Chapter 14

Alexis looked over at the clock. Crap…they had less than an hour to be at court. "Jump in the shower, we're running late." She called to the bathroom door. She laid out Emily's jeans and green sweater on Sam's bed then rushed to her own room to find something to wear.

Sleeping in a chair had left her stiff. She pleaded silently for Sam to hurry. She wanted nothing less than an incredibly hot shower.

She decided a power suit might be out of place in family court, so she chose a lavender jacket and skirt, and was trying to find a white shell to wear underneath when she heard an argument in the hall.

"I need to get in there…I'm telling you there is something wrong with my cousin."

"Stefan? What…what are you doing here?" She looked from him and the bewildered housemaid, whose English wasn't very strong. "It's okay Lucia…" She smiled and pulled Stefan into her suite.

"I'm glad to see you are in good health Cousin."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I've been trying to reach you for almost 2 days…the last I heard from you, you had been a victim of a crime…I was concerned."

"Oh…I'm sorry Stefan, I've had my phone off most of the weekend, things have been crazy."

Just then the shower stopped and Stefan raised an eyebrow. "You have a guest."

"It's not what you think Stefan."

"What you do on your own time is, of course, none of my business, but you know there is a great deal going on at General Hospital at the moment, and I do expect to be able to contact you."

Alexis felt a flash of annoyance. Her cell had been off most of the weekend, but Justus seemed able to reach her without much fuss by calling her room. So in fact, for all his blustering, she was sure Stefan had only been trying to get a hold of her yesterday. She took a deep breath and apologized again, in the interest of expediting the meeting and getting him out of her hair.

She wanted to scream when he suggested her 'guest' was Luke Spencer…well she wanted to vomit…but screaming would be involved as well. A thump from the bathroom revealed Sam and in true Cassadine form Stefan referred to the child as a what instead of a who.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me Judge Lawrence."

"It's unusual to have someone of your reputation involved in Family Court…I couldn't resist hearing you out. Now am I to understand the child in question, Samantha McCall, assaulted you?"

"That would be an extreme description. She stole my wallet…I fell, but that was just because I was distracted…and clumsy." Alexis smiled.

"And you annoyed Judge Porter so he gave you custody?" Margaret Lawrence asked.

"That would be somewhat accurate. I volunteered to take her, rather than having her spend the weekend in jail."

"Mmm hmmm…how did that go?"

"It was very…enlightening."

"And why are we here Alexis?"

Judge Lawrence pulled off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is extremely unorthodox, you realize that?"

"I do."

"You do bring up some interesting points. I've looked over Samantha's chart only minimally, her school work wasn't always the best, but at her most consistent point in the foster system…she was making A's and B's. So you're correct, she's quite bright. She was involved in a few scuffles at school, but in general was not considered a discipline problem. Her acting on her own to visit a former foster sibling, indicates she is a loving, compassionate, and resourceful child."

Alexis smiled triumphantly.

"But sadly this is true of well over 90 percent of children in the New York Foster Care System."

"I…I didn't mean to imply."

"And a majority of them don't have a police record."

"Yes…" Alexis felt very small under the judge's gaze.

"Yet you seem to think you can find her a foster home all on your own."

"It's just…Please believe me when I say, I mean no offense to anyone in CPS, but I know they are over worked and underpaid. I feel like I've gotten to know Sam very well this weekend, and would be able to persuade one of the couples mentioned…"

"You had as many reasons each couple couldn't take her as you did reasons they might. What I don't understand Ms. Davis is why you think you could 'persuade' anyone to take her, when the most obvious candidate isn't on the list."

"I…I'm afraid I'm not following you."

"You say Sam needs someone who is willing to stand up for her, give her a safe environment, and offer her consistency. You don't mention love…but I suspect you assume that will fall into place. It doesn't necessarily."

"Of course, I mean…ideally love would be involved, but first she needs to be safe and cared for."

"True. It seems to me…ideally…that she would be best off with someone who listened to her, encouraged her, someone who got to the bottom of her behavior, and someone who actively helped her in anyway she might need it."

"Yes."

"So why didn't you put yourself on the list?"

"What?"

"You took her in when you had every reason not to, you discovered her love of reading and encouraged it because of one off handed remark she made, and you went out of your way to reunite with…"

"That was simply a coincidence, I happen to know Stone…and…"

"It seems to me that you would be an ideal foster parent."

"I…I'm not married."

"Welcome to the 20th century Alexis…that's not even a requirement for adoption anymore. Many foster children fare as well if not better in single parent homes."

"But I work all hours…"

"She's not an infant, though she'll be on probation, so supervision will be important, but there is no law against hiring a housekeeper or the like to help you."

"I don't even have a house…"

"That could be a problem…a hotel isn't really an acceptable residence…even if it is the nicest one in town."

"And I don't even technically live here…I'm a registered democrat in New York County."

"She's a ward of the state, not the city or county."

Alexis couldn't breathe…her mind searched frantically for another argument.

"Alexis…I don't expect you to decide this minute. For starters I really need to speak with Samantha."

"But what if…if… I don't want to hurt her."

"I won't even mention it as a possibility, but I need to know how she feels about you. I suspect she isn't entirely certain. Kids like Sam, who've been shuffled around and repeatedly abandoned…trust is always an issue."

"I don't think she really likes me."

Judge Lawrence laughed. "Let's not ask for the moon Alexis…I might just settle for her not actively hating you."