XVIII.

Pilar held Little Ethan protectively against her breast as the Crane jet landed at the Los Angeles International Airport. She took a deep breath as she took tentative steps towards the exit. Sunlight enveloped her as she stepped off the plane. Pilar glanced at the perfect blue sky and thought about how the day's beauty contrasted with her miserable inward feelings. Little Ethan clapped as he took in his surroundings. Pilar glanced at her grandson with sad eyes. "You poor thing. You don't even know that your mother is on the verge of death." Pilar bit her lower lip as her eyes blurred with tears. Pilar quickly wiped her eyes as she made her way through the airport. She glanced around anxiously, trying to spot the driver Fox had sent for her. Fox told her that someone, most likely a male, would be holding a sign with her name upon it. Pilar looked around, getting swept up quickly by the crowd of people rushing to and fro. Spotting a tall uniformed man in a black hat, Pilar sighed in relief when she saw that he held a sign that read "Pilar."

"I'm to take you directly to the L.A. Hospital, ma'm." The driver replied gruffly.

"I know, let me grab my luggage." Pilar said.

"Allow me, ma'm." The driver replied as he followed her. Once she gathered all her baggage, Pilar followed the driver out front to a limo. As she made herself comfortable, Little Ethan began fussing. "Shh," Pilar tried her best to placate her grandson by patting him comfortingly on the back. Little Ethan's cries diminished, but his lower lip still trembled. "It is okay, Little Ethan," Pilar said softly. Little Ethan's blue eyes were fixated on Pilar's face. "No more tears," Pilar whispered shakily as she kissed her grandson on the forehead. Pilar had a hard time trying to control her own emotions. She was afraid for her daughter's life as well as her grandson's. "What will he do without his mother?" Pilar thought. She then instantly reprimanded herself for such negative thoughts. "We're going to see your mama," Pilar said trying to sound cheerful, but even Little Ethan seemed to detect that something was wrong. Little Ethan glanced at his grandmother warily. Pilar went through her purse and pulled out a picture of Theresa. "Your mama," Pilar said pointing at the picture. Little Ethan's chubby hands reached eagerly for the photo. "Mama," Pilar repeated. "Mm," Little Ethan said happily. "Say mama," Pilar encouraged.

Little Ethan looked at the picture curiously, "Mm," He repeated as he let out a squeal of delight. Little Ethan's eyes danced with joy. Pilar was worried at how Little Ethan would react to Theresa's present appearance. Pilar was even more worried about how she would react herself. Pilar already knew that Theresa was in bad shape. She shivered at the eerie tone of Fox's voice when he informed her of the news of Theresa's accident. "Mma!" Little Ethan shouted happily. Pilar opened her mouth in shock. "What did you say?" She asked her grandson.

Little Ethan waved the picture in the air. "Mm-mma!" He said happily.

"His first word," Pilar gasped. "Oh Theresa," She thought sadly. "If only you could hear your little boy right now."

~*~



"You say Syd is behind all of this mess?" Chad asked warily. He wasn't too sure how much Latoya could be trusted. After all, Latoya had proven to be hostile towards Chad and Whitney.

"Yeah," Latoya replied. "It's Syd's fault."

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Chad asked suspiciously.

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me." Latoya replied.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Chad asked.

"Tell 'em to run a check on the car I was drivin'. I bet you'll see that it belongs to her."

"So, you could've just stolen her car." Chad retorted. "Latoya, you're going to have to give me some better evidence."

"I'm telling you, it was all Syd. And I can probably prove it to you."

"How?" Chad asked.

"If I help ya'll get Syd, can I get a deal or something? I don't want to spend too much time behind bars." Latoya said, glancing away.

"How would you help?" Chad asked quietly.

"I'm not sure if Syd heard 'bout the accident, but maybe somehow I could meet up with her. I could wear a microphone or somethin' so that you can hear every word. I'll get Syd to spill everythin' and you'll have your evidence."

Chad looked up at the mirror in the room skeptically. He knew that Officer Canton could see his reaction. Chad raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Go for it?"

Officer Canton stroked his chin. "What do you think, boss?" Officer Canton asked his supervisor. "Sounds good to me," he said. "Get that gal a lawyer. If this works out, let's try gettin' a deal." Officer Canton nodded and left the room. He rapped lightly on the door of the interrogation room. "Chad?" He said entering.

Chad got up and went over to Officer Canton who said in a low tone, "Let's go with her plan. If she can prove it was Syd, we might be able to cut her a deal. Don't make any promises though." Officer Canton warned as Chad nodded his understanding.

"I'm going to gather a team together to set this all up. I'll be back to inform you both of the details." Officer Canton said before he left quickly.

"What was that about?" Latoya asked while trying to appear indifferent.

"We're goin' to try this." Chad replied. "But you gotta understand Latoya," Chad warned. "You may or may not get a deal. You understand?"

Latoya sat back and looked away. She pressed her lips tightly together. After a long pause, she nodded her response.

Chad let out a long breath. "If Syd turns out to be guilty, I'm going to make her pay." He thought angrily.

~*~

Syd sighed happily as she sipped a glass of champagne. After speaking with Theresa, Syd had called for someone to pick her up from the hospital. That night, she had hoped that Latoya had executed the plan correctly. "She better get it right." Syd thought as she settled back in her bubble bath. Candle light flickered against the wall as Syd hummed a tune to a new song she was working on. "Whitney will finally be out of Chad's life, and I'll have had my revenge on Fox when Theresa breaks it off with him." Syd thought to herself contentedly. "Latoya will get all the blame after I report that my car was stolen. It'll be perfect, because I'll make it seem as if I'm totally innocent in this whole ordeal." Syd let out a laugh. "Everything's perfect." She squealed. "I wonder why Latoya hasn't called me yet. Hopefully, she's far from California." Syd thought to herself. The phone began ringing. "I wonder if that's her." Syd said as she quickly dried herself."

"Hello?" Syd answered.

"Syd, it's Latoya."

~*~



Ethan walked quickly to the ICU and inquired about Theresa at the nurse's station. After finding out which room Theresa was in, Ethan walked briskly down the hallway. He stopped at the door and inhaled slowly. Ethan pushed open the door, the hinges creaking softy. Ethan saw Fox's tall figure standing in the corner of the room, looking out the window. Hearing footsteps behind him, Fox turned around. "Oh, Ethan." Fox said unenthusiastically.

Ethan said nothing to Fox, for his eyes were engrossed on Theresa's limp figure. He could not stop staring at the many machines that were hooked up to her body.

"It's pretty bad." Fox said quietly as he stood beside his half-brother. Fox winced. "You should see the list of injuries Theresa's sustained. It's horrible because I know she's in pain. I feel tortured because I feel so powerless." Fox said miserably.

"She's stable?" Ethan asked softly.

"For now." Fox replied as he rubbed his tired eyes. "She's in pretty bad shape."

Ethan sat in the chair beside the bed and reached for Theresa's hand.

"Is Gwen okay?" Fox asked., placing his hands in his pockets.

"Last time I checked, she was fine." Ethan replied quietly, his gaze never leaving Theresa's face. "Have you called Theresa's family?"

Fox sat down. "I called Pilar. She should be arriving any minute now. She's~" Fox looked away and clenched his jaw. "She's-uh-bringing Little Ethan." Fox said as he found the tears finding their way down his cheeks.

"Oh God," Ethan said sadly. The two men sadly gazed down at a woman who was regarded highly in their hearts. The clicking of the ventilator filled the silence between them.

"I should kick your ass you know." Fox said quietly after the long pause.

"Excuse me?" Ethan said taken aback by Fox's words.

"You said some pretty awful things to Theresa last night." Fox explained. "It wasn't called for Ethan."

"Don't remind me." Ethan said putting his head down in shame. "I~ overreacted. I was just so upset~"

"You didn't have to blame it on Theresa though." Fox interrupted. "Why'd you use her as your scapegoat? That wasn't fair."

"I don't know." Ethan said glumly. "I just hope Theresa wakes up, because I'd hate the thought of her leaving without me apologizing to her."

"Don't think of her leaving." Fox snapped angrily. "She isn't going to die. She can't die!"

"Fox, calm down. I didn't mean it like that." Ethan said.

Fox turned away and walked to the window. "I can't lose her Ethan," Fox admitted, his voice quivering slightly. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Ethan sighed. Fox had actually appeared sincere with his feelings towards Theresa. "Do you-uh- think I could have a minute alone with her?" Ethan asked.

Fox looked at Ethan skeptically. Bending his head down and fixing his gaze upon the floor, Fox nodded slowly. "I've got to check to see if Pilar's arrived yet anyway." Fox said quietly as he left the room.