Part 24 R
Brenda was speechless. "I had this gut feeling," was all she could say.
"It may not be true, after all," Zander said. "that's why we have to get the test done."
"Does it make you nervous, how it will turn out?"
"Not really. I think I'm still in shock."
"I wonder if you'd feel better if it turned out not to be true."
"I'd feel the same, true or not. I can't see it making any difference now. It's too late for me. But for Ginny, it may not be."
"Oh! That's put some ice on his case if he were to drag you to court."
"It might. We have to talk to the lawyer about it."
"I bet he suspected. Your mother thinks he didn't, but he must have. I can't explain his behavior otherwise."
"I know you think that," he smiled. "I love you for it." He took her in his arms and kissed her. "And for some other things, too, of course."
They were in the shower, and it was full of steam. Brenda put her arms around Zander's neck, and pressed her wet body to his. She felt his hand firmly on her lower back, the other firmly behind her neck, so she felt stable enough to wrap one let around him and open up to him. "That feels wonderful," she said, kissing him again.
They lay in bed afterward, and she asked him, "Do you feel bad that your mother cheated on Cam?"
"No," he said. "No, come to think about it, not at all."
"You're not unconditionally opposed to adultery. You had Carly!"
"Carly was a single woman! I protest that! Objection! Their saying that now is just Sonny and Carly lying to themselves about their marriage!"
"OK, I get you."
"She was a single woman!"
"OK, well, she certainly acted like one, I'm sure," Brenda giggled at his passionate advocacy.
"I wonder if this guy, David, could possibly be worse than Dad. I mean, it seems to me impossible, so that I'm just glad for Mom she had some better experience somewhere. Maybe I do feel vengeful about it. Yeah, I kind of like knowing that Dad had this happen to him. I have a feeling he almost certainly deserved it. I feel sorry for him at the same time. What a mess."
"It's confusing, all right."
"Parents! What is it with them. I hope there's some way I don't have to be like this. Poor Ginny! Maybe I'll take the parenting class again. They had some good ideas."
"It's hard to imagine them being in love, but they must have been. Why'd they get married, otherwise?"
"I can't even imagine any woman on earth wanting to marry Dad. He must have been different. And maybe it's hard to talk about later. I think I can understand. I mean, I don't like to think about good times I had with Emily, because it's painful. Do you feel like that about Jax?"
"Yeah, I think so. I feel that way about Sonny more. I left Jax so I feel a little different about the good times, in a way it is harder there, because you know you lost it of your own choice. See, so now you know Emily suffers a little more than you."
"What would I do without your greater wisdom and experience?"
"Told you older women were good for you."
"Oh, when did you tell me that? Because you didn't have to. I can figure out some things without being told, you know."
"Believe me, I know that, my love! You figure out a lot of things that don't have to be reduced to words! A lot!" She snuggled closer to him.
He ran his hands through her hair. "Your parents are like that too, baby. I wish your father had told you about your mother before she went crazy. Can't some of her family do that?"
"She must have always been somewhat crazy, I guess. I've never heard any stories of her childhood."
"But the same thing applies here as to Mom and Dad. Your father married her. He had a child with her. A very spectacular child, by the way. But he must have at least liked her for at least a week."
"Yeah. Funny how that goes. It matters, too. Now you, have to remember some good times with Carly. And try to keep yourself away from the negatives about her."
"At least I have some time. Before Ginny can talk."
"I think that time goes way faster than you think!"
He smiled.
"I have to help you," Brenda said. "Start now. No more smart aleck remarks about Carly."
"Oh, this I have to see," Zander said.
Cameron went to the airport to pick Peter up. Peter looked well, and was smiling and happy as he came out of the tunnel.
"Hi, Dad! Where's Alex?"
"I don't know. At work, or tending to his floozy or his illegitimate child."
"Oh Dad! I can't wait to see my niece. Or Mom! Or the infamous Brenda! I saw her picture on the cover of a European magazine! One of the doctor's wives showed it to me! Brenda is incredibly beautiful. What a knockout! I have to ask Alex how he managed it!"
"I don't think you'd find that kind of woman suitable."
"Oh, maybe not. Well, where shall we go?"
"The Port Charles Hotel. You can see your mother there. And perhaps the beautiful floozy, who flits about that hotel at all hours."
At another gate, Donna waited anxiously. Finally, she saw David.
"You haven't changed much," she said.
"Thanks for the flattery, Donna, but I have," he said. "You look good. Older too, but good."
"Well, thank you."
They started to walk out.
"How are things at Pine Valley Hospital?"
"OK. You don't have to make small talk."
"Thanks, but I can't think of any other."
When they got in the car, she said, "Alexander and I went up to the hospital yesterday, to give his blood for the lab."
"How is he taking it?" David asked. Now that he was here he realized how nervous he was about the whole thing.
"Philosophically. His relationship with Cam is so bad that it doesn't seem to faze him at all. He says it makes no difference to him, thought I think that may be a false front. He does it for Ginny."
"His daughter."
"Yes. Only to know your family medical history applies rather than Cam's. And there's a little issue of Cam wanting to see Ginny, and threatening a possible court case. They allow suits, at least, for grandparent visitation, in the courts these days. Alexander and Carly, Ginny's mother, are both against it, because they don't think it's good for Ginny to hear bad things about her father, which, they are sure will eventually be what Cam has to say to Ginny."
"Do you think this has something to do with this bad relationship between Alexander and Cameron, Donna? I mean, the paternity issue?"
"I don't know. Always thought it was a total secret from Cam. But blood will tell, or something? He's never breathed a word of suspicion to me. He did scare me in front of Brenda Barrett one day. Said something about Alexander shooting his son. My son, he said, as if he knew Alexander wasn't his. But then Brenda Barrett had put that in his mind. She has told Cam she thought he wasn't Alexander's father or he would never treat him as he does."
"Alexander shooting who?"
"Peter. They had a hunting accident, and it happened that Peter was the one shot and that Alexander had made the shot. But it was an accident. Still Cam always seemed to use it against Alexander as though he'd done it on purpose."
"Was Alexander ever jealous of Peter getting more of Cam's attention?"
"No, it never seemed to me other than that they love each other. I wouldn't even say Alex got less attention. It was the quality of the attention. Peter doesn't hold the accident against Alexander, never has. Alexander feels terrible about it, of course, and Cam only made it worse, so that Alex just left home then. We hadn't heard from him in years. Cam may have convinced him that Peter was better off without him, I know he wouldn't have left Peter otherwise. Peter was in Switzerland anyway, at a clinic there. At first, it looked like he was going to be a paraplegic."
David took this in.
"Would you say Cam always had a preference for Peter?"
"I tried not to think of it that way. But a decided position he took was that Peter did things right and that Alexander did things wrong. Amazing Alex doesn't resent Peter more, being held up to him as the standard of perfection like that. I just feel so terrible about not doing anything. I was so totally out of it. Couldn't handle it. Even now, I don't know what I could have done, or what would be best to do. Other than keep Cam away as much as possible. The only way I have been able to deal with Cam so far is to avoid him."
"Maybe that's the best way," David reflected.
Emily's parents took her to the Port Charles Grill.
She stopped and stared as they walked in.
"What is it?" her mother, Monica asked.
"That's Peter!" she said, looking over at a table where a young man sat with an older man. "I knew him at the clinic! What a coincidence!"
"In Switzerland?" Alan said, unbelieving.
Peter saw Emily by then. He got up and went to her. "Still upright!" he said, shaking her hand. "That's good! Are you running in the 10K run by now?"
"Not quite," Monica smiled. "But she's doing much better."
Emily introduced Peter to her parents.
"And this is my father, Dr. Cameron Lewis," Peter said, taking them over to the table, where Cameron had stood up. "You remember him, Emily?"
"A little," Emily said. "Hello. I'm glad to see you, Peter! How did you end up in Port Charles!"
"I came to see a new niece I have," Peter said. "Remember I told you about my brother Alex? Well, as chance would have it, Dad found him in Port Charles! I intended to look you up later, after I've seen Alex and his new daughter."
"Oh, your brother who shot you in the accident? Is he all right?"
"Now he is, but it sounds like there were times when he wasn't. He always lands on his feet, though. I hope you can meet him, too."
"That would be nice," Emily said.
"I'm not so sure you would like it," Cameron said.
Emily did not know what to say.
"Dad's just peeved Alex became a father without all the proper formalities," Peter said. "Dad's big on the rules."
"The rules are the rules because they get things to work best," Alan said to Peter, "but we can't all follow them perfectly all the time, and we need some forgiveness."
"Very charitable," Cameron said, dryly.
"I hope so," Alan said. "We all err, don't we?"
Cameron looked as if he thought Alan must have erred a great deal.
"It was nice meeting you," Monica said. "I'm glad to know Emily had such good company when she was stuck in that clinic."
"This David guy probably has other kids," Zander was saying to Brenda. "It's probably just of medical interest to him."
"Yeah, but," Brenda said. "Wouldn't it be interesting to see him, and see what he looks like, what with Donna saying you look like him?"
"I guess."
"Well, I'd find it interesting anyway."
"That's enough for me, then!" he smiled, and massaged her neck. "If it turns out to be positive that he is -"
"Your father," Brenda said.
"Much as I don't get along with Dad, it's just too late. I can't think of anybody else as my father. I can't get around how I grew up and Dad was my father and it's too late for it to matter. I guess it's like finding out you were adopted."
"Nature or nurture, that debate," Brenda said. "The sociologists could study you. Cam thinks of you a certain way, but he's the one who raised you. Your Mom was out of it, so he did more than he might have. Every time he criticizes you, he criticizes himself."
"I'd better take about a thousand parenting classes. I hate to think that you learn to be a parent from your parents. I'll be the worst father on earth if I don't find some other way."
"You will be one of the best. I can already tell."
"Good enough for you, Miss Older Woman?" he grinned, and pulled her to him again. "I know you're going to be needing me for that if Prince Charming fails to show up soon."
"Way good enough, but you already have a kid, so that might be too much to ask."
"Surely you don't think I will sit by and let someone else get that job!" Zander said. "I got the gigolo job!"
Brenda kissed him. She pushed some hair out of his face. "I don't know," she mused. "I love you too much now, for you to get stuck in these jobs."
"Don't even think of letting me go for my own good. I don't want to see you in the Emily hall of fame. That hurts way too much."
"Oh, no, I don't think that's for your own good at all. Just, I can put off my maternal ambitions for you to have more time to know what you want. You need it, at your age."
"Quit sounding like my mother!"
"I have no intention of ever sounding like that!"
"Good. I love you," he grinned, and leaned down to kiss her.