Part 27 - Chapter 1 - Goodbyes

"Guilty. Guilty?" Hector leaned back and closed his eyes tightly. As many times as the verdict echoed in his mind, he couldn't make himself believe it was true. There had to be some loophole, some bargain that could get him off the hook. He couldn't go down for this. Not him.

He opened his eyes again, hoping this would all be a bad dream that he would wake up from. If only he could wake up to find that that morning in Clifford's hospital room had never happened or, if that was too much to ask, that something had gone wrong with the trial and he would be set free. If only he were free, he would leave town as he had planned, start a new life for himself, and put this all behind him.

"Burgess." At the sound of his name, Hector looked up to see the prison guard standing outside his cell. "You have a visitor."

"This is humiliating. Beyond humiliating," Victoria complained loudly as she was searched and lead through to the visiting room. "How can they treat me this way? What do they think I'm going to do? I'm not a common criminal. This is appalling."

"It's standard procedure, ma'am. It's the same for everyone," the guard replied.

"I'm not just anyone. I've never been treated this way in my life."

"This way. Take a seat at the end," the guard said, adding the words, "your highness," sarcastically under his breath.

Victoria warily took a seat, looking at the drab surroundings of the bare room. Was this her future? Allowed to speak to her son, her only child, only through glass partitions, under the supervision of watchful prison guards for the next 10-20 years?

When Hector walked in, he could see the pain and disgust on his mother's face. It was obvious she was trying to be strong and as dignified as always, but she was out of her element here. She didn't belong in a place like this and she never would have been here at all if it hadn't been for him. He sat down and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Mother. It's good of you to come."

"How could I not? You're my son, Hector. How are you? Are they treating you well?"

"Yes, fine." There was plenty to complain about, but he kept his answer positive for her sake. She looked pale and drawn as it was. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing the best I can," she answered, looking down at her hands folded tightly on her lap.

"Have you had any help? Has anyone been at the house with you?"

"Mr. Jordan has been a great help when he is able to come to the house."

"What about your friends? Have they been around?"

"No, and I don't expect them to. If it had been one of their sons I wouldn't be associating with them any longer either."

Hector sighed. "I think you should be with family right now. Don't you have cousins in Pleasantview that you could stay with for awhile? I don't want you to be all on your own like this."

"Pleasantview? But that's so far away. I won't be able to visit you often."

"Maybe that's for the best. I don't want you to see me here like this, Mother. We can write and keep in touch, but you shouldn't be in this place."

"But Hector, it could be 20 years before they release you. How could you ask me to go that long without seeing my only child? I might not be around 20 years from now."

"It could have been worse . . . and I'm sure they'll let me out when I'm up for parole. It won't be that long . . ." He tried to be optimistic for her sake, but it was obvious he was failing. "Listen, Mother, I'm sorry. That's not easy for me to say, but I messed up. I don't know what I was thinking, but I never thought it would turn out like this. Don't suffer over me."

Part 27 - Chapter 2 - Goodbyes

Andrew smiled to himself as he watched the news. "I'm glad Burgess finally got what he deserves. I knew all along he was no good. I hope he rots."

"Uh huh," Amanda replied, barely listening to Andrew's rant as she scurried around the apartment, getting ready to go out.

"Maybe now that he's gone all of the drama at the office will go with him. It seems like we spend more time putting out fires there than getting any actual work done."

"Maybe so," Amanda said as she disappeared into the bedroom. When the doorbell rang she called back. "Would you answer that please, Andrew?"

Barely taking his eyes off the television, Andrew got up and walked to the door.

"Vanessa. What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Andrew. I'm here to pick up Amanda. Is she ready or does she need a few minutes?"

"Pick up Amanda?" he repeated with a confused expression. He wasn't sure he'd heard that right. "For what? What's going on?"

Before Vanessa could reply, Amanda entered the room. "Hi. I'm ready to go."

"What's going on?" Andrew asked, addressing his wife the second time. "Where are you going?"

"I've already told you, more than once. Don't you listen to anything I say?" Amanda sighed, too impatient to wait for a response. "Vanessa invited me to go along with her to the spa."

"I'm getting made over before I take my new head shots and I thought Amanda might like to come along as my guest. I think it will be a fun way for us to get to know each other. Besides, nothing raises a girl's spirits like getting all glammed up."

Andrew was still baffled. "Are you sure you told me about this?"

"Yes, I told you," Amanda said sharply. "Come on, Vanessa, let's go."

Andrew stood, scratching his head even after they said goodbye and left the apartment. Since when had they become good friends?

"Hey Cass, do you have a pair of scissors?" Zara asked as she stood in the doorway to her sister's room. "I think I left mine at the old house, probably with a bunch of other random things I'd forgotten about."

"Yeah, sure," she said, reaching moving across the room to fetch the scissors from a desk drawer. "Are you going to go back for the things you left behind?"

"I would, but I'm not sure it's worth it. I don't think I left anything big and anything I did leave behind is probably destroyed by now, if it was noticed."

"I can't believe your friends turned on you like that."

"I know. Some friends, huh? I can't say you didn't warn me about them, or about Thomas at least."

"I'm sorry I was right about him."

"Maybe I'll listen to you next time. I just can't believe my judgement was so bad. To think, I liked the guy. I was actually flattered when he seemed to take notice of me and he turned out to be a complete lunatic. I feel so stupid."

"You shouldn't feel stupid about that," Cassie said.

"No, of course not, Zara. Besides it's not too late."

Zara and Cassie looked up to see their mother standing in the hallway. "Too late for what?"

"To win him over, if you're still interested . . ." Serena said as she slowly walked into the room. "Or, if you'd rather go the other way, to take revenge."

Zara stared in shock. She couldn't believe her mother was suggesting what she thought she was suggesting. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. There are plenty of spells we can cast. Any kind that you like."

"I don't want to cast any kind of spell," Zara exclaimed, incredulously. "I don't want revenge on anyone and I certainly don't want a guy like him in my life. It was just bad judgement, ok? It's over with now and I'm just going to move on with my life."

"It's probably for the best anyway," Cassie remarked. "You can see how much good the love potion she made to help me with Blaine did."

"Just be patient, Cassandra. And don't give up. There's still more we can do." As she spoke, Serena's words seemed to get slower and slower. "I'll look up something for you, but later. I need to lie down a moment."

Cassie and Zara looked at each other with concern as Serena left the room.

"You aren't seriously going to let her try that, are you?"

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know what else to do."

"How about just telling him how you feel? If you aren't going to be up front with him, you might as well just give it up. You can't make him love you if he doesn't and I don't know why you would even want to make someone love you if you could."

Cassie turned away and stared blankly at the wall. "It's probably too late anyhow. He said he was going to ask her to marry him. They're probably engaged already."

Reese paced around the house, occasionally glancing at Blaine who was seated on the couch. They really needed to talk and soon. Everyday he kept dropping hints about marriage, children, and the future while she just stuttered and stared, not knowing exactly how to say what was on her mind. She knew she probably should have brought this up and talked this out before things had gotten so serious between them, before everything had gone so far, but even now she didn't know where to begin.

When the doorbell rang, Reese jumped and hurried to answer it, grateful for a distraction.

Reese opened the door to see a woman standing on the porch with two little girls behind her and a toddler in a stroller at her side.

"Hi, I'm Jeanette from next door," the woman said with a friendly, but weary smile. "You must be Reese."

"Yes," she said, tentatively.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me out like this. My usual babysitter is sick and I really don't know what I was going to do."

"What?" Reese asked.

Noting her confusion, Jeanette looked concerned. "I hope there's not a problem."

"Hi, Jeanette," Blaine said, stepping up behind Reese. "Come on in."

"What's going on?" Reese asked.

"Oh, sorry," Blaine apologized. "I meant to tell you earlier. I ran into our neighbors last night, we started talking, and I agreed to babysit today. I hope that's ok. I meant to run it by you, but you got home late last night and today it slipped my mind. Sorry."

"It will only be for a few hours and I'll be back as soon as I can," Jeanette chimed in, hoping the panicked stricken Reese wouldn't send them away. She didn't know what she would do if they backed out now.

"I was the one who agreed to this, so I'll take care of everything," Blaine promised. "Is it ok?"

Looking back and forth between Blaine and Jeanette, Reese didn't see how she could say no. "Yeah, I guess it will be ok."

Part 27 - Chapter 3 - Goodbyes

"How is your wife doing, Dr. Wilton? How's the baby?" one of the nurses asked Edward when he stopped at the nurses' station to fill out some paperwork.

"Great. They're both doing wonderfully," Edward said with a smile.

"You seem excited to be a father."

"I'm very excited. I've waited for this for a long time. I can't wait to be a father. I don't even care if we have a boy or a girl. As long as he or she is healthy and Alma does well, I will be so happy."

"Oh hello, Veronica."

"Hi, Ed. I heard you're going to be a father soon. Congratulations."

"Thank you," he said simply and paused before changing the subject. "I heard you're going to be leaving us soon."

"Yes, for awhile anyway. Arthur and I are finally taking that trip we always talked about taking when he retired. I'm glad he's finally taking an interest in things again."

"That's good. It sounds like you're looking forward to it."

"I am. I hate to leave my patients, even though I know they'll be in good hands with Dr. Pons, and I'll miss my stepdaughter, Eileen, but I am looking forward to it. I think this will be good for us."

"Well . . . I wish you well."

"Eileen? Is everything alright?" Arthur asked.

Eileen turned from the envelope she had been staring at and looked at her father. "Hector sent me something." She furrowed her brows as she turned it over in her hands. Finally she dropped it unopened into the trash and turned away.

"Shouldn't you see what it is, at least?"

"I don't even want to know. I don't want to hear anything from him. I don't want to be reminded of him. I don't want to think about him or any of it."

While her back was turned, Arthur took the letter out of the trash and put it in the pocket of his sweater. "I understand, dear. The truth has been hard on all of us."

"I keep thinking about the trial," Eileen said quietly. "I'm still trying to convince myself that I did the right thing."

"Of course you did. You did the only right thing there was to do. Don't tell me you're wishing you had lied to the police or lied on the stand."

"No, I'm not thinking that at all. I know what I did was the right thing to do. That's what I keep telling myself, but . . . I don't understand why I feel so bad about it anyway. Do you think they would have found Hector guilty if I hadn't testified that he confessed?"

"I'm not sure," Arthur said thoughtfully. "But I have no doubt your testimony played a big part in the jury's decision and I'm very proud of you for telling what you knew and staying so collected throughout the whole ordeal. You handled it very well."

Eileen shrugged. "I don't feel like I'm handling it very well . . . I know nothing that happened is my fault and I know I would have felt even worse than I do now if the jury hadn't believed me, but I just wish I didn't feel so guilty."

"I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better, but I've been struggling with it myself," Arthur admitted. "I always thought myself a good judge of character and now I find out just how much has been going on right under my nose. It's not easy to accept."

"No, it isn't."

"Anyway I am glad this business is over with and Hector is in jail." Arthur paused when Eileen looked at him with surprise. "I thought I knew Hector, but after this I wouldn't know what to put past him. At least I can rest a little easier about leaving you on your own knowing that he's behind bars instead of living right next door . . . Maybe Veronica and I should postpone our trip," Arthur said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should wait until this isn't so recent to go."

"No, there's no reason for you to stay. You should go, just like you planned. I'll be fine."

"Even so, why don't you ask your friend Chloe to stay with you? Or maybe you could stay with her while we're away."

Eileen rolled her eyes. "Chloe is busy with her own life. Besides, I'll be fine on my own. I am an adult, you know, and I'm sure I can take care of myself. Other people my age do."

"Yes, I know you can, but I still worry about you, no matter how old you are. And you'll find it's different when you're actually on your own."

"I won't be completely alone. I still have friends around . . ." Eileen frowned momentarily. She wanted to list Lucy among those friends, but wasn't sure if she could. "And I know plenty of people in town. I'll be fine. You and Veronica deserve this vacation and I want you both to have a good time. Don't worry about me."

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Lucy jumped at the sound of Justin's voice. She had been staring out the window, so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard him come in.

"I had to wait for Mrs. Burgess to return from visiting her son before I could leave."

"Oh," Lucy simply said.

"I've sorted the applications for the position of the new events coordinator. You'll have to look over them of course, but I place the ones I found most promising at the top."

Lucy sat down and picked up the stack of applications. The one on top had a familiar name.

"Eileen?" she said in disbelief. She couldn't believe that her former friend had applied for this job. "Oh, no way, this one is going to the bottom of the stack."

"But she seems to be qualified. I was very impressed with her resume and I thought being a friend of yours would make her the perfect candidate."

"She's no friend of mine."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"It's alright," Lucy said, moving on to the next application, but she barely looked at it. "Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh towards her. She did speak up about Hector eventually, but when I think about how long she knew about what had happened and never said one word or gave one hint, I get so angry. I wonder how many other things she could be keeping from me."

Not sure what to say, Justin nodded sympathetically, but didn't interrupt her.

"I wonder if our friendship is even worth it. It seems like there's always something that comes along and tears our friendship apart just when it seems the strongest. It's not easy to deal with that over and over again. If it's not her lying about my father's death, it's her throwing doubt on my marriage when I had just gotten engaged . . . I guess she might have been right about Craig though. Maybe I shouldn't have married him.

At the mention of Craig's name, Justin straightened. He wanted to know more, but asking about the personal details of her marriage seemed completely inappropriate.

Lucy seemed to snap out of her thoughts and become suddenly aware of where she was and why they were there. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping all of my problems and baggage on you." She picked up the stack of applications. "I should be reviewing these applications instead of wasting your time."

"Yes," he agreed, but after a moment's hesitation, he added boldly, "But I really don't mind being here for you, as an ear to listen. Sometimes it seems there are so few people to share your problems with."

Lucy looked up at him and nodded. "It especially seems that way now, when I keep thinking about everyone who isn't here for me in one way or another. There's so few people you can really count on in life."

"You can count on me."

Part 27 - Chapter 4 - Goodbyes

"Oh wow, Amanda. You look great. I think Andrew is going to love your new look!"

"Do you think so?"

"Definitely. How do you like it?"

"I like it a lot . . . more than I thought I would," Amanda admitted as she checked herself out in the mirror. "And you're right, I actually do feel a little better."

"I'm glad." Vanessa smiled before checking her watch. "It looks like we still have some time before our massages. Why don't we stop by the snack bar and get something to drink?"

"So how have things been going for you, Amanda?" Vanessa asked as they settled into one of the tables next to the juice bar.

Amanda shrugged. "The same as always. Work is the same. Andrew is the same. Andrew never changes," she said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm still not pregnant yet, but I'm trying to stay positive. I really am."

"Have you thought about looking into other options for having a baby, like adoption or seeing a fertility specialist?"

"I don't want to adopt. I want to have my own child . . ." Amanda answered with a sigh. "I haven't seen anyone yet, but we probably should . . . I'm kind of afraid they're just going to tell me there's something wrong with me, that I'll never be able to have a baby."

"Don't think that way. Maybe that isn't it at all. You have to find out what's wrong, if there's anything wrong, before you can find a solution. Maybe they'll be able to help. If they can't, well, then at least you'll know what you're dealing with."

Amanda frowned thoughtfully. "This was supposed to be the easy part. People have been having babies since the beginning of time without needing to see specialists, some do it without even trying. Just look at Alma . . ."

"I don't think her pregnancy was exactly unplanned or unwanted, hun."

"I didn't mean it that way," Amanda said quickly. "I shouldn't have brought Alma into it. I'm happy for her. I really am."

"I'm glad you did bring up Alma. I've been thinking about something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Amanda asked, when Vanessa seemed to hesitate.

"I think we should do something to celebrate the new addition to the family. Alma got married so quickly, we didn't have time to put together a shower or a reception for her wedding. I think we should throw a baby shower. This is going to be the first baby neice or nephew for both of us. We should celebrate that and show Alma she has our support."

"I think that's a nice idea," Amanda said carefully and without Vanessa's enthusiasm. She knew it was the right thing to do, even though she didn't feel like celebrating.

"Good," Vanessa replied with a smile. "We'll have plenty of time to talk about the details, but I already have so many ideas. I'm so excited to be an auntie. In a way, I think it's going to be even better than being a mother. We get to play with the little one, spoil it rotten with presents and let the parents handle the difficult stuff," she said with a wink.

"I'd still rather have my own child," Amanda said sadly.

"I hope you do someday, hun. I really do."

"Reese, could you give me a hand?" Blaine called from the doorway.

Reese turned to him warily.

"Could you go outside and watch the girls for a few minutes, while I take care of this little guy?"

"I-I really don't know anything about watching kids. I wouldn't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything. All you have to do is keep an eye on them while they're playing and make sure they don't do anything that would get themselves hurt." When Reese hesitated, he promised, "It will only take a minute."

She didn't like it and didn't feel completely comfortable with it, but she agreed.

When she stepped outside onto the porch, Reese saw the two little girls out in the yard catching butterflies. For a moment, she thought this might be easier than she thought. Before she had a chance to relax, the girls were arguing over the jar.

Reese was wondering if she should step in and say something or wait and let them work it out for themselves. She wasn't sure either of them would listen to her even if she did try to do something.

By the time Blaine came back outside, the girls were yelling and teasing each other and Reese was getting very nervous.

"Hey, girls," Blaine called out, handing the toddler to Reese before walking out across the yard to talk to the little girls. Reese was amazed that after just a few simple words from him, they were playing nicely again.

"It wasn't so bad, was it?" Blaine said, as he walked back up to the porch.

Reese frowned and said nothing. She passed the toddler she had been holding awkwardly to Blaine and started towards the house.

"Why don't you stay out here and play with us? It's a nice day out."

"No, thanks."

Sensing something was wrong, his first instinct was to go inside and ask her what was bothering her, but the girls were already starting to tease each other again and were demanding his attention. He took one last concerned look in Reese's direction before heading into the yard.

Part 27 - Chapter 5 - Goodbyes

"Let's see, do you think we have everything?" Veronica asked as she looked over the suitcases and items around the room. "Besides the few things we'll need to pack at the last minute, of course."

"I should think so," Arthur replied. "It looks like we've packed half of our belongings."

"Well, we are going to be away for quite awhile. It's better to be prepared."

"I can't argue with that."

"How is the packing going?" Eileen asked as she walked into the room. "Do you need any help?"

"No, it's fine. We're almost done. We're almost ready for tomorrow."

"There was one other thing," Arthur said. "Before we go, I want to leave you some money for expenses and in case of emergency. We can send more if you need it, but I want to make sure you have whatever you need."

"Thanks, Daddy. Hopefully while you're away I'll find a job and be able to make some of my own money and keep myself busy too. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I have a few ideas."

"And you're sure you're going to be ok here all on your own?" Arthur asked, eliciting a weary look from Eileen.

"She'll be fine, sweetheart," Veronica spoke up for her stepdaughter. "You've raised a very responsible, capable adult."

"I know. I know. I should stop being an overbearing, worrying father and relax, right? I know everything will be fine."

The applications forgotten and long since put aside, Lucy and Justin had abandoned all pretenses of doing any work and simply chatted.

"I think Eileen might have been right when she said I was moving too quickly with Craig. I'd just lost my father and I was so grateful to him for being there for me. I needed someone to be there for me so badly that I didn't think about everything I should have, maybe. By the time I started thinking any other way, I was already expecting Stuart."

"It sounds like you did what you had to do."

"Did I really have to? Part of me knew all along that he wasn't the best guy for me. I even told you as much, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, but that was before the baby. Once you were expecting a child, it was the right thing to do."

"No. Proper, maybe, but not right . . . Don't you ever get tired of always doing what someone else thinks is the right thing to do and just do what feels right to you, what you feel is right in your heart?" Lucy said passionately as she leaned forward.

"Yes," Justin replied after a thoughtful pause. "Sometimes I do, especially when . . ." he trailed off, gazing into her eyes before suddenly pulling his stare away and shaking the thoughts from his mind. "But I couldn't, not when there's so much at stake."

"Like what?" Lucy asked breathily.

"My career, my professional reputation. What's right, or what's proper if you prefer, does matter to me."

"It used to matter to me too, but I'm finding it matters less and less. No matter what you do, how careful you are, those things can be taken away and then what are you left with? You've lost it all and all that's left are regrets."

Justin shook his head slowly and looked sadly at Lucy. "You still have so much. I would . . . I could almost give up everything, if I had to, for someone to love, for a family."

"Then why don't you?" Lucy asked with an eager glint in her eyes. When he looked away slightly, her gaze turned more sympathetic and she placed her hand over his. "You're so lonely, aren't you? We're just the same you and I. I think we need each other more than we want to admit."

He turned and looked into her eyes as she continued to speak.

"I am willing to give everything up for love, because when you feel this way, nothing else should matter. And you feel the same way as I do, don't you? Tell me that you do."

He closed his eyes and nodded at her, feeling the warm pressure of her hand over his. "I do, but-"

"No buts, no more almosts. Just yes or no," Lucy said, leaning closer to him. "Aren't you tired of being alone?"

"Yes, very much so."

"That's not going to change unless you do something about it."

Justin looked at Lucy, her face so close to his, her lips drawing him even closer. There was no way he could resist her. He didn't want to resist any longer. He pulled her closer and gave in.

Part 27 - Chapter 6 - Goodbyes

After saying goodbye to the neighbors as Jeanette picked up her children, Blaine went into the bedroom where Reese was staring blankly at a book in front of her.

"Hey, is everything ok?"

"Fine."

"I'm sorry I didn't give you any warning about agreeing to babysit. I should have talked it over with you first, but they were in a jam and I wanted to help out."

"I don't mind that you didn't tell me. It's just that I'm not that comfortable around kids," Reese reluctantly admitted. "I don't know what to do or how to act around them. Even when I was one myself at the orphanage, I didn't know how to deal with the other kids. There were so many troublemakers and rowdy kids, I found it easier just to keep to myself."

"Not all kids are like that. Some are easier to handle, like I'm sure ours would be. We're both pretty easygoing, so I'm sure they'll be well behaved too." When Reese bit her lip and skeptically looked away, he added. "And it's different when they're your own kids, at least that's what I've been told."

Unable to avoid the truth any longer, Reese blurted out what had been on her mind for weeks. "I don't think I want to have kids."

"It won't be that bad."

"No, I mean it. I really don't think I want to have kids. I don't see how children would fit into my life with my career and the way things are."

"Maybe not right now. I'm not saying right away," Blaine said slowly, trying to grasp what she was so upset about. "But someday . . ."

Reese shook her head. This was so hard for her to say. "I don't think I want to have kids, ever. I'm just not the mothering type, Blaine."

"Maybe you are and don't realize it. You're sweet, smart, and caring. I think you would make a great mother. I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit."

"Maybe I just don't want to be the mothering type, then." As Blaine paused to think, she added quietly, "I've been wanting to tell you how I feel for a long time. Every time you bring up marriage and kids, I've wanted to say something, but I didn't know how and I don't know what to say now to make you believe me. You have to believe that I do know what I want and what I don't want."

"Do you want a life, a future with me?"

"Yes. I mean, I think so."

"But definitely not a family?"

Reese thought carefully. The word "family" always made her think of the family she'd never had and never knew anything about. Now that she knew the whole truth, it made her think of the circumstances surrounding her birth. "Family" did not feel like a positive thing to her. She looked down and slowly shook her head.

"Well, I do want a family someday," Blaine said firmly. "I want a wife and kids. I want a family to love and share my life with. It's something I've wanted for a long time and I thought that would be something you would want to."

Reese shrugged and stared at the floor. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes.

"Then where are we going in this relationship? Where does this leave us?"

"I'm not sure . . . Maybe we've been moving too fast."

"Apparently we are . . .You know, if we're going to be together. I want us to really be together. I want to know this is going somewhere."

"I just don't know what to say, Blaine. I don't know."

"Then maybe I should give you some time to sort this out yourself," he said as he turned, walked out of the room, out of the house, and out of her life.

"How are you enjoying your day here?" the stylist asked Amanda.

"Fine. Everything has been great."

"I'm glad to hear it. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"Uh, no. I think we are about ready to leave."

"Should I get your bill ready then?"

Amanda looked startled for a moment, "I'd better ask Vanessa about that. She's paying. I'm just here as her guest."

"That's fine. Take your time."

As Amanda walked away, she started to wonder where Vanessa had disappeared to. The last time she saw her, they were talking about the baby shower they were going to have for Alma and when to have it. Vanessa excused herself to get her day planner from the car, but that had been awhile ago and Amanda thought she would have been back by now.

After waiting a few minutes more, Amanda decided to find out what was keeping her.

Amanda walked outside just in time to see Vanessa's car backing out of the parking lot. She started forward, about to call out, but before she could make a move, the car was speeding away down the street, leaving Amanda wondering what was going on.