Previously on General Hospital
Well what did Alec say?" Rodriguez asked.
"The Ambassador that was killed. His wife was just murdered." Keesha said.
"What? How?" Lucky asked in disbelief.
"Car bomb. She was on her way to see Alec to talk to him. When she pulled up in front of the station the bomb went off. It killed three police officers and wounded several civilians that were walking by." Keesha said.
Ric's Hospital Room
"Awake again." Ric thought to himself.
Ric hadn't gotten a peaceful moments sleep since he opened his eyes. Nurses had been coming in every hour taking his vitals, blood,urine, and just about every other thing his body produced from him.
"If this damn tube wasn't down my throat I might tell these nurse where they could stick those needles." Ric said to himself.
He tried to get comfortable in his bed but found it really difficult. The slightest movement caused him intense pain. Ric knew he had injuries to his both his knees and his shoulder due to the amount of times his dressings had to be changed. What he didn't know is how he got those injuries.
Ric's memories were still fuzzy since coming out of his coma but he thought he heard one of the nurses say that he had been shot several times.
It was very plausible to him that his wounds could be from a gun shot. Manny did like his guns and it wouldn't surprise Ric if Manny had brought one on the train with him.
Ric still couldn't get his head around that word. Shot. That was a word that he never associated with himself. For others, like Sonny and his kind yes, but not him. He always figured that the invisible shield of being DA would always protect him from any unforeseen dangers. Now he knows all too well that being DA doesn't save you from harm. It just puts you right in the middle of it.
"At least my family is safe." Ric thought to himself.
His family. Those words made him smile. He couldn't wait to get back to them. For some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't around his family enough. Like it had been months since they were all together and happy.
Ric looked over to Alexis who was still sleeping. He watched as she fidgeted in her sleep. A small cry sounding like his name escaped her lips and he knew that she was having a nightmare. He wished that he were there with her snuggled up in her blanket, whispering sweetly in her ear to make the bad dreams go away. He missed the feel of Alexis' soft skin against his while they slept. Ric closed his eyes and tried to recall the fragrance of Alexis' hair. Lilac. That's it. She used to use a lilac shampoo that would drive him crazy.
Ric remembered many a morning rolling over toward Alexis in their king size bed and taking in the scent of her hair. There was just something about it he couldn't get enough of. Alexis never knew it but Ric would lie awake in bed during the early morning hours and just watch her sleep. He would always pull Alexis closer to him and bury his face in her hair letting the light scent of Lilac fill not only his senses but the very core of his being. When Alexis would wake up and find Ric holding her she would do something every un-Alexis like... she would giggle. And it wasn't just any ordinary giggle, it was full on teenage girl just sleep with her dream man giggle, which turned Ric and certain parts of his anatomy on, causing early mornings to turn into late afternoons of making love.
God did he love those mornings.
Ric closed his eyes and tried to remember one morning in particular where the late morning turned into a late day, that turned into a very long night, but another memory surfaced instead. It was a heated argument between he and Alexis. He couldn't place where they were but it didn't matter where they were, what mattered most right now was the angry words he was saying to Alexis.
"You pushed me to this! You knew what the out come of your actions would be and now you're pissed that it happened? The cancer must have gone to your brain if you think that you had no part in any of this Alexis. You did this!" Ric yelled.
Ric was watching like a third party in his own memory as he and Alexis fought like cats and dogs. Each one tossing verbal insults at the other that got worse with each passing second. He tried yelling at himself to stop saying the things he was saying but his other self couldn't hear him. Ric turned to Alexis who was crying. He ran over to her telling her not to listen to what he was saying and that he was wrong but she couldn't hear him either.
"I want a divorce!" Alexis yelled back while Ric was in front of her.
"Done. I'll see you in court counselor." Ric said.
"No, I don't. Alexis don't listen. I don't know what this is about but don't listen. Please don't listen!" Ric said.
Ric calls again fell on deaf ears as Alexis walked away from him as he yelled for her to come back. That was the last thing Ric heard before he woke up to an unknown noise that brought him out of that nightmare of a memory.
Ric turned his head as much as he could to try and find the source of the sound. He found it was coming from Alexis. She was crying in her sleep and asking for him not to go and that she was sorry. Ric felt his fingers start to hurt as they stretched out towards Alexis. The need to touch her, to soothe her, far out weighed the pain he was feeling due to the rest of his body trying to follow suit. The strain he was putting on himself was making his heart start to race. The alarm on his monitor started going off.
Alexis woke up from yet another nightmare to a very loud sound. It took her a second to shake off the dream and her sleep to notice that the alarm was coming from Ric's heart monitor and that his hand was reaching out to her. She quickly jumped out of bed and ran over to him. Alexis grabbed Ric's out stretched hand and looked him over to try and find what was wrong. A nurse came in a second later asking what happened.
As soon as Ric felt Alexis' touch his heat rate started to slow to a normal rhythm.
"Is he alright? I woke up to his monitors going off and him reaching for me." Alexis said.
The nurse checked Ric's vitals as well as the leads on him. She couldn't find anything wrong and all the leads were attached.
"I checked his vitals and he seems better now. I think his movement may have caused the problem." the nurse said then turned to Ric. "You can't move yet Mr. Lansing. No matter how much you need to get to this pretty lady, you're body's not ready for all this excitement. If you keep this up the doctors will sedate you and we don't want that do we?" the nurse said.
"No we don't. He'll be good." Alexis said.
"Wonderful. I can see why you're heart rate slowed down now Mr Lansing. You just needed her near you. The doctor will be in to check you later. In the mean time is there anything I can get you?"the nurse asked.
"No,I'm fine." Alexis said looking at Ric.
The nurse looked at Alexis and could see that she was looking very tired and was probably way past using her reserve energy. She remembered Dr.'s Quartermain and Scorpio telling her that Alexis was a cancer patient under going chemo at the hospital and that she was very stubborn when it came to her health and asking for help. Seeing this for herself she decided that it couldn't hurt to throw a suggestion out there.
"How about I bring a little something to eat anyway and you can eat it later if you like?" the nurse asked.
Ric saw how tired Alexis looked and knew that she was just being stubborn. He squeezed her hand as way of telling her know to take the nurse's offer.
"Ouch. I get the hint counselor. I would love something to eat. Thank you." Alexis said.
"Ok. I'll be back in a few minutes." the nurse said then left out the door.
Alexis felt a little woozy and grabbed the nearest chair to her never once letting go of Ric's hand. Not that she had a choice of letting go. He had a iron grip on her hand like she was his life line.
Once she a sat down Ric finally loosened his grip on her hand. With her free hand Alexis gently stroked the side of Ric's face. As her fingers glided down his face Ric leaned in to Alexis' touch but when her fingers reached the stubble on his face he pulled away making her laugh. She knew if Ric could he would be in the bathroom right now shaving the stubble off his face.
Ric was not a happy camper unless his face was clean shaven. His face had to be "smooth as a baby's bottom" or his day just wouldn't be right.
Alexis smiled and gently turned Ric's face back to her.
"I promise that as soon as this damn tube is removed I'll help you shave. I'm not a fan of the stubble either. How does that sound?" Alexis asked.
Ric slowly nodded his head.
"I thought you would like that." Alexis said with a smile.
Ric tapped Alexis' hand and she looked over to see that he was making a sign like he wanted to write. Something about his dream and Alexis' current state of health had been bothering him and he needed to know what was going on with them and her. He watched as Alexis reached over to the tray where the pad and pen where left and gave them to him.
Alexis watched as Ric began writing. She smiled at how hard he was concentrating, like he wanted to get it right the first time. Her smile then faded and was replaced by a look of concern when Ric started to grimace from the obvious pain this was causing him. Before she could voice her concerns Ric stopped writing. She noticed the look on his face when he was done. It looked like worry. Alexis dismissed the look and then turned the pad to her. When Alexis read what Ric wrote she started to feel sick.
"Ric, we shouldn't do this now. There is plenty of time for us to talk." Alexis said.
Ric let go of Alexis' hand and tapped the pad hard letting her know that he wanted an answer to his question.
"Don't do that. We're not in a court of law and this is not a cross examination. You can't badger the answers out of me." Alexis said.
Ric wrote again on the pad but this time Alexis wouldn't look at it. He tapped the pad again to try and get her attention.
Alexis got up from her seat and turned her back to Ric refusing to even acknowledge his questions. She hoped that he would maybe get the hint to just drop it because she wasn't really wasn't up to or in the mood for this discussion.
Ric knew the moment Alexis got up out of her chair that he struck a nerve and that there was some validity to his questions. He knew Alexis was not going to turn around to him so he did the only thing he could do.
Alexis stood there with her arms folded. She heard something hit the floor and looked down at her feet. She almost laughed when she saw the pad next to her foot.
"God, he can be such a pain in the ass sometimes." she thought to herself.
Alexis sighed heavily then grabbed the pad off the floor. After a couple of seconds she finally turned around then took her seat again near Ric's bed.
Ric watched for several long minutes as Alexis just stared at the pad. He could see that she was on the verge of tears and he instantly felt bad for having her to put her through this but he needed to know how things really were. He just couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding things from him.
Alexis looked at Ric through watery eyes. She didn't want to answer his questions because this was certainly not the time or the place to talk about this.
"Why did this have to happen now?" she thought.
" Ric, I know things are crazy right now and you want to understand what's going on but now...now is really not the right time. Please just trust me for now and know that when the time is right I will tell you everything you want to know. Just not know." Alexis said.
Ric felt Alexis' fingers again gentle glide down his face and although he wanted to take comfort in the feel of them and what she just told him he couldn't. He wouldn't. Not while there were questions he wanted answers to.
Ric pulled his faced away from Alexis' touch causing her to flinch. He turned back to her with anger filling his eyes. Ric made sure that his eyes were delivering the message his voice could not.
"TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW NOW!"
He could see that his message was received loud and clear by Alexis, but she had a message of her own to deliver to him through her eyes. It was a loud and resounding
"NO. I WON'T!"
The room grew silent from the quiet stare down between them. Neither one wanting to give in. It wasn't until there was a knock on the door that they broke eye contact.
"Hello again. I have that food for you. Where would you like me to put it?" the nurse asked.
"Right by my bed. Thank you." Alexis said.
"Ok." the nurse said
The nurse didn't know what was going on and she didn't wanna know. She could feel the tension in the room when she entered and it was thick. She only caught a glimpse of the stare down between Ric and Alexis and knew that something was wrong between them. Even though neither one said anything she knew that there was a lot of non-verbal communication going on and she wanted know part of it. She quickly placed the tray of food on the table next to Alexis' bed.
"If you need anything else let me know. I have another patient so I'll check on you both later." she said then quickly scurried out of the room trying not to notice that the stare down had begun again.
Alexis was starting to get angry with Ric. Here she was trying to shield him and protect him from things she knew he wasn't ready for and he was getting pissed at her about it. Typical Ric. When he wants something he goes after it with everything he's got and damn anyone that gets in his way.
Alexis sighed. She was tired of all this... literally. She needed to rest and the smell of the food behind her was calling her name. So, she decided to give Ric what he wanted but on her terms not his.
"Alright Ric, you win. You want answers? Fine. I'll give them to you... but... only one question... and I get to pick it." Alexis said.
Ric's eyes grew wide and Alexis could see he was not happy with those choices. She didn't care. She was tired, hungry,angry, and not in the mood for any of Ric's shit.
"Well what's it gonna be? The one question of my choosing or you lie there pissed off and staring at me all day? Nod your head if you agree to the one question or you can give me the finger letting me know to screw off. I suggest you take the deal because it's the best one your gonna get." Alexis said.
Damn that woman. He wasn't sure if he wanted to kill her or kiss her. Alexis was a good litigator. Real good. That's one of reasons why he fell in love with her. He should have known that if there was a way for her to turn this to her advantage she would. "God, I must be slipping. Rookie mistake. Should have seen that coming." Ric thought.
Ric looked up at his wife and saw the small smirk on her face. She had him and they both knew it. Ric thought pretty hard about his options. Although very limited he still had them. He could take a chance and hope she would answer the question he really was most curious about or he could just lie back giving her the evil eye the whole time she was there.
"No use in prolonging this." he thought.
Alexis waited quietly for Ric's decision. Luckily she didn't wait long. She was relieved when she saw him blink his eyes. Now the ball was in her court. Which of his two questions would she answer. Alexis reached for the pad again to look at her choices. Neither one was easy. In the end she chose the one that might be the quickest to explain and the least painful. She just would fudge some of the details to match Ric's current memory.
"Ok. Here we go. You wanted to know if I'm sick? The answer is yes. I am. I recently was diagnosed with stage two lung cancer. I found out a little after Molly was born that I had it. It was a huge surprise to everyone. Especially me. It took me a while to adjust to the news. I went through all the stages people talk about. Denial, anger,some more anger,then slow acceptance. I started chemo and that's why I look more tired that you may remember. It's been rough. Real rough. Some days are easier than others. And I haven't been the easiest person to live with lately because of the choices I have made about my treatment and our lives." Alexis sobbed out the last part. She took a deep breath to try and stop the tears from coming down. Once she was able to gain some kind of control she went on.
Ric listened to Alexis and was shocked by what she was saying. He had hoped that part of his dream wasn't true but it was. Alexis was sick ,it was cancer, and she was still fighting it. Now to make matters worse she had to not only take care of herself but her laid up husband as well. How she had the strength for all of this he didn't know. As she continued on he tried to remember anything of what she was telling but he couldn't. It was like his mind was fighting to keep that from him . But why? What was so bad that his mind would purposely try and keep that from him?
Another sob from Alexis brought him out of his inner rant and that's when he saw the tears she had been trying to hold back come down her face. Now he regretted what he had done when he saw the pain on her face. Pain caused by his actions. His incessant need to always be in the know.
The memories of his dream again floated back into his mind. The same look of pain that Alexis had on her face now was the same one she wore in the dream. The tears coming down her face broke Ric's heart in two.
"Dammit. This is not what I wanted. I'm hurting her again. Why do I keep doing this? This stops now. " Ric thought to himself.
Ric quickly grabbed the pad from a shocked Alexis' hands then reached for the pen that was still near his fingers. He began to write again. When he was done he passed the pad back to her.
Alexis took the pad and was almost afraid to look at it fearing that something she said may have just made things worse or that he remembered what happened during that time. She decided to take the chance and read what Ric wrote to her.
"I'm an idiot. I should have listened when you said that this could have waited. I wanted to know what was going on so badly that I didn't think about what it would be like for you to tell me. I'm a jerk, an ass, and I'm sorry. I will wait for when then time is right and I will trust in you to tell me everything I need to know. You are the strongest person I know and I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with me and the chemo. Please know that I'm so thankful that you are here by my side. Please stop crying baby. I love you. No more questions. Please go eat. You need to keep your strength up. You never know when I'm going to say or do something stupid again."
Alexis read the words on the paper and although they said to stop crying she couldn't stop. She was touched by his words and his concern for her.
Ric reached out to Alexis and she grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips. She kissed the back of his hand then rest his hand against her cheek. A tear left Ric's eye and Alexis wiped it away with her other hand.
"Oh Ric. What am I going to do with you? One minute your a jack ass and the next minute you're the kindest man I ever met. Your a complicated man you know that? I suppose that's one of things that things that first attracted me to you. You say I'm strong. I'm not as strong as you think I am... but I'm learning to be. I know I have to be because I'm not going to loose you. I'm going to fight my cancer and you are gonna fight to get better. Ok? And as far as being by your side...I couldn't think of a better place to be. I love you and for better or worse I'm here." Alexis said.
Alexis got up from her seat and gave Ric a long kiss on his forehead.
Ric felt Alexis' soft lips touch his skin and he again wished that the damn tube wasn't down his throat. He wanted to feel her lips on his and show her just how much he missed them.
"I think I'm going to take your advise and go eat. I'm starving now and tired. Never a good combo. Also, hospital food isn't very good cold. Come to think of it...it's not very good hot either." Alexis said.
Alexis saw Ric's eyes light up as he tried to smile at her joke. She then saw he looked a little tired as well.
"Why don't you rest while I eat? You look pretty worn out and I know that you haven't been getting a lot of rest with the nurses coming in and out of here. Go to sleep and don't worry I'll be here when you wake up. Now close your eyes and dream of those long morning we used to have ….and will have again." Alexis said.
Alexis kissed Ric's forehead one more time then watched as Ric closed his eyes. Her fingers then stoked Ric's head and the repeated motion made Ric relax and before they both knew it he was asleep.