Episode #7

Tuesday, 5/1/07

Same Day, Late Afternoon

Whispering Springs Sanitarium, Dr. Kinmont’s office

“Dr. Kinmont, how is she today?” Dr. Andrew Marriott asked as he stood in the doctor’s office. “It seems like she’s been doing better the past few weeks.”

“I think she’s starting to show some real progress.” Dr. Kinmot flipped open his chart and carefully examined it. “Yes, she still has her moments, but those episodes are becoming further and further apart.”

“Is she well enough for me to see her today?”

“Dr. Marriott, I think a visit from you today would be just what the doctor ordered,” Dr. Kinmont smiled before leading Andrew out of his office and down the hallway towards Barbara Sterling Marriott’s room.

Rosehill Church, Cemetery

“Hello, son,” Edouard Aleata said as he looked down at Chaz, kneeling by his mother’s grave. “I had a feeling I’d find you here.”

Chaz Aleata’s back and shoulders stiffened – he refused to turn around and look at his father. “I guess this means you saw me,” he muttered.

“Yes. I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure. I thought that maybe my eyes had played a trick on me. I haven’t seen you in so long. I never thought that I’d find you here in Rosehill, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You always talked about coming here one day.”

“I had to,” Chaz said, finally rising to his feet and turning to look at his father. “I had to see her. I had to know about her.”

“Son, anything you ever wanted to know about your real mother, all you had to do was ask. I’ve never hidden anything about her from you.”

So, there they stood in silence, looking at one another, so much that needed to be said and, yet, so much neither one of them was able to say. Finally…

“Your mother and I miss you,” Eddie began. “Why haven’t you called us? Why haven’t you been in touch? You just disappeared without a word and…”

“I figured that’s the way you wanted it,” Chaz cut in. “After the accident…”

“This accident was an accident. No one blames you for what happened. I never blamed you and Kirsten never blamed you.” Eddie reached out for his son, but Chaz pulled away.

“Mom blamed me,” Chaz corrected, referring to the stepmother who’d raised him from infancy.

“No, she didn’t.”

“Yes, she did!” Chaz’s voice grew louder and more forceful. “I heard her with my own ears. She was in the chapel praying to God. She said that it was my fault and that if I hadn’t been the one driving the car, the accident wouldn’t have happened!”

“You have to understand that we were all under a great deal of stress at the time. Your sister Kirsten was lying in a hospital bed. We didn’t know whether she was going to live or die. Your mother…”

“Wished it had been me instead.”

“No!” Eddie reached out and grabbed his son by the shoulders, forcing him to look at him. “Your mother would never have wished that. She loves you just like you were her own flesh and blood. We all love you – me, your mother, Kevin, Kirsten…”

Again, they stood in silence, Chaz refusing to look at his father.

“I know,” Eddie spoke up, decided on a change of direction. “You can come back to Boston with me and we can catch up. We can work on putting all of this behind us. It was a long time ago. I know your mother and Kirsten would love to see you. Kevin can get some time off from work and come home for a visit, too. We all miss you.”

“No, Dad, I’m not going to do that. I – I want to stay here in Rosehill. I want to get to know who my real mother really was – how she lived.”

“Have you at least spoken to Rafe? The last time I talked to Selena, she hadn’t heard from you in quite a while.”

“Why would I want to talk to Rafe or Selena?” Chaz folded his arms tightly across his chest in a silent show of defiance.

“He’s your son! I would think that you’d want to, somehow, be a part of his life!” Eddie felt both his temper and his blood pressure starting to rise. Sometimes reasoning with his son was like talking to a brick wall.

“Why? So I can screw his life up, too, just like I’ve screwed up everyone else’s?” He again turned away from his father and knelt down in front of the gravestone. “I was born hurting people. I was barely more than a kid when I got Selena pregnant. I didn’t know how to be a father. He’s better off not even knowing me.”

“How can you say that?” Eddie knelt down beside Chaz. “You’re hurting him just by refusing to have anything to do with him. He’s at that age now when a boy desperately needs his father. He needs you, son.”

“Like I needed you, Dad?” Chaz turned and looked his father dead in the eyes. Realizing some of his own failures as a father, Eddie wasn’t quite sure what to say.

The Sterling Home, living room

“That really was a beautiful service, Van,” Stacy Donnelley said, handing Vanessa Sterling a cup of fresh coffee. “I think Meg would’ve been very pleased.”

“I wish I knew where Eddie took off to,” Vanessa Sterling muttered, not fully listening, as she sat on the sofa forcing herself to nibble on one of the many sandwiches that had been dropped off earlier by concerned and well-meaning neighbors and friends.

“I’m sure Eddie’s fine.” Cal Latimer reached over and squeezed her Aunt Van’s hand. “Maybe he got a sudden business call that he couldn’t pull himself away from. I know he’s going to show up here any minute full of apologies.”

“You’re probably right,” Van nodded before taking a sip of coffee. She turned to Cal and smiled. “It’s so good to see you, honey. I’m so glad you came. Your mother would’ve been proud of you today.”

“I don’t know about that.” Cal fidgeted in her seat and looked away uncomfortably. “I don’t think she was ever really proud of much where I was concerned.”

“Nonsense! You and Ben were here children and she loved you both very much. Yes, I know she had a very peculiar way of showing it, sometimes, but she did love you.” Van rose from her seat and slowly began to walk around the room, taking in the feel of home. “You know, it’s moments like this that make me glad that we decided to move back into this house after Bruce retired. Timothy’s mansion was beautiful, of course, but it never really felt like home. This is where Bruce brought me when we first married, when I first came to Rosehill. This is home.”

“I wonder what’ll happen to the house now that Meg’s gone,” A.J. Sterling pondered as he came into the room, joining the conversation. “She really did love that place.”

“That’s why your grandmother Sarah left it to her when she died,” Van nodded to Cal. “Surely, she’s left it to you and Ben.”

“Ben can have it,” Cal muttered. “Rick and I already have a home in Canada. Besides, he’s more suited for that place than I am.”

“Well, whatever happens, I’m just so glad to have all of you here.” Van walked over to the kitchen and pushed open the door. “Ben, Lynn, come in here for a minute, I want to talk to all of you.”

“Yes, Aunt Van?” Ben Harper quickly stepped into the room followed by Lynn Jennings, her son Alex Marriott, and the rest of the family.

“I just wanted to have you all gathered around.” Van stood in the center of the room and looked around, gazing directly at each and every single member of her family. “It’s times like this that family is most important and you are all my family, either by blood,” she paused and looked at Ben and Cal, her nephew and niece, and Ben’s daughters Suzanne, Vanessa, and Megan “by marriage,” she looked at A.J., her late husband’s grandson, “or by heart,” she smiled at Lynn and Stacy, two woman whom she’d thought of as daughters ever since they’d been girls. “I want you to know that I love every single one of you.”

“And we love you, too, Van.” Alex walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

“But, in times like this, we have to remember those members of our family who can’t be with us.” Van looked down at the floor solemnly. “Mine and Meg’s parents and my beloved Bruce are all gone now. And Barbara, Hank, and Galen couldn’t be here.”

“I know that if I could’ve gotten hold of Galen, she would’ve been,” A.J. explained. “She’s just stuck out of the country doing that movie right now.”

“I understand,” Van smiled. “And Will and Sarah…?” She directed her comment to Cal. “I wish you and Rick could’ve brought the kids with you.”

“You know Sarah’s tied up at college and we had to leave Will to watch the resort while we can here.”

“Well, I guess it’s okay,” Van teased. “We’re all together right now. That’s what’s important.”

“And what’s your take on this big, extended family?” Alex asked as he leaned over to Vanessa Harper.

“I kinda like it,” she smiled. “No, we’re not all physically related, but it’s nice to have such a large family. It feels good to be back in Rosehill. I really feel like I’ve come home.”

“I’m glad you’re back in Rosehill, too, Vanessa,” Alex grinned. “Really glad.”

Whispering Springs Sanitarium, outside Barbara Marriott’s room

“You’ve kept her away from the newspapers and the television?” Andrew asked as he peered through the door at his wife. “So much has happened lately that I’m worried that it’ll all be too much for her. She’s made so much progress since she’s been here.”

“I agree with you, Dr. Marriott,” Dr. Kinmont nodded. “She only knows what little you’ve told her and I know I have haven’t told her anything otherwise.”

“Good,” Andrew sighed and then took a deep breath before he pushed the door open. “Barbara? Are you up for a visitor?”

“Oh, Andrew!” Barbara exclaimed as she quickly rose from her chair and threw herself into her husband’s arms. “I knew you’d come see me today! I just knew it!”

“It’s so good to see you.” He held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her perfume and feeling the softness of her hair against his cheek. “Dr. Kinmont tells me that you’ve been making a lot of progress in your sessions.”

“I’m working so hard, Andrew – really I am.” She pulled away from him and gazed up into his eyes. “I want to get better. I want to get out of this place and come home to you so that we can finally have our lives together that we fought so long for.” She paused and looked at him with some concern. “Meg hasn’t been trying to worm her way back into your life again, has she?”

“U-um… no, she hasn’t.” He couldn’t bear to look her in the eye, knowing that he was keeping all of the awful truths of the last few months away from her as a means of protecting her. “She’s been keeping her distance.”

“That’s good,” Barbara nodded with satisfaction. “After everything she did to keep you married to her and keep us apart, I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her.”

“Meg’s… not going to be a problem for us anymore. I told you that the day I finally got her to sign those divorce papers.”

“And what about Hank?” she continued, seemingly adrift in her own stream of consciousness. “I haven’t gotten a letter from him in months. Have you heard from him? I worry about him being over there in Iraq.”

“Honey, there’s nothing for you to worry about.” Andrew pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “Hank will be home just as soon as he can and once you’re well, you’ll be out of this hospital and then we can all be together again.”

“Mrs. Marriott, it’s time for your medication,” the nurse spoke up with a light knock on the door. “I’m sorry, Dr. Marriott. But she needs her rest before group this afternoon.”

“Oh, Andrew, don’t leave so soon!”

“I’ll be back, Barbara, don’t worry. I’m never going to leave you.” He kissed her tenderly on the lips and took her into his arms again before slowly walking out the door.

“I think I’ll just sit over by the window for a while before I lie down,” Barbara smiled after taking her pill.

Once the nurse had gone, Barbara stared for a few minutes out the window, taking into the beauty of the lush flower gardens outside. However, it wasn’t long before a cloud seemed to cover her face and she reached down under the cushion of the armchair and pulled out a newspaper. The headline? “Rosehill Socialite Murdered”…