“I love to sing to him…” Sheridan’s eyes were closed as she lay on the couch, picturing herself five years ago when she was pregnant. Eve sat on a chair near her, trying to bring up those memories that had long since been buried. For two weeks, Sheridan had been trying to get up the nerve to undergo another hypnosis session; the last one having been over her nightmares of killing Martin Fitzgerald. Finally, facing the upcoming birthday of her son, she called Eve and made an appointment for July first.

In the meantime, Luis had been using his detective skills to track down Ashley, who had been moved from her London boarding school just shortly before Alistair’s death. It was almost as if he knew he was going to die. He filmed the video will just five days before the crash. Ashley was moved only three days before and the day before, he had paid a visit to Colin and Misty.

With his searching skills, Luis had been able to find clues that Ashley was still in Europe, though his sources had yet to narrow it down to one country. He was now sitting in the armchair, looking over the information he had collected while Sheridan tried to dig up her missing past. He was thankful that Miguel had taken Colin to the beach for the day so that they could have the house to themselves when Eve came.

“Can you remember what you sang, Sheridan?” Eve asked gently, hoping the woman would spark a memory. For the last hour she had poked and probed, trying to bring up the memories other doctors had buried. Sheridan had done well so far, remembering the party and sleeping with Luis. It had caused her to giggle and whisper, “He was the best ever.”

Sheridan’s brow furrowed in thought as she tried to remember the song she sang to her abdomen as she caressed it, waiting for the baby’s impending birth.

Sheridan sat in a rocking chair, her hand gently placed on the swell of her stomach. Three months more and she would be holding the tiny baby in her arms. The doctor told her that everything looked fine and there was no reason she should worry about the baby. Rocking the chair slowly, she spoke to her child.

“I wish I knew where Luis lived, I don’t remember his mentioning it. He deserves to know that he’s a Daddy, don’t you agree little one?” she caressed her stomach with a bright smile on her face. “I bet he would make a wonderful father,” she moved to massage the sides of her stomach. “I wonder what he’s doing now…” She felt a kick against her palm as she became pensive. “No more talking, huh? All right…I’ll sing to you, my love.”

“Billy Joel…” she whispered. “He likes Lullaby by Billy Joel. ‘Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes, And save these questions for another day…’ He loves that song. Every time I sing he stops kicking. We always talk. I want to find his father because Luis has a right to know about the baby. I can’t remember where he lives though. I don’t think he told me if it was Boston. He would make a wonderful father and this baby was definitely more from love than most people believe. I fell in love with that man the moment he smiled at me…”

Luis looked over, shocked at what Sheridan had admitted. He honestly didn’t know what that night meant to him. Was is just a night of sex? He tried to find one other one-night stand in his mind. One other girl that meant so little to him that he slept with her and moved on. He couldn’t come up with one. Luis remembered going back to Sheridan’s hotel later that afternoon to find she had left already. He had made every attempt he could to find her, but it’s impossible to do so when you only know the first name Sarah. She was right, that night was a lot more than a night of unrestrained passion.

Eve added Sheridan’s memories to the notes she had been taking. Sheridan had remembered quite a bit: from the day she found out she was pregnant after returning to Paris until the day she was currently talking about. She mentioned how she shopped, getting every stuffed animal she found in a store and outfits to last a boy or girl months. The apartment she lived in was redone to be baby proof and the spare room was converted into a nursery. She had painted white with a Winnie the Pooh theme; the storeowner had told her it was a popular choice. Sheridan mentioned that a friend from boarding school had thrown her a baby shower and they had chosen to name the baby after his father if it were a boy. After all, it was only right that he should have some link to his parentage. Luis had actually cried when she mentioned that she wanted the baby to have his name. She even planned on putting Lopez-Fitzgerald on the birth certificate so that one day Little Luis could find his paternal family.

Deciding it was time to get to why Sheridan couldn’t remember her past, Eve started to move their time frame forward. “Let’s move forward, Sheridan. Can you remember going into labor?”

Sheridan was sitting at the table; her friend Annette beside her sipping a cup of tea. They were discussing the bachelors that had been at the most recent gala, which Sheridan hadn’t actually attended. She wasn’t ready to date, especially being pregnant, and she was looking forward to finding Luis in America.

“Jean Luc was talking about you non-stop, Sheridan. I do believe he wants to start seeing you. I’m sure he’d love the baby…”

Sheridan put her hand up to silence her friend, only to immediately place it back on her swelled stomach. “I’m not ready to open my heart to anyone, Annie. I’ve been burned far too much.”

“And yet,” Annette laughed, pushing a long strand of her black hair behind her ear, “I see that you are the one carrying the baby while I am the one married and childless.”

Sheridan grinned. “Well, I can’t help it. Luis was meant to be a one time, no memories sort of deal. Who would have known that I would lose my heart to a man I spent one night with and end up carrying his child in another country?” Shaking her head, she continued, “ As I was saying, Jean Luc isn’t really my type. I’d much rather see if I can hunt down the baby’s father first. Perhaps we can give my…our…child a real home and a real family.”

Annie shook her head, finding this situation hopeless. Sheridan had been talking about the baby’s father for months: the tall, dark, handsome, Latin lover that she should have never left Boston without hunting down. Annie wished Sheridan would just go back to the states and hunt him down.

“Well, you’re the one that won’t go back to Boston to see if anyone at the party knew where he was from. We’ve tried to find the Officer in Boston, they told you he doesn’t work at the Boston PD.”

“Going to America means staying in Harmony and I don’t want to go back to Harmony. Annie, you know I can’t stand it there…” Sheridan groaned. “Damn these back pains.”

“Back pains?” Annette asked, jumping slightly.

“Mm, shoots up my spine. I’ve never had such trouble before, but off and on today…”

“Sheridan, you dolt!” Annette jumped up. “Have you considered this could be labor?”

“No, Annette, don’t be silly,” Sheridan shook her head. “Labor is stomach cramps.”

Annette rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if Sheridan wasn’t the stereotypical blond. She was only too stupid for her own good at times. “Sheridan, there are woman that have back labor. My sister for instance!”

Sheridan was about to deny that it was labor when she felt water run down her legs. Her eyes popped open as she realized that Annette was right; she *was* in labor.

“I’m not in labor, it isn’t possible. It’s back pains. Annette tells me I’m wrong and I try to deny it, but my water breaks. She rushes me to the hospital. The doctor tells me I’m going to give birth soon. It hurts so much! I cry for Luis; I beg the doctor to find my American lover, Luis. He laughs at me and just tells me to push. Oh, I can hear him crying. The baby is crying! It’s a boy! Oh, he’s so handsome. It’s amazing how much he looks like his daddy. I wish Luis were here. He’d love to hold his son…our son. All ten little fingers and ten little toes…he’s perfect in every way. I’ll call him Luis Jr.”

“What happens next Sheridan?” Eve asked. Luis put down the paperwork to listen. Now he is intrigued. This can be the discovery they need into why he never knew about this child and how Misty ended up with him.

“Father comes to visit me. He tells me Luis is ill and asks if I’ve chosen a full name. I tell him Luis, for the father, and Colin, for my maternal great-grandfather. Father thinks the baby should be Colin Luis instead. He feels that Luis doesn’t deserve to have this baby named for him. I disagree. I want to use Lopez-Fitzgerald and Father doesn’t seem the least bit angry; it’s almost like he was going to suggest that. I’m confused. Father doesn’t seem to mind the baby at all, just his name. I don’t understand why Father is excited that I had some cop’s baby. This isn’t like him at all.”

“Then what, Sheridan?” Eve asked.

“Father summons a man from the hallway, but I can’t remember his name. I’m not even sure he says it. He looks angry but doesn’t stay long. He just nods and leaves. My Father tells me he is going to check on the baby and make sure he gets the best treatment a Crane can get. I try to tell him the baby isn’t a Crane, but he is gone before I can speak. I’m alone for a while, when the doctor comes in and tells me that there were complications and the baby has stopped breathing. He promises that they tried their best to save Luis but Baby Luis has died anyway. I ask to see him. I want to see him and hold him one last time. I want to say goodbye to my son. They won’t let me see his body. I just start crying. Where’s my baby?” Sheridan began sobbing hysterically, wanting her son in her arms again. “The doctor threatens to get a sedative, but I keep screaming. NO! I WANT MY BABY!” she screamed.

“Sheridan, you can have the baby if you tell me what the doctor does next.” Eve forced away her personal feelings. She could remember her own baby dying all those years ago. Alistair was a cruel man. He had taken her baby away just as he had taken Sheridan’s. The man had no heart; thank God he was dead.

She shakes her head, trying to focus on the doctor’s hands. “Drugs, they are giving me a sedative to calm me down. I fall asleep quickly, noticing my father in the doorway with that man again. When I wake up I’m back at that place. Father put me back in that place! They are telling me that I never had a baby, but I did! I have a baby! I have Luis Jr.! I had a baby; I keep trying to tell them that he died. I have a son! I have Little Luis!!!”

“Wake her up, Eve,” Luis insisted as he watched Sheridan scream and cry over the baby, her arms flailing. “Wake her up now!”

“Luis, she has more to remember, that’s why she’s struggling.”

“NO! Wake her up!”

Eve nodded and sighed. “Sheridan, I’m going to count to five. On five, I want you to open your eyes. You’ll wake up and remember everything you told us today. One…”

Sheridan’s tears were still rolling down her cheeks. She whimpered, “I have a baby. Where’s my Luis?”

“Two…”

“Today, Eve,” Luis groaned.

“Three…” She didn’t stop counting, but cast a glare at the young man. “Four…”

Sheridan sniffled. “Luis.”

“Five.”

Sheridan’s eyes open and she immediately jumped into Luis’ arms to hold him. “I remember!” she sobbed in his arms. “They told me Little Luis was dead. Why Luis? Why?”

“I don’t know baby,” he rubbed her back, his mind trying to digest this new information. Sheridan had said the baby was named Luis Colin, but Colin’s birth certificate had the name the other way around. Alistair must have decided that Colin was a much better name for his future heir and insisted it be changed.

“I need to see Colin, Luis. I need to see him. I need to hold him in my arms.”

“All right, baby. Come on, we’ll go join him at the beach.”

Sheridan and Luis changed into their bathing suits and headed to the beach to spend the day with Colin in the salty ocean waves. It would be their last chance to enjoy Harmony Cove without the influx of tourists that July fourth often brought. Walking hand in and along the warm sand, they spotted their son playing tag with his Uncle Miguel and Kay Bennett. Surprised, the pair continued on heading for the threesome by the blanket.

“MAMA! PAPA!” Colin ran to his parents, having spotted them from his place on the picnic blanket that Miguel and Kay had gently placed on the sand. He giggled as Luis pulled the boy into his arms and spun them around.

“Hey, kiddo. Having fun with Uncle Miguel?” Luis gently rubbed Colin’s back. He felt the child’s warm skin against his hand and chuckled at his cute red bathing trunks.

“Yup, Papa. Tio is learning me to swim!” He giggled.

“I see Nana’s been teaching you more Spanish, huh?” Sheridan ruffled her son’s hair.

“Yup,” he reached over to his mother, who took him into her arms. “She’s learning me Spanish.”

“Teaching, she’s teaching you Spanish,” Sheridan corrected.

“Whatever,” Colin shrugged.

Sheridan smiled. Over his time with them, Colin had learned quite a bit of Spanish and even mastered the R and L sounds. He had come a long way in the last few months and Sheridan felt honored to be there for it all. She only wished she had been there since the start. How would she ever explain to him that Misty wasn’t his mother? “So what do you think we should do, kiddo?”

“Go swimming?” he asked.

“Yea, I think we should,” Sheridan placed him back on his feet and watched as he ran back to Kay and Miguel to get his swimmies. She shook her head and slid her arm around Luis’ waist. “I thought Miguel was seeing Charity,” she whispered as they started walking to join the couple.

“So did I,” Luis replied.

“Interesting,” Sheridan leaned over and kissed her fiance’s lips. He paused their walking to return it passionately.

Miguel cleared his throat as he neared the two, seeing his brother open his eye to glance over at him. “Hate to interrupt,” Miguel met them halfway, “but I have one kid that wants his parents to join him in the water.”

Luis groaned and pulled away from Sheridan. “Go on, babe, I want to talk to Miguel.”

“All right,” she smiled and pecked his lips one last time, going over to the blanket to remove her shoes, shorts, and the cover-up before joining her son. Luis immediately wanted to rush to her and put the shirt back on, finding the bathing suit too tempting for anyone else to see. He sighed; his woman had one hell of a body and he was needed to get used to that.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Miguel asked, looking at his older, and only sometimes wiser, brother. He knew that Luis was thinking about Sheridan and wondering where Charity was, better to get it over with now.

“Yea, I did. I don’t mean to pry or anything, but I was wondering where Charity was today…”

“Out,” Miguel replied indifferently.

“Out?” Luis asked, confused by his little brother’s uncaring tone.

“She broke up with me last night, said she needed time to figure out what she needed and if she needed it from me. Damn premonitions are back,” he groaned. “Some of them are of me and Kay marrying and having children. She said maybe the premonitions meant that she and I aren’t meant to be anymore. So, it’s over,” he shrugged.

“So that’s it?” Luis was definitely surprised now. Miguel didn’t seem to care one-way or the other. He seriously wondered what his little brother was cooking up.

“Yea. Look, Charity and I have been growing apart a lot over the last few months and I’ve become a lot closer with Kay. I guess I should have seen it coming. Charity was starting to distance herself and I needed someone. I sought out my best friend and she was there without asking me for anything. She just listened to me and I needed that.” Shaking his head, he sighed, “You know, I forgot what it was like to be with someone that didn’t need my attention and confidence all the time. It’s nice to be with someone that you can have fun with and not worry about.”

Luis nodded. “It sure is, but you also should be with the woman you love and that loves you back. As long as you are happy, bro, then I’m happy for you.”

“I am,” Miguel glanced over at Kay, who was swimming with Colin and Sheridan. She looked happy, splashing around with his nephew. It was a scene he could get used to seeing and he knew he would see a lot more of it in the future. “How’d it go with Eve?” Miguel asked as they headed for the blanket.

“Not bad. Sheridan remembered a lot, but it hit her hard. They had told her that Colin stopped breathing and they couldn’t revive him. She started crying and when Eve brought her back, she wanted to see Colin right away. So don’t think we wanted to interrupt your fun in the sun, she just needed to be with Colin.”

Miguel nodded, not really paying attention to his brother. He was still watching Colin splash in the waves with Kay and Sheridan. “Don’t you find it the least bit weird that you’ve had a son out there for the last four years and knew nothing about him until some old girlfriend shows up?”

Luis sighed and watched the little boy laughing in the waves with his mother. Colin was climbing onto Sheridan’s back, clinging to her as giant waves of water crashed at her hips. His laughter filled the beach with sound. “The weird part is that my fiancee is his biological mother and didn’t even know it. You know what, bro, finding Colin is one of the best things in my life. I’m glad we can be a family. It wasn’t what I planned for my life with Sheridan, but I wouldn’t change it if I could. I love Sheridan and Colin with all my heart.”

“PAPA! Come on!” Colin called from the water, flailing his arms. Sheridan swept the boy into his arms and tossed him back into the waves, both laughing the entire time.

Miguel laughed. “You know, that kid is awesome, bro, and I wouldn’t wish for a nephew any different than little Colin. I’m sorry Sheridan lost the baby, though.”

Luis tensed. Since the miscarriage, they had pretty much avoided discussing the baby. Sheridan had been understandably devastated and Luis didn’t want to make her suffer by bringing it up for discussion. Sighing, he looked over at his brother. “Yea, we all are, but she’s enjoying Colin and that’s all that really matters,” he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt. “Come on, last one in is a rotten egg…” Luis took off for the water.

“CHEATER!” Miguel chased after him, knowing that he would never catch his big brother.

Colin spotted his father coming towards the water, his uncle hot on Luis’ heels. Giggling, he ran out of the water and to his dad, his wet little body expecting a hug. “Papa!”

Luis swept Colin into his arms, soaking himself in the process. The cool, salty water dripped down Luis’ chest as his son squeezed his neck. “Ready to go back into the water, little man?”

“Yea! Mama’s going to lea…teach me to swim!” his smile was contagious and Luis found himself smiling just as brightly.

“Is she?” he looked at Sheridan, who was coming out of the water to meet them. He fought a groan as her tight blue bathing suit, soaked from the ocean water, came into his line of vision.

“Yup,” Colin giggled, oblivious to his father’s attraction to the blond coming near them.

Sheridan smiled at her fiance and reached for his hand. “Come on, baby, let’s go have some fun,” she winked, tugging on his arm.

Luis grinned and placed Colin on his feet. “Colin, what do you say we throw Mommy into the water?” he asked, lifting Sheridan into his arms.

“YEA!” he laughed, watching as Luis carried Sheridan towards the waves, seeking revenge for the tossing his mother had done before.

“Luis, you better not,” she clung to his neck. “Don’t you dare! I swear if you throw me you’re sleeping in the backyard!”

Luis laughed, not backing down in the least. “Oh, I dare,” he replied and threw her into the ocean, much like she had tossed Colin minutes before. That started an all out war on the beachfront as the family swam and played along the shore. Later, they would build a sandcastle, watching as the evening tides tore it down bit by bit. When they were chilled and hungry, they would return home for dinner and baths before settling in the living room for the evening.

“Mama?” Colin asked, sitting on Sheridan’s lap as his bedtime neared. “Are you going to read to me tonight?”

Sheridan looked down at her son, smiling. They had made it a ritual to read to him every night before putting him to bed. Sheridan hated thinking that just a kiss and a hug was enough before putting a child to bed. Luis’ childhood was filled with bedtime stories and glasses of water; while her own was filled with a “lights out” in the dorms of the boarding schools. Tonight, however, she wanted to do something she remembered from her pregnancy. “Would you mind if we did something different tonight, kiddo?”

“Umm…no,” he sighed, guessing it was just bath and bed tonight.

“I was thinking of singing to you tonight, sweetheart, something I think you might enjoy. As long as you don’t mind…”

Colin looked into his mother’s big blue eyes and could tell that she really wanted to do this. He couldn’t deny his mother this one little thing, though he had heard his father sing and it was terrible. Hugging her, he whispered, “Okay.”

“Good, because it’s time for bed,” she carried him to Luis. “Give Papa a kiss goodnight.”

“Night Papa,” Colin leaned into his dad and placed a kiss on his cheek and a hug around his neck.

“Night, son,” Luis hugged his son back, his eyes meeting Sheridan’s. This was something that he would never get used to. The feel of his son in his arms was amazing and the family time they shared together was wonderful. Luis didn’t know if life could get any sweeter.

“All right, bedtime now,” Sheridan carried him towards his room. Colin sighed. He had once tried fighting bedtime; it definitely wasn’t one of his favorite things. However, he had learned quickly that it was futile, much like fighting baths. His parents always caught him since he was so small compared to the adults raising him.

After saying their prayers, Sheridan helped Colin climb beneath the covers and then she leaned back against the headboard. Colin snuggled into his mother’s side, his head on her belly. “Ready?” Sheridan asked.

“Can I ask you something?” Colin questioned.

“Anything, you know that my love,” Sheridan ran her fingers through his hair.

“Can I have a baby brother or sister when you and Papa get married?”

Visions of falling to the hard wood floor in the Youth Center filled her head and Sheridan tensed. “Maybe, sweetie,” she replied, her voice tight with emotion. She wanted another baby, she was afraid of losing him or her.

“Good,” Colin smiled against her belly. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Sheridan smiled slightly as the tune filled her head and she began to sing.

Closing his eyes, Colin listened to his mother’s sweet voice as she caressed his cheek. It was beautiful: the song and her voice. Sighing, he knew that the words were true; she would never be too far away from him if he ever needed her. He knew that because Sheridan was his mother, a woman he loved more than anything else.

Luis stood in the doorway and watched as Sheridan sang to their son. She looked so lost, as if her mind were filled with images of herself from five years ago, singing to the unborn child he knew nothing about. When he first learned that Sheridan was the mother of the boy, according to the birth certificate, he was angry. She had hidden this from him as long as she knew him and never mentioned it. Not only that, but she had turned her back on their son; the one thing she claimed she wanted more than anything else. This morning he realized just what pain was buried in the heart of his fiancee. Her father had done damage to her soul; damage that could never be corrected.

Sheridan glanced at Colin and noticed he was fast asleep. Smiling, she gently laid him back against his pillow and then kissed his forehead, imaging his muttering at her display of affection. Caressing his cheek for a moment, she straightened up and headed for the door, meeting her fiance.

“Love you,” he whispered.

“Love you too,” she replied. Meeting for a brief kiss, Sheridan and Luis headed for the living room to watch just a bit more TV before they headed into their own dreamland.

July fourth was hot and humid, making an outdoor party for Colin virtually impossible. Instead, Sheridan and Luis used red, white and blue balloons to decorate the living room for their son’s birthday. A giant banner read “Happy Fifth Birthday Colin” and hung across the picture window in the living room. Their closest friends and their families were invited to a barbeque birthday party in honor of their son. At night, they planned on shooting off fireworks in the street, a tradition the Bennetts, Lopez-Fitzgeralds and the Russells had done for years.

Sheridan tied another balloon to the table in the living room, watching it bounce as it attempted to adjust to its new position. Colin had admitted the night before that he was never given a birthday party before. When Luis confronted Misty about it, she admitted that funds were tight. Alistair gave certain rules she was to follow in order to keep money in the bank. The money usually just covered monthly expenses; a birthday party was out of the question.

Colin ran into the living room, dragging along his new squad car, a gift from his father. “Mama, Mama! Look, it has a siren!” he pushed a button on the car and the loud squeal of the siren filled the room.

“Wonderful,” she grumbled. Luis had to find the noisiest toy on the shelf and she knew for sure that Hank was going to be goofy and bring something that would drive them all insane. She couldn’t believe that even Julian and Ivy planned on coming by to show their nephew their love and support. She only hoped Julian didn’t buy out the toy store; heaven knows his changing had taken them all by surprise.

“Mama!!” Colin whined, trying to get her attention.

“Sorry, kiddo,” she turned to him. “I was trying to finish with the balloons for your party.”

“Ohh!” he giggled, holding up his car. “See, just like Papa’s!”

Sheridan smiled. “Yes, it’s just like Papa’s squad car at the station. Why don’t you go show that to Nana and Aunt Theresa in the kitchen.”

“All right,” he ran off towards the kitchen to find his grandmother and Aunt.

Sheridan laughed. She was glad that Ethan and Theresa had been able to return for Colin’s birthday party. She had been afraid that his favorite Aunt and Uncle wouldn’t be around for it since it was only two weeks after their wedding. However, they had been happy to return from their honeymoon, missing their family and friends in Harmony.

“Sher, I’m back,” Luis came in through the front door, his arms filled with grocery bags of things for the party. Behind him, Beth entered carrying the cake in a white cardboard box. Sheridan smiled at her friend and her fiance.

“Luis said you could use an extra pair of hands and, seeing how I closed the Book Cafe for the holiday, I figured I could be of some assistance,” the brunette grinned.

“Beth!” Sheridan greeted her best friend at the front door. “Thanks for coming!”

“No problem. I wouldn’t miss Colin’s birthday for the world, especially with someone like Julian around for it. Do you think he’ll wear the cute little party hats Luis bought?”

Sheridan laughed at the thought of her brother in a party hat, trying to imagine one time he had done such a thing. Sure, he had changed, but deep down he was still her stuffy old brother. “I don’t think so, then again, I don’t see Luis wearing one either.”

“Oh, Sheridan, even I can forget the macho act for my son,” he kissed her cheek, passing her to go into the kitchen with the bags. “Then again I didn’t buy party hats.”

“Shucks,” Sheridan laughed. “I was always a sucker for a man in a party hat.” She winked at Beth.

Beth laughed. “Oh please, you’re just a sucker for that man in anything…”

“I don’t know, Beth,” Sheridan straightened a decoration as they headed for the kitchen. “He’s not bad without anything on at all.”

Beth shook her head, laughing at Sheridan’s comment. “I’m sure he isn’t.”

Sheridan winked again and pushed open the swinging door to let Beth pass by with the cake. “Hello, Pilar, Theresa,” she greeted the other women in the room, putting the cake on the kitchen table. “One birthday cake for a special little man.” Hearing Beth’s voice from his place in the pantry, Colin peeked out. He immediately spotted the brunette at the table.

“BETH!” Colin cried, entering the room and hugging her leg. Colin had found Beth to be a good friend of his parents and a supplier of treats. He had no problem considering her a family member.

“And here he is now, ladies and gentleman, the birthday boy,” Beth picked him up and gave him a hug. “How are you, kid?”

“Good. Look what Papa gave me,” he held up the cop car and hit the siren button, filling the quiet room with the blaring noise.

Sheridan shot her fiance a look, letting him know he was going to pay for his choice of a gift for their son. He was going to pay with something he held very dear and he knew it too.

Luis just shrugged. “Hey kiddo, why don’t you take Beth and show her how cool your room is.”

“Okay!” he waited until Beth put him down before grabbing her hand and dragging her from the room.

Theresa sat at the table, cutting potatoes for the potato salad that Pilar was putting together. She looked at her brother and then Sheridan, noticing the silence. “What gives?”

“Nothing,” Sheridan shook her head, sighing. “I’m a little worried about today,” she crossed the kitchen to enter Luis’ arms. “It’s our son’s first birthday with us and I want it to be a day he’ll never forget.”

“Sheridan, mija, Colin will love his birthday no matter what. He has never had a party, he’ll love one with the family,” Pilar tried to placate her future daughter-in-law.

“Yea, angel,” Luis hugged her, placing a kiss in her hair. “The Bennetts and Lopez-Fitzgeralds have been having birthday bashes for years. We always have a good time.”

Sheridan smiled. “I just know how it feels not to have a birthday party. My last one was before my mother died. We didn’t have parties at the boarding school, it wasn’t allowed. I just don’t know what a child does at a birthday.”

“Pin the tail on the donkey,” Theresa laughed, motioning to the boxed game on the counter. “That’s a classic.”

“And we have the pinata,” Luis smiled, remembering the last pinata he had to crack open and how it had earned him a kiss from Sheridan afterwards, even though he had thought it was Pilar.

“Which cannot be done in my living room,” Sheridan insisted, giving her fiance a look.

Luis laughed. “I told you I hadn’t meant him to swing the stick in the living room. I was just practicing with him!”

“What happened?” Theresa asked.

“Oh, nothing that a lot of crazy glue can’t fix,” Sheridan joined her at the table. “You’re brother attempted to show Colin how the pinata worked. He showed him that they spun three times and then swung at the hanging toy. Colin decided to continue to practice while Luis got him a drink and knocked my favorite vase to the floor.”

“You should have seen him,” Luis said, grabbing a piece of food from the bowl where Pilar was cooking, earning a slap on the hand. “The poor kid was in tears; he felt terrible. He begged Sheridan not to send him away. Sheridan told him that she wouldn’t but I had to sleep on the couch.”

Theresa and Pilar shared a laugh before sending the couple out of the room so that the cooking could be completed while the living room was decorated. It wasn’t long before the guests arrived with their smiling faces and birthday gifts for one special little boy.

Hours later, everyone was having a good time, filling the air-conditioned house with laugher and music. Sheridan couldn’t believe that everyone had shown up and was having so much fun. Luis blew her a kiss from across the room, where he spoke to Sam and Hank while drinking a beer. She caught the kiss and smiled, returning to her conversation with Beth and Grace, who were telling her about the school that Colin was supposed to start in the fall.

“So where is the birthday boy?” Grace asked, searching the room. Like everyone else, she had become quite taken by the child who walked into their lives over two months before.

“He is with my brother and Ivy in his room. He insisted showing his Uncle Julian all the cool stuff in his room. He’s very excited about Julian and Ivy being here; they’ve never been to the house before.” Sheridan shrugged. “Julian’s showing interest in Colin, I guess I can’t refuse him time with his nephew.”

“Do you think Julian has really changed?” Beth asked, worried for her friends and their son.

“I honestly do. I’m contemplating asking him to give me away, especially after how willing he was to participate with the pinata,” Sheridan stated, sipping her soda. “He can’t seem to deny Colin anything.”

“That was adorable and I was very happy to see that more than one person caught that on tape. Julian Crane blindfolded and swinging at a donkey,” Beth laughed, remembering the proper stuff-shirt swinging the decorated wooden stick at the paper donkey.

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea, the boy asked me to do it,” Julian grumbled as he was led back to the party by his nephew, his wife not far behind.

“Uncle Jules did good,” Colin nodded, showing off his bag off candy, which had been collected from the beaten party game. “He just kept swinging like a sissy girl. Maybe he’ll do good next time.”

Beth choked on her soda, clamping her mouth shut so as not to spit it out. Sheridan had to bite her lip in an attempt not to laugh, but Ivy didn’t even bother. Her laughter was so loud it caused others in the room to turn and look at the group. Her laughter caused the other three women in the group to laugh at the small boy’s honesty.

“What I say?” Colin asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

“Nothing, kiddo,” Sheridan smiled, ruffling his hair. “Tell Grace how well you did when it was your turn to hit the pinata.”

“Oh, Miss Grace I hit-ted it really hard and broke it! Papa said he was never so proud!” Colin grinned. “I got to get first choice of the toys inside! I let Uncle Jules take the little toy plane though, I figured I’d be nice and share so he would try again next time…”

“Yes, next time,” Ivy smiled at the boy, “when he learns not to swing like a girl…”

“No, a sissy girl,” Colin corrected, obviously seeing a difference the others didn’t. “’Cause Mama’s a girl and she hits real good, just ask Papa, he says she does lots of things real good…”

“Colin, maybe we should open gifts now,” Sheridan ushered the boy away from her friends, her cheeks bright red with a blush. The group she recently departed began to laugh at her embarrassment.

“But, Mama, I was going to tell them about how well you…”

Sheridan clamped a hand over his mouth. “All right, everyone, it’s time for presents and birthday cake before the very special Colin’s Day fireworks.” She lifted her son into the special birthday boy seat so that he could open the gifts from their family and friends. “Ready kiddo?”

“Yup,” he grinned, looking over at the stack of gifts as if he had just won the lottery. Sheridan knew that look; she had seen it in Luis’ eyes before eating his favorite meal or jumping into bed with her. She laughed and started what would become Colin’s favorite tradition: birthday present opening.

Later, after the gifts were opened and the cake consumed, Colin snuggled with his parents on the porch, watching as Hank strode out into the street with his arms full of fireworks. The little boy was on Sheridan’s lap, her arms wrapped around his middle, while Luis had his arm around Sheridan’s shoulders and her head on his chest. At his feet sat Theresa in the arms of Ethan, Pilar beside them both. The other guests were sitting on the grass and sidewalk, waiting to see what Hank had in store for them.

“So what did you wish for, little man?” Sheridan asked, watching as Hank set up the first bottle rocket. She noticed that the boy had paused extra long when making his wish, his eyes closed and his breath held.

“A brother or sister soon,” Colin admitted. “I want a baby to play with.”

Sheridan sighed, wishing he had asked for a puppy or a goldfish. His obsession with a younger sibling was sweet, but it was making her remember the miscarriage, which was something she wasn’t ready to go through again. She didn’t want to relive the pain of losing her child, a child she loved without even truly knowing. Fighting tears, she remembered the ultrasound photo that sat in an album beside her bed, a memory of a child lost.

“I’d like that too, kiddo,” Luis ruffled his son’s hair, looking over at Sheridan. Her eyes seemed far away, but the pain was clear and he knew she was thinking about the miscarriage. The hand around her shoulders began to lightly caress her arm, but she didn’t seem to notice as she continued to sit in her own little world.

A screech brought their conversation to a halt as the first bottle rocket shot into the air bursting into a cloud of color that faded into the darkened nighttime sky. Colin laughed and clapped, enjoying the spectacle before him. Deciding that sitting too far away with his mother was no good, he climbed off her lap and joined his Uncle Miguel and Kay in the grass.

“Something wrong?” Luis asked as a pair of bottle rockets met the same fate as the last, shooting into the air with a screech before exploding into a burst of colored light.

“No,” Sheridan pulled her knees up, leaning her elbows on them so she could place her head on her hands. “Everything is just dandy.”

“Come on, Sherry angel, don’t close up on me,” he begged, watching as her face reflected the colors from the next set of fireworks. He didn’t want them to keep their feelings secret or else their relationship would become strained. Luis wasn’t willing to lose her because they couldn’t communicate.

“I said nothing was wrong,” she became defensive. If she didn’t want to talk, why did he have to push?

“Sheridan, don’t do this. You know you can tell me anything. I love you, forever and always,” he rubbed her back, hoping to draw out her feelings.

Sheridan sighed, knowing she had lost this battle. “I want a baby too, Luis.”

“So?” he was confused. That was good news, wasn’t it?

“I’m afraid. What if I have another miscarriage? I don’t know if I could handle that again, Luis, it was hard enough the first time. And what about Colin? He would get his hopes up for a baby brother or sister to find out I lost the baby…it would upset him so. And you…I couldn’t stand to disappoint you, Luis. I know how much you want a family…a house full of children!”

Luis pulled Sheridan closer and kissed her lips sweetly. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. Honestly, he had never dealt with a situation like this and he hadn’t had time to deal with his own feelings. Holding her close, he whispered, “It wasn’t you’re fault, you know.” Somehow he could sense deep down inside that this was her real problem.

“I know,” she whimpered.

“And you could never disappoint me and Colin…I would be happy with as many children as we are given, Sheridan. I just want you to be happy and live a long happy life with me and our family.”

She sniffled, trying not to cry. He always knew what to say to cheer her up. “But…”

“No buts. We’ll have a baby, Sher, a beautiful baby. We just have to wait until God thinks it’s time, babe,” he rubbed her back soothingly.

“I love you,” she replied, kissing his lips.

“I love you too,” he grinned. He looked into her sparkling blue eyes, the fireworks bursting overhead. He wanted to kiss her again; he loved kissing her. Looking from her eyes to her lips and back, he began to lean in when the portable phone rang interrupting their kiss. “Damn.”

She laughed. “We’ll finish that later.”

“Damn right we will,” he picked up the phone and switched it on. “Hello. Oh, hi Agent Freeman.”

Sheridan looked at him, intrigued. Why was Freeman calling now? It had been months since the drug cartel was apprehended. Could something have happen? Did they get away somehow?

“Yea, I did get promoted, thanks. No, I guess I hadn’t really forgotten. Yea, of course she still wants to testify,” Luis looked at her for confirmation, earning a nod. “August? That long? I can arrange a week off, not sure if I can get two. Well, I’ll let her know, Hal. Thanks for calling. Bye,” he hung up.

“So?” Sheridan asked, wanting him to fill in the gaps.

“Seems like we were getting so used to being the typical American family,” he teased, “that we forgot about your need to be a witness in the case against the French drug cartel. We’re due in Paris on August tenth. You’re to testify between the twelfth and the fifteenth. Once in Paris, your back to being under protective custody until the sentencing is done on the twentieth. I guess this means I’m your bodyguard again.”

Sheridan just stared at him as if he had two heads. Her bodyguard again? Just when life was starting to become normal, Fate threw one hell of a curve ball. Forcing a smile, she returned to the fireworks realizing that in a month she would be on a stand repeating all the terrible things that had happened because of the Cartel. In one month, Sheridan Crane would again be the target of a murderous bunch of drug dealers while she waited to take the stand and lock those bastards away for life.

Chapter Nine