The Prodigal Daughter-Chapter 11

 

It was hard to believe that a month had passed since their little plan was put into action. Jax’s parents had just left last week, so she was finally going to move into his house. That was little more believable. The "relationship" was progressing slowly. She took a deep breath and looked out at the water. She forgot how peaceful the docks could be, that is when it was safe.

She stopped pacing long enough to stare into the distance watching for the launch to come from Wyndemere. Alexis told her that she would have met her anywhere she wanted to, but she had an appointment, and didn’t think they would have too much time to touch bases. She was lost in thought and didn’t hear the person approach her.

"Do you often stand on the pier by yourself, Ms. Ward?" the low voice asked her.

She turned around to face Helena. She silently cursed herself for being in the right place at the right time. She didn’t think that she was afraid of Helena, but right then, she wasn’t so sure. It was fine to meet up with her in a well-lit place with people all around, but she was here alone.

Determined not to seem afraid, she responded, "No, usually I prefer to sit." She moved away from the edge of the dock and sat on a bench. That would be safer, at least Helena couldn’t push her in. "Do you enjoy it out here?" she asked to make conversation as Helena joined her on the bench.

She smiled her trademark smile. "There is something about the air out here. Many a wonderful plans were concocted right here."

"There’s no doubt about that," Keesha mumbled.

"I am surprised that Mr. Jacks is not out here with you," she said a little bitterly. "I would not think that he let you out of his sight."

Keesha rolled her eyes. She agreed to go along with the plan, but she would not allow anyone to think that she couldn’t take care of herself. "I suppose he realizes that I do not need to be baby sat. Jax is my boyfriend, not my keeper."

She eyed the woman. So, this one had spunk. She smiled at her. If it weren’t for the threat that she posed, she could become quite fond of her. "Believe me, I did not mean to imply that you would need a keeper. Although, the docks can be a very dangerous place for young ladies to be alone." Her threat delivered, she stood. "Have a good day, Ms. Ward."

The launch finally arrived and as Alexis stepped off, she saw Helena ascending the stairs that led off of the dock. "Keesha, are you okay," she said coming over to sit next to her.

She nodded her head. It was true that Helena had rattled her with her implied threat, but she had the baby to think about. "I’m fine, Helena just made me a little nervous, that’s all. How was your meeting with Daddy dearest?"

She shook her head. She could not understand how Keesha could be so calm and accepting about all this. Her idea was that once this baby was born and she allowed all of this to sink in, Keesha would finally react. That wasn’t healthy, but she knew that Keesha would do what was best for her child. "Here are the addresses for the locations of the Cassadine houses. Old families are known to keep secrets hidden in houses; I figure it’s worth a shot, and there are always neighbors," she said handing her the disk.

"Thank you. The password is the one that we agreed on, right?" she asked taking the disk from her and securing it in the front pocket her of jean overalls.

Alexis smiled at her now. "You certainly look different than what I’m used to seeing. You look like a teenager," she said taking in her apparel and her hair pulled up in a pony tail.

"Well, I just got finished packing up most of my life. I’m moving into Jax’s house today." She glanced at her watch, "And I’m supposed to meet him at the doctor’s office soon. Besides," she added as she stood up. "my normal clothes seem a little tight." She shrugged.

"Really," Alexis said walking with her to her car. "How far along are you?"

"Twelve weeks today. They told me that if everything was going well, then I wouldn’t have to come until now. If we’re lucky, we might be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat today," she said excitedly.

Alexis laughed and gave her a hug. "I hope everything goes well. Be careful, Keesha."

She smiled. "I strive to be."

*****

Keesha didn’t think that she had that much blood. They took many vials. When she asked about it, they just said that there were lots of tests to run. She sat a little impatiently as she waited for Jax to show up. She refused to do the ultrasound until he was there. The nurse was getting a little upset with her, but Dr. Thatcher told her it was perfectly fine for her to want to wait.

"Jax," she said as he walked through the door. "Where were you?" Nurse Leigh followed him to set up everything.

He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I’m sorry, but some people just don’t want to sell-out," he smiled.

"Did he finally relent?" she asked laughing, already knowing the answer.

"I said I wanted it right, and usually, whatever I want, I get."

"Usually, that doesn’t sound too confident, Jax," she said a little confused.

"Yeah," he whispered in her ear, "I haven’t gotten you yet."

She pushed him away lightly and rolled her eyes as she smiled.

Dr. Thatcher came in smiling. "You must be Mr. Jacks," she said extending her hand. "She was very adamant about waiting until you were here."

Jax smiled at Keesha. That did surprise him a little, but then again, everything she did surprised him. "I knew you cared," he smiled once the doctor was out of earshot.

Determined not to let Jax think too much of what the doctor said, she said, "I made a promise to you that you would be here for everything important with our baby, and I thought that this was very important."

He smiled, "Right. You just keep telling yourself that, okay." He gave her a light kiss.

"Here," Dr. Thatcher said pointing to the screen. "is the baby. You can’t see much yet, but he’s definitely right there."

Keesha looked up and saw the look of absolute happiness on Jax’s face. She closed her eyes and turned back to the screen. "You said we might be able to hear the heartbeat today, right."

"Yes," she said. "Let’s try it now." She made some adjustments, and soon a loud rhythm was heard in the room. "There it is," she said smiling at them.

"Yes, there it is. I can’t believe it. It all seems so real now, doesn’t it?" Keesha asked looking up at Jax again.

He nodded and smiled at her. "It is all so very real." He was hearing his child’s heartbeat, something he had been anticipating for a long time, and Keesha was making that possible. "I don’t know how we’re ever going to be able to wait six more months for this baby to be born," he said leaning close to her ear and giving her a kiss.

She felt herself melt against him. This was special; the moment seemed so right; this could not be happening. She was going to have this child, and they would raise him or her together, but they couldn’t be together. "Dr. Thatcher, could we get pictures? I’m sure there are several people that want copies," she said gathering her thoughts. She was getting in too deep with Jax already. She had to be careful.

*****

She sat on one of the boxes in her apartment staring at the picture of her baby. Suddenly it seemed that nothing mattered but this, the plans didn’t seem so important any more. So lost in thought was she, that she did not notice when Jax came in and sat in front of her.

"You know," he said moving the picture so that he could see it as well, "I understand how this fascinates you, it is amazing, but you should really be a little on your guard more."

She smiled. "I knew nothing would happen with you looking out for me. But, I do understand that I should. I just can’t get over today. My goodness, I’m becoming quite sappy. Must be the hormones," she said giving him the picture and standing up.

"Yeah, right," he said not believing her. "Are you ready to go? The movers really need to get the rest of this stuff out of here, and you’re impeding their progress."

She shrugged, "So sue me. We’ve got time, don’t we. I’m too wired to sleep, so I don’t think I’ll being going to bed tonight anyway."

"Really, Ms. Ward. Well, we will just have to find something to occupy your time tonight."

She smiled, "Yes, I will be unpacking my many, many boxes of belongings. I want to make your place feel like mine. And, I think that you’re gonna help. Are you ready to go now?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Sounds like we have a lot of work to do tonight."

*****

Tony was cleaning up the kitchen when he heard the knock at the front door of his apartment. He wondered who would be visiting this late. Tomorrow would be an early day; he was taking Lucas fishing, and he didn’t have time for visitors. "Who is it?" he called out. He looked through the peep hole, and saw who was standing at his door. He resolved to open it.

"Dr. Jones," Helena said coming into the apartment. "I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to come to the door. Did you and little Lucas have a fine time tonight?"

He was going to ask her how she knew that, but that would have been a silly question. Helena knew everything. "What do you want, Helena?"

"Now," she said tilting her head, "is that any way to treat your protector? Have you gotten the information I asked for yet?"

Tony could not believe this woman. "I told you that I am not going to do that for you. I just got everything in my life the way I want it. I’ve been reinstated at the hospital completely, and I have an active role in my son’s life again. I’m not going to jeopardize that, Helena."

She was growing angry. How ungrateful people could be. "Have you forgotten who made that possible, Dr. Jones. You will do this for me. I want you to get Keesha Ward’s records. I want to know for certain what I suspect."

"You told me that you thought she was pregnant, why not just ask her?" Tony suggested. He wasn’t going to loose his son again.

"That is not the only thing that I want. I want all of her records. In time, I will be able to find out if she is in fact carrying a child. That is not the problem. Dr. Jones, I expect this to be done. I don’t care how you do it, but it will be done. Have a good night, and a successful fishing trip with your son," she said leaving the apartment.

Tony’s shoulders slumped as he sat on the couch. His good mood suddenly became somber. Would Helena ever leave him to lead his life. True she had made this possible, but she would never let him be free to live. He would be indebted to her for the rest of his life, and that wasn’t a good way to live.

*****

Keesha sat in the hospital waiting room waiting for Laura to finish up her appointments so that they could go out to lunch. She had not seen her good friend that much since she was back, and she missed her. Also, who better than Laura could explain the Cassadines first hand. Keesha would have to be careful about her questions, though. They didn’t want Laura to become suspicious about what was going on.

"Ms. Ward," the gentleman said standing in front of her.

Damn, she thought. How was she going to deal with Stefan? This was the first time she had spoken with him since she found out the truth. She looked up at him. This was her father. She tried to show no emotion in her voice when she replied. Smiling, she said, "Mr. Cassadine, hello."

He gave her a small smile. "Are you returning to work at our hospital? You were one of the best social workers GH has ever had."

"Thank you for the compliment, but no," she said shaking her head. "I have some other things going on right now that are taking up most of my time."

"May I inquire what they are?" he asked interested in what she was doing.

"Well, I’m going to be doing some work for J&J Jacks," she said looking for a reaction. She knew that he knew of her involvement with Jax.

"So, you will be working with Mr. Jacks," he mused. "I have seen you together on many occasions, so I gather it was for business purposes."

She smiled. He was certainly skilled at fishing for information. A few months ago, she would not have even known that he was doing it. But, she was learning from the master on how to get what you want without really asking for it. "You could say that."

"You are not ill, I hope," he said referring to the reason that she was at the hospital.

"No, I’m actually meeting Laura for lunch. I haven’t really had the opportunity to talk with her much since I’ve been back in town."

She could tell that he did not completely believe her reason. He did not let on, though,. He merely smiled, "I hope that you two will have a pleasant lunch. There she is now," he said looking in the distance. "It was nice to see you again, Ms. Ward."

She stood up and smiled. "Since I’m no longer working here at the hospital, why don’t you just call me Keesha."

"Very well, and you will call me," he hesitated for a second, and if she hadn’t been listening for it, she would have missed it, "Stefan."

"Hi, Keesha," Laura said giving her a hug. "I hope you haven’t been waiting long. My last appointment ran a little longer than I thought it would."

She waved that away. "That was fine. Stefan kept me company for a little while."

"So I saw," Laura said as she pressed the button to call for the elevator. She smiled slightly, "I didn’t know that you and he were on friendly terms."

"He was wondering if I was going to come back to work at the hospital."

"Are you?" she asked as they entered the elevator.

She shook her head. "It wouldn’t make much since for me to since I wouldn’t be able to work for very long. That’s part of the reason that I wanted to meet with you so that we could talk. Laura, I’m pregnant."

"That’s wonderful," she said hugging her. "Wow. Are you excited?"

She nodded, "Very. We just heard the baby’s heartbeat yesterday. I can’t tell you how great that was."

Laura smiled, "And when you hold your baby for the first time, it will be even better. You said ‘we’, the father of your baby was there."

"Yes, and I’m sure you know him. You know Jax right?"

Laura looked surprised. "Jax? When did that happen?"

"A while ago. He really knows how to sweep a girl off her feet. He’s taking me to Europe soon."

"Where are you going to go?" Laura asked as she unlocked the door for Keesha to get in.

"I don’t know yet. I’ve already been to France and England. Italy seems too much like a honeymoon spot. What do you think about Greece?" she asked off handedly.

They chose to go to Kelly’s for lunch. Laura was sure to at least run into Lucky there. Their relationship was healing, but she still wanted to see him whenever she could. "Why Greece?" Laura asked continuing their conversation from the car.

Keesha shrugged, "My mother went there and would always talk about the wonderful things she saw and did while she was there." Although not everything she did, she thought.

"Oh, okay. It’s really a lovely place. I wish I was there under better circumstances."

"Oh, that’s right, Laura. I’m sorry that I brought that up."

"Don’t worry about it. Look, there’s somebody that could give you a better idea of Greece," she said referring to the young man that just walked through the door. "Nikolas," she said getting his attention.

He smiled when he saw his mother and came over to the table. "Hello, Mother," he said bending to place a kiss on her check. "Hello, Keesha."

"Nikolas, Keesha is thinking about taking a little trip to Greece. Can you give her any advice on what’s the best there."

He laughed, "All of Greece is the best. I would suggest visiting all of the remains from the ancient past, and there are several nice party spots there. I would suggest going to those, too. They’re great, or so I’ve heard," he added jokingly.

"Of course you’ve been to none of them right," Keesha said smiling. "We’ll talk later when you’re mother isn’t around," she teased him. She looked at him; this was her brother. He was Stefan’s child just as she was. He didn’t know that in the beginning of his life either, and if it weren’t for the truth finding its way out, he would have never found out who his real father was.

"Yes, then I could really give you some good advice on where to go," he smiled at her.

"Anyway," Laura said, "why don’t you sit down and join us?"

"I wish that I could, but I just came in for take out. I have a lot of work to do today. It seems that several of my cousins are wishing to be married, and I have to sort all the details out."

Laura smiled at her son; she was very proud of him. "Really, Stefan’s not going to help at all with that."

"Father has left all of this up to me. I can handle it. It’s not like there is much else going on in my life right now. I’ll see you later, Mother. It was nice seeing you again, Keesha, and have fun in Greece."

"My son is already turning into a workaholic," Laura noted as she laid her crossed arms on the table in front of her.

Keesha smiled at her. "You know I can see the absolute love in your eyes. The love of a parent is a wonderful thing. I can’t wait to look at my own child like that."

Laura nodded, "Your child’s love in return is even better. Contrary to what some other people might say, I’m not a bad parent, Keesha. I love all my children. I’ve made some bad choices and decisions, but I really love my children."

"Laura," she said reassuringly, "I have never thought you were a bad parent. I know that there are reasons behind everything you did and everything that has happened. Could I ask you a question though?" Laura nodded for her to ask, "I know it was difficult for you to leave Nikolas behind when you came back to Port Charles. Was there no other alternative to that?"

Laura shook her head and closed her eyes. "God, how I wish there was, but there wasn’t. From the first moment I held Nikolas, I loved him. It killed me to leave him, but I had to for his sake. Helena hated me, and I knew that she would find some way to hurt both of us if I stayed, especially considering Nikolas’ true paternity."

Keesha nodded, "I understand. You had to do what you had to do to protect your child. You can’t be blamed for that. Don’t get alarmed, but I don’t think that Helena particularly cares for me very much, and I’ve done nothing to her, so I can imagine the threat that she thought you posed to her."

Laura wrinkled her brow, "Helena doesn’t like you. Why wouldn’t she?"

Keesha shrugged, "I’ve been told that it has something to do with my current beau. It seems that she has somewhat of a crush on him. Well, it’s not my fault that he chose me."

Laura smiled weakly. Did Keesha understand what she was up against with Helena? No matter how petty her grievance was, it was still a grievance. "Keesha, I don’t think that you understand what you’re dealing with. Helena can be ruthless. You should see the way she treats Stefan, and he’s her son. When I lived on the island, she treated him even worse. Her own child," Laura said in a shouted whisper. "Can you imagine that. While on the other hand, she treated Stavros as if he were the greatest thing in the world."

"Favoritism. Helena seems the type who would do that."

"Extreme favoritism." Laura shook her head, "She took it to new heights. Wow, how did we ever get on this topic."

Keesha laughed, "We were talking about vacations. I really enjoyed lunch, Laura, and I hope that we can do this again some time. We don’t need to wait so long before we do, you know."

Laura laughed as well, "You’re right, we don’t. Do you want me to drop you off someplace?"

"No, I’ll just call Jax’s driver to pick me up. I really want to go for a walk in the park right now, though."

Laura didn’t want to seem over motherly, so she just said, "Okay, but be careful, Keesha. I’ll see you later." She gave Keesha a quick hug and left.

*****

"Okay, V. Yeah, I know, I’ve got it right here. I’m going to fax it over to you right now. No, I’m only going to be gone for a short period of time. Okay, bye V," Jax said finally hanging the phone up on his assistant and best friend. "Ashton, did we have a meeting scheduled for today?" Jax asked as he faxed the documents to V.

Ned came further into the office. "No, you also did not tell me that you had a trip scheduled for tomorrow, either."

Jax smiled and shrugged, "I guess that just slipped my mind. Well, Keesha and I are going on a little excursion. I think that will help our plan, don’t you think. I’m going away with Keesha, and with me out of the country, who would ever expect me to do anything."

Ned hated it when Jax made a good point that went against everything he thought. "Okay, but tell me why are you going to Greece? Are you doing something for my wife again?"

Ned was anything but naïve. "Keesha wants to go to Greece. She’s never been, and she wants to see the ruins. How can I begrudge that? Alexis isn’t going with us, so why would I try to stir up anything over there with the Cassadines. Think about it, Ashton."

Ned didn’t trust Jax; he would be crazy if he did. Jax could weasel out of giving a straight answer with the best of them, and that was definitely not a straight answer. "Okay, I’ll let this go for now, but if I find out that anything you’re up to will hurt my wife in some way, I promise you I will put a stop to it."

Jax understood where Ned was coming from. "Ned, I’m not putting Alexis in any danger. Keesha is pregnant with my child, so I would never purposely put her in danger either."

Again with the sidestep of the question. "Fine," he said. It was useless to press Jax for any more information; he just wasn’t telling. "I assume Jerry will be running things while you’re away."

"Yes. Now, you and Jerry make nice. You two will be working very closely together for a little while." He finished packing his briefcase. "I’ll walk you out. I’m leaving early today. I’ve got some packing to do."

*****

Keesha walked aimlessly through the park. ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,’ she thought. There was so much silence that she was forced to think about everything that was going on in her life. She tried to concentrate on the baby, but everything else was forcing their way into her thoughts. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. When she looked up, her eyes locked with a pair of cold blue ones.

"Jason," she whispered. She had not seen him in a little over two years, and seeing him now was a shock to her senses. She now remembered part of the reason she was a little wary to return to Port Charles in the first place; she would have to see him.

She was surprised when he came over. "Hello, Keesha. Carly told me you were in town."

Stunned, she shook her head, "Yes, I saw her just the other day. She said that you both were doing well. Congratulations on your marriage." Jason had actually initiated the conversation with her. Wow, that was a change.

"Thank you. She also told me that you were expecting a baby, congratulations to you on that," he said sincerely. He understood what it meant to be a parent. Even if Michael wasn’t his biologically, he would always consider himself one of the little boy’s fathers.

"Thank you, Jason." There was nothing else she could think of to say to him. There was nothing left to be said. "Well, it was great seeing you, but I really have to go. I hope to see you around sometime. Carly had even mentioned something about a family dinner."

"Yeah, that sounds like something Carly would mention. Good bye," he said walking off.

Keesha stared after him. "Now that was strange," she said aloud. Shaking her head, she continued on her watch until Jax’s driver came to pick her up.

*****

She brought her last bag down the stairs. Jax saw her carrying the heavy bag and went to her aid. "Why are you carrying this? I told you that I would get the heavier bags," he admonished her.

She rolled her eyes, "Because I told you that I’m not an invalid, and I’m perfectly capable of bringing down my own suitcases, Jax. Besides, it’s not that heavy."

"Just sit down," he said to her. "Are you going to continue to be obstinate the entire time?"

She smiled as she sat down. "I told you that my moods were only going to get worse. So, I guess they have." She shrugged, "I guess we just clash. I want my way, and you want yours. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?"

He shook his head at her. He had to admit, she had a point. "I guess not. At least, I hope not. Have you tied up any loose ends here?"

"I don’t know about that. I didn’t think that I had any to tie up, but it seems that I might. I was walking," she decided to leave out where she was walking for her best interest, "and I ran into Jason. It was the weirdest thing, he actually talked to me. I cannot remember Jason Morgan ever initiating an unforced conversation with me before. Now that I’m pregnant, I must surrounded by some happy aura that draws everyone to me."

Jax laughed at the picture she was describing. "Aura, yeah, that’s it. Maybe Carly told him to be nice to you. You are family now, you know."

"Well, whatever it was, it was very odd. He looked at me differently, too, almost with recognition. Listen to me, those psych classes are really paying off now." She stopped talking as she yawned. "I’m exhausted, and I’m about to pass out. I think I’m going to go to bed."

Jax nodded as he went over to the phone. There were some last minute business deals he needed to take care of. "Have a good night, and I’ll see you bright and early in the morning."

"Yeah, bright and early. Good night."