Sam was sitting at his desk when Luis came over.

“ You almost finished, Sam?”

” Yeah, Luis. I think I’m almost done with everything.”

” You still don’t want me to tell anyone else where you’re going?”

” No. I need to have the privacy for the next couple of weeks. But, if anything goes wrong with my kids..”

” I’ll contact you, ASAP. Sounds like a great trip.”

” I need it to be a worthwhile trip. Gotta to a lot of thinking.”

” You know, I’m willing to listen.”

” Luis, I know. And, you’re a good friend. But, I need to figure things out. Look in on Hank, will ya? I love my girls, but Hank’s not exactly parental material.”

Luis smiled. “ You know what? Hank’s been surviving quite well with the girls. He’s way better with them than I ever thought possible. I guess it’s because, well, Hank was a handful when HE was their age.”

Sam laughed. “ Ain’t THAT the truth. To tell the truth, my brother and I have never been closer. I think that’s been a positive.”

” Damn straight. But, don’t you mind, I’ll be sure to look out for the girls too while you’re gone. “

“ Thanks, Luis.”

” Sam? Don’t you think it’s time we talked?”

Sam and Luis looked over to see Ivy standing there.

” I’m going back to work.”, Luis said, leaving Sam and Ivy alone.

” Sam…”

” We are NOT talking here.”

” Well, then, dammit Sam, where ARE we going to talk? You haven’t returned ANY of my messages!”
Sam got up from his desk and grabbed Ivy’s arm. “ Outside!”, he barked, as he left the Police Station in a hurry, with Ivy barely following in step. When they finally got to a secluded place in the park, Sam stopped.

“ I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to see you!”, Sam yelled.

” You have. Believe me, you’ve made it clear. Sam,  what are we going to do?”, Ivy pleaded.

” Don’t! Don’t do it, Ivy. Don’t do those crocodile tears of yours.”

” These are anything BUT fake tears, Sam. My hormones are out of control because of the pregnancy.”

” Which you PLANNED, I’m sure!”

“ Yes! Yes, dammit! Yes, I wanted your baby so badly. I was desperate! You are the ONLY man I’ve ever loved, Sam! The only one!”

” So, you go about getting me through lies and deceit! If you hadn’t..”

” What? You’d still be with Grace? I didn’t FORCE you to sleep with me, Sam. You wanted to. WHY? Because you love me.”

” What happened to the Ivy I knew?”

” She had a HARD life, Sam. One that taught her that she had to FIGHT for what she wanted.”

” You mean lie, cheat and scheme!”

” Yes, lie, cheat and scheme. You had love. You had happiness. The time I was with you was the ONLY happiness I ever had. I couldn’t even raise Ethan the way that I wanted to because I couldn’t risk him being so totally corrupted by Julian and Alistair!”

” Don’t you dare bring  up MY son right now. ‘ I ‘ was NOT the reason I didn’t know about him.”

” I know. That is MY fault. And, I take responsibility for it and everything else. But, Sam, I LOVE YOU! ONLY YOU! And, we’re having another child, and I want to be thrilled! But, how can I be happy when you won’t even talk to me?”

“ Damn, you JUST DON’T GET IT, do you Ivy? You just don’t get it. Well, now that you’re here, I’ll tell you to your face. I’m leaving for a vacation tonight. I’m going away for a few weeks, and THIS will just have to wait until I get back!”

” Where are you going?”

” None of your fucking business. And, Ivy, if you don’t leave me alone, you won’t like it. I PROMISE YOU.”

Sam didn’t even wait for an answer as he walked away from Ivy, and back to the Police Station.

Ivy sat on the bench and cried for a few minutes. When she stopped, she walked around the park until she got to the special place that she and Sam would leave their notes. Thinking about those times brought a smile to Ivy’s face. Her mind began to race.

” Sam just needs this time to think….but, what if he decides while he’s away that he doesn’t want anything to do with me…..no, that can’t happen….and, by the time Sam comes back, I’ll really be showing, which will help me…..I mean, if Sam hasn’t ended things with me now….we still should have a chance. I promise you, precious baby, that you WILL have the family that your brother Ethan never have. Sam is mad at me now, but he loves me. I know he does. I’m going to spend every waking moment from now, until the time he gets back, keeping myself in shape, being the most healthy pregnant woman ever born. When he gets back, he’s going to see how much I love his baby AND HIM. No…..I’m not out of it yet. Not so long as I’m pregnant AND Grace is pregnant…I’m the best option Sam has, on top of being the woman he loves.”

Ivy walked back to her car, smiling ear to ear, singing.

Eve sat at her desk. She had spent the last few hours, holed up in her office. Her eyes were almost bloodshot as she had been pouring over the same records. She had run them over and over, and the results were the same.

“ How is this possible? How can this be? Oh my God, this is unbelievable. But, I’ve run the tests over and over. It’s the truth. Lives in Harmony will never be the same again.”

Eve shook her head, and picked up the phone.

” Chad, it’s Dr. Russell. I think you should come and see me at my office. I have some information for you.”