Haunted Nights, Chapter 24
by SIPort

The waiter brought the last of the dishes out to the table. He couldn’t believe the two women tearing into them. They didn’t look big, but they were eating enough for five men.

” Fine. Doctor says that the baby is doing fine. He did an ultrasound, want to see?”

Gwen smiled as she looked at the picture of the baby, and then handed Kay hers.

Kay sighed as she looked at Gwen’s picture. “ You know, I really do appreciate this lunch, Gwen, but..”

” I’m divorcing Ethan, and want as little contact as possible. What is Miguel’s excuse?”

” Miguel is just busy, that’s all. He’ll make it to the next appointment.”, Kay replied defensively.

Gwen held her tongue. In her conversation with Fox, he made it clear that something always came up when it came to Kay and her doctor’s appointments. And, she believed that something was Charity Standish. Looking at Kay, Gwen saw herself so clearly it spooked her. Had she REALLY been that blind where Ethan was concerned? Had she let her life be totally wrapped up in him that it took away all of her self-esteem?

Sadly, Gwen had to admit that it had. But, now, she was breaking free of those chains, and she realized that she needed a friend as much as Kay did. But, she had to earn Kay’s trust before she could slip in hard truths about Miguel. A lightbulb went off in Gwen’s head.

“ I was talking to Fox, and he told me you were doing fabulously in your training classes at Crane. I was thinking that maybe you could use a tutor.”

“ A tutor? I thought you said that Fox complimented me.”

” He did. But Kay, you’re going up against people who’ve already graduated college, and some have their MBA’s already. The beginning of anything is simpler. As it gets harder, I think you’ll need someone to guide you through the minefield.  And, that’s me.”

” You’d do that? You’d help me?”

” Of course. You’re my baby’s Aunt, and you need to prepare yourself to be a single mother.”

” I’m NOT a single mother. Miguel is this baby’s father!”

” Kay, I don’t mean to be harsh, but you’re not married to Miguel. Now, maybe one day you will be married to him. Wonderful for you. But, don’t you owe it to yourself and your baby to prepare the best life that YOU can possibly give him or her? Prepare for the worst case scenario, and when something better happens, you can be happy about it. So, tutoring, three days a week at my house?”

“ Deal.”

Whitney was sitting at her desk, proofreading a paper she had to turn in soon when the door to her room flew open.

” Whitney!”

” Maybe he loves his wife, Theresa.”

” No. He’s in love with me. He always has been. Always will be.”

“ But, he wants to get back together with Gwen, Theresa.”

” Because she’s pregnant with his baby.”

” Is that so bad, Theresa?”

” What?”

” I mean, they will have a family together. What’s wrong with wanting to make a family?”

” Because, he’ll be living a lie. He loves me, and he can have a family with me and Little Ethan.”

“ Theresa, do I need to remind you that Little Ethan HAS a father. His name his Julian Crane, and he’s taken a very ACTIVE role in HIS son’s life.”

” Ethan would make a much better father!”

” That’s NOT for your to decide. It was decided when you went to Bermuda, got drunk, married and slept with Julian Crane. “

“ But, I never  married Julian!”

” Nevertheless, you had a baby by him. And no amount of wishing is going to change that.”

” It’s fate that I be with Ethan.”

” Honey, from where I’m sitting, fate seems to be pushing Ethan in Gwen’s direction.”

“ We’ll see about that.”

Theresa left Whitney’s room. Whitney was too tired to even try and stop Theresa from whatever disaster she had just thought up.

Gwen smiled. “ You nailed it. Damn, you’re going to breeze through your next exam.”

” Not without your help. You were so right. This material has taken a turn towards the serious, and in a hurry. Without your help, and leading me towards great study aides, I would have been sunk. I’m shocking all of them with the way that I’m hanging in there.”

” Good for you. There aren’t enough women in this program.”

” You’re telling ME that? It’s such an ‘Old Boys Club’ – even with the interns. It’s sort of discouraging, but I’m working through it. It helps that Fox takes me seriously – the other three women in the program – I think two of them were recommended because they did the ‘casting couch’ with their bosses.”

Gwen scrunched up her nose. “ I hate women like that. They set us all back.”

They both hear yelling in the hallway. “ I’m going to see her, and see her NOW!”

Next thing they knew, Theresa was in the library.

“ Theresa, what are you doing in my house?”, Gwen asked.

” Very well. You need to leave Ethan alone.”

” What?”

” You’re obviously using this pregnancy to try and keep him near you. Using an innocent baby, Gwen, how desperate of you. “

Gwen just stared at Theresa then began to laugh. She continued to laugh as Theresa stood there, bewildered.

“ My my, Theresa. Your powers of persuasion beginning to wane, are they? Ethan not following you around like a lapdog? You know what? I don’t care. Theresa, I signed the divorce papers, what seems to me AGES ago. Ethan hasn’t signed them, yes, I know, but I have little to no contact with him. And, so, I want you out, you parasitic bitch. If Ethan isn’t falling all over you, maybe, just maybe, he’s been clued in on what a deceitful little heifer you are. As far as I’m concerned, too little, too late to matter to me. You’ve got to the count of ten before I call Security and have them release the dogs on your pathetic ass. ONE….TWO…THREE…”

” ALWAYS…she was good at hiding it in the beginning, but even then, I suspected it. Now, it’s full-blown. “

” Yikes.”

“ You know, I’ve had a lot of time to think about Theresa, since I separated from Ethan. “

“ Why?”

” Then let me say this honestly. I think you should give up on Miguel.”

” She loves him.”

” Yeah, maybe. But, look at what that would do to a kid growing up in that house? What is the lesson being reinforced. That if you deem someone your ‘ true love’, then you NEVER EVER give up on them. That THEY are the center of the universe for you. Everything else comes second. I love Sheridan, and I believe she and Luis belong together, BUT…….I have my situation with Ethan. I realized that Theresa would NEVER give up on Ethan…and then, there’s Miguel and Charity. That look in his eyes when he speaks of Charity…same look as Theresa with Ethan. Kay, he’s never made a doctor’s appointment with you. Why is that? It’s because Charity will ALWAYS come first with him. “

“ But, we’re having  a baby.”, Kay cried.

Gwen went over to Kay, and held her. “ Kay, I know you are. But, from where I’m sitting. YOU’RE having the baby. Miguel isn’t putting forth any effort. And, in case nobody else has ever told you – YOU are worth 10 Charity Standishes, Kay. You’re younger than I am, Kay. I don’t want to see you spend the next five years of your life the way that I did with Ethan and Theresa – miserable, anxious, unhappy. You deserve better than that.”

“ B…but I love him. I always  have.”, Kay cried in Gwen’s arms.