Chapter 6
"Happy Birthday Hailey!" The group of 20 children ranging between six and seven chorus as Amy places Hailey's pink frosted cake decorated with yellow frosting flowers and seven pink and yellow candles.
Amy lights the candles as everyone sings "happy birthday" to Hailey who is beaming at Ephram who has the video camera focused on her. "Make a wish sweetie." Amy urges and Hailey closes her eyes and blows out the candles.
"What did you wish for Hailey?" Ephram asks walking towards Hailey and planting a kiss on her forehead.
Hailey looks around her and motions for her parents to come in closer and she whispers, "when I get older I want to ride Aunt Delia's pony and I want to marry my Daddy."
"Happy birthday baby." Ephram wishes as she and Amy both kiss and hug Hailey.
"I love you." Hailey announces wrapping her arms around Ephram and Amy's neck just as Bright snaps a picture.
Ephram shoves the picture from Hailey's 7th birthday into his duffle bag that he had brought with him from New York. 'God how stupid can you be Brown?' Ephram mentally scolds himself. 'You let one semi-okay night go to your head and you offer to spend three hours straight with her, and only her. You can't handle this, especially on this of all weekends. Not only can you not handle this but she can't handle it either, Bright offered to drive her back down tonight, but noo you had to go and offer. She's going to fall apart again and you're going to fall apart. You can't afford to fall apart. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.'
"Ephram are you sure you have to leave today?" Delia asks coming into Ephram's bedroom.
Ephram turns to face his sister , "I'm sorry Del, but I have to be back in the office tomorrow morning."
"You can't take some time off work?" Delia asks, sounding hopeful.
Ephram sighs, "to be honest Delia, I could. But I can't stand staying around here any longer."
A dark expression crosses Delia's face, "fine Ephram run away back to New York. I can't make you face your demons and I'm done trying." With her biting words Delia turns on her heel and walks out of the bedroom.
Ephram sets his jeans down and he starts to follow Delia out of the bedroom but is stopped by Nina, "she's right you know."
"Nina, I don't want to get into this." Ephram states firmly.
"You've never wanted to get into this." Nina sighs softly, "so no one has gotten into it with you or Amy. Both of you stopped seeing a councilor before they could do any help, both of your father's blame themselves for Hailey's death when in all reality it was nobody's fault. Your daughter contracted a very rare cancer of the blood and she died, I'm very sorry it happened..."
"Nina!"
Nina ignores Ephram's warning tone and continues, "But you and Amy need to move on with your lives she's been dead three years..."
"Nina!" With Ephram's harsh exclamation he pushes past Nina and down the stairs.
"Are you sure you want Ephram to take you to Denver? I can always do it." Bright offers for what is probably the 20th time in the last 10 minutes.
"Bright it's fine, Ephram offered. We got along fine last night, you were there, you saw it everyone saw it. He's going to drop me at my apartment before he returns his rental car and then he's going straight to the airport it's not exactly a crisis situation."
"I know, but I mean I understand that you guys got along all right last night but we all know that it was an act."
"Excuse me?" Amy asks taken aback and staring at her brother.
"Everyone but Dad and Dr. Brown know that you guys got along last night so that the tension wouldn't be there between the doctors for mine and Delia's sake. We thank you for that, but you don't have to do this, it's not a hassle for me to take you down to Denver a day early."
"Bright! Just stop all right, I'm going with Ephram and that is all there is to it." Amy announces frustrated.
The phone ringing cuts short the siblings conversation Bright grabs the closest phone, "Abbot residence...Yeah, hang on. It's Ephram, for you."
"Hello? You want to head out early? But wouldn't that leave you more time to hang around the airport? No, no, that's fine with me. Yes I can be ready in an hour, see you then."
"You're leaving?" Bright asks once Amy sets the phone back down.
"Ephram wants to leave early, and he's my ride so what can I do?" Amy feigns indifference but inside she is glad that Ephram wants to leave early, she doesn't know if she can stand to be in Everwood with her family any longer. At least in Denver, where she is alone, there are no prying eyes or constant questions.
"Amy..."
"Don't Bright, all right? Let's just have a nice breakfast together and not interrogate me anymore."
"Happy Birthday Hailey!" The group of 20 children ranging between six and seven chorus as Amy places Hailey's pink frosted cake decorated with yellow frosting flowers and seven pink and yellow candles.
Amy lights the candles as everyone sings "happy birthday" to Hailey who is beaming at Ephram who has the video camera focused on her. "Make a wish sweetie." Amy urges and Hailey closes her eyes and blows out the candles.
"What did you wish for Hailey?" Ephram asks walking towards Hailey and planting a kiss on her forehead.
Hailey looks around her and motions for her parents to come in closer and she whispers, "when I get older I want to ride Aunt Delia's pony and I want to marry my Daddy."
"Happy birthday baby." Ephram wishes as she and Amy both kiss and hug Hailey.
"I love you." Hailey announces wrapping her arms around Ephram and Amy's neck just as Bright snaps a picture.
Ephram shoves the picture from Hailey's 7th birthday into his duffle bag that he had brought with him from New York. 'God how stupid can you be Brown?' Ephram mentally scolds himself. 'You let one semi-okay night go to your head and you offer to spend three hours straight with her, and only her. You can't handle this, especially on this of all weekends. Not only can you not handle this but she can't handle it either, Bright offered to drive her back down tonight, but noo you had to go and offer. She's going to fall apart again and you're going to fall apart. You can't afford to fall apart. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.'
"Ephram are you sure you have to leave today?" Delia asks coming into Ephram's bedroom.
Ephram turns to face his sister , "I'm sorry Del, but I have to be back in the office tomorrow morning."
"You can't take some time off work?" Delia asks, sounding hopeful.
Ephram sighs, "to be honest Delia, I could. But I can't stand staying around here any longer."
A dark expression crosses Delia's face, "fine Ephram run away back to New York. I can't make you face your demons and I'm done trying." With her biting words Delia turns on her heel and walks out of the bedroom.
Ephram sets his jeans down and he starts to follow Delia out of the bedroom but is stopped by Nina, "she's right you know."
"Nina, I don't want to get into this." Ephram states firmly.
"You've never wanted to get into this." Nina sighs softly, "so no one has gotten into it with you or Amy. Both of you stopped seeing a councilor before they could do any help, both of your father's blame themselves for Hailey's death when in all reality it was nobody's fault. Your daughter contracted a very rare cancer of the blood and she died, I'm very sorry it happened..."
"Nina!"
Nina ignores Ephram's warning tone and continues, "But you and Amy need to move on with your lives she's been dead three years..."
"Nina!" With Ephram's harsh exclamation he pushes past Nina and down the stairs.
"Are you sure you want Ephram to take you to Denver? I can always do it." Bright offers for what is probably the 20th time in the last 10 minutes.
"Bright it's fine, Ephram offered. We got along fine last night, you were there, you saw it everyone saw it. He's going to drop me at my apartment before he returns his rental car and then he's going straight to the airport it's not exactly a crisis situation."
"I know, but I mean I understand that you guys got along all right last night but we all know that it was an act."
"Excuse me?" Amy asks taken aback and staring at her brother.
"Everyone but Dad and Dr. Brown know that you guys got along last night so that the tension wouldn't be there between the doctors for mine and Delia's sake. We thank you for that, but you don't have to do this, it's not a hassle for me to take you down to Denver a day early."
"Bright! Just stop all right, I'm going with Ephram and that is all there is to it." Amy announces frustrated.
The phone ringing cuts short the siblings conversation Bright grabs the closest phone, "Abbot residence...Yeah, hang on. It's Ephram, for you."
"Hello? You want to head out early? But wouldn't that leave you more time to hang around the airport? No, no, that's fine with me. Yes I can be ready in an hour, see you then."
"You're leaving?" Bright asks once Amy sets the phone back down.
"Ephram wants to leave early, and he's my ride so what can I do?" Amy feigns indifference but inside she is glad that Ephram wants to leave early, she doesn't know if she can stand to be in Everwood with her family any longer. At least in Denver, where she is alone, there are no prying eyes or constant questions.
"Amy..."
"Don't Bright, all right? Let's just have a nice breakfast together and not interrogate me anymore."