Lost Cause, Chapter 27
TC was in the kitchen when Sam knocked on the kitchen door and came
in.
“ Hey TC.”
“ Buddy.”
“ Brought you an omelet, biscuits, fruit salad, and fresh blueberry muffins.”
TC smiled. “ Grace.”
“ Of course, Grace.”, Sam replied as he got a fork from the drawer and
handed it to TC, and got himself a cup of coffee.
“ How are you?”
“ Feel like shit, Sam. You don’t know what happened at the hospital.”
“ Actually, I do. Grace filled me in.”
“ Grace? How?”
“ From Kay, who found out from Simone.”
“ Oh. That’s where Sugarbear is.”
“ Yep.”
“ Sam, do you know how it felt when my wife woke up and the man she wanted
to see was the ONE man I hate more than anyone else on earth?”
“ TC…”
“ Knife in the heart. Period.”
“ Buddy.”
“ Sam…she doesn’t know us. We’re strangers. I mean, in theory, I knew about
her relationship with Julian. After all, Liz told me and Julian confirmed
it. But, to SEE it? To SEE it on her face? I don’t know if I can deal with
it, Sam.”
“ Of course you can. You need to handle yourself, TC. Because, you don’t
know how things are with Julian. You can’t give a rat bastard like Julian
Crane ANY kind of opening, TC. You have to play it cool. You have to play
it smart. I know you have a bad temper, but THIS is not the time to let
it fly. You have to be cool about it, TC. If you don’t, you could lose your
wife to Julian Crane. Don’t you think for one moment that THAT sonuvabitch
isn’t thinking of ten schemes to get YOUR wife.”
“ Don’t I know it. It’s what kept me up all night.”
Julian Crane was having breakfast when the maid came in.
“ Mr. Crane, you have a visitor.”
“ Hello, Julian.”
“ Grace Bennett? What are you doing here?”
“ I’m here to talk about Eve.”
“ Sally, that will be all.” The maid left. “ Would you like some breakfast,
Grace?”
“ No thank you, Julian.”
“ Well, let me have it.”
“ Ok.” Grace sat down. “ Are you crazy? Telling Eve that your son was in
the NAVY? What was that? You have the woman thinking that it’s only a matter
of time before her son strolls through the door, on leave. How could you
lead her on like that? I used to give you the benefit of the doubt. I thought
you loved Eve.”
“ I DO LOVE EVE!”
“ Then, you LIE to her like that?”
“ Mrs. Bennett, if you’ll get down off your judgmental perch, and quiet
down, then MAYBE I can explain it to you. When Eve first woke up, it was a
miracle. We were all so happy. She was not. She was nervous. She was upset.
She was frantic. She was surrounded by TC, Whitney, Simone and the doctors.
Guess what? She didn’t know who ANY of them were. She was frantic, which wasn’t
good for her health. When she saw me, it calmed her down. I was a familiar
face. When she brought up OUR son, I did what I thought would calm her down
– I lied. I lied so that a woman, who was near death just before she awoke
wouldn’t get upset. What was I supposed to tell her, ‘ oh Eve, sorry, dear,
you don’t remember any of us, and our son maybe dead or alive, but you get
well, ok?’. Come on, Grace. You’re going to tell me that you would have done
anything different? “
Grace sighed. “ I guess not.”
“ No. I guess not. I don’t know what Eve has told you about us..”
“ Everything, Julian. I know just about everything between the two of you.
And, you’re enough of a Crane for me to have SERIOUS concerns about YOUR
objectives here. I know that Whitney, Simone, TC – her HUSBAND – want her
to get well and get her memory back. But, what about you, Julian? Do you
want Eve to get well? Even if that means she remembers her life with TC.”
“ Not you too. I love Eve, and I want her to be happy. Even if that means
she goes back to TC. I don’t care if you, Sheridan or Fox don’t believe
me – it’s how I feel. “
“ I hope so. Eve really needs the help, Julian.”
“ I know that.”
“ I went to see her. She wanted to know about the state of her marriage.”
“ What did you tell her?”
“ What could I tell her? That the problems in her marriage arrive from
the secrets she kept from her husband, and that the secrets all involved
YOU? “
“ So, you didn’t say anything?”
“ No, I didn’t. I just don’t know how this situation with you, Eve and
TC cannot blow up in everyone’s faces. There are too many emotions here,
Julian. I know you mean well, but you love Eve. TC loves Eve. Eve only remembers
loving YOU – understand my apprehension?”