A Place In the Sun
17
''Maria, you're alive,'' Kelsey said in amazement.
Carmen was speechless.
''Why aren't you at Wildwind with everyone? Don't you miss them? Come in, come in.''
''Thank you,'' she said, entering the apartment. ''I, I don't know. I don't know who I am, I don't know what happened, I don't know who anyone is, I don't know who you are.''
''Oh, um, yeah. That would explain it, amnesia.''
''Yes, ever since I ended up on that island, I couldn't remember anything.''
''Well, first things first, you are definitely Maria, Maria Santos Grey. Unless Maria had a twin no one knew about, not that that would be too uncommon in this crazy town…but you said you'd been on an island, how long was that?''
''Six years.''
''Yeah, it's been that long since the TGA crash.''
She gave Kelsey a somewhat blank stare. ''I don't know what to do, whether or not to be overjoyed or what? This is the first time in six years that anyone has known anything about me, at all.''
''We should get you back to your family, maybe if you see Edmund or your mother—''
''No, not yet,'' she insisted. ''I can't yet.''
...
Julia lay down in her bed that night and looked over at the clock.
''10:30…he said he'd call before I fell asleep,'' she commented to herself. Not a moment later, the phone rang.
''Hello?'' she said, picking it up.
''Hey darlin','' Tyler said from the other end.
''I'd just about given up hope.''
''Did you think I'd disappoint you?''
''Not really,'' she laughed. ''Thanks, again, for last night.''
''Aw, it was nothing.''
''That song you sang to me at the performance, it was really sweet.''
''I just sang what I felt.''
''I feel the same way, Tyler.''
Tyler didn't say anything.
''What?'' Julia asked.
''Just thinking.''
''Is something wrong?''
''It's just, this must all be really different and difficult for you. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to promise your life to a person and then lose that person so soon. I know you'll never stop loving him, Julia; you still wear your wedding ring.''
''You're right, I'll always love Noah, but he's not going to come back, and I know that. I could fall in love again; I could very well already be falling in love again.''
''That's good to hear,'' he said. ''Well, I better let you get on to bed. Goodnight, Julia.''
''Goodnight Tyler,'' she said. She hung up the phone and then sat in silence thinking.
Julia took a deep breath and looked down at her left hand. She slowly slid off her rings and placed them on the table beside the bed, staring at them for a few moments before pulling up the covers and trying to go to sleep.
...
''I'm sorry, I still didn't introduce myself, my name is Kelsey Jefferson, actually, Dr. Kelsey Jefferson, now,'' she said, extending her hand. ''Gosh, I wish you remembered…you inspired me to become a doctor.''
''How did I inspire you?''
''You were a doctor at PVH and you had such a passion for your work.''
''How did we know each other?''
Kelsey reached over to an end table and picked up a picture of Maria and Sam when Sam was a baby. She handed the frame to Maria. ''This little boy is how we knew each other.''
Maria looked at the picture for a few moments and then turned back to Kelsey. ''Who is he?''
''He's your son, Maria.''
''What? How?'' Maria stood up. ''How do I carry a child inside of me for nine months and then just completely forget about him? What kind of person does that make me?''
''Maria, you were in a horrible plane crash. We all thought you were dead,'' Kelsey said, trying to get Maria to calm down. ''And anyway, you didn't carry Sam. Sam's adopted.''
''He is? Then who are his biological parents?''
''I'm his mother, and his father's name is Bobby Warner, he's married to your sister Anita.''
''You gave me your son? I couldn't imagine giving away my own child.''
''It was the hardest thing I've ever done. When I was in school, I had to be away from him so long but now that I've moved back here, Edmund lets me see him just about whenever I want.''
''Edmund?''
''Your husband. Maria, just let me take you over to Wildwind, to Edmund and the kids, maybe it would jar your memory or something.''
...
''Mommy?'' Kata spoke up long after Gillian had tucked her into bed. Gillian had been lying awake next to her daughter for almost an hour by now.
''Baby, why aren't you asleep yet?''
''Was your visitor today my Daddy?''
''Yes, Katalin.''
''Why won't you tell him?''
''I told you it is complicated.''
''You're scared?''
''Yes,'' Gillian admitted to her daughter.
''Be mad at you?''
''I'd imagine he won't be all too happy with me, Kata.''
''Then make him happy with you, Mommy.''
''And what do you suggest that I do?''
''Tell him. Mommy, tell him. I want my Daddy. Isn't that why we came here?''
''Soon, baby, I promise it won't be long,'' she said, stroking Kata's hair. ''Now, go to sleep, it's late.''
...
''I told you no, I'm not going. I want to know more before I can. I don't want to be a burden on them.''
''Maria, you wold never be a burden to Edmund. It was three years before he was with another woman, and in this town, that's a lifetime.''
''What happened with the woman he was seeing?''
''I think it just didn't work out.''
''So, was she the only one?''
''The only serious one. And I only know of a few other women he even casually dated. Maria, he could never really love another woman. And it hasn't been easy for him to watch Madeline growing up to look exactly like you; sometimes I'll see him watching her and I know he's only thinking about you.''
''So I do have a biological child?''
''Yes, when Sam was a few months old, you did finally conceive a child. Maddie was born on March 4, 1997, just five months before the plane crash.''
''She's six now? Maddie…Maddie, the girl in the park, long, wispy dark hair? Round deep brown eyes? Sweet disposition?''
Kelsey handed Maria another picture, this one a picture of Maddie from the family dinner in August.
''This is her, I met her in the park one day. I thought she was lost and she told me she knew that she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but I didn't seem like a stranger, I looked like her Mommy and when I asked her where her Mommy was, she told me her Mommy was in Heaven, but her Mommy wasn't up in Heaven, she was standing right there in front of her. I was right there, talking with my own daughter and I didn't know it.''
''Maria, please don't be upset,'' Kelsey said.
''I—I've got to go, it's late.''
''Are you sure?''
''Yes, I need to sort out all of this. Thank you, thank you for everything, Kelsey.''
''Maria, I really can't tell you how great it is to have you here. I'm so happy that you're alive. Please don't hesitate to stop by again.''
''I won't. Goodnight.''
''Goodnight, Maria.''