Sheridan held the gray-scaled picture at a distance, staring at the blur that was once her baby in the sonogram. She traced her finger along his outline, forcing herself not to tear up again. She almost felt as though this whole thing was her fault and, as a daily punishment, strained herself to look at her son's sonogram and think about everything that could have been.
"You aren't looking at that picture again, are you?" Luis asked, sighing, as he entered their bedroom to find Sheridan at her dresser, a small line of mascara tumbling down her cheek. He rushed to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders and burying his face in the small of her neck. "It's all right. It's not your fault."
"I never should have let Julian put me through so much stress... the constant fighting and bickering back and forth. It was so juvenile, and look at the price we both had to pay."
"It's not your fault," Luis repeated himself, "But listen, I've got some good news that will cheer you up. That was Miguel on the phone, and he said that Theresa's back in town and plans to visit us next."
"Oh, I hope she brought that sweet little girl of hers," Sheridan said, immediately perking up. Having shared long phone conversations with Theresa, and knowing the secret that genetically drew her close to Elizabeth, she and her sister-in-law had become very good friends, and Luis couldn't be happier that they were all getting along.
"Yes, she brought Lizzy, too. Miguel says she looks completely different, but that's understandable. I mean, it has been two years."
"Is she just here for a short visit?"
"Well, that's where things get complicated." Luis slowed his speech and sat rigidly on the bed, "She saw the announcement of Ethan's son in the paper."
"Oh, no, you don't mean-"
"She thinks he ought to know the truth now. I don't know where her head is. She's twenty-three years old, you'd think she'd grow out of this childish fantasy."
"They did have something, Luis," Sheridan had to admit to herself, "They were in love when Theresa got pregnant. You know she didn't want to tell him for fear he'd leave her. She thought it was her fault. I'd bet anything that he still loves her just as much today as he did then."
"And what's gonna happen when he sees her, huh?" Luis asked, his mind spinning with all the possible calamities that could occur, "And with a kid, nevertheless... who LOOKS like him?!"
"That's why she came to tell him, I guess," Sheridan replied, "But she can't possibly do it now. Ivy and Julian will surely be furious! And look how far Ethan and Gwen have come since they continued with the wedding plans... and now Ryan. Oh, Lord, will this chaos never end?"
"We have to try and talk her out of it," Luis stated matter-of-factly, "I mean, you of all people know how glad I'll be to see my little sister again, but I don't think her being here is the best thing for the welfare of Harmony."
"On the other hand, Ethan does deserve to know."
Luis was silent. Whether it was in agreement, disagreement, or utter shock was unbeknownst to Sheridan until he spoke. "You can't be serious."
"What?"
"The Cranes are never going to stake a claim on my niece. It's bad enough she's already got their genes. But I'll be damned if she's ever raised as a member of that family."
"LUIS!"
"I mean it, Sheridan. If they want Elizabeth, they're gonna have to get through me, first."
.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.
Theresa lay in bed that night, staring up at ceiling. Luis and Sheridan were kind enough to offer her and Elizabeth a place to stay during her visit to Harmony, and Theresa wasn't about to refuse. Her budget was a tight as it could possibly be, and she didn't think she could even afford one night's stay at the B&B, whether or not she had an acquaintance with the owner.
She couldn't stop thinking about what Luis had said earlier that night, and how wrong he was. "Ethan still loves me" she thought to herself, watching the shadows dancing on the walls and listening to her daughter's soft breathing beside her, "I know that as soon as he discovers we have a child together, he'll come back to me and leave Gwen in the dust. We can raise both Lizzy and Ryan together, for I'm sure Gwen will be in some sort of shock to where she could never watch an infant. We'll be the family we were always meant to me."
.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.
Ethan rolled over in his bed, away from Gwen's sleeping, glowing face. What they said about pregnant women or new mothers was true - there was something about them in the fact that they shown for some reason... just like Theresa did when she first told him she was pregnant. And she was so worried he'd leave her... but then they lost the child and she left town, never returning.
Sometimes, late at night as it was now, he'd wonder what she looked like after six years. She'd always be the beautiful girl of seventeen as she was that summer when he first admitted his feelings for her and they began dating. The he'd imagine what their lives would be like if she had given birth to their child and they were living blissfully happy in a beautiful little country home, away from all this... this - crap - he had to put up with on a daily basis.
He sometimes even wished he had married Theresa when he had the chance, and that Ryan was his son with the woman he truly loved...
"You aren't looking at that picture again, are you?" Luis asked, sighing, as he entered their bedroom to find Sheridan at her dresser, a small line of mascara tumbling down her cheek. He rushed to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders and burying his face in the small of her neck. "It's all right. It's not your fault."
"I never should have let Julian put me through so much stress... the constant fighting and bickering back and forth. It was so juvenile, and look at the price we both had to pay."
"It's not your fault," Luis repeated himself, "But listen, I've got some good news that will cheer you up. That was Miguel on the phone, and he said that Theresa's back in town and plans to visit us next."
"Oh, I hope she brought that sweet little girl of hers," Sheridan said, immediately perking up. Having shared long phone conversations with Theresa, and knowing the secret that genetically drew her close to Elizabeth, she and her sister-in-law had become very good friends, and Luis couldn't be happier that they were all getting along.
"Yes, she brought Lizzy, too. Miguel says she looks completely different, but that's understandable. I mean, it has been two years."
"Is she just here for a short visit?"
"Well, that's where things get complicated." Luis slowed his speech and sat rigidly on the bed, "She saw the announcement of Ethan's son in the paper."
"Oh, no, you don't mean-"
"She thinks he ought to know the truth now. I don't know where her head is. She's twenty-three years old, you'd think she'd grow out of this childish fantasy."
"They did have something, Luis," Sheridan had to admit to herself, "They were in love when Theresa got pregnant. You know she didn't want to tell him for fear he'd leave her. She thought it was her fault. I'd bet anything that he still loves her just as much today as he did then."
"And what's gonna happen when he sees her, huh?" Luis asked, his mind spinning with all the possible calamities that could occur, "And with a kid, nevertheless... who LOOKS like him?!"
"That's why she came to tell him, I guess," Sheridan replied, "But she can't possibly do it now. Ivy and Julian will surely be furious! And look how far Ethan and Gwen have come since they continued with the wedding plans... and now Ryan. Oh, Lord, will this chaos never end?"
"We have to try and talk her out of it," Luis stated matter-of-factly, "I mean, you of all people know how glad I'll be to see my little sister again, but I don't think her being here is the best thing for the welfare of Harmony."
"On the other hand, Ethan does deserve to know."
Luis was silent. Whether it was in agreement, disagreement, or utter shock was unbeknownst to Sheridan until he spoke. "You can't be serious."
"What?"
"The Cranes are never going to stake a claim on my niece. It's bad enough she's already got their genes. But I'll be damned if she's ever raised as a member of that family."
"LUIS!"
"I mean it, Sheridan. If they want Elizabeth, they're gonna have to get through me, first."
.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.
Theresa lay in bed that night, staring up at ceiling. Luis and Sheridan were kind enough to offer her and Elizabeth a place to stay during her visit to Harmony, and Theresa wasn't about to refuse. Her budget was a tight as it could possibly be, and she didn't think she could even afford one night's stay at the B&B, whether or not she had an acquaintance with the owner.
She couldn't stop thinking about what Luis had said earlier that night, and how wrong he was. "Ethan still loves me" she thought to herself, watching the shadows dancing on the walls and listening to her daughter's soft breathing beside her, "I know that as soon as he discovers we have a child together, he'll come back to me and leave Gwen in the dust. We can raise both Lizzy and Ryan together, for I'm sure Gwen will be in some sort of shock to where she could never watch an infant. We'll be the family we were always meant to me."
.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.
Ethan rolled over in his bed, away from Gwen's sleeping, glowing face. What they said about pregnant women or new mothers was true - there was something about them in the fact that they shown for some reason... just like Theresa did when she first told him she was pregnant. And she was so worried he'd leave her... but then they lost the child and she left town, never returning.
Sometimes, late at night as it was now, he'd wonder what she looked like after six years. She'd always be the beautiful girl of seventeen as she was that summer when he first admitted his feelings for her and they began dating. The he'd imagine what their lives would be like if she had given birth to their child and they were living blissfully happy in a beautiful little country home, away from all this... this - crap - he had to put up with on a daily basis.
He sometimes even wished he had married Theresa when he had the chance, and that Ryan was his son with the woman he truly loved...