"Dr. Ramsey, I would strongly suggest you take my words under advisement as in taking your wife out of a hospital at a time like this when she needs constant care could be disastrous to her recovery…" the man before Chris explained concern evident in his tone as Chris continued to finish up the paper work in the hopes of getting Eve out of the hospital as soon as possible.
"My wife will be in good hands with me as I've already told you that I'm a doctor…" Chris argued his point once again with the man.
"Yes, I realize that sir, but given the experience she'd been through, I would just think that in her current state of mind…" the doctor began clearing his throat as Chris looked up to him, his jaw set with heavy tension.
"She'll be fine with me," Chris handed the papers back to the man before him, "I'm sure we're all set right about now."
"I just wish you'd reconsider," a sigh of defeat fell from the doctor's lips.
"Not this time I won't," Chris turned back to see Eve dressed only in the scrubs he'd managed to swipe from the hospital as her head was turned down to the floor. Cautiously he reached out to her feeling her body tremble as his hand pressed upon her shoulder. Her dark eyes gazed up at him looking confused and terrified as he helped her to her feet.
"Come on," Chris whispered bringing his arm around her center, "we're going home."
"Okay," Eve nodded burying her head in his chest as she braced her weight against him hoping that he could somehow help her escape the nightmare her life had become. While she knew she owed him so many more answers, now all that mattered was escaping at any cost.
************
The silence surrounded Chris and Eve as they drove down the road in the rental car he'd had sent to the hospital for the both of them. Somehow while leaving the hospital felt like the right decision to be made, Chris began to realize that going home wasn't exactly the smartest of ideas--at least not back to Port Charles after all that had happened. He took one long look at Eve, seeing her head dropped down as a slow breath fell from her lips alerting him that she was in fact asleep and it was in that instant that an idea formed in his mind. Changing lanes, he decided to head in a different direction as he vowed to put more distance between them and Port Charles--at least until he was certain of what was going on.
Slowly the morning faded into night and Chris was met by the soft sighs of Eve's yawn as her eyelids fluttered open and she stretched out a bit in the passenger seat. Turning her head slowly in his direction, a soft smile lifted over her lips as she reached out to him casually, her hand brushing up against his knee as she spoke up softly, "You're here."
"I told you I would be and we're almost there," Chris promised dropping his hand off of the steering wheel and placing it over hers in a tender squeeze as he turned off the dirt road he'd been on for quite some time.
Eve yawned again before perking up a bit in her chair, "Where are we?"
"Somewhere safe," he assured her seeing the confusion in her features as she rubbed at her neck for a moment. "Feeling stiff?"
"That's one way of looking at it," she nodded in response noticing the small house before her, "Chris, where are we?"
"I like to call this my home away from home," he saw the strange expression that crossed over her features before he added, "Trust me."
"I do," she confessed solemnly, "Don't you know by now you're the only one I trust?"
"I'm glad you feel that way," he whispered in response pulling into the drive before putting the car into park, "although I will warn you that this isn't the penthouse by any means."
"It's not what I expected from you, but sometimes change is good," she offered meekly as she sank back into the chair, "Though I must confess I didn't exactly imagine this from you."
"Just wait until you get inside. You'll love it," Chris promised getting out of the car and moving around to open her door for her. Before she could protest, he leaned forward unbuckling her seatbelt before pulling her out of the car and into his arms.
"Chris, I think I'm perfectly capable of walking," Eve began to argue with him.
"Save your strength for later," he suggested holding her closer against him as he felt the warmth of her in his arms.
"That almost sounds like something I should be worried about," she couldn't help but tease as he carried her to the door.
"Only if you're afraid of indulging in too much pleasure," Chris winked back at her clumsily placing his keys into the lock.
"Please," Eve couldn't repress the smile that built at the back of her throat, "Don't do this to me…don't make me laugh."
"You find that funny," Chris shook his head at her making a tsking sound as he carried her into the house.
"As a matter of fact I do," she nodded in response unable to control herself.
"We'll see who's laughing when I have my way with you," Chris promised pushing the door shut with his butt before carrying her further into the small cozy place. He shifted her in his arms, bringing her down on the sofa as she smiled up at him.
"You're too cute," Eve reached out to touch his face, "You know that, don't you?"
"I'd like to think of a few other adjectives that describe me more than cute," he winked down at her, "Like maybe sexy, dashing, the man of your dreams…"
"Oh I've dreamt about you," she couldn't help but laugh, "but probably not the way you're thinking."
"Hey your dreaming about me is a good start," he knelt down beside her touching her cheek gently, "It means I've been in your subconscious there."
"For longer than I would've liked," Eve leaned in towards him, eyes focusing on his lips as she closed her eyes and let out a slow sigh.
"Care to talk about it?" Chris suggested finding himself drawn to her despite the ordeal they'd just been through with one another. Somehow in being this close to her, in having her around him like this, it turned his life upside-down and he never wanted to let go again.
"Are you sure my talking it out is where you want to start this," she asked in a soft, sensual tone as her eyes fluttered open and her lips parted in anticipation.
"Well I always did have a way with things beyond mere words," he confessed tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he inched in towards her.
"That you did," she nodded in response thinking about the martini nights, the moments they'd bonded in the past and in that instant her warm and cozy thoughts of Chris were replaced by the darker times she'd had over the last few months as she turned away from him.
"Eve?" he questioned uncertain as he'd thought she'd wanted to kiss him, but in her turning away, he was convinced that something was happening, something more than he'd anticipated, "Are you okay? Do you need something for pain?"
"Pills won't make this go away…" she sighed painfully thinking of all she'd lost, "at least not in my head. Even shock therapy might not do the trick," she offered with a sad smile.
"Then why don't you tell me? Eve, what really happened to you," he reached for her hand, "I need to know…"
"Chris, it's just so…" Eve began nervously, "I don't know where to start…"
"How about from what happened after the accident," he suggested gently, "Tell me how you were able to make it out of that crash alive when we all thought you'd died?"
"Crash?" she gave him a strange look, "Chris, what are you talking about?"
"Eve, you were in a car accident on the bridge over a year ago and…" Chris began to explain.
"No, Chris you don't understand," she shook her head in response, "I wasn't in a car accident."
"Yes you were. We all were told you were dead and then…"
"Chris, listen to me," Eve reached for his hand offering up a tight hold on it, "I was never in any car accident. Back when DV was around, he paid your father to get rid of me. Your father had me held captive from the time DV was in town…"
"What?" Chris blinked back in response, "No that can't be."
"Chris, it's true," Eve tried to explain, "Do you remember when we were living together? When Kevin and I separated and you took me in?"
"Of course I remember that," Chris paused a frown teasing over his lips, "I never forgot that even though you seemed to forget."
"Chris, I didn't forget," Eve brushed her finger tips against his hand, "I don't forget any of that…and I mean any of it…"
"But Eve," his jaw dropped as he gave her a sideways glance, "what are you saying?"
"Chris, do you remember the night we…" she paused struggling with the words as she shifted herself uneasily on the couch as a color rose through her cheeks.
"Made love?" he finished as her dark eyes rose up towards his, her cheeks a pale pink as she nodded in response.
"Yes, the night we made love," she found the words as she saw the same passion reflected behind his dark eyes, "Chris, I lied to you back then. I lead you to believe that Kevin and I split because he'd cheated on me, but…"
"But it was all an act," Chris nodded in response, "You told me that after you and Kevin got back together. Here I was hating the guy for hurting you, but then you and I made love and I thought it was fate giving me that second chance at happiness with you, but then in the end I wound up further away from you than I'd ever been."
"Chris, that's just it," she started tearfully, "DV knew Kevin and I were pretending and that it was part of some plan to get him…the only thing he and I didn't plan on was what happened between you and me."
"Eve, look you don't have to talk about that now considering that…" he offered tearing his eyes away from her.
"But I do. Chris, you don't understand. That was never a part of the plan, but when I made love with you, well it did something to me," she reached for his hand bringing it over her heart, "Chris, please look at me…"
"Eve, you don't know what you're asking," he inhaled slowly wondering if he could find himself lost in her eyes like he had before. Could he face her and keep from revealing everything that had haunted him for so very long without her? Suddenly thinking about the time he'd spent in the world thinking she'd been taken from him, he forced himself to face his fears and look at her--really look at her and when he saw what he'd missed out on for so long, his heart ached to hold her, to protect her and keep her safe from the evils that had fallen upon her.
"Chris, that night when we were together," she confessed tearfully, "It changed our relationship in so many ways and it made me question so many things in my life. Time and time again I kept telling myself that we were just friends, that we were just comforting one another life friends who'd kicked back one too many martinis would, but then well, since then I couldn't stop thinking about that night. I couldn't help but remember what it felt like when you touched me…when you held me in your arms and told me that you'd always love me. That night, oh God Chris you have no idea how many times that night has played in my memory as it was all I had to hold on to for so very long…"
"Then why didn't you say anything about it?" he asked in confusion, "Never once did you bring it up after it happened…"
"That's because I didn't have the chance," she explained sadly, "The morning after we made love, you rushed out of the apartment no doubt not wanting to face what we shared the night before and I didn't know what to do with myself. I was confused and questioning everything, but when you weren't there, I thought maybe you'd decided it was a mistake--that we crossed a line we weren't meant to and I tried to put it out of my head. I was in the middle of getting ready for work--ready to go talk to Kevin about things when someone was at the door. I heard the jingling of keys and I thought, well I thought that it was you--that you'd forgotten something or that you'd wanted to talk about what happened between us, but when I went into the living room, well Henry was there. I didn't know who he was at the time, but when he identified himself, I didn't buy it for a second. I tried to get him out of the apartment, but when I turned my back to him…" she trailed off.
"Eve, what happened?"
"Chris, I don't know how I let him get the best of me, but he did…I was calling for security and then the next minute, I woke up in some place…somewhere I'd never been before and I didn't know where I was. I didn't know what was going on, but shortly after Henry came to me. He told me that DV had hired him to take care of the woman in your life…that he hadn't been expecting someone like me, but once he'd brought me with him, well he was sure he could do the job at hand…"
"Eve," he whispered her name watching as she sat up straighter on the couch curling her legs up into her chest as tears fell down her face.
"Chris, when DV was hospitalized he and Henry lost contact with one another, but he wouldn't let me go…" Eve trailed off in between sobs, "I begged him to release me, to just let me get back to the life I'd had before…that somehow I'd pretend that he didn't have me, but he said DV took care of the situation once he'd discovered I was the one who Henry picked up. He made sure I wouldn't be missed and that I wouldn't be needed anymore…"
"Are you saying that my father held you hostage all this time?" Chris questioned in horror as she hugged her legs to her body tighter.
"He did what DV asked of him, but then when the money stopped coming in from DV, he did what he wanted and well, he decided he'd found something else to give him what he needed to fund his lifestyle," Eve sobbed in horror as Chris reached out to her cradling her in his arms.
"Oh God, what did he do to you Eve?" he questioned afraid to hear the answer as his heart broke at the thought of what she must've endured at his father's hand. Suddenly an anger filled him up inside as he feared the worst as her injuries were proof of the obvious abuse Henry had put her through.
"He…he…oh God, Chris, it doesn't matter what he did to me," Eve sobbed into his chest, "None of that matters right now because I'm safe, but I can't say the same for our little girl. Chris, we need to help her…She's in danger…"
"Eve, what are you saying?" he urged her to look up at him as her eyes were clouded with tears, "Eve, what little girl?"
"Our daughter," Eve blurted out painfully, "Chris, the night you found me it wasn't because I was able to escape. It was because Henry had been drugging me for months and that night he chose to dump my body off and leave me for dead while he ran away with our little girl…"
"Little girl?" he repeated in confusion as suddenly flashes of the night they'd shared with one another came back into his mind, "Eve, are you saying…"
"That night we made love, well, I found out after I was kidnapped that I was pregnant…with our daughter and Henry has her. If we don't find her soon, then there's no telling what he'll do to her…" she confessed breaking down in his arms as Chris realized that suddenly there was a whole other element to this story that he hadn't imagined possible. Now as he held Eve in his arms, he just prayed that somehow they could find a way to make things right.
"We have to find her, Chris," Eve pleaded with him unable to contain the tears that overcame her.
"We will," he tried to assure her as he was faced with the news that he was not only a father, but that his child was in the hands of a monster like Henry Ramsey--the man who made Chris's childhood a living nightmare.
"My wife will be in good hands with me as I've already told you that I'm a doctor…" Chris argued his point once again with the man.
"Yes, I realize that sir, but given the experience she'd been through, I would just think that in her current state of mind…" the doctor began clearing his throat as Chris looked up to him, his jaw set with heavy tension.
"She'll be fine with me," Chris handed the papers back to the man before him, "I'm sure we're all set right about now."
"I just wish you'd reconsider," a sigh of defeat fell from the doctor's lips.
"Not this time I won't," Chris turned back to see Eve dressed only in the scrubs he'd managed to swipe from the hospital as her head was turned down to the floor. Cautiously he reached out to her feeling her body tremble as his hand pressed upon her shoulder. Her dark eyes gazed up at him looking confused and terrified as he helped her to her feet.
"Come on," Chris whispered bringing his arm around her center, "we're going home."
"Okay," Eve nodded burying her head in his chest as she braced her weight against him hoping that he could somehow help her escape the nightmare her life had become. While she knew she owed him so many more answers, now all that mattered was escaping at any cost.
************
The silence surrounded Chris and Eve as they drove down the road in the rental car he'd had sent to the hospital for the both of them. Somehow while leaving the hospital felt like the right decision to be made, Chris began to realize that going home wasn't exactly the smartest of ideas--at least not back to Port Charles after all that had happened. He took one long look at Eve, seeing her head dropped down as a slow breath fell from her lips alerting him that she was in fact asleep and it was in that instant that an idea formed in his mind. Changing lanes, he decided to head in a different direction as he vowed to put more distance between them and Port Charles--at least until he was certain of what was going on.
Slowly the morning faded into night and Chris was met by the soft sighs of Eve's yawn as her eyelids fluttered open and she stretched out a bit in the passenger seat. Turning her head slowly in his direction, a soft smile lifted over her lips as she reached out to him casually, her hand brushing up against his knee as she spoke up softly, "You're here."
"I told you I would be and we're almost there," Chris promised dropping his hand off of the steering wheel and placing it over hers in a tender squeeze as he turned off the dirt road he'd been on for quite some time.
Eve yawned again before perking up a bit in her chair, "Where are we?"
"Somewhere safe," he assured her seeing the confusion in her features as she rubbed at her neck for a moment. "Feeling stiff?"
"That's one way of looking at it," she nodded in response noticing the small house before her, "Chris, where are we?"
"I like to call this my home away from home," he saw the strange expression that crossed over her features before he added, "Trust me."
"I do," she confessed solemnly, "Don't you know by now you're the only one I trust?"
"I'm glad you feel that way," he whispered in response pulling into the drive before putting the car into park, "although I will warn you that this isn't the penthouse by any means."
"It's not what I expected from you, but sometimes change is good," she offered meekly as she sank back into the chair, "Though I must confess I didn't exactly imagine this from you."
"Just wait until you get inside. You'll love it," Chris promised getting out of the car and moving around to open her door for her. Before she could protest, he leaned forward unbuckling her seatbelt before pulling her out of the car and into his arms.
"Chris, I think I'm perfectly capable of walking," Eve began to argue with him.
"Save your strength for later," he suggested holding her closer against him as he felt the warmth of her in his arms.
"That almost sounds like something I should be worried about," she couldn't help but tease as he carried her to the door.
"Only if you're afraid of indulging in too much pleasure," Chris winked back at her clumsily placing his keys into the lock.
"Please," Eve couldn't repress the smile that built at the back of her throat, "Don't do this to me…don't make me laugh."
"You find that funny," Chris shook his head at her making a tsking sound as he carried her into the house.
"As a matter of fact I do," she nodded in response unable to control herself.
"We'll see who's laughing when I have my way with you," Chris promised pushing the door shut with his butt before carrying her further into the small cozy place. He shifted her in his arms, bringing her down on the sofa as she smiled up at him.
"You're too cute," Eve reached out to touch his face, "You know that, don't you?"
"I'd like to think of a few other adjectives that describe me more than cute," he winked down at her, "Like maybe sexy, dashing, the man of your dreams…"
"Oh I've dreamt about you," she couldn't help but laugh, "but probably not the way you're thinking."
"Hey your dreaming about me is a good start," he knelt down beside her touching her cheek gently, "It means I've been in your subconscious there."
"For longer than I would've liked," Eve leaned in towards him, eyes focusing on his lips as she closed her eyes and let out a slow sigh.
"Care to talk about it?" Chris suggested finding himself drawn to her despite the ordeal they'd just been through with one another. Somehow in being this close to her, in having her around him like this, it turned his life upside-down and he never wanted to let go again.
"Are you sure my talking it out is where you want to start this," she asked in a soft, sensual tone as her eyes fluttered open and her lips parted in anticipation.
"Well I always did have a way with things beyond mere words," he confessed tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he inched in towards her.
"That you did," she nodded in response thinking about the martini nights, the moments they'd bonded in the past and in that instant her warm and cozy thoughts of Chris were replaced by the darker times she'd had over the last few months as she turned away from him.
"Eve?" he questioned uncertain as he'd thought she'd wanted to kiss him, but in her turning away, he was convinced that something was happening, something more than he'd anticipated, "Are you okay? Do you need something for pain?"
"Pills won't make this go away…" she sighed painfully thinking of all she'd lost, "at least not in my head. Even shock therapy might not do the trick," she offered with a sad smile.
"Then why don't you tell me? Eve, what really happened to you," he reached for her hand, "I need to know…"
"Chris, it's just so…" Eve began nervously, "I don't know where to start…"
"How about from what happened after the accident," he suggested gently, "Tell me how you were able to make it out of that crash alive when we all thought you'd died?"
"Crash?" she gave him a strange look, "Chris, what are you talking about?"
"Eve, you were in a car accident on the bridge over a year ago and…" Chris began to explain.
"No, Chris you don't understand," she shook her head in response, "I wasn't in a car accident."
"Yes you were. We all were told you were dead and then…"
"Chris, listen to me," Eve reached for his hand offering up a tight hold on it, "I was never in any car accident. Back when DV was around, he paid your father to get rid of me. Your father had me held captive from the time DV was in town…"
"What?" Chris blinked back in response, "No that can't be."
"Chris, it's true," Eve tried to explain, "Do you remember when we were living together? When Kevin and I separated and you took me in?"
"Of course I remember that," Chris paused a frown teasing over his lips, "I never forgot that even though you seemed to forget."
"Chris, I didn't forget," Eve brushed her finger tips against his hand, "I don't forget any of that…and I mean any of it…"
"But Eve," his jaw dropped as he gave her a sideways glance, "what are you saying?"
"Chris, do you remember the night we…" she paused struggling with the words as she shifted herself uneasily on the couch as a color rose through her cheeks.
"Made love?" he finished as her dark eyes rose up towards his, her cheeks a pale pink as she nodded in response.
"Yes, the night we made love," she found the words as she saw the same passion reflected behind his dark eyes, "Chris, I lied to you back then. I lead you to believe that Kevin and I split because he'd cheated on me, but…"
"But it was all an act," Chris nodded in response, "You told me that after you and Kevin got back together. Here I was hating the guy for hurting you, but then you and I made love and I thought it was fate giving me that second chance at happiness with you, but then in the end I wound up further away from you than I'd ever been."
"Chris, that's just it," she started tearfully, "DV knew Kevin and I were pretending and that it was part of some plan to get him…the only thing he and I didn't plan on was what happened between you and me."
"Eve, look you don't have to talk about that now considering that…" he offered tearing his eyes away from her.
"But I do. Chris, you don't understand. That was never a part of the plan, but when I made love with you, well it did something to me," she reached for his hand bringing it over her heart, "Chris, please look at me…"
"Eve, you don't know what you're asking," he inhaled slowly wondering if he could find himself lost in her eyes like he had before. Could he face her and keep from revealing everything that had haunted him for so very long without her? Suddenly thinking about the time he'd spent in the world thinking she'd been taken from him, he forced himself to face his fears and look at her--really look at her and when he saw what he'd missed out on for so long, his heart ached to hold her, to protect her and keep her safe from the evils that had fallen upon her.
"Chris, that night when we were together," she confessed tearfully, "It changed our relationship in so many ways and it made me question so many things in my life. Time and time again I kept telling myself that we were just friends, that we were just comforting one another life friends who'd kicked back one too many martinis would, but then well, since then I couldn't stop thinking about that night. I couldn't help but remember what it felt like when you touched me…when you held me in your arms and told me that you'd always love me. That night, oh God Chris you have no idea how many times that night has played in my memory as it was all I had to hold on to for so very long…"
"Then why didn't you say anything about it?" he asked in confusion, "Never once did you bring it up after it happened…"
"That's because I didn't have the chance," she explained sadly, "The morning after we made love, you rushed out of the apartment no doubt not wanting to face what we shared the night before and I didn't know what to do with myself. I was confused and questioning everything, but when you weren't there, I thought maybe you'd decided it was a mistake--that we crossed a line we weren't meant to and I tried to put it out of my head. I was in the middle of getting ready for work--ready to go talk to Kevin about things when someone was at the door. I heard the jingling of keys and I thought, well I thought that it was you--that you'd forgotten something or that you'd wanted to talk about what happened between us, but when I went into the living room, well Henry was there. I didn't know who he was at the time, but when he identified himself, I didn't buy it for a second. I tried to get him out of the apartment, but when I turned my back to him…" she trailed off.
"Eve, what happened?"
"Chris, I don't know how I let him get the best of me, but he did…I was calling for security and then the next minute, I woke up in some place…somewhere I'd never been before and I didn't know where I was. I didn't know what was going on, but shortly after Henry came to me. He told me that DV had hired him to take care of the woman in your life…that he hadn't been expecting someone like me, but once he'd brought me with him, well he was sure he could do the job at hand…"
"Eve," he whispered her name watching as she sat up straighter on the couch curling her legs up into her chest as tears fell down her face.
"Chris, when DV was hospitalized he and Henry lost contact with one another, but he wouldn't let me go…" Eve trailed off in between sobs, "I begged him to release me, to just let me get back to the life I'd had before…that somehow I'd pretend that he didn't have me, but he said DV took care of the situation once he'd discovered I was the one who Henry picked up. He made sure I wouldn't be missed and that I wouldn't be needed anymore…"
"Are you saying that my father held you hostage all this time?" Chris questioned in horror as she hugged her legs to her body tighter.
"He did what DV asked of him, but then when the money stopped coming in from DV, he did what he wanted and well, he decided he'd found something else to give him what he needed to fund his lifestyle," Eve sobbed in horror as Chris reached out to her cradling her in his arms.
"Oh God, what did he do to you Eve?" he questioned afraid to hear the answer as his heart broke at the thought of what she must've endured at his father's hand. Suddenly an anger filled him up inside as he feared the worst as her injuries were proof of the obvious abuse Henry had put her through.
"He…he…oh God, Chris, it doesn't matter what he did to me," Eve sobbed into his chest, "None of that matters right now because I'm safe, but I can't say the same for our little girl. Chris, we need to help her…She's in danger…"
"Eve, what are you saying?" he urged her to look up at him as her eyes were clouded with tears, "Eve, what little girl?"
"Our daughter," Eve blurted out painfully, "Chris, the night you found me it wasn't because I was able to escape. It was because Henry had been drugging me for months and that night he chose to dump my body off and leave me for dead while he ran away with our little girl…"
"Little girl?" he repeated in confusion as suddenly flashes of the night they'd shared with one another came back into his mind, "Eve, are you saying…"
"That night we made love, well, I found out after I was kidnapped that I was pregnant…with our daughter and Henry has her. If we don't find her soon, then there's no telling what he'll do to her…" she confessed breaking down in his arms as Chris realized that suddenly there was a whole other element to this story that he hadn't imagined possible. Now as he held Eve in his arms, he just prayed that somehow they could find a way to make things right.
"We have to find her, Chris," Eve pleaded with him unable to contain the tears that overcame her.
"We will," he tried to assure her as he was faced with the news that he was not only a father, but that his child was in the hands of a monster like Henry Ramsey--the man who made Chris's childhood a living nightmare.