CH 20- The Truth Hurts
Fox inhaled the salty water breeze as he stood at the edge of the wharf. The events of earlier raced through his mind as he struggled to remain calm.
"You're not the father. Ethan is." Theresa's words rang in his head.
He could feel his entire body trembling, the tears flowing down his face.
"Why?" He whispered, staring at the still waters below. "Why did you have to do this Theresa? We were so happy! How could you do this to me?"
His legs weakened underneath him, as he let himself slip to the deck's ground. Burying his head in his arms, he cried out all his frustration. He was so excited earlier that morning about proposing to Theresa. When he had been to the jewelry store to buy the ring, he had taken forever trying to select the perfect one. Theresa deserved it all, and he could not wait to make her his wife. For so long he had never felt worthy of love; to experience it or much less have someone feel it for him. But all of that changed the moment that he laid his eyes on Theresa. She made him feel like nothing else mattered in the world. Just as long as they were together, everything was right. But as he sat there on the wharf, the tears falling from his eyes, all of that seemed like just a dream. He should have known that this day would come and that he was right all along. He wasn't worthy of love. He never was, and he never would be.
Fox was filled with so much grief that he didn't even feel someone touch him on his shoulder.
"Fox?" The voice asked.
He looked up to find Luis towering above him.
"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Luis sat down beside him. "Weren't you suppose to propose to Theresa today? Isn't that the reason why you asked me for permission earlier?"
"Yeah," Fox mumbled, his head still buried.
"So what are you doing here by yourself? I would have expected you two to be out celebrating right now."
"Yeah, well there's no point in celebrating if there is nothing to celebrate." He finally raised his head, his eyes completely emotionless.
"I don't understand." Luis looked at him bewildered. "Didn't you ask her?"
"Let's just say, I never got around to it." Fox looked up at him.
For the first time, Luis saw the pain that spread across his face. Fox's eyes were all red and swollen and his shirt was drenched in water.
"Fox you look terrible! What happened?" He asked him.
It took him a while but eventually Fox told Luis about what happened earlier that afternoon between him and Theresa. When he was finished, Luis just looked at him, unsure of what to say.
"Oh man," He whispered. "I'm sorry Fox."
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything to me. It was Theresa." A cold expression flashed across his face, as he said her name.
"Yeah, but she's my sister." Luis sighed. "What can I say? Theresa doesn't always realize the destruction of her actions until it blows up in her face."
"So what are you saying?" Fox looked up at him. "You think what she did was ok?"
"Absolutely not!" Luis shook his head. "Theresa definitely created a hug mess for herself. But you have to understand that her intentions are always good."
Fox just bent his head, too hurt to respond.
"Listen Fox, I know that right now your upset, and you have every right to be. But underneath all that anger, I know that you still love her. You guys just have to find a way to work through this." Luis placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Work through this?" Fox stared at him in disbelief. "Luis, she's pregnant with Ethan's child! That's a pretty hard thing to work around!
"So what are you saying? You're just going to give up on what you two have?" Luis looked at him in shock.
"I don't really have a choice, given the position that I was put in." Fox let out a deep sigh. "Although there are some things about earlier that I don't really understand, there is one thing that is completely clear to me. I could never forgive Theresa. Not after what she did to our love."
Luis watched as Fox's eyes filled with a terrifying darkness. It was as if all the love in his heart had disappeared, and it looked like it was never coming back.
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Whitney and Gwen climbed the stairs of the Crane Mansion and turned the corner to Fox's room.
"I wonder why Theresa wanted us to come over?" Whitney asked, placed her hand on the doorknob.
"I have no idea." Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "But it looks like we're going to find out."
They knocked on the door and called out.
"Theresa, are you in here?"
When they heard no response, they peered into the room. There among several lit candles and rose petals, sat a helpless Theresa.
"Wow! "Whitney exclaimed. "Look at this place! It's beautiful!"
"Tell me about it!" Gwen giggled. "What happened in here Theresa? Did Fox propose or something?"
Theresa didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even hear them come in. She just sat on Fox's bed and blankly stared at the ring that still laid in its box.
"If only things had been different." She whispered to herself. "Fox and I would have been so happy."
She closed her eyes and imagined how her life would have been if things hadn't happened the way it did.
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"Honey, I'm home!" A delighted Fox sang, as he came through the door.
He peered into the living room and saw a very pregnant Theresa sitting on the couch.
"Hey baby!" She happily squealed at the sight of her gorgeous husband. "How was work?"
"Work was tiring!" He flopped down beside her. "But I am very happy to be home!"
"Well we are very happy to have you home," Theresa smiled, softly caressing his face.
"So how are my two favourite Cranes?" He winked, placing a hand on her tummy. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Yes sweetie I feel fine. In fact, I'm feeling..." She paused to think of a clever answer. "I'm feeling really...pregnant!"
"Well that's because you are silly!" He laughed, handing her a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"Oh honey these are beautiful!" She grinned, smelling one of the roses.
"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful wife!" He gently kissed her lips and smiled. "Besides, you deserved it! Pretty soon you are going to make me the happiest father to this little bundle of joy!"
He kissed her tummy and looked lovingly into her eyes.
"Aww, you're going to be such a great daddy." She winked at him.
"And you're going to be such a great mommy." He kissed her once again. "I love you."
"I love you too baby." She smiled, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
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Theresa opened her eyes and cried out loud.
"Oh god! We could have been so happy! I'm so stupid!"
Whitney and Gwen immediately came running to her side.
"Theresa?" Whitney sat down beside her. "Honey what is the matter?"
Suddenly she realized that her friends were in the room.
"Oh my gosh you guys! It's over!" She sobbed in Whitney's arms. "I've lost Fox forever!"
"What do you mean you've lost him?" Gwen gently caressed her hair. "What happened?"
Theresa told them about the horrible event that happened earlier that afternoon.
"You're pregnant?" Whitney looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," she sobbed. "After your mom told me, I took another pregnancy test to make sure and it came out positive. I'm pregnant with Ethan's child!"
"Oh Theresa!" Whitney whispered. "I knew something like this would happen!"
"Look honey we hate to say this, but Whitney and I told you that this idea of yours would blow up in your face." Gwen seriously looked at her.
"I know!" Theresa cried. "I should have listened to you guys! I should have just told Fox the truth from the beginning! God, I'm so stupid!"
"Theresa, you need to calm down." Gwen looked at her. "I know this is an unfortunate situation, but freaking out like this is not going to get you any where."
"But what if he doesn't forgive me?" She looked up at them, tears falling from her eyes.
"Well honey can you blame him?" Whitney frowned. "You know that Fox loved you very much. To hear that you are pregnant and much less by his own brother cannot be very easy for him. He's probably hurting a great deal right now."
Theresa just sat there and sadly nodded, listening to her friends' hurtful but true words. Suddenly she bolted from the bed and began throwing things across the room.
"Ahhhhh! What have I done?" She screamed enraged. "I've lost everything! This is all my fault!"
Whitney and Gwen tried to grab her as she furiously continued to throw objects.
"Theresa stop it!" Gwen yelled. "You can't do this to yourself! You need to rest, now that you have a baby to take care of!"
Theresa fell to the floor and hysterically cried.
"I can't rest!" She sobbed. "You guys don't understand! Fox was so angry when he left! What if something happened to him?"
"Theresa, I'm sure Fox is fine." Whitney assured her. "If anything, he probably just went some where to cool off."
"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about him—" Gwen began, but her phone suddenly interrupted her.
"I wonder who that could be?" She questioningly placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"
"Gwen? O my gosh, thank goodness I reached you!"
"Sheridan? What's wrong?" She could hear the concern in her voice.
"Is Theresa with you?" Sheridan asked.
"Yeah, she's sitting right here with me and Whitney. Did something happen?" Gwen looked at the two girls worriedly.
"You girls have to come down the hospital! I can't explain right now, but please hurry!"
"Sheridan are you there?" Gwen called into her phone as the line went dead.
"What's wrong Gwen? What did Sheridan want?" Theresa fearfully asked.
"I don't know, but she just told us to come down to the hospital right away!"
"Well did she say why?" Whitney gave her a confused look.
"No, she just said to hurry." Gwen stood up and grabbed her bag. "C'mon we could take my car!"
Theresa shot up and hurriedly followed Gwen and Whitney, her heart pounding against her chest.
"Please God, don't let it be Fox!" She whispered to herself, as she quickly ran out the door.
Fox inhaled the salty water breeze as he stood at the edge of the wharf. The events of earlier raced through his mind as he struggled to remain calm.
"You're not the father. Ethan is." Theresa's words rang in his head.
He could feel his entire body trembling, the tears flowing down his face.
"Why?" He whispered, staring at the still waters below. "Why did you have to do this Theresa? We were so happy! How could you do this to me?"
His legs weakened underneath him, as he let himself slip to the deck's ground. Burying his head in his arms, he cried out all his frustration. He was so excited earlier that morning about proposing to Theresa. When he had been to the jewelry store to buy the ring, he had taken forever trying to select the perfect one. Theresa deserved it all, and he could not wait to make her his wife. For so long he had never felt worthy of love; to experience it or much less have someone feel it for him. But all of that changed the moment that he laid his eyes on Theresa. She made him feel like nothing else mattered in the world. Just as long as they were together, everything was right. But as he sat there on the wharf, the tears falling from his eyes, all of that seemed like just a dream. He should have known that this day would come and that he was right all along. He wasn't worthy of love. He never was, and he never would be.
Fox was filled with so much grief that he didn't even feel someone touch him on his shoulder.
"Fox?" The voice asked.
He looked up to find Luis towering above him.
"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Luis sat down beside him. "Weren't you suppose to propose to Theresa today? Isn't that the reason why you asked me for permission earlier?"
"Yeah," Fox mumbled, his head still buried.
"So what are you doing here by yourself? I would have expected you two to be out celebrating right now."
"Yeah, well there's no point in celebrating if there is nothing to celebrate." He finally raised his head, his eyes completely emotionless.
"I don't understand." Luis looked at him bewildered. "Didn't you ask her?"
"Let's just say, I never got around to it." Fox looked up at him.
For the first time, Luis saw the pain that spread across his face. Fox's eyes were all red and swollen and his shirt was drenched in water.
"Fox you look terrible! What happened?" He asked him.
It took him a while but eventually Fox told Luis about what happened earlier that afternoon between him and Theresa. When he was finished, Luis just looked at him, unsure of what to say.
"Oh man," He whispered. "I'm sorry Fox."
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything to me. It was Theresa." A cold expression flashed across his face, as he said her name.
"Yeah, but she's my sister." Luis sighed. "What can I say? Theresa doesn't always realize the destruction of her actions until it blows up in her face."
"So what are you saying?" Fox looked up at him. "You think what she did was ok?"
"Absolutely not!" Luis shook his head. "Theresa definitely created a hug mess for herself. But you have to understand that her intentions are always good."
Fox just bent his head, too hurt to respond.
"Listen Fox, I know that right now your upset, and you have every right to be. But underneath all that anger, I know that you still love her. You guys just have to find a way to work through this." Luis placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Work through this?" Fox stared at him in disbelief. "Luis, she's pregnant with Ethan's child! That's a pretty hard thing to work around!
"So what are you saying? You're just going to give up on what you two have?" Luis looked at him in shock.
"I don't really have a choice, given the position that I was put in." Fox let out a deep sigh. "Although there are some things about earlier that I don't really understand, there is one thing that is completely clear to me. I could never forgive Theresa. Not after what she did to our love."
Luis watched as Fox's eyes filled with a terrifying darkness. It was as if all the love in his heart had disappeared, and it looked like it was never coming back.
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Whitney and Gwen climbed the stairs of the Crane Mansion and turned the corner to Fox's room.
"I wonder why Theresa wanted us to come over?" Whitney asked, placed her hand on the doorknob.
"I have no idea." Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "But it looks like we're going to find out."
They knocked on the door and called out.
"Theresa, are you in here?"
When they heard no response, they peered into the room. There among several lit candles and rose petals, sat a helpless Theresa.
"Wow! "Whitney exclaimed. "Look at this place! It's beautiful!"
"Tell me about it!" Gwen giggled. "What happened in here Theresa? Did Fox propose or something?"
Theresa didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even hear them come in. She just sat on Fox's bed and blankly stared at the ring that still laid in its box.
"If only things had been different." She whispered to herself. "Fox and I would have been so happy."
She closed her eyes and imagined how her life would have been if things hadn't happened the way it did.
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"Honey, I'm home!" A delighted Fox sang, as he came through the door.
He peered into the living room and saw a very pregnant Theresa sitting on the couch.
"Hey baby!" She happily squealed at the sight of her gorgeous husband. "How was work?"
"Work was tiring!" He flopped down beside her. "But I am very happy to be home!"
"Well we are very happy to have you home," Theresa smiled, softly caressing his face.
"So how are my two favourite Cranes?" He winked, placing a hand on her tummy. "Are you feeling ok?"
"Yes sweetie I feel fine. In fact, I'm feeling..." She paused to think of a clever answer. "I'm feeling really...pregnant!"
"Well that's because you are silly!" He laughed, handing her a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"Oh honey these are beautiful!" She grinned, smelling one of the roses.
"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful wife!" He gently kissed her lips and smiled. "Besides, you deserved it! Pretty soon you are going to make me the happiest father to this little bundle of joy!"
He kissed her tummy and looked lovingly into her eyes.
"Aww, you're going to be such a great daddy." She winked at him.
"And you're going to be such a great mommy." He kissed her once again. "I love you."
"I love you too baby." She smiled, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
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Theresa opened her eyes and cried out loud.
"Oh god! We could have been so happy! I'm so stupid!"
Whitney and Gwen immediately came running to her side.
"Theresa?" Whitney sat down beside her. "Honey what is the matter?"
Suddenly she realized that her friends were in the room.
"Oh my gosh you guys! It's over!" She sobbed in Whitney's arms. "I've lost Fox forever!"
"What do you mean you've lost him?" Gwen gently caressed her hair. "What happened?"
Theresa told them about the horrible event that happened earlier that afternoon.
"You're pregnant?" Whitney looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," she sobbed. "After your mom told me, I took another pregnancy test to make sure and it came out positive. I'm pregnant with Ethan's child!"
"Oh Theresa!" Whitney whispered. "I knew something like this would happen!"
"Look honey we hate to say this, but Whitney and I told you that this idea of yours would blow up in your face." Gwen seriously looked at her.
"I know!" Theresa cried. "I should have listened to you guys! I should have just told Fox the truth from the beginning! God, I'm so stupid!"
"Theresa, you need to calm down." Gwen looked at her. "I know this is an unfortunate situation, but freaking out like this is not going to get you any where."
"But what if he doesn't forgive me?" She looked up at them, tears falling from her eyes.
"Well honey can you blame him?" Whitney frowned. "You know that Fox loved you very much. To hear that you are pregnant and much less by his own brother cannot be very easy for him. He's probably hurting a great deal right now."
Theresa just sat there and sadly nodded, listening to her friends' hurtful but true words. Suddenly she bolted from the bed and began throwing things across the room.
"Ahhhhh! What have I done?" She screamed enraged. "I've lost everything! This is all my fault!"
Whitney and Gwen tried to grab her as she furiously continued to throw objects.
"Theresa stop it!" Gwen yelled. "You can't do this to yourself! You need to rest, now that you have a baby to take care of!"
Theresa fell to the floor and hysterically cried.
"I can't rest!" She sobbed. "You guys don't understand! Fox was so angry when he left! What if something happened to him?"
"Theresa, I'm sure Fox is fine." Whitney assured her. "If anything, he probably just went some where to cool off."
"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about him—" Gwen began, but her phone suddenly interrupted her.
"I wonder who that could be?" She questioningly placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"
"Gwen? O my gosh, thank goodness I reached you!"
"Sheridan? What's wrong?" She could hear the concern in her voice.
"Is Theresa with you?" Sheridan asked.
"Yeah, she's sitting right here with me and Whitney. Did something happen?" Gwen looked at the two girls worriedly.
"You girls have to come down the hospital! I can't explain right now, but please hurry!"
"Sheridan are you there?" Gwen called into her phone as the line went dead.
"What's wrong Gwen? What did Sheridan want?" Theresa fearfully asked.
"I don't know, but she just told us to come down to the hospital right away!"
"Well did she say why?" Whitney gave her a confused look.
"No, she just said to hurry." Gwen stood up and grabbed her bag. "C'mon we could take my car!"
Theresa shot up and hurriedly followed Gwen and Whitney, her heart pounding against her chest.
"Please God, don't let it be Fox!" She whispered to herself, as she quickly ran out the door.