~Chapter 11~
Everything was going as planned, tonight he reveal to Teresa his true feelings. Tonight he would tell her he loved her. Something he had always knew from the day he met her, but had just recently figured out. Fox thought about that, why had it taken him so long to realize that he loved her? Probably because he had never been shown love. Maybe because in away, Teresa was the only one who had shown him anything that remotely resembled love.
Fox laid out the tuxedo he had chosen to wear tonight. It would go perfect with the dress that he had purchased for Teresa to wear. He looked over at the clock on his night stand. It should be delivered any moment. He thought about Teresa wearing that dress. His heart beat a million beats a minute. She would be absolutely stunning. Like a princess. Harmony's princess. And tonight he would be her prince. He would give her the fairytale.
He pulled the small little box out of his pocket. He opened up and studied the piece of jewely intently. It certainly was beautiful, but Teresa's beauty outshined even the most perfect of diamonds. He traced the shape of the heart pendant. He had chosen it for one reason and one reason only. It symbolized his heart and that was exactly what he planned on giving her, his heart. He hoped she would take it.
-----------------------------
Teresa was finishing up some cleaning there at the cottage. Fox had done her a favor and had one of the maids come down and clean it for her and she didn't want to disappoint him. She had made a point to keep it up.
Teresa was just straightening up the magazines on the coffee table when the doorbell rang. Odd she thought to herself. She wasn't expecting any company. Oh well, maybe it was Fox. That would definitely be a nice surprise.
She walked over and opened the door. Surprised at what she saw. Gwen stood with her back facing her. "Gwen."
Gwen turned and faced Teresa, she was holding her new baby, "Teresa, hi. How are you?"
"Fine, actually. Look, Gwen, I don't mean to be rude, but is there a point to your visit?" Teresa asked.
"May I come in?" Teresa stepped out of the way allowing Gwen to enter into the cottage. "I never realized how small this place was, Teresa. How do you manage to live in something so small?"
"I manage just fine, Gwen. Thank you for your concern."
"Well, let me get to the reason I'm here. I just wanted to introduce you to Sara Winthrop." Gwen gloated as she held down the blanket allowing Teresa to see the baby that had been shrouded with blankets.
"She's beautiful, Gwen. You and Ethan should be proud." A lump was forming in Teresa's throat. She sucked in a deep breath of air. She had to be strong now more than ever.
"She is, isn't she. Looks exactly like her father. Don't you think so, Teresa? I mean, she's Ethan made over." Odd, Teresa didn't see a resemblance. "You know Teresa it's a good thing we didn't have a little boy."
Teresa looked at Gwen oddly, "Why is that?"
"Well, I had always dreamed of naming a boy after Ethan, but seems that name was taken by you." Anger filled Gwen's eyes. Not unnoticed by Teresa.
"I'm sorry, Gwen, I had no intentions..."
"I don't see really why it would matter though." Gwen acted nonchalantly.
"Why is that?" Teresa asked, but wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Gwen smiled wickedly, "Because he's dead, Teresa, Little Ethan is dead."
-------------------------------------------
Teresa walked over to the picture beside her bed. She gently touched his little face. He had been so perfect. Everything about him had been perfect. His blue eyes. His smile. His laugh. Why had he been taken away from her so soon? It just wasn't fair. But then again what about her life had been fair?
She looked toward the bathroom and saw the pills sitting there. They could make it all go away. They would help dull the pain.
She walked over to the bathroom, still holding the tiny picture of Little Ethan. She gently sat the picture down on the counter and reached for the pills. Her hand was shaking so bad that she dropped the bottle and pills went flying in every direction.
She scrambled to the floor and picked up a handful. If one or two could dull her pain, maybe three or four could take away her pain. Maybe more.
She stopped midway to her mouth. No! No, she couldn't do this. Eve had warned her. Only take one or two pills. That was all. But Eve wasn't here was she? Eve didn't understand her pain. No one did.
She took them one by one. She stopped counting after five. It didn't matter now anyways. Soon she would be asleep and all her pain would be gone. When she had finished she picked up the picture of Little Ethan lying on the bathroom counter. She would carry it back to the bed and sleep with it. Maybe it would help her to dream happy dreams about him. But it was too late. The room was already spinning. Cold, she felt cold. She had already passed out. The cold linoleum pressing against her face. The picture of Little Ethan lay beside her, shattered.
--------------------------------------------
"Mr. Crane, Mr. Crane. You must come quickly." The young maid rambled on.
Fox had been straightening his tuxedo jacket, when she had come running in. He turned to look at her, "Whoa, calm down, what's wrong?"
"It's Miss Teresa, sir. When I went to deliver the dress I knocked on the door, and there was no answer. So I checked the door, it was unlocked...
He walked over to her, "Spare me the details. What's wrong with Teresa?" Fox asked clearly agitated.
"She's lying on her bathroom floor."
Fox pushed past her and ran to the cottage. He burst through the front door and ran straight to the bathroom. She was lying there just like the maid had said.
He rushed to her side and scooped her up, "Teresa, Teresa wake up." He took her jaw in his hand and gently shook her face when she didn't respond, "Come on, Teresa, wake up." He saw the broken picture of Little Ethan.
Fox looked up at the sink. Water. Maybe water would help wake her up. He gently lay Teresa back down and stood to his feet. Pills. There were pills everywhere. Oh, God. No she couldn't have. She couldn't have tried to kill herself. Please no.
Think Fox. Think. Fast. He looked down and noticed Teresa's hand moved. He was again by her side, "Teresa, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Teresa?"
"Fox?" She could barely whisper.
"It's me. Teresa, what happened?"
"So much pain, Fox. I had to make the pain go away."
"What happened, please, Teresa, tell me what happened." Fox begged.
"The baby....Gwen....Little Ethan....He's dead, Fox. He's really dead." Teresa began to cry.
"Was someone hear, Teresa? Did someone come to the cottage?"
"So sleepy, Fox. I just want to go to sleep. Please." She closed her eyes.
"Teresa! No, Teresa! Don't you dare go to sleep. Do you hear me? Stay awake!" God, what to do? He couldn't think.
The maid came running in. "Mr. Crane, an ambulance is on the way."
An ambulance, why hadn't he thought of that?
"Fox?" Teresa said.
"Teresa? Stay awake. Please, Teresa."
"I can see him, Fox. I can see Little Ethan. I'm going to be with him. So sleepy."
Fox got up and turned on the shower. Teresa wasn't leaving him now. Not ever. Not if he had anything to do with it. He bent down and picked her up and stood holding her in the shower under the cold water.
"Fox, I'm so cold. Please, stop."
"Damnit, Teresa, I won't stop. You have to stay awake. You can't leave me, Teresa. Not now. I love you! Damn you, Teresa, can you hear me? I love you!"
***Okay, guys, what do ya think? I hope it seems realistic. I know this may seem drawn out, but I wanted to take the story in this direction to show Teresa's pain and how Fox would eventually come and help ease that pain. I also want to develop a history to their love. Give you guys a real reason to want them to be together. I hope that's what it's doing. Read and review. I love to read them.
Everything was going as planned, tonight he reveal to Teresa his true feelings. Tonight he would tell her he loved her. Something he had always knew from the day he met her, but had just recently figured out. Fox thought about that, why had it taken him so long to realize that he loved her? Probably because he had never been shown love. Maybe because in away, Teresa was the only one who had shown him anything that remotely resembled love.
Fox laid out the tuxedo he had chosen to wear tonight. It would go perfect with the dress that he had purchased for Teresa to wear. He looked over at the clock on his night stand. It should be delivered any moment. He thought about Teresa wearing that dress. His heart beat a million beats a minute. She would be absolutely stunning. Like a princess. Harmony's princess. And tonight he would be her prince. He would give her the fairytale.
He pulled the small little box out of his pocket. He opened up and studied the piece of jewely intently. It certainly was beautiful, but Teresa's beauty outshined even the most perfect of diamonds. He traced the shape of the heart pendant. He had chosen it for one reason and one reason only. It symbolized his heart and that was exactly what he planned on giving her, his heart. He hoped she would take it.
-----------------------------
Teresa was finishing up some cleaning there at the cottage. Fox had done her a favor and had one of the maids come down and clean it for her and she didn't want to disappoint him. She had made a point to keep it up.
Teresa was just straightening up the magazines on the coffee table when the doorbell rang. Odd she thought to herself. She wasn't expecting any company. Oh well, maybe it was Fox. That would definitely be a nice surprise.
She walked over and opened the door. Surprised at what she saw. Gwen stood with her back facing her. "Gwen."
Gwen turned and faced Teresa, she was holding her new baby, "Teresa, hi. How are you?"
"Fine, actually. Look, Gwen, I don't mean to be rude, but is there a point to your visit?" Teresa asked.
"May I come in?" Teresa stepped out of the way allowing Gwen to enter into the cottage. "I never realized how small this place was, Teresa. How do you manage to live in something so small?"
"I manage just fine, Gwen. Thank you for your concern."
"Well, let me get to the reason I'm here. I just wanted to introduce you to Sara Winthrop." Gwen gloated as she held down the blanket allowing Teresa to see the baby that had been shrouded with blankets.
"She's beautiful, Gwen. You and Ethan should be proud." A lump was forming in Teresa's throat. She sucked in a deep breath of air. She had to be strong now more than ever.
"She is, isn't she. Looks exactly like her father. Don't you think so, Teresa? I mean, she's Ethan made over." Odd, Teresa didn't see a resemblance. "You know Teresa it's a good thing we didn't have a little boy."
Teresa looked at Gwen oddly, "Why is that?"
"Well, I had always dreamed of naming a boy after Ethan, but seems that name was taken by you." Anger filled Gwen's eyes. Not unnoticed by Teresa.
"I'm sorry, Gwen, I had no intentions..."
"I don't see really why it would matter though." Gwen acted nonchalantly.
"Why is that?" Teresa asked, but wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Gwen smiled wickedly, "Because he's dead, Teresa, Little Ethan is dead."
-------------------------------------------
Teresa walked over to the picture beside her bed. She gently touched his little face. He had been so perfect. Everything about him had been perfect. His blue eyes. His smile. His laugh. Why had he been taken away from her so soon? It just wasn't fair. But then again what about her life had been fair?
She looked toward the bathroom and saw the pills sitting there. They could make it all go away. They would help dull the pain.
She walked over to the bathroom, still holding the tiny picture of Little Ethan. She gently sat the picture down on the counter and reached for the pills. Her hand was shaking so bad that she dropped the bottle and pills went flying in every direction.
She scrambled to the floor and picked up a handful. If one or two could dull her pain, maybe three or four could take away her pain. Maybe more.
She stopped midway to her mouth. No! No, she couldn't do this. Eve had warned her. Only take one or two pills. That was all. But Eve wasn't here was she? Eve didn't understand her pain. No one did.
She took them one by one. She stopped counting after five. It didn't matter now anyways. Soon she would be asleep and all her pain would be gone. When she had finished she picked up the picture of Little Ethan lying on the bathroom counter. She would carry it back to the bed and sleep with it. Maybe it would help her to dream happy dreams about him. But it was too late. The room was already spinning. Cold, she felt cold. She had already passed out. The cold linoleum pressing against her face. The picture of Little Ethan lay beside her, shattered.
--------------------------------------------
"Mr. Crane, Mr. Crane. You must come quickly." The young maid rambled on.
Fox had been straightening his tuxedo jacket, when she had come running in. He turned to look at her, "Whoa, calm down, what's wrong?"
"It's Miss Teresa, sir. When I went to deliver the dress I knocked on the door, and there was no answer. So I checked the door, it was unlocked...
He walked over to her, "Spare me the details. What's wrong with Teresa?" Fox asked clearly agitated.
"She's lying on her bathroom floor."
Fox pushed past her and ran to the cottage. He burst through the front door and ran straight to the bathroom. She was lying there just like the maid had said.
He rushed to her side and scooped her up, "Teresa, Teresa wake up." He took her jaw in his hand and gently shook her face when she didn't respond, "Come on, Teresa, wake up." He saw the broken picture of Little Ethan.
Fox looked up at the sink. Water. Maybe water would help wake her up. He gently lay Teresa back down and stood to his feet. Pills. There were pills everywhere. Oh, God. No she couldn't have. She couldn't have tried to kill herself. Please no.
Think Fox. Think. Fast. He looked down and noticed Teresa's hand moved. He was again by her side, "Teresa, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Teresa?"
"Fox?" She could barely whisper.
"It's me. Teresa, what happened?"
"So much pain, Fox. I had to make the pain go away."
"What happened, please, Teresa, tell me what happened." Fox begged.
"The baby....Gwen....Little Ethan....He's dead, Fox. He's really dead." Teresa began to cry.
"Was someone hear, Teresa? Did someone come to the cottage?"
"So sleepy, Fox. I just want to go to sleep. Please." She closed her eyes.
"Teresa! No, Teresa! Don't you dare go to sleep. Do you hear me? Stay awake!" God, what to do? He couldn't think.
The maid came running in. "Mr. Crane, an ambulance is on the way."
An ambulance, why hadn't he thought of that?
"Fox?" Teresa said.
"Teresa? Stay awake. Please, Teresa."
"I can see him, Fox. I can see Little Ethan. I'm going to be with him. So sleepy."
Fox got up and turned on the shower. Teresa wasn't leaving him now. Not ever. Not if he had anything to do with it. He bent down and picked her up and stood holding her in the shower under the cold water.
"Fox, I'm so cold. Please, stop."
"Damnit, Teresa, I won't stop. You have to stay awake. You can't leave me, Teresa. Not now. I love you! Damn you, Teresa, can you hear me? I love you!"
***Okay, guys, what do ya think? I hope it seems realistic. I know this may seem drawn out, but I wanted to take the story in this direction to show Teresa's pain and how Fox would eventually come and help ease that pain. I also want to develop a history to their love. Give you guys a real reason to want them to be together. I hope that's what it's doing. Read and review. I love to read them.