Chapter 1:
"We need to find a way to get the truth, Sam." "I know, Luis. But there is no way he is going to tell us." "Julian Crane is nothing but a ruthless, cold-hearted bastard! We have to find a way to bring him down. We need an inside source." "Like who? I don't think Ethan would do it. He doesn't seem close enough to his father. And Sheridan, well, she and Julian don't even get along." "Hmm...What about Ivy?" Sam flinches at the sound of her name "She doesn't seem to like Julian very well. Momma talks about her like she's a saint. Maybe she'll help." "Ivy? I don't know, Luis. This could get very dangerous." Sam didn't like the thought of Ivy being put into danger. For some reason, he feels that he needs to protect her. "I know. But we need an inside source. She's our best hope. The question is, how are we going to get her to help?" "Leave that to me, Luis. I'll get her to help." Sam drives over to the Crane mansion and goes up to the door. "This better work." Sam says to himself. "Sam, what can I help you with?" Pliar says as she opens the door. "I came to see Ivy. Is she here?" "Yes, she's in the living room with Mr. Crane. Follow me." Sam follows Pilar and they head for the living room.Meanwhile, in the living room: "Come on, Ivy. Why don't you just give in. I know that you can't live without a man's touch forever. Sooner or later you're going to give in. Why don't you save me the trouble and make it sooner." Julian says as he begins to kiss her neck. As this is happening, Sam and Pilar walk in and see the whole thing. Sam gets the urge to get Julian away from Ivy and he gets very jealous. "Excuse me, Mrs. Crane, Mr. Crane. Chief Bennett is here to see you." Ivy immediately pushes Julian off of her."Thank you, Pilar." "I was just about to leave, I have business to attend to. I hope you don't mind, Sam. Can my lovely wife help you with what you need?" "Yes, she can. Go ahead and go, Julian." "Great. I'll see you later, darling, and we can finish what we started." Julian says as he leaves the room. "What did you need to speak to Julian about? If it's business, I don't know how I can help. Julian handles all of that." "I actually came here to speak to you. Can we go for a walk?" Ivy's heart skips a beat at the thought of Sam wanting to talk to her but tries not to get her hopes up. "Sure. I'll get my coat." Ivy gets her coat and she and Sam go outside. As they start to walk, Ivy breaks the silence. "So, what did you want to talk about?" "I need your help with something. It's very important." Sam says as he stops walking and turns to face Ivy."My help? With what?" "Why don't we sit down." They sit down and Sam starts to talk. "Over the years, Julian has caused a lot of damage to a lot of people. He's destroyed lives and families and Luis and I are determined to get to the bottom of Martin's disappearance." "I know all to well how Julian can destroy lives. But I don't understand how I can help." "We need someone to work this from the inside. We thought about using Ethan, but he and his father don't seem close enough for him to tell Ethan anything. And Sheridan wouldn't work because she and Julian hate each other. You are the only one who has the power to get answers from him." "Sam, Julian and I aren't really close. To tell you the truth, we haven't made love in years. We don't even share a room, let alone secrets." "I saw the way he wanted you earlier and the way his hands were all over you. Maybe you can give into him and get him to tell you." "You don't understand what you're asking me to do. Julian is a vile man and it makes me sick being married to him." Sam can't help but feel sorry for Ivy. She seems so unhappy. He could have made her happy if she would have let him. "I know I'm asking a lot of you, Ivy, but I need you. Will you do it?" Ivy looks deep into Sam's eyes and can't help but agree. "Of course I'll do it, Sam. Just tell me what I need to do." Later that night at the Crane mansion: Julian arrives home after his long business meeting and heads up to his room. As he opens his bedroom door, he is shocked to see Ivy laying on his bed wearing a teddy. "I've been waiting for you, darling. What took you so long to get home?" "Ivy, what the hell are you doing?" "I'm ready to finish what we started this morning." Ivy says as she goes up to Julian and kisses him. "I knew it was only a matter of time until you gave in." Julian and Ivy make love and fall asleep. Ivy wakes up shortly after and puts a robe on. She walks into her bedroom and starts to cry. The thought of making love to anyone but Sam breaks her heart. "Ivy." A voice whispers. She looks up and is surprised to see Sam standing there."Sam, what are you doing here?" "I've been waiting up here for you. Did Julian say anything?" "No. He just made love to me and then fell asleep. He never did have a lot of energy." "I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. At least you're getting closer to him telling you the truth." "Hopefully. I don't know how much more of this I can take, Sam. I've never really loved Julian. I stayed with him because of Alistair and for Ethan. I should probably get back to Julian's room before he wakes up. Thanks for being here for me." "I'm the one that should be thanking you. You're putting a lot on the line for Luis and I and we are extremely grateful." With that, Ivy smiles at him and walks back to Julian's room and Sam stays in Ivy's room. He sits on her bed to think and before he knows it, he drifts off to sleep.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 2:
Sam woke up to the sound of muffled voices. He looked around the room and remembered where he was: Ivy's room. He quickly hid under the bed as he heard the voices get closer. Just then the door opened and Ivy came in, followed closely by Julian. "I've told you before and I hate having to tell you again. Stay out of it! You don't need to know the truth behind Martin's disappearance. All you need to know is that if the truth gets out, it will destroy our family. And I know that you don't want to see your precious Ethan get hurt." "Oh, shut up, Julian. I have every right to know just what I'm protecting MY son from.""Don't you mean OUR son.""No. I think I had it right the first time." "You know, darling, sometimes I wonder why you protect Ethan so much. It's almost as if you're hiding something about him from me. You know the consequences are severe if Alistair finds out your little secrets. Why don't we give him a call?" "You're avoiding the topic at hand. Tell me the truth about Martin Fitzgerald!" Ivy said, deliberately avoiding talking about her "secrets". "Did I hit a nerve, Ivy dear?" "No, Julian. I don't have any secrets. If you don't tell me the truth about Martin, I'll find out for myself. And believe me DEAR, I WILL find out! Now get out of my room." "Fine, Ivy, Have it your way. You may think that you'll find out my secrets. But if it's anyone's secrets that will be discovered, it will be yours. Starting with that mysterious locket you wear around your neck." "GET OUT!" "I'm going. We'll talk later." Julian leaves and Ivy sits on her bed and lets out a sigh. "You'll never find out my secrets, Julian. Especially not about Ethan and Sam." "That sure was a close call, Ivy." Sam says as he gets out from under her bed. "Sam! You startled me! What are you doing here?" "I fell asleep on your bed last night after you left. I woke up just in time to hear you and Julian come in so I hid under the bed." "Oh. I tried my best, but I don't think he's going to tell me anything. Sleeping with him last night was a huge waste of time because I just made him angry by asking all those questions." "You need to try harder, Ivy. We have to get to the truth." "Ok, Sam, I will. But I'm not promising you anything. You better get going before someone catches you here." "You're right. Call me if you find out anything new.""I will. Goodbye." "Goodbye, Ivy." As Sam leaves the Crane mansion, he begins to think about Ivy and Julian's conversation. He treats her like she doesn't mean anything. He also begins to wonder about Julian mentioning Ivy's locket; The one that he had given her. He smiled at the thought of her still wearing it. "Oh my God! How could you, Julian? You and your father are not going to get away with this!" Ivy said as she grabbed her purse and car keys to go to the police station. "Yes I am, darling. You are the one that is not going to get away. You, my dear are not going anywhere." Julian said as he grabbed Ivy's arm and then pulled out a gun. "Please, Julian, just put the gun away. I won't tell anyone. I promise." Ivy began to start panicking and tears started filling her eyes. She had a bad feeling about this. "It's too late. Now that you know the truth, you're going to have to die." Julian fires one shot at Ivy and she falls to the ground, unconscious. "Chief Bennett." Sam says as he picks up the phone in his car. "Hey, Sam. It's Luis. There's been a shooting at the Crane mansion." Sam felt like billions of sharp knives were stabbing at his heart. He was afraid to ask, but he had to know. "Luis, who was shot?" "It was Mrs. Crane. Apparently she caught an intruder in the house, or at least that's what Julian said happened. She's in pretty bad shape." "I'm on my way, Luis." Sam couldn't believe it. Ivy had been shot. HIS Ivy. If anything ever happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. Sam arrived just in time to see Ivy being wheeled out of the mansion and into the ambulance."Sam, you made it." Luis says as he goes up to him. "I think I'm going to ride with Ivy to the hospital. You know, just in case the intruder comes back to finish the job." "Ok, Sam. I'll call you if we find out anything." "Thanks Luis." Sam says as he climbs inside the ambulance and sits next to Ivy. He grabs her hand. It breaks his heart when he looks down at her and sees the blood covering her. "Listen to me, Ivy. Don't you dare die on me. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." The ambulance arrives at the hospital and Ivy is wheeled into the emergency room. "What's going on here?" Eve Russell asks as the gurney is wheeled through the doors. "Ivy's been shot. Listen, Eve, you HAVE to take care of her. Please don't let her die." Sam says as squeezes Ivy's hand tighter. "Ok, Sam. I'll do my best. Let's get her into surgery. Umm, Sam. You're going to have to let go of her hand now." "Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry, Eve." Sam says as he lets go of Ivy's hand and she is taken into surgery. Eve finds it very odd that Sam would be so worried about Ivy. She thought that he hated the Cranes. Whatever the reason he was so worried, she'd find out later.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 3:
Sam paced the hospital floor, waiting for news about Ivy. He heard a door open and jumped, hoping it was Eve telling him that Ivy was okay. But instead it was Luis, who was followed by Sheridan and Ethan. "Chief Bennett, where is my mother? Is she okay?" Ethan said as he approached Sam."I don't know, Ethan. She's in surgery right now." "How did this happen? She's the last person in the world that deserves this." "It's going to be okay. We'll find the bastard that did this to her and he will pay." Sam said as he tried to reassure Ethan. "Ethan, why don't we go get some coffee. We may be here awhile." Sheridan said as she grabbed Ethan's hand to go with her. "I can't leave her, Sheridan She's always been there for me and I have to be there for her." "I'll stay with her, Ethan. If anything happens, we'll send someone to get you.""Are you sure, Chief Bennett?" "Yes I am. Sheridan's right. Go get some coffee." "Ok. Thank you. Would you like some, too?""Sure, thanks." "And what about you, Luis?""That would be great." "Ok, we'll be back." Ethan and Sheridan leave to get coffee and leave Luis and Sam to talk."I feel like this is somehow my fault, Luis." "How could this be your fault, Sam? She was shot by an intruder. It can't be your fault." "I know that, but I feel responsible. If she dies, I'll never forgive myself." He says as he puts his head down. "Forgive yourself? For what?" Just then Dr. Eve Russell comes through the doors and approaches Sam and Luis as Sheridan and Ethan are returning with the coffee."How is she, Eve? Is Ivy going to make it?" Sam asks with worried anticipation. "She made it out of surgery okay, but she has slipped into a coma and is in critical condition. These next 24 hours could depend on her future. Right now she needs all of the love and support that you can give her." "Can we see her, Dr. Russell?" Ethan asked. "Sure, but be careful not to upset her. She can still hear you even though she's in a coma." Everyone heads for Ivy's hospital room but Eve stops Sam. "Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?""Sure Eve, what's up?" "This." Eve says as she pulls the locket that Sam gave Ivy out of her pocket and opens it. "Can you explain it?""Oh my God, Eve. Where'd you find it?" "Ivy was wearing it. We had to take off all of her jewelry and I saw it among her possessions. What's going on?" "I gave that to Ivy years ago." Sam began as he picked up the locket from Eve and held it in his hands. "It was before I met Grace. Ivy and I met and fell in love instantly. We were even going to get married. But that was a long time ago, Eve." "It may have been a long time ago, Sam, but I can see it in your eyes that it's not finished. Now Grace is my best friend. If you love Ivy, you need to tell Grace the truth before it destroys you and your family. The truth always comes out. I can see it in your eyes that you are still in love with Ivy.""Eve, that's crazy!" "Think what you'd like, but I know the truth. I have to get back to work. Page me if you need anything and don't forget what I said." Eve says as she exits, leaving Sam to think about his feelings for Ivy. He puts Ivy's locket in his pocket and walks into her hospital room. He almost starts to cry as he sees all the machines hooked up to her small, fragile body. She looked so pale and innocent. "How is she?" He asked as he approaches the edge of her bed. "The same as Eve said she was." Sheridan said as she moved closer to Ethan and put her arm around him. "Listen, Ethan. Why don't we go home and get some sleep. You're tired and stressed and you won't do your mother any good by being a nervous wreck. Come on, you can stay at my cottage." "Ok, Sheridan, you're right. But I don't want to leave her alone." Ethan said as he looked down at his mother with a look of concern. "Listen Ethan. I'll stay with her." Sam spoke up. "Thanks a lot, Chief Bennett. That means a lot to me." "Anytime, Ethan. Now go get some rest." "Let me drive you guys home." Luis said as they are about to leave. "Ok, Luis. Thanks.""No problem, Sheridan.""See you later, Sam." "Bye Luis." Luis, Sheridan, and Ethan leave Sam alone in Ivy's hospital room. He sits by her bed and holds her hand. "It's going to be okay, Ivy. Just please wake up."
To Be Continued...
Chapter 4:
"It's been a long time since we've really got to talk. Seeing you like this has made me realize just how much you mean to me. Ivy, you were my first love and I wanted you to be my last. That can still happen, but you have to wake up. I can't live without you, I just can't. Do you remember the day we met? I remember it as if it were yesterday," Sam begins, as he starts to cry. "It was on the beach and the moment I saw you, I knew my life would never be the same. I went up to you and I asked you to dinner and a movie. I was so nervous and I thought you would say no. But you said yes. I think that was the happiest day of my life. Please wake up, Ivy. Please wake up for me." Sam continues holding her hand and lays his head on her bed. Before he knows it, he drifts off to sleep. Little does he know, Grace was standing right outside the hospital door while Sam was talking to Ivy... At Sheridan's Cottage: "Thanks a lot Luis, for everything." Sheridan says as she sits on the couch next to him."It was no trouble at all, Sheridan. How's Ethan doing?" "He finally fell asleep. His mother really means a lot to him, and to me. She's such a kind person. I don't know why anyone would want to hurt her, besides Julian and Alistair.""What did you just say?" "What do you mean? About Julian and Alistair?" "Yes. Why would either of them want to hurt Ivy." "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but I trust you. Ivy and Julian don't have a very happy marriage. In fact, they despise each other. I just meant that it wouldn't surprise me if Julian or Alistair were to ever hurt Ivy." "Sheridan, I need to get going." Luis says as he gets up and heads for the door."Is something the matter, Luis?" Sheridan asks, worried. "Not at all, Sheridan. It's just that it's late and I don't want momma to worry. Call me if you need anything.""Ok, Luis. I'll see you later. Bye." "Bye Sheridan. Sweet Dreams." After Luis leaves Sheridan's cottage, he begins to wonder. "What if there was no intruder? Would Julian shot his own wife?" Luis says to himself. "Whatever the truth is, I'm going to find out." The Next Morning, At the Hospital: "Chief Bennett, wake up." Sam wakes up and remembers where he is. He looks up to see Ethan and Sheridan standing there."Good morning Ethan. Sheridan." "Good morning. Is there any change in her condition?" "No, she's still the same as far as I can tell." "Chief Bennett, thanks so much for staying with my mother last night. Why don't you go home and take a shower and spend time with your family." "You're right, Ethan. I'm going to head home, but I'll be back. Bye." "Bye Chief Bennett. See you later." Sam walks out of Ivy's hospital room and isn't watching where he's going. He runs into someone and then looks up. "I'm so sorry, young lady. Did I hurt you?" "No, it was my fault. Can you help with something, though?" "Sure. What do you need?" "Do you know where Ivy Crane's room is?" Sam sort of jumped at the sound of Ivy's name. He wondered why this young girl would want to see Ivy. "Actually, I just came from seeing her. How do you know Mrs. Crane?" "I'm her daughter, Elizabeth. Is she okay?" "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your mother's in a coma. I'm so sorry." Tears immediately started to form in her eyes. "Come on, I'll take you to see her." Sam escorted Elizabeth into Ivy's room. "Mother! Oh my God!" Elizabeth quickly ran past Ethan and Sheridan and straight to Ivy's bedside. "Libby? What are you doing here?" Ethan asks, looking at his little sister. "Ethan! Sheridan! I've missed you guys so much." Libby said, almost forgetting her mother's condition. "I quit school. When I came home to see everyone. Pilar told me what happened and I came straight here." Sam decided to leave to let Ethan, Sheridan, and Libby catch up. This time as he was leaving the hospital, he ran into Luis. "Hey Sam. I gotta talk to you about something." "What is it Luis?" Sam asked, a bit worried by the look on Luis' face. "Do you think it's possible that Julian shot Ivy?"
To Be Continued...
Chapter 5:
Sam just stares at Luis with a shocked expression on his face. "You think Julian shot Ivy? Why would he do that?" "I don't know. I wouldn't put anything past Julian Crane. I was talking to Sheridan last night after I dropped her and Ethan off and it was what she said. She said that no one would ever hurt Ivy, excpet for Julian and Alistair.""Sheridan said that?" "Yes. And then I got to thinking, what if Julian shot Ivy? Maybe she found out something and it set Julian off." "You could be right. I never thought about it, but now that you mention it, it all makes sense. Don't you find it odd that Julian hasn't even shown up at the hospital since Ivy's been shot?" "Very odd. I know that if I had a wife and she was shot, I'd definately be by her side." "I agree. Speaking of wives, I better go home and check on Grace and the kids. We have a lot to talk about.""What?" "Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'll tell you later. Bye Luis." Sam says as he walks out the door. "Bye Sam." Luis heads into Ivy's room to check on her, Sheridan, and Ethan. He didn't know why, but he felt a strong connection to Sheridan. Maybe his mother was right. Maybe Sheridan, Ethan, and Ivy aren't anything like Alistair and Julian. "Hey Sheridan, Ethan. How 's Ivy doing?" Luis asked, noticing the young girl in Ethan's arms. "Luis, it's great to see you. Ivy's still the same. By the way, this is my niece Elizabeth. Libby, this is Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald." Libby makes her way over to Luis and puts out her hand. Luis takes her hand and shakes it. "It's very nice to meet you. You must be Pilar's son. I just wanted to tell you how great your mother is. She's a life saver." "Thanks. It's nice to meet you, too. I'm very sorry about your mother. My family and I are keeping her in our prayers." "Thanks." Libby says as she goes back to her mother's side. "Sheridan, why don't we go get some coffee?" Luis asks. "Ok, coffee sounds great. Ethan, Libby, can I bring either of you back something?" They both nod 'no' and Sheridan and Luis exit the hospital room. At the Bennett House: "Grace? Jessica? Kay? Anyone home?" Sam asked as he walks through the door. "Dad! You're home." Kay says as she runs up and hugs him. "Hey sweetheart. How are you doing?""Good.""Where's your mother?" "She's upstairs. I have to go meet Simone now. Bye dad." "Bye, Kay. See you later." After Kay leaves, Sam goes up the stairs. "This is it, Sam. You have to tell her the truth." Sam says to himself as he opens his bedroom door."Hey Grace.""Nice of you to finally come home, Sam." "We need to talk." "About what? About what you said to Ivy Crane last night at her bedside?" Sam felt a huge knot in his throat. He was at a complete loss for words. He finally found his voice and said, "Grace, I-" "You what? You love Ivy Crane? I already knew that. I knew there was something strange going on between the two of you but I kept telling myself that it was only my imagination. So how long have you two been sleeping together?" Sam could tell that Grace was very upset. "Ivy and I haven't slept together in more than 20 years. It's just that after almost losing her, I realized that...." Sam hesitated. "I'm still in love with her." "I knew it! You bastard! How can you do this to me? To our family? I want a divorce!" Grace said, very angry. "I'm sorry, Grace. If you want a divorce, than I'll give you one. I just wanted to tell you that I never meant to hurt you." "GET OUT!" Grace screamed. Sam hesitated leaving Grace in the condition that she was in, but he didn't want to further upset her. He knew that she would be okay and knew that his real place was with Ivy.At the Hospital: "Your niece seems nice." Luis said as he and Sheridan sat down in the cafeteria."Libby is great. She and her mother are really close." "I thought so. Can I ask you something, Sheridan?""Sure, Luis. Anything." "Do you think it's possible that Julian shot Ivy." Sheridan was in shock. "Julian shoot Ivy? I don't know. I can see him doing that, but why would he do it?" "I don't know. Sam and I think that maybe Ivy found out something that she wasn't supposed to and Julian shot her." "I guess it's possible. But what could she have found out?" "I don't know. But we're going to find out."In Ivy's Hospital Room: "Any change, Ethan?" "No. I'm really starting to worry, Chief Bennett. What if my mother doesn't wake up? What if she dies?" "Ethan, calm down. Your mother is going to be okay." "Chief Bennett, could you do me a favor?""Anything, Ethan." "Libby and I haven't eaten all day. Could you stay with my mother while we go get something from the cafeteria?""Sure, no problem. You two go ahead." "Thanks. We'll be back soon." Ethan and Libby leave and Sam goes and takes his rightful place, by Ivy's side, and holds her hand. "Hey Ivy, I missed you. I left Grace, to be with you. I want us to be together. Forever." Just then, Ivy's hand moves and her eyes slowly flutter open. "Sam....." "Ivy! Oh my God! You're okay. I was so worried that I was going to lose you forever. I'm going to go get Eve. Don't go anywhere." Sam rushes out of the room and brings Eve in. "Ivy, how are you feeling?" Eve asks as she enters the room. "Tired." Ivy softly mutters."Sam, excuse us for a minute while I examine Ivy." "Ok, Eve." Sam exits the room and decides to go find Ethan and Libby. Before he gets the chance, he sees Ethan, Libby, Sheridan, and Luis coming out of the elevator."Ivy's awake! Eve's in there with her now." "Oh, thank God! My mother's going to be ok." Just then, Theresa walks in and sees Ethan hugging a young girl about a year younger than her. She gets a bit jealous, but decides to go up to him anyways. "Ethan, how's you mother doing?" Theresa asked, not noticing Luis standing right there. "She just woke up. Thanks for coming, Theresa." Ethan says as he pulls her into a hug. "It was no problem at all. You and your mother have been great to me and my family. I know she'll pull through." "By the way, Theresa. This is my little sister, Libby. Libby, this is Pilar's daughter, Theresa." The two girls shake hands. "Theresa, can I talk to you for a minute?" Luis says, pulling Theresa's arm. "Luis! I didn't even see you standing there." Theresa says, following Luis. "What the hell are you doing here?" "This isn't the time, Luis. I came here to see if Ethan and Mrs. Crane were okay. I guess I might as well tell you the truth. I'm Mrs. Crane's personal secretary.""Your what?! Does mama know?" "Of course she knows. She's the one who told me about the job. It's a great opportunity for me, Luis. You need to learn to trust me to make my own decisions. I'm almost 18 years old and this is my life." "You're right, Theresa. I'll let you continue your job as long as you promise me something.""What's that, Luis?""No more lies." "No more lies. I promise, Luis. Thank you for trusting me." Eve comes out of the hospital room. "Sam, Ethan, Ivy's asking for you." Everyone goes into Ivy's room and Sam and Ethan go by her side. "Ivy, I don't want to pus you, but who did this to you?" Sam asks. "It was---Julian. Julian shot me."
To Be Continued...
Chapter 6:
"I knew it! Julian shot you? Are you absolutely sure?" Sam asks, still in shock. "I'm positive. I threatened to go to the police and he pulled out a gun. I didn't think he'd do it, but he did! He told me that I had to die and then he--he--he shot me." Ivy says as she breaks down crying. Sam quickly puts his arms around her and holds her tight as if he were afraid to let go. This doesn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room with them. "It's going to be okay, Ivy. No one will ever hurt you again. Especially not while I'm around." Ivy pulls away. "Thank you for everything, Sam. Ethan...." She begins as he goes up to her and gives her a hug. "I was so worried about you, Mother. I thought that I was going to lose you forever and I would never get to tell you how much you mean to me. You have always been there for me. Thank you so much. By the way, there's someone here that you will be surprised to see." Ethan begins as he remembers Libby. "Who, Ethan?""Hi mom." Libby says as she comes into view. "Libby! Sweetheart, it is so good to see you!" Ivy begins as she pulls Libby into a hug. "What are you doing home?" "I quit school. I hope you're not angry with me." "Of course I'm not angry with you! I have missed you more than you know." Just then Eve came in. "I think it's time that everyone goes. Ivy needs her rest." Everyone was leaving when Ivy spoke up, "Sam, can I talk to you?" "Sure." He goes by her bedside and sits on the edge. "I heard everything you said while I was in a coma. But I understand if you just said those things to make me wake up." Ivy says as she puts her head down. "Listen to me, Ivy. I meant every word that I said. I want to be with you and I left Grace. I love you, Ivy." "I love you too, Sam." Sam pulls her into a kiss and then looks at her. "Sam, why don't you go get some sleep. You've been here with me through this, but you need your rest.""I don't want to leave you." "Please, Sam. I'll be fine. I'll call you if I need anything." "Okay, Ivy. I'll go. But be careful. I love you." "I love you, too." Ivy says as Sam leaves her room. She is so tired that she drifts off into a deep sleep.... "What am I supposed to do, father? The bullet didn't kill her. I got word that she woke up today." "I don't care what you have to do Julian. Get rid of her. Your wife is a threat to this family. She may have already told the police that you shot her. You can't have her telling them our secrets. I want her dead...tonight." Alistair said as he hung up the phone. Julian gets in his car and heads to the hospital. As he is waiting outside to make his move, he sees Sam Bennett exit the hospital. "Perfect. Now to make my move." Julian sneaks into the hospital, unseen, and heads for Ivy's room. He sees that no one is inside and that she is fast asleep. He goes up to her and picks up a pillow, and....
To Be Continued...
Chapter 7:
"Damnit, I forgot my keys in Ivy's room. Oh well, it'll give me an excuse to get to see her again." Sam says to himself as he tries to get in his car. He walks into the hospital and heads for Ivy's room. "What the hell are you doing, Crane?!" Sam asks as he opens the door to find Julian standing over Ivy's bed with a pillow. Sam's yelling woke up Ivy from her deep sleep."What is going on?" Ivy asked. "Julian was trying to suffocate you." Sam goes up behind Julian and puts the cuffs on him. "Julian Crane, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be apointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?" "You are making a mistake. I was just fluffing my wife's pillow for her." "Save it, Crane! You and I both know that you are lying. You shot your wife because she found out a secret. You came back to finish the job. Well you are going to pay for ever hurting her." Sam picks up his cell phone and calls a unit to come pick Julian up. After Julian leaves, Sam goes to Ivy's side."I am so sorry for leaving you, Ivy. I will never leave you again." Sam says as he sits by Ivy's side. "It wasn't your fault Sam. You saved my life. If you hadn't come in here when you did, Julian would have killed me.""It's going to be alright, Ivy." "Can you do me a favor, Sam?""Anything." "Call Ethan, Sheridan, Libby, and Pilar and her family over here. I want to tell them what I found out before Alistair or Julian send someone else after me.""Ok. I'll be right back."After everyone arrives: "Ok, mother, we're ready for you to tell us." Ethan says after everyone gathers around Ivy. "First, let me start off by telling you a secret of my own." Ivy began, as she sat up a little in her bed. "It was more than 20 years ago. I met the most amazing man in the world and we fell in love. We were so happy together and we were going to get married, but we had to sneak around because my parents would never approve. I found out that I was pregnant and so did my mother. She told me that I couldn't keep the baby and stay with the man I loved. I had to choose one or the other. I chose my baby and then she made me marry Julian Crane. I passed the baby off as his and not even Alistair knows the truth." "Who is this baby?" Sam asks, curious as to know about his child that he just found out he had. "It's you, Ethan. You were the product of our love. I have wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn't." Ethan is shocked, but he understands why his mother did what she did. "Mother, I have just one question for you. Who is my real father?" Ivy looks over at Sam and then answers. "Sam Bennett is your father." Everyone is shocked as the revelation of Ethan's paternity is revealed. Ethan doesn't really know what to say. "You're my father? Oh my God." "I hope that you both aren't angry with me. I did it to protect you. I was afraid of Julian and Alistair. After I tell all of you the truth, their lives will be over and they can never hurt anyone again." "Ivy, I could never be angry with you. I have loved you since the day we met and I always knew that you left me for a good reason. And you did. You did it to save our sons life. You did a great job raising him and I love you even more for it." "My...dad is right. You sacrificed your happiness for me. I could never be angry at you for that." "You both are great and I love you with all my heart. We'll have to continue this later, though, because Sheridan, Pilar, and her family need to know the truth about that night so they can get on with their lives." "Ivy, you know the truth about 'that night'?" Sheridan asked. "Yes I do Sheridan. You didn't do anything wrong when you were a child." Ivy began. "You got out of bed after you heard a noise outside of your room and saw a man arguing with Alistair. You got scared and ran down the stairs. You heard footsteps following you, so you grabbed the letter opener and hid in the corner. That's when your father and the man you saw him arguing with came down. You were worried about your father, so you lunged at the man with the letter opener, but your brother grabbed you. As the man was distracted, Alistair picked up the letter opener off the ground and stabbed the man with it. You got out of Julian's grasp and bent down by the man, trying to wake him up. After seeing the blood on your hands, you went into shock and you kept blaming yourself. Your father and brother put him in a casket and burried him somewhere. They took this opportunity to place the blame on you. That's when your nightmares began. They decided to send you away after you began telling Pilar about the nightmares. They sent you to numerous psychologists in Europe so they could try to convince you that it was just a dream. The man that died that night, was Martin Fitzgerald. Julian and Alistair hid all of the papers about the coffin and any sort of evidence inside a safe in Julian's library. They also had security tapes in there that show everything. I found them when I was searching for information on Martin Fitzgerald. I hid everything in a safe deposit box and then confronted Julian. That's when he shot me." Everyone was in complete shock. "I am so sorry about Martin, Pilar." "It's not your fault, Mrs. Crane. You had nothing to do with it." "Momma's right, Mrs. Crane. You could have kept this a secret, but you finally answered everyone's questions. Thank you." Even though everyone was devestated by what Ivy had just told them, their questions were finally put to rest and could all move on with their lives. After Sam and Ivy's divorces cleared up, they decided to get married. When Gwen found out the truth about Ethan's paternity, she dumped him and he later married Theresa. Sheridan's nightmares stopped and her and Luis got married. And as for Julian and Alistair, they rotted in jail forever!
THE END
