Chapter Seven

The electronic doors slid open with a swooshing noise, the colder air from the Emergency room slapping Brian in the face as he walked inside. The temperature difference caused goose bumps to form on his skin, his body involuntarily shuddering. His blue eyes quickly scanned the waiting room, finding the remaining members of the Lopez-Fitzgerald family sitting in the corner quietly. His mother’s head was bowed in prayer, his siblings surrounding her in quiet contemplation but Sheridan was not with them. Sighing, he headed for a darkened corner of the waiting room, watchful eyes staring at the curtain where a middle-aged African-American doctor left pausing only a moment to say something to Luis before quickly scurrying away.

Brian squinted his eyes, glaring at his brother from his place in the corner. Sheridan, or Diana as he had known her before that day, had been with him for a year and showed no signs of wanting to be with anyone else after the realization that her lover was dead sunk in. She had never said she was unhappy, always telling him she loved and cared for him when they were together. In fact, she had seduced him on his birthday, offering her body as a gift that he had been more than willing to receive. He loved her with his entire heart and he refused to let her go without a fight, especially to his baby brother.

With a sigh, he leaned against the wall, eyes still pinned on his brother. Luis had done it again, waltzed right into his life and taken away the one thing he wanted more than anything else. As a kid he had stolen his parents attention by being smart and good at sports. Every girl in Harmony wanted to date Luis no matter what age he was. He could remember the first time he brought home a date, the petite sixteen-year-old had asked to meet the family before they left for the movies. Stupidly he brought her inside and she saw Luis, his looks just as flawless as they were now, and she batted her eyes giggling when he kissed her hand. Luis had won her over with some stupid move he had learned from their father and the girl had never called him again. Two weeks later, Brian had asked Luis’ little friend Beth to a movie only to learn later that she loved Luis as well. Things hadn’t been the same for them since and would never be again because of Sheridan.

But Sheridan was his, had to be his, because he wanted her, cared for her when she had no one else. Luis hadn’t even looked for her in the year she had been gone, simply mourned her and moved on with his ex-girlfriend, the default woman in his life. What kind of man moved on so quickly with someone else and used her to make himself feel better? Brian smirked, obviously his little brother and if he knew Beth, Luis would definitely pay. Never before had Brian seen a woman’s eyes darken so drastically, hate and anger flowing through her body like electricity through wires. She certainly had something in mind and Brian could only assume it would be severe and make Luis wish he never messed with Beth Wallace…

And boy did he deserve to be knocked off his high horse for once in his life, the family’s savior finally meeting his match.

Brian caught a flash over movement out of the corner of his eye and immediately looked over at the now opened curtain to Sheridan’s room. She stood there, looking at Luis sadly with only the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. Removing himself from the wall, he prepared himself to go over and put in action the first stage of his plan to win Sheridan back…

Making her squirm.

Sheridan sat on the bed for a moment, her eyes focusing on the cracked white tiles of the floor. Eve had seemed reluctant to add the pregnancy test to the list of items for the blood test, but after some debate she had been willing. Sheridan, of course, had needed to confess just why she thought she was pregnant: because she had been with another man. Eve encouraged her not to tell Luis until anything was confirmed, but Sheridan knew that this would come out eventually if she didn’t and she wanted to prepare him for the blow if she was having Brian’s baby. She only hoped her fiancé was willing to see her through this pregnancy and become the father the baby deserved. Just ten minutes with him and she knew he would be a far better provider than Brian could ever be and she wanted to have a family with Luis more than anything.

Sighing, she slowly and cautiously pushed herself off the bed, her shoes gently tapping against the floor. Right outside the curtain was a man that loved her unconditionally and held her entire world in his hands. If he weren’t accepting of her child, if she was having a child, then she didn’t know what she would do. One thing was certain, if she was pregnant than she was going to have the baby and no one on earth would stop that from happening. If she had to spend the rest of her life alone just to be the mother the child was supposed to have, so be it.

Crossing her arms over her stomach, Sheridan timidly walked to the small opening in the curtain and looked out at Luis and some other people, obviously his family. They were all sitting quietly in one corner of the waiting area; Luis looking ready to explode from the excitement he was feeling. She smiled; that man was definitely in love with her and would more than likely lay down his life to protect her. It was nice to feel that kind of connection with someone. Never had she felt like that when Brian was around, that comforting protection that just oozed from Luis’ body. She suddenly thought of another way to describe his rugged good looks as well: “sex on a stick.” Shaking her head, she shifted her eyes away from him. Where had that come from?

Taking a deep breath, she pushed opened the curtain and stepped into the light of the waiting room. Luis’ eyes immediately met hers and a small smile formed on her lips. She couldn’t tell him right now about Brian and the fact that they had spent one night together over two months before. She couldn’t break his heart like that and ruin the image he had of a loving and caring fiancée that had vowed to be his and his alone. Could he ask her to keep such a vow if she hadn’t known who she was or what he had wanted of her before today? Would he punish her for a single mistake made in the heat of the moment with a man she thought she loved? She didn’t know, but she was determined not to find out that day.

Luis’ eyes sparkled and he stood, disrupting his mother’s prayers. Pilar’s eyes followed her son’s movements as he walked over to Sheridan, taking her in his arms. She gasped, dropping her purse to the floor and standing, her hand covering her mouth. “Dios mio,” she whispered, looking Sheridan over with her eyes. “Sheridan, mija, is it really you?”

Sheridan’s sorrow filled eyes looked away, not sure how to reply to the woman’s question since she wasn’t even sure whom she was. She drew her lip between her teeth, nervously chewing on the sensitive flesh. “I…”

“Angel?” Luis asked, tilting her face up to look into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I wasn’t completely honest with you before, Luis,” she mumbled timidly. “I have amnesia and couldn’t remember who I was until this morning. I…I don’t remember anyone else but you.”

“Oh, Sheridan,” he hugged her close again. “It’s all right, angel, we’ll work through this together,” he turned her gently, smiling at her when she faced his family. “Sheridan, this is my mother, Pilar, and my siblings, Theresa and Miguel.”

Miguel and Theresa, whose mouths were agape at the sight of the reincarnated Sheridan Crane, fumbled with a hello before sitting slowly, and yet simultaneously, back into their chairs. Their eyes remained focused on her as if she were an apparition about to disappear in the blink of an eye.

“Pleasure to meet you all again.” She blushed, moving deeper into the protective embrace of the man she loved, resting her head against his strong chest. His heartbeat thudded in her ear, lulling her into a false sense of comfort. Suddenly, she tensed, feeling the presence of someone else.

“Even if I should have been doing the introductions,” a voice interrupted, causing Sheridan to jump and spin around completely. Frightened blue eyes met angry blue-green ones and Sheridan felt her stomach begin to churn. “Mama, Luis,” Brian crossed his arms over his chest, “funny meeting you two here.”

“What are you doing here?” Luis asked as he turned to face his brother. “I didn’t expect to see you around,” he crossed his arms, heated brown eyes pinned on him. “I’m surprised you haven’t left town again, you were always good at running.”

Frightened blue eyes begged Brian not to say a word, Sheridan biting so hard on her lip it started bleeding. She didn’t want to deal with this now, couldn’t take the thought of telling Luis here in the hospital that this man had been her lover and she had spent the year under his care, especially if they knew each other. She wasn’t sure just how her fiancé knew Brian, but she wasn’t ready to ask while they were standing in the middle of the emergency room. Right now she just wanted to leave with Luis’ arm around her like it had been before.

“Antonio? How did you know Luis and his fiancée were here?” Theresa asked, finally coming out of her confused coma. “Did Mama call you before we left the house?”

“No, but I wasn’t far away from the location of his heroic act this afternoon. Few people in Harmony were, actually,” Brian gritted out, shooting Sheridan a look before turning his attention back to Luis. “Everyone seems to know superman here.”

“Antonio?” Sheridan let the name roll off of her tongue. “Since when has anyone called you Antonio?”

“Since the day he was born,” Miguel replied. “This would be our missing eldest brother,” he added bitterly, looking much like Luis at the moment. He wasn’t particularly fond of his older brother’s sudden return considering the fact that he had left them years ago. The struggling they had suffered because he was too afraid to stay around left a bitter taste in his mouth. Pilar shot him a look to silence him again.

“No, this isn’t Antonio,” Sheridan shook her head, her body shaking uncontrollably. “He can’t be your brother!” she looked at Luis for confirmation. “He isn’t Antonio, Luis, right? His name is Brian! He can’t be Antonio!”

“Sure he can, Sheridan, he is my brother who has been gone for years,” Luis glared at Tony. “I found him down in Bermuda awhile back with some woman…” Luis eyes met hers. “No…”

“I…” she stuttered.

“It’s not possible; tell me it was another woman, Sheridan, and that you only recently met him! Tell me it’s not true!” he insisted.

“Luis, what’s wrong?” Pilar asked, placing a hand on his arm to calm, but he shook it off and looked over at his fiancée.

“Luis, I’m sorry,” she whimpered looking away, wrapping her arms around herself in a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

“You are his Diana from Bermuda, aren’t you? You’re the woman he was telling me he was going to spend the rest of his life with,” Luis growled.

Sheridan sniffled, shaking her head. “I didn’t know, Luis, I swear I didn’t know. I had no idea who I was…he told me his name was Brian! I didn’t know he was your brother! The amnesia…”

“Go on and tell him the rest, Diana,” Brian’s eyes grew dark with rage. “Tell him what we did… what you told me!”

“Shut up!” she glared at him. “Just shut up!”

He grabbed her arm. “I said tell him!”

“Let her go!” Luis pushed his brother. “I’ll kick your ass if you ever lay another finger on her, Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald! Sheridan is my fiancée and I won’t have you treating her that way.”

“Oh but, Luis, can you marry her now?” Brian asked, shooting her a look. “Can you marry a woman that didn’t always belong to you?”

“What are you talking about?” he threatened.

“Go ahead, Sheridan,” he remarked viciously. “Tell your darling Luis what my birthday present was…tell him what you gave me.”

Sheridan started sobbing, barely feeling Pilar’s arm come around her comfortingly. “I’m so sorry…I didn’t know,” she cried.

“Tell him!” Brian screamed.

“Enough, Antonio!” Pilar threatened, holding Sheridan close. “Can’t you see what you are doing to her?”

“Because she knows, Mama, she knows when she tells him he won’t want her. She’s tainted! She’s not his beautiful perfect little angel anymore.”

“Sheridan?” Luis looked at her. “Please, just say it isn’t true…”

Sheridan looked at Luis sorrowfully, focusing on the floor and not her fiancé. “It’s true, Luis,” she whispered. “I was Diana, his girlfriend Diana, and we…”

“Oh God,” Luis swallowed hard, stepping away. “Oh God no.”

“Luis,” she whimpered. “I…”

He shook his head, silencing her. “You slept with my...my brother,” he continued backing away towards the door. “My brother. I have to go!”

“Luis no!” she cried, reaching for him.

“I…” he left.

“I hate you,” she screamed at Brian, slapping him hard and leaving the impression of her hand on his cheek. “I will never forgive you for doing that to me! NEVER!”

Pilar looked at her son disdainfully. “I raised you better than that, Antonio Brian, much better than that. Blood is thicker than water,” she led Sheridan out, Theresa and Miguel following and offering her as much comfort as they possibly could.

Brian raised his hand to his cheek, massaging it gently. “I’m sorry, Mama,” he replied, watching them go. “But if I can’t have her, no one can.” Brian smiled wickedly. “No one can.”

Chapter Eight

It was late and as he often would, Luis walked the strip of the wharf where he and Sheridan has shared a passionate kiss in the midst of a case he had been on. The cool evening air blew softly along the freshly painted wood, whistling in the few cracks between the floorboards. When they had rebuilt this place two weeks before, Luis had lost one piece of his past: the initials he had carved for himself and Sheridan on a night much like this one. Now, as he looked out into the late night sky, bright stars twinkling above as the waves lapped at the shoreline, Luis felt completely and totally alone.

Sighing, he leaned against the banister of the wharf and listened to the sounds around him. Sheridan had often told him this was her favorite place, where land met sea…where she felt at home, especially while in his arms. She would lean her head back against his chest and close her eyes, listening to nature’s music.

“It’s so peaceful here,” she would whisper. “This is the place we’ll bring our children when they come. The place we’ll have birthday parties and watch fireworks. Our home away from home.”

But the water now reminded him of how painfully empty his life had become without her and how those same waves were the resting place to her body, but not her soul. Removing his pocketknife from his belt, Luis flipped it open and started carving the same initials that had once resided in this very same spot. Slowly he curved the SC in her name beneath the squared LLF in his and then with relish added a beautiful heart in the red of the paint. Running his hand over it to brush away any excess wood chips, he smiled. Now the world would still know forever that he and Sheridan were a love that was true and that nothing would ruin that…nothing.

“I love you,” he whispered one last time, brushing his fingertips over the SC. “Forever, darling, forever.”

Luis traced the not so delicate heart pattern carved into the wood, the memory of carving them again all too strong in his mind. Late at night he would come here after a hectic day and talk to her, tell her that he missed her and needed her back. When he was here, he would look out at the water that reminded him of her lust-filled eyes and dream that she was waiting at home for him. Of course, she wasn’t waiting at home, no one was. He would get back to his mother’s house and crawl into bed, the last thing he saw being the photo of her on his bedside table and in the morning when he woke, he would remember her voice from his dreams.

But now Sheridan was back and with her came one man he could have spent eternity without seeing again, his brother Antonio. Sure, he and Brian had gotten along rather well on the islands, if you call their few short meetings with Beth intervening as getting along, and he was hopeful that one day his older, but not wiser, brother would come home. Now, though, he wished his brother had stayed away from them all and never shown up in his life again. Seeing Sheridan’s face this morning, kissing her lips, had brought him back to life, but to learn that Brian, his brother, had been Sheridan lover even once…

He wasn’t sure if he could deal with that.

Of course, he wasn’t a saint; he hadn’t exactly denied himself the pleasures of the flesh with Beth that one night back in May, but it hadn’t been Sheridan’s sister, should she have had one. It was his high school sweetheart, the woman he had originally thought made up his entire world and would one day be his wife. Besides he had been told Sheridan had died in the accident or the storm, he didn’t know she was still alive out there…

But she did have amnesia…

Huffing, he slammed his fists against the wood. It had been so damn hard to deal without her in his life that right now he was sure he could forgive her of anything if he really tried. In fact, he wasn’t really angry with her for moving on, even briefly. It was just her choice in men that ate away at him. Had it been any man in the world, anyone other than his brother, he would have told her they would work through it. But now…

“I thought I’d find you here,” he heard her whispered, and quickly looked over to his right. Of all the people in the world that had to arrive, it would be her. Beth had a knack for showing up just when he was at the lowest a man could be. It was like she had a ‘Luis is hurting’ radar build into her head and then pinpointed his location to offer him a shoulder to cry on or a bed to sleep in.

“Beth, hey,” he crossed his arms over his chest and stepped back away from the banister, eyes focused on her as if trying to gauge her mood. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that everyone in Harmony knew about Sheridan’s re-entrance into his life this afternoon, especially since it involved a near hit and run complete with life saving tackle. It would probably be on the evening news right after the story about a three legged dog or something equally as interesting to softhearted humans.

“Yea, hey,” she rolled her eyes. “I haven’t seen you around lately. Haven’t been avoiding me have you?”

“No, no, not at all. Just been busy, that’s all. Theresa’s still a little shaky about losing the baby and not having Ethan around to be her pillar of strength and then Miguel has been really confused about his girlfriend’s sudden cold shoulder and all. I’ve had to play Dad for a while,” he looked away from her, turning back out to face the water. “Haven’t had much down time, you know?”

“Yea, I know what you mean,” she moved closer, placing her hands against the wood, eyes focusing on the heart beneath one of his hands. “So, is it true what I hear? Sheridan’s back in town?”

“Yea, she’s back,” he didn’t look at her. “Probably sitting at my place with my mother on one side of her and my bastard brother on the other,” he grumbled.

“Excuse me?” she asked, knowing full well what he meant.

“Nothing,” he replied. “Something you want, Beth? I should be going if not.”

“Well, I would like to talk,” she answered. “I mean you screw me one night and then disappear for six weeks. Makes a girl think you regretted what happened and we all know Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald has no regrets, so it must be something else.”

“Beth, this really isn’t the time…”

“Oh no?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head. “When would be the perfect time to talk to you about that night, Luis? When I’m eight or nine months pregnant with your baby? In labor perhaps? Oh no, I know, when you marry her and then gently break the news that the kid I’ve been raising is here because you knocked me up while she was away playing house with your brother.”

“What?” he questioned, looking confused. “What are you talking about? What baby?”

“Not too quick on the uptake, dear, really have to work on that,” her eyes flashed. “We are going to have a baby, Luis. I got pregnant! You do remember how that happens right? Unprotected sex was always something they remind you not to do when you’re a kid, but when you’re one of the finest damn cops in some little backwards town no one reminds you not to get a girl pregnant when you don’t love her.”

“Beth, I do…”

“Save it,” she held up her hand. “Before you start professing how deeply you care for me, you’ll explain why you’ve avoided me for six weeks.”

“I…”

She shook her head. “You weren’t over her, were you? Not that I should be surprised after the way you called her name out in your dreams that night, how you carved that,” she pointed to the wood, “after the rebuilding was complete. Not when you have a God damn shrine to her in your bedroom. But you know what, Luis,” she moved even closer, lowering her voice slightly, “we can fix that. I can replace her in your life now. We can have our baby and start fresh, a whole new life right here where we belong. Let her go back to that stupid little island and be Brian’s Diana again. Let her be his lover, have his children…you don’t need her anymore, Luis. You have me! I have been faithful to you since day one, I have waited for you for years…what has she done but hurt you repeatedly?”

“Loved me unconditionally,” he said. “She’s loved me for who I was and what I was and expected nothing more from me than to be there and you know what, Beth, I haven’t always been there for her either. I owe her this time.”

“You owe me this time! Do you not understand what I’m saying??? I AM HAVING YOUR CHILD!”

“Then prove it,” he returned. “Show me a pregnancy test. Prove to me that you are having my baby. When you can do that, Beth, then we’ll talk about it,” he started to walk away. “Right now I’m going home to my fiancée,” he left her alone.

“Oh but, Luis, whatever will you do when she hears that message from me? Whatever will happen when she learns just who will be having your child?” Beth smirked deviously. “Not again, Luis. I let her have you last time, but only I will have you now. Me and our beautiful baby,” she cackled, turning on her heels and heading back to the Book Café.

The room was dark when Luis walked in, the twilight having set over Harmony. Every light in the house had been extinguished and the only sounds were muffled sniffles and an impatient taping from the couch in the living room. Only one person in the entire world could combine the two and judging by the sound she wasn’t happy at all. Reluctantly, his hand reached beneath the shade of the lamp, flicking the switch and casting a dull yellow glow on the room.

“Nice of you to finally come home,” Sheridan whispered, looking straight at the fireplace and not him. “Where have you been?”

“Out.”

She shot him a look, angry blue eyes burning a hole through him.

“I needed time to think. It’s not every day my deceased fiancée comes back from the dead on the arm of my older brother, who tells me they have had a brief love affair on an island I had been to twice while she was reported dead! I had a lot to sort out.”

“Oh, and it’s so damn easy for me to find out that the man I love really is alive and I slept with his brother! Or that I am a Crane, which makes me one of the richest, most influential women in the world! My day has been full of surprises too, but I didn’t run away! I stayed right here waiting for you to get your butt back home so we could work things out!”

“I deal with things by giving myself space, I’m sorry if that bothers you,” he hung up his coat. “Have you eaten anything?”

“I wasn’t hungry,” she replied, crossing her arms over her stomach. “You never did answer my question. Where were you?”

“Taking a walk down on the wharf where we had our first kiss. Our initials are carved into the wood and when I need to think or sort things out I stand down there. I came home as soon as I worked things out in my mind. Sheridan, about today…”

“Who were you with?” she cut him off, looking up at him for only a moment. “Or are you trying to tell me you were alone out there for three hours just thinking?”

“What the hell is your problem?” he asked. “Where did this attitude come from? I just told you I was out there trying to work out what I heard at the hospital! I mean you slept with my brother!”

“Oh, so it’s all right for you to sleep with someone else but it’s not the same when I did it because I thought you were dead and never coming back and I had no idea who I was. What’s your excuse for sleeping with Beth?”

“How did you…”

“Oh, you might want to check your answering machine,” she told him, standing up and walking to it. “Lovely invention, you know? Helps give big bad fiancée’s the ugly news you normally wouldn’t want to tell them,” she hit play, crossing her arms defensively over her chest and watching his reaction.

“Luis, it’s me, Beth. I didn’t want to do this on the machine but I have to tell you something and you haven’t been around. I…I’m pregnant. I know we didn’t plan for this and we certainly haven’t discussed what we’re going to do about our future, but I just found out today and I knew you needed to be told. I’m six weeks along and I have my first sonogram coming up in a few weeks. Anyway, call me so we can discuss what to do. I love you.”

“Sheridan, you can’t believe her!” he argued, looking panicked.

“Why? Because you didn’t sleep with her?” she asked. “Can you honestly tell me there is no chance on earth that this woman is pregnant with your child, Luis? Have you been completely celibate while I was gone?”

“I…” he couldn’t find a way out of her questions.

“Yea, I didn’t think so,” she shook her head. “When were you going to tell me you slept with someone else? Before or after you scolded me for sleeping with Brian.”

“It’s different. Beth and I have a history together. Brian is just some guy you hopped into bed with when you couldn’t find something better,” he growled, angered by her attitude. How could she treat him like this?

“You have no idea what I felt for him,” she snarled, glaring at him. “I was in love with him, Luis. He treated me like a lady, told me he loved me and promised me a future. I thought I had no one that cared about me on this entire earth! I thought the only man I would ever truly love had died in my arms and it hurt! It hurt because I didn’t even have complete memories of the time I shared with him! I had but tiny fragments and an overwhelming sense of loss! I love you and Brian tried his hardest to help me get over the pain and suffering I thought I would deal with for the rest of my life. I needed him and he was there for me. My sleeping with him wasn’t tawdry, Luis, it wasn’t just sex. It was a woman falling in love with a man and thankful that he saved her from the anguish she was feeling. He didn’t make me feel near what I did for you and I thanked God every day for that, because it reminded me that no one would be you.”

“Sheridan…”

“No!” she held up her hand. “Beth may have been your past, Luis, and you may have thought you could move on with her since I was gone. I can’t hold that against you.”

He breathed a sigh of relied.

“But,” she continued, watching him tense again, “I can hold the fact that you’re a hypocritical, self centered, bastard against you and I fully intend to. You left me when I needed you most and treated me as if I had some kind of horrid disease for doing the same damn thing that you did! That, in my book, is definitely grovel worthy and sweetheart you’re going to do plenty of begging to get back into my good graces.”

He smirked, now that was the Sheridan he knew and loved. “You know, Sher, I’ve missed you.”

She tried not to smile, but failed. “I know. I’ve missed you too.”

“Come here,” he opened his arms to her, but as she moved closer for a hug the phone rang. As she started to turn, his arms encircled her. “Let it ring, baby.”

“I can’t. Eve was going to call with the results to the blood test she took. I really need to talk to her.”

“She’ll leave the results on the machine,” he pouted. “I want to start my begging process.”

She laughed. “Behave or you’ll have more to beg about,” she broke away and grabbed the phone.

“I’ll go make a sandwich,” Luis mumbled, sulking as he walked into the kitchen.

She laughed. “Hello? Oh, hi Eve…I see. Well, thanks for calling,” Sheridan hung up the phone. Crossing her arms over her stomach in a hug, she stared at the phone for a moment, feeling tears well in her eyes. How was she going to tell Luis about this now?

As if on cue, Luis entered the room carrying a glass of lemonade and a sandwich, sitting on the couch, he looked over at his fiancée and smiled. “Was that Eve?”

“Yea,” she nodded. “That was Eve.”

“What did she have to say? Are all the test results back now?” he took a bite of his sandwich, offering her the other half.

She shook her head no in reply to the sandwich. “Yup, all my tests are back.”

“So?” he waited for her to tell him about them.

“Well,” she tried to smile, “they all came back positive.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Yea,” she nodded, looking back at the phone for a second. “That’s good,” she lied.

Chapter Nine

Beth slammed the front door to her house, the windows rattling from the force. Why did Sheridan just have to come back now? Why did she have to come waltzing back into their lives just when everything was going perfectly and Luis was finally hers? After years of suffering and taking care of her disabled mother who hated her, Beth had finally seen the out she needed. She finally found her own special hero that would save her from the life of pain she was leading. Luis was finally going to take her away from here and make her his wife, give her his children. The man of her dreams had finally made her feel wanted and his dead fiancée had to appear from thin air. Life wasn’t fair.

“He still will marry you,” Beth growled, looking into the mirror by the front door. “He’s still yours, Beth, just wait until he sees you’re really having his child,” she laughed mirthlessly, the glint in her eyes that of anger. She had purchased a pregnancy test on the way home with the intention of taking it again before going to Dr. Russell for a doctor ordered test. Luis would believe her then, there would be no denying the truth that she was having his first born, not Sheridan.

“Beth! Beth, is that you? Where have you been?” the sound of her mother’s walker scraping against the wood floors made Beth’s teeth ache. She swore her mother did it on purpose. The woman she hated appeared in the doorway, unruly salt and peppered hair curling this way and that as her loose fitting house coat draped over her frail body. A stroke and two heart attacks and still this woman was making her life a living hell.

“God damn it,” Beth cursed. “Do you have to do that? Can’t you pick it up instead of pushing it against the floor! You know how I hate that! It ruins my floor!”

“And I do it just to annoy the hell out of you,” her mother replied, glaring at her daughter. “Ungrateful little bitch that you are! If it weren’t for me you wouldn’t even have a roof over your head! Were you harassing that nice Luis again? I should really report you for stalking! The man deserves to live his life without the fear of having to see you again.”

“Oh shut up,” Beth replied, throwing her keys on the coffee table. “Luis appreciates my company. He loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me, not that you know what that feels like! You haven’t a clue what love is! But he does love me, that’s why he made love to me, Mother.”

“Please don’t remind me,” she made a face. “Hearing it was more than I could handle. You could have at least gotten a hotel room when you gave it away. Why he would be willing to buy the cow when he’s tasted the milk, I’ll never know,” she shook her head.

Beth scowled; her eyes squinted as she glared at her mother. “I should have put you in that nursing home when I had the chance. Maybe you’d be dead by now instead of harassing me and ruining my life. Why are you out of bed anyway?”

“Well someone hasn’t been home all day to cook for me or to feed me, I had to eat something eventually,” she replied disdainfully, shrugging slightly as she made her way further into the living room. “I should tell Luis how you treat me, let him see the woman he’s involved with instead of the angel she tries to be. How you starve and berate your poor old mother! He would drop you so fast you wouldn’t have time to protect you ass. If you treat your mother this way I can only imagine how your children will suffer!”

“Look, the last thing I need tonight is your squawking, Mother! I have bigger fish to fry than you! Sheridan Crane so graciously dropped her sorry ass back into Harmony and stole Luis back from his baby and me! Right now, I have to give him evidence that we’re having a child so that he wants me and not Sheridan, so if you don’t mind…”

“Oh God,” Dana sighed. “You aren’t seriously going to try and make him think you’re pregnant are you? Beth, I raised you better than to resort to sorry soap opera plots to keep the man you are obsessed with.”

“I am not obsessed!” Beth screamed. “I love him! He was mine long before that blond bimbo appeared in town and he’ll be mine again! I won’t let her have him!”

Dana laughed wickedly. “He was never yours, Beth, never! Luis never wanted a loser like you that’s why he left you in high school! He’s had American royalty; trash like you means nothing. A roll in the sack and screw the consequences. When will you learn, Beth? When will you use that brain? You’re a nobody; you’re not good enough to even look at a man like Luis, forget have his children and be his wife.”

“No!” Beth covered her ears, shaking her head. “He loves me!” she sang to her self. “He loves me and we’re having a baby!”

Her mother smirked, hazel eyes twinkling deviously as she left the room, the metal of the walker dragging along the floor. “Oh Beth,” she chuckled, returning to her room. “No one can make that happen. Nothing can fix what was never there and I’ll be sure you never ruin what they have. Never. You don’t deserve that pleasure and they don’t deserve that pain.”

Sheridan leaned against the counter, watching as Luis washed the dishes he had used for dinner. Her hand rested over her stomach, unconsciously tracing small circles with her index finger. Pregnant. She was pregnant with her fiancé’s brother’s baby and she couldn’t find the exact words to tell him so. When Eve had called to tell her that all the tests had come back with great results, she mumbled that Sheridan was indeed having a baby. Fear had immediately flooded her body at the thought of telling Luis she was pregnant. Had she found out any other time, Sheridan knew she would be blissfully ecstatic about the results and never second-guess the doctor. She and Brian would have a baby, but now that she knew Luis was alive she couldn’t help but feel dread. How could she expect the uncle of her child to accept it as his own? How could she keep her baby without telling the father and losing the man she loved? Why did she think this was something straight out of daytime television?

With a sigh, Sheridan headed to the kitchen table and sank down into one of the chairs. She could feel Luis’ eyes on her even with her back to him and knew he was wondering why there was a sudden change in her mood. Instead of looking at him, she placed her head in her hands and tried to think of a way to broach the subject of being pregnant. If she didn’t tell him soon, she knew it would just be more complicated than it already was. The only person she would end up hurting here was Luis and sometime in the future, her child. She would do anything to keep that from happening.

Luis dried his hands on the dishtowel, walking up behind Sheridan and resting them on her shoulders. She jumped slightly, but relaxed as he started to massage the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? You’ve been quiet since Eve called.”

“I guess I’m just tired and a little confused. Where am I going to stay, Luis? I can’t go demanding my family give my cottage back, they don’t even know I’m alive. I certainly don’t want to spend the night with Brian after what he’s done to me,” she considered the weight of those words for a moment and sighed again. “I just feel like I don’t belong here. I’m two totally different people in one body and I feel…confused. So much has happened today and I’m not quite sure where to begin in my quest for understanding.”

“I know, but Sheridan you’re going to stay right here with me tonight and tomorrow we’ll collect your things from Antonio and start our lives just where we left off. It doesn’t matter about your family because we’re going to be family and I’m sure when you remember them you’ll understand why you can put them off for now. It will take time to get all of your memory back, but I’m sure we can get through it together. Our love can outlive whatever life throws at us.”

She chuckled slightly, if only she really felt that way. Right now she was carrying around one hell of a secret and she wasn’t so sure about love being enough to fix this mess. “Luis, we haven’t even discussed what happened at the hospital as logical adults or what has happened within the last year. We have so much to go over, so many obstacles. Sometimes I wonder if my coming back to Harmony was the smartest idea…things would have been so much easier if…”

“I never liked the easy way out, Sheridan,” he told her, placing a kiss to the top of her head. “There’s never been anything easy to our relationship either. Besides there’s nothing to discuss about the hospital, baby. I was an idiot to snap at you the way I did. You thought I was gone, just like I thought that about you. We both tried to move on and it was only normal for us to look for someone to love and care for. Nothing has come of it; Antonio and Beth are both out of our lives for good. It’s not like Beth is really pregnant and I’m sure you would tell me if you were, not that you are,” he laughed, thought it seemed tense and Sheridan wondered just how much he knew.

“Right, I would tell you,” she paused a second when she realized that he had left the kitchen. Getting up, she followed him through the halls to his bedroom and watched as he pushed open the door. She gasped at the sight of his room, the many frames of photos with her pictures inside. “Please tell me this room wasn’t always kept this way, Luis. It’s a little frightening.”

Luis blushed, collecting the frames into a pile and putting them into a box in the corner. “Well, when you ‘died’ I couldn’t deal with it and I decided to surround myself with memories in the one place I could be alone and not have to put up a brave front. I guess it does look a tad psychotic.”

“No, actually it is rather sweet,” she smiled softly. The least she could do before breaking the news to him about the baby was to soften the blow. “So, why are we in here?”

“Well, I do have a few things that belong to you,” he told her, going to the closet and removing her suitcases from their trip to Bermuda. “I guess I forgot I had them,” he admitted, thinking about how Ethan had started going through the things at the cottage months before. “Somehow the fire only destroyed Miguel’s room and nothing in here was lost. When I went through to make sure that everything in here was all right, I found them buried in the closet and just left them there. You’ll find plenty of clothing for the night and a few other things you might need, like shampoo and makeup.”

“Thank you,” she opened the first suitcase and smiled. “It’s so nice to have my own clothing again!” she lifted a white nightgown out of the case and blushed. “I wore this the last time we were together, didn’t I?”

He nodded. “One of my favorites. I thought you look beautiful in it.”

She giggled and started to rummage through them, trying to find something to wear to bed. Her hands ran over the delicate fabrics and brushed over a silver compact that seemed vaguely familiar. The entire case just filled her with some many odd feelings she didn’t know what to do. “You said you had a few things that belonged to me, is there something else?” she asked after some time, finally settling on a nightgown and robe set that had been buried in the bottom of the case.

“Yes,” he dug through his nightstand and removed a red velvet bag. “I don’t know if you want it, I guess telling you we were engaged came as quite a shock to you, but I’ve kept it this long and…well it is yours. I still love you, Sheridan, and I want to get married to you so I figured…well since we’re engaged I thought you…Sheridan Crane,” he sank down onto one knee by the bed, suddenly decided to at least ask her the question on his mind. “Will you marry me?”

It wasn’t roses or champagne or violin music outside, but to Sheridan it was just as beautiful. The man that she loved more in the world was asking her the sweetest question she could have ever heard. He still wanted her, still wanted to be with her and she knew she felt the same. She sat on the bed, her knees barely able to hold her as she looked at the simple gold band in his hand. Quickly, her mind flashed back to the last proposal…

Luis presented her with a white box, watching as she gently flipped open the lid to reveal a gold band.

“Your grandmother's ring,” she fingered it gently.

“I know it's no surprise, you've already seen it,” he shrugged, trying to mask his nervousness and disappointment.

“It doesn't matter; it's still beautiful,” she looked at him with a smile.

“It's no secret why we're here. We both know I'm going to ask you a question, and we both know what it is. Before I do pop the question, I want to tell you why I think you’re the most wonderful woman in the world. I know the life we'll build together will make all our hopes and dreams come true. I've never met anyone like you; I've never wanted to be with a woman as much as I want to be with you. You’re everything I could have dreamed for and more, infinitely more. I want to be with you every day, even every minute, and every second. And to make sure that happens, to make sure that we're joined together forever, I'm going to ask you a question. A question I hope will be the first step down the road to our happiness,” he dropped to one knee before her on the grass. “My grandmother told me that when I met the perfect woman, it would be like a phonograph in my head playing my favorite song over and over, and that it would be so beautiful, so perfect, that I'd never want the music to end.”

“Do you hear that music now?” Sheridan asked.

“I guess it was always there, I just had a hard time hearing it because of all the times you crashed into my car, and all the arguments we had. But I hear it loud and clear now. My grandmother was right, I never want the music to end, and there is only one way to make sure the music will never end. Sheridan Crane, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?”

“Yes Luis, I will marry you. Yes, yes, yes!” she watched him slide the ring onto her finger and then flew into his arms as they shared a passionate kiss.

The memory ended as quickly as it began and she looked into his eyes. All the fear about her pregnancy returned full force and she knew she couldn’t start a life with him based on a lie. She had to tell him, right then and there or else they would never be happy and never have a life together. She would rather he walked now than months from now and she took a deep breath before replying. “I…Luis, I can’t answer that until I tell you something,” she looked away from him and at the ceiling, praying softly that this went well.

“Sheridan, what is it?” he asked, more worried about her than the proposal that remained in the air. He slid onto the bed beside her, touching her once and watching her flinch. “Baby,” he made her look at him. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Luis, there’s something I haven’t been completely honest about since Eve called. It’s something I have to tell you now before I can give you an answer to your proposal. Eve had run a few different tests on the blood samples I gave her and well…”

“Sheridan?” he panicked. “It’s nothing serious is it?”

“No…not really. Nothing that won’t go away eventually, Luis, I just…” She hesitated, looking into the beautiful brown eyes that she had missed for so long. This was it: do or die, sink or swim. Whatever she told him now would change the rest of her life. Either he’d welcome her and her baby with open arms or he would walk away and leave her to be on her own. She couldn’t see herself going back to Brian just because she was pregnant, but she knew that if Luis left her, she would have nothing left in her world and even a life with Brian was better than being alone. “Oh God, Luis,” she started crying, falling into his open arms.

“Baby, what is it?” he asked. “What could have you behaving like this?”

“Luis,” her body shook with sobs. She didn’t even think of a way to soften the blow. “I’m pregnant, Luis! Eve says I’m pregnant…I’m having Brian’s child.”

Brian looked at the door to his mother’s house, apprehension clearly displayed on his face. Right now, the last thing he needed was a show down with his family and Sheridan, but he had to see her again. His mouth had gotten ahead of his brain that afternoon in the hospital, his desire to drive a wedge between Luis and Sheridan getting the better of him. He had totally ruined any chance he had at winning back her affections, unless he played the wounded victim well and apologized profusely for his error. Maybe then he could convince her he was really sorry and win her back…

Pressing the bell on the front door, he was surprised that no one answered immediately since he had assumed they were all at home. He could hear voices coming from the window to Luis room and neared it slowly, his body pressing against the house as he silently listened for more. Peeking inside, he watched his little brother get down on one knee, proudly displaying the antique ring from their grandmother Lopez, the older woman loving Luis far more than she had ever loved Brian. The proposal was nothing, a few fumbling attempts to explain why they were in his room before he finally spit out the question. Sheridan’s blue eyes were sparkling so happily that Brian immediately knew the answer, but she didn’t reply. She simply sank onto the bed and stared at the ring, her mind drifting off for a time before she slowly came back to earth.

“I…Luis, I can’t answer that until I tell you something.” Brian heard her say and his eyes flew to the now sad face of his former lover. Luis was obviously worried as well, ignoring his question as he climbed onto the bed beside her.

“Sheridan, what is it? Baby, you know you can tell me anything.”

Brian was almost ill at the sickeningly sweet display of affection, his eyes watching the two lovers intently. Spying had never been his forte, but tonight he seemed to be doing well enough. If Luis could just get her to say what she had to say, if he only knew what would make his plan work out even better, he would be so content. Sheridan was going to be his again and her hesitation in accepting Luis’ proposal proved that.

Sheridan’s response was hard to hear, but Brian caught something about blood samples and tests run by the doctor at the hospital. He felt dread flood his system as he wondered if she was dying and that was her reason for not accepting. If anything happened to her, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Sheridan had been his whole world for the last year. He had been willing to sacrifice everything and anything for her. In fact, he had turned down numerous fishing jobs to nurse her back to heath repeatedly. His fear turned to anger as he thought about how his sacrifices were to his brother’s benefit. All the times he saved Sheridan Crane he not only kept one of them alive and in the world, but he helped to keep his brother’s fiancée alive as well. He couldn’t wait to find out Luis’ excuse for wanting marrying a Crane when he knew who she was. At least in his defense he knew her as Diana…and that’s who she would always be.

Brian’s anger made him miss part of their conversation, but Sheridan’s next words shook him to the core. Clear as day, Brian heard Sheridan admit, “I’m pregnant, Luis! Eve says I’m pregnant…I’m having Brian’s child.”

The mischievous smirk on his lips made Brian’s eyes twinkle evilly. She was pregnant with his child, carrying his seed and not his brothers. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Luis was going to explode from this revelation. Going back to the door, Brian decided not to interrupt them and started to leave the house. He would pay them a little visit at another time when Luis had dug a hole so deep he couldn’t climb out. Sheridan was going to be his bride soon enough and he would have his little brother’s temper to thank for it. Luis’ rage would be what drove Sheridan and his baby back into his arms, all he had to do was wait.

Oh yes, Brian would finally have revenge on Harmony’s hero and he knew just who in town would help him with his cause…

Little Beth Wallace and her obsession for his brother.

Chapter Ten

A light rapping at the door broke the deathly still silence of the Wallace house, though not the tension in the bathroom where Beth awaited the proof of her pregnancy. Brown eyes remained glued to the egg timer, watching each and every second of the three minutes pass slowly by. The soft ticking filled the unstable air with an expectant pitch that caused gooseflesh to form on Beth’s skin. The knocking at the door increased to gentle pounding, Beth’s frustrations with the time and visitor growing with each passing second. She couldn’t leave now and stand the chance that her stupid mother would ruin the test and yet two minutes still loomed before the answer would appear. What if it were Luis coming to claim her as his own again? What if he wanted to apologize for acting like the ass he had been today? She couldn’t risk losing him as well and heaved a discontented sigh. Opening the bathroom door slightly, she peered out into the dimly lit hall and looked for the wench she called mother.

“Mother, damn it, can’t you answer the door? I’m busy! It might be important!” she shouted, angered by the interruption of her plans. Her mother was the most incompetent woman on the face of the planet and when she won Luis’ heart she was determined to make sure the old wretch never stepped foot in their house!

“And break curfew?” Dana Wallace questioned, mocking her daughter’s annoyed tone. “Wouldn’t want my darling daughter to become psychotic and threaten me…oops, too late,” she rolled her hazel eyes.

“Just answer the Goddamn door, Mother!” Beth screamed, slamming the door to the bathroom and jostling the framed photos on the wall.

“Do you see what you left me with, Douglas? Dirty son of a bitch left me with that rotten little brat, some husband you were.” Dana grumbled at the photo of her deceased husband, the man totally unaware of the hatred in the home as he grinned stupidly behind the thin glass. “Rotten little bitch tried to kill me! What kind of daughter inflicts such pain, Doug? Huh? Little princess my ass.”

Leaving her room, the cool metal of her screeching walker a comfort to her old ears, Dana headed for the door to the house stopping only to illuminate the living room, which had previously been shrouded in darkness. Opening the oak door, she was surprised to see a handsome young man there, his features familiar though she couldn’t quite place him. She squinted her eyes at him, trying to think of a name to go with the face but finding her memory blank.

Brian looked at Mrs. Wallace as if her were seeing a ghost, blue eyes filled with shock at the apparition before him. He remembered Dana Wallace to be an older woman caring for her unexpected daughter while her heath slowly slipped away from her. The salt and pepper haired woman before him should never have survived the serious heart attack he remembered her having before he disappeared, but there she stood just as charming and frail as ever; her death just a fleeting thought in his disturbed mind. “Mrs. Wallace, it is a pleasure to see you again after all this time. Might I just say you are looking lovely this evening?”

“Kissing ass isn’t going to get you anywhere sonny. Just who the hell are you and what do you want?” she questioned, clinging to the walker as if ready to strike the man before her.

“Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald,” he used the name the woman would remember if the crude woman remembered anything at all. “I’ve recently returned to town and I would like to see Beth.”

Dana’s eyebrows rose in question. Two Lopez-Fitzgerald brothers were interested in her plain Jane of a daughter? Would wonders never cease? Her hazel eyes scanned the man before her and she mentally decided that the Lopez-Fitzgerald men had definitely inherited all the looks in the family, not that Theresa wasn’t a pretty little thing when she wasn’t crying. She was just always crying. Shaking her head, she couldn’t quite figure out what her daughter could have that both brothers could want...well she could come up with one thing they could want, but she knew there had to be better than Beth. After all, the girl was a mouse of a woman with no sexual draw at all.

“Isn’t it awfully late to be calling?” Dana pinned him under her gaze. “You know those bright twinkling things in the sky tend to show it’s time for people to be in bed.”

“It’s important that I see her tonight,” Brian insisted. “I promise, I won’t keep you awake with our conversation. We’ll be quiet.”

Dana rolled her eyes. “Wonderful, another one here to taste the milk,” she turned to walk away. She should have invested in those earplugs when she had a chance. Too bad she didn’t have a hearing aid she could turn off.

“Excuse me?” Brian looked confused. “Mrs. Wallace, I assure you…”

“Save it. I honestly don’t care why you’re here. I never should have asked since I didn’t want to know. Just make sure you too keep the screaming to a minimum. Old women need their sleep you know,” she looked at him, waiting for him to put his foot in his mouth and was shocked when he managed not to. “She’s in the bathroom, I’m sure she’ll be out as soon as the egg timer rings.”

“What?”

She rolled her eyes again. Looked like the intelligence genes skipped a brother. “Forget it. Just keep her away from Luis, will you? She’s annoying the hell out of that poor man,” she returned to her room, closing the sliding green door behind her and trying to forget for even the slightest moment that she had a skanky daughter. Instead, she pulled over a desk chair and sat by the crack in the door, listening to their conversation in the other room.

“Mother! Who was at the…oh, Brian. I didn’t expect to see you,” Beth offered a feeble attempt at a smile as she entered the living room. “Can I get you anything? Coffee perhaps? I’m pretty good at serving that.”

“No, I have no intentions of being long, but I need to enlist your help with the Sheridan and Luis situation.”

Beth’s brown eyes filled with a dark twinkle, her hand resting palm down against her stomach. “Oh really, what could I possibly do to help you with that…situation?”

“Well, it has come to my attention that Sheridan is having a baby and as you might be well aware that they have been separated a year, it’s obvious the child is mine.”

“Really?” Beth smirked, motioning for them to sit on the couch. When they both had she leaned back against the arm and looked at Brian. “How did you find out she’s having your child?”

“I just happened to overhear a conversation between the pair. Sheridan is rightly upset about it, after all Luis had been in the middle of proposing when she broke the news to him. But we both know my brother, Beth. He isn’t going to be accepting of this child.”

Beth tried to shrug off the rage that was building over the thought of her Luis proposing to Sheridan once again, her mind attempting to focus on the fact that Luis’ Irish-Latino temper was about to cause a sonic boom in the midst of Harmony’s tourist season. “Understatement,” Beth grumbled both in response to Brian and her thoughts. “Luis is going to want your neck, Brian. You do realize that this will tear your family in two.”

“A risk I’m willing to take for Sheridan. Look, I know she’s remembered this crap that she’s a Crane, Beth, but I knew her as plain old Diana, a sweet woman willing to risk her life to save mine. I love her and I refuse to give her up to my twerp of a little brother, ex-fiancé of hers or not. Sheridan is mine and she is carrying my child, Luis will not take that away from me…not like he’s taken everything else that I’ve wanted away!”

“And I won’t allow her to steal away the father of my baby either,” Beth told him. “She’s waltzed into my life for the last time, Brian. Either we separate them now or I can’t be held responsible for the actions I take.”

“Beth, are you serious? Is he really the father of your child?” Brian smiled. This was too good to be true. If Beth were truly pregnant there was no way Luis would leave her, he would feel too responsible for his daughter or son.

“Yes,” she smiled back. “And I know how Luis feels about being responsible…”

“Oh this is too perfect,” Brian laughed. “Luis isn’t going to know what hit him.”

“Sounds like you have a plan,” Beth replied. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing that will get us in trouble once Luis finds out he’s going to be a father,” he leaned closer. “Here’s what we’ll need to do.”

Dana Wallace closed her eyes and sighed. “Doug, I would kill you if you weren’t already dead,” she griped, watching her daughter’s face light up with pure joy. “How am I supposed to fight the two of them and unite those poor kids, Doug? I was never good at that mushy feely stuff,” she whined, making her way to bed. “Guess it’s up to me to play Cupid,” she turned out the light, closing her eyes and trying to decide just how she was going to save Luis from a fate worse than death: marriage to Beth.

“Eve says I’m pregnant…I’m having Brian’s child.”

Luis’ body tensed, the words hanging in the air like a terrible monster looming in the edges of a child’s nightmare. He swallowed hard, his head trying to comprehend what his heart was painfully unwilling to admit. Of course he had heard her, the silent whimpers of her tears fading away as the words replayed over and over, each time coming out the same. Pregnant! Having another man’s baby! His brother’s baby! It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this was plausible; Sheridan had admitted that she slept with Brian. It just seemed so unreal, so unplanned, that he refused to understand what he heard. His hands, which had once been stroking her hair to calm her, fell to her shoulders and forced her backwards with a shake. Gripping her upper arms tightly, Luis tried to make her look at him.

Sheridan’s eyes remained downcast, the puffy red-rimmed orbs trying to avoid the hate she would see in his eyes. The hate she felt she rightfully deserved for dropping such a bomb into his lap. She loved him so completely, so totally, that she knew this was hurting him inside as much as it was killing her. Had there been another way she never would have told him, but instead she was forced to fess up, to tell the man she wanted to spend forever with that she was having his brother’s child. She wasn’t willing to destroy her baby or her relationship with Luis, but keeping one meant sacrificing the other and her only hope had been that she could have both; she was obviously terribly mistaken.

“Sheridan,” his voice was tense, his fingers digging into the sensitive flesh of her arms. “What did you say?” Perhaps he had heard her wrong, the words mumbled in tears could have been something else. It was possible he just wanted to hear something else, but he was reluctant to believe it just yet. Not until she confirmed his worst fears would he believe that she was having Brian’s baby, not until he heard the words more clearly.

“Luis, I’m having Brian’s baby,” she replied, so plainly and effortlessly that it shook them both to the core. She seemed indifferent and uncaring, drawn and tired and the words just rolled off her tongue and into the night air. It was a harsh reality to face for the lovers.

“No!” he screamed, refusing to believe the truth. “Tell me what you said isn’t true!” he begged, finding her unresponsive. “Tell me there’s some mistake, that there is room for error! Sheridan! Tell me the baby isn’t his!” He was on the verge of tears, panic setting in. Could he accept this baby as his own? Could there be another way out?

“I wish I could,” she whispered frightfully, wincing as his hands tightened. “There’s no mistake, Luis. The baby I’m having is Brian’s.”

The pain from his hands lasted only a second before the cruel reality slapped him in the face and his hands fell from her arms. He stood, his eyes unseeing as he started to back away from the bed. He felt numb, unable to find a simple word to say to her. She was having his brother’s baby, his future niece or nephew rested in the womb of the woman he wanted to be his bride. Suddenly, he felt sick, the contents of his stomach churning as he thought of his brother touching Sheridan, where his hands were, his lips…his…

With a sweep of his arm, Luis sent the contents of his dresser, including several photos of him and Sheridan, crashing to the ground. Glass shattered and flew across the room, the stench of cologne wafted through the air as it seeped into the carpet as Luis’ grief stricken sob filled the air.

Tears welled in Sheridan’s eyes as she watched him slam his fists into some broken glass knowing that the physical pain was nothing compared to the storm raging inside of him. Sadly, she looked down at the engagement ring that had been forgotten; frightened that it would never reside on her finger again. She reached out to touch it, brushing her hand over the delicately engraved patterns on the gold before pulling away as if burned. She shouldn’t have told him, not then at that moment when he asked her hand in marriage and not certainly the way she had, but it was too late to take back the words that had wounded him so. Too late to save her one true love, her soul mate, from the hell he was now living.

“Luis,” she begged after minutes of silent sobbing passed; both of them crying rivers of tears would never take away the hurt or remove this tainted moment from their lives. She could only hope in time this would fade away to happier memories that they would share; that one day he could come to love her child as much as she loved him, come to be a father to her daughter or son and be her husband. “Please, say something,” she requested, nearing him slowly and gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her touch off, glaring at the offending limb and then her. “What do you want me to say, Sheridan?” he asked tensely, not yet moving from his hunched position. She could see how broken he was by the cold pain in his eyes. “Do you want me to say congratulations and thank you for making me an uncle? Do you want me to be blissfully happy that the woman I love more than my own life is having my brother’s baby? What? WHAT do you want me to say?”

She shuddered, drawing her arms around herself in a hug. Suddenly, things looked very bleak. “I don’t know.”

“Well congratulations!” he laughed mirthlessly, throwing his hands in the air some shards of glass falling off his fists like pieces of confetti. “I hope you and my brother are very happy together,” he dusted the remaining glass off his hands, ignoring the cuts they left. “I hope you have many children and a great life back in St. Lisa’s.”

“Luis,” she gasped, feeling as if someone had punched her in the stomach. He couldn’t abandon her now, couldn’t leave her when she needed, wanted, him the most. “You can’t mean…”

“What? You expect me to raise his bastard child?” Luis asked, the rage and hate he felt for his older brother becoming directed at Sheridan and the baby she carried. He never once in his life wished harm to a child and yet the resentment he felt towards the unborn made him wish that she would never have the baby, that it would die and save them this pain. “You expect me to stay with you now?”

“I thought you loved me,” she whimpered.

“Sheridan, I love you so damn much that when I thought you had died I wanted to die too. Everything shuts down when you’re not around but, Sheridan, I can’t be with you now. Do you understand what you just told me? Do you understand that the baby you carry will be my niece or nephew? What about him? Does he even know that you are carrying his baby?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Only you and Eve know…”

He shook his head. “You have to go back to him. You have to tell him and then you have to make him take responsibility for once in his Goddamn life. He left our family before and I won’t let him leave his family now.”

“I…I don’t love him, Luis. Not like I love you. I don’t want to be his wife,” she cried, feeling as if she were being punished for having tried to move on with her life.

He looked pained. “Should have thought about that before you slept with him,” he replied cruelly, not caring how he sounded anymore.

“Please, Luis, please,” she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Please don’t do this to me. You can’t leave me! You can’t! I don’t love Brian! I love only you! Please,” she sobbed.

He wanted to accept her, wanted to just take her into his arms and hold her forever, but he couldn’t do that. Luis prided himself on being an honorable man and, while he would love the baby should he be with Sheridan, he couldn’t take away his brother’s chance either. This would be his brother’s son or daughter and Brian had a right to be with his family. Taking hold of her hands, Luis made her stand up. Gently he cupped her cheek, brushing away the salty tears that marred her beautiful face. “You have to talk to him, Sheridan. You have to go to Brian and tell him about the baby and then you have to decide what’s best for you AND your baby. I will always love you, Sheridan, and until I die I will want to be your husband and the father of your children, but I wouldn’t be the man you loved if I didn’t give him a chance to earn his family’s love,” he spoke softly, soothingly…lovingly.

“What are you saying, Luis?”

“Sometimes if you love something, you have to let it go,” he whispered. “I’m setting you free, Sheridan, if you come back on your own it’s meant to be,” he kissed her cheek, looked into her eyes and then walked out of the room, leaving her alone.

Sheridan watched the bedroom door close, her breathing ragged as the man of her dreams walked out of her life. She felt her knees grow weak, managing to somehow make it to the bed before collapsing. A fresh stream of tears fell from her burning eyes and she shook with the pain of losing Luis again. Fragmented memories flashed through her mind of happy and painful times they had once spent together and her energy became sapped from the day’s events. As she started to fall asleep, tears still clinging to her dark lashes, she whispered, “But I don’t want to be set free, Luis. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Yet he didn’t hear her quiet words as he slipped into the summer’s night and looked up at the small balls of fire that twinkled in the late night sky. His heart felt like thousands of pointed knives were pricking it, stabbing it painfully. “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, Lord. Just give me the strength to see it through and to support her no matter the choice,” he looked back at the house. “Give me the strength to love her and that baby should she choose me and the strength to let her go should she leave me again with this hole in my heart.”

A shooting star dropped and faded in the sky, unnoticed by the tormented lovers whose dreams were both the same, whose hearts had both been broken and who both needed to be led back to each other before it was too late.

Chapter Eleven

Sheridan crept from her place in Luis’ bed, the twilight barely ready to appear on the horizon. The house around her was silent and calm, the occupants still fast asleep in their beds. Slowly, she made her way through the hall, her body moving of its own volition towards the living room. Pausing by the couch with her head cocked in contemplation, she watched Luis sleep soundly against the cushions. He mumbled something in his sleep and she thought for a moment it might be her name, the mere thought causing her to smile slightly. Circling the couch, she knelt beside him, her fingers gently brushing his cheek and lips. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered the feel of his silky warm mouth pressed against hers when he realized she was alive, the way his arms made her feel a comfort and a safety she had been lacking for the last year. She wanted to be in his arms again, to feel his warm breath against her skin as he kissed her. Sheridan wanted to be the only woman that shared his life and his bed: to be his wife.

Swallowing hard, Sheridan brushed away the tears that rolled down her cheek and sighed. She was afraid of losing him, afraid that she would go back to Brian and be forced to stay with a man she didn’t love. Luis was her soul mate, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with even if he didn’t want her baby. She had seen her life with Brian and not Luis; it wasn’t pleasant. Sheridan refused to suffer without him anymore.

“Don’t you understand that I love you?” she whispered, her fingertips gently brushing through his hair. “Don’t you know how much I want to be your wife? To live forever with you and our children? Luis, I don’t want to go back to him,” she cried, tears coursing down her cheeks once again. “I don’t love him…I love only you. Why did I have to find you only to lose you again? God how I wish I could take back the last day…the last year. I wish I could change all my mistakes and come back to you. You’re where I belong.”

She sniffled, chewing on her lower lip when he shifted in his sleep, his murmuring louder than before. She could clearly hear him say, “Sheridan, I love you,” and felt the tears that had been falling come faster. He loved her, deep down inside he still loved her and as much as it pained her to know, it gave her strength to face Brian and tell him the truth.

“Today I’ll fix things, Luis,” she promised. “Today I’ll tell Brian it’s over, even if I am having his baby. We’re going to be married, Luis. You and I will be a family,” she stood, placing a kiss against his cheek on her way up. She wasn’t going to lose Luis, not again. She would be Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald –Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. “No one is taking you away from me again. Not my family and certainly not yours,” she whispered, slowly crawling onto the couch with him and resting her head against his chest. His arms instinctively came around her, holding her tight against his body in his sleep.

“You promised to protect me, to never let anyone or anything come between us,” she clung to him as sleep tried to pull her away. “I’m holding you to that.”

Luis’ grip tightened, his eyes fluttering open as he looked at the beautiful blond in his arms. His hand ached to caress her stomach, to lay claim on the child in her womb. He wanted to be the baby’s father; in fact he would have given the world to declare it as his own. Part of him wanted to tell her he changed his mind and refuse to ever let her go but he couldn’t do that: not to her or to his brother. Antonio had spent his entire life avoiding the responsibilities that went along with being part of a family and now he had the chance of a lifetime to make it up to someone and that was his child.

With a sigh, Luis kissed her temple and gently stroked her back, watching his angel rest soundly. When he saw her the day before crossing the street, the car coming at her at breakneck speed, he saw everything he had been missing for the last year flash before his eyes. Losing her again was enough to drive him mad, but he couldn’t let go of the fact that the baby she carried really wasn’t his. It ate at him to think of Antonio, his brother, making love to his fiancée, the woman he loved more than anything in the universe. His older brother, the boy he had fought with for toys and who had left them when the family was in dire straights, now had the one thing in his life worth living and dying for: Sheridan.

“This won’t come between us, Sheridan, not if it’s meant to be,” he mumbled into her hair. “If we are to be a family, you’ll find a way to come back to me; we’ll find a way to work through all of our problems together. I love you.”

She snuggled closer and he inhaled her perfume. For a year he had slept alone, the aching in his chest fueled by the emptiness of his bed. The one night with Beth had made him feel cheap and ruined; having her near him left him unfulfilled. But it felt so right to have her back again, a gentle pressure against his chest where her head rested. Sighing, he looked up at the ceiling and listened to her breathing, his fingertips caressing the skin of her arm that rested against his stomach. Her return from the grave should have been joyous, should have led to a reconciliation and a wedding. Instead, he was going to watch her leave with another man and know that he had pushed her into his brother’s arms. He had to wonder if he had been making the right choice.

“I’m sorry,” he shook his head, cautiously removing himself from beneath her. He stood, covering her with a blanket and kissing her forehead. “You might be determined to hold on, Sheridan, but right now I’m too broken to be something to hold on to. We both need this time to think things through, Sher, and if it’s meant to be you’ll come back to me. I just hope Antonio knows how wonderful you really are because he’ll never have an inkling of what you meant to me.”

Straightening up, Luis left the room to ready himself for work, his thoughts on the brother that had finally won a battle against him. Torn and weathered from war, Luis let angry tears roll down his cheeks as he dressed for the day. The pain of the last year surfaced and Luis finally let himself grieve for the love he had lost not once but twice.

Sheridan knocked softly on the door to the hotel room, her knuckles just barely tapping the wood. A sigh escaped her lips, her apprehensiveness about being at the Bed and Breakfast starting to show. She didn’t want to see Brian again or tell him he was going to be a father; she had no reason to come back here for anything now that she had Luis –used to have Luis. Drawing her lip between her teeth, Sheridan sniffled; Luis had left her this morning while she slept leaving a simple note beside her on the couch. It hadn’t been much, a few carelessly scrawled words on half a piece of paper. Drawing it from her pocket, Sheridan read them again:

Gone to work.

Don’t forget to talk to Antonio.

L--uis

Her fingers traced the letters, her mind envisioning his writing it. She could have sworn he wanted to write “love” on the paper, even if he hadn’t. The large space between the L and the U had given that away. She didn’t know how he managed to sneak out, especially when she had been laying draped across his chest. Mustering up her strength, she resumed pounding on the door.

“Brian?” she called through the wood, knocking again. “Brian, open the door. It’s Sheridan.”

The door immediately flew open, his strong arms pulling her to his chest and holding her tightly. “I knew you’d come back to me, sweetheart. I knew you’d love me even after seeing him again. We can pack our things and leave town to spare you the pain…”

“Brian,” she pushed him away. “I’m not here to reconcile with you! In fact, I still hate you for what you did at the hospital! You had no right to tell Luis what happened between us, especially not the way you did! I can never forgive you for hurting me that way!” She was angry and her hand itched to smack him again. “And to make matters worse you lied to me! All this time pretending to be a man that didn’t exist! Who the hell is Brian O’Leary???”

“Sheridan…” he started to explain.

“No!” she shook her head, taking a deep breath to relax her nerves. “Look, I spent the last year loving a man that I thought was dead, twisting my feelings of appreciation into love for you while never actually putting the other man and the feelings for him to rest. I admit, I started to love you, Brian, and had I not found Luis again I would have married you and been your wife…the mother of your children.” Tears filled her eyes but she refused to let them fall and blinked them away. “I love Luis, Brian. I want to be married to him and if not for him I wouldn’t have come here today.”

“I don’t understand,” he feigned ignorance, knowing exactly why she came even if she wouldn’t say it. Luis had probably exploded and told her she was a whore and he wanted nothing to do with her and that was why she dragged herself to the Bed and Breakfast, to sob out her story and admit that she needed him for their baby. Then they could be married and move away, forgetting this stupid little town and the life she once had here. She would be his!

“Can I come inside?” she asked softly, not wanting the entire hotel to know what was going on.

He nodded, making room for her to pass and fighting the smile that was threatening to spill across his face. Just like he predicted, his brother had sent Sheridan running back to him, that old Irish-Latino temper getting the better of his darling little brother. He wondered how the fight had gone. Had Luis yelled and screamed? Called her a slut and cast her away? Had she begged, pleaded and told him she never wanted to lose him? Had they both said mean things they could never take back? Oh, how he wished to be a fly on the wall and witness each and every second of their night! To see the moment their love was ruined!

“So, why exactly are you here, Sheridan? I’m sure there has to be something more than your hate of me to draw you back. Unless you wanted to rub salt into wounds…”

“I have something to tell you,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “But stay away from me, Brian, because I can’t be held responsible for what I do you if you don’t heed my warnings.”

He nodded again.

Placing her hand against her flattened stomach for strength, Sheridan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This moment would change her life forever. She knew that Brian would find false hope in her having a baby and that Luis was expecting her to try and work things out even if she didn’t want to work things out. She opened her blue eyes and cast Brian the coldest look she could rally. “I want you to know I’m still angry, obviously, and I would have nothing to do with you had Luis been a little more accepting last night. You have him to thank for my being here. He insisted that I come here and tell you our news and try to work things out with you before I decide if I want a relationship with him. I’ll have you know, I have no intention of choosing you over him, Brian, because I love him and I want to be his wife and nothing you do will ever change that.”

He sighed, looking pained despite the twinkle of hope that lingered in his eyes. Her want to be with Luis would complicate things, but he knew deep down inside that she would be his eventually. “All right, I understand. So, what is this news?”

She hesitated only a moment, torn between telling him and just leaving. Her promise to Luis came flooding back and she swallowed hard. She had to tell Brian. “I’m pregnant,” she replied, no emotion to her voice. “I’m six weeks pregnant and the baby is yours and Luis believes that you have a right to play daddy to the baby, even if I think you’re scum for what you did to me. I honestly don’t believe you deserve another chance for anything, but I can’t erase the last year and you do have the right to know that you’re going to be a father. So there. That’s why I’m here. I’m having your child and your brother believes that you should be a part of its life!”

“We’re having a baby?” he questioned, testing the sound of the words and loving the ring they had to them. “We are having a baby!” he grew more excited, his blue eyes dancing with joy. He no longer really needed hope because Sheridan had admitted they had one bond that would connect them for life: a baby. “Oh Sheridan! This is wonderful news! We can be a real family now!” he rushed to her, hugging her tightly despite her protest and threats. “I promise not to run away this time, to take care of my responsibilities! I love you!”

“I can’t love you,” she told him, remaining stiff in his arms.

“Give it time,” he held her close, kissing her cheek and ignoring the sudden influx of her tears. “You will in time, Sheridan. You’ll love me in time.”

Sheridan didn’t reply; she couldn’t. Whatever fight she had left in her was dying right along with her hope that Luis would ever take her back and make her his wife. She didn’t think anything could possibly make matters worse…little did she know how wrong she could be.

Luis patrolled the wharf, his heavy shoes clanking on the creaking wood of the docks. He couldn’t quite figure out how he always managed to get this strip to patrol, even though he didn’t really mind walking it. It was just the one street in all of Harmony that always brought back the most memories of Sheridan that he would love to put to rest, especially now…

Their kiss he pulled her into when he was on duty and tried to make it look like they were a couple in love…

The time she saved him from Les’ grip when he pressed a gun into his chest…

Late night strolls for ice cream and lobster rolls when they were hungry…

Just walking and holding hands in the mid day sun when they wanted time alone…

He loved those times with her and couldn’t stand being apart. Now that she was finally back, that he could hold her and kiss her again, Sheridan was still separated from him by something else: his brother. Brian had managed to finally take away the only thing he ever wanted and he did it without even trying. Her pregnancy would always be a sore spot, no matter how they tried to brush it away. Watching her carry his niece or nephew would always be the hardest thing in the world for him. Even if he wanted to raise it as his own, the baby would eventually learn that Antonio was his or her father and that Luis was just his or her uncle. Antonio and Sheridan would have a lasting physical connection and her first baby would be another man’s.

Luis just couldn’t handle that thought and he pounded his fists against the railing containing their initials. LLF + SC surrounded by a heart. He wished he had a knife to destroy the wood, to remove the mark that seemed to hold so many emotions. It wasn’t fair that he should find the love of his life and lose her repeatedly. He wanted to be able to have her as his own and never let her go. He wanted to be married to her, to be her lover, her companion and the man of her dreams.

Sighing, he shook his head as the crackling of his walkie-talkie filled the air. Finally he would have something to do besides think of her and exactly where their lives went wrong. He could focus on the job and not his private life. Lifting it to his mouth, he pressed the small black button. “Lopez-Fitzgerald.”

“Luis, come on in. Sam has some paperwork he needs you to complete on the disturbance yesterday.”

“All right, Martinez, tell him to leave it on my desk and I’ll be there,” he clicked it off, tucking it back into its pouch. So much for focusing on a job, he wouldn’t even get to forget about her in the time it took to get back to the station house. He wasn’t far from there, so the walk would take mere minutes and then he would have to fill out forms about the domestic disturbance he had left in order to find Sheridan. In no time at all he arrived, surprised to find an envelope with his name on it resting beside the manila folder of paperwork to be done. Falling into his chair, he grabbed the envelope and tore it open, dropping a slip of paper and a black and white photo onto the desk.

“What the?” he lifted the paper and immediately recognized the handwriting as Beth’s. Rolling his eyes, he wondered what this could be about. He had to admit, she was persistent, which could have been endearing if he actually loved her. Instead it was pathetically annoying the way she clung to hope the way she did. Scanning the letter, he paused. He couldn’t have read what he thought he did, could he? Returning to the paper, he read it again just more slowly.

Luis,

I am so sorry about my attitude at the wharf last night. You have to understand that I am hurt that you could just drop me so quickly now that Sheridan is back in town. I understand you love her, but we did have something before she ever moved back to Harmony and when you thought she was gone you came back to me. Obviously you still love me and want a relationship, or else you wouldn’t have slept with me. Anyway, I just thought I would apologize and give you the proof you wanted about the baby. I saw Eve this morning and she can verify that I really am pregnant if you want to call her. Just in case you no longer believe my word! Like I ever gave you a reason NOT to believe me. Call me sometime soon.

Love always,

Beth and the Baby

Crumbling the paper angrily, he picked up the glossy film and looked at it, his hands shaking as he identified just what it was: a sonogram. Swallowing hard, he looked at the information at the top and found Beth’s name, her approximate conception date and the actual date type written above a black and white blob. He almost didn’t want to look any further and see the evidence he had demanded from her, but curiosity won out and he looked at the central part of the image and gasped. There, resting inside the photo of Beth’s womb, he found the small little blob that represented a baby…

His baby.

And Luis didn’t have the faintest idea of how he should feel about being a father and having a baby…