The Way Back

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If it was him, Eve had big trouble to face. She closed her eyes and prayed to herself that it wasn't him. She didn't want to face him, especially after the way things had ended between them.

Five years. Had it really been that long? It seemed like only yesterday when she had dashed like a mad woman across the airport to catch his plane, but in the end, she had been too late.

Too late? It was the story of her life. She had realized too late that her dream world was a sham. She had decided too late what she truly wanted in her life. She had waited too late to seize what she knew could save her.

She had stood at the gate and watched his plane soar into the waiting blue sky. She had nearly choked on her own tears as she watched the man she'd waited too late to acknowledge leave her by herself.

Making her way back to the apartment that night had been the longest, most excruciating drive of her life. No one would be at home waiting for her. No one would be there to listen as she cried. No one would be there to tell her that she could make it on her own. There would be no one. And she would have to face life on her own after leaning on her best friend for so many years.

Eve couldn't quite place when she'd lost her independent spirit. Had it happened when she'd tried to get her love life straightened out only to fail miserably? Had it happened when she'd become vulnerable and let someone care about her? Or had she merely given herself to the old urge to become a part of something larger only to lose herself in the process?

Whenever it had happened, the loss of her independence had proven a fatal wound. She had spent the last five years rebuilding her life piece by piece, struggling to come to terms with the many losses in her life while dealing with the greatest challenge she'd ever faced. And now.....

She took a deep breath as she turned towards the doorway. The blue jean clad legs made her doubt herself for a moment. He would never be caught dead at work in anything so casual. But as she continued looking over him, the pale blue button down shirt peaked her curiosity. Could it be? Was it really him?

Eve looked up to finally meet the magical brown eyes that had captivated her years ago. She swallowed hard as she was faced with the man she'd vowed not to love.....the man she had to guard her biggest secret from.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," He smiled casually, a sexy grin crossing his features.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile, desperately trying to steady her quivering knees and the fluttering in her stomach. She hoped that her voice could remain steady as she finally allowed herself to speak.

Chris crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame with a smile, "Eve Lambert. What the hell are you doing back in my life?"

Eve took a deep breath and asked herself the same question, wondering how she was ever going to explain this to him, and wondering how she would ever keep the truth from him.

Eve took a deep breath before she sat at the conference table, "It's funny, but shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"

"I'm the one who left Port Charles to get away from all of you," Chris replied before he walked to the window and looked outside, "So why is it you've invaded my life yet again?"

"Invaded your life?" She repeated and glared at him, "I had no idea you were here."

"And you expect me to believe that?" He accused, turning to face her, "Of all the hospitals, in all the world, you just happen to end up at the same one where I'm working? Come on, Eve. There are a lot of coincidences in the world, but there is no way you can convince me that this is one of them."

"You honestly believe that I would show up looking for you?" She asked in disbelief, "Your ego hasn't changed one bit. You still have an over inflated image of yourself."

"Play your game however long you like, Eve, but I'm not taking part in it," He said casually, glancing out the window again.

"Dr. Ramsey, I see you've been introduced to Dr. Lambert," Derek Thomas spoke as he stepped into the room.

"Dr. Thomas," Chris nodded towards the chief of staff, "Dr. Lambert and I are.....familiar."

"Oh, so you two know each other?" Derek asked as he placed a stack of files on the table.

"Well that should make things a bit easier then," Derek smiled as he glanced back to Chris, "I thought you might show Dr. Lambert around the hospital, the ins and outs, our little procedures, such as that."

"I'll see what I can fit into my schedule. I've got a bypass scheduled for two o'clock," Chris answered.

"That should be plenty of time," Derek slid a file towards Eve, "That's just a quick run down of our staff. Look it over so you'll know who's who around here. And if you have any questions, just let me know," He finished quickly before he slipped out of the room.

Eve moved her fingertip around the edge of the file before she raised her eyes to find Chris scowling down at her, "You don't have to do this. I'm sure I can find my way around."

"Don't be ridiculous, Eve. Why wouldn't I want to show you around? I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do with my time," Chris frowned.

"Don't put yourself out on my account. Lord knows I couldn't live with it on my conscience for Chris Ramsey to do something selfless with his time."

"Selfless? On the contrary, I'm actually looking forward to questioning you non-stop about the men you've burned your way through in the last five years. That should take up most of our time anyway," Chris shrugged as he made his way towards the door.

"Ramsey, how dare you!" Eve huffed as she got to her feet. Her only reply was the closing of the door behind Chris as he exited. She took a quick breath and groaned, hoping that she could make it through the rest of the this already long day.

"Rumor is that you know the new doc in town," Paige Stewart smiled as she leaned against the nurse's station. She toyed with the stethoscope dangling around her neck as she watched Chris with prying eyes.

Chris smiled in his usual manner when dealing with Paige's talkative nature. He usually enjoyed her playful banter and often instigated her just to amuse himself, but today was different. It wasn't just anyone she wanted information about. It was Eve Lambert.

Eve Lambert. He swore to himself that her name would never again haunt him. He'd left Port Charles to cleanse himself of her influence in his life only to spend several months afterward wondering if she had even noticed his departure. He had found a way to crawl out of his misery by focusing on Stacey.

Stacey. Wouldn't she be thrilled to hear about Eve's arrival in town? He inwardly cringed at the very thought and decided to make it his mission to keep the two women from ever meeting face to face.

"A time or two," She grinned as she stepped around the nurse's desk and touched his shoulder, "I'm just trying to get to know the lady."

"Paige..." Chris warned, "Let's just say that Eve Lambert and I have a very twisted history."

Paige turned to face the woman and smiled. Chris watched Eve carefully for a moment, "Paige, this is the new doc as you called her. Eve Lambert. Eve, this is Paige Stewart, she's the wife of Dr. Doug Stewart. You'll meet him sooner or later. He seems to latch on to all the attractive women."

"Careful Ramsey," Eve forced the corners of her mouth into a smile, "That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Well I'm glad I avoided that situation," He replied before signing a file in front of him, "Let's get this tour started. The sooner we start, the sooner it ends."

Paige frowned, "Don't let him give you a hard time, honey," She addressed Eve, "If he starts any nonsense you just come tell me. I'll fix him right quick like."

"Spare me," Chris nudged Paige on his way by before pointing down the hall and looking to Eve, "After you."

Eve studied him for a moment before taking the lead. Chris followed behind her, just hoping to make it through the day.

Eve sat in a cafe downtown, staring out the window as a few people walked along the sidewalk. Chris' guided tour of the hospital had been about as comfortable as being stuck in the middle of rush hour traffic. He had rushed down the hallways pointing out sites of interest before he hurried into his scheduled afternoon surgery.

She glanced down at the mug of coffee before her and sighed. She had never imagined running into Chris again, especially now. She had thought about seeing him again, but it had never crossed her mind that it might actually become a reality. She had no idea what she was going to do. She only knew that she couldn't let him find out the truth.

Eve looked up into the eyes of an older woman wearing an apron with a pot of coffee in her hand. Eve shook her head and forced a smile, "I'm fine."

"You look like you're in some deep thought there," The woman replied before she refilled Eve's cup, "Must be man troubles."

"I've had plenty of trouble with em myself," The woman smiled before she placed the pot on the table and extended her hand to Eve, "My name is Caitlin Gibson, and you must be new to town."

"So what brings you to Evansville, Montana? We can't be much to look at for a beautiful young woman like yourself," Caitlin spoke before she took a seat across from Eve.

"No," Eve shook her head, "That isn't what drew me here. A friend of mine actually referred me here. Now I wish I hadn't come."

"It seems that some memories turn up even when you've tried your best to avoid them."

"I wouldn't say that," Eve frowned, "It's just that some times thing left in the past should stay there.....forever."

"I know," Caitlin nodded, "I know the feeling well. I have had my fair share of men, and there are stories that I could tell that should never ever see the light of day."

"Who said you could eavesdrop, boy?" Caitlin asked as she stood and met him halfway.

Chris kissed her cheek, "You know that you couldn't hide any secrets from me, Caitlin."

"You'd just try to pry them up anyway," Caitlin frowned before she patted him on the shoulder, "How's Stacey?"

"Grumbling at me to get home with some of your chicken noodle soup," Chris explained before he moved to the counter.

"Well, we can't keep her waiting, can we?" Caitlin moved behind the counter and began moving around some containers as Chris cast a glance towards Eve.

"You've found your way to the best place to eat in town," Chris commented softly.

"And the conversation isn't too bad if you can deal with Caitlin's prying," Chris spoke as he cut his eyes towards the older woman.

"Prying? Excuse me, Chris, but you're the prying one around here," Caitlin replied as she placed a bag in front of him, "I even put the garlic Texas toast in there, just the way Stacey likes it."

"Thank you," Chris smiled as he placed some bills on the bar, "I'll give Stacey your love."

"You do that. You be good now," Caitlin warned as she watched Chris leave. Caitlin shook her head and then glanced to Eve, "Chris really loves that girl. He'd do anything for her."

Eve watched Caitlin for a moment and wondered who Stacey was. It appeared that Chris had moved on with his life and was happy. She was glad that he had found some happiness after the disaster Port Charles had been, but she also felt a difficult pain clenching within her chest. How could she work in this town while Chris had his happy relationship and she had a secret to protect at all costs?

"How's your first full day going?" Chris asked as he passed by Eve as she stood at the nurse's station.

"It's going quite nicely actually," She replied with a smile as she spotted him, appreciating his blue jeans and black tee shirt, "Rather casual for the office, isn't it?"

"I'm just dropping by. I do have a life outside the hospital here," He flashed a momentary smile, "I imagine you do as well."

"You're a smart girl," He picked up his messages and began thumbing through them, "I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Oh no," Eve rolled her eyes, "It would be unthinkable to believe that Chris Ramsey might actually find himself making a mistake, wouldn't it?"

"About you? I made more than my fair share, I'm afraid," Chris finished softly before he tucked his messages into his pocket, "You know, Eve, there aren't many men to go through here. Unless of course you're going to start poaching the married ones again," He frowned, "Though you'll find that the women here are a lot more possessive than what you're used to."

"How dare you say that to me!" Eve raised her voice before remembering their location. She glared at him as she lowered her voice again, "You don't know anything about me, Chris. You remember a time in my life when I was confused."

"Confused?" He couldn't help the chuckle that erupted, "Is that what you call it?"

"I was confused, Chris. I was trying to be someone I wasn't, trying to live a life that wasn't meant for me. I learned my lesson."

"We've got a heart attack coming in," Paige interrupted them quickly, "It's Charles Montgomery."

"He's a city councilman," Chris replied as he plucked a pair of gloves, "And he's a friend."

"Is there anything I should know about this patient?" Eve asked as she moved to help him.

"Just that he's a good friend, Eve. We need to take extremely good care of him."

"Don't we always?" She asked before she softened her tone, "He's a lucky guy. He's going to have the best team to ever collaborate in medicine."

Chris met her eyes and gave her a tender smile, "You're right. We always were a great team."

"The best," Eve clarified before they forgot their argument from the moments before and fell into the familiar habit of working side by side as the perfect compliments to one another.

Chris watched Eve for a moment as he peeled off his own gloves, "Yes it was. You impressed me in there."

Eve's eyes widened as a small smile crept across her lips, "Did I just hear you right? It is possible to impress the great Dr. Ramsey?"

"It doesn't happen often," He smiled as he watched her, "But you seem to have pulled off the impossible."

"Your patient is on the life flight now," Paige informed them as she passed off the chart to the doctors, "He'll be in surgery in about an hour."

"Thank you," Chris replied as he took the chart. He opened the file and jotted down some notes.

"Eve....you have a message," Paige replied as she handed her a small slip of paper, "Who's Phillip?"

Eve's eyes jerked up to Paige, "He's someone very special to me," She replied quickly as she glanced over the slip of paper. Eve picked up the nearest phone and dialed a number.

Chris leaned against the desk with unabashed curiosity, watching Eve's every movement.

"You're not worth the effort," Eve explained before she turned her back on him, "Hey, let me talk to Phillip," She paused as she spoke into the phone, "Hey honey. I'm going to be home in just a bit, okay? Do you want anything while I'm out? Okay, I love you. See you in just a bit."

Chris eased closer to her as she hung up the phone, "Love you?" He grinned slightly, "I was right, wasn't I? So who is he? Some millionaire?"

"Chris, just back off," Eve snapped before she gathered her files and walked down the hall.

Paige let out a whistle, "Nice technique there, Chris. What was that? An attempt to get yourself backhanded?"

Chris smiled, "Trust me, Paige. Where Eve Lambert is concerned, I know what she's about before she does most of the time," He jingled his car keys in his hand, "And right now, I'm interested in finding out just how right I am."