"Will you pay attention, please!" Simone admonished Ethan, giggling as his lips nuzzled her ear. They were playing bowling on the video game Ethan had picked up for her, and she was trying to teach him to hit the most pins.
"I'm paying attention." He protested, trying to sound innocent. Yet, Simone felt the hands that were on her waist gently move upwards, stroking her shoulders and her back. Simone inhaled sharply, feeling the warmth and anticipation spread throughout her body.
"Ahem, this is not bowling" Simone turned herself so that she was no longer sitting in her lap but facing him. From her position, she could tell that bowling had long ago left Ethan's mind. He was smiling his signature smiling, and his warm dark eyes had a look that left no secret as to how he wanted to spend the evening. Simone felt an involuntary shiver go down her spine as Ethan repositioned his hands to caress her front while gently unbuttoning the front of her blouse.
"I said I was paying attention. I never said it was to the game" he responded, burying his face in her neck. The kisses started gently and gradually grew stronger, as his hands finished with buttons and gently removed her blouse. Simone reached under with her hands and picked up Ethan's chin, pressing her mouth against his, and then her hands proceeded to his shirt. Before she knew it, and yet not quickly enough, Ethan lay on top of her, his hands exploring her. The heat building inside her started to become unbearable, and she called out his name in a strangled whisper. Ethan repositioned himself and easily slid inside of her, and this time they both cried out. Although they had been together before, this time it was almost like they truly had, for that brief time, become one.
Then the memory faded from Simone's view, only to see Dr.Joe standing by her cot. She had passed out in the hospital. Ethan was not there lying next to her. His fate was in the OR, probably now. Still, Dr. Joe seemed to have a twinkle in his eye, as if he had some good news for her.
"Anything on Ethan?" Simone asked, pulling herself up to the seated position. Dr.Joe gave a nod.
"Well, Ethan made it out of surgery. His wounds were a lot less critical than we thought. However, when you went unconscious we ran the standard battery of tests we do, and something came up."
Simone froze where the stood. The happy feeling that she had suddenly turned into worry. She knew she had been tired lately, almost abnormally fatigued. Still, she had seen Kendall feeling sick at the office and just assumed it was a virus they were shooting back and forth. Could there be something…
"You're pregnant."
Simone let the news absorb into her mind. Pregnant. The one thing she had said she never wanted, and yet one word never made her feel so much…joy. She knew who she wanted to share the news with.
"Is Ethan awake?" she asked, smiling. Dr.Joe nodded,.
Simone jumped off the cot and ran to the waiting room, Dr. Joe yelling behind her to stop. She didn't care. The only thing that made her stop was the face of Zach Slater by the doorway. He looked relieved, happy. He looked like a father.
1…2…3…4…5
Zach didn't know if it was the business acumen of his Cambias DNA, but ever since he was younger he had found numbers comforting. While some people hated doing mathematical chores such as balancing their checkbooks, Zach loved it. Numbers were orderly and calm, concrete and functional. Whenever the anger at his father proved unbearable, he would sit with his ledger books and do the practice exercises teachers or tutors had given him. As long as he kept the values in the right columns and checked his work, there would be no mistakes. There would be no accidentally leaving his "girlfriend" pregnant. There would be no denying his son when he should have embraced him. There would be no sitting in a hospital waiting room waiting to see if he would ever get a chance to tell the boy that.
"Mr. Slater?" Dr. Joe Martin interrupted his thoughts, and although the man was not smiling with his mouth Zach clearly saw the look in his eyes. While many years separated the men, and Zach knew he was definitely not the father that Dr. Joe was, the look that he gave Zach was one of camaraderie. There would be reason to celebrate.
"Ethan came out of surgery. He made it with flying colors."
Zach, strong as he was, began to feel his body go a bit weak. He looked around for Kendall, and saw her talking in a corner with Greenlee Lavery. Looking back, after everything had transpired, Zach would kick himself for not wondering what exactly Greenlee was doing there. He knew that Mrs. Lavery had no use for him and from what he understood not too much more use for Ethan, but at the time he just attributed her presence to moral support for Kendall and Simone. Simone. The poor girl had fainted, obviously overwhelmed by all of the evening's events coupled with the idea of losing Ethan. Zach had known Ethan was dating Miss Torres, but he did not know the depth of their relationship.
"Can I go see him?" Zach asked, but Dr. Joe shook his head.
"He is not fully awake yet, but when he is I'll let you go in and talk to him." Dr. Joe promised, his tone letting Zach know he was not sure of his own words.
"I won't upset the boy." Zach responded, the annoyance he felt adding a lilt to his voice.
"I never said you would."
"You didn't have to."
Dr. Joe eyed Zach coolly, seemed to be debating whether or not to speak, and placed his clipboard on the nurse's station.
"You know, Mr. Slater, what amazes me is how you can stand there as if you know all the answers. Your son could have died today – a son that you don't know and have made no effort to know. All I can say is this, instead of think you have the answers, how about asking some questions."
"Really?" Zach snorted, suddenly angry by Dr. Joe's lecture. "I didn't know you were a psychologist in your spare time."
"Don't be funny Mr. Slater. You are here only because your son thought your life was worth saving. How about you ask yourself, from Ethan's point of view, if that is true. If not, how about you try making it so."
Zach went to open his mouth, and for once found nothing coming out.