She stayed beside Antonio the entire night. There was nothing her mother or
other brothers could do to convince her otherwise, so as a family they all
stayed. Luis and Miguel didn't get a wink of sleep as they paced the
waiting room floor. Their mother couldn't take seeing her son in his
condition any longer, so the majority of her night was spent on her knees,
in the hospital chapel. The only break that Pilar did take was to make a
phone call to let her other daughter know the situation.
*Earlier that Night*
"Hello, Phyllis?" Pilar's shaky voice came over the telephone.
"Yes, Pilar? Is that You?"
"Yes, it is." She breathed a heavy sigh. "Please Phyllis, may I speak to my daughter?"
"Mrs. Crane is asleep right now, she specifically asked not to be disturbed tonight?"
Pilar could sense that something was wrong.
"Phyllis, what happened over there?"
"Oh, Pilar!" She shook her head. "You wouldn't believe it! Mrs. Crane threw Ivy out of the mansion after I told her what I overheard what she and Mrs. Hotchkiss were saying about your family."
Those two women were trouble. Though she couldn't understand how her daughter could do such a thing, part of her believed that they had it coming to them.
"Oh, my." Pilar gasped. "Listen, Phyllis I can see that it was a hard night for my daughter, but this is an emergency. I must speak to Theresa."
"Alright, Pilar. I understand." Phyllis knew that there was a serious tone behind Pilar's voice. "Just hold a second and I'll go wake her."
Moment's later Pilar heard Theresa's tired voice come over the phone.
"Mama?" She yawned. "I'm here."
"Mija, oh I heard what happened tonight." Pilar pursed her lips. "I can't say that I agree with you throwing out Ivy, but I know that you had full reason to."
"Mama, you know I did." Theresa finally sat up in her bed. "Mama, what is it?"
She could sense that there was a bigger reason behind her mother's phone call, other than asking what had happened tonight. There was a tone to her voice that she wasn't sure of, and it worried her sick. "Mija," She sighed. "Antonio is in the hospital again."
"What?" Theresa's eyes darted around the room. She jumped out of bed and began dressing in her warmest clothes.
"It doesn't look too well, Theresita." Pilar hated to disappoint any of her children, but to keep the truth from them would not be acceptable.
"Mama, I'm on my way there right now." Theresa frantically began searching for her boots.
"Sita?" Pilar whispered softly into the receiver. "There's something else?"
"Something else?" Theresa's mind raced, what else could there be? Her brother is in the hospital, dying, what more news could her mother have? This didn't set well in her mind.
"Mija, your sister." Pilar started.
"Paloma?" Theresa didn't allow her mother to finish her sentence. "What happened? Please, Mama, tell me she's alright? Please tell me that there's nothing wrong with her! I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her too!"
"Mija, calm down." Pilar laughed slightly, "Your hermana is fine. I just wanted you to know that she's here."
"She's here?"
"Si, she came to the hospital just a few hours ago." Pilar remembered how much joy had filled her heart to see her daughter in front of her. "She came when word of Antonio reached her."
"Mama, stay where you are." Theresa was now fully dressed and ready to leave. "I'm on the way now, I'll be there in ten minutes."
Theresa couldn't believe all that had happened tonight. Being a "Crane" did have many disadvantages. She was so upset at herself at all the family memories and events that she had missed in the last year, but she was not going to miss the return of her sister.
There was no chance
*******
Theresa raced as fast as she could towards the hospital. As soon as she hopped in her car, her foot was on the gas pedal and it was not about to come off. She had to get to the hospital as quick as possible, and she knew that if she took the Crane driver, Jameson, it would have taken her a lifetime to get there. Jameson was a wonderful, older man, but Theresa knew that the way he drove would not suffice for the urgency she was in. Besides, it was 2am and she wouldn't wake him for the world.
She pulled into the hospital parking lot and jumped out of her car. She was amazed that nothing had happened to her on her way here because as soon as she set foot on the newly fallen snow, she realized that she had just driven in a torrid blizzard! Theresa looked up toward the sky and silently thanked God for keeping her safe. He knew that it was more than necessary for her to be with her family that night.
Running into the Emergency Room of Harmony General Hospital, she came face to face with her older brother's worried face. There was already a path worn in the carpet beneath him where he had spent the last few hours pacing back and forth. Miguel had finally given in to the exhaustion that overtook his body, and he was fast asleep on one of the chairs in the waiting room. For a moment she wondered where her mother was, but she smiled knowing that her mother must be in the chapel. As soon as her eyes met Luis' he stopped pacing and ran up to her with his arms ready to embrace her.
"Theresa!" Luis wrapped his protective arms around his sister as she allowed the tears to escape her body.
They were tears of doubt. Sadness. Worry. Pain.
Miguel shifted in his chair, and almost fell out when he heard Luis' voice. It woke him, and he opened his eyes to see his siblings locked in an embrace. Miguel stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around the two of them.
"Miguel." Theresa stepped back and took in the sight of her brothers. They were tired and weary. Their hair was tousled and their eyes had the biggest bags beneath them. "Luis, I came as fast as I heard."
"We're all here now, Resa." Miguel smiled. "We're all here for Antonio"
****
She watched through the curtains beside Antonio's bedside. She regretted not ever knowing how it felt to be so close with her siblings. It was something that she wished she knew. She saw, earlier, that Luis noticed her expression when her mother embraced her. Though she wanted so badly to know the love of her mother and siblings, she also harbored the pain she went through when she was younger.
A part of Paloma never understood why she had to leave her family, but another part knew that her mother couldn't handle raising five children at one time. After Antonio had left them, her mother's stress was multiplied. Antonio had been the "man" of the house when their Papa left them. He took on two after school jobs to help his mother pay the bills, babysat for her and Miguel, drove Luis and Theresa around on the weekend, but when he had left them, their mother couldn't handle balancing her life and her children's lives. Luis had just turned sixteen when Antonio left, so he took on the role of the big brother. Luis now had the two jobs, the chauffer duties, and the house chores that Antonio used to have. Her mother was working double shifts at the Crane mansion, and Theresa was busy at home taking care of her and Miguel.
She knew that it was for the best that her mother had given her to her aunt and uncle to take of. She had lived the last ten years of her life in Spain with them. It was a home filled with love and happiness. She had a wonderful set of friends, a large extended family, and financial stability. But, the one thing that she longed for was the love of her own family. They all kept in touch with phone calls and letters, but it was not the same for her. Until her eighth birthday, she knew what it was like to have three big brothers, a sister, and loving parents. She would have traded her life in Spain for just one moment to have them all around her again.
A tear came to Paloma's eyes as she watched Miguel, Luis, and Theresa embrace each other. They had all grown up together, seen each other through the hard times, been there to comfort their mother, cried together, laughed together. And, though she was a part of the family by blood, she couldn't help but feel a like and outsider looking in.
She came back to Harmony because she was now 18. Her aunt and uncle had told her that she could do whatever she wanted when she had reached that age, and Paloma knew that she wanted to see her family. Her original intentions were to fly to Harmony and let her family know how she'd felt all these years, but after hearing of Antonio's health and that he was back in Harmony as well, Paloma knew the airing of her feelings could wait. She was here to be there for Antonio. The both of them had been gone for almost the same amount op time, so she knew that Antonio must feel the same as her. They both missed out on so much, and they both felt like they were on the other side of the window, looking in.
"No more thinking of that." Paloma silently cursed herself for being so selfish at a time like this. "Antonio is the one that needs me right now. He needs us all."
She took a deep breath before opening the curtain to reveal herself to the three outside. She looked back at Antonio and squeezed his hand to assure him that she would be back. Plastering a fake smile on her face before stepping out, she pulled back the curtain and watched as her sister's eyes lit up.
"Mana!" Theresa shouted as she ran towards Paloma. "I can't believe you're back!"
Paloma stepped into her sister's embrace and sighed. Hoping that everything would be alright.
Maybe it would be okay.
Just Maybe.
*A/N* Please R/R! I need more feedback, *sigh*, LOL. I just wanted you all to know that the updates are going to be a little less from now on. I'm starting school again this coming week. I will however try to keep this updated as soon as possible! Thanks!
*Earlier that Night*
"Hello, Phyllis?" Pilar's shaky voice came over the telephone.
"Yes, Pilar? Is that You?"
"Yes, it is." She breathed a heavy sigh. "Please Phyllis, may I speak to my daughter?"
"Mrs. Crane is asleep right now, she specifically asked not to be disturbed tonight?"
Pilar could sense that something was wrong.
"Phyllis, what happened over there?"
"Oh, Pilar!" She shook her head. "You wouldn't believe it! Mrs. Crane threw Ivy out of the mansion after I told her what I overheard what she and Mrs. Hotchkiss were saying about your family."
Those two women were trouble. Though she couldn't understand how her daughter could do such a thing, part of her believed that they had it coming to them.
"Oh, my." Pilar gasped. "Listen, Phyllis I can see that it was a hard night for my daughter, but this is an emergency. I must speak to Theresa."
"Alright, Pilar. I understand." Phyllis knew that there was a serious tone behind Pilar's voice. "Just hold a second and I'll go wake her."
Moment's later Pilar heard Theresa's tired voice come over the phone.
"Mama?" She yawned. "I'm here."
"Mija, oh I heard what happened tonight." Pilar pursed her lips. "I can't say that I agree with you throwing out Ivy, but I know that you had full reason to."
"Mama, you know I did." Theresa finally sat up in her bed. "Mama, what is it?"
She could sense that there was a bigger reason behind her mother's phone call, other than asking what had happened tonight. There was a tone to her voice that she wasn't sure of, and it worried her sick. "Mija," She sighed. "Antonio is in the hospital again."
"What?" Theresa's eyes darted around the room. She jumped out of bed and began dressing in her warmest clothes.
"It doesn't look too well, Theresita." Pilar hated to disappoint any of her children, but to keep the truth from them would not be acceptable.
"Mama, I'm on my way there right now." Theresa frantically began searching for her boots.
"Sita?" Pilar whispered softly into the receiver. "There's something else?"
"Something else?" Theresa's mind raced, what else could there be? Her brother is in the hospital, dying, what more news could her mother have? This didn't set well in her mind.
"Mija, your sister." Pilar started.
"Paloma?" Theresa didn't allow her mother to finish her sentence. "What happened? Please, Mama, tell me she's alright? Please tell me that there's nothing wrong with her! I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her too!"
"Mija, calm down." Pilar laughed slightly, "Your hermana is fine. I just wanted you to know that she's here."
"She's here?"
"Si, she came to the hospital just a few hours ago." Pilar remembered how much joy had filled her heart to see her daughter in front of her. "She came when word of Antonio reached her."
"Mama, stay where you are." Theresa was now fully dressed and ready to leave. "I'm on the way now, I'll be there in ten minutes."
Theresa couldn't believe all that had happened tonight. Being a "Crane" did have many disadvantages. She was so upset at herself at all the family memories and events that she had missed in the last year, but she was not going to miss the return of her sister.
There was no chance
*******
Theresa raced as fast as she could towards the hospital. As soon as she hopped in her car, her foot was on the gas pedal and it was not about to come off. She had to get to the hospital as quick as possible, and she knew that if she took the Crane driver, Jameson, it would have taken her a lifetime to get there. Jameson was a wonderful, older man, but Theresa knew that the way he drove would not suffice for the urgency she was in. Besides, it was 2am and she wouldn't wake him for the world.
She pulled into the hospital parking lot and jumped out of her car. She was amazed that nothing had happened to her on her way here because as soon as she set foot on the newly fallen snow, she realized that she had just driven in a torrid blizzard! Theresa looked up toward the sky and silently thanked God for keeping her safe. He knew that it was more than necessary for her to be with her family that night.
Running into the Emergency Room of Harmony General Hospital, she came face to face with her older brother's worried face. There was already a path worn in the carpet beneath him where he had spent the last few hours pacing back and forth. Miguel had finally given in to the exhaustion that overtook his body, and he was fast asleep on one of the chairs in the waiting room. For a moment she wondered where her mother was, but she smiled knowing that her mother must be in the chapel. As soon as her eyes met Luis' he stopped pacing and ran up to her with his arms ready to embrace her.
"Theresa!" Luis wrapped his protective arms around his sister as she allowed the tears to escape her body.
They were tears of doubt. Sadness. Worry. Pain.
Miguel shifted in his chair, and almost fell out when he heard Luis' voice. It woke him, and he opened his eyes to see his siblings locked in an embrace. Miguel stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around the two of them.
"Miguel." Theresa stepped back and took in the sight of her brothers. They were tired and weary. Their hair was tousled and their eyes had the biggest bags beneath them. "Luis, I came as fast as I heard."
"We're all here now, Resa." Miguel smiled. "We're all here for Antonio"
****
She watched through the curtains beside Antonio's bedside. She regretted not ever knowing how it felt to be so close with her siblings. It was something that she wished she knew. She saw, earlier, that Luis noticed her expression when her mother embraced her. Though she wanted so badly to know the love of her mother and siblings, she also harbored the pain she went through when she was younger.
A part of Paloma never understood why she had to leave her family, but another part knew that her mother couldn't handle raising five children at one time. After Antonio had left them, her mother's stress was multiplied. Antonio had been the "man" of the house when their Papa left them. He took on two after school jobs to help his mother pay the bills, babysat for her and Miguel, drove Luis and Theresa around on the weekend, but when he had left them, their mother couldn't handle balancing her life and her children's lives. Luis had just turned sixteen when Antonio left, so he took on the role of the big brother. Luis now had the two jobs, the chauffer duties, and the house chores that Antonio used to have. Her mother was working double shifts at the Crane mansion, and Theresa was busy at home taking care of her and Miguel.
She knew that it was for the best that her mother had given her to her aunt and uncle to take of. She had lived the last ten years of her life in Spain with them. It was a home filled with love and happiness. She had a wonderful set of friends, a large extended family, and financial stability. But, the one thing that she longed for was the love of her own family. They all kept in touch with phone calls and letters, but it was not the same for her. Until her eighth birthday, she knew what it was like to have three big brothers, a sister, and loving parents. She would have traded her life in Spain for just one moment to have them all around her again.
A tear came to Paloma's eyes as she watched Miguel, Luis, and Theresa embrace each other. They had all grown up together, seen each other through the hard times, been there to comfort their mother, cried together, laughed together. And, though she was a part of the family by blood, she couldn't help but feel a like and outsider looking in.
She came back to Harmony because she was now 18. Her aunt and uncle had told her that she could do whatever she wanted when she had reached that age, and Paloma knew that she wanted to see her family. Her original intentions were to fly to Harmony and let her family know how she'd felt all these years, but after hearing of Antonio's health and that he was back in Harmony as well, Paloma knew the airing of her feelings could wait. She was here to be there for Antonio. The both of them had been gone for almost the same amount op time, so she knew that Antonio must feel the same as her. They both missed out on so much, and they both felt like they were on the other side of the window, looking in.
"No more thinking of that." Paloma silently cursed herself for being so selfish at a time like this. "Antonio is the one that needs me right now. He needs us all."
She took a deep breath before opening the curtain to reveal herself to the three outside. She looked back at Antonio and squeezed his hand to assure him that she would be back. Plastering a fake smile on her face before stepping out, she pulled back the curtain and watched as her sister's eyes lit up.
"Mana!" Theresa shouted as she ran towards Paloma. "I can't believe you're back!"
Paloma stepped into her sister's embrace and sighed. Hoping that everything would be alright.
Maybe it would be okay.
Just Maybe.
*A/N* Please R/R! I need more feedback, *sigh*, LOL. I just wanted you all to know that the updates are going to be a little less from now on. I'm starting school again this coming week. I will however try to keep this updated as soon as possible! Thanks!