"Go back? Who said anything about you going back?" Ed responded.
"C'mon, Ed! You HAVE to let me go back! Alison needs me! I know, I know...I've kinda used up all my passes, but...but, isn't there some loophole somewhere in the rules?! C'mon! There's gotta be SOMETHING!"
"Loophole? Rafe, you've gone through every loop and hole in the book. You already got to go back down there and stay down there, even after your time was up. AND...If it wasn't for that last little 'loophole' you pulled, we wouldn't be IN this situation in the first place!"
"So what did the council say? Huh?! They're not letting me go back? What, Ed?! What did they SAY?!"
"My boy, you've got to calm down. Jeez, who said angels need wings to fly?! You're wound up so tight, if we let you go right now, you'd take off and fly a couple laps around the universe!"
"Ed!" Rafe did not look amused.
"Ok, ok. The fact is that the council's stumped. We have no idea what to do about the situation, or what to do with you. So you, my boy, are just gonna have to sit your blessed little behind down on a nice cozy cloud and have some patience...It's a virtue, ya know?"
"Yeah, so I've heard... Can...can you at least show me what's going on with Alison right now? I mean, can you give me that much?"
Ed hated to admit it, but Larry wasn't the only one who had a soft spot for Rafe. "Ya know, Rafe, after the little trip to the beach, I promised I wouldn't bend the rules for you again, but since we're dealing with some special circumstances here....."
Alison laid there on the bed, curled up in a ball, and thinking of Rafe. Lucy's visit confirmed for her what she had been dreading. No one would ever understand why Rafe left town, why she can't contact him and tell him about the baby, and why he can't ever come back...even if he wanted to.
Those thoughts then opened a pandora's box for Alison. If she can't explain anything about the circumstances surrounding Rafe's disappearance to the people in Port Charles, how would she EVER explain it to her child? Would their child think that his...or her...father had just skipped town too? Alison was flooded with emotion. She didn't want her child to have the same feelings of abandonment that she felt from her parents. She didn't want her baby to feel unloved, or like his father didn't care about him. Alison wanted her baby to know that he was conceived from the greatest love she'd ever known, and that his father would have given ANYTHING to be able to stay with them...forever. Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Alison wiped her eyes and looked up to see Livvie standing at the door.
"Hey, Alison...can I come in?" Livvie spoke in a gentle, motherly voice.
"Oh...yeah...Sorry about storming out of there and everything. It's just that...I just couldn't deal with it, ya know? Lucy kept asking me all these questions and insisting that I tell Rafe so that he'd come back. And I just wanted to scream at her, 'Don't you think I would if I could?! Don't you think I want Rafe back here with me, with our child, too?!' All I could think about was how that was gonna be the reaction I'll probably get from everyone in Port Charles... Livvie, I don't know if I can do this."
"Of course you can, Alison. You're stronger than all of us. Don't worry, you'll be fine. You'll get through it...we'll get through it. I'm here for you...and Jack...and....Jamal-..."
"Livvie, please." Alison gave Livvie a look.
"Ok, ok...I won't talk about Jamal. But honestly, Alison, you gotta know that you've got people who care about you, who are gonna help you every step of the way...even when the hormones are flaring." Livvie joked, trying to change the mood.
"Oh please! I don't even want to THINK about hormones, or getting fat...or...maternity clothes...yuck!"
"C'mon Alison, they've got some cute stuff now. Haven't you seen those pregnant celebrities. They all wear that designer maternity stuff... We'll just take 'Nana's' credit card for a little spin."
"Oh God!! My Nana! What is my Nana gonna say?! What's she gonna do?! Livvie, she's gonna have a heart attack!"
"Ya know what, let's not think about your grandmother right now... Alison, you're gonna be a mom!"
"I know, I know... I still can't believe it. I mean, Rafe and I had talked about it, but... Oh my God, I'm gonna be a mom." Alison suddenly looked nauseous.
"Alison! You look like you're gonna be sick. ARE you gonna be sick?! Is it that morning sickness thing, cause I heard saltines are good for that-..."
"No, no, no... I'm fine... Scared to death... but fine."
"So... I get to be Aunt Livvie, right?"
"Of course."
"Hey! Let's go shopping. You love shopping. We can go look at baby clothes... It'll be fun... get your mind off... things."
"Actually, Livvie... Thanks...but I think I just want to lie down and take a nap. It's been a REALLY long day, and I'm kinda exhausted."
"You sure? I mean, are you sure you'll be ok? Do you want me to stay here while you nap? Or maybe, do you want to come back and stay and me and Jack's place?"
"Livvie... I'm fine. Just tired is all. Ok? I'll see you later. Go, I'll be fine."
"Ok, well call me later? Promise?"
"Yes, definitely."
"Ok...see ya..."
"And Livvie...." Alison called out as Livvie was about to leave the room.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Livvie smiled back at Alison and closed the door. Alison laid back down on the bed and started to think about Rafe again.
Alison remembered Rafe and how wonderful he was with kids. Not just with Danny, when he made the light show to stop his crying, but also with Christina...and, especially, with Serena. Rafe was always great with Serena. At Lucy and Kevin's wedding, Serena was so worried about her mom, but Rafe knew exactly what to do and what to say to her. He'd be such a great father.
Her eyes filled with tears once again. This should have been one of the happiest days of her life. For part of her, it was. But the ache she felt as she thought of Rafe would not go away. She laid there for what seemed like hours, but had only been minutes, before she drifted off to sleep... hoping... praying that Rafe would keep his promise... that she'd be able to see him, hear him...feel him... in her dreams.