Chapter Four
Alexis lay back on her hospital bed. She missed her girls. Both of the little one's birthdays were next month, Kristina's fall festival at school would be this month, her Thanksgiving play next month, Christmas break in December, and Alexis would probably miss it all, or be too sick and weak to really enjoy it. Molly would start walking soon. She already said her first few words, including 'Daddy'. This brought tears to Alexis' eyes. Why did she still think that Ric had been a good father? He loved his kids, but that didn't make him a good father. Good fathers don't hurt their children's mothers. Good fathers don't choose their brother over their child, even if the child was still in her mother's womb. But Ric was a good father in Alexis' mind. He was better than her father and that's saying something. Or was it? Molly loved him. She didn't know any better. Alexis thought that she changed Ric. She didn't set out to change him, but she thought she did anyway. Boy was she wrong. He just lied dormant for a year. Alexis took a long, deep breath and held it as she saw Jason walk in the room.
"Hi, Alexis."
"Jason? What brings you here?"
"Sonny asked me to come stay with you for a while. He's wrapped up in some business today and he didn't want you to be alone."
"Oh, how kind of him. Well, I'm letting you off. We both know you don't want to baby-sit me today. And I'm offended that Sonny thinks I need a baby-sitter."
"I offered."
"Why?"
"Cause I think we could use the time to talk."
"What could we possibly talk about?" Alexis looked away uncomfortably as Jason pulled a chair closer to the bed.
"Life … and how it got us to this point."
"What point are you referring to?"
"Us acting as if we hate each other."
Alexis just gave him a look.
"You act like you hate me?"
Jason nodded and looked down.
"I've never hated you Jason. I'm pretty sure that I don't act like it, but I want nothing to do with your kind of life … so, I don't invite you to parties … the movies … dinner … I don't call you four times a week to just talk. I didn't want you involved with my daughter because she was shot in your arms and nearly died. I would move heaven and earth to stop that from happening again."
Jason looked up at the woman in front of him. "We used to be friends. You didn't really mind what Sonny and I did back then."
"Back then I wasn't a mother," she said harshly.
He nodded once more. "Why did you sleep with Sonny?"
Alexis gaped at Jason. "Excuse me?"
"You slept with Sonny. You got pregnant. You lied. I understand the lying, Alexis, but why did you even sleep with him in the first place? I think that sex was put on this earth for procreation purposes, right? Yet you didn't want to get pregnant by Sonny … so why?"
Alexis was smiling. This was quite possibly the strangest conversation she'd ever had.
"Why did you sleep with Carly? You can't ask me to believe that you really wanted a child with her?"
"Good point."
"What the hell do you want to know for?"
"Just curious."
"Well, um … it's none of your business, so stop being curious."
"Okay, sorry … I just, I don't know. That's when everything went south for you and Sonny, you and me … "
"That wasn't my intention, but you can't blame me for not wanting my daughter raised by the most dangerous criminal in Port Charles."
"Liz is pregnant with my child."
Alexis sat quietly looking at him. She didn't know what to say, but now she understood why he was asking the questions from before.
"Like you and Sonny, we didn't plan on it. We didn't want it."
"But she told you. That's a difference."
"She has no one else to tell. Lucky is in rehab, her Grandmother is busy with Cameron, Emily is busy with Nikolas … and we're friends."
Alexis nodded, "You don't want your friendship to be ruined."
"Yeah."
"Then don't let it."
"How can it not be? She thinks the same thing you did. She doesn't want her child to be raised by a dangerous criminal."
"So you admit you're a criminal."
"I admit nothing." He smiled at the lawyer.
Laughing, Alexis continued, "So get out, Jason. Get out of the mob and live. Be with Sam, be friends with Elizabeth, be a father to this baby. Choose the people you love over a job."
"It's not that easy."
"It's not that hard."
Sam walked in shocked to see Jason in the room. "Hey," she directed to both her 'mother' and Jason.
"Hey, well, lookie here, Jason, your relief. How much do I owe you for baby-sitting?"
"Sonny's taking care of it." He smiled and placed the chair back where he retrieved it from and smiled to Sam as he walked out the door. He had no idea how to tell her and hoped that Alexis wouldn't.
"How ya feelin'?"
"A little better. Thanks. I'm ready to get out of here."
"Chemo starts in a few days?"
"Unfortunately."
"You're still going to do it, right?"
"Yeah."
Sam was sick of the normal conversation. She finally blurted out, "What happened? That night? Ric did this?"
Alexis darted her eyes quickly away from Sam, "I don't really fell like talking about it right now."
"Please, Alexis. I need to know."
"Well first," Alexis was getting brave, "is there anything you'd like me to know?"
Sam looked down to the sheet on the bed where Alexis' fingers were running the cotton through between. She thought of that night. The night she slept with her mother's husband, but she wasn't her mother. That, although still disgusting in her mind, made things a little better. She didn't want to tell Alexis. She wanted to keep this secret forever, but she knew in the back of her mind that Ric had probably told her … or Sonny, or even Jason …
Sam was honestly sick of the lie and hoped that Alexis knew. She sat down on the bed next to Alexis and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Do you know?"
Alexis wasn't ready for this. She didn't feel up to slapping Sam, and that's what she had wanted to do ever since she saw her f--ing her husband.
"Do I know what?"
"Please don't make me say it."
"No … you're going to say it. You're going to tell me as if we both know that I DON'T know. I wasn't put through this for nothing. You're going to say it."
"I slept with him."
"With who?"
"Your husband."
"Say his name."
"Ric."
"And what was his relationship to you?"
Sam swallowed. Here goes nothing. "He was nothing to me."
"He was my husband … so that made him your … "
"Nothing."
"Sam," Alexis said, disgusted.
"He's not related to me … through blood or marriage." She stood up and walked to the door, looking back at Alexis. Opening the door, she looked down at the floor, "You aren't my mother."
Sam walked out, closed the door, walked seven feet, and fell to the floor in silent sobs.
Alexis though, just stared ahead. What? What?! Tears came to Alexis' eyes. They fell. They fell for Sam … they fell for herself. Alexis stood and walked into the hallway, hoping to find someone … anyone … and she did. Sam was sitting on the floor, knees to her chest, crying. Alexis walked up to her and bent down. She turned Sam's face to her.
"What did you say?"
Sam let out a sob. "You're not my mother."
Alexis let a few tears fall as she and Sam continued to just look at each other.
"Alexis! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Sonny yelled when he saw the two women on the floor.
"Not now, Sonny," Alexis ordered without breaking eye contact with Sam. Her hand was still on her cheek.
"Sonny's right Alexis, get back in your bed," Patrick chimed in, who was just walking by. He kept walking, so Alexis ignored him.
She whispered to Sam, "You aren't?"
Sam shook her head 'no', but didn't look away.
Then, the tornado came. Epiphany walked up to the two women on the floor and said, "Alexis, go back in your … "
"NO!" Alexis screamed as she stood up. "STOP IT EVERYONE! I'm out of my bed and I'll STAY out of my bed until I damn well feel like getting BACK in bed!! Do you understand me?" she stared at Epiphany and Sonny.
"I'm talking to MY DAUGHTER!" Alexis let it out. She looked down to Sam. "You are my daughter. Blood or no blood. We didn't go through all of that sh-- with the fighting and the kidnapping and the sleeping with my husband and the cancer and the rape and the MURDER of my HUSBAND for NOTHING!! We didn't go through all of that to not bond … to not know each other … to not get something good out of it. Whether you like it or not … you are my daughter. Now … " Alexis turned back to Epiphany, "I think I should get back into bed." And she fell. Sonny and Epiphany didn't get to her in time before she hit the floor.
