Chapter One

~ * July 12, 2021 * ~

~ * Port Charles, New York * ~

Heaven Leigh Ramsey walked along Elm St, concentrating on the map that she was holding. Unfortunately for her, Heaven wasn't that good with maps. As she walked, several people stopped and stared at her, but Heaven was totally unaware of it. Heaven was beautiful, but all

her life she'd never been aware of it, and she was twenty-one years old now. She had long, flowing dark hair that fell halfway down her back and huge, chocolate brown eyes. Her face was oval and she was medium height with an hour-glass figure. On this sunny, warm day, Heaven was wearing denim overall shorts and a white shirt that showed off her tanned skin. Her hair was loose and a few unruly strands framed her face. Looking up momentarily, Heaven was relieved to see a bench up ahead. She collapsed on it with a loud groan, setting her backpack down beside her. She unzipped it, pulling out a bottle of water and gulping some of it down. Wiping her brow, Heaven gazed intently at the map, trying to figure out the best way to go to get to General Hospital.

"Excuse me," a male voice interrupted her thoughts. "I'm sorry to bother you, but you look lost. Can I help you?"

Heaven looked up to see a young black man, that looked to be in his early twenties, standing in front of her, smiling. He was incredibly handsome, his dark hair curling at the back and cut in a modern style. His eyes were dark brown, almost like coal. Heaven eyed him for a moment and then glanced away, feeling her cheeks tinge with pink. "Actually, yes, if you don't mind," she said in her soft voice. "I'm trying to get to General Hospital. Can you tell me how to get there?"

"Sure," the young man sat down beside Heaven without another moment's hesitation. "Zachary Woods," he held out his hand to her with a heart- breaking grin.

"Heaven Leigh," Heaven conveniently left out her last name, not sure if Zachary would recognize it. Heaven was not ready to let anyone know her reason for being in Port Charles. Not until she found him...... "Nice to meet you, Zachary." Heaven shook his hand firmly.

"Please call me Zach. Heaven Leigh," Zachary repeated. "What a beautiful name."

"Thank you, Zach."

"What made your parents decide on such a unique name like that? If I'm not prying," Zach asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You're not prying," Heaven responded. "My mother always told me that she loved my father so much that to have his child was like having a piece of Heaven. It's actually pretty corny when you think about it."

"I don't think it's corny at all. I actually think it's pretty sweet. I hope one day I can have that kind of love with a woman."

Heaven smiled at Zach, "I hope so too."

"So," Zach stood up, "How about I walk with you to General Hospital? My mother works as an assistant to the Chief of Staff there, and I could always drop by and say hi."

"Are you sure? I don't want to keep you from anything." Heaven rose as well, slipping her arms through her backpack straps and hoisting it onto her back.

"You're not keeping me from anything," Zach told her as they began to walk. "My mom's always telling me I should drop by and see her more often. Just my luck, it takes meeting a pretty girl before I actually do it."

Heaven blushed again, "How long has your mother worked at the hospital?" she asked as they walked, trying to make conversation.

Zach frowned thoughtfully, "As long as I can remember. She started from the ground up, volunteering there as a candy striper before I was born. She left the hospital for awhile, helping my father open his bike shop. But she went back to it again after I was born because it brought in more money."

"What kind of bike shop does your father own?" Heaven asked curiously.

Zach smiled, "Motorcycles. He repairs them and sometimes sells them."

"That sounds like such fun. Building a career out of a fun hobby. Your dad must be an excellent rider."

"Sure," Zach said easily, "He's awesome. Taught me to ride too. I'm not as interested in it as he is, but I do enjoy the odd ride now and then. Have you ever been on a bike?"

Heaven shook her head, her hair shining in the warm sunlight, "My mom was always overprotective of me. She never let me do anything she considered dangerous. But I've always been curious about it - the wind flowing through your hair... the freedom..."

Zach flashed a grin at her, "I can take you out for a ride, if you'd like to and your mother wouldn't mind." At the mention of her mother, he noticed her smile fade and he paused in his walking. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, not really. It's just that my mother died four years ago," Heaven said softly, glancing down at her feet. She blinked away the tears that still filled her eyes when her thoughts slipped to her

mother.

Zach reached over and lightly took her hand. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I had no idea."

"I know," Heaven reassured him, "It's not your fault, you didn't know. And the answer to your question is yes: I'd love to go for a ride sometime. Thanks." Heaven began walking again.

Zach followed along beside her, relieved he hadn't seriously upset her. "How about tomorrow?" he pressed.

Heaven glanced at him with a grin, "You work fast, don't you?"

It was Zach's turn to blush. "If that's too soon," he began.

"No, tomorrow will be fine." Heaven glanced up to see a big building in front of her, "Is this it?"

Zach nodded, "Yeah. Do you know who you're looking for? I'm pretty familiar with everyone in there, I can help you find whoever you need to find."

"Actually, if you don't mind, this is something I need to do myself," Heaven said apologetically.

"Okay." They stepped inside the hospital and Zach stopped. "So, tomorrow night for dinner? Where are you staying?"

"At the Port Charles Hotel."

Zach whistled, "Pretty fancy."

Heaven blushed, "My guardians gave me some money and I received access to a trust fund my mother left me on my last birthday. I decided I deserved to spoil myself a little."

"Don't explain it to me," Zach grinned and held up his hand. "If I could stay there, I definitely would. How about I pick you up there around four, we can go for our ride and then stop for dinner? I know a great place with superb food."

Heaven returned Zach's smile with a bright one of her own. "That's the best offer I've had since I got here."

"Does that mean you accept?"

"Yes, I accept. I'll meet you in the lobby of the hotel tomorrow at four."

"Great!" Zach rewarded Heaven with another heart-breaking grin. "See you then." He headed towards the elevator and turned back to her once, giving her a friendly wave.

Heaven returned the wave and then walked over to an area with a sign stating "Information" hanging above it. "Excuse me," Heaven said to a nearby woman.

The woman turned to Heaven with a business-like smile. "Yes? Can I help you?" she asked.

Heaven noticed her name tag. "Yes, Colleen, I'm looking for Dr. Chris Ramsey. Can you tell me where I can find him?"

"His office is on the sixth floor," Colleen replied. "But I can page him for you." Her hand was on a nearby phone by the time the words were out of her mouth.

"Uh, no, that's okay," Heaven spoke up. "I'll just go up there myself. He's not expecting me."

"Okay," Colleen said uncertainly.

"Thanks."

Colleen nodded.

Heaven headed back towards the elevators and pressed the up button. Taking a deep breath, she crossed her fingers and waited. Hopefully, she would be well received by Chris. She was bringing him news she knew he had never dreamed of.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dr. Chris Ramsey sat at the desk in his office, lightly massaging his temples as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. The worst part about being Chief of Staff was the paperwork, and somehow tons of it usually managed to pile onto his desk when he wasn't looking.

Picking up a pen, Chris signed a few necessary papers and moved them onto a chair that was beside him. His gaze fell on some pictures frames on his desk and Chris paused to look more intently at them. The first one was of his family. His wife, Elizabeth Webber-Ramsey, as sitting on a chair and Chris was standing behind her on the right. To the left of her was their sixteen year old son, Jackson. Jackson was named after his brother, Jack. His eyes moved to the next picture on his desk, of his brother Jack and Jack's wife, Emily Quartermaine. "Jack knew what he was doing, marrying a Quartermaine," Chris said with a low chuckle. Emily's father had been Chief of Staff before Chris, and when Jack and Emily had married, Chris and Alan grew to be close. His moving up into Chief of Staff after Alan retired was inevitable.

Chris shook his head to clear it and moved onto some more paperwork. His pen died suddenly and Chris cursed as he tossed it into the garbage. He opened his top drawer, looking for a new pen. His fingers moved along the drawer and hit something that felt cool to the touch. Chris closed his fingers along the object and withdrew it. His eyes clouded over as he gazed at the picture, staring intently at the face looking back at him.

"Livvie," Chris whispered, tracing his finger along her face. Livvie was the love of his life, the woman he'd never really gotten over. They'd had a fling over twenty years ago, and then Livvie had disappeared suddenly. Chris assumed her aunt and legal guardian, Rachel, had taken her away and forbidden her to see him. But Chris had always thought Livvie would come back to him. He'd waited three years for her before finally marrying Elizabeth. He loved Elizabeth, Chris had reasoned, but even Chris wasn't stupid enough to think that his love for Elizabeth even came close to the fire and passion he felt for Livvie. But Elizabeth was a good wife, and their marriage

had been good for the last eighteen years. Their son was born within the first year of their marriage, and the only thing Chris ever regretted about the marriage was their inability to have another child. Nothing was wrong with Elizabeth, she just hadn't managed to conceive again.

Chris closed his eyes, imagining Livvie in front of him, with her long, dark hair that shone in the light and her huge brown eyes, like a coal's. He imagined her being close enough to run his fingers through her hair, pulling her in his arms and pressing his lips to her. Shivers flowed through Chris' body as his daydream continued, feeling so real. His hand reached to Livvie's chest and pressed lightly against it, his fingers unbuttoning the soft material as his lips moved down to her neck, suckling gently on her sweet skin. Her shirt fully unbuttoned, Chris cupped her breast in his hand.....

*knock, knock*

Chris' eyes flew open as the knock interrupted his thoughts. He cleared his throat, swiped at his face and called, "Come in." Chris hoped his face was back to its normal color. He quickly shoved the picture of Livvie back in the drawer and shut it. The door slid open and his assistant, Alison Woods, walked in.

"Sorry to bother you," she apologized with a smile, walking in his office and shutting the door. Her blue eyes strayed to where Chris had just shut his desk drawer briefly before moving back towards Chris. "I just wanted to know if you've signed those purchase requests for me yet. You know, the ones from pediatrics."

Chris shuffled through his 'done' papers until he found what Alison was looking for. "Here they are." Chris handed them to her.



"No offense, Chris, but your office is a mess," Alison said with a laugh.

Chris shot her a dirty look, "That's because my assistant is behind in her work. She's supposed to be filing for me to take some of these papers off my desk."

"Sorry," she apologized again. "I've been so busy with all the other tens of thousands of work you've unloaded on me."

"What can I say? I'm a tyrant," Chris shrugged and smiled at Alison.

Alison rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Chris. Hey," another thought occurred to her, "Jamal and I are having a small barbeque this weekend. We'd like you and Liz and Jackson to come. Can you?"

"Sounds great, Alison. I'll make sure Liz is available and if she is, we'll be there. I'm not sure if Jackson has plans or not, but I'll ask him."

"Just tell him Zach and Sarah will be there," Alison said. "You know the crush Jackson has on Sarah."

"I know." Zach was Alison and Jamal's twenty-one year old son and Sarah was their fifteen year old daughter. "I'll ask him and get back to you. Now get back to work," Chris growled teasingly.

Alison saluted Chris smartly and then opened his office door. Standing there, about to knock, was a young woman neither of them knew. "Can I help you?" Alison asked, protectively blocking the

woman's view of Chris.

"I -- I'm looking for Dr. Ramsey," she stuttered, her face turning red as she glanced at Alison.

Alison felt her heart soften slightly at the fear she saw in the young woman's face. "Can I tell him what it's about?" she asked, more softly.

"It's personal. Tell him it's about," she seemed to hesitate briefly. "About Livvie Reese."

"Let her in, Alison," called Chris from behind her. Alison turned to see Chris' face, concerned and hopeful.

"Just a second," Alison said to the girl. She shut the door and moved towards Chris.

"What are you doing!?!" Chris cried, panicked. He jumped up, about to race to the door.

Alison put her hand up to stop him. "Chris, I know how much you loved Livvie and how much you still care about her. I know you have that picture of her inside your desk. But keep an open mind about whatever this girl tells you. It may be a trick of Rachel's, Chris."

"You're right," Chris slumped back into his chair. "How did you know about the picture?"

"I ran across it one day, by accident, when I was looking for something in your desk drawer. I figured it was too painful, so I never mentioned it."

"Don't you miss her, Ali?"

"Of course I do. She was my best friend and she disappeared without a trace. She was supposed to be Zach's godmother," Alison's voice was choked. "For all we know, Rachel killed her."

"She'd better not have or I'll kill her myself." Chris clenched his fists.

"Your private detectives never found a trace of Livvie or Rachel ever again," Alison pointed out.

Chris frowned. "It doesn't matter. If that girl tells me Livvie is hurt and was hurt by Rachel, I'll go back to searching and I'll make Rachel pay."

Alison nodded and walked towards the door, "Ready?"

"Yes." Chris took a deep breath.

Alison opened the door again and smiled at the young woman, noticing she sort of resembled Livvie, now that Alison knew she was connected to her best friend. "Sorry about that. Chris is ready for you now."

"Thank you."

Alison moved out of the way, and closed the door behind her.

Chris glanced at her warily as she cautiously approached his desk.

Heaven took several quick, deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart. She'd anticipated this day for months. Now it was here, and Chris was looking at her like she was going to bite him.

"What do you want?" Chris finally asked, not able to bear the suspense any longer.

Heaven winced at the tone in his voice.

"Sorry," Chris apologized, "You said you have to tell me something about Livvie Reese?"

"Yes. May I sit down?" Heaven inquired.

Chris nodded and Heaven sat down. "My name is Heaven, Dr. Ramsey."

"That's a unique name," Chris remarked.

"I know, thank you." Heaven's face relaxed into a small smile. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'll just blurt it out. Livvie Reese is my mother, Dr. Ramsey."

"Your mother?" Chris' eyebrows shot up. "You're Livvie's daughter? And please, call me Chris."

Heaven took another deep breath and nodded. "Yes, Chris, I'm Livvie's daughter."

Chris got up and came around the desk to inspect Heaven even closer. "You look a lot like her," he said softly. "I should have recognized you immediately."

"That's such a compliment," Heaven said. "I loved my mother very much, and to be compared to her in any way is so meaningful to me."

"Loved?" Chris repeated. "As in past tense?"

"Yes. That's part of what I came to tell you. My mother died four years ago. Of breast cancer."

"Livvie's dead?" Chris's heart plunged and he had to sit down in the chair beside her. "How? Breast cancer is curable!"

"My mother hated doctors. I'm not sure why," Heaven glanced at him, almost apologetically, "She kept convincing herself nothing was wrong, and even managed to convince me, until I finally one day I insisted she go to the doctor for her physical and mammogram. By the time they diagnosed the cancer, it had spread too far too fast to be caught. She died within a year of being diagnosed."

"Oh my god," Chris put his hands over his face, closing his eyes in pain, "All these years, I'd always held out some hope that she was alive, that she was happy."

"She was very happy, Chris. She was happy until the day we died. She became a pediatrician, which is partly why she hated going to the doctor herself. She said she would know if something was seriously wrong. I think Mom was just in denial. We lived in Canada until I was

fourteen and then we moved to Pennsylvania, to a small town named Llanview."

"Livvie never remarried?" Chris asked.

"No," Heaven paused, considering what to tell him, "Mom always said she had one great love of her life and if she couldn't have him, then she'd rather live alone with me than with a man she couldn't love half as much."

Chris felt a stab of pain at Heaven's words. So Livvie had found another love of her life, someone besides him. The very idea crushed him, almost cutting off his breathing. "Would that be your father?" he managed to croak out.

Heaven nodded. "My father was the most special man in the world to her. She never told me a lot about him growing up, except that he was the kindest, most gentle, most caring man she had ever met. She told me he died when I before I was born and he never met me. I longed all my life for my father, this man who had made my mother so incredibly happy."

"So how did you end up knowing about me? Why would I want to know all this after all these years? Do you know that it has been twenty two years since I last saw your mother?"

"I know that. My mother's aunt Rachel took her away from Port Charles to keep her from you," Heaven explained. "When I turned twenty-one, my legal guardian's gave me a letter that was from my mother. It explained a lot about her past, and a lot about mine. Rachel kept her in hiding until my mother ran to Canada. We hid out there and went to Llanview, and Rachel died within a year of us living there. My mother never told me about her, except in this letter. She mentioned you in the letter, and told me some really important things that she wanted both of us to know. That's why I'm here."

"What important things?" Chris asked suspiciously. He felt like he was on a roller-coaster, his emotions going from happy, to sad, to anger, to hate, to love, to longing........

Heaven took one last deep breath, "My mother was a wonderful woman, but she lied about many things in my life, Chris. She told me my father had died before I was born, but in this letter she left for me for my twenty first birthday, she confessed the truth. My father was alive and well and didn't even know of my existence. She lied to protect me from Rachel and what Rachel would do to me and my father should Rachel have ever found us. Rachel kept Mom in hiding, knowing she was pregnant. She tried to give me up for adoption, but Mom took me and ran to Canada. Mom protected me, but in this letter she asked me to come here and tell you the truth about what happened."

"But why?" Chris asked, frustrated, "Why now, after all these years."

"She left you a letter too, Chris." Heaven dug it out of her backpack. "Before I give it to you. I have to tell you the last thing she wanted me to tell you."

Chris was dying to snatch the letter from her hand but paused when he caught her words, "What's that?"

Heaven met his eyes, "She wanted you to know that when you and she were in love so long ago, she conceived your child. I am that child, Chris. I am your daughter."