Chapter 25

The hospital doors to the emergency admitting area flew open and Simone, Theresa, Ethan, Gwen, and Chad rushed in. Glancing around, they all rushed over to TC and Liz.
“Is Whitney alright?” Simone cried.
“We will have our blood tested for her.” Theresa stated.
Chad paced nervously, staying away from TC. When he saw Eve approach he rushed up to her. “How is she Dr. Russell?”
“I am not sure, but the good news is that we have a donor. Now we just have to wait and see. The nurse should be out soon with more information.” Eve tried to reassure him.
Overhearing, Theresa asked, “So everything is going to be OK right? She is going to make it.” Her lips quivered as she fought to keep from crying.
“Ethan placed his hands on Theresa’s shoulders and tried to comfort her. “She’ll be alright, don’t you worry.”
Gwen glared at Theresa and pulled Ethan away from her. “Ethan, do you know what happened?” She asked, attempting to get him to pay attention to her.
“All I know is that she was on her way to see Theresa. When she didn’t show up Theresa called Simone. Simone told her of the accident and then Theresa called me.”
Simone approached her mother rather sheepishly. She smiled adoringly at Chad, who smiled back weakly as he tried to be brave for Whitney.
“I’m sorry mom for what I said earlier to you. I didn’t mean it.” She cried as Eve took her into her arms.
“It’s OK honey, we all fail sometimes.” Tears brimmed her eyes as she looked at TC.
TC blinked guiltily. He seemed to soften somewhat as he stood and listened to Eve and Simone’s tearful exchange.
“Come on TC, let’s sit here.” Liz glared at Eve and then dragged TC away.
The doctor emerged from the emergency room with a smile. “It was a perfect match, and Whitney has stabilized. She is a remarkable young woman, with a strong will to live.” The doctor announced.
Eve broke into tears. “When can we see her?”
“Soon, but only one at a time, we just need to get her to recovery. Then you can all see her. One at a time.”
TC beamed in relief. “I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her.”
Chad turned away from everyone, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Thank you God for looking out for her.”

In the cubicle Julian lay on the bed resting for a moment when Eve entered the room.
Smiling broadly she said, “Thank you Julian. Because of you my baby is going to be OK.” She leaned over him and kissed him soundly.
Julian placed his arms around her and deepened the kiss. After a few moments, he released her lips and said. “Hmmmm I think I’ll give blood every day if that is the reward that I get.” He grinned happily.
“You are something else you know that!” Eve slapped him on the shoulder lightly. “Are you feeling good enough to get up?”
“I think I will just rest for a few more minutes.” Julian said.
“OK, I will go and check on Whitney now.” Eve smiled and then quickly kissed him before she left the room.
As Eve left the cubicle, the head nurse approached her and took her aside. “Can you meet me in my office Dr. Russell? There is something that I need to speak to you about.”
“Is everything OK? Is Whitney alright?” Eve asked in concern.
“Whitney is fine. You can go see her now before you come see me.”
“OK, I’ll see you soon Kate.” Eve smiled and headed for the recovery room.

TC saw Eve leave and asked the nurse, “Can I see Whitney?”
“Yes, but just you and Eve.” She turned to the rest and said, “I know you are anxious, but right now I am only allowing one visitor at a time.”
TC and Eve approached the recovery room. They entered quietly, careful not to disturb Whitney. But as quiet as they thought they were, Whitney opened her eyes when the reached her bed side.
Eve cried in relief.
TC smiled broadly. “How are you feeling sweetheart?” He stroked her hair tenderly.
Whitney looked from one parent to the other. “What happened?”
“You were in a car accident. But not to worry, you are going to be fine.” Eve assured her, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Daddy,” Whitney said weakly.
“Yes sweetheart? I’m here for you.” He took her hand.
“Please don’t be mad a mom. Life is too short to be fighting all the time. Promise me that you will make it right.” She pleaded.
Eve and TC looked at each other, not sure what to say.
TC blinked, trying to keep the tears from falling as he reached for Eve’s hand.
Shocked Eve allowed him to take her hand.
“I promise from now on I will try to be a better father Whitney. I also promise to try to make things right between your mother and I, if she will let me that is.” He looked at Eve.
Eve nodded her head. “Yes, life is too short to spend it fighting. So if you’re willing to try and work things out, then I am too.” Eve smiled as Whitney’s face lit up with joy.
TC placed his arm around Eve and turned to face Whitney. “You just get better sweetheart, and we promise to make things alright again.”
Eve glanced at TC. She wasn’t sure what to make of his declaration. A part of her wanted to believe they could work things out, but at the same time she wasn’t sure if TC could ever overcome his hatred and forgive her. But to give him the benefit of the doubt, she placed her arm around his waist and nodded her head in agreement.
Outside the room, Julian stood listening. He peered through the open door as Eve placed her arm around TC’s waist. His heart sank. He pressed his lips together tightly and then quietly went back to his cubicle. Picking up his jacket, he sighed loudly, then grabbed his keys and headed for the exit.

The sun was starting to set as Julian sat in his car just staring at nothing in particular. The pain in his heart was almost unbearable as he sat, tears streaming down his face. Numbly he started the engine and then put the car into drive. Slowly he rolled out of the parking lot, and headed down to the pier.
As the evening sky grew darker, Julian leaned against a railing, peering down into the water. He watched as it lapped against the dock. As he thought of Eve and her arm around TC, tears began to roll down his cheeks again. Julian guessed it had been too good to be true to think that she would leave it all for him. TC to be exact.
Miserably Julian batted the tears away. “You should be used to this by now.” He scolded himself. “You have never been able to hold onto what matters most to you. Not twenty years ago, and you were a fool to think things would be different now.”
He took out his cell phone and placed a call. “Rebecca? Ummm,” He cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you are busy tonight.” He paused and listened to her response.
“Could you meet me here at pier 9?” He smiled and then added, “Thanks, I’ll see you later.”
At the hospital, Eve and TC left Whitney’s room after an emotional plea from their daughter.
“I think that Whitney is right TC. We should try to come to some kind of truce. For the girls anyway.” Eve said.
“Yea, well we’ll see. OK?” He reached out and hugged Simone. “You can go see her now honey, she’s awake.”

Sam and Grace Bennett entered the hospital and rushed up to TC and Eve.
“What happened?” Sam asked in concern.
“Whitney was in a car accident. She is going to be alright though, thanks to Julian.” Eve said, and then immediately regretted mentioning his name.
TC stormed off angrily, with Sam close on his heels.
“What is the matter man?” Sam asked.
“It’s that damn Julian Crane. Everywhere I turn he has his nose in our business.” TC started, and then proceeded to tell Sam the whole messy details of Eve’s affair.
As Sam listened, his eyes grew wider and wider. “I can’t believe it. Eve and Julian?”
“My thoughts exactly. I was so shocked that I almost tore him to pieces.” TC stated. “I got a lawyer to draw up divorce papers.”
“What? Sam asked in shock. “You can’t possibly mean to do that. Throw away twenty years with Eve, just because of her past with Julian?”
“It’s not her past Sam, it’s all the lies.” TC tried to justify his actions.
“But still man, you love her. Don’t you?” Sam probed.
“Yea, I guess I still do.” TC wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Then give her another chance man. Don’t throw her away. Julian is probably hoping that that is what you’ll do. Then he’ll just move in and take your place in her life. You can’t possibly want that.” Sam pointed out.
TC stood and stared at Sam for a moment. “I never thought of that Sam. There is no way that I want that pig to have Eve. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him away from her. Even if it means staying married to her.”
“Well you love her, isn’t being married to her what you want?” Sam asked.
“I don’t want Julian to have her; that is what I want.” TC smirked.
“What about Eve, how does she feel about all this?”
“I don’t know all I know is she keeps defending Julian. She’s probably still in love with him. And I’ll be damned if I’ll let her go to him.” TC rubbed his hands together, trying to think of a way to keep Julian away from Eve.
Eve stood and watched TC and Sam; Grace patiently listened to her side of the story.
“I know that TC is hurt, Grace, I am truly sorry for that.”
“What about Julian?” Grace dared to cross that line.
Eve sighed, “I don’t know what to do anymore. Sometimes I think that I have it figured out, that I know what I want, but now, with TC pledging to make things right for Whitney, I am not sure anymore. My family is very important to me Grace.”
“I can see that Eve, but what about you hmmm, what is right for you?” Grace probed at the strings of her heart.
“I…..” Eve started and was interrupted by TC.
“Eve, I’ve just had a great idea. Sam here said there was a new club opening tonight. Why don’t the four of us go out and have a few drinks. Relax see if we can straighten this mess out.” He smiled sweetly at Eve.
“What about Whitney?” Eve asked in surprise.
Thinking quickly, TC said, “Chad will want to see her. Why don’t we let him spend some time with her?”
Shocked Eve stared at him. “Are you sure about that TC? I mean you are not exactly fond of the boy.”
“I think maybe I have been too hard on the kid, besides, Whitney will be pleased I’m sure.” TC cringed inside, but applauded himself for his clever tactics.
Not sure what to say, Eve just nodded. “Ok, ok then, I think that would be a good idea. To get out and just spend time together and have some fun.” Eve smiled nervously. She wasn’t sure why she felt so uneasy about the whole thing. “I have to go see Kate Mitchell. She is the head nurse. She asked to see me earlier.”
“Is everything Ok with Whitney?” TC asked in sudden concern.
“No, Whitney is fine. I am not sure what she wants.” Eve explained as she turned and walked towards the cubicle where Julian was.
She stepped inside and noticed that he had left. Her heart sank in disappointment. ‘I guess he had some place to be.’ She tried to shrug off the sudden heaviness she felt.
She left the cubicle and walked down the hall to Kate’s office.
TC called after her, “I’ll wait for you here.”
Eve waved in agreement and continued down the hall.
She approached Kate’s office and knocked gently.
“Come in.” Kate called through the door.
Eve opened the door and entered. “You wanted to see me Kate?”
“Yes, thank you for coming. There is something that I want you to look at.” She handed Eve a piece of paper.
Eve studied the paper for a minute. As she continued to read, her hands began to tremble and her face paled. “How did you get this?”
“It was in my memo box this afternoon.” Kate explained.
“Who else knows about this?”
“No one; just you and me.” Kate assured her.
“Do you think you could check this out Kate? See if it is true.”
“I already have Eve. What you are holding in your hand is one hundred percent truth.” Kate studied Eve carefully.
With trembling hands, Eve folded the memo and carefully placed it in her pocket. “Thanks Kate. I can count on your discretion then?”
“Absolutely dear.” Kate got up and walked Eve to the door.
Eve left Kate’s office, visibly shaken. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected this.
TC found Eve outside Kate’s office. “Hey there you are. Sam and Grace are waiting for us. We are ready to go if you are. We thought that we would eat at the club as well. Hey are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” TC asked in concern.
Shaking her head, “No I’m OK just some news on a patient. Nothing for you to worry about,” She patted his hand that he had placed on her arm.
“Are you ready to leave then?”
“Yes, I’ll just get my coat. I’ll meet you outside.” She smiled weakly as she went to fetch her coat.

The evening stars were shimmering brilliantly as TC, Eve, Grace and Sam made their way into the club.
“This is a lovely place.” Grace commented.
“Yes it is.” Eve said as memories of her youth came flooding back to her. The nights where she would sing on stage, flirt with Julian…..” She shook her head and turned her attention back to TC.
“Shall we get a table?” Sam said to TC.
“Good idea.” TC remarked as he grabbed Eve’s hand and made his way to a table.
After about half an hour, the club was beginning to fill up. People were dancing, drinking and laughing.
Julian and Rebecca stepped into the club. “What do you want in this place Julian? Isn’t there a better club we can go too?” She wined.
“I like this Rebecca. I used to love these clubs when I was young.” He remarked as he dragged her to a private booth in a corner.
As TC and Sam went to the bar to get some drinks, Eve and Grace surveyed the room. Eve’s eyes roamed over the crowd and was dumbfounded when she saw Julian dragging Rebecca to a private booth. She stared after them, her heart pounding as she watched him move easily through the crowd.
Grace noticed Eve’s look and turned to see what she was looking at. “Oh my.” She said as she noticed Julian and Rebecca. “I wonder what he is doing here.”
“Probably the same as everyone else, just looking to have a nice evening.” Eve said trying not to look obvious about how she felt.
Right on cue, Grace said, “and how do you feel about him being here?”
Eve shook her head, “He can go and do what he wants; he owes me nothing.” Eve said, her heart completely disagreeing with her.
“Eve, I can see how his presence is effecting you.” Grace said tenderly. “I am your friend, you can talk to me.” She said.
Eve sighed wearily. “I don’t know how to feel Grace. I care for both of them.”
“But who does your heart long for?” Grace probed.
“Well one thing is for sure, I can’t ignore how I feel about Julian. I just have to figure out what I want, and who I want it with.” Eve looked at TC who approached and handed her a drink.
“Here you go sweetheart.” He smiled sweetly. “Before you dive into that, why don’t we dance first?” He held out his hand, pouring on all the charm.
Eve smiled and took his hand. “Sure I think that would be great.” She tried to forget Julian sitting in the corner, and prayed that he wouldn’t see them.
Sam and Grace got up to dance as well.
As the music started to play, the dance floor started to fill with couples. Julian held out his hand to Rebecca and said, “Would you like to dance.”
“Sure.” Rebecca chirped.
The slow song started to play as couples wrapped in each others arms started to dance. Julian took Rebecca in his arms and held her rather stiffly. As they danced to the intro of the song, he stopped in his tracks when he looked up and saw Eve dancing with TC.
“What is wrong?” Rebecca asked.
His heart pounding he said, “nothing,” as he picked up the pace again, his eyes never leaving Eve.
Eve looked up and saw him. Their gaze met and held. Eve’s heart flip-flopped at the sight of him. She had hoped he wouldn’t see her, but now that he had, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Their gaze continued to hold as they danced to the song. The haunting lyrics tore at her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can feel my heart,
And it’s fit to burst,
I tried to clean it up,
But I just get worse,

Wish I could fall,
On a night like this,
Into your loving arms,
For a moonlight kiss.

I thought I saw your face,
In the evening sky,
On a lonesome cloud
That was drifting by,

I wish I could fall,
On a night this,
Into your loving arms,
For a moonlight kiss.

You got someone else,
Maybe it’s for the best,
Since I took the cure for happiness,
And I’d trade it all,
On a night like this,
For your loving arms,
And a moonlight,
For your loving arms,
And a moonlight kiss,
Your loving arms,
And a moonlight kiss,
Oh yea….