Chapter 17
Julian acts immaturely. Fox has an unsettling encounter.
Eve sat out in the poolhouse, and dressed Abe's wound by lantern light. Julian would not allow him in the house. He claimed that not only was it dangerous to the twins, which Eve did not disagree with, but that Abe, as the Sasquatch, smelled 'mangy'. Eve suspected Julian was just jealous.
Abe, who was now back to his old self, watched Eve, as she took care of his injury. He didn't even remember coming here. And he didn't know why, as the Sasquatch, he would decide to come back here....to Eve.
'I'm sorry for causing you trouble, again.' Abe said quietly.
Eve glanced up at him and smiled.
'You're not causing any trouble. But, I am glad to see you. Now we can get you over to Tony's and get the cure for this thing. Why did you run off anyway?'
Abe pulled his injured arm away from Eve and stood up.
'Eve, I don't believe Tony DiMera has a cure for me. I just don't.'
Eve stood up as well.
'Why would he lie...okay, skip that! Abe, Tony didn't know you would not be here when he returned from the Himalayas. If he didn't have the cure, and had given it to you then, everyone would've known he was an even bigger liar than he already is. That and I don't think he'd do that to Lexie.'
Abe shook his head.
'I don't know Eve...'
Eve rested a hand on his shoulder.
'Abe, we have to try. That and...and I need to see my daughter again.'
Abe nodded.
'I heard about DiMera's marriage to Simone. I am so sorry, Eve.'
Eve shook her head.
'Never mind that. I'll deal with it the best way I can. Where have you been? Abe, even if Lexie wasn't willing to stick it out with you, you still had your son. Why did you just up and leave like that?'
'Eve, I was afraid I was going to kill someone. I needed to go somewhere safe...be around people that didn't push my buttons.'
'So, where did you go?'
Abe looked down, then back at her again.
'I went back to the Himalayas.'
Eve's mouth dropped open!
'Are you kidding me?! Good God, Abe, why in the living hell would you go back up there?!'
'Eve please! Don't swear...it makes me kind of testy now. I don't know why, but it just does.'
Eve patted his shoulder again.
'I'm sorry. It's just that rumor had it, that you were seen leaving town hitchhiking. Was that true?'
Abe sighed, then nodded. Eve sensed there was more to the story. She waited patiently for Abe to get the tale out, in his own good time.
Abe spoke again.
'I did hitchhike. I was picked up by a man, driving a van. He was nice enough, but he had a golden retriever and some sort of pit bull mix inside the vehicle with him. I'm allergic to dogs.'
Eve began to feel uneasy. This didn't sound good.
'The man was some kind of animal nut, going on and on, about how the dogs were his best friends and such. Meanwhile, I'm trying to be polite, but my ears felt itchy, and my eyes just watered the whole time.'
'Did you get angry?' Eve asked gently.
'No, I was just a little annoyed. I mean, who was I to get angry? I was the one hitchhiking...and I had been doing it awhile. No one was interested in picking me up. Then this guy comes along and is nice enough to. So I really couldn't complain.'
Eve nodded with understanding.
'What happened next?' she asked.
Abe cleared his throat. He had never spoken a word to anyone, about what happened next.
'As if things weren't bad enough, the driver then stopped to pick up another dog!'
Eve didn't quite understand.
'What do you mean? Like a stray wandering or something?'
'That's exactly what I mean! Only, Eve, that thing was no dog! It was a wolf!'
'God!' Eve cried out.
'Oh, let me tell you, I couldn't convince that fool that it was one! He kept telling me I was wrong, and that is was some kind of huskie or something! But I know a wolf when I see one!'
'So, this man let the wolf in the van with you? And the other two dogs?'
Abe nodded miserably.
'The thing was somewhat well-behaved, although the pit mix softly growled a bit. But once the driver told him to settle down, the dog got quiet. It was when we reached the rest stop, that things went wrong.'
Abe sat back down and put his head in his hands, as he muttered the rest of the story.
'It was getting dark, and no one else was around. The man that picked me up, let the dogs out for a run. I got out to stretch my legs. Eve, this rest stop was way off the main highway. It could be, and probably is, a haven for all kinds of criminal activity. No one from the highway can see it. There's just a sign, then a long, whirling, wooded pathway, until finally, you reach a parking lot, a few picnic tables, and some restrooms. Anyway, the wolf began to attack the pit bull mix.'
'Oh no!' Eve cried out.
'The golden retriever tried to help him, but the wolf began mauling him as well. Eve, it was awful! I mean, I may be allergic to dogs, but these animals were well behaved...the golden retriever even licked my hand. Anyway, the man jumped into the fray, to help his one remaining dog.'
'Was he crazy?! What did he think he could do against a wolf?!'
'I don't know! But it doesn't matter now. The man died, screaming for me to help him! What could I do, Eve? I mean, I didn't have a gun, and I can't just become the creature at will! I mean, this was the one time when my malady, might've done some good. But all I could do was run.'
'You ran back to the van?' Eve asked sympathetically.
'Yes. The man...his name was Jed, had left the keys and all of his money and I.D., clothes...everything, in the van. I just took off. I was so unsettled. I mean, here I am, going off into the unknown, and the first person I encounter, dies, not from me, but from some wolf! I was afraid of what I saw in the creature, what I could possibly do to people...'
'Oh, Abe! You don't have that kind of violence in you! I don't see how...'
The door to the poolhouse opened abruptly, and Julian entered, holding a lantern. Eve eyed him, looking over at Abe, who looked away.
'Julian? Where are the twins?'
'Against my better judgment, I put them in a stroller and brought them with me.' he said, then pointed the lantern down behind him. The twins were sitting in a double stroller, staring at Abe.
Julian then returned the lantern towards the front of him, eyeing his wife and Abe. He then looked at Abe.
'I have actually been here for a while...oh, not from the beginning of course, but right when you said that the person you got a ride with picked up a wolf. My God! So, you were too cowardly to help another human in need again, hey Abe?'
Eve jumped up! She looked over at Abe.
'I'm going to leave the lantern here, while I go outside to talk to my husband. Excuse me!'
Abe didn't respond, but gave Julian a dirty look. Julian returned it with a cool one.
'I'd watch who you were glaring at, Big Foot!'
'Julian! You know it's anger that sets him off! Stop it and come out here with me!'
Julian gave Abe one last glance, before following Eve, and the twins, whom he pushed in their stroller, outside of the poolhouse. Eve reached back and closed the door.
'I was just going to find out why Abe had been shot! Why are you egging him on like this?'
'Darling, he's been shot, probably because some poor farmer caught him eating out of his live stock! I don't want him here!'
'I understand that...'
'Do you? I don't think that you do. Because you see for once, I put an end to that sweet, caring nature of yours, that gets us into trouble, everytime.'
Eve didn't like the sound of that!
'What does that mean? Oh, Julian, what have you done?'
'Julian! Julian, where are you?'
Eve turned towards the sound, then looked back at her husband.
'That sounds like Sam!'
'It is. And they've probably brought Animal Control! We're out of this!'
'Julian, please! Abe is here because I'm probably one of the few people that he trusts!'
'Abe's here, my darling, because he fancies you! And I do believe you're already spoken for. So, you won't be becoming, 'Mrs. Sasquatch', anytime soon!'
Eve began massaging her temples. Oh, how this man could frustrate her!
'Julian, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this: Abe loves Lexie!'
'And I don't know how many times I have to tell you: I'm not buying that! If he did love her so much, then that's where he would've shown up tonight...on her damned doorstep!'
'Julian! Don't swear, okay? He's sensitive to it!'
Julian raised a brow.
'Oh, so now a man can't even curse on his own property, because the Shaggy Beast in there, might not like it?!'
Eve knew what Julian was about to do! She knew it, because she knew every low down fault, in the man that she had loved most of her adult life. And one streak that she knew would never, ever disappear, was his juvenile, immature, cruel streak.
'Julian, no!' she screamed. She then grabbed for the twins stroller and began to run with it, back up to the main house.
Meanwhile Julian, loving the moment, opened his mouth and cursed!
'Hey Abe! Damnit^%$%$####$%$%&*(^(^&%$###$%%^^^%#@#!@!!!! What do you have to say to that?! Hey?! Nothing! Ha! That's what I....'
The Sasquatch crashed out of the poolhouse, sending glass flying everywhere! Eve, who had run into Sam, and what seemed like an army of officers, heard the noise and turned back around. Eve took the back of the stroller and began to run with it in that direction, as well as the police! Eve prayed Abe had not killed Julian!
But when Eve reached the area where the poolhouse was, she encountered broken glass. She stopped the stroller. A female officer offered to watch the twins, as Eve neared the pool itself.
Sam was helping a coughing, and sputtering Julian out of the pool! He coughed, then ran over to Eve, throwing his arms around her! Eve did not return the embrace and shoved him away!
'Eve! Don't be like that! That thing attacked me and threw me into the pool!'
'You just had to do it, didn't you? There's no telling what could've happened to us?!'
'That's right, dear! That's why I did it! So you could get the idea out of your head, once and for all, of housing Abe Carver here! My God! If he could be set off by a little swearing, then what would've happened if he had had a bad dream, or God forbid a bad meal? Or even diarrhea?'
Eve made a face at him! Sam looked a bit disgusted as well.
'I think you're exaggerating!' Eve answered.
'Maybe. But the point is, we don't know what gets the man angry here! We can't help him and I don't want to see you opening the door to him, or even giving him a band aid! Are we clear?'
Sam interrupted.
'You know, Eve, I don't usually agree with Julian on anything...ever! But he's right here. We have enough going on in this town as it is, with the power out, your daughter's fleeing and Antonio...'
'My daughter's 'fleeing'? What does that mean, Sam?'
Sam looked around briefly. When he had gotten the call to come to the Crane estate, because of the Sasquatch, he had said nothing to Luis, T.C., Lexie or Antonio. It would just be a painful reminder of what was happening to Antonio.
'When we went to the DiMera estate to talk to Simone...'
'Wait a minute, Sam! Who told you about Simone? Was it John Hastings?' Eve asked.
Sam gave her a withering glance.
'John told T.C., who had the good sense to tell me. Nice, Eve. Really nice to see that once again, when faced with helping a friend or covering your own hide, your butt wins everytime! I guess Simone got her values from you, hey?'
'Shut-up!' Julian snapped. 'Stop harassing my wife and get on with your little story!'
'Gladly!' Sam almost spit out. 'T.C., Luis and I went over to the DiMera mansion, only to find it deserted. No servants, no Tony or Simone. We later discovered that the DiMera jet is gone, and that Stefano DiMera has escaped from jail, yet again!'
'God almighty!' Julian hissed. 'How inept are the Salem P.D.? How did that maniac escape this time?'
'We're still checking on that. The point is to be on your toes. This Abe thing is just one more problem we have to deal with. No one knows why the power is out, or when it will be back on.' Sam said.
'What was that you mentioned about Antonio?' Eve asked, looking at Julian. Julian rubbed his wet hair.
'It looks as if Abe scratched Antonio a while back. He's not a full Sasquatch yet. Kind of like a junior one.'
Julian looked over at Eve, open mouthed. She shrugged. Sam's cell phone rang. He answered it.
Meanwhile, Julian looked at Eve.
'Don't be mad at me, Eve. Just say that you forgive me, and will not go near Abe Carver again.'
'Julian, if he comes to me for help...'
'Darling, I have plenty of guns. Just threaten him with one, and he won't come back.'
'Julian, he can't go on like this. I said it before. Either he has to be cured or it will destroy him.'
'And if you continue to ignore my warnings about him, someday he will destroy us.'
'What does that mean?' Eve asked.
'You know what I mean. The man is violent. Someone could be killed. Look, we have Alistair popping in here uninvited, Stefano DiMera is on the loose...let's just use a little common sense, alright?'
Eve nodded. Julian put his arms around her and held her close. Eve ignored the fact that he was wet, and held him tightly. They had dodged another bullet, yet again.
Sam got off the phone and looked at them. His eyes were hard. Eve saw the expression on his face, and pulled away from Julian. He turned to look at Sam.
'Sam? What is it?' Eve asked.
'That was the hospital. Ethan is awake.' he said.
*****
'Teresa, I don't think it's a good idea.' Pilar said sternly.
'Mama, I just want to see how he is!' Teresa cried. She was sitting in a wheelchair in her room. The doctors had already ascertained that her paralysis was temporary, and that with therapy, she would be fine. But, this whole thing had been such a shock. This whole day had been a shock.
'Rebecca is somewhere around here, Teresa. Just stay away from Ethan for awhile. People will think you're swooping in for the kill or something.'
There was a brief knock on the door. Teresa yelled out, 'come in', and Whitney walked in. She bent down to hug Teresa. Pilar looked at her.
'How are you holding up?' she asked the young girl.
Whitney swallowed.
'You mean ever since I found out that my little sister, was the one that did this horrible thing to Ethan and Gwen? I haven't felt his low...I don't know, in a long while now. Fox is with Ethan and his mother now. I just hope he can be decent.'
'Why wouldn't he be?' Pilar asked.
Whitney rolled her eyes!
'Fox was disturbed by the fact that Simon Cowell was hanging around his mother's hospital bed, while she was in that coma. Anyway, Ivy promised to tell Fox and Ethan something about her and Simon tomorrow. But that will probably never happen now.'
'Simon and Ivy do seem kind of petty right now, considering what's happened.' Teresa said.
Whitney eyed her.
'Yes. A lot of things are petty, now that Gwen is dead.'
Teresa sighed.
'Come on, Whit! Not you too! I'm not going to move in on Ethan, like some spider waiting for it's prey! I care about Ethan and always will. I just want to be there for him.'
Whitney looked over at Pilar, who seemed to be deep in thought.
'Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald? Are you alright?' Whitney asked.
Teresa turned her chair to look at her.
'Mama?'
Pilar suddenly seemed to notice them. She put on a big smile.
'I'm fine. Look, I will go and see how Ethan is. If I don't see Rebecca or Ivy, I'll take you to see him, okay?'
'Thank you, Mama! Believe me, this will be a good thing.'
'If you say so. I'm just going to go now. I'll be back. Thank you Whitney for coming. I know you're going through a terrible time with Simone.'
Whitney hugged her, then watched as she left the room. She then looked at Teresa.
'I think all of that talk about Ethan upset your mother.' Whitney said.
Teresa frowned.
'No, it didn't. Otherwise, why would she have offered to help me see Ethan?'
Whitney shrugged, but didn't answer. She felt like she didn't know anything anymore anyway!
****
Pilar stood out on a terrace, her forehead furrowed.
Simon Cowell. Simon Cowell. Why was that stupid party coming back to her? The Crane party that she had been serving at, all those years ago. The one, that when it ended, and she returned home, she discovered that Martin had not come home to watch the kids.
Simon Cowell had been there at that party. Just as obnoxious as he appeared to be on 'American Idol'. Bothering her for more drinks, yet, seemingly able to hold his liquor. Pilar shook her head. Why was she thinking about something like that now?
Pilar turned and walked off of the terrace. She wondered if she would ever accept the unfairness and horror of Martin's murder. She wondered if she, or her children, would ever be able to accept the fact, that they would probably never learn why he was killed, then bricked up in a pillar, in the basement of the DiMera house.
Only it used to belong to Ivy's family. Pilar had ignored that part of the equation for the longest time. For while the Winthrops had been slightly crooked , in their hiring practices, and in business, Ivy's parents, Harrison and Helena Winthrop's whereabouts during the time Martin went missing, could be substantiated. And Ivy was a Crane by then. She didn't live in the house anymore.
Pilar's eyes fell upon John Black coming towards her. Looking at him, for some reason, suddenly brought to light, why she was thinking about all of this again.
For the longest time, Pilar and her family, had been told that Martin punched into work at Crane Industries that morning. But no one ever saw him. And he hadn't come home the previous night...but she had known he wouldn't be home....
Pilar remembered coming home from that party, to an annoyed Antonio and Luis. They both had things they wanted to do or something. They didn't want to watch Teresa and Miguel. They said that Martin had called, and said he would be working late into the night, for the overtime.
The kids, of course, bought that. They didn't know their parents real occupations. But Pilar had suspected that the secret, additional assignment, the one that he wouldn't share with her, must've produced a lead. Pilar spent the rest of her life, secretly suspecting that it was that lead, that caused her husband to simply vanish. To think, that he was rotting away in some basement somewhere!
'Pilar?'
Pilar looked up at John Black.
'John? I heard about Stefano's escape. Do you think he's here?'
'Uh...I don't know. I'm actually here to see Rebecca. Someone told me she had been given a sedative, and was in a room around here somewhere.'
Pilar didn't even blink. John was here for Rebecca? Why? Yes, she had lost her only child, and while Pilar was somewhat sympathetic, she was saving most of her compassion for poor Marlena, whom she did not see with John!
'I know where it is. I'll take you there.' Pilar said, walking down a hallway. John kept in step with her.
'Thank you, Pilar. Look, I know what's happened here. I know what they say Rebecca did to your daughter.'
Pilar stopped in her tracks and looked at him.
'She did push my daughter down the stairs and almost cripple her! Luckily, the doctors say that her paralysis will probably be temporary!'
'Alright, alright, Pilar. Look, I'm sorry. I don't want to make it sound like I'm defending Rebecca.'
'You're not? Look, John, her room is over there. I'm sorry for Rebecca's loss, I really am. Gwen was a good person. But in many ways, Rebecca is just beginning to pay for her sins.'
John's mouth dropped open!
'Tell me you're not saying that Gwen's dying, was some form of punishment for Rebecca?' John asked, his tone cold.
'You said it, not me!' Pilar snapped back, then walked off, towards Ethan's room. John sighed deeply, the pushed open Rebecca's door.
Rebecca appeared to be asleep. Her red hair was fanned on the pillow. Her mascara was streaked on her face.
John walked in quietly, then pulled up a chair. He then reached over and brushed some of her hair. The movement awakened Rebecca. She stared at him hard, blinking, as if he were an apparition.
'John?'
'It's me, Becky. Just go back to sleep.'
Tears flooded her eyes.
'How can I? My Gwenie is gone!'
John leaned over and put his arms around her. Rebecca threw her arms around him. Even being in John's arms right now, didn't dull her pain. The last person in the world, that had ever believed in her, was gone.
****
Fox peered through the glass in the door, as Ivy and Dr. Parks, talked to Ethan. He found that he couldn't go in there. It just seemed like such a family, Kodak picture moment. One that he didn't belong in.
He felt silly. Why didn't he just go in? Ethan and him got along reasonably well. He was even cordial with his own mother now. Why didn't he just open the damned door and go in?
Fox took a deep breath, began to push open the door, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Fox turned to look down at a short, squat man with red looking eyes.
'Can I help you?' Fox asked, somewhat irritated.
'You're Fox Crane, aren't you?'
Fox looked him up and down.
'Yes, and you are?'
'Oh...I'm Nigel Reedy. With the London Inquisitor.'
Fox smirked.
'You're from a tabloid? A London one at that. Why are you here? Surely, my brother's accident isn't all that newsworthy?'
Nigel looked confused. Instead, he looked past Fox, through the window in the door. He then looked at Fox.
'Your mother is in there. Good.' Nigel said, before pushing open the door.
But Fox shoved him back!
'Hey! My brother just lost his wife in a car accident, you piece of filth! Now get out of here!'
Nigel looked flustered, and a bit angry!
'Look, Fox..'
'It's Mr. Crane to you!'
'Fine! Mr. Crane, I just wanted to give your mother a chance to tell her story, before my article appears next week.'
Fox stared at the man. He was here for his mother, not Ethan. And he was from the London Inquisitor. Why did he smell Simon Cowell's hand in this?!
'What article?' Fox asked.
Now, Nigel Reedy smirked.
'You're joking, aren't you?'
Fox took a deep breath.
'My mother and I aren't exactly close. Tell me why you are here, now, before I call security!'
Nigel looked him up and down. He then handed Fox a business card. He sensed a new angle to his story. One that dealt with the fact that Ivy Winthrop's other children, knew nothing about the child she had had with Simon Cowell.
Fox didn't even look at it.
'Give me a reason not to shove this thing down your throat?' Fox asked.
'Because then, you're mother wouldn't be able to tell her side of the story.'
'That's the second time you've said that! What 'side' to what 'story'?
Nigel now grinned! This was absolutely priceless.
'Ask your mother in there, who Amanda Leigh Cowell is. If she's not straight with you, YOU give me a call, Mr. Crane.' he said. He then turned and walked away.
Fox stared after the annoying man for a moment. He then began to rip up the card. But, something inside stopped him. Amanda Leigh Cowell? Some relative of that perv Simon's, obviously! But what did this person have to do with his mother?
Fox pocketed the card, then pushed open the door to Ethan's room.
Julian acts immaturely. Fox has an unsettling encounter.
Eve sat out in the poolhouse, and dressed Abe's wound by lantern light. Julian would not allow him in the house. He claimed that not only was it dangerous to the twins, which Eve did not disagree with, but that Abe, as the Sasquatch, smelled 'mangy'. Eve suspected Julian was just jealous.
Abe, who was now back to his old self, watched Eve, as she took care of his injury. He didn't even remember coming here. And he didn't know why, as the Sasquatch, he would decide to come back here....to Eve.
'I'm sorry for causing you trouble, again.' Abe said quietly.
Eve glanced up at him and smiled.
'You're not causing any trouble. But, I am glad to see you. Now we can get you over to Tony's and get the cure for this thing. Why did you run off anyway?'
Abe pulled his injured arm away from Eve and stood up.
'Eve, I don't believe Tony DiMera has a cure for me. I just don't.'
Eve stood up as well.
'Why would he lie...okay, skip that! Abe, Tony didn't know you would not be here when he returned from the Himalayas. If he didn't have the cure, and had given it to you then, everyone would've known he was an even bigger liar than he already is. That and I don't think he'd do that to Lexie.'
Abe shook his head.
'I don't know Eve...'
Eve rested a hand on his shoulder.
'Abe, we have to try. That and...and I need to see my daughter again.'
Abe nodded.
'I heard about DiMera's marriage to Simone. I am so sorry, Eve.'
Eve shook her head.
'Never mind that. I'll deal with it the best way I can. Where have you been? Abe, even if Lexie wasn't willing to stick it out with you, you still had your son. Why did you just up and leave like that?'
'Eve, I was afraid I was going to kill someone. I needed to go somewhere safe...be around people that didn't push my buttons.'
'So, where did you go?'
Abe looked down, then back at her again.
'I went back to the Himalayas.'
Eve's mouth dropped open!
'Are you kidding me?! Good God, Abe, why in the living hell would you go back up there?!'
'Eve please! Don't swear...it makes me kind of testy now. I don't know why, but it just does.'
Eve patted his shoulder again.
'I'm sorry. It's just that rumor had it, that you were seen leaving town hitchhiking. Was that true?'
Abe sighed, then nodded. Eve sensed there was more to the story. She waited patiently for Abe to get the tale out, in his own good time.
Abe spoke again.
'I did hitchhike. I was picked up by a man, driving a van. He was nice enough, but he had a golden retriever and some sort of pit bull mix inside the vehicle with him. I'm allergic to dogs.'
Eve began to feel uneasy. This didn't sound good.
'The man was some kind of animal nut, going on and on, about how the dogs were his best friends and such. Meanwhile, I'm trying to be polite, but my ears felt itchy, and my eyes just watered the whole time.'
'Did you get angry?' Eve asked gently.
'No, I was just a little annoyed. I mean, who was I to get angry? I was the one hitchhiking...and I had been doing it awhile. No one was interested in picking me up. Then this guy comes along and is nice enough to. So I really couldn't complain.'
Eve nodded with understanding.
'What happened next?' she asked.
Abe cleared his throat. He had never spoken a word to anyone, about what happened next.
'As if things weren't bad enough, the driver then stopped to pick up another dog!'
Eve didn't quite understand.
'What do you mean? Like a stray wandering or something?'
'That's exactly what I mean! Only, Eve, that thing was no dog! It was a wolf!'
'God!' Eve cried out.
'Oh, let me tell you, I couldn't convince that fool that it was one! He kept telling me I was wrong, and that is was some kind of huskie or something! But I know a wolf when I see one!'
'So, this man let the wolf in the van with you? And the other two dogs?'
Abe nodded miserably.
'The thing was somewhat well-behaved, although the pit mix softly growled a bit. But once the driver told him to settle down, the dog got quiet. It was when we reached the rest stop, that things went wrong.'
Abe sat back down and put his head in his hands, as he muttered the rest of the story.
'It was getting dark, and no one else was around. The man that picked me up, let the dogs out for a run. I got out to stretch my legs. Eve, this rest stop was way off the main highway. It could be, and probably is, a haven for all kinds of criminal activity. No one from the highway can see it. There's just a sign, then a long, whirling, wooded pathway, until finally, you reach a parking lot, a few picnic tables, and some restrooms. Anyway, the wolf began to attack the pit bull mix.'
'Oh no!' Eve cried out.
'The golden retriever tried to help him, but the wolf began mauling him as well. Eve, it was awful! I mean, I may be allergic to dogs, but these animals were well behaved...the golden retriever even licked my hand. Anyway, the man jumped into the fray, to help his one remaining dog.'
'Was he crazy?! What did he think he could do against a wolf?!'
'I don't know! But it doesn't matter now. The man died, screaming for me to help him! What could I do, Eve? I mean, I didn't have a gun, and I can't just become the creature at will! I mean, this was the one time when my malady, might've done some good. But all I could do was run.'
'You ran back to the van?' Eve asked sympathetically.
'Yes. The man...his name was Jed, had left the keys and all of his money and I.D., clothes...everything, in the van. I just took off. I was so unsettled. I mean, here I am, going off into the unknown, and the first person I encounter, dies, not from me, but from some wolf! I was afraid of what I saw in the creature, what I could possibly do to people...'
'Oh, Abe! You don't have that kind of violence in you! I don't see how...'
The door to the poolhouse opened abruptly, and Julian entered, holding a lantern. Eve eyed him, looking over at Abe, who looked away.
'Julian? Where are the twins?'
'Against my better judgment, I put them in a stroller and brought them with me.' he said, then pointed the lantern down behind him. The twins were sitting in a double stroller, staring at Abe.
Julian then returned the lantern towards the front of him, eyeing his wife and Abe. He then looked at Abe.
'I have actually been here for a while...oh, not from the beginning of course, but right when you said that the person you got a ride with picked up a wolf. My God! So, you were too cowardly to help another human in need again, hey Abe?'
Eve jumped up! She looked over at Abe.
'I'm going to leave the lantern here, while I go outside to talk to my husband. Excuse me!'
Abe didn't respond, but gave Julian a dirty look. Julian returned it with a cool one.
'I'd watch who you were glaring at, Big Foot!'
'Julian! You know it's anger that sets him off! Stop it and come out here with me!'
Julian gave Abe one last glance, before following Eve, and the twins, whom he pushed in their stroller, outside of the poolhouse. Eve reached back and closed the door.
'I was just going to find out why Abe had been shot! Why are you egging him on like this?'
'Darling, he's been shot, probably because some poor farmer caught him eating out of his live stock! I don't want him here!'
'I understand that...'
'Do you? I don't think that you do. Because you see for once, I put an end to that sweet, caring nature of yours, that gets us into trouble, everytime.'
Eve didn't like the sound of that!
'What does that mean? Oh, Julian, what have you done?'
'Julian! Julian, where are you?'
Eve turned towards the sound, then looked back at her husband.
'That sounds like Sam!'
'It is. And they've probably brought Animal Control! We're out of this!'
'Julian, please! Abe is here because I'm probably one of the few people that he trusts!'
'Abe's here, my darling, because he fancies you! And I do believe you're already spoken for. So, you won't be becoming, 'Mrs. Sasquatch', anytime soon!'
Eve began massaging her temples. Oh, how this man could frustrate her!
'Julian, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this: Abe loves Lexie!'
'And I don't know how many times I have to tell you: I'm not buying that! If he did love her so much, then that's where he would've shown up tonight...on her damned doorstep!'
'Julian! Don't swear, okay? He's sensitive to it!'
Julian raised a brow.
'Oh, so now a man can't even curse on his own property, because the Shaggy Beast in there, might not like it?!'
Eve knew what Julian was about to do! She knew it, because she knew every low down fault, in the man that she had loved most of her adult life. And one streak that she knew would never, ever disappear, was his juvenile, immature, cruel streak.
'Julian, no!' she screamed. She then grabbed for the twins stroller and began to run with it, back up to the main house.
Meanwhile Julian, loving the moment, opened his mouth and cursed!
'Hey Abe! Damnit^%$%$####$%$%&*(^(^&%$###$%%^^^%#@#!@!!!! What do you have to say to that?! Hey?! Nothing! Ha! That's what I....'
The Sasquatch crashed out of the poolhouse, sending glass flying everywhere! Eve, who had run into Sam, and what seemed like an army of officers, heard the noise and turned back around. Eve took the back of the stroller and began to run with it in that direction, as well as the police! Eve prayed Abe had not killed Julian!
But when Eve reached the area where the poolhouse was, she encountered broken glass. She stopped the stroller. A female officer offered to watch the twins, as Eve neared the pool itself.
Sam was helping a coughing, and sputtering Julian out of the pool! He coughed, then ran over to Eve, throwing his arms around her! Eve did not return the embrace and shoved him away!
'Eve! Don't be like that! That thing attacked me and threw me into the pool!'
'You just had to do it, didn't you? There's no telling what could've happened to us?!'
'That's right, dear! That's why I did it! So you could get the idea out of your head, once and for all, of housing Abe Carver here! My God! If he could be set off by a little swearing, then what would've happened if he had had a bad dream, or God forbid a bad meal? Or even diarrhea?'
Eve made a face at him! Sam looked a bit disgusted as well.
'I think you're exaggerating!' Eve answered.
'Maybe. But the point is, we don't know what gets the man angry here! We can't help him and I don't want to see you opening the door to him, or even giving him a band aid! Are we clear?'
Sam interrupted.
'You know, Eve, I don't usually agree with Julian on anything...ever! But he's right here. We have enough going on in this town as it is, with the power out, your daughter's fleeing and Antonio...'
'My daughter's 'fleeing'? What does that mean, Sam?'
Sam looked around briefly. When he had gotten the call to come to the Crane estate, because of the Sasquatch, he had said nothing to Luis, T.C., Lexie or Antonio. It would just be a painful reminder of what was happening to Antonio.
'When we went to the DiMera estate to talk to Simone...'
'Wait a minute, Sam! Who told you about Simone? Was it John Hastings?' Eve asked.
Sam gave her a withering glance.
'John told T.C., who had the good sense to tell me. Nice, Eve. Really nice to see that once again, when faced with helping a friend or covering your own hide, your butt wins everytime! I guess Simone got her values from you, hey?'
'Shut-up!' Julian snapped. 'Stop harassing my wife and get on with your little story!'
'Gladly!' Sam almost spit out. 'T.C., Luis and I went over to the DiMera mansion, only to find it deserted. No servants, no Tony or Simone. We later discovered that the DiMera jet is gone, and that Stefano DiMera has escaped from jail, yet again!'
'God almighty!' Julian hissed. 'How inept are the Salem P.D.? How did that maniac escape this time?'
'We're still checking on that. The point is to be on your toes. This Abe thing is just one more problem we have to deal with. No one knows why the power is out, or when it will be back on.' Sam said.
'What was that you mentioned about Antonio?' Eve asked, looking at Julian. Julian rubbed his wet hair.
'It looks as if Abe scratched Antonio a while back. He's not a full Sasquatch yet. Kind of like a junior one.'
Julian looked over at Eve, open mouthed. She shrugged. Sam's cell phone rang. He answered it.
Meanwhile, Julian looked at Eve.
'Don't be mad at me, Eve. Just say that you forgive me, and will not go near Abe Carver again.'
'Julian, if he comes to me for help...'
'Darling, I have plenty of guns. Just threaten him with one, and he won't come back.'
'Julian, he can't go on like this. I said it before. Either he has to be cured or it will destroy him.'
'And if you continue to ignore my warnings about him, someday he will destroy us.'
'What does that mean?' Eve asked.
'You know what I mean. The man is violent. Someone could be killed. Look, we have Alistair popping in here uninvited, Stefano DiMera is on the loose...let's just use a little common sense, alright?'
Eve nodded. Julian put his arms around her and held her close. Eve ignored the fact that he was wet, and held him tightly. They had dodged another bullet, yet again.
Sam got off the phone and looked at them. His eyes were hard. Eve saw the expression on his face, and pulled away from Julian. He turned to look at Sam.
'Sam? What is it?' Eve asked.
'That was the hospital. Ethan is awake.' he said.
*****
'Teresa, I don't think it's a good idea.' Pilar said sternly.
'Mama, I just want to see how he is!' Teresa cried. She was sitting in a wheelchair in her room. The doctors had already ascertained that her paralysis was temporary, and that with therapy, she would be fine. But, this whole thing had been such a shock. This whole day had been a shock.
'Rebecca is somewhere around here, Teresa. Just stay away from Ethan for awhile. People will think you're swooping in for the kill or something.'
There was a brief knock on the door. Teresa yelled out, 'come in', and Whitney walked in. She bent down to hug Teresa. Pilar looked at her.
'How are you holding up?' she asked the young girl.
Whitney swallowed.
'You mean ever since I found out that my little sister, was the one that did this horrible thing to Ethan and Gwen? I haven't felt his low...I don't know, in a long while now. Fox is with Ethan and his mother now. I just hope he can be decent.'
'Why wouldn't he be?' Pilar asked.
Whitney rolled her eyes!
'Fox was disturbed by the fact that Simon Cowell was hanging around his mother's hospital bed, while she was in that coma. Anyway, Ivy promised to tell Fox and Ethan something about her and Simon tomorrow. But that will probably never happen now.'
'Simon and Ivy do seem kind of petty right now, considering what's happened.' Teresa said.
Whitney eyed her.
'Yes. A lot of things are petty, now that Gwen is dead.'
Teresa sighed.
'Come on, Whit! Not you too! I'm not going to move in on Ethan, like some spider waiting for it's prey! I care about Ethan and always will. I just want to be there for him.'
Whitney looked over at Pilar, who seemed to be deep in thought.
'Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald? Are you alright?' Whitney asked.
Teresa turned her chair to look at her.
'Mama?'
Pilar suddenly seemed to notice them. She put on a big smile.
'I'm fine. Look, I will go and see how Ethan is. If I don't see Rebecca or Ivy, I'll take you to see him, okay?'
'Thank you, Mama! Believe me, this will be a good thing.'
'If you say so. I'm just going to go now. I'll be back. Thank you Whitney for coming. I know you're going through a terrible time with Simone.'
Whitney hugged her, then watched as she left the room. She then looked at Teresa.
'I think all of that talk about Ethan upset your mother.' Whitney said.
Teresa frowned.
'No, it didn't. Otherwise, why would she have offered to help me see Ethan?'
Whitney shrugged, but didn't answer. She felt like she didn't know anything anymore anyway!
****
Pilar stood out on a terrace, her forehead furrowed.
Simon Cowell. Simon Cowell. Why was that stupid party coming back to her? The Crane party that she had been serving at, all those years ago. The one, that when it ended, and she returned home, she discovered that Martin had not come home to watch the kids.
Simon Cowell had been there at that party. Just as obnoxious as he appeared to be on 'American Idol'. Bothering her for more drinks, yet, seemingly able to hold his liquor. Pilar shook her head. Why was she thinking about something like that now?
Pilar turned and walked off of the terrace. She wondered if she would ever accept the unfairness and horror of Martin's murder. She wondered if she, or her children, would ever be able to accept the fact, that they would probably never learn why he was killed, then bricked up in a pillar, in the basement of the DiMera house.
Only it used to belong to Ivy's family. Pilar had ignored that part of the equation for the longest time. For while the Winthrops had been slightly crooked , in their hiring practices, and in business, Ivy's parents, Harrison and Helena Winthrop's whereabouts during the time Martin went missing, could be substantiated. And Ivy was a Crane by then. She didn't live in the house anymore.
Pilar's eyes fell upon John Black coming towards her. Looking at him, for some reason, suddenly brought to light, why she was thinking about all of this again.
For the longest time, Pilar and her family, had been told that Martin punched into work at Crane Industries that morning. But no one ever saw him. And he hadn't come home the previous night...but she had known he wouldn't be home....
Pilar remembered coming home from that party, to an annoyed Antonio and Luis. They both had things they wanted to do or something. They didn't want to watch Teresa and Miguel. They said that Martin had called, and said he would be working late into the night, for the overtime.
The kids, of course, bought that. They didn't know their parents real occupations. But Pilar had suspected that the secret, additional assignment, the one that he wouldn't share with her, must've produced a lead. Pilar spent the rest of her life, secretly suspecting that it was that lead, that caused her husband to simply vanish. To think, that he was rotting away in some basement somewhere!
'Pilar?'
Pilar looked up at John Black.
'John? I heard about Stefano's escape. Do you think he's here?'
'Uh...I don't know. I'm actually here to see Rebecca. Someone told me she had been given a sedative, and was in a room around here somewhere.'
Pilar didn't even blink. John was here for Rebecca? Why? Yes, she had lost her only child, and while Pilar was somewhat sympathetic, she was saving most of her compassion for poor Marlena, whom she did not see with John!
'I know where it is. I'll take you there.' Pilar said, walking down a hallway. John kept in step with her.
'Thank you, Pilar. Look, I know what's happened here. I know what they say Rebecca did to your daughter.'
Pilar stopped in her tracks and looked at him.
'She did push my daughter down the stairs and almost cripple her! Luckily, the doctors say that her paralysis will probably be temporary!'
'Alright, alright, Pilar. Look, I'm sorry. I don't want to make it sound like I'm defending Rebecca.'
'You're not? Look, John, her room is over there. I'm sorry for Rebecca's loss, I really am. Gwen was a good person. But in many ways, Rebecca is just beginning to pay for her sins.'
John's mouth dropped open!
'Tell me you're not saying that Gwen's dying, was some form of punishment for Rebecca?' John asked, his tone cold.
'You said it, not me!' Pilar snapped back, then walked off, towards Ethan's room. John sighed deeply, the pushed open Rebecca's door.
Rebecca appeared to be asleep. Her red hair was fanned on the pillow. Her mascara was streaked on her face.
John walked in quietly, then pulled up a chair. He then reached over and brushed some of her hair. The movement awakened Rebecca. She stared at him hard, blinking, as if he were an apparition.
'John?'
'It's me, Becky. Just go back to sleep.'
Tears flooded her eyes.
'How can I? My Gwenie is gone!'
John leaned over and put his arms around her. Rebecca threw her arms around him. Even being in John's arms right now, didn't dull her pain. The last person in the world, that had ever believed in her, was gone.
****
Fox peered through the glass in the door, as Ivy and Dr. Parks, talked to Ethan. He found that he couldn't go in there. It just seemed like such a family, Kodak picture moment. One that he didn't belong in.
He felt silly. Why didn't he just go in? Ethan and him got along reasonably well. He was even cordial with his own mother now. Why didn't he just open the damned door and go in?
Fox took a deep breath, began to push open the door, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Fox turned to look down at a short, squat man with red looking eyes.
'Can I help you?' Fox asked, somewhat irritated.
'You're Fox Crane, aren't you?'
Fox looked him up and down.
'Yes, and you are?'
'Oh...I'm Nigel Reedy. With the London Inquisitor.'
Fox smirked.
'You're from a tabloid? A London one at that. Why are you here? Surely, my brother's accident isn't all that newsworthy?'
Nigel looked confused. Instead, he looked past Fox, through the window in the door. He then looked at Fox.
'Your mother is in there. Good.' Nigel said, before pushing open the door.
But Fox shoved him back!
'Hey! My brother just lost his wife in a car accident, you piece of filth! Now get out of here!'
Nigel looked flustered, and a bit angry!
'Look, Fox..'
'It's Mr. Crane to you!'
'Fine! Mr. Crane, I just wanted to give your mother a chance to tell her story, before my article appears next week.'
Fox stared at the man. He was here for his mother, not Ethan. And he was from the London Inquisitor. Why did he smell Simon Cowell's hand in this?!
'What article?' Fox asked.
Now, Nigel Reedy smirked.
'You're joking, aren't you?'
Fox took a deep breath.
'My mother and I aren't exactly close. Tell me why you are here, now, before I call security!'
Nigel looked him up and down. He then handed Fox a business card. He sensed a new angle to his story. One that dealt with the fact that Ivy Winthrop's other children, knew nothing about the child she had had with Simon Cowell.
Fox didn't even look at it.
'Give me a reason not to shove this thing down your throat?' Fox asked.
'Because then, you're mother wouldn't be able to tell her side of the story.'
'That's the second time you've said that! What 'side' to what 'story'?
Nigel now grinned! This was absolutely priceless.
'Ask your mother in there, who Amanda Leigh Cowell is. If she's not straight with you, YOU give me a call, Mr. Crane.' he said. He then turned and walked away.
Fox stared after the annoying man for a moment. He then began to rip up the card. But, something inside stopped him. Amanda Leigh Cowell? Some relative of that perv Simon's, obviously! But what did this person have to do with his mother?
Fox pocketed the card, then pushed open the door to Ethan's room.