Chapter 9

Julianna bypassed A.J. without letting him know she'd heard his conversation and walked into her mother's room.

"Hello, Mama," she said, pleased to see her mother had awakened from her nap.

"Hello. Did you sleep late? I thought I'd see you earlier."

"I stayed upstairs for awhile, but when I came down before, you were sleeping."

"A.J. and I had an early morning conversation over tea and toast. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, I saw him. I think he's in the kitchen. Do you want me to get him?"

"No. He said he needed to do some work. He was going to get his laptop from the hotel room. I told him to use mine."

"He is."

Keesha patted her mattress; Julianna sat down.

"You seem happier this morning, Mama. You like having him here, don't you?"

"I'm relieved that he knows the truth and that he wants to be here. You didn't stay in your room because of him, did you?"

"Partly," she admitted, "but it's not because I was avoiding him. I just...I didn't sleep well, and I needed some time to myself."

Keesha nodded in understanding.

"How long will he be staying?"

"I'm not sure. Why don't you ask him?"

Her daughter shook her head. "I don't want to. But I was thinking that now we have someone else to help you. I know Lisa comes three times a week to help out, but this feels different."

"Because he's your father?" Keesha inquired.

Julianna shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I just know things have changed."

Keesha brushed a strand of hair from her daughter's face.

"This could be positive if you'd give it a chance. I know you've been carrying a heavy burden, and you know I appreciate everything you do for me."

"I know."

"But you're right. A.J. is here. Why don't you take advantage of that? Call Shelly and go to the mall or see a movie. Take a break, sweetheart. I'll be fine."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. I'll talk to A.J. He knows how much you do for me, Julianna. I'm sure he won't mind staying with me."

"If it's really okay, then I would like to go out."

"It's fine, sweetheart. Go. Have a good time. Take all the time you need."

"Thanks, Mama. I love you. I'll have my phone with me. Call me if you need anything. Okay?"

"I will. Enjoy. Don't worry about me."

After Julianna left the room, A.J. knocked softly on Keesha's open door.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Julianna is taking a much-needed and much-deserved break. You don't mind staying with me, do you?"

"No. In fact, I just finished checking my e-mails. I'm waiting for a phone call, but my cell is on. Is there anything in particular you'd like to do?"

"Yes. Please ask Julianna to bring down one of the boxes from my room upstairs. She'll know which ones I'm talking about."

A.J.'s voice carried to Julianna's room. She walked into her mother's old room and retrieved one of the lighter boxes. She knew what her mother wanted to do. She wanted A.J. to see pictures of her as she was growing up. She also had lots of DVDs that she was sure her mother would mention to A.J. She supposed he had a right to see what he had missed, but she was very relieved she didn't have to be around to hear her mother reminisce. Especially not with her father.

*~*

After Julianna left the house, Keesha invited A.J. to pull up a chair so he could sit next to her bed.

"I thought you might like to see Julianna through the years," she said, opening the first photo album and placing it across her lap. "If you want any of the pictures, they're yours, A.J."

She guided him through the photo album. She shared some funny anecdotes and some serious ones as she turned page after page of wonderful memories.

"Julianna looks very happy in these pictures," A.J. said. "I know it's because you've done such a fantastic job raising her."

"She's been my life," Keesha admitted, as she closed the cover of the album. "I thought about you a lot during the years, A.J."

Pangs of guilt assaulted his insides at Keesha's gently spoken words.

"I know you didn't think about me," she said, without a trace of malice. "And I also know if it weren't for Julianna, you wouldn't be here. I just want you to know I'm okay with that."

"Keesha, I didn't know about Julianna when I received your letter, but I came. I came because you wrote that you needed me."

"I wanted you and Julianna to get to know each other. I know she's not being very cooperative but give her time. She's very passionate and she cares deeply. She also hurts deeply, too. It wasn't until her friends at school began asking her about her father that she questioned me. She asked me if I'd seen you since I left Port Charles, and I told her no. Then she asked me if I'd heard from you since I left. I wasn't going to lie to my child, A.J. I felt she was old enough to understand, so I began to spoon feed her bits of information about you. She listened in the beginning, but then she began to tune me out. Eventually, she asked me not to mention your name ever again. Her impression was that you didn't care about us, so she was certainly not going to waste any of her time thinking about you."

The truth hurt, but A.J. knew he had to hear it. He also knew he had to continue to try to reach his daughter.

"Was there...was there ever anyone in your life that she did think of as her father or step-father?"

"I've had a few relationships, only one serious. Once I began working at the hospital, I dated a doctor or an intern here and there. Mostly to attend social functions that the hospital was sponsoring."

"What about the *one* serious relationship?" A.J. asked, his eyes twinkling.

Keesha laughed. "I was engaged to a man who was a schoolteacher. Julianna was mortified. She really liked him, but she said she didn't want her mother to be married to one of her teachers. She said the kids would never let her forget it. I told her we planned to wait until she was no longer going to the school where he taught. That appeased her. Somewhat."

"So what happened?"

"He took a sabbatical from teaching and went to Europe to study. I couldn't go with him, and when he came back, well, let's just say things were never the same between us. Eventually, we parted ways. I don't think Julianna was too upset that her mother didn't marry him."

"What about you? Do you regret not marrying him?"

"No, not really. I'm not sure how well he would've coped with my illness. I think, in the end, things work out the way they're supposed to."

She looked at A.J. Their eyes locked, and then A.J. reached to clasp Keesha's soft hand in between both of his.

"Your getting sick is one thing that should never have happened," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"But if I hadn't gotten sick, A.J., you wouldn't be here."

The ringing of his cell phone broke the moment.

"I have to take this."

She nodded.

He left her room and spoke from the kitchen. Skye Chandler-Cudahy told him to check his e-mail in an hour. They'd found some useful information, as well as two contacts who would be willing to talk to him.

"Thanks, Skye. I knew you'd come through for me. You're the best."

"Any idea when you might return to the office?" she asked, although she'd assured him, when they'd talked earlier, that things were running smoothly without him.

"No. I'm in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. But you and the others know how to reach me."

"That we do. Let me know if you need anything else."

"I will. Thanks again. Tell the others I really appreciate their help and their quickness in getting this information to me. You wonderful people may have just played a major role in saving someone's life."