Chapter 2
As Keesha sat in the back of the limo with her children, she thought about how she had spent her afternoon. She, her kids and Carly had had breakfast in the Metro Court restaurant and it had been … nice. She and Carly talked about motherhood and kids, and normal things that women their age and status talked about. It felt good. Carly Benson and Keesha Ward had a pleasant conversation. They had actually made plans to get together with and without the kids. The two ladies planned a spa date at the Metro Court spa.
Keesha smiled to herself and looked over to her napping children and thought, 'maybe coming back to Port Charles hadn't been such a bad idea after all'.
As the limo pulled up the drive, Keesha wondered what she was doing. As she woke the kids from their nap, she nearly turned around and went back to the hotel, but she knew that she had to do what she had come to do. She had goodbyes to say and bonds to reinstate.
She rang the doorbell and waited. With another look down to Justus and Maya, she made a mental check of their appearance. They were perfect. The door opened and a monster of a woman stood looking down on Keesha and the children.
"May I help you?" asked the massive woman.
"I, uh… I'm Kee…"
"Alice, who is that at the door? Why are you just standing there, either let them in or tell them to go away", came the voice of the Quartermaine family patriarch, Edward.
Keesha couldn't help but to smile at the gruff sound of his voice. 'Same old Edward', she thought.
"Mr. Q, she hasn't told me who she is", responded Alice.
"My name is Keesha, Keesha Ward"
"Keesha?" came a question from behind Alice. Keesha could hear the question in the familiar voice.
"Monica, it's me". At that moment, Alice moved out of the way and Keesha's view of Monica Quartermaine was unobstructed.
Monica's breath caught in her throat, "Keesha", it came out in a whisper. Tears were in the older woman's eyes. She rushed to hug her and noticed the child in Keesha's arms, and the two by her side.
"Well who do we have here?" asked Monica. "Oh goodness, what am I thinking leaving you out here in the cold? Come in Keesha come in".
"Keesha? Did you say…?" Edward came into the foyer. The grey haired man, walked closer to the young woman and her children. He gently wrapped his arms around Keesha and the baby in her arms. "Welcome back, sweetheart. Where have you been?"
"Well, Edward, I've been living in Cincinnati, with my husband and kids".
Edward looked to the children and smiled. He couldn't help but to think that these beautiful biracial children in front of him could have been his grandkids. The woman in front of him had been the first love of his grandson, Jason. Their world's had come crashing down when Jason woke up and shunned them all. If not for that accident, this would have been his family… Edward's great grandchildren. Oh the thought of it.
"Come into the parlor and have a seat. We need to get to know these little ones", said Edward.
Once they were all seated in the parlor Monica spoke first. "So, Keesha, it is so good to see you. I've thought about you so many times over the years and just wondered what you were up to. I used to ask Jus..." her words trailed off as she thought about her nephew, Keesha's cousin.
Edward cleared his throat and turned away from the two women. Justus had been the grandson of Edward Quartermaine and Keesha's grandmother Mary Mae. It had been complicated dating the cousin of your cousin, but Jason and Keesha had dealt with it in stride.
"Mommy", came Maya's voice from the sofa. "Are you talking about Uncle Justus again?"
Keesha wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at Maya, "yes we are. We all loved him very much".
"So", Edward said while trying to regain his composure, "Introduce me to these beautiful children".
Keesha turned and smiled down at Maya and Justus. "Well, this", she said wrapping her arm around Justus' shoulder, "is my oldest, Justus".
Edward's eyes lit up and a smile crossed his lips. "Well Monica, did you hear that? We have another Justus", Edward said.
"Yes we do", smiled Monica.
"Me next, mama. Me next", Maya said while bouncing up and down on the couch.
Edward and Monica laughed. "Yes please do introduce us to her".
"Well this, is... well do you want to introduce yourself, you do it so much better than I do", Keesha said to Maya.
"Welllllll", Maya said in a very dramatic fashion. "My name is Mary May Ward Livingstone but my daddy calls me Maya, cause Mary Mae, even though that was my grandma's name, is too old fashioned for a cute little girl and I'm only five years old."
Edward's face lit up. "Mary Mae, well that is just beautiful and now that I look at you, you do look a lot like your great grandmother. Oh, she was a beautiful woman, yes she was".
"Well Ms. Maya, you seem like a very confident child".
"Yeah sometimes a little too confident and outspoken", Keesha added.
Just then the front door opened and in walked Emily, the youngest of the Quartermaine children.
"Mom, grandfather, where are you?" Emily called from the foyer.
"We are in here, darling" Monica said.
"Oh, there you are. Hi grandfather, hi mom", said Emily as she leaned over and kissed the older man and woman. "Hi Keesha", Emily said absent mindedly as she leaned over to hug and kiss a woman who had been like her older sister.
"Kee, Keesha… what? How? Huh? I'm so confused", Emily said shaking her head. "Oh my GOD, what are you doing here? Where have you been?" Emily cried wrapping her arms around Keesha's shoulders.
Keesha laughed and returned her hug. "Emily, where is that little girl I used to know? Where on Earth did she go? Oh my god, you are all grown up".
Emily gently sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch. She held Keesha's hands in her own and just stared at the older woman with tears in her eyes.
"You left and I thought you would be back in no time at all. And then I realized you weren't coming back. I felt like I'd lost my big sis", Emily said tearfully.
"I'm so sorry, Em. I had ever intention of coming back but I met the most wonderful man and I fell in love. He was going to Ohio and Port Charles left my mind at that moment. I'm sorry. I should have called; you could have come to visit me. We still could have been close".
"Its alright, you're still my big sis. Now tell me who these gorgeous little ones are", Emily said referring to Maya and Justus.
"Well", Keesha said wiping tears from her eyes. "This is Justus and Mary Mae, or Maya as we like to call her".
Emily looked at the children and then back to Keesha. "Oh Keesha, you named them after the most wonderful people ever?" Emily said.
"Well, not all the most wonderful people ever. There was Lila".
At the mention of the Quartermaine matriarch, the room fell silent.
Keesha took the opportunity to pick up the baby up from her car seat. "And I knew, once Justus called me and told me of Lila's passing that there needed to be another Lila. So, this is Lila Danielle Livingstone".
"Lila?" Edward whispered.
Keesha smiled and watched as Edward stood from his chair and made his way towards the couch. He reached out for Lila and smiled, while tears fell from his eyes. Keesha held up her daughter for Edward to hold.
The smile on his face brightened the whole room. "Lila". His hand rested on Justus' head then moved to stroke Maya's curls. "This could have been our family, Monica. Do you realize that? These children could have been your grandchildren and my great grandchildren".
Keesha felt her back stiffen and she closed her eyes. Thoughts of Jason Quartermaine came flooding back to her. Their first dance, first kiss, and first time they made love. Jason had been gone for years so why did it hurt so badly? Then she thought of Morgan and nothing hurt more than thoughts of Morgan.
"Grandfather, please don't do that. I'm sure that is doing a disservice to Keesha's husband. Once we meet him, he is not going to want to hear about Jason".
Just then the parlor doors opened and everyone turned to look, but all the adults in the room knew who was on the other side.
Keesha's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. Her throat constricted and her hands felt clammy. 'Jason' her heart and head said simultaneously.
Jason walked through the doors holding a small child in his arms. Keesha's eyes widened as she looked at the little boy who was the spitting image of Jason.
"Hi, I thought you guys would like to spend some time with Jake", Jason said. "Now this is going to be a visit contingent upon how you act. Especially you Edward".
Jason finally took a look around the room. He saw the look on his mother and sister's faces. And then he saw his grandfather, with a small child, of his own, in his arms. He then looked at the couch. His mouth dropped barely an inch when his eyes settled on Keesha Ward. Then the shock was replaced by his signature vacant look. But when the woman smiled at him, he allowed himself a small smile in her direction.
It had been many years since Jason had seen Keesha Ward. He took in the look on her face and couldn't decide what he was seeing in her eyes. He then saw the small children sitting to her left and deduced that the child in Edward's arms were also hers. The little girl sitting beside Keesha was obviously her daughter. She looked just like her mother. And the little boy, he looked like her too.
"Jason", Monica said. "It's good to see you and I am so glad that you brought my grandson to see me".
Jason nodded his head towards Monica.
Emily was the first person to move, she went to her brother and hugged him and planted a small kiss on his cheek. She then took her nephew from her brother's arms and smiled. "Hiya, Jake, hi sweetie".
Jake smiled at his aunt and said, "hi aun' Emly".
Keesha's heart almost stopped as she heard Jason's son speak. He was so adorable. And he was Jason's.
"Hello, Keesha", Jason said.
She hadn't expected him to speak to her, at least not first. "Hello, Jason. Who is that adorable little boy?" Keesha asked.
Jason's face broke into a wide smile as he looked at his son in Emily's arms. "That's my little buddy. His name is Jake and he is, he's my world".
Keesha had never heard Jason Morgan speak that candidly about anyone or anything. She was taken aback.
"Who are you?" Jason asked of Justus as he sat down on the coffee table. "I can already tell that you are Keesha's son, because you look just like her".
"Let me introduce you", said Edward from behind Jason. Jason turned to face his grandfather and caught sight of the little girl in his arms. She was beautiful and she had his eyes.
"This, my boy", started Edward "is Justus".
Jason's eyes immediately went back to the little boy in front of him. 'Justus', his heart constricted as he thought of his cousin. His and Keesha's cousin who had died a senseless mob related death. Justus' death had been Jason's fault. Or at least that was how he felt. If he hadn't gotten Justus involved in Sonny's business, his cousin and friend would still be alive.
Keesha saw that guilt written on Jason's face. She wanted to reach out to him, but she knew that it wouldn't be appropriate. She knew that Justus had made a choice and it had been deadly.
"And this", Keesha continued, "Is Maya".
Jason's eyes moved to the little girl sitting next to Justus. She was, in Jason's mind, what Keesha looked like when she was a little girl. Jason smiled at the little girl. And, surprisingly, she smiled back.
"Hi, my name is actually Mary Mae, after my Grammy Mae, she died before I was born. I like to be called Maya, though. Its better for a little girl, dontcha think?"
Jason smiled and nodded his head 'yes'. "I think its perfect for you", he said.
"Did you know my mommy when she lived here before?" Maya asked.
Jason, once again, shook his head 'yes'. "Your mother and I were close at one point. I think you", Jason said pointing to Maya, "look just like your mother when she was your age".
"My daddy said that I was my mommy's 'mini me'. I'm a smaller version of her. Isn't that right mommy?" Maya asked.
"Yes, baby. That's right", Keesha responded.
"Let's not forget the little one", Emily said still holding Jake close.
"No", Monica piped up, "we can't forget her".
"This is Lila", Edward said turning the baby around so that she faced Jason.
Jason looked at Lila and tears welled in hi eyes. He looked at the little girl who had been named for his grandmother. The child giggled and Jason smiled.
"Hi Lila". He turned to Keesha, "she's beautiful. They are all beautiful".
"Thank you, Jason".
"Well, I guess it's my turn", Jason turned towards Emily and took Jake from her arms. "This is my son, Jake".
Keesha walked towards Jason and his son. "Hi, Jake. My name is Keesha".
Jake smiled shyly and said, "Hi, 'eesha
The adults laughed as Keesha reached out to take Jake's hand.
Keesha couldn't believe her day. First Carly and now Jason, people were surprising her at every turn. Keesha felt the urge to look at the man who was standing so close to her. Once she did, Keesha saw Jason looking down at her. She smiled at him as she held onto baby Jake's hand.
Edward was the first one to break the silence. "How about some lunch? I'm sure these kids are hungry. I will tell cook to prepare something wonderful for us and some of Jake's favorites for the kids".
"Mr. Quartermaine, you don't have to do that. We are fine", Keesha said.
"First of all, I told you years ago to call me Edward. You were going to be a part of this family. You were a part of this family and you still are. There are no Mr's in this room. Second, none of my grandchildren or great grandchildren are to ever want for anything, so if I think that these kids are hungry then I will feed them".
"I guess you can't argue with that, can you?" Monica asked.
"Grandfather, did you say great grandchildren? As in plural?" Emily asked.
"Yes, yes I did. Keesha was like a sister to you and a daughter to you Monica and well she was engaged to both of my grandsons. I consider her and her children family. I consider Justus, Maya and little Lila my great grandchildren just as much as Michael and Jake are. Just as much as any children that Emily shall have".
Keesha tried not to be affected by his words but they tugged at her heart and the tears began to fall freely. She turned away from her children and walked towards the double doors of the parlor and looked out the window.
"Keesha are you alright?" Monica asked.
She didn't trust herself to speak, she merely shook her head.
Emily took this opportunity to take Jake from Jason's arms and Lila from Edward. "Come on kids; let's go see if we can get Cook to fix us some cookies for later or maybe brownies".
"Brownies!!" Maya and Justus yelled in unison.
After the children had left the room, Monica turned to Keesha. "Keesha, honey, what is it? What's wrong?"
"I just… it's just been so long. I've been gone so long and I didn't know what I was coming back to. I didn't know if it would be the same as when I left. I didn't know… with Justus being gone. Oh God, Justus, what am I going to do without you?" Keesha asked to the sky.
Monica moved to put her arms around the young woman. "Honey, I'm so sorry. But it's going to be alright, you have us. You and those little kids have us, you will always have us".
"Keesha", came Edward's voice from the back of the room. "What happened to your husband? I see the ring and Maya introduced herself as Livingstone, I know that there was a Mr. Livingstone. Where is he? What happened sweetheart?"
Keesha turned and Jason could see that tears had streamed down her face unattended. "He's dead".