Hi all, sorry about the delay. Alexis is awake and talking. Still, I think what she has to say is a surprise. I hope you enjoy.
-K
The Break – Chapter 4
Alexis was unsure why she was sitting on the beach with a very handsome man and his two daughters. All she knew was that she'd never seen anything even half as funny as such a dapper man jumping and screaming when he realized he was covered with seaweed. Moments before, she'd been sleeping, at least she felt like she'd been sleeping. She'd felt the warm ocean tickle her cheeks and smelled the ocean air. Soon, she heard his yelp and the girls' giggling. It was something about those joyous sounds that awoke her from her sleep. Now, she wondered why the man and his girls were staring at her like she'd grown a third eye. She tried to speak, but she was unable to force out a sound.
"Mom?" The youngest girl was the first of the three gawkers to arrive at her side. "Are you there?" The oldest girl stood close to the man. For some reason, she looked as though she'd seen a ghost.
Once more she tried to speak to no avail. Her throat felt like sandpaper.
Then she watched as the man began to bark orders at his daughters. "Molly, hand me my cell phone. I need to call Kevin. Kristina get a bottle of water for your mother." He touched her face. His hands were soft. "Hang on a second, sweetheart."
Obediently, the oldest girl handed him a bottle of water that he quickly lifted to her mouth. The water was cool and moist in her mouth. After a few sips, she noticed that the man and his girls were staring at her. She looked around a little further and noticed that she was on the beach. Though she could tell they weren't in Greece, wherever they were still seemed familiar. "What's going on? Why is everyone watching me?" Her voice was without much strength.
"Because you haven't said anything in a really long time, Mom." The oldest girl, whom she believed to be named Kristina, responded.
"Yeah, like eight months," the little one added.
She began to process that the girls called her mom, which made her nervous because the last thing she remembered she was childless. Though, the thought of the baby she delivered years before never left her mind, she worked at a law firm in Manhattan and lived a very comfortable single life. Although, the little one said she'd missed eight months, by the looks of the girls, it seemed to Alexis that somehow, she was missing more like eighteen years. She did her best to breathe slowly through her mouth; an anxiety attack would scare these girls who obviously loved her very much.
She touched the man's face then looked at the girls, "Girls, can you give me a few minutes alone with your father?"
Both girls gave a confused look to the man. "Kristina, Molly, run back to the hotel and get Max. Your mother isn't going to be strong enough to walk back on her own." He gave each of them a reassuring nod before they headed in the direction of the hotel.
As soon as they were out of earshot, she felt the tears stream down her cheek.
The man gently wiped them away.
"What's going on, sweetheart?"
She took a deep breath. "What year is it?"
"2010. Why?"
"Because a few minutes ago, two beautiful girls were thrilled to see me and they called me, "Mom." I have no memory of them at all. You say it's 2010 and the last thing I remember is 1989." Though she was outside, she felt as though she was running out of air.
"Breathe, Alexis." He rubbed her hand, which seemed to calm her. "Look at me," he tried to capture her eyes with his own, "I'm right here."
"Speaking of, who are you? Are we married? Did I forget a 19 or 20-year marriage? How is it that I can't remember you?"
"Shh…calm down. Why don't you start with what you do remember and I'll help you fill in the gaps. Do you remember your name?"
"Yes, I'm Alexis Davis." Her voice grew a little stronger with the acknowledgment of whom she was. "I'm an attorney from New York City and I am Stefan Cassadine's cousin. I am single and I live in Manhattan. I specialize in criminal law."
"You really don't remember anything else?"
"No," she gasped.
"Why did you pretend everything was okay a few minutes ago?"
"Because I lost my mother when I was a little younger than the littlest one. From what I gather, I already checked out on them eight months ago. I won't cost them another day without their mother."
"Wow. You never cease to amaze me."
She liked this man. He was nice. It was no wonder she'd fallen for him. Still, he wasn't exactly her type. He did seem to be a good father and she decided at that moment to appeal to his love for their daughters. "Promise me you won't tell the girls I don't remember them."
"You can't honestly believe you can fake having a memory."
"I'm a Cassadine; deception runs through my bloodline." Her Cassadine background was something she generally didn't acknowledge; however, if this man was her husband, partner or whatever, he probably already understood that she generally stayed away from her family's questionable activities. "Besides, this is probably temporary. What possibly could have been so traumatic that I blacked out for eight months?"
"Maybe we should talk about that later. Right now, I need to call your doctor."
She grabbed the man's hand as he reached for his phone. "That can wait. Promise me, you won't tell them. It will break their hearts."
He sighed loudly, "Fine."
She smiled. She wondered if he was always this reasonable. "You need to fill in on a few details before those two girls come back and figure out something is wrong."
She watched as he ran his hands through his hair. "It might be too late."
"Why?" She suddenly became very upset. The two girls seemed absolutely lovely. And though she was sure, based on their Cassadine lineage, that they were very strong; they also seemed a bit fragile when they had been staring at her. "How could they have figured out something was wrong that quickly?"
"You called me their father."
"Aren't you?"
She watched as he lowered his eyes. "I'm Kristina's father, not Molly's."
"How is that possible? They looked so much alike."
"Molly's father was my brother, Ric Lansing."
"I cheated on you with your brother? I'm so sorry. Why would I do that? That seems too Cassadinesque, even for my tastes. How could I have been so stupid?" For the first time since she began speaking Alexis heard the full force of her voice. "I can't believe you forgave me. "
"That's not exactly what happened."
"So, what we stayed together for the sake of the children?"
He released an audible sigh. "We're not together." He studied her face before he added, "But it was my fault."
"I have so many questions. I don't know where to begin." She hadn't felt so lost since Helena murdered her mother. "Where are we?"
"Puerto Rico. You used to love it here. I thought if I brought you back, you might come back to us."
"Well, here I am, though I'm sure this wasn't what you had in mind." Her voice quivered a bit near the end of her statement.
"Hey, we'll take you anyway we can get you." He rubbed her hand between his hands. "I know you're scared."
"You don't know the half of it." Her legs currently felt as though they had bricks on them. She had two beautiful daughters and a devoted ex-husband none of whom she could remember. She wondered if she'd told him about the child she'd given up for adoption before they met. Maybe that was what caused the eventual break between them.
"Hey, hey…" His voice was soft. "We'll get through this. The most important thing is you're here now. I'm going to call Kevin…"
"Kevin?"
"Your doctor…The one you wouldn't let me call a few minutes ago."
"As soon as the girls go to sleep." He wanted to object. She could tell even after the few minutes they'd spent together. She wouldn't let him. "I promise."
"Fine," he pushed out a breath of air.
Over his shoulder, she could see the two girls, Kristina and Molly, returning with a large man who had a baby face. "Now, I have one more question and you need to answer me quickly because I see the girls coming."
"What do you want to know?"
"Your name. I can't think of a bigger give away than not knowing your name."
"It's Sonny…Sonny Corinthos."
"Sonny? What kind of name is that? What are you, some sort of retired prizefighter?"
He laughed displaying a beautiful set of dimples in the process. "No Alexis, I'm not a prizefighter."
"What do you do? Doctor, lawyer, banker?" His hands were too soft for him to have done any type of manual labor.
The large man and the girls, all of whom immediately began to hover over her, interrupted her question before Sonny could answer.
Sonny whispered in her ear. "We'll finish this later." And from his tone, she wondered if he was referring to their conversation or a whole lot more.
Alexis took a deep breath as the large man lifted her in his arms. A million questions ran through her mind. For instance, why had Sonny hired the largest male nurse to carry her to and fro? How long had she and Sonny been married? Were they in love? And if so, why had they stopped loving each other? Or had they? She watched as the girls and Sonny walked alongside she and the large nurse. Although everything seemed strange to her, she had an odd feeling that everything would be okay.
