Life starts now - A Bondi Rescue story

A Stormy Day

A/N: Hey guys, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. The medication I got so I could at least eat a little bit without instantly feeling sick made me really tired, all I could do was lie on the couch and watch daytime tv... But I no longer have to take those meds, so I'm slowly getting better :)

Anyways, I wrote most of this while I was miserable. I might have ended up projecting a tad, so...sorry about that. Hope you still enjoy it.

A few days after the New Year's Show, Melanie got into work to find a newspaper clip pinned to the whiteboard in the tower. It had a picture in it from the show that had captured her in a figure mid-air. She was smiling brightly and, if she was being honest, looking quite good in her green and blue leotard with her make-up done and her hair fixed in its bun with Knox.

"It says that you could have been on the national team", a voice commented from behind her.

She turned around and looked at Kerrbox, confirming: "Yeah, I could have." A wistful smile flickered over her face. "But my mum wanted me to finish school. 'A hobby won't get you a job and pay your bills', she said."

The former pro-surfer clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

Melanie laughed softly. "I was pretty mad for a while", she admitted. "I know she only wants the best for me, but she can't see how hard school is – was – for me."

"Sounds like your mother doesn't really listen to you", Kerrbox said. He didn't have a stellar opinion of Dr Finnegan and sometimes, it showed.

The teen shrugged. "I guess", she allowed after a small pause. "I s'pose it's not easy for her either. I'm not smart like her, I didn't get good grades like my sisters..." She trailed off, leaving the rest hanging in the air unsaid. With a smile, she excused herself to go help Yatesy with setting up shop for the day.

Little did she know that the subject would soon come up again in a different discussion.

***

Around 4 in the afternoon, massive clouds started gathering at the horizon, the sunlight turning sharper, paler. Within an hour, the wind had picked up and the sky was continuously growing darker. People started getting out of the water, packing their bags and leaving the beach, while many surfers stayed, eager to catch some of the waves the stronger winds now formed.

"Looks like a big one", Quinn mentioned, eyeing the steel-coloured sky.

The rest of the lifeguards agreed.

"Forecasts have been predicting a heavy thunderstorm for days now", Azza weighed in.

Melanie, who had just handed over a patient with a fin chop to the ambos, came up to the window front. Her brown eyes lit up as she took in the spectacle that nature was offering them, the clash of light and darkness creating fascinating contrasts. Thunder murmured and grumbled in the distance and small white crests flickered in the ocean.

The beach emptied and soon, the sun disappeared behind the clouds. Then, from one moment to the next, the storm hit. A curtain of rain went down, the drops blown against the tower windows hitting with a loud clattering sound. A few umbrellas tumbled across the sand while the red and yellow flags flapped violently.

Melanie squinted and blinked the water out of her eyes as she and Mouse closed the beach, gathering the signs and flags. Lighting streaked across the sky which had taken on the colour of lead.

"One, two, three, four", the teen whispered under her breath, counting seconds.

The clap of thunder rang out just as she reached 15.