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Chapter Seventeen
Sheridan sat beside Luis in the courtroom as they swore Julian in and got the proceedings started for the day.
She clutched his hand so tight he was sure there would be cuts from her nails, but he didn't care. He glanced over
at her... she was pale and she had circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. He was worried about her... she was
terrified about something she thought Julian would say and she wouldn't tell him what it was. She was just evasive,
brushing it off as just more of the family past. Luis knew there was more to it though. She was so scared because
she thought she would lose him. He knew there was nothing that she could've done that would drive him away, but
he wasn't able to convince her of that.
He prayed that her nightmares were just that... with no basis on the truth, but his knowledge of the Cranes made
it seem unlikely. No... he believed Sheridan witnessed something terrible as a child and repressed the memories
to the point that they only came out in twisted dreams. He'd asked her about the nightmares on several occasions,
but she always told him they were too fuzzy to remember.
Julian's first day of testimony was based mostly on the Crane's shady business dealings and when it was over Sheridan
let out a sigh of relief. She had received another days reprieve. As the courtroom began to clear she glanced over
at Luis, seeing the unwavering love and support on his face and a wave of guilt washed over her.
"There Angel... that wasn't so bad was it?" He smiled and took her hand, leading her from the courtroom.
"No, I guess not..." She replied weakly. At that moment she made a decision... she had to tell him about
the nightmares. She couldn't let him find out about them from Julian... he would hate her for sure, even if it
turned out she hadn't killed Martin. He would hate her simply because she had some information that may have helped
him find out about Martin.
Of course, there was always the chance he would hate her now too... but it was a chance she had to take.
After dinner that night they were in the kitchen at the cottage washing dishes. She loved doing things like this
with Luis... it made her feel so normal. But tonight she was too worried to enjoy the task. She had decided to
tell Luis everything she remembered and she wasn't going to back out now. It had to be done, because keeping the
secret any longer was sure to be an ending to their relationship. At least this way they had a chance.
She rinsed the sink and hung up the cloth as Luis put the last of the dishes away, then she took his hand and drew
him into the living room. "Luis, we have to talk." She settled nervously onto the sofa and he sat beside
her. "Sure Angel... what's up?"
Sheridan took a deep breath and prayed that she was doing the right thing. If she told Luis and lost him over it
only to find out that Julian wasn't even going to mention it she would never forgive herself. "Luis, it's
about the nightmares..." He nodded encouragingly at her. "I didn't tell you the whole truth when I said
I didn't remember them... I remember some things... I just don't understand what I remember. Anyway, I want to
tell you about them. I don't want you to hear anything from somebody else."
Luis was relieved that she was finally going to trust him with this. "Alright Sheridan... I'm listening."
"OK... the first thing I remember is going into the living room at the mansion... it's late and I was supposed
to be in bed." Her hands were trembling and Luis took them into his own. "I remember picking up a letter
opener... but then I'm standing there and there is blood all over my hands and..." Her voice cracked and she
glanced up at Luis, expecting to see revulsion already, but finding only concern. "...and there's a body...
a body covered by a bloody sheet... it's right there on the ground Luis... right where I'm standing."
"Are you sure it's a body Sheridan?" Luis slipped automatically into cop mode, a dozen questions filling
his mind. "Could it have been just a bloody sheet? No body?" "No Luis... there was a body. After
that the dream flashes and I'm standing in front of a coffin... a voice is telling me that I'm bad... I'm crying
that I didn't mean to do it... They tell me I'm wicked..." Sheridan sobbed, "But I didn't mean to ...
I'm not wicked... I didn't mean to..." Luis drew her into his arms, holding her and trying to sooth her but
she was almost hysterical. She pulled away and wailed, "I killed somebody... dear God Luis I killed somebody!"
"Sheridan, you don't know that...it might have been a dream... calm down Sheridan..." Luis couldn't seem
to get through to her... she was too far gone. "Don't tell me to calm down!" Sheridan yelled through
her tears, jumping from the couch and then whirling around to face him. "Don't tell me that! How can I calm
down? How? I can't calm down knowing that I killed someone! Probably your father!"
Luis felt his stomach clench and his heart skipped a beat. She thought she killed his father...
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