Theresa spat the pills out of her mouth and poured the wine down the drain, she didn't know what she was thinking, she couldn't do that to her family, and even though it had been a while since she'd talked to them she knew that she couldn't put them through that pain. She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face hoping it would make her feel better, it didn't. She sat down on the floor, her back resting against the bed wondering what she was going to do tomorrow, everyday seemed like a new challenge that she had to make herself face and she was so tired of it. Maybe she could take a vacation to the Bahamas or somewhere tropical where she could rest and have massages all day and where she didn't have to think about anything except whether to go to the sauna or the hot tub. She decided to call her travel agent in the morning and maybe when she came back Demitris wouldn't be mad at her anymore. She climbed into bed with out bothering to get undressed and laid there half the night thinking.

She woke up with a start to a loud pounding sound and it took her a moment to realize that someone was at the door; she didn't need three guesses to know who it was. "I'm coming," she said loudly and she winced as pain shot through her head, she had never been a heavy drinker and half a bottle of wine really left its impression.
"Go away," she said not opening the door but speaking loud enough so that he could hear her.
"Come on baby, I'm sorry about last night but you know how my temper is. I bought you three dozen roses to apologize, please let me in, they're yellow, your favorite."
Theresa didn't bother to tell him that she didn't even like yellow roses, that she had never liked them. She had had enough of the beatings, of her life, she wanted…no, needed…to change her life and last night she had made up her mind to start with him. "All the roses in the world can't make me go back with you, so leave or security will arrest you for harassment and I doubt that would make you look good to the other senior members in your firm," she knew that if she threatened his reputation he would think twice about bothering her, she had tried to ply before but she had never really planned on telling anybody what he did to her, and he had known it, but this time it was different, she was tired of being the victim.

She listened for a minute and all was quiet, she sighed and laid back on the bed and then her cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"This isn't over, Theresa; I swear I'll kill you before I'll let you walk away from our marriage. No one is ever going to love you but me, you aren't worth anything—" she hung up on him and hoped he wouldn't call back anytime soon. She had taken a shower and ordered breakfast when her cell phone rang again.
"I told you it's over—," she began.
"Theresa?"
"Luis? Is that you?" asked Theresa, it had been a long time since she'd talked to her big brother but she could sense something was wrong.
"You need to come home right now; Mama just had a heart attack."
"No," whispered Theresa disbelievingly, "Is she okay?"
"I don't know yet, I'm on my way to the hospital right now. I think you should come home, she needs you."
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said and then she hung up.
'Home' that word echoed in her mind, after five years she was going home.

Ethan sat in the kitchen of his house with Jessica and her seven month-old-baby, Amy. "I'd be happy to baby-sit for you and Reese while you go on your vacation, it's only a few days I can handle it."
"Thanks, Ethan. You're the best," she said kissing her big brother's cheek, they were very close and Ethan had become good friends with her husband Reese.
"I have to go home and get her diapers and other stuff and I'll bring them back here, okay?"
"Sure. I'll be here," said Ethan as Jessica took Amy and left.

Ethan sat at the table thinking about Theresa, even after all this time she was still never far from his mind. "Damn, why did I let her leave me?" he asked himself, it was a question that went that went through his mind almost everyday. He went up to his room and reached under his bed. He brought out a shoebox, it was full of pictures and little mementos, like the tapes they had made to each other after they'd both been injured and unable to see each other, he hadn't listened to them in years, and he didn't think he wanted to, it would be too hard, hearing her voice. Everyday he wished that he would have held her instead of letting her go; if he would have made her understand then she wouldn't be in New York, married to Demitris Louis. There were so many 'if's', but he knew that he couldn't go back and change any of it. In the shoebox was a picture of her smiling at him and he picked it up, thinking back on how wonderful their relationship had been, until she had found Gwen Hotchkiss' in his bed. But Gwen had drugged him and he had never gotten to tell her that. The doorbell rang and he got up and smiled when it was Jessica with Amy.
"Okay, Ethan, here are her diapers, her bottles, her formula, the baby wipes and clothes," she said handing him a baby bag. "This one has toys, blankets, her pacifier and some other things. In the trunk of my car I have her portable crib, her car seat is in the back and her baby-carrier is too so let's go get it."
Ethan smiled; this was going to be an interesting few days.

An hour later Ethan was in his living room changing Amy's diaper and watching the news when he got a phone call. "Hello?"
"Ethan, this is Sheridan, you need to get to the hospital right away. Pilar just had a heart attack."
Ethan practically dropped the phone. "I'll be right there," he said hanging up. He finished changing Amy and then he drove to the hospital, hoping the woman who had almost been like a surrogate mother to him was going to be okay, if not for his sake then for Theresa's.

Theresa bought a plane ticket for the first plane she could find to Augusta, and the whole way there she fidgeted, she needed Demitris, someone to be with her. She kept wondering if her mother was dying whiles she was in the plane and she berated herself for ever leaving Harmony. She should have stayed with her family, if she had been there to look after Pilar this wouldn't have happened, it was all her fault. From Augusta she rented a car and then started the half hour drive to Harmony. When she finally passed the 'Welcome to Harmony' sign memories of her life there started to resurface, the park where she and Whitney use to play when they were children, the Book Café, the Lobster Shack, she finally felt like she was home. She desperately wished that she was that naïve carefree teenager who thought her life was destined to be filled with happiness. It was only when she got to the hospital did she realize that she was crying. She parked the car and hastily went inside and asked about her mother.

Ethan was sitting in the waiting area with Miguel, Kay, Luis, and Sheridan as they waited for news about Pilar. Amy had fallen asleep in his arms and looking at her he remembered another baby girl he had held in his arms. Her name was Melanie and he was her daughter, no matter what paternity tests said. After Theresa had left him Gwen had come to him claiming she was pregnant with his child, so he had married her, and that child had been the light after the darkness of his life without Theresa. Three years ago, when Melanie had been two she and Gwen had been in a car accident and Melanie had needed a blood transfusion, and because of special components in her blood it needed to be a parent, Gwen hadn't had those components and neither had he, and one parent had to. When Ethan found out that his daughter wasn't really his he was heartbroken and helpless to do anything for her. Melanie died that night and Ethan had never forgiven Gwen for not telling him the truth, Melanie had been the only thing that kept them together and when she died their marriage died with her. After the divorce he'd never spoken to Gwen again, and he hoped he never would.
"Luis, how's mama?"
Ethan's head shot up as he heard her voice and there she was, only standing a few feet away.

Theresa walked up to Pilar's floor and was greeted by Luis, Miguel, Kay and Sheridan all hugging her and telling her that Pilar was still with the doctors. She hugged them all back and it was then she saw him, for a moment she just stared at him, a million emotions, memories, and feelings all running through her mind at the same time, and he was looking at her in much the same way. Why hadn't it occurred to her that he might be there? It seemed like they had stared at each other for hours and then Theresa saw the baby, and she turned away, his and Gwen's no doubt. She fought the urge to cry and turned to Luis, ignoring Ethan, he wasn't in her heart anymore and he didn't matter. "When can I see her?"
"The doctor said in a little while, they're still running some tests, it's so good to see you little sis," he said hugging her again.
"You too, Luis."
Theresa sat down next to Luis and ignored Ethan who was sitting behind her, Sheridan was asking her about her company, Fate, but Theresa could only give half-hearted answers, she'd been through so much stress in the last twenty four hours, and the shock of seeing Ethan had yet to leave her, she had hoped that she would never see him again and here he was, and she couldn't stop thinking about him, and she was angry. What right did he have? He wasn't family; he didn't deserve to be there.

Ethan was so surprised when Theresa came in that it took him a moment to realize that it was really her. He watched her hug her friends and family and then she turned to him, and she looked at him as if she couldn't believe he was there, and then she turned away as if he didn't even exist. He had been hoping…what? That she'd burst into tears and declare that she still loved him? He didn't know what he wanted from her, he had dreamed about seeing her and now that she was here there was nothing he could say, he just couldn't make his mouth work. And then she hat down in the chair in front of him, and it was torture, to be so close to the person you loved with every fiber of your being but not being able to reach out to her.
A little while later Amy woke up and began to fuss so he took her outside for some fresh air, they both needed it.
When he came back Theresa was gone.
He rounded on Luis. "Where is she?" he asked.
"With Mama, the doctor came out and said she could have a visitor."
"You didn't tell me she was coming," Ethan said accusingly.
"We thought you two should work things out and you can't do that if you refuse to be in the same place together," said Luis calmly.
"Work things out? She hates me! I wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to look at me let alone talk to me."
"It's okay Ethan, we'll get her to talk to you," said Miguel confidently.
Ethan looked over at Sheridan and Luis, they were so happy together and they had a little girl name Emily and she was so adorable, Ethan wished he had a child, that Melanie was still with him.

Theresa walked into the hospital room and looked at her mother, she was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes, and more grey in her hair than Theresa could ever remember seeing. She took Pilar's hand and was surprised to see how light it was.
"Mama, it's Theresa," she said softly, hating to see her mother like this, it had always seemed to her like Pilar would live forever and seeing her like this brought back the reality.
Pilar opened her eyes and smiled. "Therisita, I missed you."
"I missed you too, Mama," said Theresa thinking that she had only seen her mother about eight times in the last five years and vowing that would change.
"Eve says I'm going to be fine, thank you for coming back, I know it must not be easy for you—,"
"I fine Mama, let's not talk about me, how have you been doing?" asked Theresa but it was in vain, Pilar wasn't giving up.
"Theresa, I want you to talk to Ethan—," Theresa began to interrupt but Pilar held up a hand. "You never know what will happen tomorrow, life has no guarantees and you don't want it to end holding grudges, please talk to him."
"But Mama I just got here—," she tried to protest but Pilar was adamant so Theresa promised she would talk to Ethan.
"You can't get on with the future until you resolve the past," Pilar said before Theresa left.