TITLE: A Time To Grieve 
AUTHOR: Courtney 
EMAIL: courtz16@hotmail.com 
DISCLAIMER: I Don't own Stingers, or any of its charaters.... 
NOTES and THANKS: I have decided to continue on from 'Mole Hunt' and create 
a bit of a series. Thanks again to Cattsy for editing, and to Loz for 
helping my brainstorm the rest of the series. 

Mac returned to the three people waiting in the hard cold plastic chairs in 
the waiting room. The four of them had waited there all night. Waiting for 
any news. Waiting for a miracle they knew was unlikely to come. Angie’s 
family had brushed straight past them earlier in the night, straight to 
their beloved daughter, waiting for them on a life support machine. Soon 
after that Angie’s sister and her husband arrived. It was from then that 
began the long night. Each of the team laughed and cried in their turn, 
sharing their experiences working with Angie. It wasn’t until dawn that Mac 
decided that she would approach Angie’s family for news. As she returned to 
her team, she knew the news she was about to tell them would break their 
hearts, as it already had done hers. She felt a lump rise in her throat 

“She… They, they are going to switch off the machine…” Mac said this 
sentence matter-of-factly, knowing if she paused she wouldn't be able to 
continue to give her team the devastating news, but after hearing her own 
words collapsed onto the hard lino floor, as the team surrounded her 
shoulder to shoulder in their darkest hour. Finally Mac collected herself, 
telling the team what she had been told by Angie’s parents 

“Each of us will be allowed in, before they… to say our goodbyes” Each of 
them stared blankly into space, trying to comprehend what was happening. 
Minutes later that a doctor approached them 

“Ah, I am here to take you one at a time to see your collegue, but I’m 
afraid for only a few moments each” After a moment of silence, Danni stood 
up 

“I’ll go” and with that, she left with the doctor. 

Upon entering Angie’s room, Danni felt ill. Angie was lying motionless on 
the bed, connected to numerous machines and devices, the silence of the room 
interrupted by the respirator that took every breath for her. The doctor 
left the room, and Danni took her place beside Angie’s bed 

“Oh Angie, I don't know what to say. For the first time in my life I 
reckon! Well Ange, this is it, the end of the two dumb blondes. Well I just 
want to say thank you Angie. Without your friendship I don't think I would 
have made it, you really took me in Ange. Gave me a chance. Thank You, and 
sweet dreams Angie.” Danni swiftly kissed Angie on the forehead, before 
running from the room, straight to the closest toilets to throw up. 

Pete was next into Angie room, and he went straight to the bed, taking her 
hand to his cheek 

“Angie my girl, I am so sorry. I should have known, I should have gotten 
there sooner. You have been like a little sister to me Angie, you were 
always there to as you say ‘save our arses’. You saved mine enough time, and 
I couldn’t even save you. Oh Ange, I promise you, you will never be 
forgotten, I’ll make sure of that. See you later Ange” And with that, Pete 
kissed Angie’s now bruised cheek, and with tears running down his face. 

Mac entered Angie’s room , and took her place beside Angie’s bed, running 
her hand over Angie messy hair, and down her bruised face. Mac was now 
oblivious to the tears streaming down her face 
“How could he do this to you Angie, how could anyone to do this to your 
beautiful face? How could someone do this to such a beautiful person? What 
are we going to do without you Ange? You were always the one who gave an 
emotional perspective to the job. You truly cared for the drug addicts, as 
you silently helped them, not wanting praise. It shouldn’t be you laying 
here Ange. Anyone but you. I’m gonna miss your bright smile around the place 
Ange, but I know you will be looking down on us all, looking after us, still 
being the best friend I have ever had. I love you” Mac's hand clumsily 
attempted to wipe away the tears, as she held Angie's warm hand. 

Oscar was the last one to see Angie. Until he walked into the room, he had 
been the only one of the team not to shed a tear. And while the others 
shared stories about Angie, he had remained silent. As they say, those who 
hurt the most, always say the least. He took Angie hand, and kissed her 
palm, and spoke, with her hand still at his cheek 

“Oh Angie, I am so sorry, about everything. But that doesn’t matter now. 
When you wake up I am going to take you home, and we are going to be happy, 
you listening to me Ange? I am going to take you home, and buy you a puppy, 
and anything you want. Then we can have the big wedding we planned, and you 
can have any dress you want. You are going to look beautiful Ange, all in 
white, with beautiful flowers. We can go overseas for our honeymoon, and 
when we get back, if you like we can start a family, and have beautiful 
little girls that you like you” Tears were now streaming down Oscars face, 
as he gripped on to Angie’s hand 
“Because you are the most beautiful person I know, inside and out Ange, 
and that’s why you aren’t going to die on me. No now, not ever” Outside the 
doctor, Pete and Mac looked on, until finally the doctor said 
“I’m sorry, but I think the patients family want to see her now. Your man 
is going to have to leave” The doctor went in to get Oscar, but Mac stopped 
him 

“I’ll do it” The doctor nodded, as Mac reentered the room. Oscar was still 
taking 

“Hope you have been listening to me Ange, because when we go home, you are 
going to be so happy” Mac interrupted 

“Oscar, we have to go, they are going to turn off the machine now” Oscar 
turned his back on Mac, giving her full attention to Angie 

“Don't you listen to them Ange, I’m not giving up on you, I wont Angie, I 
promise you. Don't you give Angie, you are a fighter, you are the bravest 
person I know” Mac gently put her hand on Oscars shoulder 

“Come on Oscar, I know its hard, but we have to go. Angie isn’t with us 
anymore, only in our hearts” But Oscar refused to believe this 

“No Mac, you’re lying, she’s here, she squeezed my hand before” 

“Oscar that isn't possible, her brain isn't functioning, the only thing 
keeping her alive is the machine” Mac was speaking through her own sobs 

“No, she’s here, she is listening to me, she knows I love her” Tears were 
running down Mac’s face. She never knew how close Angie and Oscar had been 

“Oscar, I’m sure she knew how you felt” Oscar shook his head 

“I told her I didn’t love her. I told her she was like a sister. But she 
wasn’t Mac” Mac’s heart was breaking all over again. How could she have been 
so blind? Pete came up behind them 

“Come on mate, we have to go” Oscar finally began to get the message, but 
before he left, gently kissed Angie on her colourless lips, and whispered 

“I love you” and the three of them left the room in silence. 


"Lord, hear our prayer" Mac, Danni, Pete and Oscar sat in the the and 
church mumured after the Priest. Dressed in full dress uniform they sat 
united in their grief. On arrival they had seated themselves at the back of 
the crowded cathedral, overcome by the amount of people who had attended. 
Oscar leant over to the others, 

"Angie always hoped a lot of people would come to her funeral. She 
said that the first year we worked together" The others smiled, that sounded 
like Angie. 

Angie had managed to touch so many lives, that none of them even knew about. 
Many people went up the front to share their stories of Angie, some funny, 
but most showing what a kind, compassionate person she was. Security making 
it impossible for any of them to tell their stories, the Unit sat and 
watched, as a whole knew side to Angie came to light. Jimi Mercer attended 
the service of the girl who had changed his life for the better, sang the 
Eric Clapton classic ‘Tears In Heaven’ 

The service soon moved from the crowded church to the windy hilltop 
cemetery. 

"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust" Angie’s coffin was lowered into the 
waiting grave. The four of them stood motionless. None of them had any tears 
left to cry. Above the grave stood a marble gravestone, with Angie’s smiling 
face to one side. The photo that had been taken the day she graduated from 
the Police Academy, her beautiful face beaming with pride. Underneath was 
written; 

‘Allison Michaela Verhoeven’ 
(Ally) 
16/4/74-23/1/01 
Beloved daughter of Sue and Chris Verhoeven, best friend and sister to 
Samantha. Remembered forever for her compassionate and caring nature, 
dedication to her work and her love for life 

“and Heaven will bless those stars that shine not the longest…. But those 
who shine the brightest” 


The gravestone was surrounded with flowers, and one by one, people filed by, 
dropping coloured petals into the grave. It was awhile before everyone else 
had left the gravesite, leaving Mac, Danni Pete and Oscar left to say 
goodbye, not to Ally Verhoeven as all the other mourners had, but to Angie 
Piper. Each of them filed past the grave, leaving a special present for 
Angie. Danni left a photo of the team, and the end of year Christmas party, 
a month or so before then she felt around in her pocket. Danni had been 
waiting for the right moment to give this back to Angie, but hadn’t found 
one until now. Finally she said 

“I’ve got this for you Angie, I know you really believed in the strength of 
these things, and you must have shared this with someone special on you 
travels, so I thought I would return it to you.” And with that, Danni 
crossed herself, and left the gravesite, to a shady place under a tree 
nearby. 

Pete was next to file by the grave, and he threw in the casing of the bullet 
that had killed Townsend, as well as a picture of the two of them from the 
sting they had gone on as husband and wife, looking for a body part. 

“I got him for you Ange. Sweet Dreams my Girl.” 

Mac came up behind Pete, and kneeled down on the grave 

“Here we go Ange, so you will always be safe, I know you are now in a 
better place, looking down on us, where ever you are, I hope you are happy. 
I'm going to miss you.” Mac threw in a wire, knowing the security having a 
wire gave her, as well as the rest of the unit. After saying a brief prayer, 
she went over to the shade of the tree to join Pete and Danni, giving Oscar 
some privacy 

“Well Ange, this is the end of a beautiful relationship isn't it Michelle?” 
Stone laughed. He could hear Angie's sweet laughter coming from somewhere in 
his mind, and he could see her wide infectious smile that he loved so much 
in his minds eye. 
“I ah, got this for you today, I know it’s not the same, but I got a 
matching pair, see?” Oscar held up two friendship bands, similar to the one 
Angie had given him, which she had later thrown away. Oscar had wished he 
could have returned that one to her, but knew Angie would have liked these 
ones 
“I’m going to carry this with me always Ange, to remind me of what a 
special friend you are, and what we could have been” Oscar threw in one of 
the friendship band, and fastened the other one to his wrist. Slowly he got 
up out of the crouch position, as the other came up behind him, supporting 
each other, and looking at the gravestone, and the name Allison Verhoeven 
written across it, until at last Oscar said 

“Has it occured to anyone else that Angie Piper never even existed, not to 
anyone except us”