* I am not affiliated with NBC's Passions or James E. Reilly. I am simply borrowing the characters.

C H A P T E R         N I N E T E E N

A little one's debut

"Ethan!" Theresa called as she ran up the hallway with her arms outstretched. She took her child from Ethan's grasp and held him close. Little Ethan stirred slightly in his mother's embrace. He then let out a big yawn to emphasize the long span of his day. "You're probably very sleepy, aren't you?" Theresa asked in a whisper. As if responding to her question, Little Ethan began to nod off to sleep. Theresa smiled as she slowly walked to a chair to sit down. She hummed softly while stroking her child's fine blond hair. Soon Little Ethan was sound asleep. Theresa shifted slightly to make herself and her child more comfortable. Ethan observed the pair quietly, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. 

Fox and Dylan rounded the corner and saw Theresa with her child. Like Ethan, they watched Theresa play her role as a mother. Fox smiled as he watched Theresa. He always had admired her for her compassionate heart. "Isn't that a site?" Dylan said softly, close to a whisper. The tranquil spell was suddenly interrupted with screaming and a shuffle of feet belonging to medical personnel. "HURRY!" cried a woman's voice.

A mother-to-be was laying in a stretcher and being rushed down the hallway to the delivery room. Her screams pierced the air waking Little Ethan with a start. He began to whimper as the woman's cries traveled down the corridor. "Shh." Theresa said trying to console her child. "It's okay, baby." Theresa began to sing softly. Little Ethan's cries subsided while his eyelids began drooping. Theresa's singing not only put her son to sleep, but all the three men who were in her presence seemed to have been hypnotized by her singing.

"How could you not fall in love with her?" Dylan asked Fox softly. Fox said nothing. Instead he contemplated his friend's statement. Before Fox could come up with something to say to Dylan, his friend had already made his way towards Theresa. Rather than follow his friend, Fox decided to sit back and observe Dylan and Theresa's interaction. Fox watched keenly as Dylan quietly approached Theresa. She looked up and smiled. Dylan whispered something in Theresa's ear that made her giggle softly. Fox pressed his lips together in a grim line. What did he say? He wondered. Fox then noticed the presence of another person standing behind him. When Fox turned around, he was met by his step-brother.

"Who's that with Theresa?" Ethan demanded.

"What? No 'Hi, Fox. How are you?'" Fox asked sarcastically.

"Answer my question." Ethan said through clenched teeth.

"Uh-oh. Are you jealous?" Fox teased.

"I'd ask you the same thing." Ethan said evenly.

"What are you talking about?" Fox said clueless to his own feelings.

"By the look on your face a few minutes ago, I'd say you were jealous." Ethan replied.

"By the look on my face?" Fox asked confused.

"When that guy whispered in Theresa's ear, you didn't look to happy. To put it simply, you looked jealous."

Fox thought about Ethan's words. Jealous? I have no reason to be jealous. However, Ethan's statement put doubt in Fox's mind. Fox shook it off quickly. "You're just trying to get me to stop revealing that you're jealous of every man who sets his sights on Theresa. Ethan, I know you're still attracted to her, and I know you're extremely jealous. I just had an idea.  Do you want me to tell your dear Gwen what you and Theresa did? Would you like your wife to know you kissed another woman? Let me remind you how much Gwen loathes Theresa. Just the name makes her unbelievably furious. "

"Shut up Fox." Ethan said clenching his fists at his sides. If he could, Ethan would've thrown punches then and there, but he resisted due to his surroundings. The temptation to hit Fox was strong. We are in a hospital. So, if  I beat the living daylights out of Fox, he'll be able to get emergency treatment fairly quickly. Sensing that Ethan was on edge, Fox put some distance between them. He cleared his throat. "Instead of exchanging banter with me, you should be with your wife. She is having your child, remember?"

"I'll deal with you later." Ethan spat out as he walked briskly to Gwen's room. Fox sighed. He was already feeling a headache coming on. The vibration of Fox's  cell caught his attention. The name on the caller ID made him smile. 'Whitney.' An entourage of Whitney fantasies inhabited his thoughts. "Oh Fox." He imagined Whitney saying to him. "I love you. You're the right man for me. We'll always be together." The buzz of the cell phone brought Fox back to the harsh reality that he was not with Whitney yet. Fox sighed again and answered his phone.  "Hey, Whitney" Fox said in the smoothest voice he could muster.

"Uh, this is Chad."

Damn! Fox thought disappointed. He cleared his throat. "What's up, Chad?"

"I was just calling to see how things were at the hospital." He replied.

"Oh, well, I haven't seen Gwen yet, but hopefully she's okay." Fox answered. Why is he using Whitney's cell?

"Okay, well me and Whitney are headed up to the apartment now. Call us if anything comes up."

"Sure thing." Fox said. He hung up the phone and sighed. Fox was extremely anxious to tell Whitney how he really felt. The restlessness he felt was building. Fox was getting to the point where he was going to tell Whitney the next time he saw her that he loved her. He wouldn't care if Chad was there or not. It was time to tell her, and he couldn't wait. Laughter caught Fox's attention. He looked around. His gaze centered upon Dylan and Theresa's bowed heads. They whispered back and forth, laughing at each other's comments. "What's so funny?" Fox asked them as he walked up beside them.

"Oh nothing." Dylan said in a coy tone. Before Fox could press any further, Gwen, laid out on a stretcher, was being moved down the hallway. A flushed Ethan was running along beside the bed. "She's going to delivery!" He called as he ran pass the trio.

Gwen panted and screamed in pain as the doctor and nurses took their positions. Ethan held his wife's hand, trying to give her words of encouragement and comfort.

"Okay, Gwen." Dr. Abel said. "I'm going to coach you through this all right? When I tell you, I want you to push really hard okay?"

"Okay" Gwen said between pants.

Ethan's breathing was synchronized with his wife's. His hand was beginning to throb in pain from the strength of Gwen's grasp.

"Push!" Dr. Abel ordered.

At his command, Gwen pushed as hard as she could. When she felt like she couldn't push anymore, she lay back in the bed exhausted. "You're doing great sweetheart," Ethan encouraged as he wiped the beads of sweat that pooled on Gwen's forehead. Gwen looked into her husband's eyes for reassurance. "Ethan I'm scared." She admitted. Ethan kissed his wife on the forehead. "You're doing great. Just listen to the doctor."

"Push again Gwen!" Dr. Abel called.

Gwen screamed as she pushed again at the doctor's orders. She cried loudly and squeezed Ethan's hand even tighter. "Ahh!" Gwen and Ethan cried simultaneously. "How much more?" Gwen asked breathing hard.

"This will be all over soon, Gwen. Now, push!" Dr. Abel said.

Gwen pushed again with all her might. She squeezed her eyes shut as she screamed in pain.

"I can see the baby's head!" Dr. Abel cried happily. Ethan peered over and smiled. "I see it too Gwen!" Gwen smiled excitedly.

"Okay, one more good push Gwen. You can do it!" Dr. Abel said.

Gwen pushed long and hard. "It's a she!" Dr. Abel called. "You're the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl."

"Is she all right?" An exhausted Gwen asked.

"She's perfect." Dr. Abel said as he handed the child to her. The baby girl opened her mouth and let out a cry. It was music to Gwen's ears.

~*~

*Please review. Comments are always appreciated! Thanks to those who continue to comment on my fic!

Note: Because I start classes this week, my fic will be updated every weekend.