Erica Kane, frantically running around her house that she shared with her husband Jackson and stepchildren Lily and Reggie, was waiting for the painters to arrive. They were thirty minutes late and god forbid Kendall went into early labor and the nursery for the baby wasn't completed yet. No Kane child should ever have to sleep in a room without paint Erica thought. The door bell rang sharply and she heard Reggie answer the door.
"Oh it's you," Reggie said, sharply.
"Yeah, it's me, Reggie. Is Erica home?" Ryan Lavery asked but before Reggie could tell Ryan to get out, Erica had sprinted downstairs.
"Ryan! What a lovely surprise! Oh, please do come in. I was hoping that you would stop by soon. I'm making a nursery for the baby upstairs and the painters are due today but they're just so dreadfully late that I'm just so frantic right now but you can see what I've accomplished so far. I've got all of the essential furniture and everything." Erica beamed.
Ryan laughed and said, "Oh, Erica, I would love to but I actually don't have a lot of time. I have to take Kendall to the hospital this afternoon." As soon as the look of worry washed over Erica's face, Ryan quickly recovered and said, "Oh, nothing to worry about. Just a routine checkup. Can you believe it? You're going to have another grandchild soon, I'll be a father, and Kendall will be a mother."
"If Kendall is smart, she won't let you near that baby." Reggie snarled.
"Reggie? Would you be a dear and go take the color options to Lily and have her choose a color that she likes, please?" Erica said in a sweetly forceful tone. Reggie got the hint, nodded and went into the kitchen. Ryan and Erica laughed for a moment.
Suddenly, a violent knock came at the door. Ryan and Erica looked at each other, Ryan's brow furrowed into a confused expression. Erica strode past him and opened the door.
"Greg?" Erica asked. Greg Madden looked disheveled and out of breath. He was sweating and breathing heavily. His neatly gelled hair was dry and unkempt but it was something in his eyes told them both that something was wrong.
"Where… is… my… son?" Greg panted. Ryan looked confused but the look of horror on Erica's face was undeniable.
"Ryan, can you go and help Lily and Reggie pick out a color for the baby's room, please?" Erica said, fear oozing out of her voice. Ryan nodded and left the room but he didn't go and help Lily and Reggie, he stood behind the kitchen door, listening to the exchange.
"I don't know where Josh is, Greg. Why would I know?" She said angrily.
"Because I know that you know that he's your son… not mine. Now tell me where he is." Greg spat.
Erica's face turned from white with fear, to red with anger. "How dare you speak to me that way, as if this is my doing? You're the one who made this into the problem, not me. I came to you to abort my pregnancy, not for you to keep it for your own selfish reasons. Now I suggest that you leave immediately before I call the authorities." Erica yelled.
"I apologize, it's just that he wasn't in his hotel room when I went to talk things out with him. I looked around his room and I found a bullet on the floor of his room. I never thought that my son would carry around a gun but now I'm extremely frightening to know what he's capable of doing." Greg said, frantically.
"Why do you say that?" Erica asked. Greg covered his face in his hands and exhaled deeply and Erica knew what he was going to say.
"He knows that I'm his mother, doesn't he?" Erica asked, softly.
"Yes… yes he does." Greg sighed heavily.
"I just don't understand… what is Josh going to do if he has a gun? Would he go after someone?" Erica asked.
"He's hysterical right now. He might hurt someone, possibly close to you… to hurt you." Greg added. Ryan sat back and thought for a moment, Until it dawned on him.
"Kendall," he gasped and with that he burst through the door, rushing past Greg and Erica.