I'll Love You For Always
Chapter 7:
**Luis is down at the docks with two other officers looking for the abandoned boat**
Luis raced up and down the pier looking for the Sharkspeed. He had had no luck so far. He went back down the pier and started down the next one. He felt a small drop on the back of his neck. He looked up and saw that it
had started to drizzle. He didn't care; he kept searching for the boat. He was about to turn around when he saw something moving at the very end of the
pier. He ran down and saw an old, run down boat that looked like it could sink at any minute. He saw pale lettering that read Sha ksp ed.
This was
it. He called out to the other officers through the rain, which had started to pour. "I'll go on by myself; I don't think it can handle too many
people." The cops nodded. Luis crept onto the deck of the boat; it creaked. He looked through the rain and saw a door leading to the bottom deck. He pushed it
open and couldn't believe what he saw. It was Sheridan, worse than she had looked before. A piece of rope tied her wrists to a pipe on the ceiling. She was almost hanging by them. She still had duct tape over her eyes, but the piece over her mouth had fallen off. She has huge bruises all over her arms and stomach.
She could tell someone was in the room and she started to squirm. "Please go away…just…just go away," she said in a desperate voice. Luis' heart broke. He knew that if he ran to her he would scare her terribly. He started to edge towards her. "Sheridan," he said softly, "Sheridan, its Luis." "No it's not…you're trying to trick me, you're lying…please just let me go," Sheridan said, in tears. Luis took a few more steps towards Sheridan. He put his hand on her back, but she flinched. He took it away quickly.
"Honey, I'm gonna take this tape off your eyes, okay?" Luis reached for the tape and gently peeled it off. Sheridan tried to open her eyes, but all she could do was squint. "Luis? Is it really you?" she asked weakly. Luis smiled. "Yeah, it's me. You're going to be fine Sheridan." Luis reached up and
untied Sheridan's wrists. Her knees buckled and she started to fall, but Luis caught her. Sheridan threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "I never thought I would see you again," Sheridan whispered threw her sobs. "You know I would never stop looking until I found you" Luis said,
hugging Sheridan with all his strength.
They stayed there in each other's arms for what seemed like forever. Neither one wanted to let go. They were
suddenly interrupted when the boat tilted to the side.
"What was that?" Sheridan asked meekly. "We have to get off this boat," Luis said, standing up. He put
Sheridan's arm around his shoulder and helped her up. He put his arm behind her back to help her balance. "C'mon." They slowly wobbled up the stairs only to be greeted by the stinging rain above. Debris was flying around everywhere. Luis shielded Sheridan's face with his body. He could see the officers now.
"Help her off," he yelled through the rain. He passed Sheridan to the cop waiting. He jumped off the side of the boat and landed next to them. He reached for Sheridan but was hit in the head with a piece of wood. He fell to the ground. "Luis!" Sheridan screamed, falling down next to him. Luis started to move
and his eyes opened. He saw Sheridan over him and remembered where they were. He jumped back up. He took Sheridan back and headed towards the car. "Here Sheridan, get in," he said, opening the back door for her. She crawled into the seat and lay down.
Luis ran across to the driver's side and jumped in. He looked back at Sheridan. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I {cough, cough} just didn't expect that rain. What about you, are you alright?" "Yeah, it's nothing," Luis said, looking at the bleeding gash on his forehead in the mirror. "Well you're going to be fine now, I'm bringing you to the hospital," Luis said, starting he car and driving off.
**Luis arrives at the hospital. Sheridan can't walk anymore so Luis has her in his arms as he walks in**
Luis spots Eve at the front desk. He runs over to her with Sheridan in his arms, barely conscience. "Eve, help," he said, desperately. Eve looked at Luis amazed, then over to an attending. "Can we get a gourney over here please? Oh my God Luis, what happened?" Eve asked. "Well I had this case and this guy…well he kidnapped her and…is she going to be okay?" Luis said. His face was now wet, but not from the rain. He laid her gently on the stretcher.
"I don't know Luis, she looks pretty banged up. I'll go see what I can do. You stay here and I'll tell you something when I know it." Eve started to push Sheridan down the hall. "Eve, I want to go with her," Luis pleaded. "No Luis, you stay here. You need to get the cut on your forehead looked at." Eve pushed Sheridan into a room and shut the door. Luis slowly sat down in the waiting area and put his head in his hands. "This is all my fault.If I hadn't gotten Valentino Sheridan would be all right. She has to be all right, she just has to be," he said quietly to himself.
**20 minutes later**
Eve slowly approached Luis, who had his head buried in his arms on a table. He had a small cup of coffee next to him. "Luis?" Luis' head shot up. He had a large bandage covering his forehead. "Eve, how's Sheridan. Will she be all right? Can I see her?" "Luis, calm down. Sheridan is doing fine. She has a few cuts and bruises here and there but nothing serious. She has a welt on her side where she was injected with chloroform, but it isn't infected. Yes you can see her, I'll show you where she is," Eve said, answering all Luis' questions in a quick breath.
Luis grabbed his coffee and followed Eve down the hall to Sheridan's room. "Okay, you can go in, but try not to upset her." "I won't Eve. Thank you." "I'll come check on her in a few minutes; give you two a little time to
yourselves." "Thanks." Luis said as he pushed the door open slowly. He saw Sheridan lying on the bed looking out the window to the darkness outside. When she heard
the door she looked over to find Luis staring at her.
"Hey you, stop staring at me and get over here," she said smiling. Luis gripped his coffee and walked over to Sheridan. He didn't like seeing her like this at all. He could barely take it; he had to fake his happiness.
"Hey baby, how are you doing?" he asked, sitting in the chair next to her. And taking her hand. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it softly. "I'm fine, now that you're here. How's your head?" "My head? Oh, it's nothing," he said, still grasping Sheridan's hand in his. "Eve said you're going to be just fine." Just then Eve walked in the room with Sheridan's chart. "Hello Sheridan, how are you feeling now?" she asked, flipping through
Sheridan's chart. "Fine. Tired, but fine," she answered.
"Well everything seems normal here. I think all you need is some rest." "And what about the baby?" Luis asked worriedly. Eve smiled. "I didn't want to say anything in front of you in case you didn't know. The
baby seems fine; I'd like to do an ultrasound to check up on everything." "An ultrasound? Are you sure that's necessary?" Luis asked. Sheridan gave a
little laugh and Luis looked at her. "What?" "It's just a little jelly on my stomach Luis, it's not like surgery or anything," she said smiling. She turned back to Eve.
"I'm like 8 weeks right?" "Yes. And an ultrasound is needed for your 8-week checkup anyway." "Oh, okay then," Luis said. Eve left Luis and Sheridan alone while she went to get the fetal monitor. Luis just sat there holding Sheridan's hand in his; kissing it every once in a while. Eve walked back in, pushing what looked like a small TV. "Okay, here it is," Eve said as she took out a bottle of jelly. She pulled Sheridan's shirt up and squirted a large mound of clear jelly on her stomach. Sheridan giggled. "Wow that's cold," she laughed.
Eve smiled at her as she took the paddle and started to move it around Sheridan's belly. A black and white image popped up on the screen. Luis got up and stood next to Sheridan, clutching her hand. A fast throbbing noise started as something on the screen started to
move around. Eve pointed to the moving object."There it is," she said. "That's the baby?" Luis asked. "Yup. It looks good; good size, right number of arms and legs." "And that…that's the heartbeat?" Sheridan asked. "Yes." "Isn't that really fast?" Luis asked.
"No, that's normal for a baby, Luis." Luis stared at the screen; then he looked down at Sheridan. She was beaming. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "That's our baby," she said, almost crying. "I love you so much Sheridan," Luis said, kissing her hand. "I love you too Luis." Eve smiled as she wiped off the jelly on Sheridan's stomach."Now I want you to make an appointment with our OBGYN for 4 weeks for another check-up. Everything else seems okay, you'll probably be tired for a few days from the drug that was given to you, but other than that you'll be fine.."
"When can she come home?" Luis asked. "I want to keep her overnight just to be safe, and she can go home tomorrow." Luis smiled at Sheridan and squeezed her hand. "I'll leave you two alone
and come check on you later." "Thank you Eve," Sheridan said. "Yeah Eve, thanks." Eve smiled. "It's no problem. See you later." Eve left and Luis looked at Sheridan. "Do you mind if I squeeze in?" Sheridan smiled and scooted over. "Not at all." Luis lay down next to Sheridan and put his arm around her shoulder. She put hers across his chest and snuggled in close to him.
He saw her wince in pain. "What? What is it?" he asked frantically. He tensed up. She turned her expression to a smile. "Nothing Luis. I just hit a sore spot." "Are you sure? Do you want me too go get Eve?" "You better not. I want you right here, close to me." Luis relaxed. "I think I can manage that." He kissed her forehead. He loved her so much, and now she was having his baby. He was so happy. He was about to get up to get some water but noticed that Sheridan was already fast asleep.
He pulled the blanket over them and hugged her. He closed his eyes and dreamt about their new family.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 8
**Sheridan's hospital room, the next morning**
Luis woke up to rays of light streaming through the window. He looked over and felt Sheridan curled up next to him in his arms. He smiled to himself and kissed her forehead. He gently moved her and got off the bed. He pulled the covers back up to her neck and stretched. He left Sheridan's room and closed the door softly behind him. He decided he should call Mama, she could be worried. He went over to the payphone and dialed the number for the mansion. "Hello?" "Hey Mama, its Luis." "Oh mi hijo, I'm glad you called. I have been worried."
"I know Mama and I'm sorry; I should've called earlier. I need you
to do me a favor." "Of course Luis, what?" "Can you bring a change of clothes for Sheridan to the hospital?" "The hospital? Luis what happened? Is she all right?" "Yes mama, she's fine. I'll explain everything when you get here, okay?" "Yes Luis, okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." "Thanks Mama, bye." Luis hung up the phone and saw Eve walking down the hall. He stopped her.
"Hey Eve." "Oh, good morning Luis. Sheridan's still sleeping?" "Yeah." "That's good, she needs her rest." "Yeah. Um…can I ask you a question?" "Of course Luis. What is it?" "When do you think Sheridan will be better; I mean completely better?" Luis asked. "Well her bruises will take a week or so to go away; and she'll be tired for a few days, but after that she should be as good as new." "And she can go home today?" "Yes Luis, as soon as she wakes up I will release her and you can take her come." Eve answered with a chuckle. Luis saw Sheridan walk out of her room.."Thanks Eve," he said as he rushed over to Sheridan. "Hey there, what do you think you're doing out of bed?" "Well I woke up and you weren't there so I came out to find you," Sheridan said, yawning.
"Well I'm right here so why don't you go back and lay down?" "Luis, I don't have to be in bed all the time; I'm fine." Luis sighed; he knew he wasn't going to win. He saw Pilar walk in through the front doors. He waved to her and she came over. "Pilar, what are you doing here?" she asked. “Luis called me and asked me to bring you a change of clothes; Sheridan, what happened?" Pilar said quickly. "Why don't we go inside Sheridan's room and we'll tell you what happened," Luis said as he opened the door and showed them inside. "I can't believe this; I'm so glad you are all right Sheridan," Pilar said.
"Thanks Pilar. I know I look bad now, but Eve said I will look fine in a week or so." Luis pulled her close and kissed her temple. "I think you look beautiful." Pilar smiled. She knew how happy these two were. She was happy that they finally had found love with each other. She was about to leave when Luis stopped her. "And we have a surprise." "What kind of surprise?" Pilar asked, raising an eyebrow. Luis turned to Sheridan and squeezed her hand. She smiled back at him. "We're going to have a baby," Sheridan said excitedly. "Oh that's wonderful you two; I'm so happy for you." "Yeah, we're really excited. It's great," Sheridan said, resting her head on Luis' shoulder.
Luis gave her a quick kiss on the forehand. Pilar stood up and gave Sheridan a hug and Luis a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to leave you two alone now. You call me later if you need anything, anything at all. Actually, I'll come by and see if you need me to do anything." "Oh Pilar, please don't. I don't want to be a bother. I'm sure your son here won't let me out of his sight," Sheridan said, giving Luis a little nudge. He let out a little laugh. "All right, but don't hesitate to call me." "You know I won't Pilar, thanks." "Goodbye." "Bye Mama." Pilar left Sheridan's room and Sheridan stood up and stretched. "Well, now that I actually have clothes, I'm going to go get dressed so we can get out of here and go home." "Do you need some help?" Luis asked. Sheridan smiled at him. "I think I just might," she said seductively as she headed towards the bathroom. Luis smiled back and followed her.
To Be Continued…
Chapter 9:
**Sheridan has been released from the hospital**
Luis pushed the door open and followed Sheridan. "Home, sweet home,"
Luis said as he closed the door behind him. "It feels so good to be home," Sheridan said, walking towards the kitchen. "All I want to do is sit down, relax, and…Luis!" Sheridan yelled with this last word. Luis ran up to her. "What? What is it Sheridan?" he asked, fretful. "You tell me." Luis looked down at the floor where Sheridan was staring. He saw the millions of pieces of the shattered computer. He blushed a little. "Well…um…when I found out what had happened to you I… uh…kinda threw it off the table." "Oh. Well, I should get this cleaned up," Sheridan said as she went into the kitchen. She came out holding a broom, a dustpan and a trash can. "Sheridan, let me do it. I made the mess, I can clean it up," Luis said, heading towards her. She started to bend down and Luis saw her wince in pain. "Sheridan stop! You're just going to hurt yourself more."
"No, I can do it." She bent down again. Luis ran to her side as she flinched in pain again. "Dammit," she said quietly. "Honey, please stop. Eve said that you need to relax for a few days; take it easy," he said, taking the broom away from her. "But…" she started. "No. No buts," he said as he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch. He laid her on it and handed her the remote to the TV. "Now you are going to stay here and I'm going to go clean up the computer-or what used to be the computer." Sheridan smiled. "Yes sir!" He took the blanket off of the side of the couch and laid it on her. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled at him then turned on the TV. He went to the computer and started to throw some of the big hunks of the broken machine away. He was about to get all the small pieces when the phone rang. Sheridan watched as Luis picked up the phone. She couldn't really make out what he was saying but he looked at her and then went back to the phone.
He hung up the phone, but picked it up again and dialed a number. After a sec he hung up and walked over to Sheridan. "Baby, I have to go out for like a half an hour, but I'll be right back." "What? Where are you going?" "I'm going down to the station. They caught the guy that did this to you and I need to go have a little talk with him." "They caught him?" Sheridan asked smiling. "Yes they did." "So what was the second phone call?" Sheridan said just as the doorbell rang. Luis got up and headed towards the door. "That was me calling Ethan to come and keep you company," he said as he opened the door. "Hey Ethan." "Hey Luis, hey Sher…" Ethan stopped when he saw Sheridan's face.
"Oh my God Sheridan, what happened to you?" he asked panicking as he ran over to her. Luis went back over to Sheridan on the couch. "I'll be back soon honey," he said as he kissed the top of her head. He turned to Ethan; "She'll explain everything to you. Don't worry; she's fine. But you have to do one thing for me." "Alright…what?" Ethan asked wearily. "You are not let her off of this couch. She needs her rest and that is
what she's going to get." Sheridan sighed and gave out a little laugh.
"Okay, I just I wish I knew what was going on." "I'll tell you what happened," Sheridan said as she started to recount to him the long story. Luis got in his car and headed for the station. Luis pulled up to the police station and jumped out of the car. He dashed inside to find Sam. He saw him talking to another officer outside of the door of the interrogation room.
He jogged over to him. "I'm here; where is he?" Luis asked, a little out of breath. "He's inside, but I was thinking after I called you Luis that you really shouldn't talk to him," Sam said regretfully. "What? Why not?" Luis said loudly, almost yelling. "Because this case is to personal to you Luis; I don't know if you can handle yourself in there." "I can Sam; I swear. I'll behave myself," he pleaded. Sam was silent for a second as he was thinking.
"All right Luis, but try to control yourself, please." "I will," Luis said as he grabbed the file out of Sam's hand and went inside the interrogation room. Valentino was sitting there, smugly. His
hands were cuffed and he was slouched in his chair. Luis took a breath and closed the door behind him. He sat in the chair across from Valentino's and plopped the folder down on the table. He sat back and just stared at the criminal before him for a while. "So…how's your arm?" Valentino asked, smiling. Luis stared at him.
"Fine." There was a silence again. "Well I guess we should get started," Luis said finally. He sat up and opened the folder in front of him. "You are going to be charged on a number of things; let's see, we've got attempted murder, money laundering, drug dealing, kidnapping and assault and battery. Is there anything that we left out?" Luis said calmly. "I get the feeling you want me to go to jail," he said, snickering. "Yeah, well, I think you going to jail would be best considering you're a maniac with no soul," he answered, looking down at Valentino's file. "Oh now that's not very fair; I have a soul, everyone does. Mine is just…on vacation," he said, smiling a devilish smile.
"You…a soul? Yeah right. People who have souls don't take pregnant
women who have done nothing to them hostage and beat the living crap out of then!" Luis yelled as he jumped up from his chair, making it slide to the wall.
"Pregnant? Really? Well isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever heard?" he said sarcastically. "What the hell is the matter with you? You could've killed her!" he yelled as he grabbed Valentino by his collar and pulled him up. "I was just trying to have a little fun." Luis eye's flared with anger; he had to focus all his energy on letting go of Valentino and not hitting him for the slime he was. He took a few steps away from him when he heard, "Ha. The kid's probably not even his," come from behind him. In one quick movement he whipped around, punching Valentino square in the jaw, causing him to topple over the back of his chair. Luis slowly regained his posture and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
To Be Continued…
Chapter 10:
Luis arrived at the cottage and walked in. He looked around but it
seemed no one was home. "Sheridan?" he asked, walking into the kitchen. She wasn't there. Luis shrugged it off and assumed she was still in the main house. He went into the bedroom to get changed. He stopped and smiled at what he saw. Sheridan was curled up on the bed fast asleep. Luis laid his Harmony Police coat on the chair and crept over to the bed. He lay down next to her so their foreheads and knees were touching. He lifted up his hand and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. Sheridan's eyes opened slowly and she smile when
she saw Luis next to her. "Hi." "Hi. I didn't mean to wake you up," Luis whispered, his hand still on the side of her face. "That's okay, I'm glad you did."
Luis stared at Sheridan, stroking her cheek gently. "You know there's no way I can get back to sleep with you staring at me like that, so why don't I go make us some hot chocolate, Pilar style," she said, smiling. They were sitting on the couch quietly sipping their drinks. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was just a silence. "Do you want me to quit?" Luis asked, staring down at his mug.
Sheridan almost spit her hot chocolate out. "What?" Luis looked over at her and she noticed that his eyes had watered over. "Do you want me to quit my job?" Sheridan put her drink down on the table and turned towards Luis. "What are you talking about?" "I think I should quit my job." "Why?" Sheridan asked, scooting over closer to Luis. "Look at you Sheridan. Look at your bruises and what just happened. That happened because I'm a cop who got on the bad side of a physco." Luis, it wasn't your fault." "Yes it was Sheridan. I made this happen. If I wasn't a cop then you would be okay." "Luis, I am okay. A few bruises that's all. I'll be fine in a few days."
"I just want you to be safe, and if the only way you can be safe is for me to quit then I will." Sheridan wanted to say 'Yes Luis, please quit. I don't like you getting hurt and putting your life on the line everyday', but she knew how much Luis loved his job. "I would feel much safer if you stayed a cop and but all the bad guys behind bars. I like knowing that you are the one protecting me by being a cop." Luis kissed her forehead. "I will always protect you." "I know that." "But are you sure..." he started. "Luis, no buts. You're not quitting and that's that." Luis smiled and put his arm around her waist. He pulled her back into him and she giggled.
"Now I know why I love you so much," he said, kissing the back of her
neck. "And I cannot wait until we have this baby." Sheridan smiled.
"You know what? You're going to be a great Daddy." Luis squeezed
Sheridan. "Ooh…daddy. I like the sound of that. But you know what I like better?" "What?" "You being mommy."
"Oh yeah, that's nice." Sheridan snuggled back on Luis' chest and closed her eyes. Luis was so glad she was safe now. He didn't know what he would do if anything had happened to her and because of him no less. A loud knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. Luis saw that Sheridan was already asleep so he kissed the top of her head and gently lifted her off of him. As he covered her with a blanket he heard more knocking. "Coming," he said loud enough so the person would stop knocking. He opened the door and saw Theresa standing there with a pie. "Oh hey Theresa. Nice pie." "It's for Sheridan, mama baked it. It's her favorite." "Oh. Well she's asleep now. She was really tired." "Oh." "Theresa?" "Yeah?" "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "Sure Luis, about what?" Luis looked back at Sheridan to check that she was still sleeping. He led Theresa outside and closed the door behind him. “A surprise for Sheridan."
To Be Continued…
Chapter 11:
"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" Theresa asked. "I want to throw Sheridan a surprise wedding." "Really? That's so romantic!" Luis smiled. "So what do you want to talk to me about?" "Well you and Sheridan have talked about our wedding right?" "Yeah, well she remembered how much she liked my plans for Ethan and Gwen's wedding and she wanted me to help her with yours." "So you know what she wants for the wedding right?" "Yeah, everything." "Great. That's great. I want to surprise her and have it next Sunday." "Next Sunday? That's only 8 days!" "I know, but I'm sure we can pull it off. Just throw around the Crane name a little." "Luis wants me to use the Crane name to get something done. Are you okay?" Luis gave a little laugh. "Yeah, well this is for Sheridan and she deserves it."
"Okay. I'll go get some preliminary stuff done and see if we can actually do this. What time should we have it? How about 5:30? That's a good time for a wedding. I hope the church isn't already booked. I'll call you in a few hours," Theresa said in almost one big breath. "Okay, I'll call everyone and invite them and we'll talk later." "Okay, bye Luis!" Theresa said as she dashed towards the main house and Luis went back inside. He glanced at Sheridan to make sure she was still sleeping. He went into the bedroom and started calling people.
**2 hours later**
"So the church is available?" Luis asked Theresa through the phone.
"Yeah, it's booked for 5:30 and I booked the Seascape for the reception
from 7 to 10. Mrs. Crane called this great wedding planner and said she'll be decorating the church and the Seascape. All white roses, just like you said.." "Okay, great. They're Sheridan's favorite. What about the jet?" "Mrs. Crane said it'll be fueled and ready to go whenever you need it." "And Ethan is sure that Sheridan has never been to Bermuda?" "Yeah, he said that she has always wanted to go but has never really had the time." "Great, okay. Well that's everything then." "What about her dress?" "Oh my God! Her dress, I completely forgot. She needs a dress and I can't pick one out for her, what if she hates it?" Theresa started to laugh a little. "What?" "Calm down Luis. I've already taken care of it," she said, still chuckling. "What? How?" "Well she told me about a dress that she had loved. I remembered the name of the shop and called them. They knew which one I was talking about and got it ready.
It'll be here tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "Yeah, well, the shop is in Paris so I had to order it to be flown in." "Oh. Thanks Theresa. This is all great. You did a great job. I hope Sheridan is going to like all this." She's going to love it Luis. She's very lucky to have you doing all this for her." "Well it's just that with everything that she's been going through I thought it would be a nice surprise for her. Hey, everyone knows it's supposed
to be a secret right?" "Yup, don't worry, no one will tell Sheridan. Oh, and Ivy said that she will get some suitcases packed for Sheridan and she will put them on the plane." "What's supposed to be a secret?" Sheridan asked, walking into the bedroom. Luis whipped around and almost dropped the phone. "Uh, Theresa, I'll have to call you later. Bye," Luis stood up and walked over to Sheridan.
"So you're up, that's good." He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek then went into the kitchen. She followed him. "Are you hungry? I'm starving." "You're not getting away that easily. Now what is supposed to be a secret?" "Let's go out to eat. What are you in the mood for? I could really go for some pizza," he said, dodging Sheridan's question. "Come on Luis, tell me!" Luis sighed. "Okay, okay. I may have a little something planned for you, but that's all I'm saying. Now come on, I'm hungry," Luis said as he opened the door for Sheridan. "Okay, I won't try to get it out of you, but it better be good," she said as she walked out. Luis laughed. "It will be, believe me."
To Be Continued…
Chapter 12:
**Sunday Morning at noon* *8 Long Days Later**
Luis tiptoed into the bedroom carrying a tray of food and a white rose. He set the tray of food down on the nightstand and sat down next to the still sleeping Sheridan. “Sheridan?" he whispered. She didn't move. "Sheridan? It's time to wake up." She turned over so she wasn't facing Luis and pulled the covers over her head. "Go away, I want to sleep," she mumbled from under the covers. Luis chuckled
and pulled the covers back down.
Sheridan looked up at him. "Excuse me, can I help you?" "Yes you can," Luis said as he lay the tray of food down on Sheridan's lap. "You can eat up." Sheridan sat up and looked at the food in front of her.
"What's all this for?" she asked as she touched the rose gently.
"Just because I love you," he said as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "And because you need your strength for your surprise today."
"Ooh...I get my surprise today?" she asked excitedly. "Yup. And you should hurry if we don't want to be late." "Okay," Sheridan said as she took a bite of her eggs.
**hour later in the car**
"Is this blindfold really necessary Luis?" Sheridan asked, tugging on the fabric over her eyes. "Yes! Don't take it off," Luis said. "We're almost there." "Okay, okay," Sheridan sighed. Luis pulled up to the church and jumped out of the car. He went over to Sheridan's door and opened it for her. "Give me your hand." Sheridan smiled and held out her hand. Luis helped her out of the car. "Okay, now there's some steps here so be careful." Sheridan stepped up blindly. Luis led her to the front door of the church and opened it.
When he saw what was inside he knew that everything was going to go perfectly. He was amazed at what had been done. "Okay, keep going…" he said
as he brought Sheridan halfway down the aisle. "Okay, now stop and wait right here." "Can I take the blindfold off yet?" "No! Just wait here and I'll be back in a minute, and don't peek!" "I won't," Sheridan said, smiling. Luis saw Theresa come out from behind a door and he waved to her. She smiled and gave him the thumbs up sign.
She
ran back inside and he went back up to Sheridan. He started to untie the blindfold, "Okay, here we go…" He took the blindfold off completely. "Surprise," he whispered. Sheridan couldn't believe what she was seeing. The entire church was beautifully decorated for an elegant wedding. Strings of white roses crept up the pillars like vines. What seemed like million of white candles were lit and they surrounded the altar. She took a few steps forward and continued to take in the magnificence of everything. "What…what is this?" she asked in awe. "This…is our wedding." Sheridan whipped around.
"What?" Luis stepped closer to Sheridan. “We are getting married in 2 hours and…" Luis glanced at his watch, "…47 minutes." "Is this a joke?" Sheridan asked, not believing what she was hearing. "No. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone and I want to marry you, today," Luis said, smiling hopefully at Sheridan. She took one more glance
around the church before throwing her arms around Luis' neck. "I love you so much Luis. I can't believe you did all this," she said through her tears, which had started to flow out.
"Whoa," Luis said as Sheridan jumped on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "So we're really getting married today?" Luis pulled away and looked Sheridan in the eyes. "If you want to, yes."
"If I want to? Of course I want to Luis! I have wanted to marry you since our first date!" Sheridan said, covering Luis' face and mouth in kisses. Things were just starting to heat up when someone interrupted them. "Hey now, remember we are in a church here people." Sheridan and Luis pulled away and saw Theresa standing in front of them smiling.
"So I guess you liked your surprise Sheridan?"
"I love it Theresa. Did you help him do this?" "Well I may have helped a little, but it was all his idea." Sheridan gave Theresa a huge hug. "Thank you Theresa, for helping make this possible." "I have a little selfish reason. I do get a big sister out of the deal." Sheridan smiled. “You better you do. Anytime you need to talk Theresa, I'm there." "Thanks Sheridan." Theresa looked at her watch. "Hey, we had better get going, we don't have that much time."
”Going? Going where?" "You're getting married in 2 ½ hours Sheridan. You need to get dressed, get your hair and makeup done, and a whole bunch of stuff. But don't worry, I've got a professional in the bride's room and your dress and veil are all laid out for you." "My dress and veil? But I haven't even picked out a dress yet!" Sheridan said, panicking. "Hey, don't worry Sheridan. I called that little shop in Paris that you were
talking to me about and I ordered the gown and veil that you had tried on and said you wanted. Is that all right? If it isn't we can always get another…"
"No Theresa, that's perfect…I loved that gown! I can't believe you
remembered!" I can't believe all this is happening…" she said as she started to cry again. Luis went up to her and cradled her jaw in his hands; he gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.
"Hey now, none of that. There is no crying on your wedding day. This should be a happy time…" Sheridan chuckled. "It is Luis. I just can't believe you went to all this trouble just for me."
"Hey, it was no trouble for the woman I love. I'll do anything to make you happy Sheridan. I would crawl to the ends of the Earth and back again just to see you smile that beautiful smile of yours."
"I am happy Luis, I'm the happiest woman in the world, I just can't believe I'm the lucky woman who gets to marry such a sensitive and romantic man." Luis kissed Sheridan on the forehead lightly.
"I'm the lucky one." "Okay, I'm taking Sheridan now. If I leave her here you two are never going to get married," Theresa said as she took Sheridan's arm and started to pull her away.
"Wait a second," Luis said. He pulled Sheridan into an intense kiss.
Theresa tried to pull her away again. "Wait, just one more," Luis said as he pulled her into yet another kiss. "Hey, it's not like this is the last time you are going to see her Luis!" Theresa said as she finally hauled Sheridan away from Luis and started to walk with her towards the bride's room. "Okay, well I guess I'll see you in like an hour or so," Sheridan called out to him. "Okay. I love you Sheri," he shouted back. Sheridan smiled; she loved it when he called her that. "I love you too Luis," she said before Theresa pushed her into the bride's
room.
To Be Continued…
Chapter 13
**1 hour later**
Sheridan stepped out from behind the dressing room door. She stood in front of her onlookers in a pure white strapless gown. Her hair was intertwined with tiny white flower blossoms and she was wearing the tiniest of diamonds in her ears. She had on a flowing veil that went down to her waist. Her arms were covered in elbow length white satin gloves. In her hands she held a striking bouquet of snow white roses.
"Well?" she asked, twirling around. Pilar, Theresa and Gwen just stood there looking at her. "Stop staring at me you guys. So how do I look?"
"You look absolutely gorgeous Sheridan," Gwen said.
"Luis is going to flip when he sees you," Theresa said, fluffing her veil for her. "Yes Sheridan, you do look beautiful, but something's not right," Pilar said. Sheridan looked down at herself. "What? What is it?" she asked. "Well something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue of course." "Oh. I completely forgot about that. I think it's a little late to find all that stuff now though." Pilar shook her head.
"I'm sure we can take care of it. Let's see. Well the dress is new, of course. The diamond earrings you're wearing are mine, so that is something borrowed. Now we need something old and something new."
"Where are we going to find things like that?" Pilar smiled and walked to the back of the room. She came back holding a black, velvet rectangular box. "Your mother wanted me to hold this for you, and give it to you on your wedding day."
{{Quick Author's Note: For the sake of this story Sheridan's Mother died of cancer when she was 10 years old}} Pilar opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond necklace. It's entire chain was made out of diamonds and in the center was a large midnight blue sapphire pendant. Tiny diamonds surrounded it on all sides. Sheridan gasped at the piece of jewelry. "This…this was my mother's?" she asked quietly. "I knew I would get to give it to you someday, and that day has come.
Although I didn't think it would seem so soon," she said as she removed the necklace from the box. She put it around Sheridan's neck, "Or that it would be the day that you would marry my son." Pilar closed the clasp on the necklace. "There," she said as she looked at Sheridan in the mirror. There
was a silence as Sheridan stared at herself in the mirror, then as she turned around with tears in her eyes.
"Oh thank you Pilar. Thank you so much," she said as she hugged Pilar. "And I'm so happy that I get to be part of your wonderful family." "Sheridan, you've always been part of my family." Sheridan was about to start crying again when there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Theresa asked. "It's me," Luis said through the door. "Can I come in?" "No!" everyone yelled in unison. They all looked at each other and laughed. "Why not?"
"Because it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress; I'm not even supposed to be talking to you," Sheridan said, getting closer to the door so she could hear Luis. "Oh c'mon, that's just an old superstition, let me in," he whined. "Nope, you'll just have to wait." Luis sighed; he wanted to see Sheridan so badly. Ethan walked up to him. "Hey Luis." "Oh, hey Ethan." Ethan turned towards the door. "Hey Sheridan, can I come in?"
"Yeah Ethan, come on in," Sheridan said through the door. Ethan went in and Luis tried to sneak a peek, but Theresa popped out from behind the door and pushed him back. "Hey! Why does he get to go in?" Luis whined louder. He could hear Sheridan giggling inside. "Oh no you don't; you stay right there," she said as she closed the door
behind her. "How's Sheridan doing?" he asked, rubbing his hands together. Theresa smiled to herself at how nervous Luis was; he always fidgeted when he was nervous.
"She's great Luis, very excited," she said. "You look great by the way." Luis was wearing a jet-black tuxedo and a white tie, with a white rose sticking out of his breast pocket. "Oh, thanks Theresa. You look great too," he answered. She had on an off the shoulder lavender bridesmaid dress. Theresa smiled. "Thanks Luis. Now go away before the ceremony starts without you." Luis sighed and moved closer to the door. "Sheridan?" he asked loudly.
"Yes Luis?" she asked through the door. "I love you." "I love you too Luis." "Bye Theresa," Luis said as he dashed back into the altar. Theresa went back into the bride's room to find Ethan giving Sheridan a hug. "I'm so happy for you Sheridan," he said, pulling away from her.
"So how long have you known about this little plan of Luis'?" Sheridan asked him. Ethan laughed. "About a week."
"And you kept it a secret from me?" she asked, pretending to be hurt.
"Well you like the surprise better, don't you?" Sheridan looked at herself in the mirror. "Yes, I definitely like the surprise better." As Ethan went to talk to Theresa Gwen intercepted him. "Hello Ethan." "Oh, hello Gwen. How are you doing?" "Fine. You?" "Great. How's Joshua?" Ethan asked, still looking at Theresa. "He's doing great. He made partner at the firm. He had an important meeting in Rome so he couldn't make it," Gwen said, trying to sound interesting.
She
wasn't succeeding. “Oh, that's nice." There was and awkward silence for a minute. There had been a lot of those since they broke up. Ethan had told Gwen that he knew they just wouldn't work out. She was pretty upset and started dating Joshua right after that. She had accused him of his decision having something to do with Theresa, but he denied everything and told her that he just couldn't see himself marrying her. Without saying goodbye to Gwen Ethan went up to
Theresa.
"Hi Theresa." "Oh, hi Ethan," Theresa answered, fiddling with her bridesmaid bouquet. Ever since he had broken up with Gwen she thought that they could've had a chance for a future together. She waited patiently for him to give her a sign, weeks, months even, but nothing. When Whitney had finally started to date Chad Theresa saw how happy she was and wanted to be happy too. She had
slowly gotten over Ethan, and she believed she was completely over him. She had a few setbacks of course, like when Ethan seemed so protective of her when she started to date.
She was almost positive it was because he wanted her, but nothing. She hadn't dated anyone seriously, but at least she had dated. "You look beautiful in that dress," he said, staring at her body. Theresa looked up and smiled. Thanks Ethan." He was about to start a conversation
with her when he heard the wedding march start in the hall…
To Be Continued…
Click here to read chapters 14 to 17
