Our Last Chance - Chapter 2 (Julian, Eve, Luis and Sheridan)
by pip
 
 

Our Last Chance – Chapter 2
“Eve.” Julian spoke her name quietly into the phone. His voice always softened when he spoke to her. One of the responses he couldn’t control.

“Julian, did you reach Luis or Antonio?” she asked.

“Luis.” Julian paused and then explained, “Luis is the right one to call.”

“Yes, but I need to talk to Sheridan and Luis together when he gets to the cabin. They won’t have to wait for a DNA test to confirm that Luis is the father of Sheridan’s baby,” Eve explained.

Puzzled, Julian asked, “How’s that?”

Eve said, “One of the tests I ran showed the baby’s blood type. That isn’t always meaningful, but in this case, it was. The baby is type O, and Sheridan is type A. I checked Antonio’s hospital records, and he’s type A, same as Sheridan. Even before I checked Luis’s records, I knew that he would be O, just like his son.”

Julian asked, “So, at the moment, neither Luis nor Sheridan knows that the baby is Luis’s without a doubt?”

Eve smiled. “I think Luis has always known, without a doubt.”

“But, Sheridan?” Julian asked, trying to comprehend his sister’s situation.

“Julian, Sheridan’s been fragile. Not just her health, but also her emotional state. Think back over the things in her life during the last three years. Each event took its toll on her. Ultimately, she hasn’t been the same after the amnesia. With amnesia, she felt that she had no control over her life. She didn’t even know what her life was. That made it easy for Antonio to manipulate and control her. She lapsed into a pattern that even Luis hasn’t been able to break.”

Julian muttered, “In spite of how difficult Sheridan made things, I always admired her fight. If only I’d fought Alistair’s ultimatums, all those years ago with you. When Sheridan decided to marry Luis, she went against Father as no one ever has. It’s hard to believe that Antonio brought her to heel in a way Alistair Crane couldn’t.”

“That’s the problem, Julian. And Luis has been in limbo, waiting for the real Sheridan to come back.”

Julian whispered, “Lost love.” Amazingly, he ached for Luis, for Sheridan. More that anything, he ached for his own loss.

Eve was silent on the other end of the phone. She closed her eyes. Behind her dark lids, a young Julian smiled at her. With emotion, she shook her shoulders and opened her eyes. “Julian, no more. No more lost love. Not for them. I have to get up to that cabin to tell them about their baby. Sheridan has to know before Luis brings her back to Harmony and back to Antonio.”

“Eve, it’s impossible to get to the cabin in this blizzard. If Luis gets through, it will be a miracle. Besides, you can talk to Luis on his cell phone.”

A few minutes later Luis’s phone rang in the abandoned SUV. After three hours, he’d made it to the end of the narrow drive to the Crane lodge. The drive was impassable. Early in the storm, the plows cleared the main road, but not the private drive. Luis struggled through drifts of snow on foot. At points, he was waist deep. Finally, he could see the cabin and the plumes of smoke curling from the chimney. A wave of relief washed over him even before he pushed through the door.

Wide-eyed, Sheridan sat up from her spot before the fire. She gasped as Luis blasted through the door. “Luis?” She scrambled to her feet awkwardly. “What are you doing here?”

Luis stamped his feet and shook the snow from his jacket. He glared at Sheridan, at her question. “Don’t you think that’s the question for you? What the hell are you doing here?”

Sheridan took two steps toward him, but his tone stopped her. Defensively, she retorted, “You know why I left.”

Luis lowered his eyes from her face to unzip his jacket. He shrugged out of it and dropped it over a chair. Turning to face Sheridan, he grinned at her. She’d taken a defiant pose with her hands on her hips. He hadn’t seen this side of her in a long time, too long. He took a step toward her, and she raised her chin and set her jaw. His grin widened. Nothing was more impressive than a pissed-off Sheridan.

Sheridan braced herself to fight Luis. Clearly, he’d attack her for leaving Harmony without a word. Then he caught her off guard. He crossed the room to her in three strides and swept his arms around her. He nuzzled his cold face into the curve of her neck. Withdrawing slightly, he held her face in his chilled hands. Her face softened and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She whispered, “Luis, Luis.” He pulled her head under his chin and rocked her in a bear hug.

Sheridan’s enlarged belly was firm against him. Luis sighed and continued to rock her. He breathed her name, kissed her forehead, and smiled into her eyes. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Love me.”

“That I do.”

She took his hand and led him closer to the hearth. They slowly settled together on her pallet before the warm, glowing embers. As Sheridan shifted her weight, she grimaced. Luis frowned his concern. “What?”

Self-consciously she explained, “I think I over did it when I built the fire up last night.” She pursed her lips and flashed her eyes at him. The message was clear. He wasn’t to comment on the fact that she shouldn’t be in this situation, shouldn’t be dependent upon building a fire for warmth.

Luis sighed and enfolded her in his arms. Pulling her back to his chest, he rested his palm on her belly. He murmured into her ear, “How’s the baby?”

She relaxed against Luis. “Wonderful, now that you’re here.” Right on cue, the baby kicked firmly against Luis’s hand.

Luis’s eyes widened. “Goal! He just scored.”

Sheridan giggled. “He definitely has a strong kick. My ribs are even tender from his little game.”

Luis chuckled deeply. It felt so right to share this with her. Sheridan moved slightly and moaned softly. Luis stiffened, responding to her sound. “How long have you had the backache?”

“Off and on all night.”

“Sheridan, you’re in labor.” His voice was matter of fact, belying his tension.