The Tale of The Breakup

"Aren't you at all concerned about this?" Bridget challenged, holding out her phone to Harvey. "It says we're having an affair!"

"Not really. Do you have any idea how many rumors of affairs that those gossip sites have written about me? Well, I don't, but it's got to be in the high hundreds by now, if not a thousand. You get sort of used to it," Harvey responded, shrugging.

"Do you want to know how many I've had? ONE! This damn one," Bridget angrily flung back. "And they brought up my kids, Harvey. My. Kids!"

"Yes, that seems uncalled for, I'll admit. Usually, when I get one of these stories about a lovechild, it's a vague rumor, or the alleged baby isn't born yet."

"Usually?! Just how many lovechild stories have you had?"

"At this point, I don't know. Probably upper teens. I've had four paternity lawsuits, but they were all bullshit. I only have one kid, and that's Whitney," Harvey explained.

"With your lifestyle, I wouldn't be so sure," Bridget remarked sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm sure. Look at Whitney. If I had another one like her out there, I'm certain they would've tracked me down by now and tried to destroy me over their daddy issues," Harvey said half-jokingly.

"This isn't funny, Harv! What am I going to tell Sean and Peyton?" Bridget asked, at a loss over how to explain the article.

"The truth. It's impossible for us to have a kid together or an affair. You need to have sex to do that, and that's something we've never done. Gawd, that'd almost be like ****," Harvey stated, looking like he ate something bad.

"No, it wouldn't. Brandy might see you as her surrogate older brother, but I never have," Bridget repeated for at least the third time on this trip.

"Oh, so, is this article correct? Were you a little lolita trying to seduce your big sister's boyfriend?" Harvey teased, chuckling.

"Stop treating this like a joke!" Bridget snapped, drawing attention from people in the hospital cafeteria.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Bee. I deal with this crap by not taking it seriously," Harvey apologized. "Listen, the kids will be fine. Peyton's off at college. I'm sure even if the rumor follows her there, most people won't care. And all Sean has to do is pull out a picture of Leonard. Outside of your family's eyes, the kid looks like a mini-version of Leo. Besides, even if the rumor lingers, which I doubt, he'll be off to college soon. So, neither of your children will be here, the one place the rumor might matter."

"Well, I'll still be here!" Bridget snapped again. Glancing around to see eyes on them again, she dragged Harvey toward the elevator banks. "I'm the one that's getting looks already. The lovechild part might seem absurd, but you having an affair with a married woman isn't."

"Hey, I've got some morals, you know. I don't go after--okay, maybe a few times I've slept with married women. I can assure you I don't make a habit out of it," he protested.

Noticing a couple of colleagues waiting for an elevator, Bridget directed Harvey to the stairwell. Once the door shut behind them, she continued.

"You don't get it! Maybe in your line of work, people don't care about this stuff, but in mine, it can be an issue. I don't need patients viewing me as some hussy that seduced her sister's boyfriend, carried on a twenty-plus-year affair, and had kids with the guy."

"Look, the way these gossip-mongers work, there will be a new salacious story by tomorrow. Then everyone will move on to being shocked or horrified by that. You just need to give it a little time to fade," Harvey informed her as they reached the second floor and continued up.

"Today, right here in this hospital, this will be the story that everyone talks about," Bridget declared. "I've worked my ass off to gain the reputation I have."

"If you want, I can grab one or two of these nurses, take them into an on-call room, and bang their brains out. If we're loud or leave the door open, that should knock our story off the front page," Harvey suggested.

"Gawddammit! Can't you take this seriously for one minute?" Bridget's scream echoed up and down the stairwell.

Pausing in front of the third-floor door, Harvey gently placed his hands on the upset woman's shoulders.

"I'm sorry if it came across that I wasn't taking this seriously. I thought adding some humor to the situation might calm you down," he explained. "You shouldn't worry about your reputation, Bridget; you have a stellar one. Your friends and family know you would never do what the article alleges. And I'm sure your patients all think you're a sweet and wholesome mother. Not some wild seductress."

"I was sorta wild in my high school days," Bridget mumbled before raising her voice back up. "Still, it would be nice if you at least seemed worried."

"Oh, I'm worried. Not about what the story suggests, but what the story represents." Seeing Bridget's confusion, he elaborated. "Look at the details, Bee. Whoever wrote this knew far too much about Beverly and me. That's not a relationship I've ever talked about since it ended."

"Yeah, you're right. How did they learn about you two?"

"That's a good question. Another one is what else do they know about me that I've kept private. The Stinging Truth couldn't have anticipated our emergency trip to the hospital. So that means they have a file on me, waiting to be used."

"And they sure got pictures from the ER waiting room awfully fast. One of the people waiting with us must've realized the situation and sold them the pictures of--the guy in the blue and green plaid shirt!" Bridget exclaimed.

"You noticed him too, huh? But I think you're wrong about him. He wasn't a random patient or with a patient. Blue and green plaid shirt guy showed up after we arrived and left after my talk with Merton," Harvey recounted. "I think he works for The Stinging Truth.

"But how could they know we would be here? I guess it's possible they heard the ranger's call for an ambulance over the scanner," Bridget speculated. "But they wouldn't have used any names, I would think."

"Maybe they heard the cabin's address. But I suspect there's more to this highly detailed story than random chance," Harvey stated his feeling as he motioned for her not to open the door leading out to the fourth floor. "I almost wonder if I'm being targeted."

"Targeted?!" Bridget gasped.

"Perhaps for my support for Dewey as mayor." Harvey paused before revealing the detail that began to make sense now. "An odd thing occurred last night at the Vandermeers. A man watched their lakehouse."

"Watched?"

"When Clive left with Austin, the kid saw a man standing in the woods next to the house."

"Wait, that's why Clive called you when he got back to the cabin?" Bridget questioned, recalling that small detail.

"Yes. We both thought that maybe the man was there to keep an eye on Giles or Tyrell. But now I'm starting to think that I was his target," Harvey speculated.

"It could have been a hiker or one of your neighbors out for a walk," Bridget suggested.

"How many neighbors would be out for a walk in that cold weather? Or climbing a tree or two to peer into the windows?"

"What?!"

"After Clive's call, I went outside to look around. I found the man's tracks and signs that he climbed at least two trees to watch us," Harvey recounted.

"Holy crap, that's crazy. You're sure?"

"It is and I am. Cordelia joined me for the second half of my search. She also saw the footprints and marks on the trees. We tried to figure out from where he came from but struck out."

"Wow, that's...this sounds like one of my dad's old cases." Bridget's eyes shifted from showing surprise to determination. "It looks like we have a mystery to solve."

"We?"

"Hey, they dragged my name through the mud. So I have a stake in this now," Bridget pointed out. A slight smirk formed, too, as she noticed Harvey's surprise. "My son isn't the only one in the family that's ever wanted to take after my dad. I also dreamed of doing this since I was a little girl. Brandy has too."

"Oh, great," Harvey moaned. "Let's leave Brandy out of this, okay?"

"Sure...for now," the blonde doctor teased as they heard footsteps in the stairwell. Opening the door, they slipped out before the approaching person could see them.

Reaching the wing of rooms, Bridget immediately sensed the eyes of the nurses and staff on her and Harvey. She met them with a weak smile. Libby Dall, the petite blonde nurse and one of Bridget's favorites, rushed over to them.

"Both Whitney and Sean are awake," she announced loudly before turning her voice into a whisper. "Don't worry, Dr. Tarver. We don't believe the rumor."

"Thanks, Libby," Bridget said, surprising the nurse with a hug as Harvey walked into the kids' room.

"Not that any of us would blame you. Gawd, he's hot!"

Shaking her head, Bridget entered the room. There she saw two anxious teenagers waiting for her.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Am I going to die, Bridget? Everyone is looking at me like something is wrong," Whitney reported.

Communicating to each other without a word, Harvey and Bridget nodded. They each pulled out their cell phone, quickly pulled up the story, and handed it to their respective offspring.

"Bwahahahaha!" Whitney laughed madly.

"I don't think this is a laughing matter, pumpkin," Harvey stated thoughtfully, drawing an exasperated groan from Bridget.

"I do," his daughter said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Sean, as my brother, how absurd!"

"Is everything alright in here?" Eloa Agrela questioned, rushing into the room. Studying Whitney, she added, "Your heart rate and blood pressure shot up."

"I'm sorry to worry you, Eloa," Bridget apologized. "Apparently, our children find the notion of Harvey and myself having an affair to be hysterical." Glancing at Sean, she could see him failing to hold back a grin.

"Oh, we don't believe the rumors, Dr. Tarver," Eloa relayed before mouthing wordlessly to Bridget. "But, you should."

"Thank you, Eloa."

"And we don't believe you're a spoiled brat either, Whitney," the nurse added as she left the room.

"Wait; what?"

"Would you take it easy, pumpkin?" Harvey ordered more than asked. "We don't need a setback because you found fake stories about my love life hilarious."

"I'm sorry, Dad. It's just that idea of Sean as my brother is--what the fuck?!" Whitney shrieked.

Racing over in concern, Harvey paused as Whitney held his phone out for him to see.

"Careless Heiress Plunges Into Icy Waters?! What the fuck is this?" Whitney demanded to know.

"Uh, you might not want to read that, pumpkin," Harvey suggested, bracing for the string of expletives he knew would come. The Stinging Truth article portrayed his daughter as a vapid, spoiled brat who was destined to live off her father's money for the rest of her life. There were also several juicy quotes from unnamed classmates calling her a party girl, and in so many words, a slut.

A round of laughter from the other bed drew Whitney's ire.

"What's so funny, buster?" the blonde hissed at her savior.

"What? Oh, this story here," Sean responded, showing another story from The Stinging Truth.

"Boom! Teen Creates Brainwave Device To Seduce Girls; Burns Down School," Whitney read aloud. "Sounds like something Newt would do."

"Okay, let's ignore the other stories for now," Harvey clapped as he spoke to gain their attention. "Bridget and I want to make sure that you two are fine with this new development."

"Sean? Do you have questions, honey?" Bridget asked, relieved that her son didn't seem quick as loopy at the moment. "I can assure you that Harvey is not your father."

"Well, duh. I look almost exactly like Dad did at my age. And grandpa too. I might not be a Tarver when it comes to being a doctor, but I know I look like one," Sean pointed out, shutting down any notion that he believed the article.

"Well, Bridget and I just want to point out that we've never had sex. Any kind whatsoever. No blowjobs, no pussy licking, no handjobs, no fingerbanging, and no straight sex of any kind," Harvey rattled off.

"Eww! I did not need to hear that, Mr. Diamond!" Sean groaned in disgust.

"Yep, definitely not a Diamond in the other bed. Our family discusses our sex life with each other. Every. Little. Hot. Sexy. Detail," Whitney teased Sean.

"You do?" Bridget asked Harvey in shock.

"Well, kind of--but not at all like she's making it sound," Harvey defended himself, quickly changing the subject. "So, you good, pumpkin? No questions about Bridget and me?"

"I know you weren't having an affair with her, Dad. If you had, then you wouldn't still be screwing other women. Bridget seems the type that once a man has her, he wants nothing else."

"Um, thanks?" Bridget responded to Whitney's praise.

"I do have one question, though," Whitney announced.

"Sure, anything, pumpkin."

"Anything you say? Oh, Father, you walked right into that one," Whitney revealed, unveiling an evil grin. "Tell me about you and Beverly."

An uncomfortable feeling overtook Harvey's body. Bridget immediately noticed it, going to his side in support.

"It's okay, Harv. I think it's time for Whitney to know."

"I guess so. There's enough truth in this article to give you the wrong impression," he said more to himself. "Okay, pumpkin, it's storytime."

Sitting up straighter in her bed, Whitney almost looked like a little girl ready for her father to read from the storybook before bedtime.

"Now, I should start by saying that when it came to girls and sex, I was an early bloomer."

"I think everybody in Honey Hollow knows that. Hurry up and get to the new stuff," Whitney prodded. Sean shot her a dirty look, hoping to hear more about the early bloomer part.

"Fine, fine. So, I dated a considerable amount of girls up until the start of my junior year. Your great-grandmother used to say that I would know in a heartbeat when I met the girl for me. Up until then, I thought she was oversimplifying things. She was a romantic at heart. And I didn't believe in that mushy stuff."

"Grammy was right?" Whitney inquired with a grin.

"As always, she was," Harvey agreed. "It was the night of the first football game; you know, the one they have the week before school starts. The stands and sidelines at the game were packed. When the game ended, it seemed to be wall-to-wall with people, but then the crowd parted as you would see in a movie. And at the end of the crowd stood a breathtaking beauty, one that sent a jolt of electricity from my head to my toes. Tunnel vision overtook me. No one else but me and this gorgeous girl existed in this sea of people."

"Aww, love at first sight," cooed Whitney. In the next bed, Sean compared Harvey's meeting his aunt to the time he first really noticed Ramsey.

"Time felt like it took forever for me to reach this angel. When I finally stood before her, I pulled out what I thought back then was my A-game of pickup lines. Lines that make me cringe with embarrassment these days," Harvey admitted, still feeling discomfort over his cheesy lines.

Bridget, standing off to his side, shook her head in amusement. She's heard the story of this first contact from both sides and knew how the two accounts differed vastly.

"And..." Whitney gestured to her father to continue.

"And then she blew me off."

"Oh, damn, she done fucked up!" Whitney squealed while Bridget chuckled.

"Yes, she did. No one had ever blown me off--okay, maybe a few older women--but never a girl around my age. And certainly not a girl younger than me!" Harvey recalled, the hit to his young pride still evident.

"What did you do?" Sean asked, curious over the story but also seeking pointers.

"Well, I followed her and kept spitting game, and she kept blowing me off like I was a nobody. Fred eventually had to drag me away before I made even more of a fool of myself."

"Oh, you definitely made a fool of yourself," Bridget recalled. "Beverly's friends spent the whole weekend coming and going at our house, joking about it. My sister wanted no part of a boy with your dad's reputation."

"Yes, I found that out quickly when school started. By then, I had done my research, found out her name, interests, pet peeves, etc.. I've never worked that hard in my life to woo a girl. Your mother was the closest, but even Willow gave off a tiny hint that she was interested, just enough to keep me after her. But Beverly never gave any off, and I almost gave up after a month."

"What changed her mind?"

"My grandparents had friends that lived a couple of blocks behind the Fallons. They had an accident and couldn't walk their dog, so for several weeks, I went over to take care of Baskin. One day I witnessed a little girl crash her training-wheeled bicycle. Baskin and I rushed over to the crying girl, who had skinned her knee. The little girl wouldn't stop freaking out after she saw the small amount of blood on her knee. That is until she finally saw Baskin after he started to lick her face. He was a basset hound with those big ears, so she did a one-eighty and went from crying to laughing and hugging him. It turns out she knew Baskin, and he was a favorite of hers. I asked the little girl her name and where she lived. Her name was Brandy."

"Bridget's little sister?!" Whitney questioned.

"Yes, that's my little sister who ended up playing matchmaker," Bridget revealed. "My parents were so thankful, and it turned out that they knew Harvey's grandfather and aunt quite well. So Beverly walks in, and the guy that's been after her is sitting in our kitchen being treated as a hero. So she finally caved, and the rest was history."

"Beverly was a girl like I never met before or would meet after. She could be serious to the **** but then have these playful moments. She pushed me to be a better person while I pushed her to loosen up. For two years, I was happier than I had ever been. I had found a girl I loved and respected, and along with her, I suddenly had a surrogate family. One that I dreamed my family could be like."

"You loved her?" Whitney repeated in surprise. Her father had once told her that the only woman he had loved was her mother.

"Yes, I know I once lied to you. I knew if I mentioned my first love, you would pester me for details. And I've avoided the pain of what I did by never talking about Beverly."

"What did you do?" his daughter asked in trepidation.

"What everyone always expected me to do. I cheated."

Silence followed as Harvey struggled to maintain his composure. Finally, Bridget stepped over to lay a hand on his shoulder. Then she resumed his story.

"Your dad was a year older, so he went off to college while my sister had her senior year still. That Halloween, a girl that had been after Harvey for a long time made a move when he was drunk at a costume party. They had sex, and she bragged to everyone. By morning, word had reached Honey Hollow and Beverly."

"I swear I never meant to do it. She'd been after me for years. Said as we were two of the wealthier heirs in the area that we were meant to be together," Harvey recalled, wiping away the stream of tears from his face. "I hadn't had sex in two months, and I was way too drunk. That's no excuse, but the costume messed with my mind. She had on a mask and kept on telling me she was Beverly."

"Oh, no! Who was this bitch?" Whitney demanded to know.

"It...it doesn't matter to this story. All that matters is that I betrayed Bev. I did the one thing that people warned her I would do someday," Harvey revealed.

"I wasn't home when the call came, but my mom later said that Beverly screamed as if someone had died. This was a Saturday morning, and I was a sophomore at cheer practice. When Rachel and Gabby dropped Tinny and me off at my house in the afternoon, Harvey was already there. He sat on our porch pleading for Bev to talk to him," Bridget said, telling the tale from her perspective.

"When I woke up that morning, I realized what I did and called Beverly. She already knew and wouldn't talk to me. Grabbing my keys, I drove straight back to Honey Hollow. Mrs. Fallon told me she felt awful, but Bev refused to see me. I waited and waited on their porch."

"Yeah, it was painful to watch. My mom pleaded for Bev to talk to Harv while Brandy screamed at Bev for making him cry. When my dad arrived and found out from Harvey what happened, he tried to get Bev to speak to him, but she blew up on all of us. After that, Beverly refused to leave her bedroom, and Harvey refused to leave our porch. My mom ordered us away from the door, so I kept on calling Tinny next door, so she could look out her window and give us reports about what he was doing."

"I slept on that porch all night. I kept holding out hope that Beverly would give me a chance to explain what happened. I woke up the next morning with a blanket over me and my grandfather's car pulling into the Fallons' driveway."

"Yeah, that blanket was Brandy's."

"It was?" Harvey asked, surprised.

"My little sister was only six at the time and couldn't understand what was happening. She loved Harvey and saw him as her big brother, her hero. My mom couldn't find her that night. Then she discovered that Brandy snuck out of the house, covered her and Harvey with a blanket, and curled up next to him."

"I...I never knew that," Harvey admitted, **** up at the little girl's act of kindness and affection.

"What did Grampy do?" Whitney asked.

"Seamus came outside, and together he and my grandfather convinced me to leave. I went back to college, making several attempts to call Beverly, but she refused. I never even so much as touched a girl until winter break. Eventually, I managed to find Bev, but she blew me off. I knew I hurt her, but I still held out hope," Harvey recalled. "I dated a few times in the spring semester but still hoped to win her back in the summer. But when I made my grand move, I realized how much I had devastated and betrayed her. Beverly had changed. She'd turned ice cold."

"Changed, she did. My sister turned cold to almost everyone. She became wary of trusting anyone. Once she went to college, she found a boyfriend that she could control, mostly out of fear of a boyfriend hurting her again. When she realized he would follow her orders, she married him," Bridget informed the two teens.

"Knowing that I caused that to a person with my actions sent me on a bender. I'm ashamed to admit that I went crazy. I screwed every woman I could. I encouraged them to bring their friends into bed with them, and I even bagged a few of the girls' mothers when they visited their daughters at school. It was a bad year. Eventually, I slowed down, but I didn't feel whole again until I met Willow. She became my second great love. Of course, I screwed that up too."

"Ahh!"

"Sean, are you okay?" Bridget questioned, rushing to her son.

"My...pain pill...wore off...awhile ago," he answered, between bouts of pain.

"Why didn't you say anything?" his mother asked, pushing the button for the nurse,

"I didn't...want to miss the...story."