The Fine Print - Chapter 14
by yhh
There they were. His son and his daughter. The children he and Gwen had
waited so long for. They were finally here. The children they had long dreamed
about were finally here. He had cut the cords. Seen them take their first
breaths. While a large part of him was overjoyed at the miracle births he
had witness, memories of Sarah were rampant. Oh, how he missed his baby girl.
How had Eve lived all these years carrying the pain of her child's death alone?
"Ethan, you're hogging our kids. Bring them over here. I want to see them,"
Theresa teased.
"Theresita," Pilar warned.
"Mama, I want to see the babies. My babies," she countered.
Ethan carefully picked up a baby in each arm and slowly made his way over
to Theresa. Instead of taking the babies from his arms, she pulled his head
down and kissed him soundly on the lips. "Our babies are perfect."
"Our babies are perfect" and the kiss were the words and sight which greeted
Gwen as she walked into the private suite. What a lovely greeting and start
to meeting her babies for the first time. But she wouldn't let it get to
her. "Theresa, thank you so much. I heard you worked hard to bring my precious
babies into the world." Keeping her head held high, she walked over to the
bed and took her children out of Ethan's arms. They were so beautiful. So
healthy. She had been so worried this would all end like it did with Sarah.
Walking over to the window, she gently sat down in the rocking chair and
rocked her babies. Ethan-Martin was a big brother. She was a mother again.
Ethan wanted to share in Gwen's first time in seeing their children, but
he didn't move from where he was. There was something so serene, so untouchable
about the picture she presented. Madonna and her children. He would feel
wrong to interrupt the moment. Instead, he looked on with envy and sadness.
This should be the happiest moment of their lives, but instead he felt the
wall between he and his wife more than ever.
Why did Gwen have to ruin this private family moment? She had just given
birth to Ethan's babies, the babies Gwen couldn't give him. Theresa sighed.
She would be happy when Ethan finally saw the light and acknowledged that
he loved her and they could finally be one big happy family. A sly smile
came on her face. Gwen's time was ending soon. She would be Mrs. Ethan Crane.
All she needed was the proof that Gwen and Rebecca were the ones who leaked
Ethan's supposed paternity to the tabloids. Oh yes, Gwen's time was up.
Pilar saw the smile and heard the sigh of her youngest daughter and was
deeply worried. She had hoped, prayed, and even begged God to let her daughter's
house arrest teach her a lesson, get her over her obsession of Ethan. But
based on everything she had seen tonight, it looked like her prayers were
still unanswered. Her heart ached and cried at the idea of her baby going
to prison, being locked up with hardened criminals, but she was beginning
to think that maybe that would be best for Theresa. Her daughter needed
a reality check and maybe prison was the place she would receive it.
"It's a boy and a girl! And they are healthy!" Eve exclaimed to the anxious,
waiting family members.
They all cheered loudly, temporarily forgetting about the late hour and
sleeping patients.
Julian pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "Good work, Dr. Johnson."
"I didn't do anything except hold Pilar's hand."
"You did more than that. How are they?"
"With all Theresa has been through, they are surprisingly healthy. I think
they will be going home in a few days."
"And Theresa's behavior?"
Eve shrugged her shoulders.
Julian shook his head. He wanted to throttle that young woman. He rued
the day his father hired Pilar and introduced the petite monster to their
family. Pushing thoughts of the Mexican terror from his mind, he changed
the directions of his thoughts. "Our are grandchildren as beautiful as their
grandmother?"
Eve's eyes lit up. "They are the most beautiful children I've seen since
Ethan, Whitney, and Simone were born."
"Such beauty, I must see with my own eyes. Please lead the way."
"Eve, how are Ethan, Gwen, and the twins?" Ivy Winthrop asked, approaching
the couple.
Julian shivered at the sound of his dreaded ex's voice. Why must they even
share the same space? Breathe the same air? "Ivy," he greeted with disdain.
This night was too important to her, to much was at stake for her to let
Julian get to her. "Julian. Eve, how are they?"
As much as she disliked Ivy and all that the older woman had put her through,
she knew Ivy did love Ethan and Gwen and were concerned about them and the
twins. "They're fine. We were actually going to see them, but if you want
to go in first, please go."
Ivy's heart stopped. Eve was going to allow her to go inside the suite
before herself and Julian, even after all she did to her. Ivy wasn't sure
that she had ever known such kindness since her time with her beloved Sam.
"Thank you, I would love to." Quickly before Eve could change her mind, Ivy
made her way to Theresa's room.
"Eve," Julian questioned.
"She's his mother. Those are her grandchildren too." Amazingly enough it
didn't break her heart to say those words.
"You are his mother. The twins have Johnson blood running in their veins."
The brunette shook her head. "Ethan is upset with Ivy, but he still loves
her. And as much as we wish it so, she is the woman who was there for him.
She was the woman who loved him, encouraged him, and gave him all her love.
She is his mother and she deserves this time with him."
Staring at the woman in front of him, Julian was speechless. What had he
ever done to deserve such a loving, giving woman? Heedless of the others
around them, he drew her to him and kissed her passionately, letting everything
he had ever said or felt for her be communicated through the kiss.
Fox watched his father rock Dr. Rus- -Dr. Johnson's world. He was glad
his father had found some happiness. The same happiness he had found. He
squeezed Whitney's hand and brought it to his lips to kiss. The Crane family
was turning into a real family. Life would be great if only whatever was
plaguing Whitney would disappear. He knew in his soul, it was tied to Chad.
And he was angry as hell that there was nothing he could do about that.
He wished he could erase her time with Chad completely from her memory.
He never should have let that relationship go on as long as it did. He should
have quit the game playing and went after her openly and fully. He was praying
that the birth of their son or daughter erased the sadness and despair she
tried to hide from him.
She was an aunt again. Her little EM had a sister and a brother now. He
had been so excited when she had told him on the phone. Theresa had done some
screwy things in her life, but EM wasn't one of them. Whitney wanted to go
in and see her sister, her best friend, but she couldn't. She still didn't
know what to say to Theresa. How could a woman she had known as long as she
could remember do such horrible, Alistair level type things to Ethan and
Gwen? That wasn't the woman she knew, loved, and trusted with her life.
Whitney wasn't sure whom she felt sorrier for Ethan or
Gwen? While her relationship with Ethan was making some slow progress,
her relationship with Gwen was better. After their adoption of EM, Gwen
continued to secretly let her see the young boy. Gwen hadn't wanted to cut
all of the people from his old life out. For that, she would be eternally
grateful. She knew Gwen had been thrilled, yet nervous about the birth of
the twins. She was glad everything was okay, but she would know that for
sure once she talked to her sister-in-law. Sister-in-law, she liked saying
that. Though she sometimes worried she was betraying Theresa by befriending
Gwen. Ugh! How junior highish did that sound? But she knew in her heart that
Theresa would see it as a betrayal.
Shaking her head, she concentrated on how she imagined Gwen was feeling
holding her long awaited babies in her arms. Would she feel the same way?
Or would she freak out and scream as the doctor placed a tiny, black baby
in her arms instead of a tiny, biracial baby? She shuddered at the thought.
Instantly she felt, Fox's arm wrap around her and pull her closer to his body
heat. She didn't deserve him. He didn't deserve this.
"Come in," Ethan called out to the person knocking on the door.
The door opened and Ivy walked in. "Congratulations."
"Hello, Ivy," Pilar said to cover up the awkward silence that had descended.
"Pilar," Ivy greeted. She moved towards the sleeping Gwen and twins.
"What are you doing here?" Ethan barked.
"I came to see how you, Gwen, and the children were doing."
"Ahead of my mother and father?"
Ivy felt the sting of Ethan's words. "Eve said it was okay."
"So of course, you take advantage of her generosity. How Ivy-like of you."
Holding back her tears, she looked at her eldest son of her heart. "Ethan,
I don't want to hurt you or upset you. I can- -"
"Now you offer to leave. This was Eve’s moment to see her grandchildren,
after missing every other moment of my life, and you couldn’t give her this
one moment." Pacing the floor, Ethan stayed in motion to stop himself from
laying a hand on the woman he once called mother. "I don't know who this
selfish woman is that stands before me? Wait, I'm wrong. I do know who you
are. You're the same woman who hid her other children away in boarding school
because they had the audacity to be Cranes and not the Bennett love children,
you had prayed you would one day have. Even Rebecca puts Gwen's feelings
before her own. I don't want you here. I don’t want to see you or talk to
you. I just want you out."
Upon hearing the words that banished her from her son's life, the tears
gushed forward. Ivy was devastated.
"The tears don't work on me anymore, Ivy. Now leave."
"Ethan," Pilar pleaded. She might not agree with the way Ivy raised the
children, but she couldn't stand to see the woman rejected by the child she
loved so much.
"No, Pilar. I'm done."
Lowering her head, Ivy quickly and quietly left the room.
"Was that my Mom?" Fox questioned, seeing Ivy walk swiftly past them.
"I think so," Whitney answered.
"Damn it, what did Ethan say now? I'm going to check on her. Will you be
okay?"
"I'll be fine. Go see about your mom."
Racing down the hallway, Fox caught up to his mom before she reached the
elevator. "Mother, are you okay?"
Damn, she hadn't wanted anyone to see her. "I'm fine."
Fox sighed. So it was going to be like that, huh? "You're not fine. What
did Ethan say to you? He has no right to hurt you. He can be angry, but
he can't cross- -"
"He has every right to be angry and hurt and pissed and whatever else he
wants to be. Don't you dare say one word to him," Ivy reprimanded her younger
son, even though technically he was now her oldest son and child but in
her heart he would never be.
Seeing the passion and fire in his mother's eyes, he felt the familiar
pain of rejection once again. No one could touch her precious Ethan, regardless
of what the bastard did. "Have a good evening," he said, as the elevator
doors opened and watched his mother step on without saying another word to
him.
How dare that woman do that, Eve thought, as she watched Ivy break Fox's
heart again. She could kill Ivy Winthrop Crane with her bare hands. Even
with everything that had happened, Fox still couldn't get on equal footing
as Ethan. Moving towards the young man, she felt Julian stop her and shake
his head. Then much to her delight, she watched the man she loved walk towards
his son and talk to him.
"Let's go get some food and drinks for everyone," Julian said to his son.
Fox nodded and followed his father to the stairwell.
"You know what I admire most about you."
His father admired something about him? "No."
"You have turned into a fine young man despite having Ivy and myself as
parents. You didn't have any examples of a good, healthy parent/child relationship,
yet I know you will be the greatest father to your child. And he or she
will never doubt for a moment your love for him or her."
A tear slipped down his cheek. He was touched more than he could say by
his father's words. "Thank you."
Julian simply nodded. He knew Whitney feared the worse, but for some reason
he just knew the baby she carried was Fox's. And if it wasn't, he knew his
son would proudly stand by Whitney's side and raise the child like his own.
His son was more of a man than he had been at that age.
Knocking gently on the door, Chad opened the door upon getting clearance.
"Chad," Eve and Julian said in unison.
"Hello," he greeted the older couple.
"Hello. How are you?" they said once again at the same time.
They all laughed.
"I'm hanging in there. Congratulations."
"Thanks," Eve said.
"What can we do for you?"
Chad shook his head. "Nothing. I just wanted to tell you I'm leaving for
Tokyo tonight."
Eve gasped though she wasn't shocked. She had known for a while that Chad's
days in Harmony were numbered. "So far?"
The younger man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think it's far enough."
Julian nodded. He understood Chad's feelings completely. Chad could move
to Antarctica and he still wouldn't be able to escape his feelings for Whitney
or his constant thoughts about her. He had found his escape from Eve in
the inside of a bottle and between numerous women's legs. At least, Chad
had brains enough not to go that route. Because at
the end of the hangover, in some expensive hotel, next to a nameless woman,
Eve had still been there. "The Japanese women are quite enticing," Julian
commented.
"Julian," Eve and Chad reprimanded.
The older man shrugged his shoulders. "It's true. Though they are not nearly
as enticing as you, my love." He kissed Eve on the cheek. Chad could probably
use something to occupy his time besides work.
"And on that note, I'm outta here," Chad informed them.
"Wait, let us take you to the airport," Eve said.
Chad shook his head. "Why so you can cry at the airport in front of all
those strangers who will think I was some jerk who made you cry for the next
20 hours? No thanks. I wanted to do it here. It's easier."
The mother in Eve wanted to press the issue but she felt the gentle warning
squeeze from Julian and let the subject drop. Wrapping her arms around the
young man, she kissed him as the tears flowed down her cheeks. "Chad Harris
Crane, I love you. I've loved since the moment I discovered you were my
son and that will never change."
Fighting hard to keep the tears at bay, Chad squeezed his mother a little
tighter before letting go.
"Call us when you get settled," Julian commanded as he too hugged his son.
"I will." Chad held on to the man who had accepted him no questions asked
as his son for a minute longer. He was going to miss them. He had finally
found the family he always dreamed of. Granted, the Cranes were way dysfunctional,
but Julian had stepped up to the plate and claimed him when he didn't have
to. He would never forget that. And Eve had jeopardized her whole family;
the life she had fought so hard to build in order to have him in her life.
He couldn't have asked for a better mother or father.
"Have a safe trip and we love you," Eve told him.
"Love you," Chad replied. "Love you both," he repeated as he turned and
walked out of Eve's former office.
Eve and Julian stayed in the same spot until Chad was gone from their sights.
Both hoping and praying that he would one day return and remain a part of
their lives.