Chapter 17: Eric's Return Part II
(Last time on Having Faith)
After eight years, Eric has returned. Taylor's angry with the fact that he didn't listen to her eight years before and that she had to raise Tristen by herself. Now that he's home, will all the questions that's been surrounding Taylor for eight years be answered?
(Now the Conclusion)
Taylor sat down and Eric rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay. Eight years ago, when I went on that mission. I was captured and brought onto a ship. Was beaten for days for information on the SPD information. When I refused to give them the information they wanted, I was sent to a slave planet. I've been there for the past eight years," he explained. Taylor felt her blood run ice cold through her veins.
"My dreams…" she whispered.
"What?" He asked.
Taylor looked at him. "Not important," she replied. She got up and sat next to him on the bed. She hugged him gently. "I'm so happy you're home," she murmured. Eric hugged her back and closed his eyes. "I have something to tell you," she added. Eric pulled back.
"What?" He asked.
Taylor played with her ring. "The day you disappeared. Just a few hours before Alyssa had dragged me to the doctor," she replied. Eric gave her a quizzical look and Taylor swallowed the lump in her throat. "The doctor told me that I was pregnant," she added. Eric was glad he was sitting on his hospital bed when the news hit him.
"P--Pregnant?" He asked.
Taylor nodded with a small smile. "Yes, you have a son, Eric," she replied. Eric was totally stunned. He had no idea what to say.
"A son?" He asked.
She nodded and she grabbed her purse. She pulled out her wallet and handed him Tristen's school picture. Eric looked at the picture in disbelief. "What's his name?" He asked.
"Tristen…Tristen Marshall Myers," she replied.
"Tristen…" he murmured.
Taylor nodded again. "Today's his birthday," she informed. Eric was still frozen to the picture in his hands. "He turned eight today," she added.
"My son," he murmured.
"He's always wanted to see you. I made sure to tell him everything about you."
Eric looked at her. "He knows all about you, all the way down to your stubbornness," she informed. Eric chuckled.
"That could either be good or bad," he commented.
Taylor laughed and she hugged him. "I've missed you," she murmured. He hugged her back.
"I missed you too," he answered.
She went to pull back when he pulled her into a kiss, forgetting about the healing cuts on his bottom lip. She pulled back when the doctor came in. "Mr. Myers, you're free to go home," he informed.
"Words I've been waiting to hear for eight years," he answered.
Taylor helped him up and she got him into the car and she got him to Turtle Cove. "I see you went back to your old roots," he commented.
"Well, I went back to the Air Force six months after Tristen was born," she informed.
"Well, looks like I got my lieutenant back."
Taylor rolled her eyes and she pulled up to the house. She got out of the car and she helped Eric out. "I'm not helpless," he told her.
"You are injured though," she answered.
She helped him inside. "Hey, Alyssa," Taylor greeted. Alyssa looked up and she stood up.
"Eric! So it is true! You are back," Alyssa gasped.
"Looks like it," Eric commented.
Wes and Jen came in after hearing all the commotion. "No way! I thought they were just pulling a mean prank on Taylor," Wes commented. Taylor helped Eric sit down.
"Nice to see you too, Wes," Eric muttered.
"Mommy is that you?" Tristen called.
Tristen came running downstairs. "Look what Uncle Wes gave me," he told her. He held up a toy Q-Rex. "He said that he had it made for me because that's what daddy had," he informed. Taylor smiled and knelt in front of him.
"That's great, kiddo," she told him.
Eric was mesmerized to see his son for the first time ever. "Kiddo, there's someone I want you to meet," she informed. Taylor picked Tristen up and she walked over to Eric. "Eric, this is Tristen. Tristen, this is your daddy," she informed. Tristen looked at Eric before having Taylor put him down. He sat next to him and he just stared for a minute.
"Why did it take you so long to come home?" He asked.
"I had a little setback," Eric replied.
Eric froze when Tristen hugged him. Taylor smiled as she watched as Eric wrapped his arms around Tristen and hugged him back. Alyssa held up a camera and took a picture.
That night, Eric had put Tristen to bed and saw Taylor sitting in the living room with a book in her hands. "What's that?" He asked.
"These are some pictures of Tristen that were taken over the past eight years," she replied.
Eric sat next to her and she opened the book. He looked at the pictures of Tristen of the day he was born. Eric stopped at one picture that was perfect.
Taylor was sitting up in her hospital bed with Tristen in her arms and she was looking down at him with a small smile on her face. Tristen had his head buried into her chest.
Taylor saw him staring at that particular picture. "That's one of my favorites too. When he was born, I really hoped I'd get a girl, because a boy would remind me too much of you. But then when that picture was taken. I had realized that a son could help me move on after they convinced me that you were dead," she explained. Eric smiled.
"You looked beautiful," he commented.
Taylor laughed and sat back. "Yeah right," she laughed. She pushed her hair out of her face.
"You should let it grow out again," he commented.
She shrugged. "Wanted to try something new. What you don't like it?" She asked. Eric shrugged.
"It's okay. I prefer your long blonde hair," he replied.
"Well, you're stuck with my short blonde hair."
Eric wrapped his arm around her waist and put the book aside. Before Taylor could even react, he had her pinned to the couch. "Are we impatient?" She asked.
"Been impatient all my life, Lieutenant," he replied.
"Well sorry to disappoint you Commander, but we also have a child in the house."
"Right."
Taylor gasped when he suddenly picked her up. "Then we'll have to take this upstairs," he answered. Taylor rolled her eyes and smiled at him. Eric smiled back before taking her upstairs to their room.