Chapter 7
Old Friends, New Acquaintances
Resolve filled the crevices of Theresa's broken heart as determination fueled her decision. She was going to find out what truly happened to Fox no matter what she had to do. Theresa shifted her weight slowly, careful as not to disturb her sleeping son. When she glanced towards the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin as her eyes locked on the ones that stared at her from the doorway. Ethan Martin awoke suddenly when he felt his mother jump out of fright. "Mommy?" He mumbled sleepily.
"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to wake you." Theresa apologized as she smoothed his blond hair out of his eyes. The person to whom the pair of spying eyes belonged to revealed their identity as they crossed the threshold of the door. Theresa did not recognize the man and watched him warily. "You scared me to death, you know." She said as he stopped a fair distance from Theresa and her son.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The man apologized profusely. "I really didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay," Theresa interrupted. "Who are you anyway?" She asked peering at him curiously. Theresa wished she could see his features better, but the darkness of the room prevented it.
"I'm Dylan Banning. Fox is one of my best friends." He said smiling. As Dylan watched Theresa, the smile on his face quickly disappeared. Something bothered her. He could tell by the way she fidgeted slightly. "What is it?" He asked.
"Don't you mean was?" Theresa asked quietly.
"Oh." Dylan cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. Fox is great guy. It's hard to believe he's gone."
"If he's really gone," Theresa mumbled so lowly that the statement remained inaudible to Dylan. A solemn silence came between them as Dylan swept his gaze upon the room. While he walked around, Theresa motioned for Ethan Martin to stand up. Reluctantly he stood up and stretched.
Theresa watched Dylan as he moved about the room. She never remembered Fox ever mentioning Dylan, and she wondered if he knew anything about Fox's death. Ethan Martin's tugging on her hand broke her train of thought.
Ethan was quietly standing in the doorway. "I came to pick up the little guy for his piano lesson."
Theresa raised her eyebrows. "Piano lessons?" She asked with her surprised gaze.
Before Theresa could say anything Ethan looked towards Dylan. "Oh. You're here." He said indifferently. Dylan gave Ethan a look of disbelief. "Of course I'm here. Fox is my best friend. I thought I should pay my respects."
Theresa noted Dylan once again using 'is.' Did he know something she did not? Theresa wondered.
"You could have paid your respects at the funeral." Ethan said crossing his arms. "Oh that's right." He said. "You weren't there."
"I tried to get here as fast as I could." Dylan said defensively. "Besides, why are you getting on my case? It's not like you really gave a damn about Fox."
"Could you two stop?" Theresa asked.
"Sorry." Ethan and Dylan mumbled simultaneously. Ethan Martin clutched Theresa's hand.
"We've got to go to your lesson." Ethan said to his godson.
Ethan Martin looked up at his mother for her approbation. "Go on." Theresa said quietly. "Since when did my son take piano lessons?"
Ethan looked at Theresa nervously. "Ethan?" Theresa prompted for an answer.
"Gwen always said that she wanted her children to play an instrument." Ethan said averting his gaze to the ground. Theresa frowned. "Her child?" She thought. "Ethan Martin is my child." She said in a low menacing tone. "Not hers."
"Well, not officially." Ethan replied. "The adoption hearing is in a few days."
Theresa closed her eyes to keep her anger from spilling over. "You might want to leave. You don't want Ethan Martin to be late."
"Theresa~" Ethan said.
"Don't." Theresa replied simply. She was becoming sick of hearing Ethan's apologies and excuses. Instead of unleashing her wrath upon Ethan with her stinging words, she bit her tongue. Her son did not need to see his mother so angry.
Wordlessly, Ethan left the room with Ethan Martin leaving Theresa alone with Dylan. He had been listening and watching the exchange of words between Theresa and her ex-fiancé.
"You two used to be together, right?" Dylan asked watching Theresa carefully.
"Yeah. A long time ago." Theresa said sighing. "But it's over between me and him. My heart belongs to someone else."
"May I ask who?" Dylan inquired.
Theresa sat upon Fox's bed and played with a stray thread boldly sticking up from the comforter. "It doesn't matter anymore." Theresa said quietly. "He's gone."
Dylan took a seat beside Theresa. Although Theresa did not reveal a name, he did not have to ask who it was. Dylan understood completely.
It was Fox.
Dylan cleared his throat. "I wanted to visit Fox's grave." He said softly. "Do you think you could come along with me?"
Theresa looked at Dylan. His slightly blurred figure through her teary eyes held a look she could not decipher. It was as though he were hiding something.
"Please?" Dylan asked when Theresa did not answer.
Theresa nodded reluctantly. She still continued to wonder if Dylan knew anything about Fox's supposed death. She wondered if that was what he was hiding from her. The question burning in her mind, Theresa decided to ask. The curiosity was driving her to the brink of insanity. "Do you know any details about Fox's death?" She asked so urgently that it caught Dylan off guard.
"Uh, no." He said quickly. "But I have a feeling that Alistair Crane has some knowledge of it."
"Yeah." Theresa agreed slightly disappointed. "Alistair seems to have information on everything and everybody." Theresa experienced an odd feeling overwhelming her as she sat next to Dylan. It was as though someone else were watching her. Theresa's suspicions were proven true when she glanced up and found another unfamiliar man standing in the doorway. There was something about him that irked Theresa.
"Oh hey." Dylan said standing up. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come in."
The stranger kept watching Theresa intently. "Hello, Theresa." He said- the greeting flowing softly from his deep voice.
Theresa's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you know my name?" She asked apprehensively.
Resolve filled the crevices of Theresa's broken heart as determination fueled her decision. She was going to find out what truly happened to Fox no matter what she had to do. Theresa shifted her weight slowly, careful as not to disturb her sleeping son. When she glanced towards the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin as her eyes locked on the ones that stared at her from the doorway. Ethan Martin awoke suddenly when he felt his mother jump out of fright. "Mommy?" He mumbled sleepily.
"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to wake you." Theresa apologized as she smoothed his blond hair out of his eyes. The person to whom the pair of spying eyes belonged to revealed their identity as they crossed the threshold of the door. Theresa did not recognize the man and watched him warily. "You scared me to death, you know." She said as he stopped a fair distance from Theresa and her son.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The man apologized profusely. "I really didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay," Theresa interrupted. "Who are you anyway?" She asked peering at him curiously. Theresa wished she could see his features better, but the darkness of the room prevented it.
"I'm Dylan Banning. Fox is one of my best friends." He said smiling. As Dylan watched Theresa, the smile on his face quickly disappeared. Something bothered her. He could tell by the way she fidgeted slightly. "What is it?" He asked.
"Don't you mean was?" Theresa asked quietly.
"Oh." Dylan cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. Fox is great guy. It's hard to believe he's gone."
"If he's really gone," Theresa mumbled so lowly that the statement remained inaudible to Dylan. A solemn silence came between them as Dylan swept his gaze upon the room. While he walked around, Theresa motioned for Ethan Martin to stand up. Reluctantly he stood up and stretched.
Theresa watched Dylan as he moved about the room. She never remembered Fox ever mentioning Dylan, and she wondered if he knew anything about Fox's death. Ethan Martin's tugging on her hand broke her train of thought.
Ethan was quietly standing in the doorway. "I came to pick up the little guy for his piano lesson."
Theresa raised her eyebrows. "Piano lessons?" She asked with her surprised gaze.
Before Theresa could say anything Ethan looked towards Dylan. "Oh. You're here." He said indifferently. Dylan gave Ethan a look of disbelief. "Of course I'm here. Fox is my best friend. I thought I should pay my respects."
Theresa noted Dylan once again using 'is.' Did he know something she did not? Theresa wondered.
"You could have paid your respects at the funeral." Ethan said crossing his arms. "Oh that's right." He said. "You weren't there."
"I tried to get here as fast as I could." Dylan said defensively. "Besides, why are you getting on my case? It's not like you really gave a damn about Fox."
"Could you two stop?" Theresa asked.
"Sorry." Ethan and Dylan mumbled simultaneously. Ethan Martin clutched Theresa's hand.
"We've got to go to your lesson." Ethan said to his godson.
Ethan Martin looked up at his mother for her approbation. "Go on." Theresa said quietly. "Since when did my son take piano lessons?"
Ethan looked at Theresa nervously. "Ethan?" Theresa prompted for an answer.
"Gwen always said that she wanted her children to play an instrument." Ethan said averting his gaze to the ground. Theresa frowned. "Her child?" She thought. "Ethan Martin is my child." She said in a low menacing tone. "Not hers."
"Well, not officially." Ethan replied. "The adoption hearing is in a few days."
Theresa closed her eyes to keep her anger from spilling over. "You might want to leave. You don't want Ethan Martin to be late."
"Theresa~" Ethan said.
"Don't." Theresa replied simply. She was becoming sick of hearing Ethan's apologies and excuses. Instead of unleashing her wrath upon Ethan with her stinging words, she bit her tongue. Her son did not need to see his mother so angry.
Wordlessly, Ethan left the room with Ethan Martin leaving Theresa alone with Dylan. He had been listening and watching the exchange of words between Theresa and her ex-fiancé.
"You two used to be together, right?" Dylan asked watching Theresa carefully.
"Yeah. A long time ago." Theresa said sighing. "But it's over between me and him. My heart belongs to someone else."
"May I ask who?" Dylan inquired.
Theresa sat upon Fox's bed and played with a stray thread boldly sticking up from the comforter. "It doesn't matter anymore." Theresa said quietly. "He's gone."
Dylan took a seat beside Theresa. Although Theresa did not reveal a name, he did not have to ask who it was. Dylan understood completely.
It was Fox.
Dylan cleared his throat. "I wanted to visit Fox's grave." He said softly. "Do you think you could come along with me?"
Theresa looked at Dylan. His slightly blurred figure through her teary eyes held a look she could not decipher. It was as though he were hiding something.
"Please?" Dylan asked when Theresa did not answer.
Theresa nodded reluctantly. She still continued to wonder if Dylan knew anything about Fox's supposed death. She wondered if that was what he was hiding from her. The question burning in her mind, Theresa decided to ask. The curiosity was driving her to the brink of insanity. "Do you know any details about Fox's death?" She asked so urgently that it caught Dylan off guard.
"Uh, no." He said quickly. "But I have a feeling that Alistair Crane has some knowledge of it."
"Yeah." Theresa agreed slightly disappointed. "Alistair seems to have information on everything and everybody." Theresa experienced an odd feeling overwhelming her as she sat next to Dylan. It was as though someone else were watching her. Theresa's suspicions were proven true when she glanced up and found another unfamiliar man standing in the doorway. There was something about him that irked Theresa.
"Oh hey." Dylan said standing up. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come in."
The stranger kept watching Theresa intently. "Hello, Theresa." He said- the greeting flowing softly from his deep voice.
Theresa's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you know my name?" She asked apprehensively.