XIX

"What do you want?" Fox asked again.

"I need to see, Theresa." Ethan said boldly despite his waning confidence.

Fox looked at him warily. "Why do you need to see her, Ethan? What happened, Gwen kicked you out?" He smirked. Fox knew that his half-brother was having marital problems. Fox also knew that Ethan still had Theresa on his mind, and that Gwen was anything but happy. Towering over his half-brother, Fox crossed his arms. He was intimidating, but Ethan refused to back down.

Ethan set his lips in a straight line and stared at Fox. "Oh my God," Fox said. "She did kick you out, didn't she?" Fox looked at Ethan suspiciously. "No wonder he wants to see Theresa." Fox thought to himself.

Ethan didn't answer. Instead he glared at his brother. "Will you just let me in?" He asked irritably.

Fox sighed. "Give me one good reason why I should let you in."

Ethan said nothing and stared at Fox with resentment. He felt he wasn't obligated to giving Fox an answer.

"Fine." Fox said as he slammed the door in Ethan's face. Ethan stood there on the doorstep stunned and angry. "That bastard!" Ethan wasn't going to leave right away. He sat on the front step and waited.

~*~



"F-f-found her?" Justin said in disbelief. He stood in the middle of the living room with his eyes wide in surprise. Justin could not believe what he was hearing. He wondered if he were dreaming. It all seemed surreal. Justin's mind swirled with questions. Could it be that his wife was really alive?

"We think we have. Someone reported spotting a woman fitting her description." Smith replied.

Justin froze in place. "She's alive." He kept thinking over and over again. "She's out there somewhere."

"Where?" Justin asked breathlessly. "Where is she?" He asked eagerly.

"Chicago." Smith replied.

Justin paced around the room anxiously. "Where can we meet?" He asked with a sense of urgency in his tone. As the minutes ticked away, Justin felt he was getting closer to his wife- his Lindsay.

"Come down to the station. We can speak in my office." Smith replied.

"Okay," Justin said. His heart was racing in his chest. "Lindsay's alive?" He thought excitedly. "I knew she wasn't dead! I knew it!" Justin sank to the couch and began crying tears of happiness.

"Yo, Justin, what's wrong?" Chad asked. Fox looked over at Justin. Tears were cascading down his cheeks. "Everything all right?" Fox asked.

"My- wife." Justin said breathlessly.


"My w-wife." Justin stammered. "They might've found her."

Theresa gasped. Her eyes were wide with surprise. "Where?"

"Chicago." Justin answered standing up. "I- I have to go to the st-station." He said.

"Justin, I don't think you're in any condition to drive." Theresa said worriedly. "At least let someone come along with you."

"Y-y-ou." Justin said. "Theresa, will you come with me?" Theresa looked at Fox warily. "Is it okay?" She asked.

"Theresa, you don't have to ask." Fox said quietly. "Go." He said looking away.

Theresa kissed Fox on the cheek. "I'll be back." She said quietly. "Thank you." She whispered. Fox clenched his jaw and nodded. He still couldn't help but feel jealous.

As Theresa and Justin left the house, Ethan jumped up. "Theresa," He said breathlessly.

"Ethan, what are you doing here?" Theresa said in surprise. She immediately suspected that he was having problems with Gwen.

"Gwen kicked me out." Ethan replied quietly. "I didn't know where else to go~"

"How about mother's?" Fox said sarcastically. "Oh wait, did she kick you out too?"

"Shut up, Fox." Ethan said angrily. He clenched his fists and menacingly glared at Fox.

"Stop it." Theresa said firmly. "Look, Ethan, we'll talk later. I've got somewhere to go. C'mon Justin."

Justin silently complied. Still dazed, he followed Theresa to her car. Both Fox and Ethan watched Theresa as she entered the car and drove off.

"Where am I supposed to go now?" Ethan mumbled.

"Don't you have any money?" Fox asked.

"No." Ethan said dejectedly. "I left my wallet at the house, and Gwen doesn't want me there."

Fox sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why don't you come in?"

"What?" Ethan said.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but-uh why don't you stay here?" Fox asked unwillingly.

"I don't need handouts." Ethan snapped.

"You know if Theresa asked you to stay, I bet you would've jumped at the chance, but when I try to show some compassion you reject it. Why is that Ethan?" Fox asked. He always wondered why Ethan was never able to accept any help from him. It was because Ethan was too proud.

Ethan averted his gaze. "Why do you feel obligated to help me?"

"Oh geez, I dunno," Fox said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because you're my half-brother. Maybe because I actually feel sorry for you? But you know what Ethan? If you don't want my help, then just leave."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Ethan retorted as he walked off in a huff.

Fox shook his head in disbelief. "You act more like a Crane than I do."

~*~



Theresa glanced at Justin every so often. "Are you going to be all right?" She asked. "You looked like you were going to faint awhile ago."

Justin stared ahead of him. "I'm just trying to process everything." Justin said. "My wife my actually be alive." A smile formed on Justin's lips. "Alive." He whispered as the words flowed softly from his lips.

"They really found her?" Theresa said.

"Well," Justin said. "The investigator, Frank, told me that they think they've found her."

"Oh." Theresa replied. There was still a chance that they didn't find Lindsay. There was still a chance that it was another dead end, but Theresa did not want to kill Justin's hopes. He seemed so happy and so relieved. Theresa didn't want to ruin any of it for him, so she kept quiet. Then again, Theresa didn't want to get Justin's hopes so high only to end up having them shot down. Theresa knew that broken hopes would ultimately lead to a broken heart-a broken soul.

Once they got to the station, Theresa and Justin were ushered into Frank Smith's office. He greeted them both warmly and asked them to sit down. Theresa wondered if she should intrude on the conversation, but Justin insisted that she stay. He even reached for her hand as Smith started talking.

"Mr. Hammond, as I've already told you we think we've found your wife."

"In Chicago." Justin said excitedly.

"Yes," Smith replied. "But Mr. Hammond, I don't want you to get your hopes up. We think we've found her. It hasn't been confirmed that it's actually Lindsay."

"I know." Justin said. "But deep down I believe it's her."

"We've arranged for you to travel to Chicago to see this woman who we believe to be Lindsay."

Justin held Theresa's hand so tightly that it was turning purple. Theresa gently eased her hand from Justin's grip.

"When do I leave?" Justin asked eagerly. He was ready to fly to Chicago. He imagined getting of the plane and running into the arms of his beloved wife.

"Justin." Frank Smith said gravely. "There's more."

The tone of Smith's voice put Justin on edge. Theresa reached over and grabbed his hand. She knew he needed her support. She somehow knew that the news he was about to receive would shoot down his hopes.

"What?" Justin asked- his voice barely above a whisper.

"The woman fitting Lindsay's description is~" Smith's voice trailed off. He took off his glasses and sat them on the desk.

"Is what?" Justin asked nervously. He swallowed and searched Smith's eyes for answers. Justin already felt his hopes slowly diminishing.

"She was found in the hospital." Smith replied. "She was also pregnant."

Justin felt his lungs constrict. He looked around, his heart beating wildly, and his mind spinning. Theresa grasped both of his hands. "It's okay, Justin." She said soothingly. "Take deep breaths."

"Pregnant?" Justin asked.

Smith nodded. "Pregnant."

~*~