Chapter 49

"Hello," A.J. said, walking into Keesha's room. "You look a lot better. How are you feeling?"

Keesha smiled and motioned for him to sit next to her.

"I'm feeling better," she said. "I think I'm moving to a regular room tomorrow."

"That's fantastic!"

They shared a tender smile.

"I think so, too. I missed you yesterday, but Julianna told me you had some things you needed to take care of."

"I wanted to visit," A.J. assured her, reaching for her hand, "but the day got away from me. I'm so sorry."

"No need to apologize. Julianna told me she spent the previous night with you. I was happy to hear that. If you need her to stay with you, tell her, A.J., and she will. She said she liked spending time with you."

"I'm very pleased and relieved to hear that. I'll see how things go. I know this isn't an easy time for her. I don't want our daughter to worry about me."

"I'd like to hear what happened," Keesha said.

"And I'd like to tell you," A.J. said, "but not now. It can wait. I want to concentrate on you and how wonderful your recovery has been. Julianna told me how much better you looked and felt, but I'm still amazed at your rapid progress."

"I am, too," Keesha admitted. "I'm afraid to let myself believe I'm on the road to recovery, but I'm grateful to be feeling so much better. I thought maybe Julianna would be with you. Where is our daughter?"

A.J. smiled. "Our daughter said she needed to help Michael with something. She said to tell you she will definitely see you later."

"I look forward to it. And, Mr. Quartermaine, I hope you don't plan to rush out of here. You can stay with me for a while, right?"

"I can stay for as long as you want me to."

Keesha grinned which made A.J.'s heart soar. "I like the sound of that."

*~*

"Thank you so much for meeting me here," Michael said to Julianna when he reached her.

She had been standing on the front steps of General Hospital, awaiting his arrival.

"No problem. Have you thought about what you're going to say to Jason?"

"A little," he said, taking her hand and leading her into the hospital.

"You're doing this like an old pro," she marveled.

"Because you're with me," he responded truthfully.

"Do you think you'll get past the guard?" she asked as they rode the elevator to the seventh floor.

"I'm going to tell him who I am. I guess it'll be up to Jason, but he better want to see me."

*~*

Dara and Justus stepped onto the patio and warmly greeted Camille, Matthew and Veronica, who had been awaiting their arrival. They sat at a round table, covered by an umbrella. Seeing the pitcher of ice water on the table, Justus poured the clear liquid into glasses for Dara and himself. Veronica and Matthew had juice, and Camille had her glass of water in front of her.

"Did you sleep well?" Dara asked the children.

They both nodded shyly.

"Sandy, our nurse, said I could work on the puzzle," Matthew offered, with no prompting. "She liked the picture."

"That's great," Justus said.

"I made this for you, Mrs. Ward," Veronica said, pushing a page from the coloring book towards Dara.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Dara said, genuinely touched. "And please. Call me Dara."

Veronica gave her a cute smile and then hid her face.

"The children received some very good news today," Camille said. "The doctor said their injuries are healing nicely and that they'll be released from the hospital very soon."

Matthew and Veronica exchanged worried glances. They weren't so sure that was good news. Where would they go? What would happen to them?

"We're glad to hear you're getting better," Justus said, speaking for himself and Dara.

"We want to get out of the hospital," Matthew said, with his sister nodding in agreement, "but where will we live?"

The three adults looked at each other. With Camille's silent consent, Dara decided to ask the defining question.

"Do you think you might like to try living with us?"

*~*

The tall, well-built guard, with blonde hair and blue eyes, entered Jason's room and announced Michael as a visitor. Jason couldn't believe it. Had Bobbie or Tony relented and allowed Michael to see him?

"Send him in."

"He's got a girl with him."

"Fine. She can come in, too."

Firmly clasping Julianna's hand in his, Michael took several deep breaths and then entered Jason's room, ready to speak his mind, but Jason asked the first question.

"How did you know I was here? Your grandmother told me she would never let me see you. Michael, I'm so relieved I get a chance to tell you how sorry I am about your parents dying while on my watch."

"You mean my mother, don't you? Sonny was *never* my father. But that doesn't matter," Michael said. "What does matter is that I need some answers, Jason. From you."

He gave him a guarded look. "What kind of answers?"

"I need to know why you and my mother covered up and outright lied about my paternity. Why did you do it, Jason? Why did my mother do it?!"

Jason turned his head away from Michael's accusing stare.

"The truth is out," he said. "There's no need to discuss that topic."

"No need?!" Michael practically yelled.

He stormed closer to the bed and forced Jason to look at him.

"You never cared about me, did you? Every last thing you, my mother and Sonny said to me was a damn lie, wasn't it? Wasn't it?!"

Jason sat up straighter in the bed. "Michael, how can you say that? Everything we did, we did for you. To protect you. To keep you with your mother! To keep you with the only family you had ever known."

Michael balked. "That's a laugh. The only family *I'd* ever known? Don't you mean the only family you and my mother ever let me know?! Who the hell were you to decide who my family was going to be?!"

"That was your mother's decision."

"Because she had some sick fantasy that you were really my father! How could you have gone along with that?!"

Jason shrugged. "Your mother made some bad choices, men wise. She tried to rectify one of them."

"By letting A.J. believe he was my father with no right to me. Ever. Because you and Sonny made damn sure of that, didn't you?!"

"I told you, Michael, it's what your mother wanted. I don't see why you're so upset. You're with your father now, and I understand A.J. is in your life. You made out all right."

Michael wasn't sure if he wanted to punch Jason, the wall, or both. All he knew was this conversation was definitely testing his anger management. But he needed to see it through. He had to.

"Let me tell you something, Jason. My father, my real father, is in my life, and I couldn't be happier. It's nice to finally understand what 'normal' is. Why am I not surprised you can't understand that. Oh look, my father doesn't carry a gun and go around shooting people. What's up with that? He doesn't throw temper tantrums either or break expensive glassware every two seconds when something upsets him. How abnormal can someone be?"

Jason pointed an accusing finger in Michael's direction. "You don't know what I've lost, Michael. You don't know what we've all lost. Yes, you lost your mother and Sonny, and I'll never be able to forgive myself for that, but we've all suffered. Not just you."

Julianna could no longer hold her tongue. "You are unbelievable. You are going to lie there and make Michael feel guilty for what you caused him to lose?!"

"Julianna, it's okay," Michael said, placing his hand on her arm.

But it wasn't all right with her, and she was going to let her uncle know about it.

"Who are you?" Jason asked, his tone icy, which matched his stare.

"Under any other circumstances, maybe we could've gotten to know each other, even become friends, but it's way too late for that."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"This is Julianna Ward," Michael said. "She's my best friend, and she just happens to be Keesha and A.J.'s daughter."

"Keesha? And A.J.?"

"Yes," Julianna said, squaring her shoulders. "I just met my father recently, but I've come to love him. I know about your history with my father, but I also know how much he's helped Michael. He loves Michael as if he were his own son, despite everything you guys tried to do to him. Just for the record, the things you and Michael's mother and Sonny did to Michael and my father were vile and disgusting! And your treatment of my mother after your accident was absolutely despicable!"

"So A.J. has another champion. Why am I not surprised? And it's Keesha's daughter, no less. How convenient. Michael, there's nothing I can do about your relationships now, but you'd better think about the consequences of allowing A.J. into your life. As well as his daughter."

"Oh, you mean like actually being happy for the first time in my life? Or having something to look forward to besides more sadness and senseless tragedies? A.J. has been wonderful to me, and so has Julianna. I couldn't imagine two better people to 'allow' into my life. Keesha is great, too. But really, Jason, I *so* appreciate your concern about my welfare. Too bad you never thought about it when it really counted!"

"You're scaring me, Michael. You sound like A.J. You had a good life. You were surrounded by people who loved you and cared about you until, unfortunately, it all fell apart."

"I'm scaring *you*?!" Michael said, incredulous. "This is the first time in my life I haven't been scared! But I really wouldn't expect you to understand that. In fact, I'm sure you haven't comprehended much of this conversation. That's fine. You want to think I'm in danger now, fine. Think it. I couldn't care less. You don't want to answer my questions. That's fine, too. But this is it, Jason. I am stating, right here, right now, that you are out of my life. I never want to see you again! Don't you *ever* dare try to contact me because I will not acknowledge you. And don't you dare try to hurt anyone in my family, my *real* family. Do us all a favor and leave us the hell alone!"

Michael fled the room, followed closely by Julianna, who took a shaking Michael into her arms and held him while he calmed down.

"I have come to loathe that man," Michael said, when he had composed himself. "How could I have ever thought he was cool? Why did I ever think he was someone to be admired and emulated? And how could I have treated A.J. so badly when I was younger?"

"Because you believed in Jason. You listened to your mother go on and on about how wonderful and perfect he was. Isn't that what you told me?"

"Yeah, but how could I not have seen how cold and ruthless he could be?"

"Probably because he never showed that side of himself to you."

"But your father was treated to that side of him on more than one occasion. Sonny treated him horribly, too. How could my mother have aligned herself with these reprehensible men?"

Unfortunately, Michael knew the answer to that question.

"Because she was no better than either of them," he said, with a bitter laugh. "What a great team they made, huh? And once they added Courtney to the mix, things just got so much better. Not. At least, she escaped them."

"Sort of," Julianna said.

Michael looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"She came to my father for help."

"She did?!"

Julianna nodded.

"And let me guess," Michael said. "Your father helped her."

"Yeah, he did."

"Does Jason know?"

"Yes. My father said Jason's actually the reason Courtney called him, but do you want to know why my father agreed to help her?"

"Why?"

Julianna smiled and reached for Michael's hands. "Because of you, Michael."

"Me?"

"That's right. Courtney has a small son who apparently had a very traumatic experience. I'm not sure what happened to him, but my dad said the little boy needs help. That's why he assisted Courtney. He thought about all you've endured, Michael, and he didn't want another child to suffer the way you had if he could help it."

"I hope he told Jason."

"He was going to see Jason yesterday, but I'm not sure what happened between them."

Michael gave Julianna a heartfelt hug.

"I'm so glad you and A.J. and Keesha are in my life. C'mon. Let's go see your mom."

*~*

Keesha's dark eyes lit up when Julianna and Michael walked into her room. A.J. smiled at them, too.

"Dad! I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Your father and I are having a nice, long visit. It's been wonderful."

Julianna kissed her mother on her cheek.

"You look better than you did yesterday."

"Your mother is a remarkable woman," A.J. said.

"You do look well, Keesha," Michael said. "I'm so glad the transplant is a success."

"Thank you, Michael."

"Did you two take care of whatever the pressing matter was?" A.J. asked his daughter.

Julianna and Michael shared a guilty look.

"Should we tell them?" Julianna asked him.

"Sure. Why not. It's over now."

Michael and Julianna held hands as they told Keesha and A.J. about their visit with Jason.

"Jason is here?!" Keesha exclaimed. "In this hospital?!"

"Yes, Mama, he is."

"I can't believe you saw him," A.J. said. "Does your grandmother know? What about your father?"

"They don't know," Michael said. "It's something I had to do. I'll tell them. Later."

"How did you find out he was here?" A.J. asked, hoping his daughter hadn't been the one to tell him.

"I overheard my grandmother talking to Jerry about him being in this hospital."

"He knows about you?" Keesha asked Julianna.

She nodded, her head held high. "I was proud to tell him who my parents are. He didn't like it, but I truly don't care what he thinks. Not after the way he treated Michael and the way he's treated you and Daddy."

Keesha held out her hand towards Julianna. "Baby girl, I never wanted you to get in the middle of things with...Jason. Of all people."

"It's okay, Mama. He didn't upset me that much. I told him a few things. You should've heard the way he was talking to Michael just because he dared to ask Jason about the lies he and his mother told him."

A.J. clasped Michael's shoulder. "Seeing Jason couldn't have been easy for you. Are you all right?"

"I will be," Michael said. "As long as I never have to see his face again!"