Dance with the Devil: Chapter 67

Viki looked at her watch, not realizing it had gotten so late.  Dorian had been gone a good hour since giving them an update and Viki was concerned that something had happened.  She got up to walk around and decided she needed to step outside for a minute.  Wandering the halls of the hospital, she found her way to the chapel and went in. 

She sat down in silence for a while.  It wasn’t until she heard her name called that she even realized there was anyone in the room with her.  “Viki, are you alright?” Tina asked.

Viki smiled.  “Yes, I just needed some time to myself.  There’s a lot of people in that room,” she told her sister.

“Yeah, who would have thought, all those people for Todd,” Tina replied with a slight smile on her face.

“I would have, actually,” Viki said.  When Tina looked at her with a surprised expression, Viki shrugged her shoulders.  “He’s not the same man he was when we first knew him.”

Tina thought about that for a minute.  “I can see that.  He really did have the corner on the arrogant and angry young man market back then, though.”

Viki turned to Tina.  “You know, in all the years we’ve known, him, I have never gotten the full story on you telling him who he was.”

“Well, you were going through an awful lot at that time.  I didn’t think I should bring it up to you then,” Tina said as she began to act rather squirrelly.

Viki could see the shift in her sister’s demeanor.  “Well, I think I would like to know just how it happened.”

Tina’s gaze moved in the opposite direction of Viki, but sighing, she decided she needed the distraction just as much as Viki did.  “Well, after I found out that David was scamming me, I went to the park to gather my thoughts, regroup.  Todd came up to me and asked me what my problem was with him.  I told him to get away from me but he kept insisting and finally, I told him he ruined my life, that I wished he’d never been born.  When Todd wanted to know why I was snooping around in his life, I told him to blame David, that it was all his idea.  That David was pretending to me him.  Todd didn’t understand why David was pretending to be him.  David was pretending to be the Lord heir.  That’s when the light bulb went off.”

“Todd figured it out,” Viki assumed.  “David snooping around him, pretending to be the son of Victor Lord, meant that Todd was the heir.”

“Yep, though I tried not to confirm it to him,” Tina said.  “But he asked me point blank, was he the son of Victor Lord and I said yes.  After that, I left him in the park.”

Viki nodded.  “He turned up at Llanfair and was very insistent on seeing me, even if I wasn’t really there.  He told me that you had told him,  but I tried to dismiss it by saying you were an idiot.”

“Well, you know, I haven’t really been the brightest bulb in the box,” Tina admitted. 

“He told me the pieces he had put together and then wanted to know about Father and Irene,” she said.  “Todd had a hard time with the information I could give him.”

“He wound up in a bar,”  Blair voice told them.  “He called me to tell me to forget about him but I went the bar and he told me all of it.”

“You already knew!” Tina exclaimed.    

Blair let out a sigh.  “Yes, Tina, I already knew he was Victor’s son.  But I sat, and listen, and yes played dumb.”  Blair sat down next to her sisters-in-law.  “I’m not proud of what I did all those years ago, and faking a pregnancy wasn’t my initial plan.  But I found out I needed money for Momma’s care and Dorian was missing, so I…”

“Resorted to the old standby,” Tina finished for her.

Blair narrowed her eye.  “Says the woman who used another woman’s baby to get her man back,” Blair sniped.  Tina was chastised.  “Besides, thanks to Tina, I found out I really was pregnant.  Her whispering in Todd’s ear about my past made him force my hand to take a test and low and behold, I really was.”

“Was that when you found out about me?” Starr asked as she came into the chapel.

Blair shook her head.  “No, baby girl, this was when your dad and I first got married.  We were just talking about that time, Todd finding out…”  She turned to Viki and Tina.  “…Finding his family.  He never really had that and I want to thank you for that Viki.  I never have.  You could have turned him out completely, given him the inheritance and been done with him.”

“We almost were,” Viki said.  “The day at the country club, when we met with the trustees, Tina, Kevin, Joey, Jess and I were thinking about doing just that.”

Viki’s comment was cut off by the entry of Dorian.  “They’ve finished the surgery and he’s being moved to ICU.  There…may have been some complications, so the doctors want to talk to you,” she told the women.

Blair and Viki led the way back to the waiting area.  Drs. Wolek and Harmon were already there.  “How did it go?  My aunt said there was a problem,” Blair said as soon as she saw them.

Danny looked at Matt.  “There was an unexpected drop in blood pressure during the procedure, but it did stabilize before anything else occurred.  We were able to successfully remove the third bullet and repair the damage it caused.  Now we had to induce a coma, but it was more for pain management and recuperative purposes.  If all goes according to plan, he should come out of it on his own in a twelve to twenty-four hours,” Matt Harmon explained. 

Blair sensed what they weren’t saying.  “And if he doesn’t come out of it in that time frame?” she asked.

“Mrs. Manning,” Danny said.  “Blair, we need patience.  The next six to twelve hours are the most crucial and after we get through those, we can determine if he needs more recuperation beyond the twenty-four hour period.”

Blair nodded.  “I want to see him, when can I go see him?”

“They’re getting him settled in the ICU now.  It should be a few minutes and then you can go in.  But please, only one at a time,” Dr. Harmon said.  With that, they left.

Anna had decided that it had been a long day and she needed a drink.  She found herself at the Floating Rib when Luke Spencer came up to her.  “You look like you need a friend to talk to,” he said to her.

Anna smiled as he ex’s best friend approached.  “Well, we may have gotten a break in the whole crazy baby switch case,” she said.  “The trouble is I still can’t wrap my head around it.”  Anna was about to tell him about it when her phone rang.  Seeing it was John McBain, she answered it right away.  “Yes, John…Where are you…I’ll be right over.”  She ended the call.  “I have to go.  It seems Helena may have shown her hand.”

At the mention of Helena, Luke’s ears perked up.  “Where to then?”  When Anna was about to stop him from coming, Luke told her, “I want to know that bitch’s every move, so unless you’ve got a herd of wild horses, I’m going with you.”

Anna knew Luke well enough not to argue with him.  “McBain is over at Jason’s penthouse with Alexis, her daughters and Victor Lord.”  They hurried to the apartment building and were let in.  On the floor was Alexis, shaking and in tears, being embraced by Sam.

Luke looked over and saw Molly and Kristina also in tears.  He decided to take them aside to find out what happened.  In the kitchen, he said, “Tell me what happened.”

Kristina was too shocked to say anything, so Molly answered.  She explained what John and Victor had come to tell them, that Helena wanted Sam’s son in exchange for Tea and her son.  “Sam thought Mom could fill in the blanks so we came here and were told what Helena wanted, her great-grandson.  Mom said something about it not happening.  Sam started to prod her about how this tied into Helena and then figured out it had to do with Sam’s biological father.”

At those words, Luke’s face fell.  He always had a suspicion about that mystery of Alexis’ life, knowing the household she had grown up in, but had never dared to ask.  Even now, he feared the answer, remembering the more sinister members of her family.

Molly carried on.  “Finally, Sam asked her point blank who her father was and Mom…Mom said it was…it was…”  The teenager couldn’t finish her sentence.

Luke pulled Molly into a hug as the tears burst forth.  Kristina looked at the man’s reaction.  “You knew the truth?  You knew who Sam’s father was?” she asked angrily.

Molly’s tears subsided as she looked up at her mother’s friend.  He shook his head as he answered, “I never had proof positive, but I suspected.  Knowing Stavros, the kind of man he was, let’s just say, it doesn’t surprise me.”

“That’s sick!”  Kristina cried.  “To rape…your own…”

Luke took hold of Kristina’s shoulders.  “Yes, it’s sick, and this is no excuse, but at the time, I don’t even think he knew she was his sister.”  He led both girls out to where their mother and sister were.  Molly and Kristina ran to them and they all embraced. 

Anna saw him approach.  “How are Molly and Kristina hold up?  It must have been a tremendous shock for them.”

Luke smiled over at them.  The last name may have been Davis, but they were all Cassadines, through and through.  “They’re managing.  Kristina reacted in anger and disgust, but little Molly, she tried to remain stoic.”  He looked at Anna, John and Victor.  “Have you all figured out a plan?”

“We’re working on it, but none of them are good.  Helena wants the baby, but we can’t give him up.  We’ll lose any leverage we have,” John said.

“And what about my family?” Victor asked snidely.  “I will not sacrifice them.”  He walked away from the group.

Luke walked over Sam.   “Can I have a word?”

Sam looked back at her mother being comforted by sisters.  She moved off with him and Jason followed.  Luke looked at Alexis.  “First off, how’s she doing and how are you doing?”

“I’m…I don’t know how I’m doing.  I’m sorry I ever had to ask the question,” Sam responded tentatively.  “And Mom…”

“Your mother has been put through a lot worse at the hands of Helena and Stavros and she’s survived it all.,” Luke assured Sam.  “Right now, though, we have a problem.  In order to save the other lady lawyer and her bundle of joy, we need to give Helena your son.”

“Absolutely not,” Jason said.  “Tell me where I can find Helena--”

“You will do no such thing, Mr. Morgan,” Anna’s voice said loudly.  She knew where his train of thought was going.

“Wait a second.  Helena’s been in contact with you, right Victor?”  Sam asked.

Victor looked towards the woman.  “Yeah, since I got back,” he replied.

“Luke, by now, do you think she could suspect we’re on to her?” Sam asked.

“Oh, undoubtedly, but she also likes to think you are looking at one move, when she’s using another,” he replied.

“What if we give her what she wants?  Would she suspect that?” Sam asked.

It was Alexis who responded.  “You want to give Helena your son?”

Sam looked at Victor.  “What I propose is, I go with Victor for the handoff and try to buy time until we can find Tea and her son.”

Anna looked around the room.  “It’s too risky, Sam.”

“I’m willing to take the risk.  Look, it may just buy us enough time.”  Sam looked at all the faces in the room.  “And I want to face my grandmother, face her about my father.  I’m willing to take the risk, me and my son.”

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