Ava and Remy stood beside each other as they watched their son sleeping with several machines and needles protruding from his thin and vulnerable skin. It was surreal for Ava not only because of how wonderful the night had started off but it seemed as if she were time traveling. She'd missed the entire two months at Max spent so maybe this was the universe's sick way of recreating that time for her. Was her song being punished because she'd been so self involved again? Aside from the various probes and occasional electronic whirls Max looked as if he were taking another nap any one of the homes of the homes of his extended family. There was no trace of the pain and anguish that she'd seen watched in helpless horror. As she watched his body twist and contort time slowed to a crawl. As much as she wanted the fits to stop she was never more afraid when his stopped and lay limp. She turned around to Doris in shock and watched as she gathered him up and checked his breathing. Now time stopped all together as Ava watched for signs that God hadn't abandoned her completely.

There were only a few flashes of lucidity of how they made it to the hospital. Somehow an ambulance arrived but the men spent several minutes fighting to take Max away from his wailing mother. Of all the horrible memories she'd ever endure nothing would top seeing a huge man forcing his breath into her tiny son. Eventually she and Max were shoved into the back of the vehicle and Doris followed behind. Doris was the one calmed her enough to call her mother and father and also the one who got Remy to come to the hospital. It had been two hours since she'd lain beside Doris in the bed contemplating making love and it seemed like it seemed more like years had passed. There was still no answer why her son was there and it didn't seem like it would be anytime soon. "So you and Doris?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that"

"Well it sure wasn't anything anyone expected. I certainly didn't" Remy said watching her smiling. Max was in a large room on a tiny bed with huge machine in the background without a single chair. They both stood as near to him as they could and stroked his legs and feet trying to comfort themselves than the sleeping boy. When they'd first gotten into the room the boy using his captivating smile to his advantage and had two pretty nurse fussing over him. It was the first time he'd seen his parents since getting to the hospital and Ava could barely believe that he was sick at all as he reached out to them to lift him up. Whatever medication they gave him started to work or the stress of the day finally caught up and his head began an up down bob until falling completely still. "She isn't your usual"

"Excuse me?" she said cutting her eyes at the man.

"Your usual. Tall, dark and handsome" he laughed again and buffed his nails on his shirt but then rubbed his head absently and looked at her again. "So what's up with this?"

"So you're a homophobe now?"

"No but I am pretty phobic about all the signs I'm seeing in you"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ava I've seen you like this before. I saw the exact crazy look in your eyes when you were trying to convince yourself that you could get Bill to fall in love with you. It's like you're trying so hard to prove you feel something"

"Have you lost your mind? I'm sitting in the hospital waiting for some so called expect to figure out what's wrong with our son and you're critiquing my love life"

"I just don't want to see you go down that path again. I've seen you with her over the past few months and I just don't see "in love Ava" more like "trying to make due Ava." I just think you deserve better" he finally said and then turned back towards their son. "He looks so peaceful. Like he just spent a couple of hours crawling all over your office and chilling with a his hot nanny before knocking down a few z's."

Turning around she slapped his stomach and announce "You are never allowed around Marty again" After a few silent moments she asked with a quiet voice "What if he has meningitis or tumor or something"

"And it could be nothing. It could have been a freak accident and he might never had another seizure ever again" They didn't for the rest of the short visit and all too soon someone announced their time was over until morning. The idea of leaving Max alone horrified her. What happens when he wakes up looking for me and I'm not there she kept thinking silently as she walked back towards the rest of her family. As much as she wanted to sink into the comfort of her mother she realized that it might be less problematic if Olivia was elsewhere.

Every so often she felt herself touching Doris in ways that were suspect. Her father and Remy had already called her out on their relationship and if her mother stayed around much longer she wouldn't be far behind. It was an uncontested miracle that they hadn't been found out months ago. There wasn't a person alive that considered her mother stupid. If anything she was a freaking genius at reading people and situations. She'd used her considerable intellect and skill to leave a tiny island and poverty to become an international corporate star. There were dozens of close calls where Ava and Doris thought she'd finally caught on but each time they'd managed to squeak away. Hundreds of time Olivia had squinted her naturally inquisitive green eyes at them in confusion attempting to tease and answer out of a riddle but she never caught on until today.

Mel slept on a bench in the corner while Remy and Christina huddled on the other side. For the past couple of months she and Doris had managed to keep whatever they were moving towards away from everyone in the center of the gossip capital of the world but at that moment it no longer mattered. Right now she needed distraction from this situation more than she needed anything else. Ava tried not to let Remy's words pervade her thoughts but each time she looked into Doris' eyes she wandered was it true. Am I just using her? But at the moment it was more than she could bare to consider while her son lay several yards away along and possibly in pain and tried her best not to think about anything.

When she noticed Olivia standing beside the elevator the next morning Ava had a funny feeling that the carefully constructed plan to first figure out her feelings for Doris before springing everything on her mother had gone tits up. She and Doris were finishing a kiss when the other woman's face went slack and slightly pale. Her mother was sporting a tight scowl that was very troubling but as Dr Wu walked towards her everything else fell away. After having all the results the Dr explained that they didn't know why Max had the seizure and everyone thought it was best to wait and see. Wait and see if he had another episode before it was decided what to do. Her son had spent a night in a cold sterile room away from his family just for the so called experts to send them away with a huge bill and lots of unanswered questions.

Two hours later Ava sat in the front of the hospital rocking her son as he sat in his car seat. Watching her parents as they argued where she and Max would spend the rest of the day. By calling in favors and making a few promises he'd only missed most of Dr Wu's prognosis which didn't matter anyway because the highly doctor hadn't said much of anything. It was an amazement that security hadn't been called to escort the family out her mother cast some loud and colorful doubts about his parentage and her father tried to keep the blood drawn to a minimum.

"Mom it's fine I'll go stay with dad" Ava tried saying again but without expecting any success. The Beacon was going through its yearly fumigations and the contractors were working floor by floor starting with ten penthouse suites at the top of the building and for the next week Ava and Max were sort of left to their own devices. There were only three more people living in the suites and all of them were either moved downstairs or put up somewhere else. She and Max could have done the same but she and Olivia agreed to limit their children's exposure to the chemicals as much as possible. The four Spencers wouldn't be returning home until the end of the week. For Olivia and Emma that meant basking in the comfort of Natalia and the farm. But for Ava and Max it was a bit more complicated. "Mom I can"

"I don't see why you and Max can't join us at the farm. There is more than enough room and Natalia would love to have you both there" Olivia tried again.

Jeffery said "Olivia she and Max will be perfectly fine staying with me for a few days" trying to keep the growing frustration and exasperation from coloring his voice.

"You don't even have a guestroom where the hell is she supposed to sleep? On the floor?"

"She can take by bed and I'll sleep on the sofa" they had gone through this more than once already. Jeffery continued with "They will be fine" and Ava was really glad her father had the sense to bite off the implied "without you" before it slipped. She really wanted to stay with Doris and wished they'd already told her mother about them but right now was not the time to introduce a new but familiar lover "If you have a problem with dad I can always stay with Doris" but didn't think that would improve anyone's mood.

"Mom I'll stay with dad tonight and tomorrow and stay at the farm for the rest of the time" Ava announced as she stood up with the bulky carrier and added "we should get Max settled" to her father hoping to end the argument once and for all.

"Fine I will see you and Max tomorrow night" Olivia said as she kissed Ava and Max before she walked away throwing back the order "call me" as she stalked away.

They had never shared a home and she hadn't spent a night with him since Max's birth and as she and her father sat on the sofa watching Breaking Bad while Max slept she tried to imagine growing up with this easy affection. Even before he'd been her father Jeffery was someone she knew that she could depend on if not admire. He wasn't exactly by the books and was sometimes a bit shady but he was good to her. More important than all those things Jeffery made her feel safe and she hated that he might feel they'd lost that basic connection. "I think we should talk"

"I thought we were"

"I'm serious" Ava laughed as she turned the television off and turned towards him. His face seemed drawn but most of the stress it carried at their breakfast was gone or eased. Although she'd really liked Reva and hoped she and her father would last Mel seemed to free him in ways the older woman had not. "We should talk about what happened with Natalia"

"Why do we have to go over that" he groaned and refused to meet her eyes. "I made a mistake and it won't happen again" and then reached out his hand and took hers in his and vowed "It won't happen again. I swear"

"That's not what I'm worried about but we have to figure out what to do from here"

"What's to figure out? Your mother is willing to give me another chance but Natalia on the other hand"

"I think you're lucky she didn't deck you. Mom had to make her promise not to contact you for at least a week after she told her. I was scared" Ava laughed.

"The point is all parties are past it. It is officially a nonevent."

"Are you sure? I know how my conception affected me and mom. Is it too much of a stretch to say that you might benefit from some therapy too?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean"

"Its supposed to mean that you found out you raped a woman twenty years after the fact and made a daughter to boot. A lot's happened how could working it out with someone be a bad thing?"

"I don't need to work out anything. Jesus what the"

"Dad do you think I was stupid or crazy to get help after Max was born"

"Of course not that was completely different"

"How is it different. You said yourself that you've been going through a rough time lately? Why not at least give it a try? What would it hurt?" she whispered as she leaned over to kiss him good night. She spent the of her night on the phone trying to calm down her soon to be girlfriend. "Doris please calm down. If mom knew something she would have said something. Olivia does a lot of things but subtle isn't one of them"

"I'm telling you she was shooting me death rays. I'm surprised my head didn't cave in from the force" They talked for several more hours until both Ava and Doris began to fall asleep on the phone. "Baby I am going to have to hang up or I won't be any good at work tomorrow"

"Thank you"

"For?"

"For being there with me at the hospital all night. For being so patient with me yesterday and these past few months. Just for being you" As she lay in bed trying to rest her wandering mind she and hoped that Remy was wrong as she repeated her new mantra "I can love her. I can forget Diane and love Doris. I can"