It had been almost a week since Julian had dropped off Alexis after their excursion across Western New York. Sam had teased her mother as she walked through the door, only to adopt a very contrite tone upon realization that Julian had squealed about the cameras. She had appeared relieved to Alexis, though she did hear her daughter mumble something about "snitches."
Molly's temporary return to the penthouse restored a sense of equilibrium. Alexis was in many respects lost without her youngest. She wondered if the attachment was unhealthy—if her dependence on Molly and Kristina and Sam was because she had to fight to keep all three after losing access to each. Although the separations were now voluntary, Alexis would feel pangs at mundane reminders: a fuller carafe after everyone had a cup of coffee, fewer loads of laundry or the end of a power cord lying lonely on the dining room table, desperate for a connection.
Alexis knew that she would lose Molly eventually to the world as her life diverged from her mother's, just like it happened with Kristina and Sam. That process had started even before the summer's events seemed to rattle her daughter's foundation. Alexis was relieved by Molly's resilience. She knew she had shielded all of her children at one point, and she was grateful they could stand alone without her protection. The fact that her daughters referred to her love on occasion as "smothering" did little to phase her: potato, po-tah-to.
The sense of balance was not the only gift Molly brought with her. It became evident that in spite of Sam's legal crisis—which had encouraged a circling of the Davis girls' wagons—the physical limitations of the penthouse were becoming overwhelming. It was time to find new digs.
Alexis, Molly and Sam fell into a familiar routine. Investigative work on Sam's case came in the morning and when Molly returned from school they would spend an hour looking at properties. Dinner consisted of takeout and arguing over which properties were best. Should they rebuild on the lake? Should they find a townhouse downtown to stay closer to Sam and the heartbeat of Port Charles? Should they relocate to another location with enough room for Danny and any future grandchildren to play?
The great real estate debates resolved little in the way of housing needs, but served an important second purpose: they served as a valve that released the tension over Sam's legal limbo. Team Davis/Jerome continued to dig into Madeleine and hunt for both an alibi and the gun, but their progress wasn't enough to definitively end any case against Sam. Discussions of houses replaced worrying over the unthinkable. That helped pull them all through.
The harmony within the household was further tuned by Julian's decision to make himself scarce. Pow-wows regarding Sam's case included only father and daughter, and were held during school hours to keep the interaction between Molly and Julian as infrequent as possible. With one exception—Sam was late for a Danny hand-off—Julian and Molly effectively avoided each other.
Julian's week was slightly different. He had dropped Alexis off that Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day catching up on sleep. He had mentally promised to avoid Alexis in addition to Molly, hoping his absence from the mother's life would ease her relationship with her daughter. So he was anxious picking up Sam that Wednesday, hoping that whatever issues she saw within her mother were a thing of the past: that he had, in effect, "fixed it." What he got instead was the silent treatment followed by an earful.
-"Look, I thought we were a team," Sam complained.
Julian wondered how many more times he'd have to hear that this week. "What are you talking about? We are a team."
-"Well, 'teammate,' next time you decide to spill a secret we've *both* been keeping from my mother, would you mind filling me in? At least she was too tired to berate me for long."
He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. But you told me to 'fix' the problems with your mother. She seems to have a problem with my failure to disclose information. So, I disclosed some information." Julian threw up his hands in apology. "I'm sorry if that threw you under the bus."
Sam looked at him with her arms crossed, "And?"
Julian stared blankly for several seconds. "Aaaaannddd…I'll never do it again?"
-"I can't believe it took you that long to say that."
-"Sam, the only family I've had for the last 25 years or so is Ava. I'm a little rusty."
She smirked at him, "I think she's all anyone would need really." After a few moments of pouting she gave him a bright smile. "OK, you're forgiven."
-"Great. So…did it work?"
-"What?"
Julian shook his head in frustration. "Your Mom. Whatever's been ailing her…is it better?"
Sam contemplated the question. "She was a little calmer this morning. Her breakfast was more than coffee, so that's a good thing. Plus she had a good discussion with Molly."
-"That's a relief. I'm glad they're not fighting."
She rolled her eyes. "Well of course they're fighting. It's a teenage girl and her mother. BUT, Mom's not caving. She's let Molly walk all over her for months, and that phase appears to have passed."
-"I'm…glad?"
Sam laughed. "Yes, Dad. You're glad. Wow. You really are clueless." She grabbed his arm, "Don't worry, Pops. I'll navigate you through the Davis girls' ways."
-"They are mysterious."
-"Ha. You sound like Jason. Remind me to tell you the time Molly lectured him when I stayed overnight."
-"On the one hand, I don't want to hear about you staying overnight with anyone, even your husband. On the other hand, it sounds like I have more common ground with Molly then I thought."
She turned to look at her father. Sam hoped somewhere deep down that Molly and Julian would find a truce and be able to coexist. But through her own dealings with Ric, she knew that maintaining that level of restraint was difficult. As Sam was still feeling out her own relationship with her father, she didn't think it fair to ask her sister to make that same level of sacrifice if Sam still was unsure Julian would end up worth it. Time would tell.
After yet another day of searching a new section of the lake, Julian and Sam finally had some luck: they were able to get a lead on the group of water-skiers that Sam had seen from the lake house. The man who had rented the boat lived about a three-hour drive from town. It was too late to head out to the potential witness, so Sam and Julian parted with the agreement to meet the next morning in the penthouse before embarking on their road trip.
Julian precariously balanced the coffee and bagels he'd secured en route to Sam's as he knocked on the door. It had been almost a week since he stood in this spot, and a small smile accompanied the memory of a maple-flavored kiss with Alexis. He was nervous to see her, unsure if the good will and easy rapport he left at this doorstep was waiting for him on the other side of the door. He hoped they were because the battles were exhausting him, especially since he knew there were more to come. Once Sam's freedom was secured, he'd start the task of freeing himself from his boss. And after that came the real battle: telling Molly the truth about her father. Julian wavered between feeling like he needed to reserve his energy for that fight or spend it now to ensure that what may be his final days with Alexis were happy ones. Depending on the day, the depth of the hole he dug for himself seemed either surmountable or daunting.
He snapped out of his reverie to realize he was still standing in the hallway. Unwilling to risk waking Danny, Julian pulled out his keys and entered the apartment to start setting up breakfast. His girls would be down soon, and they would be hungry.
He had just placed the bags on the table when he heard a familiar voice call out "Sam?" Julian froze and looked at his watch. It was nine o'clock—why was Molly home? He heard her bounce down the stairs and steeled himself as she turned to head to the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him. Her eyes were swollen and she put her hands on her hips. "How did you get in here?"
Concerned by the signs she'd obviously been crying, he took an ill-advised step forward. "Molly are you ok?"
-"I asked you a question. How did you get in here?"
Julian started to stumble. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd be in school. I brought breakfast—I do that when Sam and I are about to head out."
-"Sam's not here."
-"Where is she?"
-"She's on her way back."
-"From where?"
A tear escaped from her eye, an early signal that a dam was about to break. "Look. I know you care about Sam and my mother. And I've tried to be civil for Sam's sake because she needs your help and support. But I cannot be civil right now, so I'd appreciate it if you would leave."
-"Molly, I know you don't like me very much. But I'm very worried about Sam, Alexis, and yes—you. What can I do?"
-"You can leave."
-"Not until I'm sure you're ok."
Molly felt the pressure welling in her throat. She was going to lose it any second, and she didn't want to lose it in front of Julian. She refused to take comfort from the man who had taken her father away from her. He had blood on his hands and she would never embrace him. In order to hasten her own exit, she surrendered. "Sam's due home any minute. Patrick's isn't that far. You can wait for her here; I have to pack."
-"OK, whatever you want." He threw up his hands in surrender before asking quietly, "Molly, can I talk to your Mom?"
She started up the stairs. "She's not here."
-"Where is she? Is she OK?"
-"She's in Miami."
It was so bright it hurt. Alexis sat in the chair of the waiting room, wincing. She was waiting for her traveling companions to return with coffee. They'd been up for most of the night, and were in that awful purgatory where all you can do is wait. The doctors had advised that they 'get some rest,' but how can you shut your eyes to sleep—let alone relax—when you are waiting for news but dreading it's arrival? Alexis stood up and started pacing again.
She hated hospitals, and she'd been in them enough. She'd received good news and unbearable news, and she understood the rhythms of both. The way the doctors spoke to you, the degrees of pity in the nurses' eyes, the way you—the patient or family member—carried yourself. Alexis was a worrier by nature, but the heavy weight she felt cut through the smell of antiseptic and the distorted sounds of conversations around her. She'd had to send them for coffee because she knew she'd need a few moments alone to wallow in the worst-case scenario and steel herself for whatever battles she'd have to fight across the day.
-"Alexis!" The strangled cry came from across the lobby. Alexis had wanted more time, but it didn't seem as though she was going to get any. She approached the distraught woman, and opened her arms. "How is he, Alexis? How's my boy?"
-"He's still in surgery. But it's not good, Laura."
Sam got Emma dressed and her breakfast on the table when Anna came to relieve her. The Quartermaine plane wouldn't be ready to take off again until 10:30, so that gave her time to get back to the penthouse, pick up Molly and drop Danny off with Grandma Monica on their way to the airport. As she left the Drake household, Anna started to say something but held her tongue. Sam looked at her expectantly, but Anna appeared to shake off her original thought and said, "Please give my best to Nikolas. He is dear to Robin and he's dear to me." Sam nodded and headed out the door.
The drive to the penthouse was a blur. She was wired yet desperately needed coffee to avoid a crash. Hopefully, Molly had started a pot. Sam burst into the front door and found Julian sitting on the couch, scrolling through TV channels.
-"Julian! What are you doing here? Did Mom call you?"
-"No, Sam. We were supposed to meet this morning—"
-"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. Everything this morning is insane."
-"Sam, what's going on? Why is your mother in Miami? Why is Molly crying?" He paused. "And why are you about to?"
The tears started flowing down her cheeks. "It's Nikolas. He was in some kind of weird accident." A sob escaped Sam. "They called last night and Mom flew down to the hospital he's in. She took Patrick and Lulu with her, and it's been crazy trying to make sure Emma and Rocco and…" she trailed off into a crying jag.
Julian rubbed her back, waiting for her to finish.
-"…and Spencer are all covered. Oh my God, Dad. Nikolas is all Spencer has."
He pulled his daughter into his arms as she sobbed into his shoulder. Julian had no idea what happened to Nikolas, but he was quickly getting the sense the situation was dire. As her sobbing started to slow down and get quiet, Julian whispered, "What can I do?"
-"Nothing. There's nothing you can do. Mom went into full Cassadine mode last night. She got Lulu and then the three of us went to Patrick's so they could drag him to Miami with them. I've been with Emma until Anna could get to the house. Olivia stayed with Rocco and Dante went to Wyndemere to stay with Spencer. Mom even got a plane to get Laura to Miami ASAP."
-"Laura?"
-"Nikolas's mother. Laura Spencer."
Julian nodded slightly at the name. He had forgotten how intertwined the people of Port Charles were: case in point, Alexis's nephew was the stepson of Luke Spencer. Only at moments of great joy or—more usually—great sorrow did those connections seem to resurface.
-"Can I get you and Molly to the airport? Can I come with you?"
Sam paused. The thought of having Julian with her was a luxury that could only be afforded at Molly's expense. "If you can come to Miami, Julian—that would be great. But…"
-"But Molly."
-"And honestly? Maybe my Mom, too. I don't know where you stand right now. But Dad…Nikolas?…it sounds *really, really* bad. If anything happens to him, I'll be gutted. But my mother?" Sam put her head in her hands and made a decision. "Yes. You should come to Miami. But no, you shouldn't be on the plane with us. We're staying at the Marriott. I'll text you the info."
Julian gently pushed her hair behind her ear. She looked so much like her mother sometimes; it made him stop for a second to take it in. "I'll book a flight early this afternoon. What can I do now?"
-"Can you put on some coffee while I go pack?"
-"I can do you one better." Julian pointed to the lattes and bagels on the table. Sam felt her lip trembling as she threw her arms around his neck.
-"Thank you, Daddy."