Heart & Soul

Episode 50

Tainted Love

By Allan Craig

 

Metro Hotel: Amber’s Suite

 

Amber entered her luxurious suite followed by Josh, who pushed Emily in her pushchair. Fix had become crowded by the after school rush so they left and decided to continue their conversation at her hotel.

 

“You know, whatever it is you’re hiding,” Josh took off his coat and draped it over the armchair, “You can tell me.”

 

“I’m not hiding anything,” Amber insisted, lifting Emily out of her pushchair and sitting her at the dressing table with a colouring book and crayons.

 

Josh sat their paper cups of coffee down on the side dresser and took a seat on the brown suede sofa with Amber. But before he’d even had the chance to say another word, there was a knock at the door.

 

“I’ll get that,” Amber strolled over to the door and opened it to see John Sterling standing in the hallway outside.

 

“Can I help you?” Amber’s last intention was to help the strange man at her door.

 

“April Bradshaw?” John asked, although he knew fine well it was her.

 

“I think you have the wrong room,” Amber lied.

 

“You’re the spit of Natasha,” John smiled. Amber was taken aback, how did this man know her mother?

 

“Who the hell are you?” Amber asked, folding her arms.

 

“I’m John Sterling. I know your parents. I saw you at the coffee house and just wondered if you were who I thought you were.”

 

“So you followed me? What are you? Some kind of sick freaky stalker or something?” Amber felt her blood boil, “People like you should be locked up.”

 

“I can assure you I’m not a stalker,” John laughed, “I’ve phoned Andrew, who tells me you’ve done a little disappearing act down in River’s Edge.”

 

“That’s none of your god damn business,” Amber snarled.

 

“Can I come in? I think you and I have a lot to talk about.”

 

“I suppose you better, but the door stays open.”

 

Fix Coffee Shop

 

Carrie enters the coffee shop carrying Adam in his car seat. Clearly the staff are just recovering from the post school rush as Carrie scans the tables and sofas for Kristen. Upon locating her sister, Carrie waves and heads over to the table where Kristen sits, resting Adam’s car seat on the third seat at the table.

 

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Carrie smiled, “Nate and I got a little distracted.”

 

“Too much information,” Kristen rolled her eyes, really not caring about her sister’s sex life, “How’s my favourite little nephew doing today?” Kristen instantly went into baby voice mode.

 

Carrie looked up to see Greg walking towards them, “What’s he doing here?”

 

“I called him,” Kristen whispered, “Be nice.”

 

“Hey,” Greg took a seat and instantly looked straight at his son.

 

“Well you two have got a lot to talk about,” Kristen picked up her purse and began to stand up, “And I totally forgot that I told mom I’d drop by to help her with some stuff over at the new house. I’ll call you.”

Kristen began to walk away. Carrie smiled awkwardly at Greg, “Hold on a sec, I’ll be right back.”

 

Carrie got up from her chair and followed Kristen out the restaurant, leaving a confused Greg with his son. Once outside, Carrie grabbed Kristen by the arm and turned her around to face her.

 

“What the hell was that about?” Carrie hissed.

 

“What?” Kristen shrugged.

 

“You know fine well what. You arranged this whole little meeting to get me and Greg talking. You made me look like a fool in front of him.”

 

“You were late, I made plans with mom,” Kristen lied. She was fully aware that she had engineered this entire situation.

 

“So what were your reasons for calling Greg?”

 

“Because,” Kristen swallowed, realizing she had been found out, “This whole situation…it’s not fair on Adam. He shouldn’t be born into a world where his parents barely speak, where he’ll never get to know one side of his family just because his mom hates his grandmother.”

 

“None of that is any of your business,” Carrie snarled, “And you don’t have a CLUE what I went through with Diane.”

 

“None of my business?” Kristen folded her arms, “It’s funny how it’s my business when you decide to call me for hours bitching about Greg and his family, but as soon as I disagree with what you think then I should keep out of it? Real mature, Car’, real mature.”

 

“Mature? I’m not the one playing stupid little high school games, Kris, so don’t talk to me about mature.”

High school really summed it up; it was like they were back at that age again, constantly arguing with each other over the stupidest things.

 

“At least I’m not being a selfish brat,” Kristen narrowed her eyes, “All Greg wants is to be able to see his son, and you’re holding him to ransom over your ridiculous demands. You need to sort this shit out for everyone’s sake. Your own especially, if you want to tie the knot with Nate sooner rather than later.”

 

Realizing she had nothing left to say to her sister, Kristen turned around and walked off, leaving Carrie standing on the sidewalk. Carrie knew deep down that her sister was talking sense as she took a deep breath and opened the door to the coffee shop again and headed over to Greg.

 

Oakridge Main Street

 

No. It couldn’t be. Alexandra Abbot took a deep breath upon seeing her son, Will, walking down the street towards her. She could see him, but didn’t think he’d spotted her as she headed over to him. Will rolled his eyes with a ‘here we go again’ expression as he noticed his mother approaching him…realizing it was too late to walk the other way.

 

“I was beginning to think you were maybe avoiding me,” Alex tried to ease the tension that instantly encompassed the diameter of where she stood with her son by making a joke.

”There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” Will stated, “Why would I want to see the woman that tore my family apart, and made my entire life a lie?”

 

“You know fine well that wasn’t my intention,” Alex insisted, “Can I at least buy you a coffee and explain myself to you?”

 

His determination to ignore his mother began to cave upon seeing the genuine upset in her eyes, “Fine. But I’ve got places to go.”

 

They headed over to the outdoor coffee counter near the park and ordered two coffees before taking a seat on a bench.

 

“So?” Will demanded, still trying his best to keep his cool considering what Alex had done.

 

“I just want to let you know that I didn’t mean for this to come out like this,” Alex reasoned.

 

“Nobody forced you to drop that bombshell.”

 

“I wasn’t sleeping. I kept waking up in the middle of the night. I couldn’t get this off my mind, Will,” Alex fought back her tears, “I’ve been keeping this secret for decades.”

 

“I’m trying to see your point, mom,” Will took a sip of his coffee, “But you’ve just been so selfish. Why wait ‘til now?”

 

“Because keeping this secret was tearing me apart inside. Can we not get past this? I know it was wrong of me to tell you the way I did, but at least I told you…at least you know the truth now.”

 

Metro Hotel: Amber’s Suite

 

“You know, John,” Amber stood aside and let John enter the room, “You had absolutely no right to call my parents. Who I am and what I do is none of your business.”

 

“I just wanted to make sure it was you,” John explained, “I didn’t want to drop you in it…it just happened.”

 

John smiled at Josh, who smiled back before returning to help Emily with her colouring in.

 

“Even still, you had no right to interfere in my life,” Amber folded her arms, “I mean, I don’t know you from the next bum on the street, what gives you the right to get involved in my business?”

 

“Your parents and I go way back,” John explained, “I hadn’t heard from them in ages and seeing you today made me remember them, and the unfinished business I had with them.”

 

“I don’t think you’re quite getting this,” Amber perched herself on the arm of the sofa, “You’re a stranger; you have no right getting involved in my life.”

 

“You need to get a reality check young lady,” John cleared his throat, “From what your father tells me, nobody in River’s Edge has heard from you in months. I cant believe you’d be so selfish as to just take off without telling anyone. The stress your family must be dealing with…”

 

“Again, none of your business,” Amber stood up again and straightened herself up, “Excuse me, but what gives you the right to poke your nose into other families? Especially when, from what I hear around town and in the papers, yours needs a hell of a lot of fixing.”

 

“You’re an ungrateful little brat,” John hissed, “All the opportunities you’ve had…everything your parents have given you, and this is how you repay them?”

 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Amber’s voice began to rise, “My brother DIED, okay? He died because someone crashed their car into his and left him for…”

 

“I think you’d better leave,” Josh interrupted, distraught at Amber beginning to lose her cool…noticing the tears welling up in her eyes, “Amber’s made it quite clear that she doesn’t want you here.”

 

Downtown Oakridge

 

Kyle and Natalie strolled through the park hand in hand, basking in the autumn sun. It was nice to get away from the rest of the world and enjoy the greenery, being able to forget…if only for a while…that they were smack dab in the centre of town.

 

“You know,” Kyle began, taking a sip of his iced tea, “My mom and dad are actually being surprisingly cool about all of this. I was expecting the ‘you’re throwing your life away you fool’ lecture but they just said it’s my life, and if I wanna leave school and get a job, then it’s cool.”

 

“Kyle, I don’t want you forgetting your plans for college and stuff,” Natalie insisted, “I’ve got two brothers who can help me out with money if I need it, not to mention my big sister Julia, wherever she is these days.”

 

“I know, I know,” Kyle explained, “Just because they’re cool with it, doesn’t mean I’m going to drop out. I got accepted at Oakridge University and I’m not going to throw that away.”

 

“Good, I couldn’t bear it if you let me and the baby put the rest of your life on hold,” Natalie smiled, although that smile faded when a dark cloud settled over their afternoon: Leo.

 

“Well, well,” Leo smirked, “I see you’re keeping it.”

 

“If you’re referring to your baby,” Natalie stared Kyle dead in the eye, “Then yeah, I’m keeping it.” Natalie hated the way Leo said ‘it’, like the baby was just some inanimate object that he’d scraped off the bottom of his shoe.

 

“Oh well, your loss,” Leo took a draw of his cigarette, “I offered to pay for an abortion, but if you want to keep it then be my guest, just don’t expect anything from me.”

 

“Don’t you know you shouldn’t smoke in front of a pregnant woman?” Kyle edged closer to Leo, “And she doesn’t need anything from you.”

 

“Aw, are you and Natalie going to play house?” Leo raised an eyebrow, a sarcastic smile appearing on his chiselled face, “How sweet.”

 

“Don’t patronize me,” Kyle may have been the smaller of the two, but his years of athletic training and working out had made him far stronger and more muscular than the slim, toned, Leo.

 

“What are you going to do about it?” Leo laughed.

 

“Leave it, Kyle,” Natalie could see the Kyle’s rage building, “He’s not worth it.”

 

“Yeah, run along, Kyle,” Leo tossed the rest of his cigarette at Kyle’s feet, “Do what your girlfriend tells you.”

 

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Kyle got up in Leo’s face, “You’re about to be a father, and you couldn’t care less. Guys like you shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce. You’re scum, you know that?”

 

Kyle looked Leo up and down before turning around and walking off with Natalie.

 

Fix Coffee House

 

Carrie returned to her seat in the busy coffee shop to see Greg holding Adam on his knee. Adam was getting big; Greg couldn’t believe how much he’d grown since he’d last seen him. Carrie managed an awkward smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

 

“So,” Carrie ran her finger around the rim of her mug, “Can we talk about this divorce properly, like adults, or what?”

 

“I don’t want to play these games, Carrie,” Greg insisted, watching as Adam wrapped his tiny fingers around Greg’s pinkie, “But as long as you continue to use my son as a bargaining device, I’ll be making sure this divorce takes as long as possible. Now are you going to play ball, or what?”

 

“Greg, you know why I have to do this,” Carrie explained, “I don’t want…”

 

“You don’t want what, Carrie? You don’t want my mom to get to see her first grandson?”

 

“I don’t want him growing up with her influence; you know what she’s like.”

 

“All my mom wants is the best for her family. She may go about it the wrong way but deep down, the only thing she cares about is her kids. And now her grandkid.”

 

“No, Greg, the only thing she cares about is you. The boy. She didn’t bat an eyelid when Megan and Kimberley decided to go globe trotting, but when we even suggested moving out of the mansion…out from under her feet…she was threatening me with all sorts.”

 

“That’s not my fault. That’s not Megan’s fault. Or Kimberley’s. Or my dad’s,” Greg argued, “Even if that was your reason why you were keeping Adam away, to stop her being so controlling over him the way she is with her kids, there’s no reason to stop Megan or Kimberley from seeing their nephew. Or to stop me from seeing my son.”

 

“I don’t want my baby to grow up and become a Sterling,” Carrie stirred her cup frantically, “I don’t want him to have to grow up in a family who would stab each other in the back for a few bucks.”

 

“Stop being such a drama queen, Carrie,” Greg rolled his eyes, “I can’t believe I ever wanted to spend my entire life with you… I don’t even know you anymore.”

 

“What? Because I won’t take any shit anymore? Not from you, or your mother. Deal with it.”

 

“Do you know what, Carrie?” Greg gave Adam a kiss on the forehead before putting him back into his car seat, “I’ve tried to be amicable towards you for Adam’s sake, but I’ve had enough of playing nice. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer. I’m going for full custody.”

 

Greg grabbed his jacket and walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Carrie dumbfounded…she knew she didn’t have the resources to compete with the Sterling legal machine…had she gone one step too far?

 

Metro Hotel: Amber’s Suite

 

“Well are you going to leave?” Josh demanded, “Or am I going to have to throw you out?”

 

“You know, Josh,” John slid his hands into his pockets, “I noticed you haven’t been seeing Greg as much lately. I thought better of you than to desert your friends in their time of need.”

 

“Don’t change the subject John,” Josh folded his arms, “Amber wants you out.”

 

“No, no,” Amber turned to face the men, “I want a few answers from Mr. Sterling. Like why he saw fit to follow me here.”

 

“I told you,” John insisted, “I know your parents. When I called your father and he told me you’d gone missing…”

 

“You still had no right,” Amber reiterated, “The fact is, I’m not a little girl; I’m a grown woman. And the fact is that you have absolutely no right to get involved in my life, whether you know me or not,” she turned to Josh, “I knew I should have left Oakridge when I had the chance.”

 

Oakridge Main Street

 

“What does it solve telling me ‘the truth’ after all these years?” Will asked his mother, “You could have had this secret out in the open when I was born, or when I was young. The fact that you let me start to date…and sleep with…Megan…my own SISTER, you could have let everyone know then.”

 

“And Diane Sterling would have killed me!” Alex reasoned, “You don’t know what that woman’s like…she’s dangerous, especially if you come between her and her family. That’s why I left town when I did…Diane said if I let that secret loose she’d make sure I disappeared, permanently. I couldn’t keep it a secret living around you, so I left…for your own good. For the good of the family.”

 

“And what does telling everyone now achieve…it certainly doesn’t do the family any good.”

 

“I told you, this secret was eating me up inside,” Alex placed her full coffee cup on the ground, “Every day of my life it just seemed to grow and grow until it was the only thing on my mind. And when I found out Diane and John were separating, I knew she wasn’t as powerful as she used to be…she couldn’t get me for this anymore. I had to tell you, or I’d have exploded. The truth’s out now, and that’s all that matters.”

 

“Yeah, as long as you feel better,” Will rolled his eyes, his sarcasm clear as day, “But the thing is mom, the truth may not be the truth…for all I know…for all anyone knows…Wesley could still be my father. So I’m going to take a paternity test.”

 

“There’s no need,” Alex insisted, “I had one done when you were a baby…it proved that John was your father…Wesley never knew. He never had to.”

 

The Sterling Mansion: Conservatory

 

Leo sat on the edge of his seat, leaning over the glass coffee table as he took a line of coke. In the nick of time, Leo finished his line just as Kendall walked in. She stopped in the doorway and leaned against the wall, blowing on her freshly manicured nails as she waited for Leo to remove all traces of the white powder from the table.

 

“So, how’s my big brother today?” Kendall asked, turning a blind eye to Leo’s drug habit just as she had done since she realized she couldn’t talk him out of it.

 

“Yeah not bad,” Leo slouched back into his seat, “Had a little run in with Natalie and what’s his name…”

 

“From the look on your face I take it she’s, like, keeping the baby?” Kendall walked further into the room and poured two vodkas at the drinks cabinet.

 

“Yup. Make mine a double, by the way,” Leo ran his hands through his messy blonde hair…he didn’t know what to make of this whole situation…Natalie was really serious about keeping his kid, “I told her to expect nothing from me, and she’s still determined to go through with it.”

“Well it is her kid as well, what do you expect?” Kendall topped off their vodkas with some lemonade and handed one to Leo, “And when she has it, you won’t be able to stay away.”

 

“Watch me.”

 

“Seriously, Leo,” Kendall raised an eyebrow, “We both grew up not knowing our fathers…do you really want to put this little kid through that as well? And to make it even worse you know Natalie’s having the kid…for all we know, mom might not have even told our dads that we existed. Those men could be living a life somewhere else and not even know they have a son or daughter.”

 

“But I don’t want a kid,” Leo insisted, “I never have done. Especially not now, I’m only twenty one for god sake.”

 

“That’s not the point bro,” Kendall sat down next to her brother, “You have an opportunity to give that kid something that we never had. Take it, be a dad…ooh, I’m gonna be Auntie Kendall…how fierce!”

 

Metro Hotel: Amber’s Suite

 

“You can’t leave Oakridge,” John urged Amber, who had already resumed her packing, “There’s no point in it.”

 

“Yeah? And what would you know?” Amber stuffed a handful of tops into her case, “As I’ve already said to you like a million times, my life has sweet F.A. to do with you.”

 

“He’s right, Amber,” Josh’s sudden change of sides surprised everyone, even himself, “You cant leave. Please, for me at least?”

 

“For you?” Amber laughed, “Um, Josh, no offence, but me and you were just se-,” observing Emily’s awareness of the conversation, Amber changed her tune, “We were just fun. You were the best ‘fun’ I’ve ever had, but it was only that…fun.”

 

“You don’t mean that,” Josh put his hands on Amber’s arms, “We have something…something that you cant deny and you cant erase…and you’d be stupid to leave it behind. Stay in Oakridge, Amber, please?”

 

“Emily honey, can you put your toys in your backpack for mommy?” Amber ignored Josh’s plea as Emily handed her mother her colouring book.

 

“And you cant drag that little girl all over the country,” John added, hoping that pleading with Amber’s inner mother would help talk some sense into her, “She needs stability, routine…family.”

 

“Listen, I do what I want, got it?” Amber pouted, “And nobody…especially some random guy who I’ve never met before…is going to change it.”

 

Kristen’s Apartment: Bedroom

 

Upon hearing a knock at the door, Kristen made her way through the piles of boxes that took up her new living room and reached the front door, opening it to see Greg standing in the hallway.

 

“So this is your new place?” Greg smiled as Kristen stood aside, letting him in, “It’s nice. I take it that means you’re here for good?”

 

“For now, anyway,” Kristen shrugged, “Sorry about the mess. How’d it go with Carrie today?”

 

“She’s as stubborn as ever,” Greg explained, following Kristen out onto the terrace and taking a seat on the window ledge, “She just doesn’t want to know. Thanks for trying to get us talking, though. It’s just a shame she’s being such a bitch about it, for Adam’s sake at least.”

 

“I know,” Kristen sighed, “I’ve tried reasoning with her but you know what she’s like.”

 

“That’s just the thing, she never used to be like this,” Greg reminisced, “I just don’t know what happened to her.”

 

“Greg, she’s always been like this,” Kristen giggled, edging closer along the ledge to Greg, “It’s just you were too blinded by her to see it in the past.”

 

“You’ve got a point,” Greg laughed, “But I never thought she’d go so far that I’d have to get lawyers involved. Thanks, Kristen.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Being on my side through all of this,” Greg looked fondly at her, “I mean I know you’re Carrie’s sister and all, but you’re the only person looking at this objectively and seeing that what Carrie’s doing is wrong.”

 

“I know,” Kristen and Greg’s faces moved close to each other, so close they were almost touching, “I just want what’s best…for everyone.”

 

“Me too,” their faces were so close Greg could feel Kristen’s breath on his face. Their eyes locked, and it was clear they were thinking the same thing. As their lips began to touch, everything else went out the window. It was just the two of them, and that was all that mattered.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…