Gwen's downfall

By: Laurie-Lee Chapter 1 : The confrontation

Gwen Hotchkiss-Winthrop was standing in the pool area of the Crane complex in Los Angeles. Her blood was boiling. She had just saw her husband Ethan Winthrop and her nemesis Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald making out on the beach.

"Ok, if Theresa is in Los Angeles, she would be staying here with Whitney and Chad and Ethan. But why would he not tell me? I mean, how could he not? It's just not like him. Oh. Well, what if -- what if I'm wrong? What if I just thought I saw Ethan and Theresa? It could've been a couple that just looked like them from the side. Yeah, I mean, Theresa's back in Harmony with her little boy. And if she were out here, right -- Whitney, Chad, Ethan -- someone would have said something. No, Ethan -- Ethan would not lie to me -- god, much less make out with her on the beach while I am in the hospital waiting to have our baby. He wouldn't do it. He just wouldn't do it." She started to walk back in the alley. "Wow. Wow, my hormones are really, really running wild. Oh, my gosh! Talk about going so stir-crazy in the hospital that my mind has taken a complete vacation. Thank god I did not see Ethan and confront him about this because he would've been really angry." Little did she know that a couple of feet away, a pregnant-looking Theresa was looking at the sky.

"Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish that I wish tonight. I wish Ethan would leave me and Fox alone. I also wish that Ethan wouldn't have kissed me tonight. I mean, I am married to Fox and really happy. We are having a baby together and we will live happily ever after."

Gwen continued to walk. "I should go straight back to the hospital, but maybe I'll just surprise Ethan and stay in the apartment with him tonight after all. And I definitely will not tell him how crazy and suspicious I was of him and Theresa earlier." She started to walk back into the pool area and straight where Theresa was.

"If I told Ethan what I thought I saw on TV tonight, he would know for sure that I'm losing my marbles. I mean, of all the men in the whole world who wouldn't cheat on their wives, Ethan's at the top of the list. I can't believe I even let myself doubt him, even for a minute." She turned a corner and stopped. "Oh, my god. It is her. She is in L.A., After all. You bitch!" Theresa jumped.

"Gwen? What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Uh-uh. You tell me what the hell you are doing here in Los Angeles!" said an angry Gwen. After a couple of seconds, she spoke again. "You know what; I don't even know why I ask, because I know the answer. You're out here to do the same thing you do back at home in Harmony. You want to steal my husband. Theresa, how low can you sink? I mean, really, huh? How cheap are the tricks you have up your sleeve?"

"All right, Gwen." began Theresa, really scared for her life as well as her baby's.

"Or up your skirt, I should say!"

"Don't, don't!"

"You -- you are nothing but a selfish, wilful, husband-stealing bitch!" screamed, Gwen.

"Please, please, just -- just be careful, ok? Think about your baby."

"Oh, my baby? Right, as if you really give a damn about my baby! You know what, my mother was right -- you would love nothing more than for me to lose my baby. One less reasons for Ethan to stay with me, right?"

"No."

"Theresa, is there nothing that you hold sacred? I mean, is there nothing that would shame you into leaving me and my husband alone? Because I guess it wasn't our marriage in the house of god! It is certainly not this baby I'm carrying. What -- what do you do every night? Do you pray that I lose my baby?"

"No. That's a terrible thing to say, ok? I don't wish any harm."

"Harm?" Gwen cut Theresa.

"To you or your poor baby." finished Theresa.

"You don't wish any harm? Theresa, you have done more harm to us than you could ever imagine. Because the only thing that you care about is getting Ethan for yourself, and whoever gets in the way, well, shoot, damn for them. Right? No. No, no, it is not going to work this time. Theresa, Ethan is married to me, ok, whether you accept it or not. And I'm sure that it must drive you really crazy that you lost him all on your own with no help from me or anyone else."

"Gwen, I lost Ethan because you're pregnant."

"No, you lost him long before that with your lies and your secrets and your never-ending string of dirty tricks. And even when you did have Ethan for yourself, you couldn't stop. Theresa, I'm going to say something that I have never said out loud before. For a while there, I actually used to be jealous of you, with your long, pretty, dark hair and your big eyes and your zest for life. Well, uh-uh, no more. I wouldn't be you if you paid me. I feel sorry for you. You, your life? You're a complete mess. And you're a mess who better stay the hell away from my husband."

"All right, Gwen, just please calm down. Will you just sit -- sit here so we can talk?"

"I don't want to sit down, Theresa. I want to know what the hell you are doing in L.A."

"I just came here with Fox to visit Chad and Whitney, that's all."

"Right, right, like I'm really supposed to believe that? No, you came out here to chase after Ethan, didn't you?"

"No, no, I didn't. Actually, one of the reasons that I came to Los Angeles was to keep you from being stressed out before you had your baby. And the last time that I saw you when you were in the hospital."

"Who told you? Who told you that Ethan and I were coming out here to see a prenatal specialist, huh, because I'm going to kill them!"

"You -- Ethan's here, too?" said Theresa, trying to calm Gwen and get away before something could happen to her and her unborn baby.

"Are you crazy? You're going to try to play innocent with me? Theresa, i saw the two of you making out on the beach tonight, live on TV!"

"That's impossible. You did not see Ethan and me kissing."

"Oh, well, I did, Theresa, and so did everyone else watching "L.A. Tonight." You two were all over each other on national television."

"No."

"So why don't you just admit it. Admit that you flew 3,000 miles in a last- ditch attempt to steal my husband before we have our baby."

"I didn't know that you guys were here, Gwen." truly said Theresa, rubbing her belly.

"You are such a liar! You know, I should've taken care of you a long time ago."

"Look, you don't want to do this, ok? Ok, it's not good for neither or one of our babies. The doctor ordered you to go back to the hospital, not..."

"And just how do you know what my doctor told me earlier tonight? Oh, my god. Hmm? You were with Ethan when he made me go back to the hospital. Tell me that you were not in our bedroom, eavesdropping and spying on us. You were. Now, why don't you tell me what the hell you were doing in our bedroom, Theresa? You know what; I can answer that for you. You were trying to seduce Ethan into sleeping with you while his pregnant wife was a few blocks away."

"No."

"Trying to hold on to her pregnancy!"

"It's not like that, I swear!"

"Wow! Wow! You -- you just couldn't stand the fact that Ethan was so committed to being with me and our baby, could you? Huh. So tell me, how did this work out? I mean, how did you plan the timing, the logistics? I mean, did you convince Chad or Whitney into inviting you out here so you could be near Ethan? Is that how it went?"

"No, no, no, Gwen." said Theresa.

"Guess what? The game is over! You will never be with Ethan, near Ethan ever again because, Theresa, he is my husband and I will not let you have him."

"All right, Gwen, just calm down, ok? We can talk about this."

"Oh, no, no, no. I am done talking. Theresa, I knew you were down and dirty, but you have really outdone yourself this time. I cannot believe you were slinking around Ethan's bedroom while we were in there. For god's sakes, we were going to make love! What were you going to do, just stand there and watch?"

"All right, you're working yourself up here. Let me just get Ethan, all right? I'll -- OW!" Gwen had just grabbed her by the hair.

"Did you not hear what I said? You're not going anywhere near Ethan now or ever again." Theresa was scared to death. She was feeling her unborn baby kicks harder than usual.

"Let me go, Gwen! You're -- you're hurting me!"

"I haven't even started yet, Theresa! There's no way in hell I'm ever going to let you near Ethan again! Do you hear me?"

"Look at you. You're jeopardizing your pregnancy. You could put yourself at risk. You could put your baby at risk! You could even put me and my baby at risk!"

Gwen: The only thing putting me at risk.Your baby! I don't give a damn about your baby Theresa! The only thing putting me at risk..." she jerked Theresa away.

"OW!" said Theresa upon arriving on the floor.

"Is you, you bitch!" screamed Gwen back, taking Theresa by the hair and lifting her up.

"OW!" Theresa said while Gwen was pushing her down again. Resa put her hands on her belly and tried to get up.

"Uh-uh. Stay down." Gwen put one of her hand on Theresa's shoulder.

"Let me go!"

"Oh, no, no, no! I'm enjoying this. Theresa, do you remember when you were getting ready to give birth and you attacked me with a pair of scissors? Do you remember that?" "I was sick."

"Hmm?"

"When I had that prenatal condition."

"A "condition"? Oh, well, you know, I have a condition, too, and it's called hating your guts so much I just might lose control and stomp you to death!" she screamed, letting go off of her nemesis.

"Look, I know that you're angry with me, ok? I don't blame you for being upset. But -- you cannot risk the health of your baby. You cannot risk your health." said Theresa, getting up.

"You know what? Stop so concerned about my baby because you could not care less about me and my baby. Unless, of course, you're shrewd enough to realize that if something does happen to me and my pregnancy, Ethan's going to blame you and you are never going to have a chance with him again!"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant! I don't want another chance with Ethan; I am with Fox and having his baby!"

"I know you don't care about Fox! Just deal with it, ok? You are the kind of person you don't care about anyone but yourself. You don't even care about Ethan, Theresa, because if you did -- if you did, you would have not come out to L.A. And put me and his child at risk!"

"Look, Gwen, I told you, I didn't know that you and Ethan were out here, ok? I came here with Fox, the father of my baby, to visit Chad and Whitney to give you guys some time alone, to give you some space."

"Oh, ok, ok. What, so it's all just some big, huge coincidence? Is that it? Like it was when you were stalking Ethan those first few months you insinuated your way into his life?"

"I was young! I was immature then, Gwen!" she shot back to Gwen, putting her hands back on her belly where her child was dangerously kicking hard.

""Immature"? What? And, like, you're all grown-up now? Because god help us if that's what you think! I can just imagine the lengths that you went to follow us out here. What, did you spy on us in harmony? Did you tap our phones? What? What?"

"No, Gwen, no! You got it all wrong! Stop it please, for both our babies' sakes!"

"No, you are the one who's got it all wrong, sister. When are you going to get it through that thick head of yours that Ethan chose me over you? Ethan loves me, not you! OW!" she exclaimed, grabbing a table to hold onto.

"Shoot! Gwen - Gwen" Theresa said, trying to get to Gwen.

"Don't you dare touch me! Agh!"

"I've got to go get help! I don't want anything to happen to your child or you!"

"Ugh! You are out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you run to Ethan and play heroine with me and my baby. We're going to be fine. The baby's going to be just fine!"

"Gwen, you are in pain! Let me get some help!" Gwen grabbed Theresa's arm.

"Theresa, if you really want to help me, you will just get your lying butt out of L.A., You will go back to harmony, and you will think about what your sluttish, sneaky ways could have cost me -- Ethan and our little baby! And you will think long and hard about what you've done, and maybe once, once in your life, you'll make the right decision and you will leave us alone. But I doubt that, because you don't have a decent cell in your body!"

Theresa jerked her away.

"That's it!! God, I'm tired of taking all your insults! Ok? Jeez, you blame everything that goes wrong in your life and your marriage on me! You know what -- did it ever occur to you there might be things going on you know nothing about?"

"Like what?

""Like what?" The truth, Gwen. The whole truth and nothing but."

"You wouldn't know the first thing about the truth, Theresa."

"Oh, really? Be careful what you ask for, Gwen. The truth is I am not the cause of all your insecurity, all your stress, all your fear -- the things that are putting your pregnancy at risk."

"You're going to tell me that this is my fault?"

"Well, if the shoe fits, yeah."

"Where the hell do you get your nerve?"

"Why ask a question when you know the answer? See, Gwen, somewhere deep down inside, you know as well as I do if Ethan could, he would be with me instead of you. That's why you're always so stressed out. That's why you don't have faith in your marriage and in your husband, because you know damn well if you hadn't gotten pregnant when you did, I would be Ethan's wife, not you. But look now, we are in Los Angeles, fighting for nothing since I am with Fox and carrying his baby! I don't love Ethan anymore, I love Fox!"

"That is a lie!"

"Oh, is it? Is it really a lie? Well, if you were so secure in Ethan's love, you wouldn't give a damn where I was -- whether I was in Harmony or Los Angeles -- because you would be, what, blaze? You would be stress free in spite of it? What gets to you, Gwen, is knowing that deep down inside your husband is in love with another woman. Your husband is in love with me even though I am with someone else!" She started to walk away and walked by the pool when Gwen totally ran at her and grabbed her by the throat.

"Ugh! I'm going to kill you Theresa!"

******************************** Enjoy and review! - Laurie-Lee