CH 8
Sheridan smiled as she carefully lit the number 1 candle on the cake.
"Oh, that cake looks beautiful babe." Luis peered over her shoulder. "You know it was really sweet of you to have Emma's birthday party here at Beth's."
"Well I thought it was only fair," She smiled up at him. "Martin just got out of the hospital, so I thought it would be better to have it here. That way Beth doesn't have to bring Martin out, and Emma can still be around the people that love her."
Sheridan turned and looked around the room.
Everyone was sitting around chatting, laughing and having a great time. There was not a single person missing: Sam and Grace, Jessica and Reese, Charity, Pilar, Miguel, Kay and Maria, Ivy, Julian, Fox, Theresa, little Maggie and Little Ethan, Gwen and Ethan, Chad and Whitney, Simone, TC, Eve, Beth, Ms Wallace, Luis, little Emma and herself.
"Alright, is everyone ready?," Luis cleared his throat, walking over to the carpet to pick up his daughter. "On the count of three. 1, 2, 3!"
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Emma, happy birthday to you!" They all sang, as Sheridan and Luis helped their daughter blow out the candle.
They spent the next hour eating cake and opening presents.
"Mommy, I'm bored." Little Ethan complained after awhile to Theresa.
"I guess this isn't so fun for the munchkins." Fox laughed. "Alright, here's what we'll do. Little E, why don't you take Emma, Maria, and Martin downstairs in the basement to play? We'll come get you when it's time to go home."
"Yeah!!" Little Ethan cheered, carefully taking Emma and the two toddlers downstairs with him.
"Be careful sweetheart," Theresa called. "Remember your cousins are smaller than you. I don't want to hear any crying coming from down there!"
"I will mommy!" he yelled.
"It's so funny hearing you warn Little Ethan about being careful Terrasita." Pilar smiled at her daughter. "I remember when you and your brothers were younger. I used to get a sore throat warning them to be careful with you. But of course they never listened, and you were the one who always ended up getting hurt."
"That's because they were so violent!" Theresa punched a laughing Miguel. "I remember getting so many cuts and bruises from these two, especially Luis!"
"Me?" Luis smiled innocently. "What did I ever do to you?"
"O my god, you can't be serious!" Theresa yelled, as everyone laughed.
She handed baby Maggie to Fox and pulled up one of her pant legs to reveal a scar above her right knee.
"I remember this one time I caught Luis putting on some of Papa's cologne. But when I asked him what he was doing, he jut kept shrugging me off. So I told him I was going to go tell Papa, and do you know what that evil brother of mine did?" Theresa went over to Luis and punched him hard in the shoulder. "He pushed me down the stairs! And then when I started crying and Mama asked him what happened, he lied and said I tripped!"
"I don't remember that!" Luis laughed, hiding his head from Theresa.
"Yeah, I'm sure!" she giggled sitting back down next to Fox.
"Luis, that was mean!" Sheridan playfully hit him.
"She did trip!" He laughed in defense.
"I thought you didn't remember!" Theresa made a face at him.
"Opps." Luis giggled.
Suddenly they heard someone crying from downstairs.
"Oh boy," Theresa rolled her eyes. "What has that little terror I call my son done now?"
"It's ok Theresa, I'll go see what the little ones are up to." Charity offered. "It's probably one of them needing a change." She smiled walking to the basement door.
"It better not be ours!" Luis smirked, as she went downstairs. "I swear that has got to be the worst thing about taking care of a baby."
"Oh please," Sheridan rolled her eyes at her husband. "Four out of the five times, I'm the one who has to change Emma's diaper."
"Thank you Sheridan." Theresa smiled. "Fox over here always conveniently has something to do when Maggie needs changing."
"Hey it's not my fault I'm a busy man." Fox winked, making a face at her.
"Uggghh!" Beth whispered to her mother, rolling her eyes. "Can't we talk about something else besides babies?"
"The only reason why you're not liking this choice of subject is because you don't have anything to put in." Ms Wallace smirked. "That's what happens when you steal someone's baby and try to pass it off as your own."
"Shut up mother." Beth annoyingly responded.
Suddenly everyone heard a scream come from the basement.
"What was that?" Gwen looked around worriedly.
"I don't know, but I'm going to go find out." Luis got up and went downstairs as everyone followed behind him.
When they had gotten down in the basement, they saw Charity standing at the door of a dimly lit room terribly upset.
"Charity?" Luis asked, carefully approaching her. "Charity, is everything ok? We heard you scream."
Charity just stared into the room with a terrified expression on her face, tears falling from her eyes.
Sheridan picked up Emma and stood beside Luis.
"Charity?" she asked once more, "Charity honey, say something."
"Something evil happened in here." She finally spoke, her eyes never blinking. "Something very very evil."
Everyone blankly stared at one another as tears continued to run down the horrified teenager's face.
Sheridan smiled as she carefully lit the number 1 candle on the cake.
"Oh, that cake looks beautiful babe." Luis peered over her shoulder. "You know it was really sweet of you to have Emma's birthday party here at Beth's."
"Well I thought it was only fair," She smiled up at him. "Martin just got out of the hospital, so I thought it would be better to have it here. That way Beth doesn't have to bring Martin out, and Emma can still be around the people that love her."
Sheridan turned and looked around the room.
Everyone was sitting around chatting, laughing and having a great time. There was not a single person missing: Sam and Grace, Jessica and Reese, Charity, Pilar, Miguel, Kay and Maria, Ivy, Julian, Fox, Theresa, little Maggie and Little Ethan, Gwen and Ethan, Chad and Whitney, Simone, TC, Eve, Beth, Ms Wallace, Luis, little Emma and herself.
"Alright, is everyone ready?," Luis cleared his throat, walking over to the carpet to pick up his daughter. "On the count of three. 1, 2, 3!"
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Emma, happy birthday to you!" They all sang, as Sheridan and Luis helped their daughter blow out the candle.
They spent the next hour eating cake and opening presents.
"Mommy, I'm bored." Little Ethan complained after awhile to Theresa.
"I guess this isn't so fun for the munchkins." Fox laughed. "Alright, here's what we'll do. Little E, why don't you take Emma, Maria, and Martin downstairs in the basement to play? We'll come get you when it's time to go home."
"Yeah!!" Little Ethan cheered, carefully taking Emma and the two toddlers downstairs with him.
"Be careful sweetheart," Theresa called. "Remember your cousins are smaller than you. I don't want to hear any crying coming from down there!"
"I will mommy!" he yelled.
"It's so funny hearing you warn Little Ethan about being careful Terrasita." Pilar smiled at her daughter. "I remember when you and your brothers were younger. I used to get a sore throat warning them to be careful with you. But of course they never listened, and you were the one who always ended up getting hurt."
"That's because they were so violent!" Theresa punched a laughing Miguel. "I remember getting so many cuts and bruises from these two, especially Luis!"
"Me?" Luis smiled innocently. "What did I ever do to you?"
"O my god, you can't be serious!" Theresa yelled, as everyone laughed.
She handed baby Maggie to Fox and pulled up one of her pant legs to reveal a scar above her right knee.
"I remember this one time I caught Luis putting on some of Papa's cologne. But when I asked him what he was doing, he jut kept shrugging me off. So I told him I was going to go tell Papa, and do you know what that evil brother of mine did?" Theresa went over to Luis and punched him hard in the shoulder. "He pushed me down the stairs! And then when I started crying and Mama asked him what happened, he lied and said I tripped!"
"I don't remember that!" Luis laughed, hiding his head from Theresa.
"Yeah, I'm sure!" she giggled sitting back down next to Fox.
"Luis, that was mean!" Sheridan playfully hit him.
"She did trip!" He laughed in defense.
"I thought you didn't remember!" Theresa made a face at him.
"Opps." Luis giggled.
Suddenly they heard someone crying from downstairs.
"Oh boy," Theresa rolled her eyes. "What has that little terror I call my son done now?"
"It's ok Theresa, I'll go see what the little ones are up to." Charity offered. "It's probably one of them needing a change." She smiled walking to the basement door.
"It better not be ours!" Luis smirked, as she went downstairs. "I swear that has got to be the worst thing about taking care of a baby."
"Oh please," Sheridan rolled her eyes at her husband. "Four out of the five times, I'm the one who has to change Emma's diaper."
"Thank you Sheridan." Theresa smiled. "Fox over here always conveniently has something to do when Maggie needs changing."
"Hey it's not my fault I'm a busy man." Fox winked, making a face at her.
"Uggghh!" Beth whispered to her mother, rolling her eyes. "Can't we talk about something else besides babies?"
"The only reason why you're not liking this choice of subject is because you don't have anything to put in." Ms Wallace smirked. "That's what happens when you steal someone's baby and try to pass it off as your own."
"Shut up mother." Beth annoyingly responded.
Suddenly everyone heard a scream come from the basement.
"What was that?" Gwen looked around worriedly.
"I don't know, but I'm going to go find out." Luis got up and went downstairs as everyone followed behind him.
When they had gotten down in the basement, they saw Charity standing at the door of a dimly lit room terribly upset.
"Charity?" Luis asked, carefully approaching her. "Charity, is everything ok? We heard you scream."
Charity just stared into the room with a terrified expression on her face, tears falling from her eyes.
Sheridan picked up Emma and stood beside Luis.
"Charity?" she asked once more, "Charity honey, say something."
"Something evil happened in here." She finally spoke, her eyes never blinking. "Something very very evil."
Everyone blankly stared at one another as tears continued to run down the horrified teenager's face.