My Life Closed Twice
Chapter 20: The Late Great Us
Disclaimer: General Hospital and all its characters belong to ABC, Disney, etc.
Author's Notes: Thanks to my faithful beta reader. Please read and review!
At 7 AM I gave up attempting to sleep. I had gotten at least 4 hours of sleep and that would have to be enough.
Mom was still in the living room of our apartment when I came out of my bedroom. She was still sitting in the same chair she had been last night. Only a new outfit gave any clue that she might not have been there all night. I walked over to the chair to say good morning.
"I have never been so scared," Mom said.
"I wasn't hurt," I told her.
"Neither was I the first time," she said. "The first time, I just watched him fall."
"Watched who fall Mom?" I asked as I knelt by her chair.
"I can still remember the look on Carly's face when I came off the elevator. I didn't even have to tell her." Mom gave a bitter laugh, "Why would she need words? I was covered in his blood."
I didn't know where Mom was. What did Mrs. Corinthos have to do with Mom? Mom had been covered in whose blood? I had been afraid ever since Mr. Spencer led her off the elevator that Mom would slip backwards. So I tried again to reassure her, "I am fine."
Mom finally looked at me, "I, we, wanted better for you than that. You were going to have the best Ned and I could give you. You would be safe and happy and loved. Nothing dark or dangerous was ever going to come near you, let alone touch you. All four of us agreed."
I didn't understand. Where my mother was concerned I was used to that, but I could still hope. "What did you agree to Mom? What is going on? Please Mom, talk to me. I can't protect us if I don't know," I pleaded.
Mom seemed surprised. "When did you start protecting me?" she asked.
She had to be kidding. I stood up and backed away from her chair. "You and Dad have been gone for six years Mom," I told her. "Now Uncle Stephan, Nicholas, and Gia are also gone. Who is left?"
"Just leave everything to me," Mom said.
For a second I believed her. Believed that Mom could protect us. Believed that Mom would fix anything wrong. Believed that I could depend on her.
However, the second passed. This was the real world. Mom couldn't protect me. Mom couldn't fix anything. In fact she hadn't been able to fix anything for a long time.
I couldn't tell her that though. She wanted me to believe in her. So I nodded my head. My family always had secrets.
That seemed to settle it for her. "Why don't I make us some breakfast?" she asked.
What in the world? Mom doesn't cook or more accurately can't. I conned her into helping me cook a Father's Day breakfast for Dad one year. It was a disaster of such monumental proportions that Dad, who normally thought anything I was a part of was perfect, wouldn't touch it. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up the kitchen so our housekeeper/cook wouldn't quit.
I looked at her. She had made a joke. My mom was actually making a joke. "No thanks, I don't want to get up close and personal with a stomach pump today." I smiled at her.
"Then I suggest we avoid whatever Luke is concocting downstairs and head for the nearest restaurant," she replied.
"What about the twins?" I asked.
"Taggert saved them earlier. It's just you and me kid," Mom said.
"Let's make a break for it," I encouraged her.
We sneaked down the stairs and out the front door. Once outside we headed for the park. Mom said we would cut through the park and head for the Port Charles hotel.
"You know, the last time I was in the park this early was when Lady Jane took me on a death march through it," she said.
"Why would Jax's mother take you on a death march?" I asked.
"She thought it was a good way to get to know her new daughter-in-law," Mom laughed.
"You were married to Jax? I know he calls you his favorite ex-wife, but I just thought he was kidding," I said.
Back when I was little Jax used to stop by the house every time he was in New York. Every time he did I ended up falling asleep listening to the muffled sound of the three of them talking and laughing. Sometimes the teasing would start early with references to stories I would not be allowed to hear. One of them was the story behind the favorite ex-wife comment.
"Yes, we went to Las Vegas to get Ned and Chloe married and ended up with Jax and I married. Ned and Chloe had to get married in the Quartermaine rose garden. We four ended up with a lovely marriage," she reminisced.
"Why on earth did you marry Jax?" I asked. I loved Jax dearly, but Mom and Jax? I was used to Dad having been married before he met Mom. I think it had happened a couple of times. With Mom however, it just didn't make sense.
"It was to help Chloe keep her company. She needed to be happily married to keep her design firm. So Ned, Jax, and I arranged for her to have a happy marriage." I think she caught my look of disbelief. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," she justified.
"So what happened?" I asked.
"Jax and I were married for a while as were Chloe and Ned. Your father and I continued to date each other and Jax courted Chloe. When the year was up we all got the most amicable divorces on record," she said.
"So why didn't Jax marry Chloe instead of Skye?" I asked.
Mom got a far away look in her eyes, "Sometimes the past doesn't stay in the past."
She was dead. I don't know how I knew, but I did. OK, it was time for a subject change. "So how did you, Dad, and Jax all become the three musketeers?" I forced myself to ask in a light voice.
It worked. Mom laughed and told me stores of the adventures of the three of them the rest of the way to the Port Charles Grill, through breakfast, and the walk home.
It was great! Mom told me everything about her and Dad. She told me how they first meet in the Port Charles Grill on Christmas Eve, the night Dad paid a band to stay late so they could dance, how they conned Junior to get Mom a job at ELQ, and the first time Dad brought Mom to a Quartermaine Thanksgiving where Grandmother Tracy had the family was robbed. She even told me about how she and Dad helped Jax get some working capital by gambling in Monte Carlo.
It was the morning I had been dreaming about for years. I guess that was why I wasn't paying attention. We were nearly back to the brownstone when we were attacked.
Chapter 20: The Late Great Us
Disclaimer: General Hospital and all its characters belong to ABC, Disney, etc.
Author's Notes: Thanks to my faithful beta reader. Please read and review!
At 7 AM I gave up attempting to sleep. I had gotten at least 4 hours of sleep and that would have to be enough.
Mom was still in the living room of our apartment when I came out of my bedroom. She was still sitting in the same chair she had been last night. Only a new outfit gave any clue that she might not have been there all night. I walked over to the chair to say good morning.
"I have never been so scared," Mom said.
"I wasn't hurt," I told her.
"Neither was I the first time," she said. "The first time, I just watched him fall."
"Watched who fall Mom?" I asked as I knelt by her chair.
"I can still remember the look on Carly's face when I came off the elevator. I didn't even have to tell her." Mom gave a bitter laugh, "Why would she need words? I was covered in his blood."
I didn't know where Mom was. What did Mrs. Corinthos have to do with Mom? Mom had been covered in whose blood? I had been afraid ever since Mr. Spencer led her off the elevator that Mom would slip backwards. So I tried again to reassure her, "I am fine."
Mom finally looked at me, "I, we, wanted better for you than that. You were going to have the best Ned and I could give you. You would be safe and happy and loved. Nothing dark or dangerous was ever going to come near you, let alone touch you. All four of us agreed."
I didn't understand. Where my mother was concerned I was used to that, but I could still hope. "What did you agree to Mom? What is going on? Please Mom, talk to me. I can't protect us if I don't know," I pleaded.
Mom seemed surprised. "When did you start protecting me?" she asked.
She had to be kidding. I stood up and backed away from her chair. "You and Dad have been gone for six years Mom," I told her. "Now Uncle Stephan, Nicholas, and Gia are also gone. Who is left?"
"Just leave everything to me," Mom said.
For a second I believed her. Believed that Mom could protect us. Believed that Mom would fix anything wrong. Believed that I could depend on her.
However, the second passed. This was the real world. Mom couldn't protect me. Mom couldn't fix anything. In fact she hadn't been able to fix anything for a long time.
I couldn't tell her that though. She wanted me to believe in her. So I nodded my head. My family always had secrets.
That seemed to settle it for her. "Why don't I make us some breakfast?" she asked.
What in the world? Mom doesn't cook or more accurately can't. I conned her into helping me cook a Father's Day breakfast for Dad one year. It was a disaster of such monumental proportions that Dad, who normally thought anything I was a part of was perfect, wouldn't touch it. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up the kitchen so our housekeeper/cook wouldn't quit.
I looked at her. She had made a joke. My mom was actually making a joke. "No thanks, I don't want to get up close and personal with a stomach pump today." I smiled at her.
"Then I suggest we avoid whatever Luke is concocting downstairs and head for the nearest restaurant," she replied.
"What about the twins?" I asked.
"Taggert saved them earlier. It's just you and me kid," Mom said.
"Let's make a break for it," I encouraged her.
We sneaked down the stairs and out the front door. Once outside we headed for the park. Mom said we would cut through the park and head for the Port Charles hotel.
"You know, the last time I was in the park this early was when Lady Jane took me on a death march through it," she said.
"Why would Jax's mother take you on a death march?" I asked.
"She thought it was a good way to get to know her new daughter-in-law," Mom laughed.
"You were married to Jax? I know he calls you his favorite ex-wife, but I just thought he was kidding," I said.
Back when I was little Jax used to stop by the house every time he was in New York. Every time he did I ended up falling asleep listening to the muffled sound of the three of them talking and laughing. Sometimes the teasing would start early with references to stories I would not be allowed to hear. One of them was the story behind the favorite ex-wife comment.
"Yes, we went to Las Vegas to get Ned and Chloe married and ended up with Jax and I married. Ned and Chloe had to get married in the Quartermaine rose garden. We four ended up with a lovely marriage," she reminisced.
"Why on earth did you marry Jax?" I asked. I loved Jax dearly, but Mom and Jax? I was used to Dad having been married before he met Mom. I think it had happened a couple of times. With Mom however, it just didn't make sense.
"It was to help Chloe keep her company. She needed to be happily married to keep her design firm. So Ned, Jax, and I arranged for her to have a happy marriage." I think she caught my look of disbelief. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," she justified.
"So what happened?" I asked.
"Jax and I were married for a while as were Chloe and Ned. Your father and I continued to date each other and Jax courted Chloe. When the year was up we all got the most amicable divorces on record," she said.
"So why didn't Jax marry Chloe instead of Skye?" I asked.
Mom got a far away look in her eyes, "Sometimes the past doesn't stay in the past."
She was dead. I don't know how I knew, but I did. OK, it was time for a subject change. "So how did you, Dad, and Jax all become the three musketeers?" I forced myself to ask in a light voice.
It worked. Mom laughed and told me stores of the adventures of the three of them the rest of the way to the Port Charles Grill, through breakfast, and the walk home.
It was great! Mom told me everything about her and Dad. She told me how they first meet in the Port Charles Grill on Christmas Eve, the night Dad paid a band to stay late so they could dance, how they conned Junior to get Mom a job at ELQ, and the first time Dad brought Mom to a Quartermaine Thanksgiving where Grandmother Tracy had the family was robbed. She even told me about how she and Dad helped Jax get some working capital by gambling in Monte Carlo.
It was the morning I had been dreaming about for years. I guess that was why I wasn't paying attention. We were nearly back to the brownstone when we were attacked.