NEW BEGINNINGS
Prologue - It is the year 2000 and Alan & Monica are living in relative peace and quiet ...for now....
Monica woke to her alarm clock at 7AM. She turned over to Alan's side of the bed, but he was gone. He'd gotten up for work an hour ago. Monica looked at her clock again and was surprised that it was so late. She hadn't even heard Alan get up and get ready for work. She'd been so tired last night and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Now, as she sat up, she was dismayed to find the nagging headache that she went to bed with was still with her this morning. As she sat upright, a wave of nausea overtook her. She sat at the side of the bed, took a few deep breaths, and hoped it would pass, "I can't be sick today", she thought. She had a busy day at the hospital; a particularly complicated surgery this morning, rounds, a board meeting. But she sure didn't feel up to anything this morning. Actually, the past couple of weeks, Monica just had not felt up to par. She was troubled by frequent headaches accompanied by occasional nausea and lightheadedness. She felt generally just run down. She thought maybe she was coming down with a virus. Now, this morning as she wrestled with the flip-flopping of her stomach, she thought maybe it might be something more.
She finally managed to get herself into the shower and dressed for work. She made her way downstairs for breakfast, but one look at the food and she began to feel queasy yet again. She settled for a few sips of tea and left for the hospital. By the time she reached General Hospital, she was starting to feel somewhat human again. She reviewed her patient's chart for surgery and headed in to scrub. She was pleased to find that Bobbie was scrubbed in also.
The surgery was long and challenging, but it went off without a hitch. Monica prepared to close the patient's incision and suddenly stopped.
"Monica, "Bobbie spoke to her, "Are you ok?" Monica was pale and sweat was running down her face.
"Just a little dizzy for a moment - it's a bit warmer in here than usual". She readied herself to begin the closure again, but stopped again, this time shutting her eyes.
"Monica, why don't you step out and we'll close", her associate, Dr. Miller spoke. He and a resident dr. assisted her during today's procedure and she knew they were quite capable of finishing the job.
"Bobbie, maybe you better go with her - she doesn't look so hot."
Monica pulled off her surgical garb after exiting the OR. Bobbie helped her to a nearby room and sat her down.
"What's going on, Monica?" she asked as she handed her some cold water to drink.
"I'll be ok, Bobbie, it was warm in there and I forgot to eat this morning. I just got dizzy for a few moments, that's all."
"Is that all?"
"Yes Bobbie, I'm fine now, really."
Monica attempted to stand and fainted. Bobbie tapped her face and called her name and she came to quickly.
"Monica, you fainted!"
"I guess my blood sugar was low from not eating...I'm ok Bobbie."
"No, Monica, we're getting you checked out just to be sure."
Monica was back on her feet again and argued with Bobbie that she was truly feeling better and didn't need any medical attention. Dr. Ellen Cayhill just happened to walk past them after finishing up a surgery in the OR next door.
"Monica, Bobbie...everything ok?" she asked.
"Monica isn't feeling well...in fact, she just fainted. I told her she needs to be checked out."
Monica shot Bobbie an angry glare. "And I told Nurse Bobbie here that I am fine now."
"Well, Monica, why don't you come along with me to my office and I'll just check you out myself."
"Ellen...that's really not necessary", Monica protested.
"Consider it a professional courtesy...now I insist...you know you can't argue with me Monica!"
She had a point there...Ellen Cayhill was a wonderful doctor, as well as a trusted friend. She was performed Monica's mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and was the push Monica needed to fight her cancer. She knew from experience that there was no winning against Ellen Cayhill.
Bobbie walked with them to Dr. Cayhill's office. (Monica refused to be pushed in a wheelchair). She left them at the doorway. "I'm going back to check on our patient from this morning. Don't be mad at me."
"I'm not Bobbie", Monica forced a smile. "Listen, please keep this between us, ok...the last thing I want is Alan getting wind of this. He'll have me admitted and hospitalized for a week."
"Understood." Bobbie said.
As they sat down in Ellen Cayhill's office, Monica didn't give her a chance to speak. "Listen Ellen I am feeling a lot better, really, so all this is unnecessary."
"Well, why don't you tell me exactly what happened this morning?"
Monica proceeded to tell her about the events of the morning.
"Ok and this was the first time this has happened."
"Well....."Monica confessed, "I really haven't been feeling well for a few weeks."
She proceeded to admit how she has had frequent headaches and dizzy spells and the last few days, some nausea.
"So, it sounds to me like this is more than an isolated incident. How long were you planning to let this go?"
"Ellen, please don't make a big deal out of this...it's nothing a little rest at home won't fix."
"I'll make a deal with you Monica...you let me run a few tests and I won't have you admitted."
Monica sighed..."What kind of tests?"
"Well, a cardiogram for starters...some blood work and an MRI."
Monica looks concerned..."Ellen, what are you thinking here?"
"Look, Monica, I am just covering all bases. The symptoms you describe could be numerous things. But with your history of cancer, we need to be extra careful."
"Oh my God Ellen...you think I have a brain tumor?"
"No, I really don't Monica, but like I said...I need to explore all possibilities and why not rule that out right off the bat, and then we can focus on other possibilities." She grasps Monica's hand, sensing the fear she created. "I'm not trying to scare you Monica, really, I'm not."
"Funny, that's what you said after my mammogram, when you rushed me into the back room for a biopsy. Look how that turned out."
"Let's just have the MRI done...we'll have the results later this afternoon, then we can put your mind at rest."
's nurse drew the blood and performed Monica's cardiogram. Ellen hands the copy to Monica. "You're the expert...how does it look?"
Monica examined the EKG reading. "Just like I've been telling you, I'm fine."
"They'll take you in MRI in about 20 minutes. I'll call you as soon as I get the preliminary reading."
Monica headed down the hallway and toward the MRI dept. She checked her watch and realized it was nearly time for the hospital board meeting. Alan would be expecting her to be there. She knew she should call him and make up something. She hoped he hadn't already found out about the events of the morning. She hated lying to him, but didn't want to cause him any worry. She made up an excuse about checking on a patient who wasn't doing well & told him she meet up with him at home later. She also phoned Dr. Miller to check on the morning's surgical patient. Dr Miller assured her everything was alright and told her he'd do her rounds for her so she could take the rest of the day off.
She returned home after the MRI, feeling fine except her headache. She changed her clothes and lay on her bed for a few minutes. She awoke to Alan gently rubbing her arm. She sat upright and looked at the clock and was surprised to realize she'd been asleep for almost 3 hours.
"Oh, Alan, I must have fallen asleep" she said to him.
"I'm sorry darling. I didn't want to wake you. I was just surprised to see you sleeping in the middle of the afternoon. Are you alright?"
"Yes, of course. I just took a little rest. I guess I was more tired than I thought."
"Well, apparently, Dr. Miller thought something was wrong. I ran into him on the way out and he told me to tell you he hopes you're feeling better."
"What else did he say?" Monica panicked.
"Nothing, but I'm sure you'll tell me the rest."
Monica looked at Alan's concerned expression and started to make up an excuse to tell him. But as she looked in his eyes and saw his worry, she knew she had to fess up. She just hated worrying him, she was worried enough for both of them.
She took a deep breath."I had a little episode in the OR today."
"Episode?"
"Yes, I had a dizzy spell and may have fainted a little"
"Fainted a LITTLE? Sounds like an understatement to me."
"Well, my dear friend Bobbie completely overreacted and insisted I see a doctor. So, Ellen Cayhill checked me out."
"Ellen Cayhill? Why would you see her?" Alan was more worried than before. He knew Ellen was an ob/gyn doctor who now primarily treated women's cancer. She took care of Monica through her cancer from diagnosis through treatment.
"She just happened to be in wrong place at the wrong time, Alan and kinda walked in on the whole thing."
"Ok, so what did she say?"
"Well, she ordered some blood work and some tests."
"Sounds a bit much for one dizzy spell."
"Well, Alan, it wasn't necessarily an isolated incident." She proceeded to describe how she been feeling for the past several weeks.
Alan looked surprised. "So, what kind of tests?"
Alan's face went pale as she explained the MRI and Ellen's reason for wanting it done. Alan tried hard to contain his emotion but he was visibly shaken. Since her cancer 5 years ago, he realized just how close he came to losing her and how much that thought terrified him. He said nothing, but pulled her close. Monica looked up to see the fear in his eyes.
"Alan, please...really, I know I'm fine."
Alan pulled himself together. He knew Monica needed him to be strong. "Ok, Monica, we'll stay positive, but you know whatever is going on right now, I'm right here with you."
Monica fell into his arms again. "I know and I am so grateful for that."
They shared a quiet tense dinner together. Neither wanted to share the anxiety they were feeling. Finally, the phone rang. Monica leapt to answer it.
As she answered the phone, Alan came over and took her hand.
"Your MRI was completely normal," said Ellen.
"Oh thank God," Monica said, choking back tears of relief. Alan squeezed her hand tighter.
"There was just one thing in your blood work that I'd like to go over with you in my office. Now, it's nothing serious. I'd just like to discuss it with you. Can you come in tomorrow, say around 10?"
"Sure, thank you Ellen." Monica hung up the phone, puzzled over what Ellen wanted to discuss. She decided Alan had had enough worry for one day. She wouldn't mention anything else to him until after seeing Ellen tomorrow. Besides, Ellen had assured her it wasn't serious. She turned to Alan who was beaming. He scooped her up and twirled her around.
"Oops, I'm sorry darling. I shouldn't be swinging around a woman who's been feeling dizzy. I am just so glad you're ok. You really had me scared."
"Me too". Alan led her to the couch, took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. He gently ran his hand along her cheek. He spoke softly, just above a whisper. "Monica, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you again."
Monica put her finger to his lips. "I'm fine...I'm going to be fine and you won't be getting rid of me for a long long time." They kissed passionately.
The next morning, Monica awoke feeling better than the day before. However, her stomach was again somewhat unsettled and she again had to forego breakfast for a cup of tea. She met Dr. Cayhill in her office as scheduled. Ellen welcomed her warmly.
"Monica, I'm sorry if I worried you yesterday. I hope you understand why I felt it necessary. But I am so glad it turned out ok."
"So, what is this issue with my blood work?"
"Well, I ran blood counts and chemistry profiles and they were perfect. Can I ask you Monica, when was your last period?"
Monica wasn't quite sure what Ellen was getting at. "Well, Ellen, I've been kind of irregular for some time now. I guess menopause is starting."
"Well, I thought that might be the case also. And, you know, if your hormones are off, it can make you feel pretty lousy. So, I ran a bunch of hormone levels. As it turns out, your levels were off, but not at all what I expected. So, I had the lab run one final test which confirmed my suspicion."
"And?"
Ellen broke into a big smile. "Monica, you're not in menopause at all. You're pregnant!"
Monica was speechless. She stared at Ellen for a few moments, unable to make any words come out. "Ellen there must be some mistake. This is impossible."
"See for yourself" She handed Monica the test results.
"Oh my God.....I ...I didn't think ....I mean, my age....the chemo..."
"Well, Monica, you have heard of change-of-life babies. It happens to a lot of women who think they can't get pregnant anymore. And as far as the chemo...sometimes it affects fertility, but not always. So, congratulations Mom."
Monica was still having difficulty comprehending all this. All these years, she'd never gotten pregnant, not since AJ. Why now? And what would Alan say? She started to worry. Would this be safe at her age?
Ellen assured that they would take every precaution and do additional testing to make sure the baby is ok.
"I see no reason why you can't have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby."
Monica left Ellen's office and phoned Alan, asking him to meet her at home.
Alan got home shortly after Monica did and immediately started scolding her. "I knew you should have stayed home yet today...you're not feeling well again are you. You need to slow down and take care of yourself."
"Alan, I'm ok, but I need to talk to you. I think you should sit down."
"Oh no...Any conversation that begins with 'you should sit down' can't be good at all."
Alan sat down. Monica walked over to the desk and began fumbling with some papers there.
"Ok, what are you putting off telling me?" Alan yelled.
Monica sat on the couch next to him. "When Ellen Cayhill called yesterday, she told me there was a lab result she wanted to discuss with me today. I knew you were worried enough about everything else, so I figured I'd wait to say anything until I saw her today."
"Ok. So what'd she say?"
Monica got up and began pacing. How would Alan react to being a father again? Their children were grown..they were grandparents…
"Monica, you're starting to scare me again, please tell me whatever it is that's wrong!"
"I'm pregnant Alan" she finally blurted out.
"What??!! You're what?"
"I'm having a baby." She took his hands in hers "We're having a baby."
"A baby? You're sure...I mean....I didn't think....that you still could...."
"I really didn't think so either, but I am. I saw the test results myself."
Alan pulled her into a tight embrace. "Oh my God Monica...this is amazing...I can't believe it. It's like a miracle almost."
"I was so worried you'd be upset."
Alan looked at her and stroked her cheek. "How could I be upset? This is the most wonderful thing I could imagine. Monica, we've been given another chance to get it right this time as parents."
Monica rolled her eyes..."Do you really think we can...get it right?"
"Yes, of course we can. We made so many mistakes with the boys. I know we must have learned something from that."
Monica's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to mess this up."
"You won't." He kissed her forehead, then pulled away from her and looked at her seriously. "Wait a minute - I almost forgot to ask you...this baby...is it mine?" Then he broke into a smile.
Monica burst into soft laughter. "Yes...oh yes...without a doubt this time."
"Then I'd say we're already off to a good start at getting it right. I love you so much Monica." He put his hand on her stomach. "And I promise that I will love this child unconditionally just like I love you."
Monica whispered, "I love you too." They fell back onto the couch, kissing deeply.
The next 6 months passed rather quietly. The Quartermaine clan had mixed reactions to Monica & Alan's news. Tracey thought they had lost their minds, Edward professed that this was just another child that Alan and Monica would "ruin" with their poor parenting skills. (Secretly, however, he was thrilled at the prospect of another Quartermaine grandchild, although he'd never let anyone know it). Lila, of course, was overjoyed and refused to let Edward dampen her enthusiasm. Emily was absolutely thrilled and promised to spoil this baby to death. AJ was somewhat skeptical about his mother's pregnancy, convinced that she truly was too old to be doing this again. Even Jason was more visible than usual in the Quartermaine household, making up excuses to stop by and check on Monica.
Monica was tired and uncomfortable at times, but all in all her pregnancy progressed smoothly. All tests indicated that she was carrying a healthy baby. She loved how different this pregnancy was from her last, when she was so torn between Rick and Alan and spent most of the pregnancy embroiled in horrendous fights with Alan. Alan was a devoted father-to-be. He waited on Monica hand and foot, to the point where he drove her crazy. He was ecstatic...he could scarcely believe that only a little over a year ago he had almost lost everything to his drug addiction. Now, he was clean and healthy and preparing for fatherhood again. He spent endless nights just holding Monica, his hand on her belly, feeling his child kick. They were more in love than ever.
When the first labor pains hit, Alan wasted no time in rushing Monica to the hospital. Her labor was long and difficult and Alan felt completely helpless. He was by her side constantly, holding her hand, mopping her brow. Monica fought through the pains, gripping Alan's hand harder with each contraction. She swore she would never let Alan touch her again. Finally, their baby made its dynamic entrance into the world, crying hard and loud. Alan's hand was trembling as he cut the cord. He was then handed his newborn daughter. Her crying stopped and they gazed at each other. Alan brought her to Monica and she held her close to her chest. Monica wept as she looked into those tiny eyes, fighting so hard to stay open. As he looked upon his wife holding their daughter, Alan knew in his heart that he had never loved Monica more. She had given him the most amazing gift he could ever imagine. He wrapped his arms around both of his girls. "I love you," he whispered to Monica. "I love you too," she said through her tears of joy. They both new that this was only the beginning of a new and wonderful chapter of their life together.