Gertie

Chapter 17

The room was dim, and the bustle of the hospital could still be heard outside of the room. John stared down at his daughter, asleep in her bed, and he said to Marlena softly, "This is going to sound insane, but I dreamt about her." Marlena's eyes scanned over his features, while he continued to look at Gertie in awe. "I dreamt about her...and you. I know every line of her face. I know the color of her eyes. I don't understand it. I don't. I thought...I kept thinking I needed to let you go. I thought my mind was conjuring fantasies of the life I wanted, to torture me...but she's real. She's right here, and she's real."

    "John," Marlena said, barely above a whisper. "That's not possible."

    "Before last night, I might have agreed with you, but when you walked by me, cradling her body close to you, my world turned upside down, Doc. I don't know how...but it's possible."  He gently smoothed his hand over Gertie's soft dark curls, and he whispered, "I didn't know her name...you always called her munchkin."

    A gasp escaped her, and Marlena nearly lost her footing, "What?"

    John turned to face her, "I'm right, aren't I?"

    "Yes," she whispered. "I call her munchkin all the time. I called her munchkin when I was pregnant with her."

    "I dreamt her birth. I dreamt of rocking her to sleep," he said in awe. "I dreamt of watching you feed her after she was born. I feel like I know her, and I've never met her."

    "She looks so much like you, everyone says so," Marlena said with pride. "Caroline and Shawn, Alice and Tom...Abe thinks she's your female clone, and Lexie, they all adore her."

    John was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "I don't understand...why didn't someone tell me? If everyone knew...why?"

    "I wanted...maybe it was selfish, but I wanted it to come from me...and I thought, I guess I thought you didn't want to know."

    "So...Bo knew?"

    "Yes."

    "And he never said a word to Isabella?"

    "He said, she never asked about me, and he never spoke of me. I didn't want him to be in the middle of it, but I was pleased that he kept it to himself. John, whether you agree with me or not, I felt it needed to come from me. Instead, you found out from Sami."

    "Sami confirmed it," he said. "But, Doc, I knew as soon as I saw you walk by. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, and I nearly passed out in the supply closet, trying to catch my breath...but I already knew."

    "Oh, G-d! She told you in a supply closet?"

    "I don't think it was a fully thought out plan," he said with a soft laugh. "She grabbed me, and tossed me in the closet. She then proceeded to beat my chest, and cry for nearly ten minutes, shouting about Roman, phone calls, and the importance of condoms."

    Marlena blushed deeply, "She didn't."

    "Oh, she did," John said, laughing a little louder.

    Glancing at her watch, Marlena said, "I have an appointment in a few minutes...were you able to stay with Gertie? It's okay if you need to leave, Alice usually sits with her when I can't...or Sami. There's usually someone."

    John reached for her hand, running his thumb over her palm slowly. He felt her body tremble, and he said, "I'll stay, Doc."

    She remembered his touch along her palm in San Francisco, and she pulled her hand away breathlessly. Staring up at him, she whispered, "Okay. I should only be a few hours, if you need a break, Alice should be around."