Life After Dark: Book Two of the Dark Series

Chapter 61

"Thank you, Mrs. Lansbury. Tell him that it's urgent and to call me back as soon as he can." Dara hung up the telephone and rested her forehead on the heel of her hand.

Alex paused in the doorway as he silently watched her. She was trying to hold it together, but her anxiety over her sister had brought her near the breaking point. He wondered what was so compelling about Robert Jensen that his two daughters would have such extreme reactions to him. Dara had been elated to hear from him while Dawn had become frightened at the sound of his voice. Why? Why did one daughter love him so much while the other feared him, he wondered.

He entered the room and closed the door behind him. Dara raised her head at the sound of the gentle click. Her eyes were glassy as she looked at him. Her voice was confused and sad as she asked, "How could I have been so blind?"

Alex moved quickly to Dara's side. He pulled her into his arms as he said, "You can't torture yourself with that now. It's in the past."

"But it's not, Alex. You saw her. She hasn't let go of the past," she said, her words muffled against his chest.

"She will. She's made a new start here. With Nikolas and the baby on the way, I'm sure she'll be okay."

"I'm sure she will be, too..."

"But?" he asked, moving his hands from her back to cup her face.

"But I should have done something to help her. I knew they didn't really get along. Those times I went home to visit, I should have found out why."

Alex felt her pain and wished he had the words to make them go away. He wished he had known what to say or do to keep Bright Eyes from running away, but he hadn't. To make up for his inability to take their pain away, he pulled Dara closer to him.

~*~

Nikolas rested his back against the soft leather of Stefan's chair and rubbed his tired eyes. The figures on the computer screen glared back at him in defiance, and Nikolas minimized the program in retaliation. He smiled at himself at the thought as a light tap sounded on the other side of his door. "Come in," he said.

"Mr. Cassadine, I thought your uncle...," Mrs. Lansbury stammered.

"My uncle went to GH, and I'm filling in for him here. If there's a message for him, I can take it," Nikolas offered.

"No, there isn't. Actually, I was surprised to find you here. Have you been here long?" she asked.

"About an hour or so," he said with a faint smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"No, I'm so sorry, Mr. Cassadine. I did not know you were here. There's an urgent message for you," she said, nervously.

Nikolas rose and asked, "Is it Dawn? Has she been hurt?"

"I don't know, sir. Her sister called and said that you were to call her back immediately. Here's the telephone number," Mrs. Lansbury said, handing him a piece of paper.

Nikolas took the paper and immediately dialed the number. Distracted and filled with concern, he didn't notice when Mrs. Lansbury left the study.

Nikolas began to speak as soon as the ringing stopped. "Dara, what's wrong?"

"Nikolas?" came Dara's voice through the receiver.

"Yes, has something happened to Dawn? Mrs. Lansbury gave me your message. She said it was urgent. Would you please tell me what's happened?" he asked, speaking rapidly and causing his questions to become jumbled together.

"Nikolas, listen to me. Physically, Dawn is okay-"

"Physically? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that emotionally... Well, earlier today our father called me, and she answered the phone. After speaking with him briefly, she ran from my office. I asked her friend, Jordan, to tell her to call me back, but so far, she hasn't," Dara replied, her voice tight with worry and stress.