Chapter Fifteen

Her words hit him like an icy slap in the face, the sting causing him to gasp for breath. His Sheridan, the woman he would have sacrificed his own life and happiness for, was telling him she couldn’t be the mother to his child. He felt as if he were drowning, his mind unwilling to comprehend every syllable that came from her mouth. Stepping back from the table, Luis’ unblinking brown eyes remained focused on her face looking for some sign that she was going to take back what she said. She didn’t and she wouldn’t, he knew that, but inside he hoped this was some kind of sick joke. Sheridan was going to start laughing and apologize; she had to.

“Luis?” she whispered a minute or so later, worried about his reaction to her news. She would have expected Luis to yell and scream, but his silence hurt her far more than any words could. She knew he wouldn’t be open to her words, but she wanted some kind of reaction from him, anything. “Say something, please? You’re scaring me.”

“Scaring you,” he grumbled, barely able to say the words. “Scaring you?” he repeated louder. “Well I’m sorry if I am scaring you, princess,” he growled in disdain. “God forbid something should upset you the way you’ve just ruined me.”

“Ruined you? Luis, telling you I don’t want to raise Beth’s bastard child is not ruining you in any way, shape or form! Taking that child in would destroy our relationship you know that. We have enough problems in our lives without asking for another!”

“No, Sheridan, I don’t,” he neared her, his eyes shooting daggers at her. “I was willing to raise my brother’s child as my own,” he was mere inches from her face. “I was willing to forget that my nephew or niece was the product of a short term affair you had with my bastard of a brother! I wanted these children to be the start of our family and all you can think about is the fact that your baby is gone so I should give up mine too! Forget it!”

“I won’t permit you to bring that child into my house! I don’t want to see it every day and be reminded that you slept with Beth! I don’t want to hold it and think that my baby with Antonio would be as old as he or she is; I can’t raise it for the rest of my life and be reminded of the miscarriage, Luis. I’m sorry.”

“No, Sheridan, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I thought that you could care about someone else for once in your life. I’m sorry I was delusional enough to think that you were ever really willing to have my child as your step-son or daughter.” He stood tall, shaking his head. “I’m sorry that I didn’t just let you go back to him and spare you from all of this.”

“Luis, what are you saying?” she asked, standing up before him.

“If you can’t accept my child, Sheridan, then we can’t be married. I won’t spend my life knowing that Beth is neglecting my child or giving her that key into our life. If she has custody of that baby, she will forever come between us and we’ll never be able to move on and have our own life and if you won’t take my child in as ours, then we have no life.”

“Luis!” she gasped, eyes wide. “Are you saying that if I won’t bow down and agree to your terms that we have no future? That our engagement is off?”

Looking into her eyes, Luis replied. “You said it, Sheridan. You said it was over the moment you told me that you wouldn’t be a mother to my child. I didn’t have to,” he grabbed his keys off the counter and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” she whimpered in defeat.

“What does it matter?” he asked, stopping just outside the door with his hand on the doorknob. “I won’t be back anytime soon, Sheridan, and when I get back I’ll pack my things. We have no future if you’re willing to turn your back on this baby.”

“You’re not trying to understand!” she argued. “I lost my baby today, Luis! I lost my baby and he or she is never coming back! You have yours!”

“Right,” he nodded, tears filling his eyes. “I have mine and I damn well intend to keep it. No one is going to get me to give up my ties to family, Sheridan, and that’s what this baby is: family. I’ll expect a decision when I return: either you’re going to accept my child into your life or you’re going to turn your back on both of us.” He paused for a moment. “If you have decided it’s over, just leave the engagement ring and some of my clothes on the couch. I’ll take the hint.”

With that said, he was gone.

The door shut behind him, the clicking of the lock crumbling the last of Sheridan’s defenses. She fell back into the kitchen chair, tears rolling down her cheeks. He was gone, walking out of her life and leaving the final decision of his return up to her. Without a doubt, Sheridan knew that she loved Luis and that she wanted to be his wife. She wanted a family with him, a house full of children that tore into Christmas presents and played out in the yard. But with those dreams came a price: the constant reminder that they both had attempted to move on with their lives. Beth’s child would cause problems in their lives no matter where he or she lived. If the child were with Beth, the woman would use it to try and win Luis back and if the child lived with them, Sheridan would always wonder. What would her child have looked like? Did Luis love her as much as his child? Did their children mean as much as Beth’s?

There were too many questions and not enough answers.

Looking down at her engagement ring, Sheridan thought about taking it off. For a year she had been without the ring and yet the moment it had returned to its place on her finger she had refused to take it off. The ring was a symbol of just how much Luis had loved her and for the last six weeks it had been there on her finger. In four months, they were supposed to be married. They had picked out the invitations, the dresses had been ordered and the church reserved. Was she really willing to cancel it all? To turn Luis down and forget that she loved him? Was it that easy?

Slowly getting up, the tears still rolling down her cheeks, Sheridan walked into the living room and looked around. They had all ready filled the room with photographs and every single frame held the smiling faces of the pair. Pictures of them ice skating years ago, watching the fireworks on Forth of July the sparks flying overhead were displayed with care. She had selected each and every location of the pictures with care, making sure her favorites were in clear view: not that she had any she didn’t love looking at.

Closing her eyes, Sheridan tried to imagine her life without Luis in it and all she saw was darkness. She felt cold and empty without him around, just like she had at the hospital when she realized that Luis wasn’t there and she was stuck with Antonio. She only felt truly safe when she was with Luis. Opening her eyes, she knew she had a decision to make: stay with Luis or let him go forever.

And it was going to be the hardest decision of her life.

Luis sat at the bar, his fingers wrapped around the ice-cold mug of beer and eyes focused unblinkingly ahead of him. To his right was the jukebox, the same sad songs playing over and over again, fed by the quarters from Luis’ pocket. No one said a thing to Luis as they passed him on their way to the pool tables, the cracking of the balls not even making Luis flinch. Men chatted around tables, their talk turning to the ending of the baseball season and the start of the football one. Usually, Luis would have joined in, laughing at their jokes after a hard day at the office. But not today: today he was too busy sulking in the misery that was his love life. His only concern now was his fiancée and what her decision would be when he returned home, if it were still his home. He had noticed Sheridan’s use of the word my when referring to the house during their argument and it had burned him to know that she could so easily change her outlook on their relationship.

Kicking the machine beside him, Luis caused the Billy Joel song to skip, though it did little to relieve him of the memories the song caused. Luis sighed heavily, thinking about how Sheridan had a hold on his heart and how life without her always seemed so miserable. The year without Sheridan had been hell and he couldn’t stand the days he spent without her in his arms and his bed. They had planned their lives together from their wedding to all ten children they were going to have. When she disappeared into the clear blue waters of the ocean, Luis felt as if his own life had been ended and knew that he would never live again. He tried as hard as he could to move on and make everyone happy and just as he started to succeed, he realized what a mistake it was to sleep with Beth and tarnish the memory of his soul mate. He couldn’t have known that Beth would become pregnant and that Sheridan would return to him all at the same time, but now that both had happened and he had made a commitment to the woman he loved, he thought it was finally done with.

How wrong he was!

Life had only managed to become more complicated and now he had walked out on the only person that meant anything to him. Lifting the frosty mug to his lips, he took another gulp of the bitter liquid before slamming the glass onto the wooden bar. Walking out on Sheridan had been near impossible. He had made it as far as the car before he almost went back inside and begged her to forgive him for being stupid enough to give her up. But then he had seen it on the seat of his car, the ultrasound photo of his son or daughter that lay protected in Beth’s womb. As much as he loved Sheridan, he couldn’t turn his back on that child no matter what the cost. His son or daughter needed him for protection and love; Beth wasn’t going to be a good source of either. If Sheridan wasn’t willing to accept that, then they had nothing left to discuss.

“Penny for your thoughts man,” Jake the bartender asked, drying another empty mug.

Luis just shook his head, taking another drink from his glass before looking away. “Some things are better left unsaid, Jake. You know that,” he swirled his beer around in his glass and watched some of it slosh over the edges.

“Trouble with Sheridan?” his friend asked, putting the dried glass away.

Luis simply nodded. Trouble was definitely an understatement when it came to what was happening in his happy home. How could someone possibly understand what he was going through when he barely did? It was far too complex to explain that his brother had managed to get Sheridan pregnant and then she had miscarried, all the while his ex-girlfriend, Beth, was carrying his child and Sheridan didn’t want any part of it. Instead, he just agreed that it was lady trouble and let their minds come up with the problem and some form of solution.

“Man, whatever it is just give in and grovel. She’s a hell of a woman, you know?”

“Yea, I know,” Luis grumbled as Jake walked away to help another customer. Sheridan could be the best woman on earth but it wasn’t going to do him any good if she didn’t want to be the stepmother to his son or daughter. Any man on earth willing to give up his child for a woman wasn’t worth the time and effort. Luis prided himself on being about family; he had always taken care of his mother and siblings and hoped that one day he would be able to take care of his own children. Now he had that chance and he wasn’t about to pass it up.

Sighing, Luis stood up and dropped some money onto the counter for his beer. “See you, Jake,” he called as he walked away from the bar, his hands buried deep within the pockets of his uniform. He no longer wanted to sit around in a bar and think about Sheridan. He needed time to think and the smoke filled, noisy bar wasn’t going to cut it. More than anything in the world, he needed to get away from other people and just think about what he was going to do. He didn’t want to give up his life with Sheridan but there was no way he was going to give up his child either. His brother may have been willing to turn his back on family all those years ago and Theresa may have wanted to use her pregnancy for the wrong reasons, but Luis was an honorable man and he was going to raise his child in a house full of love: with or without Sheridan Crane.

For hours he had sat on the wharf, watching the waves lap at the shoreline. The summer evenings had grown cool as August slowly headed for September. The leaves were changing color on some of the trees and children we doing last minute shopping for school. The teens took advantage of the abandoned beaches at night, parking their cars in the lots and using it to have parties where they could dance to blasting stereos. Of course, that had interrupted his thinking and he decided that as much as he wanted to stay around on the beach and try to work things out in his mind, he couldn’t do it with all the others around. He climbed into his car and headed home to his darkened house. It was now or never: Sheridan’s decision would be waiting on the couch.

Reluctantly he pulled out his house key from his pocket, the other keys on the ring crashing together and ringing into the night. He slowly placed the key into the lock, turning it slowly sideways. With a heavy sigh and his eyes closed, he forced open the front door and stepped inside. He was afraid to open his eyes and find that Sheridan had put his clothing on the couch with the engagement ring that he had given her. He couldn’t bring himself to learn that she had given up on him, on them, and that she would rather go back to a world without him then try and work through their problems with a baby. This was the moment of truth for them: either they had a future together or they would never be married and have their dreams come true.

Finally, Luis decided that he had to know whether or not Sheridan was going to be his wife and they were going to start their family with the child Beth was going to give birth to. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find the low twinkle of candles burning in the living room and in the center of the couch was Sheridan. She was kneeling on the cushions, her body facing the front door and her engagement ring sparkled in the dim lights of the living room. She was chewing on her bottom lip nervously, the same black negligee on that she had worn the first time they made love in her cottage. He didn’t know what to say, but stepped further into the house and closed the door behind him. In his wildest dreams he had never expected to see Sheridan waiting for him on the couch and to know that she was still there made him speechless.

“Luis?” she called nervously, her voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t know what to say to her as he slowly started to join her in the room. The lights caught her golden blond hair just right and reminded him of the night they were in the bathtub when he told her that the color of her hair was the exact color of the sunrise he once witnessed. The color was back again and it almost seemed as if he were in that tub again, surrounded by the warm water with Sheridan’s blue eyes sparkling at him as she admitted that it was the best night of her life. It was the night that they had finally consummated a relationship that was years in the making and he knew then and there that this night would forever be the night that bound them together as long as her decision was sure. If Sheridan was willing to become a mother to the child he and Beth were bringing into the world, then they would finally be able to move on.

“I didn’t expect to find you down here when I got home,” he admitted as he stood at the end of the sofa, watching as she shifted to face him. “I don’t know what I expected, really, but not this,” he looked down at the keys in his hands. “Sheridan, I’ve done a lot of thinking tonight and most of it came back to the same conclusion. I love you and I always will love you, but this baby…”

Sheridan placed a finger over his lips and gazed into his eyes. “I know. You never asked me whether or not I was going to give up Antonio’s baby, Luis. You never forced me to make any form of choice when it came down to having his child. Sure, you told me I had to tell him, had to give him a chance to work things out with me and be the father he should have been, but I didn’t want that. I was stubborn and I refused to let him take on that role because I had no intention of letting anyone be the father to my child except you. Antonio may have been the biological creator of the baby, but you were its father as far as I was concerned. And yet, I asked you to make a sacrifice that you never even considered forcing upon me. Does that make any sense?”

Luis nodded, understanding what she was telling him. “It does to me, Sheridan, because it’s exactly how I feel about the child I’m having with Beth. It’s almost as if she’s a surrogate and that this baby is really ours, not mine and hers.”

“I know and I realized that tonight, Luis. When you left tonight I was pretty sure I was going to take off my engagement ring and lay it on a pile off clothing for you to claim when you returned home. The longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I wasn’t going to lose you again. I’ve already lost a year with you, Luis, and that was something I couldn’t control, but I can control this. I can make sure that I don’t lose you because of my own stupidity and I refuse to send you back to Beth. I know it’s going to be a lot to deal with and there is going to be a lot for me to overcome when this baby comes into our lives, but if I can’t make it through this with you, Luis, then I can’t make any relationship work. I love you, with my entire heart, and I want to do whatever I can to make you happy. If raising Beth’s child with you is going to make you happy,” she paused, looking away from him and seeking the courage to say what she needed. “Then, Luis, I want to raise this baby too.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, cupping her cheek and making her look at him again. “Sheridan, I don’t want to give up claim to this baby, but I would never force you to do this if you have even the slightest doubt. You will always be my first concern and though we might have to part ways, my love for you would always make you my number one priority. When I left tonight I didn’t want you to choose being a mother just because it would make me happy, I wanted you to do it because you honestly and truly wanted to.”

“I’m sure, Luis. Yes, I am afraid that one day you may realize that this baby means more to you than me and our children and yes it is going to be a reminder of a harder time in our life, but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, Luis, and I know together we can make it through anything this world has to offer, even Beth and this baby.”

“Have I told you how wonderful you are?” he questioned, kissing her lips softly and placing butterfly kisses on her cheeks and eyelids.

“I wouldn’t mind hearing it again,” she responded, her eyes fluttering shut at his tender caress. “I love you, Luis.”

“I love you too, sweetheart,” he murmured, placing a kiss against her neck. “So much. I thought for sure I was going to lose you tonight.”

“Never,” she told him. “I would have been a fool to let you get away.”

“I agree,” he teased. “What do we do now, Sheridan? How do we heal old wounds?”

“We start,” she told him, “by taking advantage of the fire I have in the fireplace upstairs and snuggling in our warm bed. Then tomorrow, we continue to plan our wedding and decorate the nursery for our baby.”

“First,” he told her, holding her close, “we work on helping you over the obstacle you seem to be avoiding.”

“What’s that?”

“The miscarriage,” he whispered.

“Luis, I don’t really want to…”

He cut her off with a kiss, pulling back slowly. “Sheridan, I wasn’t there this afternoon but I am here now and I want to help you start to heal. I know you’re still hurting; it’s part of the reason you didn’t want to bring Beth’s baby into the house, but I want to make sure we mend your broken heart before we move on with our lives. Neither of us will be able to see the future with the past weighing heavily on our minds.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?” she asked disbelievingly.

“Not in the last five minutes,” he joked.

“I love you, very much,” she winked.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he helped her off the couch. “Tonight is about making things right in our lives and we’re going to start with you and everything you’ve gone through. Let me pamper you tonight the way I should have when you first returned home six weeks ago.”

“I can live with that,” she smiled. “And then tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow we’ll plan forever, sweetheart. And the day after that we’ll plan eternity.”

“I think that’s the best idea,” she allowed him to pick her up. “And we can start by finalizing the plans for our wedding. I can’t wait to become your wife.”

Luis smiled in the dark as he ascended the stairs. “You already are my wife in my heart, Sheridan, and that’s all that matters. The wedding makes it legal, but in all the ways that count you are already Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.”

She looked into his eyes and knew without a doubt that he was telling the truth. Smiling gently, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The future wasn’t going to be easy and Sheridan knew that try as she might things might still fall apart, but she was willing to try her hardest to have Luis in her life forever.

She never would have guessed that her biggest obstacle was yet to come and it was in the form of one very delusional woman: Beth Wallace.

Chapter Sixteen

Sheridan watched snowflakes dance in the air outside the church window, her body pressed against the cool panes of glass. It was Christmas morning and they had convinced their closest family and friends to forgo tradition and spend the holiday with them at their wedding. The carefully wrapped Christmas gifts would be opened at the reception after a surprise visitor handed them out to the rightful owners. Given that having Father Christmas give out gifts on Christmas day wasn’t a huge surprise, but since no one was expecting him it would be. First, however, there would be the grandest wedding Harmony had ever seen and her only hope was this time it would go off without a hitch.

Closing her eyes, Sheridan sighed remembering how the previous four months simply flew by. She and Luis had spent many nights in bed discussing all the changes taking place in the house: the loss of her baby, the coming of Beth’s child, their wedding and of course their love. Sheridan didn’t want to admit it but somehow after the miscarriage their love had only grown stronger. Every moment she spent with Luis solidified the bond between them and when she finally allowed herself to grieve over her loss, Luis held her. He stroked her hair, whispered loving words into her ear and cried with her, letting her know that the child she lost meant something to him as well. He spoke from his heart that night, telling her that though the child came with bad memories of their time apart, he had longed for the start of their family to finally arrive. His confession had made Sheridan realize just how much he had been hurting since her return and together they healed the opened wounds. From that point on, he included her in every and all decisions concerning Beth’s child, including the sonograms. Beth had resisted at first, but she surrendered and allowed Sheridan to be present and all it took was one time seeing that baby for Sheridan to know she was doing the right thing for both herself and her fiancé.

Luis held Sheridan’s hand as they sat in chairs behind Beth’s head. They explained to the doctor the situation, that after the birth Luis and Sheridan were going to be adopting Beth’s child and caring for it. Sheridan wanted to be present and see their child on the monitor and thought the mother originally protested, she conceded. Of course, the doctor then asked Beth if it were true and she was giving Sheridan permission to view the sonograms and Beth didn’t have the nerve to say otherwise. She simply nodded and insisted the doctor get it over with as she had work to attend to.

Flipping a switch and carelessly spreading some KY Jelly on Beth’s stomach, the doctor began the sonogram. He moved the eye a few times, looking for the clearest picture of the baby within Beth’s womb and having a hard time finding one he seemed to like. Beth was all of four months pregnant but she was showing quite a bit. She hadn’t bothered to follow any form of diet plan that was best for her and the baby and she had no intention to. The baby wasn’t doing anything for her and she saw it as nothing but an inconvenience.

“Aha!” the doctor cried, finding a perfect side view of the little angel. “There it is.”

Sheridan’s eyes teared and she felt the first drop gently cascade down her cheek. She made no move to brush it away, however, as she thought about her own baby that would be this size. For a moment she wished she were on the table with the clear, cold gel spread on her stomach and the obnoxious doctor showing her the baby she carried. Shaking her head, she took hold of her fiancé’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “There’s our baby,” she told him.

The use of the word our made Luis’ heart swell with love and he placed a kiss against her temple. The baby on the screen had a strong heartbeat, which echoed loudly in the room. Sheridan’s face was glowing as she watched the baby move slightly on the screen and he could already feel the love that Sheridan had for their child. Their child. “She’s perfect.”

“She?” Sheridan looked at him, surprised he had made such a slip. “You’ve never called the baby she before. How do you know it’s a girl?”

“I don’t. I suppose I just slipped,” he admitted, looking at her. “Why?”

“No reason,” she shook her head, her gaze returning to the monitor. She didn’t want to admit that she had secretly hoped the baby she lost was going to be a girl and that buried inside their closet was a bag of clothing made for a little princess. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she wanted a daughter more than anything in the world just so she could be the mother to the baby that her mother never had the chance to be.

“Oh. So what do you think, Sheridan?”

“I think I’m in love with her already,” Sheridan wanted to reach out and touch the screen. “I can’t wait to really hold her in my arms.”

But now that Beth was six months pregnant, Sheridan realized she really didn’t have that much longer before she saw and held the baby in her arms. With just three months to go, Sheridan knew that their life was going to change forever. The nursery had been completed and unisex outfits had been purchased for the baby’s arrival and homecoming. The women that Sheridan loved and trusted most had even thrown a baby shower for them, setting Luis and Sheridan up with the many supplies they would need for a new little angel. Beth had been furious that Sheridan was being lavished with the attention she deserved and she had made it no secret that she had plans for the couple. Every chance she had she would whisper one thing to Sheridan…

“Remember, I replaced you when you died and I will replace you again. I carry Luis’ first born, not you. You will never have started the one thing that means most to Luis: family.”

At first, Sheridan had been inclined to let it slide. Beth was probably just hormonal or at the very least delusional. But the more she thought it over, the more it bothered her. Beth really was giving Luis something that Sheridan now couldn’t: his first born. For some reason, Beth had been selected to have Luis’ child while Sheridan had been given the child of Luis’ brother, only to lose it tragically. While many wives were able to give their husbands the gift of family, Sheridan would do it second to a woman her husband could no longer stand. The thought unnerved her and made her regret her decision to allow the baby into her life. But it didn’t take a genius to realize that even if Beth raised the child Luis would want to be a part of its life and the baby would still be his first born. At least with the baby in their home Sheridan could be a true parent to it and, if Luis had his way, she would be the only mother the baby ever knew.

“Sheridan, mija, are you almost ready?” Pilar asked, coming up behind the woman. “Everyone has arrived and Luis is looking awfully antsy,” she smiled. “I think he cannot wait to make you his wife.”

A soft smile fanned out across Sheridan’s face and her eyes opened. Luis was either excited about their pending nuptials or he was worried that something was going to go wrong. Given their track record, she was leaning towards the second. “I don’t believe I can wait any longer to make him my husband, either,” Sheridan told her soon-to-be mother-in-law. “How does everything look, Pilar? I’m almost afraid to see it myself.”

“Everything is perfect, mija. And you are looking beautiful. I am certain my son will not be able to keep his eyes off you. The moment he sees you there will be no one else left in the room.”

Sheridan blushed, looking down at her dress. The long sleeves of her gown were made of lace and the full skirt flowed into a train covered in the same delicate French lace as the sleeves. The neckline was scalloped and though the bodice was form fitting the rest flowed around her beautifully. “Thank you, Pilar. I was starting to wonder if this day would ever arrive.”

“Mama,” she instructed. “I love you as if you were my own daughter, Sheridan, there is no reason you need to call me Pilar any longer.”

“Thank you,” Sheridan sniffled and hugged her future mother-in-law. “I guess I shouldn’t keep Luis waiting a moment longer. I can’t wait to become Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald!”

“Good, because I’m not so sure the people out there were willing to wait much longer for you to decide to become his wife,” Ethan entered the room laughing. “I believe my mother is already seated so she shouldn’t be driving any cars through any windows today. Aunt Sheridan, you’re looking beautiful.”

“Thank you, Ethan,” she lifted her bouquet from a table and joined him at the door. “Would you walk me down the aisle now, Ethan? I can’t wait to join my husband at the altar.”

Offering his aunt his arm, Ethan led her out of the bride’s room and to the doors at the back of the church. Waiting there was Theresa and Gwen, both dressed in long, bell sleeved dresses in a deep crimson color. Both were trying not to glare at teach other as they saw Sheridan coming, but had the hardest time actually keeping the looks from their faces. Theresa was of course still married to Julian despite his begging for her to divorce him. Without any guarantees from Ethan that he wanted to be with her, Theresa was refusing to give up the money. Of course, Gwen was no longer trying to keep a firm grasp on Ethan, who had honestly never decided on either of the women, but she refused to see him with Theresa as well.

“Sheridan, you’re looking stunning!” Theresa gushed, looking at her sister-in-law. “Luis is going to be shocked when he sees you in that dress. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t let go of you for the rest of the day!”

“She’s right,” Gwen nodded in agreement, which could only be seen as a first for them both. “You look positively radiant. I do believe you’re glowing,” she kissed her friend’s cheek. “Are you ready to take the plunge?”

Sheridan giggled. “More ready that you’d ever believe.”

The doors to the church opened and O Come All Ye Faithful started playing on the organ in the church. Theresa and Gwen walked side by side down a rich, red velvet carpet between giant sprays of holly and poinsettias with small white Christmas lights glowing brightly. At the foot of the altar stood Luis between two tall, beautifully decorated Christmas trees with Sam at his side and Father Lonigan behind him. Their closest friends and family were there and her only disappointment was Beth and Antonio sitting in the back row. She feared they would do something to interrupt the wedding and her heart sank when Beth glared at her. Antonio had been invited at the insistence of Pilar, who told them both that Antonio was still family despite his stupidity. Sheridan had to agree that Luis’ brother should not have been left out of the ceremony, but his inviting Beth as his date was not only frustrating, but frightening. Sheridan knew she couldn’t trust the woman at all.

Sheridan gripped Ethan’s arm more tightly as the butterflies in her stomach began to flutter around in her stomach wildly. In just a few minutes the moment she had been waiting for would finally take place: she was going to be Luis’ wife.

The traditional Here Comes The Bride began to play and the entire group rose to their feet. Ethan and Sheridan began the long decent between the Christmas lights and holly, her bouquet clutched tightly in her hands as she neared her fiancé. Time seemed to slow down as she and Ethan closed the gap between the door and Luis, her steps slowing just slightly as they reached the step by the altar. She didn’t see anyone in the room, not Sam or Hank or even Beth in the last row with Antonio. All she saw was her Luis, the man she was going to marry. Ethan kissed her cheek, giving her over to Luis and retreating to his seat beside his mother in the front row.

“Let us pray,” Father Lonigan spoke to the congregation and their heads bowed in prayer. “Father in Heaven, You ordained marriage for your children and you gave us love. We present to You Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald and Sheridan Crane, who come this day to be married. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment. We ask that You, God, will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness; if suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone agreed.

“It is written that love is patient; love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way: it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. I know that through trials and tribulations you both have come and you have made it through thus far because of your love. Today, you two come here to solidify your bond by taking your vows in front of family, friends and God himself. With this in mind, I ask you to join right hands and to face each other.”

Shifting towards each other, Luis and Sheridan linked right hands and looked deep into each other’s eyes. Here and now they were going to become husband and wife by taking their vows. Sheridan tried not to think about the people around them and though it wasn’t easy she managed to focus her attention on Luis as he began to caress the back of her hand.

“I love you,” he mouthed.

“Love you too,” she replied.

“Luis,” Father Lonigan began. “Repeat after me. I, Luis, take you, Sheridan, for my wife to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

“I, Luis, take you, Sheridan, for my wife to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part,” he echoed, looking deep into his bride’s eyes. “And only death shall ever come between us,” he added with emphasis, trying to assuage any fear and doubt she had.

A tear rolled down Sheridan’s cheek and Luis used his left hand to brush it away. She squeezed his hand in reply, silently thanking him for loving her and caring for her the way he always did. She knew with him in her life she would want for nothing and that everything would be all right as long as they trusted in the love their shared.

“Sheridan, repeat this vow after me. I, Sheridan, take you, Luis, for my husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

With a quivering lip, her hands gripping his tightly, Sheridan mimicked the priest. “I, Sheridan, take you, Luis, for my husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

Luis lifted their joined right hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss atop them.

“Today is no ordinary day. It is the day that the Father sent his son to be born on earth. His gift of love to us that day allows us to celebrate the gift of love here this morning. May I have the rings?” Father Lonigan asked of Sam, who carried the rings in place of a ring barer.

Sam pulled the rings from the pocket of his tuxedo and placed them on the open Bible Father Lonigan held. He winked at his friend and smiled at Sheridan as he returned to his place beside Luis. More than anyone else he wanted to see his two friends happy.

“With the Christmas spirit in mind, I ask you to look at the gold rings you two will now exchange. They are circles: symbols without end. Like these rings, your love will have no end as well. Gold was always a gift for royalty and it represented the untarnished perfection of the high angels.” Making the sign of the cross over the rings, he spoke, “Bless, O Lord, these rings that they may always remind those that wear them of their love and devotion to each other. May these rings help them remain faithful for the remainder of their lives.”

“Amen,” the church spoke.

“Luis, take Sheridan’s ring from the Bible and as you slide it onto her finger repeat these words: With this ring and my love, I wed you as my wife forever.”

“With this ring and my love,” Luis voice cracked as he slid the ring on, “I wed you as my wife forever.”

“Sheridan, take Luis’ ring form the Bible and do the same.”

“With this ring and my love,” Sheridan cried, no longer able to control her emotions. Her hands trembled as she slid the ring onto his finger. “I wed you as my husband forever.”

Smiling brightly with the church bells ringing around them, Father Lonigan was glowing as he said, “Sheridan and Luis have given themselves to each other by the joining of hands, the exchanging of vows and the giving and receiving of a ring. By the powers so vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen”

“Amen.”

“Luis, I’m sure I do not need to tell you what to do now,” Father Lonigan smirked, causing the entire church minus two to laugh. Everyone knew that Luis and Sheridan would have no problem with the kiss at the end of the ceremony.

“No,” Luis looked at his wife. “You don’t,” he pulled her into his arms and gave her the sweetest, most romantic kiss he could muster in his current state of adoration for his new bride. For a moment they were lost in the kiss until the priest spoke again.

“May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.”

The church erupted in applause, the congregation rising to their feet as Sheridan and Luis took hold of each other and walked down the aisle to Joy To The World. Only two people remained in their seats, unfazed by the pleasure everyone found in the marriage of Luis and Sheridan. Antonio had moved on and tried to find someone new, but he still envied his little brother for ending up with the woman of his dreams. Beth, on the other hand, hated seeing Luis leave the church with anyone that wasn’t her. She felt the anger begin to boil in her veins as she realized that her chance at keeping them from marrying had slipped between her fingers. The only way she was ever going to get Luis back now was to drive Sheridan to the brink of despair and make her leave town. Shaking her head, she noticed that the guests were filing out and finding their way towards the Seascape where the ballroom had been cleared for the wedding reception. Rising to her feet, she tugged on Antonio’s sleeve.

“Come on, we don’t want to be the last to arrive at the reception,” she placed a hand on her stomach. “People will assume the worst about us.”

“Beth, if you’re going to cause trouble…” Antonio faded off.

“Oh no, I won’t cause any trouble at all,” Beth lied. “I plan to just sit there and watch the happy couple celebrate their union with their closest friends and relatives there. I don’t even mind that I wasn’t invited by them but by you.” She smiled wickedly, though Antonio was a little too preoccupied to notice. As they started to leave the church, Beth grumbled, “I won’t cause trouble, but they can’t stop me from giving a special toast now can they?” she laughed maniacally as the church doors closed behind her.

The Seascape ballroom was decorated in similar fashion as the church. Garlands were draped along the walls, big red bows and holly spread in between the dangling greenery. White Christmas lights filled the darkened room and peppermint striped candles twinkled on the tables between plants of poinsettias. Two grand Christmas trees sat on both ends of the head table, beautiful glass Christmas ornaments with the date and time of the wedding engraved in them waited to be collected by guests. Beneath the two trees were the gifts their friends and family had not only brought for the wedding but also for their families as the entire community of Harmony celebrated Christmas together.

The guests settled at their tables as Sheridan and Luis entered the ballroom. Immediately the strains of their first song began to play and Luis led Sheridan to the dance floor and spun her gently into his arms. Together they had chosen the song Spend My Life With You as they thought it suited how they both felt about this moment. Luis lifted a hand to her cheek and caressed her skin gently with his thumb as he looked into his eyes. Slowly they swayed to the music, everyone watching as they rested their foreheads together and share the sweetest of kisses.

“I love you,” Luis told her, kissing her forehead as they continued to dance. “We’ve come so far to get here but I don’t regret a single moment of our lives.”

“I know,” she whispered softly, looking deep into his sweet brown eyes. “I love you too.”

As the song faded, Luis returned Sheridan to her seat at the head table before searching out his mother. Finding her, he offered her his hand as the second dance was for mother and son. “May I have this dance, Mama?”

“Pilar smiled and nodded, taking her son’s hand and following him onto the dance floor. “It would be my pleasure to dance with you, mijo.”

Together they danced to A Song For My Son and Luis watched as tears welled in his mother’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. He brushed one away, looking slightly confused at her sudden tears. His mother had never seemed one to grow emotional at weddings.

“Mama, please don’t cry. It’s not like we didn’t know this was going to happen eventually. I am getting older,” he teased, trying to make her smile.

Pilar sniffled. “You’ll think this is silly, Luis, but I can’t help myself. I keep thinking of how my baby is going to be starting his own family and it’s odd to think of you moving on that way. You’ll always be my son and as such I’ll always see you as the toothless little boy running around dressed as superman with my good towel tied around his neck.”

Luis blushed. “Promise to never tell Sheridan that story,” he laughed slightly, hugging his mother as the song started to wind down. “Mama, I’m not starting my own family, I’m extending the one you and Papa created. It’s not like Sheridan and I are leaving Harmony forever.”

“I know,” she sighed, cupping his cheek. “I love you, mijo.”

“I love you, Mama,” he kissed her cheek. “Thank you for the dance.”

“Thank you for giving up so much all these years. Your sacrifice has not been overlooked, mijo, and it is appreciated more than any words will ever express,” she kissed his cheek in return and walked back to her seat.

Luis joined Sheridan at the head table and the music softened. Sam stood beside Luis, gently clicking his fork against his glass to get the attention of everyone in attendance. Once the room was silent, he smiled at his friend and Sheridan. “Life for you two has been anything but easy and I know that it isn’t a secret to anyone in this room that the start of your relationship was hardly love at first sight. I remember what it was like for Luis to lose you, Sheridan, not once but twice. He looked as if someone had taken his heart from his chest. But now, the joy in his eyes is unparalleled to anything I have ever seen before. Though challenges may arise in your future, I know that both of you will have all the love and joy you deserve for the rest of your lives. I ask all of you to raise your glass with me to toast the newlyweds: Sheridan and Luis!”

“To Sheridan and Luis!” almost everyone echoed.

After he sat, Sheridan stood up and looked at her new husband. Giggling slightly she said to everyone, “I couldn’t decide on a maid-of-honor so I decided not to have one at all really. Obviously without one she can’t give a toast.” Taking a deep breath, she focused again on her husband only. “When I first met you I thought you were insufferable. I was sure I couldn’t get rid of you fast enough and yet the more time I spent with you, the more I hated the fact I was falling in love. Once I stopped fighting it, I knew there was no one in the world more right for me than you.” A tear rolled down her cheek and she chuckled softly, trying not to cry. “I remember what it was like to wake up one morning and not know who I was or where I belonged. I felt so desolate, so empty, and yet I knew that some time in my past a man I loved more than life itself existed. It was hard for me to move on because that love was the only thing that kept me alive in the worst of times. Seeing you again that day on the street made my whole world fall back into place and the moment you re-proposed I knew we were going to make it this time. My love for you only grows stronger as days go by, Luis, and despite the fact that we are going to have so much to overcome in our future and very soon we’re going to have a baby to care for, I know that I will never love someone the way I love you. I also know that this love we share will help us survive and fifty years from now we will still be together. So I ask everyone to toast with me to my husband, the man who saved me not only from death but also from a fate that was worse: a world without love. To my Luis.”

“To Luis!” Most of the guests were touched by Sheridan’s sentiments.

Luis then stood, looking around at everyone. “Sheridan’s a hard act to follow,” he cleared his throat. “A really hard act,” he laughed slightly, looking at his beautiful bride. “How do you make a toast to someone so unique, so precious, special enough to be worthy of her time? I’ve asked that question of myself for the last two weeks and the same answer always came to mind: you can’t. There are no words in the world that can describe how I feel becoming your husband or that can define how much I love you. You are an angel and I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that you were the woman for me but I’ve often regretted that it did. We were forced to spend so much time apart and during those times I felt incomplete. You, Sheridan, completed me: you brought light to my dark world, love to a man who had given up even looking for it and hope that things could only get better. You are my heart and my soul, without you I cease to exist. I know that our wedding comes with some complications that many other couples don’t have to face, but I also know that we both trust in the love we have and that we’ll make it through anything life throws at us. So I ask all of you here tonight, our friends and family, to join me in toasting to the love of my life, the woman that changed me for the better by giving me her love. To my beautiful wife, Sheridan.”

“To Sheridan.” The women were now crying openly, Sheridan hardly able to control her sobs, as Luis knelt before her and kissed her sweetly. Applause rang out and the two of them couldn’t control the smiles on their faces or the tears that fell from their eyes.

The music began to raise as was the plan, but Beth stood at her place in the back of the room, coming forward with a bit of applause and her glass of water in her hands. A single light found her as she stopped in the center of the dance floor. “I didn’t get to speak,” she looked slightly shocked and feigned disappointment. “But I know Luis and Sheridan won’t mind if I add a few words right now before all of their faithful friends and relatives,” she began to caress her stomach, an evil twinkle in her eyes. “I’ve known Luis since we were children and many people in this town excepted us to marry after high school. Mind you Antonio and Martin disappearing certainly complicated things, but I had hope until Sheridan arrived. Of course, you’d have to be blind not to have seen the love boiling between the hatred they displayed and it wasn’t much of a shock when they finally got together.”

“Beth,” Antonio warned. “Stop.”

“I have no intention of stopping before I toast the happy couple!” she laughed wickedly. “As Luis’ best friend and the woman carrying his first born I believe I have a right to toast them, don’t I? The father of my baby just married a woman who has more lives than a cat! She can’t just die and go away so I can have him back, no, she has to return once I’m carrying his child.” She spun towards Sheridan. “Right now I feel like the evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty. I wasn’t invited but that doesn’t stop me from attending, does it? Well now I wish to toast to your happiness. May your life never be all that you have planned and may my child be the only one that ever blesses your family. May you spend the rest of your life remembering that I gave Luis the one thing you couldn’t: a baby.”

Everyone gasped, but Sheridan stood and looked right at Beth. Without even the slightest bit of a reaction, she spoke, “You forget, Beth, that the evil fairy dies in Sleepy Beauty and her curse is nothing but a shadow of itself in the end. I’m not even going to waste my time dignifying this pathetic display with any other response,” she stood taller. “This is a party for our wedding, is it not? Shouldn’t we be celebrating more and pouting less? Where’s the music?”

As the music began, two waiters entered and escorted Beth from the room. Sheridan remained as dignified as possible considering the blow she had taken. Luis placed a hand on her back, leaning over to whisper words of love into her ear. Their guests were being served but the two continued to talk in hushed whispers with kisses and caresses as punctuation.

After dinner, before the dancing began, Father Christmas entered the room donning an all white suit and carrying a red velour bag full of gifts. “Ho, ho, ho!” he called out, entering the room and smiling. He started giving out all the Christmas gifts beginning with the guests and finishing with the bride and groom.

“This one is special, from the groom himself,” he told Sheridan, handing her a gift wrapped in shiny white paper with a red rose settling atop it.

Sheridan removed the gift from Santa’s hands and removed the red rose. She inhaled its sweet scent for a moment before lifting the rectangular box. It was obviously jewelry by the shape of the box, but that didn’t make her any less excited. Opening the paper cautiously, she finally detached the lid and gasped in surprise. A silver heart shaped pendant rested on a delicate silver chain. Engraved on the side facing upward were their initials entwined together so it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. “It’s beautiful.”

“Flip it over,” he told her.

Sheridan flipped the heart over and saw words scrawled elegantly in Spanish. “Usted tiene el corazón,” she read aloud. “You have my heart. That’s…that’s so…why is the only word I can think of right now beautiful?” she giggled.

“Well if you think it’s beautiful then that’s what it is,” he smiled.

“Luis, I have your gift packed away. I thought we were going to exchange them before we left for the honeymoon.”

“I know,” he grinned. “That’s why I gave you this one now. I have many more presents for you, Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald. I just wanted you to have this,” he removed it from the box and put it around her bare neck. “I wanted you to know that no matter where we are, together or apart, you have my heart and therefore we’re always going to be together.”

“I love you,” she kissed him.

“I love you more,” he caressed her cheek. “I’m looking forward to our time together in Europe, Sheridan. Getting away is the best for us right now and by time we return in two months we’ll be ready to face everything that comes our way.”

She nodded in agreement and looked around the room as their friends and family laughed over the presents Santa had delivered. Everyone was having such a wonderful time at their reception that Sheridan couldn’t help but feel her spirits begin to soar. Beth’s words had wounded her far more than she had shown and she knew that deep down inside the scars from those words would never heal. But she was with Luis, she was his wife and no one, not even Beth, could ever change that.

“Luis,” Sheridan turned towards him. “There is one thing I want to ask of you, something we haven’t discussed before today.”

“What’s that, darling?” he asked her.

“I want to try and have a baby. I know that the miscarriage was rough for both of us and that we do have Beth’s baby coming in a few months, but I still want a child of our own and we never discussed whether or not we were going to try and get pregnant.” Looking into his eyes, she continued, “You are my husband and I love you more than anything else in the world. I want to carry your child inside of me and I want to be the one screaming obscenities of you when I go into labor. I’m ready to have a child with you, if you’re ready for one with me.”

Luis didn’t even hesitate when he replied. “There is nothing I want more that to have a child with you, Sheridan. I didn’t want to push the issue because of the miscarriage and I wasn’t sure if you were ready, but now that I know you are, I’m positive there is nothing that would fill our lives more than having a child together. I don’t care if it will be hard having two infants in the house, I want to start a family with you.”

Chapter Seventeen

Luis hated returning to work when at home he had his very amorous wife who was dying to conceive a child, but after two months away from the office he couldn’t take another day off. Sam had been very understanding of Luis’ extended vacation, especially when the man had hardly taken much time off in the last fourteen years on the force. However, when he returned from his European honeymoon with Sheridan, Sam had said there was a ton of work for Luis to do around the office. They had some big cases come in; well, big for Harmony anyway. Still, Luis had no desire to do paperwork and as he sat in his little cubicle with the files fanned out across his desk, Luis did anything but read the paperwork.

He started by skimming the newspaper’s morning headlines, but quickly found that Harmony news was almost as boring as Harmony crime. Attempting the crossword puzzle for a time, Luis gave in when he answered the first five by putting “Sheridan” in the box. With his mind already on his beautiful wife, it wasn’t hard for him to start to daydream about her. Daydreams of what could happen faded into memories of what had and he thought about how they had spent Valentine’s Day while in Italy.

The Cappella del Coro, or the Chapel of the Choir, was covered in candlelight as Luis rushed Sheridan through most of the Basilica on Valentine’s Day morning. She tried to catch sight of Moderno’s fifteenth century frescoes and the stuccoes by Giacomo della Porta, but saw blurred shapes as Luis dragged her down the halls. Trying to plant her feet firmly, Sheridan gave Luis a tug backwards. He had been in a rush before, especially when she teased him before they arrived at their next tourist attraction, but this was ridiculous.

“What is your rush, Luis? We’re missing all the beauty of the Basilica this way. We passed Michaelangelo’s paintings back there,” she huffed. In all her times in Italy, Sheridan had never had any desire to tour the Vatican. She was hardly the perfect Catholic and most of her trips to Italy involved shopping in Milan and Rome. She had, of course, seen Florence and Sicily, but never St. Peter’s. She had been interested in the art but never actually stopped to see it.

“Well,” Luis sighed, not wanting to give his secret away. “I didn’t want to ruin the surprise,” he stated, lifting her left hand to his lips and placing a kiss over her wedding band. “But I suppose I should tell you or you might never agree. I found out a while back that it’s actually possible to have a wedding done here at the Basilica and since we were going to be here on our honeymoon I thought perhaps you wouldn’t mind a Valentine’s wedding renewal.”

Sheridan giggled, shaking her head. They hadn’t been married even two months and already Luis wanted to renew their vows. Some women might have been annoyed but this, but not Sheridan. It touched her heart to know he wanted to marry her, repeatedly. Knowing that St. Peter’s Basilica attracted vast amounts of tourists every year and that reserving the Chapel was not only an expense but near impossible, Sheridan could hardly deny him this. She could just imagine Pilar’s reaction when she learned they were remarried at the capital of Catholicism. “I would be honored to renew our vows, Luis,” Sheridan squeezed his hand. “Especially here and now.”

Luis immediately seemed relieved and explained to his bride that they would have a full wedding, including a mass, starting at nine-thirty. Of course, it was nearly that time due to their morning activities, which clarified Luis’ reason for rushing. Sheridan slipped her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder as they headed for the door to the Chapel…

The phone on Luis’ desk rang and he looked around to see if anyone else in the office was going to answer. It wasn’t an inquiry call; he could tell because the 911 line was ringing. Since the winters were so slow in Harmony, the 911 calls were patched through the Harmony PD, where only three or four officers were actually in the office and three were on call at all times. Swiftly pulling the phone off of the base and lifting it to his ear, Luis said, “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency.”

A very jittery woman tried to speak, her voice unsteady on the other end of the line. She continuously paused to take a deep breath, trying to stay calm to convey her information. Coughing, she sputtered, “There’s a fire across the street from my house.”

Luis punched a few numbers into his computer and it brought up the cross streets the woman was living at. “Ma’am, can you tell me the number on the house?” he asked, not immediately recognizing the neighborhood as he focused on the panicked woman.

“Four eleven. The woman lives there with her elderly mother; she’s pregnant, the woman that is, not the mother,” she started to ramble.

Luis froze, immediately realizing whom the woman was speaking of. Shakily, he continued, “I’ve dispatched a fire unit and they should be there shortly. In the mean time, stay clear of the building and remember that help is on the way,” he hung up, grabbing his car keys.

“Where are you going Lo-Fitz?” one of his buddies teased. “Sheridan need some loving?”

Luis just shot him a look and then rushed out, hopping into his squad car. He only prayed that Beth and Mrs. Wallace weren’t inside the house. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to his child now.

Beth cackled as she stood near the bed where her drugged mother laid, her eyes dark with an insanity that even a doctor couldn’t cure. She was tired of being used by Luis as the incubator for the baby and even more tired of being taunted by her sick mother. She had dedicated her life to the two of them, spent her time and effort to make Luis and Dana as happy as she could, but nothing was ever enough. She didn’t win Luis’ love back from Sheridan and she never would, she understood that now. The more she thought of Sheridan being Luis’ wife, the angrier she became and the less she wanted to live long enough to have his child. She wanted revenge and she knew that nothing she could do short of killing Sheridan would even measure slightly on Luis’ radar. But she knew harming his child, the baby he had fallen in love with so easily despite its mother, would be her ultimate revenge.

The idea to light the fire had come from several murder mystery and suspense novels. She had read in many books that disgruntled wives or house servants burnt down the owner’s home starting with the bedroom. Of course, she didn’t want to burn down Luis’ home, because then she couldn’t be rid of her mother, so instead she decided to torch her own and hopefully make Dana’s murder look like an accident.

It had been so easy to take care of her mother, melting the medication into the lunch she had fed the woman was simple enough and adding double the dose of several kinds of pills had guaranteed that Dada would be at least unconscious when the house began to burn. Unfortunately, Beth hadn’t figured out how she was going to get her mother into her bedroom and had barely managed to help the groggy invalid up a flight of stairs and into the room. Letting her collapse on the bed, Beth only said one thing to her.

“Burn in hell.”

Dana hadn’t realized just how appropriate her psychotic daughter’s words were as she fell into the comfortable warmth of unconsciousness. Beth then poured the lighter fluid on the walls off the room and continued around the house. The fumes made her dizzy, but she refused to open a single window and ruin the effect. Finally having every wall bathed and prepared, she tossed a few random matches from the top of the staircase and watched as the flames licked at the wood.

Suddenly, realization dawned and Beth’s eyes cleared. She looked at the stairs as they were consumed by flames and screamed. The path she was supposed to leave had started to burn already, the fluid she had used spilled in the carpet that covered the steps. Backing deeper into the hallway, Beth looked out the window. She suddenly didn’t want to die; she wanted to be outside and watch as the orange-red flames swallowed the house, her mother inside. She had to find a way out. Screaming again, she prayed that God would forgive her and have someone arrive in time to save her.

Luis arrived at the scene shortly after the first fire truck appeared. The men began to connect the hoses and Luis circled the house for signs of Beth. He couldn’t believe how quickly the fire was coursing through the house, especially since the call had only been received ten minutes prior to his arrival. The whooshing of the water hitting the fire, though not putting it out, filled the air and Luis had to wonder why the flames seem to spread instead of extinguish. Spotting one of the neighbors, he headed towards them with the intention of finding Beth. “Excuse me, do you know if the owner was home?”

“I believe so,” the young blond replied, twirling her hair and snapping her bubble gum. “I heard someone screaming a few minutes ago. The old woman might just be home though.”

Luis wasn’t sure if he could take the word of a girl that reminded him far too much of his sister, Theresa. He had called the Book Café as he sped towards to scene and found that Beth hadn’t shown up for work or called in and Chad had assumed she was feeling too tired. After all, she was nine months pregnant. Sighing, Luis tried to peek through the windows to see if anyone was trapped inside. Suddenly, he heard a blood-curdling scream followed by a crashing sound. That’s when he saw her. In the upstairs window he caught sight of Beth clinging to something, her hands starting to slip. Running around the front, he ignored the firemen that tried to grab at him and kicked open the door.

“Beth!” he cried, watching as she dangled over the remnants of the stairs. The sharp shards of wood pointed towards the landing where she clung for dear life.

“Luis,” she cried, her hands starting to slip. “Help me!” she begged.

He stepped forward, but the flames reached another spot of gasoline and flared up, blocking his chances to pass towards her. Looking for another path, Luis prayed that God would protect his child. His heart honestly hoped his friend would not be hurt, even if she hadn’t been much of anything to him lately. But his main concern was with the child she was carrying. Try as he might, he knew that the baby meant more to him than Beth ever would. “Hold on!”

She didn’t reply, but focused her efforts on holding onto the remaining wood of the banister. Suddenly, the wood began to give way and Beth slipped, slowly losing what hold she had. With a final scream, she fell from the second story to the first, landing on her back with a crash. Luis panicked, dashing through the flames to get to her side; he cradled her close, looking for a way out and barely feeling the debris that hit him. Grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch, he wrapped Beth in it to protect her skin from the fire. With a shallow breath, Luis held her close and made his way out the front door. He deposited Beth into the arms of a firefighter and collapsed to his knees, taking deep breaths of fresh clean air and couching from the smoke he had inhaled.

Behind him the house crumbled, falling layer upon layer as the fire destroyed the only occupant and everything within.

Eve finished placing the bandage on Luis’ forehead, offering him a faltering smile. She knew that nothing she could say right now would calm him and even if there were words that could, she wasn’t sure she could say them. The desperation in his eyes was more than anyone could bear and Eve wished she had good news for him. Since the moment the ambulance arrived at the ER, Beth had been kept in closed quarters with no visitors. Not a single doctor had thought to bring Luis any news of her or the baby’s condition. She had immediately taken him to another room and given him time to wash up before she cleaned and covered his wounds. Now, she was finished and knew he would ask about Beth.

“How come I haven’t heard anything yet?” Luis asked her, looking towards the doorway as if a nurse would just rush in with news. “That’s my child she’s carrying, Eve, and I have to know what’s going on. It’s my right as the father.”

“I know, Luis,” she tried to placate him. “Now that I have you fixed up I can go check on her for you, but you’ll have to wait in the lounge. Why don’t you call Sheridan and let her know what’s going on while you wait for me to return?”

Luis looked down at the floor. “Sheridan was starting to get excited about this baby, Eve,” he sighed, tears filling his eyes. “She’s finally ready to be a mother to my son or daughter and now she may lose this child too. It seems so unfair.”

Eve understood his feelings; in fact, she had completely identified with Sheridan’s loss after the miscarriage, not that she was able to tell her that. It was hard to lose a child, no matter what stage of its life it was in. She could honestly tell that Luis had wanted this baby even if the situation around the birth was not exactly what he had planned. “Look, let’s not give up on this child before it has even had a chance to fight. Go get yourself some coffee from the lounge, call your wife and I’ll go see what I can find out.”

Luis sighed again. “All right,” he slid off the exam table. “Thanks, Eve. This means a lot to me, more than you know.”

“No problem,” she offered a slight smile and slipped out of the room.

Luis followed her a moment later, slowly walking through the hall towards the lounge. He wasn’t really sure he was in the right state of mind to call his wife. Right now, he didn’t have the heart to break hers. With a heavy sigh, he pushed open the faux wood door and slipped into a leather chair. Closing his eyes, he saw the entire scene again: the flames flashing around him, Beth dangling above the shards of wood and the smoke that filled the air. He could have died inside that house and he knew Sheridan would point as much out, but he had to save his child. It seemed so cold to him that it wasn’t Beth’s life he considered saving but his baby’s. Beth had been nothing but trouble since Sheridan returned, using every chance she had to drive a wedge between them. She had constantly rubbed it into Sheridan’s face that she was the one carrying Luis’ first born and many nights Luis would come home to Sheridan’s cries of anguish upstairs. Part of him wished he would have never gone inside and let Beth and his child pass on together but he couldn’t. His heart wouldn’t let him. It was bad enough that the remains of Mrs. Wallace had been found in what should have been the bedroom. The police were saying it was murder and arson. If Beth lived…

He shook his head. Beth had been brought in with several bad burns of both second and third degree. She had not been breathing pure oxygen for quite a time inside the house and the EMTs were amazed she had made it so long without air. They didn’t seem optimistic that she was going to make it much longer; in fact, they hadn’t even wanted to say she would make the ride to the ER. Her heart rate had been low, her breathing shallow and Luis knew that there was little chance Beth would come back to life now. If she did survive, she would be bedridden for the rest of her life. He heard the EMT tell his friend that the woman was probably brain dead.

Reaching to his left, Luis picked up the cream colored phone and dialed Sheridan’s cell number. As much as he didn’t want to tell Sheridan, he needed her right now. His thoughts were getting the best of him and he couldn’t stand being alone anymore. He didn’t want to be by himself when Eve returned with news, especially if it was about the baby. Sheridan, as the child’s stepmother, had the right to know what was happening and be present when the final news came. He let the phone ring several times before he felt his frustration turn to tears.

“What took you so long?” Sheridan’s voice came from the doorway of the lounge as she walked in. “Sam called me twenty minutes ago. I’ve been so worried about you. He wouldn’t tell me anything except that you had gone into a burning house without any protection!”

Luis opened his eyes, smiling softly at the sight of her in the doorway. He stood, crossing to her and taking her body into his arms, holding her close. He finally let his resolve down and felt the tears begin to fall.

Sheridan wrapped her arms around him tightly and let his cry on her shoulder. She knew that he was hurting and didn’t want him to keep it all inside. Sam’s call had frightened her, especially when he said he hadn’t heard from Luis since he left the station. One of the other officers on the scene had actually reported that Luis had gone inside after Beth without putting on any protective gear and he knew that Luis could have been knocked out or worse. Just hearing Sam say that Luis could have been killed crushed her. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost him. “It’s all right, sweetheart,” she whispered softly.

He sniffled, feeling foolish that he had broken down. In all his life he had been the strong one, closed off to feeling anything because it always hurt too much. He couldn’t cry when his father left because he and Antonio had to pick up the slack. When Antonio disappeared only two weeks later, he couldn’t show any emotion. Theresa, Miguel and his mother needed him to be the man of the house. He needed to make decisions, to work and take care of his siblings while in school. There just wasn’t any time for emotion. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she led him over to a row of chairs and sat beside him, her hand clutching his. “I was so worried about you, Luis, but I knew in my heart you were all right. What possessed you to go into that house?”

“Beth was in there and no one was going to go inside and try to save her. I couldn’t let the baby die, Sheridan, so I went in to help her and now I may lose the baby anyway.”

Sheridan brushed her fingers across the white cloth on his head. “You risked your life for that child, Luis. It was amazingly foolish for you to go inside the way you did, but I always knew you were a hero. I remember your going to the same lengths to save me. Remember the helicopter?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Yea. Even then you were a pain,” he winked.

She swatted him playfully, proud that she was able to raise his spirits. “Have you heard any news at all about Beth or the baby?”

He shook his head. “Nothing since we got here.”

“Luis,” Eve interrupted, standing just outside the door and looking in at them. “I have some information about Beth and the baby.”

Luis could tell by her tone it wasn’t good. “Are they…”

“No,” she cut him off. “The doctors in charge of her case asked me to bring this to you,” she handed him a clipboard. “They don’t believe that Beth will last much longer, Luis, and she had a DNR, which means they can not intubate her should she code. She’s breathing on her own, but it isn’t strong and they haven’t reported much brain activity.”

“What does this mean for the baby?” Sheridan asked, squeezing his hand gently.

“They want to do a cesarean section and attempt to save the baby’s life. They aren’t sure how much oxygen the baby has been getting, but they have her connected to a monitor and the heartbeat is strong. If they go in now before Beth codes, they could very well save the baby.”

Luis looked down at the form. “What do I have to do?”

“Sign on the line giving permission to C-section the baby. You’re the father and Beth has you listed in her medical file that you have power of attorney should anything happen to both herself and her mother. All medical decisions are up to you.”

“Is this the only way to save the baby?” Luis asked.

Eve nodded. “If Beth expires, the baby will as well.”

He sighed, scribbling his name on the paperwork and handing it back to Eve. “Do anything to save my child’s life, Eve. Please.”

Eve clutched the forms tightly. “I’ll send someone in as soon as we have completed the C-section. For now, just try to remain calm.”

“Easier said than done,” Luis mumbled as Eve disappeared down the hall. Opening his arms, he allowed his wife to lean against his chest and kissed the top of her head. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he murmured into her hair. “The guys on the force found traces of gasoline and lighter fluid on the remnants of the house. Mrs. Wallace’s blood was tested and she has abnormally high levels of medication in her system. The boys are talking murder and arson.”

“You mean she killed her mother and set the house on fire intentionally?” Sheridan gasped in surprise. “Do you think she was trying to exact some revenge from us?”

“It had crossed my mind. I believe Beth wanted to die too so she could punish me for caring more about the baby than her. I think somehow she changed her mind and the floor just collapsed; she had cut her only exit off.”

Sheridan shook her head. “I can’t believe she could be that way, Luis. Beth had seem like such a sweet person when I first met her.”

“You know what they say about a woman scorned, Sheridan. I had led her on when we slept together, made her believe that we could have a future together instead of being honest and telling her I was too hurt and confused. I love you, Sheridan, and she just couldn’t deal with that.”

“I love you too,” she kissed him sweetly. “Everything is going to be all right, Luis. This was in no way your fault and there is nothing you could do to change what happened.”

Luis knew Sheridan was right, but part of him felt guilty. If his baby died, he wasn’t sure he would be able to forgive himself for his treatment of Beth. He was already having a hard time dealing with losing both Mrs. Wallace and his childhood friend. Losing his child would be the final straw to his already sensitive psyche.

“Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald?” a young nurse entered the room and looked around.

“Right here,” Luis cleared his throat.

“Dr. Russell sent me to tell you that Ms. Wallace did not make it to surgery and they were going to do an emergency C down here in the ER instead.”

Luis’ face fell. “And the baby?”

“They didn’t give me any information on the baby, sir. Only that Ms. Wallace was pronounced about two minutes ago. I’m sorry,” she turned and left.

Luis kept his eyes on the door, his concern for the baby overwhelming him. Gripping the chair tightly, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles while he waited for news. He was a movement out of the corned of his eye and recognized Eve. Darting up, he rushed to the door to meet her. “Eve? Do you know anything?”

“Calm down,” Eve patted his arm gently. “Luis the baby is doing wonderfully. Beth coded in the hall and they rushed her back to the ER. They had the baby out in under thirty seconds.”

“So the baby survived,” he glowed, looking at his wife who seemed just as happy to know their child was going to be all right. “Eve? Is the baby a girl or a boy?”

Eve smiled. “A beautiful baby girl, Luis. She’s a full six and a half pounds and is upstairs in the nursery waiting to meet her parents.” She paused a moment and noticed he hadn’t moved, tears in his eyes. “Well, what are you waiting for, Luis? Take your wife upstairs and meet your daughter!”

Luis didn’t hesitate a moment longer as he and Sheridan moved past Eve and towards the elevator to finally see their first child.

Luis peeked into the Plexiglas window, looking at all the tiny vignettes filled with babies. He saw many blue blankets and caps but only one or two little girls. Eve had phoned upstairs and asked a nurse to bring the baby to Sheridan and Luis, but no one had come to the window yet and he searched the rows for his nameless daughter. Sheridan giggled when he spotted the only car without a name on it and pointed it out. “That’s her.”

“How do you know? Maybe there’s another woman in this town that can’t decide on a name for her child and opted not to have one on the tag,” she teased, putting her arms around him.

A nurse came to the window. “Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald, are you ready to meet your daughter for the first time?”

Luis nodded and the woman walked over to the vignette he had previously shown his wife, lifting the tiny bundle from it. Walking out the door to the side, she met Luis at the doorway to the nursery and gently placed the tiny newborn into his arms. “Meet Baby Lopez-Fitzgerald.”

Luis’ eyes teared as he cradled his daughter closely, kissing the top of her tiny pink hat. “She’s beautiful,” he looked her over. The baby had his coloring, tanned skin with dark lashes. When her hat moved, Luis could easily see that she had curly dark brown hair, much like Theresa when she was born. She was long and slender but her cheeks were chubby and her tiny pink lips pouted slightly.

The nurse nodded. “Dr. Russell actually said she should be able to go home this afternoon. Normally we keep mother’s and newborns overnight, but Eve thinks she should go home with her new parents.”

Luis caressed the baby’s cheek, unable to believe that he had a daughter. Looking at his wife, he smiled brightly. “Would you like to hold her, angel?”

Sheridan looked at the tiny baby and felt reluctant to take her from Luis. Part of her was very jealous that Luis had his baby after she had lost hers. The pang of sadness squeezed her heart as she thought that she would be about ready to give birth to her own son or daughter now. She shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”

He went to argue, but recognized the look in her eyes. She was still thinking about the miscarriage. Deciding not to push her, he kissed his daughter again and touched her nose. The baby stretched slightly, yawning as she snuggled into his warmth.

“Looks like she feels right at home,” the nurse touched the baby’s hand. “They say the baby recognizes and feels safe in the arms of her parents. She must know you’re her father.” The nurse excused herself as the wail of another baby filled the air.

“Or at least recognizes that he’ll always protect her,” Sheridan replied, watching Luis with the baby. She was surprised to feel a desire and even a need to hold and bond with Luis’ little girl. When the child’s eyes opened for a second and Sheridan saw the deep blue orbs, she craved the chance to hold the baby for the first time. She hadn’t held a newborn since they delivered little Luis Sheridan. “Luis?”

“Yes, baby?” he asked, looking away from his daughter.

“Can I hold her now?” she asked shyly, reaching for her.

“Of course. I think she wants her mother,” he told his wife, gently placing the bundle in Sheridan’s arms. “Meet your daughter.”

Sheridan’s eyes glowed, the blue lightening as she finally cradled the baby in the warmth of her arms. It felt so right to hold her this way and she brushed a kiss against the soft skin of her daughter’s cheek. Sheridan realized in that moment that the baby would never know her real mother, just as she had never known hers. This child was going to grow up knowing only her as a mother and only Luis as a father. With teary eyes, she kissed the baby’s head. “Welcome to the world little Biana,” she whispered.

“Biana,” Luis smiled. “I like that name. Where did you get it?”

“A book,” she grinned. “I think it fits her perfectly, though. She looks like a Biana.”

“I agree. It’s a beautiful name for our little princess.” He paused a moment, taking a deep. “You know, Sher, I was thinking about something when I was holding her. We have never really discussed what we would do in the event something happened to Beth.”

“I know,” Sheridan was looking at the baby. “I never considered something would happen to her, but now that it has I feel connected to the baby. We both have a bond to share: the loss of our mother.”

“That’s part of what I’ve been thinking. I know it might be cruel to do to her, Sheridan, but after Beth’s behavior today I don’t believe it would be in her best interest to know she has another mother and that you’re only her stepmother,” he hesitated.

“Luis, what are you trying to say?” she asked.

“Sheridan, I know you love my daughter with all your heart; I can see in your eyes that you want this child to be as much yours as she is mine. Biologically we know that isn’t possible, but it is legally. Sheridan, I want you to be the mother to our child. Will you legally adopt Biana and become her mother in the eyes of the law?”

Sheridan inhaled sharply. Looking down at the baby she knew she had only one option. She couldn’t let this child go through life without people that loved her and Sheridan did love her. With a bright smile and not an ounce of regret, Sheridan answered his question with one word...

“Yes.”

Epilogue

She was theirs, perhaps not by blood but theirs by law. Biana Lopez-Fitzgerald was everything Sheridan could have dreamed her own daughter would have been like: sweet, beautiful and a joy to be with. She was unmistakably Luis daughter from the deep brown eyes that were filled with a love for everyone to the brown hair that she wore to her waist. There wasn’t a trace of Beth in her, not in looks or personality, and no one had ever mentioned a word to the sweet little angel that Sheridan wasn’t her mother. As far as Biana was concerned, Sheridan was the only mother she had and ever would.

Sheridan could remember the day they brought her home from the hospital, the files for adoption filed that very same evening. Little Biana had opened her eyes twice and looked deep into Sheridan’s eyes as if she were reading her soul. When she woke that night, Sheridan had sung to her as she ate from her bottle. After she was out of songs and her daughter seemed uninterested in sleep, Sheridan shared her deepest thoughts with Biana and told the girl how much she was loved by bother her parents. Sheridan had taken this baby into her heart and she wasn’t going to let anyone say this girl wasn’t her daughter, because she was in every way that truly mattered.

Ten months later, Biana had made it quite certain that she thought Sheridan was her mother. Instead of being like most children and saying ‘Dada’ as her first word, Biana had looked right at Sheridan, reaching her chubby little arms out, and said, “Mama.” Sheridan didn’t think one thing could have affected her so deeply as hearing her little angel call her Mama. From that moment on Biana never looked at Sheridan without speaking her name and when she took her first steps a month later, she fell into Sheridan’s arms, smiled and repeated the word Sheridan loved to hear: Mama.

But having Biana didn’t make Sheridan’s longing for a child of her own disappear. With every first Biana had, Sheridan remember that her child with Antonio would have been as old as her stepdaughter. There was always a sadness in her eyes and it seemed the more she tried to have a child with Luis, the more disappointment she had when the test results came up negative. Luis had tried to make her stop thinking about it, but it wasn’t until the day Biana turned four that Sheridan finally got her wish: she learned that she was pregnant.

Sheridan smiled, taking a picture from the mantle and looking at it. Biana was holding Anissa in her lap, smiling directly at the camera. Clutching the picture to her heart, Sheridan closed her eyes and relived that day again.

“What are you thinking about?” Luis asked, massaging his wife’s shoulders as she studied their daughter from across the park. Biana was picking daisies along the edge of the pond with her back to Sheridan and Luis. Beside them, Anissa sat in her bouncy chair, kicking her feet and giggling every time the chair rocked up and down.

“Nothing really,” Sheridan blew Biana a kiss when she turned to wave at them. “Just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters.”

Luis kissed Sheridan shoulder, hugged her close against him. It had been her idea to take advantage of the summer-like weather and have a picnic outdoors on this particular April day. Not that Luis minded, he loved any excuse to enjoy time with his three favorite women.

“Mommy!” Biana ran over, thrusting a handful of flowers at Sheridan. “I pick-ed these just for you!” she smiled brightly.

Sheridan pulled her daughter into her lap and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart. They are beautiful.”

“Hey, how come I don’t get any flowers?” Luis pouted.

“Daddy,” Biana rolled her eyes. “Flowers are for girls.”

“Who said?” he asked, challenging her.

“Me,” she shrugged, sliding off of her mother’s lap and tickling her little sister’s stomach. “Mommy, can I hold the baby if I promise not to break her?”

Sheridan laughed slightly, removing Anissa from her chair. “Of course you can,” Sheridan told her daughter and helped her get situated. She then carefully placed Anissa in her lap and smiled when Biana kissed the baby’s head.

“I love you, Nissa,” Biana called her baby sister by the nickname she had given her.

Anissa laughed, grabbing hold of her sister’s fingers and smiling at her mother. She continued to kick her feet as her big sister tickled her side. The two sat together as they did many times, just forgetting that anyone else was around. Sheridan quickly grabbed the camera and took some picture of her two little angels.

“Smile Biana!” Sheridan called to her daughter, causing the littler girl to look up. Biana smiled and Sheridan snapped the picture, holding the camera close to her heart. Both girls returned to playing, ignoring the flash of their mother’s camera as they enjoyed the spring day.

Sheridan opened her eyes and placed the frame back on the mantle, straightening it until the girls were looking directly at her. Placing a kiss against her fingertips, she brushed them over the glass frame. Luis and Biana were in the kitchen, setting up the items for Sheridan’s birthday party and she already knew what she was going to wish for. With a smile she placed her flattened hand against her stomach.

“I hope this one is a boy.”

Sheridan sat at her writing desk and removed her old journal, skimming the words she had last written as Diana. They held pain and hopelessness, a desire to be with the true love she could remember but couldn’t find. Sheridan hadn’t opened the journal since she was reunited with Luis. Her new memories had been written in a new journal and never had she closed the book on her old life and the time she was away. Pausing for a moment, she considered what she wanted to write looking for what would best summarize the end of her travels. Finally, Sheridan scrawled the following words on the last page of the notebook…