EX
Would've posted this sooner, but fanfiction.net wasn't working and I was out of town for my birthday.
Thank you for you kind reviews.
Disclaim.
Chapter 7
Shylah's leg was caught under the tree and there seemed to be no one around, "HELP!" Kay stroked her daughter's face, "It'll be ok baby." She heard a noise coming from the bushes and a figure approached, "Daddy, Shy's caught under the tree!"
"KAY?!" She looked up and saw Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald looking confused.
"You're not my father." She said quietly.
"Kay?!" Antonio stood confused as question after question ran through his mind, when did she get back? What was she doing on the Crane grounds? Who was the child? Was it hers? Who was the father?
"Oh my lord, Kay!" Paloma ran over to her friend, "Antonio help!"
"What should I do, what happened?" Antonio rushed over to Paloma's side.
"I don't know! She was playing hide-and-seek with my dad and I guess she got lost and she was crying before but she's unconscious now!" Kay was sobbing.
"Ok, Antonio call the police and then Sheridan's cottage. Do you know the number still?" Paloma asked, taking charge of the situation.
"Yeah, but. . ."
"Do it!" Paloma cut him off, "Shy will be fine Kay."
"Yes, this is Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald. I need an ambulance and I guess some sort of rescue team at the Crane Estates. A little girl is caught underneath a tree and she's unconscious. We're near the gardens, um, next to a fountain of an angel or something. Please hurry." Antonio hung up with the police and dialed to number to Sheridan's cottage. It had been a few years, and he was surprised that he still knew the number.
"Hello?" It had been awhile since he'd spoken to Sheridan Crane. He'd loved her as Diana and when they'd gotten back to Harmony and he'd found out she was Sheridan Crane he'd loved her even then. It had taken him almost dying for Luis to tell him the truth. He'd seen the signs and he'd guessed, but he hadn't wanted to believe it until his brother told him. He was obviously upset, but not because he had lost Sheridan and that's what had scared him. He was more upset that they hadn't been honest with him rather then them lying to him about Sheridan's long lost love. He knew they weren't meant to be and he had accepted that.
"Sheridan?" He asked, unsure.
"Yes. . ." More then a little confused Sheridan asked tentatively, "Antonio?"
"Yes, Paloma told me to call you. Um, there's been an accident."
"What? What happened? Is Luis ok?!" Sheridan sounded hysterical.
"Luis? He's fine as far as I know. No, Kay Bennett and a little girl are on the estates and the girl, she's hurt a tree fell on her. Shy I think is her name?" He heard Sheridan speaking in the background.
"Where are you?" A worried male voice came through the receiver; Antonio recognized it as Sam Bennett.
"Chief Bennett? Uh, we're near the gardens, um by a fountain of an angel I think it is. I already called the police."
"We'll be right there."
Antonio hung up the phone, "Should we try and move the tree?"
Paloma looked at the object of discussion, "It's huge. There's no way the three of us can lift that up," Looking at her childhood friend, "I'm so sorry Kay."
"Yeah well this isn't exactly how I dreamed of my homecoming. Everyone is going to know I'm back now." Kay said stroking Shy's hair, "it's ok baby, help is on the way."
"You certainly know how to make an entrance." Paloma said, trying to lighten the mood.
Kay nodded somberly, "What did my dad say Antonio?"
"He said he'd be here in a minute." Antonio answered, feeling useless.
Minutes later. . .
"KAY!"
"We're over here Daddy!" Kay called.
Sam Bennett rushed into the clearing, with the paramedics close behind him, at least four police officers, and everyone who was at the cottage.
~*~
"Oh, thank you." Beth smiled kindly at the waiter as he handed her a menu.
"No problem at all. I'll be back in just a moment to get your drink orders." The smiling waiter walked off.
"This is so nice Luis." Beth's smile evaporated when she saw Luis scowling, "What's wrong?"
"He was hitting on you." He growled.
"Who?" Luis pointed, "The waiter?"
"'No problem at all.'" Luis mimicked, "I half expected him to give you his phone number.
"Luis, he was just being a waiter. It's nothing to worry about. Besides, I LOVE you. I don't even know him." Beth said, trying to calm him down.
"Oh, you don't know him? Well it's hard to tell when you're defending him and getting all googly eyed!" Luis snapped.
"What is WRONG with you?!" She hissed.
"No, baby, I'm sorry. Nothing. I just love you so much, I don't want someone to try and take you away from me. I'm so sorry. I love you." Luis pleaded.
"It's okay Luis. I love you too. It's kind of nice to see you get a little jealous."
Before Luis could respond his beeper went off, checking it he sighed, "It's the station."
"Well then go. I'll be fine." Beth said encouragingly.
"I'm so sorry. We'll have dinner tomorrow." Kissing his wife on the lips, he left.
"Well, things are good. And besides, at least it's work that's taking him away from me. . .not Sheridan." Beth said, picking up her purse, "It can't ever be Sheridan again. I made sure of that a long time ago."
~*~
Fox stepped outside, "Paloma!" He called. No answer, "PALOMA!" He sighed and out of the corner of his eye he saw something flashing. He turned and saw the police lights
(You know the sirens on top of ambulances that flash? Like when there's an accident on the side of the road and the ambulances are there, their lights are flashing. Those.)
flashing in the middle of the estates, "What the hell?!" Fox thought. He took off towards the lights.
~*~
Making her way across the room, she walked up behind him and put her hands over his eyes, "Guess who?"
"Must be Fox, he always gropes me." Dylan said jokingly.
"I knew something was off with him!" Whitney joked. Turning around, Dylan pulled her into a hug.
"It's good to see you Whit."
"You're only saying that because you didn't want Fox to be groping you again."
Dylan laughed as he pulled her onto the dance floor, "SO, what have you been keeping yourself busy with?"
Whitney sighed, "Tennis. Same as always."
"How are you doing? I mean really, not this, 'I'm fine' crap you've been giving everyone. Honestly, how are you?"
Whitney looked up at Dylan; he was a good-looking guy. Messy black hair, big blue eyes, olive skin with cheekbones that could go on for days, and a smile that made most girls weak in the knees. But, she wasn't most girls. Heartbreak really puts a damper on your social calendar, "I'm dealing."
"I still don't really get what happened. As far as I knew you and Chad were happy and in love. Now you're alone and well, not happy."
Whitney sighed; she hadn't spoken to anyone about this yet, save Theresa. But Dylan was a close friend now, dragging him to the veranda they sat on the table, "It's kind of a long story. But, I guess it must have started almost six years ago. Right before Kay Bennett left Harmony she exposed David Hastings as a fraud. Turns out he was being blackmailed by Ivy Crane. Sam Bennett, Kay's father, believed her and shunned Ivy. Who was trying to break up Sam and Grace Bennett's marriage so she could be with Sam, her high school sweetheart. But that's a whole other story, one that I'm not even sure about. Ivy was furious about losing Sam and she blamed it on my mother for some reason.
Around the same time, Gwen Hotchkiss, basically humiliated by her mother, at her almost wedding to Ethan, wanted revenge on her mother, Rebecca, for ruining her life, exposed her for the tabloid fiasco. When Ethan's paternity was revealed at his and Theresa's first engagement party. Julian promptly kicked Rebecca out on her butt. Then my mother and Julian's past was exposed due to Ivy's rage. My dad was stunned to say the least. He tore out of the house and went searching for Julian, who at the time was on the wharf with my mom, she was warning him that they'd been exposed and my father would be after Julian. After finding them together he disappeared, contacting my mom months later with divorce papers. "
Dylan, who was listening intently, interrupted, "What does all that have to do with you and Chad?"
"I'm getting to it. As I said my dad divorced my mother and she had no idea where he was, and she also knew he hated her, so she didn't try to contact him. When this whole thing was going on I was in LA with Chad. I was singing professionally and Chad was doing his thing. I found out about what was happening in Harmony from Theresa. I stayed away from Harmony almost an entire year, until I forgave my mother. I finally approached her, leaving Chad in LA, and she was doing horribly. She was working all the time, hardly eating and barely sleeping. When she first saw me. . .she began sobbing." Whitney stopped, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Whit. . ." Dylan started.
"I'm fine. *Ahem* Where was I? I told her I forgave her and moved in her with her to take care of her. Chad was alone in LA and promised he'd try and come back to Harmony soon. My mother's life was getting back on track and she started dating Julian again. She seemed to much happier then she ever was with my father, so I let it be. When she told me they were getting married, I um, well I went back to LA, promising to come for the wedding. When I got there, well I saw our apartment was empty, or so I thought. I walked into our bedroom and there was Chad. . .lying between two naked women, sleeping." Whitney stopped and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
"It's ok Whitney, you don't need to finish. I can--"
Cutting him off once again Whitney shook her head, "No, I need to finish this. I have to let go sometime. He didn't even hear me come in, so I quickly packed up what was left of my stuff. I had wanted to surprise him, I don't even want to think of what my life would be like had I not seen that. I left and I returned to Harmony. I told my mother what had happened and she knew that Chad would come looking for me. So Julian offered to send me wherever I wanted. I was gone maybe a year in a half, two years.
When I came home Chad was still in LA, but flew over to see me. He tried to explain it, told me he still loved me and that he wanted to try and work it out. Two years. Imagine how many women he had in his bed while I was gone. So for the last six or seven months I've been moping around Harmony, playing tennis in all my spare time and trying to get over someone who I lost a long time ago." Looking over she saw Dylan completely absorbed in what she was saying.
"Whit, I get that you've been hurt. Chad was a jerk to treat you that way, but not all guys turn out to be lying creeps." He said softly.
Not liking where this was going, "I have to go." Whitney said fleeing.
"Great, drive her off. Dumbass." He said as he smacked his head on the table.
~*~
It wasn't as long as I would've liked, but I wanted to get this chapter out of the way. The next one should be a little longer. I also hope Whitney's explanation wasn't too confusing and it didn't sound like it was stuck in there so the audience would know some of what had happened the past few years. Well. . .it was, but still.
Please, please, please, review. I neeeed feedback.
Would've posted this sooner, but fanfiction.net wasn't working and I was out of town for my birthday.
Thank you for you kind reviews.
Disclaim.
Chapter 7
Shylah's leg was caught under the tree and there seemed to be no one around, "HELP!" Kay stroked her daughter's face, "It'll be ok baby." She heard a noise coming from the bushes and a figure approached, "Daddy, Shy's caught under the tree!"
"KAY?!" She looked up and saw Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald looking confused.
"You're not my father." She said quietly.
"Kay?!" Antonio stood confused as question after question ran through his mind, when did she get back? What was she doing on the Crane grounds? Who was the child? Was it hers? Who was the father?
"Oh my lord, Kay!" Paloma ran over to her friend, "Antonio help!"
"What should I do, what happened?" Antonio rushed over to Paloma's side.
"I don't know! She was playing hide-and-seek with my dad and I guess she got lost and she was crying before but she's unconscious now!" Kay was sobbing.
"Ok, Antonio call the police and then Sheridan's cottage. Do you know the number still?" Paloma asked, taking charge of the situation.
"Yeah, but. . ."
"Do it!" Paloma cut him off, "Shy will be fine Kay."
"Yes, this is Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald. I need an ambulance and I guess some sort of rescue team at the Crane Estates. A little girl is caught underneath a tree and she's unconscious. We're near the gardens, um, next to a fountain of an angel or something. Please hurry." Antonio hung up with the police and dialed to number to Sheridan's cottage. It had been a few years, and he was surprised that he still knew the number.
"Hello?" It had been awhile since he'd spoken to Sheridan Crane. He'd loved her as Diana and when they'd gotten back to Harmony and he'd found out she was Sheridan Crane he'd loved her even then. It had taken him almost dying for Luis to tell him the truth. He'd seen the signs and he'd guessed, but he hadn't wanted to believe it until his brother told him. He was obviously upset, but not because he had lost Sheridan and that's what had scared him. He was more upset that they hadn't been honest with him rather then them lying to him about Sheridan's long lost love. He knew they weren't meant to be and he had accepted that.
"Sheridan?" He asked, unsure.
"Yes. . ." More then a little confused Sheridan asked tentatively, "Antonio?"
"Yes, Paloma told me to call you. Um, there's been an accident."
"What? What happened? Is Luis ok?!" Sheridan sounded hysterical.
"Luis? He's fine as far as I know. No, Kay Bennett and a little girl are on the estates and the girl, she's hurt a tree fell on her. Shy I think is her name?" He heard Sheridan speaking in the background.
"Where are you?" A worried male voice came through the receiver; Antonio recognized it as Sam Bennett.
"Chief Bennett? Uh, we're near the gardens, um by a fountain of an angel I think it is. I already called the police."
"We'll be right there."
Antonio hung up the phone, "Should we try and move the tree?"
Paloma looked at the object of discussion, "It's huge. There's no way the three of us can lift that up," Looking at her childhood friend, "I'm so sorry Kay."
"Yeah well this isn't exactly how I dreamed of my homecoming. Everyone is going to know I'm back now." Kay said stroking Shy's hair, "it's ok baby, help is on the way."
"You certainly know how to make an entrance." Paloma said, trying to lighten the mood.
Kay nodded somberly, "What did my dad say Antonio?"
"He said he'd be here in a minute." Antonio answered, feeling useless.
Minutes later. . .
"KAY!"
"We're over here Daddy!" Kay called.
Sam Bennett rushed into the clearing, with the paramedics close behind him, at least four police officers, and everyone who was at the cottage.
~*~
"Oh, thank you." Beth smiled kindly at the waiter as he handed her a menu.
"No problem at all. I'll be back in just a moment to get your drink orders." The smiling waiter walked off.
"This is so nice Luis." Beth's smile evaporated when she saw Luis scowling, "What's wrong?"
"He was hitting on you." He growled.
"Who?" Luis pointed, "The waiter?"
"'No problem at all.'" Luis mimicked, "I half expected him to give you his phone number.
"Luis, he was just being a waiter. It's nothing to worry about. Besides, I LOVE you. I don't even know him." Beth said, trying to calm him down.
"Oh, you don't know him? Well it's hard to tell when you're defending him and getting all googly eyed!" Luis snapped.
"What is WRONG with you?!" She hissed.
"No, baby, I'm sorry. Nothing. I just love you so much, I don't want someone to try and take you away from me. I'm so sorry. I love you." Luis pleaded.
"It's okay Luis. I love you too. It's kind of nice to see you get a little jealous."
Before Luis could respond his beeper went off, checking it he sighed, "It's the station."
"Well then go. I'll be fine." Beth said encouragingly.
"I'm so sorry. We'll have dinner tomorrow." Kissing his wife on the lips, he left.
"Well, things are good. And besides, at least it's work that's taking him away from me. . .not Sheridan." Beth said, picking up her purse, "It can't ever be Sheridan again. I made sure of that a long time ago."
~*~
Fox stepped outside, "Paloma!" He called. No answer, "PALOMA!" He sighed and out of the corner of his eye he saw something flashing. He turned and saw the police lights
(You know the sirens on top of ambulances that flash? Like when there's an accident on the side of the road and the ambulances are there, their lights are flashing. Those.)
flashing in the middle of the estates, "What the hell?!" Fox thought. He took off towards the lights.
~*~
Making her way across the room, she walked up behind him and put her hands over his eyes, "Guess who?"
"Must be Fox, he always gropes me." Dylan said jokingly.
"I knew something was off with him!" Whitney joked. Turning around, Dylan pulled her into a hug.
"It's good to see you Whit."
"You're only saying that because you didn't want Fox to be groping you again."
Dylan laughed as he pulled her onto the dance floor, "SO, what have you been keeping yourself busy with?"
Whitney sighed, "Tennis. Same as always."
"How are you doing? I mean really, not this, 'I'm fine' crap you've been giving everyone. Honestly, how are you?"
Whitney looked up at Dylan; he was a good-looking guy. Messy black hair, big blue eyes, olive skin with cheekbones that could go on for days, and a smile that made most girls weak in the knees. But, she wasn't most girls. Heartbreak really puts a damper on your social calendar, "I'm dealing."
"I still don't really get what happened. As far as I knew you and Chad were happy and in love. Now you're alone and well, not happy."
Whitney sighed; she hadn't spoken to anyone about this yet, save Theresa. But Dylan was a close friend now, dragging him to the veranda they sat on the table, "It's kind of a long story. But, I guess it must have started almost six years ago. Right before Kay Bennett left Harmony she exposed David Hastings as a fraud. Turns out he was being blackmailed by Ivy Crane. Sam Bennett, Kay's father, believed her and shunned Ivy. Who was trying to break up Sam and Grace Bennett's marriage so she could be with Sam, her high school sweetheart. But that's a whole other story, one that I'm not even sure about. Ivy was furious about losing Sam and she blamed it on my mother for some reason.
Around the same time, Gwen Hotchkiss, basically humiliated by her mother, at her almost wedding to Ethan, wanted revenge on her mother, Rebecca, for ruining her life, exposed her for the tabloid fiasco. When Ethan's paternity was revealed at his and Theresa's first engagement party. Julian promptly kicked Rebecca out on her butt. Then my mother and Julian's past was exposed due to Ivy's rage. My dad was stunned to say the least. He tore out of the house and went searching for Julian, who at the time was on the wharf with my mom, she was warning him that they'd been exposed and my father would be after Julian. After finding them together he disappeared, contacting my mom months later with divorce papers. "
Dylan, who was listening intently, interrupted, "What does all that have to do with you and Chad?"
"I'm getting to it. As I said my dad divorced my mother and she had no idea where he was, and she also knew he hated her, so she didn't try to contact him. When this whole thing was going on I was in LA with Chad. I was singing professionally and Chad was doing his thing. I found out about what was happening in Harmony from Theresa. I stayed away from Harmony almost an entire year, until I forgave my mother. I finally approached her, leaving Chad in LA, and she was doing horribly. She was working all the time, hardly eating and barely sleeping. When she first saw me. . .she began sobbing." Whitney stopped, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Whit. . ." Dylan started.
"I'm fine. *Ahem* Where was I? I told her I forgave her and moved in her with her to take care of her. Chad was alone in LA and promised he'd try and come back to Harmony soon. My mother's life was getting back on track and she started dating Julian again. She seemed to much happier then she ever was with my father, so I let it be. When she told me they were getting married, I um, well I went back to LA, promising to come for the wedding. When I got there, well I saw our apartment was empty, or so I thought. I walked into our bedroom and there was Chad. . .lying between two naked women, sleeping." Whitney stopped and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
"It's ok Whitney, you don't need to finish. I can--"
Cutting him off once again Whitney shook her head, "No, I need to finish this. I have to let go sometime. He didn't even hear me come in, so I quickly packed up what was left of my stuff. I had wanted to surprise him, I don't even want to think of what my life would be like had I not seen that. I left and I returned to Harmony. I told my mother what had happened and she knew that Chad would come looking for me. So Julian offered to send me wherever I wanted. I was gone maybe a year in a half, two years.
When I came home Chad was still in LA, but flew over to see me. He tried to explain it, told me he still loved me and that he wanted to try and work it out. Two years. Imagine how many women he had in his bed while I was gone. So for the last six or seven months I've been moping around Harmony, playing tennis in all my spare time and trying to get over someone who I lost a long time ago." Looking over she saw Dylan completely absorbed in what she was saying.
"Whit, I get that you've been hurt. Chad was a jerk to treat you that way, but not all guys turn out to be lying creeps." He said softly.
Not liking where this was going, "I have to go." Whitney said fleeing.
"Great, drive her off. Dumbass." He said as he smacked his head on the table.
~*~
It wasn't as long as I would've liked, but I wanted to get this chapter out of the way. The next one should be a little longer. I also hope Whitney's explanation wasn't too confusing and it didn't sound like it was stuck in there so the audience would know some of what had happened the past few years. Well. . .it was, but still.
Please, please, please, review. I neeeed feedback.
