Julian was sitting in the Crane living room when Theresa came in.

” Hello, Julian.”

” Theresa. Ethan hand delivered the papers, and they’ve been filed at the County Courthouse.”

” I know. I wanted to see Little Ethan.”

” He just finished his breakfast and is in the nursery. “

” I’ll go to him.”

” Theresa,  I want to talk with you, first. Please, come here and sit.”

Theresa did as Julian asked. “ What is it, Julian?”

” Theresa, I agreed to this custody agreement in good faith. I want you to understand what will happen if you don’t live up to it.”

” Are you threatening me, Julian?”

” No. I’m just being direct with you, Theresa. I know that I have been lax as a father in the past. But, I see Little Ethan as part of a brighter future for myself. He IS my son. Accept it. I WILL have an influential part in his life. Don’t try and run around the agreement, Theresa. I’ve been generous. Accept it and move on.”

” On orders from the ‘great’ Julian Crane?”

” No. From a man that you have to spend the next twenty years of your life with, in some capacity or another. Having done the constantly at war thing with Ivy, I can tell you, from experience, it’s not fun. And, the children ALWAYS wind up paying for the mistakes of the parents. I want Little Ethan to have a different chance. A better chance. Don’t  you?”

Theresa looked at Julian, not knowing if she could take him at face value. “ I love MY son.”

” Then act like it. This is the best decision for his future. Two parents who want to be in his life. Just think about it.”

Julian goes to the desk and gets a business card and gives it to Theresa.

“ What’s this?”, Theresa asked.

” It’s the name and number of the real estate agent that I use. She’ll be expecting you call. Pick whatever you want, up to a value of a million, five hundred thousand. “

Theresa looked at the card. “ Thank you, Julian.”

“ You’re welcome, Theresa.”

Theresa left the living room.
 

“ Mr. Winthrop, as you can see, this house has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, formal living room and dining room, spacious kitchen with an eat-in area, family room, and a den. “

“ How many square feet?”

” A little over three thousand.”

” It needs work.”

” That it does, but  that’s why it’s such a bargain. And, look at this yard.” Ethan followed the real estate agent towards the doors to the backyard.

” I know it looks rough, with all the wild grass, but over to your left, you see the fireplace and patio. “

” This yard is huge.”

” Yes. But, it has a lot of potential. “

” Cleaned up, it would be a great yard for child.”

” Absolutely.  Plus, the pool has a protective covering around it.”

” Accessible from the house?”

” Yes. State of the art. The last family had small children.”

” I see.”

Ethan looked around the property. It needed a lot of work, and he had never done any hard work a day in his life. But, he needed a challenge like this. It’s a nice-sized house at an excellent price. With the money he’s saved, along with the loan program for executives at Crane Industries, he could get this house for less than half of what it was worth on the open market.

Ethan turned to the real estate agent. “ Let’s go write it up.”
 

“ Fox, it was nice of you to drive me to the Hospital.”, Kay said.

” It’s ok, Kay. I had to come. My father wants me to take on more responsibility at Crane, and that includes becoming involved with a higher profile at Harmony Hospital.”

” Grooming you for a Board seat?”

“ Yep.”

They stop outside of a doctor’s office. “ Well, here’s my doctor.”

” I can wait with you. My meeting doesn’t begin for awhile.”

” I don’t want to bother you. After all, Miguel will be here soon.”

” No problem. I need  to talk with you about the party I want to hold.”

“ Ok.” Kay and Fox went into the doctor’s office. Fox sat down as Kay checked in with the nurse.

” So, what’s this about a party?”, Kay asked.

” It’s a coming out for me. I want people to know that I’m in Harmony, and that I am taking my place in the Crane Empire.”

“ What do you want? Nightime, Weekend, Afternoon?”

“ What do you suggest?”

Kay thought about it. “ Do something different. Use the Crane yacht. You can get the Crane yacht, right?”

” I think so.”, Fox said as he smiled.

“ This time of year is fabulous. Ship off a little bit before sunset, and do a 3 hour cruise around this way, full of entertainment. Make sure people will be talking about the party for the next six months.”

” See, I KNEW I had the right person for the job. You make all the arrangements. I was thinking about 3 weeks from now.”

” Three weeks? You know how to push it, don’t you?”

” Nothing you can’t handle, Kay.”

” Kathleen Bennett”, the nurse called.

Kay stood up and looked confused. “ I don’t know what to do. Miguel was supposed to be here. I mean, I called him this morning and told him about it. I told him a half-hour early so that he would be sure to be here. This doctor is very popular. It was tough to get this appointment.”

“ Kathleen Bennett”, the nurse called.

” She’s over here.”, Fox replied, as he motioned Kay into the doctor’s office. They followed the nurse to the examination area. The nurse gave Kay a two piece outfit.

“ Put this on. The doctor will be in to see you in a few moments.”

Kay looked at the nurse, and then at Fox. “ I’ll step outside while you change.” Before Kay could say anything, Fox was gone. He stood at the door, and in a few minutes heard, “ Fox? Fox?”

Fox opened the door. “ I’m here.”

Kay blushed. “ I didn’t know if you’d be here still. Would you check out in the waiting room to see if Miguel has come?”

” Sure.”

Fox went to the waiting room, but every guy there was hooked up with a woman. No Miguel. Fox shook his head. What kind of creep would do this to the mother of his child? He went back to the examination room, and when he opened the door, there was another woman in the room with Kay.

” Well, good for you to come, Dad.”, the woman said. Kay was going to correct him, but Fox shook his head and Kay shrugged her shoulders. The doctor got out a device, and put it at Kay’s stomach.

” So, are we ready to hear the little one?”

” We can hear the baby?”, Fox asked.

” We’re going to hear and see it.”, the doctor replied. The doctor placed the monitor near Kay, and turned it on. All three of them listened to the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. Kay’s face melted, and Fox felt his chest tighten.

” Does it sound normal?”, Kay asked.

” Absolutely, Kay. The baby sounds fine. Now, let’s get you the first baby picture.” She takes out a tube of ointment. “ This will feel cold, but you’ll be fine.” She spreads the ointment on Kay’s stomach. Then, she brings up another monitor near Kay, and other pieces of equipment. Placing the paddle on Kay’s stomach, she tells them, “ Look at the monitor.”

Kay and Fox look in wonder as the outline of Kay’s baby is clearly in focus.

” Oh wow. That’s my baby.”

Fox is awestruck. “ Unbelievable.” He held Kay’s hand as he took in this wonder.