~Chapter 16~
Fox was headed back toward the hospital when his cell phone rang. "This is Fox." He said picking up the phone.
Whitney's voice came through on the other end. "Fox, you'd better get back quick."
Fox started to panic, "Is she okay, Whitney?" If Teresa was dead, Gwen would pain. She would pay dearly.
"We don't know yet, Fox. She's just starting waking up. Please hurry." Whitney pleaded with him.
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Fox?"
"Yeah, Whit?"
"She's whispering your name."
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Fox came rushing into the hospital. No one is in the lobby. He had a feeling they were all down by Teresa's room. He rounded the corner and ran into Ethan.
"Where have you been?" Ethan asked.
"This is no time to lecture me, Ethan. I want to see Teresa."
"I know. Come on, she's been asking for you."
Fox looked at Ethan a little stunned, but decided to ignore his last comment. Maybe the hospital was just getting to him.
Ethan and Fox walked into Teresa's room. Her bed was surrounded by her family and friends. Pilar looked up as they entered the room. "Oh, Fox, I'm so glad your here. She's been calling out your name. Please come say something to her. Maybe she'll wake up for you."
All eyes were on Fox as he took Pilar's seat beside Teresa. He took Teresa's hand in his own and held it up to his face. "Teresa, it's me, Fox. Wake up, Teresa."
A single tear fell down Teresa's face, but she still did not wake up. "Please, Teresa, open up your eyes. We're all here waiting for you. Your mom, your brothers, Whitney and Chad, Sheridan, Ethan and me, Teresa. Please wake up for us. We all love you, Teresa, more than you'll ever know."
Teresa slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the room.
"Thank you, God!" Pilar yelled out as she crossed the room and took Teresa's free hand. "Oh, Teresa, you gave us such a scare."
Luis bent down just beside Pilar and landed a kiss on Teresa's forehead, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Teresa. We were all praying for you."
Tears streamed down Teresa's face. She opened her mouth and slowly the words, "Thank you." came out.
Dr. Russell came into the room. "I hear my patient is finally awake. Do you guys care to step out while I examine Teresa?"
"No, of course not, Eve." Pilar said gathering everyone and exiting the room.
"Teresa, glad to see you awake. You had us all so worried." Eve bent down and examine Teresa's eyes. "Especially me, Teresa. I gave you those nerve pills and I feel so bad that I didn't warn you enough over taking too many." Eve finished her eye exam and then worked on Teresa's limbs. Making sure she had feeling and sensations. "I'm doing this, Teresa, because due to the overdose you developed some brain swelling. I want to make sure there was no permanent damage."
Eve continued her examine and when she was finished she took a seat beside Teresa. Eve smiled down at her, "Well, Teresa, I think you're going to make a full recovery. I imagine you'll be weak for sometime, but with a little TLC from your family and friends you'll be back to your oldself in no time. I would like you to see a counselor, Teresa. I have someone that I like to recommend to my patients. She's wonderful. Has helped a lot of people with the same issues you are facing. I wish instead of giving you those pills that night that I would have recommended this, but I was so worried about you at the time. Promise me, Teresa, you'll never do this again."
"I promise." Teresa said weakly.
"Can I ask you a question, Teresa, I promise not to tell your family?" Eve asked. Teresa nodded. "Did you try to take your own life, Teresa?"
Teresa shook her head no. "I just wanted to take away the pain, Eve. I never meant for this to happen. Please believe me." Teresa cried.
"It's okay, Teresa. I understand. I understand more than you'll ever know." She wiped the tears from Teresa's eyes. Though Eve's pain had eased over the years, she would never fully recover from the lose of her first child. Maybe it would help to let Teresa know that someone out there knew exactly how she was feeling. "Teresa, I think there's something I should tell you. Something only one other person in my life knows. And you might just be surprised by who it is." She took in a deep breath, "Years ago, before I ever moved to Harmony...."
Eve finished her story and Teresa squeezed her hand, "I'm so sorry, Eve. Why haven't you ever told anyone?"
"I was afraid no one would want me, Teresa. Then when I met T.C., I was afraid that if I told him about my past that I would loose him. So I hid it from him. I had always planned on telling him, then Whitney and Simone came along and I was afraid that they would hate me."
"Maybe it's time, Eve. Secrets always come back to haunt you. Look what they did to me. They caused me to loose the only man that I thought I would ever love."
"I think you're right, Teresa. Things couldn't get worse than they already are for T.C. and I. Simone hates me. All I have left is Whitney."
"She'll understand, Eve. Whitney loves you very much."
Eve started to cry, "I think the burden of this secret is worse than loosing my family. I've held it in for so long. I just hope knowing that someone else out there knows what you are going through, Teresa. The pain of loosing a child is something you'll never get over, but I promise it gets easier." She tucked a stray strand of Teresa's hair behind her ear, "You come to me if you ever feel this bad again, Teresa. I'll help you through it. Deal?"
Teresa nodded, "Deal."
Fox was headed back toward the hospital when his cell phone rang. "This is Fox." He said picking up the phone.
Whitney's voice came through on the other end. "Fox, you'd better get back quick."
Fox started to panic, "Is she okay, Whitney?" If Teresa was dead, Gwen would pain. She would pay dearly.
"We don't know yet, Fox. She's just starting waking up. Please hurry." Whitney pleaded with him.
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Fox?"
"Yeah, Whit?"
"She's whispering your name."
-------------------------------------------
Fox came rushing into the hospital. No one is in the lobby. He had a feeling they were all down by Teresa's room. He rounded the corner and ran into Ethan.
"Where have you been?" Ethan asked.
"This is no time to lecture me, Ethan. I want to see Teresa."
"I know. Come on, she's been asking for you."
Fox looked at Ethan a little stunned, but decided to ignore his last comment. Maybe the hospital was just getting to him.
Ethan and Fox walked into Teresa's room. Her bed was surrounded by her family and friends. Pilar looked up as they entered the room. "Oh, Fox, I'm so glad your here. She's been calling out your name. Please come say something to her. Maybe she'll wake up for you."
All eyes were on Fox as he took Pilar's seat beside Teresa. He took Teresa's hand in his own and held it up to his face. "Teresa, it's me, Fox. Wake up, Teresa."
A single tear fell down Teresa's face, but she still did not wake up. "Please, Teresa, open up your eyes. We're all here waiting for you. Your mom, your brothers, Whitney and Chad, Sheridan, Ethan and me, Teresa. Please wake up for us. We all love you, Teresa, more than you'll ever know."
Teresa slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the room.
"Thank you, God!" Pilar yelled out as she crossed the room and took Teresa's free hand. "Oh, Teresa, you gave us such a scare."
Luis bent down just beside Pilar and landed a kiss on Teresa's forehead, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Teresa. We were all praying for you."
Tears streamed down Teresa's face. She opened her mouth and slowly the words, "Thank you." came out.
Dr. Russell came into the room. "I hear my patient is finally awake. Do you guys care to step out while I examine Teresa?"
"No, of course not, Eve." Pilar said gathering everyone and exiting the room.
"Teresa, glad to see you awake. You had us all so worried." Eve bent down and examine Teresa's eyes. "Especially me, Teresa. I gave you those nerve pills and I feel so bad that I didn't warn you enough over taking too many." Eve finished her eye exam and then worked on Teresa's limbs. Making sure she had feeling and sensations. "I'm doing this, Teresa, because due to the overdose you developed some brain swelling. I want to make sure there was no permanent damage."
Eve continued her examine and when she was finished she took a seat beside Teresa. Eve smiled down at her, "Well, Teresa, I think you're going to make a full recovery. I imagine you'll be weak for sometime, but with a little TLC from your family and friends you'll be back to your oldself in no time. I would like you to see a counselor, Teresa. I have someone that I like to recommend to my patients. She's wonderful. Has helped a lot of people with the same issues you are facing. I wish instead of giving you those pills that night that I would have recommended this, but I was so worried about you at the time. Promise me, Teresa, you'll never do this again."
"I promise." Teresa said weakly.
"Can I ask you a question, Teresa, I promise not to tell your family?" Eve asked. Teresa nodded. "Did you try to take your own life, Teresa?"
Teresa shook her head no. "I just wanted to take away the pain, Eve. I never meant for this to happen. Please believe me." Teresa cried.
"It's okay, Teresa. I understand. I understand more than you'll ever know." She wiped the tears from Teresa's eyes. Though Eve's pain had eased over the years, she would never fully recover from the lose of her first child. Maybe it would help to let Teresa know that someone out there knew exactly how she was feeling. "Teresa, I think there's something I should tell you. Something only one other person in my life knows. And you might just be surprised by who it is." She took in a deep breath, "Years ago, before I ever moved to Harmony...."
Eve finished her story and Teresa squeezed her hand, "I'm so sorry, Eve. Why haven't you ever told anyone?"
"I was afraid no one would want me, Teresa. Then when I met T.C., I was afraid that if I told him about my past that I would loose him. So I hid it from him. I had always planned on telling him, then Whitney and Simone came along and I was afraid that they would hate me."
"Maybe it's time, Eve. Secrets always come back to haunt you. Look what they did to me. They caused me to loose the only man that I thought I would ever love."
"I think you're right, Teresa. Things couldn't get worse than they already are for T.C. and I. Simone hates me. All I have left is Whitney."
"She'll understand, Eve. Whitney loves you very much."
Eve started to cry, "I think the burden of this secret is worse than loosing my family. I've held it in for so long. I just hope knowing that someone else out there knows what you are going through, Teresa. The pain of loosing a child is something you'll never get over, but I promise it gets easier." She tucked a stray strand of Teresa's hair behind her ear, "You come to me if you ever feel this bad again, Teresa. I'll help you through it. Deal?"
Teresa nodded, "Deal."