Previously on On Concrete Shelves
+ Marina Thurlow questioned her love for Ryan Bauer.
+ Bentley Wilkinson feels Emily Roscoe is too good for him.
+ Gillian Sutton revealed she was engaged to Damien Crenshaw.
+ Gail Schmidt answered the door to find Adrian Stone...
[.....]
[.....]
Scene One: Schmidt Home
If asked how long she had been standing at the door, Gail Schmidt couldn’t give you a straight answer. What felt like hours was probably seconds. Her heart stopped when she made eye contact with Adrian Stone.
It only got worse when he spoke.
“May I come in?” Adrian asked, careful not to set Gail off.
At first she shook her head, but slowly Gail moved out of the way. She knew that eventually she had to talk to Adrian. Gail knew that she couldn’t run away from him forever. Especially if her hiding spot was the same town they fell in love in. She just never prepared for tonight to be the night they saw each other again.
“I really don’t know where to start.” Adrian started, a hand through his hair as he turned to Gail. “It’s so weird seeing you after all this time Gail. I really don’t know what to say to you.”
“How are you?” Gail spoke, wasn’t the smoothest line she ever spoke but it sounded as distant as she felt.
Adrian took a moment to ponder the question. “I’m fine.”
But was he really. Gail offered him a seat on her father’s couch and slightly she bemused the situation. It was like their first date all over again. Her parents were out of the house and she had invited Adrian Stone in.
He sat at the same couch as he did before and for a second it all came back to her. The feelings she had for him when they were younger, the anger she had at her father for keeping them away.
Everything made sense for that one moment. But then Adrian ruined it all. The next question ruined everything all over again. “How’s the baby?”
[.....]
Scene Two: The Lakeside Inn
“What the hell is going on here?” Patrick Sutton ordered quickly as he began to process the fact that his daughter was engaged to Damien Crenshaw, Patrick lashed out and grabbed Damien by his collar. “Do you care to explain to me!”
“Daddy stop it!” Gillian shouted, rushing to Damien’s aide but she was stopped by her brother Charlie who quickly grabbed a hold of her waist. Charlene tried to calm her daughter down. “He’s hurting him!”
Damien Crenshaw’s face remained fearless as Patrick attacked him verbally. “I love your daughter!” He called out, only taunting Patrick further into rage.
“Patrick!” Gideon Wilkinson ordered, pulling the two men apart with the help of Miles Fowler and James Thurlow. “Patrick release this man at once!” Cried the police chief. Gideon was hoping that tonight would be his one night off but as soon as the lights dimmed he knew it would be impossible.
Once he tugged Patrick away he looked at his wife, Daphne Wilkinson and gave her an apology for having to play hero once again. Then he turned back to Patrick. “Calm yourself Sutton. Let’s not make me put you behind bars!”
“Screw you Gideon!” Patrick spit. “My daughter is being taken advantage of by that sicko! You need to put him behind bars! You need to wipe that smug smile off his dirty face!”
Gideon sighed and looked over to Damien Crenshaw. Miles Fowler was looking the man over for any injuries while a nurse from the crowd helped out as well. “He’s fine chief. He checks out just fine.” Miles announced.
“You’re lucky this time you bastard!” Patrick shouted, Gideon once again stepped between the two men to keep Patrick back. This time however, Gillian wiggled free from her brother’s grasp and joined Gideon between the two.
She looked like she had been crying for hours, her mascara staining her cheeks. “What are you doing daddy? Leave Damien alone! You know nothing about him! He’s a good man.”
“Sweetie.” Patrick spoke, cupping his daughter’s chin in his palm. “Gillian, you just don’t understand! This man has got you brainwashed. He doesn’t love you, he is just a low life trying to steal your money!”
Gillian pulled away from her father. “You’re wrong!” She screamed and pushed her way back to Damien Crenshaw. “This man saved my life! He’s the real hero here, not you daddy. Just leave him alone!”
“Patrick, just calm down.” Gideon spoke, pulling Patrick to the nearest table. “Let’s get this whole thing sorted out. There’s no need to blow up right now. Everything is fine. Gillian is not in danger.”
“Yes she is!” Caitlyn Thurlow shouted, it was such a surprise that she found herself looking around the room wondering who said it as well. Then she spotted everyone staring at her, including her husband who had been keeping himself from punching Damien Crenshaw himself.
“Caitlyn, please don’t start anything else.” Kirsten spoke who was already trying to control the rest of the guests. Kirsten sent Marina and her friends to collect the straggling guests into the dinning hall where a late dinner was being prepared. “We can’t deal with any more stress right now.”
She took a deep gulp. “But I can’t keep doing this.”
Through-out all the commotion nobody had bothered to ask Caitlyn if she was alright. The single sight of Damien Crenshaw made her want to throw-up. As she stood across from him she could feel his presence in her head.
“Damien Crenshaw is the devil.” Her words tarnishing Damien’s credibility as they washed upon everyone left in the room. “He needs to be stopped.”
---
Our love. Our fights. Our friendships.
On Concrete Shelves.
Forever, they shall be remembered.
---
Scene Three: The Lakeside Inn
As the guests--what was left of them anyways--started to fill into the dinning hall, Marina Thurlow made it her personal mission to keep everyone entertained as she catered to each group the best she could.
She didn’t have much time to even speak to Ryan Bauer as she had liked. It killed her to know that their relationship was holding on by strings and he didn’t even have a clue that they could break at any moment.
“Can you believe it?” Natalie Marlowe spoke to one of her model friends. “That brainless barbie doll waltzes back into town on the arm of a leach thinking that he is in love with her? How pathetic is that?”
“Hey!” Marina shouted, stomping over to her rival. “Why don’t you just shut up? You have no idea what you are talking about Natalie!”
Natalie just watched with amusement. Some of the guests now on their newest form of entertainment. “You have no idea who Gillian Sutton is so please spare us the warped ideas coming out of your head! She is a very nice girl with a heart of gold.”
“With a brain full of gold.” Natalie quipped, she then turned back to Marina and stared her down. “Why are you standing up for her anyways Marina? Last I heard the two of you weren’t exactly friends.”
There were plenty of reasons why Marina hated Natalie, but few of them caused an angry reaction out of Marina. Tonight though, after seeing Ian and Natalie together at the Founder’s Ball having a good time got her heated.
“Wait does Marina have a big lesbian crush on Gillian Sutton?” Natalie laughed, looking to her friends who only laughed with her. “Stay the hell out of my conversations Marina!”
Natalie pushed past Marina, her group of friends only followed. But Marina wasn’t finished yet. Shoving a couple of the models out of the way before she yanked Natalie around. “Not so fast!”
“What the hell are you doing?” Natalie yelped, shoving Marina away from her. “Are you freaking crazy?”
Marina grabbed Natalie’s hair and pulled her towards her. If only Cassie was here Marina knew her best friend would be proud of her. Both girls screamed as the other tried to get a better grip.
Ryan Bauer was the first to the scene and he grabbed the closest arm to him, which happened to belong to Natalie Marlowe. Turning to see who was holding her, she smiled and turned to Marina with a devious grin.
Ready to knock the smile off Natalie’s face, Marina punched her in the nose and began to get closer but was pulled away by someone else.
“Will you two knock it off! We just separated one party, what do you think Kirsten is going to say when she finds out her little sister started another fight?” Ryan Bauer shouted.
Marina snapped out of her anger and tugged away from the man holding her. “Marina, just calm down, okay?” Ian Kiefer whispered into her ear. “Everything is going to be alright.”
“Careful Ian, the way you’re holding Marina just might make Ryan jealous!” Natalie spoke, her dry wit only digging her deeper into trouble. But she didn’t care at this point, the stupid bitch nearly broke her nose. Natalie needed her revenge.
Ian quickly let go of Marina who just stood in place.
“What the hell does that mean Nat?” Ryan asked, he looked at Marina who turned away from him. “Natalie if you are going to say something, just spit it out! I’ve had enough of all this arguing already.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Ian and Marina slept together Ryan! Come on, you can’t be that naive to the fact. They’ve been throwing puppy dog eyes at each other all night it’s so pathetic!”
“Natalie shut up!” Ian hollered.
Ryan let go of Natalie and she nearly fell to the ground, but caught herself on a table. This time it was Ryan’s turn to get angry. “Marina is this true? Is Natalie telling the truth? Did you and my boss sleep together?”
Although she knew that Natalie was making up lies, Marina couldn’t speak. She could hardly grasp the knew and dangerous situation. “We never slept together. We kissed Ryan, just kissed.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. Watching the two linger around each other and knowing they had an intimate relationship stabbed at him. “Well that’s just great.” He spoke, then turned and walked away.
----- ----- -----
Bentley Wilkinson slipped into the hallway on his way to the bathroom he stopped in his tracks when his expedition encountered Emily Roscoe. There really wasn’t much he planned to say to her so a simple hello would have to do.
Emily looked up at Bentley and simply rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke and he wished she only knew how sorry he really was. Bentley blocked her way out of the hallway so that they could have some time to talk. “I just need some time to explain myself.”
The woman chuckled. “I gave you time, remember?” With her arms folded, Emily made it clear she didn’t want to get closer to Bentley again. “Then you proceeded to stand me up. Really Bentley? Why would I give you that chance once again?”
He sighed. “I made a mistake.”
“Yeah you did.” Emily spat. She shook her head of all thoughts of Bentley and walked passed him. “I’m going to get back to the party. I’m really sorry that things had to come to this. I really did like you.”
“I still like you.” Bentley spoke, although it was too late. Emily had already walked away from him.
[.....]
Scene Four: Schmidt House
There were only three scenario’s that Gail Schmidt never wanted to find herself in. Two of them involved natural disasters and the last involved hurting Adrian Stone. He stood there before her asking the one question she didn’t want to answer.
“The baby Gail, what happened to the baby?” He asked looking around the room. “Is he or she here? Why is it so quiet? Is that the reason you left in the first place?”
The questions wouldn’t stop coming and she knew that with each anticipating question would only come pain and heart ache. Slowly she began to back away from him, trying to find an exit. “Adrian.”
“Gail?”
“Who told you about the baby?” She knew there was no relevance to the question but wanted an answer anyways. She wanted to know who to blame for revealing her secret in such a way that made Gail look like the bad guy.
Adrian stopped for a moment to search for the answer. “Your step-mother’s secretary guy found me in Arizona a couple days ago. He told me you wanted to see me but by the looks of things you didn’t even know I was coming.”
“I didn’t know you were coming.” Gail responded, secretly cursing Mac and Helen for their part in everything. But she knew it was her own fault ultimately for having to tell Adrian the news. The news she was sure Helen already knew. “Maybe you should sit down.”
But Adrian did the opposite. “Where’s my child!” He hollered, his stern figure growing with anger. “Where is my child? Is it even mine?”
Gail shot him a baffled look. “Of course it was yours!”
“Was?” Adrian asked, his lip quivering at the past tense she used. “did you abort our child Gail? Is that the reason why you left me and returned to your father’s side? That makes me sick!”
By this point Gail was in tears. “No! Adrian no, I didn’t abort the baby. You know I’m against abortion! You know I would never kill an innocent child. Just listen to what I have to say, okay?”
For a minute Gail didn’t think she was going to be given the chance to speak. Adrian looked ready to leave at any second. But then he relaxed and sat at the family couch once again.
“I was pregnant with our baby.” Gail revealed, placing a hand on her stomach. “I was so excited Adrian, trust me I wouldn’t harm the baby at all. But I couldn’t tell you, you were stressing about the shop and I didn’t want to scare you.”
“That’s nonsense!”
Gail agreed. “I know but I was working at the pharmacy at the time and I saw how so many women miscarried in their first trimester and I didn’t want to give us false hope. I went to the doctor visits, I promise you that. I did everything right by this baby.”
“Then what happened Gail?”
“I was at the store late one night and some guy came in begging for his prescription but I told him that it had already been filled. I placed a call to security because he wouldn’t leave. But then he broke into the back room when he heard the sirens and shoved me out of the way.”
Adrian remembered the night very fondly, he found Gail at home with bruises on her wrists and a scratch on her cheek. Closing his eyes he imagined everything happen in slow motion.
“I lost the baby.”
“Why did you leave Gail?” Adrian seethed, trying to stay calm.
Gail placed a hand on Adrian’s arm. “I don’t know, I got scared. I didn’t think you could take the truth and frankly I figured me leaving would help you get the shop started.”
“I lost the garage you know that right? After you left I lost the garage and had to work at another car garage!” Adrian pulled away from Gail. “So you left me on my own because you thought we couldn’t pull through this loss? Do you think I’m that pathetic that I can’t comfort my own fiance?”
“I didn’t want to hurt you!”
Adrian chuckled at the irony. “I think you just did! Why couldn’t you just come to me? Huh? Why did you have to run away from our problems? Oh wait--that’s what Gail does! She runs away from her problems!”
“That’s not fair Adrian!” Gail pleaded.
“It’s not fair that we lost everything because you left either!” Adrian shouted back, his cool lost. “Life just isn’t fair Gail but that’s not a reason to runaway from everything.”
“You ran away too!” Gail spit, reminding him that ten years ago they ran away from Stone Creek with her father’s money. “You ran away too!”
“But not from you.” He seethed. Adrian couldn’t look at her anymore, there was a time in his life when all he wanted to do was look at Gail all day. But something snapped, something deep inside of him.
Adrian turned away from her to only be greeted by her father, Dr. David Schmidt. Another face that Adrian couldn’t look at. But for different reasons. So angrily he shoved passed the doctor and slammed the door behind him.
Gail was left in a heap on the couch, crying.
[.....]
Scene Six: The Lakeside Inn
As the group sat in various positions in the grand hall, they began to peel back the layers of the situation. Damien Crenshaw was seated in front of everyone with Miles Fowler standing at his side and Greta Wilkinson next to Miles.
Next was Daphne Wilkinson who was comforting her friend Caitlyn Thurlow as she began to open up about her relationship with Damien Crenshaw and how it eventually led to marriage. She would squeeze James Thurlow’s hand from time to time and he would in turn kiss her cheek.
“What you mean to tell me is that you are the reason why this sick bastard is in my daughter’s life Thurlow?” Patrick spit, he tried to retain himself in his chair, sitting next to Gideon Wilkinson.
“It’s not James’ fault.” Caitlyn defended.
Patrick turned to Caitlyn. “It became his fault when he started sleeping with you!”
“Why don’t you shut the hell up Sutton!” James Thurlow retorted. “Leave Caitlyn alone, she’s trying her best here! Stop fighting her and start fighting Crenshaw here!”
“I was until you idiots stopped me.” Patrick quipped.
It had been awhile since Patrick saw his daughter Gillian. Her mother Charlene Sutton took her to one of the rooms to get cleaned up. Kirsten Sutton had extra towels brought to her room and at the request of Charlene, a bottle of the Inn’s finest wine.
“Nobody is fighting anyone here.” Gideon argued.
Damien sat up. “Then let me leave, you have no right to hold me here to listen to this group crucify me. I have better things to do, like take care of my fiance. Where did that grimy wife of yours take her anyways?”
“Stay away from my family you bastard!”
“Force me old man!” Damien smugly replied.
“Enough!” Gideon spoke, he looked between the two men. “I have evidence that you threatened Diem Joplin and harassed Caitlyn Thurlow. That’s enough to take you in for questioning and I think it’s best you come with me or you might get stuck with Patrick Sutton tonight.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Let’s get this circus underway shall we?” He then turned to Caitlyn with a devious look. “Her name was Danielle. You left that part out, looks like you’re the one who can’t say her name anymore.”
“Shut up Damien!” Caitlyn retorted.
“Ironic.” He snickered. “You want to know what else is ironic? Your baby girl never died.”
Caitlyn’s face turned pale white, she pushed past James and Daphne and pulled on Damien’s coat. “What did you just say Damien? Are you kidding me right now?” Tears burned her cheeks. “Where is she?”
“Caitlyn.” Gideon spoke, pulling her off of him and handing her to James. “He’s just trying to get into your skin.”
“No I’m not!” Damien hollered. “She’s alive Caitlyn.”
Gideon escorted Damien out of the room, leaving the others in complete silence. Caitlyn turned to James who knew what she was going to ask. “It’s impossible. You said you saw her body, you saw her die Caitlyn.”
“What if she didn’t die.”
Daphne rubbed her friends back. “He’s just talking.”
Caitlyn brushed them both off. “Danielle is alive, I can feel her. I always have.”
Next Time on, On Concrete Shelves
- Cassie is confronted by Clifton.
- Caitlyn asks Diem Joplin for a favor
- Emmet admits to Iris he was going to propose to her.
- Frank asks Kevin to leave town on behalf of Charlene...
