"What are you going to do?" Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald Santiago asked her
sister as she watched her pack.
"Get the hell out of Dodge."
"Theresa, that's not a plan. That's a line from Gunsmoke." Paloma pointed out.
"If you're not going to help me pack or comfort me, go downstairs and talk to la Llorona."
"Theresa!" Paloma said, shocked.
"With the way Mama is carrying on she deserves it." Theresa sounded sulky to her own ears.
"She's worried."
"She should be. If I stay here much longer I am going to kill every single person in this god awful house." Theresa said. "Starting with Gwen."
"What happened when you told Ethan about the blood tests?" Paloma asked timidly.
Theresa threw a perfume bottle at the suitcase; overshot and watched it hit the wall hard.
"It went that well?" Paloma tried to kid.
"He-" Theresa stopped talking when she heard the crash of glass in the hallway. "What the-" She and Poe went into the hall. "Kay? Miguel? What's going on?"
"Never!" Kay stormed at Miguel. "Hell will freeze over before I agree to that!"
"Kay, you aren't being reasona-" He stopped speaking when her hand flashed out and slapped his cheek.
"I've done a lot of stupid things for you Miguel, but being reasonable was never one of them. And my dad will give up on my mom before I'll give you and Charity what you asked for."
"Kay, baby, look at you. You're beautiful." Paloma said as she gave her a hug. "I can't believe it."
Kay was trembling as Miguel's sisters pulled her inside the room, away from their fuming and confused sibling.
"What did you do?" Theresa hissed at him before she shut the door.
"Kay, are you okay?" Paloma asked.
Kay nodded miserably, as she sniffled. She hadn't cried in the hall, but now it was too overwhelming.
"Tissues?" Theresa held out the box to Kay.
"Thanks Theresa." She said as she dabbed at her eyes. Then she looked around the room. "Are you going somewhere?"
"She was just explaining that." Paloma offered, as they surveyed the wreckage of the room. Clothes littered every surface. Theresa apparently had bad aim when she was angry. Skirts and sweaters were balled up. A box of powder was on the carpet, and the perfume was pooling against the wall.
"Little Ethan is your nephew Kay." Theresa started.
"What?"
"Yeah. I slept with Ethan before our wedding that wasn't and I got pregnant. Ethan Martin is Ethan's son not Julian's. And I'm pregnant again."
To the surprise of both Theresa and Paloma, Kay burst into tears again.
"OK, I didn't think having me as a potential in-law was that bad."
"It isn't that." Kay grabbed another tissue.
"Then what is it?" Paloma prompted.
"You're gonna have a nephew or niece soon." Kay admitted.
"Oh my God." Theresa breathed.
"What did Miguel ask you?" Paloma's voice was tightly leashed fury.
"To let Charity adopt the baby when it was born so that they could raise him or her."
Paloma's hands fisted. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Poe, don't do anything rash." Theresa said.
"Knocking our brother into the middle of next week is not something I consider rash."
"I don't want to be the cause of a family fight." Kay said
"Oh sweetie." Poe softened. "You're not. I just can't believe that Miguel would ask you to do that."
"It was probably my mother's idea." Kay said bitterly. "I haven't told Daddy yet but Charity told my mother."
"You told Charity before you told anyone else?" Theresa's tone conveyed her opinion of that move.
"No I told Miguel and he told Charity."
"There are some things you just don't do to a woman. Threatening to take away her child to be raised by her chief rival is really high on the list."
"You knew we were rivals?"
"Honey, the only ones who didn't know you and Charity are rivals are Charity and your mother."
Kay had to smile at that one. But then something occurred to her. "Theresa if little Ethan is Ethan's and you're gonna have another baby by him why are you leaving?"
"Because your brother is married and Gwen is not raising my children for any amount of time."
"But Theresa, he loves you. Why won't he just leave her?"
"Because he didn't believe me." Theresa felt tears stinging her eyes. "He said I had lied once too often."
"Son of a bitch."
"Yes he is." Paloma agreed.
"What about the test results?"
"According to Ivy, who burst in the room seconds after I told him, those tests can be faked. Look at him and Julian and Sam!"
"Oh Theresa, I'm sorry." Kay hugged the older girl. "My brother's an idiot."
"Mine's a worse idiot." Theresa babbled.
"Kay, would you like to meet your baby's other cousin?" Paloma asked.
"What?" Kay looked blank for a second. "Oh my God."
"C'mon, he's down the hall. I'll just check to make sure we don't have any loiterers in the hallway." Poe poked her head out. "All clear."
"He'll ambush us." Kay predicted direly.
"I'll kick him if he does."
"He'll call for your mother and I really can't handle that." Kay said, as the three women entered the playroom.
"Thank you for watching them Phyllis." Theresa said with a smile.
"Of course. Anything else?"
"My room. Could you pack what's salvageable?"
"Mrs. Crane?" The au pair flinched.
"Phyllis, don't worry."
"Are you going somewhere? With Mr. Ethan maybe? Because he and Miss Gwen are packing to go to Seattle right now."
"I'm not going anywhere with Mr. or Mrs. Winthrop."
Phyllis bobbled. "Then, begging pardon, why and where are you going?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm just going."
Phyllis nodded. "Well, the babies are sleeping."
"We won't wake them." Paloma promised.
Phyllis left and the girls faced each other.
"Cousins should know each other." Theresa said.
"Where are you going?" Kay hedged.
"L.A." Paloma said. "I bought a warehouse there. We're going to turn it into home."
"You just got here."
"And now I've got to get out. How did you last eighteen years?"
"Drugs." She smiled. "Just kidding."
Theresa looked thoughtful. "I think the seven of us would do just fine together."
"You would really bring me?" Kay sounded so eager, but so nervous, that Theresa's heart broke for her.
"Of course." Theresa said with a smile as she put her arm around Kay's shoulders.
"What will we do for money?"
"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." Paloma advised.
"A great deal of the Crane fortune is now in a bank account without a name only a number."
"And I inherited a good chunk of my husband's assets. We'll get along just fine." Paloma promised.
"We'll change our last names." Theresa said. "We'll be okay and we'll be together."
"Lopez-Fitzgerald Santiago was a bit long anyway."
"We'll figure something out. I have to go to the cottage. There's something of Antonio's that I want and I'd like to get it now before I forget. Kay, go home and get some things together. Be fast okay?"
"You don't have to tell me twice."
"We'll see you soon." Paloma said. "I'll pack for the boys."
"Thanks Poe." Theresa and Kay left and parted to go in opposite directions.
HR
Theresa quietly entered the cottage and made her way to the bedroom. It appeared that no one was home.
Unexpectedly, she heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the bathroom. What was it with this day and breaking things? She wondered.
"Sheridan?" She said cautiously.
"I'll be out in one sec." Sheridan called. "It was just a handheld mirror, but I don't want anyone to cut their feet on the pieces."
"Okay. I just wanted to get something of Antonio's before you pack anything away."
"What?" Sheridan's voice was ragged.
"It's his St. Jude medallion. Our grandfather gave it to him. I thought it'd be nice to have something of his to give to Ethan one day."
"I don't mind." Sheridan called.
"Great." Theresa went to where Antonio kept his things and pulled out the box she knew held the medallion. She opened it and smiled. Her son would treasure this. She knew that. "Sheridan? Are you okay in there?"
"Fine." Sheridan's voice wasn't completely convincing.
"Can I get you something? Some water?"
"You're not in a rush?"
"I can spare a minute or two."
"It would be nice to have someone to talk to."
"Okay. Are you gonna come out?"
"I'm still wearing my robe. I look awful."
"You lost your husband, no one cares how you look."
She heard Sheridan chuckle a little and then the blonde emerged from the bathroom. "Hi."
Theresa had never seen the stylish Crane woman look so disheveled. "Here's the water." Theresa hurried to give it to her.
"Thank you." Sheridan extended her hand and Theresa noticed how badly she was shaking.
Theresa reached out both hands and wrapped Sheridan's hands around the glass. "Sip slowly."
Sheridan obeyed. "I don't know why I'm this shaky."
"Did you remember to eat today?"
"I had some toast. My stomach is upset."
"Oh." Theresa tilted her head and studied Sheridan consideringly. "Have you been sleeping?"
"Sometimes. Nightmares, you know?"
"I know." Theresa smiled softly. "C'mere. Sit down."
Sheridan did. She finished the water.
"What's wrong Sheridan?"
She toyed with the hem of her nightgown. "I'm pregnant, and Antonio's gone, and Luis doesn't know if he should make moves on his pregnant widowed sister-in-law and I don't know how I feel about anyone or anything."
"Oh sweetie." Theresa hugged her. "I'm so sorry." She said. "Antonio would've been thrilled if that makes you feel any better."
"It should, but it doesn't, because he isn't here."
"He's right here." Theresa touched her sister-in-law's stomach. "I bet he or she looks just like him."
Sheridan felt herself getting choked up.
"Shh. It's okay. You'll be okay." Theresa said. "I have an idea."
Sheridan listened while Theresa spun out her plan.
"You'd really want me to come?"
"We're sisters. We should be together."
"I hardly know you or Paloma or Kay."
"So, we'll get to know each other. We'll take care of each other. We'll help each other."
"It sounds wonderful." Sheridan agreed. "To hell with the rest of the world, it's the nine of us now."
"Pack some things, okay? We're getting outta here."
"Would you send someone over to help me pack? I want to shower first."
"I'll do it. Don't want to alert anyone. Phyllis will keep my secret. She always does. Is there anything special that I should pack?"
"My clothes. A few of Antonio's shirts... My jewelry."
"Pictures? Your mom, your wedding photo, and the one of you and Ethan at his wedding to Gwen?"
"All of those." Sheridan agreed.
"Okay. Go on. Go take a shower. I'll pack."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
HR
"This is unreal." Kay said, peering out the plane window.
"Which part?"
"Everything. Not only do we decide to leave, pack in one day, and get on a plane headed exactly where we want to go, no one showed up at the airport to stop us."
"We got away with it." Paloma said. "Sheridan? Are you okay? Maybe you should've sat on the aisle."
"Fine." Sheridan said.
Theresa played with her cross as it hung around her neck. "Do you think Mama found the letter yet?"
"She didn't stop the take off, so no."
"A hotel tonight, right?" Theresa asked.
"Yeah. We'll check out home tomorrow. Tonight we plan and talk."
"I'm good at planning." Kay said. "And smirking, and lurking."
"Why didn't my brother go for you?"
"A blonde angel came into his life."
"You mean someone without a mind of her own, so he could speak for two."
"Exactly." Kay smirked. "Sheridan, do you want some more ginger ale?"
"Please."
"Here you go." She passed it down along with some crackers. "How are the boys?" She peered over Paloma's shoulder.
"Miserable. Flying is really hard on a baby. It puts pressure on the inner ear."
Kay smiled faintly. "Here." She handed some keys over. "Babies like to play with keys."
"What is LA going to be like for us?"
They looked to Sheridan. She hadn't said much the entire trip.
"It's going to be different." Theresa said stroking the blonde's hair. "But we'll make it home. For us and for our children."
"Visitors?"
"Maybe Hank once we're settled but Mama would go straight to Ethan and Miguel."
"Luis?" Sheridan finally asked.
"One day, when you're ready. But I don't think you are now, are you?"
Sheridan shook her head emphatically.
"It'll be okay Sheridan." Paloma said. "Try and sleep."
Sheridan shook her head again. "It's nice just being with people."
"We'll be here when you wake up. Close your eyes. Don't be afraid."
"Take your own advice Theresa, Kay. You should both sleep. Sleep every minute you can."
Theresa nodded. "Will you be okay with both of them?"
"Yeah." Paloma nodded.
Theresa nodded and then looked to Sheridan, whose blue eyes were wide and slightly fearful. Theresa leaned Sheridan's head on her shoulder and rested her own on top of it.
Kay snuggled into her seat and closed her eyes.
The flight was quiet, as eight of nine passengers slept through it.
HR
"Food's here." Paloma called quietly.
"Mmm." Theresa said drowsily. "What is it?" Theresa came out of the bedroom where the boys were pulling her hair back. Kay got up from the couch where she was reading and joined them.
"Where's Sheridan?" Paloma asked.
"Sleeping. Finally."
"I'm worried about her. Do you think it was a good idea to bring her? She's not very stable."
"Better to bring her than leave her there." Kay said decisively. "I mean, I know it's not quite the same but you can't imagine how it feels when you're ready to go insane because you can't stand seeing the same people doing and saying the same things every single day, and you have to get out, but you can't."
"Besides, leaving her there with her brother and father would not have done anything to improve her mental state."
"What about Luis?" Paloma asked.
"I don't know. When Sheridan's ready she can make that decision."
"But then what happens to Beth?"
"I don't know. Maybe Luis will move on with Beth and maybe he'll spend the rest of his days looking for Sheridan in every stranger's face he sees."
"Those are lousy choices Theresa." Paloma pointed out.
"They'll sort it out, and we'll be here to pick up the pieces if they can't."
"Agreed." Kay said. "Maybe we should wake her. She needs to eat."
"She needs sleep more." Paloma disagreed. "Theresa, back me up. The day your son was born was the day you stopped sleeping peacefully. You can't ever reclaim the deep sleep."
"We'll let her sleep for a while Kay. She can eat when she wakes up. This place has twenty-four hour room service. I made sure when we checked in."
Kay nodded. "What are the boys doing?"
"Waking up slowly."
Paloma smiled. "Maybe I'll call Alejandro, Alex. Everyone always called his father Alejandro. It's such a mouthful."
"What was your husband like?" Kay asked. "I mean, we're all making such a big deal about our problems, you've hardly had a chance to talk about yours."
"Thank you, but I don't think I'm ready to talk about it or him. For now it's enough that I'm far away from everything."
Theresa looked at her baby sister. She looked older then she should.
"What?" Paloma asked.
"Nothing. I'm just glad you're here."
"Me too."
"You know what I keep thinking?" Kay asked.
Theresa shook her head.
"Misery loves company." Kay announced. "If this had to happen to all of us, at least it happened all at once so we can be there for each other."
Theresa smiled. "What do you think Kay? Boy or girl?"
"You or me?"
"Both."
"I don't know. I think either would be good. What about you?"
"I have a boy and I'd love another one, but I'd like a girl too."
"Balance, right?"
"Exactly." She laughed. "I wonder what Gwen will have."
"Let's think about this. Considering who her mother is, she'll probably have Rosemary's baby." Paloma laughed.
Theresa smiled. "Wouldn't it be a kick if she really did, now that we've said it so often?"
"I've got an idea." Kay smiled.
"What?"
"Let's send Gwen a gift."
"What kind of gift?" Theresa asked.
"A rattle with the name Rosemary on it."
Theresa grinned in delight. "And there should be leaves painted around it. Plant leaves."
Paloma raised her eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Ivy leaves." Kay caught on. "Poison ivy leaves."
"That's investing a lot in petty revenge. It would probably have to be custom made."
"Poe, who made Alex's rattle?"
"Hank." She admitted.
"Uncle Hank?" Kay screwed up her face in confusion.
"Yeah. He's pretty good with things like that."
"Think he'd do us a favor?"
"It is a gift for his nephew or niece."
"He'll be happy to do us a favor."
"I have the laptop set up in my room." Theresa said. "I'll email him."
"And then have him send, under just his name. Gwen would never accept a gift from me."
"Or me."
"She'd never accept a gift from anyone with the last name Lopez- Fitzgerald."
"But with the Bennetts there is a chance."
"Speaking of our last names, whatever they may be, I've been thinking. Grandma Lopez's maiden name was Soltini. What do you think of using that Poe?"
Paloma nodded. "I think changing our names is a good idea."
"Kay, what do you think?"
"Well, I know Lopez-Fitzgerald would make it to easy to find us but how about using a hyphenated name?"
"You wanna add Bennett to Soltini?" Theresa asked as she sat down on the couch and made herself comfy.
"No but my great grandma's name was McKay. What about using McKay-Soltini?"
"Is that where your nickname came from?"
"Well it was either that or Katie and the only person who called me that, ever, was Grandma Bennett."
"Katie is a cute name. No one ever expects someone called Katie to be serious."
"Exactly why I'm Kay."
Theresa smiled before she spoke. "Theresa McKay-Soltini. I kinda like that."
"Let's make it Soltini-McKay." Kay suggested.
"Theresa Soltini-McKay. Sounds good."
"Paloma Soltini-McKay."
"Kay Soltini-McKay."
"Sheridan Soltini-McKay." A new voice joined them.
"You're awake." Paloma jumped up and offered her sister-in-law the "comfy chair."
"Yeah. It felt nice to sleep. But I'm a little hungry."
"We didn't order any fish." Kay said.
"Thank God." Paloma said. "Alejandro brought home flounder when I was six months pregnant. I threw up for an hour."
Theresa sent her a look that said 'watch it, or you'll turn us all green at the gills.'
"And then my mother-in-law came over baked the fish, and mixed some kind of remedy for morning sickness. I didn't have any more trouble with it for a week."
Sheridan perked up at that. "Any around here?"
"Sorry. I didn't ask for the recipe. But I could call and ask." Paloma said.
"Maybe later." Sheridan said. "How do the little quiches taste?"
"Pretty good." Theresa said.
"You don't want those." Paloma advised. "Have a seat, I'll put something together for you."
"Okay." Sheridan said, taking a seat. "Have we decided anything?"
"Just names." Kay said. "McKay is from my side and Soltini is from yours."
"Maybe I should just be a Soltini. I'm not a Bennett."
"Mama always said the Bennetts' were family." Theresa said. "When you married Antonio that became true for you too."
"I have this fierce headache." Kay said, in the quiet pause that followed. "So, hypothetically speaking, how are we going to explain how we're all related?'
"Sisters with different mothers. Poe and I had the same mother. Sheridan, your mother was Papa's first wife. Kay, your mother was between the two times he married my and Poe's mother."
Kay shrugged. "If it makes sense to you..."
"And we were all widowed. Our husbands were in business together and they died in a plane crash. When that happened we took back our maiden names. Our parents are dead."
"All of them?" Sheridan asked.
"All." Theresa affirmed.
Paloma put a plate in front of Sheridan.
"What about Hank? You said you wanted to call him." Kay said.
"I'll call him now." Theresa said. "Since you're up, can you grab my cell?"
"Sure." Kay handed her the phone.
HR
Hank was just about to walk into the Crane house when his cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi Hank. What's up?" Theresa said brightly, trying for normal.
"Who is this?" He asked suspiciously.
"Theresa." She said, in a hurt tone. "You didn't recognize my voice?"
"Theresa! How are you? Wait a sec, where are you?"
"Uh, you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Where are you?"
"Front door of Crane Central. Your mother called and asked me to come up."
"Oh, I guess you don't know. We took off."
"Who is we?" Hank asked. "Is your sister with you? My niece? Sheridan?"
"Yes, yes, and yes."
"I swear to God, you must be nuts. Put your sister on the phone right now."
Theresa frowned. "Why?"
"Just do it, please."
Annoyed, Theresa held the phone out to Paloma. "He wants to talk to you."
Paloma took the phone. "Hi Hank. What's up?" She parroted her sister.
"Where are you-Wait don't tell me. No guarantees about these phone lines."
"You're making me nervous." Kay and Sheridan looked at Theresa.
"Sorry. I've had this damn job too long. Are you safe?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"How's the baby?"
"He's fine. Hank, you're freaking me out. What is going on?" Paloma's sister and friends stirred uneasily.
"Two men showed up at my apartment last night asking about your whereabouts, and Theresa's, and then Sheridan's. I said I didn't know, which is the truth."
"Damn." She mumbled. "Maybe my way--"
"Your way is ok, but I'd feel better if I could see all of you. Does anyone know exactly where you are?"
"Mama knows the city."
"No one knows more precisely."
"Not unless they trace this call."
"That's not too likely. I'll try to see you soon."
"Wait, we called for a reason. We need a favor."
Heavy silence on the other end. "What kind of favor?"
"You know that gorgeous rattle you made for me when I was expecting?"
"Yeah?"
"Make one for Gwen. It should say Rosemary, and the girls want poison ivy leaves around it."
"You four are very dangerous together."
Paloma laughed on her end. "Yes, I know. Will you do it?"
"I'll do it." Hank nodded on his end. "Hold on."
Paloma could hear voices on the other end.
Hank came back on. "Listen, we'll talk later okay?"
"Put me in your pocket."
"What?"
"I wanna hear what's going on. Put the phone in your pocket but don't hang up."
She practically heard his eyes roll. "You have unlimited minutes?"
"Close enough."
"Okay. I'll talk to you later."
Paloma could hear the rustle of cloth as the phone slipped inside his pocket.
"Hank, there you are." She recognized the voice as Chief Bennett's.
"Hi Sam."
"Do you know anything about where Kay is right now?"
"I haven't seen her all day. Why? What's going on?"
"She left home. We were hoping she'd gone to hide out at your place for a few days."
"My sisters. Sheridan. Where are they?"
Paloma flinched. Luis was loud.
"What?" Theresa mouthed.
"Luis." Poe whispered.
"Where's Theresa?" Paloma furrowed her brow before she placed the voice. Ethan.
"Why is everyone asking me?" That was Hank, cool and calm.
"We're not." Grace's voice came through. "But I want to know where Kay is."
"Why? So you can convince her that Charity would be a better parent?" Sam said.
"So I can have a chance to hold her and kiss her and give her hope." Grace said firmly. "She must be frightened."
Paloma could hear empathetic tears. "Now, now, what's important now is to find the girls." Mama said. "I have a letter, from Theresita, saying she was starting over."
"Starting over where? Where is she Pilar? Where did she take Ethan?"
"It didn't really say." Pilar said. "Mr. Ethan, shouldn't you be helping Mrs. Winthrop pack for Seattle?"
"Pilar, don't do that. Don't act like you're just the maid. I'm the father of one of your grandsons."
That caused a mild uproar. Paloma held the phone away from her ear and waited for the chaos to subside.
"What the hell happened?" Kay asked. "Did somebody just set a bomb off?"
"Something like that. It would seem that Ethan believes you now T."
Sheridan lifted an eyebrow. "He may be thick headed, but he's not really stupid. Most of the time." She amended.
"What's happening now?" Theresa asked.
"Gwen just came in."
"This is better than daytime TV." Sheridan said.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm on daytime TV." Kay told her.
"Ethan, what's going on here? I was just at Sheridan's cottage and most of her things are gone."
"We're trying to find out where she took off to." Unmistakably Luis. His tone was strident.
"Took off to? What are you talking about?"
"Everybody be quiet." Sam trumpeted. "Let's organize the facts. Theresa, Paloma, Sheridan, and my little girl are gone. Pilar has a letter saying they are starting over. Two of them had kids, three of them are pregnant."
"Three of them?" Gwen asked. "Which three?"
"My daughter is pregnant." Sam said.
"Sheridan is pregnant." Luis said.
"And so is Theresa." Ethan admitted.
"What?" Gwen shrieked at top volume.
Paloma winced. So did Sheridan. That voice was clearly heard by everyone in the room.
"I don't believe that they were kidnapped." Hank said thoughtfully.
Another clamor. That thought hadn't occurred to anyone.
"Where would they have gone?" Luis said. "Europe?"
"You can't take two infants on an eighteen hour flight without tranquilizers the likes of which only Elvis's doctor prescribes." Grace said flatly.
"Canada." Hank offered.
"Hank, is that a guess, or fact?" Luis demanded.
"What?"
"Don't give me that. I know there's some secret between you and my sister. Are you in contact with her?"
Paloma crossed her fingers.
"I haven't seen her in the last two days. The last time I talked to her was at Antonio's funeral."
"Did she say anything about any of this?"
"Just that she wished she were like Sheridan--that she'd had a shoulder to lean on at her husband's funeral."
"Oh."
"Would you excuse me? I need to use the bathroom." Hank said.
"Sure."
"You still there?" He asked moments later.
"Yeah." She mumbled. "I never said that."
"I had to say something."
"You're a better liar than I remembered."
"Yeah. Congratulate me. I just lied to my best friend's face."
"Necessary evil."
"Look, it might take a couple days before I can get out there. When I do, I'll call Theresa's phone."
"You don't even know the city."
"I'll get the letter from your mom. Either way, I'll find you. Soon."
"Take care. I don't think those guys will be--oh, you know, but just in case."
"Are you trying to tell me those guys who asked about you won't be violent?"
"Exactly."
"Theresa and Sheridan and Kay are right there, aren't they?"
"Yes, sounds right."
"You'll hear from me again. If you're in a hotel, don't stay there two nights in a row. Be careful about credit cards."
"I know the drill. We have enough cash."
"I figured. Julian ran past me in a fit when I was going to the bathroom."
Paloma laughed. "Be careful. See you soon."
"You too."
"What was that?" Kay demanded. "Were you, you know, flirting with my uncle?"
"What?" Paloma was startled into a nervous giggle.
"Oh my God. Poe likes Hank." Kay teased.
"I do not. We're friends. That's all."
"Sure Poe." Theresa said. "So what did he say?"
"The families are very concerned about us."
"I'm sure." Kay said.
"Your mom is worried about you, believe it or not."
Kay laughed bitterly. "I'm sure St. Charity is too, right?"
"I don't know. I didn't hear her or Miguel. I heard Luis though. He was very vocal. So was your dad."
"What else is new?" Sheridan mumbled. "Should we worry about the doors being broken down?"
"I think they're thinking Canada. I don't think they're thinking of destinations we'd use a plane for."
"Who gave them that idea?" Theresa asked eagerly.
"Hank, and Grace, in a roundabout way. Oh, and Julian is panicking about money."
"It's not like I took the entire Crane fortune. And the money is being used for good things. Like my children."
Sheridan actually grinned at that.
"And Kay's education."
"What?"
"You always said you wanted to be a teacher when we were growing up. Do you still want to be?"
"I don't know." Kay looked stumped for a second. "I haven't thought about what I want, beyond Miguel, in at least four years."
"I think you'd be a good teacher." Paloma said.
"Really?" Kay smiled
"Yeah."
"OK." Kay nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I want to do that. What about you, Theresa? You always wanted to be involved in fashion. Gonna do anything about it now?"
"No. It's unstable and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I wanna help people."
"Going to med school on us T?" Poe asked.
"No, that's your show. I'm gonna be a paramedic."
Paloma laughed. "I'm not going into medicine. I used to say that because it was what you and Mama wanted, and I wanted to be like you." She shrugged. "I don't have to do that anymore."
Theresa looked both hurt and taken aback.
"So what are you going to do?" Sheridan asked.
"I don't know yet."
"What about you Sheridan? What do you wanna do? Be the housewife and stay home with the kids?"
"All five of them?" Sheridan laughed. "I don't think so."
"Poe, how big is this warehouse of yours?" Kay asked.
"Big. Why?"
"Floors?"
"Three. Kay, where are you going with this?"
"The upper two floors should be more then enough room for a home right?"
"I haven't examined it in person. I just walked through it with Alejandro while we were on our honeymoon."
"You were in the States for your honeymoon and you didn't call?" Theresa demanded.
Paloma's eyes closed, and a remote look covered her face. "We'll talk about it someday." She mumbled, as one of the boys started to cry.
"That's Ethan, I'll go." Theresa said. She got up and went into the bedroom.
"So, anyway, if it is big enough, maybe we can open a club/restaurant sort of thing." Kay said.
"I would like that." Paloma said, suddenly looking excited. "I could be the hostess, and I bet I could do some of the cooking at first, or at least the menus."
"Sheridan? What do you think? You could decorate and handle the bar. Being a Crane, I'm sure you know something about liquor." Kay said.
Sheridan laughed. "We could all be hostesses." She suggested.
"When we're not working." Kay said. "I think Theresa's got a point. We should all work on careers of our own."
"I have an idea." Paloma said. "If I acquire another property, I'd like to open some kind of shelter or clinic."
"Poe that's a great idea." Theresa said, coming back in. "Maybe we could call the club, Cloud Nine. But the clinic, I think we should name for someone who would have done something like that."
"For Pilar?" Sheridan asked.
"If we name if for someone we know, it's a given that they'll find us. How about the Jonas Salk Clinic?"
"I like it." Kay said.
"So do I." Paloma said.
Sheridan nodded.
"Good. Expect a donation from me."
"T, how much money did you take?" Paloma asked.
"Twenty million." Theresa admitted.
Kay gasped.
Sheridan nodded approval.
"Wow. Sheridan? What about you?"
"I emptied my trust funds. It came to about thirty million."
"Holy crap." Kay mumbled.
"Look, we better all get some sleep. Morning comes early and we need to figure out where we're going tomorrow."
"Why are we going anywhere? Besides, we just woke up. It's morning, right?" Sheridan looked at the closed curtains. "I thought it was morning."
"No, it's just after ten at night. Besides, I think it's a good idea to move around a little. At least for now."
"Why?" Kay asked. "Is that something Uncle Hank said too?"
"Yeah. In case they check flight numbers and put two and two together."
"Do they care that much?" Sheridan asked.
"We're their family, we're pregnant, and in laymen's terms, we did as what can be construed as running away from home. They care. Then there's Julian. I took his money."
"Nice to know we're loved." Kay said dryly.
"I don't know about the rest of y'all. But I'm tired." Paloma said. "T, be quiet when you come in."
"Sure Poe."
"I'm just going to sit up for a little while. After all, the three of us slept on the plane." Sheridan said.
"Wanna play cards?" Kay asked, taking a sip of her soda.
The door to Paloma and Theresa's room closed.
"All right, what did Hank really say?" Kay demanded.
"I don't know. I wasn't on the phone. I said hi, and he asked me to put Poe on the line."
"She was spooked." Sheridan said.
"I don't think she's telling us everything about her husband." Theresa said.
"That's pretty obvious." Sheridan said, with a touch of her old spark.
"She'll tell us when she's ready," Kay said. "Poker or gin?"
"Gin." Theresa voted.
"I'll deal." Sheridan said picking up the deck from the coffee table and sitting at the small dining table.
HR
"This place is amazing." Theresa said looking around. "It's huge."
"It'll be adequate." Paloma said. "After we hire a cleaning crew to go through."
"Do you know how to get a hold of blue prints?" Sheridan said, her mind starting to imagine what they could do with the place.
"I could probably do that." Paloma said.
"Hey, how about we set up our living room, kitchen, and dining room in the center and our bedrooms around it?" Kay suggested.
"So that we each have our own space radiating from a common area."
"Exactly. We can have smaller sitting rooms for when we want to be alone but when it's time for family we can be together." Kay said. "And this way none of the kids have to share a room."
"This will work." Sheridan said eagerly.
"As for the club, we have to check into permits and things soon."
"Are the second and third floors identical to this one?"
"Yeah as far as I remember. Also there's roof access."
"I can't believe this place isn't being used." Kay marveled.
"He just bought it for investment purposes. I don't know what he planned for it." Paloma said. "Anyway, how do you guys feel about an elevator? We could make it so that it's a locked entrance to the upper floors but I think there's space for parking under here."
"And he put it in your name?" Theresa quizzed her sister.
"Alejandro and I agreed that if the worst ever happened, and his family took control of his assets, I should have something left to support myself and any children who came along." Paloma said flatly. "I think it might've been used for storage, so let's go upstairs, shall we?"
"Sure." Sheridan agreed. "Are those stairs stable?" She raised an eyebrow at them.
"I'll go first." The youngest woman volunteered.
"Poe, you sure?"
"Yeah I'm the only one not pregnant."
"I like the idea of an elevator." Theresa said suddenly.
"Me too." Kay said.
"Okay, we'll wait till we can get something more stable to go up in." Paloma said. "Let's go. The boys are sleepy."
"They're precious." Kay said.
"Yes they are." Theresa said. "Looking forward to your own?"
"When I'm not scared of screwing up."
"You'll have us. We'll do our best not to screw up as a group."
A cell phone toodled cheerfully, as the girls emerged from the building to the sunny street,
"Uh that's you T."
"Oh. Hello?"
"Theresa?"
"Yes?"
"Where are you?"
"Who is this?"
"Ethan."
Click. "Wrong number." Theresa said, as the phone went off again.
"Who is it Theresa?"
"Kay, why don't you answer it this time?"
"Hello?" Kay said tentatively.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Who is this?" She asked defensively.
"Is Theresa there?"
"Where?"
"What?"
"Who is this?"
"Where are you?"
"Look, I don't know who this is but I don't have to tell you squat." Kay shut the phone off. "God he was rude."
Theresa looked satisfied, until the phone went off again. Kay passed it to Sheridan.
"Oh goodie." Sheridan said. "Hello?"
"Sheridan?"
"Ethan." Sheridan looked at Theresa who was mouthing 'No!' to her.
"Where are you? Why did you all run off together?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I went on a vacation."
"I just talked to Kay and Theresa on this same phone line. If you try to lie--"
"Ethan, I can't hear you." Sheridan said loudly. "Ethan, are you still there?" She said before she hung up.
"Just turn it off and ignore it." Paloma suggested.
"Uh-uh." Sheridan said handing her the phone. "Your turn."
Paloma turned it off. "I don't want to wake the baby." She said. "Let's grab some lunch?"
"Good idea."
"Let's go."
HR
Ethan dialed again.
His wife came into the room behind him. "Ethan, what is going on?"
"Nothing. Just can't get a hold of someone I need to talk to."
"Seems to be happening a lot these days." Gwen said.
"Yes. Has Luis heard from Sheridan?"
"I meant me."
"What?"
"There seems to be a lot that you are forgetting to tell me lately."
"Gwen, I don't want to fight."
"So instead we'll just ignore any and every problem in our marriage?"
"Look, Gwen, I don't have time for this. I need to go talk to Pilar."
"You don't have time?" Gwen tried to control the hysteria in her voice and failed. "You fathered one of Theresa's children. You accepted a job from her. And now you don't have time?"
"I fathered both of her children Gwen."
Tears dripped down Gwen's face. "Then why did you do this to me?"
"Do what?"
"Marry me! Why would you do this?"
"Mrs. Winthrop?"
"What!" She screamed at the maid.
"A package for you miss."
"Put it there, please, and let us talk."
"Gwen, I married you because it was the right thing to do."
"So are you going to leave me now, to do the right thing by Theresa?"
"I don't know. I just want to know where the hell she's taken my son!"
"You know what, if you leave to go after her don't bother coming back."
"What?"
"I thought that after we got married I would have your attention. Your devotion. Your love. If you can't give me those things, I'm leaving. I'm giving up; I'm letting Theresa win. She can have you for all I care." Gwen grabbed her package and left a stunned Ethan behind.
"Ethan? What was that about? What's wrong with Gwen?" Ivy wheeled herself in.
"Mother, for once in my life can I have a private moment?"
"What have you done to my daughter?" Rebecca demanded coming in. "She's hysterical."
"Then go comfort her instead of interrogating me."
"What the hell did you do to her you miserable bastard?" Rebecca screamed at him.
"Nothing!" Ethan shouted. "I didn't do a damn thing!"
"Liar!" Gwen's voice came from the staircase. "He's the father of Theresa's children. Both of them!"
"Ethan!" Ivy said, appalled.
"Not now Mother." Ethan said as his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Ethan, my name is Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald."
"Thank God. I've heard you're a rational person, and they're in short supply." Ethan looked at his mother, mother-in-law, and heard his wife's tears.
"I don't want you to bother my sister anymore."
"I just want to know that my son is safe."
"He's under my protection now. I suggest you content yourself with the Barbie doll."
"Look, would you put her on the phone?"
"She doesn't know about this call. I suggest it stay between us."
"Wait-"
"Goodbye Ethan. I won't call again."
A dial tone.
Ethan muttered a curse, and then dialed star 69.
iThis call was out of area./i
"Damn it." Ethan said.
"Ethan? Tell me that you did not sleep with that gutter snipe again."
"Mother, I am capable of violence." Ethan said. "So please, all of you, shut up."
"Ethan?" Whitney timidly entered the living room. "Hi. Can I talk to you?"
"What?" Ethan snapped.
"I just wanted to give you something I found in Theresa's room when I went over there."
Suddenly, Whitney had the undivided attention of every person in the room.
"What is it?" Ethan moved and took the envelope from Whitney. The front of it said Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald in bold print. He opened it. It was a sonogram. There was a note attached to it. iEthan, if you're reading this, then I've headed for the hills. This is our baby. I promise to take care of him or her. All I ask is that you leave me alone. -Theresa/i
Ethan gritted his teeth. "Thanks." He said. "I'm going for a walk."
"I'm sorry Ethan. If I'd known what she was planning, I would've tried to stop her." Whitney said with a sad smile. "I'll see ya."
"Thanks." He said again.
"Get the hell out of Dodge."
"Theresa, that's not a plan. That's a line from Gunsmoke." Paloma pointed out.
"If you're not going to help me pack or comfort me, go downstairs and talk to la Llorona."
"Theresa!" Paloma said, shocked.
"With the way Mama is carrying on she deserves it." Theresa sounded sulky to her own ears.
"She's worried."
"She should be. If I stay here much longer I am going to kill every single person in this god awful house." Theresa said. "Starting with Gwen."
"What happened when you told Ethan about the blood tests?" Paloma asked timidly.
Theresa threw a perfume bottle at the suitcase; overshot and watched it hit the wall hard.
"It went that well?" Paloma tried to kid.
"He-" Theresa stopped talking when she heard the crash of glass in the hallway. "What the-" She and Poe went into the hall. "Kay? Miguel? What's going on?"
"Never!" Kay stormed at Miguel. "Hell will freeze over before I agree to that!"
"Kay, you aren't being reasona-" He stopped speaking when her hand flashed out and slapped his cheek.
"I've done a lot of stupid things for you Miguel, but being reasonable was never one of them. And my dad will give up on my mom before I'll give you and Charity what you asked for."
"Kay, baby, look at you. You're beautiful." Paloma said as she gave her a hug. "I can't believe it."
Kay was trembling as Miguel's sisters pulled her inside the room, away from their fuming and confused sibling.
"What did you do?" Theresa hissed at him before she shut the door.
"Kay, are you okay?" Paloma asked.
Kay nodded miserably, as she sniffled. She hadn't cried in the hall, but now it was too overwhelming.
"Tissues?" Theresa held out the box to Kay.
"Thanks Theresa." She said as she dabbed at her eyes. Then she looked around the room. "Are you going somewhere?"
"She was just explaining that." Paloma offered, as they surveyed the wreckage of the room. Clothes littered every surface. Theresa apparently had bad aim when she was angry. Skirts and sweaters were balled up. A box of powder was on the carpet, and the perfume was pooling against the wall.
"Little Ethan is your nephew Kay." Theresa started.
"What?"
"Yeah. I slept with Ethan before our wedding that wasn't and I got pregnant. Ethan Martin is Ethan's son not Julian's. And I'm pregnant again."
To the surprise of both Theresa and Paloma, Kay burst into tears again.
"OK, I didn't think having me as a potential in-law was that bad."
"It isn't that." Kay grabbed another tissue.
"Then what is it?" Paloma prompted.
"You're gonna have a nephew or niece soon." Kay admitted.
"Oh my God." Theresa breathed.
"What did Miguel ask you?" Paloma's voice was tightly leashed fury.
"To let Charity adopt the baby when it was born so that they could raise him or her."
Paloma's hands fisted. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Poe, don't do anything rash." Theresa said.
"Knocking our brother into the middle of next week is not something I consider rash."
"I don't want to be the cause of a family fight." Kay said
"Oh sweetie." Poe softened. "You're not. I just can't believe that Miguel would ask you to do that."
"It was probably my mother's idea." Kay said bitterly. "I haven't told Daddy yet but Charity told my mother."
"You told Charity before you told anyone else?" Theresa's tone conveyed her opinion of that move.
"No I told Miguel and he told Charity."
"There are some things you just don't do to a woman. Threatening to take away her child to be raised by her chief rival is really high on the list."
"You knew we were rivals?"
"Honey, the only ones who didn't know you and Charity are rivals are Charity and your mother."
Kay had to smile at that one. But then something occurred to her. "Theresa if little Ethan is Ethan's and you're gonna have another baby by him why are you leaving?"
"Because your brother is married and Gwen is not raising my children for any amount of time."
"But Theresa, he loves you. Why won't he just leave her?"
"Because he didn't believe me." Theresa felt tears stinging her eyes. "He said I had lied once too often."
"Son of a bitch."
"Yes he is." Paloma agreed.
"What about the test results?"
"According to Ivy, who burst in the room seconds after I told him, those tests can be faked. Look at him and Julian and Sam!"
"Oh Theresa, I'm sorry." Kay hugged the older girl. "My brother's an idiot."
"Mine's a worse idiot." Theresa babbled.
"Kay, would you like to meet your baby's other cousin?" Paloma asked.
"What?" Kay looked blank for a second. "Oh my God."
"C'mon, he's down the hall. I'll just check to make sure we don't have any loiterers in the hallway." Poe poked her head out. "All clear."
"He'll ambush us." Kay predicted direly.
"I'll kick him if he does."
"He'll call for your mother and I really can't handle that." Kay said, as the three women entered the playroom.
"Thank you for watching them Phyllis." Theresa said with a smile.
"Of course. Anything else?"
"My room. Could you pack what's salvageable?"
"Mrs. Crane?" The au pair flinched.
"Phyllis, don't worry."
"Are you going somewhere? With Mr. Ethan maybe? Because he and Miss Gwen are packing to go to Seattle right now."
"I'm not going anywhere with Mr. or Mrs. Winthrop."
Phyllis bobbled. "Then, begging pardon, why and where are you going?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm just going."
Phyllis nodded. "Well, the babies are sleeping."
"We won't wake them." Paloma promised.
Phyllis left and the girls faced each other.
"Cousins should know each other." Theresa said.
"Where are you going?" Kay hedged.
"L.A." Paloma said. "I bought a warehouse there. We're going to turn it into home."
"You just got here."
"And now I've got to get out. How did you last eighteen years?"
"Drugs." She smiled. "Just kidding."
Theresa looked thoughtful. "I think the seven of us would do just fine together."
"You would really bring me?" Kay sounded so eager, but so nervous, that Theresa's heart broke for her.
"Of course." Theresa said with a smile as she put her arm around Kay's shoulders.
"What will we do for money?"
"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." Paloma advised.
"A great deal of the Crane fortune is now in a bank account without a name only a number."
"And I inherited a good chunk of my husband's assets. We'll get along just fine." Paloma promised.
"We'll change our last names." Theresa said. "We'll be okay and we'll be together."
"Lopez-Fitzgerald Santiago was a bit long anyway."
"We'll figure something out. I have to go to the cottage. There's something of Antonio's that I want and I'd like to get it now before I forget. Kay, go home and get some things together. Be fast okay?"
"You don't have to tell me twice."
"We'll see you soon." Paloma said. "I'll pack for the boys."
"Thanks Poe." Theresa and Kay left and parted to go in opposite directions.
HR
Theresa quietly entered the cottage and made her way to the bedroom. It appeared that no one was home.
Unexpectedly, she heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the bathroom. What was it with this day and breaking things? She wondered.
"Sheridan?" She said cautiously.
"I'll be out in one sec." Sheridan called. "It was just a handheld mirror, but I don't want anyone to cut their feet on the pieces."
"Okay. I just wanted to get something of Antonio's before you pack anything away."
"What?" Sheridan's voice was ragged.
"It's his St. Jude medallion. Our grandfather gave it to him. I thought it'd be nice to have something of his to give to Ethan one day."
"I don't mind." Sheridan called.
"Great." Theresa went to where Antonio kept his things and pulled out the box she knew held the medallion. She opened it and smiled. Her son would treasure this. She knew that. "Sheridan? Are you okay in there?"
"Fine." Sheridan's voice wasn't completely convincing.
"Can I get you something? Some water?"
"You're not in a rush?"
"I can spare a minute or two."
"It would be nice to have someone to talk to."
"Okay. Are you gonna come out?"
"I'm still wearing my robe. I look awful."
"You lost your husband, no one cares how you look."
She heard Sheridan chuckle a little and then the blonde emerged from the bathroom. "Hi."
Theresa had never seen the stylish Crane woman look so disheveled. "Here's the water." Theresa hurried to give it to her.
"Thank you." Sheridan extended her hand and Theresa noticed how badly she was shaking.
Theresa reached out both hands and wrapped Sheridan's hands around the glass. "Sip slowly."
Sheridan obeyed. "I don't know why I'm this shaky."
"Did you remember to eat today?"
"I had some toast. My stomach is upset."
"Oh." Theresa tilted her head and studied Sheridan consideringly. "Have you been sleeping?"
"Sometimes. Nightmares, you know?"
"I know." Theresa smiled softly. "C'mere. Sit down."
Sheridan did. She finished the water.
"What's wrong Sheridan?"
She toyed with the hem of her nightgown. "I'm pregnant, and Antonio's gone, and Luis doesn't know if he should make moves on his pregnant widowed sister-in-law and I don't know how I feel about anyone or anything."
"Oh sweetie." Theresa hugged her. "I'm so sorry." She said. "Antonio would've been thrilled if that makes you feel any better."
"It should, but it doesn't, because he isn't here."
"He's right here." Theresa touched her sister-in-law's stomach. "I bet he or she looks just like him."
Sheridan felt herself getting choked up.
"Shh. It's okay. You'll be okay." Theresa said. "I have an idea."
Sheridan listened while Theresa spun out her plan.
"You'd really want me to come?"
"We're sisters. We should be together."
"I hardly know you or Paloma or Kay."
"So, we'll get to know each other. We'll take care of each other. We'll help each other."
"It sounds wonderful." Sheridan agreed. "To hell with the rest of the world, it's the nine of us now."
"Pack some things, okay? We're getting outta here."
"Would you send someone over to help me pack? I want to shower first."
"I'll do it. Don't want to alert anyone. Phyllis will keep my secret. She always does. Is there anything special that I should pack?"
"My clothes. A few of Antonio's shirts... My jewelry."
"Pictures? Your mom, your wedding photo, and the one of you and Ethan at his wedding to Gwen?"
"All of those." Sheridan agreed.
"Okay. Go on. Go take a shower. I'll pack."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
HR
"This is unreal." Kay said, peering out the plane window.
"Which part?"
"Everything. Not only do we decide to leave, pack in one day, and get on a plane headed exactly where we want to go, no one showed up at the airport to stop us."
"We got away with it." Paloma said. "Sheridan? Are you okay? Maybe you should've sat on the aisle."
"Fine." Sheridan said.
Theresa played with her cross as it hung around her neck. "Do you think Mama found the letter yet?"
"She didn't stop the take off, so no."
"A hotel tonight, right?" Theresa asked.
"Yeah. We'll check out home tomorrow. Tonight we plan and talk."
"I'm good at planning." Kay said. "And smirking, and lurking."
"Why didn't my brother go for you?"
"A blonde angel came into his life."
"You mean someone without a mind of her own, so he could speak for two."
"Exactly." Kay smirked. "Sheridan, do you want some more ginger ale?"
"Please."
"Here you go." She passed it down along with some crackers. "How are the boys?" She peered over Paloma's shoulder.
"Miserable. Flying is really hard on a baby. It puts pressure on the inner ear."
Kay smiled faintly. "Here." She handed some keys over. "Babies like to play with keys."
"What is LA going to be like for us?"
They looked to Sheridan. She hadn't said much the entire trip.
"It's going to be different." Theresa said stroking the blonde's hair. "But we'll make it home. For us and for our children."
"Visitors?"
"Maybe Hank once we're settled but Mama would go straight to Ethan and Miguel."
"Luis?" Sheridan finally asked.
"One day, when you're ready. But I don't think you are now, are you?"
Sheridan shook her head emphatically.
"It'll be okay Sheridan." Paloma said. "Try and sleep."
Sheridan shook her head again. "It's nice just being with people."
"We'll be here when you wake up. Close your eyes. Don't be afraid."
"Take your own advice Theresa, Kay. You should both sleep. Sleep every minute you can."
Theresa nodded. "Will you be okay with both of them?"
"Yeah." Paloma nodded.
Theresa nodded and then looked to Sheridan, whose blue eyes were wide and slightly fearful. Theresa leaned Sheridan's head on her shoulder and rested her own on top of it.
Kay snuggled into her seat and closed her eyes.
The flight was quiet, as eight of nine passengers slept through it.
HR
"Food's here." Paloma called quietly.
"Mmm." Theresa said drowsily. "What is it?" Theresa came out of the bedroom where the boys were pulling her hair back. Kay got up from the couch where she was reading and joined them.
"Where's Sheridan?" Paloma asked.
"Sleeping. Finally."
"I'm worried about her. Do you think it was a good idea to bring her? She's not very stable."
"Better to bring her than leave her there." Kay said decisively. "I mean, I know it's not quite the same but you can't imagine how it feels when you're ready to go insane because you can't stand seeing the same people doing and saying the same things every single day, and you have to get out, but you can't."
"Besides, leaving her there with her brother and father would not have done anything to improve her mental state."
"What about Luis?" Paloma asked.
"I don't know. When Sheridan's ready she can make that decision."
"But then what happens to Beth?"
"I don't know. Maybe Luis will move on with Beth and maybe he'll spend the rest of his days looking for Sheridan in every stranger's face he sees."
"Those are lousy choices Theresa." Paloma pointed out.
"They'll sort it out, and we'll be here to pick up the pieces if they can't."
"Agreed." Kay said. "Maybe we should wake her. She needs to eat."
"She needs sleep more." Paloma disagreed. "Theresa, back me up. The day your son was born was the day you stopped sleeping peacefully. You can't ever reclaim the deep sleep."
"We'll let her sleep for a while Kay. She can eat when she wakes up. This place has twenty-four hour room service. I made sure when we checked in."
Kay nodded. "What are the boys doing?"
"Waking up slowly."
Paloma smiled. "Maybe I'll call Alejandro, Alex. Everyone always called his father Alejandro. It's such a mouthful."
"What was your husband like?" Kay asked. "I mean, we're all making such a big deal about our problems, you've hardly had a chance to talk about yours."
"Thank you, but I don't think I'm ready to talk about it or him. For now it's enough that I'm far away from everything."
Theresa looked at her baby sister. She looked older then she should.
"What?" Paloma asked.
"Nothing. I'm just glad you're here."
"Me too."
"You know what I keep thinking?" Kay asked.
Theresa shook her head.
"Misery loves company." Kay announced. "If this had to happen to all of us, at least it happened all at once so we can be there for each other."
Theresa smiled. "What do you think Kay? Boy or girl?"
"You or me?"
"Both."
"I don't know. I think either would be good. What about you?"
"I have a boy and I'd love another one, but I'd like a girl too."
"Balance, right?"
"Exactly." She laughed. "I wonder what Gwen will have."
"Let's think about this. Considering who her mother is, she'll probably have Rosemary's baby." Paloma laughed.
Theresa smiled. "Wouldn't it be a kick if she really did, now that we've said it so often?"
"I've got an idea." Kay smiled.
"What?"
"Let's send Gwen a gift."
"What kind of gift?" Theresa asked.
"A rattle with the name Rosemary on it."
Theresa grinned in delight. "And there should be leaves painted around it. Plant leaves."
Paloma raised her eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Ivy leaves." Kay caught on. "Poison ivy leaves."
"That's investing a lot in petty revenge. It would probably have to be custom made."
"Poe, who made Alex's rattle?"
"Hank." She admitted.
"Uncle Hank?" Kay screwed up her face in confusion.
"Yeah. He's pretty good with things like that."
"Think he'd do us a favor?"
"It is a gift for his nephew or niece."
"He'll be happy to do us a favor."
"I have the laptop set up in my room." Theresa said. "I'll email him."
"And then have him send, under just his name. Gwen would never accept a gift from me."
"Or me."
"She'd never accept a gift from anyone with the last name Lopez- Fitzgerald."
"But with the Bennetts there is a chance."
"Speaking of our last names, whatever they may be, I've been thinking. Grandma Lopez's maiden name was Soltini. What do you think of using that Poe?"
Paloma nodded. "I think changing our names is a good idea."
"Kay, what do you think?"
"Well, I know Lopez-Fitzgerald would make it to easy to find us but how about using a hyphenated name?"
"You wanna add Bennett to Soltini?" Theresa asked as she sat down on the couch and made herself comfy.
"No but my great grandma's name was McKay. What about using McKay-Soltini?"
"Is that where your nickname came from?"
"Well it was either that or Katie and the only person who called me that, ever, was Grandma Bennett."
"Katie is a cute name. No one ever expects someone called Katie to be serious."
"Exactly why I'm Kay."
Theresa smiled before she spoke. "Theresa McKay-Soltini. I kinda like that."
"Let's make it Soltini-McKay." Kay suggested.
"Theresa Soltini-McKay. Sounds good."
"Paloma Soltini-McKay."
"Kay Soltini-McKay."
"Sheridan Soltini-McKay." A new voice joined them.
"You're awake." Paloma jumped up and offered her sister-in-law the "comfy chair."
"Yeah. It felt nice to sleep. But I'm a little hungry."
"We didn't order any fish." Kay said.
"Thank God." Paloma said. "Alejandro brought home flounder when I was six months pregnant. I threw up for an hour."
Theresa sent her a look that said 'watch it, or you'll turn us all green at the gills.'
"And then my mother-in-law came over baked the fish, and mixed some kind of remedy for morning sickness. I didn't have any more trouble with it for a week."
Sheridan perked up at that. "Any around here?"
"Sorry. I didn't ask for the recipe. But I could call and ask." Paloma said.
"Maybe later." Sheridan said. "How do the little quiches taste?"
"Pretty good." Theresa said.
"You don't want those." Paloma advised. "Have a seat, I'll put something together for you."
"Okay." Sheridan said, taking a seat. "Have we decided anything?"
"Just names." Kay said. "McKay is from my side and Soltini is from yours."
"Maybe I should just be a Soltini. I'm not a Bennett."
"Mama always said the Bennetts' were family." Theresa said. "When you married Antonio that became true for you too."
"I have this fierce headache." Kay said, in the quiet pause that followed. "So, hypothetically speaking, how are we going to explain how we're all related?'
"Sisters with different mothers. Poe and I had the same mother. Sheridan, your mother was Papa's first wife. Kay, your mother was between the two times he married my and Poe's mother."
Kay shrugged. "If it makes sense to you..."
"And we were all widowed. Our husbands were in business together and they died in a plane crash. When that happened we took back our maiden names. Our parents are dead."
"All of them?" Sheridan asked.
"All." Theresa affirmed.
Paloma put a plate in front of Sheridan.
"What about Hank? You said you wanted to call him." Kay said.
"I'll call him now." Theresa said. "Since you're up, can you grab my cell?"
"Sure." Kay handed her the phone.
HR
Hank was just about to walk into the Crane house when his cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi Hank. What's up?" Theresa said brightly, trying for normal.
"Who is this?" He asked suspiciously.
"Theresa." She said, in a hurt tone. "You didn't recognize my voice?"
"Theresa! How are you? Wait a sec, where are you?"
"Uh, you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Where are you?"
"Front door of Crane Central. Your mother called and asked me to come up."
"Oh, I guess you don't know. We took off."
"Who is we?" Hank asked. "Is your sister with you? My niece? Sheridan?"
"Yes, yes, and yes."
"I swear to God, you must be nuts. Put your sister on the phone right now."
Theresa frowned. "Why?"
"Just do it, please."
Annoyed, Theresa held the phone out to Paloma. "He wants to talk to you."
Paloma took the phone. "Hi Hank. What's up?" She parroted her sister.
"Where are you-Wait don't tell me. No guarantees about these phone lines."
"You're making me nervous." Kay and Sheridan looked at Theresa.
"Sorry. I've had this damn job too long. Are you safe?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"How's the baby?"
"He's fine. Hank, you're freaking me out. What is going on?" Paloma's sister and friends stirred uneasily.
"Two men showed up at my apartment last night asking about your whereabouts, and Theresa's, and then Sheridan's. I said I didn't know, which is the truth."
"Damn." She mumbled. "Maybe my way--"
"Your way is ok, but I'd feel better if I could see all of you. Does anyone know exactly where you are?"
"Mama knows the city."
"No one knows more precisely."
"Not unless they trace this call."
"That's not too likely. I'll try to see you soon."
"Wait, we called for a reason. We need a favor."
Heavy silence on the other end. "What kind of favor?"
"You know that gorgeous rattle you made for me when I was expecting?"
"Yeah?"
"Make one for Gwen. It should say Rosemary, and the girls want poison ivy leaves around it."
"You four are very dangerous together."
Paloma laughed on her end. "Yes, I know. Will you do it?"
"I'll do it." Hank nodded on his end. "Hold on."
Paloma could hear voices on the other end.
Hank came back on. "Listen, we'll talk later okay?"
"Put me in your pocket."
"What?"
"I wanna hear what's going on. Put the phone in your pocket but don't hang up."
She practically heard his eyes roll. "You have unlimited minutes?"
"Close enough."
"Okay. I'll talk to you later."
Paloma could hear the rustle of cloth as the phone slipped inside his pocket.
"Hank, there you are." She recognized the voice as Chief Bennett's.
"Hi Sam."
"Do you know anything about where Kay is right now?"
"I haven't seen her all day. Why? What's going on?"
"She left home. We were hoping she'd gone to hide out at your place for a few days."
"My sisters. Sheridan. Where are they?"
Paloma flinched. Luis was loud.
"What?" Theresa mouthed.
"Luis." Poe whispered.
"Where's Theresa?" Paloma furrowed her brow before she placed the voice. Ethan.
"Why is everyone asking me?" That was Hank, cool and calm.
"We're not." Grace's voice came through. "But I want to know where Kay is."
"Why? So you can convince her that Charity would be a better parent?" Sam said.
"So I can have a chance to hold her and kiss her and give her hope." Grace said firmly. "She must be frightened."
Paloma could hear empathetic tears. "Now, now, what's important now is to find the girls." Mama said. "I have a letter, from Theresita, saying she was starting over."
"Starting over where? Where is she Pilar? Where did she take Ethan?"
"It didn't really say." Pilar said. "Mr. Ethan, shouldn't you be helping Mrs. Winthrop pack for Seattle?"
"Pilar, don't do that. Don't act like you're just the maid. I'm the father of one of your grandsons."
That caused a mild uproar. Paloma held the phone away from her ear and waited for the chaos to subside.
"What the hell happened?" Kay asked. "Did somebody just set a bomb off?"
"Something like that. It would seem that Ethan believes you now T."
Sheridan lifted an eyebrow. "He may be thick headed, but he's not really stupid. Most of the time." She amended.
"What's happening now?" Theresa asked.
"Gwen just came in."
"This is better than daytime TV." Sheridan said.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm on daytime TV." Kay told her.
"Ethan, what's going on here? I was just at Sheridan's cottage and most of her things are gone."
"We're trying to find out where she took off to." Unmistakably Luis. His tone was strident.
"Took off to? What are you talking about?"
"Everybody be quiet." Sam trumpeted. "Let's organize the facts. Theresa, Paloma, Sheridan, and my little girl are gone. Pilar has a letter saying they are starting over. Two of them had kids, three of them are pregnant."
"Three of them?" Gwen asked. "Which three?"
"My daughter is pregnant." Sam said.
"Sheridan is pregnant." Luis said.
"And so is Theresa." Ethan admitted.
"What?" Gwen shrieked at top volume.
Paloma winced. So did Sheridan. That voice was clearly heard by everyone in the room.
"I don't believe that they were kidnapped." Hank said thoughtfully.
Another clamor. That thought hadn't occurred to anyone.
"Where would they have gone?" Luis said. "Europe?"
"You can't take two infants on an eighteen hour flight without tranquilizers the likes of which only Elvis's doctor prescribes." Grace said flatly.
"Canada." Hank offered.
"Hank, is that a guess, or fact?" Luis demanded.
"What?"
"Don't give me that. I know there's some secret between you and my sister. Are you in contact with her?"
Paloma crossed her fingers.
"I haven't seen her in the last two days. The last time I talked to her was at Antonio's funeral."
"Did she say anything about any of this?"
"Just that she wished she were like Sheridan--that she'd had a shoulder to lean on at her husband's funeral."
"Oh."
"Would you excuse me? I need to use the bathroom." Hank said.
"Sure."
"You still there?" He asked moments later.
"Yeah." She mumbled. "I never said that."
"I had to say something."
"You're a better liar than I remembered."
"Yeah. Congratulate me. I just lied to my best friend's face."
"Necessary evil."
"Look, it might take a couple days before I can get out there. When I do, I'll call Theresa's phone."
"You don't even know the city."
"I'll get the letter from your mom. Either way, I'll find you. Soon."
"Take care. I don't think those guys will be--oh, you know, but just in case."
"Are you trying to tell me those guys who asked about you won't be violent?"
"Exactly."
"Theresa and Sheridan and Kay are right there, aren't they?"
"Yes, sounds right."
"You'll hear from me again. If you're in a hotel, don't stay there two nights in a row. Be careful about credit cards."
"I know the drill. We have enough cash."
"I figured. Julian ran past me in a fit when I was going to the bathroom."
Paloma laughed. "Be careful. See you soon."
"You too."
"What was that?" Kay demanded. "Were you, you know, flirting with my uncle?"
"What?" Paloma was startled into a nervous giggle.
"Oh my God. Poe likes Hank." Kay teased.
"I do not. We're friends. That's all."
"Sure Poe." Theresa said. "So what did he say?"
"The families are very concerned about us."
"I'm sure." Kay said.
"Your mom is worried about you, believe it or not."
Kay laughed bitterly. "I'm sure St. Charity is too, right?"
"I don't know. I didn't hear her or Miguel. I heard Luis though. He was very vocal. So was your dad."
"What else is new?" Sheridan mumbled. "Should we worry about the doors being broken down?"
"I think they're thinking Canada. I don't think they're thinking of destinations we'd use a plane for."
"Who gave them that idea?" Theresa asked eagerly.
"Hank, and Grace, in a roundabout way. Oh, and Julian is panicking about money."
"It's not like I took the entire Crane fortune. And the money is being used for good things. Like my children."
Sheridan actually grinned at that.
"And Kay's education."
"What?"
"You always said you wanted to be a teacher when we were growing up. Do you still want to be?"
"I don't know." Kay looked stumped for a second. "I haven't thought about what I want, beyond Miguel, in at least four years."
"I think you'd be a good teacher." Paloma said.
"Really?" Kay smiled
"Yeah."
"OK." Kay nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I want to do that. What about you, Theresa? You always wanted to be involved in fashion. Gonna do anything about it now?"
"No. It's unstable and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I wanna help people."
"Going to med school on us T?" Poe asked.
"No, that's your show. I'm gonna be a paramedic."
Paloma laughed. "I'm not going into medicine. I used to say that because it was what you and Mama wanted, and I wanted to be like you." She shrugged. "I don't have to do that anymore."
Theresa looked both hurt and taken aback.
"So what are you going to do?" Sheridan asked.
"I don't know yet."
"What about you Sheridan? What do you wanna do? Be the housewife and stay home with the kids?"
"All five of them?" Sheridan laughed. "I don't think so."
"Poe, how big is this warehouse of yours?" Kay asked.
"Big. Why?"
"Floors?"
"Three. Kay, where are you going with this?"
"The upper two floors should be more then enough room for a home right?"
"I haven't examined it in person. I just walked through it with Alejandro while we were on our honeymoon."
"You were in the States for your honeymoon and you didn't call?" Theresa demanded.
Paloma's eyes closed, and a remote look covered her face. "We'll talk about it someday." She mumbled, as one of the boys started to cry.
"That's Ethan, I'll go." Theresa said. She got up and went into the bedroom.
"So, anyway, if it is big enough, maybe we can open a club/restaurant sort of thing." Kay said.
"I would like that." Paloma said, suddenly looking excited. "I could be the hostess, and I bet I could do some of the cooking at first, or at least the menus."
"Sheridan? What do you think? You could decorate and handle the bar. Being a Crane, I'm sure you know something about liquor." Kay said.
Sheridan laughed. "We could all be hostesses." She suggested.
"When we're not working." Kay said. "I think Theresa's got a point. We should all work on careers of our own."
"I have an idea." Paloma said. "If I acquire another property, I'd like to open some kind of shelter or clinic."
"Poe that's a great idea." Theresa said, coming back in. "Maybe we could call the club, Cloud Nine. But the clinic, I think we should name for someone who would have done something like that."
"For Pilar?" Sheridan asked.
"If we name if for someone we know, it's a given that they'll find us. How about the Jonas Salk Clinic?"
"I like it." Kay said.
"So do I." Paloma said.
Sheridan nodded.
"Good. Expect a donation from me."
"T, how much money did you take?" Paloma asked.
"Twenty million." Theresa admitted.
Kay gasped.
Sheridan nodded approval.
"Wow. Sheridan? What about you?"
"I emptied my trust funds. It came to about thirty million."
"Holy crap." Kay mumbled.
"Look, we better all get some sleep. Morning comes early and we need to figure out where we're going tomorrow."
"Why are we going anywhere? Besides, we just woke up. It's morning, right?" Sheridan looked at the closed curtains. "I thought it was morning."
"No, it's just after ten at night. Besides, I think it's a good idea to move around a little. At least for now."
"Why?" Kay asked. "Is that something Uncle Hank said too?"
"Yeah. In case they check flight numbers and put two and two together."
"Do they care that much?" Sheridan asked.
"We're their family, we're pregnant, and in laymen's terms, we did as what can be construed as running away from home. They care. Then there's Julian. I took his money."
"Nice to know we're loved." Kay said dryly.
"I don't know about the rest of y'all. But I'm tired." Paloma said. "T, be quiet when you come in."
"Sure Poe."
"I'm just going to sit up for a little while. After all, the three of us slept on the plane." Sheridan said.
"Wanna play cards?" Kay asked, taking a sip of her soda.
The door to Paloma and Theresa's room closed.
"All right, what did Hank really say?" Kay demanded.
"I don't know. I wasn't on the phone. I said hi, and he asked me to put Poe on the line."
"She was spooked." Sheridan said.
"I don't think she's telling us everything about her husband." Theresa said.
"That's pretty obvious." Sheridan said, with a touch of her old spark.
"She'll tell us when she's ready," Kay said. "Poker or gin?"
"Gin." Theresa voted.
"I'll deal." Sheridan said picking up the deck from the coffee table and sitting at the small dining table.
HR
"This place is amazing." Theresa said looking around. "It's huge."
"It'll be adequate." Paloma said. "After we hire a cleaning crew to go through."
"Do you know how to get a hold of blue prints?" Sheridan said, her mind starting to imagine what they could do with the place.
"I could probably do that." Paloma said.
"Hey, how about we set up our living room, kitchen, and dining room in the center and our bedrooms around it?" Kay suggested.
"So that we each have our own space radiating from a common area."
"Exactly. We can have smaller sitting rooms for when we want to be alone but when it's time for family we can be together." Kay said. "And this way none of the kids have to share a room."
"This will work." Sheridan said eagerly.
"As for the club, we have to check into permits and things soon."
"Are the second and third floors identical to this one?"
"Yeah as far as I remember. Also there's roof access."
"I can't believe this place isn't being used." Kay marveled.
"He just bought it for investment purposes. I don't know what he planned for it." Paloma said. "Anyway, how do you guys feel about an elevator? We could make it so that it's a locked entrance to the upper floors but I think there's space for parking under here."
"And he put it in your name?" Theresa quizzed her sister.
"Alejandro and I agreed that if the worst ever happened, and his family took control of his assets, I should have something left to support myself and any children who came along." Paloma said flatly. "I think it might've been used for storage, so let's go upstairs, shall we?"
"Sure." Sheridan agreed. "Are those stairs stable?" She raised an eyebrow at them.
"I'll go first." The youngest woman volunteered.
"Poe, you sure?"
"Yeah I'm the only one not pregnant."
"I like the idea of an elevator." Theresa said suddenly.
"Me too." Kay said.
"Okay, we'll wait till we can get something more stable to go up in." Paloma said. "Let's go. The boys are sleepy."
"They're precious." Kay said.
"Yes they are." Theresa said. "Looking forward to your own?"
"When I'm not scared of screwing up."
"You'll have us. We'll do our best not to screw up as a group."
A cell phone toodled cheerfully, as the girls emerged from the building to the sunny street,
"Uh that's you T."
"Oh. Hello?"
"Theresa?"
"Yes?"
"Where are you?"
"Who is this?"
"Ethan."
Click. "Wrong number." Theresa said, as the phone went off again.
"Who is it Theresa?"
"Kay, why don't you answer it this time?"
"Hello?" Kay said tentatively.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Who is this?" She asked defensively.
"Is Theresa there?"
"Where?"
"What?"
"Who is this?"
"Where are you?"
"Look, I don't know who this is but I don't have to tell you squat." Kay shut the phone off. "God he was rude."
Theresa looked satisfied, until the phone went off again. Kay passed it to Sheridan.
"Oh goodie." Sheridan said. "Hello?"
"Sheridan?"
"Ethan." Sheridan looked at Theresa who was mouthing 'No!' to her.
"Where are you? Why did you all run off together?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I went on a vacation."
"I just talked to Kay and Theresa on this same phone line. If you try to lie--"
"Ethan, I can't hear you." Sheridan said loudly. "Ethan, are you still there?" She said before she hung up.
"Just turn it off and ignore it." Paloma suggested.
"Uh-uh." Sheridan said handing her the phone. "Your turn."
Paloma turned it off. "I don't want to wake the baby." She said. "Let's grab some lunch?"
"Good idea."
"Let's go."
HR
Ethan dialed again.
His wife came into the room behind him. "Ethan, what is going on?"
"Nothing. Just can't get a hold of someone I need to talk to."
"Seems to be happening a lot these days." Gwen said.
"Yes. Has Luis heard from Sheridan?"
"I meant me."
"What?"
"There seems to be a lot that you are forgetting to tell me lately."
"Gwen, I don't want to fight."
"So instead we'll just ignore any and every problem in our marriage?"
"Look, Gwen, I don't have time for this. I need to go talk to Pilar."
"You don't have time?" Gwen tried to control the hysteria in her voice and failed. "You fathered one of Theresa's children. You accepted a job from her. And now you don't have time?"
"I fathered both of her children Gwen."
Tears dripped down Gwen's face. "Then why did you do this to me?"
"Do what?"
"Marry me! Why would you do this?"
"Mrs. Winthrop?"
"What!" She screamed at the maid.
"A package for you miss."
"Put it there, please, and let us talk."
"Gwen, I married you because it was the right thing to do."
"So are you going to leave me now, to do the right thing by Theresa?"
"I don't know. I just want to know where the hell she's taken my son!"
"You know what, if you leave to go after her don't bother coming back."
"What?"
"I thought that after we got married I would have your attention. Your devotion. Your love. If you can't give me those things, I'm leaving. I'm giving up; I'm letting Theresa win. She can have you for all I care." Gwen grabbed her package and left a stunned Ethan behind.
"Ethan? What was that about? What's wrong with Gwen?" Ivy wheeled herself in.
"Mother, for once in my life can I have a private moment?"
"What have you done to my daughter?" Rebecca demanded coming in. "She's hysterical."
"Then go comfort her instead of interrogating me."
"What the hell did you do to her you miserable bastard?" Rebecca screamed at him.
"Nothing!" Ethan shouted. "I didn't do a damn thing!"
"Liar!" Gwen's voice came from the staircase. "He's the father of Theresa's children. Both of them!"
"Ethan!" Ivy said, appalled.
"Not now Mother." Ethan said as his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Ethan, my name is Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald."
"Thank God. I've heard you're a rational person, and they're in short supply." Ethan looked at his mother, mother-in-law, and heard his wife's tears.
"I don't want you to bother my sister anymore."
"I just want to know that my son is safe."
"He's under my protection now. I suggest you content yourself with the Barbie doll."
"Look, would you put her on the phone?"
"She doesn't know about this call. I suggest it stay between us."
"Wait-"
"Goodbye Ethan. I won't call again."
A dial tone.
Ethan muttered a curse, and then dialed star 69.
iThis call was out of area./i
"Damn it." Ethan said.
"Ethan? Tell me that you did not sleep with that gutter snipe again."
"Mother, I am capable of violence." Ethan said. "So please, all of you, shut up."
"Ethan?" Whitney timidly entered the living room. "Hi. Can I talk to you?"
"What?" Ethan snapped.
"I just wanted to give you something I found in Theresa's room when I went over there."
Suddenly, Whitney had the undivided attention of every person in the room.
"What is it?" Ethan moved and took the envelope from Whitney. The front of it said Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald in bold print. He opened it. It was a sonogram. There was a note attached to it. iEthan, if you're reading this, then I've headed for the hills. This is our baby. I promise to take care of him or her. All I ask is that you leave me alone. -Theresa/i
Ethan gritted his teeth. "Thanks." He said. "I'm going for a walk."
"I'm sorry Ethan. If I'd known what she was planning, I would've tried to stop her." Whitney said with a sad smile. "I'll see ya."
"Thanks." He said again.