Author: Regency

Title: The Truth of It All

Pairing: Julian/Eve

Summary: Now, that Eve’s agreed to marry Julian, obstacles arise that could separate them forever. While this is happening, a new man sweeps into Pilar’s life and literally knocks her off her feet.

Disclaimer: I own the plotters, the kidnappers, and the accomplices. And no, I’m not talking about Alistair, Rebecca, Beth, or Liz.

~~~~

Julian was ecstatic that Eve had finally agreed to marry him, but was quite aware that the completion of this dream would certainly be easier said than done. There was no way that Rebecca would leave him without a fight. She was, after all, rather fond of his back pocket. And no, he didn’t mean his ass. She liked, no loved his money. She loved the power, the social status, the right to menace that came with having so much money. She could have anything she wanted...As long as she was Mrs. Julian Crane. If she ever lost that title, with it she would lose all of her privileges.

And she liked her privileges.

Julian knew this and was concerned that she would make hell for he and Eve as they made plans to marry. He was right. She had plans more sinister than he ever could have imagined.

~~~~

Julian found himself with a few free minutes between board meetings at the hospital and decided to use them to pay Eve a visit. He peeked into Eve’s office and was unnerved to find her curled forlornly into the corner of her couch. She was staring out of her office window with red-rimmed eyes. He couldn’t imagine what she could possibly be sad about.

He came in and shut the door with a click to let her know that he’s there. She began to dry her tears until she realized that it was him. She sighed with relief. If there was anyone that she could break down in front, it was Julian. He sat down beside her and took her hands in his. His darling face was set in a frown with a concern.

“Eve, darling, what’s wrong? Has something happened?” She nodded, a lump deep in her throat. Tears started to slide down her cheeks, leaving wet trails so bright that he could almost see himself in them. He gently wiped them away with his thumb. “What is it? Is it Whitney or Simone? TC?” He may not have liked the man, but he knew that he would always hold a place in Eve’s heart.

“No, not TC, or the girls. They’re fine. Not speaking to me, but they’re fine. Alive.”

“Then, what is it? Why are you crying? You know I hate to see you cry.” She chuckled at herself wryly, nodding.

“I know, Julian. I know that you hate to see me crying. That’s what makes me feel so silly for bursting into tears like this. It’s just that…I lost a patient today.”

“Oh, Eve.” He rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

“I mean, I’ve lost patients before, but today, with everything we’ve gone through lately, it’s just too much. It’s too much, Julian,” she said as a sob bubbled up in her chest. He took her into his arms as her sorrow put her beyond words.

Everyone expected her to be a miracle worker when she was no greater than any one of them. She couldn’t save everyone. No matter how hard she strived to. She put her soul into her work and sometimes she gave pieces of it to those she couldn’t save. She mourned that lost part of her. So much was already missing. Julian and their love was all that she had left to make her whole.

“It’ll be all right, my love. Everyone who knows you knows that you give your all with these patients. If one dies, it’s because it was their time. Not because you didn’t work hard enough. I have no doubt that you took every possible step to save this person.” Eve lifted her head from Julian’s shoulder and dried her eyes.

“He was young man, about Chad’s age. I just imagined his parents getting the call that their son was never coming home. I have to make that call, Julian. I have to interrupt their day with the news that no parent ever wants to hear. I can only imagine what that will do to them. It would kill me. I don’t want to make the call. But, I have to. They should hear it from me. They will hear it from me.” He fingered a lock of hair that had escaped her hastily-done ponytail.

“Do you want me to stay while you make the call?”

“Please.” He leaned over and tenderly planted a kiss on her temple.

“All right. If I can ever give you strength, please let me.” A little smile curved her lips.

“You are a good man, Julian Crane.”

“Only because of you, Eve. Only because of you.” She nodded, not willing to protest. She unfurled herself from his lap and made her way over to her desk. She braced herself before picking up the phone. She had already memorized the number. Her fingers trembled as she pushed each of the numbers. Julian rested his hand on her back to steady her as she waited for someone to pick up the ringing phone.

It rang four times, before there was a click and a woman who’d obviously had to run to catch the phone picked up. She sounded like the cheerful type. You know the kind. She had that perfect family, held together with bonds of love unbreakable until one tragedy did just that. It broke them.

Eve would rewrite that family’s history. “Mrs. Logan?”

“Yes, I’m Mrs. Logan.”

“I’m Eve Russell. I’m calling to inform you that your son, Henry, was involved in an accident today. I was the attending physician in the emergency room when he was brought in.”

“My little Henry?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Eve closed her eyes to hold back the tears.

“He was tan, tall, with dazzling green eyes?” Eve nodded even though the woman couldn’t see her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“He’s not all right, is he, Doctor?”

“No, ma’am. He suffered several fatal injuries. He coded twice and we were able to bring him back both times, but he fell into a coma and he did not regain consciousness. While he was still in a coma, he went into cardiac arrest and we were unable to revive him. He died at 1:56 this afternoon.” She remembered because she had been the one to call it. She had been to the one to tell her nurses to stop life-saving measures. She’d worked on him for ten minutes. Even if she could’ve brought him back, he’d have been brain-dead from hypoxia. There was nothing else she could’ve done. So why didn’t she believe that?

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Logan. I truly am. I’ve lost a son...” She had gotten hers back, but she’d spent much of her life believing him to be dead. The pain was still just as real. Mrs. Logan wouldn’t be getting the same miracle. Her son wasn’t coming back.

“I...” A sob erupted from the solemn line. The phone fell from the stricken woman’s grasp as she collapsed onto the floor. Her husband who’d just moments ago been enjoying his late lunch came rushing in to find his wife broken on the floor with the phone off the hook.

He took her into her arms, but could get no coherent answer out of her. He brought the phone to his ear Eve calling for his wife.

“Hello. Who is this?”

“I’m Eve Russell. Who’s this?”

“Danford Logan. What’s happened? My wife’s is on the floor and I can’t get a word out of her.” She really didn’t want to repeat herself.

“Mr. Logan, I was your son’s doctor in the ER today.”

“The ER? What’s happened to Henry?”

“Sir, he died.”

“Died?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh.” He paused, unable to find his breath all of the sudden. “Thank you for calling us, Doctor...”

“Russell, sir.”

“Doctor Russell. Thank you for letting us know.”

“Yes, sir.” They both hung up the phone without anything further to say. What else could they say?

Eve exhaled haltingly. Julian sat his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. He knew that there was nothing that he could say that could lift the burden from her shoulders. So, he simply exalted her in silence and held her up with his mere presence.

She turned around in his arms to look up at him. She took his face in her hands and caressed her cheeks with her thumbs.

“Julian, I don’t want to think about this or anything else right now. I just want it all to go away. Just for a little while. Do you understand?” He nodded his head and dropped delicate kisses to her cheek, her jaw, and her neck. Her eyes fell closed and she held his neck to guide him. He pulled away to kiss her lips.

“Let me lock the door. Do you want me to turn off the lights?”

“I don’t care.” He locked the door and tugged on it to make sure it held. He flicked the light switch and the room was flooded with darkness. He opened his arms and she walked into them silently.

She grabbed his lapels and pulled his mouth down on top of hers and kissed him with the fierceness of her emotions at that moments. He pretended not to notice the tears for her sake. She couldn’t think of anything except the feel of Julian’s lips on top of hers. They were a more than adequate distraction.

She guided his mouth to the spot on her neck that he knew so well. She clumsily unbuttoned his jacket and knocked it off of his shoulders. It fell to the floor without either of their concern. He could have it dry cleaned. He tugged her lab coat from her body and threw it to the couch without a look, turning his attention the pearl buttons on her sweater. They came undone with no resistance and the sweater went the way of the lab coat.

He kissed her shoulder, pushing the straps from her shoulders and slipping his hands behind her to unfasten her bra. She pulled his face back in front of her and kissed him again, gentler this time. One of her hands fell to loosen his tie and throw it over her shoulder. She made quick work of his shirt and let it fall behind them, never releasing his lips from that bruising kiss. They finally had to separate to dispose of his undershirt. She trailed kisses from his mouth to his neck to his chest. She disposed of his belt and unzipped his pants, pulling them down his legs with one determined yank. Before she laid a hand on his boxers, he pulled her up for another kiss. As much as he revered the direction they were going in, he knew that she was the one who needed the distraction.

He turned them and pressed her body to the door with a soft ‘smack.’ He cupped her cheeks in his hands and felt her eyes glued to his mouth. His slow, intrusive kiss melted her and she leaned fully into him, giving him the room to loose the final hook on her bra. It hung on between them as they remained truly fixed together. She locked her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. He picked up her leg and held it at his hip. He slid his hand down her thigh and leg to nudge her shoe off. She rakes her fingers through his hair passionately.

They fell onto the growing pile of lost clothing on the floor, so completely entranced in one another that the knocking on the door couldn’t possibly pierce the world they’d formed in that room. It was only them, no one else.

Finally, the someone who apparently had a key, started to unlock the door. Eve and Julian immediately snapped out of their lustful daze and to attention. Julian rolled onto the floor, pulling his jacket on and Eve slammed her hands on the door to keep it closed.

“Who is it?”

“Dr. Rochester.”

“Dr., can I help you?”

“One of the nurses was concerned about you after the...fatality this afternoon. She came to me and I wanted to see if you all right. Are you?” she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door. She silent for a few beat. “Dr. Russell, are you okay? Should I call someone?”

“No. No, Doctor. I’m all right. I just needed a few minutes. I’m sorry, I worried you. I’ll be back out soon.”

“If you’re sure...” Julian came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. She smiled at his attempt to comfort her.

“I am. Thank you for your concern.”

“All right, but please come see me in my office before you leave this evening.”

“Yes, Dr.” There was silence and Eve thought he was gone until he spoke again.

“You know, Eve, you can’t save everyone. Sometimes, it’s out of our hands.”

“I know. But after saving so many, I forget that there may just be one that I wasn’t meant to save.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you.”

“Have a better afternoon, Eve.”

“I will, William.” Finally, his footsteps faded down the hall. She leaned heavily back against Julian. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I guess my little distraction will have to wait until we get home.”

“I suppose, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t comfort you for little while longer.” She turned around and hid her face in his neck. She’d have to return to the real world soon, but until then, she would lose herself in the support and love of the one knew her best.

There would be more days like this one and they’d hurt just as much, if not more, but she knew that she’d get through it, because Julian would be there. He had no intention of ever leaving her side again.

Even if it killed him.

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