Eve cupped her hand over her mouth. "Our baby's death certificate . . ."
This couldn't be. He was supposed to be alive.
She wasn't supposed to have to begin grieving anew.
Eve's heart plunged to her stomach; her hands began to shake.
Tina frowned. "I'm sorry, Dr. Russell. I know that this wasn't what you wanted to find—but these are the only files on record for 'Baby Johnson.'"
"How can this be happening?" Eve dropped the certificate, her throat tightening. "Martin told us that Katherine found proof that our son didn't die."
"Yes," Julian agreed. "My father dealt with my mother in such a drastic way—the evidence she found had to be real."
"This has to be a mistake," Eve insisted, her voice choked with anguish. "Our son cannot be dead!"
Hank smiled as he noticed Gwen watching him eat his eggs. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours, Gwen?"
Gwen smiled and folded her hands in front of her face. "Nothing. I was just thinking about how lucky I am."
"Lucky?" Hank grinned and glanced around the diner. "Why? Who else is here? Don't tell me you're still carrying a torch for Ethan."
Gwen laughed and blushed. "Oh, get off it, Hank. You know how I feel about you."
Hank smirked. "Do I, Gwen? I have to say, a little explanation wouldn't hurt."
"Are you really going to make me say it, Bennett?"
Hank shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I like to be flattered."
Gwen shook her head, smiled, and buried her face in her hands. "You're going to be the death of me."
Hank chugged back some orange juice. "As long as you die smiling, I'll die happy."
Gwen looked up. "You really do just want me to be happy, don't you?"
Hank leaned forward. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
"I just haven't met that many people who don't have agendas," Gwen said, "or ever had a man smile at me the way that you do." Gwen smiled at him. "A girl could get used to this, Hank."
"If only you could sweet talk my brother into feeling the same way . . ."
Gwen raised her eyebrows and frowned. "What's going on between you two? You seemed pretty upset after he called last night."
"It was nothing." Hank waved his hand. "Don't worry about it—Sam was just being Sam. I'm sorry that I had to leave—he needed help with some pipes."
"At the B&B?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah," Hank sighed. "I promised that I'd help him earlier, but I totally forgot about it. Everything was starting to overflow—it was a mess when I got there."
Gwen got up and scooted in next to him on the other side of the booth. "Well I don't know about his sense of timing—but he's lucky to have you as a brother."
"Tell that to him." Hank curled one hand around his glass of orange juice. "He's always getting all over me about stuff—telling me how disappointed he is in me."
"What right does he have to be disappointed in you, Hank?" Gwen covered his free hand with her own. "Last time I checked, you didn't have to answer to him."
"Yeah, well, try telling Sam that." Hank rolled his eyes. "He's always telling me I should be more like Luis."
"Why—so you can be a by-the-book bully like the two of them can be?"
Hank chuckled and wiped his mouth. "I didn't realize you felt that way about my brother and Luis."
Gwen twisted her mouth up in a wry smile. "I don't. I didn't. I'm just saying that for all of their self-righteousness and bravado, even Luis and Sam aren't perfect."
Hank cracked a smile.
Gwen's eyes locked on his. "You are one of the kindest and most compassionate people I've ever met."
"I don't know about that," Hank laughed, his eyes wandering to the window.
"No, I'm serious, Hank." Gwen squeezed his hand, drawing his attention back to her. "You may hide it behind sarcasm and jokes, but, deep down inside, you see the best in everyone." Gwen's face softened as she hung her head. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."
Hank smiled softly at her and then kissed her hand. "I feel the same way, Gwen. When you and I are together . . . I feel like I can be anyone."
Gwen looked up at him. "You can be anyone, Hank. Don't let your brother ruin that."
Hank considered this for a moment.
"What is it, Hank?" Gwen asked. "What are you thinking?"
"Maybe it's silly . . ."
"I'm sure it's not," Gwen replied.
"Maybe I could get more involved with the youth center," Hank mused. "Maybe that's how I could get a new footing in life . . . by helping some down-on-their-luck kids. Maybe Sam won't give me a chance, but I know Luis will."
Gwen combed her fingers through his hair and smiled at him. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Hank."
"Yeah, well, I'm glad to hear that." Hank kissed her. "You inspire me to be a better person."
"I don't know about that," Gwen blushed, "but it's nice to hear it anyway."
"Trust me, it's true." Hank tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm lucky to know you, Gwen."
How could this have happened?
Eve gulped back tears.
How could she have allowed herself to get her hopes up—only for it to come to this?
Finding out that her son had really died? Having to relive that twice? How could life be so cruel so as to make any person suffer that kind of devastation more than once in his or her life?
Eve sobbed harder, only vaguely aware of Luis reaching for the file in front of her—of Julian gently rubbing her back.
Eve's ears perked up as she heard Luis pick up the file and begin to thumb through it.
"What are these?" Luis asked.
"Those are his medical records," Tina answered.
Eve's head snapped up.
Luis cleared his throat. "They look like some sort of test results."
"Luis, please let me see that," Eve said.
Luis handed the file to her.
Eve's heart caught in her throat as she scanned the documents in the file.
"What is it, Eve?" Julian asked.
"These records . . ." Eve's eyes flew to Julian's, disbelief and hope permeating her lungs. "They cannot belong to our son."
