A few days later, Theresa received a call from the hospital. She learned that the paternity tests results came in. It took awhile for Theresa to move. Her body didn't seem to be responding to her brain impulses to call Ethan. As she reached for the receiver, Theresa froze. Her gaze was fixated on the numbers. Her finger was poised as if to dial the number, but she remained still. Her mind told her to dial the number, but she couldn't get herself to do it. What if Ethan is the father of my child? What will he do then? Theresa dropped the receiver and paced around the room nervously. Little Ethan began crying in the next room, providing Theresa with a needed distraction. As soon as little Ethan was calmed, Theresa returned to the living room. She tried again to call Ethan.
One ring, then two, Maybe no one's around Theresa thought hopefully. "Hello?" Fox's deep voice answered. His voice affected Theresa in ways she hadn't felt in a long time.
Theresa stuttered. "Uh- Fox, um, hey. This is –uh- Theresa." She said uncomfortably.
"Hey." Fox said simply. He hadn't talked to her much since she had moved out of his apartment. He had seen her couple of times by the pool, but he never bothered to go over to say anything. Every time Fox saw Theresa, she was always with Dylan. Fox was baffled at his feelings towards the thought of Theresa with Dylan. He thought that he was overreacting by always finding Theresa and Dylan drifting into his thoughts. Fox felt the only reasonable explanation for his constant thoughts on Theresa and Dylan's budding relationship was his concern that Theresa might get hurt. Deep down something told Fox it was something more than that. However, Fox refused to acknowledge that feeling. Instead, Fox focused on trying to win Whitney's heart. Knowing that Chad was already on edge, Fox backed off for awhile. He seldom hung around Chad and Whitney whenever they were at the apartment. Fox kept his distance for awhile until he felt that Chad put down his guard.
Chad had backed off a little; however, he kept a wary eye on Fox. He always watched how Fox behaved around Whitney. Fox even went as far as telling Chad that he was no longer pursuing Whitney. Of course, Fox was lying, but because Fox was so convincing, Chad believed every word. Fox even apologized and called his pursuit of Whitney one of infatuation. Chad still couldn't help but feel that Fox was deceiving him. Whitney continued to regard Fox as her friend. Since she was busying herself with preparing a wedding, she hardly spent any time talking to Fox. Whitney was convinced that Fox was no longer in love with her. Fox refused to give up on Whitney. He had set out to get her to be his, and he was not planning on stopping until he got what he wanted. What Fox didn't realize was that he wanted Whitney for all the wrong reasons. Fox thought he needed Whitney, but in all actuality he needed someone else. Because of his Crane upbringing, Fox was brought to think that he should get what he wanted. Blinded by this Crane trait, Fox was unable to discover the deeper love he possessed for another woman.
Theresa remained silent, not knowing what to say to Fox. Fox could hear her breathing softly and waited for her to respond to his greeting. "Um, would Ethan happen to be around?" Theresa asked sheepishly.
I should've known Fox thought disappointedly. "No, actually Ethan's out shopping for diapers."
"Seriously?" Theresa asked unable to distinguish if Fox was being sarcastic.
"Yes, seriously." Fox said.
"Oh." Theresa replied. "Do you know when he'll be back?"
"There's really no telling when he'll come back. He's been in and out of the apartment all day. Turns out he doesn't know what kind of diapers to get and so far he's managed to get all the wrong sizes. I always thought Ethan was good at everything, well, I was proved wrong today." Fox laughed.
Theresa smiled. "I see." She chuckled softly.
"Yeah." Fox said. An awkward silence took over the conversation. Theresa twirled the telephone chord around her finger as Fox shifted from his right foot to his left. Fox cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I'll let you go then. You probably have plans with Dylan today."
Theresa had a hard time deciphering Fox's tone. Do I detect a hint of jealousy? She asked herself. "Actually, Dylan's not around. He told me that he had some business to attend to."
"Oh." Fox replied.
"Look, if you're not doing anything, maybe you and I could hang out?" Theresa suggested, hopeful to get to spend some quality time with her friend. She missed being around Fox's charismatic personality.
Fox was surprised with Theresa's suggestion. However, he had nothing planned that day and decided that it would be nice to hang out with Theresa like they used to do. "Okay, then. How about Little Ethan? Is he coming along?"
"Uh~" Theresa said as she thought to herself. "I think I'll find someone to watch him for awhile. I'd like it if it were just the two of us."
"Okay," Fox said.
"I'll call you when I'm ready okay?" Theresa replied.
"All right then, I'll see you in a little bit." Fox said.
~*~
Chad had tried asking Vivian to find a new producer for Syd. Vivian thought the idea was ridiculous. She felt that Syd and Chad should remain inseparable due to their continued success in the music business. Vivian claimed that Chad and Syd were the best things that ever happened to the record company. Chad explained to Whitney how he could not get out of working with Syd. Whitney understood, but deep down hated the fact that her husband would still be around a woman who tried to steal him away. Whitney was also disappointed that she hadn't been able to pursue her music career. Since Chad was so busy with Syd all the time, he didn't have much time left over to help Whitney along with her slowly developing music career. Whitney consoled herself by planning her wedding. She secretly hoped her family would accept her marriage to Chad and would come to the wedding. Her hopes were shot down when her letters to her father or sister were returned, unopened. The only person in her family that would occasionally write was her mother. Eve always looked forward to hear about her daughter's adventures in California from the postcards Whitney sent her mother's way. Eve told Whitney that T.C. and Whitney were still angry and that Whitney should give them a little more time. Whitney still would not give up hope that her family would accept her again.
~*~
Ethan managed to find a small place in L.A. that would suit him, Gwen, and their baby girl. However, paying for it became a major concern for Ethan. He did not have an income out in L.A. and decided that he would look into a part-time job somewhere. Ethan was tempted to call his mother for assistance, but his pride stopped him from asking for handouts. Gwen seemed content, especially since Theresa had moved out of the Crane apartment. She was disturbed by the fact that Theresa was not far away, but Gwen was happy that her husband gave her and the baby his undivided attention. However, Gwen felt that she was getting all of her husband's attention, when in reality, Ethan's thoughts were preoccupied with the paternity test results. While out looking for the right size diapers for his newborn, Ethan found his thoughts drifting to Theresa and her son. While in the store staring at the stacks of different diaper brands, Ethan began fantasizing what it would've been like if he had married Theresa. Ethan immediately felt guilty, for Gwen entered his thoughts. I chose Gwen, Ethan thought to himself. I chose Gwen, so I must be faithful to her and the commitment I made to her on our wedding day. I won't leave her, I won't. But in the back of his mind lingered one thought, Theresa.