Chapter 29-Pregnancies Times Three

When Sam arrived home, Wiley was sitting on Lucas' lap clinging to him. Julian and Danny were beside them. Annabelle the second rested her chin on Danny's leg.

"Wiley stay here," Wiley said. "Stay with Dadda."

Lucas rubbed his back. "I love you, buddy. Daddy missed you."

Sam knelt in front of Danny. "Are you okay?"

Danny just looked up at her.

"Where's Scout?" Sam asked.

"Kristina and Willow took her for some ice cream," Lucas said. "They'll be back soon."

"If you guys need anything, let us know," Julian said. "I should head home to check on Leo."

"Will you take me with you?" Danny finally spoke.

Sam's heart sank.

"Don't you want to sleep in your own bed tonight?" Julian asked.

"No. I want to go home with you and Grandma."

Julian sighed. "Don't you want to stay here with Scout and your mom?"

He stared at him. "Fine! Whatever! Just… just leave me alone!" He darted up the stairs.

Annabelle the Second barked and followed him.

"Danny!" Sam called after him. "Danny!" She ran up after him.

When she reached his room, he seized one of his medals off the shelf and stared at it before hurling it at the wall. The dog barked at him, and he dashed over to his desk, pushing his textbooks onto the floor. Then he dropped onto his bed crying.

Sam rushed over and sat beside him, then wrapped her arm around him, but he pulled away.

"I said I wanted to be alone…" Danny choked up. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Please…"

Sam frowned. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You sent us away before… please send us to Grandma and Grandpa's again. I want to go back."

"Why do you want to go back? Are you unhappy here?"

Annabelle the Second jumped up beside him.

"I just… it doesn't matter."

Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Yes, it does. If you want to go back, then we can make that happen. But I'm going with you."

He finally looked up at her.

"Is that really what you want?" Sam asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Then what do you want? Can you tell me?"

"I want to see Cameron."

Sam nodded. "Okay. We can try to see him tomorrow if he's doing okay. But right now, I think the doctors need to focus on making him feel better."

"I wouldn't have… I wouldn't have…"

"Wouldn't have what?" Sam asked.

"Eaten him… I would let Nelle kill me instead."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly and kissed the top of his head. "I know… I know… but I'm so glad it didn't come to that."

"Why do things keep changing?" Danny sobbed. "Why can't things be like it was before… when it was just me and you."

Sam took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "There have been a lot of changes in your life."

"I liked being with Patrick and Emma, then that stopped… then with Drew and Scout we were happy… you said he was my dad, then you said Jason was… now Drew is again… Now Jake's not my brother but I have a cannibal for a sister?"

Sam groaned, then lifted his chin. "You do have another sister out there… but I promise you, she's not Nelle and I'm going to prove it. Now… I'm so sorry I've been confusing you about your father and all the changes in your life. Do you know what mind control is?"

"Like hypnosis?"

She nodded. "That's part of it. You see, Drew, Jason, myself, and a few others have been part of this bad experiment all these years against our will. We didn't even know it was happening. We were led to believe that Jason was your father, but he isn't."

He scrunched his face. "Who did that?"

She sighed. "A lot of bad men, including the people who kidnapped you."

"I hate them! I hate it! I wish you never got involved with mobsters in the first place!" He jumped off the bed and grabbed his textbooks off the floor. "I need to study!"

"Danny… it's the summer…"

"I need to prepare for the fall! Leave, please leave!"

GHGHGH

The next day, Sam called Steve Webber to see how Cameron was doing and if he would be up for a visit from Danny. He said that Cameron was going to make a full recovery and made it through the night.

Danny hadn't said a word to Sam all morning. Lucas had been up most of the night anxious that Michael would come take Wiley away, but they hadn't heard a word from him. They'd hoped that the mind mapping was wearing off since Nelle was in jail. Lucas decided to take Scout and Wiley to the park while Sam and Danny went to visit Cameron.

When they stepped off the elevator, Spinelli, Maxie, TJ, and Molly were huddled together laughing. Maxie's belly was considerably bigger than Molly's and looked like she would burst any minute.

"Hi Sam." Molly smiled, then looked down at Danny. "I heard about yesterday. How are you doing, Danny?"

Danny stared at the floor.

Maxie set her hand on her hip and said in one breath: "I can't believe I'll be giving birth for the third time in a few weeks, can you I just don't know how I'll survive it I feel so bloated but at least I haven't thrown up nearly as many times as with Georgie that was definitely the hardest pregnancy I got so sick and I don't fit in any of my good clothes and we better get going Spinelli Mac has to get to work so we better relieve him of the kids." She and Spinelli got on the elevator.

"We should go too," TJ said.

"We shall graciously hold the elevator," Spinelli said, his hand blocking the door from closing.

Molly and TJ hopped in with them.

When Sam turned, Sasha was walking towards the elevators looking forlorn. Her baby bump was as big as Maxie's and she was alone.

"Hi Sasha," Sam said. "Lamaze class?"

She nodded.

"Did you ever find a place to stay?" Sam asked.

"I'm just at a woman's shelter right now. It's run by V-town."

Sam sighed.

"I better go. Have a V-town meeting this afternoon."

Sam watched her get on the elevator, then she walked with Danny down the hallway.

"I need you to leave," Elizabeth said to Ric through gritted teeth.

"Elizabeth, the police ruled me out as a suspect," Ric said. "Chase interviewed me yesterday and again this morning."

"I don't know why Chase won't believe Cameron, but he said you were working with her!"

"Cameron has been through a lot," Ric said. "But do you really believe I would be in on Nelle eating your son?"

Elizabeth shoved him. "GET OUT!"

Ric groaned and hastened away from her.

Sam cleared her throat. "Hi… would Cameron be up for a visitor?"

Elizabeth breathed heavily but smiled at Danny. "I think Cam would love a visit from you, Danny. Jason's jus—"

Jason stepped out from Cameron's room.

"Danny?" Sam stroked his hair. "Why don't you head on in and I'll join you in a minute?"

Danny walked into Cam's room and closed the door.

Sam crossed her arms. "So, Cam said that Ric was part of this?"

"Technically he said Ric told Nelle to take care of him," Jason said.

"He didn't specify if Ric wanted Nelle to eat him… but I don't care!" Elizabeth pulled on the roots of her hair. "If he so much as told Nelle to pluck a hair from his head…"

"You wouldn't be talking about poor little me, would you?"

Chills went up Sam's spine when she turned around facing a smiling Nelle with a bruised nose.

"I told you I wouldn't be in jail for long," Nelle said.

"GET OUT! GET OUT!" Elizabeth shoved her. "STAY AWAY FROM MY SON!"

"How did you get out so soon?" Sam glared at her.

"Oh, you see, Chase… he's never stopped loving me." Nelle placed a hand over her heart. "And I think the DA has the hots for me too."

Sam clenched her jaw.

"You know, I just ran into Sasha." Nelle crossed her arms. "I never could stand her when she tried stealing Michael from me—"

"Steal him?" Sam scrunched her face. "You weren't with him when he was with Sasha."

"—but now that she's pregnant with Sonny's baby… that baby could be a great asset to the V-town children's programs."

"You are sick…"

"Have you seen Brad?" Nelle asked. "I want to invite him to our meeting this afternoon. You see, Lucas really broke his heart. He needs a new family to lean on. Then I'll go to your place, Mom, to get my son back."

Jason grabbed her arm and started escorting her away.

"Ouch!" Nelle shouted. "You're hurting me! Mom, stop him!" But she and Jason disappeared down the hallway.

Elizabeth paced back and forth, then halted and crossed her arms. "Sam… I know we haven't always gotten along, but I need you to tell me the truth. Were we really mind mapped?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. And I'm pretty sure Michael and Chase are now too."

She sighed. "That explains Chase's behaviour as of late… I need you to tell me everything. Please. I can't let my boys get hurt again and I won't let Chase take Violet."