Eric was preoccupied as he left his office. He was worried about the call he just got from Zoe. 'Zoe, why is she contacting me now?'And who the fuck is she really. She wanted to tell me something but decided against it. But what?'
He was lost in his head when he bumped into Lloyd coming from the kitchen.
"So I heard that Tanya spent the night but that look on your face tells a different story. Did you get laid last night?" Lloyd teased.
"It's none of your fucking business if I did. Zoe? Did I ever mention that name to you?" Eric asked.
Lloyd shook his head. "Zoe? Who the fuck is Zoe?" Lloyd asked.
"I wish the fuck I knew. She just called, said that we went to college together but I get this feeling that she didn't call just to say hello," Eric said.
"Look, dont go looking for trouble. If she didn't say shit, then leave it alone," Lloyd advised.
"You are right. I dont need any more trouble in my life,"
"So did you tell Tanya about the fight with Kenny?" Lloyd asked.
"I tried to but she had other pans," Eric said.
Lloyd laughed. "Mother fucker you did get laid. Aya you should tell her before she hears it from someone else, like Sharon," Lloyd advised.
<><><><><>
Eric was still talking to Lloyd, when he looked up and saw Tanya running down the stairs. "What the fuck is she doing?" Eric asked.
It all happened so quickly, she must have missed a step and came flying down the stairs. Eric made a dash towards her in an attempt to catch her but was too late. Tanya tumbled down the stairs and landed on her butt. Eric breathed a sigh of relief when she landed on her ass and not on her stomach. "Holy shit Babe, you ok?" Eric asked as everyone gathered around. Eric checked her ankle and she screamed out in pain. It seemed like she twisted her ankle because she could not bear any pressure to it.
"Stay away from me," She cried.
"Eric looked at Lloyd and they knew. 'She knows'
"Tanya dont be silly, you just took a tumble; I have to get you to a hospital right now. It could be more than just your ankle,"
"I dont want you near me. How low could you get? You were with me all night and didn't feel the need to tell me that you beat up my brother and put him in the hospital? How could you do that after ... Daddy," She cried.
"Tanya I tried to tell you; you kept saying tomorrow we talk; I did not start anything with your brother. He started it, ask LLoyd,"
"He did Tanya. Kenny and a bunch of his friends attacked us in the pool hall," Lloyd said.
"Look let me take you to the hospital or to your doctor ... please," Eric begged. He was in tears. He was scared to death for her and the baby.
"Will you let Lloyd drive you then?" Eric asked.
"I need to go see Kenny," She cried.
"Listen to me and listen good. You are going to the hospital or to your doctor's office to get checked out, you choose. After that you are free to go see that prick you call brother," Eric said.
"I hate you," she cried.
"And I love you and I hope you love our baby enough to get yourself checked out,"
Eric turned to Becky. "Where is Ericka?"
"She is with Dee. I told Dee to keep her away sir," Becky said.
"Thanks Becky, good decision. Lloyd you take Ericka to school for me and I will take Tanya to the doctor," Eric said.
"No, I want Lloyd to take me," Tanya said.
Lloyd looked to Eric. Eric knew that Lloyd would do anything Tanya asked. He knew Tanya well enough to know that she would have Lloyd drive her to her mother's or to see Kenny instead of to her doctor's. "I am taking her. You take Ericka," Eric sternly said as he picked Tanya up.
Tanya struggled in his arms but to no avail. He gently slid her into the back seat of his car and kissed her on the forehead. Tanya wiped at her forehead and Eric just shook his head. He could not believe that only a few hours ago they were making passionate love to each other. 'We are fucking cursed' Becky pulled a blanket over Tanya and Eric closed the door. Eric was on the car phone to her doctor telling him what happened. He told Eric to take Tanya to the hospital for a complete check up and that he would meet them there.
"I dont want to go to the hospital," She cried.
"Funny how you don't mind going there to see your brother but don't want to go there to see about your own baby," Eric said.
"I dont care about this baby or you," she screamed .
Eric looked through the rare view mirror. Tanya was now sitting up looking right at him in the mirror. Eric could not believe what he was hearing.
'She does not care about the baby? Me I understand because she is mad about what I did to Kenny, but the baby?'
<><><><><><>
He pulled into the entrance of the hospital and a nurse met them with a wheelchair. He settled Tanya into the chair. He was sure that if it wasn't for her twisted ankle, she would have ran away from him. Eric hurried to park the car. As he walked into the reception area he could hear Tanya telling the nurse that she was just fine, that she just twisted her ankle coming down the stairs. She wanted to know which floor Kenny was on, Eric quickly intervened.
"Is Dr. Moore here yet? Eric asked.
"Let's get her registered and up to Obstetrics. If Dr. Moore is here, he would be up there," the nurse said.
"She took a bad tumble. We need to have her completely checked out ASAP ... to ensure that she and the baby are ok," Eric said.
The woman nodded. "Of course,"
Eric looked over at Tanya and her brows were knitted, and her eyes closed. He knew that she was in pain. Was it her ankle or somewhere else? He did not know. She refused to say. He bent down by the chair, so they were on the same level. They looked at each other and then Tanya closed her eyes trying to get last night out of her head ...the way he gently and passionately made love to her.
'I wish I didn't love him so much' she thought.
He was thinking of the night they spent together knowing it would be a while if ever that they would be together like that again. "Where does it hurt? Tell me," he begged.
"I am having contractions," she admitted.
He quickly pushed her to the elevator and up to the sixth floor where Dr. Moore was waiting for them. "What happened?" the doctor asked.
"My brother, he is here, I need to see him," she cried.
The doctor looked to Eric for clarification. "Her brother Kevin Johnson was admitted here last night. Can you find out and tell her that he is fine because until then she cares nothing for the life of her unborn child," Eric said in frustration.
The doctor ordered several tests for Tanya. She was having mild contractions, but no dilation and he wanted her to rest. They also checked her ankle and it was not broken but she had a bad sprain. Eric thought that was a blessing in disguise because only with an injured foot could they get Tanya to stay put. She seemed to relax after Dr. Moore told her that Kenny was ok. Eric kept vigil by her bed.
Tanya fell asleep and he had just dozed off when he heard loud voices. He opened his eyes only to see Edie and Daphne standing over him. Edie was cursing at him about wanting to destroy her entire family. She demanded to know what he did to Tanya.
"Edie be quiet; you are in a hospital," Daphne said.
"Don't shush me. Tanya left my house in good health and went to see him and not even a day later she end up in a hospital just like Kenny. What is he trying to do get rid of my entire family?" Edie said.
"Kenny is not innocent in all this Edie, he was part of a brawl, the police told you as much" Daphne reminded her.
"Woman can't you agree with me on anything?" Edie asked.
"Not when you are wrong and jumping to conclusion." Daphne said.
"Would you two stop the fucking yelling in here," Eric whispered shouted. He was not in the mood to deal with the two women especially Tanya's mother.
Tanya awoke to voices in her room. "Mommy? Aunty? How did you know I am here?"
"I ran into Lloyd and he told me and like a fool I told your mother,"
"I told you not to go see him but did you listen? No . What did you expect Tanya? I know he pushed you down those stairs," Edie went on and on.
"No one pushed me ... I dont want to be pregnant anymore," she cried.
'What the fuck? Was her fall accidental or deliberate?'
"Chile what are you saying?" Daphne asked.
"We are here to take you home baby ... away from this monster," Edie comforted Tanya.
Eric pointed at Edie. "You are taking her no where,"
"Try and stop me, you monster," Edie said.
"Your daughter is an adult and happens to be my wife and that monster she is carrying is my baby so I will fucking stop you," Eric told her through gritted teeth.
"Edie what is wrong with you? You don't even know what is happening with her. She fell for heaven's sake, don't you want to make sure she and the baby is ok before you talk of taking her home?" Daphne interjected.
"I only care about Tanya. Losing that baby might just be a blessing," Edie said.
Daphne gasped. "You are full of hate Edie; my brother would be rolling over in his grave to hear you speak like this."
"No he wouldn't; he would be wondering why this piece of shit is still walking around still inflicting pain on our family and defiling our bloodline by producing all these spawns," Edie said.
"Get her the fuck out of here before I do something I will be sorry for later," Eric said.
Daphne quickly took Edie by the arm and pushed her out the room. "Well I never, I am speechless and it takes a lot to render me speechless. You are as hateful as Sahita," Daphne said.
"Don't compare me to that devil," Edie said.
"But you act just like her. She hates Tanya just as much as you hate Eric and what did these kids do to deserve such hate when all they did was fall in love with each other?" Daphne asked.
"You of all people stand there and ask why I hate that boy after what he did to Ronnie?"
Dapne sighed deeply. "Edie I was there, Ron pulled a gun and held it to Tanya's head. I saw something in my brother's eyes that day that I never saw before. He intended to use that gun and my guess is he intended to kill Tanya and Eric. He didn't see her as his perfect princess anymore. She was defiled and by a Willbrook of all people."
"Ron had an obsession for Tanya that he didn't have for any of his other kids. He thought that she was special and he wanted Tanya to have a special life. She was his perfect princess. He insisted that Tanya worked in the store with him and you but he never required that from Kenny or Beverley. He loved all his kids but he had a very special connection to Tanya that he didn't have with the others. He saw Tanya as his heir never Kenny. He had a vision for Tanya as a powerful business woman taking the business to new heights." Daphne schooled Edie.
"The husband for Tanya would have been hand picked by him. Eric would have never met his approval. You can imagine the devastation he felt when he learned that Tanya had been messing with Eric all that time... to be touched by a Willbrooks. He intended to kill them both and you know it." Daphne concluded.
"You seem to know what was in Ronnie's head that day. But I don't expect better coming from you because you are in bed with the Willbrooks. I know that you are fucking his father; where else would you get the kind of money you have to do the things you do?" Edie said.
Daphne laughed. "Oh so it's Rick I am fucking now to get money. I thought you and your sisters thought that I was fucking every influential man on the island to get money. You don't think that I work my ass off to get where I am? Look I am trying to help you here. Tanya will never choose you over Eric. It may seem that way for a bit but she will always run back to him because she loves him, so if you want a relationship with her and your grandkids you may want to act at least civil to Eric. What you said in there just now made you the monster, not him,"
"You should have married him," Edie said.
"Married who?" Daphne asked.
"Rick ... Ronnie told me what Sahita did to get Rick away from you," Edie said.
"You don't know half of it. She did not take him from me. I let him go. I could not be the kind of wife he wanted," Daphne said.
"And if you are thinking that if I had married Rick, there would be no Eric for Tanya to fall in love with, then think again. I thought the same thing until a few days ago. You see, Tanya was destined to fall in love with Sahita's first born, he or she might have been called something else but they would have found each other." Daphne said.
"How do you know this?"
"Eric's grandmother foretold this. The woman had a gift for foretelling the future, of course no one listened or took what she said seriously that night except Ron and Sahita. They heard what that woman said that evening on the beach around that fire. And they both set out to defy destiny. Maybe they might have succeeded if they worked together instead of against each other." Daphne said.
Edie reflected a bit. "You could be right; things changed after that night. Tanya was barely five at the time but I remember after we got back home that night Ronnie said that he did not want the kids playing with the Willbrooks kids anymore, but he didn't say why. I just assume that it was due to the difference in our politics."
"You said Sahita's first born, boy or girl. Are you saying that Tanya would have fallen for a girl if Sahita's first born was a female?" Edie asked.
"According to what the woman said, yes and knowing the laws of this island we would be looking at a whole different set of problems; we all know how harshly the laws here deal with people of the same sex being together," Daphne said.
Edie crossed herself. "Or Tanya could have been born a boy if he was born a girl."
Daphne rolled her eyes. She still wondered what her brother saw in Edie.
*******************