. Alex and Roxanne looked uncomfortably at Jake but said nothing. They both had a good idea what was going on between Mike and Tori, but the last person they wanted to find out was Jake.

“Okay, that leaves you two gorgeous girls. Have you seen the old man? He's been very elusive since he's been back.”

“Umm... I haven't seen him for a while, have you, Rox?”

“Alex, don't ever take up poker. Now, would you like to tell me where he is? I need to speak to him before I head out.”

“I'm sorry, Jake. The last time I saw him, he was heading upstairs.”

“Well, why didn't you say so. There's no reason why he shouldn't go up there, it's his baby after all. I'll head on up.”

As they watched Jake step into the lift, Roxanne went to pick up the phone. Alex put her hand out to stop her. “No, don't warn him. This has gone on long enough and Jake deserves to find out.”

“Is something wrong?” Star asked.

“Mike's broken one of his own rules, honey, and Jake might be about to find out.”

Jake entered the fitness centre and looked around for Mike. It was pretty quiet in there as it was still about an hour before lunch. The place was deserted apart from the two personal trainers. Jake asked them if Mike was around and they answered that they hadn't seen him all morning. He headed off towards the drop-in clinic. Maybe he was checking in with Tori about something. He pushed the main doors open to be greeted by one of the part time nurses who told him she'd seen Mike earlier but wasn't sure if he was still around. Jake headed towards the consulting rooms. All but one of them had open doors and he could see that they were empty. He reached out to open the one closed door. He knew there was no doctor on duty that morning so walked right in. The two occupants were too engrossed in what they were doing to hear the door open, but they jumped apart when it slammed shut.

“Well, isn't this just too cosy. I see you're taking care of the boss in sickness AND in health,” Jake sneered at Tori.

“Jake, I can explain,” Mike began.

“Oh, you can explain, can you? I seem to remember that you compiled a list of rules when we started the business. Wasn't one of them to do with not having a relationship with your colleagues?”

“Jake, you don't understand...”

“Oh, I think I do understand. You fired Bella because you thought she was breaking your rule,” Jake hissed walking up to Mike and pushing him against the desk.

“Jake, please calm down.”

“Stay out of this, Pretoria.”

“Jake, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional. I couldn't help myself, we fell in love.”

“Rules, Mike, you're always saying we have to stick by the rules,” Jake whispered, pointing to his throat. “I got THIS because of your bloody rules!”

He took a step back getting out of Mike's face. Mike breathed a sigh of relief, knowing what Jake was capable of when his blood was up. Then out of the blue he saw stars as Jake landed a perfect left hook sending him flying across the desk.

“YOU FUCK!” Jake snarled before storming out the door. Not wanting to wait for the lift, he barrelled through the stairwell door and rushed down, taking them three steps at a time. He slammed through the door on the next floor down making the girls jump. They could hear him muttering to himself as he walked towards the reception desk.

“Hypocritical fucker...thinking with his prick...” He looked up to see three pairs of eyes staring at him in shock. “Get your coat, Star, we're outta here.”

“Jake, what should we tell Mike?”

“Tell him to go fuck himself, I don't give a shit. I'm taking Star back to Sydney with me. If he doesn't like it, tough shit.”

“Jake, I don't have anything packed for a trip,” Star stuttered.

“You got a passport, luv?”

“Yes, it's at my apartment.”

“Okie dokie then, I'll swing by there on the way to the airport. Anything you need on the flight can be bought at the airport, and everything else can be bought when we get to Sydney, okay?”

Star nodded mutely, in total shock about what was going on. As they waited for the lift doors to open, Jake turned back to Alex and Roxanne.

“Give Jim a call at the airport. Let him know we're on our way so he can get the flight plan filed. We should be there in about an hour at the most. I'll call you when I can, Alex. I'm sorry for my outburst just now, but I've got a feeling you know why.”

“Talk to him, Jake.”

“I can't right now, I can't be anywhere near him.”

Just then the lift arrived and they stepped in and were gone, leaving Alex and Roxanne looking at each other in shock. The stairwell door burst open again and Mike rushed in, blood streaming from a split lip and a broken nose.

“MIKE! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine. I guess I just got what I deserved. Where is he?”

“He's gone, and he's taken Star with him. He said he'd call.”

“Shit...I've really done it this time, haven't I?” Mike sighed, sinking down onto the sofa. “I don't think he's going to forgive me for this for a long time, if ever.”

“He will, Mike. You've been through too much together over the years for your friendship to end like this. Give him time to cool down. He has a nice long flight to think things over and I'll bet the first thing he does when he gets home is call you, if he doesn't do it from LAX.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Now, let me call Tori to come down and take a look at you.”

After Tori had patched up Mike's face he sat in his office staring at the phone. No call came from LA and he eventually gave up and went home. He set his alarm to wake him when the jet was due to land in Sydney, but spent the entire night awake staring at the ceiling. The alarm went off, but the phone stayed silent.

~*~

Jake was having a rough flight. Star sat silently across from him watching him rubbing his temple as he gazed blindly out of the window.

“Jake, are you okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“Hey, I saw that film too...Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional.”

Jake looked over and smiled. “Yeah, that's me. No, I really am fine, just got a bit of a headache is all.”

“Have you got your meds?”

“Man, they've trained you well, haven't they? I think there's some in the cool box back in the galley. I'll go take a look.”

As he stood to go aft, he suddenly went as white as a sheet, groaned and doubled up, stumbling to the small on board toilet and struggling to open the door. Star jumped up to help him and they made it just in time. Jake fell to his knees and emptied his stomach down the pan, finally falling back sweating and moaning.

Star went forward and spoke to Jim, who sent Will, the co-pilot back with her. Between them, they managed to get Jake back to his seat, and Star went to retrieve his meds, shuddering at the thought that he was too far gone to administer it himself, and wondering if she had the fortitude to stick a needle into her boss. Thankfully she didn't have to find out as Will held out his hand for the syringe.

“I'll do it, luv,” he said. “From the look on your face I'd say you've never had to inject anyone before.”

Star shook her head and handed it over thankfully. Will grinned as he saw the relief wash over her face.

“Don't worry, once this kicks in, he'll be fine. I should think he'll sleep most of the way home. When I get back up front, I'll dim the lights just in case he does wake up. It will be too painful for him if I leave them at this level.”

“You're used to doing this for him, aren't you?”

“Well, I've been with him a few times when he's been laid low on a flight. It doesn't happen too often though. He's usually a fantastic passenger, falls asleep on wheels up and doesn't wake until we start our descent. When he first started getting migraines they were very regular, but now it's usually when he's stressed or upset.”

“I think he's both right now. From what I understand, he and Mike had a misunderstanding.”

“That would do it. They are closer than brothers so when they have a blue it hits them pretty hard.”

“A blue?”

“A fight, luv. Hey, if you're gonna spend time down home, you have to get to learn the lingo,” Will smiled gently.

“Oh I'm sure I will. There will be plenty of people to help me, I'm sure.”

“Too right, luv. Anyway, it looks like the meds are kicking in. If the attack isn't too bad, that should be the only shot he needs. If he starts waking up and seems to be in pain, come get me and I'll give him another one.”

“Okay, Will. Thank you so much for coming back to help.”

“It was my pleasure. I'll be back later to fix some tucker. If you're awake maybe you'll join us up front for dinner. It's a bit cramped, but I think you'll enjoy the view.”

“Thanks, I'll look forward to it.”

Jake was still fast asleep when Will came back into the cabin to get something to eat, and true to his word, he took Star back up front with him. There wasn't much room, but there was a fold down seat behind Jim and she sat there looking out of the window.

“Where are we?” she asked Jim, peering over his shoulder.

“We're getting close to the Hawaiian Islands. We land there for refuelling, and we have a relief flight crew there.”

“Oh, you mean you're leaving the plane?”

“No, Star, we're going to be passengers for the rest of the journey to Sydney. If we'd been flying from LAX direct we could have made the entire trip, but coming from Chicago ate up our flying hours, so we have to take a break. We could stop overnight in Honolulu, but as Jake is crook, we called ahead for backup so that we can carry on and get him home.”

“How long before we get to Hawaii?”

“We'll start our descent as soon as we finish eating. Will's going to come back with you and help get Jake strapped in, and then you can either sit with him or come back up front and watch the landing with us.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful, but will Jake be okay laying down for landing?”

“No worries, we have a special rig we can use. Sometimes we have to fly people around who have to be kept flat so we had a harness made to fit on the seats we have Jake laying across. He'll be snug as a bug, and probably won't even know we've landed.”

Jim was right, and Jake slept through the landing, refuelling and take off, and didn't begin to stir until they were taxiing towards the executive hangar at Kingsford-Smith. Jenny had advised the airport officials that the flight was due in with a sick passenger, and the customs and immigration officers were waiting on the tarmac to check everyone's papers. Within 15 minutes of landing, they had Jake in the back of the car and were headed into the city.

Jenny and Angie were waiting at the apartment when security buzzed them to let them know the car had arrived. They were waiting at the door as the lift slowly made its way up from the underground wharf parking. They were relieved to see Jake was walking, even though he needed support, and they stepped aside to let Darren lead him in and up the stairs to the master bedroom, offering to settle him in while the girls went into the kitchen to make hot drinks.

“Well, Star. I bet this isn't the way you thought you were going to get here,” Jenny remarked.

“It certainly isn't. Jake just told me to get my passport and follow him. I didn't even have time to pack.”

“Lord, he must have been steaming. I think a phone call is in order then.”

Jenny went out on the balcony with her cell phone, leaving Star in the kitchen with Angie.

“Mrs. Mitchell. I'm so sorry to turn up out of the blue like this. I know I wasn't due to come down here until the new year.”

“Don't worry, Star. I'm glad you were with Jake on the flight. Believe it or not, even though he was out of it for most of the time, he'll have known you were there looking after him, and I thank you on his behalf. I'm really glad you're here. We didn't really get much time to get to know each other in Chicago, did we? I'm looking forward to being able to spend some time with you now you're here, and please call me Angie.”

“Okay, it's all arranged,” Jenny said, bouncing back in from the balcony. “The girls will be here as soon as they can persuade Davey to take over reception, and then if Star isn't too tired, they're taking over shopping duties.”

“Um, Jenny, I don't have any Australian money. We left so fast I didn't have time...”

“You don't need any money, Star,” Jenny interrupted, handing over a plastic card. Star took the card and starred at it in surprise.

“It has my name on it,” she gasped.

“It certainly does. It's your company charge card for use while you're in Sydney. We ordered it when we got back four months ago. You can use it for cash at the ATM as well as for purchases, and don't worry, Jake hasn't had a limit put on it. He wanted you to enjoy yourself while you're with us.”

Star sank down into the nearest chair in shock. She thought the best she could hope for was an advance in her salary to allow her to buy the essentials she needed until pay day.

“We'd love you to stay with us here tonight, Star, and then tomorrow we can sort something else out.”

“Thank you,  Angie. That's very kind, and it will give me a chance to get a room arranged.”

“Don't be silly, Star. You won't need a hotel. You'll be staying in one of our company properties. We have quite a nice one bedroom apartment here on the wharf if you don't mind living close to the boss. Actually we have two. They are both empty right now so you can chose the east side or the west side.”

“Which would you suggest?”

“Well. We're on the west side here, but if you want to have some distance from Jake you could go the other side of the building. However, the east side looks out over Garden Island, and although it sounds pretty, it's actually the navy dockyard. Come with me to the balcony and you'll see the view you'll have to put up with if you chose the west side apartment.”

They all stepped out onto the balcony, and Star gasped.

“Okay, if you look to the left you can see the board walk. There are restaurants all along there which we'll show you later. You can see the main road from here and across the other side of the road is The Bell’s pub. The marina right below us is private so there isn't a lot of noisy boat traffic, and actually it can aid sleep at night when you can hear the boats gently rocking against their moorings. If you look to the right you can see right out to the harbour, and that stone building on the little island is Fort Dennison. You can see the top of the harbour bridge through the trees as well from here and the green area up on the rise is the Domain and beyond that we have the Botanical gardens. Later on this evening you'll be able to see the bats.”

“Bats?”

“Yes, we have a colony of fruit bats living in the gardens, and every evening at sun down you can sit on the balcony and watch them leave their roosts to search for food. It's quite spectacular. We can take a walk through the gardens tomorrow and you can see, and hear, them roosting. They are pretty loud to say the least.”

“Gosh, it's nothing like Chicago, that's for sure. There's so much for me to take in.”

Just then the security phone buzzed and Angie went to check the video screen. It was Dee and Sandi so she buzzed them in. Before she knew what was happening, Star had been whisked out of the apartment and Angie and Jenny could see the three girls walking along the boardwalk to the taxis waiting outside the hotel entrance. They both giggled and went back into the lounge room.

“Poor lamb is going to be shattered by the time those two let her come home. I hope she doesn't flake out on them.”

“I think she's too excited for that to happen, but I'll bet she sleeps well tonight. Talking of sleep, I'll just pop up to see how Jake is. Darren hasn't come down yet.”

Angie ran upstairs and slowly opened the bedroom door. Jake was sitting on the side of the bed, his head resting on Darren's shoulder. Darren was stripped to the waist and seemed to be wearing a pair of Jake's sweats. He looked round at Angie and grinned.

“He insisted that he needed a shower before getting into bed. His legs decided it wasn't a good idea so I went in to hold him up. Got kinda soaked so I snagged a pair of his sweats. I'm just finishing getting him dressed for bed, then I'll borrow a tee and make myself decent.”

“Oh, Dazza, you're a mate. Thanks for your help. Let's get him into bed and then you can come down for a cuppa and I'll get your stuff dried.”

Jenny laughed when she saw Darren come down the stairs clutching a bunch of sodden clothing. Angie explained what had happened as she herded him in the direction of the laundry room. Jen made herself useful in the kitchen, putting the kettle on ready for a hot drink. She was soon joined by the others, and they took advantage of the afternoon sunshine by taking their drinks onto the balcony.

“It will be a while before your gear is dry, Daz. Why not stay for dinner? Jen's staying.”

“Ta, Angie. On one condition though. We order in, and it's my shout.”

“Deal! We'll wait a bit and see if the girls feed Star before they bring her back.”

The next couple of hours were spent sitting quietly watching the boats bobbing at their moorings, and the odd water taxi darting in and out of the marina. The sun was sinking behind the harbour bridge before the security phone played its annoying tune. Angie rushed to answer it for fear it might wake Jake up. It was the girls. She buzzed the security door open and stood out on the walkway watching them make their way to the lift. They were laughing and chatting as they got closer. As the lift door opened on the fourth floor, she raised a finger to her lips, warning them to keep the noise down. Looking suitably contrite, they followed her into the apartment and took Star's purchases into the downstairs guest room.

Darren stood open mouthed watching them. “How did they all fit into the taxi with that mountain of bags? It looks like they bought up everything in Sydney!”

“Don't worry your head about that, Daz. It's a girl thing. Good job I didn't get the other room ready, I don't think they would have made it up the stairs with all that lot. Fingers crossed they don't persuade Star to unpack everything or it will take forever to move her to the other flat in the morning.”

Sandi and Dee came out of the guest room, quietly closing the door behind them. They smiled at the three enquiring faces.

“She's out for the count. She sat on the bed to take her shoes off and the next thing we knew, she was fast asleep amongst her shopping. We got her comfy and covered her up. I don't think you'll see her again tonight.”

“Thanks, Sandi. We're ordering dinner in. Would you both like to stay?”

“We won't if that's okay. It's Friday night and The Cross is calling. We need to get home and get our glad rags on.”

Darren walked them down to the roadway and waited with them for a taxi. Warning them to be careful, and telling them to have a good time, he waved as the taxi headed away. He turned back to the boardwalk and entered the Chinese restaurant to order dinner. When he got back to the apartment he told the girls dinner would be 30 minutes, giving Angie time to check on both Jake and Star. She found them both sleeping peacefully, and rejoined the others.

After an enjoyable meal, and once more dressed in his own clothes, Darren offered to take Jenny home, promising that they would both be back the next day to see how Jake was doing, and help move Star into her temporary home on the wharf. Angie wandered around tidying up the dinner things, set the dishwasher, and slowly climbed the stairs to the master bedroom. She quietly got ready for bed in the bathroom, kissed Jake on the forehead, and snuggling next to him, was soon asleep.

Saturday promised to be another glorious late spring day. The sun was already quite high in the cloudless cobalt blue sky when Star crept out of her room. She was greeted with a cheery “Morning, hon,” from Angie, who was busy in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Angie. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Oh thanks, luv. Could you get the table ready? Brekkie won't be long. We can eat in here or out on the balcony. You chose.”

Star glanced towards the open patio doors and smiled, heading towards the balcony with the place mats and silverware in her hands. As she set the places, she called softly to Angie. “How's Jake this morning. Will he be up to eating?”

“I think he'll manage some tea and toast. He's feeling a bit more human. I left him heading for the shower.”

As they sat out on the balcony chatting over a cuppa, they heard the bedroom door close and looked round to watch Jake walk gingerly down the stairs, looking up and smiling when he felt their eyes on him. He kissed Angie, then walked round the table to place a kiss on top of Star's head. “Morning, Star,” he whispered, taking his seat at the small patio table.

“Good morning, Jake. How are you feeling this morning?”

Jake smiled before answering, “Fragile would be a good word. Fragile and starving,” he added seeing Angie walking back from the kitchen with a loaded tray.

“Hungry, darling?”

“I think I could eat,” Jake replied, reaching for a slice of toast.

As they chatted over their breakfast, Star began to realise that she was really in Sydney and it wasn't just a dream. She was about to reveal her thoughts when the security phone sang out. Jake got up to answer it, muttering about changing the tune, and snagging a piece of Star's bacon as he passed. “Hey!” she protested, laughing along with Angie. Jake winked at them and headed to the phone. He buzzed the security door open and went to the apartment door to await their visitor. Minutes later, Jenny came through the door, hugging Jake and kissing him on the cheek.

“You look better than yesterday.”

“I feel better, thanks. Did you come round for brekkie?”

“No, I came to help Star move her stuff. Darren was going to come too, but he got a call from his folks this morning and had to sort out some family stuff with them. I won't say no to a cuppa though.”

“The girls are out on the balcony. Go join them while I put the kettle on.”

By the time he'd made a fresh pot of tea, there were girlie giggles coming from the balcony and he wondered for a second if it was safe to join them.

It didn't take long to get Star settled into the apartment. She was surprised that it was on the same walkway as the two floor one that Jake and Angie lived in, even though this was a single floor. Jake explained how the apartments were laid out before asking her if she was hungry. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see it was 3:00. She found herself getting steered to the door and into the lift. They walked the short distance to the tall glass security doors and waited for them to slide open. Turning right, they walked down the steps that led out to the marina, then turned left to head for the boardwalk and the restaurants. Not being dressed for Otto's, they opted for Kingsley’s, and spent the next couple of hours enjoying a succulent steak meal. Star leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I'm full to overflowing,” she stated.

“I know just the thing for that,”  Jake remarked, asking for the bill. “You up for a little stroll?”

“I think I can manage that, as long as you go slow. A full stomach and heat doesn't add up to speed.”

Jake giggled as he held his hands out to help both women up. Wrapping his arm around Angie's waist, they headed off towards the row of cream painted apartments the other side of the marina. Star noticed the long line of steps and groaned. Angie giggled as Jake led them both around the side of the buildings to a lift. They took it to the flat roof area and walked through the landscaped roof gardens until they got to another set of steps to the road. They crossed and walked through the ornate Woolloomooloo Gate entrance to the Botanical gardens. As they walked down the slope, Star couldn't help but notice the noise coming from the trees near the pond.

“What's that noise?”

“It's the bats. Remember we told you about them, and how noisy they could get?”

They got to a shaded area just above the shop and cafe and Star noticed how soiled the pathway was. Looking up, she gasped. Above her, the trees were alive with chattering fruit bats.

“Oh my Lord, they are the most beautiful things I've ever seen. There are dozens of them.”

“More like hundreds, or even thousands. Later this evening, we'll sit on the balcony and you can watch them leave their roosts for the feeding grounds.”

“Oh, Jake, Angie...this is beautiful. I can't thank you enough for showing me this.”

“Get used to it, luv. If you walk to work, you'll be passing this way every day while you're here. Come on, there's a lot more to see.”

They walked slowly past the cafe, Jake getting waves from the waitresses, and headed past the pond and down to the harbour wall. Turning left, they walked towards the main harbour, smiling as Star gasped at her first view of the Opera House and bridge. Five minutes later, she was running up the steps to the front of the Opera House, and Jake was taking pictures of her with the camera Angie had thought to bring. They would mail them to the girls back in Chicago when they got to the office.

They were soon at Circular Quay and Star was amazed at the colour of the water. She had never seen such a deep green sea. Jake urged her on past the ferry terminal and they were soon standing outside an impressive office building. They walked in past the security desk, towards the row of lifts, and Jake pressed the button for the 12th floor. They stepped out and Jake proudly showed Star the Sydney office of A&M Services.

For some reason, she thought it would be a carbon copy of the Chicago office, but no, this was totally different, and stunning. When she followed Jake into his office she stood and stared. The entire outer wall was a picture window, with views out over the harbour.

“How do you ever manage to get any work done with a view like that?”

“That's what I have Jenny for,” Jake replied. “She's good at cracking the whip and keeping me focused. Anyway, let's continue the tour. I thought it would be better for you to find your way around without having to stop every five seconds to get introduced to everyone. We have the entire floor, like in Chicago, but as you can see, we don't have the same layout. They copied the New York design when they relocated. I wanted us to look different down here.”

“It's beautiful, Jake. I think I'm going to enjoy meeting everyone on Monday.”

“Oh, you won't be starting work on Monday. We've organised a little trip for you before we chain you to a desk.”

“Jake wants you to come up to the farm with us for a while and meet the family,” Angie explained. “We're heading off tomorrow. We need to get you back to the wharf so that you can have an early night since we'll be leaving bright and early as Jake wants to drive up.”

Everyone in Cloud’s Creek loved Star, and they were sad to see her leave the day Jake said it was time to get back to Sydney and finally put her to work. In truth, she was excited. Not only was she going to meet everyone in the Sydney office, but hopefully learn even more than she had already in Chicago. The most exciting thing, though, was the thought of spending Christmas and New Year’s in that wonderful city. She’d heard so much about it from everyone and had never imagined that she would be lucky enough to take part in it herself.

Chapter Four

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