Chapter 29c

        He felt the grains of the floor against his cheek and shivered 
slightly
with its coldness. "Wha'?" he murmured. He pushed himself to a seated
positon, immediately regretting the movement as a sharp pain shot
through his spine to his shoulder blade. "What the...?" And then it all
came flooding back. Rogers and the fight with Cruikshank. "Bastard,
Cruikshank !!" He yelled, "I'll get you for this." With as much
deliberation as the pain dictated he rose from the floor, walked to the
door and pulled on the bars, "Bastard Cruikshank!!" He gasped with
surprise as the door swung open. Expecting it to be a trap laid by
Cruikshank, he took a step away from it and waited. Nothing happened. He 

laughed manically and took a step into the corridor.
        Heather looked up to see Burke standing in the doorway of the 
cell
grinning and laughing. She whimpered with fear. " Please, no more."
        Burke smiled, "Well, what do we have here?"
        Heather started to cry. "D-e-n...?!!" she yelled.
        Burke started towards her, laughing. "No use calling for him, 
love,
he's left you to me."
        She started to scream for her life. 20
        Burke panicked and in two steps had caught a hold of her and 
shoved his
hand over her mouth. "You're mine. All mine. There's so much I could do
with you, I don't know where to start."
        Heather bit into his hand. 20
        "Ow, you Bitch." He yelped but still kept his hand over her 
mouth.
"Well I like a bit of a fight. Gets me real interested. Know what I
mean?"
        Heather whimpered against him.
        Burke stopped in his tracks as an idea took a hold, then he 
started to
drag her back to the cell as he spoke. "Well, Miss Upertee, I have just
the thing for you. Old Cruikshank, he'd be disappointed if I didn't show 

you a thing or two. You never know he might learn something from this."
With that he dragged her completely into the cell, slammed the door
shut, threw her onto the bed and began to rape her.
        Heather started to choke against his hand. He pushed it harder 
into her
mouth and continued to molest her.

        Meg ran as fast as her feet could carry her to the infirmary. She 
had
been in two minds as to what she should have done first. Go to Isolation 

and check on Burke or to get someone for Dennis. She had not liked the
look of Dennis and had decided to get help for him. Meg entered the
infirmary without announcements. " Quick...Doctor, Officer Cruikshank's
been beaten. He needs help."
        The Doctor immediately finished with an inmate, shooed her from 
the
office, locked the door and ran with Meg back to where Dennis Cruikshank 

lay... Only he was no longer there...
        "Burke..." Meg muttered and ran on. The Doctor followed a little 

bewildered.
        Meg rounded the corner. Ahead of her, at the cell door, she saw 
Dennis
sway, shove at the door and then  fall head first into the cell. She
heard Burke yell, "Back for more then, screw." And then Dennis say,
"Leave her alone, Burke." As Meg approached the cell, she almost
collided with Dennis as he hurtled past her. He hit the far wall
heavily, yet this time he remained there in a heap. The Doctor
immediately went to him and started his ministrations. 20
        Meg entered the cell and was horrified at what she saw. 20
        "Ooh," Burke muttered, "another one. This must be my lucky 
night." He
grabbed Meg and started to unbutton her uniform jacket. 20
        Meg shoved his hands away and left the cell, closing the door 
behind
her. 20
        Before she had had the chance to lock it, Burke was at the door 
opening
it. "I don't mind it when there's a fight on my 'ands, but not two in
the same night." With that he picked up Heather's inert body and threw
her into the corridor. "Well, screw, are you gonna let me escape or are
ya gonna do ya job and lock this damn door? Hmm?" And he laughed
insanely.
        Meg sifted around in her pockets, found the relevant keys and 
locked
the door.
        "What a good little girl you are." Burke laughed.
        Meg ignored him and went to check on Heather. She was strewn in 
an
awkward position. She feared the worse and the worst was confirmed when
she felt for a pulse and couldn't find one. 20
"D-Doctor...!" She stammered shocked, "I-I can't feel a pulse."
        The Doctor left Dennis and felt Heather's neck for a pulse. He 
shook
his head. "Emergency rescus., Meg and fast. We might still have a chance 

with her."
        Meg pulled Heather over and started rescusitation. 20

        Keane and Mitchell entered the reception area of Wentworth, 
accompanied
by two female police officers. Both were quiet. For Bobbie this had been 

only the second occasion she had had to approach the white line, whereas 

for Keane it could have been the Thousandth. Since the age of fifteen
she had spent more time beyond the white line than at liberty.
        Joan Ferguson stood from behind the desk in reception and smiled. 

"Well, well, well," she began sarcastically, "glad to be back, I'm sure. 

Much safer within these walls."
        "Not with you about, Freak." Keane piped up.
        Joan flinched at the nickname. She had known of it, but no-one 
had ever
had the gall to utter it to her face...Until now, that is.... She
quickly signed the induction papers, practically shooing the two
officers from the building, then, with a firm grip, she took Keane by
the arm and flung her across the room.
        Keane stopped herself at the line, briefly sneered at Ferguson 
and then
casually pulled up the collar of her jacket. She waited until Bobbie was 

standing beside her before she looked at Ferguson, expectantly.
        At that moment the alarm bells sounded, loud and shrill.
        Joan was surprised by them, "What...?!" Then she immediately 
gathered
her senses and escorted Keane and Mitchell to a cell. As she was
escorting them, she suddenly realised that Meg Morris should have been
in Reception to perform Keane and Mitchell's inductions. 'Strange', she
thought, 'If there is one thing I cannot fault Miss Goody-two-shoes with 

and that's her sense of duty. Where the hell can she be?'
        Just then Doctor Freeman rounded the corner in haste and puffing 
with
excersion. On seeing Joan he relaxed slightly and slowed his pace.
"Thank God, Miss Ferguson," he gasped, "Frank Burke has attacked Officer 

Cruikshank and Heather Rogers." He paused a moment to catch his breath,
then added, "Officer Cruikshank, though badly beaten, is not the
problem, however Miss Rogers is another matter. Meg Morris is with her
now, but it doesn't look good."
        Mitchell and Keane's ears appeared to prick up at this 
revelation.
Ferguson noticed and replied harshly to the Doctor. "Not here, Doctor
Freeman." She looked to oneside, found a cell and dumped Keane and
Mitchell into it. She then turned back to the Doctor and added, "Come
with me." And they both ran to reception.

        Meg desperately administered Mouth-to-Mouth on Heather, but there 
was
still no response to it. Dennis Cruikshank groaned and moved. Meg
briefly stopped. Silently she prayed that he would not regain
consciousness. The Doctor had quickly explained to her that he was in no 

danger, however she did not want Dennis to find out about Heather right
at this moment. She felt he was in no fit state to receive what could be 

devastating news for him. "Please let him be." she whispered. As if she
had been answered, Dennis moaned again, then went limp with
unconsciousness. Meg sighed with relief and continued with her
ministrations on Heather.

        Doctor Freeman finished a call, turned to Ferguson and muttered, 
"I
have to get back to Meg."
        Joan smiled. "By all means, Doctor. Let's hope that the news 
won't be
too bad."
        The Doctor nodded vaguely, "Yes, let's hope so, but I don't hold 
too
much hope for a pleasant outcome. And just how will Officer Cruikshank
take the news? I mean, Miss Rogers was his Fiancee."
        Again Joan smiled. Only those who had known her a long time would 
have
noticed a slight glint in her eye. "Yes, Doctor," she replied with an
attempt to hide her pleasure at such news, "Yes, how will he?"
        The Doctor sighed and left. Joan grinned a grin of joy and 
silently
thanked Burke. He had managed to kill two birds with one stone, as they
say. 'In fact,' she thought, 'you have managed to kill three birds with
one stone. I mean you don't honestly believe they're going to let you
get away with this one, do you, Burke...?' And she laughed.

        Bobbie Mitchell banged against the cell door, yelling, "Oi, 
What's
going on...?! Let us out...!"
        Keane quietly sat on the bunk in the cell, shaking her head at
Mitchell. Sighing she said, "She aint gonna let us out, you stupid
Bitch."
        Bobbie stopped and turned to Keane, "B-but what if there's a 
fire? We'd
be trapped..."
        Keane shrugged, "Well it aint gonna help, you banging on the 
door. The
Freak'll let us out when she's good and ready."
        Bobbie was adamant, "B-but what if there is a fire...?!"
        Again Keane shrugged, "Then we'll burn..." And laughed when 
Bobbie
gagged with apparent shock.


He used to give me roses....