Chapter 13-Parallels

Alexis cupped Sam's face in her hands. "I was so scared back in that warehouse… Kristina and Molly filled me in a bit."

Sam smiled. "Danny, Scout… I think it's time for bed. Come on, Mom will tuck you in."

Scout shook her head and clung to Alexis' leg. "I want Grandma to tuck me in."

Sam nodded. "Okay…"

Alexis looked over at her and frowned.

Danny rose. "I have to finish my assignment."

"Hey, Danny…" Drew squeezed his shoulder. "Can you show me what you're learning at school?"

Danny took in a deep breath but nodded. "Okay."

"Chase is sending some guards over, and to your place too Mom," Kristina said.

"Lexie!" Leo jumped off the bottom step and crashed into Alexis' arms, then started to cry.

"Gamma! Gamma!" Wiley scooted down the stairs on his bum, then ran over to Alexis.

Alexis scooped up Wiley and kissed his cheek, then wrapped an arm around Leo.

"Lex?" Lucas said warily as he followed the boys down.

"Hi Lucas… it's me."

He sideways hugged her. "Welcome back."

"Is Dad feeling better?" Leo asked.

Alexis nodded. "Much better. He'll probably have to stay at the hospital for another week. But if you'd like I can take you to see him tomorrow. Now, would you like to sleep here tonight or come home with me?"

Leo hugged her tighter. "Go home with you."

Alexis smiled. "Okay, let's go tuck in Scout first. Maybe read her a bedtime story."

Alexis, Drew, and Lucas led the kids upstairs, and Sam sat on the couch with Kristina and Molly.

"So, the procedure really worked?" Sam asked.

Kristina nodded. "Yep. Not one ounce of Helena left in her."

Molly smiled. "We have our mom back."

Sam sighed in relief.

"But just before Andre did the procedure," Kristina said. "Mom… or Helena… kept babbling on about Scout."

"Well, technically she didn't use Scout's name," Molly corrected. "Just Samantha's daughter."

"Makes sense. She loved Princess Emily." Sam laughed a little. "She was ready to make her the next Cassadine heir until she accepted Spencer again. Helena and Mom mixed together was kind of funny actually."

"Oh, and Andre said something," Molly said. "He said since they confiscated the database from the warehouse, they also have access to the other patients' memory maps."

Sam scrunched her face. "Really?"

Molly nodded. "He said he can restore everyone's own memories if they choose to do it. But he wants to study it more first, since in the cases of Mom and Franco, it erases the new memories. He needs to perfect it because you and the other patients won't want to lose memories with your children and loved ones. He believes he can perfect it though, so you won't lose them but still regain your old memories."

"Yeah, I tried talking to Dad about it yesterday," Kristina said. "He didn't believe it."

Sam sighed. "I'd like to lose Elizabeth's memories… but I'm also afraid what that will mean. And I especially don't want to forget Danny and Scout."

GHGHGH

After Drew, Alexis, Leo, and her sisters left, Sam went to check on the kids. Scout was fast asleep and when she peeked in on Danny, he ignored her and didn't look up from his textbook.

Sam's eyes welled with tears and decided to leave the house. Passing the two police guards on the porch, she went to car and drove. She passed by the hospital, the penthouse, the Metro Court, and kept driving. She finally pulled over at St. Anne's Cemetery.

She knelt down next the gravestone and ran her finger over Baby Girl McCall.

"Hi Lila, it's me. I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while. Things have been pretty crazy… and most of it is my fault. It turns out…" Fresh tears streamed down her face. "That I'm a terrible mother. Danny and Scout are traumatized. They've been through so much and they prefer their grandma for comfort over me. And… I'm so glad they have her, I really am… I just wish they'd come to me first… But I don't blame them. I wouldn't come to me either after what I've done. I want to do better. I really do. I miss you so much, even though I didn't get to look into your eyes or hold you in my arms. I'm sure I would have failed you too since I was planning to raise you with Jason. But I still wonder if you would have turned out like me. Would you love the rush of being in action… would you love motorcycle rides… Or would you be more like Sonny?" She frowned. "Give Danny a big hug for me. I will always love you." She kissed her index and middle finger and placed them on the stone."

She stared at her daughter's gravestone for a few moments, before rising to her feet. She trudged through the graveyard and turned a corner.

"Oh, sweet baby boy, I don't know what to do…" Willow was kneeling next to a gravestone with Jonah Michael Corinthos written on it. "I want a family so badly. A real family… not like Dawn of Day." She sobbed. "I don't want Nina though… I've seen how she mothers Charlotte. I don't know what's worse between her and Harmony… At least I have Michael. I guess there's that." She turned and noticed Sam and quickly wiped her tears away. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there."

"Don't be sorry," Sam said. "I was just visiting my daughter's grave and heard you talking."

She stood up and stared at the gravestone. "The name still hasn't been changed on it. But Lucas and Michael kept Wiley's name and I didn't even have a name picked for my son." She breathed in deeply. "I still love Wiley, you know? I'm glad I get to be a part of his life. I just wish my son got to have a life too."

She nodded. "You made a lot of sacrifices for Wiley. I think he deserves to know you. You protected him from Shiloh at the expense of not being with him."

"And then it turned out he wasn't really my son. And now I have a chance to possibly know my birth mother… but I don't want it to be Nina. I know what she's like and how she treats people."

"That's how I felt about my mom when I first found out," Sam said. "I built a wall up. We already didn't trust each other, and she hurt me… but I realized later it wasn't intentional. And we went through this huge mess and I hurt her and my sisters. But we got through it. We forgave each other. And now I have the best mother I could ever ask for. Maybe Nina will surprise you. Maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt."

Willow swallowed hard. "Curtis said it's looking like Nina is my mother, but he wasn't 100% positive. I can get a DNA test done with Obrecht… she's even worse than Nina. I don't think I want to be related to these people. But, what if I get the test done and find out it's not true? Then my real mother could still be out there."

GHGHGH

Sam held Scout's hand as they walked with Danny through the hallways of the hospital the next day. "Before therapy today, I thought we could stop to see Grandpa. How does that sound?"

Scout smiled. "I miss Grandpa."

"Me too." Sam opened the door to his room. Leo was sitting on the bed next to Julian and Alexis stood next to them.

"Hi Grandpa." Danny walked over to Julian and they fist bumped.

"Hey Danny… how was school?" Julian asked.

Danny shrugged. "It was okay."

Scout tugged on Sam's shirt, so she knelt down to her. "Wh-why does Grandpa look like Frosty?"

Sam smiled. "He kind of does, doesn't he? Grandpa hurt his head, so he has to have bandages around it to help it feel better. And his white shirt is kind of like pajamas they give you in the hospital."

"But will he melt? It's hot and stuffy here."

"Let's ask him." They walked closer. "Scout is concerned that you're going to melt, Dad."

He scrunched his face. "Melt?"

"Because you're a snowman now," Scout said.

Julian laughed. "Well, I'm like Olaf. I like summer and warm hugs."

"Why don't you give your grandpa a warm hug?" Alexis lifted her on the bed, and she hugged Julian.

"I love you, Grandpa," Scout said.

"I love you too, Scout," Julian responded.

Alexis wrapped an arm around Sam, and Sam wrapped an arm around Danny. From there on out she would do everything in her power to make Danny and Scout know that they're loved and that they matter to her.