Back to Fan Fiction Now, I'm sure that a lot of you Nanny fans will be very upset with me for certain changes I have made to Max and Fran's family. But, stick with me, this story will have a sequel, and anything can happen in the movies, or I should say in Nanny Fan Fiction.
Rated PG13
by
Debi
(roarrrr35@hotmail.com)
Fran Sheffield opened her eyes and looked directly at the clock which indicated it was 2:07 am. She turned over and looked at her beloved husband sleeping next to her. She could hear his even breathing. She laid there and stared at him for a good fifteen minutes. She wondered what he was dreaming of. She hoped it was her. She loved him so much. How on earth did she get to be so blessed.
Their home was in California now. They had a huge house in Beverly Hills. Niles and CC were married with a daughter of their own, and they occupied part of the house themselves. Max's sitcom was going quite well and all the children were healthy and happy and visited as much as they could. Maggie and Michael were living in New York, but they came out to California at least every three months. Brighton had finished film school and was starting on a successful career in the film industry. Grace graduated high school early, and was looking forward to beginning college in the fall.
Fran got out of bed, put her robe and slippers on and made her way to the nursery. Well, it wasn't much of a nursery anymore. The twins were turning four that very day and they were sleeping in their own "grown up" beds, as they called them. She would have to get used to calling it their bedroom instead of the nursery.
They looked like angels sleeping. Jonah was a kicker in bed and his bedding was everywhere. He had dark curly hair like his mother, but his green eyes and coloring indicated that he was beginning to look more and more like his father everyday. Eve, on the other hand, was almost a clone of her mother. When she had her little tantrums, which happened quite often, those dark brown eyes would melt her father's heart and she could get away with almost anything. Fran laughed to herself when she thought about the escapades Eve got herself into. Sometimes Fran was a little upset that Max let her get away with so much, but then she reminded herself of what she had gotten away with when she used her wiles on Max before they were married. Max reminded her almost daily that she was definitely her mother's daughter. Fran tucked Jonah back in, kissed them both and whispered to them, "Happy Birthday my precious ones. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. Today is going to be a big day for you both."
Fran returned to her bedroom and tucked herself in. She fell asleep with her arms around her husband. Little did she know that the devastating and tragic events of the coming hours would change her life forever.
****
Fran felt herself being awakened by something or someone jumping up and down on her bed. She heard her youngest son yelling, "Wake up Mommy, wake up Daddy, it's my birthday, it's Evie's birthday too."
Max grabbed his son and gave him a big bear hug. "So it's your birthday huh? And how hold are you, one, two?"
"Oh Daddy, stop teasing me. You know I'm four! Evie's four too!" Jonah told his daddy.
"Really? That old? Nooooo!" Max wanted to tease him a little bit longer.
"Mommy, make Daddy stop teasing." Jonah moved to his mother and gave her a big hug too.
"Happy Birthday Jonah," his mother said. Now come on, let's go find your sister and start your birthday with a wonderful breakfast." Fran got up, and took her son's hand and went out the door to find little Evie.
Fran spent the next two hours getting herself and the twins dressed for the coming festivities of the day. She had the twins in preschool and they were taking a bus trip to a local animal sanctuary just outside of LA. They loved animals more than anything and they couldn't wait to go see all the rescued animals and be able to maybe touch one. She took them to their bus stop and loaded them into the bus. Then she headed to Rodeo Drive to do some serious shopping for her and the twins, before the birthday festivities started that evening.
****
Niles opened the door and found two uniformed police officers standing in the doorway. They both introduced themselves and the tall officer asked, "Is this the Maxwell Sheffield residence?"
"Yes, just one moment and I'll get him," Niles responded.
"Please, can we speak to him in a private area?" the shorter officer asked.
Niles buzzed Max on the intercom and informed him that two police officers were here to speak with him. He then led them to his boss's office. He knocked on the door and showed them inside. Niles introduced them and exited the office. He couldn't imagine what they could want and he prayed it wasn't something serious. He wanted so much to turn the intercom on in another part of the house to hear the conversation, but he promised himself and CC that when they moved to California, he would try and keep his nose out of the Sheffield's business, and that meant no fun with the intercom.
A couple of minutes after the officers arrival, Niles didn't need the intercom to hear Max screaming, "Oh God, no, no!"
****
The next few hours at the Sheffield residence were doomed to be the worst Niles had ever experienced in the last 25 years working for Maxwell Sheffield. The officers arrival had informed them that they had lost the youngest two members of their family due to an auto accident collision. All eight children, their teacher and the bus driver were killed after it collided with a truck. The school bus then rolled several times and proceeded down a ravine where it hit into a tree.
In the next couple of hours, Grace was told about the tragedy. Max called Brighton and Maggie, and also Fran's parents. Everyone at home had retired to their rooms to cry their hearts out and try to comprehend another tragedy. Fran, who was still on a shopping spree for her growing twins, had not arrived home yet. The TV news had it spread over every station, and Max prayed she wouldn't find out about her children's death on some news program. He had thought about calling her on her cell to get her home as quickly as possible, but he decided against it, knowing she would detect something in his voice. He wanted to tell her himself, in person, and he knew she would be home shortly. He prayed that she would get here quickly.. He made arrangements with Fran's physician, Dr. Neville, and requested that he be here when they told Fran about her children. He knew she'd need to be tranquilized.
*****
It was past noon by the time Fran arrived home, and she entered the living room with an armful of packages. She set them down and realized how quiet it was. Usually, it was somewhat of a madhouse at the lunch hour and it was so quiet, she hoped Niles hadn't forgotten to pick the kids up from their visit with the animals. She headed for Max's office to find out where everyone was.
Fran peaked inside Max's office and saw him in there alone with his head down toward his desk. She bounced on in. "Hi sweetheart, how's work going? Have you seen the twins?" Max looked up at her and she could see that his eyes were swollen and red. His hair was all disheveled and before she made it to his desk to give him a kiss, she saw Dr. Neville sitting on the couch behind her. She immediately knew something was wrong and she felt fear grip her heart. She started asking Max question after question, not giving him time to answer. "Max, what's going on? Where are the twins? Max, why have you been crying? Dr. Neville what are you doing here? Max, say something, you're really scaring me."
Grace and Niles had met in the kitchen after they heard Fran come in and head toward Max's office. They looked at each other, and hugged each other tightly, hoping to help console one another. Then they both heard what they would have nightmares about for the rest of their lives. Fran started screaming, "No, God no, no, you're lying, not my babies, not my babies! No, God, no!"
The next week was a blur for everyone in the house. Time kept running, but their world had collided into a brick wall and stopped. Fran was in such a state of grief, that she had to be sedated for a week and could not even attend her children's funeral. Max and Niles had made all the arrangements for the services. After the funeral, everyone seemed to try and get back to some semblance of normality. Everyone that is but Fran.
Fran was in her own little world that started the minute she heard her youngest children had been taken from her. She slept most of the coming days and drugged herself to sleep the evenings. The only person she spoke to was her husband. She stayed in her bedroom and took all her meals there. She had lost so much weight, she look like death herself. Max tried everything he could do to get her out of this state of grief, but he wasn't the person to preach about going on with your life. He thought back to years ago when he lost Sara and how he dealt with her death. Fran was doing exactly what he did back then. She cut herself off from family and friends. Max finally realized how terrible it must have been back then for his children. He wondered how they had survived his pushing them away. Well, they wouldn't have survived if Fran hadn't come along. He was dealing with Fran from an adult perspective, but back then, his children were just that, little children. How could they understand losing their mother one day and then their father the next. The immensity of what he had done to them finally made itself clear to him.
Every night, Max would awaken and find Fran gone from his bed. He would go straight to the twins room and find her sitting in a rocking chair holding a stuffed animal or a teddy bear having cried herself to sleep. He would gather her up in his arms and take her back to their bedroom. This went on night after night after night.
Eight weeks had passed since Jonah and Eve's death and Max was at his wit's end. CC had been so good to take on most of the pressures of the business, while Max stayed more at home trying to deal with his wife. He had consulted a psychiatrist for grief counseling and although Fran refused to go, he found it very beneficial for himself. Why hadn't he done this after Sara's death? At least they had convinced Fran to take an anti-depressant since the accident, but it just wasn't helping. He couldn't get her back to the psychiatrist to try something different and she refused to have him come to the house.
One evening after an especially frightful night with Fran, Max made the decision to disassemble the twins' room. Perhaps if it wasn't there, Fran would have to move on with her life. Max asked CC, Niles and Grace to help him pack everything up in the twins' room and they started on it the next Saturday. Fran woke up about 11:30am that morning and walked down the hall to spend some time in the nursery. She opened the door, took one look at what was going on in there and started trembling.
"What.... What's going on here?" Fran screamed as she saw them loading clothes and toys into boxes.
Max moved toward his wife and he took both of her hands in his and said, "Darling, this is for your own good. We need to get on with our lives. You need to get on with your life. It's not healthy for you to spend all your time in here away from the rest of your family."
Fran yanked her hands out of his and looked at him with venom in her eyes. Then she said very clearly, "Max, if you take one thing out of this room, I swear to God that I will walk out that front door and never come back."
Max's mouth fell open and his knees went weak thinking about even the smallest possibility that she would leave him. He wouldn't be able to survive himself if that happened. He turned around to CC, Niles and Grace and said, "Put everything back."
Two more weeks passed by and still nothing had changed. Max decided that something again needed to be done. This time he decided to lock the nursery at night so Fran couldn't get in there in the middle of the night. The first night he did this, the whole house was rocked awake by the sound of Fran pounding her fists on the door of the nursery and screaming, " Let me in, let me in. You have no right to keep me out." She screamed it over and over. Max unlocked it immediately.
The next morning at 5:00 a.m, Fran went into the nursery and closed the door. She sat down in the rocking chair and started asking herself why her husband was trying to keep her away from her children. She didn't understand it, but she would make sure he would never succeed. She would be with them the only way she knew how.
The same morning at 7:00 am, Max awoke, looked over and saw that Fran wasn't there. He put on his robe and walked down to the nursery. He pushed open the door and saw Fran lying on one of the twins' bed asleep. She was on her left side and her left arm, under her body, was hanging out over the bed. Her right arm was bent slightly and over her stomach. He went over to her, leaned down and starting picking up her. As he did this, something fell out of her hand. He looked down to see what it was and noticed an empty pill bottle on the floor. Fear gripped his soul. He laid her back down and picked up the bottle. It was her last prescription refill for her sleeping pill. He had only refilled it for her a few days ago. How could it be empty? Max scanned the room to see what else might be out of place and his eyes fell on a glass of water on the night stand next to the bed she was sleeping on. He totally lost it from there.
Niles heard the buzzer go off on the intercom. He was surprised because it was the intercom for every room in the house. He went to it and pushed a button and said, "Yes?" not quite knowing who was paging him. He heard Max screaming at him, but he couldn't make out what he was trying to say. "I'm sorry sir, please calm down, I can't understand what you are saying," Niles answered him.
"Niles, Niles, call an ambulance. She's tried to kill herself! Call an ambulance, now!" Max was still shouting, but Niles understood him completely this time. "Right away sir," and Niles ran to the telephone.
*****
The paramedics had worked on Fran all the way to the hospital. Max insisted on being in the ambulance with her, and his whole body was shaking the entire way there. He had totally convinced himself he was experiencing another death of another wife. He did manage to call Dr. Neville and inform him about what had occurred . Dr. Neville told him he would meet him in the emergency room right away. Once Fran arrived there, they pumped her stomach.
The whole family was waiting in the ER waiting room when the doctor came out and explained that because the pills hadn't been in her system that long, they expected her to make a complete recovery. Max was so relieved he started crying. He then checked her into a private suite.
He sat by her side and would not leave her for one moment. He asked Niles to go back home and return with some of her clothes, makeup and her purse. Perhaps she would ask for them later and he wanted them to be here just in case.
A few hours later, Fran woke up. She was extremely groggy and she couldn't figure out where she was. She looked around and saw Max sitting in a chair nearby. When he saw her, he didn't know what to say. He just put his head in his hands and started crying. Fran didn't say a word. She just turned over and turned her back on him.
She fell back asleep, and awoke again two hours later. She turned over again and saw Max staring at her. He looked at her so lovingly and said, "Fran, I love you so much. I thought, I thought I had lost you forever...why?" Fran didn't respond for what seemed the longest time for Max, and then she said very coldly, "You should have let me die, I want to be with my babies. Please go away, I want to be alone," and she turned over again with her back to him.
Max didn't know how to respond to her. He desperately needed professional help to cope with her. He let the nurse know he was leaving for a few minutes and he went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. He walked outside for a few moments and took a few deep breaths to inhale the fresh air. He needed to think over the previous events of the last day and decide what to do now. He said a silent prayer and thanked God she was still alive. She was so despondent, he didn't know how to react to her statement, or what to say to bring her out of this grip of grief that had held her down for so long. Perhaps it was time to do something really drastic like committing her for a while to get the professional help she desperately needed. The minute he set foot outside, he looked around to see if anyone was around. He was totally alone. He leaned back against the building and started sobbing. He held nothing back.
*****
A half an hour later, Max walked back into her suite and walked up to her bed. She wasn't in it. He thought at first that she had gone into the bathroom. Then he noticed that the IV bag that was inserted in her hand was still there attached to its pole right next to the bed. He ran over to the bathroom, threw open the door and no one was in there. . He ran over to the closet, where Niles had put her clothes and they were gone. Her purse was gone. He really started to panic She was gone. The only thing left in the closet was her 7.5 carat diamond ring and wedding band sitting by itself on a shelf.
*****
The minute Max left, Fran got out of bed and got dressed. Then she walked right out of the hospital. No one even noticed her. She walked to the nearest bank, took her checkbook out and made out a check for $1,000.00 and cashed it from her and Max's joint checking account. She started walking down the street and started hitchhiking for a ride.
Fran had been on the road hitchhiking nonstop for three days and she found herself in Abilene, Texas. She found a room for the night and managed to get some rest. The next morning, she was back on the road. She had purchased a small duffel bag at a truck stop, and she put what few clothes she had, and her purse contents in it. She ripped up her checkbook and threw it in the garbage. She was wearing Jeans and a t-shirt and she'd stuffed the money in her front jeans pocket. She had no idea where she was headed to, she just knew she wanted to be as far away from LA as possible.
Fran found herself in a dark blue truck heading down a Texas highway with a man named Mitch. He seemed friendly enough, and after small chit chat for a few minutes, she said she was tired and was going to try and get some rest. She leaned her head back and fell asleep. A few minutes later, she awoke with Mitch's hand in between her legs. He startled her and she immediately pushed him away, causing his truck to veer off the road. Mitch looked at her and lost his temper. "You bitch," he yelled, and with one hand on the steering wheel, he threw a swing at her with the other hand that hit her right in the eye. Fran knew she was in trouble. She found the handle of the door, looked out the window and saw the desert whizzing past her. She yanked the door open and she threw herself out. Once she hit the ground, she could see him still going in the distance. Then her world went black.
***
The woman woke up when the sun was it its peak. She sat up and had an excruciating headache and a bump on the back of her head the size of a walnut. Her left eye was swollen and black and blue, and she was completely disoriented. She got up, looked around and could tell she was in the desert somewhere. She started trying to remember how she got here, but nothing came. She looked around for a purse or something that might belong to her. She found nothing. She tried to remember her name, but there just wasn't anything there in her mind to remember.
Just then, a car pulled over and an elderly gentleman came over to her.
"Miss, are you all right?" He asked. Fred Randall had been on his way to the market for his wife, when he saw a young woman lying on the side of the highway. He saw her get up, look around and he could tell she was in trouble.
She looked at him for a few moments and responded,"I'm not sure."
"I'm a doctor. My name is Fred Randall. I'm retired now, but you don't look well, perhaps I should take a look at you? Why don't you come back home with me. My Mrs. can fix you something to eat and I'll take a look at you and that bump on your head?" he asked as he noticed her rubbing the bump.
The woman looked around her and didn't know what other option she had. Perhaps this was the best thing to do. She didn't refuse and he helped her into his car.
***
It had been several weeks since Fran had disappeared from the hospital. Max, the children and her parents were sick with worry. Max didn't even want to imagine what trouble she could be in. He had hired the best private detective he could find, but other than the knowledge that she withdrew $1000.00 from their account just minutes after leaving the hospital, there wasn't a single thing to go on. Max couldn't believe that they just let her walk out, that no one saw her leave. Then she had simply vanished into thin air.
****
For the next six months, she found herself living with Fred & Ruth Randall in Copperhead, Texas. She still had no recall of any of her past, or how she ended up in the desert that day. She thought surely Fred & Ruth must have been the most generous, kind hearted people in the world. They had no idea who she was or what her past had been, and yet they had taken her into their home and doted on her like she was their own. They called her Leigh for want of a better name. Their daughter Leigh has passed away many, many years ago of cancer at the age of seven. She would probably have been about her age by now. She asked them once if it was hard calling her by their dead daughter's name, but they said it gave them a peaceful feeling to think that Leigh was living on, if only through her name.
Leigh worked as a waitress in a little diner in a small town right next to Copperhead. She walked to and from work every day, and she became a trusted and loved member of their little community. She didn't earn much, and what she did earn, she gave most back to Ruth to help out with the household expenses. What little was left, she either purchased new clothes for everyday living or tucked it away with the rest of her money she had discovered in her jeans pocket the day she arrived there.
Six months had passed by so fast since Fred had picked Leigh up on that highway. She felt a pull to go out into the world, and although she felt extremely sad to leave what she felt was her mom and dad, she wanted to see what was out there. There were tearful goodbyes, but she promised to keep in touch with them weekly. She purchased herself a one way bus ticket to New York City. She wasn't sure what was pulling her to New York, but something was.
*****
Max tried private detective after private detective, but none of them came up with a single clue to Fran's whereabouts. He was beginning to think that perhaps she was dead, but then he shuddered and then cursed himself for even letting thoughts like that penetrate his mind. He would never give up until he found her.
*****
Leigh searched through her purse for a book to read on the bus and she pulled out a piece of paper. Opening it up, she realized it was the real "Leigh's" birth certificate. She was confused for a few moments, and then she realized that Ruth had probably put it in there to give her the opportunity to have a name and make a new life for herself. Fred had told her that amnesia can be tricky. Depending on what had caused it, it could be a matter of weeks or even years before her past memories could come back. This caused her to tremble a little. She knew the kind of person she was now, but what if she had been a criminal, or unhappily married to some mobster who had tried to kill her in the desert. Someone had given her that black eye. Flashes had already started to manifest themselves to her. There were choppy pieces of children laughing, New York Broadway lights, someone calling her "bitch" and then hitting her, and someone yelling at her, "Miss...F," some name that started with F.
She arrived in New York with her one small bag and very little money. She rented a small room for a couple of weeks and purchased one nice dress to wear for interviews. She finally landed a job as a waitress at an upscale restaurant called, "The Owl".
Months had passed by and she was making a decent living. She rented a very small apartment and purchased a very old, but dependable car. She called Fred and Ruth every Sunday evening and talked their ears off. She loved them so much. They considered her their daughter and she considered them her parents. They were the only family she had. She was saving her money and she told them she planned on visiting at Christmas. She still had small flashbacks, but nothing that made any sense.
She had a few friends, mostly from the restaurant, and one weekend they invited her to join them in Atlantic City. While she was there, she won a trip for one to Florence, Italy, all expenses paid. They all convinced her to go, even if it was a solo trip. Most of them were her friends at work and they said they would cover for her. It would only be for a week. She felt it might be a good way to get away, have some fun and think about what she wanted to do with her life. She didn't know if she'd ever been there, or on any other vacation anywhere else in the world for that matter.
*****
Months passed by and Max was growing more depressed about ever finding his beloved wife. He tried to throw himself back into his work, but every morning he woke up in an empty bed and he was falling into a depression he wasn't sure he could pull out of. Several times Grace could hear her father wake up in the middle of the night calling for Fran, and then she'd hear him crying in his bedroom.
The next weekend, all the them were home and they were trying to convince their father to go on a vacation with them.
"Please dad," Brighton expressed, "we all miss Fran terribly, but we have to go on living."
Brighton reminded him of his grief with their mother and how he cut themselves off from them when she died.
"Dad, we need you," Gracie added. "This vacation will be good for all of us."
So, here it was that he found himself in a little town in Italy called Pistoia. He had promised his children he would go on this vacation and not to think of work. He also promised them that he would try to have a good time. He promised himself that he would try to keep his mind off Fran for at least a few days while he was vacationing with his children. That day it seemed they all wanted to see different sights, so they split up, and agreed to meet back together in 3 hours.
Max was making his way down the old cobblestone streets of Pistoia where people were milling about waiting for their local yearly parade to start. He scanned the view across the street and his eyes fell on a little outdoor café. It looked extremely quaint and reminded him of a little New York café Fran used to love to frequent. His mood suddenly fell, and then he remembered his promise to his children and to himself. He quickly tried to lighten his mood and then his eyes suddenly fell on a woman at the café who was sitting by herself. She must have just finished her lunch, because there was an empty plate in front of her. She had long dark hair pulled away from her face and she was sitting in a very high back chair just slightly back from the table. She was slightly slumped in her chair, her back against the chair and her arms were up over her head grasping the back of the chair with both hands on both sides. She had sunglasses on and she had a slight smile on her lips. She looked as though she was just as comfortable as she could herself while waiting for the parade to start.
No more than thirty seconds had passed since Max's eyes had fixed on her. It took just that long for him to actually start feeling himself starting to hyperventilate. As he kept staring at the beautiful brunette, he realized it was Fran. If it wasn't Fran, she could have been her twin. He took several long, deep breaths and even though he thought his heart might come right through his chest, his breathing returned to normal.
*****
Leigh Randall could feel someone's eyes on her. She knew sitting in the outdoor café made her vulnerable to everyone sitting at the café, including all the tourists going up and down the old streets of Pistoia. She swiftly looked around to gaze at all the people nearby, and then she leaned slightly forward. With her right index finger, she slowly lowered her sunglasses to the edge of her nose to peer out over them and get a somewhat lighter and clearer view of the café and nearby street. She turned her head slightly to the left and her eyes fell on a man who was standing on the other side of the street staring at her with such intensity, it made her shiver. He was an extremely good looking man in his early or mid forties and he had the most beautiful head of black wavy hair she had ever seen on a man. There was just a slight wisp of grey in one small spot in front that could barely be seen through all that black hair. He was dressed in casual clothes and she presumed he was a tourist like her.
There was something about him that seemed eerily familiar. She started having those strange feelings of deja vu again that had been penetrating her body for the past few weeks. Then she wondered, considering her past, if she knew him. This terrified her.
They must have stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, although it was probably only a minute, and then she saw him, almost frantically, pushing himself through the crowd to get to the café. This whole bizarre scene was starting to unnerve her somewhat. She wasn't sure if she was ready for any old ghosts to introduce themselves to her, but Fred had told her she would start having flashbacks. He said there was even the remotest possibility that people from her past might even recognize her. She had made a good life for herself in the past year and she wasn't ready for anyone to "rock the boat" yet. But, as she continued looking at him, a calm feeling of peace came over her and so she decided to stay put and see if he found his way to her.
Leigh watched, and noticed that before he could get to the other side of the street, the parade started and pushed him back to where he was to begin with. He just kept looking at her, never taking his eyes off her. She knew he would never make it to her side and she made a decision to exit the café and see if she could meet him halfway.
Max saw her get up and leave her table. Why was she leaving? Had he frightened her away? He panicked and tried to make his way in between all the people and festivities of the parade. He finally made it to the other side of the street and he ran into the café as quick as his legs would allow him. He looked for her everywhere inside, but she was nowhere to be seen. He exited out the front and made his way outside. He began searching everywhere to catch one glimpse of her. Then he heard himself yelling, "Fran, Fran!"
Leigh exited the side entrance of the café and started looking about the crowd for the dark haired man. She must have looked for thirty minutes, but there were so many people everywhere, it probably would have been impossible to find him. She finally gave up and decided to go back to her hotel in Florence.
Max searched and searched the crowds for an hour. He felt as though a horse had kicked him in the stomach. God, it was Fran, he knew it was her. Why had she left?
He decided not to mention this incident to his children. They would only think that he wanted so much to see Fran that he was imagining her everywhere. Besides, he didn't want to spoil their vacation. But he knew when he returned home, he would send a private detective back to Italy to search for her.
*****
Leigh returned to work, thoroughly having enjoyed her vacation. But at night, the dark haired man invaded her dreams. She started having dreams of being with him, steamy dreams of them making love and other dreams of them arguing intensely. When she would awake from the dreams, they bothered her enormously.
*****
The minute Max returned to LA, he sent Dick Miller, his best private detective to Pistoia to find Fran. Dick stayed there for a week, but he didn't find one clue that would link Fran to this mysterious woman.
The sitcom in LA wasn't doing so well, and Max convinced CC to stay in LA and take charge of the sitcom. He would fly back to New York and start producing another musical. He was glad he hadn't put the mansion up for sale. He had rented it out for the past few years, but the family living in it had found another home and that allowed him to move back in.
It felt so good to be back in it again. It didn't hold any of the terrible memories of the twins' death or Fran's disappearance that the home in LA held. Although, the house was so big and empty, it made her absence harder to endure.
*****
Max's backers meeting had not gone well, and to make a terrible evening even worse, he had gotten extremely lost on his way home and had been pulled over for speeding. That was his second speeding ticket this month. He cursed himself that he had ever purchased that Porsche. He decided then and there, he needed a drink. He pulled up to the first bar in view, walked in and sat himself at the bar.
"So what will you have to drink, mister," Jimmy asked him. Jimmy looked at the man sitting in front of him and could tell he was probably having an extremely bad day. He noticed the man was wearing an extremely expensive suit which looked totally disheveled. The man didn't look much better than his suit. Jimmy could tell right off that he wasn't his usual type of customer.
Max looked up at him and replied, "A scotch on the rocks, please."
Jimmy decided his first impression of the man was dead on when the man ordered a drink with a refined British accent. This man was certainly out of his element in this part of town.
Max looked around the bar. He'd never been in a bar quite as sleazy as this before. It wasn't the upscale bars he was used to in Beverly Hills or Manhattan. He hoped they didn't have topless dancers. He just needed a couple of drinks inside him and he would be on his way. Well, Max thought, 'All bars were pretty much the same. They all serve their purpose to get their customers drinking and forget about their problems.' He was on his fourth scotch when he could see someone from the corner of his eye sit down on the chair next to him. He didn't bother to look over and see who it was.
*****
It had been a very long evening at work for Leigh. She wanted to stop for a drink, relax for a few minutes, chat with Jimmy and then go home and take a very long, hot bath. Her "uniform" for work was very classy, but her shoes were killing her. All the girls who waited on tables at "The Owl" looked like they were dressed for an evening out on the town, but the required shoes were definitely not what a waitress should wear on her feet all night. The dresses did attract the customers, especially the male ones, and her boss counted on that to fill his restaurant every night. But Leigh couldn't complain, she worked with some very nice people and the tips were wonderful.
She walked into Jimmy's Bar and sat herself down right next to the only other customer at the bar stools at the front counter. She reached into her purse for a cigarette, found one and lit it. She took a long drag and said, "Hey ya Jimmy, how's it going tonight? Why don't ya give me an apricot sour."
Max was so shocked at hearing that voice, that he quickly moved his head up to look at hopefully the face that he knew the voice was attached to. With the sudden movement, he leaned backwards too far and fell off his chair.
"Oh, mister are you ok?" Leigh asked him, pulling him back up to his seat. "I think maybe you've had too much to drink tonight." As she was helping him up, Max couldn't take his eyes off her for one second. She was wearing a black, very short dress that hugged her curves and showed off tons of leg. It was cut in front to give just a glimpse of cleavage, and had thin black straps. Her long legs curved down to black stiletto heels. Her hair was very long and curly and she had long, dangley earrings on that you could barely see coming out of her hair.
"Fran? Oh, Fran, is it really you?" Max asked as he started crying. He quickly grabbed Leigh and gave her a passionate kiss and then held her for the longest time.
Leigh was quite shaken at what had happened. Her first reaction was to push him back, but she was surprised that she was enjoying it. Not only that, she had the distinct impression he had kissed her before. His kiss made her stomach have butterflies. What had he called her? Fran? That named seemed familiar. She finally pulled back from him and got a better look at him. She suddenly realized that she had seen him before. It took her a few seconds, but then it came to her. He was the man in Pistoia.
Leigh started to get extremely scared, not only from recognizing him, but by the feelings he was causing her to have.
"Look, mister, I think you have me confused with someone else." she said to him. "My name is Leigh, Leigh Randall." She wasn't ready for the possibility of her past catching up with her.
"Leigh Randall?" Maxwell asked her perplexed.
"Yes, Leigh. Look I think you've really had a lot to drink tonight and I think you'd better go home. Did you bring a car?" Leigh asked him, hoping he hadn't.
Max was getting very confused. He knew he had a lot to drink tonight, but this woman right next to him was his Fran, he could feel it. She was talking to him like a stranger, and she was telling him her name was Leigh, but he knew it was Fran. No one could look as much like Fran and also have that distinctive nasal voice and not be her. Every fiber of his being, drunk or not, was telling him it was Fran.
"Mister, did you hear me? Did you bring a car?" Leigh asked him again.
Max finally cleared his mind a bit and replied, "Yes, I have a Porsche outside."
"Oh God, a Porsche, did you hear that Jimmy?" Leigh said as she raised her eyebrows and looked up at Jimmy. Jimmy looked back at her and smiled.
"Well, you can't drive it home, mister." Leigh said to him.
"Max, my name is Max," he said to her, and he could see there was no recognition in her eyes whatsoever.
"Well, Max, you cannot drive home tonight. I'm going to call you a cab." Leigh told him.
"Jimmy, give me one of your business cards." Leigh reached her hand out toward Jimmy and waited for him to retrieve one from underneath the counter on his side.
She took the card from Jimmy and put it in Max's hand. "Here's Jimmy's business card. It has the address here and his phone number on it. Give him your keys and he'll drive your car around by the side where it will be safe tonight. You can come get it tomorrow, ok?" Leigh looked at him staring at her, and she wondered if he was comprehending anything she was saying.
Max looked at the card in his hand and put it in his breast pocket. "Leigh, can you drive me home." Max asked her, almost pleading.
"No, that's not possible Max. I don't have a car." Leigh lied to him, but she didn't want to get in any deeper than what she had. This Max fellow was making her extremely uncomfortable, and she was getting one of her migraine headaches again. She was also having brief flashes of a building, perhaps a townhouse in a big city. It was a light color and had black wrought iron in front. She needed to get him off in a cab and get herself home and think about all this.
"Please Fra... Leigh, please drive me home," Max asked again, trying to convince her, not even remembering she had just told him she didn't have a car.
"No Max, I'll call you a cab." Leigh picked up the phone and called a taxi service for him. "It shouldn't be too long. Hand me your keys Max." Max gave her his keys and she handed them to Jimmy.
"Thank you..." Max hesitated at the name... "Leigh for your help. When will I see you again...Can I see you again, please?" Max looked her straight in her eyes, with a look of almost desperation.
Leigh felt a little sorry for this guy. He reminded her that everyone has their own set of problems in life. Then she felt a strange physical surge go through her. She was so attracted to him. She felt this uncontrollable force pulling her to him, but the feeling was so strong it scared her. When she looked at him, he looked so vulnerable and then an irresistible desire to kiss him came over her. She was beginning to think that the unknown past and the unknown future terrified her.
"Well, we'll see. Why don't you give me your number." Leigh said, feeling she was safer getting his number than giving hers. That way she had control of the situation and she knew with her background, she didn't have control over much of her life.
Max's face lit up and he found a pen and piece of paper and wrote his home number and cell number down and handed it to her. "Please, please call me tomorrow." At that moment, they could hear a car horn.
Leigh stood up and grabbed his arm. "Come on Max, that's your cab, I'll help you outside." They walked outside and Max had his arm around her so she could support him. He knew he was pretty drunk, but being so near his Fran was too much for him to take. He could smell her perfume and it was driving him crazy. Just outside the door he turned his head to look at her and his eyes met her gaze. His arm that was around her shoulders for support reached for the back of her head and he brought her head forcefully toward him until her lips met his with almost a crushing blow. Leigh's first reaction again was to push back with her arms, but she started to get almost dizzy, and then so aroused by this that she started kissing him back with as much fervor as he was kissing her. Max started kissing her down her neck, and then the taxi driver honked his horn again. Leigh finally came to her senses at the noise and took Max to the car, opened the car door and helped him inside.
'Damn', Max thought, 'why did that man honk again.' Max didn't want her out his sight, and he appealed to her again, "Please, come with me and keep me company. I'll pay for your cab ride back here."
Leigh brought her hand up to her mouth to wipe some red lipstick off that had gone askew from their kissing and said "No, I don't think that's a good idea Max." Then she hesitated a little and said, " Look, I'll give you a call soon, ok?"
She was actually terrified to go with him. She had no control around him and if she accompanied him home, she knew she'd end up in his bed." Who was this man and why did she feel like this around him? "Max, what's your address?"
"1521 Park Avenue, Manhattan." Max answered and Leigh repeated it to the cab driver.
"You really did get lost tonight, didn't you Max?"
Max looked at her and said, "Please, promise me you'll call tomorrow?
Leigh just looked at him and said, "We'll see."
"1521 Park Avenue, Manhattan," she said to the driver and Leigh motioned for the cab driver to leave.
As the cab took off, Max turned around and peered through the back window to get one last view of his Fran.
*****
The next morning Max woke up with a beauty of a hangover. The events of the past evening immediately came back to him. He took a cold shower hoping it would clear away all the haze in his mind. It was noon by the time he got himself together, and he took the card out of the suit he had worn last night.
Jimmy immediately saw Max walking in and he reached for the keys to the Porsche underneath his counter. As Max moved closer, he tossed them to him. Jimmy could see that he cleaned up well. He looked like he'd just walked out of GQ.
Max caught the keys in mid air and kept on walking up to the counter. "Jimmy, I need to find her." Max said, almost pleading.
"I'm sorry Max, but that's not up to me. She's got your number. She'll call you when she's wants, if she's wants to," Jimmy responded.
Max's temper erupted and he leaned over the counter and grabbed Jimmy by his shirt. He yanked him over the counter and said, "Bloody hell, Jimmy, I need to see her today, she's my wife."
Jimmy looked at Max as if he were crazy or still drunk. Then he retaliated. He broke free of Max's grip, leaned back and threw a punch that laid Max flat out on the ground. "I said she has your number, she'll call you! Now get the hell out before I call the cops."
*****
Max left the bar and went back to his office. He paced the floor and tried to decide what to do next.
The phone started ringing and he grabbed it hoping it would be Leigh. "Hello" Max quickly said.
"Hello, is this Maxwell Sheffield?" the voice on the other line asked.
"Yes, who is this?" Max asked a little agitated. He didn't want to tie up the line with unnecessary calls.
"This is the Boston Police Department, Lieutenant Grover speaking. We have a report here for a missing woman, a Francine Joy Sheffield. Is she your wife?"
"Yes, yes, have you found her?" Max asked, hoping beyond anything that they would confirm it.
"No sir, I'm very sorry. But we have arrested a Mitchell Benson for assault and he had your wife's ID in his truck. We have questioned him thoroughly and he finally admitted to picking her up when she was hitchhiking last summer in Texas. He said they had a "falling out" and she jumped from his vehicle when it was in motion going 70 miles an hour. She left all her belongings in his truck."
"She jumped from his vehicle?" Max repeated to him. He wondered if someone could survive jumping from a moving vehicle at 70 miles an hour. The mere thought that she possibly hadn't survived made him suddenly nauseous. "What do you mean by a "falling out" Lieutenant?" Max questioned him.
"Well, that's just it, he wouldn't say." Grover responded.
"You don't think he could have hurt her....even killed her and is lying?" Max asked, feeling a wave of nausea hit him again.
"Well, we're currently looking into that. I'm sorry to say that it could be a possibility since he had her ID in his truck, but his prior record indicates that he leaves his victims alive."
"What do you mean by that?" Max asked incredulously. His whole body was shaking.
"He's a rapist Mr. Sheffield, not a murderer."
Max thought it was ironic that he was glad to hear that.
"I am going to send her belongings to the police department in Beverly Hills since she went missing there. I've just spoken with them and they informed me you have had several private detectives checking around several places.
"Yes, I have," Max said.
"Well you might want to send one of them to Abilene."
"Abilene?" Max asked.
"Yes, Abilene, Texas," the Lieutenant continued, it's the closest town this Benson could recall when he picked her up. If you need anymore information, my number is 555-717-0342."
"Yes, thank you very much Lieutenant," and Max hung up after writing the phone number down.
The whole conversation had left him petrified for Fran's safety. Then he started thinking about Fran being in Abilene, Texas. What was she doing there, Leigh was here in New York. He called Dick Miller, and told him about the conversation he had just had with the Boston PD. Dick immediately flew to Abilene.
*****
Leigh stopped by quickly to Jimmy's before going to work. She wanted to see if Max had come to retrieve his car. Jimmy informed her about the little "tiff" they got into, and he warned her to be careful of this guy. He intentionally left out Max's statement that she was his wife. Jimmy knew about her past, or lack of it, and he didn't want to needlessly make her worry.
When Jimmy insinuated that Max was dangerous, Leigh suddenly had this overwhelming feeling come over her that Max wasn't dangerous at all. In fact, she knew he was the kindest man she had ever met. How did she know this? She knew he had to be from her past, and that frightened her more than anything, more than the possibility that Max was a dangerous man. Then she had a strange wave of grief overwhelm her. Grief for what, for whom?
Jimmy advised her to stay away from the bar for a while. He didn't want her to be harassed by Max until she was ready to make a decision whether to call him. Jimmy had been a good friend since she'd arrived in the New York area, probably one of the only few good friends she had. She decided to take his advice.
*****
Three days later Leigh still hadn't called him. Max was totally beside himself. He didn't know what his next move would be. He was afraid that she would never call, and he knew he couldn't set foot in Jimmy's bar without Jimmy calling the police. He was so angry with himself that he had lost his temper with him. If he hadn't, he could have hung out at the bar every night until Fran showed up.
Later that evening, Dick Miller called from Abilene.
"Max, sit down, I think I have some very good news for you." he began to tell him. I have tracked Fran to a small town in Texas called Copperhead. Apparently a woman with amnesia was found on the highway last summer and an elderly couple named Randall took her in."
"Oh, Dick, I just met a woman in a bar who could be Fran's twin. She said her name was Leigh Randall." Max 's heart started racing. "She took my number, but she wouldn't give me hers."
"I think she's your wife Max," Dick continued. I've done a background search on Leigh Randall, and she was the Randall's daughter. But the real Leigh Randall died of Leukemia when she was seven. I think Fran has taken on her identity.
Max was stunned by this news. "She's taken on someone else's identity?"
"Max, you need to fly out here immediately. I've tried to talk with her "parents", as they consider themselves. They're very obstinate about giving me any information about their daughter without proof that she is linked to Fran. You need to get here as soon as possible and bring some pictures of you and Fran together ok? Oh, and bring your marriage certificate," Dick said.
"Yes, yes, Dick. I'll take the first flight I can get. I'll call you with the flight information. Thank you so much. Goodbye." Max put the phone down and glimmer of hope came over him. Then he said out loud, "Oh thank you God, I know I've found her."
*****
Leigh stretched out in her tub, the bubbles covering her almost up to her neck. It had been another busy night at the restaurant and she couldn't wait to get into bed and drift into a deep sleep. She hoped she could. The last few nights, she had slept so restless. She had dreams about butlers and parties and children. She had one specific dream where she saw herself walk down a long staircase in a red sequined evening dress that had a long slit on one side to show off her leg. She could hear someone in the background singing, "The Lady in Red". Max was standing at the bottom of the staircase with a striking blonde right next to him. Her dreams were really getting bizarre, she thought to herself.
She leaned her head back on the back of the tub and started to fall asleep. All of a sudden a flashback shot through her mind of herself pounding on a door and screaming, " Let me in, let me in. You have no right to keep me out." And then she saw herself walking away from a hospital. Then that feeling of overwhelming grief ripped threw her again. She thought about the previous events with Max and what they could mean. Then she sensed an utmost urgency to see where he lived. She got out of the tub, got herself dressed and hailed a taxi cab.
"1521 Park Avenue, Manhattan," she heard herself say to the driver. She had no idea what had possessed her to do this, and especially so late at night. But she knew she had to see where he lived. The taxi driver pulled up on the other side of the street, and she instructed him to just stay there and let the meter run. She looked across the street and there was the building in her flashback. It was a large townhouse, light beige, with black wrought iron fencing in front. At that moment, another flashback hit her. This time she was inside that townhouse sitting at a table eating. Max was seated to her left. There was another man, he was blonde and was serving them breakfast. She saw three other people at the dining room table, two blonde teenagers and another young girl that had dark hair. She had no doubt that she used to live there.
"Please take me back home," she instructed the cab driver.
She was starting to have more and more flashbacks whether awake and asleep, and so many of them had Max in them. Who was he to her? She started making up different scenarios. Was he her mobster husband who had tried to kill her in the desert? She chuckled a little to herself about her vivid imagination. Then a named popped in her head, Niles. There was no last name, or was Niles the last name? She started feeling a strong desire to fill in the empty gaps of her memory. She also felt she was becoming strong enough to withstand whatever the truth might be to fill in those gaps.
The next morning Leigh got dressed and went to the local library.
*****
"Niles, old man, I have a huge favor to ask you." Max said after calling him.
"Sir?" Niles responded.
"I need you to come back to New York for a week. I feel dreadful taking you away from your family, but I need to fly to Texas for a couple of days and I really need someone to be here at the house while I'm gone." Max asked, feeling dreadfully guilty for asking Niles to leave his family.
"Sir, you're flying to Texas?" Niles asked.
"Yes, Abilene, it's very important. I shouldn't be gone more than a couple of days. Do you think you can come out?" Max asked him.
"Of course sir, I'll start packing my bags now."
"Thank you Niles, I owe you a big one." and Maxwell hung up.
Max's plane to Abilene got in at 2:00 p.m. He rented a car and set out to meet Dick at a local restaurant that was located near Abilene. They wanted to meet and discuss their game plan before visiting the Randalls.
*****
Leigh questioned an employee at the library if it was possible to put a name in their computer system and find all the information they have on this person. The girl nodded her head yes, and instructed her how to proceed. Then it dawned on her that she had no idea what Max's last name was. Leigh found a telephone book and called the Manhattan City offices. She got a hold of the Recorder's Office and asked the girl who answered who owned the property at 1521 Park Avenue.
"Just a moment, and I'll find that information for you." the girl said and she put her on hold for what seemed like an eternity.
Leigh heard her take her off hold and say, "That property is owned by Maxwell Sheffield." Then she paused a moment and said, "Oh, everyone knows him, he's the famous Broadway producer," she added.
"Thank you," Leigh said and she hung up.
Leigh went back to the computer system and looked up Maxwell Sheffield. The computer started thinking and then several entries came up. She brought up the first one and it was a review on one of his plays. She went to the second entry and it was also another review on one of his plays. She went to the third entry and brought it up. The second it appeared on the screen, Leigh gasped. The title read "Famous Broadway Producer Marries His Nanny." There staring at Leigh from the computer screen was a picture of Max and his wife at their wedding. No actually, it was a picture of herself and Max at their wedding. She knew this because as she was staring at the picture, she suddenly had a flashback of herself in her wedding gown walking down the aisle looking at the people on both sides and seeing Max waiting for her.
She scanned the article and it gave the information of Maxwell Sheffield and Francine Fine and their lavish wedding. Leigh thought back to when Max had called her Fran at Jimmy's bar. And she remembered her flashback of someone yelling, Miss F..... It must have been Fine. She wasn't sure she could handle any more right now. She printed out the picture of her and Max, got up and left the library. She trembled a little at the knowledge of who she really was. She was Francine Fine Sheffield and she was married to Maxwell Sheffield.
*****
Max and Dick pulled up in front of a little blue house located about two miles from the main highway. It had a lovely little yard that Max could tell had been maintained with great care. It had a wraparound porch, and there was a rocking chair and a gliding loveseat on the porch with a small table next to them so that the house's inhabitants could come out and sit at night to look at the stars with a glass of lemonade.
They made their way to the front door of Fred and Ruth Randall's home. Max had such a nervous stomach, he had already taken several Maalox, and a small shudder ran down his spine just knowing that Fran had spent time here. He rang the door and Fred answered it.
Fred looked at the two men and waited for them to say why they were here.
Max took the lead and stepped one foot forward. "Excuse me Mr. Randall, my name is Maxwell Sheffield. I've flown in from New York City, and I have strong reasons to believe that your daughter Leigh is my missing wife, Fran Sheffield," he explained as he held up the official missing flyer on Fran so Fred could see her picture on it. "Can we please come in and speak with you for a few minutes?"
Fred looked at him for several seconds and noticed the pleading expression on his face. Ruth had stepped forward when she had heard Leigh's name, and she turned toward Fred and nodded. "Please come in Mr. Sheffield, " Fred said, and led him over to the couch to sit down.
As Maxwell walked behind them, he scanned the room and saw some pictures on a small upright piano. One was of Fred & Ruth at a very young age, probably when they were starting out their life together. Another picture was of a young girl about six. She had long blonde hair and an impish smile. Max assumed this was their daughter Leigh who had died many years ago. But the last picture, the one that caught his eye to begin with and melted his heart was a picture of Fred and Ruth Randall with their arms around a dark haired woman in her 30's. They all looked very happy and they all had smiles on from ear to ear. Max walked over to the picture and picked it up. "Is this your daughter Leigh?" he asked, and they both nodded.
For the next hour, Max explained to them what had happened in the last year. He showed them several pictures of him and Fran, and also lots of pictures with their children.
"Mr. & Mrs. Randall, I love my wife more than life itself, I need her back. My children need their mother back." He looked into their faces and he knew by Ruth's expression that he had convinced at least her that Leigh was Fran. "Please, I'm begging you, give me her address and phone number."
Ruth didn't hesitate a moment. She got up and went over to a table that had a pen and paper on it. She wrote down Leigh's address, her phone number and her place of employment. Then she walked back to Max and said, "We love her very much too Mr. Sheffield, and no matter what happens, she will always be our daughter" and handed him the paper. Max exhaled slightly in relief and nodded that he understood. Now he needed to convince his wife who she really was.
*****
Leigh returned home and started thinking about all the things she had just discovered. She started talking to herself out loud hoping that things would be clearer if she could hear them. "Ok, lets's go over this. I'm Maxwell Sheffield's wife. We live in a big townhouse on Park Avenue. So, how did I end up in the desert, with a black eye and no ID hundreds of miles from New York with amnesia?"
Leigh went to her purse and retrieved Max's number. She picked up the phone and started to dial, but something stopped her. She had an overwhelming feeling that she wanted to see his wonderful face. She wanted to reach up and touch it. She was beginning to realize why she had such strong feelings for him, he was her husband and she was in love with him. She put the receiver down, picked up her car keys and headed for Manhattan.
*****
Niles had returned to the townhouse in New York and started looking around to see how much work he had in store for himself. Each room held so many memories. When he walked into Fran's old bedroom, he felt as though a knife had pieced his heart. He missed her so much. She was his best friend besides his wife. There were so many times he wanted to sit down with her and just "dish" about whatever gossip either of them had heard lately. His heart ached for Max as he watched him week after week, month after month search for his wife with no success. Niles could only wonder what he would be going through if CC disappeared. He shook those thoughts off and decided he should get down to business. He knew Max had no one to cook for him so he made his way back to the kitchen, found what little pots and pans were left in the cupboards and starting cooking up a storm. He was just cleaning up the counters when he heard the doorbell ring.
Leigh had walked up to the door of the townhouse and then stood there for a good ten minutes before she got the courage to ring the bell. She wasn't sure if she was making the right decision, but she had questions that needed to be answered, and this was the only place she knew she could get them.
Niles opened the door, took one look at the woman at the door, and then grabbed the doorframe to steady himself. He thought he was going to faint.
Leigh saw the door open and there stood a good looking blonde man is his forties. The minute she saw him, she suddenly had another flashback of herself and this man talking and laughing in a kitchen, eating cake and ice cream. She knew this wasn't the first memory she had of him. She remembered the flashback where he was serving her breakfast. She assumed he worked for Max. He looked almost stunned to see her.
Niles was so shocked to see Fran standing in front of him, he couldn't get a word out. She looked so different. She didn't look like the flamboyant Fran he knew. Her hair looked beautiful, but subdued. It was very long and curly and barely parted on one side. She was wearing jeans and a sweater that showed every curve she had.
Leigh knew he recognized her.
"Excuse me, my name is Leigh Randall. Is Max here?" she asked.
Niles finally pulled himself together and said, "Oh God, Fran, is it you?"
Leigh looked at him, smiled a little and said, "I....I think so."
Then this man did something Leigh never expected. He grabbed her in his arms and gave her the biggest hug. He didn't let go for the longest time. When she pulled back from him, he was crying and tears were streaming down his face. "Oh Fran, we've all missed you so much. I have missed my best friend so much."
Suddenly, Leigh saw them both in her mind, laughing with each other, as a blonde woman walked away from them saying, "Oh, that's really funny Niles," in an extremely sarcastic tone.
"You're Niles aren't you?" She asked.
He nodded and motioned for her to come in. He led her through the living room and she noticed the place was totally empty, not a stick of furniture anyway. She turned to Niles a little confused and asked him, "Niles, did I used to live here?"
Niles was surprised at her question, but he replied, "Yes, for six years. But several years ago we all moved to California. Mr. Sheffield has just recently returned and we haven't redecorated yet." Niles could see she was really confused.
"Mr. Sheffield, now that starts to bring some memories back," Leigh said. "I called him that for several years, didn't I?"
Niles smiled and nodded.
They went into the kitchen and there was a small table with chairs around it. It was one of the few rooms that Max had gotten furniture for. Niles offered her a seat and then asked her if she would like some ice cream. For some odd reason, he stopped on the way to the mansion and purchased her favorite kind of ice cream. Now he knew why. They sat together eating ice cream, and talked and laughed for the next half hour. She told him as much as she could about her amnesia. She told him how she had seen Max in Italy and then how she ran into him at Jimmy's bar.
"Niles, I'm starting to have flashbacks and things are coming back bit by bit, but I need to talk with Max. I need the information to come from him. Can you understand that?"she asked, knowing that he probably had a million questions to ask her, but she needed him to understand that she couldn't answer them right now.
Niles nodded that he understood and said, "Fran, I mean Leigh...Mr. Sheffield has gone to Texas. He said he wouldn't be gone long, probably only a couple of days." Niles just kept staring at her and a smile crept on his face.. "I'm sorry for staring, but I just can't believe you're here with me Fran. I'm sorry, Leigh."
"It's ok Niles, you can call me Fran. I guess it is my name. I think I'm getting a little used to it."
"You said Max was in Texas?" she asked ,and Niles nodded.
"I think he said somewhere near Abilene. You probably know why he's there don't you?" Niles asked.
Fran nodded and said, "Oh dear, I think he's tracked my parents down. I guess I'd better get home and call them," she said as she started to get up.
"Your parents?" Niles asked puzzled. He knew her parents and they didn't live in Abilene.
"It's a very long story. I'm sure you'll be hearing about it very soon."
She got up to leave and she wrote down her address and phone number on a piece of paper. She also told him she worked at "The Owl" and would be there that evening.
Niles gave her another big hug, kissed her on the cheek and said, " Oh Fran, I'm so glad you're back."
"I'm glad too Niles," but she said it with a bit of doubt in her voice and Niles could hear it.
"Is something wrong Fran?" Niles asked her.
"No, not really, I'm just a little scared of the future right now, " she answered.
"Oh, that's probably to be expected in a case like this, but everything will be wonderful, please believe me. You have a husband and children who adore you, and parents who love you and have missed you terribly."
Fran looked at him with a completely shocked look.
"Oh dear, did I say something I shouldn't have? " Niles asked.
"I have children Niles? Where are they? How old are they?" She had never had specific flashbacks regarding children. She thought for a moment and then remembered she did have a flashback of children laughing, and then she remembered the flashback of the children at the dining room table. These were her children?
"Well, perhaps it's best if Mr. Sheffield tells you." Niles thought perhaps he was getting into territory that was best handled by her husband.
"Can you at least tell me what their names are and where they are?" Fran asked.
"Yes, the oldest is Margaret. She is married and living here in New York. In fact, she is expecting your first grandchild. The middle child is Brighton and he just graduated from Stanford in California. The youngest is Grace and she's going to be starting at Stanford in the fall."
"Children, wow, a grandchild, really? she said with a big grin on her face. She stopped for a moment and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I remember, Maggie, B, and Gracie right?" She smiled at him and he nodded.
"Thanks Niles, I'm really looking forward to more talks with you." Fran hugged him again and left.
*****
The minute she left, Niles was on the phone trying to call Max on his cell phone. Unfortunately it rang and rang and then the automated message came on. Max had turned his cell phone off the minute he had arrived at the Randalls and had forgotten to turn it back on . He didn't want any interruptions. Niles couldn't believe he had turned it off, so he left a message. "Sir, come home quickly. Fran was just here at the house. We actually sat down and had ice cream together and talked. It was almost like old times. She says she wants to see you. She remembers who she is. Please hurry. I have her address and her number," and Niles rattled the information into the receiver. Please, come home quickly."
*****
Max listened to his messages and when he heard Niles's message, he was in flight returning home. He was so excited to land, he kept looking at his watch every other minute. The minute the plane landed, he disembarked so fast, he pushed himself to the front of the line to get out. Max stepped back into the New York airport, then outside the door. He hailed a cab to Leigh's apartment. It was about midnight and he knocked and knocked, but no one answered. Then he remembered she worked nights and he hailed another cab and gave him the address to "The Owl".
*****
Leigh called her parents and they told her Max had been there. They informed her that they had given him some private information about her, and she said that was fine. She told them that her memories were starting to return. She heard a little worry in their voices and she reminded them how much she loved them and that she always would.
*****
Leigh got into work that evening and was very antsy. She couldn't keep her mind on work and it showed. She'd made more mistakes with her customers in that one evening than all the time she'd worked there. She just kept looking at the clock hoping the evening would be over. She had made up her mind she was going to call Max and go see him as soon as she got off work. She felt like a jigsaw puzzle, and more and more of her pieces were coming together. A flood of feelings toward Max were bombarding her mind and body. She remembered how much she loved him and she wanted to be in his arms.
She was just finishing up with her last customers of the evening when she saw Max enter the restaurant. He started walking toward her and then he stopped when he realized she was still waiting on a table. Her heart started pounding so hard in her chest, she wasn't sure she could catch her breath.
Max moved over to a waiting area for customers and he watched her as she talked and laughed with her customers. She was so beautiful. She had the same dress on that he saw her in that first night at Jimmy's. This was her uniform for work? Suddenly he felt a rush of jealousy invade him, realizing how many men had looked at her in that dress night after night for all those months he had searched for her. He thanked God that she hadn't fallen for some bloke before she remembered who she was. He remembered Ruth telling him that Fran had worked at a local diner for six months while she lived with them. He imagined what her uniform must have looked like. Now that was how waitresses were supposed to dress, not like this. She had her hair piled high like she used to wear it on special occasions with curls cascading down her neck and a few on each side of her face. She had the most beautiful neck. And the way that dress showed off her legs, they led the eye straight down to those stilettos. Max was starting to get quite aroused and he found a nearby chair to sit down on to hide it.
Leigh kept glancing over to him, and she smiled at him. Finally, her customers left and she slowly starting walking over to him. Max stood up and when she reached him, they stared at each other for a few seconds. Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him so tight, he thought she was going to break something..
"Oh, Max, I love you so much," she expressed.
Max didn't say a word, he just started kissing her.
*****
They pulled up in front of the mansion in his Porsche. Max started kissing her and she started teasing him. "Well Mr. Sheffield, you might have purchased this car during a mid life crisis, but it isn't really conducive to making out in." Max laughed at her and realized she must have remembered how she called him Mr. Sheffield for all those years. Then he responded, "Well then we'll just have to go inside to continue won't we, Miss Fine?"
He got out of the car and walked around to Fran's side and helped her out. They walked inside. Niles heard the front door open, and he ran to the living room to see his boss and make sure he received his message on the cell phone. He knew the minute he saw them walk in hand in hand, that his boss had received the message all right. When Max closed the door behind them, he took Fran in his arms and start kissing her. Niles smiled to himself.
"Oh, excuse me, Niles said and they both looked his way. Niles looked at Fran and winked at her. She ran to him and gave him a very big hug.
Niles made them a light snack before going to bed and then Max took Fran's hand as he led her up the staircase to the bedroom. There were still big gaps in Fran's memory, and she was so nervous, she was sick to her stomach and a little dizzy . She didn't want to ruin her first night back together with Max because of her inability to control her bodily functions.
Max closed the door behind them, and he brought Fran towards him. He turned her around so her back was to him and he pushed the strap of her dress down and started kissing her on her shoulder and slowly moved up her neck. Then he turned her around slowly and started kissing her on her mouth. All he could think about was being one with her body.
"Oh, Fran, I have missed you so much. I have prayed so hard for this moment to come. I love you so much."
Fran looked at him and there was no denying that she could see how much he loved her. It was emanating from those beautiful green eyes. She looked at his face and said, "I love you so much too."
He starting kissing her again and his hands reached toward the back of her dress and unzipped it. Fran wanted to be with him so much, but her stomach was churning with fear. Fear of what? She loved him, he loved her? They were man and wife. But she knew this night would be the beginning of a new life for her and the gaps in her memory caused fear to run rampant through her. She had been afraid of the past year so much because it was unknown to her. She hesitated a little and pulled herself away from him.
Max could feel her hesitation. "Fran, sweetheart, is everything ok?"
Fran looked at him and said, "Max, I hope you can understand this, but I don't think I'm ready to be intimate with you yet. Everything has happened really fast in the last 48 hours and I think I just need just a little more time. Can you understand that?"
Fran could see the disappointment in his face and she felt terrible that she was the cause of any more pain for him.
Max looked at her and said, "Fran, believe me, I really do understand. Do you think we could just lay in each other's arms tonight? I promise I will behave myself. I just need to know my wife is back in my arms. I need to wake up with you in my bed."
Fran nodded and then said, "Do you have something I could sleep in? Maybe a shirt or t-shirt or something?"
Max went to the closet and brought out one of his dress shirts for her. Fran took it from him and went into the bathroom to change. When she came out, he looked at her and wondered if he could keep his promise to be a gentleman. She looked delicious.
Fran saw Max's sensual eyes follow her from the bathroom to the bed and she wondered if it was such a good idea to torture him like this. He was already in bed and she could tell he had his pajama bottoms on, but no tops. The look of him there in bed sent chills through her body and she decided it probably would be torture for her too. She wanted to make love to him so much, but something inside her was telling her to wait. She got in bed and Max put his arms around her and reached out to turn the lamp off.
"Goodnight my love. Thank you for coming back to me." Max said as he wrapped himself around her.
"Goodnight Max, I love you." And they fell asleep in each other's arms.
*****
Fran woke up and looked at the clock. It was 4'oclock in the morning. She realized where she was and she turned over and looked at Max. He was facing away from her. The curtains in his bedroom were slightly opened and the moonlight was drifting in through the opening. This gave her just enough light to see his back. She stared at the curls of hair at the very bottom of his head. She couldn't help herself and she reached out and wrapped one around her finger. She looked at the back of his head. He had wonderful hair, so thick and black. Then she leaned forward to smell his hair at the nape of his neck. It smelled so good. She lightly let the palm of her hand lay on the top of his back with her fingers over the edge of his shoulders. She looked at his shoulder blades and the muscles going down his back. She was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming desire to keep touching him. She started moving her palm down his shoulders very, very lightly, and then she moved her fingers so it was the back of her hand traveling down his back. She started getting very aroused. Her hand came down to the top of Max's pajamas, and then she put her arm around his waist and leaned close up against his back.
Max woke to someone touching him. He was startled at first and then he remembered that Fran was in bed with him. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck and he started to get very aroused. He smiled, and he felt her hand move down his back. When it got to the top of his pajama bottoms, she wrapped her arm around his waist and he could feel her face pressed up against his back. He reached for her hand and brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of her fingers. Then he slowly turned over and their eyes met.
"I'm sorry I woke you up," Fran said as she inched herself closer to him.
"You can wake me up anytime like that, my darling." Max leaned over and kissed her very lightly.
Fran returned the kiss with more passion than his, and Max knew she was telling him something by it.
"Fran, are you ready for this? I want you so much, but I want you to be ready." Max didn't know his face had an almost pleading look that she would say yes.
Fran took her finger and pressed it against his lips to silence him. She didn't say another word, she just started kissing him passionately.
Max returned her kisses and he reached out to unbutton his shirt that she was wearing. He slowly unbuttoned each one. His hands were shaking so bad that when he got to the last button, he couldn't get it undone. Finally, he yanked the two pieces of material from each other and the button went flying.
Fran looked at him, smiled, and said, "Patience my love, all good things come to those who wait."
Max looked her directly in the eyes and said, "To hell with patience," and he hurriedly removed the shirt off her body and threw in on the floor.
He pulled her to him and as he was kissing her, he reached for her shoulder. He ran his hand down to the edge of her shoulder and then shifted it under her arm, getting further down until he could feel every curve of her breast on the side of her body and then every curve of her waistline. This sent Fran into a small frenzy and she moaned ever so slightly. He continued with his hand moving down her side until it fell on her hips. Then he moved it slowly to the front of her body until it rested on its intended destination. Fran put her hand over his and said with slight desperation," "Max, please
make love to me now."
Max pulled her closer to him and then for the next few hours, what little memories Fran hadn't remembered yet about loving her husband were replaced with new ones.
*****
Fran woke up, a little disoriented at first to her surroundings. She turned over and saw Max lying beside her. He was facing her and he looked so calm and happy. She slipped out of bed, trying not to disturb him and put on his robe. She started exploring the house, now knowing that this used to be her home for over six years.
She walked down the corridor and started opening door after door. She found herself in a beautiful room, but it was totally empty. She stepped inside and a feeling of being at home filled her heart. She sat herself down on the floor Indian style. A flood of memories penetrated her mind. This was her bedroom before she married Max. She could see Maggie sitting on her bed watching her put makeup on before one of her big dates. Maggie was asking her all sorts of questions about what she should use for her complexion. She remembered running out of her bedroom to Gracie's room after hearing her call out for her after a bad dream. She remembered Brighton's grand entrance on her first day in the mansion, him staggering into the living room with a fake dagger and fake blood. Fran chuckled to herself. An unimaginable feeling of love for these children swept over her. She missed them so much. The first thing she would do is ask Max how soon she could see them. She laid back on the floor, stretched out and closed her eyes. She allowed the memories to flow into her mind like the tide washing in. She smiled as she remembered more and more.
Fran laughed to herself as all the events of her wedding and "stranded" honeymoon reconstructed themselves into her past life. She remembered her wonderful parents and how happy her mother was when she finally got married, and to a rich Broadway producer no less! She remembered Maggie's wedding and how happy and beautiful she looked. Then she remembered her joy when Dr. Reynolds told them they were having twins. Fran's smile suddenly left her face. Twins? Where were her twins now? No one had mentioned a word about them.
Max woke up a few minutes later and reached for his wife. When he saw that she was gone, he felt a small jolt of panic hit him. He reached for his robe and it was gone. He started down the hall opening each door, and when he reached Fran's old bedroom, he knew she was in there. He paused for a few seconds, almost a bit nervous at what he was about to encounter, but he slowly opened the door very quietly. He saw her stretched out on the floor, wearing his robe with her eyes closed. The sight of her melted his heart. It had been such a glorious reunion, but he was still afraid at how she would react when she started remembering certain events. Then he noticed she had a small smile spread across her face. He watched her for a few moments longer and suddenly the smile was replaced with confusion.
"Fran, darling what are you doing in here? I woke up and was worried when you were gone?" Max asked.
Fran opened her eyes and sat up to look at him. The moment she did, the memory rushed back to her of Max telling her that her children had been killed.
Max looked at the expression on her face, and he knew she had remembered. He froze, and he felt as hopeless as he did back then trying to console her through those weeks after their death. He didn't know what to say or what to do.
Fran got up quickly and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and Max could hear her start crying. He tightened his arms around her, as if that could ease the tremendous grief she was experiencing all over again. Then she loosened her embrace on him and stepped back a little. She noticed that he was crying too and she caressed each cheek with the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. She leaned forward and gave him a very tender kiss and whispered in his ear, "Max, I need to see where my children are buried."
Max looked at her with the most loving, compassionate look she had ever seen and responded, "Yes, my love, we'll visit them this morning."
*****
The limo reached Fran's apartment and while she was changing her clothes, Max looked around to get a better idea of "Leigh's" lifestyle. It was the smallest apartment Max had ever seen, and it was so unlike Fran. Maybe he thought so because it was so unpersonable, and that was the last thing Fran was. There was nothing in the apartment that would indicate that his Fran lived here. Then he realized that it was probably that way because "Fran" didn't live here, "Leigh" did.
He kept looking around and the only picture in the whole apartment was the same photo of her and the Randalls that he had seen at their home.
There were several cigarette ash trays around and an opened pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. Max remembered seeing Leigh smoking at Jimmy's. He laughed to himself out loud when he realized that when Fran remembered she didn't smoke and had to kick the habit again, she wouldn't be very happy.
Fran came out of her bedroom and saw Max laughing to himself.
"What are you laughing at? Can I be in on it?" She asked.
"Oh, you will be soon enough, my darling," Max said, and he knew she would be when her withdrawals started kicking in. He chuckled again to himself.
Fran looked at him with a bit of confusion at the answer to her question and said, "Ok," and didn't press it from there.
He took one good look at her and he could almost feel his heartbeat skip a beat. She looked exquisite. She had a dark black, tight skirt on which wasn't quite as short as he was used to seeing her wear, but it had a slit on one side that showed plenty of leg. The skirt was emphasized by a royal blue blouse which had two buttons opened and almost showed a little bit of cleavage. She was wearing her signature stiletto heels that Fran wore almost constantly. Although Leigh had a totally different look than Fran, it showed off her natural beauty and curves immensely. Instead of the usual "big" hair that Fran wore, Leigh wore her hair in a long black mane of unruly curls. Max wondered which personality's taste would prevail in the future, or if a compromise would be made. He didn't care, she was beautiful either way.
"Max, I'm sorry I don't have something to wear that might be more appropriate. I really don't have many clothes," she added.
Max looked at her extremely surprised by that statement. Fran's closet wasn't big enough to hold all her clothes. "Darling, you look absolutely beautiful. And you have a ton of clothes back home in LA. If you don't like them anymore, you can buy a new wardrobe. Rodeo Drive has some wonderful shops, " Max said. "I'm sure Maggie and Grace would love to go shopping with you."
Fran blushed a little and said, "Rodeo Drive? I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet," and she laughed out loud. "Is Lohman's still around?" Then she realized what Max had just said.
"Max, how are our children, tell me all about them?"
Max was a little confused at first. He was taking her to see her children and then he realized what she meant. "Where are they, can I see them today?" she asked.
"They're fine and they all miss you so much. After we visit the cemetery, we'll have a long talk and I'll tell you what they have all have been up to. You can call them and talk to them. They will be ecstatic when they hear their mom's voice," Max told her.
As soon as they stepped inside the limo, Max told the driver to stop at the first florist shop he passed. Fran also mentioned to him that she needed to stop at a drug store too. Max looked at her a little baffled, but she just took his hand in hers and pulled it to her lips and kissed it.
Ten minutes later the Limo pulled up to "The Flower Basket" and Max got out and said he would return in a few minutes. He came out ten minutes later with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers Fran had ever seen. Baby roses in pink and yellow, were intertwined with lilies of the valley, baby's breath, miniature daisies, lamb's ears and more.
Five minutes later the limo pulled up to a Rite Aid. Fran got out and told Max she'd be back in a few minutes. After a very short time, Fran stepped back in the limo and Max gave the driver the address to the cemetery.
Fran reached inside her package to get something out and Max asked her, "Sweetheart, what did you get?"
She pulled out a little yellow rubber ducky for the bathtub and smiled. Of all the toys the twins had to play with in the tub, they always went back to their rubber ducky. They had such a love for animals- real, rubber, or stuffed.
Max reached over and kissed her.
They arrived at the cemetery and Max helped Fran out. He watched her very carefully for any indication that this might be too much for her. He retrieved the bouquet of flowers and they walked to Jonah and Eve's grave. Max gently placed the bouquet in front of the headstone and then he kissed his fingertips and then placed them on each of the engraved names. Fran stepped forward and crouched down as if to get as close to her children as she could. She reached over and touched the stone with the palm of her hand. Then she started crying when she read the dates of their deaths. She had not remembered that they were killed on their birthday. Max started to worry that perhaps she couldn't handle this, and he leaned down to help her up.
"Fran, perhaps we should have waited a while to do this," he said.
She looked up at him, saw his worried face and replied, "Don't worry Max, I'll be ok." She stayed that way for several minutes, still with her hand on the stone and then he heard her say," I love you so much and I miss you so much my little ones. Goodbye for now, I'll be back soon." Then she placed the rubber duck next to the bouquet and stood up. She put her hand in Max's and they walked back to the limo.
They were silent for a while as the limo departed the cemetery, and then Fran broke the silence. She turned toward him and started crying again. "Max, I am so sorry for everything I've put you through since Jonah and Eve were killed." I just can't imagine what you have been through, and it's all my fault," she expressed to him.
Max was a surprised at her comment. He looked at her with such an abundance of love. He put her face in his hands and then took his right hand and wiped away her tears and replied, "It wasn't your fault my darling, you were grieving for your children the only way you knew how." He embraced her and said, " Oh Fran, I love you so much. You have no idea how happy I am that I found you again. The only thing that kept me going day after day was convincing myself I would never give up until I found you."
"And I will thank God every day for the rest of my life that you didn't give up." she said.
Fran thought about her beautiful son and daughter, smiled at him and said, "We do make beautiful babies don't we?"
Again Max was surprised at her comment. She looked at him and saw a little twinkle in his eyes. She reached over and starting kissing him. They started getting a little carried away and then Max realized the window to the driver wasn't all the way up.
Fran looked at him, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Why don't we go home and make another one," and she winked at him.
Max kissed her softly and said, "That's a wonderful idea my love."
Max reached for her hand to kiss it and he looked at her hand.
"Oh, there's just one more piece of unfinished business he said," and he reached inside his pocket, pulled her hand over to him and put her wedding ring and diamond back on her finger. "There, now that's where it belongs," he added.
Fran's eyes flew wide open when she saw the ring on her finger. "Oh Max, it's beautiful, I've never seen such a big diamond." She said it as if she'd never seen it before. " I can't remember how I lost it."
Max looked at her and grinned a little. "Oh, you'll remember I'm sure, and when you do, you will owe me," he said, "yeah, you'll owe me one big time and you can repay me in our bedroom for lost time," and he grinned some more.
Fran had no idea what he was talking about, but she could hardly wait.
*****
Two years later, everyone was gathered at the New York mansion for a huge celebration. There were banners and balloons everywhere. There was table after table filled with every type of food you could imagine. Max had hired a bartender and he was whipping up drinks for everyone. The place was filled to the brim with people and Fran wondered if perhaps they should have had it somewhere bigger.
Suddenly, a female toddler dressed exquisitely in a blue velveteen dress, white tights and black Mary Jane shoes darted past Max. She had gold curly hair and piercing green eyes. Max reached out and scooped her up before she got past him.
"And where do you think you're going young lady?" he asked. She looked at him, gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek and pointed toward Brighton. She had been following her big brother around all evening like a lovesick puppy dog. Then she started muttering some incoherent baby talk and started wiggling in her father's arms, which was her cue for him to put her down.
Everyone was celebrating her birthday. She had been christened Leigh Randall Sheffield, and this gigantic celebration was for her first birthday.
Leigh ran past her mother as she was gabbing with Val and Ruth. Val took one look at her and said, "Fran, I still can't believe she's yours. How did you and Max have a toe head baby?"
Fran watched her daughter trying to reach up to one of the food tables and said, "Well I'm sure her blonde angelic namesake had something to do with it, right Mom?" and she winked at Ruth. Then Fran moved over to her daughter and lifted her up so she could get a good look at all the food on the table. "So, angel, what do you want now?" she asked her. Leigh pointed to a big piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It was almost as big as she was. Fran laughed and said, "Well, you can certainly tell that she's a Fine," and they all started laughing.
"Well there goes that dress when she's done with that," Val said to Fran and Ruth.
"I know she's gonna be sicker than a dog tomorrow with everything she's eaten, but hell, it is her birthday." Val and Ruth both looked at her and nodded in agreement.
Everyone was there for the big celebration, Leigh's big brother and sisters; her niece Sara, whose mama was Maggie; her Grandma and Grandpa Fine; her Grandma and Grandpa Randall; her Great Grandma Yetta; her Uncle Niles and Auntie CC, and their daughter Eliza who was Leigh's best pal. Tons of friends from all over were there, including all Fran's friends from "The Owl", Jimmy, and also Max's closest friends from Sheffield-Babcock Productions. It was a huge conglomerate of different classes, but everyone was having such a good time, no one seemed to care.
Leigh worked on the cake for a few minutes with her hands and then she stood up again and started looking for Brighton. Before Fran could clean her up, she saw her heading straight for him and she knew a disaster was about to unfold. The toddler had wet chocolate frosting on her face, her dress, and all over her hands. Fran raced to catch her, but before she could, Leigh reached Brighton and wrapped her whole body around his beige Gucci trousers. Then she looked up at him and raised her arms up indicating she wanted him to pick her up.
There was such a bond between the two of them. When Leigh was born, Brighton had so much wanted a little brother, but the minute she was born, they were inseparable. It was almost as if they knew that this inexplicable bond would be something they would share and depend on throughout their lives. Little did Brighton Milhouse Sheffield know he would depend on his little sister Leigh in the future years for his very survival on earth.
"Oh Brighton, sweetie, I am so sorry about your pants, " Fran said. She grabbed Leigh and started cleaning her off with a wet washcloth.
"Oh Mom, don't worry about it," Brighton said, "It only a pair of pants. I'll just get a new pair. No big deal." He picked up his little sister and she gave him the biggest hug he had ever received. He smiled at her from ear to ear and kissed her on the cheek.
*****
"I'd like to make a toast," Jimmy said as he tried to get everyone's attention. Everyone suddenly got quiet and turned to him. "A toast to Fran and Max and their lovely family. And an apology to Max from me for decking him in my bar a couple of years ago when he told me "Leigh" was his wife. I was so sure he was some uppity British snob just wanting to harass her because of her good looks," he smiled and everyone in the room started laughing. "Thank goodness, that fate in her infinite wisdom was there waiting. She ignored my so call good intentions and then called on other good people like you to help in her quest to bring back together these two soul mates." Jimmy raised his drink even further and said, "Max, Fran, may your love continue to grow each day, may your family and friends prosper, and thank you both for being the best friends a person could have."
By this time, Leigh was wondering what was going on and she could hear someone talking. She wiggled out of Brighton's arms and walked right up to Jimmy and looked up at him and smiled. He picked her up and added, "Oh, and Happy lst Birthday to you Miss Sheffield! A long and prosperous life to you!" Then everyone said "here, here," raised their glasses to their mouths, and the party went on.
The End
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