Chapter Two
"My -- my daughter?" Chris squeaked, instinctively raking his fingers through his hair as he stared at Heaven intensely. "I don't have a daughter," he stammered, "I only have a son. He's sixteen years old; named Jackson." Chris shut his mouth when he realized he was babbling. He got up and began pacing around his office. "You can't be my daughter," he repeated, avoiding looking at Heaven at all costs. "Livvie and I, well, we were only together once."
Heaven stood up and smiled, "Since you're a doctor, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that once is all it takes to conceive a baby."
Chris turned to face her suddenly, "My mind knows that but my heart is hammering wildly here. You have to understand, Heaven; it's been twenty two years since I've seen Livvie. Since then, I've put her out of my mind and placed her into a deep place at the back of my heart. I've always dreamed of seeing her again, of being able to touch her, hold her, love her...." he trailed off in thought for a moment, closing his eyes briefly and smiling. Then he realized he was talking and opened them again, "It never occurred to me that we conceived a child together that night, or that she had kept my child from me for all these years. God, if I'd only known...."
"My mother thought she was doing the best thing for everyone involved," Heaven said simply. "From what I can understand from her letter and from what my guardians told me, she kept me hidden until my aunt Rachel died and when Rachel did, she was going to bring me back to you. Only when she had a private investigator locate you," Heaven's eyes were troubled, "she found that you were married. My mother was nothing if not noble, Dr. Ramsey. There was no way she was going to come back into your life fourteen years later with a teenage child and ruin your marriage. By then, you'd already had your son."
"Your half brother," Chris pointed out.
"Yes, my half brother," Heaven acknowledged with a nod of her head. "But nevertheless, my mother didn't want to disrupt your life."
"What made her move to Llanview?"
"Mom was never happy in Canada; not truly. I suspect now that she felt too far away from you and all the memories she still had of your time together. She wanted to find a job and her friend Blair invited her to move to the town she'd recently moved into. Llanview was a nice town," Heaven smiled, "And Blair and Todd were great. Their children, Starr and Jack, were like siblings to me after Mom died. But when I was told about you....... I realized I had to come and find you. At least to honor my mother's last wish."
"And since you have, now what? What are your plans from this point on, Heaven?" Chris asked softly.
Heaven leaned back in her chair and shrugged, "I hadn't really thought that far. My whole life has been consumed with finding you for the past few months. I really hadn't considered anything beyond that."
"Can you.... will you... uh, what I mean is.... I -- I want to know about you," Chris stammered, feeling the awkwardness of the situation suddenly. Here was this grown child, his daughter, and he knew next to nothing about her. His body tingled at the realization that his love for Livvie hadn't totally been lost -- it had borne this child... this miracle. And even though she was an adult now, just the knowledge of that fact alone pleased him.
Heaven chuckled, "Sure. What do you want to know?"
"Well," He stared at her critically for a moment and then sat down in front of her. "Everything. Your hobbies, what you like to eat and your dislikes, what you're studying in school, if you go to school, if you ever had any pets, any boyfriends...."
"Whoa!" Heaven held up a hand, "Yes, I am in school. I'm majoring in medicine; I want to be a pediatrician like Mom. I've always loved being around children and I always regretted that Mom never remarried and made me a big sister. As for food likes and dislikes," she bit her lip thoughtfully, which delighted Chris. It was exactly what Livvie used to do when she was deep in thought. "I love Italian and Mexican food; the spicier the better in my opinion. I don't eat much
red meat otherwise and I hate liver," she wrinkled her nose, "And I'm not fond of Chinese food or raw sushi. My hobbies are dancing, reading, horseback riding and spending time with children. I don't mind a good movie or TV show and I love the old movies. I had a cat while I was growing up but he died a few years ago. And as for boyfriends," her eyes twinkled. "That's something we'll get into another time. But no boyfriends at the current moment."
Chris ate up every word she said. It was like talking to Livvie all over again. Heaven was very much her own person; she had an aura about her of independence and defiance. "Thank you," he laughed as she looked at him expectantly. "Now, I have a favor to ask you."
"What?"
Chris had realized during the course of their conversation that he didn't want to lose her again. He was desperate to keep this child in his life now, not only because she was his daughter, but because she was his last tie to Livvie. "Stay in town and get to know me, and your family," he begged lightly, not wanting to pressure her too much. "You're my daughter and I want the chance to get to know you, spend time with you, and all the other things that come with being a father. You have a brother who is sixteen, Jackson, and I'm sure your stepmother Elizabeth will love you. Please stay; and if it's too early for you to stay at the house with us, then at least at a hotel for now."
Heaven eyed her father carefully, "I am planning to stay for at least two weeks. Right now I am staying in a room at the Port Charles Hotel and for the two weeks I'm here, I will remain there. But I can't make any promises for after that, Chris. It all depends on what happens and how I feel. I want to get to know you and my family but I don't know if I can or even want to stay here permanently. Can we just see how it goes and in two weeks discuss it again?"
"I'll take it," Chris said immediately. "And I have another favor to ask."
"You don't want much, do you?" Heaven asked, rolling her eyes and smiling.
Chris blushed, "I'd like it very much if you could possibly call me Dad. Not right now," he added quickly, "But maybe eventually, after we get to know each other better."
"I'd like that," Heaven admitted shyly.
* knock, knock *
Chris groaned with irritation and called, "Come in!"
Alison poked her head in with an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she said. "But there's an urgent phone call for you from Alan Quartermaine." Alan still checked in from time to time and Chris felt it was his duty to pacify him when he did call.
Chris sighed and glanced at his watch. "I have another two or three hours of work to do before I can leave," he said. "And then I need to call home and tell my wife about this. But I want you to come for dinner tonight at my house, okay? Promise me I will find you here in three hours?"
Heaven's look was uncertain and Alison was waiting at the door expectantly, trying to hide her own curiosity.
When Heaven saw how much it meant to Chris, she finally nodded, "I can go back to the hotel and freshen up."
"Good," Chris looked enormously relieved. He glanced over at Alison and had to bit his lip to keep from bursting into laughter at her expression. "Alison, it's a really long story, but I'd like you to
meet my daughter, Heaven Ramsey. Heaven, this is my assistant, my godsend actually, Alison Woods."
Alison was shocked but only smiled, "It's a pleasure, Heaven," she said demurely.
"I met someone today named Woods," Heaven commented as she returned Alison's smile. "His name was Zach."
"That's my son," Alison nodded.
"Ah. He's really nice." Now it was Heaven's turn to hide her surprise.
Alison noted her surprise, "My husband is black."
Heaven nodded and stood up, "He was really nice." She turned to Chris, "I'll be back in three hours..... Dad." Heaven turned back to Chris for a brief second. "Here's your letter," she said quietly. She handed it to him, nodded to Alison and demurely left the room.
Chris smiled broadly and nodded. He watched while Heaven gathered her things and quietly left the room, his eyes filled with awe. "Chris?" Alison's voice interrupted his thoughts. He started and glanced over at her questioningly.
"She's Livvie's too, isn't she." It was more of a statement than a question.
Chris nodded wordlessly.
"Wow." Alison suddenly remembered. "Oh god, Chris, Alan's going to think I forgot about him!"
"I'll handle him. Thanks, Ali. Oh! And call my wife when you get a chance and ask her to come see me, please!" Chris whistled as he walked back around his desk. There was a bounce in his step now, and Alison silently prayed his happiness wasn't a trick. The last thing Chris needed was Livvie to be taken away from him again, even if it was in the form of her daughter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I hope Chris doesn't mind my staying here," Emily Ramsey said. She stepped back from where she'd just dropped her suitcase and sighed. She turned to face her best friend and sister-in-law. "Thanks for letting me, though, Elizabeth. I really need the break."
Elizabeth Webber-Ramsey reached out her arms and folded Emily into them. "You know I'm always here for you, Em. We've been friends since you were fifteen years old. That counts for something in my book." She smiled and stood back.
Emily brushed an unruly strand of hair from her eyes. "Thanks, Liz. I'm just glad that Jack & I don't have any kids to bring into our problems." Her eyes filled with hurt as she spoke.
Elizabeth gently touched her arm. "Life is very odd," she said wisely. Her own eyes were filled with sadness. "I remember our dreams of houses full of kids. At least I was lucky enough to have Jackson."
Emily nodded. "Very lucky. And as his godmother, I appreciate you sharing him as much as you did. But I wish Jack had at least considered adoption."
Emily had been devastated upon discovering breast cancer at the tender age of twenty-one. She took chemo to try to kill the bad cells, but no one had told her that would affect her fertility. It wasn't until after she'd gone to a specialist that Emily had been told that chemo had made her 50% sterile. Though Jack had also been devastated by the news that his wife would most likely be unable to conceive, he had steadfastly refused adoption. And their one attempt at a surrogate had been a bigger mess than either of them wanted to remember. So they'd live together ever since, childless and devoted to their nephew and godson, Jackson. Emily had sorely regretted that decision, until now. Now that she had discovered Jack's affair.
The moment Emily had discovered it, she'd had a blow out fight with Jack. She'd kicked him out of the house, and spent the night pacing, trying to calm herself down and figure out to do from that point. She'd been married for sixteen years, and she didn't want to make a rash decision. Deciding to give herself some time and space, she packed up and went to her best friend, asking for a place to stay while she gathered her thoughts. And of course, Elizabeth had immediately agreed. The irony of Emily's best friend being married to her husband's brother wasn't lost on her, but Emily was grateful for the place to stay.
"This will all work out, Em," Elizabeth said softly. "Just give it some time, and don't rush into any decisions."
"I won't," Emily smiled. Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
Elizabeth answered. "Ramsey residence.... oh, hi, Alison...... Okay .... right now?" She looked at Emily and rolled her eyes. "Okay. Tell Chris I'll see him in a bit." She sighed and hung up. "Chris needs to see me immediately, but he can't leave the office. So he gets his assistant to call and ask me to come in. Sometimes being married to the Chief of Staff has its difficulties."
"But Chris loves you," Emily pointed out. "And you love him."
Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, Chris loves me. And I love him. And Jack loves you, Em. This will all work out, I promise." She hugged Emily quickly again and picked up her purse. "You want to come along for the ride?"
"No thanks. I'd prefer to stay here and hibernate," Emily replied. She walked Elizabeth to the front door. "Thanks, though."
"You're welcome. See you in a bit!" With a wave, Elizabeth left.
"My -- my daughter?" Chris squeaked, instinctively raking his fingers through his hair as he stared at Heaven intensely. "I don't have a daughter," he stammered, "I only have a son. He's sixteen years old; named Jackson." Chris shut his mouth when he realized he was babbling. He got up and began pacing around his office. "You can't be my daughter," he repeated, avoiding looking at Heaven at all costs. "Livvie and I, well, we were only together once."
Heaven stood up and smiled, "Since you're a doctor, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that once is all it takes to conceive a baby."
Chris turned to face her suddenly, "My mind knows that but my heart is hammering wildly here. You have to understand, Heaven; it's been twenty two years since I've seen Livvie. Since then, I've put her out of my mind and placed her into a deep place at the back of my heart. I've always dreamed of seeing her again, of being able to touch her, hold her, love her...." he trailed off in thought for a moment, closing his eyes briefly and smiling. Then he realized he was talking and opened them again, "It never occurred to me that we conceived a child together that night, or that she had kept my child from me for all these years. God, if I'd only known...."
"My mother thought she was doing the best thing for everyone involved," Heaven said simply. "From what I can understand from her letter and from what my guardians told me, she kept me hidden until my aunt Rachel died and when Rachel did, she was going to bring me back to you. Only when she had a private investigator locate you," Heaven's eyes were troubled, "she found that you were married. My mother was nothing if not noble, Dr. Ramsey. There was no way she was going to come back into your life fourteen years later with a teenage child and ruin your marriage. By then, you'd already had your son."
"Your half brother," Chris pointed out.
"Yes, my half brother," Heaven acknowledged with a nod of her head. "But nevertheless, my mother didn't want to disrupt your life."
"What made her move to Llanview?"
"Mom was never happy in Canada; not truly. I suspect now that she felt too far away from you and all the memories she still had of your time together. She wanted to find a job and her friend Blair invited her to move to the town she'd recently moved into. Llanview was a nice town," Heaven smiled, "And Blair and Todd were great. Their children, Starr and Jack, were like siblings to me after Mom died. But when I was told about you....... I realized I had to come and find you. At least to honor my mother's last wish."
"And since you have, now what? What are your plans from this point on, Heaven?" Chris asked softly.
Heaven leaned back in her chair and shrugged, "I hadn't really thought that far. My whole life has been consumed with finding you for the past few months. I really hadn't considered anything beyond that."
"Can you.... will you... uh, what I mean is.... I -- I want to know about you," Chris stammered, feeling the awkwardness of the situation suddenly. Here was this grown child, his daughter, and he knew next to nothing about her. His body tingled at the realization that his love for Livvie hadn't totally been lost -- it had borne this child... this miracle. And even though she was an adult now, just the knowledge of that fact alone pleased him.
Heaven chuckled, "Sure. What do you want to know?"
"Well," He stared at her critically for a moment and then sat down in front of her. "Everything. Your hobbies, what you like to eat and your dislikes, what you're studying in school, if you go to school, if you ever had any pets, any boyfriends...."
"Whoa!" Heaven held up a hand, "Yes, I am in school. I'm majoring in medicine; I want to be a pediatrician like Mom. I've always loved being around children and I always regretted that Mom never remarried and made me a big sister. As for food likes and dislikes," she bit her lip thoughtfully, which delighted Chris. It was exactly what Livvie used to do when she was deep in thought. "I love Italian and Mexican food; the spicier the better in my opinion. I don't eat much
red meat otherwise and I hate liver," she wrinkled her nose, "And I'm not fond of Chinese food or raw sushi. My hobbies are dancing, reading, horseback riding and spending time with children. I don't mind a good movie or TV show and I love the old movies. I had a cat while I was growing up but he died a few years ago. And as for boyfriends," her eyes twinkled. "That's something we'll get into another time. But no boyfriends at the current moment."
Chris ate up every word she said. It was like talking to Livvie all over again. Heaven was very much her own person; she had an aura about her of independence and defiance. "Thank you," he laughed as she looked at him expectantly. "Now, I have a favor to ask you."
"What?"
Chris had realized during the course of their conversation that he didn't want to lose her again. He was desperate to keep this child in his life now, not only because she was his daughter, but because she was his last tie to Livvie. "Stay in town and get to know me, and your family," he begged lightly, not wanting to pressure her too much. "You're my daughter and I want the chance to get to know you, spend time with you, and all the other things that come with being a father. You have a brother who is sixteen, Jackson, and I'm sure your stepmother Elizabeth will love you. Please stay; and if it's too early for you to stay at the house with us, then at least at a hotel for now."
Heaven eyed her father carefully, "I am planning to stay for at least two weeks. Right now I am staying in a room at the Port Charles Hotel and for the two weeks I'm here, I will remain there. But I can't make any promises for after that, Chris. It all depends on what happens and how I feel. I want to get to know you and my family but I don't know if I can or even want to stay here permanently. Can we just see how it goes and in two weeks discuss it again?"
"I'll take it," Chris said immediately. "And I have another favor to ask."
"You don't want much, do you?" Heaven asked, rolling her eyes and smiling.
Chris blushed, "I'd like it very much if you could possibly call me Dad. Not right now," he added quickly, "But maybe eventually, after we get to know each other better."
"I'd like that," Heaven admitted shyly.
* knock, knock *
Chris groaned with irritation and called, "Come in!"
Alison poked her head in with an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she said. "But there's an urgent phone call for you from Alan Quartermaine." Alan still checked in from time to time and Chris felt it was his duty to pacify him when he did call.
Chris sighed and glanced at his watch. "I have another two or three hours of work to do before I can leave," he said. "And then I need to call home and tell my wife about this. But I want you to come for dinner tonight at my house, okay? Promise me I will find you here in three hours?"
Heaven's look was uncertain and Alison was waiting at the door expectantly, trying to hide her own curiosity.
When Heaven saw how much it meant to Chris, she finally nodded, "I can go back to the hotel and freshen up."
"Good," Chris looked enormously relieved. He glanced over at Alison and had to bit his lip to keep from bursting into laughter at her expression. "Alison, it's a really long story, but I'd like you to
meet my daughter, Heaven Ramsey. Heaven, this is my assistant, my godsend actually, Alison Woods."
Alison was shocked but only smiled, "It's a pleasure, Heaven," she said demurely.
"I met someone today named Woods," Heaven commented as she returned Alison's smile. "His name was Zach."
"That's my son," Alison nodded.
"Ah. He's really nice." Now it was Heaven's turn to hide her surprise.
Alison noted her surprise, "My husband is black."
Heaven nodded and stood up, "He was really nice." She turned to Chris, "I'll be back in three hours..... Dad." Heaven turned back to Chris for a brief second. "Here's your letter," she said quietly. She handed it to him, nodded to Alison and demurely left the room.
Chris smiled broadly and nodded. He watched while Heaven gathered her things and quietly left the room, his eyes filled with awe. "Chris?" Alison's voice interrupted his thoughts. He started and glanced over at her questioningly.
"She's Livvie's too, isn't she." It was more of a statement than a question.
Chris nodded wordlessly.
"Wow." Alison suddenly remembered. "Oh god, Chris, Alan's going to think I forgot about him!"
"I'll handle him. Thanks, Ali. Oh! And call my wife when you get a chance and ask her to come see me, please!" Chris whistled as he walked back around his desk. There was a bounce in his step now, and Alison silently prayed his happiness wasn't a trick. The last thing Chris needed was Livvie to be taken away from him again, even if it was in the form of her daughter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I hope Chris doesn't mind my staying here," Emily Ramsey said. She stepped back from where she'd just dropped her suitcase and sighed. She turned to face her best friend and sister-in-law. "Thanks for letting me, though, Elizabeth. I really need the break."
Elizabeth Webber-Ramsey reached out her arms and folded Emily into them. "You know I'm always here for you, Em. We've been friends since you were fifteen years old. That counts for something in my book." She smiled and stood back.
Emily brushed an unruly strand of hair from her eyes. "Thanks, Liz. I'm just glad that Jack & I don't have any kids to bring into our problems." Her eyes filled with hurt as she spoke.
Elizabeth gently touched her arm. "Life is very odd," she said wisely. Her own eyes were filled with sadness. "I remember our dreams of houses full of kids. At least I was lucky enough to have Jackson."
Emily nodded. "Very lucky. And as his godmother, I appreciate you sharing him as much as you did. But I wish Jack had at least considered adoption."
Emily had been devastated upon discovering breast cancer at the tender age of twenty-one. She took chemo to try to kill the bad cells, but no one had told her that would affect her fertility. It wasn't until after she'd gone to a specialist that Emily had been told that chemo had made her 50% sterile. Though Jack had also been devastated by the news that his wife would most likely be unable to conceive, he had steadfastly refused adoption. And their one attempt at a surrogate had been a bigger mess than either of them wanted to remember. So they'd live together ever since, childless and devoted to their nephew and godson, Jackson. Emily had sorely regretted that decision, until now. Now that she had discovered Jack's affair.
The moment Emily had discovered it, she'd had a blow out fight with Jack. She'd kicked him out of the house, and spent the night pacing, trying to calm herself down and figure out to do from that point. She'd been married for sixteen years, and she didn't want to make a rash decision. Deciding to give herself some time and space, she packed up and went to her best friend, asking for a place to stay while she gathered her thoughts. And of course, Elizabeth had immediately agreed. The irony of Emily's best friend being married to her husband's brother wasn't lost on her, but Emily was grateful for the place to stay.
"This will all work out, Em," Elizabeth said softly. "Just give it some time, and don't rush into any decisions."
"I won't," Emily smiled. Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
Elizabeth answered. "Ramsey residence.... oh, hi, Alison...... Okay .... right now?" She looked at Emily and rolled her eyes. "Okay. Tell Chris I'll see him in a bit." She sighed and hung up. "Chris needs to see me immediately, but he can't leave the office. So he gets his assistant to call and ask me to come in. Sometimes being married to the Chief of Staff has its difficulties."
"But Chris loves you," Emily pointed out. "And you love him."
Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, Chris loves me. And I love him. And Jack loves you, Em. This will all work out, I promise." She hugged Emily quickly again and picked up her purse. "You want to come along for the ride?"
"No thanks. I'd prefer to stay here and hibernate," Emily replied. She walked Elizabeth to the front door. "Thanks, though."
"You're welcome. See you in a bit!" With a wave, Elizabeth left.
