Part 35 - Chapter 1 - Separating

"Honey, please. I'm trying to make breakfast. I'm starving," Amanda said as she pushed Andrew away after he came up behind her and tried to put his arms around her while she was fixing breakfast.

Andrew sighed loudly and walked away frustrated. "Can't I even give my wife a hug? I'm getting tired of you always pushing me away whenever I try to get near you."

"I don't push you away," Amanda objected, even though she knew what Andrew was saying was the truth. She was pushing him away and she was doing it purposely. It was the only way.

"Yes, you do. Every time I come near you, there's always something. Either you're nauseous, or tired, or your back hurts. It's always something."

"Hello, I'm pregnant," Amanda replied.

"You didn't mind being with me when you first found out you were pregnant. You were the one coming on to me all the time. I don't get it."

"I'm sorry, but my hormones are out of control. I'm not feeling well right now and just want to be left alone, ok? I can't help it."

"Well, I can't help being frustrated."

"I'm sorry. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but it's taken us so long to get pregnant and I don't want to do anything that might risk the baby."

"We aren't going to do anything to risk the baby and if you don't believe me, ask your doctor about it."

"I'll do that. In fact, I have an appointment today and I'll ask him then."

"Good. I promise you, he'll tell you that I'm right and that you're going overboard about this," Andrew said. "Are you almost ready to go to work?"

"Almost," Amanda replied.

"I'll go out and start the car."

"Fine," Amanda answered. She watched as Andrew left the apartment. As soon as the door was shut, she headed for the phone and dialed Reese's number. When there was no answer, she tried her office.

"I'm sorry, but Reese isn't in today. She had an emergency and couldn't come in," the receptionist answered when Amanda asked for Reese. "Can I take a message?"

"An emergency? What happened? Is she alright?" Amanda asked in a panic.

"Oh yeah. She's in the hospital with a ruptured appendix, but she'll be fine."

Amanda hung up the phone without responding. For a second she felt like her heart had just stopped. What about the baby? It had to be alright.

Reese watched anxiously as the doctor studied the monitors and came to a conclusion. "The medications we gave you aren't working. Your contractions aren't slowing down. It looks like we're going to have to deliver."

"But isn't it too soon?" Reese asked with concern.

"Yes, but we don't have any choice. The baby is coming whether we want it to or not," the doctor said. "Fortunately, you're far enough along that the odds of delivering a healthy baby without complications are very good. We'll do everything we can, alright?"

Reese nodded unsurely. She couldn't believe this was happening. She thought she had plenty of time before she had to deliver and now suddenly everything was happening so fast.

"Ok, I think it's time," the doctor said after examining her again. "When I say, go, I'm going to need you to push."

Reese blindly followed the doctor's instructions. The whole thing was surreal. She couldn't make herself believe that this was really happening to her. For the moment she tried to stop thinking and just do what was asked of her to the best of her ability. She could only hope that everything would be alright.

The next thing she knew, she heard a baby's cry and the doctor's happy voice announcing, "It's a girl!"

Reese opened her eyes in time to see the doctor hand a tiny, red infant off to the nurse, who carried her over to the crib.

"I know you must be anxious to see your little girl, but we're going to have to take her to the NICU," the doctor explained. "Since she is premature, we want to get her set up in an incubator and start monitoring her breathing, heart rate, and temperature right away. If all is well, you should be able to see her in just a few minutes, ok?"

Reese just nodded weakly.

"Just try to rest and relax. You did a great job. Congratulations."

Part 35 - Chapter 2 - Separating

"I wish you didn't have to go," Lawrence said as he and Eileen said goodbye at the front door.

"Me neither, but I offered to watch Stuart for Lucy today and you have to go to work."

"I could go in later. I am the boss, you know."

"That's right, you are, aren't you?" Eileen teased as she leaned into him.

Lawrence turned serious again. "I meant that I wish you didn't have to leave to go home. You should be living here already."

"I know. I wish I was too. I'm starting to feel like this is home already. We're going to be so happy here. I know it."

"I know we will be," Lawrence agreed. When Eileen looked away, with a sudden sadness in her eyes, he asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing. Everything's going so good right now. We're together, almost everything is set for the wedding, we have this house, your job is going well, and Chloe and I have all of these exciting plans for our party planning business. Things couldn't be any better. I'm just afraid it's not going to last."

Lawrence smiled slightly and held her close. "I am too, in a way, but I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Then I won't," Eileen promised. "I just want to enjoy every second."

Eileen leaned forward and gave Lawrence one more goodbye kiss. "I wish I could stay longer, but I've really got to go. I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course."

"Have a good day at work."

Lawrence was about to follow Eileen out, but before he could step outside, he heard the phone ring. He went back inside to answer it.

"Did you have any idea that this was going to happen?" Zara asked her sister as they sat together on the couch. She had been shocked when their father had been found dead with their mother standing over him, still holding the murder weapon. Now she was struggling to make sense of what had happened. "Did you know she was planning anything?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No. I sensed something was going to happen, but I had no idea it was anything like this."

"Looking back, you didn't notice her saying or doing anything unusual, did you?"

"No, not at all."

"Me neither. I just can't believe she shot our father in cold blood."

"After what he did to her, I can," Cassie replied. "He had her locked up in a mental institution for years. He kept her from us for most of our lives. She completely missed out on us growing up. He took her life away."

"Not really. She's still alive. He's not," Zara said. "I know he's done a lot of terrible, unforgivable things, but he was still our father. I can't just forget how he was when we were growing up. He was always kind to us. He was a decent father, especially those years when it was just the three of us. I don't want to defend him, but we can't forget he was still a human being."

"Don't forget either that he's the reason there were just three of us. He was the reason we didn't have our mother."

"I know, but now, because of what our mother did, we might not have either of them in our lives. Not that we particularly wanted Dad in our lives after all he's done," Zara sighed. "Why do our lives have to be so messed up?"

Vanessa walked into the room just as Zara and Cassie's conversation ended. "I just got off of the phone with Lawrence and I told him about your father. So he knows what happened."

"Thanks for helping us with this. We really appreciate it," Zara said.

"No problem, hon. No matter what, we're still family in my eyes and I'll always do what I can for you. You girls have enough to deal with right now," Vanessa paused as she tried to think of how to broach the next subject matter. "I can call the funeral home for you next, if you girls know what you want to have done in terms of services. The way I see it, the three of us, Serena, and Lawrence are the only people Silas had in his life. Neither Lawrence and I care to have any funeral services, and would just prefer to just let them do the burial. But since he's your father, I think the decision should be up to the two of you."

"I think just burial would be best," Zara said, turning to her sister. Cassie nodded in agreement.

"Ok then. I'll make the call."

A few minutes later, Zara wandered into the dining room where Vanessa was just hanging up the phone.

"It's all taken care of. Is there anything else I can do to help?" Vanessa asked. When Zara just shook her head, she asked, "How are you holding up, hon? I can't imagine how you must be feeling."

"I just keep wondering, is this ever going to stop? Can't we just finally have normal lives?"

Vanessa mustered a sad, but understanding smile. "I've wondered the same thing myself, but all we can do is just try to deal with the lives that we're given."

"I really try to, but sometimes it's just too much. Losing mom the first time was hard, even more so for Cassie than for me, but I adjusted. We always wanted to have her back, but when she did come back . . . something wasn't right, you know? Cassie was happy, but it wasn't so sure. It wasn't how I thought it would be at all," Zara struggled to explain.

Vanessa nodded. "I think I know what you're trying to say. I didn't want to say anything, but I always thought there was something odd about Serena. I wouldn't blame her for being a little different after all she's been through. I'm sure her life has been difficult to cope with, more than we could imagine, but she just seemed so cold, so distant."

"Different isn't even the half of it," Zara muttered. "I'm so scared for what's going to happen to her now."

"It looks like we've got an open and shut case, for once," Lieutenant Kauker stated. "We found the suspect, gun in hand, with the body and she's not trying to deny it. There's not much left for us to do with this one. You were at the courthouse when it happened, Varner. You're familiar with the victim. Do you think there's more to it or is everything as simple as it seems?"

"I think we've got it," Logan replied. "Nothing about it seems fishy to me."

"Alright, we'll leave it to the courts then," Dorian replied. When Logan seemed to relax, he remarked, "You seemed relieved to hear that, Varner."

"I am. Rochester was as shady as they come and I'm glad to wash my hands of him."

"I can't say I blame you," Dorian replied. "Since you don't have anything else to add, I'll finish filing the reports."

Logan smiled to himself as the Leiutenant left the room. He was glad he wasn't going to have to be part of a lingering murder investigation. If he had been asked to stay on and investigate further, he would have been tempted to do something he'd never been tempted to do before, ask to be taken off the case.

His work had always been important to him. Helping keep the community safe by keeping bad guys off the street was his number one priority and he took pride in that fact. But now he could feel his priorities starting to shift and that had everything to do with Silas' ex-wife, Vanessa.

He had never met anyone that he felt so captivated by, but dating her while he was investigating Silas would have been a conflict of interests, so it had to wait. Now that he was free of Silas, he couldn't wait to see what the future held for them.

"Logan Varner?"

Logan looked up to see a man and woman dressed in gray suits and sunglasses walk into the office. "Yes?"

"I'm Agent Davidson and this is Agent Anders. We'd like to talk to you about your recent investigation involving the late Silas Rochester."

Part 35 - Chapter 3 - Separating

"Arthur, honey, would you just relax?" Veronica asked her anxious husband as they sat together at the breakfast table.

"I don't like this. I wish Eileen had come home last night."

"Darling, she's an adult and she and Lawrence are engaged. You're going to have to get used to her being out of the house."

"I know, but I still don't think it's appropriate. She never stayed over night with Hector when they were engaged. Thank goodness."

"I think it's different this time. She and Lawrence are really in love and they're getting married soon. They're both good kids. Let them live their own lives."

"I know I should, but I'm her father and I always will be. I can't help it."

"And I think that's kind of sweet," Veronica said with an affectionate smile.

"Hello, I'm home," Eileen announced as she walked into the house. "And I brought a friend."

"Aw," Veronica cooed as she saw Eileen enter the kitchen with little Stuart in her arms. "Don't tell me that's Lucy's little boy. He's grown!"

"I know. I couldn't believe it either. I told Lucy I'd watch him today. The nanny has the day off and Lucy had to go to the courthouse for the divorce hearing."

"That's a shame," Arthur said. "It's always sad when a marriage breaks up, especially when there are children involved."

"Yeah, I know it's a really tough time for her right now. I feel so bad for her."

"It's nice that you can help her out this way," Veronica said. "I'm sure it's an ease on her mind to know that Stuart is being looked after."

"I'm glad I can do something to help her."

"I wish I could stay and help you babysit, but I've got to go to work. I'll see you tonight."

As Veronica left, Eileen asked her father, "Do you think you could watch him a minute? I'm going to go up to the attic and see if I can find any of my old toys for Stuart to play with."

Lucy walked into the courtroom, looking for a familiar face. She hoped Reese would be there already. If she could just talk to Reese and ask a few questions before the hearing started, she knew it would help ease her mind.

"Mrs. Sexton?"

Lucy turned around to see an older woman dressed in a suit standing behind her with her hand outstretched for a handshake.

"Hi, I'm with Gilscarbo, Tellerman, and Platz law firm. Ms. Boroughs couldn't come in today, so I'm going to be filling in for her."

"What?" Lucy asked, in disbelief. "Where is Reese? Why won't she be here?"

"She called in this morning and said there was some kind of emergency, but I have all of the notes on your case and I read it over this morning. I've handled many cases like this before and I have a good handle on your situation."

"But I was counting on Reese being here," Lucy objected. "She knows me and knows my situation better than someone who just read about me in a file this morning. No offense, but I don't want a replacement. I want to be represented by the lawyer that I hired and have been working with, not by someone I'd never seen in my life before this morning."

"I'm sorry Reese couldn't be here herself, but there's nothing I can do about that."

"You could try to get this thing postponed until Reese can be here. Surely they wouldn't make me go through this hearing without my lawyer."

"We could try asking the judge for a continuance, if that's what you want to do."

"Yes, I do. If you don't ask him, I will."

The two women went to the judge's chamber, where Lucy explained the situation and asked to reschedule the hearing.

"We could have it delayed," the judge said slowly. "But the courts are very busy right now. It could easily be six months or longer before we could reschedule your hearing. Do you really want to wait that long?"

"No," Lucy reluctantly admitted. She looked at her new lawyer for a second opinion. She seemed qualified and confident that she could fill in for Reese. Maybe it was best to trust her to take over. "Let's just get this over with."

"How are you doing?" the nurse asked Reese as she checked her vitals. "Feeling ok?"

"Fine," Reese answered wearily.

"Are you having any pain?"

"No, I'm ok."

"Well, everything looks good. Do you want to see your baby now? I can take you down to the NICU right now, if you'd like."

Reese hesitated. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to see the baby, but she felt weird saying no.

"It would probably be good for the both of you."

Reese gave in, "Ok."

The nurse helped Reese out of bed and into a wheelchair and then wheeled her into the NICU. They stopped in front of the first incubator where a tiny infant was hooked up to tubes and monitors. "There she is."

Reese just stared at the baby. Seeing her for the first time, so small and helpless, Reese was overcome with a sickening sense of guilt. All she could do now was hope that the baby would be alright.

Part 35 - Chapter 4 - Separating

"Is something wrong?" Logan asked as he sat across from the SCIA agents.

"On the contrary," Agent Davidson responded. "We've been studying the information you collected from your investigations and your interviews with Silas Rochester. The work you've done has proven quite valuable to us."

"But I didn't think I turned up anything."

"I'm sure you would have if you had access to our resources," Agent Anders replied.

"Some of the names he gave you matched aliases we've been following. The names, dates, and locations from his statements are helping us build a clearer picture of all the things the local crime organization has been involved in over the years."

"We think they could be responsible for more than half of the unsolved murders and missing persons cases in this town," Anders added. "I know some of these cases you're already familiar with: the Arrendale car accident, the body that was believed to be Silas Rochester more than 10 years ago, Clifford Stuart's death."

"So he did borrow money from them that he couldn't pay back?" Logan asked.

"We believe so," Davidson replied. "He couldn't pay in cash, so he ended up paying with his life. At least that's what our evidence shows."

"I'm glad to hear that some good came of my investigation. I'll do anything I can to help reduce crime in this town. That's all I want to do."

"If that's the case, you'll be interested to know why were here," Anders said and turned to his partner to let her explain.

"We've reviewed your work and we think your skills as a detective would be better utilized in our organization."

"You want me to join the SCIA?" Logan asked in disbelief.

"If you're interested and you can complete the entrance training, then yes."

"You could be good for our organization and with access to our resources, you could do more good than you ever could in the police force."

"Wow. I'm speechless." The offer had caught Logan totally off-guard.

"It's not an easy job. There can be a lot of travel involved and a rigorous training process. You may have to be away from Bay Pointe for awhile. Luckily you're single and unattached, so it should be easier to put your personal life on hold than if you had a family to consider."

"Oh . . ." Logan said slowly as he considered how this offer could completely affect his life. "I'm definitely interested. This is a dream offer, but there's a lot to consider. How long do I have to think it over?"

"We'll give you a couple of weeks, but the sooner you make up your mind, the better."

"Zara? Cassandra?" a woman asked as she approached the two sisters. "Hi, I'm Samantha Ramsey. We talked on the phone. I'm going to be representing your mother in her trial."

"Hi," Zara said. "Have you talked to our mother yet? How does her defense look?"

"I just spoke to her and honestly, it's not looking good. There is a lot of evidence stacked against her and she's not denying any of it. In fact, she's openly admitting that she did it."

"Who would blame her?" Cassie asked. "Did she tell you our father had her locked away in a mental institution for most of her life?"

"Yes, and I think we might be able to use that to get her a lighter sentence. Maybe the courts will go easier on her if they believe she isn't in her right mind."

"Not in her right mind?" Cassie repeated, appalled at the idea. "You're saying she's crazy? You can't do that. She's not insane."

"Cass, she's just trying to help Mother," Zara said calmly. "It might be the only way. So you think she should plead insanity?"

"Possibly. The suggestion of temporary insanity is out. The notes she sent your father prove that this was set up and planned ahead of time. We'll speak with her psychiatrist and see what we can come up with. Like I said, I think the best we can do is try for a reduced sentence or convince them to send her to a mental facility instead of prison."

"No, you can't do that!" Cassie said, outraged. "That would be just as bad as prison if not worse. You can't send her back there again."

"A hospital would be focused more on treatment and rehabilitation. She wouldn't have to be there for a set period of time, only until she is determined not to be a threat to herself or others."

"The only person she is a threat to was my father, because of what he did to her and to all of us. She's not going to go around attacking other people."

"I don't know what else we can do, Cass," Zara said with a shrug. "It's a bad situation all around, but she's the one that made the choice to do what she did."

Samantha looked back and forth between the two sisters. One of the hardest parts about her job was facing the families when there wasn't much she could do. "Your mother told me she wanted to speak with you, Cassandra, alone. The guards can take you to her."

Cassie followed the guards into the dank, gray room where her mother was sitting at a bare table waiting for her. She hated to see her this way.

"Oh, Mother," she sighed. "We just talked to the lawyer. Do you know what's going to happen to you? They're going to take you away again. They're going to send you back to the mental hospital or worse, jail. She's not even talking about trying to prove you innocent. What are we going to do?"

Serena shook her head. "I knew the consequences I was facing when I did it and I don't care what they do to me now. It was worth it."

Cassie just stared at her, trying to find the words. "But I care. Zara cares. What about us?"

"Cassandra, I have something very important to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"I saw something at the courthouse . . . and let me just say this. If you really want to be with Blaine and stay with him, get pregnant as soon as you can."

Part 35 - Chapter 5 - Separating

Eileen flipped on the light, bringing some dim light to the small dark room. She hated going up into the attic. It was musty and smelled of dust. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been up here and she hoped she'd be able to find something for Stuart to play with without a lengthy search through the various things that had been stored here over the years.

As she surveyed the attic, deciding where to start, a large chest at the back of the room caught her eye. She made her way back to it and opened it up.

Folded neatly on top was a garment wrapped carefully in a protective covering. Out of curiosity, she removed the garment bag and looked inside. What she saw made her draw back in surprise.

Inside was a beautiful wedding dress, just the style she'd had her heart set on, but hadn't been able to find in any of the shops. She knew it must have been her mother's and finding it now was meant to be.

In her excitement, Eileen forgot about looking for her old baby toys and ran downstairs.

"Dad! You won't believe what I just found in the attic," she called out as she hurried down the staircase.

When she got to the bottom landing and saw Stuart walking toward her, she slowed her pace. Why was he wandering out here when her father was supposed to be watching the toddler in the living room? And why hadn't Arthur answered her? She scooped up Stuart and in her arms as she walked into the living room and called out, "Dad?"

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw her father leaning back in his seat, with a pained expression and a glazed look in his eyes. She immediately rushed to his side, "Dad, are you ok?"

"Let's see," the judge said slowly as he adjusted his glasses and reviewed the papers in front of him. "Let's look first at your assets. There are the house and the country club which Mrs. Sexton brought into the marriage, along with a joint bank account containing less than $10,000. Are there any other properties, bank accounts, things of that nature that either of you own?"

He looked back and forth between Craig, Lucy, and their lawyers. When they answered no, he continued on. "Mr. Sexton, you worked throughout the marriage as a musician, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir. As much as I could."

"My client did have to sacrifice some career opportunities that required extensive touring and traveling to be with his family, especially his young son, that may have reduced his current and future earning power."

Lucy stared at Craig's lawyer, appalled that he would even try to claim something like that. She turned to her lawyer, hoping she would speak up and object, but she sat with her hands folded and said nothing.

"I have your detailed income information right here. Mrs. Stuart, I see you were in school and you did not work during the marriage. You were the child's primary caregiver then?"

"Yes, your honor," Lucy replied. She continued talking. If her replacement lawyer wasn't going to speak up for her, she would do it herself. "I was in medical school when we were first married, but I had to drop out because it got to be too much with the baby. I also had an internship before the baby was born, but it was unpaid."

"Your honor," Craig's lawyer spoke up. "I would like it noted that my client's income contributed to paying a salary to a nanny who also was a caregiver for the couple's child."

"I see. Mrs. Sexton, your family's country club was also a source of income for the household?"

"Yes, it brought in a small amount. Most proceeds are donated to charity, as they always have been."

"And you had company stocks that were sold during the marriage?"

"To repay my late father's debts."

"Let's make sure I have everything straight. Mrs. Sexton brought the house, furnishings, and things of that nature to the marriage. Mr. Sexton worked, brought in the majority of the income used for living expenses and helped support his wife while she was in school. In turn, she stayed home and cared for their young son, who you are both petitioning for custody of, is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Since this was a short marriage and both parties have their own sources of income, I am not awarding any spousal support. Mrs. Sexton can keep the country club as a source of income and everything else will be divided 50/50. As for the house, either one of you can pay the other half of what it's worth in order to remain living there or it can be sold and the proceeds will be divided evenly between the two of you."

Lucy gasped involuntarily. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But that house has been in my family for years. I inherited it from my father."

"Then you'll have to pay your share if you want to keep it. There isn't enough money in your bank accounts to compensate Mr. Sexton for what he contributed to the marriage," the judge explained. "As for custody of your child, Stuart Vincent Sexton, I see no reason why either of you should be denied access to your son. Custody will be shared. For now he can stay with each parent on alternating weeks. As he gets older if another arrangement would work better, we can make adjustments."

As the judge dismissed them, Lucy rose from her seat, feeling a mix of shock and horror at what had happened here today. She grabbed her lawyer by the sleeve before she could walk away.

"How could you let that happen?" she hissed. "Why didn't you do more? Why didn't you say something?"

"I did all that could be done. Ultimately it's the judge's decision. What more did you expect me to possibly do?"

Lucy huffed and turned away before she completely lost her temper. The woman was useless. She was sure things wouldn't have gone this way if Reese had been here. A competent lawyer wouldn't have let Craig and his lawyer get away with what they were trying to pull.

When Lucy looked up she caught a glimpse of Craig's smirking triumphant face and quickly turned away. As badly as things had gone today, there was one good thing to be said. At least the worst and ugliest part was over with and behind her. Now she could move on with her life.

Part 35 - Chapter 6 - Separating

"Detective Varner, what are you doing here?" Vanessa greeted Logan at her front door. "I hope nothing's wrong."

"No, not at all. I just stopped by to say hi and see how you're doing. I hope that's alright."

"Of course," she said brightly. "I was worried for a second there. You'll have to pardon me for getting a little nervous about seeing a police officer at my door, especially after everything that's happened lately."

"I understand," he said with a smile. "I get that a lot. It kind of comes with my line of work. People are either relieved to see us or dreading our knock on the door."

"I have to admit. I was feeling a little of both. I'm glad you don't take that personally."

He wanted to ask what she did think of seeing him there, personally, and not just as Detective Varner.

"Please come in, Detective."

"Thanks. And call me Logan. I'm not on duty. This is a personal call."

"Oh, and to what do I owe the pleasure, Logan?"

"Well, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time, but couldn't, because of my investigation. Now that it's over, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me? Maybe this weekend?"

"I'd love to, but I'm busy this weekend. I have a wedding to go to. Maybe the next weekend, unless you'd like to come with?"

"Sure, if you don't mind. I may have to go out of town for work soon, I'm not sure when yet, so the sooner we can get together the better. I'd hate to lose my chance to get to know you better."

"You've been pretty quiet ever since you talked to Mother," Zara said as she and Cassie returned to the house. "What did she say to you when you went in to talk to her?"

"Nothing," Cassie said.

"It had to be something," Zara insisted.

"Ok, she did say something, but it didn't have to do with anything," Cassie answered cryptically.

"Alright, fine," Zara said. Giving up on getting anything else out of her sister, she walked away.

Cassie was still trying to make sense of the advice her mother had given her. The conversation with her mother left Cassie feeling awkward. Serena was in jail awaiting a murder trial and instead of worrying about herself or what was going to happen to her, she was giving Cassie advice on how to get Blaine. Even Cassie herself, who had been admittedly fixated on Blaine since they met, wasn't thinking about her love life right now. She wondered exactly what Serena had seen, what kind of vision or premonition had made her think that getting pregnant right away was so important.

When there was a knock on the door, Cassie found herself feeling, not surprised, but slightly awkward at seeing Blaine on her doorstep.

"Hey, I hope it's alright that I just stopped by," he said shyly. "But I was thinking a lot about you after everything that's happened and I wanted to see how you're doing. I know the whole thing must be traumatic for you, so I just thought I'd stop by and see if you were ok."

"I'm coping . . . well, trying to. It's just an awful situation all around. It's not easy to handle."

"I can't even imagine. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, but thank you for offering. There's not anything anyone can do."

"I know it was kind of strange how we left things last time, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need anything at all . . .I just can't seem to stay away, can I?" he said with a light laugh.

Cassie just smiled slightly at him. She tried to remain calm on the outside, but her heart suddenly felt like it was beating out of her chest. She could feel something major was coming from this conversation.

"I guess I'm just drawn to people in need, especially when it's a friend in need . . . Were you really serious when you said we couldn't be just friends?"

"Yes, I was, but I don't really want to end our friendship," she said slowly, trying to put her thoughts together. She hated the way she felt when Blaine and Reese were together and she didn't want to go through that again if he started dating someone else, but on the other hand she didn't want to give him an ultimatum. She didn't want him to ask her out, just because she was pressuring him to do it. She would be getting what she always wanted, but it wouldn't feel right. It was important that everything felt right. "I don't want to cut you out of my life altogether. I think that it would be way worse to be nothing at all."

"I'm glad you said that, because I feel that way too. I don't have many friends in my life right now. It seems like everyone has moved away or moved on. You're one of the few people I can really talk to and I'd hate to lose that."

"Me too."

"It's made me realize how important you really are to me." As Blaine spoke those words the expression in his eyes seemed to soften and Cassandra had to remind herself to breathe. "At first I was a little surprised that you were interested in me, because when we first met, Reese and I were just getting together and I wasn't looking for anyone. Then when Reese and I broke up, it took me a little while to get over her. But I am over her now and I'm ready to move on. This might be a bad time to say so with all that's going on with your family, but now that I've had some time to think, I realize I really can see myself with you. If you're interested, I'd like to give it a try. What do you think?"

Cassandra was so elated she wanted to throw her arms wide and shout from the rooftops. Instead she smiled a bright, beaming smile and answered, "Yes!"

"Dad, are you ok?" Eileen asked as she rushed to her father's side.

As Arthur looked up at her, the vacant look in his eyes faded and he seemed like he was awakening from a trance. "I'm alright now."

"Are you sure? Do you need anything? Should I call Veronica? Should I take you to the hospital?"

"No, I'm alright."

"You didn't look alright a second ago. You scared me," Eileen said.

"I'm sorry. It's -" he stopped suddenly, reconsidering what he was about to say. "Eileen, there's something I should probably tell you. It's not easy for me to say to you and it won't be easy for you to hear."

"What is it?" she asked anxiously. The seriousness in her father's voice frightened her, but she couldn't take any suspense. Fortunately Arthur got right to the point.

"I'm not well, sweetheart, and I'm getting worse all the time. My health started getting worse while Veronica and I were away and I actually went to a few specialists about it. They don't know anything for certain, but they don't think I have much longer to live."

Eileen was stunned. The thought of losing her father instantly brought tears to her eyes. "What is it? Isn't there anything they can do?"

Arthur just shook his head. "No, it just is what it is. It's hard to deal with, but we all have our time and I've had a long full life. I've married twice, both times to women that I loved, I started a successful business that I've been able to pass on and that will continue on after I'm gone, and most importantly of all I had you, my pride and joy. I couldn't have asked for more in a daughter."

Eileen turned away, embarrassed and wiped her eyes. "Oh Dad."

"It's true. I've watched you grow from a beautiful baby girl to a lovely, bright young woman. I can't even tell you how much happiness you've brought into my life. In spite of anything else that has happened, you have always brought me joy and I only hope for you to have as much happiness and joy as you have brought to my life . . . Oh, darling, don't cry."

"How can I not? My whole life, it's always been you and me."

"I know, but life moves on and things change. Listen, I still have some time left and we'll make the most of it, I promise."

Part 35 - Chapter 7 - Separating

Andrew walked into the busy doctor's office, searching the waiting room for his wife. When he didn't see her, he walked up to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for my wife, Amanda Martin. Is she in with the doctor already?"

"Just a second, let me check," she said and quickly glanced over the schedule in front of her. "No, she's not. I don't even see her name in my schedule. Are you sure she has an appointment today?"

"Yes, she told me this morning that she did. Are you sure she's not here?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, sir."

"Maybe I have the wrong office. My wife is a patient here, right?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you that information. Our patients are entitled to their confidentiality, sir."

"But I'm her husband."

"I would still need her permission."

"Thanks," Andrew said sarcastically as he turned and walked away.

He wondered where Amanda was. Why wasn't she here or even on the schedule when she said she'd had an appointment today?

"Ms. Boroughs? Everything looks good so far with your little girl," the doctor said as she walked into Reese's room. "Everything seems to be normal so far, but since she is premature, we'd like to keep her here longer, possibly for a couple of weeks, just to keep an eye on her and make sure she's still doing ok. You seem to be doing well, so we'll probably release you the day after tomorrow. You'll be able to go home or you can stay as a guest at the hospital to be closer to your baby. Alright?"
Reese nodded wearily. It had been a long day. Everything had changed in such a short amount of time. She wasn't sure what to think or what to do next.

"Just try to get some rest, ok?"

As the doctor went out, Reese barely had a moment to close her eyes before someone else stormed in without knocking.

"What happened?" Amanda asked frantically. "I tried to call you earlier, but you weren't home and your office said you called in sick, from the hospital. What happened? Is the baby alright? Please tell me that the baby's alright."

"She's fine," Reese said sharply. Her tone made Amanda pause and seemed to calm her anxious activity for a moment. Reese squinted at Amanda staring at her rounded stomach. "Why do you look pregnant?"

"It's just a costume. I wanted to see what it was like," Amanda answered and quickly switched the topic before Reese could question her further. "Did you say, she? You had the baby already?" One look at Reese's now thin frame, made Amanda panic again. "But it's too soon. Way too soon. You said you weren't due for weeks still."

"I wasn't. The baby came early. I started having contractions yesterday and the doctors couldn't stop my labor."

"What am I going to do now?" Amanda wondered aloud. "I can't take the baby now."

"Why not?" Reese asked skeptically. Amanda's behavior seemed very odd to her and she wanted to know what was really going on.

"I'm not ready. I-I haven't gotten anything ready yet. I wasn't expecting this for another few weeks yet."

"Don't worry about it, because I'm not letting you take her anyway. I had a bad feeling about this before, but now the deal is off."

"Oh my God," Amanda said to herself. He mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do next.

"I think you should leave now," Reese said.

Without another word, Amanda turned and slowly walked out of the room.

Amanda drove all the way home in a state of shock. When she walked up to her front door, she wasn't even sure how she got there. She didn't remember anything about the drive home. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts, trying to figure out how she could fix this.

The only thing to do, she decided, was try and find another baby. But what were the chances she would be able to find another pregnant woman who wanted to give up their baby, was due about the same time everyone thought she was due, and would have a baby who could pass as hers and Andrew's?

She blinked back tears as she unlocked the door.

Even if it had worked out with Reese's baby, everyone probably would have noticed that the baby didn't look anything like her or Andrew. "What was I thinking?" she scolded herself. "How did I let things get this far?" She just wanted it so much.

When she stepped inside, Andrew was standing there waiting for her.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I was at the doctor's office," she answered. "You knew that."

"I went to the doctor's office and you weren't there. They told me you didn't even have an appointment today."

"Oh," Amanda said. "There was a mix up . . . Why did you go there?"

"I wanted to ask the doctor a few questions myself." He looked at her closely, studying her expression. "Amanda, what's going on?"