Mr. Right (General Hospital)

Chapter 6: Unexpected

March 23rd 2019

     "Any big plans for today?" Sam asks, sipping at her coffee.
     "As a matter of fact, I do have some plans. But you go first, I wanna know what you and my grandbabies are up to." Alexis says, resting her chin on Scout's head.
     "We're going to a birthday party for a friend of Danny's, he has a little sister Scout's age so her and the other toddlers will have a little party all of their own. What are your plans? They seem exciting from the way you're smiling."
     "I'm smiling because I'm spending time with my grandkids. I may as well tell you before Danny gets back from the bathroom. I'm going on my last blind date tonight."
     "Whose guy is this? Diane's?"
     "Julian's. The guy sounds nice enough."
     "Are you kidding me? Julian? Mom, what the Hell?"
     "He's different and he's just trying to get his friends a date. He's not a bad guy, and he's really made an improvement. Everything is about Nolan." Alexis tells her. "Have you even met your brother yet?"
     "No, and I'm not going to. Not on purpose anyways. I'm not in Julian's life and I don't want him in mine."
     "Nolan's done nothing wrong. You're punishing a baby because you have daddy issues?"
     "Mom, what the Hell?"
     "You need to grow the Hell up and get off your high horse, because for as long as you're with Jason and friends with Carly and Sonny, you don't get to judge your father." Alexis states. Danny gets back to the table. Alexis puts Scout back in the highchair and kisses Danny's head. "I'm gonna go now. Grow up, Sam."

Much Later

     Alexis sits at the bar, moving quietly so Julian doesn't turn around. "I'll take your finest bottle of sparkling water."
     Julian jumps, throwing his drink into the air. "Shit."
     "Sorry. What's got you so jumpy?"
     "Nolan had a stuffy nose last night, I didn't get more than twenty minutes of sleep at a time. I wasn't expecting to see you, but I was actually about to text you."
     "Oh, what about?"
     "Chris, and your date tonight. I don't think it's happening anymore."
     "We were having coffee this morning, then he came out to me. He's, uh, pretty gay, and in love with me."
     Alexis covers her mouth. "I'm not laughing, I'm not."
     "It's not funny."
     "No, Julian, it's hilarious. I bet he's giving you signals and you just haven't noticed, or you've reciprocated without realizing."
     "He was shocked when I asked if he wanted to go on a date with you. But he said yes, so I didn't think anything of it. He was just trying to make me happy."
     "So, what exactly happened?"
     "We were having coffee, then we sat on the couch and were talking. I mentioned the date, then he said there was something he had to tell me. I asked what, and he kissed me. Then he apologized and took off."
     "Did you text him? Is he alright?"
     "I think he's fine, but I don't know what to even say to him. I don't want this to ruin our friendship."
     "Do you want my advice?" Alexis asks. Julian tilts his head. "Just talk to him. You're too old to be acting like a teenage girl."
     "Fine, I'll text him in a minute. But first, I have to take your order. You said you wanted sparkling water, but we have flavors now?"
     "You have flavors?" She asks, playfully.
     "We have flavors."
     "What kind of flavors?"
     "Peach, orange, blackberries, lemon lime, apple, black cherry, and ginger lime."
     "Hmm, choices. I'm tempted to try ginger lime, but I'll stick with black cherry."
     "Good choice. My personal favorite is actually the ginger lime, but I like them all, except orange. And grape, but it tastes like cough syrup so I don't have that." He turns and digs through the fridge, putting a can and a glass in front of her. "It's on the house."
     "That's too kind of you."
     "It's the least I can do after I got your hopes up."
     "Don't beat yourself up over this. I'm tired of all the blind dates."
     "They didn't go great?"
     "They mostly did."
     "I have time."
     "So, Sam's guy for me was this super sweet doctor, but he was still so in love with his late wife. It would've never worked. Then Molly's guy was that English professor you sort of met. That was the bowling date. It was great and he'd have been great, if he didn't want a relationship that could lead to three or four kids. Then Stuart. Stuart is everything I'm looking for, in a friend. We decided that we're gonna keep our relationship at friends because we love what we can be as friends and we don't want to ruin it. I'll probably end up going with him to the Nurse's Ball. Then there's Connor, Diane's guy. What Diane failed to mention is that Connor is married. I mean, it's not a real marriage or anything but it's still weird knowing he has a wife."
     "Well, it's good that you're taking the high road. Was the sex at least good?"
     "Amazing, until his five year old son called to say goodnight." She laughs. "I think that's why I'm a little off, he had a baby with her years after they said they split. He claims it's because they both wanted a son but didn't know when they'd had a chance to have more kids."
     "I've had a kid ruin a night."
     "When Sam walked in on us?"
     "A few months ago. I was getting hot and heavy with this woman, then Nolan woke up and starting crying. She grabbed her purse and left."
     "Did she have your pants off yet?"
     "No."
     "She wouldn't have left if she had."
     "Someone's getting flirty. This is a great time for me to ask you to watch Nolan while I run to the bathroom and take care of the fact that my new boxers are riding so far up my ass it's arousing."
     "Wait, really?" She asks, covering her mouth.
     He nods. "Don't laugh." He lifts Nolan from behind the bar and passes him to Alexis, running into the back.
     Nolan smiles at Alexis, wiping his nose on her shirt. "Nolan, you got bogies on me." He just yawns and lays his cheek on her.
     Alexis kisses his head. "You're just the sweetest boy, aren't you. Like your dad, little charmer."
     Julian comes out, patting Nolan's back. "Sorry I surprise babied you. I'm guessing you wanna drink your sparkling water and head home. Or, uh, if you want we can finish off the last pie after I close."
     "I'd like that. There's nothing at home but work and reruns. Here I get to spend some time with Nolan. And you too, of course."
     "Of course." He teases, going over to the front door and flipping the sign. He heads into the back and comes out with the pie and two forks. They choose a table and sit, starting to eat. Julian puts some of the filling on his spoon and holds it out for Nolan. "He likes the blueberry syrup, I'm still hesitant to give him any berries. I don't want him to choke."
     "Not wanting your baby to choke is a good thing."
     "I know that. But I do feel overprotective sometimes. I mean, I won't send the kid to daycare because I get too stressed when he's not somewhere I can see him."
     "You almost lost him, twice. You're allowed to be nervous."
     Julian kisses Nolan's head. "Do you know the worst part about all of it?"
     "Your wife tried to kill your son?"
     "Obviously, I was exaggerating on this being the worst part. The worst part now that Nolan is okay, is everyone blames me. I didn't make her take those pills and I didn't tell her to take Nolan up to the roof so she could jump."
     "She was devastated, then she got pregnant so her hormones were crazy. They said Oscar was doing and then he got he got hit by a car. You could imagine how upset she was. She was told she was keeping her son, then he was taken from her anyways."
     "Losing Oscar didn't give Kim the right to overdose on valium while she was thirty-four weeks pregnant. Nolan's lucky he made it out of her. Then she took him from the NICU and tried to jump off the roof with him. Trying to kill him once wasn't enough for her."
     "She was sick. The was confused, hormonal, on some heavy sedatives, and suffering from serious post partum and grief."
     Julian nods. "I know, I know." He puts his spoon down and turns Nolan. "I just love my little man so much and to think that his mother would try to kill him twice, it breaks my heart. I mean, even being out of his incubator could've killed him."
     "It's not like she wasn't sorry. She wrote an apology letter. She knew what she did was wron-"
     "It was her suicide note, not an apology letter. If it were an apology I wouldn't have had to see her with slit wrists to get the letter."
     Alexis reaches across and grabs his hand. "It's in the past now. Kim isn't going to try and hurt Nolan again, and you've had enough time to realize that the Kim who did all that wasn't really Kim Nero, sorry, Jerome."
     "Nero's fine."
     Nolan yawns and rests his head on Julian's chest. Julian twirls his finger in the tuft of long hair on the back of Nolan's head. "It's almost eight. I should probably put this little man to bed."
     "Would you mind if I came with you? I adore this little heartbreaker."
     "What do you think, Nolan, can Alexis come?" Julian asks. Nolan yawns again, getting comfortable against Julian's chest. Julian laughs and gets to his feet, only needing minimal assistance from Alexis. They go into his office and over to Nolan's crib. Julian sits in the rocking chair next to it and pushes him back and forth. "Good night, Nolan. Sleep tight, enjoy tonight. When you wake up, you'll be a day older and a day closer to your last time being rocked to sleep."
     Julian lays Nolan down, watching him for a second before turning up to Alexis. "I hate to leave him when he first goes down."
     "Than don't. I can watch him forever, too. You're a good dad, Julian. I wish Sam could see that."
     "So do I. Maybe you could talk her into visiting Nolan. Maybe you could just bring Nolan so she doesn't think I'm just trying to see her."
     Alexis looks down at her nails. "She doesn't want to see Nolan. I talked to her this morning."
     "I figured." Julian sighs, moving to the couch. Alexis rests her hand on his.
     "You are a really great dad. I wish I'd gotten more time with you in dad mode."
     "I wish we'd gotten more time period. I really fucked up one of the best things I've ever had." He flips his hand under hers.
     She closes her hand around his. "We can have some time tonight."
     He kisses her hand. "Do you want me?"
     "I want you, Julian Jerome."
     Julian pins Alexis to the couch. "I haven't had sex in over a year, I may be a little quicker than normal."
    "Quicker than your normal is still better than average. Give it to me, me guy."

One more chapter left! Next, Alexis picks her date.