Chapter 36- Stay-At-Home Grandma
The next morning, Ava still hadn't heard back from Nina. It was probably just as well because for all she knew this was just a prank call. She boarded the flight at 6 am, hoping she'd be able to reunite her friend with her daughter. But she also hoped that Nelle wouldn't cause more trouble if she brought her back to Port Charles.
GHGHGH
Nina woke up at 5am sharp and had some extra groceries, toys, diapers, a crib, etc. delivered. Amelia slept in the carrier and Nina wouldn't allow that any longer. She spent almost 3 hours making breakfast.
Wiley was the first to wake and came running out to the kitchen with his arms wide. "Grandma!"
Nina scooped him up. "Oh, Wiley! Good morning!"
"We slept over, Grandma."
"You sure did." Nina kissed his cheek. "And I hope that you slept good."
"I did! I slept really really good. I like it better here than the Metro Court."
Nina beamed and sat him on the counter while she flipped the pancakes. "I'm so glad. And Grandma will buy you new sheets and blankets today. I know you probably don't like boring flowers, do you?"
Wiley scrunched his nose and shook his head.
"What do you like?" Nina asked. "Do you like Mickey Mouse or Spiderman? Trucks?"
"I like Bluey and Bingo."
"Bluey and Bingo? What's that?"
"The bestest show in the big wide world," Wiley said.
"Okay, I will find a Bluey and Bingo comforter for you. What else do you want? Do you want some cars and trucks or trains?"
"Uh huh and some Lego."
She winked at him. "You gotta have some Lego."
"And I want a kitty."
She paused for a minute. "Like a stuffed kitty?"
"No. A real life kitty. Great-Grandma Monica has Annabelle the second, so I want a kitty!"
"Hmm…."
"Good morning." Willow walked out carrying Amelia, still looking rather pale.
"Hey!" Nina smiled. "How did you sleep?"
"Good. Amelia only woke up twice." Willow noticed the new crib and all the parcels in the living room. "You, uh… didn't have to get all this." She laid Amelia down in the crib and noticed a bag full of random novels.
"Oh, it's nothing," Nina said. "Would you like eggs, pancakes, waffles, cereal, or French toast?"
"PANCAKES!" Wiley threw his hands in the air as he still sat on the counter.
Willow sat at the table. "I think I'll just stick to orange juice. I'm not very hungry. Wiley, after you eat, you need to get ready for school."
Wiley pouted. "I don't wanna go to school."
Nina helped him off the counter. "Wiley, it's only for the morning. And at school you'll get to see all your friends, and Grandma's going to drive you."
Wiley smiled. "Okay!"
GHGHGH
Ava arrived at Denver Springs and the nurse took her Dr. Watson's office. She sat down awkwardly, wondering what she's about to deal with. "So, you found Nelle?"
"We're not 100% sure yet, but it seems as though Isla might be Nelle Benson-Jerome," Dr. Watson said.
"Isla?"
He nodded. "So, what we know, is that Isla fell off a cliff near Port Charles and was rescued by her now husband Luke and Grandmother Lin. She spent several months in a medical clinic recovering but has no recollection of her life before the fall. Luke and Lin brought her to the Friends of Peace and Love commune where she and Luke stayed up until recently. Our investigators tried to speak to the members of the commune but they would give us no information. About a month ago, a woman named Bertha came to the commune whom Isla found out was her mother-in-law. Bertha convinced her to get tested as a potential bone marrow for her friend back—"
"Hold it!" Ava held up her hand. "She was tested as a potential bone marrow donor? Was it for Willow Tait?"
"I'm not sure of the cancer patient's name."
"My dear friend's daughter back home has leukemia and just had a bone marrow transplant, but I thought Carly was the donor."
He shrugged. "I don't know a Carly. But Isla said she was a match and had the procedure. Our nurses checked her over and we ran some tests. We confirmed that she did have bone marrow taken from her."
"Tell me more about this Bertha," Ava said. "Who exactly is she?"
"I don't know much more than Isla saying she is Luke's mother."
"But she said her friend has leukemia…."
"That is correct…. So, the leader at the commune found out and had Luke and Isla ex-communicated. Isla was growing suspicious as to why Luke and Lin wouldn't tell her about her family and life before the fall. All they told her is that she has a mother and a twin sister."
Ava sighed. "Nina and Willow."
"Who?"
"I can tell you right now that this woman is Nelle Benson. But please, tell me more…."
"So, Isla wanted to figure things out on her own. She went to Walgreens to find out how to get back to the clinic she was tested at, but they called the police because she was very disoriented and didn't know up from down. That's when they brought her to us."
"And she has absolutely no recollection of her life before the fall?"
He nodded. "That is correct. She has amnesia. She has no idea who she was before the fall and has spent two and a half years in a commune. She spent all of her time there and only went out a few times to get food, but her husband Luke was always with her. She doesn't know how to get around or anything. We have deemed her legally incompetent. I'm hoping if you're able to identify her, and if you're willing, you could potentially apply to be her legal guardian. Unless you know of someone else?"
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure her mother would want to if a guardianship is necessary."
His eyes grew wide. "You know her mother?"
"Yes."
"Well, it could take months for the application to go through," he said. "So, she'd probably have to stay here or at an institution closer to home before that can happen."
"Can I see her?"
"Yes. After that, maybe you could ask her mother to come. Follow me."
GHGHGH
When Nina and Wiley arrived at the school, Nina had him stand by the fence so she could take a picture. She wanted to capture every moment. But when she checked her pockets for her phone, she couldn't find it.
"What are you doing?" Carly walked up beside her holding Donna's hand.
"Nina!" Donna let go of Carly's hand and hugged Nina. "I'm going to preschool!"
Carly cleared her throat. "Why are you with Wiley?"
"I'm dropping him off at school," Nina said watching Donna go over to play with Wiley. "But I don't owe you an explanation for anything, Carly. Not after what all you've done."
"Why are you dropping him off at school?" Carly asked. "The courts deemed you unfit to be in Wiley's life."
"I'm pretty sure his mother can override what they say."
Carly clenched her jaw. "Willow let you drop him off?"
"Yes. She hasn't the strength right now. She needs help. That is why she came to live with me."
Carly went whiter than a snowman. "You're joking, right?"
"No. You see, Carly, your attempts at keeping Willow and I away from each other FAILED miserably!"
"I will be speaking to Michael about this," Carly said. "If Willow is going to not only allow the children to be around you, but also to live with you, then I think it's time that Michael and I step in."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying if Willow won't protect them from you, then we will protect them from both of you."
GHGHGH
Dr. Watson opened the door to Nelle's room. "Isla, you have a visitor. This is Ava and she thinks she knew you before your fall."
Nelle sat up a bit in her bed when Ava walked in.
Ava stared at her for a moment, then brought a chair over after the doctor left.
Nelle gazed at her, and her eyes welled up. "Are you—are you my mom?"
"Uh, no. But I'm friends with your mom."
Nelle smiled through her tears. "You are?"
"Yes," Ava said.
"Is she here too?"
"No. She doesn't know that you're here. But she was looking for you for a long time."
"She was looking for me?" Nelle took a deep breath. "So, she cares about me?"
Ava nodded. "Of course she does. When I heard you might be here, I wanted to make sure before I told her. I didn't want to give her false hope. So… how are you?"
"I've been… really scared. But will you bring my mom here?"
"Yes. I will call her to tell her that you're here. She'll be over the moon."
GHGHGH
After watching Wiley go off with his friends, Nina searched her car for her phone. She checked under the seats and through her purse, all to no avail.
"Nina."
She jolted and turned around to find Sonny.
He grinned. "Hey, stranger."
She stood up and kissed him.
"Dropping Wiley off?" he asked. "I just dropped off Avery."
"Yeah, but I can't seem to find my phone."
"Ah, I was wondering why I hadn't heard back from you. I figured you were just busy with Willow and the kids."
"Oh, Sonny, it's wonderful!" She beamed. "I love having them there. I'm still so nervous though, but it's just so amazing. You know, I'm starting to wonder if I should just sell Crimson and my half of the Metro Court. Then I can be a stay-at-home mom and grandma full-time."
He laughed nervously. "You're joking, right?"
"I could just focus on caring for all of them. I can cook for them and drive Wiley to school."
"But Willow's going to recover eventually."
"Yes, but if I stay home, she can get back to nursing if she wants. Single parenting has got to be hard for people. I want to help Willow in any way I can so she can still live her dreams."
"But we don't know if part of her dream is living with you forever."
She sighed. "I know."
"And you love working at Crimson."
"But I love my family more."
"I know you do. But do you really think Willow is going to live with you permanently?"
"No. I'm just letting my imagination get away. I'm not going to sell them."
"Good."
GHGHGH
"I can't get a hold of Nina," Ava told Dr. Watson.
"Well, I'm sure she'll get back to you soon. Perhaps if you give us her information. Or you could tell her when you get home."
She sighed. "Maybe. Here, I'll try one more time." She pressed her phone to her hear.
GHGHGH
Sonny was on his way to the coffee shop when he heard a ring. He checked his phone, but it wasn't his. When the ringing kept going, he pulled over and reached under the seat to find Nina's phone. "Hello?"
"Sonny? It's Ava. I need to speak to Nina."
"Nina isn't here. She couldn't find her phone and I just found it in my car."
Ava groaned. "This is urgent. I've been trying to call her since last night."
"I'm on my way to work, but can I give her a message? Willow moved in with her, so I could call her phone."
"Okay, I was just hoping to tell Nina myself. I'm in Denver, Colorado and I found Nelle."
His eyes grew wide. "You did?"
"Yeah. She's not the same person at all. She's very timid and has amnesia. She thought I was her mother and when I said I was her mother's friend she said she wants to see her. I don't even think she knows that Nina didn't raise her."
"Okay, wow. I will definitely get the message to her. Text to her phone the address." He hung up and dialed Willow's number. "Hi Willow? Is Nina home yet?"
"Not yet. She said she was going to do some shopping before she gets back. But Britt came over to check on me."
Sonny sighed. "It's very important. Ava is in Denver, and she found Nelle."
There was a long silence.
"Could you have her call Ava as soon as she comes home?" Sonny asked.
"I—I guess so."
"Thanks, Willow."
GHGHGH
"Who was that?" Britt asked as she held Amelia on the couch.
Willow stared at her lap. "Sonny."
"Is everything okay?"
"I—I think I need to lay down for a bit."
"Okay, well I can hang out with Amelia."
Willow lied down in her room and stared at the wall. Would Nelle try to take Wiley from her? Would she cause trouble and slit anyone's throats who got in the way of her taking Wiley? Where would this leave Willow's already fragile relationship with Nina?
A few hours later, she heard Nina and Wiley arrive home from half-day kindergarten.
"Hi Britt!" Wiley said.
"Hey Wiley, how was school?"
"Great! Grandma bought me a kitty!"
Willow's eyes bulged.
