Zach approached his condo carefully balancing the three boxes he had picked up from the Pine Valley Police Department. He breathed a sigh of relief as he successfully balanced them onto a bench so that he could unlock the door before carrying them into the living room. He was feeling cautiously optimistic that he might find something to solve the mystery of Ethan and resolve the agony of their legal battles. At the sound of someone walking up behind him, he turned quickly and smiled broadly at his less than stealthy visitor.
"Hello, darlin'… I hope I'm not interruptin' anything important," Myrtle Fargate said to Zach with a smile of her own.
"Mrs. Fargate… nothing is more important than you," he said, taking her hand in his and kissing it with the lightest pressure from his lips.
Myrtle's eyes twinkled, mirroring the delight she felt at the attention of this most handsome man. The fact that he never ceased to treat her as if she was a young beauty did wonderful things for her… but the considerate manner he showed towards his wife was what made her his staunchest defender. No one as thoughtful and caring as Zach could possibly be capable of even a small portion of the evil attributed to him… and his devotion to his wife was evident without a single word being spoken.
Myrtle laughed and then commenting seriously, "Do you have a minute, Zach? I'd like to talk to you about something."
"Please come in Mrs. Fargate," Zach said as he pushed the door wide for her to enter. "I just need to get these boxes inside." After she had entered the condo, he followed carrying his boxes. After placing them on the floor near the wall, he turned to his guest, "Can I get you something to drink? Please… have a seat."
Myrtle seated herself on the sofa and patted the cushion next to her, "Sit here with me, honey. I just came from tea with Erica, and I don't need anything more."
Zach joined her without pause, "Mrs. Fargate… you sound serious. Is something the matter? Or has Erica been bending your ear with her concerns about Kendall?"
"Actually… it's both, Zach. Now don't get me wrong, I know that Erica has never given you a chance… but I don't like to hear that Kendall's been ill," Myrtle answered. "And, honey… that son of yours was quite a piece of work. He's beginning to remind me of that dancing bear trainer that I knew in my carny days… you know, the one who your brother Michael put me in mind of. Bianca thought Ethan was such a sweet young man… and now he's trying to hurt her and Miranda from the grave."
"I know, Mrs. Fargate… I know," Zach answered her in an anguished voice. "I'm trying to stop it… all of this," he indicated with his hands the boxes stacked on the floor, "is a start. I'm hoping I'll find a clue… something that will make it go away… so Miranda never has to know. She doesn't deserve it, you know. She doesn't deserve to be part of my family."
Myrtle placed a hand on Zach's cheek, "Now don't you go taking the blame for their evil on your shoulders… I know you, Zach Slater. I know the man that you are… and you have more love in… in one of your little fingers… than Michael or Ethan had in the whole of them."
"I don't know about that, Mrs. Fargate," he said, his eyes shining brightly with unshed tears. "I abandoned them both… when they needed me to be there for them. I didn't love them enough… and they turned into monsters."
Myrtle shook her head and looked carefully at Zach before answering, "I've told you before, Zach. You cannot control what other people do… or what they become. They were weak, and it was their weakness that made them what they were. You've never been weak a day in your life… you fight for what you want – you make things happen. Now, I don't ever want to hear you blaming yourself for their mistakes… do you hear me?"
Zach nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, "I hear you, Mrs. Fargate. You're kinder to me than I deserve… but you didn't come here to talk about Michael or Ethan. You came to find out about Kendall. I'm sorry, but I don't have any answers for you. We haven't gotten the test results back – but hopefully it's just stress, and I'll be able to fix this mess quickly so that she doesn't have to deal with my problems anymore."
"Zach… don't you think we know each other well enough for you to call me Myrtle?" she asked him quietly. "Besides… I came here to find out about you! I know that Kendall is in excellent hands… but I also know that no one's taking care of you – because you won't let them."
"Um… Myrtle," he answered. "I don't need anyone to take care of me… I'm used to taking care of myself. It's Kendall and Bianca we need to worry about right now. I'm going to fix this… and then I'm going to make sure that they never get hurt like this again – and that the Cambias name will not haunt them any longer."
"I know you'll fix things for those girls… anyone can see how much you love them. But I don't like what I'm hearing… when this mess is over, we'll get Erica to come around and see you for the man that you are. Promise me you won't do anything drastic… because that would hurt those girls even more than what Ethan is trying to do to them now," Myrtle said earnestly, placing her hand on his arm. "Promise me."
"Mrs… um… Myrtle… I promise you that I won't let anyone hurt them like this again," Zach answered without meeting her eyes.
"Zach… look at me…" Myrtle said intensely.
As if unable to stop himself, he looked her straight in the eyes and nodded his head. Myrtle Fargate looked at him closely and carefully, nodding her head after a moment – silent understanding between them that Kendall, Bianca and Miranda would be protected at all costs. She made as if to rise from the sofa, and Zach quickly stood to assist her. After walking her to the door, she turned around and reached up a hand to pull his face to hers for a light kiss on his cheek. "I'm trusting you to take care of them… and do what is best. And your presence in their lives is what is best for them. If you try to leave Kendall I will hunt you down, Zach Slater."
"I understand, Myrtle," he whispered in reply. He watched her as she walked out of the courtyard before he closed the door and seated himself once again on the sofa. Instead of going through the boxes as he had planned, he reflected once again on their conversation… and found himself trying to think of a way to protect his wife, her sister and their niece without removing himself from their lives. No matter what Myrtle said, though, he knew that giving Kendall her freedom was probably the most caring gesture he could make. He finally forced himself to stop thinking and start working. He pulled the first box open and began to go through the papers in it while hoping that Kendall and Bianca were finding away to avoid their problems for at least a little while at the spa.
Meanwhile, Kendall sat in a chair separated by a desk from Dr. Maria Grey, who was glancing over her chart. The longer Maria took to initiate the conversation, the more restless Kendall became as she tried to sit still in the chair… but the fear that it was dire news caused her to uncross and re-cross her legs every few minutes.
Finally, Maria sighed and closed the chart, and then looked Kendall straight in the eyes. Kendall placed both feet on the floor and sat taller in the chair before saying, "Okay… spill it, Maria. No complicated words or explanations… just tell me what I've got. Okay?"
"Okay," Maria nodded as she answered softly. "Kendall… you're pregnant."
"I'm… what… what did you just say? I'm… pregnant?" Kendall said in confusion. After steeling herself to hear the worst, she was completely unprepared for this statement. "I… I can't be… I can't be pregnant. I mean… I guess I can… but I'm not supposed… this is not… I mean… we never… Zach doesn't…" Kendall looked at Maria with fear and confusion, and noticed tears in the older woman's eyes. "Oh my God… Maria… I'm so sorry! I didn't realize… of course you don't want to talk to me about this…"
"Congratulations, Kendall," Maria said quietly. "…to you and to Zach."
"Zach… but he doesn't… oh… I mean… thank you…" Kendall stumbled over her words. Suddenly a thought struck her, "Wait a minute! I've been having headaches… I thought you were going to tell me I had a brain tumor or something. I haven't been nauseous… are you sure that test is right?"
"Every woman is different, Kendall," Maria answered in a professional tone. "Some women never get morning sickness… the headaches are just one method that your body can use to adjust to the hormonal changes. You may still find yourself getting sick. Dr. Baldwin will go over everything at your appointment next week. I'm afraid that I've got another appointment… if you'll excuse me…"
"Oh… I'm sorry…" Kendall said in confusion. Looking at Maria's grief stricken face she realized anew why the other woman had tried to refer her to another physician so quickly. Kendall stood and placed her hand over Maria's, "Thank you… for… for everything, Maria."
Kendall then turned and left the office, pulling the door closed behind her. She doubted that Maria had another patient right away, and knew that she wouldn't have been as kind or professional if the tables had been turned. She paused a moment and heard Maria weeping and suddenly felt tears prick her own eyes before quickly walking down the hall and leaving the hospital. At least she had a couple of hours before she was supposed to meet Bianca. She had a lot of thinking to do.