A/N Hi guys I'm back. Sorry for not updating the story the last few days. I've been pretty busy at work. I work in a retail store and with Christmas fast approaching I have to hire help for the season so when I get home I've been pretty tired not to mention my muse deserted me. The ideas were there I just couldn't seem to put pen to paper so to speak. So I spent yesterday watching old episodes of our show hoping for a little dash of inspiration and thankfully I was able to write today. So enough about me on to the show...
"Ryan I'm so glad you here." Leo couldn't wait to tell Ryan that she had finally woken up.
"Yeah, I'll bet you are." Without warning Ryan sucker punched Leo.
Leo doubled over in pain a bruise quickly forming on his cheek. "What the hell was that for man!"
"I saw you!" Ryan's cryptic words came out.
"You saw me?" Leo was more confused now then when he first got hit. "You saw me what? Take the last cookie from the cookie jar? Run over some old ladies cat?"
Ryan pushed him against the wall, "I saw you with her! You promised you would stay away until she was ready to see you again and I walk in here and find you sleeping in bed with her! I thought you respected our marriage!"
Leo pushed Ryan away from him everything started to make sense, "Look I'm sorry Ryan but I couldn't just stay away from her. She was my wife once to! I never wanted to leave her and I never stopped loving her. I had to be with her last night both for myself and for her."
"What was so special about last night that you just to climb in bed with MY WIFE!" Ryan's anger increased with each syllable.
"It's been nine years Ryan. Nine years ago I fell over a cliff and left her alone to mourn me. I know for me every time October 17th comes around it's a difficult day. I can only imagine what that day does to her. She had to watch me die Ryan she watched as I fell over the bridge in to the water below. I'm sure you can remember how hard it was for you when Gillian died. I'm sure every year on the day that you lost her all those memories come flooding back even though you try as hard as you can to repress them they can't help but come back. Even though she's been unconscious her soul still knows what the day is and I had to be with her."
Ryan's head held low he was ashamed for not remember what the date was. He knew how hard the day was for Greenlee. She tried to hide her pain from him on this day not wanting to upset him or make him think she didn't love him. She went about her daily life going to work, making well ordering them dinner, helping him tuck the kids into bed. Even though she went through the motions everyone could see there was something different in her eyes. He also knew that every year after they went to bed when she thought he was asleep she would go back to the falls. She didn't know that he knew nor did he want her to. She loved Leo so much and even though she didn't talk about him very often he knew that she still carried Leo with her in her heart. Up to the day of the shooting she wore his St. Christopher medallion. Her wedding rings still sat in the center of her jewelry box a constant reminder of the love she lost.
"Leo I'm sorry. I should have been more understanding. I know how hard today is for her. She never talks about it but I can see it in her eyes. But, you still shouldn't have been in bed with her. What do you think that would have done to her to wake up and find your arms wrapped around her?"
Leo's head shook back and forth, "Ryan she did wake up. She woke up last night as I was sitting beside her holding her hand."
Ryan's eyes shot up at the other man "She's awake?"
"Yes! The only reason I was in bed with her is because when I tried to go find the doctors she begged me not to leave and asked me to hold her like when we were married. She needed to feel me next to her and know that I was real and not just some dream."
"Do the doctors know she's awake now?" Ryan turned his head to look at her room.
"Yes, Dr. Hubbard is with her now." Leo smiled back at Ryan.
"Oh my God. I need to call Jackson, and Kendall and Zach they'll want to be here. Oh and Bianca their cousins I'm sure she'll want to know." Ryan frantically pulled out his cell phone.
"Ryan I'm pretty sure Bianca is in the hospital with Marissa I'll tell her for you."
"Thanks Leo and I'm sorry I punched you" Ryan hit the send button on his phone and waited for Jackson to pick up.
Jackson and Erica sat on her white couch her head resting on his shoulder. They had been up most of the night talking trying to figure things out when she had finally fallen asleep in her arms. Their relationship was far from being fixed but they wanted to work their way back to each other. He was still upset that she didn't want to marry him and wanted to put their lives on hold for a movie. She didn't understand why he wasn't on board with the movie. While they were at a crossroads this tragedy had done some good. They knew that they wanted to be together that life could change so quickly and in one swift moment the people you love might be taken from you
Jackson looked down at the woman sleeping next to him. For 25 years he had been in love with this woman. They had been through so much together in that time. Drug addiction, someone they love being in the hospital, her losing custody of Bianca, Kendall coming back to town and trying to ruin Erica, Bianca's anorexia, her hiding the truth about Greenlee, loving other people but finding their way back to each other, their wedding and then their divorce, her being taken to prison, the Erica twin that had taken over their lives. Life had thrown them a lot of curve balls that was for sure but somehow in the midst of tragedy or pain or overwhelming obstacles they always found a way back to each other. He smiled as he thought back on their life together. Their life was like one of those daytime TV shows she watched and he secretly tuned into. Not the talk shows where the woman had 10 people lined up that could be their child's father and not that new cooking one that he tried to watch once but had turned off after only a few minutes. No their life was like those daytime dramas, soaps she called them. If he didn't know any better he swore that those writers watched their town and based those show's off their lives.
His eyes focused on a picture on the table behind their couch. The picture had been take just few days before the shooting. He picked the picture up and looked at everyone's smiling faces. He and Erica were sitting in the middle of the couch at Kendall and Zach's. Kendall sat next to her mother with Ian in her lap. He laughed at the look on Ian's face. The child had refused to smiled even when Zach had tried to tickle him. Zach held tight to Kendall's hand. Spike sat smiling on Daddy Zach's lap. Behind Erica was his beautiful niece. Ever since her father's death Jack had stepped in as a replacement father of sorts. Looking at her face here in the picture he was amazed at what a beautiful young woman she had become. She looked so much like her father it amazed him but in the same breath he saw those distinct Kane features. Both Gabby and Miranda surrounded their mother they two had those distinct Kane women features he knew they would carry on the Kane line. Marissa had so quickly become a part of their family so it had only been natural for her to join them in their family picture. They way those two looked at each other reminded Jackson so much of the way that he looked at Erica even now 25 years later. He knew those two were in it for the long haul.
His fingers caressed the face of the young woman sitting with her arm holding tightly to his. This had been the last time he had seen her before he watched Jake and Angie took her into surgery. He shuddered at the thought of her still form lying on that hospital bed. Sure he had seen her at the party but he really hadn't paid any attention to the fact that she was there. He was too focused on Erica to really see that she was even in the room. He looked down at her smiling face next to his. Every time he looked at her he saw a part of him and wondered why it took so long for him to see it. He had known her for years before he found out he was her father but had never noticed those Montgomery features. Behind Greenlee was Ryan and Emma. He had finally come to terms with Greenlee being in love with this man and wanting to be married to him. There was a part of him though that he never told her about that hoped someone better would come along for her. She deserved the best that life had to offer and he felt that she was settling with Ryan. A part of him would always hate Ryan for the pain he put Greenlee through when she told him she was carrying his child and then when he faked his death.
"We have a beautiful family don't we Jack?" Erica's voice cut through his thought. She was smiling up at him as he stared into the picture.
"That we do. The only thing better would have been better would be for Lilly and Reggie to be here with us. The whole Montgomery-Kane Clan together." He smiled down at her. Despite their troubled relationship they were all a family and nothing could change that.
"And Josh," A soft smile formed on her lips as she thought about her son.
"Josh will always be with us Erica." Both their gazes laid on Kendall the keeper of Josh's heart. "It's not just Kendall that carries Josh with her Erica it's all of us."
"Thank you Jackson." She whipped a tear from her eye, "We'll have to take another picture at Christmas when Lilly and Reggie come home."
"Will it be the same? Will we all still be here come Christmas?" he hated to think like this but the thought had been in the back of his mind ever since he picked up that picture.
"Jackson you can't think like that. Everyone is going to be fine. Marissa's getting release tomorrow. Kendall's already hope with Zach and the boys. AJ is a strong little boy. And Jack your daughter is one of the most strong willed pain in the asses I've ever met." Her description of his daughter brought some much needed laughter to the room.
"No one's going to leave us Jack. Come December our Christmas card will have the most beautiful family on the front of it."
"Erica I know everyone's ok right now. They're all growing stronger every day but let's face it we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Just one year ago Greenlee was on trial for murder. We thought we lost Zach. David came back to life. There are no guarantees about tomorrow. Someone could be in a car accident. There could be another shooting. Tornados could rock this town again. Hell at the rate this town is going there could be a freaking Earthquake for all we know. " Jackson was ashamed of the thoughts going through his mind. He was usually the voice of reason in matters like this but he had come so close to losing the people he loved so many times that he was scared.
Erica turned and faced him, "Jackson your right we don't know what tomorrow holds. But we can have hope and faith that no matter what we are faced with our family will come out stronger because of it. Why don't we get changed and head to the hospital I think seeing your daughter out of the ICU will help. I think seeing her off the vent and breathing on her own will help calm some of these fears your having." She started to stand up but was stopped by the gentle pull of his hand.
"Thank you" he pulled her close to him as the two shared their first kiss in weeks. As they enjoyed this quite moment together they were abruptly stopped by a knocking at the door.
"I love Opal but I swear if that's her I'm going to send your Gal Pal back to Pigeon Hallow." Jack pulled away from her and opened the door to their uninvited guest.
Erica and Jackson were shocked to see Kit Sterling standing at the door.