~*Torn Between Two Hearts*~


*~Chapter 15~*



"The decision that I have come to is one that may make me or break me. I hope it doesn't hurt either of you but the choice is..."

"Is..." Luis interrupted eager to have the ordeal finally over.

Annoyed, she continued by saying, "I've decided to choose my name first. It was a tough choice, but I have finally decided upon the name of..."

Flashback
She sat down at the quiet cafe in Paris and awaiting for the arrival for her best friend, Princess Diana. Her life seemed to parallel that the life of the Princess's. Finding one love, then finding out he cheated on her. It was a shame, but nonetheless the truth.

Minutes seemed to pass, and there was no word on why Princess Diana would be late. Suddenly, a maitre appeared, with a note for her. Inside contained this letter,...

Dearest Sheridan,

I apologize for not coming. Something quite important has come up,
and I had to leave immediately. It seems like the paparazzi has found out
that I have a new love, and I fear for both our lives. Promise me that you'll
remain in touch, and no matter what happens to us, and our friendship to
pass on my namesake to your future child. I'll contact you soon.

Love, Diana

She folded up the letter, and thanked the mataire and headed back to her hotel suite. It was there that she found out the tragic news that Princess Diana, Dodi Al Fayad, and her driver were killed; and her bodyguard was seriously injured. It was as if Diana knew the end was coming for her, but wanted Sheridan to look out for herself. It was then and there that Sheridan decided to name her child Diana....

End of Flashback

She didn't choose the name of Diana this time.

Sure...she chose the name after her amnesia, but something inside her screamed out that it wasn't the right time to use Diana. She didn't know what was telling her this, but nonetheless, she had to make the right choice.

Flashback...

Sheridan walked towards her mother and climbed into her mother', Katherine's lap and asked, "Mommy, can you tell me a story?"

Katherine looked down at her young daughter puzzled, and replied, "What kind of story, Sheridan?"

"How I got my name..."

"Well...that's not an actual story...but of course I will..."

"When you were born, I wasn't sure what to name you. Neither was your father."

"You mean I was a no name child?" Sheridan inquired.

"No Princess…We had too many choices of names." Katherine explained.

"Really? What other names were you thinking of?" Sheridan asked, quite intrigued now.

"Well there was Diana, which is Greek, and means Celestial Hunter; however, it didn't suit you. We also were thinking of Kimberly which meant Ruler, or Amy which meant beloved. But we didn't feel as if those names were…"

"Katherine, I need you in my study." Alistair interrupted from downstairs.

"Just a minute Alistair…I am telling Sheridan how she got her name."

"Daddy always interrupts our quiet time." Sheridan said starting to sniff and bow her head downwards.

"No, that's not it Sheridan. I promise you."

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear." Katherine replied joining her pinky with Sheridan's.

"You can continue now." Sheridan replied, wanting to know more about her name.

"Your brother came by to see you. And we didn't still have a name. He had a gift from Princess Sheridan, a friend of mine from Ventnor Longford Island"

"I was named after a Princess?" Sheridan asked all bright eyed.

"Yes, your brother Julian jolted my memory. And your little smile and eyes reminded me of her."

"I love the name Mommy! Thank you." Sheridan said thanking her mother, and gave her a kiss before she scooted off her lap and play with her toys.

End of Flashback…

She smiled. She had made her choice. She was going to tell them now. Nothing was going to change it.

~*~*~



She was about to tell them when another knock at the door came. It was the doctor, along with her nurse.

"I'm sorry to interfere again, but we have found out what genders your twins will be." Dr. Marilee Spencer explained.

"You have?" She questioned them with some intrigue.

"Yes. You are having…"

"Can it wait? I know it was awfully rude of me to interrupt but you; but I was telling both Luis and Brian…err Antonio a choice that I made."

"Of course. "

"In private?" She asked noticing they hadn't left.

"Oh sorry…we didn't know it was that sort of thing." Nurse Courtney said apologizing on the behalf of the both of them, and left the room with Dr. Spencer.

~*~*~



"Finally." She murmured under her breath.

"Well, what is it?" Antonio spoke up as the door finally shut.

"Antonio, please, give her some time and space." Luis cautioned.

"Luis, Antonio. I know you both love me dearly. Nevertheless, you both loved me under different names and identities. I was Diana when I was with you, Antonio. But I only knew you as Brian…" She took a breath, and then continued, "I was Sheridan Crane when I was with Luis. And that name carries so much within me. But at the same time, so does Diana."

"Go on." Luis and Antonio said together encouragingly.

"This was a hard yet lengthy process but I've chosen the name of…"

Just then the power flickered on and off, and then the lights were back on again a few moments later.

She wasn't there anymore, but instead in her place was a piece of paper with her choice. And that choice was the identity of…

None other than…

Sheridan Crane.

But where was Sheridan…?


~*Torn Between Two Hearts*~


*~Chapter 16~*




"Sheridan?" Luis cried out.

"What on earth happened here? She was here just a minute ago.." Antonio asked in a confused state.

"How should I know..." Luis barked at him, and continued to call out Sheridan's name.

"Luis, calm down for a second. We have to think rationally." Antonio said approaching him.

"How can I think rationally when the..." Luis was about to continue, when a knock at the door interrupted his sentence. It was none other than Ethan, who had brought along Gwen to talk to Sheridan.

"Hey Luis...Hey Antonio..." Ethan began, and looked around the room, and then looked back at Luis, "...Um where is she?"

"We don't know Ethan. The lights flickered on and off, then on again. And then she simply vanished. But this paper was left in her spot." Luis explained as he handed the delicate paper in which she had written her choice to Ethan to look at.

"Well find her! Find Sheridan...She could be anywhere by now..."

"Ethan, let's look at the possibilities of where she could have gotten in such a short time."

"Well she couldn't headed back to the mansion could she...?" Gwen blurted out.

"Oh Dear God!" Ethan and Luis said at the same time at the realization that Gwen made.

The mansion carried such bad memories for Sheridan. A bad childhood, growing up with no mother, just to name a few.

~*~*~



Ethan and Luis rushed out of the hospital room; with Antonio and Gwen running behind them to catch up.

Antonio and Gwen finally caught up when Luis and Ethan had reached the car. Catching his breath, Antonio finally said, "Luis, Ethan, what's going on?"

Gwen kept her mouth shut, as she already knew the story, and did not want to inadvertently make things even worse than they already were.

Noticing the worry in Luis's eyes, Ethan handed his keys to him, and said, "I'll explain on the way to the mansion. Get in. Luis you drive."

Taking the keys from Ethan, Luis unlocked the doors, and let everybody in. After hearing everybody's seatbelt click, Luis put the keys in the ignition and set the car into drive.

~*~*~



"Okay…Now tell me Ethan…What's the big deal about the mansion? I thought Sheridan loved it there…" Antonio asked.

"Well she does, but at first she hated it." Ethan explained.

"Why on earth would you say that?"

"About two and half years ago...Luis was assigned to be Sheridan's bodyguard..." Ethan began.

Flashback

"There she is...I knew it." Ethan pointed to Sheridan who was on the couch to Hank and Luis as they entered the Crane's living room.

"Yeah you did, you knew exactly where to find her." Luis agreed, then continued, "Sheridan, why'd you run out of the cottage?"

"All the blood", Sheridan started to say as she started to cry softly.

Taken aback, Luis spoke up and said, "What, I didn't hear that."

"Blood on the body, on my hands" Sheridan explained; as she sees herself as a child with blood on hands, and then continued, "I did it I killed him."

"Who Sheridan who'd you kill? The shooter?" Luis asked.

Annoyed at Sheridan's interrogation by Luis, Ethan calmly told her, "It's ok Sheridan we're gonna go back to the cottage."

"Hold on a second. You keep staring at the floor Sheridan, why?" Luis said glancing at Sheridan in a panic as she looked down on the floor.

"The blood! The blood!" Sheridan murmured.

"You see blood on the floor?" Luis asked.

"Look that's enough Luis!" Ethan snapped at Luis getting annoyed.

"What is it Sheridan? Why are you so upset? What do you see on the floor?..." Luis questioned as he stepped in front of her to look into her eyes.

"Dammit, Luis! I said that's enough! Can't you see the state she's in?" Ethan interrupted as he took ahold of Sheridan and started to walk into the foyer.

"The bloody sheet…" She said sobbing quietly.

"I'm taking her back to the cottage." Ethan told Luis and Hank.

"Corpse..." Sheridan began crying harder, and then continued, "His blood is on my hands"

"Who's blood Sheridan?" Luis asked her as he caught up to them and took ahold of Sheridan's arm, and continued, "The corpse from the alley?" He continued, referring to body of the unidentified woman's body found earlier on the pier.

"Look, stop this Luis! Can't you see she's sleepwalking?" Ethan pointed out.

"Sleepwalking? Why would she come here in her sleep, Ethan?" Luis asked confused.

"Just let it go Luis." Hank interrupted.

"Sheridan can you hear me?" Luis said starring into Sheridan's eyes and waving his hands in front of her.

No answer came at first from Sheridan, as she looked at her hands, she explained, "The blood"

"Why are you staring at the floor like you're seeing something? What is it Sheridan?" Luis asked again in attempt to get an answer out of Sheridan.

Noticing a nearby vase, Ethan picked it up and dropped it, "That was clumsy"

"What happened?" Sheridan asked groggily as she finally woke up from her sleepwalking.

"Ethan busted a vase" Luis explained.

"What am I doing here?" Sheridan demanded to know as she noticed where she was.

"You were sleepwalking..." Luis began, and then took a deep breath and continued, "You were talking about a bloody corpse and blood on your hands..." He took another deep breath, and then proceeded, "...And you were staring at the floor like you were seeing something there. Now what's going on Sheridan?..."

"Dammit Luis I won't let you do that! I won't let you question her. Come on Sheridan." Ethan stopped Luis from saying anymore, and began to escort Sheridan out of the mansion back to her cottage.

"What the hell is going on?" Luis asked himself outloud as he began to follow them when the door slams infront of him.

End of Flashback

"Whoa...Poor Sheridan." Antonio taken aback after Ethan was done explaining the story.

"Yeah. She hasn't had an episode since Dr. Russell hypnotized her, and told her nothing really happened...Until now that is." Luis agreed, but had some uncertainty in his voice as he pulled into the Crane mansion's driveway.

~*~*~



"Let's check the mansion first." Antonio suggested as they all got out of the car.

"Good idea." Luis, Gwen and Ethan agreed.

Walking up to the mansion was a quiet walk, nobody wanted to see Sheridan there, and have her facing her terrible nightmares again. She already had so much happen to her, and this would make things even worse since she was pregnant with twins. The doctors were going to warn her, friends and family that any stress or traumatic incidents could return childhood memories including ailments such as sleepwalking.

The door was open once they reached the entrance; when they heard a loud cry. It was Sheridan, she was whimpering about having blood on her hands. Luis and the others rushed to her side when they noticed a letter opener beside her, and blood dripping onto her hospital gown.

"Gwen, get me the first aid kit. Ethan, call 911..." Luis screamed as he cradled Sheridan in his arms and loosened the gown around her neck, and began to say "Sheridan...please wake up..."

"I think she had another sleepwalking episode..." Antonio spoke up, and was about to continue when Sheridan went on about having blood on her hands.

"I did it...I killed him...That's why there's blood on my hands..." Sheridan winced while in a hypnotic state.

"Make her sniff this Luis. It's smelling salts...It will wake her up" Gwen explained as she handed them, and the first aid kit to Luis.

Carefully putting the smelling salts under her nose, Sheridan finally awoke, and screamed at the sight of the blood, and murmured, "What happened...What am I doing here..."

"Sheridan, it's going to be all right..." Luis spoke soothingly to her.

"Luis...I...I..." Sheridan began.

"It's okay Sheridan..." Antonio reassuringly.

"Luis, she's bleeding severely." Ethan spoke up as he saw Luis's shirt get stained with more and more blood.

"Sheridan, how did you do this to yourself?"

"I..I...saw...somebody...he he..." Sheridan murmured before she closed her eyes again because of the loss of blood.