~ Chapter 23 ~

"Doc! I need to know that you're alright. Open up," John shouted.

His anger at the possibility that North was with her mixed with his frustration at being denied entry to her room by a locked door and, despite the futility of the action, he kept rattling the knob, hoping against hope that it would yield to his force. Inside, Alex and Marlena had jumped out of bed the moment they heard John's voice.

"No need to panic," Alex reassured her in a whisper. "Just give me a few seconds before you let him in."

"But I don't want him in here, especially when he's like this."

"You have to, or he'll probably break the door down. You'll be able to calm him. I have faith in you."

With a wink and a smile, he pushed her forward. Grabbing her robe, she wrapped it tightly around her, as if steeling herself for the confrontation ahead. John's pounding on the door was giving her a headache, and she already missed being in Alex's arms.

"Just a minute, John. I'll be right there. Please stop the banging."

She crossed the room at a snail's pace, hoping to give Alex additional time to conceal his presence. Slowly, very slowly, she flipped the latch, thus releasing the lock. She eased the door open a crack.

"What's the matter, John?"

Ignoring her question, he shoved the door open and pushed past her, his eyes darting in all directions. When his first cursory scan of the room failed to reveal anything amiss, he headed for the bathroom, certain he'd discover the psychiatrist hiding there.

"John!"

The tone of Marlena's voice stopped him in his tracks. There was a cold fury in that one word, and it chilled him. He turned to face his wife, his own rage barely contained.

"How dare you barge into my room? Have I lost all right to privacy in my own home?"

"I heard voices. I knew he'd found a way to get to you, and I needed to protect you."

"Did I ask you to protect me from my therapist? I trust him, implicitly, and you know that. Besides, didn't you tell me you have an alarm outside my door? How do you think Alex got in here? Magic?"

"I know what I heard, Doc."

"You heard voices and simply assumed there was someone in my room? For your information, I was listening to the radio." Marlena averted her eyes, in the hope that John wouldn't see the guilt that flashed across them.

"It didn't sound like the radio to me," he insisted, stubbornly refusing to back down.

"Since you don't appear to trust me, I'll prove it to you," she huffed, silently thanking her lucky stars that her clock radio was always tuned to NPR. "I woke up early, so I switched on Morning Edition. Have you forgotten that it's one of my favourites?"

"I… I had forgotten that. And, no, you don't have to prove anything."

He was eager to change the subject, sensing that there was nothing to be gained by pursuing it. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that North had been there – which would mean his wife was lying. Surely the no-good shrink's influence wasn't so strong that it had come to that. As he was debating his next move, he was startled to hear a greeting directed his way.

"Good morning Mr. Black, Marlena. Is everything all right? I thought I heard raised voices."

John turned abruptly, wanting nothing more than to give Alex a piece of his mind. Failing that, he'd settle for wiping the smug smile off the man's far too calm face.

"This is between me and my wife," he snarled. "It's none of your damn business."

"Oh, but I have to disagree with you, Mr. Black," Alex countered. "Anything that upsets my patient is very clearly my business."

Marlena's eyes were full of barely suppressed admiration for Alex. Just minutes before, they'd been lying in bed together, and in the short amount of time that had elapsed since then, he'd managed to conquer the ledge, return to his room, and emerge as if for the first time that morning. She bent her head to hide the smile that was threatening to reveal her joy at seeing the man she loved.

"I beg to differ," John shot back. "You're only making things worse, and she doesn't need your kind of help. If it was my decision to make, you'd be out on your ear."

"But it isn't your decision to make, Mr. Black. It's Marlena's. If, at some point, she wants me to go, I'll abide by her wishes. Until then, I'm here to make sure that she gets the best care available."

"That ain't what you're giving her, pal!"

"Marlena seems to believe I'm helping her, and that's what matters to me. Your opinion is of no consequence."

John struggled to rein in his temper, but it was a losing battle. He lunged at Alex, weeks of pent up frustration finally exploding. He reached for the lapels of Alex's robe, but the latter was too quick for him, and John's hands closed on air. His anger built as he faced Alex's unflappable composure. Before John could move forward again, Marlena stepped between the two men.

"Stop it, John! Why do you persist in believing the worst of Alex? He is helping me, and if you care for me as much as you say you do, you should be happy about that."

"Why won't you even consider that he might not have your best interests at heart? I'm your husband, and I want you to get better. Don't my feelings count for anything?"

"This isn't about you, Mr. Black," Alex interjected.

"No, it's about my wife, and the fact that she can't remember a damn thing about our life together. You've been treating her for months now, and I don't see a hint of progress. Yet, you call yourself an expert in amnesia. No wonder I think you're a fraud. Give me one good reason to trust a thing you say."

"It's simple. Your wife trusts me. Even though she's lost her memory, she hasn't lost her mind. Her judgment is in no way impaired by what she's going through. Isn't that enough for you?"

"Not by a long shot, pal. I haven't figured out how you're doing it, but I know that you're manipulating her and messing with her head."

"John! How can you say such things? What evidence do you have to back up your accusations?"

"Nothing, yet. He's clever, Doc, and he's covering his tracks really well, but he's up to no good where you're concerned. I can feel it in my bones."

"I think Marlena would like something a little more concrete to go on than just your feelings, Mr. Black."

"Alex is right, John. If you haven't got facts to give me, then I'd appreciate it if you'd stop badmouthing him."

"But, Doc…"

"No. I don't want to hear any more. I'd actually like you both to leave so that I can get dressed."

"Of course, Marlena. I'll see you downstairs later, for breakfast."

With those words, Alex headed back to his room, leaving John alone with Marlena.

"Doc, please. I have good instincts about people, and all my instincts are screaming that there's something sinister about this guy. You've got to give me the chance to prove it to you."

"You've had lots of time to come up with proof. Frankly, I'm starting to feel that your only motive here is jealousy."

"What?! Me, jealous of that guy? No way. I just don't think he's helping you. He's got his own agenda, and it has nothing to do with you getting your memory back."

Marlena sighed, her impatience at John's never-ending attacks on Alex barely concealed.

"I'm tired of having the same argument with you over and over. I asked you to leave my room, but that won't be enough to solve our problem. If you can't end your vendetta against Alex, I don't want you around. Either you change your attitude towards him, or…"

"Or what?"

"I'll be asking you to leave my home – permanently."