Wow it's hard to believe it's been 6 months since I've updated. I had this chapter 1/2 written when my computer decided to die a slow horrible death. Sadly I've yet to be able to recover what I had written back in Novemeber. When I got the new computer I was fighting some bad writers block on this chapter because I was denying the fact I had to start all over again. But finally I was able t o sit down and write this. Thanks for baring with me.
On a positive note AMC will be back in just 12 days! I'm sad Greenlee won't be on the show this cycle but hopefully we'll see her again soon. In the mean time enjoy the big reveal of just who stopped the wedding!
"I - I can take care of it. I was thrown into the deep end years ago to sink or swim. My father - or the man I thought was my father - was too busy with booze or women to show up, or maybe he just knew that I wasn't his daughter and he didn't care. Whatever! I didn't need a father then, and I sure as hell don't need one now."
Lying alone in the hospital Greenlee thought back to the first time she saw Jackson after they had learned the truth that he was her father.
She had run off to Atlantic City with Juan Pablo, to escape him, to escape from the mother that had lied to her for her entire life, but more than anything to escape from herself. Jack had followed her to Atlantic City. Greenlee remembered how angry she felt at everyone, and she had taken it out on Jack, who only wanted to have a relationship with her. He had found her, ankle stuck between some rocks, and even after he got her free, she kept trying to fight him.
"Oh, really? Is that right?" Being stubborn was a Montgomery trait he had perfected over the years. "You know, this tough girl act of yours - it's not working for you. At least it's not working on me."
"How can I make you understand that I don't give a damn what you think? You're nothing to me." She stood in the sand her body shaking from the cold, refusing to relent to him, refusing to let him in to her life, and her heart, she couldn't take it if he hurt like everyone else had.
"No, actually, I'm your father - whether you like it or not, whether I like it or not. You can be as big a pain in the butt as you want to be about it, you're not going to chase me away, so you might as well get used to it" He pushed back even harder.
"Want to bet?" She wouldn't open herself up for anymore hurt. She tried to walk away from him, from all the hurt, "Ow! Ow!" Her ankle forced her to stay, not giving her a chance to run away again.
"You know what? That's it. You're coming with me." With one quick swift move he picked her up, savoring the first time he held his daughter, regretting it was as an adult and not as a baby.
"Let go of me!" Greenlee continued to fight him, wishing she could open up to him, to trust him.
A loud shout of thunder rung out and on instinct she buried her head into his chest like she was a little girl.
"It's ok, it's ok, Greenlee. I got you." Jackson held his daughter close to him, finally getting the chance to protect her.
"And to Greenlee, I wish you all the happiness that you desire, the caring that you deserve, and the knowledge that there's more than one guy in this room who loves you unconditionally." Jackson stood in front of their family and friends toasting his daughter as she prepared to marry a man he had once prayed she would guard her heart from. He promised he would love her unconditionally.
Memories of all the times Jackson had promised he'd always be there for her ran rushed back to the surface. He had promised her over and over again there was nothing she could do that would make him stop loving her. There had been many occasions when he had chosen Erica, or her family, over her. But in spite of all the times they hurt each other, or when she thought one of them had finally gone too far, it always seemed like they found their way back to one another
That had all changed a year ago. She still had a hard time believing it had been a year since Jackson had chosen Erica, and her daughters, over his own daughter. Their relationship had been shattered by her choice to protect David. Those last words he had spoken to her still broke her heart, when she thought back to that last day with him. Despite all the pain they had caused each other, there was still this part of her that wanted, needed, him to hold her tight and promise she wasn't alone.
Greenlee was so deeply lost in thought that she never heard the door open, she didn't hear the footsteps quietly approaching her.
"Greenlee!" Amanda gasped in shock. She had walked in to the room hoping to spread some joy to a stranger, instead she found Greenlee Smythe, alone in a hospital bed, the harsh wounds of Cancer on display for all to see.
JR watched quietly has the Kane/Montgomery family paraded down the aisle, the display of pomp and circumstance sickening him with each step. His heart pounded as he stared at Jackson with hate filled eyes.
Jackson stood in front of the people of Pine Valley, he had watched as their children stood next to him as he prepared to marry Erica, hopefully for the last time.
JR despised how happy Jackson looked up there, his smile not seeming to have an end. Jackson had seen Greenlee the night before, he had watched with the rest of them as she had crumbled to the ground, he had seen her in the ER as her tiny body was swolled into the hospital bed. In JR's mind Jackson shouldn't be able to ignore anymore how sick she appeared. But, there he was marrying Erica instead of trying to talk to his daughter.
JR wanted nothing more than to wipe the grin off the older man's face, to make him face the reality of what he had done to his daughter. More than anything though, he wanted to tell Jackson Greenlee was sick so that Jackson could save her. JR didn't care if Jackson didn't want anything to do with Greenlee, all he cared about was that Jackson could be the one to save Greenlee.
The music changed as the doors opened slowly revealing the one and only Erica Kane behind them. No one could deny how radiant she looked today as she walked towards the love of her life.
Angie looked from the bride to the groom and then to the young man standing next to her. JR's eyes were fixed on Jackson. No one else knew what was going on in the young man's mind but her. They were the only two in the room who knew just how sick Greenlee was. Despite the choices Greenlee had made Angie still cared for the young woman and put aside their differences when she agreed to treat Greenlee. Now, Angie felt that Greenlee was one of her own children. For the first time in her career Angie wanted to break the rules, she wanted to tell Jackson just what was going on with the daughter he turned his back on.
She had made a promise not only as a doctor but also to Greenlee that she wouldn't divulge the woman's condition to anyone, despite how dangerous it was. Angie looked at JR knowing the young man wanted the same things she did, a pissed off Greenlee was a lot better than a Greenlee that was no longer with them. As the ceremony started Angie's attention turned back to the couple in the spot light.
The minster stood in front of everyone proclaiming the great love that was Jackson Montgomery and Erica Kane. He read scripture about love and marriage. When he asked if there were any objections to the wedding everyone, on instinct, looked to the back door expecting someone to rush through stopping the wedding. Just when the minster was ready to continue a man's voiced called out for them to stop.
JR's heart was pounding and his legs shook violently when the wedding was stopped. He had been thinking of ways to stop the wedding in his mind, but had the words come out of his mouth without him realizing it?
"Amanda? What…what?" Greenlee couldn't get the words out. When she had heard Amanda's voice she had prayed it was a dream but with horror in her eyes she had turned her head to see her former friend standing next to her. In one quick moment it felt like everything was falling apart. Surely by the end of the day everyone would know just what she had so despretly tried to hide.
"Greenlee? I don't understand…" Amanda tried to find the words, instead her voice caught, as she fought back tears. Here before her was one of the strongest women she had ever known. Greenlee Smythe who never had a hair out of place, or went out without makeup on, laid before her with dark circles under her eyes, her once rosey cheeks sunk in, and her long beautiful brown hair gone.
"It's Cancer," Greenlee finally said, there was no use trying to lie, there was no chance of hiding the truth anymore.
Amanda had known those words would come out, all the classic signs were there; they were on the oncology ward after all, but she hadn't been prepared for them to actually be spoken, and definatly not so casually. It didn't seem possible that cancer could affect someone as strong willed as Greenlee. "When…how…why?" the questions starting to form in her mind began to come out broken and unsure. Amanda wondered if she really had the right to ask these questions.
Greenlee sighed, there was no use trying to lie or beg Amanda to forget what she saw and go on with her life. She motioned for the other girl to sit next to her.
"It's leukemia," Greenlee admitted casually, as if this was something you heard every day. "I started feeling sick and tired during the winter, I thought it was just a bad cold. But it was like I never got enough sleep and just couldn't get better. It started to affect my performance at Fusion."
"The interview with Crimson" Amanda interrupted, Madison had told her what happened.
Greenlee nodded her head, "When that happened I couldn't ignore the way I was feeling anymore. Angie thought it was something simple like Anemia or stress related."
"But it wasn't" Amanda whispered.
Greenlee shook her head, "No, it wasn't. I didn't want to believe Angie when she told me, I wanted to run away, far away, to somewhere that I could ignore the diagnosis. But, no matter where I ran it would always be there. Angie and my Oncologist ran some more tests and confirmed it was Leukemia, ALL, specifically."
"When, how long?" Amanda asked, "If you don't mind answering."
Part of Greenlee did mind, she had tried so hard to keep this from everyone, to fight this alone. But as she opened up to Amanda there was a feeling of a weight being lifted as she trusted another person. "I was diagnosed in February."
"That was months ago! No one told me!" Amanda was confused, people in Pine Valley liked to talk. When she had gone through her hysterectomy people she barely knew came by to cheer her up, or sent flowers. How was it possible she hadn't heard about this?
"No one else knows. Just Angie and JR….and now you." Greenlee admitted.
"JR? Why JR?" Amanda was confused, as far as she knew Greenlee and JR had never been close. She knew Greenlee had history with Scott but JR?
"The night Angie confirmed the dignosis I was at the boat house, something, or maybe someone, had pullled him there. He helped me that night, to come to terms with the dignosis. I was admitted to the hosptial the next day, and he just showed up, he's been by my side ever since." Greenlee smiled, having JR in her life was the one good thing that had come out of the last few months of pain.
"But, what about your Dad? Or Kendall? Ryan? Jake? They all love you Greenlee, why would you keep this from them?" Amanda was confused.
Greenlee prepared to explain, yet again, why it was that she kept this to herself. "My father, and everyone else, made it very clear that they wanted no part of my life anymore. Maybe one day they will change their minds."
Amanda interrupted her again, "Maybe? Greenlee if they knew of course they would change their minds, they would be here right now, rather than at the wedding. Nothing you could do would make them hate you so much that they would ignore you if you were sick." Amanda's voice was full of anger and confusion.
"You may be right Amanda. But they would only be here out of pity. My father made it very clear it wanted nothing to do with me last year. He's always promised he'd love me no matter what I did, but apparently those were empty words. I can't, I won't, tell him I'm sick. When he's ready to be a part of my life again, I'll be here, but I'm not telling him or anyone else that I'm sick."
"What if you're not here? What if you get sicker? Don't you think you owe it to your Dad, to yourself, to have him here? I don't understand!" Amanda was confused by Greenlee's choices.
"Amanda you weren't there, you didn't hear the hatred in Jacks voice. I can't go…I just can't ok. I'm going to be fine. The doctors are going to find a bone marrow donor and I'm going to beat this." Greenlee answered back.
"A bone marrow donor? It's that serious?" Amanda couldn't wrap her mind around everything she was learning. None of this seemed possible.
"Amanda?" both women turned towards the door as they heard Jake's voice call out of his wife.
Amanda looked back at Greenlee, and saw the terror in her eyes, as she faced having to tell another person she was sick. "I'll be right out Jake!"
"Greenlee…" Amanda started ready to argue with her again.
Greenlee held her hand up, "I can't stop you from telling Jake or anyone else Amanda, just please before you say anything put yourself in my shoes."
The room let out a collective gasp as the wedding was stopped. People in this town were used to wedding's being stopped but this time they were shocked by who it was stopping the wedding.
Erica's jaw fell open when his voice called out. She couldn't believe this was happening again. She looked up at the man she loved more than anyone else in the world, trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. "Jack, no, this can't be happening" A tear ran down her face.
Jackson looked down at his bride, looking more beautiful than ever. He put his hand on her cheek and wiped her tear away. "I said wait!" he said it again.
JR sat back shocked that it was Jackson that stopped his own wedding. Was it possible that this man was finally going to put his daughter before Erica? Was he going to stop the wedding and make sure she was ok?
The room was quiet and still as everyone waited for an answer from the groom.
Jackson didn't take his eyes of Erica, without looking at the minster he continued, "Someone could run into this room right now and claim that they were Erica's long lost child, or that I was their one true love. A freak storm could shut off the power or flood Pine Valley. Nothing could stop me from marrying this woman today, so Pastor, you don't need to ask if there are any objections, because even if there were, they won't stop me from marrying this woman. She's the love of my life."
The room erupted in applause as Jackson leaned down and kissed his bride. "You ready to get married baby?" He smiled down at her as she nodded.
The ceremony continued without a hitch. There were no long lost children standing by ready to lay claim to the Kane or Montgomery clans. It was a perfect late August afternoon, without a cloud in sight.
Amanda turned back towards Greenlee one last time, their eyes met one last time. Amanda could see the desperation in Greenlee's eyes, Amanda knew what the other woman was thinking.
Amanda turned and left Greenlee alone, not sure what she was going to do with what she had learned in there.
"There you are babe!" Jake stood at the nurses' station waiting impatiently for his wife. "What took so long?" Jake noticed in that moment the sadness in his wife's eyes, he knew something was wrong, "Baby? What's wrong?"
Amanda wrapped her arms around Jake, grateful to have him in her life, to never doubt his unconditional love for him. "I love you Jake." She whispered.
"I love you to, always." He wrapped his arms around her, "You ok?"
She looked up at him, she knew she could always trust him. They had been through so much in the short time they had been together but she never once doubted him. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just forget how hard it is sometimes to come up here. Let's go." She wasn't sure what she was going to do with the truth about Greenlee but she wasn't ready to tell him just yet.
JR watched with a smile as his son danced with Miranda. The two children laughed as they tried to mimic the grownups around them. JR wished he could be out there leading Greenlee around the floor.
As if on cue Angie was standing before him asking him to dance with her. "What about Jessie?" JR asked looking around for the Chief of Police.
"He's with Natalia, now are you going to leave me standing here by myself?" Her hand outstretched to the younger man.
JR smiled up at Angie grateful he wouldn't be sitting by himself anymore. He led the older woman to the dance floor. As they moved slowly to the music Angie looked into his eyes knowing his thoughts were the same as her own.
"When Jackson stopped the wedding I had to look over, I was hoping it had been you." Angie confessed. She wanted this secret they shared to come out, and prayed he would be the one to break Greenlee's wishes.
"I thought it had been me to. I thought for sure everyone was going to turn and look at me wanting an answer. Before Jack spoke up I was thinking of ways to tell him about Greenlee. I couldn't do it." JR was ashamed that in that moment he chose to be silent, rather than do what he knew needed to be done.
"Why didn't you?" Angie inquired.
"I didn't want to hurt Greenlee. I want her to be well more than anyone, but I didn't want to hurt her. I may not agree with her decisions but if I care about her I have to respect her decisions, no matter how wrong they are." JR confessed what had kept him from jumping up and telling Jackson just what a fool he was.
"She's going to have to tell him sooner or later. He's her best chance at getting a bone marrow transplant. The chances of someone outside of her family matching are slim." Angie knew Annie being a match for JR was a miracle and she didn't expect to find another one.
He knew Angie was right, but how could he break Greenlee confidence. "She's just so damn stubborn."
"She wouldn't be Greenlee if she wasn't" Angie laughed in the short amount of time she had known Greenlee she knew that fact better than anyone else. "Greenlee even being here is a miracle, she's a fighter and too stubborn to let anything keep her down, I'm just afraid this time…" she couldn't finish the thought.
They moved together in their own quiet world, the rest of Pine Valley oblivious to the struggles they were facing.
"Keep talking to her JR, I think you can convince her to talk to Jackson." Angie finally let out.
"I won't give up on her, I promise." JR swore as the song ended.
Jesse walked towards his wife, he had been surprised when Angie had asked the young Chandler to dance. He had been more taken back by the closeness the two shared. He knew there was nothing romantic but he could tell there was a secret between them.
Jesse put a hand on JR's shoulder, "Think I could have my beautiful wife back?"
"Of course," JR handed Angie back over to the love of her life, "I have to leave anyway. Thanks for the dance Angie."
As Jesse pulled her close to his chest she nodded at JR, their secret locked inside for another day.
"What was that all about babe?" Jesse whispered in her ear.
Twenty years of separation couldn't break the bond these two shared. They could always tell when there was something going on with the other. When she was going blind, and tried to protect him from it, he may not have known precisely what she was going through but he knew something wasn't right. And when he carried the weight of their lost child alone, she could feel his pain, even without knowing its source.
"JR just needed a friend," Angie knew a lie of omission was better than outright lying to him. True, JR had needed someone to talk to, but it was so much deeper than what she could tell him.
"JR? JR Chandler needed a friend?" Despite the changes the younger man had made over the last year, Jesse still had trouble separating the man who reached out for help, from the immature boy who was dangerously close to hurting other people last year.
"We all need a friend sometimes baby." Not wanting to talk about it anymore she laid her head against his chest, feeling every beat of his heart as he protected her from the world around them if only for a moment in time.
After saying goodbye to AJ JR turned to leave the party, ready to get back to Greenlee, when he ran right into a very late Jake and Amanda Martin.
"JR!" Amanda greeted him.
"Uh Hi, Amanda, Jake." He briefly hugged his ex-girlfriend and shook her husband's hand. "Sorry I can't talk I was just leaving." He didn't want to exchange small talk with the Martins, when all he could think about was Greenlee alone at the hospital.
"Well that was rude." Jake let out as JR ran off.
"Yeah, I hope everything's ok." Amanda agreed, "I'll be right back babe, I'm going to check on him." She turned to follow JR.
"Aman…I'll wait here." Jake tried to stop her but she left before he could finish, instead he walked over to the very happy bride and groom to give his congratulations.
"JR! JR!" Amanda called after him as he approached the exit. She grabbed his arm when she finally caught up to him.
"Amanda!" He looked at her confused, "You should be inside with your husband, and I've got to go."
"But, I…." he took off again before she could finish her sentence, "I know about Greenlee." She whispered turning around to rejoin the party.
"Ok it's not wedding cake but this is way better!" JR busted into Greenlee's room hoping to cheer her up with a pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream.
Greenlee was laying on her side, her back facing him, staring out the window of her room. She had been watching the moon and stars ever since Amanda had left. She was mentally preparing herself for the moment that everyone in town knew she was sick and she had to face the pity in their eyes.
"Greenlee?" JR sat on the bed concerned. He put a hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong?"
"Amanda knows." Was all she said.
"Amanda knows what?" JR was confused. He had just seen Amanda and she hadn't said anything to him.
"She was here." She continued to be evasive.
"Here? Like here in the hospital?" JR was slowing putting everything together. "She knows?" He asked.
Greenlee turned over and nodded her head. "She was at the hospital visiting Cancer patients. Emily wasn't at the desk, she had asked Jake to help her talk to another patient. One moment I'm thinking about….just everything, and the next she's standing there." She didn't admit how she had been thinking about Jackson.
"And now she knows." JR said again, "What did she say."
"She just stood there staring for a moment, there was no time to hide, I had no idea she was going to come in here. I could see it JR…"
"See what?" he asked not sure what she meant.
"The pity in her eyes. The fear, the concern, everything I've tried to avoid from the people who used to care about me. Now everyone is going to know." Greenlee sighed as for the millionth time since Amanda showed up in her room she had to accept everything was going to change.
"Angie!" Amanda followed the doctor into the ladies room, grateful they were the only two in there.
"Amanda? Is everything ok?" she looked at Amanda with confusion.
"No, not it's not." Amanda started a hint of anger in her voice.
"Is it Trevor? Or Ruthie?" Angie was concerned something was wrong with one of Amanda and Jake's children.
"No, their fine! It's about Greenlee." Amanda cut to the chase.
"Greenlee? I'm sorry Amanda I can't talk to you about Greenlee, you'll have to talk to her yourself." Angie turned to leave.
"I already did, I know Angie. I know that Greenlee has Cancer." Amanda's confession stopped Angie in her tracks.
Angie turned back around facing Amanda, "How? We're you looking through medical files? You know that's against the law!"
"No, of course not. I was at the hospital. I didn't know whose room it was, I went in there to hand out some books and magazines, and there she was." As Amanda explained what had happened Angie thought of what the repercussions could be from this, maybe now the Jackson would learn the truth, and it wouldn't be Angie or JR breaking Greenlee's trust.
"So Jake knows then?" Angie assumed.
"No." Amanda shook her head, "I haven't told anyone yet."
"Why not?" Angie was confused.
"Greenlee looked scared when she saw me, she told me why no one else knew she was sick. I wanted to talk to JR but he ran off on me." Amanda thought back to her brief encounter with JR in the lobby.
"So, the question then is, what are you going to do with what you learned." Angie looked into Amanda's eyes searching for an answer.
JR held Greenlee as she slept soundly. Emily had given her something that had put her out. He hoped she would get the rest she needed to face whatever the coming days would hold.
They had done everything they could to keep her illness a secret. Her chemo treatments were always early in the morning before the hospital was full of visitors who may know who she is. She covered herself in makeup doing her best to hide Chemo's harsh wounds. They had dodged a bullet just the day before, when Jackson had showed up at the hospital, but he had left without saying a word to either of them.
Now it could all be over. In just a matter of hours everyone in Pine Valley would know the secret she had kept so well hidden, and JR couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Amanda walking into Greenlee's hospital room could finally be the key to getting Greenlee to let her guard down and let her father back in to her life.
With the wedding celebration long over, and the bride and groom secluded in the bridal suite, the people of Pine Valley returned to their normal lives, ready to discuss the wedding of the century by the water cooler.
Amanda rocked back in forth, holding her baby girl in her arms, softly singing lullabies to the little girl who was named after her Grandma Ruth, hoping she would be the kind of woman her namesake was; kind, honest, and strong.
Soft lights danced around the nursery from the nightlight that Trevor had yet to grow out of. The little boy slept soundly oblivious to his mother's constant vigil.
"Babe?" Jake stood at the door, tying his robe around his body, he had woken up when he couldn't feel her body next to his. He was used to him watching the children sleep before they went to bed, but never at three in the morning.
"We'll love them no matter what right? There's nothing in they could do that make you stop loving them right?" Amanda asked quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping babes.
"Of course not," Jake walked into the room and looked down at his son, the same boy that had once called David Daddy, who they now all knew was his. "I loved him before I knew he was mine, and she may not have grown inside you, but she'll always be my little girl. I'll love them till the day I die."
"Where's this coming from babe?" He knelt in front of her searching her eyes for an answer.
"Nothing, I just think of all the crazy things I did when I was growing up and how much I'm sure I tried my parent's patience." Amanda dodged the truth of what really brought those thoughts to the service.
"Oh they'll drive us crazy but no matter what we'll always love them." He leaned down and kissed their daughters forehead before kissing Amanda. "Don't stay up too late." He left her alone knowing she needed this time alone.
Amanda was left alone with her children the image of Greenlee burned into her memory, as she had to figure out what she was going to do in the morning.