New Beginnings, Chapter 18
 
 

Sheridan was in her car. She and Julian had thought up a plan to protect Chad, but, she had to get to Chad immediately. Sheridan hoped that this worked. The way that she and Julian and reasoned it out made it very plausible, but, she was  still worried. She knew that Alistair had already tried to kill Chad as a baby. Would this be enough to stop him from carrying out his earlier threat? She hoped so.
 

" Mr. Crane, the appointments that you had me make are all done.",  Julian's longtime secretary Martha told him.

While Julian had a ton of floozies as maids, Martha had been with him even before he married Ivy. She was the only person he ever thought was loyal to him, outside of his family. He had never tried with her. She was too valuable to risk. She was also concerned. Martha had been with Crane Industries to know that everything done with the Cranes was planned out to the nth degree. This was so off the cuff. Too off the cuff.

She had also never seen Julian looks this serious before. He always had a joke for her, even after the worst thrashings from Alistair. But, not today.

" Thank you, Martha. You can go back to the office."

" If you wouldn't mind it, Sir, I think I'll stay here."

Julian looked at his secretary and saw empathy from her, mixed in with her curiousity. Julian couldn't say anything. He was on a mission, but, a sympathetic face couldn't hurt him right now.

" When does my first appointment come?"

" He's already here. You'll be meeting in less than five minutes."

Julian nodded. " Thank you. I'm going to need those minutes to think."

Taking her cue, she left Julian alone in the Library. Julian looked over at the bar. He ached for a drink to calm his nerves, but, resisted. This was a time where he needed to be alert. He was about to take a gamble, and was praying that it would pay off.
 

Chad opened the crates containing the new magazines. He checked the inventory, and began exchanging old for new issues. But, the last conversation that he had with Theresa was still ringing in his ears:

[[FLASHBACK]]]
 

Chad and Theresa looked at one another after Chad finished reading the letter from Julian.

" I'll be damned.", Chad says. " I can't believe it."

" I know. It's all so incredible."

" My father is a coward, and my mother doesn't even know I'm alive. That's what he said, right Resa?"

Theresa nodded. " Yes. Your mother doesn't know about you."

Chad had tears in his eyes. " My Moms doesn't know I exist. She's mourned me ALL THESE YEARS? What does it do to a woman to mourn a child alone? And, it wasn't even true?

ALL these years, I've thought that my parents didn't want me. But, my mother did. She…she wanted me, Resa.", Chad said, with a slight smile.

" Of course she would, Chad. You're wonderful. "

" What the hell does Julian want? He's the mutherfucker that abandoned my mother. AND ME."

" Chad, he said what he wanted. Your forgiveness and a chance to make things up."

" There isn't enough time on the planet or money in the Crane bank accounts to make up for what happened to me and my mother. That man can GO TO HELL!", Chad said, mad as hell, getting up, and walking over to the kitchen door  and going outside.

Theresa followed him.

" Chad, Mr. Crane has admitted his mistakes. He takes responsibility. He wants to have a relationship with you."

" I want NOTHING from that man. I only want my mother. That's the only thing he can give to me. I want to know the only person who wanted me. He can continue his life as the miserable, racist, SOB that he always was. I'm not going to have anything to do with him."

"You're angry Chad. And, that's OK. But, don't close the door on him. "

" Why not?"

" Because, he's your father, and the only one you have. What I wouldn't give for my father to show up. I'd accept him, no matter what.", Theresa says very quietly.

Chad looks at Theresa. Martin isn't something that they've discussed often, but, Chad sees the pain in her eyes when they do. He also knows Theresa well enough to know that Martin leaving did things to Theresa. Shaped the way she viewed the world, and why she wanted certain things in her life.

" Theresa, I understand what you're saying, but, I can't relate. Julian Crane is at the bottom of the list of people I ever wanted to be my father. I can't deal. The only good thing about it is that he said he'd give me time to deal with it. The LAST thing that I want is for this town to know that I'm a Crane Bastard. I don't need those problems."

" Ok, Chad, you're going to think about things. But, I think you also need to consider something else."

" What?"

" When you're going to move out of the Russell House."

[[[FLASHBACK ENDS]]]]

Chad is still thinking about Theresa's statement about the Russells, when he hears someone call his name.

" Chad?"

Chad looks up to see Sheridan standing there.

" Hi Sheridan."

" I…I….", Sheridan is overwhelmed by the emotions that she had been struggling to keep in check ever since she received the test results. Sheridan rushes over to Chad and gives him a big hug, squeezing him tightly. When the embrace is over, Chad is still a little stunned, and he sees that Sheridan has tears in her eyes.

" Welcome to the family?", she says with a slight smile on her face.

Chad takes Sheridan by the hand, and they sit down on one of the couches in the Book Café.

" How long have you known?"

" I was the one who told Julian. I was the one who heard Orville Perkins' last confession."

" Why do you believe it to be true?"

" I had the DNA tests run on you. I know it's true."

" Sheridan, I…"

" Chad, there isn't anything that you could say about my brother that I don't already know. He's made mistakes, Chad. So many, we can't even begin. He's been ruthless, cowardly, callous, cruel even. But, he wants to change, Chad. He's determined to, and it begins with you. He desperately wants a relationship with you, Chad. And, so do I."  Chad saw the sincerity in Sheridan's eyes.

" Sheridan, you're a nice person. I already liked you. But, I ain't gonna have nothing to do with THAT MAN."

" He's your father, Chad."

" Don't say that."

" I have to. It's unavoidable."

" Well, I don't have to deal with it. It's between Julian, you and me. It'll stay that way."

Sheridan took a deep breath and exhaled, and shook her head. " Chad, that's why I'm here. It's not going to be just between us. Not anymore."

" What do you mean, Sheridan?"

Before Sheridan could answer his question, her cellphone rang.

" Sheridan Crane."

" Miss Crane, it's Martha. Your brother told me to tell you when he began with his appointments."

" Thank you, Martha. I understand." Sheridan hung up her cellphone, and looked at Chad. She took his hand, and let him to the front of the Book Café where there was a television. She turned the channel until she found what she was looking for: Julian with a reporter.

They both watched the television.

" I'm sitting here, with Mr. Julian Crane, President of Crane Industries. I have to admit that I'm curious as to the purpose of this interview, Mr. Crane, since you do so few.", the reporter said.

" Yes, well, I thought that it was time that I 'set the record straight', as the American colloquialism says, before one of the tabloids does it for me."

" Ah yes, the last time the tabloids had something on your family, it was that Ethan, the young man you thought was your firstborn, wasn't."

Sheridan and Chad noticed the pain on Julian's face when the reporter brought up Ethan.

" Yes. The Ethan situation was one of the most difficult ones in my life. But, I'm here today with happy news for the Crane family. I have recently been reunited with my true firstborn child. A son."

" A son? One other than the one you have with your wife?"

" Yes. This young man was born of a relationship that I had before I met my wife. The relationship produced a child. My son."

" So, you're telling the viewers that you have another child. A 'love child', so to speak."

" If you want to use those terms, then you are correct."

" How did you find out this information? Did he show up on your doorstep, and is forcing you to come forth with this information before he did?"

" I am sure, if it was left up to him, that he would NEVER come forth with the truth about our relationship. I'm not exactly what he had in mind for a parent. "

"Mr. Crane, did you keep him hidden all these years?"

" No. I was led to believe that my son had died. If not for a confession by one of the parties complicit in the conspiracy, I would still believe that he was dead. "

The reporter look stunned, as if she were processing everything as she went along. " So, you believed that your son was dead. But, now, you know that he's alive. You've had contact, then?"

" Yes."

" Did you travel to meet him?"

" There was no need. He lives in Harmony."

" Isn't that an odd coincidence. Your son living in Harmony all this time?"

" He moved here from out of town. But, yes, for him to show up here is odd. My son is a fine young man. He's strong, principled, a decent human being, and brave, for he's risked his life for others on more than one instance. All of these things make him a better man than I could ever be. I'm very proud of him, and I'm so happy to be able to call Chad my son."

" Chad? That's his name?"

" Yes. Chad Harris is his name. Chad Harris is my son. My firstborn."

Chad looks at Sheridan in shock, and the rest of the Book Café is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.