Part 57

Brenda went into the brownstone apartment, humming.

Zander came in a few minutes later. He went to kiss her.

"You look gorgeous," he said. "I mean, if it's possible, you look more beautiful than you usually do."

She put her arms around her neck. "That's because I'm pregnant," she said.

He stared, then smiled. "Are you sure?"

"I came from the hospital. Look," she picked up a slip of paper from the table. "All in writing; there's the test result. Here's the pamphlet on how to exercise, and here are the vitamins. See, all complete and documented. Everything, except for the paternity test."

He went over to her and put his arms around her, and held her tight.

"I don't need a paternity test," he said.

"Cocky, aren't we?"

"Yes," he smiled. "It feels good from the beginning to know it was coming because we wanted it. And not to care about paternity tests."

"I get handicap points for school."

"Oh, no you don't!" he laughed. "This doesn't make you less smart."

"All those hormones!"

"I can see you're going to use this for all it's worth!"

"You bet!"

"Well, go ahead. I feel like coddling you. Let's see. What should I make you for dinner?"

"I love you," she said.

"I love you," he said. "Both of you."

She giggled. He picked her up and carried her to the couch.

"This is going to be really cool," she teased.

Donna sat at the bar in the Pine Valley Inn and ordered a drink. There was a handsome man sitting at the other end.

"Visiting?" he asked her.

"Yes," she answered. "It's a pretty little town. Do you live here?"

"Yeah. I'm the DA. Jackson Montgomery." He came to a chair closer and held out his hand.

She shook it. "Donna Lewis," she said. "I bet there is not much crime."

"There's some."

"I ran into the strangest woman here," Donna said, "I went to see her about an interior decorating job. On Mountain View Avenue. Apparently I had the wrong address. She said she didn't want one, but she thought I was there as an undercover FBI agent, to plant a bug."

"Vanessa Bennett?"

"How'd you know?"

"Of all the people who live on that street, it sounds most like something she would say."

"Does she have a record?"

"As far as records go," said the DA, "she's a fine upstanding citizen."

"But she's under investigation?"

"Generally."

"What exactly is she suspected of?"

"Drug sales."

"Marijuana and cocaine, and that sort of thing?"

"No," he answered. "Illegal pharmaceuticals. Long standing business. Either smuggled, or unregulated. Unapproved drugs, either the drugs themselves or the use they go to."

"I see," Donna said. "She must be quite a character."

"She is. Our police chief, Anna Devane, knows a lot about her."

"Not enough to arrest her, though?"

"No. She was once married to Vanessa's son, Dr. Hayward. On occasion we've had to look into Dr. Hayward, or Dr. Wayward as he's known in our office, using unapproved or illegal drugs for some patient."

Donna smiled at the nickname. "A mother and son operation?" she asked.

"We've never been able to establish that either. Anna thinks maybe growing up in that environment is how he knows so much."

"No convictions there, either?"

"Dr. Hayward is usually claiming he saved someone's life."

"So they don't want to prosecute."

"Something like that. Or Anna falls for the story. I'm never sure."

"You've got an interesting job."

"Yeah, it can be that way. Can I buy you another drink?"

"Oh, no. I have to get going."

"Nice talking to you."

"Same here."

Monica called David and said, "I have this case I could use your help on, if you're here in Port Charles again. I was reading an article of yours trying to find out something to do."

"I'll come over there. What's with the patient?"

"Great, thank you. Well, it's this. 59 year old white male, 137 KG, severe central MR. I did the MVR. Good result and he's stable. But the first chest x-ray showed major interstitial honeycombing infiltrate in the whole left lung, while the right lung was totally normal. Now what would cause ARDS in one lung, but not the other?"

"I don't know. Try maybe a double lumen tube. Ventilate them independently to protect the good lung from the high airway pressures you need to ventilate the bad lung. Veno-arterial ECMO would be an option."

"But ECMO inevitably leads to bleeding complications - I thought to try high-frequency ventilation - at least it would minimize the threat of barotrauma to the good lung."

"Maybe. Sometimes that will salvage a dismal situation."

"I'll maybe start that and then we can look at him?"

"OK."

"I'm so happy for you!" Donna said to Brenda and Zander. She had gone to the brownstone from the airport.

"And," Brenda said. "I want you to enjoy this every step of the way."

Donna hugged her. "I will," she said, with a mysterious smile. "The fun is in being the grandmother. I don't have to be pregnant. You'll have your turn at that some day."

"I guess this is step one," Brenda said. "You can't imagine how excited I am."

"I bet. Are you going to stay here?"

"I guess I'd better get out of a hotel room before I end up going to the delivery room from one. I was thinking I might buy Zander a house. In the neighborhood, maybe walking distance of here and Sonny's penthouse, in case Carly moves back in with him someday."

"To be close to big sister," Donna said. "Does Virginia know about this?"

"I told her," Zander said. "She didn't find it too interesting. She was busy pulling my hair at the time. But I'm sure she's real happy about it."

Later, Zander asked Donna what she thought of Vanessa Bennett.

Donna related what happened in her visit. "I don't think she'd be any real harm to you," she said. "David said that was naïve."

"He asked for your opinion," Zander said. "Only to label it naïve."

"Well, that's better than freezing me out. I'd rather have my opinion heard, evaluated and labeled as naïve than to have it considered of no consequence."

"Like Dad would, you mean."

"Yeah. And my opinion of David's opinion is that it's the opposite of naïve, whatever that is. Overly suspicious and overprotective. Are you likely to meet her behind his back to carry out drug deals under her baleful influence? So she taught Leo to be a con man, but he's her son and lived with her from birth. You're already twenty-two. You've got David between you and her, in a much better position than he must have been as to Leo. Leo's alive and well."

"And not in jail," Zander laughed. "Maybe you're right, Mom."

"She was awfully odd," Donna added. "I don't think she'd tell you anything useful. She's not crazy. Not literally. At worst, she's a criminal. I ran into the DA, and got to ask him about her. They've never proven anything against her."

"Sounds like Sonny," Brenda said.

"It is kind of similar, isn't it?" said Zander. "Everybody knows. But he's never actually in jail. He has a clean record."

"It's the worst ones who don't get caught," observed Donna.