The tunnels grew smaller forcing them to walk in uncomfortable rounded postures. Lorenzo pulled Anna to a spot in the tunnel and pointed upwards. "I told you. Just like Wyndemere." He said.
Anna tapped him on the shoulder with curiosity in her eyes. "How do you know so much about the secret tunnels of Wyndemere?"
Lorenzo grinned. "I have my connections. This door will lead us to the stables."
"What happens when we climb through the ceiling to a gun barrel in our faces?"
Lorenzo stood upright and hit head against the ceiling. "Jesus." He bent over writhing in pain. "You really shouldn't talk. Ever."
Anna threw her hand over her mouth and giggled. "So sorry. You have to admit I'm right."
Lorenzo stood upright with caution. "This isn't the right time to determine right or wrong Devane."
With Molly heavy on her mind, Alexis said a prayer and lit a candle for every month that her baby girl lived. Eighteen candles she lit in the chapel of the hospital. She took a deep breath and asked God to allow her the time alone.
"One birthday and half-way point to two." She whispered.
Ric walked in but understood her need for silence. He felt the same way. He dropped his body onto the pew and laid his head back with his mind focused on the angels painted as a mural on the ceiling.
Alexis looked back at him briefly. She blew out the lighter and stood up. She sat down next to him. "I chose to light candles by the months and not the days. I would've been here all night. I don't remember every detail of everyday that she lived."
Ric lifted his head. "Yea. Still not enough days that she lived. She deserved more."
Alexis looked down and noticed Ric's hand rested on his leg. She was shocked to find his wedding band still on his finger. She looked at her own hand and felt ashamed that she had removed her ring. "What next?" She asked.
"Burial I guess." Ric played with the ring on his finger. "Do you have a problem with me still wearing this? I just forgot to take it off."
"No." Alexis shook her head. "I took mine off when I was practicing with Stefan's sword. I forgot to put it back on."
Ric smiled at her. "You spar?"
"Only when I'm angry. How are you? I haven't forgotten that you were shot as well."
Ric patted his chest. "I will survive. I have to. I won't die until I find out who did this."
Lorenzo took a deep breath and rested his hands on his hips. "Ok. I will hoist you up and you'll open the trap door."
Anna clicked her tongue. "You think I'm a bloody idiot don't you?"
"What?! Come on Anna. We don't have time. You have the strength to either hoist me or you have the height to reach up yourself?"
"You assume I'm weak Alcazar. Ask Robert. I tie a mean bloody knot."
Lorenzo grinned. "I don't need to know about you and Robert and the S&M. Are you gonna get me up or what?"
Anna pointed towards Lorenzo's pants. "I don't see where my getting you up is a problem. It's a matter of keeping you up and there's only so much work that I should have to do."
Lorenzo looked at his crotch embarrassed. "I'm gonna…" He bent over and scooped Anna in his arms. "Unless you can free yourself, I think you're going up Princess."
Alexis took a deep breath and continued to study the wedding band on Ric's finger. "I guess I wasn't clear when I asked what's next?"
Ric furrowed his brow and looked at her. "I guess not. You wanna clarify?"
"Sam isn't my daughter. So now I'm even more confused about the future."
Ric nodded. "But there's a child somewhere I'm assuming?"
"Yes. I just have to start at square one."
"Sam is trouble. You never explained 'what next'."
The double doors to the chapel crept open. Some of the candles blew out. David stepped in. "Sorry to interrupt but Kristina is out of surgery and mending in intensive care." David's eyes hit the ground as he realized he interrupted a peaceful moment.
Alexis remained planted in the pew not wanting to stand. She leaned her head back on the uncomfortable wood and closed her eyes. "Thank you David. Will you let me know when she can have visitors?"
Ric pulled himself up and struggled to walk. He grabbed hold to the frame of the door. "Is Anna around?"
David shook his head. "I haven't seen Anna in a while."
Ric took a deep breath. "I need to find her."
Ric left the chapel also leaving David perplexed by Alexis' calm. He sat down at the other end of the pew and leaned on his knees.
"That's horrible posture by the way." Alexis raised her head and stared at David.
"I expected a different reaction out of you."
"I'm tired of giving everyone what they expect. My daughter is dead and the other is in recovery. Another one is missing."
David lifted his body. "Missing where?"
"If I knew I wouldn't've mentioned her absence."
"You make it sound like it was a stupid question."
Alexis eyed David. "You're making this out to be small talk and I don't want to do that."
David slid his body closer to Alexis. "Kristina will be fine in case you're worried. You're allowed to say. I won't call you weak."
Alexis laughed and crossed her arms refusing to play into his dark smiling eyes. "I'm scared to death David. Don't tell anyone I said that."
David nodded and looked away from her. "I know how you feel. I think I can safely admit that my hands shook the whole time during Kristina's surgery."
Alexis' face slowly grew in horror at his confession. She turned her body towards him. She came to a realization. David's hands were the last to touch Molly's heart. She stared at him still leaned over with his hands clasped together as if in prayer. He leaned his chin on the tips of his knuckles. She longed to hold his hands in hers. She longed to feel the care that went into pulling the soul from the shell of Molly's body and placing it into Kristina's.
Her eyes grew weary. David's hand fell from his chin and draped over his legs. His body became limp. He took a moment to rub his eyes and pull the stethoscope tight across the back of his neck.
"You should probably rest or something." She said.
He pulled harder at the stethoscope and stared at her with his sly smile. "I don't leave until I know the job is complete and everyone is happy."
"I don't know that I'll ever be happy again."
"You'll live Alexis."
Anna pulled up on the opening of the trap door with all her strength. "I feel like breaking out in the British rendition of I Will Survive."
Lorenzo held tight to her legs as she swayed side to side to find her bearings. "I don't think I've heard that one before."
"That's because I haven't recorded it yet."
Lorenzo grunted. "You really need to pull up Dear."
"Don't call me Baby!"
"I didn't call you Baby. I called you Dear." He rolled his eyes.
Anna made one last effort and tossed her body up to the ledge. She sat and looked down at Lorenzo below. "It's a song. Sorry. I didn't warn you of the transition." She stood up and walked out of Lorenzo's sight.
"Hey! Devane! You're supposed to hoist me up!" He yelled through his hands up to the hole in the ceiling.
She didn't respond. Lorenzo kicked the wall in frustration till a sound of rumbling brewed from above. "What are you doing up there Devane?!"
"Keep quiet!" Her voice echoed down to Lorenzo waiting impatiently to be informed of his next move. "I see them!"
"Who?!" He shouted.
"Sam and Zander." She bent her body over the trap door opening and extended her hand down to Lorenzo. "There's a chute. Maybe a vent of some type. But I could see them in the stables. Take my hand."
Lorenzo shook his head. "No. I'm too heavy. I'll break your arm."
"Haven't you wanted to inflict physical pain on me in the past? This is your chance to kill me Darling." She reached down further to him.
Lorenzo searched around for a sturdy rock to give him some height. "Hold tight." He discovered a stone in the corner large enough for him to use as a stepping stool. He approached it and leaned into it to push it towards the place where he needed to stand. "Too heavy."
Anna lay on her stomach and watched Lorenzo trying to roll the stone towards the spot. "If I lean far enough down I can pull you up. I do have the highest honor in martial arts. You really underestimate my strength."
"If you'd shut up Devane, I could concentrate."
"Might I make one comment?"
"One more comment and then you're cut off." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and waited to listen.
"You remind me of Robert. I say that because he's very similar."
"Is that so?" He tossed his hands on his hips.
"He would focus on the map knowing damn well we were completely lost."
"I don't understand the constant Robert comparisons." Lorenzo bent over and pushed the stone harder making a dent in the distance to where he moved it. "This should be good enough." He steadied himself on the stone and raised his hands above his head while looking up at Anna. "You ready?"
Anna reached down and got into a squatting position grabbing hold to Lorenzo's hands and pulling him against gravity as if in a game of tug-a-war. With her strength, he was able to kick his feet up and grip them tight against the edge of the hole. He released himself from Anna and saw her fall back hard from the corner of his eye. He steadied himself and crawled over to her catching her breath lying on her back.
They both held their breaths at the sound of voices below.
"There's someone down there." Anna whispered as she pointed downward.
Lorenzo pushed her back to keep any parts of her from being discovered. "We got up just in time. I figure maybe there would be surveillance somewhere."
"In a cave?" Anna sat up alert. "I almost…"
"You almost what?" Lorenzo hushed himself quickly hearing the sounds of feet clustering the path that he and Anna had just walked. He grabbed what was left of the tile severed with their combined punching force and slid it over the hole. "Lead me to where you saw Sam and Zander."
David stood up and offered his hand to Alexis. "Would you like to see Kristina? I shouldn't let you. We still need to know for sure that Kristina's body won't reject Molly's heart."
Alexis looked up at him. Her eyes fell to his outstretched hand. She slowly shook her head. "I want to see Molly."
David took a deep breath and rolled his head side to side with an exasperated look. "No you don't."
Alexis jumped up to her feet and moved close to David's face. "What do you mean no I don't? What did you do with Molly?"
"Alexis. You said your goodbyes to Molly. What more do you want from her? There was a point in the time from when Leora died that I couldn't keep her laid out on that operating table. I had to let her go. Every time I saw her was a different goodbye. You can't keep saying goodbye. Molly lives in Kristina now."
"And where does Kristina live?" Alexis looked at David with wonder in her eyes.
"Right now nowhere. But if it will give you piece of mind, I can find a home for Kristina's heart."
Sonny pressed his ear close to the crack of the chapel doors. He listened to the conversations from the time that Ric left in search of Anna until that point. His body was poised to run in case David and Alexis stepped out and found him prying. He became annoyed. David was able to return Kristina's life to him and Alexis. He was eternally grateful, but he was also a man. Sonny could hear the allure of David in Alexis' voice. David's power impressed her. But his bravado made Sonny wish he'd board the first plane back to Pine Valley.
