The next day Anna awakens and its 4 in the morning and she realizes suddenly that William has not awakened yet and she quickly runs out of their bedroom and down the hall to his room. She breathes a tremendous sigh of relief when she sees he is still breathing and sleeping soundly. She has broken out into a sweat and she sits in the rocking chair to calm herself. Robert comes in immediately.
"What's the matter?" He whispers in a state as he looks at his son and then back at Anna seeing the perspiration on her forehead.
"Nothing. He's fine I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She says wiping the sweat from her forehead. He smiles and takes her hand and leads her out the room. He pretty much knows. He takes her back into their bedroom and closes the door.
"Are you ok? What happened?" He asks caressing her cheek.
"I'm sorry it's just me. I just panicked because he slept through the night. He has been sleeping for 7 hours now and well I got scared." She says.
"Love, don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry." He says and he hugs her and she clings to him. "This is good though right? Let's hope it lasts." He says chuckling slightly.
"It is good, but I'm so surprised. I was just trying to get him to sleep for 4 hours straight." She says holding him tighter.
"You're the best Mom ever. I love you." He says suddenly.
She pulls back from him and brings both her hands to his face. "I love you. I really do." She says with conviction. They kiss sweetly.
"Come on lets see how much longer he'll sleep." Robert says bringing her back to bed. They hold each other and fall asleep until William gets up a half hour later.
The next day Felicia drops over to see Anna and the baby. Robin answers the door and they both walk in seeing Robert changing the baby who is in his bassinette and Anna sitting on the couch reading a magazine. Felicia chuckles at the sight.
"Hey, Robert, can you please give Frisco some parenting tips?" Felicia says giving them both hugs and kisses. "Oh my, he is so cute. Every time I see him his features change." She says.
"I know he is cute." Anna says proudly.
"That's because he looks like me." Robert says picking him up and handing him to Felicia who accepts him happily.
"Yeah that's it." Anna says rolling her eyes even though she knows it's true.
"Oh he is so sweet. I really miss this age." Felicia says sitting on the couch with the baby.
"Well, there is a solution for that." Robert says and Anna elbows him. "Ow what?" Robert whispers and she rolls her eyes at him. Robert decides to leave them alone to talk and he goes into the office to work.
"So you look great. I feel like I haven't seen you guys in so long. How is everything?' Felicia says. Anna sighs while smiling. "Its umm, like a dream come true. I guess it's the only way to describe it. I never thought I could be this happy, really I didn't." She responds with tears in her eyes.
"You both look so happy. I mean I come in and Robert is changing diapers and smiling. That is one sight I never thought I would see." Felicia says chuckling.
"It is surreal isn't it?" Anna giggles as well. "He is amazing though. He surprises me every day." She adds. They talk for a while. Anna tells Felicia her and Robert are going out to dinner for the first time in months.
"That's great, you guys need some time to yourselves. Trust me, its important. Let me babysit for you guys tonight." She says suddenly.
"Really? Are you sure because Olin said she would stay? But I would love it if you did." Anna says smiling.
"Yes I really want to and I'll have Frisco and Maxie keep me company too." Felicia says now all excited.
"Well then it's settled then. I'm sure Olin will be relieved, thank you." Anna says. After Felicia leaves, Anna settles in with William on the couch to nurse him.
"Hey love, did Felicia leave?" He asks coming out of the office.
"Yeah but she'll be back later to babysit for us tonight." Anna says smiling.
"Really? That's good. How did that happen?" He says sitting next to her.
"She volunteered, she's really excited about it and is bringing Frisco with her." She says. "Hmmm. You see. I think she's gearing up to persuade Frisco for another baby." He says chuckling.
"Robert. Shut up and don't embarrass them tonight." She says chuckling as well.
"I'll control myself. I promise." He says smiling. She gives him a look.
"So where are we going tonight?" He asks caressing his son's head.
"Well that is up to you. So get busy making a reservation. I think we can stay out longer now that Felicia will be here. I didn't want to make Olin stay too late." She says. At that moment Mac comes through the door and Anna quickly covers herself and William.
"Hey guys. Oh sorry, just came by to see my nephew." Mac says a little embarrassed.
"We're glad you did. We haven't seen you in a while." Anna says smiling at him and his embarrassment. "Mac its ok, don't worry. Come in here." She adds chuckling. He does hesitantly and Robert smiles at his discomfort.
"So how goes it bro? How's the club doing?" Robert asks.
"It's going but I think I need to change things up a bit to keep pace with the club scene. I have some ideas, but I need to raise some capital to do it." Mac says. They all talk for a while about his ideas. Anna giving Mac some very good ideas and pointers.
"Ok I'm going to take William in the office to finish feeding him and put him down. I'll be back." Anna says making sure she remains covered as she heads into the office.
"Sorry Robbie. I should have called first." Mac says to Robert.
"It's ok, really. Don't worry about it. Anna's not really shy about it. We are both getting used to it and so is Robin." Robert says noticing Mac's discomfort.
"Robbie, I came here for another reason." Mac says.
"Ok, is everything ok?"
"Well as I've said, I'm trying to change up the club. I need to very soon. Business is down and I don't see any end in sight. I need to make a change. Nightclubs are passé now and dance clubs are the rage. I need to draw a younger crowd and to do that, I need to completely redecorate the club and hire the talent." Mac says looking at his brother.
"Ok so what are your plans? Obviously, you need capital. Have you talked to a bank or financial advisor."
"Robbie, nobody is willing to give me any credit with my record." Mac states flatly. Robert knows where this is going and he knows his brother needs this. He needs a commitment, a grounding force to keep him stable and on the right side of the law.
"What do you need?" Robert says. Mac smiles.
"I need about 50K to start with and possibly more." Mac says. Robert sighs slightly and pauses before responding.
"Ok. Just give me a few hours to move some things around and I'll get it for you." Robert replies.
"Robbie, I'll pay you back as soon as I can. Better yet, I will give you 25% stake in the club." Mac says now very excited.
"We can talk about all that later. There is no need to get into it now." Robert says smiling hoping he is doing the right thing. He believes his brother has completely changed from the irresponsible and reckless person he was for so long. He believes being around his family and his circle of friends here in Port Charles has changed him. Now he just has to convince Anna of that.
After Mac leaves Anna comes out of the office. "Oh did Mac leave? I was hoping to talk to him more." Anna says.
"Yeah he had to get back to the club. Listen sit down I want to tell you something." Robert says. Robert explains Mac's problems and then tells her what he committed to. She just looks at him blankly for a bit and then shakes her head in frustration.
"What's the matter?" He asks.
"Robert, you just committed fifty thousand dollars of our money without consulting me first and you ask me what's the matter?"
"I'm sorry, but he needs the money and I need to wire it to him tonight." Robert says not getting why she's so pissed since he is taking it from his own funds.
"You really don't see the issue here do you?" Anna says looking at him.
"Well I know it's a gamble and I'll probably never see the money again but I want him to stay committed to this. He needs stability in his life." Robert responds.
"That's not what I'm talking about Robert. You should have consulted with me first before you made the commitment."
"But its my money I'm committing, it's from my funds." He says really not understanding the issue and then he sees her face.
"Your money, your money." She says shaking her head. "I can't believe you just said that." Anna says with a pointed stare. "So everything is still yours and mine. Good to know. If I had known earlier that this is the way you wanted it, I wouldn't have spent so much time and effort over the last year setting up all of our finances, joint accounts, high yield funds, retirement accounts, college funds and monitoring all of it to get the best returns. Oh and paying all the household bills. So You know what? You're on your own. You take care of your money and I'll take care of mine and you can pay your own bills." She says calmly and walk up the stairs.
He shakes his head. He knows he really screwed up and he better fix it so he heads upstairs. He finds her in William's room putting things away.
"Love, I'm sorry." He says leaning against the door frame. She stops and looks at him briefly.
"What are you exactly sorry for Robert?" She says truly wondering.
"For saying what I said. You're 100% right. We are married and all of it is our money. You have done a tremendous job for us and I've never thanked you for that. And I'm sorry."
"Is that all?"
He thinks for a minute and tries to understand what she is thinking. "And I'm sorry for not asking you first. I really am. It will never happen again."
She thinks for a moment she doesn't want to belabor this, but he really hurt her when he said that to her. "Ok, just know Robert. It really hurt me when you said that. Here I thought we had combined our lives together, we have children together and here you are still thinking what yours is yours. It bothered me."
She says and then she thinks for a minute. "What fund are you touching to give him the money?" She asks. Now Robert knows he's screwed.
"Ok, you're not going to like this and please understand I was not intentionally keeping this from you. It's a fund that I have had for over twenty years and never touched." He says and he can see the anger building back up in her face.
"Go on." She says crossing her arms across her chest.
"It's the money my parents left me that I have never touched. I have always kept it as a safety net for me and now for us. When we found each other again in 1985 and you and Robin came back into my life, I made you both sole beneficiaries in case of my death. I recently changed it to include William" He says.
"So let me get this straight. You recently updated the account but still failed to tell me it existed."
"Yes, I'm sorry. I was saving it as something to fall back on in case of my death." Robert says.
"Great. Just great. So my husband is dead and my children have no father but here's some money. Was this supposed to be a happy surprise?" Anna says sarcastically.
Robert realizes how ridiculous it sounds and knows he really doesn't have a leg to stand on.
"Any other secrets I should know about?" She says suddenly, staring at him.
"Not that I know of." He says back equally sarcastically because her question, to him, is quite ironic considering her past. She quickly picks up on the tone and the implication and is immediately furious.
"I'm done with this conversation. Do you what you want." She says and goes to move past him out the door. He stops her with a hand around her waist.
"Anna. I'm sorry. I should have told you everything. But I wasn't keeping this from you for nefarious reasons. You know me, that's not how I operate. I love you and I wouldn't do that to you ever." He says. She moves away from him quickly and out the door. Although he didn't intend for it to sound that way, all she heard at the end of that sentence was "not like you." Knowing what she knows now from what Mac told her, she knows that's what he's thinking.
Another hour goes by and they are still not talking. Anna is taking care of William upstairs and Robert is in the office. He knows he has to fix this, but he doesn't know how. He has really screwed this up and how he explained it to her was even worse. They are supposed to go out tonight but assumes that is not happening. He heads upstairs and finds Anna in their room putting on a dress. He smiles thinking that maybe they will be going out.
"Are you ok?" He asks.
"I'm fine. Felicia and I are going out tonight and you are watching the kids. Excuse me." She says trying to get to her vanity table.
"Wait what?"
"You heard me. I really need to get out of here for a night and quite frankly away from you right now. You are staying home with your children." She says putting in her ear rings.
"So we are not going to talk about this?" He says now getting a little angry.
"Not right now we're not. Felicia is picking me up in twenty minutes. I just fed William and changed him. He should sleep for another two to 3 hours. When he wakes up, don't feed him right away and try to keep him up until 10 and then feed him. There are 3 fresh bottles in the fridge, so please do not over boil them like last time and makes sure you burp him after every 2 ounces and change him before you put him to bed." She says walking back in the bathroom.
He sighs and shakes his head. "Did you hear what I said Robert?" She says from the bathroom.
"Yeah I heard you." He replies and leaves the bedroom and closes the door just shy of slamming it. She comes running out of the bathroom really pissed off and hoping he just didn't wake up William. "Bastard." She says out loud. She is so furious with him.
She comes downstairs and doesn't see him but sees Robin on the couch watching TV. "Where's your father?' She asks.
"He's in the office." Robin replies seeing her mother is not in a good mood. "Where are you guys going tonight?" Robin asks.
"Umm Felicia and I are going out. Your father is staying home. You'll help him out right?" She says getting her coat from the hall closet.
"Wait. I thought you and Dad were going out and Felicia was babysitting William." Robin says. "Things have changed." Anna says and Robin rolls her eyes knowing her parents are fighting.
There is a muted knock on the front door and Anna opens it to Felicia. "Hi. Are you ready?" Felicia asks. "More than ready, let's go." Anna says. She turns around to Robin. "Please help your father with William. We will be at The Grill, so call me if I need to come home ok?" She says.
"I will Mom. Don't worry, everything will be fine." Robin replies rolling her eyes after her mother leaves.
"Are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to guess? You didn't even say a word in the car, so what happened? Why the change in plans" Felicia says as they get seated at The Grill and are looking at their menu's.
At that moment Tiffany walks in to join them. Anna had also called her and Bobbie earlier and figured she would make it a lady's night out.
"Hello darlin's. Anna you look fantastic. How's the baby? I feel like I haven't seen you guys in forever." She says.
Anna was happy for the distraction from Felicia's question. Then Bobbie walks in and she is saved again.
"Hey guys. So happy you called. I needed the night out." Bobbie says pulling up her chair. They all had a great time but can tell Anna was upset about something even though when they all talked about how sweet Robert is with William and how much they didn't expect him to adapt so easily to taking care of an infant she was right their singing his praises as well.
"Ok Anna. Let's have it. What happened? I thought you and Robert were going out tonight?" Tiffany says in her usual bluntness. Anna smiles at her and shakes her head
"It's nothing really. Just someone being his usual insensitive self and I'll just leave it at that. Plus, I needed to get out on my own tonight." Anna says chuckling.
"Come on Anna, you can tell us. Of course, if its too personal then we understand." Felicia says. Anna sighs and looks at all of her friends who she really considers family at this point. She smiles and tells them the story. All three women look at each other, wondering who would speak first. Bobbie decides to say something first.
"Look it does sound to me like he really screwed up but knowing Robert like I do, he didn't do it to hurt you or because he wanted to keep things from you. In his warped way, he thought it would be a nice surprise for you if something did happen to him, as messed up and ludicrous as that sounds." They all laugh at that.
"Remind me never to accept a surprise gift from Robert." Felicia says and they all laugh again.
"Yes, my husband is warped and needs a lesson in gift-giving." Anna replies to more laughter.
"So, am I making too big a deal out of this?" Anna asks genuinely interested.
"No, I wouldn't say that. I think he does need to apologize for everything he said though." Tiffany says.
"But I wouldn't let this affect this wonderful time in your lives. Remember that's what important and its something you both missed out on with Robin." Bobbie adds.
Anna shutters at that but knows it is true and its because of her actions that it is the reality of things. She recovers and then smiles at them because what she said definitely rings true.
"But let him grovel Anna. When you get home make sure he makes the first move and not you." Felicia adds and they all agree.
They all had a wonderful time and Anna really felt so much better when she finally did return home at 11. The house is very quiet and pretty dark downstairs, so she heads upstairs and looks in on William who is sound asleep and she smiles at him as she caresses his head. She really missed him tonight and actually aches to just pick him up and hold him. She checks in on Robin who is also asleep and smiles. Must have been an interesting night, she probably should have called but she wanted to make Robert sweat it out. She heads for their bedroom and finds him sleeping in his cloths on top of the covers and it takes everything in her to suppress her laughter. She sees all the cloth diapers on the bed, the baby's clothes, the empty bottle and realizes he must have had an interesting night. She takes off her dress and puts into the cleaners' pile in their closet.
"Did you have a nice night?" He asks.
"Yes I did. I needed it. How was William? Did he eat well? What time did he go down?" She asks walking past him in just her bra and underwear. He watches her intently trying to gauge her mood.
"He was very good actually. I was able to stall him until 1030. He just actually fell asleep and he took the whole bottle this time with no trouble." He says.
"Hmmm, very good." She says without looking at him and heading for the bathroom. He sighs and knows it's up to him. He waits for her to come out of the bathroom. When she comes out 20 minutes later, he is sitting at the foot of the bed waiting for her. She looks at him briefly and then goes to her dresser and pulls out her nightgown. She proceeds to strip out of her bra and puts the nightgown on all the while feeling his eyes on her.
"Anna." Robert says. "Yeah." She says turning around brushing her hair.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did and didn't do. I know why you're mad and I would be too and I really don't know what else to say." He says coming up to her.
"I know you are Robert. I'm not mad about the Mac thing anymore, but I hope you know going forward we make decisions together. As far as the other thing, look, in your own screwed up way, you were trying to protect us and I get that so I'm not going to dwell on it." She says smiling slightly.
"But what concerns me still is that sometimes when you say things to me in the heat of the moment, I still hear resentment from you about my past. I hope I'm imagining it, but I don't think I am." She says putting her brush down. He sighs and walks away pacing a little. She knows she hit the mark.
"I don't know, I guess you are not imagining it. Sometimes I am surprised that you accuse me of things or get mad at me for things that you yourself have done and its as if you don't remember or chose to not acknowledge that." He says honestly.
"Ok, I asked for honesty and I get your point. But does that mean that you still don't trust me? Is that it? Do you think I'm keeping more secrets from you?" She asks wondering if he will take the bait. He hesitates unsure if they should address this now but he decides he doesn't want to and he just wants to forget anything and everything that involves Faison.
"No, it does not mean that. It just means that people screw up and it's going to happen and as you've said many times to me in the not so distant past that I am too judgmental and unforgiving and have been as long as you've known me and I am trying to work on that. Just cut me some slack sometimes too. Nothing that I've done was intentionally aimed at keeping secrets from you for any other reason than to protect you. In my own warped way." He says and for some reason she chuckles at that. Its what the girls called him tonight and it still fits.
She does wonder why he didn't bring up the Faison problem, but she knows its because he doesn't want to think of anything having to do with her and Faison. She knows they have to deal with it eventually otherwise its all going to remain bubbling under the surface of their marriage and their life together. She realizes she is not ready for that conversation because she has to explain to him why she withheld a secret from him. She just wants them to enjoy their new baby together for a little while longer before they get into this very, very painful area.
He looks at her and smiles slightly. "Love. I'm so sorry. I really am. There is nothing I did right in this situation and I know it. I love you with everything I am and I never want to hurt you, but somehow I wind up doing just that." He says sighing and sitting down on the bed with his head in his hands. She sighs as well. She steps up to him and before he realizes it, she is standing between his legs with her hands on his shoulders.
"I love you too Robert. I really, really do and I know you know that. We are both going through growing pains right now. So much has happened since we were married last year and so much as happened since we were first married. But here we are together, we love each other and we are happy. We have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful son now, we just have to remember all of this when we make decisions. We are in all of this together and we always, always work better as a team." She says smiling caressing his head and face. He looks at her and smiles.
"I really do love you. Sometimes I wonder if I love you too much." He says suddenly and she looks at him oddly.
"I just mean that my intense love for you makes me do and say stupid things." He quickly adds and she chuckles. She hugs his head to her chest tightly as he wraps his arms around her just as tight. She pulls back from him and caresses his lips with her thumb and leans down and kisses him deeply. They hug again and Robert pulls back slightly and caresses her face putting her hair behind her ears.
"Lets go to bed, its late. Get as much rest as you can before the baby is up again." He says as he disengages from her and heads for the bathroom. She wonders why he so abruptly ended their conversation as she watches him go into the bathroom. He comes out 10 minutes later and gets into bed next to her and turns off his light. He turns back to her and kisses her sweetly.
"I love you. Goodnight Love" He says. "Love you too. Goodnight" She says as she watches him roll over on his side facing away from her. In actuality, Robert is a little pissed that he had to apologize so profusely for what he did, still knowing what he knows and the secret she kept from him about Faison. Anna looks over at him and sighs. She knows him so well and she knows he has some resentment for her right now. They need to have this conversation and they need to have it soon.