Eve sat up on the cot in the ER and massaged her pounding temples. She didn't like being on this side of the doctor–patient equation. She never had.

She knew the ER staff couldn't discharge her without keeping her a little while longer for observation, but every bone in her body was itching to get up and walk out—to sign her own discharge paperwork and leave.

She needed to get home to TC, to get home to her girls—before they came out looking for her. TC would never forgive her for trying to save Julian's life—would never understand what she did.

But she had to do it, hadn't she? She couldn't have just stood there and let Julian die.

What had happened tonight—it was all so unbelievable. Was Alistair Crane really that heartless? Eve knew he had done some unspeakable things in the past—some even to her—but to shoot his own son, threaten his own daughter's life? What kind of a monster would do that?

Eve had almost thrown up on the spot when she heard about Alistair and Julian's sick imposter scheme. Thank goodness Luis and Sheridan's love had survived—thank God their love had carried them through Alistair's machinations. The love she and Julian once shared certainly hadn't.

Julian. Oh God. What was happening with him?

She hadn't heard a single thing about him since they had both been rushed into the ER. Was he still alive? Was his heart still beating? Would he be granted another chance?

Hearing him stand up for Sheridan tonight had sparked something in Eve's heart she didn't even know still existed—the feeling that, deep down, she still cared for him on some level. That part of that love had never gone away.

Eve could still remember the first time Julian introduced her to a young Sheridan—and how much fun they had all had that day. Eve could still remember the way Julian beamed at his little sister as he flew around the merry-go-round with her—it was a side of him she had never seen. Eve would be damned if that moment on the merry-go-round wasn't the first moment she knew she loved Julian—if he hadn't swallowed her heart whole in that very second.

But now she was married to TC, and today, her life was much different. Things had spun so out of control with Julian so fast, it had felt like living life on an ever-impending train wreck. So much so that when she met TC, it had been comforting—almost appealing—to fall back into her old patterns. To be "perfect" in his eyes—to live up to that expectation—it had been something she had been doing for years. All of the ballet lessons she took as a little girl, all of the white-gloved social events: She had known how to get her parents' attention back then, and she knew how to keep TC's when she met him. Be the perfect woman, friend, and lover—never give him a reason to turn away like her parents had when they found out she was carrying a child out of wedlock.

It was a pattern she knew how to live, a role she knew how to play—and she felt damned if she wasn't going to get her life back at the time—no matter what the consequences.

Eve knew she should have told TC about Julian when they first got together—knew she should have confided in him about her dead son. But TC's adoration of her, the way he put her up on a pedestal—Eve knew she'd never survive it if she lost her status as his angel, so she buried all of her pain deep inside.

Now she was stuck living this lie, and she knew she had to keep up the ruse or risk her entire world falling apart. Still, she had to check on Julian—had to find out how he was—figure out if he was still alive. If he had died, someone would have told her already, right? The ER staff knew they had been rushed in together.

"Eve?"

Eve looked up at the sound of her name and found Sam at the entrance to her cubicle, his eyes flooded with concern.

"Eve, are you okay?" Sam scratched his head. "I got the strangest call from Silvano—that you had possibly been injured trying to save Julian Crane. Eve, is that true? Did that really happen?"

"Yes, Sam, it did." Eve hung her head; her voice quieted. "Please don't tell TC."

"Eve, it's going to be all over the morning news," Sam said. "But, please, tell me what happened. How did you get mixed up in all of this?"

"Oh, Sam, it's a long story." Eve's head pounded. "I don't know if I have the strength to do this."

Sam squatted down beside her. "You just tell me when you're ready."

"Oh, Sam. I don't know where to start."

"How are you two lovebirds doing this morning?" Grace smiled as she looked up from the B&B's front desk to find Luis and Sheridan descending down the staircase.

"Never been better." Sheridan smiled and squeezed Luis's hand, her eyes locked on his. "I feel like I've died and gone to heaven."

Luis pulled Sheridan in close and kissed her on the lips. "I feel the same way. After all the misunderstandings, after all the fighting, this woman is finally mine." Luis grinned at Grace. "I'm the luckiest man in the world, Grace—I mean, besides Sam, that is."

Grace smiled and stepped out from behind the counter. "Don't worry, Luis. I've been young and in love before. I completely understand how you feel."

"Speaking of Sam . . ." Luis rubbed his chin. "Where did he run off to last night? Did something happen at the station?"

Grace took out some breakfast settings and placed them on the table. "You know, I don't know much except for the fact that something happened down at the docks. A shooting, I think . . ." Grace frowned. "Sam called me from the hospital last night and told me he'd be a little while longer, but I'm surprised he's not home by now."

Sheridan rubbed Grace's arm. "I'm sure Sam's okay. He probably just got caught up filling out some paperwork."

"Did I hear someone say my name?" The door to the B&B opened. Sam walked in, followed by Eve.

"Oh, Sam!" Grace dropped the napkin she was folding and rushed into his arms. "I was getting so worried."

"Don't worry, Grace," Sam said, rubbing her back and kissing her on the top of her head. "Eve and I had a rough night, but we are both all right."

Sheridan squeezed Luis's hand.

Luis tugged her in against his chest, wrapping his arms around her body.

"I don't understand," Grace said, leaning back. "What happened? And how were you involved, Eve?"

Eve smiled sadly at Grace and then looked over at Sheridan and Luis. "I don't know how to say this—and on this of all mornings . . ."

"What is it? Has something happened?" Panic rose in Sheridan's voice as Luis pulled her in tighter. "Did something happen to someone we know?"

Eve looked down. "You may want to sit down for this, Sheridan."

"Just tell us, Eve. Please tell us."

Eve crossed the room to Sheridan.

Luis relaxed his grip on Sheridan as she turned to face Eve.

Eve rubbed Sheridan's arms. "I don't know how to tell you this, Sheridan, but it's Julian." Eve sniffed back a tear. "Julian's been shot."

Julian's heart monitor beeped steadily, his mind drifting through a flood of images. Had Eve really been there with him? Had she really tried to save him? Was her heart still connected to his?

The images in Julian's mind faded softly to black and then dissolved into another scene. A memory from his former life, a cherished gift he had almost forgotten. A day he would always treasure.

"Now I know it's true . . .

There's not one second or two . . .

I could live without you . . ."

A smile inched up Julian's face as Eve's voice caressed his ears. Oh to be back here again, back at his favorite club . . .

Julian smiled as he took in The Blue Note. Most of the bar stools were still turned over; light streamed into the room. "It must be lunchtime," he pondered, as he caught sight of Eve rehearsing on the stage.

Eve looked up from the microphone; her eyes locked on Julian's.

As soon as she finished the song, she crossed the room to him. "Julian, what are you doing here so early? My show doesn't start until 8."

A smile lit up Julian's face. "Oh, but it's never too early to see you, sweet Eve." Julian lifted her hand to his lips.

Eve batted her eyes at him. "I know The Blue Note serves a great chowder, but I didn't think men like you deigned to eat lunch in restaurants rated anything less than five stars."

"Oh, Eve, there is so much you have yet to learn about me," Julian smiled. "I also think you're underestimating the chowder."

Julian glanced behind her at the ladies' room door.

Eve's eyebrows raised as she followed his gaze. "Are you here with another woman, Julian?"

"Not exactly . . ."

The door to the ladies' room swung open, and out came a little girl of four or five.

Eve's mouth fell open as the little girl walked up to Julian and slid her hand into his.

"Eve . . ." Julian glanced down at his tiny companion. "I'd like you to meet my little sister, Sheridan."

"Julian, I didn't even know you had a sister."

"Like I said . . ." Julian stroked Eve's cheek. "There are so many things we have yet to learn about one another."

Eve blinked a few times and then knelt down to Sheridan's level; Eve couldn't help but smile at her. "Well, hello there, Sheridan," she said softly. "I'm your brother's friend Eve. It's so very nice to meet you."

Sheridan peeked up at Eve. "Are you coming with us to see Mommy? Do you know her?"

"Mommy?" Eve's eyes rose to meet Julian's.

"Yeah, my mommy is very sick," Sheridan explained, drawing Eve's eyes back down to her. Sheridan tugged on Julian's hand. "Do you think the doctors can make her better today?"

Julian frowned, then smiled, as he squatted down and patted Sheridan's hands. "I'm sure they will do everything they can."

Sheridan bit her lip.

"Now, come on then. Don't cry." Julian nudged up Sheridan's chin. "Why don't you and I go to the park before we go see Mother, just like I promised you?"

Sheridan blinked back tears as she looked up at her brother. "You mean, we're really going to do that? That Father won't say that we can't?"

Eve sucked in a breath as her gaze met Julian's; tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Julian grimaced and then turned back to his sister. "No, Sheridan. Father isn't here today, and he can't tell either one of us what to do. We're going to go to the park before we go see Mother, just like I promised you."

Sheridan's eyes lit up. "Can we go now?" Sheridan turned to Eve. "I never get to go to the park, at least not when Father's around."

Eve smiled sadly and patted Sheridan's hand. "Well, you go with your brother and enjoy it then."

Sheridan looked down at Eve's hand, which was still covering her own. "Would you like to come with us?" she asked. "I'm sure you'd like it, too."

A tear spilling down her cheek, Eve smiled at Sheridan. "Oh, sweetie, I'd love to come with you."

"What?" Sheridan's eyes widened; her hands dropped to her sides. "Did you just say that Julian was shot?"

"Sheridan, I think you better sit down for this." Eve glanced up at Luis. "Julian's alive, but unconscious—and unfortunately, that's just the half of it."

"I know he's done some horrible things to me and Luis, but he's still my brother," Sheridan mumbled out loud to no one in particular as she felt Luis gently guide her to the couch. "No matter what he's done, I would never want him dead."

"And he doesn't want you dead, either, Sheridan." Eve clasped her hands over Sheridan's. "That's the important thing to remember here."

Luis cocked his head. "What are you getting at, Eve?"

Eve's eyes rose up to meet Luis's. "On my way to your wedding, I stumbled across Julian down by the docks. He was having a rather heated argument with Alistair about all of the things they had done to keep you two apart . . . hiring an imposter . . . trying to make Sheridan think that you'd been cheating on her."

From the back of the room, Grace gasped. "How could anyone be so cruel?"

Sam pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Cruel doesn't even begin to describe it."

"You've got that right, Sam." Luis squatted down in front of Sheridan and rubbed her arms. "I should have pressed charges against those two bastards when I had the chance. The only reason I didn't was because I knew it would hurt Sheridan."

"But, Julian being shot?" Sheridan choked on her own tears. "What does that have to do with any of this? Why would Father shoot his number one lackey?"

Eve glanced at Luis. "Julian tried to reason with Alistair, Sheridan. Tried to convince him that Luis would let go of trying to find out what happened to his father."

Luis shook his head and clenched a fist. "I knew that's why those bastards kept trying to come between us."

Eve laid one hand on top of Luis's fist and gently lowered his hand to the couch. "But Julian refused to do anything else, Luis. He told Alistair that the only reason he'd agreed to go along with the imposter scheme in the first place was to protect Sheridan—to protect her from what he knew Alistair would do if he failed to break you two up."

Luis swallowed hard; Sheridan began to shake.

"Alistair ordered Julian to kill you, Sheridan." Eve choked on the words, her hand flying to her mouth. "Alistair told him to kill you, and, when he refused—Alistair shot him instead."