CHAPTER 5
An hour after they arrived at the DNA lab on the seventh floor, Ethan and Little Ethan were in the seventh floor waiting area awaiting the results of the paternity test. Ethan prayed and prayed that Little Ethan was his. Ethan's heart swelled with love whenever he laid eyes on that beautiful little boy. Ethan couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Little Ethan showing off his Incredible Hulk band-aid while simultaneously sucking on a monstrous lollipop the lab technician had given him for being such a sweetheart when his blood was drawn.
"Little Ethan, come here," Ethan said. "I wanna talk to you."
Little Ethan wobbled over to where Ethan was sitting. Ethan picked the little boy up and placed Little Ethan in his lap.
"I know you can't talk yet, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you and no matter what the test results are, I will always be your daddy." Ethan said.
"DADA!!" Little Ethan shouted excitedly. "DADA!! DADA!! DADA!!"
Little Ethan threw his chubby little arms around Ethan's neck.
Ethan wrapped Little Ethan in a great big bear hug. Little Ethan had said his first words!! Little Ethan had called him Dada!! Tears streamed down Ethan's face. How he wished that Theresa could have heard her son speak his first words and call him Dada. Ethan knew then that if Julian did turn out to be Little Ethan's biological father, Julian would never get his hands on him. Ethan would make sure that all of Julian's paternal rights were taken away.
A few minutes later, the lab technician stepped out of the lab and made his way to the waiting area, paternity results in hand.
"Mr. Winthrop??" the lab technician asked.
"Yes??" Ethan replied. Ethan immediately got up and walked over to the area where the lab technician was standing.
"You might want to sit down for this," The lab technician said.
"Okay," Ethan said. "I just hope the results are what I was hoping for."
"Mr. Winthrop, you are, without any doubt whatsoever, Little Ethan's biological father." the lab technician said. "Congratulations, Mr. Winthrop."
"Thank you God!!" Ethan exclaimed as he dropped to his knees and looked up towards Heaven. "Doctor, that was exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you as well."
With that, Ethan stood up, placed Little Ethan on his shoulders, and father and son made their way down the corridor to the elevators. Ethan pressed the "Down" call button and within moments, they were on their way to the first floor lobby.
Ethan and his son made their way to Ethan's SUV, and as soon as Ethan had Little Ethan strapped into his carseat, Ethan got into the driver's seat, put his seatbelt on, and soon they were on their way to Fred Leighton Jewelers. Ethan wanted to find the perfect diamond for Theresa. He knew he would find it at the Fred Leighton store.
Twenty minutes after they left the hospital, Ethan and his son were at Fred Leighton Jewelers. Ethan got out, took Little Ethan out of the carseat, and put him on his shoulders. They went into the jewelry store and immediately walked up to the engagement ring counter. He scanned the dozens and dozens of rings until his eyes landed on the ring he knew he'd buy for his beloved. It was a platinum band with a 2-carat, marquise-cut diamond and two 1/2-carat square-cut diamonds on either side.
"May I help you, sir??" the clerk asked.
"Why, yes you can," Ethan replied. "I would love to purchase the engagement ring right there in the middle."
"This ring will set you back about $8,000," the clerk said. "Are you sure this is the one you want??"
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life," Ethan replied. "I am going to ask the love of my life to marry me, and I want her to have the best and most beautiful diamond ring. This, sir, is that ring."
"Would you like to have it engraved, sir??" the clerk asked. "The band is wide enough, and for you, it's free of charge."
"Of course, I would love to have this ring engraved!!" Ethan replied.
"Well, what would you like the engraving to say??" The clerk asked.
"I want it to say, To my beloved Theresa: I was fated to be yours 4ever. Love 4 eternity, your beloved Ethan," Ethan said.
"It's gonna take me a little while to engrave it, why don't you come back in a couple of hours to pick it up??" the clerk asked. "You can pay for it then."
"I see you in a couple of hours, then," Ethan replied. "I need to go pick up some other stuff for when I propose. I want it to be really romantic."
Ethan left the jewelry store, and went to pick up all the stuff he needed for his romantic proposal. He bought two dozen red roses (one dozen long- stemmed and one dozen blossom-only), an enormous heart-shaped box of the finest Swiss chocolates, and a large, fluffy teddy bear. Ethan also bought some decorative candles (and matches, of course), a bottle of the most expensive French champagne and two champagne flutes, a CD of "Kiss Me," the first song they ever sang to each other, and a CD player. Ethan then went back to the jewelry store and picked up Theresa's engagement ring.
When they were well on their way back to the hospital, Ethan stopped and turned around to talk to his son.
"Ethan, do you know what Daddy's gonna do when Mommy wakes up??" he asked. The little boy shook his head from side to side.
"Daddy's gonna ask Mommy to marry him. Do you think she'll say 'Yes'??" Little Ethan nodded his head and grinned.
"DA DA!! DA DA!!" Little Ethan squealed with much delight.
"That's right, son, I am your Daddy," Ethan said.
Ethan and son soon arrived at the hospital. After Ethan parked his SUV, he and his son made their way to Theresa's room. Ethan then got everything ready for his romantic proposal. He arranged the candles around the room and lit them. He took the rose blossoms and scattered the petals on the floor and on Theresa's bed. He took the long-stemmed roses and put them in a crystal vase and placed the vase on the nightstand beside Theresa's bed. Ethan then placed inside the bouquet a note that read:
"To the love of my life--
Be mine 4ever.
Love Always,
Your Beloved Ethan
Ethan then set the chocolates, as well as the CD player, on the tray table. Ethan set the Teddy bear in the chair next to his beloved's bed. Ethan then went down to the ice machine and got a bucket of ice, into which he placed the bottle of French champagne. He took that to Theresa's room and placed it and the two champagne flutes on the tray table beside the chocolates and the CD player. Ethan then took the heart-shaped ring box (with the ring inside) and placed it in the secret compartment located behind the red velvet heart on the Teddy bear's chest. Ethan then went down to the gift shop and purchased a blank greeting card on which he wrote:
"Theresa,
I love you more than words can say.
I love you more and more each day.
I know I was blind at first, but now I can see
That you are the ONLY one for me.
I hope we can give our relationship a fresh start
Because I love you with all of my heart.
I promise to always be honest and true,
For I can no longer live without you.
Please give me another chance to be with you,
And let us walk down the aisle and say 'I do.'
I am asking that you be my wife,
And let me be yours for the rest of my life."
Love Always,
Your Beloved Ethan
P.S.: It's Fate, Sweetheart, it's Fate!!!
Ethan took the card back to Theresa's room. He placed the Teddy bear on the foot of Theresa's bed and arranged it so that it was facing her. Ethan then placed the card on the Teddy bear's lap. Ethan then called everyone to come back into the room so they could witness his romantic proposal. Ethan sat in the chair beside Theresa's bed and waited for the doctor to come wake her up. Little Ethan wobbled over to him and climbed up onto his lap.
"I wuv oo, Da Da!!!" Little Ethan exclaimed as he threw his chubby little arms around Ethan. Tears of pure joy streamed down Ethan's face as he hugged his precious first-born son. "I love you too, son," Ethan whispered to his son. "I love you too."
An hour after they arrived at the DNA lab on the seventh floor, Ethan and Little Ethan were in the seventh floor waiting area awaiting the results of the paternity test. Ethan prayed and prayed that Little Ethan was his. Ethan's heart swelled with love whenever he laid eyes on that beautiful little boy. Ethan couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Little Ethan showing off his Incredible Hulk band-aid while simultaneously sucking on a monstrous lollipop the lab technician had given him for being such a sweetheart when his blood was drawn.
"Little Ethan, come here," Ethan said. "I wanna talk to you."
Little Ethan wobbled over to where Ethan was sitting. Ethan picked the little boy up and placed Little Ethan in his lap.
"I know you can't talk yet, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you and no matter what the test results are, I will always be your daddy." Ethan said.
"DADA!!" Little Ethan shouted excitedly. "DADA!! DADA!! DADA!!"
Little Ethan threw his chubby little arms around Ethan's neck.
Ethan wrapped Little Ethan in a great big bear hug. Little Ethan had said his first words!! Little Ethan had called him Dada!! Tears streamed down Ethan's face. How he wished that Theresa could have heard her son speak his first words and call him Dada. Ethan knew then that if Julian did turn out to be Little Ethan's biological father, Julian would never get his hands on him. Ethan would make sure that all of Julian's paternal rights were taken away.
A few minutes later, the lab technician stepped out of the lab and made his way to the waiting area, paternity results in hand.
"Mr. Winthrop??" the lab technician asked.
"Yes??" Ethan replied. Ethan immediately got up and walked over to the area where the lab technician was standing.
"You might want to sit down for this," The lab technician said.
"Okay," Ethan said. "I just hope the results are what I was hoping for."
"Mr. Winthrop, you are, without any doubt whatsoever, Little Ethan's biological father." the lab technician said. "Congratulations, Mr. Winthrop."
"Thank you God!!" Ethan exclaimed as he dropped to his knees and looked up towards Heaven. "Doctor, that was exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you as well."
With that, Ethan stood up, placed Little Ethan on his shoulders, and father and son made their way down the corridor to the elevators. Ethan pressed the "Down" call button and within moments, they were on their way to the first floor lobby.
Ethan and his son made their way to Ethan's SUV, and as soon as Ethan had Little Ethan strapped into his carseat, Ethan got into the driver's seat, put his seatbelt on, and soon they were on their way to Fred Leighton Jewelers. Ethan wanted to find the perfect diamond for Theresa. He knew he would find it at the Fred Leighton store.
Twenty minutes after they left the hospital, Ethan and his son were at Fred Leighton Jewelers. Ethan got out, took Little Ethan out of the carseat, and put him on his shoulders. They went into the jewelry store and immediately walked up to the engagement ring counter. He scanned the dozens and dozens of rings until his eyes landed on the ring he knew he'd buy for his beloved. It was a platinum band with a 2-carat, marquise-cut diamond and two 1/2-carat square-cut diamonds on either side.
"May I help you, sir??" the clerk asked.
"Why, yes you can," Ethan replied. "I would love to purchase the engagement ring right there in the middle."
"This ring will set you back about $8,000," the clerk said. "Are you sure this is the one you want??"
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life," Ethan replied. "I am going to ask the love of my life to marry me, and I want her to have the best and most beautiful diamond ring. This, sir, is that ring."
"Would you like to have it engraved, sir??" the clerk asked. "The band is wide enough, and for you, it's free of charge."
"Of course, I would love to have this ring engraved!!" Ethan replied.
"Well, what would you like the engraving to say??" The clerk asked.
"I want it to say, To my beloved Theresa: I was fated to be yours 4ever. Love 4 eternity, your beloved Ethan," Ethan said.
"It's gonna take me a little while to engrave it, why don't you come back in a couple of hours to pick it up??" the clerk asked. "You can pay for it then."
"I see you in a couple of hours, then," Ethan replied. "I need to go pick up some other stuff for when I propose. I want it to be really romantic."
Ethan left the jewelry store, and went to pick up all the stuff he needed for his romantic proposal. He bought two dozen red roses (one dozen long- stemmed and one dozen blossom-only), an enormous heart-shaped box of the finest Swiss chocolates, and a large, fluffy teddy bear. Ethan also bought some decorative candles (and matches, of course), a bottle of the most expensive French champagne and two champagne flutes, a CD of "Kiss Me," the first song they ever sang to each other, and a CD player. Ethan then went back to the jewelry store and picked up Theresa's engagement ring.
When they were well on their way back to the hospital, Ethan stopped and turned around to talk to his son.
"Ethan, do you know what Daddy's gonna do when Mommy wakes up??" he asked. The little boy shook his head from side to side.
"Daddy's gonna ask Mommy to marry him. Do you think she'll say 'Yes'??" Little Ethan nodded his head and grinned.
"DA DA!! DA DA!!" Little Ethan squealed with much delight.
"That's right, son, I am your Daddy," Ethan said.
Ethan and son soon arrived at the hospital. After Ethan parked his SUV, he and his son made their way to Theresa's room. Ethan then got everything ready for his romantic proposal. He arranged the candles around the room and lit them. He took the rose blossoms and scattered the petals on the floor and on Theresa's bed. He took the long-stemmed roses and put them in a crystal vase and placed the vase on the nightstand beside Theresa's bed. Ethan then placed inside the bouquet a note that read:
"To the love of my life--
Be mine 4ever.
Love Always,
Your Beloved Ethan
Ethan then set the chocolates, as well as the CD player, on the tray table. Ethan set the Teddy bear in the chair next to his beloved's bed. Ethan then went down to the ice machine and got a bucket of ice, into which he placed the bottle of French champagne. He took that to Theresa's room and placed it and the two champagne flutes on the tray table beside the chocolates and the CD player. Ethan then took the heart-shaped ring box (with the ring inside) and placed it in the secret compartment located behind the red velvet heart on the Teddy bear's chest. Ethan then went down to the gift shop and purchased a blank greeting card on which he wrote:
"Theresa,
I love you more than words can say.
I love you more and more each day.
I know I was blind at first, but now I can see
That you are the ONLY one for me.
I hope we can give our relationship a fresh start
Because I love you with all of my heart.
I promise to always be honest and true,
For I can no longer live without you.
Please give me another chance to be with you,
And let us walk down the aisle and say 'I do.'
I am asking that you be my wife,
And let me be yours for the rest of my life."
Love Always,
Your Beloved Ethan
P.S.: It's Fate, Sweetheart, it's Fate!!!
Ethan took the card back to Theresa's room. He placed the Teddy bear on the foot of Theresa's bed and arranged it so that it was facing her. Ethan then placed the card on the Teddy bear's lap. Ethan then called everyone to come back into the room so they could witness his romantic proposal. Ethan sat in the chair beside Theresa's bed and waited for the doctor to come wake her up. Little Ethan wobbled over to him and climbed up onto his lap.
"I wuv oo, Da Da!!!" Little Ethan exclaimed as he threw his chubby little arms around Ethan. Tears of pure joy streamed down Ethan's face as he hugged his precious first-born son. "I love you too, son," Ethan whispered to his son. "I love you too."