Chapter Two- Helping Hand

The phone rang and Theresa grabbed it.
"No I can’t come into work today." She said firmly looking over at Kendra.
"Yes I know you need me, but my family needs me more." She said hanging up.
Kendra looked up "Am I going to school today?" She asked.
Theresa sighed, School yet another thing she had forgotten, "No sweetie, your going to stay out with Aunt Resa for the rest of the week."
The little girl nodded and went back to her breakfast.
Theresa walked over to the table and sat down. She hadn’t got in the chair good when she hear Matthew crying upstairs. "Gotta go check on Matt." She told Kendra as she raced upstairs.
Theresa gasped for air as she entered the room. She still wasn’t sure how all his stuff got there, Maybe Chad or Julian brought it by, she had been in such a daze she just couldn’t remember. She picked the baby up as his crying got heavier. "Its Ok Matt." She told him rocking him in her arms.
"Please baby, stop crying." She whispered. But his crying worsened.
Twenty Mintues later Matthew was still crying and Theresa was scared.
"Chad, I’ll call Chad." She said remembering that Chad had a daughter and could help.
She found her phone and dialed number, praying he would answer, Chad was a single father, raising his little girl and taking care of his brother now, the brother he found when he finally found his real mother.
"Hello." A voice answered.
"Chad?" Theresa cried.
"Nope, Justin."
"Justin, is your brother there?"
"yeah hang on."
"This is Chad." A soothing voice said.
"Thank goodness, Chad its Resa, Matthew won’t stop crying, he’s been crying for like 30 mintues and I don’t know what to do." She pleaded.
"Did you do a diaper check? "
"Yeah, it’s fine."
"Did you feed him?"
"He wouldn’t eat." Theresa cried, "What if he’s sick, Chad what do I do?" She said frantic.
"Calm down Resa, I’ll be over in a few. "
"Thank you Chad." Theresa said hanging up.
"Chad please hurry." Theresa whispered to herself as Matthew wailed again.
In what seemed like seconds later, Chad was at Theresa’s door. Kendra ran to it and flung it open.
"Chad." She smiled.
"Hey rugrat, where’s Aunt Resa." Chad said patting Kendra on her head.
"I’m right here Chad." Theresa said holding a crying Matthew.
"Give me big man there and you go get Kendra dressed." Chad told her as she handed him the baby.
"I can dress myself." Kendra pouted.
"I’ll put your hair in pigtails." Theresa reasoned.
"OK." The little girl said.
"Don’t worry bout a thing Resa." Chad told her.
She nodded with a worried look on her face and headed upstairs.
"Aunt Resa I want my blue dress." Kendra said.
Theresa looked around the room and sighed, "I don’t know if its here."
"Its at my house. I miss my house." She said shyly.
Theresa felt her heart flop, of course she missed her home, the home she had been raised in. Suddenly she had been tossed into this house that she wasn’t used to, in a room that was plain.
"I know you do baby, I’m sorry." Theresa said.
"When can I go back home?" Kendra asked.
Theresa frowned, What did she say now? How did she answer her?
"Sweetie let’s find you something to wear.." Theresa said avoiding the question.
"I don’t like these clothes, I want my blue dress." Kendra pouted her brown eyes looking much like Luis’s used to.
"Its not here." Theresa told her.
"Its at my house, I want my house, and my mommy and daddy." Kendra suddenly cried.
"Oh baby." Theresa said taking her in her arms.
"Make them come back Aunt Resa. " She sobbed.
"Honey, I can’t." Theresa cried.
She held the little girl in her arms, their tears both flooding and their hearts both broke. Neither understanding why it happened.
Theresa finally released Kendra and wiped the little girl’s hair out of her face. "I’m sleepy." Kendra whimpered.
Theresa nodded, she knew Kendra wasn’t sleeping much either, "Why don’t you go get on my big bed and take a nap?" She asked.
"Ok." She answered slowly walking out of the room.
Theresa sighed," Matt, I’ve gotta check on Matt. " She whispered standing up. The room was spinning as Theresa stood back on her feet. She hadn’t touched food since they got the call, she just couldn’t find it in her to eat. "Resa toughen up." She scolded herself. "You’ve gotta do this."
She walked downstairs to find Chad holding a sleeping Matthew in his arms.
"He’s asleep?" She questioned weakly.
Chad nodded, "What you’ve got here, it a bad case of teething."
"He’s cutting a tooth?" She asked.
Chad smiled, "That’s all it is, but that’s plenty to keep him fussy."
"Thanks for coming over." She told him.
"No problem, I already had Jada ready for school and Justin, well he was running late as usual." Chad explained.
Theresa made her way to a her sofa and sat down, " I don’t know how you do it."
Chad laughed, "Well when the mother of your child hands her to you and says, ‘she’s cute but you take her’ you don’t have much choice. "
"But then you took Justin in." Theresa said.
"Yeah well our mother had already gave away rights to him, he’s a good kid, almost 15:" Chad smiled.
"Yeah." Theresa spoke softly looking blankly around the room.
"Resa, how are you doing?" He asked.
"I’m trying to be strong for the kids." She answered.
"No, I mean how are you, doing. Are you sleeping? Eating?" Chad asked.
"I don’t know, I dozed off about 3 this morning I guess."
"And food?"
Theresa frowned, "I guess I haven’t had much."
"Then let me fix you something." Chad offered.
"No, I can’t eat, just not hungry."
"Theresa, you have to eat."
She nodded, " I know, I just haven’t had time."
Chad frowned, "Have you heard from Ethan?" He asked.
"Ethan? No. Ivy said she couldn’t track him down, but with the media storming in like they did, he must know." Theresa sadly spoke, angry that Ethan hadn’t been there for the funeral. He was once so close to Sheridan, how dare he stay away.
"Yeah, Jules told me it upset him that Ethan didn’t show."
"How is Julian, I mean things have been so rushed, I haven’t really talked to him."
"He’s playing tough, but he’s hurting." Chad spoke of his father.
"Listen do you need anything?" Chad asked.
Theresa thought for a second, "There is one thing." She said sadly.
"Anything."
"I’ve got to go, get some of the kids thing’s, Kendra wants her blue dress, and they need stuff, but I just can’t go to that house alone." She said a tear falling from her face.
"I can go, you don’t have to if your not ready."
Theresa shook her head, "No, I want to, I need to feel close to Luis." She whimpered.
Chad nodded, "Can you get someone to watch the kids?"
"I think Grace offered to help, and Eve."
Chad walked over to Theresa’s phone, "You go get dressed and I’ll call Grace."
Theresa slowly got up as the room started spinning again. She fell back on the sofa weakly.
"But first your going to eat." Chad told her.
Theresa didn’t resist this time and watched as Chad went into her kitchen.
She looked over at her lamp and smiled at the small crack on the side of it, She remembered the day it happened and found herself back there again.
"Luis please be careful with my stuff." Theresa pleaded as Luis and Miguel sat the boxes down.
"Resa relax, I’m not going to break anything." He laughed.
"But some of this stuff is new, and this is my first house."
"Yeah well it’s big enough." Miguel mocked.
"Hey are sister is a big designer." Luis bragged, "She deserves this."
"Sure whatever." Miguel said rolling his eyes.
Sheridan walked over to Theresa and smiled, "You do deserve it Resa, you’ve worked so hard lately."
"Thanks Sher." Theresa said as Miguel and Luis began to play fight.
"Luis, my lamp." Theresa yelled as Luis’s arm hit it knocking it to the ground.
He spun around and looked down. "Its just a small crack, I’ll glue it back." He told her.
"But it was a gift."
"I’m sorry sis," Luis said walking over to her.
"Its OK really, I just love that lamp."
He nodded, "I can buy you a new one." He offered.
"No, Its not that bad really."
Miguel laughed, "She can afford a new one."
"Miguel leave your sister alone." Luis told him.
"Still playing father huh ?" Theresa teased.
He nodded, "Yeah, I’ll always look out for my little sister." He said hugging her.
"Well you better." Theresa laughed.
"Hey I want a hug too." Miguel teased walking over to them.
Sheridan smiled, "Yeah I’m feeling left out too."
Luis grabbed Sheridan’s arm as Theresa grabbed Miguel.
"Group hug." Luis laughed.
"Your crushing me." Theresa whined with laughter.
They let go and Theresa smiled, "Well boy’s get back to work." She commanded walking over to her broken lamp.
End flashback
Theresa touched the crack on the lamp with her hand, "You promised you’d look out for me Luis." She whispered, "Now I’m stepping in your shoes." She frowned, "But those are such big shoes to fill."