Chapter Forty:
"Luis, it's your mother," Sam had said with a grim face. "There's been another accident." He vaguely remembered taking the phone from Sam's hand and listening. As his mother sobbed out the whole story. His mother was a strong woman. She didn't cry over nothing. He didn't let her finish the whole story before he was off. Gone out the door. And on his way to them. His wife and daughter.
He drove like a madman. All sorts of crazy thoughts invading his mind. Refusing to let him have peace. No, he thought. This couldn't be happening. Not again. They had found each other. As improbable as it might seem. They had found each other again. They were slowly putting the pieces back together. Becoming a family. Rediscovering love. This could not be real.
He'd only had her back, in his life for such a short time. Not enough time. He could never have enough time with her. Eternity would be too little. And Ali. He didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to his baby girl. His eyes stared straight ahead at the road in front of him. But his mind was somewhere else. Lost in memories. Memories they had made together since Boston.
"It'll be okay," he whispered. "I'll be with you. Every step of the way." She gave him a small, grateful smile. Told him "Thank you." And held on as he led her inside. And later...they were all smiles. His heart was so full of love for them at that moment he was sure it would burst. "Daddy!" Ali called. Noticing him spying on them. "Come have a tea party with us." "Come on, Luis." "I wanted to do something nice for you...Don't worry. I didn't cook the food." "Why do you put up with me?" "Easy," he whispered as he had that night. "Because I love you," he said. Wiping angrily at the tears he felt escaping from his eyes.
He didn't bother to shut the door as he jumped out of the car and ran into the emergency room of the small hospital. Barely had enough conscious thought to cut the engine. At the end of the hall he saw a familiar figure. Nick Taylor. Sadness in his eyes. Tear tracks still visible. Weariness plain in his features. "Where are they?" he shouted. Running down the hall toward him. "Ali and Sheridan. Where are they?"
"Luis, calm down," Nick said in a tired voice. But he didn't listen. "Don't tell me to calm down. I got a call telling me my wife and daughter were in a car accident. I need to know where they are." "Dr. Taylor," a timid voice said behind him. He followed the other man's gray eyes to the woman behind him. A woman with kindly brown eyes. Kindly brown eyes filled with tears.
"What's going on here?" he demanded. Looking back and forth between them. Growing more desperate by the moment. "Why won't anyone tell me anything?" he yelled. "Luis," Nick warned. Placing a hand on Luis's arm. "Lower your voice. Now. Or I'm going to have to have you thrown out of this facility." "The hell you will," he said. Angrily shaking Nick's restraining hand off his arm and stalking down the hall. Ignoring Nick's warnings.
"Don't go in there. There's something you should know first. Mr. Lopez- Fitzgerald. I'm warning you. Don't..." But it was too late. Luis opened the hospital door to something he never expected to see. He stared. Open- mouthed. In shock at the sight before him.
"Oh, Daddy! I thought you'd never get here," Ali exclaimed as she launched herself into his arms. Planting sweet little kisses on his cheek, his neck, everywhere she could reach. Hugging him tight. "I was so scared, Daddy. But Martin helped Mommy. Just like he did last time, Daddy. He saved her. Daddy, what's wrong? Daddy?"
Ali's blue eyes looked to her mother's in confusion. Then they returned to her father. And to the man she knew only as Martin. She slid from her father's arms and quietly crawled into the hospital bed. Into her mother's comforting arms. "Mommy," she whimpered. "Shh, baby. Everything's going to be alright," Sheridan said. Running her hand soothingly over her long blond hair. Her blue eyes widened in shock at the next word out of her father's mouth.
"Papa?"
"Luis, it's your mother," Sam had said with a grim face. "There's been another accident." He vaguely remembered taking the phone from Sam's hand and listening. As his mother sobbed out the whole story. His mother was a strong woman. She didn't cry over nothing. He didn't let her finish the whole story before he was off. Gone out the door. And on his way to them. His wife and daughter.
He drove like a madman. All sorts of crazy thoughts invading his mind. Refusing to let him have peace. No, he thought. This couldn't be happening. Not again. They had found each other. As improbable as it might seem. They had found each other again. They were slowly putting the pieces back together. Becoming a family. Rediscovering love. This could not be real.
He'd only had her back, in his life for such a short time. Not enough time. He could never have enough time with her. Eternity would be too little. And Ali. He didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to his baby girl. His eyes stared straight ahead at the road in front of him. But his mind was somewhere else. Lost in memories. Memories they had made together since Boston.
"It'll be okay," he whispered. "I'll be with you. Every step of the way." She gave him a small, grateful smile. Told him "Thank you." And held on as he led her inside. And later...they were all smiles. His heart was so full of love for them at that moment he was sure it would burst. "Daddy!" Ali called. Noticing him spying on them. "Come have a tea party with us." "Come on, Luis." "I wanted to do something nice for you...Don't worry. I didn't cook the food." "Why do you put up with me?" "Easy," he whispered as he had that night. "Because I love you," he said. Wiping angrily at the tears he felt escaping from his eyes.
He didn't bother to shut the door as he jumped out of the car and ran into the emergency room of the small hospital. Barely had enough conscious thought to cut the engine. At the end of the hall he saw a familiar figure. Nick Taylor. Sadness in his eyes. Tear tracks still visible. Weariness plain in his features. "Where are they?" he shouted. Running down the hall toward him. "Ali and Sheridan. Where are they?"
"Luis, calm down," Nick said in a tired voice. But he didn't listen. "Don't tell me to calm down. I got a call telling me my wife and daughter were in a car accident. I need to know where they are." "Dr. Taylor," a timid voice said behind him. He followed the other man's gray eyes to the woman behind him. A woman with kindly brown eyes. Kindly brown eyes filled with tears.
"What's going on here?" he demanded. Looking back and forth between them. Growing more desperate by the moment. "Why won't anyone tell me anything?" he yelled. "Luis," Nick warned. Placing a hand on Luis's arm. "Lower your voice. Now. Or I'm going to have to have you thrown out of this facility." "The hell you will," he said. Angrily shaking Nick's restraining hand off his arm and stalking down the hall. Ignoring Nick's warnings.
"Don't go in there. There's something you should know first. Mr. Lopez- Fitzgerald. I'm warning you. Don't..." But it was too late. Luis opened the hospital door to something he never expected to see. He stared. Open- mouthed. In shock at the sight before him.
"Oh, Daddy! I thought you'd never get here," Ali exclaimed as she launched herself into his arms. Planting sweet little kisses on his cheek, his neck, everywhere she could reach. Hugging him tight. "I was so scared, Daddy. But Martin helped Mommy. Just like he did last time, Daddy. He saved her. Daddy, what's wrong? Daddy?"
Ali's blue eyes looked to her mother's in confusion. Then they returned to her father. And to the man she knew only as Martin. She slid from her father's arms and quietly crawled into the hospital bed. Into her mother's comforting arms. "Mommy," she whimpered. "Shh, baby. Everything's going to be alright," Sheridan said. Running her hand soothingly over her long blond hair. Her blue eyes widened in shock at the next word out of her father's mouth.
"Papa?"