December 6, 1989

Manhattan, NY

As he added the glass of orange juice to the tray, Julian Jerome hoped Alexis would find the strength to eat. She had slept most of the five prior days he had spent with her. While Julian would concede her sleep had seemed fitful and uncomfortable so probably anything but truly restful, he knew that his friend Dr. Ben Davidson was worried about how exhausted and weak she still seemed. He had made that quite clear when he had visited the night before to check on Alexis after a full day of OR cases.

December 5, 1989

"Has she been awake at all?" Dr. Ben Davidson asked as he straightened and then recoiled his stethoscope in his hand.

"A few times but only for maybe five minutes. She briefly insisted she had to get to work yesterday but then I guess realized she didn't have the strength to sit up much less get out of bed. That was a little heart breaking and honestly, I don't remember it being this bad before."

"Before? Did she have a prior kidney infection?" Ben asked.

"I'm not sure. I know she had influenza at the end of her fall semester finals week her sophomore year of college. She finished her last exam and just collapsed like this. Of course, she wouldn't let me take her to the health center, so I brought her to my apartment for two weeks. She was too ill to get out of bed most of that time."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "She was too weak to get out of bed for more than a week?" he asked.

"It was actually closer to two weeks. I remember it concerning me at the time. She had high fevers for almost a week. She was miserable much like now with drenching sweats and body aches. After that though, in some ways it was worse. Eventually she bounced back but not much before the semester started," Julian said.

Ben shook his head. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed by your dedication to her or chastise you for not getting her the medical help she clearly needed."

"I tried to take her to the health center initially and then to the local hospital a few times. She was just alert enough to refuse, and I guess I couldn't force it," Julian admitted.

"Do you feel differently now?" Ben asked.

Julian sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. "I want to do what's best for her, for the baby. I'm just not sure what that is," he admitted.

"I put in a fresh IV and I switched the IV fluids over to a maintenance drip with dextrose and I guess we can try another twenty-four hours of the antibiotics. Her fever curve is declining, and her vitals are better, I will give you that. But if she isn't turning the corner soon maybe you need another opinion," Ben said.

Julian swallowed hard. "I appreciate everything you have done for her," he said.

Ben just nodded.

XXXXXXXX

Alexis Davis opened her eyes surprised at how exhausted she felt. So much for waking refreshed. It took her a moment to orient, and her head felt fuzzy. Instinctively she started to sit up, but her body felt so heavy, and she felt so shaky and dizzy that she rethought that plan and allowed herself to collapse back against a mound of pillows panting and sweating from that exertion. Something was very wrong! Unfortunately, she lacked the energy to even start to figure that out.

XXXXXXXX

When Julian opened the door to Alexis's bedroom, he realized she was awake. Her eyes were open, but she looked pale and exhausted as she offered him a wan smile.

"Good morning, sweetheart. I brought you some breakfast. How are you feeling?" Julian asked as he set the tray on the dresser for a moment and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Kind of like I was run over by a bus and lack the energy to scrape myself up off the pavement," Alexis said.

"Ok, but let's focus on the positive because I think that is an improvement from yesterday," Julian said as he brushed some hair off her forehead and then kissed it gently.

"Well, that is highly disconcerting," Alexis said.

"How about some breakfast?" Julian asked as he helped her into a more seated position and then brought over the tray.

Alexis's color seemed to blanche even more at the sight or perhaps the scent of the food. "I think my stomach is still a bit unsettled," she said.

Julian reached for her hand again. "Just try to eat a little sweetheart. You and the baby need the nutrition," he said.

Again, Alexis's face blanched.

Julian wondered if she had forgotten what she had disclosed three days ago. That was certainly possible, she had been very sick at the time. He gave her hand another squeeze as he searched for the words that might make the whole surreal situation alright. He realized that he had never asked Alexis how she felt about the pregnancy. They had never discussed children. Or not really, she had occasionally mentioned her nephew, Nikolas. Julian thought he was almost ten.

Alexis's breathing quickened and any residual color completely left her face.

Julian recognized the ensuing panic attack with hyperventilation. He adeptly retrieved the tray from her lap and then sat back down on her bed and pulled her into his arms. "It's ok, just try to relax your breathing. You can do this!"

Unfortunately, Alexis continued to hyperventilate.

Julian knew it could be so hard for her to break the cycle once she had let panic take over. With one hand he retrieved the paper bag he knew was still in her bedside table and held it in front of her nose and mouth as he reclined her body back against his. He could feel her trembling in his arms and his heart broke. It was so hard to watch her suffer and struggle.

When they had been at Georgetown together, he had encouraged her to at least talk to someone about the symptoms. She had always been reticent. Despite the degree of madness that existed within the Cassadine Family, psychiatric intervention was strongly frowned up. He had never been able to support Alexis enough that she could envision going against the family dictate. He knew he was going to have to do better there. Alexis and their child both deserved that.

Julian stroked Alexis's cheek with his forefinger as she continued to pant and heave in his arms. "I'm right here sweetheart, just take some easy breaths. You don't have to do anything right now except lie here in my arms. You're safe here, honey. Nice easy breaths. You're doing so well," Julian said.

Eventually Alexis's breathing slowed, and she lay still, pale, and exhausted in his arms. Julian laid a hand firmly on her abdomen. "I'm right here, we're going to get through this together. I promise," he said.

"I don't feel well," Alexis whispered.

"I'm sure. But right now, maybe just rest. You're getting some sugar in the IV and we'll try again with lunch," Julian said. They would have to talk about the pregnancy later too. As much as the idea of a child with Alexis made his heart soar, he realized that there were consequences of pregnancy for Alexis as a Cassadine he hadn't even begun to consider.