My apologies to all my readers, but I am just now realzing that the formatting isn't breaking up my scenes as intended. Hopefully the reading hasn't been too confusing.
November 21, 2005
"Out of the Mouths of Babes"
Staring at the letter, the words that Sonny thought were there when he wrote it become something else each time he looks it over. He had spent all of his life surrounded by powerful men; all of them able to shield everything from the dark secrets of his poor mental health to his inabilities, at times, to conduct business on his own. He thought they would always be there to catch him when he fell, but even his only true savior in Alexis barely touched the surface of understanding who he really was. From the beginning of his new life forward, he spent his days and nights speechless by her. Not really sure what to say to her about the day she saved his life.
She always managed to intimidate him even without even trying. And he always made every effort to avoid her when Ric was still alive. Ric always knew what buttons to push when it came to Sonny and he knew how the make the whole room a tinge embarrassed when the three of them were lucky to congregate.
Sonny longed for the day that Kristina was old enough to understand and give out that mind-numbing advice that her aunt Kristina used to give about planets and dogs named Pluto. Or was it just planets spinning with no dogs involved? He couldn't really remember a lot. Much he often tried to forget.
He often found much pleasure in spending his days with Brooke Lynn. She was young enough to allow him to live the pleasantries of childhood, but she was mature enough to just listen and completely get where he was coming from.
Lois had just dropped her off for the day with a treat that she was supposed to share with her Uncle Sonny of vanilla ice cream with vanilla bean specks. But after opening the carton, Sonny shakes his head with a "no."
"I hate vanilla bean specks. It's like eating ants." He declares with disappointment in his voice.
Brooke Lynn takes a spoon and digs in straight from the carton. "More for me."
He grabs the letter and playfully yanks at the sleeve of her dress.
"Ok Brooke Lynn. Let's try this again. Can I explain this letter to you as if you were Alexis?"
Sonny leans in to Brooke Lynn starting a staring war with her pretending to only have eyes for her ice cream. She tries to hold back a giggle, but his keen smile breaks her.
"I can't do it Uncle Sonny. I can't be Alexis."
"At least you tried huh?"
"How is she?"
"They kept her overnight. They said it was a small breakdown."
Brooke Lynn finishes what she can eat of her ice cream. "What was her breakdown about?"
"She's got a lot on her mind I guess."
"My mom said you should see a shrink too Uncle Sonny."
"Why would she say that?"
"Cause I told her about the oven incident. Obviously little things bother you sometimes and we worry. Can't leave Kristina an orphan can we? We had that close call already."
Ric raced in front of Alexis down the trail to open the door of Kelly's before her in his gentlemen's fashion. She thanked him with a grin and they walked in together catching Bobbie's attention. She met them at a table nestled in the corner.
"Ok. You two are smiling. What happened?"
Ric put his hand over Alexis' mouth before she could say another word. "Uh uh Alexis. I don't want to know."
Alexis pushed his hand away and ignored his request. "We just got back from the doctor's office and I know the sex of the baby, but Ric over here doesn't want to know like it's gonna matter."
Bobbie laughed. "I think I understand where Ric is coming from. It's your first right Ric?"
"Yea. And I want some surprises. And while you're here, can we get two protein shakes Bobbie?"
"Sure. Alexis, come to the counter before you leave so I can know what to bring to the baby shower."
"I will Bobbie. Scratch one protein shake and bring me a latté."
Ric threw his gloves onto the table and gave her his disapproving look. "You're not drinking a latté."
Alexis scoffed and threw her head back. "The hell I'm not. Are you still grumpy from earlier?"
"Grumpy? What do you mean? I'm excited."
"We're having a son. Haha." She stuck her tongue out at him watching his face turn shades of red.
"You're such a bitch."
"I try." Alexis mouthed a thank you to the waitress for their drinks.
"You serious? It's really a boy?"
Alexis took a sip of her latté and nodded her head.
Ric jumped onto the table and danced a quick jig. "WhoHoo! It's a boy!"
"Please stop embarrassing me." She looked up at him on the table towering above her.
"That's what you get for telling me in public Babydoll. Can I strip?"
"Please don't. Get down and drink your nasty ass shake. Down Little Ricky. Down."
Ric jumped down from the table and gulped down his shake to the last drop. He slammed his cup down onto the table and danceed around some more. "Little Ricky. I like that."
"Maybe I shouldn't have told you."
Bobbie came back over to the table. "I'm guessing it's a boy."
"Yes Bobbie. It's a boy." She murmurs to herself in a half dream.
Alexis opens her eyes not really sure of her surroundings. The nurse readjusts her IV and says a couple of words to the man blurry to her eyesight standing by the door. He motions over to her and sits on the bed by her feet. She tries to smile at him, but she fails not feeling it in her heart at the moment.
"Why don't you ever call me Alexis?" Stefan questions her not really expecting an answer.
She tries to sit up, but he forces her to stay down.
"Stefan, what happened to me?"
"Sonny called and said that you were across the hall in a bit of a fit. He said he didn't really know what to do, but that he understood. How about a couple days at Wyndemere? In fact, why don't you and Kristina move back to Port Charles?"
"I appreciate the offer Stefan, but my practice is here in the city."
"You almost died in that law firm and it was all Sonny's fault. But I try not to say a word about it. I know that you're under a lot of stress already and Helena is still lurking about. Is there anything that I can do to make your healing processes easier?"
"After Sonny is finished looking for Kristina's book, would you take all the boxes away?"
"Is that all you want? I can do more Alexis?"
"Believe me. I'll be able to breathe a lot easier. I just need to get them out of my head."
"Don't think I've forgotten about you and Lorenzo."
She avoided Ric breeching the subject again of finding her and Lorenzo in a perceptually compromising position in her office.
"Ric, that's Lorenzo. That's what he does. He's very touchy-feely. Don't take it personal."
"And I'm supposed to be ok with that?"
Alexis touched her stomach and pretended discomfort. "You're upsetting Little Ricky. Don't raise your voice Dear."
Ric grabbed at his hair. "What!"
"See. You just raised your voice, which causes Little Ricky to kick harder than normal. I don't like that. In fact, I get the feeling that you and Little Ricky are ganging up on me."
Ric started to laugh. "That's my boy."
"Until he kicks Natasha. I'll give him something to cry about."
"That's seriously not fair Alexis. I hate it when you bring up Natasha."
"Why is that Ric?"
"Only Lorenzo knows the difference between Alexis and Natasha."
"Not true. There is a distinct difference. You just need to learn to pay attention to me. It's called trying to make a relationship work without that institution called marriage. It's about me Ric. Not you and your insecurities which you use to make fun of Sonny."
"Are you saying that the day I propose marriage, you'll say no?"
"Of course I'll say no. How else am I supposed to be justifiably touchy-feely with Lorenzo with no guilt?"
Ric furrowed his brow. "You be better Natasha losing her damn mind right now."
Brooke Lynn settles down next to Sonny on the stairs. She looks over at his progressive doodling on the pad that Alexis gave to him.
"What's so bad about talking to a shrink Uncle Sonny?"
"Sign of weakness." He says to her without looking up from his drawing.
"So is Alexis weak because she talks to Kevin all the time?"
"You ask too many questions Kid."
"How else am I supposed to learn if I don't ask questions? How come you only ask my point of view when you need something? Can't you just hold a conversation to relate to rest of the human species?"
Sonny looks up at Brooke Lynn visibly frustrated by his tune out.
"What do you want me to say Kid? I just wanna draw on my pad right now and not talk about anything."
"Don't you want to visit Alexis? I'll go with you."
Sonny thinks for a moment and a smile beams wide across his face. "I just thought of something. Jesus was a carpenter."
With exasperation, Brooke Lynn darts up from the stairs and heads towards the door.
"I'm leaving. You're not making sense."
He lays down his pad and gives her his full attention. "Don't leave. I have many ideas for this place. I noticed my mother's rosary sitting across the room."
Sonny points out the artifact draped around a picture of his grandmother on a table near the couch. Brooke Lynn leans on the door ready to bolt from his childish air.
"What's with you when it comes to Alexis? Did something happen? I just don't remember her being so…"
"…Uncertain?" He injects.
"Yea. I guess. Can't really put my finger on it. What happened with you guys? Why did Ric and Lorenzo die and you lived? Did you save her life and decide to change yours too? You ask me so many questions about stuff like why people make the choices that they make and then you don't tell me why you're asking."
"I don't like to explain myself. I never have." Sonny smiles at her again.
"You're hopeless Uncle Sonny."
"There are just things that I choose not to remember. Do you still have nightmares?"
"I'm a little old for those."
"You're never too old. I have them all the time. I don't deserve Alexis' choice, but I'm glad she made it."