Part III
Slants of light entered the room through the blinds covering the window. The bright glow illuminated the stark white sheets covering Alexis' legs. Her eyes fluttered open, quickly closing as the light struck her. She immediately clamped a hand over her hip, sharp pains coursing through her body with every labored breath.
Alexis slowly opened her eyes and squinted. She could see Jax across the room, his body awkwardly positioned on a small chair against the wall. His long legs were spread out in front of him, his head hanging over the side of the chair. Alexis' lips parted, but her throat was too dry to make any sound. All that emerged was a breathy gasp, but it was enough to stir Jax from his light sleep.
He sat up, rubbing his heavy eyes. It only took a second for him to wake completely. "Hey," he whispered, his voice coarse from lack of use during the night. Jax stood up and nearly leapt across the room, bending down to smooth a hand over her forehead. He pushed her bangs away from her face. "You're awake! I... I'll get the doctor."
As he stood up, Alexis managed to latch onto the loose end of his shirt. She tugged him back to the bed and said, "No." Her face screwed into an expression of agony and confusion, her hands moving down to apply pressure to the wound despite the way it burned at the slightest touch. A rough gasp escaped her lips, and she bit the inside of her mouth to stifle the tears stinging her eyes.
"You need a doctor," he told her gently, letting Alexis grip his hand. Their fingers turned white at the pressure she applied. "I'll be right back, right here with you. Okay?"
She shook her head. "I... what..."
Jax sighed, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed. "You don't remember what happened, do you?"
Alexis nodded, pools of moisture dancing in the corners of her bloodshot eyes. "I do," she said. "I need to get out of here."
"You can't." Jax saw her fingers wrap around the tubes attached to her chest. He pried her hands away, cupping them inside his. He told her, "You can't leave. You were shot, Alexis. You lost a lot of blood."
"I know," she shouted, her voice cracking. "I know who did this. I have to get out of here!"
Jax pressed a finger to her lips. He hovered above her, avoiding the bandages that covered her side. "I'm thinking the same thing," he admitted quietly. "But you have to get better. I want revenge on Helena too, but keeping you alive comes first. She'll be dealt with." He stood up and crossed the floor, never letting his eyes leave her's. He smiled and said, "You've got a lot of people wanting to see you."
~*~
Luke listened to Monica explain Alexis' condition. He could hear her flipping the pages of the medical chart, scratching her pen over the pages. He waited until she turned the corner and was gone before sliding toward Jax. He blocked the other man's access to Alexis' room. "How is she?" Luke asked, keeping his eyes on the huddle of cops waiting at the end of the hall.
"Good," Jax answered, narrowing his eyes at Luke. "She's gonna be just fine. But what are you doing?"
Luke shrugged. "What? I found her, I can't stick around to make sure she's still breathin'?"
"That's great, Luke, but I can tell you want something from this."
Luke nodded and leaned forward, holding his hand over Jax's shoulder. He whispered, "Stall the men in blue. I need to talk to Natasha."
"I don't think so," Jax sneered. He wrapped his fingers around Luke's wrist, peeling his hand away from his own shoulder. "Every time you are in the same room as Alexis, she ends up in some kind of trouble. You always have ulterior motives. She's been through enough."
"You wanna keep her safe? You wanna make sure nobody else gets hurt?" Luke asked, keeping his voice low. "Then talk to those cops until I walk back outta that room!" He didn't wait for a response. He turned on his heels, his boots squeaking on the smooth floor. Luke's movements softened as he opened the door to Alexis' room. He leaned against the door and sealed it shut. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling. Luke stood beside her bed and leaned down. He couldn't believe how pale her skin was, how slick with sweat.
"Don't try anything," Alexis warned him. Her eyes snapped open, glaring at him. "I might be lying in a hospital, but the bed is usually where I do my best work."
Luke smiled affectionately. "Glad to see your sense of humor didn't go with all that blood you lost," he said, pulling a chair across the room. He sat down and draped his forearms over the edge of the bed. Their eyes met and no explanation was needed. Luke cleared his throat and said, "I know I shouldn't expect any favors from you, but you gotta do this one thing for me."
"Luke. I can't make any promises." Alexis shifted on the bed, her eyes screwing shut at the pain the movement caused. She leaned back against the pillows and dug her fingers into the mattress. She took a deep, soothing breath and said, "I know you don't want to believe that Lucky shot me, but-"
He reached forward, clasping his hand over her mouth. "Be quiet," he scolded her. "Cops are everywhere. You haven't talked to anyone yet, have you?"
Alexis shook her head. She studied his face, a dusting of hair covering his chin and upper lip. His eyes were red and obviously tired. "You do believe me, don't you?" He didn't say a word. Alexis walked her fingers across the mattress until they felt his warm skin. She held her palm over his hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "that this is happening. You're son is alive but yet, he's completely dead inside."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Luke spat, withdrawing his hand from her grasp. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair.
"The man that came into my home and shot me looked and sounded like Lucky, but what was inside of him... that wasn't your son. It was the work of Helena." She paused, pulling the sheet up to her chest. "I know you don't want me to tell the police who shot me, but maybe that's the best way to find Lucky. And to help him."
He shook his head. "No," Luke stated firmly, standing up. He kicked the chair back and circled around the room. "The only person who's gonna find and help my son is me!" He moved toward her bed in one quick, fluid motion. Luke grabbed her hand and hovered above her, his breath beating down on Alexis' face. "We'll get Helena for this," he told her, pointing to her side and the drops of blood that had soaked through the bandages and her gown. "It wasn't my son. It was her. And that's what you're gonna tell those cops. You're gonna tell them Helena Cassadine came to your suite to murder you, or that you don't know who it was. 'Cause you ain't gonna tell them it was my son."
Alexis released a breath she had been holding, flinching at the pain it caused. Beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks and plastered strands of hair to her neck. She hadn't been given time to really think about what had happened. Alexis realized that Helena had finally done what she had threatened for so long. "I wonder," she finally said, trembling, "why he didn't use a knife? I wonder why Helena didn't tell him to slash my throat?"
Luke sighed, standing to his full height. He rubbed his hands down his face. He held his hand against her head, sweeping Alexis' hair away from her face. His voice was soft as he said, "I don't know, darlin'. Who knows why that woman does anything?" He bent down again and asked her, "Can you make me a promise? Can you make my son a promise?"
"What?"
"Just let me be the one to find him. He's already got Helena holdin' him prisoner, don't let the cops lock him up. Please."
Alexis swallowed hard, a tear slipping down her cheek. She nodded and wiggled her hand until he took hold of it. "I promise if you promise."
"What?" Luke asked.
"If you find Helena, don't waste your time with innuendo or torture or asking a lot of questions. Just fucking kill her, okay?"
Luke nodded. He surprised Alexis and himself by brushing his lips over her cheek, letting the kiss linger against the corner of her mouth. He stood up and crossed the room in silence. Before he was even in the hallway, Taggert slipped into her room.
"Hello, Ms. Davis," he greeted her, nodding. "I'm glad to see you're okay."
"Thank you," she said softly, furiously wiping her tears. "I suppose it's question and answer time?"
Taggert nodded, reaching into his pocket for a pen and small pad of paper. "I know it's probably the last thing you wanna do, but you know the procedure."
Alexis looked past Taggert, into Luke's eyes as he nearly pressed his face to the small window on her door. She sighed, "I don't know how much help I'll be. I never saw the person who shot me."
~*~
"Is it true?" Jax asked, pulling the blinds up and opening the window.
Alexis nodded. She sat up, rolling her eyes at the tray of food resting on her lap. It had been over two hours since Luke left and her fever broke, but she still didn't have much of an appetite. She took the fork into her hand and poked at the green jello. "Yes," she finally answered him. "I never saw who shot me. But like I said before, I know it was Helena." She closed her eyes and pressed her palm against her chest. "She took my mother's ring."
He clucked his tongue in annoyance, shaking his head. He sat down beside her. "I'm so sorry, Alexis. I don't even know what to say anymore."
"You don't have to say anything," she smiled, patting his hand. "Well," she corrected herself, "you could tell me that I don't need to eat this food."
"You do," he ordered, pointing to a bowl of cooked carrots. Jax opened the packet of utensils. He took the plastic knife and dipped it in the butter, spreading it over a slice of bread. He started to lift it to her lips and stopped, dropping it back onto the tray. He picked the tray up and set it on the floor.
Alexis laughed. "You sure are fickle."
"No, you have to eat. But not right this minute." He adjusted himself on the bed so that he was facing her. Jax closed his eyes and said, "Chloe probably won't be coming to see you."
"Huh?"
He opened his eyes, sucking in a quick breath. Jax bit into his bottom lip. His eyes darted around the room. He nervously twisted the edge of the sheet around his fingers. "I didn't mean to sound so... harsh. But Chloe and I aren't together anymore, and even though she's very concerned about you, I don't think she really wants to see me right now. And I have no intention of leaving this hospital as long as you're in it."
"Slow down, Jax. What happened?"
"What happened with Chloe... I need to start at the beginning."
Alexis nodded, puzzled. "Good idea," she said.
"Okay. I divorced you because you wanted to be with Ned and I was supposed to be falling in love with Chloe. And then Ned left. I realized that if he had been gone, I would have wanted to stay married to you. Chloe wouldn't have been enough of a reason for me to divorce you." The words left Jax's mouth in one long breath.
"What are you saying?" She asked, hesitant.
He took her hand, lifting it to his mouth. Jax pressed a kiss to her wrist and held her hand against his heart. She could feel how erratic the beats were, how nervous and unsteady just like his eyes and his voice. "I'm saying, Alexis, that I love you."
Stunned, she leaned back and closed her eyes. He let her hand slip out of his, falling over her lap. Alexis' breathing hitched. A small squeak escaped her lips when she opened her mouth to speak. She cleared her throat and said, "I wasn't expecting that."
"I'm sorry. I know my timing is pretty awful, but when I came to the suite and saw you lying there, bleeding to death... I knew I had already waited too long." Jax steadied himself. He forced her eyes to lock with his. "I don't expect you to say anything. I just want you to know."
She cupped his cheek in her hand, pulling him closer to her. Alexis let her hand fall down to his shoulder. She clutched his shirt. "You're my best friend," she smiled, her eyes glistening. "I do love you. I just don't know what to do about that right now."
He nodded. "I understand. I want you to know how important you are to me."
"I know." Alexis tried to stifle a yawn, but it was useless. She let go of his shirt to rub her eyes. "I'm too tired to eat that," she said, gesturing to the tray on the ground.
Jax stood up and took the tray into his hands. He set it on the table beside the bed. "I'll let you off the hook this time. But as soon as you're ready to leave this hospital, I'm fixing you a big protein shake." He watched her for a moment, moisture glazing his eyes. He sighed and began moving away from the bed. "Guess I should get going, let you rest. But I'll just be right outside."
Alexis shook her head, reaching up to him. "Stay," she said, barely audible. She strained to move to the side of the bed. She patted the space beside her, her eyes quietly pleading with him. "Stay," she said again.
The corners of his mouth slowly spread into a smile. Jax carefully lowered himself onto the bed. He turned on his side, facing Alexis. He slid a pillow between his body and her's, cushioning the wounds. He spread his fingers apart and Alexis weaved their hands together, clasping them against her chest. She sank further against the mattress, suddenly more comfortable with Jax beside her. The heat coming from his body wrapped around her and she felt herself drifting to sleep. "Goodnight," he whispered into her hair, listening as her breathing grew shallow and calm.
~*~
The memories he had been avoiding for so long bombarded him all at once. So much information was crammed into his head, Lucky could physically feel the strain to fit it all inside. To sort through it, make sense of it. He raked his fingers through his disheveled hair and pulled on the short strands. He wanted to scream, but there was no one to yell at but himself.
Lucky stood up and turned around. His eyes scanned the park bench that had been his bed that night. He stretched his arms into the air and turned his stiff neck from side to side, working out the kinks. He took his bag, which had conveniently served as a pillow, and swung it over his shoulder. As he walked, Lucky pulled the zipper of his jacket up to his neck and tightened the hood around his head. He laughed to himself at the irony of his situation; all of the tricks he was using to hide were courtesy of the very man he most wanted to avoid and detach himself from, his father.
He kept his eyes to the ground as he walked, slowly emerging from the serenity of the park and entering the chaos of the city. His stomach growled, burning for nourishment. His mouth was tacky and dry. Lucky held his breath to avoid smelling the pastries that beckoned to him from inside the various bakeries lining the street. He felt pangs of jealousy as he watched people pass by, clutching paper cups of hot coffee in their hands. But he knew he didn't deserve to be warm and to quench his hunger.
A man brushed past Lucky, his long trench coat flapping as he walked. Lucky watched as the man dropped a newspaper into a trash can. Jogging down the sidewalk, he dug through the trash and took the crisp paper into his hands. His eyes furiously searched the pictures and bold letters for Alexis' name. Lucky's breath caught in his throat when he saw a small picture of her. He read the caption aloud, "Prominent attorney survives shooting."
Lucky heaved a sigh of relief. He tucked the paper under his arm and sped through the crowd. He found a quiet, barren corner and escaped the rush of people. He unfolded the paper and read the story to himself. His eyes were too tired and scared to study every single word. He caught fractions of sentences, his eyes focusing on the words, "surprise," "intruder," and "unknown." He leaned against the brick wall behind him, his fingers crunching into the paper as he squeezed it. He swallowed the nervous lump stalling his breath and wondered why his name wasn't highlighted, underlined or mentioned at all.
~*~
It wasn't the first time he had watched her sleep, and he certainly hoped it wouldn't be the last. But it was the first time Stefan willed his sister to open her eyes. It was the first time he wanted to purposely disturb her slumber. He tried looming over her, hoping his presence would stir Alexis' deep sleep. He tapped his short nails against the metal rail that built a slight wall around her bed. Nothing worked.
Stefan sighed, falling back into the chair beside the bed. He propped his elbows on his thighs and held his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. While he was looking away from her, Alexis woke. She blinked several times until her eyes adjusted to the dim light and her surroundings. She was surprised, and not surprised, to turn her head and see her brother. "Stefan," she whispered his name, a breath rasping across her lips.
He sat up suddenly, moving the chair. His features softened and his shoulders sank as he released a breath. "Thank God," he sighed.
"For what?" She asked, almost laughing.
He moved closer to her bed. Stefan fiddled with the rail until it collapsed, giving him access to her hand. He rest his arms over the mattress and took her hands inside his, drawing circles over the pale skin covering her knuckles. "You woke up," he told her, his voice sounding like that of an anxious child.
"You didn't think I would?"
Stefan shrugged, bending down to kiss her hand. He looked up and said, "I know you need rest, Alexis. I'm sorry that I disturbed you, but-"
"No you're not," she interjected.
He smiled warmly, his eyes brightening. "You're right. I'm not sorry that you woke. In fact, it would please me very much if you never close your eyes again."
"Sorry," she laughed, the word muffled as she yawned. "That's not really possible."
"I thought I lost you." Stefan practically covered her body with his own, wrapping one arm around her waist and carefully avoiding the wounds on the side of her body. He rest his head against her stomach and clutched her hand inside his. "I failed you."
Alexis sealed her lips, unsure of how to respond to his behavior. She took her free hand and trailed her fingers through his hair. Her voice was quiet, barely loud enough to reach his ears. "How? By not having the power to change history and rid our lives of Helena long before she could cause so many problems? Because that's what it would take to reverse everything she has done, Stefan."
He sat up, never loosening his grip on her hand. "No," he shook his head, "because I let my pride overshadow how much I love you. How much you mean to me."
"We've had this conversation before, Stefan. We've betrayed one another so many times and yet..."
"Here we are," he said, his glassy eyes holding her gaze. "Without rehashing our torrid history, let me make a promise to you right now. I've spent more than half of my life exacting revenge against those who have betrayed me, and all that I have learned is that without my sister in my life, I have nothing. Nothing, Alexis. I will never let pride or revenge or the past interfere with our lives again." He paused, looking down at their joined hands, the tight embrace they had shared so many times, whether as children exploring the island or as adults offering comfort. He lifted his head to meet her heavy eyes again and said, "With one exception."
Alexis tilted her head to the side. "What?"
"Helena. She did this, I know. I knew the moment I found there had been an attempt on your life. And any doubts I had were erased this morning, when I found this." Stefan let go of her hands to reach into the pocket of his coat. He watched her eyes water and her lips tremble as he revealed her mother's ring.
"How? Where did you find that?" Alexis stammered, holding her hand against her chest. She felt the bare patch of skin the sapphire ring usually covered.
He stood up. Stefan helped her rise to a sitting position. He tucked her hair behind her ears and gathered the thick strands in his hands, pushing them away from her shoulders. He fastened the chain around her neck and let the ring fall to her chest, settling against the valley between her breasts. "It was delivered to Wyndemere this morning, in a blank envelope," he revealed, his fingers absently playing with the ends of her chestnut hair.
"Thank you for bringing it to me," she cried enthusiastically, clutching the ring inside her fist. "The ring is supposed to protect whoever wears it."
"I suppose some things fail us when we need them most." Stefan sat down. He touched the pads of his fingers to her cheek, tracing the path of a tear as it fell from the corner of her eye. "And I promise you," he told her firmly, "that I will never again fall under that category."
~*~