Zach stood looking out the window, and he heard Kendall's foot steps behind him. Lately their relationship had changed from a business relationship, and he did not know why or how. He was thankful for the comfort she was offering him, wanted to accept it, and knew there was no reason not to. Ethan was happy with Simone, and he could see from the lady's actions Ethan had a love that would carry him through. She was also a vibrant little filly Zach thought to himself, trying not to chuckle. Tiny as she was, his gut still ached from the shot Simone took at him.
"Zach?" Kendall's soft voice interrupted his reverie, as her hands touched his back. As always, Zach was surprised by the electricity that he felt when Kendall touched him. He turned to her and saw the concern on Kendall's face.
"I'm fine. As always, I will be fine. Ethan on the other hand.." Zach replied, pursing his lips and looking down at the floor.
"I know you are not fine." Kendall replied, handing Zach the coffee she brought him. Until he saw the cup, Zach did not realize how badly he needed the caffeine. He noticed that Kendall did not have coffee herself, and briefly thought of the fertility clinic. Still, there was no way she would have been a surrogate. He made sure of that…
"I did everything to keep my son away from Cambias. Thought I knew the right things to do. Instead of saving my son I taught him how to hate, and then I completely polished him off by marrying you. Now, he is in the hospital because he was too decent and good a man to let his father who did nothing but hurt him die. And you know what? He was that good man all along, with or without the money. He was right..I am the Cambias curse." Zach said this all looking at the floor, unable to take a breath. Kendall tried at several points to protest, but Zach waved her off. He knew what he knew. Ethan was fine unless Zach was in his life. This time, however, it may have cost Ethan more than a lover.
"If Ethan thought you were a curse he wouldn't have tried to save you." Kendall offered weakly, but she knew that wasn't true. Although Kendall could never completely destroy Erica because of her plots going South, Ethan was different. Ethan recovered from Zach's deception a lot more quickly than she ever did. Part of her had to admit, a lot of it had to do with Simone. While she had always discounted Simone as a ditz and did not understand why Greenlee was friends with her, there was something about her that was able to heal Ethan in a way that Kendall never could. When Ethan had caught Kendall and Zach almost kissing, something that Kendall dreaded him seeing because she really did not want him hurt anymore, Ethan paused only a beat before proceeding with the purpose of his visit. He was there to share a letter he had gotten from Bianca, along with pictures of Miranda she had sent him. While he quickly departed, it seems his presence and not his reaction was enough to stop she and Zach from trying to kiss again. Ethan, while he did not directly place himself in the way, was a barrier nonetheless. Still, barriers were not insurmountable…
She knelt besides her husband, and gently took his hands. "Listen, Ethan is going to be fine. He is strong, and he is going to make it. Now, you may have to duck, but I think you owe it to Ethan to be there for him- even if it means facing the wrath of Simone." Kendall added the last part to make Zach laugh, and she did get a chuckle.
"Strong girl my son picked." Zach remarked, still wincing when he went to stand from Simone's punch.
Simone entered Ethan's room, amazed at all the machinery. She knew she couldn't stay long, they told her he would be brought into the OR any minute. Still, she had to see him, if only to cement to herself that the past few hours were real and not some terrible nightmare. The proof, Ethan's still form, lay in that bed. Simone walked over and touched his hand, still warm. She lightly placed her hand on his bare chest, and was relieved to feel the rise and fall, She took her fingers and gently caressed his face, and she did feel him stir slightly, react. When she placed her fingers on his lips, she felt them gently move, as if trying to kiss them. Letting her know that he knew she was there. That would be Ethan, trying to comfort her right now. Simone got up and walked to the doorway. She could not bear to watch him wheeled into surgery, but before she left she turned and looked at him again. "I love you". She whispered the words into the air that she never had the guts to say. As she left the room, she made a silent vow that she would. At least that was what she remembered thinking as the room spun and went black.