Chapter 40- Nina vs. Morgan

Nina sat beside Nelle on the bed, checking her all over, hardly believing she was there. "Are you feeling okay? Are they treating you okay here?"

Nelle nodded, then shook her head. "The nurses and doctors are nice. But the other friends here are mean to me. And we don't have classes, we don't talk to the spirits, we don't have peace. And this room is lonely. I don't like it here."

"I'm going to get you out of here."

"I have a mom." Nelle looked at her and smiled. "But Lin and Luke said you and my sister are bad people."

Nina shook her head. "I've made mistakes, but Willow isn't a bad person. She's a good person."

"Willow, I like that name." Nelle kept smiling at her. "The doctor said my name was Nelle?"

"Yes, short for Janelle."

"I like it. You chose good names for us."

Nina frowned.

"I can't wait to see my sister," Nelle said. "Does she look just like me?"

"You're actually fraternal twins," Nina explained. She sighed wondering if Willow would ever accept Nelle. "She has dark hair and she's into nursing."

"Like the nurses here? Oh, they're so nice here. My sister must be really nice too. Was I nurse too?"

"No, actually, you were a nanny a long time ago, but then you came to work for me at Crimson," Nina said. "It's a fashion magazine."

"I worked with you? We must have been really close."

"Um, well…."

"Can we go home now?"

"Oh, well we have to wait for the doctor's okay. I think there's paperwork and such to be done."

"Okay, and we live in Port Charles? Where's that?" Nelle asked. "Do I live at your commune with you and my sister?"

"Port Charles is in New York. You didn't live me before your fall, no," Nina said. "But I'm going to make sure you can come home with me as soon as possible."

Nelle beamed. "Oh, the three of us are going to be a real family. We can eat together, do yoga on Sundays, meditate together—"

"Meditate?" Nina raised an eyebrow.

"—and learn about the great spirits together. And we can all find peace."

Nina cleared her throat. "We can do whatever makes you happy." She lifted her purse off the floor and took out a bracelet. "This isn't much, but on my way here I stopped in the airport gift shop and bought a few things for my family." She helped Nelle put it on.

"It's so pretty."

Nina touched both halves of the heart necklace hanging from her neck, but decided she still wasn't ready to part with them. "I'm going to talk to the doctor now."

Nelle's lip started to tremble and her eyes teared up. "You're leaving me…."

"No!" Nina reached for her hand. "I need to talk to the doctor so I can take you home. I can't take you home until I talk to him. But just because I go for a little while, doesn't mean I've left you."

Nina hesitantly left, then marched back to Dr. Watson's office to find him and Ava.

"I need to take her home now," Nina choked up. "She needs me."

"Well, we're going to need a little time to go through your paperwork," Dr. Watson explained. "To ensure that you can take temporary guardianship. We should be able to make a decision by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Nina gaped at him. "She's miserable in that tiny room by herself. She needs to be home with me."

"Even if you get temporary guardianship, I highly encourage you keep her in an institution for at least a few months. If not, then she should at least see a psychiatrist."

Nina groaned.

"Nina, let's just get a hotel room and come back in the morning," Ava suggested. "I'll stay with you. Then we'll find out more tomorrow. There's nothing more we can do tonight. Nelle is safe for now."

"Fine," Nina said. "I'll give you one day, but then I'm taking my daughter home."

GHGHGH

Morgan arrived at Denver Springs later that evening. He hurried over to the reception desk to speak to the nurse. "I'm looking for my wife. I don't know if she's using the name Isla or Nelle Benson."

"Oh, yes," the nurse said, pulling up her file. "You are her husband?"

"Yes, I need to see her."

"Unfortunately, visiting hours are over. You are welcome to visit tomorrow."

"But I'm her husband," Morgan said. "I need to see her now."

"I'm sorry, sir. But you'll have to wait until morning. Your mother-in-law is supposed to be coming back in the morning too—"

"I want to take my wife before my… mother-in-law… returns."

"Well, she's trying to get temporary guardianship so she can take her home. However, if you are her husband then you are the more likely candidate. The patient has mentioned a husband, but we have been unable to locate him."

"Yes, that's me. I am Luke, but I have another name as well. Morgan Corinthos. You need to give me temporary guardianship instead." She printed off some papers and handed them to him. "You may fill this out. Dr. Watson should be determining her temporary guardian tomorrow."

Morgan scoffed. "I am her husband. I shouldn't have to fill anything out."

"I'm sorry, but we can't release her without making sure you qualify."

He groaned and took the papers. He sat down and skimmed through them. He gulped when it asked information about his income, and his chest grew heavy at the questions about their marriage, such as marriage certificate.

GHGHGH

Nina barely slept that night, which wasn't a surprise since she hadn't been sleeping much at all since she discovered Willow was her daughter, and it seemed even worse now that she found Nelle in this condition. She and Ava ended up sharing a hotel room. Ava slept better than Nina did, but Nina kept her up late talking about Nelle and Willow. One minute she was so relieved at her two miracles—no, four, because Wiley and Amelia were her miracles too. The next she was crying over having to watch them suffer and the time they all missed together. Then she was excited about Nelle's desire to be a family, which turned into worry over Willow likely not accepting her. That worry turned into fear that she would have to choose between the sisters or that she'd lose them all over again.

This kept going on for hours and before she knew it, Ava was asleep. She wasn't sure at what point during her spiel that Ava drifted, but after that she couldn't get her thoughts to shut down.

Before she knew it morning came, and she wanted to get right to Denver Springs.

"It doesn't open until 9," Ava said. "Let's just take our time and get some breakfast."

Nina couldn't eat much when they arrived at Denny's. She ended up texting Willow to see how she and the kids were doing. Apparently, Maxie was bringing James and Bailey Lou over for a visit to relieve Liesl.

Finally, at five to nine, they arrived at Denver Springs and hurried inside to the reception desk.

"Unfortunately, Dr. Watson is running late," the nurse said.

Nina rubbed her temples. "You're joking."

"It's actually Isla's—Nelle's potential guardianship that's delaying him. He's still going through the paperwork."

Nina raised her voice, "But I need to—"

Ava touched her arm to calm her down. "Thank you. May we visit Nelle while we wait?"

"Yes," the nurse said. "She's having breakfast in the dining room, but I'm sure she would enjoy the company."

The nurse led them down the hallway and the nurse spoke to a lady at the desk. "These ladies are here to sit with Isla."

When she left, Nina and Ava entered the dining room to find three large, haggard ladies standing around Nelle who was sitting at a table and holding back tears.

"Suck it up, Buttercup," one of the women said and yanked a strand of hair from Nelle's head, causing her to wince.

"This is our table," the second woman said. "And I want those eggs."

"Now scram!" the third one said.

"I'm sorry," Nelle said in a small voice and rose to her feet, leaving her breakfast plate behind.

Nina walked over to them. "No, no. This is my daughter's table. She was clearly here first."

The first woman grinned. "Look, girls, Buttercup's got a mommy."

Nina held her chin up and stepped closer to her. "Yeah, and this mommy is a force to be reckoned with!"

"Yeah, what are you picking on her for?" Ava asked. "She's just sitting there minding her own business."

Nelle moved closer to Nina and tried to hide behind her.

"Back off my daughter," Nina said through gritted teeth. "Or I'm calling security."

Ava pulled out her phone. "I'm dialing…."

"Okay, okay," the second woman said. "No harm, no foul. We'll choose a different table."

"Good," Nina said. "And stay the he ll away from my daughter."

Nelle jerked at the swearing.

When the three women moved to another table, Nina and Ava sat down with Nelle.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked. "Eat up before it gets cold."

Nelle picked at her food. "Josiah's teachings say not to raise your voice to those above you and not to swear."

Nina frowned. "They were bullying you. I was standing up for you."

Ava cleared her throat. "Think of it this way, Nelle… or Isla…. Those women were evil and against those teachings you follow. Nina was putting them in their place. And she's above them. So are you. You're above them and you can stand up to them too."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Nelle, if you don't want me to swear I won't," Nina said. "I don't much anyway, not unless I'm angry."

Nelle smiled. "Okay."

They sat with her while she ate until the nurse came in. "Ms. Reeves, Ms. Jerome, Dr. Watson is ready to speak to you."

Nelle glanced back at the three women.

"Could you please take Nelle back to her room while we speak to the doctor?" Nina asked, observing the fear in Nelle's eyes.

"Of course," the nurse responded.

Nina shook her head as she and Ava headed down the hallway. "She doesn't even know how to stand up for herself anymore. She wasn't like this before she fell off the cliff."

"She's very different, that's for sure," Ava agreed.

When they reached Dr. Watson's office, Morgan was sitting in front of the desk.

Ava gasped. "Morgan…. I heard… I heard you were alive, but I didn't expect—"

"Didn't expect me to be Nelle's husband?" Morgan asked. "Well, here I am and I am going to be her guardian."

Nina balled her hands into fists. "Like he-ll you are…." She shut her eyes remembering she promised Nelle she wouldn't swear. "Not after you basically held my daughter hostage and refused to tell her anything about her life or about me."

"She's my wife," Morgan said. "And once I get guardianship, we're getting as far away from all of you as possible and we'll join another commune."

"And just keep isolating her?" Nina scoffed. "That commune did her more harm than good!"

"Good morning." They turned to find Dr. Watson in the doorway. "If you could all take a seat, I'll explain the decision."

Nina insisted that Ava sit in the middle so she wouldn't have to sit beside Morgan. She tapped her fingernails nervously against the arm of the chair.

"So, we went through your papers, Ms. Reeves," Dr. Watson said. "Unfortunately, you do not qualify for guardianship at this time."

Morgan grinned.

Nina sat up straight. "And why not? I am her mother!"

"As you explained in the papers, you just found out you were her mother two and a half years ago. You don't at this time have proof that you are her mother. You don't even have a DNA test."

"Then I will get a DNA test done," Nina said. "But I need to take her home."

"You can still get a DNA test and give proof and reason why you should be guardian. You can still apply for permanent guardianship, but we can not just grant you temporary guardianship at this time with no proof of your relation and no legal connection to her."

Nina's breathing sped up. "But Morgan is going to take her to another commune, who knows where, and is only going to make her condition worse!"

Dr. Watson turned to Morgan. "Mr. Corinthos, unfortunately, you also do not qualify for guardianship at this time."

Morgan clenched his jaw. "What?"

"You aren't legally married to Ms. Benson-Jerome," Dr. Watson said. "According to the information you gave me, you had a wedding ceremony at the Friends of Peace and Love Commune in June of 2021. But you never had it legalized and you don't even have proof of this wedding. You aren't married in the eyes of the law. Also, you don't have a job and have no income to support her."

"But I'm staying with my brother," Morgan tried. "We can live with him until I find a job. Then once I have enough money, I'll get us out of that horrid town. Or maybe my dad will just give us the money to move away…."

Nina glared at him. "Sonny would not agree to you taking my daughter away from me!"

"All that said," Dr. Watson cut in. "You too can apply for permanent guardianship. Though I'll tell you, a judge will look for you to have an income and you would need to be able to convince the courts that you and Ms. Benson-Jerome were a couple and got married. All that said, there is the matter of the child."

Morgan scrunched his face. "Child?"

"Do you mean Wiley?" Nina asked. "But Michael and Willow have full custody of Wiley. Nelle lost her rights to him."

"I mean the child Nelle is carrying," Dr. Watson said.

"Nelle is pregnant?" Nina asked.

Morgan's mouth dropped slightly. "I'm—I'm going to be a father?"

"Yes, Nelle is pregnant," Dr. Watson continued. "Mr. Corinthos, you could order a DNA test to prove you're the father. Then you might be able to temporarily be in charge of Nelle's medical care, only in relation to her pregnancy, nothing else. But… even so, if you want custody of the child after it is born, you're going to need an income."

Morgan nodded.

"So, back to Nelle," Dr. Watson said. "We have determined that only one person can qualify for temporary guardianship, and that is her sister-in-law Ava Jerome."

Ava groaned. "Do I have to?"

"No," he said. "You don't have to. But if you don't, she'll have to stay here and be the responsibility of the government."

Nina turned to Ava. "Ava, please, please do this. Do it as a favour to me. Then we can bring her back to Port Charles."

Ava sighed.

"If Ava takes guardianship, can she allow Nelle to live with me?" Nina asked.

Dr. Watson shook his head. "Ava can only take her to her own home, or, she can do what I recommend and take her to Shadybrook at least until she has a permanent guardian."

Nina frowned. "I don't know if I want her at Wyndemere."

"For once, we agree on something," Morgan said.

"Please, Ava," Nina pleaded. "Please do this. I can help you with any decisions."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll do it. But you owe me big."

Nina smiled and hugged her.

"But she'll have to go to Shadybrook if you don't want her at Wyndemere," Ava said.

Nina nodded. "Okay. At least she'll be in town. Hopefully my application won't take long."

"It's my application that will go through," Morgan said.

"Okay, well I'll get the paperwork ready," Dr. Watson said. "You can take her back to Port Charles as early as this afternoon."