Disclaimer: I don't own Passions
X I don't remember when Hank left Harmony so I made it up.
Gwen Hotchkiss had spent the last eight years fighting for a man who was in love with another woman. Giving up on her morals and values, becoming more and more vindictive like her mother to hold on to a man named Ethan Winthrop. In all truth he wasn't worth it, the last past eight years, he had treated her and Theresa like they were in revolving doors. As soon as he was done with one he went and got the other one. Theresa was the home wrecker, but was she truly the reason for her and Ethan's marriages downfall? Gwen had only been gone from Harmony for about a week, but she felt like it had been so much longer. She was sitting on a park bench looking at the many children playing thinking of the child that she had lost. Thanks to Theresa, or is it really her fault?., she thought. She had spent so many years hating her, but now, she wasn't so sure of anything.
Letting out a sigh, she remembered the day she left the man that she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. She remembered how he tried to reassure her of his intentions with her over and over again. But Gwen knew better, she had seen them together so many times. The man that she loved loved someone else more and he couldn't even admit it to himself. The more she thought about Ethan, the angrier and angrier she got. Could he actually really think that I would buy what he was saying that day? I always had before. Pathetic. You're sitting outside on this beautiful day, thinking about a man who broke your heart in a million pieces. Pathetic.
After sitting at that park bench for an hour, she thought she would go and get something to eat. She had a real craving for something spicy for some reason. Maybe I'll try that new Mexican restaurant down from where I'm staying. As she moved to get up, she had an embarrassing fall to the ground. Great, just one more thing to add to a list of things that have gone wrong in my life. As she was pulling herself up, a man came up to her trying to help her up. When she turned around to thank the man who had helped her, she was shocked to see a familiar face.
"Hank? Is that you?"
"Gwen?" he said still with a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
"Yeah, it's me"
Hank helped her back onto the park bench.
"Thanks" Gwen said with a smile on her face. "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in like four years now?"
"Yeah, it's been about that long. Everything's been good. I just got promoted to a detective for the department in Boston. So, I really can't complain about anything. So, what about you?"
Gwen sat there for a minute wondering what to actually say to that question. She could tell him the generic answer everything is great, or just tell him the truth. Hank could see that something was bothering Gwen. He had heard that she had finally married Ethan and even that she was pregnant with a daughter. So, he wasn't sure why anything would be wrong.
Trying to break the silence, he placed his hands over her hands and asked sincerely, "Are you okay?" Hank didn't know what he really was doing. It just seemed like she needed to be comforted for some odd reason and this is the best thing he could come up with.
She was in a daze looking at a small girl swinging on the swings when she felt Hank's hands move on top of hers and she turned to look at him. He had asked her if she was okay. Am I that obvious? What am I supposed to say to that? His eyes seem so sincere. I really need to talk to someone about this. Who would every think it would end up being with Ethan's uncle. "In all honesty, no, not even close" she spoke with a crack in her voice with tears starting to form in her eyes.
Hank noticed the tears starting to form in her eyes. He instantly pulled her close into his body, placed his right arm around her shoulder and just held her why she unleashed the tears that had built up in her eyes. They just sat there for a while, while Gwen sobbed into Hank's jacket. Hank was completely confused on the situation with Gwen. Why is Gwen crying on my jacket? What's been going on in Harmony? Last time I checked Gwen had a wedding and was pregnant. Something tells me that this has Ethan and Theresa written all over it. I really need to keep in touch more. Gwen held herself up off of Hank's shoulder breaking Hank away from his thoughts. She just looked at him with puffy red eyes that look so saddened. He didn't know why, but he wanted to make her smile. He wanted to take away the sadness in her eyes. He used his free left hand to gently move a strand of her golden hair from her face and placed it behind her ear. Throughout this whole time he never took his eyes from hers.
Gwen just stared at Hank as he looked into her eyes. I can't believe I'm crying my eyes out on Hank's shoulder. He seems to care for some reason. We were never close, but he had always given me the benefit of the doubt when it came to the war between me and Theresa. He had always understood my position and now once again he understood the situation. Does he even know the cause of these tears falling from my face? Who am I kidding, he probably knows. He's Ethan's uncle. I really need to pull my self together.
Gwen sat straight up and brushed the remaining tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what happened."
"Its okay" Hank said still a little unsure how to proceed with this whole Gwen situation. He stared for a minute looking at her. She seemed to be trying to pull herself together. He opened his mouth to say something, but as quick as he opened it, he closed it having nothing worth while to say that would remotely make her feel better.
Looking over at Hank, she could see him trying to say something to make her feel better. It was kind of funny how his mouth opened and then closed; his whole body language was of uncertainty. Gwen face suddenly contorted into a small smile and then suddenly she was giggling before she knew it she couldn't hold back the laughter anymore and released it.
Is she laughing at me? At least she stopped crying. A small smile crossed Hank's face and suddenly he was laughing as hard as Gwen. I guess it's contagious.
"You hungry?" Gwen asked finally getting a hold of her laughter.
"Yeah" Hank replied
"I was going to get something to eat before my knight in shining armor came and picked me up from the ground. Would you like to join me?"
"I've been called a lot of things, but a knight in shining armor has a nice ring to it." He commented with a grin on his face.
"You coming, or what?"
"Yeah, give me a minute" Hank said as he texted his girlfriend that he wouldn't make it to lunch. Hank knew that Gwen needed him more than her. And if Hank was honest with himself he would admit that he would rather be with Gwen than her anyway. "I'm ready, got any idea where you want to eat at?"
"I was going to try this Mexican restaurant down from where I'm staying" she replied
"Sounds good to me"
They both took off heading in the direction of the restaurant with spurts of laughter being released all the way there.
