A Brush With The Truth

 Chase watches the ER doors open and and close again then turns back toward the window absently watching the cars coming and going from the parking lot. His thoughts still occupied by what was going on in the room across the hall. His mind still whirling from everything that had happened in the last eight hours and what the hell hadn't happened? One minute he couldn't be happier enjoying the morning with the woman he loved the next he's wondering who it was he was in love with? The Erin he thought he knew wasn't the person he found out about today. She'd been lying to him for almost three years if you count the time Lesley was pregnant.
Part of him understood Lesley was her cousin and like him with Well her best friend but that understanding didn't make him less furious or feel less hurt. He was hurt that she'd keep this from him for so long and hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the truth especially knowing he would have told her. Never a sign or hint of what was going on right in front of him just business as usual. Was he so involved with creating his company that he was just happily oblivious or was it something else?  Chase's head snaps around as the door of the ER open and Erin walks through coming straight for him.
"Hey." She looked tired and drained as she stopped in front of him searching his face for some telltale sign of what he was feeling and thinking.
"Hey, how's it going back there?" He says genuinely concerned.
"Okay I guess." She croaks out then clears her throat.
"We have him on antibiotics. We're still waiting for his tests to come back. I thought I'd give them some time alone." Chase nods his head not sure what to say.
"He's a tough little guy" She smiles glancing back at the ER.
"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't know." He snipes walking a few steps away from her then turning back.
"We're you ever going to tell me?" His voice calm his expression filled with hurt. Erin looks up at him a moment unable to bear the pain she felt at seeing it.
"I tried to tell you like a million times I just couldn't." Chase looks down at the floor knowing the answer to his next question before asking it.
"Why not?"
"You already know why!" She half laugh at the irony.
"Come on can you honestly tell me if the roles were reversed you wouldn't have done the same thing?" He glares at her a moment his temper barely controlled.
"No, you and I both know I would have told you." Erin laughs again and shakes her head.
"I know you would but I also know you would have felt compelled to tell Wellington." Chase shakes his head in disbelief.
"So what you're saying is you couldn't trust me." He walks back towards the widow and look out Erin trailing behind him.
"Come on Chase truth, you would have told Wellington same as I would have told Lesley! You would have never let her tell him herself in her own way." Chase turns back to her laughing bitterly.
"You never gave me the chance!" Erin brow draws into a frown as she folds her arms across her chest her her chin set her anger edging her voice.
"Look what happened as soon as you found out! You went right into white knight mode to make sure Wellington knew! I wasn't even here and I bet the first thing you told Lesley when you had a chance was she had to tell Wellington or you would!" She hisses trying not to attract the attention of the others in the room. Chase looks around at the sprinkling of people in the room staring at them then leans in lowering his voice but not diminishing the anger he felt.
"You're dam right! He's the kid's father he has right to know if the son he never met is going to live or die! You bet your ass I was going to tell him the truth!" Erin sighs in frustration.
"That's the point Chase it wasn't your truth to tell and it wasn't mine!" Chase stares back at her his jaw clenched but silent. Erin takes a reassuring breath before continuing.
"And I promised Lesley I wouldn't tell anyone. I couldn't break that promise not even to you. I'm sorry if that hurts you I truly am but as her friend and her doctor I was bound by my oath as a doctor and as her friend." She stares up at him his face a mask of confusion waiting for his response.Chase hesitates a moment not sure what to say he wasn't done sorting through his emotions. A part of him was still battling with the betrayal he felt the other part still hurt and not wanting to concede she was right. He looks away from her spotting the nurse coming behind them thankful for the interruption.
"Dr. Stuart your results are back." The nurse calls from the door.
"Thank you Jan. Can we talk about this later? I need to get back." She turns back to him her concern for the baby carving it's way across her face.
"Sure, yeah I'm not going anywhere." He smiles weakly giving Erin the first sign of hope she'd seen from him since she came out to see him.
"Good." She says turning and walking to the exist then stops and turns back.
"Could you send a nurse to get me when my Grandmother gets here?" Chase's jaw drops his eyes open wide he runs his hand through his hair and sighs.
"Your Grandmother is coming?" He wasn't ready to explain this all to Mary.
"Yeah, don't worry she already knows I talked to her. Besides Lesley is going to need her and it's way better than Alex right now." She shrugs. Chase gives her  a little half grin rubbing the back of his neck then sighs.
"Very true. I'll make sure someone tells you."
"Thanks." She says her shoulders stiffening worry twitching at her lower lip as she turns for the door. Chase watches her a moment then crosses the distance between them in three easy strides.
"Erin!" He says wrapping his arms around her and holding her a moment.
"You're a great doctor baby he's going to be okay, we'll talk later okay." He kisses the top of her head then releases her.
"I'll be right here I'm not go going anywhere." He smiles down at her. Erin smiles back him some of the worry that had been etching her face gone.
"I'll see you later." She turns and walks quickly back through the doors into the ER. Chase smiles after her a moment then reaches in his pocket for his ringing phone.
"Chase Van Dorn." He says smoothly into the phone all traces of what had transpired in the last few hours gone from his voice.
"Mr. Van Dorn I'm so glad I reached you! I've been trying to reach Mr. Swift for an hour!" Dax says sounding mildly relieved.
"Yeah, he's here with me we're kind of in the middle of some family stuff what's up?'
" I sent all the revisions to the state and the EPA and you have your approval. Mr. Van Dorn senior put in for the certificate of occupancy this afternoon. And I have the other bit of information about Stockton you asked for.I'm sending it to you right now." Chase waits a moment while Dax hums to the audible rhythm of his fingers click clacking on the keyboard.
"Viola!" He says clapping his hands together.
"You should get that momentarily. Is everything with you and Mr. Swift alright?"
"Juuuust peachy." He draws out distractedly as he skims through the information he just received.
"Dax thanks a lot. I appreciate all the help you've given us."
"As always it's my pleasure. Is there anything else I can help you with?" He asks his fingers still clicking keys.
"Umm, yeah my family is going through something right now so Well won't be available and I'll be in and out for the rest of the day. Could you keep an eye on things for us please? If you need anything you can reach out to Preston then me."
"Not a problem don't worry about a thing. You just take care of your family and I'll be in touch. Bye."
"Thanks again, bye."  He says sitting down on the window sill and reading the information Dax had just sent him trying to distract himself from what was going on between Well and Lesley across the hall.
Wellington stares from the pale sleepy child in Lesley's arms back to Lesley.
"My child?" He stares back at her still dumbfounded. Lesley clears her throat continuing on before she lost her nerve.
"Why don't you hold him?" Wellington's eyes open wide his arms coming up tentatively. As Lesley lifts the half sleeping child from her and hands him to Wellington's outstretched arms. He looks at her his expression happily panicked, furious and scared all at the same time. Then it all seemed to disappear from his face and replaced by joy as he held his son for the first time.
"He's beautiful." He says smiling down at him as holds him close his head bowed against his chest their heads touching silently weeping unable to speak as he cradles his son. Lesley watches them a quietly holding back her own tears at the image they made one she had only imagined for so long.
"He's so smart and funny. He is such a good little boy. You should have seen him the other day when we went to feed the the ducks he was so excited..." She snuffs wiping a stray tear from her cheek as her voice trails off. Her smile fading as she thinks of all the moments she'd taken from him.
"Hey little man. It's your Dad." He says looking down at him smiling proudly Jamie whimpers a little smile then snuggles close to him. Lesley watches the two of them together the scene wrenches at her heart.
"I'm sorry Wellington." She says her voice almost a whisper.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He looks up from his son his eyes piercing hers.
"I did what I had to do," Her voice firm her chin tilted defiantly she rushes on before she lost her nerve.
"I found out I was pregnant the same night you called to tell me you weren't coming back you were staying with Lola I finally realized you were never coming back. She'd sunk her fangs into you again and had some weird sick hold on you. That woman is toxic and wherever you are she is. No matter what happened or how much time passed she would be apart of our lives forever. Especially if she found out we were going to have a baby. I couldn't have that physco around my child. So I cut you out of our lives. I'm sorry that you missed so much time with our son but I won't apologize for protecting us from that lunatic. Considering what happened afterwards you and I both know I was right to do it."
"Are you finished?" He says staring at her a moment his anger barley in check.
"Yeah, I'm done." She says evenly her stare unwavering.
"Good we can talk about all that later right now lets just concentrate on our son." Lesley stares at him a moment then sighs.
"Fine. Just so you know Chase found out today the only one that knew was Erin. I swore her to secrecy and you know me she really didn't have a choice."
"Nobody did!" He snaps his eyes glittering with rage. Lesley glares at him her anger equal to his her retort on the tip of her tongue as Erin walks back into the room stopping their anger mid stream as both of their attention snap to her. Erin squares her shoulders as she approaches and guards her expression as Wellington places Jamie back inside the crib then turns towards Erin.
"Hey, we got Jamie's test back and it was what I suspected he has Bacterial Meningitis." Erin ignores the audible gasp from her cousin only pausing for a moment before continuing.
"We're having him admitted. We have to take him up for CT scan." Lesley watches as the nurses bundle up her sons bed and equipment and instinctively reaches for Wellington's hand the later instead wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close. Erin watches the reaction of the two as their child is wheel from the room.
"Try not to worry we caught this early he's going to be okay" She reaches out and hugs her cousin and then Wellington.
"I'm going to go with him okay, and then we'll bring him to his room a nurse will come get you when he's ready. I promise I will stay with him the entire time."
"Thanks Erin" Lesley sniffs looking as if she would crack any minute.
"I have to go you two try not to worry too much." She smiles then turns and jogs from the room. Wellington watches her leave her tearing off her gown quickly tossing it in the bin then chase after the medical crew. He turns back to Lesley who stands frozen to the spot tears slowing rolling down her cheeks her lip quivering.
"Jamie" She whispers before collapsing sobbing in his arms.


"Harbinger Falls" Copyright 2014