Part 28

Donna and David went to dinner at the Port Charles Grill.

"He struck me as kind of mature," David said. "How is it Cam doesn't get along with him?"

"Alexander hasn't always been so mature," Donna smiled. "He was wild in high school. Hyper sort of child. He was never meant to be a scholarship student. More inclined to sports. He's not in the least cut out to be a doctor," she went on. "He wouldn't be much like you in that way. You must have done well in school."

"You know who he reminded me of most? You'll think I'm silly, but he does. Leo."

"Maybe that's how all the young men are now."

"Yeah," David laughed. "At least the ones who weren't meant to be scholarship students."

"Thanks for coming, David."

"I'm glad I did. We've got a really adorable granddaughter, you know."

Donna smiled. "That's a nice thing to say."

A shadow loomed. "So, David Hayward!" Cameron was standing there, looking down on him. "What brings you here? Enlightening the local cardiologists on the latest noninvasive procedures?"

"Um, yeah, Cam, and I ran into an old friend," he said, indicating Donna. "I understand you are grandparents."

"Oh, our younger son blessed up with early parenthood. Not finished school, not married. But hey, what better time to become a father, eh? How are you Hayward?"

"I'm doing well. Give me your number, and I'll catch up with you later."

Donna was grateful. She'd been happy until Cam showed up. Now, she just wanted to get rid of him. She disliked the way he ignored her, but was relieved at the same time.

"You know, that was a sarcastic way to talk about his son in front of an acquaintance," David said.

Donna, watching Cameron's retreating back to make sure it continued retreating, looked back at David. "It's terrible," she said. "I never admitted to myself how bad it was. Never dealt with it right. Cam might be a little upset at Alexander for cutting him off. He'd never admit it, though. Even so, none of that is nearly so bad as the way he deals with Alexander directly. Peter even notices it himself and tries to help."

"Do you have any hope of getting Cam to go into therapy?"

Donna shook her head. "That's like a dream. I wonder what he'd say. No one dares. You know you'll be cut down if you say it. See, to him, we're the ones who need therapy. He's successful. Smart. He's OK."

"And so is Peter."

"Yes. Though I foresee trouble. Peter isn't interested in becoming a doctor after all."

"Oh, ho! Can Peter reach greatness through some other means?"

Donna smiled. "Is there any other, than cardiology? Peter wants to be a therapist. He had his own successful case, and so wants to help other people recover from devastating injuries."

"I'm glad he's a nice kid, too. For all Cam's faults, he still raised two kids that are OK."

"Alexander has some bad history. Still, he got back on his feet."

"He's OK," David said. Then he smiled. "Maybe I'm biased, though."

"He wasn't that hard to talk to, after all," Zander said to Brenda. He was sitting on the floor, watching Ginny laying on a blanket, kicking her legs and flailing her arms. "Almost like you."

"I thought he was OK," Brenda said. "Easy going. Different from your father that way."

"Some kids are lucky, did you realize that Brenda? Their fathers just take them as they are."

"Ginny."

"That's what I intend." He looked down at her. "I love you, whatever you're like, little rabbit," he said to the baby. "Even if you insist on being a top notch, overly organized cardiologist when you grow up."

"She would be a nice cardiologist if she was one," Brenda went over and sat on the floor next to him.

"I wonder what Dad's patients think," Zander said.

"Didn't you ever meet one?"

"Nope."

"I hope they're not all dead," Brenda reflected.

Zander looked up at her and laughed. "You mean one of those sour looks and your already failing heart goes thud?"

"I wonder how many people he's killed that way already. Seriously, though, he must be saving or prolonging lives in his work. But his bedside manner could be atrocious."

"It must be. I can't imagine him being different, and I'd hate to have him as a doctor."

"I don't turn into an entirely different person in front of the camera. But maybe we are a little different when at work."

"I'd love to know what some patient of his thinks of him. I don't suppose there's any way to find out." He was still looking down at Ginny. "Maybe he'd be a better grandfather than he was a father."

"You know you could have David as the grandfather to Ginny, sort of like Bobbie and Michael. Bobbie wasn't the mother of Carly but she seems to be a regular grandmother."

"Yeah, it's weird how they went back to the biological family. Carly loved her adopting mother, though. Virginia Benson, like this one here." He picked the baby up. Ginny looked at him and grabbed at his face. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Carly doesn't have her father, so Ginny won't have a grandfather."

"I guess I ought to give Dad the chance to mend his ways."

"How will you know he has?"

"I don't know. Hard to picture. Any ideas?"

"Hmm, he'll have to be able to list your good points, that's number one if it were up to me. If he's smart enough to be a cardiologist, he's smart enough to figure that out."

"Wonder why he doesn't. I don't know what his are, though, so maybe he has the same trouble."

"Empathy. That's a good point. One he doesn't have. If it helps, I can't figure out his good points, either."

"I wonder if Mom could say what they might be."

"You think there are some?"

"Well, there's got to be, being smart and working hard and stuff like that. But that wouldn't be what Ginny needs."

Brenda put her arms around both Zander and Ginny. Zander put his arms around both of them, too. Having less room to move around in, finding herself right next to Brenda, Ginny grabbed one of the buttons on her shirt. Brenda laughed and took Ginny onto her lap. Zander smiled, watching Brenda play with the baby.