37
Gwen packed the remainder of her things, and sighed. She finally decided to go
back to Harmony, but she still was not sure what she was going to do about
Ethan. She hated to admit it, but Sarah needed her father. Gwen did not want to
deprive her daughter of a relationship with her father, so after debating with
herself the whole night, Gwen finally decided to book a flight to Harmony.
On the flight, Sarah slept peacefully while Gwen's mind raced with her
thoughts. Could she and Ethan start over again? Gwen knew it was not going to
be an easy journey, but for the sake of Sarah's well being it was worth a try.
Gwen leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. It still hurt- Ethan's harsh
words. Gwen could not believe that he had the gall to admit that he only
married her out of obligation. It was the truth though, and yes the truth hurt.
In this case, it hurt a lot.
When the pilot announced their arrival in Harmony, Gwen took a deep breath. She
picked up her daughter and her carry-on bags and walked off the plane. Her legs
felt weak and unsteady as she made her way through the terminal. Her mother
Rebecca waved to her enthusiastically. Gwen took a deep breath. She noticed
Julian standing off in a corner appearing to be musing about something.
"Oh Gwennie! I'm so glad
you're home!" Rebecca gushed as she embraced her daughter tightly.
Gwen forced a smile. "I'm not so sure I'm happy to be here, but it's good to
see you."
"Oh, and there's my beautiful granddaughter." Rebecca said quietly as she
leaned in to get a better view of Sarah. Sarah opened her blue eyes and yawned.
She blinked a couple of times and looked in awe at the people who watched her.
"Oh look!" Rebecca said excitedly. "She's awake."
Gwen looked down at Sarah and smiled. "She's probably hungry. It's time for a
feeding."
Julian finally joined the group and gave Gwen a small smile. "Hello, Gwen." He
said. "It's good to see you again."
"Same here, Julian." Gwen replied.
"Well, let's go home!" Rebecca said happily. "Oh Gwennie,
you should see the mansion. I've made so many décor changes."
"Yes, very many unfortunately." Julian mumbled.
"What's that pookie?" Rebecca asked.
"Nothing my dear." Julian replied. "Nothing
at all."
On the ride home, Rebecca continued to talk endlessly about all the town
gossip. She gushed with the rumors made about Theresa and Fox. "I told you she
was a slut," Rebecca had said after relaying the story to Gwen. Gwen sighed.
"Mother, they're just rumors." She said.
"Sure they are," Rebecca replied. "You and I both know that they could be
true."
"Mother, I don't want to talk about Theresa, okay?" Gwen replied tiredly.
"Okay," Rebecca replied disappointedly. "Ah! Here we are! Home
sweet home!"
Holding a sleeping Sarah in her arms, Gwen exited the car and looked around at
the Crane grounds. The outside of the home had stayed the same. Gwen wondered
what changes her mother made inside. Gwen followed her mother and Julian into
the house and heard her mother gasp. Curious, Gwen went into the living room.
Her legs immediately went weak as her heart began beating furiously in her
chest. Ethan stood quietly in the middle of the room. "Hello Gwen," He mustered
softly.
The sound of her name on his lips made her falter. She hurriedly found a chair
and sat down. She looked into Ethan's eyes, but could not bring herself to say
anything.
"I'm glad you're home," Ethan said softly as he walked up to Gwen.
Gwen's gaze traveled to the floor and remained there. "I'm not sure I can say
the same." Gwen replied.
Ethan shifted nervously. "Could you excuse us for a minute?" He asked Gwen and
Julian.
"Of course," Julian replied. "Come on darling. Let's leave these two alone."
"But~" Rebecca protested.
"Come along Rebecca." Julian said with a little more force.
"Ugh. Fine." Rebecca said. "You call me if you need
me, Gwennie." Rebecca called as she unwillingly left
the room.
"Gwen," Ethan said as he leaned to look into her eyes. "Please, talk to me."
Gwen's breath became uneven. She fought tears that were already filling her
eyes. "I- I don't know if I can." She whispered hoarsely, her voice full of
emotion.
"Try." Ethan encouraged. "Please try. For us- for our
daughter."
Gwen nodded. "For our daughter." She whispered before
she attempted to talk to her husband.
~*~
"This little piggy went to the market, and this little piggy stayed home. This
piggy ate-uh," Dylan paused and scratched his head. "Hey, Theresa," He called.
Theresa walked over to Dylan and Ethan Martin. "What is it?" She asked.
"What did this piggy eat?" Dylan asked.
Theresa laughed. "He ate roast beef." She replied smiling.
"Ew- roast beef." Dylan
replied frowning. "I never did like roast beef."
"What's he babbling about now?" Fox asked as he carried Belle on his shoulders.
"He was wondering what the little piggy ate." Theresa replied.
"Okay," Fox said slowly. "Whatever you say."
Belle giggled as she rode upon Fox's shoulders. She was so high up, she felt as
though she could fly if she wanted. "Daddy! Daddy!" She said happily as Fox strode through the house.
Belle's happy cries of daddy brought pangs of sadness to Fox's heart. Angela
had revealed that Belle was not his daughter. Was she bluffing or was it true?
Fox often wondered if Angela was lying, but something deep down told him that
Angela was right. It hurt to think that Belle was not his biological daughter,
but Fox was determined to make Belle a part of his family. Theresa was already
enthusiastic about the idea, and Fox knew that Belle would fit in perfectly in
the family that he and Theresa were making. Fox wondered if Theresa wanted to
have anymore children. He knew that she was probably waiting until after she
established herself as a fashion designer.
Fox watched Theresa as she sat and played with Ethan Martin. She was such a
good mother. Fox admired the way her hair fell across her face. He admired her
beautiful brown eyes that could see right to his soul. He admired her small
mouth and the softness of her lips that he felt every time he kissed her. Fox
did not know he could love someone so much, but he did. He loved Theresa with
every fiber of his being. He could not imagine his life with anyone else but
Theresa. Theresa was his everything and he felt grateful to have her in his
life.
Theresa looked up and found Fox's gaze upon her. She smiled lovingly at the man
she was proud to call her husband. When Fox first came to Harmony, he revealed
to her the neglect and unloved atmosphere his family created as he grew up. She
knew that deep down Fox was hurting, but he played it off as if it were
nothing. Although Fox grew up feeling unloved and unappreciated, Theresa knew
that Fox possessed the ability to love, and she was so glad that Fox chose to
love her. Before, Theresa could not imagine her life without Ethan. Now, she
could not imagine her life without Fox, Ethan Martin, and even Belle.
"I'm hungry." Belle said as Fox carefully took her off his
shoulders.
Dylan's stomach growled loudly. Belle covered her mouth and giggled. Ethan
Martin grinned. Fox and Theresa looked at each other and laughed heartily. "I
guess you're hungry too, Dylan," Theresa quipped.
Dylan laughed. "I guess I am."
"Let's all go into the kitchen. We can make sandwiches or something." Theresa
suggested. As they all made their way into the kitchen, the telephone rang.
"Hello?" Theresa answered.
"Theresa?" Justin said quietly.
"Justin? Is that you?" Theresa asked.
"Yeah." Justin replied.
"Hey! How are you doing? How's Lindsay?"
"I'm fine, Lindsay's fine, and the baby's fine." Justin replied smiling. He
wondered if Theresa caught his last words.
"That's wonderful," Theresa replied. "Wait a minute~ Did
you just say that the baby's fine?"
"Yeah, I did." Justin said. "Lindsay had the baby. It's a boy."
"That's wonderful!" Theresa said excitedly. "A boy? Oh congratulations!"
"Thanks." Justin replied. "Lindsay and the baby can come home today. I
was wondering if you and Fox wanted to stop by to see Carter."
"Aw, I would love to!" Theresa said. "That's the baby's name? Carter?"
"Carter James Hammond." Justin said quietly. "We named him after
Lindsay's father.
"That's so sweet." Theresa said. "Well, we'll come over in an hour or so. I
can't wait to see him."
"He's beautiful." Justin said as his voice became choked with emotion.
"I'm sure he is. I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye Theresa." Justin said.
"Bye." Theresa hung up the phone and smiled. "Lindsay had the baby. It's a
boy!"
"Ooh, a baby!" Belle said happily as she clasped her hands together. "Can we go
see it?"
"We'll all go see him" Theresa replied giving Belle a quick kiss on the head.
"Yay!" Belle cried happily.
"A baby boy, hm?" Fox said
as he wrapped his arms around Theresa's waist.
"Yeah," Theresa said almost dreamily. "A baby boy."
Dylan looked at Theresa and Fox. "When are you two going to have more kids?"
"Someday," Theresa and Fox replied at the same time.
"Someday soon?" Dylan asked.
Fox looked at Theresa. "We'll see." Theresa replied. "We'll see."
~*~
After speaking with a few contacts and making various bribes, Angela finally
got her fix. Feeling as though she had to make up for the agonizing hours she
experienced without her drugs, Angela took more than she usually did. Needle
after needle, Angela injected herself. She found herself slipping away again to
the world with no pain, no worries. This time, Angela found herself in this
world longer than expected.
Angela's eyes began closing and all she saw was darkness. Her body convulsed
erratically as it reacted to the drugs circulating in her blood. Her lungs
constricted, it was becoming harder to breathe. Angela's mind swirled, the room
spun incessantly. She tried to grab a hold of reality, but it was no use. She
was slipping further and further away.
Angela desperately tried to open her eyes, but she could not. Darkness was all
she saw, and darkness was all she was ever going to see. This time, Angela
would not be returning to reality. This time, Angela would sleep forever.
~*~
