Chapter 2

The next morning, Ethan woke to the smell of stale coffee. As he moved in the chair he had slept in, he realized he had a stiff neck. Rubbing it, he checked his watch. It was only 8:00. But already people were hustling around in the never-sleeping hospital.

Just then, Ethan looked up and saw familiar faces coming towards him. It was Pilar, Miguel, Luis, Whitney, Chad, and Fox. Pilar saw him and ran to him. She fell into his arms with tears in her eyes. "How is she? How's my baby girl?"

"I don't know," Ethan answered truthfully. "They haven't said anything."

"But… But, she's still alive…?"

"Yes, the doctor said she was stable for now."

"For now? Oh, God, what does that mean?"

Ethan- "I don't know."

"Oh, God, she just has to be alright," Miguel said worriedly.

"She will be," Whitney interjected. "If I know Theresa, she's not going anywhere until she's challenged Gwen to a rematch."

Pilar suddenly realized that she was no where to be seen. "Where is Gwen?"

"The police took her down to the station yesterday. The captain told me that she will probably be charged with attempted murder one. Here in L.A. she could get a lot of time for that. She will, most likely."

"What happened that would make Gwen just attack Theresa like that? She almost killed her," Luis said.

"We don't know. But, what's worse is that attempted homicide won't be hard to prove on Gwen's part. She left the hospital without permission before she attacked Theresa." Ethan looked down, a flood of guilt washed over him.

"Excuse me…," began Dr. Callahan, making everyone in the room turn to him. "Are you Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald's family?"

"Yes, I'm her mother," Pilar said quickly.

"I'm Dr. Callahan."

"How's Theresa?"

"Well, she has a concussion, she's suffered a head wound, and she also has a broken collar bone."

"So, she'll be alright?" Miguel asked hopefully.

"Well, it's hard to say."

"What does that mean exactly?" Pilar asked.

"Theresa's sleeping right now and it's too soon to tell if she has any permanent damage."

"Permanent damage!"

"Yes, it's possible that she might have brain damage."

"Brain damage! Dios mio!" Pilar exclaimed. "I don't understand."

"Yeah, what's going on here?" Luis asked quickly.

"Yes. Your daughter was without oxygen for several minutes. But like I said, it's too soon to tell."

There was silence. Then:

"Can we see her?" Miguel said.

"Yes, I think that'd be fine," Dr. Callahan gave in.

Everyone walked into Theresa's room except for Ethan. Her room smelled of hospital food and the sound of beeping machines filled their ears. Immediately, Pilar went over and took Theresa's hand.

Outside Theresa's room, Ethan pulled Dr. Callahan a side. "Doc, I want the truth." The doctor looked at him silently, trying to avoid answering. "There's something you're not telling us. What is it?" The doctor looked down, away from Ethan's eyes. "Please, I have to know."

"Alright," he said hesitantly. He pulled Ethan aside, well out of earshot of the family inside of Theresa's room. "She's in a coma."

"What!" Ethan couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"We didn't want to alarm the family. We were hoping that she would wake up soon. If not, then I'll tell the family."

"But… how…?"

"Well, you heard. She was without oxygen for a while. Then plus the added concussion and the head injury. It's amazing that she didn't die."

Ethan was in shock. This couldn't be happening. Not to Theresa. "But… um… but she will wake up… won't she?"

"I am sorry. But, like I said, it is too soon to tell. Her heart tissue is very weak. The only thing keeping her heart going is the life support."

Tears glazed in Ethan's eyes. "But.. there has to be something you can do."

"I am sorry," he repeated before walking away, leaving Ethan alone with the tears that he couldn't stop anymore.

Immediately after Ethan learned of Theresa's true condition, he rushed over to the nearest library and got online, hoping against hope that he would find something that could help save Theresa's life.

At the library, Ethan found nothing. No new medical research had been done and nothing had been found as a way to help patients out of comas. All one could do was pray, or so many articles had said.

So, that's it then.

There's no hope.

Ethan's head was pounding and he was making every effort to maintain himself, but his shield was weakening, he didn't know how much longer he could deal.

Unknowingly, Ethan had spent much longer than he had originally planned at the library. Hours had passed, and still Ethan could find nothing. He looked up hundreds of different medical articles. Nothing useful. Suddenly, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

Ethan took his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. The caller ID said it was Fox calling. Ethan put the phone to his ear and responded. "Hey, Fox. What's up?"

--Hey, listen-

"Hold on, I'm in a library, give me a sec." Ethan shut down the computer he was working at and headed out of the building as to not disrupt other people trying to read. "Okay. Yeah…"

--Hey, listen, Ethan, maybe you should come down here.

"Did she wake up?"

--Not exactly…

Ethan could hear the sound of sobs in the background. If he had to guess, they would have been coming from Pilar. "Well, is she alright? What's the matter?"

--Why don't you get down here, I'll explain it to you then.

"But-" But it was too late. Fox had already hung up.

As quickly as Ethan had rushed to the library from the hospital earlier that day, he was now rushing back at an even faster pace.

Back at the hospital, Ethan raced through hallways and felt anxious going up the eleven floors in the elevator. When he finally reached Theresa's floor, he ran out of the elevator and to the waiting room where he knew he would find Fox and the others.

Almost crashing into a doctor and more than one nurse on his way, Ethan finally made it to the waiting area, breathless.

"Ethan, it's about time," Fox greeted.

"What's going on? Is she alright?"

Just one look from Pilar's face was enough to tell him otherwise. Her eyes were red and wet with tears, as were others around him. The doctor was standing there as well, he, too, was speechless.

"No, Ethan. She's not alright. Theresa…. Theresa… My Theresa, my little girl…" Pilar could no longer get the words out. Her hand covered her mouth at her inability to speak.

"It's even more serious than we thought. She's in a coma, Ethan….," Whitney spoke softly.

"No, it's worse than that," Luis ventured in. "The doctor is saying that she most likely won't wake up."

Ethan could feel tears born in his eyes yet again. "But… Are you… Um…" Ethan tried the best he could to hide his tears, but nothing he did could stop them from coming. "Can't you do something… anything?"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Callahan said apologetically. "We've run some more tests and based on past experiences, she probably won't wake up. There is nothing more that we can do for Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald. Nothing. All we can do now is pray and hope for the best."

Pilar took a moment to compose herself. "That's right." She took her sons' hands. "We all need to have faith in the Lord. May He hear our prayers and make Theresa well."

A moment of utter silence swept over all of them and then finally the doctor spoke the words that no wished to hear.

"Well, it's good to see that you are all religious. Perhaps it is time to call a priest. I think it best if Theresa was given her last rites. Just in case…"

All were stunned to hear that the doctor seemed to have given up hope in Theresa's recovery.

"So you're just giving up on her!" Luis screamed.

"No, no, no, of course not. My team and I are going to continue to do everything possible to help your sister, but I must warn you of how serious and critical her condition is. All I'm doing is advising the help of a priest in this matter. That's all."

"Luis, he's right," Pilar said, stepping in between both him and the doctor. "We should call a priest to help us pray in this time of great need." She turned back to the others there. "Will one of you go and find the priest, please?"

"Sure, I'll go, Mrs. L-F," Chad volunteered.

"I'll go with you, Chad," Whitney said.

"Thank you, both. I'm going to go be with Theresa."

The doctor butt in again. "I'm sorry, but there is another matter of the more."

"Sorry?" Fox tried.

"Well, in the event that Theresa doesn't wake up soon…."

"Yes…?"

"Well, this is difficult to say…," Dr. Callahan hesitated. "In the event that she doesn't wake up… There is no way to say this delicately, so I'll just come out and say it." Everyone waited impatiently when he paused, the tension building. "Well… Theresa is on life support… and if she doesn't wake up…."

"Hold on, hold on," Fox said losing his temper. "I think I know what you're trying to say. You want to know, if she doesn't wake up, if we'll agree to pull the plug on Theresa!"

"What!" Luis screamed.

"Now-" the doctor tried to explain but Luis' anger cut him off.

"There is no way in hell that I will let you kill my sister!"

"No, absolutely not! Theresa will wake up!" Ethan would never be able to let her go. Not ever.

"I'm not saying that I want to. All I'm saying is that if she doesn't wake up, this is your decision. Sometimes patients can be in comas for many years, decades. And still some don't wake up. All I'm trying to do is save you any more heartache than you have suffered already."

"He's right," Pilar said softly making the room of people stare at her. "But for now, Luis, we just need to pray. We need to have faith that God will make Theresa better. He can't take her from us. Not now. She has so much to live for."

"Yes, well, I just want you to know that we are going to continue to do everything possible for Theresa. With any luck, she'll pull through without any complications." Dr. Callahan left them with that and walked away from them again.

"Um, Pilar…," Ethan whispered to her. "Should I call Harmony and get Little Ethan out here?"

"No, he's at the Crane apartment. He's staying there with Sheridan and Antonio."

"Antonio? Shouldn't he be here?"

"He didn't want to leave Sheridan, and besides, I don't think he's forgiven any of us for believing that Sheridan would pick Luis over him. I think he still may hold that against us all."

"Do you think I should go get Little Ethan? He should be here, don't you think?"

"Yes, you're right. But, I'll call Sheridan and ask her to bring him by."

"Oh, that's alright. You go and see Theresa. I'll call Sheridan."

Ethan got off the phone with Sheridan and turned to Fox. "That was Sheridan. Little Ethan is napping. But she said that she would bring him as soon as he wakes up."

"Don't you think he's a little young to see his mom like this?"

"Fox, she's his mother. If he's not going to see her anymore, he should at least get to say goodbye."

"I know, I'm just saying… But still, do you really think that Theresa could… you know…"

"I don't know what to think. I just can't except that I'll lose her…"

"Just like Pilar said, we have to have faith."

Just then, Chad and Whitney emerged from an elevator following a priest by the name of Rev. Matthews. He wore a black robe and a purple sash around his neck-- the color of forgiveness, the color priests always wore when giving last rites. It was at that very moment that it had finally hit Ethan.

Theresa was being given her last rites. Theresa was dying… Theresa was going to leave him forever… And there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was out of his grasp now. It was all in God's hands now.

"Hello," Reverend Matthews greeted. "I'm here to give last rites to a Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald…"

"Yes, this way please." Fox led the way to Theresa's room where her mother and brothers waited. Whitney, Chad, and Fox went to join them, but Ethan stayed behind. For some reason he couldn't grasp what was happening before his very eyes. He couldn't accept that Theresa, his Theresa, was dying, she was being given her last rites.

And yet, here he stood, watching as if an onlooker in a movie theatre. This all seemed to be a dream. None of this was real. He was sure that any minute now he would wake up and find that he was sleeping in his bed, back in Harmony, next to Gwen. He would know that Theresa was at her own house, sleeping soundly. Little Ethan would be safe, his mother's life wouldn't be in jeopardy at this very moment.

Ethan closed his eyes and tried opening them again to see if he would open his eyes to the sight of his bedroom at the mansion. It was no use. He was still in the hospital and he watched as the priest walked into Theresa's room and began. Pilar seemed to lose ground and needed Luis' support to keep her standing on her own two feet.

By the time the priest finished giving Theresa her last rites, everyone was in tears.

"I'm very sorry," Rev. Matthews said in an apologetic tone. "I will pray for this young lady and ask God to make her well, and if not, deliver her safely into His hands in heaven."

"Thank you, father." Pilar nodded at him thankfully.

Rev. Matthews turned to Theresa and took her hand. "My prayers are with you, child." He stared at her for a moment longer and left quietly, giving the family the time they needed.

Pilar and the others went to her bedside and said nothing for a long while.

"Um… Pilar…" Pilar turned to look at Ethan. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna go for a walk and stop by and see Gwen for a bit."

"Okay, Ethan. Thank you for being here."

"Where else would I be?"

"I'll go with you," Fox offered.

"No, no, it's alright. I'll go alone. I'll be back soon. You'll call me if there's any change?"

"Course."

When Ethan left the room, Whitney left Chad's side and went over to Fox. "Wow," she whispered. "Ethan's taking this really hard."

"Yeah. But could you blame the guy? He and Theresa go way back."

"I know, I was there for it all. I mean, Fox, I watched them fall in love. I know how much he loved her-" she caught herself. "Still does."

Fox stared at her for a moment, trying to imagine the pain that Ethan was agonizing over. He shook his head softly. "Only to lose her at the hand of his wife."

"I still can't believe it. How could Gwen just attack Theresa and try to kill her?"

"Whitney.. C'mon. You know how Gwen gets when Theresa pushes her buttons."

"I know, but I still don't understand how she knew that Theresa was out here in L.A. And then, why did she leave the hospital?"

"Don't know. I left her at the police station before they questioned her and filled me in on any details."

"Oh, poor Ethan. What must be going through his mind right now." A statement.

"I can't even imagine. Your wife killing the woman that you love more than life itself… I don't know what I'd do if I was in that position…" They were silent for a moment. "But then, I don't think I'd ever be in this same position."

"And how can you assume that?" Whitney inquired.

"Well, because I wouldn't marry a woman if I was completely head-over-heels in love with someone else. I mean, I understand why Ethan married Gwen. I know how important it is to him to be a good father and a good husband. But still, how can he expect to just ignore his heart for the rest of his life to do 'the right thing?' It was going to catch up to him sooner or later. And it looks like that time was up. I mean, look at what happened here. A couple days ago, Ethan and Theresa were more than 3,000 miles apart, and then somehow they ended up in the same bed and almost made love. That kind of thing doesn't happen everyday. And Ethan can deny it from here to China, but I know how much he still loves her."

"I know he does too. I can see it in the way that he looks at Theresa. I mean, did you see how he refused to leave the hospital last night just to be close to her? I just wish that'd he admit it. Maybe it doesn't realize it, but I think it would have saved him, Theresa, and Gwen a lot of heartache if he had just been honest."

"Yeah…"

"But, it looks like he's gonna be alone now. Gwen is going to go to prison. I mean, she tried to kill a person…" Whitney looked over at Theresa lying in the bed. "She probably succeeded…" Again tears wedged themselves inside of Whitney's eyes.

Fox looked down at Whitney. "Hey…"

Whitney shook her head and tried to hide her tears. "I'm sorry. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand."

"She's the very best friend I've ever had, Fox. I don't know how I'm going to live without her." And with that, Whitney fell into Fox's arms, crying into his shoulder.