Nikolas could still remember exactly when he knew that it was more than friendship or a professional working relationship when it came to Brook Lynn. It was during the winter, just before Valentine's Day, when Brook had so easily serenaded Jake's on an unusually busy night for the dive bar. They were on their way to the city for some much-needed fun when Elizabeth had shown up with some pointless reason to hold a conversation about Aiden. As the boy's father (or so he thought at the time), Nikolas knew that he would never be able to walk away without at least trying to figure out if there was a legitimate cause for a concern. Once he had seen clearly what was going on thanks to Brook Lynn, he had been able to enjoy the moment and her little performance. In a crowded room of many Port Charles residents, she had managed to make it feel like she was only singing for him.
On the way back to the launch that night, she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder and her arm looped tightly through his. They had held hands for the first time when it meant more than escorting her into a room for a grand entrance or helping her out of a car. She had smiled sleepily when he had lifted her from the back of the limo and apologized for falling asleep on him despite the short drive from the bar to the boat. By the time they had reached Wyndamere, she had caught her second wind and was reenergized with all the excitement of a little girl on Christmas morning. They had spent the earliest hours of dawn that morning eating pancakes she made herself and drinking hot chocolate in front of the big picture window in the upstairs study. When she had reached across the table to wipe a bit of syrup from his cheek, he had caught her wrist and stared into her eyes for only the briefest of moments before whispering his thanks. It was then that he was pretty sure he had fallen in love with her.
A lot had happened in the weeks since that fateful night, a period that he knew he wouldn't have survived had it not been for her help. He had lost Aiden thanks to a cruel ploy by his grandmother. It was harder than he could ever put into words watching his brother take his rightful place as Aiden's father. Nikolas couldn't begrudge Lucky the opportunity to know his son, especially after everything that had happened that spring. Still, it didn't make it any easier to swallow. Brook kept him focused on Spencer and rebuilding the clinic he had all but abandoned after Nadine left town. Even if it was just talking all night about nothing, she found a way to help him cope. It would have been easier for him to give into his Cassadine ways, but she kept him grounded in the present and looking forward to the future.
Right now, he could really use one of those conversations. When things were tough, she was the person that he turned to these days. Alexis had her own problems to worry about, his friendship with Liz was still broken beyond repair, Lulu was sitting with Ethan and Lucky still hadn't shown up. Nikolas felt so undeniably alone, and the only person that could bring him out of it was the very reason for him being at the hospital in the first place. If only Patrick would show up with some good news or Robin would return with the slightest hint of a step in the right direction, Nikolas would be able to focus on that hope.
His cell phone rang from inside his coat pocket. He recognized the distinct tone as the one assigned to Wyndamere, meaning that the staff was likely checking on Brook. He was surprised to hear the voice of his young son on the other end of the line. After a moment, an apologetic Alfred came onto the line. Nikolas told his butler not to worry, that Spencer was welcome to call him any time, and asked to speak to his son again.
"Daddy, is Brook going to be okay?" he asked softly. Spencer had been in the room when Nikolas had gotten the call and had overheard the rushed explanation for his hasty departure as he dashed out the door. "Alfred said that she isn't feeling very good, so you have to be at the hospital with her. She was supposed to go with me to the library tomorrow for the puppet show. We were going to make cookies afterwards with Grandpa Mike at Kelly's. Do you think she'll be home by then?"
Nikolas' heart broke at the sound of Spencer's voice. He had grown quite attached to the brunette who had transformed their cold mausoleum of a house into a home once again. Spencer looked forward to his time with her, their weekly excursions around Port Charles just the two of them when he was dealing with business matters. For her part, Brook seemed to love the hours she spent with his son, padding around Spoon Island or reading in their pajamas in front of the fireplace while Nikolas worked. It was the first time he felt like he had a real family since losing Emily.
"Buddy, I don't think Brook is going to be able to take you tomorrow. Why don't I see if Aunt Lulu can take you to the library and then over to see Grandpa Mike? She was just telling me that she missed you," Nikolas suggested. "And then maybe, if she is feeling up to it, you can come by the hospital to visit Brook Lynn. I know that she would love to see you."
Maybe it was a curse to put such hope into the little boy's heart, but Nikolas wanted to believe that she would be awake by then. "Alright, I guess that will do, as long as you promise that I can come see Brook if she is feeling better," he negotiated, sounding more and more like a Cassadine by the day. "Alright, Alfred said that it is time for my French lesson. I will see you when you get home, Daddy. Love you!"
"Love you, too, buddy," Nikolas said before disconnecting the call. He pocketed his phone and headed toward the nurses' station in hopes of finding something out. He wasn't thrilled to see Elizabeth working behind the computer, but his discomfort for his former flame and once-friend was nothing compared to his need to find out about Brook Lynn. "Have you heard any updates on Kristina or Brook?"
"Patrick and Robin are working on Brook Lynn as we speak," she told him. "They should be able to give us a better picture of what her recovery process will look like once the exploratory procedure is complete. My brother is working on Kristina with Matt Hunter. They are trying to repair some extensive damage sustained to her collapsed lung. The surgery should taken at least another hour. I am sure that you will be updated accordingly as they know more."
Nikolas only nodded before returning to his chair. He glanced back at his old friend and noticed that she wore a sorry smile. They had both moved on, and she was happy with Lucky again. He was glad for it, even if it did make things uncomfortable. There had always been a strain between the Cassadine and Spencer families; this simply added another complicated layer. Just when he was about to return to his frantic pacing of the corridor outside Brook's room, Lucky appeared at his side with a cup of coffee. Nikolas nodded again, this time with a faint smile, and was glad that someone was finally there just for him.
Meanwhile, Ethan was only half-heartedly listening to Lulu ramble on about something they both knew he wouldn't care about on a good day. His sister just didn't know how to deal well with silence, and with Luke busy tending to a distraught Tracey, she had been put on Aussie duty. "Hey, Lu, do you mind giving me a minute?" he finally asked when she stopped mid-story and realized he hadn't said a word in nearly an hour. "I'm going to go for a walk, clear my head."
Lulu nodded as Ethan got up, patting her shoulder as he headed out of the waiting room and toward the double doors leading outside. He was surprised to find Molly curled up on the bench. Her small hands were clutching a small pink object Ethan recognized as Kristina's cell phone. "Hey, Mol," he greeted her softly, dropping hollowly on the bench next to the precocious girl. Molly tried to plaster a fake smile on her face, but the façade quickly fell away as she collapsed into Ethan's arms. Ethan gathered her up and hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the crown of her soft hair. She looked so much like her sister but was so completely different. The truth was that Ethan had fallen for the entire Davis clan when he had met Kristina. Sam was this kick-ass chick who didn't seem to be afraid of much, Alexis was savvy and sassy in a way most mothers couldn't pull off and Molly was this witty little genius who was wise beyond her years.
"Mom won't say it, but I know that it doesn't look good. I mean, do you think? The longer she is unconscious, the worst it is," Molly reasoned aloud, pulling back only to look up at Ethan. He wanted to lie to her, to tell her that everything was fine and that time was a good thing, but she was smart enough to see right through him. Besides, her questions didn't really warrant answers. It was just something she was trying to work out in her head. "Things were just finally getting good again. Kristina hasn't had a nightmare in weeks. She even started humming again in the mornings. I haven't heard her do that since before Keifer. It's not fair."
"No, it certainly is not," he agreed sadly. "But this isn't what Kristina would want us doing, crying on a bench and worrying. Your sister is a survivor, Molly. She is part Cassadine and part Corinthos. From what I've seen, that is some serious DNA. She's already been through so much. She isn't about to let some stupid car wreck get the best of her. I have complete confidence that she is going to wake up from this. She wouldn't leave us here hanging when things were just starting to get interesting again."
Molly smiled thoughtfully and tried her best to put on a brave face. "Now I see what Kristina sees in you," she teased him. It was no secret that the young romantic hoped that her sister would enter into some star-crossed lovers scenario with Ethan. She thrived on things that only existed in romance novels, and while she had liked Taylor just fine, she had not-so-secretly rooted for the Australian Spencer all along. "Too bad you're married, huh?"
"Yes, too bad," he smiled, ducking his head and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Molly had a knack for drawing attention to the things that people wanted to ignore most. "But either way, you know that I care deeply for your sister. She has long meant a lot to me, and I value the relationship that I have with her. There are a lot of things that I need to tell Kristina, and I can't wait to have that much overdue conversation with her."
"Things like you love her?"
"Things that I think she should hear first," he replied with a wink. "Besides, I think the whole story will be much better coming from your sister. Isn't that what you girls like to do, gossip about us men? Kristina would kill us both if I deprived her of that opportunity."
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Molly said as Alexis came outside. "Looking for me?"
"Actually, no, I wanted to speak with Ethan. Why don't you go in and keep your sister company?" Alexis told Molly, stooping to hug her youngest daughter before pushing her toward the door. "We'll be back in a minute."
Molly disappeared inside with a little wave, leaving Alexis and Ethan alone. He motioned for her to sit down and join him on the bench. "What is it, Alexis?" he finally asked. "There is something you wanted to say to me that obviously couldn't be said in front of Molly."
Alexis covered her mouth with her hand, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she apologized tearfully, doing her best to swallow the inevitable sobs that were coming now in waves. "I thought that I had it together enough to talk to you. As you can gather, I'm kind of a mess."
"Nothing is more warranted, trust me," he assured her. "I was on the verge of losing it myself when I found Molly out here. I thought it better to hold things together for her sake than unleash the fit I've been trying not to have all day."
"Yes, well, I appreciate the way you are with her. You've always been so good with my girls – both of them," Alexis praised. "That's why I am out here and why I had Jax call you. Kristina has told me many times of her feelings for you. I have to admit, that while I do think you're a great guy, the age difference has always been a big problem for me. I know it was an issue for you, too. But I've seen the change in you both since the explosion in February. Kristina relies on you more and more, and from what I've seen, the feeling is mutual."
"Your daughter means a great deal to me," he conceded. "Far more than I would have ever thought imaginable when we went through everything last year and probably more than I really wanted." He turned and looked at Alexis then, seeing the same scared look that Kristina got when she was worried. "Life is pretty much on hold at the moment for me. All of my focus is with your daughter. The fact that she called my name kind of tells me what we both already knew. I belong here, with her, for as long as it takes. I'm not going anywhere."
"Dr. Webber told me that Kristina's vital signs approved greatly when you were in with her. I have to believe that she knows you were with her," Alexis told him. "Part of me wants to be this protective mother and keep you away from her. You're a man, a married man at that, not at all a boy. But then I know that I have to do what Kristina would want. She'd want you here with her."
Ethan looked down at his ringless finger and held it up for Alexis. "It's only a piece of paper at this point, a way for Maya to pay for school and take care of her sister. She knows that I don't love her. She knows how I feel about Kristina, that I…"
"That you love her," Alexis prompted. "It's okay, I already knew. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone does. You're kind of late to the game there, Ethan, but what do you expect? You're a Spencer male, and I've seen Luke in action. I just want you to know that you have my daughter's heart. Be careful with it. She's been through a lot, and I have a sinking feeling that even more is to come."