Installment Two: The Stranger Standing Before Me
Part 3
The sound of a monitor whining as it followed her heartbeat was the first thing Maggie saw as she opened her eyes. Her head was swimming and it felt as if she had a construction crew jack hammering at her skull.
"Ugh…" Maggie groaned as she brought her hand up to her head and felt a slight sting.
Her eyes looked at her hand and saw she had an IV attached to her, with another groan Maggie turned to look around the room.
It was dark but she could make out that it was a shared room. There was someone in the bed across from hers. In the darkness Maggie couldn't make out if it was a man or a woman but right now she didn't care.
What happened? How did she get here? What time was it?
She had places to be and things to take care of. She couldn't be here right now. Gwen's wake….
"Calm down…"
Maggie shifted her eyes towards the bed across from her.
How?
"Your heart monitor spiked. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Maggie wondered why that voice sounded so familiar and almost comforting.
"I have places to be." Maggie informed as she pulled out her own IV, wincing as she did so. "I can't be here." Maggie threw her legs over the bed and moved to stand. Within seconds she was sitting back on the bed holding her head. A wave of dizziness overtook her. "Whoa…"
"You're just as stubborn as she is…" then the tone fell and Maggie imagined that the man was frowning. "…was."
"Who?" Maggie asked as her head continued to swim about in fantasy worlds where lollipops grew on trees and bushes were made of ice cream.
What was the last thing she remembered?
She and David in the parking lot before going to see Mr. Sanderson…wait no that wasn't right.
She had seen Billy! Billy had been leaving the offices as she was going in. They had been talking to Mr. Sanderson when she and David were interrupted by her…
Maggie's eyes narrowed into the darkness at the imagined vision of Richard Stone.
"Your mother."
Maggie turned her head like a shot towards the other bed in the room. She regretted it soon after as her head swam like the fishes again.
"You knew my mother?"
His answer was a laugh. This wasn't helping her get any answers.
"Who are you?" Maggie tried again.
The man chuckled from his side of the room and moved to turn on a light because before Maggie could voice any more questions the light on his side of the room filled the area.
Maggie's eyes took a few moments to adjust to the light and once they did she noticed the long white hair and compassionate blue eyes.
Maggie felt sick to her stomach.
Everything quickly came back to her as she looked into Mr. Cambais' blue eyes.
"Oh god..." Maggie bent over, attempting to put her head between her legs as she tried to remain calm.
"You should have left that IV in. They were giving you fluids." Mr. Cambias scolded, as if he had a right to.
Maggie took a deep breath and stood from her bed this time not needing to fall back onto it. "Fluids for what?" Maggie asked as she looked around the room for her shoes.
"You were dehydrated. Dr. Hayward asked them to put you on something to help."
Maggie shot the sickly man a look over her shoulder as she bent over to pick up her shoes.
"David asked them?"
Sounded just like him, but if she had been admitted she would have had an ID bracelet on. It was protocol. Looking at her wrist Maggie knew she hadn't been admitted as it was bare.
Then again, this was Dr. David Hayward, world renowned cardiologist, she was sure he could get anyone to bend a few rules if it meant he owed them a favor.
"Yes, we were all quiet worried about you."
We…
…Meaning David and Ryan and him.
"Why would you care?" Maggie spat out as she sat heavily down on her bed and slipped on her shoe.
He sighed, expecting this kind of reaction. "You're my daughter."
Maggie pointed a finger at him and her face formed into a sneer. "No, don't you say that. Don't even think about it. My mother…" Maggie closed her eyes as she allowed the term to wash over her. "My mother would have told me. She wouldn't have lied like that…"
Oh, how Maggie wanted that to be true.
"Maggie…"
"No!" Maggie shook her head as she glared at the man lying across from her. "I have places to be. I wish you well and would appreciate it if I never see you again."
Maggie moved towards the door without a glance back at her 'father'. She didn't need a father. She had been living without one for seventeen years what were the next sixty plus years?
"I'm dying…."
Maggie's hand stopped cold on the door handle. Her eyes squeezing shut as she let her chin fall to her chest.
All she had to do was walk out this door. All she had to do was open the door and walk outside.
That was all! She could pretend like she hadn't heard that and that. She could ignore that there was a distinct possibility that the man behind her was actually her father and he was dying.
It wouldn't be hard. She had ignored impassioned pleas from her loved ones before. That fact alone gave her pause as she stared at her own reflection in the door. She could hardly look at herself in the reflection now. If she was to ignore his plea, and he was her father, she would never be able to look at herself again, she was sure.
Maggie released the door knob but remained by the door her shoulders shaking as the hand that had been on the doorknob now covered her mouth.
Tears seemed to be the only constant in her life these last few days. Tears and pain.
After a few minutes of only listening to her own stifled sobs and the beeping of Alexander's heart monitor Maggie turned away from the door. She kept her eyes fixated anywhere but the man lying before her.
Maggie would not walk away again. She couldn't deal with more guilt upon her soul. It would crush her. Even if this man was not her father he had no one.
Michael was...
Michael Cambias was dead! Maggie felt her nails cut into the palm of her hand. That bastard was dead and couldn't hurt anyone ever again!
Maggie sighed. She would wait until she found out the results of the blood test.
Then…then she would go from there.
"Did they run the blood…?"
"It came back as a match." He informed from his bed, Maggie shook her head as she caught sight of his smile.
"How can you be happy?" Maggie asked her voice rough as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I don't expect you to understand…" He informed as he shook his head his smile growing wider. "…but I thought I would have outlived all of my children."
Maggie felt a pang of remorse for the man. Not for the loss of his youngest son, never for that, even now knowing he had been her half-brother. It was the thought of outliving all of his children that Maggie felt remorse for him.
"Do you know I was a…"
"Twin, yes your mothers letter…"
Maggie heard and watched as his face faltered and he shook his head and covertly wiped at his eyes. It made her relax somewhat. At least she wouldn't have to tell him about Frankie. That might have been too much.
Alexander noticed he was getting through, Maggie's stance seemed slightly more relaxed then it had been moments before. Seeing this he plowed forward.
"I loved your mother. I loved her a great deal and it pained me to leave her. Had I known that she was pregnant with you and your sister I…"
"You would have what? Left your wife? You were already married. Had two children! You would have left them to marry my nineteen year old mother? Really? What would the press have thought of you then?"
Maggie had done her homework on Michael and his past.
"Yes, I would have. If she had contacted me, just once, I would have returned to her. The press be damned!" His face went from forceful conviction to a look of shame. "I wasn't in love with my wife. At one time…yes perhaps we were in love. But that love dried up quicker than either of us could imagine."
Maggie shook her head but listened nonetheless.
"Then I met your mother on a business trip and…" He smiled so bright Maggie actually felt compelled to believe him for a moment. Believe that he loved her mother enough to leave his first wife for her teenaged mother, but only for a moment. "…and everything changed for me."
"I find it hard to believe that a powerful man such as yourself wouldn't know that you had two other children in the world…"
Alexander Cambias laughed. He didn't know what else to do. The young woman, his daughter, stood before him looking so much like her mother it was uncanny. The resemblance, the way the young woman was nearly a carbon copy of her mother except for her eyes. Her big blue eyes, his eyes, stared back at him.
"What is so funny?" Maggie seethed, the man was laughing at her. Laughing!
"You are so much like your mother."
Immediately Maggie clammed up and Alexander realized that might not have been the right thing to say.
"I am nothing li…"
"David, I need to see her…!"
Maggie's eyes widened as she spun towards the now opening door. Maggie looked between the door and the man lying in bed further into the room.
Oh no…Maggie thought as she moved forward and threw the door open startling the two standing on the other side.
"Bianca…"
Bianca's smile was like a soothing balm to the tatters that was everything about Maggie's life.
"Maggie…" The younger woman moved forward, pushing passed a stunned David Hayward and wrapped the shorter woman in her arms.
Maggie sighed as she rested her head on Bianca's shoulder and subtly stepped further out of the room and closed the door behind her. It was almost frightening how comforting being in Bianca's arms was.
Bianca stepped away from Maggie so she could look her up and down. To make sure she was actually alright. She kept her hands lightly on Maggie's forearms as she gave her the once over before she met her friends eyes with a calming smile.
"Oh I was so worried. I got in and David said they needed to bring you to the hospital after your father showed up at the reading of your mothers will…" Bianca shook her head in sympathy for her friend.
Maggie realized that David was shaking his head over Bianca's shoulder.
It quickly became apartment that Bianca was unaware of the change in her paternal figure.
"I'm so sorry, that must have been very difficult."
"I…" Maggie cleared her throat. "It was."
So was this, Maggie thought. What in the world was she going to tell Bianca?
"David, what time is it?" Maggie asked as she looked at her cousin
"It's nearly seven." David looked at his watch and saw that Maggie's color was back, if only slightly.
"My mother's wake…"
David reeled for a moment at the term. In all their time here Maggie had not yet referred to Gwen as her mother, just Gwen.
"Yes, we were just coming to get you. I've already arranged for the discharge." David informed shaking off his surprise.
"Bianca how did you get here?" Maggie asked, acutely aware that they still stood outside Alexander's room in Wisconsin, not Pine Valley Hospital.
"David picked me up from the airport." Bianca explained with a small smile as she brought her hand up to Maggie's cheek.
It was easy to see how truly affected Maggie was by all of this. Her eyes were blood shot and her color was not as vibrant as it usually was. Her voice was flat where it usually was full of spunk and her stance was tense and unsure. It was as if she were uncomfortable in her own skin.
Maggie leaned into Bianca's touch and brought both of her hands up to hold the younger woman's hand there. It was so warm. Maggie was hesitant to admit it but she had been so cold the last few days. She sighed at the contact and groaned in frustration when tears silently tracked down her face.
Bianca shook her head gently at the woman before her. She brought her other hand up to Maggie's other cheek and gingerly wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes. All Bianca needed to do was open her arms and Maggie nearly threw herself into them.
Bianca was uncertain how long they stood like this, Maggie snuggled into her neck as she cried for her loss. Bianca would have stood here in this moment for eternity. To have Maggie in her arms the older woman trusting her with her fears and pain. Bianca treasured Maggie's trust and friendship and her friend's devotion to her. Now it was her turn to return the favor, she would be here for Maggie like Maggie had been there for her all this time. She knew she couldn't be anywhere else. Not when Maggie was hurting.
Bianca placed a lasting kiss to the top of Maggie's head and closed her eyes tightly at the pain her friend was experiencing.
"Bianca…" David placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "…would you mind bringing the car around?" At Bianca's obvious hesitation to leave Maggie, David explained. "I'd like to check Maggie over one last time before we leave."
Bianca watched as Maggie pulled away from her and gave her a sad smile. It wasn't comforting but she knew that David needed to talk to Maggie. Hell, she needed to talk to Maggie.
Now that she was here she was going to make sure that Maggie didn't skip out on any meals during the day. Bianca touched Maggie's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly before she took David's keys and went to get the car.
Maggie and David watched as Bianca made her way down the hallway. It wasn't until they could no longer see her that Maggie turned to David, eyes full of new tears.
"David…what am I going to do?" Maggie's desperation for an answer to her questions present in her plea.
"What did he tell you?" David asked as he looked hard at the door behind his cousin's shoulder.
"The blood test…"
David sighed, "It came back with…"
Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is he my father?" Maggie didn't want all of the medical terms she just wanted an answer. She trusted David to be accurate about this.
"Yes, he's your father."
Maggie took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she nodded her head.
"I um…is he…" Maggie looked down at the floor for a moment before meeting David's eyes. "Is he going to die?"
David frowned, "It's not looking good."
Maggie nodded her head and laughed bitterly. "I don't know how to handle this David."
"We can handle it however you want. No one has to know."
"By no one we mean Bianca."
"Well…yes."
Maggie nodded her head as she turned her head towards her father's room. "I'll um…give me a few minutes?" Maggie asked as she moved back towards the door.
David stepped up towards her, afraid to leave her alone for whatever she was about to do. "Are you sure?"
"Come in and get me if I stay in there longer than ten minutes."
David nodded and stepped back, looking down at his watch. "Ten minutes."
Maggie smiled and thanked him before closing the door behind her.
Once back inside the room Maggie noticed that Alexander had his head turned away from the door. His breathing was somewhat labored and Maggie tried not to feel anything towards the man before her.
She cleared her throat as she moved into the room, his head immediately turning to look at her.
"I didn't expect you to come back." He informed with a sad smile.
"Yeah, well, turns out your family. I…don't want to leave you alone to…" Maggie's throat closed in on her as she found she couldn't continue.
"Die…" He laughed sadly as he turned more fully to look at his daughter. "It's alright. I've come to peace with it."
"You have?" Maggie asked skeptically.
"Well…" Alexander sighed. "No." He looked up at Maggie with a sad smile. "I had. I had come to terms with it. Accepted that it was my time. Now," He shook his head as he looked up at the ceiling. "Now I wish I had a god to pray to for more time. I'd have loved to know you."
Maggie's breath caught slightly and she refused to let herself cry. She quickly moved away from this subject. She was too emotionally drawn to handle this last shot at her heart. She needed just a little more time. Let her burry her mother before she had to worry about burying her newly discovered father.
"Your son…" My brother, she still had a hard time accepting that news.
"Michael…" Alexander supplied while Maggie felt an anger course through her at his name.
"He hurt someone…"
Alexander shook his head while simultaneously nodding it. "Ms. Montgomery. I've…I sent her…"
"Money won't fix what he did to her!" Maggie fumed as she glared at the business mogul.
"I know. I…" He looked down at his hands and was shocked to see his fingers fiddling with the blanket. He hadn't fiddled with anything since he was a lad. "I didn't know what else I could give her. I wrote her an apology. I…I wanted her to know that what he did was wrong and although he was acquitted I did not…" He looked up at Maggie with drawn eyes, dark circles under his eyes, his skin grey. "I am sorry for what he did. I know that doesn't change anything. I do, I just, wanted her to know I would help her."
Maggie didn't know what to say. She stood frozen before Alexander Cambias' sincere apology for the pain his son had caused.
"You…you live in Pine Valley." He suddenly spoke up. "Are you close with her?"
Maggie saw a slight hiccup in her plan form. He knew where she lived. She hadn't wanted him to know. For reasons she could only amount to her fear that he would get better while still holding a fear that he wouldn't.
"I…" Maggie cleared her throat as her shoulders slumped in defeat. "She's my best friend. I was there after…I saw what he did I…" Maggie shook her head as memories filed through her mind.
"He was not well…" He sighed in defeat, had had accept this fact long before Michael had hurt Ms. Montgomery. "It's my fault."
"No." Maggie shook her head. "His actions were his own fault! He can't blame them on anyone else. You can't take responsibility for his actions. He had choices. He choose to hurt Bianca…he choose to terrorize her."
"I'd like to believe you but…" He knew fault lie with him. He hadn't raised Michael right. He hadn't raised him at all. He'd let others do it. "I am sorry…" He immediately said as he met Maggie's eyes. "I am so eternally sorry for what he did to Ms. Montgomery."
Maggie wondered if she would rather him say Bianca's first name or if she'd rather he continue to call her Ms. Montgomery. He didn't know her. He had tried to buy her. What would money do for her now? Maggie sighed. It could help her take care of the baby.
Oh god…the baby. Maggie felt sick to her stomach for a moment. What was Bianca going to do about the baby? What did Maggie feel about her possibly ending the pregnancy?
Nothing…! Maggie assured herself. She would support Bianca no matter what her decision. This child was Bianca's baby and she had no connection to it passed her relationship with Bianca. That was how it was in the beginning. That was how it was going to stay.
"I'm not like him." It needed to be said. For his sake or hers Maggie wasn't sure.
"Of course not! I never thought you were…" Alexander informed. "You may share DNA but I know by looking at you, at hearing how you protect your friends, how you love your family…" Alexander smiled and looked at Maggie in wonder. How could she think she was anything like Michael? "You are nothing like him. There was a darkness in him that I see nowhere in you. You have the light your mother had when I first met her. It's strong and vibrant and beautiful."
Alexander watched Maggie's chin quiver as she tried to stand strong against his compliments. "There is not an ounce of him in you. You two are nothing alike." He knew it. With everything he was he had already seen the difference in his two children. "You're more like Junior…your older brother." There was a cloud that passed over Alexander's face that Maggie couldn't ignore.
"He was kind and generous. He was intelligent and wanted to help others. He had an energy about him. He couldn't keep still. He…" His voice broke. "…I think you would have gotten along."
"I…" Maggie frowned as she moved towards Alexander and placed a gentle hand on the man's wrist. He looked so sad, so guilty. Maggie wondered if she looked the same now. Was she as broken and holding onto a guilt that could not be soothed?
"I'm sorry for your loss." Maggie watched Alexander look down at her hand as it remained on top of his own.
Maggie and Alexander remained as they were. Maggie standing uncomfortably before her father's bed while Alex stared longingly at her hand atop his, it was broken by the door opening.
"Maggie…it's time to go." David informed from the doorway as he looked at his cousin and her biological father. It was odd, David was still having a hard time wrapping his head around it.
"My mother's wake…" If Maggie sounded apologetic it was only imagined, she was sure of it.
"Will you come back?"
Maggie froze and looked at Alexander Cambias' hopeful gaze and she was unsure. Unsure of so many things.
"Yes." It was out before she could stop it and the smile that lit up from it almost made it worth the slip.
"I'd come with you if I could." Mr. Cambias offered.
"I know." Maggie didn't doubt that he would. He seemed so genuine it was hard keeping her walls up around him. Hard to do anything but believe what he was saying, even as every part of her being told her not to, her heart told her to trust him.
"I'll be back."
Alexander didn't ask when. It was enough to know that she would be back. He understood that she had other places to be, things to arrange and even if she never came back, it would be okay. He had seen her. He had spoken with her, seen her tears and even seen her smile. It would be enough. It had to be. But he could still hope she would be back. That she would be different than him, than her brothers, and she would keep her word.
"Goodbye Maggie, I…" He sighed as she stood waiting for him to continue by the door, her cousin's shadow playing across her profile. "…I love you."
Maggie saw his expectant face, and was sorry she couldn't return his love. Not yet. He hadn't earned it yet. All she could offer him was a smile and gracious nod. "Goodnight, Alex."
Alexander smiled as the door closed behind Maggie. It was something. His eyes drifted close into slumber and dreams of a life where he had watched that beautiful young woman grow up to be the woman she was today. They were dreams that gave him hope.
Hope that he would know his daughter. Hope that he could help offer her a future she could be proud of.
In the morning he had phone calls to make. There were many things that needed to be handled with little time to get them done. Hopefully that young Lavery lad was still around. He would need his help with this.
David watched Maggie lean heavily against the wall of the stairwell. She had refused to take the elevator. They were on the last flight of stairs leading to the garage where Bianca was waiting for them.
"Maggie…?" David placed his hand on Maggie's shoulder blade and waited. All he seemed able to do the last few days was wait.
"I can't let her know David. She can't know."
"But…"
"No, David. Not yet. I'm not…I…" David sighed as he felt Maggie's shoulder rise and fall quickly as she gasped for air, panicking.
"Shh…it's okay. I won't say a word. I swear to you I won't say anything until you're ready."
Maggie looked at David over her shoulder and offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you David."
"Don't worry about it I…"
"No…" Maggie shook her head as she turned to David. "Thank you for all that you've done. Thank you for being here, for helping me stay together. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come with me." Maggie looked down slightly embarrassed by her admission.
David cupped Maggie's cheek and waited until the young woman met his eyes. "I love you Maggie. You are my family. I want to be here…be there for you."
Maggie smiled even as a tear slipped by unnoticed by the young woman. "Is that your way of saying you're welcome?"
David chuckled as he nodded and heard Maggie laugh lightly. "Yes, it is. Now…" They both calmed themselves and waited a moment more. "…you ready to go?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
David watched Maggie take the lead and walk down the last flight of stairs and open the garage door. He hoped, as he followed her out and towards the car and Bianca, that she really was ready for this.
End Part 3
End Installment Two