~Chapter 9~
Teresa opened her eyes. She had been sound asleep. She sat up, yawned and stretched. Fox heard her and came from the kitchen into the living room.
"I see you've finally entered the land of the living, Teresa. You've been out for almost two hours. Those pills must be doozies." Fox said handing her a cup of coffee. "Here drink this. I got it for myself, but you look like you need it worse than I do."
She took the coffee from him, "Gee, thanks! You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself."
"I'm serious, Teresa. Do those pills always do that to you?"
"Yeah, but I don't take them all the time." Teresa answered.
"What if I hadn't came by to check on you? What would you have done? You should have never agreed to babysit for Maria. You're not ready yet, Teresa." Fox scolded her.
"What am I suppossed to do, Fox? Sit back and do nothing. Wilt away? You yourself said I needed to get out and live a little!" Teresa shot back.
"Calm down, Teresa, all I'm saying is that maybe you shouldn't have came here alone today. I know you like to think that you're strong and that you're in control, but clearly you're not. You need my help, Teresa. Please, let me help you." Fox begged.
Baby Maria cried in the background, "I'll get her." Fox stood to his feet.
"No, Fox. Let me." Teresa got up and headed toward her bedroom. She walked in and found Maria crying in her crib. She reached down and picked her up. "What's wrong, Maria? Are you getting hungry? Come on let's go get you a bottle." Teresa went to the kitchen and prepared her bottle and then returned to the living room and took her seat next to Fox.
Fox watched her feed Maria. He hadn't know Teresa when Little Ethan had passed away, but he could tell by the way she handled Maria that she would have been an excellent mother. She sang softly to the child as she rocked and fed her. Teresa's voice sounded like an angel. Of course, that's what she was to Fox. His angel. His fallen angel. He was convinced he could return her back to heaven where she belonged.
"She's beautiful isn't she, Fox?" Teresa said smiling down at the baby she held tight in her arms.
"She is, Teresa. I think maybe she takes it after her aunt. She's got your same big eyes."
Teresa smiled up at him, "Really? You think so? I guess she does, doesn't she."
They sat in silence for a moment, watching Maria take her bottle. "Fox, do you ever think about having children?"
"All the time." He answered.
"That surprises me."
"Why? I'm just like anyone else, Teresa. I have dreams and ambitions. A wife and kids would be nice."
She looked at him surprised, "But you always said you didn't believe in love."
He watched her feeding Maria. That was exactly what he pictured when he thought about children. Teresa rocking their baby. "Yeah, well, things change. I met you, Teresa, and you showed me a whole new meaning to life."
"Wow, you mean I can actually do something right?"
"Come on, I'm being serious. You're the first person who ever gave me the benefit of the doubt. You opened your heart to me, Teresa, and showed me what true friendship was all about. You made me see things in a whole new light."
"I did all that?" She smiled.
He shook his head yes. "Yeah, you did."
They sat starring at each other when Miguel and Kay came through the front door.
"How did things go?" Kay walked over and took Maria from Teresa.
"Great!" Fox said standing up and looking over at Teresa.
"Fox, good to see you." Miguel held out his hand.
Fox shook Miguel's hand. "Same here. I hope you don't mind my being here. I just wanted to check on Teresa."
"No! Not at all. You're more than welcome here." Kay said. "Hope Maria wasn't too much of a hand full."
"She was absolutely perfect!" Teresa said.
"Great!" Kay smiled. "Teresa, do I owe you anything? You know for babysitting?"
"No. Really you don't."
Miguel chimed in, "How about you let me and Kay take you two out to dinner sometime as a thank you?"
"Really, Miguel, I don't expect anything from you and Kay. I'm hope you two had a good time this afternoon. Did you enjoy the movie?" Teresa asked.
Miguel looked at Kay, "I might have enjoyed it a little more if Kay hadn't cried through the entire movie." He tickled Kay in the ribs.
Kay laughed, "Oh, come on, Miguel. I think I heard you sniffle a few times."
"I take it you two had a good time then?" Fox asked.
"We did." Miguel nodded. "Hopefully we can do it again soon."
"I think we'll be going now." Fox gathered up Teresa's purse and jacket. "Come on, Teresa. I'll drive you home."
"But my car..."
Fox interrupted, "We can get it later. I'm driving you home." Teresa didn't protest. They said their good-byes and headed toward Fox's car.
Kay and Miguel watched them from the door. "Did you see the way Fox was looking at her, Miguel?"
"He's got it bad, doesn't he?"
"Uh-huh. I wonder how Teresa feels about Fox?"
"I don't know how to read Teresa anymore. She's changed a lot since Little Ethan's death. But I will say, she seems comfortable with Fox. Hopefully he'll be able to get through to her."
Kay agreed, "Yeah, Teresa can use all the help she can get right now. Fox just may be exactly what the doctor ordered."
"Let's hope you're right, Kay. Let's hope you're right." Miguel sighed.
Teresa opened her eyes. She had been sound asleep. She sat up, yawned and stretched. Fox heard her and came from the kitchen into the living room.
"I see you've finally entered the land of the living, Teresa. You've been out for almost two hours. Those pills must be doozies." Fox said handing her a cup of coffee. "Here drink this. I got it for myself, but you look like you need it worse than I do."
She took the coffee from him, "Gee, thanks! You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself."
"I'm serious, Teresa. Do those pills always do that to you?"
"Yeah, but I don't take them all the time." Teresa answered.
"What if I hadn't came by to check on you? What would you have done? You should have never agreed to babysit for Maria. You're not ready yet, Teresa." Fox scolded her.
"What am I suppossed to do, Fox? Sit back and do nothing. Wilt away? You yourself said I needed to get out and live a little!" Teresa shot back.
"Calm down, Teresa, all I'm saying is that maybe you shouldn't have came here alone today. I know you like to think that you're strong and that you're in control, but clearly you're not. You need my help, Teresa. Please, let me help you." Fox begged.
Baby Maria cried in the background, "I'll get her." Fox stood to his feet.
"No, Fox. Let me." Teresa got up and headed toward her bedroom. She walked in and found Maria crying in her crib. She reached down and picked her up. "What's wrong, Maria? Are you getting hungry? Come on let's go get you a bottle." Teresa went to the kitchen and prepared her bottle and then returned to the living room and took her seat next to Fox.
Fox watched her feed Maria. He hadn't know Teresa when Little Ethan had passed away, but he could tell by the way she handled Maria that she would have been an excellent mother. She sang softly to the child as she rocked and fed her. Teresa's voice sounded like an angel. Of course, that's what she was to Fox. His angel. His fallen angel. He was convinced he could return her back to heaven where she belonged.
"She's beautiful isn't she, Fox?" Teresa said smiling down at the baby she held tight in her arms.
"She is, Teresa. I think maybe she takes it after her aunt. She's got your same big eyes."
Teresa smiled up at him, "Really? You think so? I guess she does, doesn't she."
They sat in silence for a moment, watching Maria take her bottle. "Fox, do you ever think about having children?"
"All the time." He answered.
"That surprises me."
"Why? I'm just like anyone else, Teresa. I have dreams and ambitions. A wife and kids would be nice."
She looked at him surprised, "But you always said you didn't believe in love."
He watched her feeding Maria. That was exactly what he pictured when he thought about children. Teresa rocking their baby. "Yeah, well, things change. I met you, Teresa, and you showed me a whole new meaning to life."
"Wow, you mean I can actually do something right?"
"Come on, I'm being serious. You're the first person who ever gave me the benefit of the doubt. You opened your heart to me, Teresa, and showed me what true friendship was all about. You made me see things in a whole new light."
"I did all that?" She smiled.
He shook his head yes. "Yeah, you did."
They sat starring at each other when Miguel and Kay came through the front door.
"How did things go?" Kay walked over and took Maria from Teresa.
"Great!" Fox said standing up and looking over at Teresa.
"Fox, good to see you." Miguel held out his hand.
Fox shook Miguel's hand. "Same here. I hope you don't mind my being here. I just wanted to check on Teresa."
"No! Not at all. You're more than welcome here." Kay said. "Hope Maria wasn't too much of a hand full."
"She was absolutely perfect!" Teresa said.
"Great!" Kay smiled. "Teresa, do I owe you anything? You know for babysitting?"
"No. Really you don't."
Miguel chimed in, "How about you let me and Kay take you two out to dinner sometime as a thank you?"
"Really, Miguel, I don't expect anything from you and Kay. I'm hope you two had a good time this afternoon. Did you enjoy the movie?" Teresa asked.
Miguel looked at Kay, "I might have enjoyed it a little more if Kay hadn't cried through the entire movie." He tickled Kay in the ribs.
Kay laughed, "Oh, come on, Miguel. I think I heard you sniffle a few times."
"I take it you two had a good time then?" Fox asked.
"We did." Miguel nodded. "Hopefully we can do it again soon."
"I think we'll be going now." Fox gathered up Teresa's purse and jacket. "Come on, Teresa. I'll drive you home."
"But my car..."
Fox interrupted, "We can get it later. I'm driving you home." Teresa didn't protest. They said their good-byes and headed toward Fox's car.
Kay and Miguel watched them from the door. "Did you see the way Fox was looking at her, Miguel?"
"He's got it bad, doesn't he?"
"Uh-huh. I wonder how Teresa feels about Fox?"
"I don't know how to read Teresa anymore. She's changed a lot since Little Ethan's death. But I will say, she seems comfortable with Fox. Hopefully he'll be able to get through to her."
Kay agreed, "Yeah, Teresa can use all the help she can get right now. Fox just may be exactly what the doctor ordered."
"Let's hope you're right, Kay. Let's hope you're right." Miguel sighed.