Chapter 21 – Epilogue

Well my computer is finally fixed and so as you can see the final chapter of this story is finally up! Hope the wait has been worth it, and I just wanted to say thank you to all my lovely readers for being so patient with me on this one, especially Leah Day! We finally made it! Enjoy the final read!

Three weeks later Leah had been released from the hospital, and it had initially been scheduled that within a week following her discharge Peter too would also be allowed to return home. Although Peter had made great strides in his recovery over the preceding few weeks Rachel had been reluctant to let him leave so soon, given the potential for series complications in his condition if extreme caution and close observation wasn't exercised.

The shock of the incident had ricocheted throughout the small town, and created an emotional form of Mexican wave for the residents, where almost everybody knew everyone else and the Baker family had many close and loyal friends. As a result, an emotionally involved Rachel appeared to be leaving nothing to chance in the case of Peter, who'd been subjected to examination after examination, and test after extensive test in the weeks following his return to consciousness; blood and urine tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, and various other procedures which nobody was quite sure of the reason for. During this time Jack became a regular visitor to the hospital, as everybody struggled to keep a lid on their helpless anxiety as, after his initial apparently dramatic improvement, Peter 's condition continued to fluctuate. Some day's he'd be stronger than other's, the next day appearing slightly weaker and in significantly more pain as his damaged kidney teetered on the edge of what could be considered healthy and what was not… until finally he'd reached a turning point in his recovery, and to everyone's relief had started to improve.

Within a few days of receiving the latest results of Peter's extensive battery of tests, Rachel had finally relented, and a couple of days later Peter too had followed his sister-in-law home, Dan having already been discharged a couple of weeks previous.

It had long since been decided that he should come and stay with the two of them whilst he recovered, despite the fact that none of them were really up to the job of playing the role of nurse maid. It was out of the question that he could return home alone to his own flat. The young Detective was still on a cocktail of various medications which he had to take several times a day; painkillers, and pills to help repair his damaged kidney and increase renal function, powerful antibiotics to combat any potential infection, and both himself and Leah were on an extensive programme of physiotherapy.

The coma had left Peter significantly weakened, to the extent that a month on he was still walking with the aid of crutches, although they were all relieved when they finally received confirmation that he wouldn't require any further surgery. Leah had faired surprisingly better, the brain injury she'd sustained had initially left her with some partial weakness and loss of sensation but following only a few weeks of the therapy she'd regained complete function and sensation in each of her limbs, and by the time she'd returned home she could already walk unaided and had strength enough to lift and carry little VJ.

It had been initially difficult for all of them to return to the scene of the crime, and the incident which had devastated them all, and very nearly torn their lives apart, but they'd managed to come through the presented difficulties together, and surprised most by their resilience and determination not to be beaten… it hadn't taken the residence of Summer Bay long to realise that it would in fact take a lot to drag them down, although nobody could condemn them for the fact that a little redecorating had been in order.

Six months on from that however finally saw Peter was no longer still living with Dan and Leah, but in fact making preparations for his return to work, and back living at his old flat. It had been a long, and painful return to recovery… but he made no secret of the fact that he'd do it again, and that he'd have died for Dan and Leah that day if he'd had to… they'd just been relieved that it hadn't come to that.

Meanwhile Leah too was already back at work, and Dan had long ago returned to counselling at Summer Bay High. The three of them were closer than ever. Nobody could ever understand what had made the mysterious youth who'd crept into their lives on that dark night and almost turned all their lives and their small community upside down, to target the Baker's in the cold and callous way that he had, without reason or provocation. They'd never discovered his identity, and the police were convinced of the fact that they'd simply been the unlucky ones, in the wrong place at the wrong time. But despite this all of the Summer Bay residents remained united in the belief of one solid fact; that if it was going to happen to any of them Peter, Dan and Leah were the ones with the strength to survive, and battle through. They'd already proven that in the way they'd fought for their own survival and to return to some sort of normality… and now they could put the whole near tragic and terrifying series of events out of their minds, and were finally free to get on with their lives.