Part XVII
Fox drove to the hospital as fast as he could. He kept hitting the red lights and for the first time he noticed that there were too many stop signs on the boulevard. He passed by the bank and saw the yellow tapes around the scene. As he glanced towards the pavement of the sidewalk, he couldn't help but wonder if the blood it was covered with was Teresa's. He shook the thought and kept driving. He replayed the scene in his head, the police officer telling him that Teresa had been shot.
He recalled that at that moment, the world he had built around her had cracked. He knew that if she was to die, it would collapse, fall apart. She meant more to him than he had ever thought.
He arrived at the hospital and went directly to the nurses' desk at the hospital E.R. His heart was beating fast, his palms were sweaty and his head was throbbing.
"Nurse, I'm looking for a shooting victim."
"The name?"
"Teresa Lopez-Fitzgerald."
"She has been admitted, the doctor will be with you shortly. If you would like to take a seat and wait."
Fox looked at her wanting to shout. Why would he want to sit? Teresa had been shot and this nurse wanted him to sit. He felt angry and thought about telling her his last name but stopped himself. He told himself that it would be better to keep his mouth shot and remain on the staff's good side. He did as the nurse requested of him and sat down. He ran his fingers nervously in his hair and bowed his head between his hands and waited. He looked up when he heard someone call his name. Whitney had just arrived with Chad, and Ethan.
"How is she?"
"I don't know yet. The nurse said that a doctor would be here in a few."
"What happened?"
"I don't know what happened Ethan. She went to the bank and she was supposed to be back and we were supposed to go back to Harmony, but then this police officer came and told us that she had been shot."
"Why didn't you go with her, Fox? Why did you let her go alone?"
"Aren't you supposed to be with your wife, Ethan?"
"This is all your fault Fox. Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before you destroyed someone's life. Why did it have to be Teresa? Why couldn't you just leave her the hell alone?"
"Ethan, chill out! This isn't his fault. Fox has done nothing to Teresa."
"Look Chad, Fox destroys everything he touches, except that this time, it's the life of the woman that I love that is hanging in the balance."
Everyone looked at Ethan stunned by his admition. They all knew that Ethan's feelings ran deeper than he was ever willing to admit to himself or to any of them.
"Do you hear yourself? You are married, Ethan."
"If I have anything to say about it, you will never go anywhere near Teresa, Fox."
Fox rose up and looked at Ethan straight in the eyes.
"Well you don't control her, Ethan and you certainly don't control me."
"Guys, take your corners. Teresa has been shot and from what we know she is critical. So let's get together and stand together for her sake."
"Whitney is right, you guys should stop this. Ethan, man, you know that Fox has nothing to do with what went down, if anything he has always been there for Teresa. And Fox, we all know how close you are with Teresa and how much you care for her."
Fox walked away and leaned the wall that was opposite Ethan. He glared at him, then put his hands in his pockets and stared at the lights on the ceiling for a long while. He couldn't understand how something like that could have happened to Teresa. She was going to the bank to pick up some papers that she had to fill out. That's the only reason she was going there. They were supposed to be on their way to Harmony. They were supposed to be sitting in first class sipping on champagne and laughing or talking about little Ethan and how they were going to get him back, or about their future together.
"This cannot be happening, this is a nightmare."
Ethan stood in his corner and looked at Fox who was lost in his thoughts. He couldn't help but loath him, he couldn't help but wish he didn't exist. Ethan wasn't blind, he saw that Fox was taking Teresa away from him a little piece at the time. He saw how happy she was around him.
When he had come back to the apartment after Julian had left with little Ethan, he had found Teresa slumped on the couch, crying in Fox's arms. When he had come close to her to try and consol her, she looked at him, got up and left with Fox behind her. When he passed by their bedroom, he had stopped and looked inside by the crack they had left. Teresa was lying down in Fox's arms, still crying. He had an arm around her and his hand was running up and down her back in a caressing motion. He was the one comforting her. He wasn't saying anything, he just let her cry and she had seemed to calm down little by little until the crying had finally stopped and she had fallen asleep. He had peeked his head inside at a moment when it was dark and had found her asleep in his half brother's arms who was still awake. He hadn't moved and his hand was still caressing her back. How he had hated him.
As Ethan kept staring at Fox, a nurse and a doctor had made their way to the small group.
"How is she?"
Whitney was standing against Chad and waiting for the doctor to answer her question.
"I need to speak to family."
Ethan moved forward and stood in front of the doctor.
"Well, her and I are like family, doctor."
Fox looked at Ethan in utter disgust as he walked up to the doctor.
"I'm her husband doctor, how is she?"
"No, you're not."
"Well, Ethan.would you like me to provide you with a marriage licence because I can. But right now, I'm more interested in knowing how my wife is doing, so if you don't mind."
Whitney, Chad and Ethan were in shock as the doctor took Fox aside. As he put his hand in his hair, all three of them saw the light reflect off of the gold wedding band that he was sporting.
"Oh my God, he really married her."
Fox drove to the hospital as fast as he could. He kept hitting the red lights and for the first time he noticed that there were too many stop signs on the boulevard. He passed by the bank and saw the yellow tapes around the scene. As he glanced towards the pavement of the sidewalk, he couldn't help but wonder if the blood it was covered with was Teresa's. He shook the thought and kept driving. He replayed the scene in his head, the police officer telling him that Teresa had been shot.
He recalled that at that moment, the world he had built around her had cracked. He knew that if she was to die, it would collapse, fall apart. She meant more to him than he had ever thought.
He arrived at the hospital and went directly to the nurses' desk at the hospital E.R. His heart was beating fast, his palms were sweaty and his head was throbbing.
"Nurse, I'm looking for a shooting victim."
"The name?"
"Teresa Lopez-Fitzgerald."
"She has been admitted, the doctor will be with you shortly. If you would like to take a seat and wait."
Fox looked at her wanting to shout. Why would he want to sit? Teresa had been shot and this nurse wanted him to sit. He felt angry and thought about telling her his last name but stopped himself. He told himself that it would be better to keep his mouth shot and remain on the staff's good side. He did as the nurse requested of him and sat down. He ran his fingers nervously in his hair and bowed his head between his hands and waited. He looked up when he heard someone call his name. Whitney had just arrived with Chad, and Ethan.
"How is she?"
"I don't know yet. The nurse said that a doctor would be here in a few."
"What happened?"
"I don't know what happened Ethan. She went to the bank and she was supposed to be back and we were supposed to go back to Harmony, but then this police officer came and told us that she had been shot."
"Why didn't you go with her, Fox? Why did you let her go alone?"
"Aren't you supposed to be with your wife, Ethan?"
"This is all your fault Fox. Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before you destroyed someone's life. Why did it have to be Teresa? Why couldn't you just leave her the hell alone?"
"Ethan, chill out! This isn't his fault. Fox has done nothing to Teresa."
"Look Chad, Fox destroys everything he touches, except that this time, it's the life of the woman that I love that is hanging in the balance."
Everyone looked at Ethan stunned by his admition. They all knew that Ethan's feelings ran deeper than he was ever willing to admit to himself or to any of them.
"Do you hear yourself? You are married, Ethan."
"If I have anything to say about it, you will never go anywhere near Teresa, Fox."
Fox rose up and looked at Ethan straight in the eyes.
"Well you don't control her, Ethan and you certainly don't control me."
"Guys, take your corners. Teresa has been shot and from what we know she is critical. So let's get together and stand together for her sake."
"Whitney is right, you guys should stop this. Ethan, man, you know that Fox has nothing to do with what went down, if anything he has always been there for Teresa. And Fox, we all know how close you are with Teresa and how much you care for her."
Fox walked away and leaned the wall that was opposite Ethan. He glared at him, then put his hands in his pockets and stared at the lights on the ceiling for a long while. He couldn't understand how something like that could have happened to Teresa. She was going to the bank to pick up some papers that she had to fill out. That's the only reason she was going there. They were supposed to be on their way to Harmony. They were supposed to be sitting in first class sipping on champagne and laughing or talking about little Ethan and how they were going to get him back, or about their future together.
"This cannot be happening, this is a nightmare."
Ethan stood in his corner and looked at Fox who was lost in his thoughts. He couldn't help but loath him, he couldn't help but wish he didn't exist. Ethan wasn't blind, he saw that Fox was taking Teresa away from him a little piece at the time. He saw how happy she was around him.
When he had come back to the apartment after Julian had left with little Ethan, he had found Teresa slumped on the couch, crying in Fox's arms. When he had come close to her to try and consol her, she looked at him, got up and left with Fox behind her. When he passed by their bedroom, he had stopped and looked inside by the crack they had left. Teresa was lying down in Fox's arms, still crying. He had an arm around her and his hand was running up and down her back in a caressing motion. He was the one comforting her. He wasn't saying anything, he just let her cry and she had seemed to calm down little by little until the crying had finally stopped and she had fallen asleep. He had peeked his head inside at a moment when it was dark and had found her asleep in his half brother's arms who was still awake. He hadn't moved and his hand was still caressing her back. How he had hated him.
As Ethan kept staring at Fox, a nurse and a doctor had made their way to the small group.
"How is she?"
Whitney was standing against Chad and waiting for the doctor to answer her question.
"I need to speak to family."
Ethan moved forward and stood in front of the doctor.
"Well, her and I are like family, doctor."
Fox looked at Ethan in utter disgust as he walked up to the doctor.
"I'm her husband doctor, how is she?"
"No, you're not."
"Well, Ethan.would you like me to provide you with a marriage licence because I can. But right now, I'm more interested in knowing how my wife is doing, so if you don't mind."
Whitney, Chad and Ethan were in shock as the doctor took Fox aside. As he put his hand in his hair, all three of them saw the light reflect off of the gold wedding band that he was sporting.
"Oh my God, he really married her."
