Finally getting around to posting these here. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy!
Something To Believe In
Chapter Four
Written by Shay
The blue waters of the Atlantic gently lapped at the sandy shores of
the beach, creating a romantic setting to a pair of lovers mid-day picnic.
"Did you enjoy your surprise?" Luis' husky voice murmured into her ear,
as the two sat on a blanket, her back to his chest, their interlocked hands
resting on her protruding middle.
Sheridan titled her head so she could smile up at him. "I loved it, thank
you."
He kissed her softly before a smile of his own appeared. "Good, I'm glad.
But, as much as I'd love to stay here with you all day, we do have somewhere
to be."
Eyeing him curiously, she allowed him to help her to her feet. "Where
are we going?"
"You'll see," He replied with a wink, gathering up the blanket and picnic
basket. Taking her hand, they headed up the gentle slope that led to the
parking lot. He helped her into the car before getting in himself.
The ride was short, and a few minutes later, they pulled into the driveway
of Pilar's house. He shot her a secretive smile when she raised an eyebrow
in question. They exited and traveled up the short walk. Per Theresa's request,
he knocked twice, to let the people inside know the guest of honor had arrived.
Pilar opened the door after a few moments and she smiled warmly. "Mijo,
Mija, please, come in."
Luis ushered her inside, greeting his mother with a kiss on the cheek
and Sheridan followed suite. They stepped into the living room, where they
were promptly greeted by a group of people shouting surprise.
The look upon Sheridan's face was priceless as she took in the brightly
decorated room. Pink balloons, boasting 'It's a Girl!' and pink streamers
hung about and there was a large table set up under the window, overflowing
with gifts.
Theresa was the first to bound forth, enveloping the stunned blonde in
a huge hug. "Welcome to your baby shower," She announced gleefully.
"You threw me a baby shower?" She asked in awe, tears filling her eyes.
"It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me," Theresa
smiled.
"Thank you. Thank you all," Sheridan said, tu rning to face Luis, who
tried, unsucessfully, to hide his grin. "You knew about this?"
He shrugged. "Guilty as charge." He urged her forward. "You have fun.
I'll be here to pick you up later."
"You're not staying?"
"This is your moment," Luis replied, kissing her sweetly. "Have fun, okay?
I'll see you in a few hours."
"Okay," She conceded.
"Thanks, Resa," He murmured as he hugged his sister. "I know how much
this means to her."
"My pleasure," She said, kissing his cheek. "You and the guys have a good
time, we'll take good care of her."
"You better," He warned with a twinkle in his eye. He then waved to everyone
else, who had surrounded his wife. With one last glance back, he followed
Miguel back outside.
******
"You and Luis must be getting so excited," Grace said when she sat down
next to Sheridan a bit later, handing her a plate of cake and ice cream.
She took it gratefully and nodded with a smile. "We really are. Luis is
already such an amazing father. Did I tell you he's actually building a
rocking chair for the nursery?"
Grace smiled at that. "It doesn't surprise me. He always was great with
Miguel and Theresa, I can only imagine how much more so he'll be with his
own children."
Sheridan gave a nod of agreement. "He's incredible." She lowered her voice
an octave. "But, to be honest, I'm so scared. I've only taken care of a baby
once by myself and Little Ethan was far from a newborn then. What if I hurt
her?"
The older woman gave her a knowing look. "Oh, sweetie, that's natural.
The first one is always scary, but once you hold that sweet little baby in
your arms for the first time, your maternal instincts will kick in. You're
going to make an excellent mother, trust me."
The words of encouragement seemed to soothe her nerves and she impulsively
hugged Grace. "Thank you."
Grace patted her knee supportively. "My pleasure, sweetie."
******
"Pull that end tighter," Luis instructed, holding on to one end of a large
piece of off white carpet.
Antonio nodded and tugged his end a little further until his brother was
satisfied and passed him the carpet stapler.
The two were in the newly constructed addition to the cottage, finishing
up the last essential items in the nursery. The walls had been painted the
pale pink color Sheridan chose on their day out and they were now laying
the final pieces of carpet. Once the second coat of paint was applied and
dried, the border would be put up and all that would be left, is the furniture
that was to be delivered two days later.
"Hey, Luis," Miguel said, standing in the doorway. "There's someone here
to see you."
He grunted as he stapled the last part down and stood. "Who?"
"It's Beth," He said with a shrug. "She said it was important."
Luis looked surprised, but nodded. "Think you can take it from here?"
He asked his older brother.
"I think we can handle it," Antonio replied, handing the stapler to Miguel,
who nodded.
He shook his head and disappeared down the short hall. In the living room,
Ethan and Hank sat watching a football game, with his nephew squeezed between
them. Beth stood nervously off to the side.
Luis smiled when he saw her, which she returned and he ruffled Little
Ethan's hair before following her outside.
They came to a stop inside the gazebo and he gazed at her expectantly.
Beth toyed with the sleeve of her shirt before meeting his eyes.
"What's going on?"
"I.. I needed to talk to you about something," She began, her eyes expertly
filling with tears.
His expression grew concerned. "Is everything all right? Your mother?"
"Mother's fine," She replied quickly. "It's just... Just, oh, I can't
take it anymore!"
She promptly broke down into tears and Luis led her over to the closest
bench.
"Hey, come on, it can't be that bad."
Beth shook her head. "I.. It's just, with everyone having babies later...
Kay, Tabitha," She paused to add extra emphasis, "Sheridan, I can't stop
thinking about..."
"About what?" Luis asked gently.
She took a deep breath, ready to put on the performance of a lifetime.
"I can't stop thinking about the baby that I lost." And here was the clincher,
she thought, as she glanced up at him sadly. "Our baby."
******
Luis looked as if he'd just been punched in the gut. He hadn't heard her
right, had he? Their baby?
"What?" He asked, rather dumbly.
Beth placed her hand over his and nodded. "Our baby, Luis."
He blinked, once, twice, and shook his head slightly. "What are you talking
about, 'our' baby? I mean, you never told me..."
"I didn't know," She insisted. "I didn't know until it was too late."
"But you never said a word after," Luis recounted. "Didn't you think I
had the right to know you'd been pregnant with my child?"
Beth glanced down and then back at him, her face one of innocense and
apologies. "Of course I did. And I was going to, but then Sheridan came
back and you were so happy... I didn't want to bring you down."
"That was over a year ago, Beth," He said with controlled anger. "There
were plenty of times since then you could've said something. Why did you
wait so long?"
"I didn't want to burden you," Was her explanation. "You already had so
much on your plate, with your family, Sheridan and Antonio, Antonio being
sick, you being shot... I didn't want to add to that, over something you
could do nothing about."
Luis shot her an incredulous look. "I could've been there for you!"
She visably flinched at his tone. "I'm sorry, Luis!"
Luis sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
He paused, running a hand through his hair. "I just wish you would have
told me sooner."
She nodded. "I know, I should have, but really, I had your best interest
at heart."
"You did, I know." He said. "I know."
At his contemplative expression, Beth inwardly grinned. Phase one, complete.
Phase two was set to begin shortly.
******
"Oh, my gosh," Sheridan gasped as she peeled away the wrapping paper to
reveal a beautiful handcrafted mobile. "Grace, this is gorgeous. Did you
make it yourself?"
Grace beamed at her compliment and nodded. "I'm so glad you like it."
"I love it," She admonished. "Thank you, so much."
"You're very welcome."
Pilar stepped foward then, with a wrapped box in hand. She handed it to
her daughter-in-law, who took it gingerly. Pilar sat down in her seat beside
her.
"It's tradition in my family that the grandmother makes the receiving
blanket for each of her children's firstborn," She explained as Sheridan
opened the gift. Tears filled her eyes as she did.
Inside lay a handwoven pink blanket, made of the softest material. Knitted
at the bottom was Alyssa's name, along with an outline of an angel.
"Oh, Pilar," She whispered, fingering it gently. "I don't know what to
say. It's beautiful. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mija," Pilar smiled, returning the huge she was given.
"Okay, my turn," Theresa announced, presenting an elaborately wrapped
gift. The box was heavy as Sheridan took it from her. The youner woman's
face was full of anticpation while she waited not so patiently for her to
open it.
Sheridan lifted the top of the box and ruffled through the pink and purple
tissue paper until she struck something solid. Extracting the item from the
box, a soft gasp escaped her lips. In her hands was an extraordinarily quilted
baby book. The cover was white, with a burgandy trim that matched the scroll.
In perfect calligraphy, Alyssa Katherine Lopez-Fitzgerald stared back at
her.
"Theresa..." She began, but was interrupted by her giddy voice.
"I hope you like it. I wanted it to be special, personal, you know? I
figured, if you want, I can add her birthdate when she's born."
"I love it, Theresa," Sheridan smiled. "It's perfect, thank you."
Theresa jumped up to hug her tightly. "After all you've done to help me
keep Little Ethan, it's the least I could do. I don't know where I'd be
if it weren't for you." She whispered before releasing her.
Wiping the lone tear from her cheek, she nodded. "I'm happy to do it.
That's what family is for, right?"
"You bet," Theresa giggled before clapping excitedly. "All right, now
that we're done with presents, we have some games planned..."
******
Two hours later, after many party games had been played, the group dispersed
until only Sheridan, Pilar, Theresa and Eve were left.
Pilar and Theresa had taken to cleaning up, as Eve helped Sheridan get
the gifts together.
"Are you all right, Sheridan?" Eve questioned with concern when she noticed
the blonde standing with a grimace on her face.
A moment passed before she responded. "I'm not sure."
Eve helped her sit down on the nearby couch. "What is it? The baby?"
Another look of pain crossed her features then and she nodded. "It - It
hurts."
Slipping into doctor mode, Eve gently pressed on her stomach, watching
her expression as she did. "Sweetie, how long as this been going on?"
Sheridan shook her head. "I'm not sure. An hour or so."
"And the pains, do they get worse or better?"
Wincing, she choked out. "Worse. Oh, God, I think I'm in labor."
"I think so, too," Eve agreed.
Sheridan's eyes grew large and she grabbed the other woman's hand. "It's
too soon, though! I'm not due for another couple of weeks. Oh, God."
"Shh," Eve soothed. "It's not unusual for women to deliver a bit early.
You're only three weeks ahead of schedule. Everything will be fine."
"Are you sure?" She asked worriedly.
"Yes. But I do think we should get you to the hospital. I'll go tell Pilar."
"Someone has to call Luis! Now. I need him," Sheridan cried, the fear
of actually having a baby now setting in. And to do it without Luis, frightened
her even more.
"Of course," Eve replied. "I'll call him, sweetie, don't worry."
Sheridan's gaze followed her as she headed for the kitchen before another
contraction ripped through her and her eyes closed.
******
At the Crane Estate, Luis and Beth were sitting in the living room of
the cottage, alone now that everyone else had left. Beth, for her part,
was playing the role of an emotionally devestated woman to a T, with Luis
none the wiser.
Earlier, when Luis had gone into the kitchen to get them something to
dirnk, the phone had rung and there had been a brief message on the machine
from Eve, saying Sheridan had gone into labor.
Flashback
"Luis, it's Eve. Sheridan is in labor, we're on our way to the hospital
-"
Her voice had been cut off by Beth's wicked grin as she unplugged the
phone and answering machine. She couldn't have planned this better if she
tried.
Picking Luis' cellphone up from it's place on the table, she quickly turned
it off. She knew it would break his heart to miss the birth of his daughter,
but he'd get over it. Besides, Sheridan would never forgive him for not being
there and once she divorced him, he would come back to her and be there
for each of their children's birth...
Her daydream was cut short when Luis came back in.
"Did someone call?" He asked, handing her a glass of water.
She smiled and shook her head. "No."
End Flashback
"Hey," Luis' hand waved in front of her face. "You all right?" You looked
a million miles away just now."
Snapping out of her daze, she smiled. "Oh, no, I was just thinking."
"About what?" He asked curiously.
Her reply was cut off by the front door flying open, a disheveled Gwen
standing there, Ethan behind her.
Luis stood quickly, concern marring his features. "Gwen, Ethan, what's
wrong?"
Gasping for air, Gwen wheezed. "You have to get to the hospital. Sheridan's
in labor."
******
"Where is he? Where is Luis?" Sheridan wailed not much later, as the nurses
began to prep her for delivery.
"He'll be here, Mija," Pilar, who was allowed back with her until her
son arrived, assured her. "He wouldn't miss this for the world."
Her teeth clenched together as she experienced another contraction, much
more intense this time. When it passed, she gaze up at the older woman with
watery blue eyes. "He has to make it, Pilar. He has to get here."
Pilar pattered her had reassuringly. "He will, I'm sure. He'll probably
be here in just a few minutes, you'll see."
Ten, fifteen minutes passed from th en and in that time, her water broke,
her labor escalating rapidly. Her contractions had reached a fever pitch
when she heard the most glorious sound.
"Sheridan!" Luis' voice shouted out and the next thing she knew, he was
right beside her, holding her hand, kissing her forehead, murmuring his
apologies.
"You made it," She panted, clutching his hand as another pain shot through
her body. "I was so scared you wouldn't be here."
"Not a chance," He grinned, kissing her damp hair. "Wild horses couldn't
keep me away."
Sheridan smiled shakily, touching his cheek softly. "We're having a baby,"
She whispered tearfully.
A brilliant smile broke out across his face. "I know. It's incredible."
Her response was a nodded agreement. They waited there for another twenty
minutes, when the doctor came into examine her and announced she was fully
dialated.
With murmured words of encouragement, Luis held onto her hand as she focused
all of her energy into pushing their daughter into the world.
A brief struggle later, the loud cries of Alyssa Katherine Lopez-Fitzgerald
rang out through the room.
******
"She's so beautiful," Sheridan sniffled, taking her daughter into her
arms for the very first time.
Luis gently stroked the soft fuzz ontop the baby's head, his proud smile
never fading. "She is. She's absolutely gorgeous. Just like her mother."
With tears in her eyes, Sheridan's gaze collided with his. "Our baby.
Our little girl."
"The most precious gift in the world," He said lovingly.
They fell silent, as both pairs of eyes turned to watch the sleeping newborn,
wrapped in her mothers embrace. Sheridan softly kissed her head, before placing
her in Luis' waiting arms.
The baby cooed in her slumber and she felt her heart burst with love at
the sight of father and daughter. Luis glanced up at her, a single tear
traveing down his face.
"Thank you," He spoke with striking emotion. "Thank you, so much. You've
given me more then I could have ever asked for."
Salty drops also began to fall from her eyes and she shook her head. "I
didn't do it alone."
Luis' only response was to learn over and kiss her with everything he
had, with every ounce of love he felt. And nestled between them, was the
single product of that love.
******
"Isn't this exciting?" Theresa gushed. "I have a niece! I can't wait to
see her."
Ethan, who was standing beside her, chuckled at her enthusiasm but nodded.
"I have to admit, I'm pretty excited myself. Even though Sheridan isn't my
aunt, I can't help but think of the baby as my cousin."
Theresa glanced up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. "I'm sure Sheridan
wouldn't mind you being called Alyssa's cousin. I know she still sees you
as her nephew."
"Yeah," Ethan smiled wistfully.
A soft sigh escaped Theresa. "I can only imagine how happy Luis and Sheridan
are. To have a baby with your one true love..."
His head bowed slightly at her words. "If anyone deserves it, it's them,"
He said quietly.
She nodded in agreement. "After everything they've been through, they
still managed to get married and be together for this. They're really lucky."
"They certainly are."
Theresa merely sighed again, leaving them both to their private thoughts.
******
"What?" Sheridan inquired, catching the look on her husbands face as he
watched their daughter eat greedily.
"It's incredible," Luis replied in awe. "I can't believe she's here. That
we're parents."
"It is pretty amazing," She conceded with a smile.
He shook his head, a short chuckle errupting from his chest. "It's more
then amazing, it's... unbelievable."
She shot him a look of mock hurt. "It's unbelievable that we have a child
together?"
"I didn't mean it like that," He said, pressing a kiss to her cheek as
his thumb gently ran over Alyssa's tiny hand. "I just meant, that after everything
we've been through the past two years, we're here, together, married and
we have a beautiful, healthy baby girl."
"I know," Sheridan sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "What makes
it even more so, is that neither my father nor Julian have tried to do anything."
Luis tensed at the mention of her family and forcefully said. "I'm not
going to let them do anything to us anymore. There's a hell of a lot more
at stake for us now and it'll be over my dead body that I lose you again."
She reached up to touch his cheek, her touch bringing back the light to
his eyes and agreed. "I'm not going to let them take you or Alyssa away
from me, either. I finally have a real family, a wonderful, loving husband
and a beautiful daughter, who love me and I'll be damned if I let either
of you go."
He smiled at her declaration before kissing her softly. "And we do love
you. More then anything in the world."
******
"You all right?" A voice asked from behind Gwen adn she turned. A smile
appeared when she saw Hank standing there.
"I'm fine," She replied, though her eyes deceived her words.
Hank's dark eyes narrowed as he studied her. "Are you sure? You look upset."
Gwen sighed, surprised at how well he could read through her lies. Even
Ethan couldn't do that, and they'd known each other all their lives. "I
guess. It's just with Sheridan having her baby..."
Her voice trailed off, but he nodded in understanding. "You're thinking
about your baby, aren't you?"
She shrugged. "I can't help it. I can't help but wonder what he or she
would look like or what they would grow up to be. I'm happy for Luis and
Sheridan, I really am, but I can't help but be a little jealous. Does that
make me a horrible friend?"
"Not at all," Hank assured her. "It just makes you human."
Gwen smiled briefly at him before her eyes wandered over to where Ethan
and Theresa were laughing over something. Her husband was looking at the
other woman in the way he hadn't looked at her in years. Since before she
had invaded their lives. Hank caught her expression and followed her gaze.
"Does that bother you?"
She hesitated momentarily but then gave a quick shake of her head. "No,
not really. It should, but it doesn't. Not anymore."
******
It was another two hours gone before baby Alyssa was taken to the nursery
and Luis headed out to where his family waited. He knew Eve had let them
know when she had been born, but he'd been unable to tear himself away from
his wife and daughter. But now both were asleep and he figured he better go
talk to them before they started to climb the walls with impatience.
His mother was the first to spot him as he turned the corner to the waiting
room and he was soon surrounded by loved ones, clamoring on to know about
the newest Lopez-Fitzgerald.
"Both Sheridan and Alyssa are fine. They're sleeping now," He informed
them with a smile. "She's beautiful. Absolutely perfect."
Pilar was smiling so hard, it felt as though her face would crack and
Theresa was bouncing up and down, beaming. His brothers wore identical grins
and he couldn't help but laugh.
"When can we see her?" Theresa wanted to know.
"Well, she's in the nursery now, so you can go look at her, if you want.
You'll have to wait until they're both awake to meet her, though."
The general consensus was to see this little angel and so the Lopez-Fitzgerald
clan headed towards the nursery. They crowded together in a group, all eager
to catch their first glimpse.
"She's right there," Luis pointed out, the unmistakable look of love and
pride spread across his face.
"Oh," Pilar gasped, tears filling her eyes as she gazed at her granddaughter.
"Mijo, she's beautiful."
"She is," Theresa echoed, looking very much like the excited new aunt
she was. "She looks just like Sheridan."
The smile Luis wore was so bright, the sun paled in comparison and Antonio
chuckled, slapping him on the back.
"Congratulations, little brother. I'm happy for you. For both of you."
"Thank you," Luis responded sincerely before enveloping his brother in
a hug. "That means a lot to Sheridan and I."
Antonio glanced from his sleeping nieces to Luis and shrugged with a half
smile. "I can't say I'm not envious as hell, but I'm happy for you. You two
deserve this."
Acknowleding his words with a nod, the two turned their attention back
to the window in front of them.
*******
Nightime had fallen over Harmony when Julian Crane entered the hospital.
Visiting hours were long over, but he had no intention on visiting his dear
sister. No, he had something entirely different in mind.
He nodded towards the security guard as he made his way towards the elevator.
Luckily, the car was empty when he boarded, pressing the button for the second
floor. A brief period of time later, the doors reopened to the maternity
ward. There was another guard there, who smiled wearily at him before allowing
him to pass.
Julian stopped a nurse in the hallway to inquire as to what room his sister
was in and she pointed him in the right direction. Hesitating mometarily,
he poked his head inside, not at all surprised to see Luis asleep in the
chair beside Sheridan's bed. He let out a light chuckle before closing the
door behind him. Oh, if only his father could see them now, he'd be seeing
red.
Shaking his head, he continued on down the hall, towards the nursery.
His mouth quirked up into a smile when he saw Eve standing there, her eyes
on the newborns that lay behind the sheet of glass.
"Hello, Eve," He spoke lowly, so as not to frighten her.
She spun around, a look of surprise on her face. "Julian! What are you
doing here?"
He nodded towards the sleeping babies. "I've come to see my niece."
Eve eyed him suspiciously. "In the middle of the night?"
He gave a slight shrug. "As I'm sure you know, Luis is far from my biggest
fan and my darling sister is hardly singing my praises, so I don't think
they would be over joyous to share this with me. However, she is my first
niece and I wanted the chance to see her, if only from afar."
The honesty in his voice made Eve smile and she gestured towrds a sleeping
baby, nestled in a bed near the back. "Well, there she is."
A genuine smile appeared and Julian traced her form on the glass. "Oh,
sweet Alyssa," He murmured. "My God, she looks just as Sheridan did when
she was born."
"I do have to admit, there is an undeniable resemblance," Eve agreed,
but froze as a movement caught her eye. Grabbing Julian's arm, she motioned
frantically, unable to utter a word.
Fear coursed through hhim when he saw the shadow of a man hovering above
his nieces crib. Damn his father. Damn him to hell. Over his dead body was
he going to idly stand by and allow him to do this again.
Breaking free of Eve's grasp, Julian rushed towards the nursery door,
the lovely doctor at his heels. He threw the door open just as the perp
was leaving, little Alyssa wailing in his arms. The man, momentarily thrown,
stepped back as he approached him menacingly.
He tried to dodge around Julian, but was stopped as his hands closed around
his throat. In his struggle, the man nearly lost his hold on the baby, but
luckily Eve was there to catch the slipping bundle.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing with my niece," Julian roared,
his grip tightening on the mans neck.
The kidnapper sputtered, but said nothing. Julian turned towards Eve,
his hold on the other man still firm.
"Take her to my sister and get Luis."
Eve nodded and scurried off, leaving the two men alone. If Julian didn't
kill him, he would soon wish he had, once Luis got his hands on him. Of that
she was sure.
*******