The ambulance was just pulling up, as Eve turned the corner having just finished the last of her five runs. She was walking down the hallway when she heard someone calling out to her.

“Dr. Russell!” the person called. Turning to see who it was that just called her, she gasped a little as the person calling her came up to her covered in blood from head to toe.

“Devin?!”

“Dr. Russell, I need your help!” He said in a frantic voice.

“Alright, calm down and tell me what happened?” she said trying to calm him down.

“It’s my dad! The two of us were arguing, then all of a sudden bullets started flying everywhere!” He said as his voice started to break. She looked over his shoulder to see some paramedics rushing his father in on a gurney.

“Listen honey, you stay right here, and I’ll go check on your father alright?” she said as she touched the side of his face before leaving.

As soon as Eve left, Devin started pacing back and forth as he ran his hands through his hair. This was not happening as he started to think about all the revelations that had come to light in the past month. Before he even realized it, five hours had passed and Eve was right back by his side.

“How’s my dad Eve?” he asked cautiously.

“Come sit with me.” Eve said to Devin as she took him by the hand and headed over to seats next to the wall. She hesitated a little before telling him. “Your dad was shot five times, and he lost a lot of blood. They rushed him straight to surgery as soon as he got here. They did everything they could but, Dr. Bryant doesn’t think he’s going to make it through the night.”

Devin started to panic a little, not because his father was going to die, but because he was going to die and not tell him what he needed to know!

“Is he conscious?”

“He is and he asked to see you too.” She said to him. Devin was about to go see him when Eve grabbed him by the hand. “Devin…”

“Yeah…”

“He’s in room 216. Be careful, he’s really weak.”

“I will.” And with that he walked off to his father’s room.

Now it got really strange. As he walked to his father’s room, he wondered why Eve looked as if she didn’t know his father. How could she not know the man that was once her husband?! He needed some answers now!

Arriving in front of his father’s room, Devin took a deep breath, ran his hands through his hair again before entering. Closing the door behind him, the site ahead shocked him. Never before had he seen a person hooked up to so many machines before. Walking slowly to the side of his father’s bed, he sat in the chair that was in front of the machines. His father’s eyes were closed and he looked really pale too. He sat there staring at his father for so long that he didn’t hear his named being called.

“De…vin…”

Devin blinked a few times before answering “Dad.”

“You…were…right. I…didn’t tell…you the whole…truth.” Duke said as he struggled a little with his breathing.

“I figured that much. So tell me, who are you?” Duke turned his head as far as he could to face Devin before answering him.

“My…mother…use to…work…for…the Cranes… She…had…an affair…with Alistair Crane.” He stopped to catch his breath then continued. “I was…the result…of that affair.”

“You’re telling me that your father is Alistair Crane?!” Devin shouted in disbelief. ‘This is unbelievable.’

“He didn’t want…anyone to know…he had a black son…so he kept it…a secret.”

“Then that makes you Julian Cranes’ half-brother, right?”

Duke nodded then turned his head back.

“When…I…got older…I went to see him…one day. He told me…that Julian had got…a black woman pregnant…and didn’t want him with her. He…” he tried to say but Devin interrupted him.

“What does Julian getting a black woman pregnant have anything to do with me?” Devin asked him with a confused look on his face.

“You wanted the truth…now let me…finish.” Duke said, then continued. “He told me…that if I kidnapped…that baby and raise him…as my own…that he would…tell the world…that I…was…his older son. So I did it.” He finished saying then turned and looked Devin in the eyes.

“What are you saying? Are you telling me, that you kidnapped me from my mother?”

“I…never…knew a Eve Russell back…then. Her name…was…Eve Johnson. “Father…told me to tell…you that she had…left us…for Julian…when you started…asking about her…to get…you to…hate her. She…thought you…were dead.”

“This can’t be right! Nooo! I don’t believe this!” Devin said as he jumped up out of his chair then dropped to his knees with his head down. “How could…”

“I wanted my…father to…love me…and in the…process…I hurt…my little brother…and your mother. Please…forgive me.” Duke said as tears started falling from his eyes.

Devin was livid! The life he had lived had been one big lie! Eve never knew…Julian never knew. Knowing this truth…the real truth had cut him deeply. The man that raised him his whole life was really his uncle, Eve and Julian…his real parents and they thought he had died. And this man had the nerve to ask him for forgiveness! This was too much!

“Why should I forgive you huh?! Damn you!” Devin cursed at him.

“I know…what I…did…was wrong.”

“You lied to me my whole damn life! My mother wanted me! I can’t believe that you would do this to your own brother. My own grandfather hated me because my mother was black. Your mother was black! He’s a known racist! What made you think that he would acknowledge you, knowing that he wouldn’t acknowledge me?!” Devin cried out as this tremendous feeling of hurt and anger ran through his heart. It felt like he had just died.

“I don’t know. He even…made sure…that…Julian didn’t know…that Eve was…pregnant…with you.” He said. “Father…told me…years ago…that Eve realized…you might be…alive. She…then told…Julian. The two…of them…have been…looking for you…ever since.””

“I have to tell her the truth now.” Devin realized as he struggled to his feet.

“NO! She…can’t know!” Duke shouted at Devin.

“Why not?!”

“Because…there’s more to this. Not only…did I…do this to…win my father’s love…but he had someone else…help me…”

“Who else?!”

“I can’t! It’ll…destroy…her. Aaahh…” Duke cried out then started struggling, trying to catch his breath as he suddenly grabbed the metal railing on his bed tightly.

“What is it?” Devin asked as he looked at Duke.

Duke continued to struggle and hold on tight to the railings. He couldn’t breathe! This was it… he was about to die. A look of absolute fear appeared on his face. He released one of the railings and reached his hand out to Devin. Devin took his hand then noticed that he was trying to tell him something else, so he bent his ear down to Duke’s face. Duke whispered one more thing in Devin’s ear then squeezed his hand tightly before taking his final breath.

A week later, Devin had Duke’s body flew to Virginia, to be buried next to his mother. It was the least he could do for him. A week ago, he found out that Duke was really his uncle and that Julian Crane was his biological father and that Eve truly had no idea who he really was. Everything was different now, and there was no going back. And the words that Duke whispered in his ear before dying, was only reason why he didn’t tell Eve and Julian the truth as soon as he found out.

{Flashback}

Duke continued to struggle and hold on tight to the railings. He couldn’t breathe! This was it… he was about to die. A look a fear appeared on his face. He released one of the railings and reached his hand out to Devin. Devin noticed that he was trying to tell him something else, so he bent his ear down to Duke’s face. Duke whispered one more thing in Devin’s ear “Her sister and brother…knows…” then squeezed his hand tightly before taking his final breath.

{End of flashback}

The first thing that he was going to do when he got back to Harmony was find out who Eve’s siblings were, and when he did, he was determined to find out what they knew. And he wasn’t going to rest until he did.