Unexpected Happenings, Chapter 25
 

" Mom, I guess  you misunderstood me. I asked you who the woman was that Daddy got pregnant."

" Simone, I know what you asked me, and I've given you the truth. Grace Bennett is pregnant with your father's child."

Simone sat shocked for a few moments. " Chief Bennett's wife? Kay's mom?"

" Yes."

" But…how? Why? WHY did this happen, Mom?"

" Sweetie, if I knew, I would explain it to you. I don't understand myself. If you'd asked me a week ago if all this was possible, I would have been ready to commit you to an insane asylum. Sadly, I'm the one who needs to go."

" Mom! Don't say that!"

" Simone. My life is over. Our lives are over. What do we have now?"

" We have each other, Mom. I'm in pain. So much pain right now, but I know that we have each other. You, me, Whitney. We are all the other has now. It will be enough."

" I don't know.."

" Mom, it will be."

" Simone, I don't know what to do. How do you make sense of this? Make sense of the last 20 years of your life in shambles? I don't get it. I'm so confused. I'm sorry."

" For what?"

" You and Whitney are supposed to be looking to me for guidance, and I'm not giving any."

" Mom, give me a break. You're human. You're devastated. We will guide one another."

Eve smiled at her daughter and ran her hand through Simone's hair. " When did you grow up? When did you become a mature young woman? When my back was turned?"

" No. I've always been here, but I admit maturation has come rapidly."

" Are you sure that you can't stay here?"

" Yep. Mom, it will be for a little while. I need time to sort things out. Finding out that it's Mrs. Bennett puts another strain on things."

" Kay."

" Yes, Kay. I was counting on Kay to be one of my sources of support through this, but I know now that she's going to be having her own problems. We can't help one another through this."

" I'm sorry, Baby. Damn TC and Grace! They've taken something else from you."

" Don't worry about me, Mom. I'll see you everyday. I promise."

" I'm going to keep you to that promise."

" I'm gonna go pack."

Eve watched as Simone went upstairs.  She looked around the room and her eyes fell upon a picture of Whitney.

" Oh, Whitney Baby, how are you doing?"
 

Chad tiptoed out of Theresa's room and closed the door. He went into the Lopez-Fitzgerald living room where Theresa sat.

" How is she, Chad?"

" She's wiped out, Theresa. I held her until she cried herself back to sleep."

" Well, that's good. She hasn't had any rest. She needs rest."

" Theresa, do you think she's going to be ok?"

" Chad, Whitney is strong. I think this is going to shake her to the core. I think she's devastated."

" I don't know what the fuck is wrong with Coach Russell. How could he do it? How could he hurt all of them like that?"

" I don't know. But, Whitney is going to need us."

" She's got my support. She knows that. Do you know how Doctor Russell and Simone are?"

" No. When Whitney got here, she said that she didn’t know where either one of them are. Chad you know what favor you could do me?"

Chad picked up his jacket, " I'm already on it, Theresa. I've got my cellphone. I'll find up what's goin' on with Doctor Russell and Simone. You'll be able to tell Whitney when she wakes up."

" Thanks, Chad.", Theresa said as Chad left the Lopez-Fitzgerald home.
 

" TC?", Grace said, almost in shock after she opened her front door.

" Hi Grace. May I come in?"

" Sure."

TC didn't leave the foyer of the Bennett house. " I wanted you to know that Eve asked me to leave. I'm going to find a place to stay. I wanted you to know just in case anything was going on with the baby that I needed to know about."

" Nothing's going wrong so far. So, the girls know?"

" Yes. They're furious with me."

" I know. Noah told me that he never wanted to hear from me again. That I could forget his phone number. Kay is God knows where, and Jessica is holed up in her room, crying her eyes out. "

" That sounds about right. Grace, there's something else you should know. Sam knows."

" Sam KNOWS? About you and me?"

" He came to my house, devastated about you being pregnant. I couldn't let him stand there thinking that he was getting sympathy from me, when I was the cause of his pain. So, I told him the truth."

" How did he take it?"

" About as well as could be expected. He punched me out and was only stopped when Eve came. He's washed his hands of me, not that I'm surprised."

" TC, I'm sorry."

" Grace, it's not your fault. We both got ourselves into this situation. We both have to deal with the consequences of it. "

" But, you've been friends with Sam longer than either of our marriages."

" I know. I know."

" TC, why did this happen?"

" I don't know, Grace. It's all so complicated."

" Grace, do you regret not having an abortion? Nobody.."

" NO, TC. This baby is a gift. I already see it. I'm sorry about all the pain, but I'm not sorry about this baby. Are YOU sorry, TC?"

" Grace, I can't lie to you. I'm having a hard time accepting that you're pregnant. I've hurt everyone that I would have laid my life down to protect. I HURT them. I will regret it until the day that I die. Give me time about the baby. But, I have so many matters to straighten out right now that I can't really allow myself the time to think about it. Do you understand that?"

" Yes, I do. I understand about all the pain. I understand. Where will you go?"

" There is a small rental property of ou…mine a few blocks from here. It's not big, but it's vacant, and I can move right in. When I get the phone turned on, I'll give you the number."

" Ok."

" Tell me it's going to be Ok, Grace."

" TC, we WILL get through this. It seems impossible now, but I think it will all work out."

" I want to believe you. Well, I'll be going. Bye."

" Bye."
 

Eve is picking up debris in her living room when she hears a knock on the door.

" Chad?"

" Hey, Doctor Russell. May I come in?"

" Sure."

Chad comes over to Eve and begins to help her with the cleanup.

" By the fact that you haven't asked what happened leads me to believe that you already know about the shambles that is my family."

" Yeah, I do. I'm sorry, Doctor Russell."

" How did you find out? Did HE tell you?"

" Naw. I haven't spoken with the Coach. Theresa called me to help with Whitney."

" How is Whitney?"

" She's worn out. I left her sleeping. I came by to get word about you and Simone. You two, Ok?"

" I'm alive. Outside of that, I'm not promising anything."

" I don't know what to say."

" There isn't much to be said when a family is destroyed. But, at least I know where Whitney is. She didn't answer her cellphone."

" I think Theresa turned off the ringer."

" Oh."

" And, Simone?"

" I've seen her. She's decided that she needs to take a break. She moved in with a friend for a little while."

" You cool with that?"

" I have to be. I can't be the support to my daughters that I would like to be, so I have to support what they feel will heal them emotionally. It's only for a little while."

Chad nodded. " I feel ya. You should know that I'm here for support, Doctor Russell."

" Chad, that is so sweet. Thank you for the offer. "

" Do you think that there is any hope for you and Coach to get back together?"

" No, Chad. I can't see that happening. There is so much pain involved, you can't imagine."

" I'm so sad for you, Doctor Russell. Sad for all of you. I know how much your family means to you."

" Thanks, Chad."