Chapter 24: Morning Has Broken

Alexis awoke to overwhelming nausea as her head throbbed. She had forgotten that the morning after was always worst with concussions. As she stumbled into the bathroom, she convinced herself that what she was experiencing was expected, it didn't mean she needed to return for additional medical care. Perhaps she would be more successful in convincing Sonny of that than she had been with Abby.

December 13, 2006

Alexis relaxed slightly as she realized that it was Abby not Kristina who had just come into the bathroom. "I'm fine," she said before Abby was able to speak.

"I'm worried, Alexis. You've been throwing up all night, even if this isn't a harbinger of something more than a concussion you must be exhausted and dehydrated by now," Abby Quartermaine said as she crossed the tiled floor and sat down on the edge of the bathtub.

"I'm fine, concussions are always worst the morning after. Trust me, I've had enough to know," Alexis said.

Alexis saw the way Abby winced at her words and wondered if she was thinking of the stories of the Cassadines her husband, or perhaps her Uncle Sean, had told. Alexis didn't have the courage to ask, or to admit that perhaps the stories were understatements of the truth. She really didn't have the courage to acknowledge that perhaps, compared to Ric, her half-brother Stavros was mild. Perhaps…

"I know Mark isn't on service so he could probably take the girls if you needed that. Kristina seemed very comfortable with him at brunch on Sunday," Abby suggested.

Abby was right and Alexis supposed that was more evidence that she probably shouldn't have ripped Kristina away from Mark so abruptly and callously. But she had, and even though his family had clung to maintain the relationship they had with Kristina, Mark had stepped back. He did still care though, that much was obvious from the way he had held her at the hospital and his concern since then. A better mother would have figured out how to work things out so Kristina saw him regularly but that just made things even more complicated with Sonny and Alexis just couldn't go there.

"I'm sure if I need a babysitter Kristina's father could be available. But I don't. Viola has the day off and I'm going to spend today with my daughters for some Davis girls bonding," Alexis said.

"You've been vomiting most of the night. You can barely stand up. Unless Davis girls bonding consists of holding a basin for mommy as she lies on the couch, I don't think it is happening, Alexis."

Alexis took a deep breath. Abby was very realistic and upfront. She was a good Quartermaine, Alexis was sure but as a friend it could be inconvenient. It interfered with Alexis's finely honed denial mechanisms. "I'll be fine I just need to get my bearings," she said as she started to stand up. Unfortunately, everything spun more and the next thing she really was aware of was Abby helping her back down to the floor.

"I think you need to go back to the hospital. I know you didn't want to scare Kristina, but I think seeing you like this is going to scare her even more. I don't have anything on my court schedule so I can stay with them and it will be ok," Abby said.

Alexis didn't believe that.

The truth was it hadn't been ok then, not until she thought Ric was dead. As she slid down to the cold tile in Sonny's bathroom and dropped her head down to her knees Alexis was afraid it would never be ok again. She felt new tears forming in her throat and swallowed hard. She had shed enough tears the night before to last her a lifetime. She needed to pull herself together. She needed a shower.

Everything spun as she started to stand. Desperately she reached at the wall as if that would be enough to steady her. It wasn't but as she started to lurch forward, she felt strong arms wrapping around her and cradling her head and neck as they lowered her down to the ground.

"I just stood up too fast," Alexis said quickly. She had, that was really all it was. Alexis almost believed that. Yet, she still couldn't bring herself to meet Sonny's eyes. "Truly, I just stood up too fast," she repeated.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Alexis. I know you better than that. I'm going to help you get back into bed."

"Kristina will be awake soon," Alexis protested as he started to carry her back into his bedroom

"Probably not actually, it's only 7:30. Just watch, if we let her, she will sleep way past ten. Lois would say that means she doesn't get enough sleep during the week," Sonny said as he deposited her on his bed and pulled the blankets back up over her.

Somehow that comment struck Alexis the wrong way. "Yes, and Brooklyn is spending the night with Judge Quartermaine-Grabler because Lois is mom of the year?" she asked.

"Lois saves lives, and she is trying to give the Quartermaines an opportunity to reconnect with Brooklyn. Perhaps they could try being a little grateful for that."

"Like you were when Mark tried to give you the same opportunity with Kristina?" Alexis asked. She saw the way Sonny's face contorted at her words. She hadn't intended them to wound, honestly, she hadn't even intended them. They had just slipped out, but she realized they were probably true. Mark hadn't used Kristina to punish her as she had often accused him over the years. Mark had accepted that he wasn't Kristina's father and stepped back to allow Kristina's father to step in. Maybe if Ric hadn't been in the way that plan might have worked. It wasn't really Mark's fault that Ric had been in the way though.

Sonny shook his head. "I guess Kristina isn't the only one who wishes you had never divorced Mark," he said.

For the first time Alexis began to wonder if perhaps Sonny was a little jealous. Jealous of what? she chided herself and tried to push the thought away. The ironic thing was that Sonny was right in a way. As pathetic as it might sound, her loveless marriage with Mark had been much healthier than anything she had with Ric. Or maybe her marriage with Mark hadn't been truly loveless. At least they had both loved Kristina and Mark had always looked out for her. Yet, they had both had their hearts wrapped up in others. Mark had grieved for Kristina throughout their marriage or maybe he had; maybe he had really grieved for his first wife, maybe he still did. At least Mark hadn't grieved for losing someone who had never truly loved them in the first place.

"We aren't discussing my prior relationships," Alexis finally said.

Sonny just shook his head again. "Maybe you should get some more rest. I'll bring you up some tea and toast in a little bit," he said. Then he started towards the door and went through it without another word.

Alexis watched the door close and reflected on how pathetic it was for her to want him to stay. It was, it truly was. But she did even if she couldn't find the words to call after him.

XXXXXXXX

In the kitchen, Sonny removed the stack of pancakes from the oven long enough to toast some of the left-over Panini. He was pulling that out of the oven when he heard footsteps in the kitchen.

"Bruno assured me I wasn't interrupting anything but, just between you and me, Bruno seems a bit clueless," Lois said as she reached for a coffee mug.

Sonny slid the pancakes back into the oven and made another mental note to figure out why they couldn't fire Bruno or how they could give Bruno the divine intervention of common sense. "Don't worry I'll never assign him to protect my goddaughter."

Lois smiled after taking a sip of her coffee. "Brookie would like his name but I think that is a good plan," she said.

She would like his name? "She likes the name Bruno?"

"Miguel covered some Tom Chapin when she was about four for a Ward House Charity album. He sang about Bruno."

"He did?"

"It's the whole Don't play with Bruno; Bruno is a dweeb. What's a dweeb? You know, like Bruno. There is more to the song, but the point was that Bruno was actually pretty cool and by the end of the song they actually don't know or something like that."

Sonny drizzled a little olive oil and hummus over the Panini. "If you say so," he said.

"You can tell me to leave at any time you know. It was just a really bad night and I needed some good coffee before I tackled shopping at Pathmark."

"Nah, mi casa su casa and Molly is the only one who is likely to be awake for hours anyway."

"Really? If Brookie slept past eight on the weekends, I always worried it was a sign that she was over tired during the week."

"I know. Alexis and I already went several rounds over that concept this morning."

"What?"

"Oh, I just made the mistake of sharing your perspective with Alexis she didn't take it well."

"Well, that is surprising. I thought adequate sleep and early rising were both very Quartermainely."

Sonny laughed. "You think Alexis incorporates the Quartermaine ideals into how she raises her daughters?" he asked when he had regained some composure.

"I don't know. Technically Mark managed to stay married to her longer than anyone else. She let her daughter be in that hideous commercial. I had to let Brookie because since Kristina was then she would have been the only one not included. Of course, maybe that would have been fitting," Lois said.

"Oh please! Can we stop for a moment with martyr act? Your daughter is treated as a second-class citizen in her own home only in your delusions," Alexis said as the kitchen door opened again.

Sonny looked from one woman he loved to the other and tried to find words that might avoid an even uglier scene than the one that seemed to be brewing. Wails interrupted his thoughts and he smiled slightly. Molly had pretty good timing if he did say so himself.

Alexis shot him a pointed glance. "Maybe you should go check on your daughter. She probably dropped that horse you gave her," she said.

Sonny hesitated. He sensed leaving Lois and Alexis alone was not his best idea yet. Then he caught another of Alexis's glares and decided that perhaps refusing to leave Lois and Alexis alone was a worse idea. With a defeated sigh he started out of the kitchen towards the stairs to the nursery.