The Fine Print - Chapter 9
by yhh
Lying on the beach, he held her in his arms as they watched the waves come
and go.
"Our love is like this water and beach, eternal and always together through
the good and hard times. I love you."
I'll give you every thing I can
I'll build your dreams with these two hands
We'll hang some memories on the wall
And when (and when) just the two of us are there
You won't have to ask if I still care
'Cause as the time changes the page
My love won't ever age at all
'Cause I stand beside you through the years
You'll only cry those happy tears
And though I make mistakes
I'll never break your heart
And I swear
By the moon
And the stars in the sky
I'll be there
I swear
Like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there
For better or worse
Till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear
I see the questions in your eyes
I know what's waiting on your mind
You can be sure I know my part
"I love you, Ethan Winthrop Crane. You are my everything."
'Cause I stand beside you through the years
You'll only cry those happy tears
And though I make mistakes
I'll never break your heart
And I swear
By the moon
And the stars in the sky
I'll be there
I swear
Like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there
For better or worse
Till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear
She turned around and pulled his head to hers and kissed him with all the
passion and love inside of her. He slowly responded. The kiss ended with his
passion matching hers completely. Gradually they pulled apart and Ethan opened
his eyes to gaze into the dark brown eyes of Theresa.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, pushing Theresa away from him as
she morphed into Gwen. Suddenly, Theresa/Gwen was on top of him, riding him,
moaning and groaning. One moment she was Theresa. The next, she was Gwen.
Confused and baffled, Ethan touched the woman on top of him.
Watching her husband toss and turn, Gwen reached out to wake her husband
when she heard him call out the name of the woman that was now her most hated
enemy.
"Theresa?" he moaned in his sleep.
Gwen rolled over and faced the wall. She couldn't believe he was saying
her name in their bed. She had gotten a new bed, remodeled the whole suite,
when she discovered what Theresa was done. But sometimes it felt like that
wasn't enough, Theresa had tainted this bed, this room, this suite, this
wing, this house, and this marriage. She felt as if she would never be free
of Theresa. And apparently not, if her husband called for Theresa even in
his sleep. She sighed quietly, she refused to cry. She refused to shed another
tear over the pain Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald brought into her life.
Feeling dirty, perplexed, and used, Ethan shot up in bed. He wiped the sweat
from his brow and pulled his wet t-shirt from his body. Orienting himself
with his surroundings, he realized it had all been a dream or a nightmare.
He glanced at Gwen and was grateful she had slept through it. They had enough
problems without him and his dreams adding to it. Easing out of bed, he headed
for the bathroom. He had to wash himself. He felt so disgusting.
The blonde in the bed sighed with relief when she heard theshower running.
With the bed to herself, she cried at how low she let herself fall and how
weak she had become. This was supposed to be the happiest time in her life
and instead it was hell on earth.
Easing into the kitchen, Ethan was surprised to find someone sitting at
the table. "Hello." He had hoped he would be alone to grab some milk and
cookies.
"Hi. Couldn't sleep either?" Eve asked.
He shook his head.
"Have a seat. Help yourself to some chocolate cake," she offered, pushing
the cake dish towards him.
Grabbing a glass and the milk, he sat across from her and cut himself a
piece of cake. "Dinner was great."
Eve had noticed the lines around his eyes, the tension between him and Gwen.
She wished he would open up to her, but maybe it was too soon for such confidences.
Or maybe he kept things inside. Damn it, she didn't know. She didn't know
how to approach her own son. She hoped and prayed the section of hell Alistair
was occupying was extra hot. "Thanks." For now, she would continue what she
had been doing and follow his lead.
She let herself reminisce on dinner. Julian had surprised her by convincing
her to cook dinner and then inviting the whole family for dinner. For the
first time ever, all of her children sat at one table and talked. All of Julian's
children were at the table talking and eating. For the first time ever, she
felt all was right in the world and that she was truly home with her family.
For two hours, she pretended like they were one big happy family. The doctor
ignored her oldest daughter's cautious glances at Fox and his worried ones.
She overlooked Luis' deadly, mistrustful looks thrown at Julian. And Simone's
discomfort.
Instead Eve Johnson nee Russell focused on the positive: Regan and Quinn
including Simone in their conversation; Whitney's touches and caresses to
Fox; Julian sitting next to their son and grandson. Though she was a bit puzzled
when she noticed, Endora's black eyed peas and rice seemed to decrease, yet
her yams and macaroni and cheese increased. She would have to watch soon-to-be
step-daughter a little closer in the future.
"Pleasant memories?" Ethan asked.
"Tonight's dinner was a nice starting ground."
"It was like we were a real family."
Eve smiled. "Yeah, it was. We are." She smiled brighter.
"You really do love him?"
"With all my heart."
"And TC?"
Her smile dimmed.
"If it's too personal- -"
"No, no. I told you, you can ask me anything. I loved TC. And at one point,
I was madly in love with him. But I hadn't given him my heart and soul, I
couldn't, one, because I was never completely truthful with him, and two,
because they already belonged to your father."
Somehow he was still amazed that someone could love someone as much as Eve
and Julian loved each other. He was astonished, anyone could love Julian.
The way his mom- - Ivy used to talk about Julian, Julian's scoundreling- -
he was in awe Eve was able to overlook all of that.
Watching her son's face, she was able to read his thoughts. "I love Julian
warts and all. He's seen mine. He knows where the bodies are buried, down
to the location and how deep in the ground. He holds none of it against me.
When I'm with him, everything- -" Eve took a bite of her cake as she tried
to put into words what being with Julian was like. "With Julian, my past,
present, and future are all there. The past and the present are at peace with
each other and we're all looking forward to what the future holds. With TC,
I worked so hard to live in the moment. The past, I tried to avoid as much
as possible so I didn't
create more lies, more webs. I had to live in the present, keep TC living
in the present because the future scared me. What if the truth came out in
the future? I couldn't live like that. So I took one day at a time and ended
up with over seven thousand three hundred great days- -"
"Even though you still loved Julian."
"Yes, but I moved on. I had to. I didn't have you. I didn't have him. I
fell out of love with him over time and fell in love with TC. Was it the
same? Not at all. But I gave TC the best that I had. Was it fair to him?
Hell no. But I think, he sensed there was more but he didn't want to rock
the boat and he knew I didn't want to rock the boat. So we both let sleeping
dogs lie. And for that I'm grateful- -"
"Grateful?" he asked, pushing his next bite of cake from one side of the
plate to another.
"Yes, because without TC accepting status quo, I never would have moved
to Harmony. I never would have my precious girls, Whitney and Simone. I never
would have had the pleasure in being a part of Noah, Kay, Jess, Miguel, Paloma,
and Theresa's lives. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today. I even got
to watch you grow into a handsome young man from a distance. A gift from God
that I’m constantly thanking Him for. Your dad is getting himself together
and realizes how great you, Fox, Quinn, and Regan are. He's getting a second
chance with all of you, if you're willing. And he has been given a chance
to be a daddy to Endora. Without our being apart none of your siblings would
exist. I'm not blinded to your father's faults or all the hoochie mamas, he's
been with over the years. The numerous hoochie mamas. But how can I fault
him for the way he dealt with his pain. I buried mine into school and becoming
the perfect girlfriend, fiancée, and then wife to TC. Your father
chose to show his pain more publicly and outwardly by drinking and screwing
anything that moved."
Ethan laughed. He had never heard the great, respected Dr. Eve Russell talk
like this before. He remembered one year at the Harmony Hospital Annual Picnic,
Simone and Whitney fell in the three legged race. He could vividly recall,
Eve rushing onto the field to her daughters' side, checking their injuries,
wiping their tears, and embracing them tightly. He had been envious. It wasn't
that Ivy didn't comfort him when he was hurt, but there was something different,
something indescribable about the way Eve was with her daughters and he would
have given anything to have experienced that. Looking at the woman who gave
birth to him, he wondered if it was even possible for him to have feelings
for her the way Simone and Whitney do. He wanted to yell at the both of them
tonight as they sat at the table both avoiding Eve. Did they know how lucky
they were? They had parents who had loved each other, loved them equally,
always put them first.
He would have given anything to grow up in a household like that. To not
always feel like he had to do everything and anything Regan, Quinn, and Fox
wanted when they were home trying to make up for the fact that Ivy doted on
him and ignored them. He was ashamed to admit it, but at one point he wondered
what was wrong with Regan, Quinn, and Fox, since their mother avoided them
and didn't want them around. But after spending more time with Sheridan, who
was in the same predicament as his siblings, he realized there wasn't anything
wrong with them it was his mother and father and their atrocious behaviors.
Letting the past go, he focused on the present. "I'm glad you know Julian
well."
Eve nodded. "How are you?"
Ethan stared blankly at her. How did he answer that? Did he, could he, tell
her every time he closed his eyes he relieved the night the twins were conceived?
How he woke up sweating? How he didn't know whether he was coming or going?
That while he didn't want his children gestating inside Theresa while she
was in a jail cell, the idea that she could so easily get to him terrified
him? Would he be less of a man, if he admitted all that?
Seeing the fierce battle going on in her son's head, Eve reached out her
hand and touched his. "What ever you want to talk about, I'm here to listen."
Why the hell not in for a penny, in for a pound, wasn't that the saying?
"Theresa is haunting my dreams…"