CH 11

Back at the cottage, Sheridan and Luis tucked Emma in for bed.

"What a night." Sheridan yawned. "I'm completely exhausted. I feel like I could sleep forever."

"Well you did go through quite a bit tonight hun." Luis looked up at her. "Are you feeling any better?"

Sheridan changed into her nightgown and came out of the bathroom to face her husband.

"Well I have a bit of a headache, but I don't really remember much from earlier if that's what you mean."

Luis took a moment to look at Sheridan.

My God she's beautiful. He thought to himself.

He let his eyes wander down her slender body. Her nightgown was loose but it clung to her in all the right places. The low neckline exposed the top of her firm breasts. He watched as she gently combed through her soft blonde hair, as it bounced lightly off her shoulders.

Completely mesmerized by her beauty, he barely heard her call his name.

"Luis?" Her voice brought him back to reality.

He looked up into her sparkling green eyes, as she smiled at him.

"Huh?" he asked dazed.

"Where were you just now?" she got up and walked over to him.

"Oh I'm sorry," he blushed. "I was just so mesmerized by your beauty that I completely forgot where I was."

"Oh really? Why thank you." She grinned giving him a kiss. "But I was wondering what exactly did I say to you before I fainted in Beth's basement.?"

"Well," he began but stopped looking over at his sleeping daughter. "Why don't we go in the living room? I don't want to wake Emma."

"Good idea." She smiled getting off his lap.

She quietly locked the door behind them as Luis went into the kitchen to make them a cup of hot chocolate.

"Well first you were just mumbling about how familiar the room in the basement looked." He called.

"But I've never been down in Beth's basement." Sheridan flopped in the couch.

"I know. That's why I found it so weird when you said that. Then you said something about a window and before I could ask you what you meant, you fainted in my arms." Luis came into the living room and handed her a cup.

"That is so weird."

"Tell me about it. I was kind of hoping that you would be able to tell us more when you woke up. Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Luis looked at her.

"No, not really." She put a hand to her head. "All I know is that when I woke up I had this strong longing to be with our baby."

"You mean the baby that we lost?"

"Yeah, only I keep getting this strong feeling like we haven't lost him." She looked up at Luis.

"Sheridan—"

"Look, Luis I know that you think that our baby died and that I should move on. But I can't shake the feeling that our baby is still alive. I'm my baby's mother. If he were really gone, I would feel emptiness inside. But I don't. I honestly feel like he is alive somewhere out there."

"But Sheridan that would mean that somebody has him. The only person that we knew who had him was that woman who drove the car over the bride with our baby inside." Luis looked at his wife concerned.

"But you don't know that for sure. You said it yourself that you only assumed that he was in there." Sheridan got up from the couch and stood at the window. "But what if you were wrong Luis? What if our baby was never in that car? That means someone has him right now. Oh, my poor baby!" She cried.

"Honey please don't do this." Luis tried to comfort her.

"No Luis! I'm sorry; I know that you lost a baby too. But you don't know how I'm feeling. My baby was ripped away from me. Those horrible monsters took my child right after I gave birth to him. Do you know what that's like?"

"No, I can't imagine." Luis sighed looking into her hurt eyes.

"Well let me tell you. It's like having your soul ripped out of your body. My baby was a part of me. When he was taken, it was as if a part of me got taken as well. I can't even put into words the feeling that I got when they took my baby away. I never thought I could feel that way again; it was so horrible. But I did. I got the exact same feeling again when Martin was in the hospital."

Luis looked at her confused, taken aback by what he just heard.

"Martin? I don't understand."

"I don't quite understand myself either. But when Eve said that Martin had to have surgery, I felt like it was my child who was in there." Sheridan kept her gaze outside the window.

"But honey Martin is Beth and my baby." Luis reminded her.

"I know that. But I just feel such a strong connection to him; the kind of connection that a mother feels with her own child."

"Sheridan what are you saying?" Luis turned her to face him. "You're not trying to imply that Beth's baby is yours again, are you?"

Sheridan let out a deep sigh and looked into her husband's eyes.

"Of course not Luis. I'm just saying that I feel really close to Martin. He's such a beautiful little boy. I just can't help but sometimes wonder what it would be like if he was my own son. And even though I know it's wrong to think this way, I sometimes feel like he IS my son."

"Sheridan, then that would mean that Beth stole your baby."

"I know it's crazy Luis." She smiled. "Beth has been such a great friend to both of us. She's been extremely supportive, and I'm very grateful for her kindness. I guess I just feel such a connection to Martin from when I used to breast-feed him."

"That's exactly what it is. You two did share a pretty special bond." Luis gently rubbed her back. "Look, I know it's hard to accept that our baby is gone, but you really have to try. Trust me Sheridan, if someone did have our baby I would not rest until that baby was back in your arms. For someone to steal someone else's baby, they would have to be cruel and downright insane. I would love nothing more than to have our baby back, but it's not going to happen. Right now we just need to concentrate on dealing with our loss and making a good life for Emma."

"You're right." Sheridan smiled up at him. "I'm sorry I don't mean to me so crazy. I just really miss our child, and I wish that he were right here with us."

She hugged him tightly and rested her head on his chest as she silently said a prayer for her little one.