The Fine Print - Chapter 17
by yhh
"Why did this happen? Hasn't she suffered enough with her parents' marriage
ending, the Chad fiasco, and now this?" Fox raged, pacing the hospital corridor.
The woman he wanted to marry and loved more than life itself was not only
fighting for her life, but also for the life of her child. When the doctor
had hinted at having to choose between Whitney's life and their baby's,
Fox had turned and walked away. How could he be asked to choose between
the love of his life and the baby they wanted more than anything in the
world? How could he live without either?
"She's strong, son. They both are. Only the fiercest, toughest, and most
determined women can love Crane men and make them leave their bad boy ways
behind," Julian informed his son.
"If I hadn't played those silly games with her. If I had confessed my feelings
earlier- -"
Laying his hand on his son's shoulder, Julian stopped Fox from pacing.
"You can't live with the what ifs, take it from a man who knows."
The younger man turned and stared at his father with anger. "I should take
advice and comfort from the man who pretended like I didn't exist for most
of my life? And when you did decide to say more than hello, it was to reprimand
me for something. But what am I complaining about, at least that was better
than being constantly compared to Ethan, the second man in history to walk
on water and do no wrong. You were a horrible father. To even call you a
father is an insult to the word itself I was less than the gum on the bottom
of your $800 shoes. So don't hold my hand or give me encouragement when you
couldn't care whether I live or die. Go sell your shill to Endora, Nate,
Quinn! Hell go sit by Whitney's bedside because you've been more of a father
to her than you have ever been to me."
Julian knew there was nothing he could say to his son because he spoke
the truth. He had been a horrible father, sperm donor, whatever you wanted
to call him. He let the loss of Eve consume him. He happily drowned himself
in booze and cheap women. And once he saw Eve's name in his hospital minutes
as the newest addition to the hospital staff, his new missions in life became
working, drinking, and sex. His new life didn't give him time to be worried
or to care about anyone else, particularly on the days he saw Eve. He regretted
his behavior now, but it was too late for regrets. They wouldn't ease Fox's,
Ethan's, Quinn's, and Regan's childhood aches at having an absentee father
or a crazy mother. "I'm sorry, Nicholas, that my weakness hurt you and threatened
to ruin your childhood. Why do you think I had Ivy send you to boarding
school? I thought the further you were away from me, her, and Alistair,
the better off you would be. I couldn't imagine a worse Christmas for you
children, then spending it with an evil grandfather, a mother ignoring you,
and a drunken father having sex with whatever blonde bimbo who had the pleasure
of being my secretary."
Julian's words penetrated Fox's anger and hurt. Julian was the one who
banished them in hopes to protect them. He knew in his gut that his father
was telling the truth. Only Julian would think exile was better than spending
time with the Crane family. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his
newly gained knowledge. What a truly screwed up family he had.
"But you and your brother are the future of this family. From the moment
you heard about Whitney's pregnancy, you were a better father than I ever
was or will hope to be. At that moment you would have moved heaven and earth
for your unborn child. Your son is one lucky little boy. Hopefully by watching
you and Ethan, I can learn how to be a better father and a good grandpa,"
Julian said sincerely.
"Dad," Fox cried, throwing himself into his father's arms. "I can't live
without them. I can't- -I can't."
Julian held onto his son for dear life. He would be this boy- -this man's
strength in his hour of darkness. "You won't lose them; you are their light
in this cloud of darkness they are currently in. They feel your love for
them. They will return to you strong, healthy, and better than ever." He
prayed desperately that he was right. Whitney and that baby boy couldn't
give up on Fox. They couldn't.
Being the largest single contributor to Harmony's only hospital did have
its perks, Julian thought as he watched his son hug the incubator that held
the newest member of the family. His youngest son now had a child, a son
of his own. A son, who for all of the trauma surrounding his birth, was surprisingly
healthy, thankfully. "Run a DNA test."
"What?!" Eve asked, unsure of what she heard.
"Run a DNA test."
"Please don't tell me- -"
Julian nodded.
Instantly it all clicked. She now understood Whitney's behavior and moods.
It all fell into place. Her poor baby. The pressure and strain she had been
under all these months. Unsure if she was pregnant with her brother's baby
or not. Eve shook her brown tresses. Her heart broke for her eldest daughter.
If only she had been truthful with TC from the day they first met. All of
this heartache could have been avoided. "How long have you known?"
"Since after the reading of the will."
That long. Turning to look her love in the face, she wanted to berate him.
Yell at him. Scream at him. How could he not tell her? How could he not
share with her, her daughter's deepest, darkest secret? But she wouldn't
do that. There had been more than enough blame and finger pointing going
on between the two families they were trying to blend together as one. Instead
Eve took a deep breath and focused on the positive. At least, Whitney trusted
Julian enough to confide in him. And wasn't that what she wanted- -for her
girls to know that Julian was another adult, a parental type figure they
could turn to if they needed to or wanted to? Yes, it was. He had kept her
daughter's confidence even in the face of the possible consequences from
her. "Thank you," she said, kissing Julian on the cheek. "I will discreetly
ask Dr. Marshall to perform one."
"There is a vile of Chad's and Fox's blood in the lab."
Eve was about to question how he had viles of the two young men's blood,
but then she remembered who he was. He was Julian Crane, heir to Alistair's
throne. There was probably nothing Julian couldn't get if he wanted to.
That would take some getting used to. Simply nodding, Eve headed off to
find Whitney's doctor.
"We almost lost her," Eve whispered as they sat in a corner booth in the
hospital cafeteria.
"But we didn't. Whitney Russell is a strong, young woman like her mother-
-" TC began.
Eve looked at her ex-husband in shock. They were not on the best of terms
and to the last of her knowledge he still considered her the whore of whores,
the liar of liars. This was the first time they had been alone since TC
found out the truth. Their first civil conversation. Maybe time did heal
all wounds. Whatever accounted for his kind words, she wouldn't look a gift
horse in the mouth.
"I think the Johnson/Russell genes are some of the most stubborn genes
out there. Our baby girl is going to fight to come back to us, just like
she used to fight on the tennis courts."
She saw the doubt in his eyes and heard it in his voice as TC tried to
remain strong and positive. The least she could do was encourage him. "Do
you remember when she sprained her ankle, but refused to forfeit her match?"
A bright smile lit up TC's face. "Yes. All she would let me do was wrap
it up and she went right back out there- -"
"To a standing ovation."
"Yes, to a standing ovation. And she won the match to boot. I had never
been so scared in my life."
"Neither had I. I was thinking of the possible permanent damage she was
doing to her ankle- -"
"So were we," Grace said from over Eve's shoulder.
"May we have a seat?" Sam asked.
TC looked at his brother to make sure everything was kosher.
Sam and Grace both nodded.
Giving his ex-wife a quick glance, he saw the hope in her eyes. He pointed
to the two chairs and his best friends sat down.
"My nails were digging into my palms so hard, I started bleeding," Grace
finished.
"I wanted to jump onto that court and pick her up and carry her to the
ER," Sam added.
The four former best friends all nodded, smiled, and became lost in their
thoughts.
Eve slyly gazed at Sam, TC, and Grace. Why had it taken an accident to
bring them back together? Once they had been thick as thieves and because
of her lies, she had destroyed not only her family but theirs also.
"I watched Noah sit next to Whit's bed and I could instantly recall him
running to get her paci, her blanket, his stuffed doggie, her bottle, whatever
it would take for his Whit to stop crying. She was his and we were just allowed
to borrow her for moments at a time," Grace smiled. "What a tough job he
had trying to keep the boys away from his four girls. I don't know what I
would have done if I had to leave the man I loved and I was alone in the
world and the one thing I had to count on died. I would hope- - I don't know
what I would hope. But I know such events would forever change a person.
You were desperately trying to hide your past and I was desperately trying
to remember mine. Now all the little things you used to say about me being
lucky to have a fresh start and other things finally make sense. I don't
condone what you did. I'm angry as hell at what you did to Sam, myself, John,
Noah, the girls, TC, but I love you more than I could ever hate you. You
were and are my best friend and my sister. And I need you in my life," Grace
said, looking directly into Eve's eyes.
The tears flowed from Eve. All of her pent up worries about her relationship
with Grace and Sam, her worries over her children, her job, her relationship
with Julian, her relationship with his kids were let loose by Grace's forgiveness.
Eve had never felt more humbled.
Scooting her chair closer to Eve, Grace embraced her sister. She had missed
her. She had missed their talks, their laughs, their camaraderie, their
friendship. Eve Johnson had been the first woman to truly befriend her and
she had never forgotten that. "I love you, Evie."
"Than- -"
"No. You apologized. I've forgiven you. We've forgiven you. Let's move
on from there."
"I love you, Gracie."
Sam and TC looked at each other and their relief was evident. They knew
the two women had missed each other and were hurting being apart. Maybe now
their healing could truly begin.
"He's Fox's. So you can wake up now and put my son and grandson out of
their misery," Julian whispered in Whitney's ear. "You can stop hiding in
there and come out. Everything is fine and no one is the wiser." He and
Eve had agreed to not let Whitney know that Eve knew about the paternity
issue concerning Whitney's son. If Whitney confided the truth in Eve one
day that would be great, but if she didn't then that would be okay too.
Eve said she was fine either way and he believed his love.
"Fox," Whitney croaked.
"Yes, he's Fox's. Now close your eyes and pretend to be unconscious until
Fox gets in here. We can't ruin this moment for him."
"Morning, Whitney," Fox greeted his girlfriend as he had done every morning
for the past week. He pulled up his chair, kissed her lips, grasped her
hand and sat down. "How are you this morning?" Suddenly he felt a tug on
his hand. "Whit? Dad, I think she's waking up. Get the doctor!"
Julian did his son's bidding and left the room with a smile on his face.
"Whit, if you can hear me squeeze my hand again?" Fox begged.
Whitney not only squeezed his hand, she also opened her eyes to the greatest
sight she had seen in forever.
"Baby, welcome back. We've missed you."
"Love you," she coughed.
"I love you so much, baby." With one hand, somehow Fox was able to pour
the mother of his child a glass of water and slowly helped her drink it.
"Marry now."
"What, honey?"
"Marry now."
"You want to get married. We will. Once you get out of- -"
"Now," she whispered. "Day."
"Today?"
Whitney nodded her head.
"Okay. Okay." Hearing the door open, Fox turned to see his father walk
into the room.
"One wedding coming up after the doctor gives her okay," Julian said, enjoying
the love he saw shining in both their eyes.
"See baby," she requested.
"I'll go get him," Julian offered, to give the two lovebirds some privacy.
With the doctor's go-head and Julian's pull, the Cranes, Russells, Bennetts,
and Lopez-Fitzgeralds stood in Whitney's private suite as Whitney Elizabeth
Russell and Nicholas Foxworth Crane exchanged their sacred vows with their
son, Nicholas Foxworth Crane, Junior, lying in his mother's arms.
In no time at all they were standing there
In the front of a little church
In front of their friends and family
Repeating those sacred words
Preacher said, "Son kiss your bride"
And he raised her veil
Like the night they met time just stood still
One boy, one girl
Two hearts beating wildly
To put it mildly it was love at first sight
He smiled, she smiled, and they knew right away
This was the day they'd waited for all their lives
And for a moment the whole world revolved
One boy, one girl
Fox leaned over the hospital bed and did what he had wanted to do since
the moment they'd met, kiss his bride.