Zach's son couldn't have an August birthday. Those words had danced through Kendall's subconscious mind for two weeks. Could it be? Was it possible to give such a gift to Zach? Or would it just add to his pain? Kendall thought to herself as she sat in a waiting room at Pine Valley Hospital, trying to relieve a headache by massaging her temples while waiting to be seen. She needed answers, and then she would decide what to do with them… but to do nothing was not an option.
So much had happened since the morning she had woke up to the news that Ethan had died. An autopsy, an investigation, a funeral and the disposition of Cambias Industries was all happening again… it was entirely too familiar to Kendall. She felt almost as if she was reliving the nightmare of her make-believe marriage to Michael Cambias and the repercussions of his death. The circumstances were completely different… but so very much the same. It was no wonder that she had been having headaches, since she was feeling overwhelmed by the upheaval their lives had undergone... touching her life and the lives of the people that she loved as intimately as Michael's death had done.
The autopsy of Ethan's body found no external causes for the accident. There were no drugs or alcohol in his system – but anger and hate didn't generally appear on a tox-screen and Kendall could attest to the addictive and destructive nature of both. The official cause of Ethan's death had been a massive internal hemorrhage. As Maria had surmised, he probably lost consciousness upon impact and slipped away as his organs were deprived of oxygen… it was very doubtful he had suffered. For that she and Zach had both been grateful. It would have been even more difficult to deal with the guilt and grief over Ethan's wasted life and death if he had died in agony as well.
The accident itself was still under investigation, and Derek had given them no indication of how long it would last. Since no crime that they knew of had actually been committed and the car itself had no mechanical defects, she and Zach had begun to believe that they might never know exactly what happened on the night of the accident. Most of Ethan's personal effects were still being retained as evidence by the police, but the remaining items had been packed up and placed in storage at the casino.
Kendall thought back to how changeable Zach's moods had been… the man who had been so calm and collected throughout her many extremes had opened himself to her in a way she would have never imagined. To the world he still presented that stoicism that everyone expected… but in their private moments he became unguarded. He allowed her to share his grief and anger, but also brief glimpses of happiness. It had been those moments where, even in the midst of despair, she found proof that life could go on and that the life they shared together could be good. She was grateful for the comfort they brought each other. While Kendall was concerned only for Zach's anguish – trying to show her love through her actions since she was afraid the words might sound selfish – he had shown a rare compassion and caring that she might grieve Ethan's death. So much of the time she and Zach had known each other was wrapped up in knowing Ethan, being involved with Ethan… their marriage itself had been prompted by Ethan's behavior. Ethan would have hated her gratitude… hated that she had found love in spite of… or perhaps because of… his vendetta against Zach. But grateful she was that she had found Zach and fallen in love with him… and the circumstances that drew them together became unimportant to the fact that she loved him.
They had allowed Ethan's funeral to be delayed, using the autopsy and the investigation as an excuse when in truth neither of them had felt up to the task. After much soul searching, they had agreed that Ethan would be cremated and his remains buried in the grave that should have been occupied by Michael Cambias… currently standing empty with its headstone as a monument to nothing since the real body had been buried in secret at the Pine Valley Landfill, wreaking a punishment for the way his life had been lived. Zach hoped Ethan and Michael could both find peace if he rested there.
The services had been conducted just that morning. Bianca and Miranda had flown in from Paris and members of the Cambias board had also made the trip… but there had been a very small group of mourners for the simple gravesite ceremony. Ethan's will would be read the next day while Bianca was in town, but Kendall was dreading what final revenge he may have put into that document. The sisters were planning to spend some quality time together after the will reading, and Kendall hoped to get Zach at least a few minutes with Miranda. The fact that Bianca had called Zach to personally express her condolences had given them both hopes that Bianca may have finally started softening toward him.
However, it was not her headaches that had Kendall waiting to be squeezed into Dr. Maria Grey's schedule. At the gravesite she had looked at Ethan's temporary grave marker and noticed the birth date – August 10 – suddenly remembering Maria's words outside the morgue. Kendall found herself compelled to finish their conversation without allowing another day to pass. When Zach had asked her to give him some time to himself after the service, she had used the opportunity to visit the hospital and try to see Maria.
"Kendall Slater," called a nurse. Kendall startled out of her reverie and stood to follow her to an examining room. She noticed the examining table and the gown before realizing that there was a mix-up at the desk.
"No… I'm sorry… I'm not here for an exam. I have a private matter to discuss with Dr. Grey," she told the nurse.
"Suit yourself. She has back to back patients… she'll be with you in a few minutes and you can tell her whatever you want," she was told impatiently.
Kendall nodded and seated herself on a chair, deciding that for the purposes of their discussion the difference between an examining room and an office were probably not worth arguing over. She only had to wait a short time before Maria entered the room and looked at Kendall in surprise.
"Kendall… I'm… well, this is a surprise," Maria commented as she looked at the blank chart in her hands. "I wouldn't have thought you'd…"
"I'm not here as a patient, Maria," Kendall answered quickly. "They stuck me in this room, but I only took the appointment so that we could talk… about Zach."
"About Zach… hmm… how's he doing?" Maria said softly as she seated herself on a wheeled stool and pulled it up opposite Kendall.
"He's okay… most of the time. Ethan's service was this morning… I'm hoping that helps," Kendall answered. "That's why I'm here… you said something to me a couple of weeks ago… but never followed up."
"What was that?" Maria asked.
Kendall couldn't tell if Maria truly couldn't remember or if she was testing her, but she was in no mood for prevarication, "You said that Ethan might not be Zach's son… because of his birthday. I want to know what you meant by that."
"It was probably nothing… you got the birth date straightened out, right? I assumed you did when I didn't hear from you," Maria answered. "I'm sure it was just a mistake on his passport."
"There was nothing to straighten out. His birthday was August 10… it was even on that uncertified birth certificate he got from his mother," Kendall said in confusion. "I remembered what you said this morning when I saw it on the temporary marker."
"But… Kendall… that's impossible," Maria said with a frown.
"What do you mean… impossible? Please… explain it to me," Kendall replied in frustration.
"Zach told me about Ethan's mother… Hannah?" Maria paused and at Kendall's nod continued, "He said they were together on his break from school… the summer they were seventeen. He went back to school and she was gone when he returned over Thanksgiving. He never saw her again."
"Yeah… that's the story. What am I missing?" Kendall questioned the other woman.
"Kendall… if Zach and Hannah were together in the summer… their baby would have been born in the spring…" Maria prompted.
Kendall's eyes grew wide as realization dawned on her, "She couldn't have been pregnant for a year or more! And if Ethan was really born on August 10, then Zach couldn't be his father!"
"Exactly… and considering their relationship… I think that he might… be grateful," Maria answered with a smile.
"Thank you, Maria, thank you so much," Kendall said with a laugh. "I've got to go to Zach and tell him… oh, Maria… you don't know what this will mean to him… to us…"
Maria stood up and looked at Kendall and her smile faded as sadness touched her eyes, "Actually… I think I do. But… Kendall… are you certain he will consider it good news now? I mean… Zach didn't deny Ethan because he didn't care about him."
"I know that… and I don't know how he'll react… but I'll make him see it the way we do," Kendall answered emphatically. "Zach shouldn't have to go through life believing he had a son who hated him."
Maria responded, "I agree… no parent should have to withstand the hate of his… or her… child."
"I'm sorry…" Kendall said as she realized just how close to home their conversation rang considering the difficulties Maria was having with her own children in the wake of her husband's death.
"Thanks… we're working through it," Maria said softly. "But what about the DNA test… if Zach wasn't Ethan's father… then who was?"
"I don't know… and, Maria… right now I just don't care," Kendall said evenly. "He caused so much pain to so many people… just like Michael… who knows, maybe Michael's his father! I only care that Zach is spared this father/son guilt that's slowly eating away at him."
"Well… I seriously doubt that Michael was his father. If it wasn't for that DNA test I'd accuse Ethan of being an imposter. Oh well, I guess we'll never know," Maria mused. "I need to get to my next patient… um… please tell Zach… oh, never mind, just take care of him. Okay?"
"That's a promise I'm happy to make," Kendall jumped up from her seat and reached to embrace the other woman but instead sat down just as quickly as she had stood up, holding her head in her hands and groaning.
"Kendall? What's the matter?" Maria asked professionally, automatically taking one of her hands and checking the pulse. "Kendall, I'm going to help you onto the examining table… your pulse is a little fast and I want to check you out. Is it your head?"
Kendall allowed herself to be assisted the few steps by Maria and answering, "It's nothing… I've got a headache, that's all. You know what kind of stress we've been under, and I haven't been eating right. Give me a minute and I'll be fine."
As she began a brief examination by listening to Kendall's heart and lungs and taking her blood pressure Maria asked, "Do you get headaches very often?" When Kendall shook her head, Maria continued, "You've let yourself get run down… and I'm not surprised under the circumstances."
"That's what I just told you," Kendall snapped. "Between dealing with Ethan's death and learning how to run casinos, I've had a few headaches. This isn't important… telling Zach the truth about Ethan is what's important."
"Kendall, your pulse is fast and your blood pressure is elevated. When combined with the headaches, a likely culprit could be stress… but it isn't the only possibility. You're here now, so let me check you out and have my nurse draw some blood. That way we can make sure that stress is all that it is," Maria said firmly.
"I told you that I'm fine, Maria," Kendall snapped unkindly once again. "I just need to get to Zach… and talk to him. That's all I need."
"Kendall… how is Zach going to react if you get sick?" Maria said sternly to which Kendall looked immediately contrite. "Now let me do my job."
"As long as you promise not to tell Zach about this, I agree," Kendall answered reluctantly. At Maria's nod, she relaxed and allowed Maria to finish the exam and the nurse to draw her blood before she left the hospital in search of her husband.