CH 7
"That is really weird," Gwen commented staring hard at Beth. "You mean Sheridan is the ONLY one out of all of us that has a match? Not even Luis or Beth, his own mother, has a match?"
Damn you Gwen! Beth angrily thought to herself.
"I know that is weird," Fox added in. "I mean isn't the mother at least suppose to have a match for the child?"
"No!" Beth suddenly spoke up. "I mean, that's not necessarily true, is it Dr Russell?"
"Actually you're right Beth. In some cases neither the father nor the mother has a match for their child. So it's not that uncommon that neither you or Luis matches with Martin." Eve confirmed.
Beth let out a sigh, as she noticed Gwen still keeping an eye on her.
"Well now that we have a match, we can continue with the surgery. All we need is Sheridan's consent."
"Of course I will!" Sheridan smiled happily. "There's nothing that I would love more than to help Martin."
"Great!" Eve grinned turning to Beth and Luis. "The surgery will take about one or two hours assuming that there are no complications. I'll go alert the doctors to start. Right now all you can do is wait. After the surgery Martin will have to rest, and after that we can examine him one last time to make sure everything went well. I'll be back when the procedure is over." Eve smiled walking away.
"Well honey, it's really getting late." Fox looked at his watch, turning to Theresa. "We should probably take the little ones home."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Theresa walked over to her brother. "Luis, call us as soon as you hear anything. We're going to take Maggie and Ethan home. Sheridan, if you want we can give you a ride back to the cottage so you can put Emma to bed."
"Oh, well I kind of wanted to stay here." Sheridan looked up at Luis.
"That's alright Sheridan. If you and Luis don't mind, Ethan and I can take Emma for the night. You guys can come pick her up in the morning." Gwen suggested.
"Are you sure Gwen? That would be so great." Sheridan asked her friend.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. It will be our pleasure." Ethan responded. "But you make sure to call us as soon as Dr. Russell gives you any more news. We'll be keeping the little guy in our prayers."
"Thanks guys." Luis hugged Gwen and Ethan. "We really appreciate you coming down to the hospital. Good night."
After Theresa, Fox, Gwen and Ethan left Luis turned to Beth.
"Beth, are you alright?" He comforted her. "I know how much this must be tearing you apart."
"I'm ok Luis, I just want Martin to be ok." Beth sobbed, as Luis embraced her.
"Liar!" Ms. Wallace coldly whispered in her ear. "If only Luis knew what a monster you really are!"
Luis looked around the hospital waiting room.
"Well it looks like it's going to be the four of us. I'm going to go see if I can find some blankets for us." He kissed Sheridan and walked around the corner.
"I still can't believe all of this happened." Sheridan turned to Beth and her mother. "Beth you must be a complete mess; to know that your little baby is in there, so weak and innocent. As a mother, I know the heartache you must be feeling." She gave Beth a reassuring smile. "I felt the same way when those monsters took my baby away for me."
Beth held her breath, as she felt her mother squeeze her arm.
"Do you still have dreams about him Sheridan?" Beth nervously asked her.
"Well lately I've been having a few, but Luis has helped me to realize that I have to let him go." A twinkle of hope flashed across her face. "But I don't know. Sometimes I still feel like he's near by though."
"That's because he is, and you have him." Ms Wallace whispered to her daughter.
Beth moved away from her mother and laid a comforting hand on Sheridan's shoulder.
"Well, I know that losing a baby can be a very hard thing to cope with. But at least you still have Emma to help you though the pain." She smiled at her.
"You're right Beth." Sheridan grinned. "You're such a good friend. Even with your own baby fighting for his life in there, you can still manage to make someone else feel better."
"Pfffft!" Ms Wallace silently groaned. "If you only knew sweet Sheridan."
After a few hours had past, Dr Russell had assured them that Martin's surgery had been a success. They had managed to get all the bone cartilage out of his knee joint space, and that for the rest of the night he was to rest.
Sheridan peered around the dark waiting room at Beth and her mother before she snuggled closer to Luis in one of the chairs.
"Luis?" she whispered to him, careful not to wake Beth and Ms Wallace.
"Hmm?" he opened his eyes and looked over at her.
"I'm really glad that Martin's surgery went ok." He put his arm around her, as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"Me too. I was really worried about him." He pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "But we should probably get some rest, so that when he wakes up tomorrow morning we can all be there for him."
"Good idea." She smiled kissing his cheek. "Good night."
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 1~*~*~*
"Please! Give me back my baby!" Sheridan cried, her voice echoing off the walls in the dark pit.
"Never!" The evil woman shrieked. "You will never see you're baby again!"
"No!!!!" Sheridan screamed. "Give him to me!!"
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 2~*~*~*
"Luis, did you find him?" Sheridan asked Luis as he climbed out of the murky dark waters. "Did you find our baby?"
"I'm sorry Sheridan," Luis sadly looked into her eyes. "He's gone. Our baby's dead."
"No Luis," Sheridan fell to the ground. "He can't be dead! He can't be!"
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 3~*~*~*
"My baby is still alive!" Sheridan stared at Luis and Pilar. "I know he is. I can feel it in my heart."
"Mija, you have to let him go." Pilar looked at Sheridan concerned. "He's not coming back."
"If he was dead, I would feel it." Sheridan placed a hand over her heart, and walked to her cottage window. "I know I have to move on, but part of me still believes that he's alive."
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 4~*~*~*
"No!" Sheridan protested, her voice ringing down the hospital hall. "That is not Beth's baby! I know my own baby, and that is him!"
Sheridan tried to grab the crying infant from Beth, but she pulled away.
"Beth, give him to me! That is my baby!" Sheridan cried.
"Sheridan, stop it!" Luis held her back. "That is not our baby. That is my baby with Beth. Our baby died." He looked into her eyes worriedly.
"No, Luis!" Sheridan screamed frustrated. "That is my baby! I'd know him anywhere! Beth give him to me!"
~*~*~*~*END OF FLASHBACKS~*~*~*
"My baby!" Sheridan suddenly opened her eyes.
She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, as she slowly adjusted her eyes to the dark room.
She looked over at Luis, as he stirred in his sleep.
Beth and her mother were huddled in the corner.
"My baby," she repeated deliriously. "I have to see if he's alright."
She slowly got up from the hospital chair, careful not to wake Luis, and made her way down the dimly lit halls.
She turned the corner to where Martin was, and carefully slipped in the dark room.
As she saw his lifeless body stretched out on the bed, she let out a small whimper.
"Oh, my poor baby."
She quietly pulled a vacant chair over to his bedside and sat down, rubbing a finger over his delicate skin.
"Martin honey, it's your mommy." Sheridan's glossy eyes twinkled. "You had a little accident sweetheart. But you're going to get better. I know you will, because I'm going to be right here with you until you do. I love you so much." She leaned over and kissed his forehead.
Suddenly the lights flickered on.
"Sheridan?" Luis whispered from the door with Dr Russell behind him. "What are you doing in here?"
Sheridan squinted from the sudden flow of light in the room, and stared up at Luis.
"What?" she asked confused.
"What are you doing in Martin's room?" He came over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I-I don't know." Sheridan looked around the room. "I don't even remember coming in here.
"Well as long as we're all here, I might as well examine little Martin." Eve walked over to his bedside. "It'll just take a few minutes."
Sheridan and Luis watched as Eve checked his heart and blood pressure.
"Well his vitals seem to be ok, and everything else seems to be working accordingly." Dr Russell smiled at them. "I'd say Martin is doing extremely well. In fact, except for the cast that he has to where, I think Martin can even go home tomorrow!"
"Eve, are you serious?" Luis could barely contain his happiness. "That's great!"
"O my goodness! It's a miracle!" Sheridan laughed, giving her husband a hug.
"Yes, it really is!" Eve grinned. "Martin is going to be just fine!"
"That is really weird," Gwen commented staring hard at Beth. "You mean Sheridan is the ONLY one out of all of us that has a match? Not even Luis or Beth, his own mother, has a match?"
Damn you Gwen! Beth angrily thought to herself.
"I know that is weird," Fox added in. "I mean isn't the mother at least suppose to have a match for the child?"
"No!" Beth suddenly spoke up. "I mean, that's not necessarily true, is it Dr Russell?"
"Actually you're right Beth. In some cases neither the father nor the mother has a match for their child. So it's not that uncommon that neither you or Luis matches with Martin." Eve confirmed.
Beth let out a sigh, as she noticed Gwen still keeping an eye on her.
"Well now that we have a match, we can continue with the surgery. All we need is Sheridan's consent."
"Of course I will!" Sheridan smiled happily. "There's nothing that I would love more than to help Martin."
"Great!" Eve grinned turning to Beth and Luis. "The surgery will take about one or two hours assuming that there are no complications. I'll go alert the doctors to start. Right now all you can do is wait. After the surgery Martin will have to rest, and after that we can examine him one last time to make sure everything went well. I'll be back when the procedure is over." Eve smiled walking away.
"Well honey, it's really getting late." Fox looked at his watch, turning to Theresa. "We should probably take the little ones home."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Theresa walked over to her brother. "Luis, call us as soon as you hear anything. We're going to take Maggie and Ethan home. Sheridan, if you want we can give you a ride back to the cottage so you can put Emma to bed."
"Oh, well I kind of wanted to stay here." Sheridan looked up at Luis.
"That's alright Sheridan. If you and Luis don't mind, Ethan and I can take Emma for the night. You guys can come pick her up in the morning." Gwen suggested.
"Are you sure Gwen? That would be so great." Sheridan asked her friend.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. It will be our pleasure." Ethan responded. "But you make sure to call us as soon as Dr. Russell gives you any more news. We'll be keeping the little guy in our prayers."
"Thanks guys." Luis hugged Gwen and Ethan. "We really appreciate you coming down to the hospital. Good night."
After Theresa, Fox, Gwen and Ethan left Luis turned to Beth.
"Beth, are you alright?" He comforted her. "I know how much this must be tearing you apart."
"I'm ok Luis, I just want Martin to be ok." Beth sobbed, as Luis embraced her.
"Liar!" Ms. Wallace coldly whispered in her ear. "If only Luis knew what a monster you really are!"
Luis looked around the hospital waiting room.
"Well it looks like it's going to be the four of us. I'm going to go see if I can find some blankets for us." He kissed Sheridan and walked around the corner.
"I still can't believe all of this happened." Sheridan turned to Beth and her mother. "Beth you must be a complete mess; to know that your little baby is in there, so weak and innocent. As a mother, I know the heartache you must be feeling." She gave Beth a reassuring smile. "I felt the same way when those monsters took my baby away for me."
Beth held her breath, as she felt her mother squeeze her arm.
"Do you still have dreams about him Sheridan?" Beth nervously asked her.
"Well lately I've been having a few, but Luis has helped me to realize that I have to let him go." A twinkle of hope flashed across her face. "But I don't know. Sometimes I still feel like he's near by though."
"That's because he is, and you have him." Ms Wallace whispered to her daughter.
Beth moved away from her mother and laid a comforting hand on Sheridan's shoulder.
"Well, I know that losing a baby can be a very hard thing to cope with. But at least you still have Emma to help you though the pain." She smiled at her.
"You're right Beth." Sheridan grinned. "You're such a good friend. Even with your own baby fighting for his life in there, you can still manage to make someone else feel better."
"Pfffft!" Ms Wallace silently groaned. "If you only knew sweet Sheridan."
After a few hours had past, Dr Russell had assured them that Martin's surgery had been a success. They had managed to get all the bone cartilage out of his knee joint space, and that for the rest of the night he was to rest.
Sheridan peered around the dark waiting room at Beth and her mother before she snuggled closer to Luis in one of the chairs.
"Luis?" she whispered to him, careful not to wake Beth and Ms Wallace.
"Hmm?" he opened his eyes and looked over at her.
"I'm really glad that Martin's surgery went ok." He put his arm around her, as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"Me too. I was really worried about him." He pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "But we should probably get some rest, so that when he wakes up tomorrow morning we can all be there for him."
"Good idea." She smiled kissing his cheek. "Good night."
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 1~*~*~*
"Please! Give me back my baby!" Sheridan cried, her voice echoing off the walls in the dark pit.
"Never!" The evil woman shrieked. "You will never see you're baby again!"
"No!!!!" Sheridan screamed. "Give him to me!!"
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 2~*~*~*
"Luis, did you find him?" Sheridan asked Luis as he climbed out of the murky dark waters. "Did you find our baby?"
"I'm sorry Sheridan," Luis sadly looked into her eyes. "He's gone. Our baby's dead."
"No Luis," Sheridan fell to the ground. "He can't be dead! He can't be!"
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 3~*~*~*
"My baby is still alive!" Sheridan stared at Luis and Pilar. "I know he is. I can feel it in my heart."
"Mija, you have to let him go." Pilar looked at Sheridan concerned. "He's not coming back."
"If he was dead, I would feel it." Sheridan placed a hand over her heart, and walked to her cottage window. "I know I have to move on, but part of me still believes that he's alive."
~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK 4~*~*~*
"No!" Sheridan protested, her voice ringing down the hospital hall. "That is not Beth's baby! I know my own baby, and that is him!"
Sheridan tried to grab the crying infant from Beth, but she pulled away.
"Beth, give him to me! That is my baby!" Sheridan cried.
"Sheridan, stop it!" Luis held her back. "That is not our baby. That is my baby with Beth. Our baby died." He looked into her eyes worriedly.
"No, Luis!" Sheridan screamed frustrated. "That is my baby! I'd know him anywhere! Beth give him to me!"
~*~*~*~*END OF FLASHBACKS~*~*~*
"My baby!" Sheridan suddenly opened her eyes.
She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, as she slowly adjusted her eyes to the dark room.
She looked over at Luis, as he stirred in his sleep.
Beth and her mother were huddled in the corner.
"My baby," she repeated deliriously. "I have to see if he's alright."
She slowly got up from the hospital chair, careful not to wake Luis, and made her way down the dimly lit halls.
She turned the corner to where Martin was, and carefully slipped in the dark room.
As she saw his lifeless body stretched out on the bed, she let out a small whimper.
"Oh, my poor baby."
She quietly pulled a vacant chair over to his bedside and sat down, rubbing a finger over his delicate skin.
"Martin honey, it's your mommy." Sheridan's glossy eyes twinkled. "You had a little accident sweetheart. But you're going to get better. I know you will, because I'm going to be right here with you until you do. I love you so much." She leaned over and kissed his forehead.
Suddenly the lights flickered on.
"Sheridan?" Luis whispered from the door with Dr Russell behind him. "What are you doing in here?"
Sheridan squinted from the sudden flow of light in the room, and stared up at Luis.
"What?" she asked confused.
"What are you doing in Martin's room?" He came over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I-I don't know." Sheridan looked around the room. "I don't even remember coming in here.
"Well as long as we're all here, I might as well examine little Martin." Eve walked over to his bedside. "It'll just take a few minutes."
Sheridan and Luis watched as Eve checked his heart and blood pressure.
"Well his vitals seem to be ok, and everything else seems to be working accordingly." Dr Russell smiled at them. "I'd say Martin is doing extremely well. In fact, except for the cast that he has to where, I think Martin can even go home tomorrow!"
"Eve, are you serious?" Luis could barely contain his happiness. "That's great!"
"O my goodness! It's a miracle!" Sheridan laughed, giving her husband a hug.
"Yes, it really is!" Eve grinned. "Martin is going to be just fine!"