Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 48
 

Eve sat listening to the radio. She had thought about the beginning between herself and TC, but her mind couldn’t help but go back to the end between her and TC. She shivered involuntarily at remembering what happened:

[[[FLASHBACK]]]

It was a couple of days after the aborted wedding. Eve had circled the block several times, and didn’t see anyone’s car in the driveway, so, she thought it was safe. She should go get some of her things.

She opened the front door, and the house was dark. She turned the light on. What she saw surprised her.

All of her clothing was scattered all over the living room floor. Everything she owned was all over the floor.

" Well, I guess I don’t have to go upstairs.", Eve says to herself, beginning to pick up her things. She’s in the middle of picking up some stuff, when the door from the kitchen opens, and a voice booms,

" What the hell are you doing here?"

Eve looks up to see TC standing there with boxes in hand.

" I…I didn’t see your car. I didn’t think you were here."

" Hiding out, my dear wife? Well, I’m packing up your shit and getting it the fuck out of MY house."

" This is OUR house, TC. The home we build."

" You’re kidding me, right? You have the nerve to stand here and tell me that you think we had a home? A HOME is built on honesty and truth. Not on lies and deception. "

" TC….if we could just talk…."

" What the FUCK do you think that you could say that could make this ‘all better’, Eve?"

" I…I…"

" It NEVER occurred to you, during ONE day of the twenty PLUS years that we were married that MAYBE you should tell me about Julian Crane? Never?"

" How could I? You hated him so."

" And, I wonder why that is, Eve? Could it be that the sonuvabitch has been doing nothing but TAKING from me since we were teenagers? He took my tennis career, and my father, and now, I find out that he took my wife too."

" TC, if we could talk…"

" See, Eve, that’s the problem. You had the chance to talk, and you didn’t say shit. Talking is over. "

" We could see Father Lonigan and talk things out.."

TC laughs. " What color is the sky in your world, Eve? Talk things out? Woman, are you high? On drugs? Cause only a junkie would be that stupid to come up in my face talking shit like that.

We have NOTHING to talk out.

All the talking was done in the church, when your past destroyed our family."

" But, the girls.."

" You have the never to talk to me about our daughters? Which one do you want to discuss, Eve? Whitney, who spends all her time crying, and when she’s trying to get a sedative induced sleep, still has nightmares."

" She must be doing ok. She’s not here."

" OK? You want to know how OK she is, Eve? You wanna know where she is? Simone drove her to Castleton to see a psychiatrist there. You see, I walked in on our daughter in the bathroom trying to slit her wrists."

Eve shook her head. " No, Whitney wouldn’t do t hat."

" Oh, she wouldn’t? She wouldn’t ? Why wouldn’t she, Eve? She fell in love, was ready to commit her life to a man, only to find out that he’s her long lost brother, and every feeling that she has goes against all the laws of man and nature? I don’t know why that would push her over the edge."

" You…you should have called me."

" Called YOU? Bitch, why the fuck would I call YOU? YOU are the reason that she wants to slit her wrists. I made up my mind that the last thing she needed was to come back to a house with ANY reminders of you. That is my project for today. So, in that way, I’m glad that you are here. Cause, get your shit, and get the fuck out. This afternoon, ALL the locks will be changed, and we’re getting a new phone number too. You just forget that you ever lived here."

" They are my daughters too!"

TC held up his hand. " I KNOW you aren’t going there. But, in case your crazy mind intended to go there, I’m gonna give you the bottom line: stay away from Whitney and Simone. They don’t want you. They don’t need you. And, if you can’t obey that request, it doesn’t matter, because my lawyer will be serving you with papers anytime now. I WILL protect my daughters from a whore like you. You can count on it."

" TC…"

" And, just in case you’ve got anymore delusions out there, let me dispel you of them. I am NEVER going to ‘get past it’. Get past you laying down, and being Julian Crane’s whore. If I never sleep with another woman again and live to be 100, I’ll never touch YOU again. Of course, I’m wondering how you could even think that I would remotely find you attractive, because the very sight of you disgusts me. I look at you, and all I can see is you fucking that sonuvabitch. You being his whore. You fulfilling every gutter stereotype known for our community. You make me sick. Get your shit and don’t ever come back."

TC left the room, and went upstairs. Eve gathered all of her belongings in loads and put them in her car. She saw all of the family photos with her in them in a garbage bag, near the trash, and took them. Eve looked around the house that she had called home for the last 20 years, and began to cry as she closed the door. She walked to her car, and turned around to look at the house, she saw TC glaring at her from the window. She got in her car and drove away.

[[[END OF FLASHBACK]]]

Eve wiped away the tears. From then on, she had no contact with TC. Anything she wanted, she had to speak to an attorney about. She had tried talking to the girls, but, they had hung up on her. From then, everything just snowballed: Sam and Grace sided with TC and turned their backs on her; she had lost her job at the hospital; then Chad rejected her, and finally, the only thing she had to depend on – her work at the Clinic, was taken away too. By the time Eve had attempted suicide, she had nothing left.

Standing up to look at the window, Eve took stock of her life again and wondered exactly what she had this time. No marriage. No family. No career. But, she did have the possibility of a relationship with her son. If she helped save Simone, then Chad would give her the time of day. That was better than nothing. It was something to rebuild. Eve’s mind thought back to Simone. Her poor baby. Simone was so innocent; Eve shuddered to think what a real predator could do. If Chad thought he was bad, then it must be true, Eve thought. He’s had the same street education that I did. Which means that she needs help, whether she wants it or not. And, TC would have to take it, because she was going to help her youngest daughter.

Eve knew what she had to do.
 

" Mr. Crane, Ms. Davis is here.", Julian’s secretary announced.

" Bring her in."

Alexis Davis walked into Julian’s office.

" Mr. Crane.", Alexis said, extending her hand. She saw the blond sitting in the other chair.

" Ms. Davis, this is my sister, Sheridan. Anything that you can say to me, you can say in front of her."

" Nice to meet you, Ms. Davis. I’m so glad that you’re helping Eve.", Sheridan said, extending her hand.

" Ok, well, I guess your sister is better informed than I. I told you, Mr. Crane, I’ve done all that I can considering that I haven’t met my client yet. Can you arrange that?"

Julian looks at Sheridan, and Alexis sees the silent communication between them.

" Well, not yet, Ms. Davis. But, soon."

" It has to be soon. I’m not going into any legal proceedings without a client physically there. "

" I understand."

" Good. "

" So, how are things?"

" Well, the medical review board issue is going to be sticky. As is, I think that we have a good shot of winning. I’m shooting for her being put on probation for a length of time, but, total restoration of her medical licensing privileges. The one problem that I haven’t tackled, and it’s been on your orders, has been Sam and Grace Bennett. Julian, if they walk into this hearing, like they did the last one? She’s sunk. I can’t stress this enough."

" I know…I know..I’m thinking about it."

" Now, as far as the divorce is concerned, it’s pretty straight forward. He’s willing to give up a portion of the financial settlement, for in exchange of her not getting the house. The real sticking point is going to be custody of the child. As is, he wants total legal and physical custody of the minor daughter, Simone, and NO visitation for Dr. Russell."

" He can’t do that! Eve loves her children."

" Well, he’s going to try. He’s  very determined, but, I plan on fighting it. The custody issue is going to be bloody, and he’s going to drag her through the dirt. I’ve spoken to his attorney, they are ready to paint her as the Whore of Harmony if need be, to get custody."

" Damn that idiot. Eve loved him and was totally devoted to him everyday of their marriage. God, what a judgmental prick!", Julian exclaimed.

" Yes, well, I need to begin strategy with my client. I need to know her thoughts on the issue. Julian, I need to get in touch with her."

" Soon."

" That’s what you’ve been saying since the beginning."

" Well, it’s true."

" I hope so, because…."

Alexis was interrupted by Julian’s telephone, which, noticing the line blinking, he immediately picked up.
 

" Julian Crane….yes…..I see….I understand…..I’ll be right there."

Julian hung up the phone and told Alexis, " I’m sorry, but this is an emergency. Thank you for coming. The car is ready for you downstairs, and I’ll call you soon."

Alexis wasn’t used to being dismissed like this, but, she sighed and told Julian and Sheridan, " Just call when you come up with Dr. Russell."

Alexis left, and Sheridan turned to Julian, " What’s wrong?"

" That was the hospital. Eve’s told them that she wants to see me."