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THE HOSPITAL
Antonio sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He was concerned that Gabi hadn’t been to the hospital yet. It was already 3:00 and he would be released soon. He picked up the phone and dialed Surf Central again. "Still no answer," he mumbled to himself. "Hey T, ready to go?" Ricardo called as he came into the room. "Huh, oh, hey Ricardo. Have you heard from Gabi today?" Antonio asked worriedly. "No, I stopped by Surf Central on my way here, but Casey said he hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning. Hasn’t she been here today?" Ricardo was beginning to worry himself. "No. I haven’t seen or heard from her since last night." Antonio remembered how upset Gabi had been and how abruptly she had left. Tyus came in to Antonio’s room. "Okay, Antonio. Oh, hi Ricardo. Antonio, you need to make an appointment with Dr. Kirk next week, just to follow up. Make sure you get enough rest and don’t work out or do anything strenuous for the next couple of weeks. You’ll know when you feeling 100% again." "Sure, Tyus. Thanks again for everything," Antonio shook Tyus’ hand genuinely. "Don’t thank me, Antonio. You had the big guy on your side," Tyus motioned to the ceiling. They all laughed and Tyus left. Ricardo grabbed Antonio’s bag and they headed out to the elevator. "I’m gonna take Gabi to dinner tonight," Ricardo said with a smile. "Now that you are on the mend, I want to concentrate on setting things right with us." "Yeah, I think that’s a good idea, Ricardo." Antonio patted Ricardo’s shoulder and they stepped on to the elevator. THE BEACH Gabi was leaning up against the jagged rocks at the edge of the grotto. Her eyes stung from all the tears she had shed since coming to this place the night before. She couldn’t believe she had been sitting there for so long. All the plans she had made for her and Antonio and their baby ... gone. She had been so sure they would be happy, happy together as a family. Antonio had been so determined when he spoke about being a good priest. She could never tell him about the baby now, she wouldn’t make him feel like he had to give up the church and deny God’s will. It was too unfair. She loved him too much to do that to him. She made up her mind she would leave Sunset Beach tonight. She wouldn’t even see him to say goodbye. She couldn’t. She rose from her place near the rocks and leaned over to pick up her purse. "Ohhh." She cried out as a pain ripped across her stomach. She doubled over in an attempt to catch her breath. The pain lasted for a few seconds and then disappeared just as quickly as it had hit her. Gabi steadied herself against the rocks. "Maybe I should have told the doctor about that," she said quietly to herself. "For now, I just have to get out of here." Gabi headed back to Surf Central to pack up her things. THE MISSION Antonio knelt at the altar looking up to the cross above. "Dear God, you have blessed me with life to do your will. Thank you for showing me forgiveness for my betrayal of my brother. I promise to serve you faithfully and completely for as long as you need me. Give me strength, Father, the strength I need to continue your work and heal those in need. Bless Ricardo and Gabi and help them find the love they have in their hearts for one another. Amen." Antonio knelt silently for a time then rose to return to his office. He didn’t remember much about the day he collapsed and the Sisters had cleaned everything up before his return. His desk was covered with cards full of well wishes from every parishioner in the parish. He read every one, word for word, treasuring them all. Antonio wanted to find Gabi...he needed to know what had upset her so much the night before. He convinced himself to leave Gabi to Ricardo. She was after all, his fiancee. It was getting dark outside and Antonio could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. He walked to the window. The wind was picking up and it had begun to rain. Lightening flashed over the water and he could see the waves crashing against the shore. We’re going to have a big storm tonight, he thought to himself as he headed out to secure all the shutters and doors. THE LOFT Ricardo had been trying to find Gabi all afternoon. Surf Central had been empty when he stopped by after leaving the hospital. He had called Meg and Vanessa, but neither of them had seen or heard from Gabi. He paced the room thinking of what he should do next. He was concerned that it was getting so late. The ringing phone startled him from his thoughts. "Hello, Gabi?" he said quickly. "Ricardo, it’s Antonio. Have you seen Gabi?" Antonio tried to cover the concern in his voice. "No, T. I’ve been looking for her all afternoon." A crash of thunder reverberated on the phone. "It looks like were going to get quite a storm. I hope she’s alright." "I’m sure she’s fine, Ricardo. She’s probably just visiting one of her friends or something." Antonio wasn’t sure she was fine, but tried to keep calm for Ricardo’s sake. "Give me a call if you hear from her, okay?" Ricardo asked. "You do the same, Ricardo." Antonio watched the rain run down the window. "Where are you, Gabi?" he wondered out loud. GABI’S CAR The rain pounded furiously against Gabi’s windshield. The howling wind whistled across the roof and she could feel it pushing and pulling her car as she drove. She knew she should have waited until the storm passed to leave, but she was afraid Ricardo or Antonio would track her down before she made her escape. She felt guilty leaving Ricardo like this...he had been so hopeful things would work out between them. She knew how deeply he loved her. The tears fell from her eyes as she squinted to see the road through the pelting rain. It was raining harder now and the thunder and lightning was coming faster by the minute. Gabi was exhausted after spending the night on the beach. I should have gotten some sleep, she chided herself remembering what Dr. Green had told her about taking care of herself. She was sobbing heavily when her mind began wandering… Antonio was standing in the doorway gazing lovingly at Gabi holding their baby boy. He moved slowly towards her holding his arms out to her. Gabi was lying in the hospital bed holding their son who had been born only minutes before. She looked down at him sleeping peacefully in her arms. She had never felt this kind of love before - this overwhelming love for her husband and their son. She felt so complete, so full of joy. She held her arms towards Antonio as he reached for the baby. As she started to lay the baby in his arms, they began to fade from her sight. She reached for them desperately, but could no longer see them in front of her. She tried to call out to Antonio but her voice wouldn’t work. She was alone in the hospital bed trying to scream for them to come back. Gabi heard the deep horn blasting. She tried to focus her eyes as the headlights blinded her vision. She pulled the wheel quickly to the right and slammed on the brakes. She saw the tree coming fast towards her car before everything went completely black.
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