* I am not affiliated with NBC's Passions or James E. Reilly

C H A P T E R          T W E N T Y

Discoveries

"I wonder if Gwen had the baby yet." Whitney said aloud.

"We'll find out soon enough." Chad replied.

"Yeah." Whitney sighed. "Chad, is something bothering you?" She asked as concern masking her face.

"To be honest, Whit, there is something that's bothering me."  Chad admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Chad thought about Whitney's question. He wanted to tell her what Syd had suggested to him, but he knew that it would hurt Whitney's feelings. Chad contemplated on the ride home whether to tell his wife-to-be or not. It's important to have trust and honesty in a relationship Chad thought to himself. If I lie to Whitney now, I'll keep on lying to her. That's not good for our relationship. Look why lying did to Ethan and Theresa. Chad opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but hesitated. Whitney noticed and decided not to press any further. She wanted to wait for Chad to tell her when he was ready. "I'm going to brush my teeth." Whitney told Chad.

Whitney got up and headed towards the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and reached for her toothbrush. After she finished brushing her teeth, she took a look on the calendar and noticed a red circle on the date. It took her awhile to comprehend why the date was circled. Oh my God she thought. She hurriedly checked herself to confirm her growing suspicions. My period skipped.

~*~

"Gwen had the baby!" Ethan called as he rushed towards Fox, Theresa, and Dylan.

"Congratulations!" Theresa cried. "Is it a boy or girl?"

"It's a girl." Ethan said happily. "I have a daughter!"

"Congratulations, Ethan." Fox said as shook Ethan's hand.

"Thanks, Fox." Ethan replied.

Dylan spoke up. "I'm Dylan, an old friend of Fox's. Congratulations."

Ethan shook Dylan's hand as well. "Thanks, Dylan." Ethan said eyeing him up and down warily.  "It's nice to meet you. Well, I'm going back to check on Gwen and the baby. Ethan rushed off down the hall as Fox, Theresa, and Dylan headed back to the waiting room. All three said nothing. The silence was appreciated by the trio, for they all had things on their mind. Fox seemed to be the most troubled. How can you not fall in love with her? Dylan's words circulated through Fox's mind. Theresa's face flashed in his thoughts. He shook his head as if to get rid of them. I love Whitney. He immediately contemplated. I love her. However, doubt still pervaded his mind. Dylan's exclamation before entering the maternity unit claimed that Fox didn't love Whitney. Dylan's being ridiculous. I do love Whitney, right?

Theresa on the other hand, thought about how Fox's interference would eradicate Whitney and Chad's relationship. Knowing Fox, Theresa knew he would go to great lengths to get what he wanted. In that sense, Fox acted like a true Crane. And all this time I thought Fox would be better than any of the other Cranes I've known. Theresa shook her head sadly. Fox just can't break up Whitney and Chad! I have to find a way to make sure he doesn't. But what do I do?  

Dylan first thought about his friend Fox. The only reason why he's pursuing Whitney is because of the challenge. Fox has always loved a good challenge. That has to be the reason why he's going after Whitney. He doesn't really love her. What's more interesting is his relationship with Theresa. What's going on between those two? Dylan noted the obvious unsaid feelings of both. They've obviously got some pent of feelings they need to confront. Dylan then decided to discover what those hidden feelings were. Looks like I've got some work to do. He noted as he looked from Theresa to Fox.

In the hospital room, the proud parents smiled at their beautiful baby daughter who slept soundly in Gwen's arms. "She's perfect." Ethan whispered as he kissed the baby on the head.

"She needs a name." Gwen said softly. "What are we going to call her?"

"Did you have any names in mind?" Ethan asked.

"How about Samantha René Winthrop?" Gwen said after pausing a moment to think.

"It sounds fine to me." Ethan smiled. "Hello, Samantha. I'm your daddy." Gwen handed to baby over to Ethan. Ethan carefully handled his child. She seemed so small and fragile in his arms. Ethan felt as if something had clicked as he looked as his child. It was a connection that only a father could know. It was hard to explain, but at that moment, Ethan felt that connection and an odd sense of déjà vu. Where have I felt like this before? He thought as he looked as his child. The answer came in a recent memory. I felt a connection just like this when I held Little Ethan. Ethan's face blanched. He handed Samantha back to Gwen. "I'm going to go outside for awhile."

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Gwen asked.

"I'll be fine. I'll be right back." Ethan left hurriedly and headed towards the exit. He needed air fast. I'm just being ridiculous. Little Ethan is not my son. The idea is absurd. Dr. Russell said that there was no chance that I was the father. "But what if I am?" Ethan asked aloud.

"What if you're what?" Theresa asked as she came up behind him. Theresa saw Ethan rush towards the exit and decided to see if something was wrong. "What is it Ethan?"

Ethan just stared at Theresa and her son who was asleep in her arms. "What if I was the father of Little Ethan?" He asked softly.

Theresa's eyes opened wide with shock. "What do you mean?" She demanded.

"Remember shortly after you gave birth to Little Ethan?" Ethan began. Theresa nodded to prompt Ethan to go on.

"When I held Little Ethan, it was like I felt this close connection to him. It's indescribable really. When I held my daughter awhile ago, it was like déjà vu. I felt that connection again. It was strange." Ethan shook his head in amazement.

"Dr. Russell already said you couldn't have been the father. I was on the pill when we~"

"I know." Ethan interrupted. "But can we really take Dr. Russell's word for it?"

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Theresa asked warily.

"I think there should be a DNA test. We need to have concrete evidence."

~*~

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