AJ stood at the top of the staircase in the Chandler mansion. The mansion was eerily quiet. He walked down the stairs towards the family room with each step echoing around him.
"Daddy? Daddy where are you?" he called out for JR. The only sound he heard in response was his own scared voice.
"Mommy Marissa?" he was scared by the lack of response. His parents always promised to be there for him.
A bright light emanated bellow the door of the family room. As he approached the door he called out for his parents again.
He placed his hands on the cold handle and pushed the door open. He saw his dad standing at the fire place his back facing him.
"Daddy?" AJ walked closer to his father.
Suddenly the form turned around and screamed at him. It wasn't JR standing there it was a monster dressed like a Doctor. He held a bloody scalpel his hand. "Get over here little boy." The monster shouted out.
AJ screamed and turned and ran. He called out for Marissa over and over again. He tried to run out of the room and up stairs but for every step he took the room got larger and larger the door further away from him.
He tried to run faster and faster the faster he went the harder it became to run. He could feel a pull in his chest. "Mommy!"
Marissa woke up to the sound of AJ's heart monitors racing. She heard his soft whimpers as he called out for her. She placed her hand softly on his forehead and whispered in his ear. "AJ it's ok Mommy's here."
He head thrashed back and forth beneath her hand and the nightmare continued. Her voice cut through the hollowness of the mansion around him.
His eyes snapped open his blue eyes darted around the room looking for her.
"Mommy's here AJ." She tried to comfort him
"Mommy?" He cried.
AJ finally found her sitting next to him her comforting eyes looking back at him.
"It was just a dream baby." She climbed into his bed and held him tightly, "Do you want to tell me about your dream."
"I was at Daddy's house and it was really dark and quite. I called out for you or Daddy but no one answered. The only light came from the living room so I went in and thought I found Daddy in the room. But Mommy it wasn't him. The man turned towards me and it was monster dressed like a doctor he had a knife and he came after me. I tried to run away but I couldn't get out of there. The monster kept calling out that he wanted my heart." As AJ told Marissa about his dream his heart rate lowered.
"That sounds like a really scary dream honey. But, it was just a dream. And in just a few hours your Grandpa David and his friend Griffin are going to fix your heart so you can come home with me, Bianca, Miranda, and Gabby."
"Mommy you know what scared me the most?" he looked up at her, "When I called out for you over and over again and I couldn't find you. I thought you left me like Mommy Babe."
"Oh baby I will always be here for you. And you know your Mommy Babe is always here with you to. I know she's up in heaven right now looking down at you and even though you can't see her she's always here with you."
AJ snuggled up next to her, "I miss Mommy Babe."
"I know you do honey. I know." She stroked his hair as the little boy fell back to sleep.
Bianca walked down the halls of P.V.H. AJ was going to be taken into surgery soon and she wanted to see him and Marissa before the doctors took him up.
She walked into to his room and found mother and son sleeping soundly holding tightly to one another. She stood and savored the moment. AJ let out soft snores as he cuddled next to Marissa. Bianca was mesmerized watching this woman sleeping letting out soft noises every so often. She could watch her sleep forever and would have kept watching them if Angie hadn't walked into the room.
"Good morning Angie." The brunette greeted the doctor.
"Hi Bianca. I'm surprised to see you here so early."
"I wanted to be with 'Rissa when they took AJ upstairs. It's going to be a long day for her and I wanted to be here for her. How long will the surgery take?"
"Depending on what they find it could take up to 12 hours."
"Wow that long?" Bianca watched as Angie nodded. "What do you think his chances are that this will work?"
Angie thought for a second, "I wish I could give you better news but honestly no matter what we chose to do his odds are 50/50."
Bianca took a deep breath in. She appreciated the honesty but the thought of not having AJ in this world wasn't something she was willing to face nor was Marissa she was sure.
Angie put her hand on the girls shoulder, "I'm going to go and check in with David and Griff. I'll be back in a few minutes if you want to wake them up."
Bianca watched Angie leave the room then turned her attention back to Marissa. She placed her arm on the red heads arm and slowly moved her hand up caressing her arm. Marissa's eyes began to flutter open.
"Hey Binx! What are you doing here? You should be home with the girls."
"Gabby and Miranda wanted me to bring these for AJ." She showed her the handmade Get Well Cards that the girls had made the night before. "Besides 'Rissa I would never let you go through this own your own."
"Can I tell you something Binx?" She whispered.
"Of course."
"I'm scared I'm going to lose my little boy. I know I should be strong and full of hope but I'm terrified."
"Oh Baby. You have to have faith in God. That he will give Griff the skills to heal AJ. You can't give up 'Rissa." Bianca tried to encourage Marissa.
"It's so hard Binx. Our lives seem to be full of endless heartache. Every time I think things can't get any worse that we've finally made it to the other side I'm brought back to reality."
"Hey don't talk like that. Sure things seem bad right now first the shooting, then we learned about the accident, and now this. We just have to get past this hurdle and then we'll be able to take AJ home and start our lives together. A year ago could you imagine that we would have found each other? That in one another we would find true love?"
"Of course I did." Marissa winked at Bianca who tried not to giggle too loud.
David and Angie interrupted the intimate moment. "It's time ladies."
Marissa climbed off the bed and gently woke AJ up, "Honey Grandpa David and Dr. Hubbard are here. They're going to take you upstairs to fix your heart."
She watched as Angie removed all the wires that connected AJ to the monitors. David walked up and picked the small boy holding him tightly to his chest.
AJ smiled up at David, "Hi Grandpa David. I was dreaming about Mommy Babe. I had a bad dream earlier but this one wasn't scary."
"I dream about Mommy Babe sometimes to." David admitted. "What did Mommy Babe say to you?"
"She told me everything was going to be ok and how much she loved and missed me." AJ smiled remembering Mommy Babe.
David laid the boy on the gurney, "Your Mommy loved you very much AJ. She'll be with you today protecting you."
Marissa pent down and kissed AJ on his forehead, "I love you sweetheart and when you wake I'll be right here waiting for you."
"I love you to Mommy." He said as the wheeled him out of the room.
Bianca and Marissa held tight to one another as they watched the little boy taken upstairs.