Chapter 36
This place...this office...it was almost heady being so high...
The door slammed behind her, but she didn't turn around.
"What the hell are you doing in my office?"
She regarded her brother with cool blue eyes, ignoring the shiver that crept along her spine.
His brown eyes were devoid of feeling--except for anger.
She searched for signs of the boy she knew so long ago.
Once upon a time, there'd been good in Adam. Humanity.
She was certain of it.
"Amanda..." his voice came out a low growl. "I asked you a question."
She pretended to not notice the dangerous quality to his tone, calmly walking behind his desk and taking a seat. Her blue eyes noted the absence of personal items adorning the desk's smooth surface.
Impersonal.
That was her brother.
Adam's jaw clenched, and the vein at his neck throbbed as she slowly pulled the drawers of the desk open. One by one. "Looking for something?"
"Where are the family pictures?" she asked with a wry smile. Keeping her voice even as she came to one drawer that would not give. "Even I have one of you," she said. Pulling her hand away and reaching across his desk to pick up his name plaque.
Adam Crane.
The title that followed that name didn't matter to him because it wasn't the one he wanted.
Her brother wanted it all.
The power.
The money.
Grandfather's respect.
And he'd do almost anything to get what he wanted.
His brown eyes followed her across the room. To the door.
Her hand froze on the doorknob, and she spoke without meeting his eyes. "We have a meeting in a couple of hours. I haven't seen Blair this morning. Could you..."
Silence.
"Adam?"
"I'll do it. Anything else?"
"No," she finally answered him.
The door closed behind her.
No going back.
The pearl shimmered in the palm of her hand, and she sighed heavily.
Just how far?
She was afraid she had her answer.
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She shut the car door gently, her mouth softening at the edges at the sound of children's laughter.
In an instant, he was by her side. Staring at her with those warm brown eyes. "Are you..."
She shook her head slowly. "Not yet. No. She doesn't remember, and with everything else...I don't think she's ready to remember. You're not going to say anything to Luis, are you? Hank...you promised me. Luis is a good man, but he's tenacious once he sets his mind on something. Hank..."
He sighed. Against his better judgment...
Promises were promises.
And he didn't want to upset the delicate balance of trust they had between them.
"I'm not going to say anything. But he deserves to know. They all deserve to know. No matter how painful it is. Like you said, though...there's no concrete proof."
"Yet," she told him.
"Watch out!"
Just friends, he thought as he held her close and looked into her shining eyes. Were they really?
"Uncle Hank!" Danielle's excited voice interrupted the confusing circle of thoughts rushing through his brain.
Gwen rubbed the slight ache in her forearm from the contact with the car's hard side away as she smiled at the picture in front of her.
The man before her was a kid magnet.
Literally.
Hank gave Danielle's dark ponytail a tug, grinning down at her and the bashful little body of his nephew's son. "If my piece of junk wasn't a piece of junk already, I'd be really mad right now," he told them with twinkling brown eyes. "That's a helluva arm you got there, Dani."
Matthew ducked his dark little head.
Danielle giggled. "He always does that when somebody curses," she explained to Gwen.
Gwen smiled down at the little boy, and Matthew smiled shyly back.
Ethan's smile.
"Danielle," she inquired softly. "Is your mother home?"
Danielle nodded. "She's inside with Nana. Dad's on the phone with Uncle Miguel," she said. Turning to Hank.
"Thanks, Kiddo," Hank grinned. Giving Danielle's dark ponytail another playful tug. "Don't mind us," he called as he followed Gwen to the front steps. "Continue on with whatever you were doing. Far, far away from my car," he winked.
He chuckled as he held the screen door open for Gwen, and Danielle's retort came.
"I was teaching Matthew not to throw like a girl!"
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"I don't know, Luis. The doctors still can't say what's wrong with her...Sam and Jessica took Charity out for some fresh air...Thanks, Bro...Tell Sheridan and Danielle hi for me...Bye."
The nurse at the front desk gave him a friendly smile as he passed by, and he raised a hand in greeting.
"Could you page me if there's any change in my daughter's condition? There's something I need to take care of..." he told her.
"No problem, Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald," the woman told him without looking up from her keyboard. "I'm sure your daughter will be fine, Sir. Mrs. Bennett is in the room with her..." she trailed off.
Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald was already disappearing through the elevator's doors.
The nurse returned to her work without another thought.
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Her lips stretched thinly across her teeth as the child jerked beneath her icy touch.
Tessa. Tessa, we're alone now. Tessa, I know you can hear me. Open your eyes and look at me, Tessa. Open your eyes.
Tessa's eyes moved rapidly beneath her closed lids.
She closed her eyes as she smoothed the tiny palm with her cold fingers.
The child's warmth seeped through her skin, into her, and she felt a jolt within herself as the heat circulated through her body.
It was almost like electricity.
Her body shuddered, and her blue eyes flew open to meet the child's pale gaze.
It was mesmerizing.
She felt the pull.
Deeper.
And deeper.
The pale blue turned to black.
Tessa's heart beat with growing speed beneath her tiny chest.
The water swirled around her, dragging her down.
The car door refused to budge.
Water rushed into the open window as she worked the handle desperately.
Her lungs burned.
Tessa's furious heartbeat drummed in her ears.
Heavy clothes made it difficult for her to fight the weariness.
She was sinking.
She couldn't fight it.
Her fingers clenched in animal-like claws, finally relaxing as her lungs burst.
The salt water swallowed her up in a cloak of darkness as the car's headlights dimmed and finally died.
Monitors flashed and alarms screamed as Tessa's heart rate skyrocketed.
She cried out, dropping the tiny hand as the child's heat scorched her skin. Shoved away as the doctors burst into the room.
She held her hands to her ears, blocking out the voice. The taunting, child's voice.
I know your secret.
STOP IT, DAMMIT! STOP IT NOW! ENOUGH!
Pale blue eyes snapped open, and Dr. Nelson and his team of doctors gaped in horror as a slender arm stretched and an index finger extended.
"Evil. Evil's here."
This place...this office...it was almost heady being so high...
The door slammed behind her, but she didn't turn around.
"What the hell are you doing in my office?"
She regarded her brother with cool blue eyes, ignoring the shiver that crept along her spine.
His brown eyes were devoid of feeling--except for anger.
She searched for signs of the boy she knew so long ago.
Once upon a time, there'd been good in Adam. Humanity.
She was certain of it.
"Amanda..." his voice came out a low growl. "I asked you a question."
She pretended to not notice the dangerous quality to his tone, calmly walking behind his desk and taking a seat. Her blue eyes noted the absence of personal items adorning the desk's smooth surface.
Impersonal.
That was her brother.
Adam's jaw clenched, and the vein at his neck throbbed as she slowly pulled the drawers of the desk open. One by one. "Looking for something?"
"Where are the family pictures?" she asked with a wry smile. Keeping her voice even as she came to one drawer that would not give. "Even I have one of you," she said. Pulling her hand away and reaching across his desk to pick up his name plaque.
Adam Crane.
The title that followed that name didn't matter to him because it wasn't the one he wanted.
Her brother wanted it all.
The power.
The money.
Grandfather's respect.
And he'd do almost anything to get what he wanted.
His brown eyes followed her across the room. To the door.
Her hand froze on the doorknob, and she spoke without meeting his eyes. "We have a meeting in a couple of hours. I haven't seen Blair this morning. Could you..."
Silence.
"Adam?"
"I'll do it. Anything else?"
"No," she finally answered him.
The door closed behind her.
No going back.
The pearl shimmered in the palm of her hand, and she sighed heavily.
Just how far?
She was afraid she had her answer.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
She shut the car door gently, her mouth softening at the edges at the sound of children's laughter.
In an instant, he was by her side. Staring at her with those warm brown eyes. "Are you..."
She shook her head slowly. "Not yet. No. She doesn't remember, and with everything else...I don't think she's ready to remember. You're not going to say anything to Luis, are you? Hank...you promised me. Luis is a good man, but he's tenacious once he sets his mind on something. Hank..."
He sighed. Against his better judgment...
Promises were promises.
And he didn't want to upset the delicate balance of trust they had between them.
"I'm not going to say anything. But he deserves to know. They all deserve to know. No matter how painful it is. Like you said, though...there's no concrete proof."
"Yet," she told him.
"Watch out!"
Just friends, he thought as he held her close and looked into her shining eyes. Were they really?
"Uncle Hank!" Danielle's excited voice interrupted the confusing circle of thoughts rushing through his brain.
Gwen rubbed the slight ache in her forearm from the contact with the car's hard side away as she smiled at the picture in front of her.
The man before her was a kid magnet.
Literally.
Hank gave Danielle's dark ponytail a tug, grinning down at her and the bashful little body of his nephew's son. "If my piece of junk wasn't a piece of junk already, I'd be really mad right now," he told them with twinkling brown eyes. "That's a helluva arm you got there, Dani."
Matthew ducked his dark little head.
Danielle giggled. "He always does that when somebody curses," she explained to Gwen.
Gwen smiled down at the little boy, and Matthew smiled shyly back.
Ethan's smile.
"Danielle," she inquired softly. "Is your mother home?"
Danielle nodded. "She's inside with Nana. Dad's on the phone with Uncle Miguel," she said. Turning to Hank.
"Thanks, Kiddo," Hank grinned. Giving Danielle's dark ponytail another playful tug. "Don't mind us," he called as he followed Gwen to the front steps. "Continue on with whatever you were doing. Far, far away from my car," he winked.
He chuckled as he held the screen door open for Gwen, and Danielle's retort came.
"I was teaching Matthew not to throw like a girl!"
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
"I don't know, Luis. The doctors still can't say what's wrong with her...Sam and Jessica took Charity out for some fresh air...Thanks, Bro...Tell Sheridan and Danielle hi for me...Bye."
The nurse at the front desk gave him a friendly smile as he passed by, and he raised a hand in greeting.
"Could you page me if there's any change in my daughter's condition? There's something I need to take care of..." he told her.
"No problem, Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald," the woman told him without looking up from her keyboard. "I'm sure your daughter will be fine, Sir. Mrs. Bennett is in the room with her..." she trailed off.
Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald was already disappearing through the elevator's doors.
The nurse returned to her work without another thought.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Her lips stretched thinly across her teeth as the child jerked beneath her icy touch.
Tessa. Tessa, we're alone now. Tessa, I know you can hear me. Open your eyes and look at me, Tessa. Open your eyes.
Tessa's eyes moved rapidly beneath her closed lids.
She closed her eyes as she smoothed the tiny palm with her cold fingers.
The child's warmth seeped through her skin, into her, and she felt a jolt within herself as the heat circulated through her body.
It was almost like electricity.
Her body shuddered, and her blue eyes flew open to meet the child's pale gaze.
It was mesmerizing.
She felt the pull.
Deeper.
And deeper.
The pale blue turned to black.
Tessa's heart beat with growing speed beneath her tiny chest.
The water swirled around her, dragging her down.
The car door refused to budge.
Water rushed into the open window as she worked the handle desperately.
Her lungs burned.
Tessa's furious heartbeat drummed in her ears.
Heavy clothes made it difficult for her to fight the weariness.
She was sinking.
She couldn't fight it.
Her fingers clenched in animal-like claws, finally relaxing as her lungs burst.
The salt water swallowed her up in a cloak of darkness as the car's headlights dimmed and finally died.
Monitors flashed and alarms screamed as Tessa's heart rate skyrocketed.
She cried out, dropping the tiny hand as the child's heat scorched her skin. Shoved away as the doctors burst into the room.
She held her hands to her ears, blocking out the voice. The taunting, child's voice.
I know your secret.
STOP IT, DAMMIT! STOP IT NOW! ENOUGH!
Pale blue eyes snapped open, and Dr. Nelson and his team of doctors gaped in horror as a slender arm stretched and an index finger extended.
"Evil. Evil's here."