Alexis drummed her fingernails silently against her left thigh in case anyone was blind to her obvious impatience. They had brought in blankets for her during the night because she had started complaining that she was freezing to death, and in a hospital that was just too god damned ironic. The IV in her right arm had made it next to impossible to eat dinner last night and she was tired of dragging the machine with her every time she had to use the restroom. The nurses had suggested she let them help her and—wouldn't you know it?—she hadn't seen them since. A new shift of nurses had come in to poke and prod her during the night with countless needles and she had actually cried, but Mac promised not to tell anyone. Dr. Bernstein had never returned so they had had him paged and were currently waiting for him to show up. Alexis had already been here far too long, almost a full day to be exact and they were no sooner to finding out what was wrong with her than they had been when she was first brought in.

"Lexie, he'll be here." Mac promised, reaching for her right hand and kissing her knuckles gently. He had been a saint to stick around as long as he had. When the staff had threatened him with visiting hours, he had threatened them with parking tickets for the rest of their lives. They had gotten the same amount of sleep and their red rimmed eyes mirrored each other's. Still, he hadn't stopped smiling at her, talking to her, or trying to make her feel better. He was doing more for her than whatever medication they had her on. Probably a placebo the way her luck was going lately. She had been taken off of the biggest case to hit Port Charles in six years and she didn't even get to know why!

"Oh my God, I need coffee." Alexis grumbled, rubbing her tired eyes with her free hand.

"Too bad." Mac replied sternly. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Oh yeah? How are you going to stop me?" Alexis challenged, smiling slightly until she saw Mac's eyes cloud over with worry. "God damn this waiting."

"You sick of me already?" Mac lifted an eyebrow in her direction and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes. Please, God, go away." Alexis rolled her eyes at his pinched, mocking tone.

"It's okay to be scared." Mac whispered quietly.

"I'm not scared; I'm irritated. If this is so serious, where is my doctor? Why can't I be at work while he's figuring out what caused the collapse?"

Mac's eyes narrowed. "Do you hear yourself? Your collapse, Lexie. You're not well enough to go back to work."

"You don't know that." Alexis countered just to argue. She needed someone to take her frustrations out on and Mac was proving the best possible candidate. She didn't like not knowing what to expect any more than she enjoyed being stuck in a hospital bed when she had a lot of work she needed to get done.

"Hey you guys." Dr. Bernstein stuck his dark head into the room, hating that he had to interrupt almost as much as he wished he would be able to deliver good news.

"It's about damn time." Alexis snapped.

"Lexie." Mac lightly scolded her. "I'm assuming you got the test results back?" He didn't like the way the doctor wouldn't meet his eyes.

Dr. Bernstein glanced down at the chart in his hand, having forgotten he was holding it.

"Did you find something?" Alexis inquired in a shaky voice.

"Yes." Dr. Bernstein replied, clearing his throat. Between them, they were almost forty years older than Alexis' doctor. It did not instill confidence.

"What did the MRI show?" Mac insisted impatiently.

Ignoring the commissioner's outburst, Dr. Alan Bernstein met Alexis' stare with a pair of solemn blue eyes. "We found a malignant tumor in your left lung."

"A tumor?" Alexis asked in a frantic yelp. She immediately turned away from his gaze, away from his noise, and held her head in her hands. She could feel Mac lightly rubbing her back and just that subtle comfort caused her to burst into tears. As much as she wanted to know what Dr. Bernstein was saying, she dreaded the words all the same. She had already been warned the last time and she had ignored the warning. Radiation? Like she had the time. Chemotherapy? She wasn't going to wear a wig when the infection was clearly benign. They had warned her she might relapse, but she hadn't realized…she hadn't realized.

Dr. Bernstein waited for the district attorney to collect herself before continuing, "Miss Davis, the tumor has already spread to most of your left lung. It will have to be removed but, in doing that, there's a chance it might cause one of two problems: it could spread to the other lung or it could cause lymphocytopenia...that is, it could lower your white blood cell count and leave you vulnerable for illnesses." He let the words settle in, still not entirely convinced that she had heard a word he had just said.

"Cancer." Alexis deduced, shriveling in Mac's arms.

"Yes. Lung Cancer. There are several courses of treatment available to you—" He began.

"Like what?" Alexis interrupted him.

"As I said, surgery will be something you should think about since the infection has spread—"

"Surgery." Alexis and Mac whispered in unison, their voices laced with awe and dread.

"There is a chance that it may be too dangerous." Dr. Bernstein cautioned. "If that's the case, we will start with chemotherapy—"

"What would the surgery entail?" Alexis cut him off again, her thoughts tumbling out of her mouth.

"One step at a time, Miss Davis. We caught this early." Dr. Bernstein informed her. "Your prognosis is very good."

"Stop sugarcoating and answer her damn question then!" Mac barked at him.

"The surgery would require us to remove your infected left lung, but there's a chance—" Dr. Bernstein reiterated unobtrusively.

"What are the odds that it won't?" Alexis murmured.

"In sixty percent of these cases, surgery isn't an option." Dr. Bernstein explained.

"And in my case?" Alexis pressed on.

"As I said before, we caught this early. Patients have been known to live five years after diagnosis and that's without treatment. With treatment, the odds of living a full, productive life is very plausible." Dr. Bernstein informed her gently. "I'll need to know whether or not you would like me to perform the surgery within the next twenty-four hours."

Watching the numbers on the elevator climb higher and higher, Dillon wondered when his life became a series of trips to the hospital. Lucas had worried when they had decided to get married life that the Spencers/Jones/Scorpio clans would seem boring and tame compared to life with the Quartermaines. Dillon snorted. It wasn't his family that was calling them at all hours of the night because someone else had been admitted to General Hospital. His family just worked there, they didn't feel the need to check into the place as if it was the Metro Court.

True to his role as the family caretaker, Lucas had spent the past twenty-four hours worried how everyone else was handling Alexis's hospitalization. Too bad he was on a stakeout and so most of the worry had come in the form of constant calls to Dillon. In order to keep his husband calm and focused on his job, Dillon had volunteered to find out what was going on and exactly how they could help. It was a good thing he liked Lucas' family, Dillon mused as he stepped off the elevator and began looking for a familiar face on the floor. Otherwise this constant helping other people thing would do serious damage to the teachings of his mother.

Where was everybody? Apparently the Scorpio/Jones family didn't feel the need to overtake the waiting room as the Spencers did. While he was sure the hospital staff appreciated it more, it was making Dillon's job a heck of a lot harder. He approached the nurse's desk to ask which room was Alexis's exactly when he spotted Robin's familiar frame walking down the hall. Smiling Dillon sped over to meet her. "Robin!"

Robin glanced up from her Styrofoam coffee cup and sent Dillon a smile, rubbing the sleep away from her face as best she could. Uncle Mac had finally broken and called her last night after receiving the prognosis from Dr. Bernstein. Robin had been on the phone with various family members of Alexis' but couldn't reach a single one, so she had tried her family and all but her parents and Georgie had shown up, ready to help in any way possible. Kristina had found a friend in Maxie, a confidant, and Robin was relieved. She and Maxie had been taking shifts with the children since Maxie had her job at Kelly's and Robin had gone ahead and put a "Family Emergency" sign on the door and decided to leave it closed so as not to be called away or distracted during such a dire time. "Dillon, thank you for coming." Robin greeted him.

"No problem. Do you need anything? Is there anything Lucas and I can do?"

"I don't think so. Alexis was diagnosed with lung cancer and the doctor informed us that she's going to go ahead with the surgery." Robin explained quietly. Uncle Mac had told her that the surgery was a risk because the cancer could spread to the other lung. They would have no way of knowing until they removed the infected part in her left lung. "It's just a lot of waiting now. She goes in at eight tonight."

Dillon faltered. He hadn't realized the situation was that serious. Or that they had to move this quickly. Trying to remember when his Aunt Monica had breast cancer, a vague connection of a surgery needing to be done this quickly and the cancer being aggressive formed. "Oh God. I didn't...I mean Lucas and I knew it was bad obviously..." Dillon shook his head and tried to focus himself. "Alexis is going to be fine. She's too stubborn to give in."

"That's right." Robin nodded, trying to smile but feeling her lips quiver in protest. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before now. I've been running around like a chicken without a head since last night."

"No. No. It's fine. I'll call Lucas in a few minutes and he'll call Bobbie, and well I'm sure the rest of the Spencers will descend as soon as we could possibly want." Dillon cocked his head to the side, catching sight of Robin's trembling lower lip. "Or I could call Bobbie now. Or maybe Patrick?" Moving toward the smaller girl and drawing her into a hug, Dillon rested his head on top of hers. "Since you've taken over Lucas' role here, what can I do to help you Robin?"

"What?" Robin gulped. "I'm not the one..." Her voice trailed off when she felt Dillon softly rub her back. She had convinced Patrick that he didn't need to be there, that the hospital was already too crowded and she didn't want him to cancel appointments with his clients over something that would be over so quickly. She hadn't had a chance to call Elizabeth yet, but that was just as well. The younger woman didn't need to be under any more stress than she already was. Robin had almost convinced herself that this was a Scorpio matter, but when so many of them had found better things to do—a selfish thought—she was left to receive comfort from a good friend who she had known only a handful of years.

"No but I am familiar with the concept of taking care of everyone else but yourself here, Robin. You are related to my husband."

"Is it that obvious? I thought I was handling this all so well." Robin whispered brokenly.

"Only to those of us who know the signs of caretaker battle fatigue." Dillon reassured her. "I'm positive to Alexis and Mac you are the pillar of strength, a rock, and any other compliments they will throw at you."

"How's Lance? Lucas told me that there were some problems just before the holiday." Robin redirected the conversation smoothly, promising to come back to the situation at hand when she felt a little more secure.

"He's fine. A fight at school but he refuses to tell us what started it; other than that, he's the same old Lance. He'd love for Kristina and Morgan to come visit again. Do you need me to pick them up later today? Lance would love it and it would let Lucas feel like he's doing something to help."

Robin beamed at him. "That would be so nice." She agreed wholeheartedly. "I could come and get them in the morning. I'm sure they'll want Alexis to recuperate and the weekend is coming up so I'll have extra time to watch her."

"It's a play date then. And don't stress out about when to pick her up. If you need time to recuperate, she can stay as long as she needs."

"I don't want to inconvenience you." Robin replied adamantly.

"It's not an inconvenience Robin. You're part of our family and so is Kristina. This is what families do. They help each other." Dillon winked at her. "Even mine is familiar with this concept here Robin."

"Do you want to see Alexis? She keeps telling me to send in as many people at a time so they can convince the doctor that she looks perfectly fine and should be allowed to go home." Robin encouraged, nodding toward Alexis' room.

"Oh well any excuse to use my acting skills."

"Ohhh yes. Right there baby." Bobbie nearly purred as Cruz adjusted his movements and put just the right pressure in the spot she indicated just a second ago. Oh her husband was very good at this, she thought.

"Feels good baby?" Cruz asked with a smile creeping up his face.

"Like heaven." Bobbie sighed. Her feet had been killing her for the past three days. Even though Laura swore just the opposite, Bobbie knew her feet had swollen to four times their normal size. They hurt. She couldn't stand to be in anything other than slippers right now and even though Dr. Lansing swore it was normal, she felt anything but normal. Not until Cruz had started his foot massage. Right now her husband could ask her just about anything and she would grant it to him.

"Your wish is my command from now on." Cruz assured her, though sometimes it felt like it had always been that way. He smiled at the thought and applied a little more pressure to her right foot than he had the left one. She had been so stressed out, even before they found out about their daughter, that he had started to worry she would work herself into an early stroke any given day. He wasn't going to press his luck. She was letting him take care of her and he wasn't going to play the "I told you so" card.

"Perfect answer." She leaned her head back on the arm of the couch she was currently sprawled out on. Bobbie closed her eyes and pictured the only thing that could possibly make this a more wonderful moment. "Butterscotch pudding would be the only way this day could get better."

"Lucky for you I stocked the fridge with it." He chuckled, leaving her only long enough to retrieve it from the kitchen and find a spoon.

"You're perfect. I may just marry you." She sighed as she reached up for the treat.

"I may just let you." Cruz answered, leaning down to kiss her before handing over the pudding cup.

A persistent ringing of the doorbell interrupted their kiss. Cruz furrowed his brow, trying to figure out who could possibly have timing bad enough to interrupt this precious moment. Any one of the Spencers could fit the bill. A client of Bobbie's that she had forgotten to tell him she was still working with? He started to walk toward the door, preparing to tell whoever was on the other side this was not a good time and they should just come back later. His heart stopped and his mouth dropped open when he recognized the familiar figures standing on the porch.

"Mama?"

Isabella Medina-Rodriguez stood a full foot under her son, but that didn't keep him from looking positively frightened by her and his Aunt Teresa's surprise visit. This was not the way she had planned on meeting her daughter-in-law. In fact, she had been thinking maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't disgrace his entire heritage and she'd get to meet Miss Barbara Jean Spencer before they shared last names. "You don't kiss your mother hello?"

"Of course. Of course. I'm just surprised that's all." Cruz kissed his mother's offered cheek before repeating the action with his aunt. "Tia Teresa."

"Are you sure about this neighborhood?" Aunt Teresa began warily. "We've been up and down this block, looking for the right house, and met some of your neighbors. They live in sin I think."

"It's fine. The neighborhood is perfectly safe. Plenty of churchgoers."

"If you're sure." Aunt Teresa whispered, glancing over at who she assumed to be her new niece. "Are you going to introduce us?" She wondered, pushing her black hair back, showing off the blonde streaks she had had put in to cover the gray. The rest of the family thought she looked ridiculous, but she didn't care. You were only as old as you felt...and she felt half past dead.

"Yeah of course, come in." Cruz stepped aside and let his mother and aunt walk past him. What were they doing here? He had thought his mother's rapid fire Spanish when he had called from Vegas to tell her he had gotten married was going to be the end of it. And now they were here? "Mamma, Tia Teresa, this is my wife Bobbie. Bobbie, this is my mother Isabella and my aunt Teresa."

Isabella and Aunt Teresa shared a glance and both stared at Bobbie's growing stomach suspiciously. Of course, they had understood the "situation," but that didn't mean they had to like it. At least he had done the right thing and married her, but he could have at least invited them to the ceremony. "I hope you don't find us rude," Isabella began, twirling a bit of loose string from her sweater top.

"No, no. Of course not." It seemed rather ridiculous to feel this nervous. She was a grown woman, but the way these two women were looking at her made her feel as if she was nineteen again. And not in a fun way.

"We did think of calling, but considering how far that's gotten us..." Aunt Teresa didn't finish her thought.

"Well, you are here now. Would you like to sit down?" Bobbie offered politely. Maybe if they sat down she would feel less intimidated here.

"I don't think I will. Bad hip. You understand." Isabella explained, watching the couch as if it would suddenly come to life and swallow her whole.

"Isa, stop being a snob." Aunt Teresa snapped moving to sit down. "You have a lovely home Barbara."

"Thank you. And please call me Bobbie. Only my brother calls me Barbara. And that's just to annoy me."

"Your mother thought it would be a good idea to call you a boy's name instead?" Isabella nudged the subject lightly, not trying to be rude, just curious. She wasn't sure what she should think of her only daughter-in-law.

Bobbie shrugged her shoulders. "Curiously enough that was my brother's doing as well. He really wanted a brother instead of another sister."

"'Another sister?'" Aunt Teresa smiled. She was glad to know she wasn't the only one who had been blessed and/or cursed with a sister with whom she was expected to share attention with.

"Yes. I'm the baby of the family."

"We do hope to meet this family of yours before we return home." Isabella stated. "We aren't sure where we'll be staying just yet..."

"You can stay at Cruz's townhouse!" Bobbie suggested, ignoring the panicked look Cruz kept shooting her. "There's plenty of space and it's empty right now anyway."

"That is very nice, but we don't want to impose." Aunt Teresa interjected.

"It's not imposing." Bobbie insisted. "Is it Cruz?"

"Not at all." Cruz recovered after a short, choking cough.