Part 62

"Why are you so good at these video games?" Zander asked David. "I don't believe you've never played them before."

Brenda smiled from her seat across the room. Zander and David had been looking at both their childhood photos, and now were fooling around with the Nintendo game. Brenda could see Zander liked hanging around like that.

"It must be from doing heart surgery by camera," David said.

"Is it really similar?"

"In a way."

"See how Ginny looks like you too," David had said, when they had been looking at the photos.

"The new one will be smart enough to look like his or her mother," Zander had said.

"Oh, I don't know," Brenda said, "It'll do fine looking like daddy."

"As long as the brains come from mom," Zander said.

"And not from Grandma Barrett," added Brenda. "Or Grandma Bennett. Either grandfather would be best. I guess my father was smart."

Now there was a knock at the door. Brenda went to get it. "You're so good about stopping by downstairs and getting them to give you the little angel!" Brenda said. "Look, it's Donna, she's got Ginny again."

"Bobbie and Carly just said bring her up for a little while, if anyone's home," Donna explained.

"Were you there long?" Zander asked.

"A little while. Heard the hospital gossip from Bobbie. Then I thought you might have gotten home."

"What's the hospital gossip?" Brenda asked, prepared to be amused.

"It's David," Donna answered, grinning perceptibly. "And his affair with Dr. Monica Quartermaine."

David just started laughing.

"She's done that so many times before," Donna explained. "Mostly younger men, you know, interns. But I'm afraid that you and she working together on this one case has proven it to be you, this time."

"I know she got sued once," Zander said. "But that was before I knew her. I only remember Emily talking about it."

"She has been involved in stuff like that more than once," Brenda said. "I wouldn't bore you with the details. I remember the one who sued her."

"She's a good looking woman," Zander said. "Smart, too."

"Maybe I better keep an eye on her instead of Emily!" Brenda exclaimed. But her eyes lit up with amusement.

"Maybe you better!" Zander said. "Here, I'll change Ginny," he said, taking her. "So I can go in the other room and also call Monica. Sorry, David. She's mine."

"Is that to keep you on your feet, to get you jealous?" Donna kidded Brenda.

"No," Brenda said, love-filled eyes following him out, "No, it's so I believe age doesn't diminish attractiveness. He figures the older woman needs to hear that."

Donna smiled. "He's sweet."

"Yeah," Brenda agreed. "He was such a doll, raving on about how Anna Devane is so sexy, too. Remember that, David?"

"Yes, I do."

"He's after all of your women, David!" Donna went on with the joke. "First Anna, now Monica."

"Zander takes the older ones, Cam takes the younger," Brenda said. "We have this theory only a really young woman can be fool enough."

"Young and not so smart," Donna said. "Most definitely not very smart."

"For sure," David said.

Donna took a couch pillow and threw it at him.

Brenda laughed, took another one, and threw it at him for good measure.

The next afternoon at the hospital, emergency room personnel were scurrying around Alan and Monica Quartermaine, as they stood near a stretcher.

It was Edward Quartermaine, having a heart attack.

Monica was upset. She didn't think she could handle it.

"He'd expect the best and you can do it, Monica," her husband said.

"No," she said. "I shouldn't. I'm emotionally involved."

"I don't know. You know he's just going to yell at you later for having some staff surgeon on his case."

"If he survives."

"He will. He's too stubborn."

"Hey," she stopped an intern, who was about to run off on an errand. "Dr. Hayward's here; go and find him."

"Yes, Doctor," the intern said.

"Perfect solution," Monica said. "Lucky for Edward."

Emily stood with her family outside Cardiac Surgery. She saw the doctor in scrubs, and he looked familiar. Her mother wasn't going to operate on her grandfather.

For some reason, Brenda Barrett was there at the hospital. Emily saw her go and talk to the cardiac surgeon. They walked by Emily. "Yes, in fact," he was saying to Brenda, "Can you tell Zander for me? I'm meeting him five minutes ago."

"Sure," Brenda was saying.

Emily recognized him. He was the relative she'd seen before, with Dr. Lewis.

"Is that Dr. Hayward?" she asked Monica.

"Yes, why?"

"He's a relative of Zander's."

"I know it."

"I've seen Dr. Lewis around. Every once a while. He's nice to me. He asks me how I am and asks me if Zander has done anything to bother me. Though he says Alexander. But sometimes he hints like he's making sure this doctor Hayward doesn't hurt me, either. He just asks if I've seen Zander's other relatives. Maybe you should find him and ask him about him. Are you sure he should operate on Grandfather?"

"If Dr. Lewis doesn't trust Dr. Hayward," Monica said. "It's not for a medical reason. But for heaven's sake, Emily, if you're going to figure it out, don't talk about it. I don't think they want anyone to know."

Emily didn't quite understand. But her mother had always been evasive about Zander when it came to medical facts.

Emily went to college at PCU. She saw Zander and Brenda there sometimes, either in the library or walking on campus. Zander had not ended up in any of Emily's classes.

She dated here and there. She knew for herself and from talking to Ned that Brenda would surely leave Zander someday. She knew in her heart that Zander still loved her. But there seemed nothing she could do but wait out Brenda Barrett. Zander was stubborn, and still mad at her for breaking up with him. She didn't think it was at all reasonable of him. But he could be unreasonable sometimes.

Brenda found Zander, who was in the park with Ginny. "Hey," he said. "You're back from the doctor already? Maybe you can come with us."

"Naw. You need some male bonding time."

"Oh, right. Big deal."

"Anyway, there's a hold up, though. Sit down. It's Edward Quartermaine. Had a heart attack."

"Oh," Zander said. He didn't like Edward Quartermaine, but he didn't wish a heart attack on him. "And they drafted David?"

"Yes. Monica's too close to him, and he demands the best. That's the gist of it."

"It could take awhile," he said. "I know from Dad. Are you worried? I know you've been close to them."

"Really more worried about Lila than anybody else. She must be stuck home."

"I wonder if she even knows."

"That's a good point. I better find out before I go over there."

"I'll go back to the hospital with you."

Lila Quartermaine was already at the hospital. She'd been brought up and wheeled in.

She was a true aristocrat. Trying to keep a stiff upper lip, and saying he would recover. Brenda sat down by her and held her hand.

Zander watched. There was Ned and Alan and Monica, Emily and AJ, and Jason Morgan. Nobody he didn't want to avoid; except maybe Monica.

He had an excuse not to sit with them; he paced the halls with Ginny, or played with her, at a distance.

"Don't you sit here with me too long," Lila said to Brenda. "You have to get your rest. Take care of yourself and your little one."

"What little one?" Emily said to Ned, having overheard. She got up and went a few feet over to where Ned was, and spoke softly enough to keep it between herself and Ned.

"Brenda's pregnant," Ned said. "Hard to believe, I know. I never thought she'd go this far."

"Zander?" Emily asked, with a look of unbelief.

"Believe it or not," Ned said. "What do you women see in him anyway? Carly's one thing. She's a dope. Brenda, I don't understand at all."

"It's just crazy," Emily agreed. She wished she hadn't learned this when she was already stressed out over her grandfather.