Starting Over
a fanfic by SonnyandAlexisGal
Chapter Four

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Alexis wakes suddenly, sits up, and stares straight ahead of her – just as Kristina is making her way down the stairs and into the living room.

“Alexis?” Kristina asks. “Are you alright?”

“Did you hear that?” Alexis asks, her heart pounding.

“Hear what?”

“It woke me up…”

“What?”

Alexis studies the room around her. Everything slowly comes back to her. She’s in her living room. Around her she sees all of the furniture that she had so carefully selected when she moved into the penthouse way back when.

She’s at home. Her sister Kristina is with her.

Everything is alright, her mind repeats over and over again as she breathes deeply to steady herself.

She moves her head from side to side, stretching her neck muscles - trying to shake it off – the sense of panic she felt when she woke up.

“Nothing,” she answers finally. “I just…I thought I heard Sonny’s voice…Pretty weird, huh?”

“Not necessarily,” Kristina says. “You’ve just spent an entire night worried about him. It’s only natural that you’d still be worried…”

“…You think so?”

“Yes, I think so. Why don’t you try to go back to sleep? Maybe you can even make it up to your room this time…”

Alexis shakes her head no and stands up from the sofa, letting the blanket drop onto the sofa.

“I’m not sure I want to sleep – at least not right now. I had a…pretty awful dream, I think. My heart is still racing…”

“Well then, maybe it’s time for you and my little niece to eat something…”

“That would be wonderful,” Alexis says. “So what’s to eat - that french toast we spoke about?”

“Actually," Kristina begins, "I decided that you would probably be better off with something a little more nutritious than that…”

“Really? Like what?”

“Well, there’s always a nice healthy protein shake…”

Alexis rolls her eyes.

“Ooh - yum…”

Kristina laughs.

“But I made an egg white omelet for you to eat instead - for the protein without the cholesterol...”

"With cheese?" Alexis asks.

"With a little bit of cheese."

“Oh. Well, that sounds tasty enough…” Her mind drifts for a moment. “Mike hasn’t called, has he?”

“No, Alexis,” Kristina answers. “Mike hasn’t called…”

“Just wondering…”

“Are you sure you're alright?”

“I’m fine,” Alexis insists. “I…guess I’m not all that comfortable being so far away from Sonny right now…”

“He regained consciousness, Alexis. Now that has to be huge for someone whose body has been through the trauma that Sonny’s has been through.”

“I know…”

“And Mike’s there to watch over him…”

“I know that, too. But there is one thing that’s missing with all of that…”

“And what’s that?”

“Me,” Alexis answers. “I…need to be there with him myself…”

“And you’re not going to settle down until you are, right?”

“Probably not…”

“Well,” Kristina begins, “you need to eat something so why don’t you grab a seat and I’ll get your omelet...”

Kristina turns and disappears into the kitchen.

“Thank you!” Alexis calls after her.

Alexis walks over to the dining table, pulls out a chair, and sits. She fidgets in her seat, growing more and more anxious as the seconds tick by.

That’s it, she tells herself. As soon as I’m done eating, I’m going back to the hospital…

She considers for a moment before figuring out what is really going on in her mind. She has told everyone over and over again that Sonny needs to know that she’s with him. There’s no doubt that that’s probably true. Knowing that Alexis cares about him and hasn’t completely deserted him probably makes a world of difference to him.

But another truth is that Alexis needs to be with him, too. Nearly losing Sonny after moving away from him has been a sobering experience. At varying times since, she has felt a combination of guilt, longing, regret, indecision, and sadness. And then, when Sonny was shot, there was the added fear that she would never see him alive again – that she would never again have a chance to tell him how much she loves him – that their baby would never have the chance to love her father and to be loved by him – to know all of the things about him that don't get printed in the local newspaper.

That’s why it was so important that she be with him when he did finally open his eyes. She wanted him to wake up and know immediately that she was there by his side – looking out for him. Nothing else was important.

Alexis doesn’t remember what her dream was about but she does know how it made her feel – terrified. She knows that it had something to do with Sonny and that’s all she needs to know. It means that it’s time to go back to the hospital to take care of him.

She didn’t know what would happen after that and she didn’t care.

She had to help Sonny to recover and to make his way back from all of this.

Whatever comes afterward would have to take care of itself.

___________________________________________________________________

Mike paces the floor of the waiting room – his imagination taking all kinds of twists and turns, the ever-loyal Max not far away, also looking worried. How long will they be in there? How long will it take before they tell him something about Sonny and what’s happened to him.

His heart pounded as he watched the color drain from Sonny’s face – as he listened to the frenzied beeping of the heart monitor that was attached to him, as he watched Sonny lying motionless on the bed before the doctor on duty and crew chased him and Max out of the recovery room.

This can’t be happening again, his mind insists. How many more of these can Sonny survive? Sooner or later…

Mike shakes off the thought. He will not allow himself to entertain any other thoughts besides those of Sonny recovering – of his son making it back once again.

But when will they tell him something?

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a gurney speeding past – one with Sonny lying on it.

Dr. Bechet – the one who responded when Max ran to get help from the nurses’ station – follows closely behind, shouting out instructions to the team of hospital personnel wheeling Sonny past the waiting room and back in the direction of the surgical theater.

Mike runs to catch up.

“Doctor,” he begins frantically, following along, “how is my son?”

“We got him back…”

“Got him back?” Mike repeats. “What are you mean – ‘got him back’?”

“Mr. Corinthos went into cardiac arrest…”

Mike is suddenly struck dumb trying to process the words he just heard.

“Cardiac arrest?” he manages.

“We had to defibrillate him but we got his heart back to a normal sinus rhythm,” Dr. Bechet continues as he quickly follows the gurney in the direction of the operating theater. “But we have to get him into surgery. It looks as if Mr. Corinthos has developed a blood clot that’s cutting off the flow of blood to his heart…”

His heart stopped beating…

“Doctor…”

“There’s no time right now, Mr. Corbin,” Dr. Bechet interrupts. “We have to get him into surgery…”

Mike stops and watches as the team rushes the gurney through the big double doors, the nurse carrying Sonny’s IV bag following close behind – Dr. Bechet not far behind her.

Mike stands helplessly and watches the doors close.

“Hang on, Michael,” he pleads silently. “Please…”

___________________________________________________________________

Kristina sits at the table and watches Alexis put the last forkful of the omelet into her mouth.

“So?” she asks. “Feel better?”

Alexis nods as she finishes chewing.

“I do. Thank you,” she manages. “I have to admit that I was feeling...a little light-headed…”

“Of course you were. You haven’t eaten for hours and hours. You're going to have to take better care of you and the baby, you know…”

“I know, I know…” Alexis says as she stands up from the table. “I’ll go upstairs and get cleaned up and then I want to get back over to the hospital…”

“I can drive you,” Kristina offers.

“You don’t have to do that, Kristina. I can go with whoever’s guarding me…”

“Oh, that would be Francis, by the way. He knocked earlier when he relieved the other one – what’s his name?”

“Chuck, I think…”

The telephone rings and Alexis jumps.

Kristina stands up from her seat, shaking her head and laughing.

“Will you relax?” she says as she walks over to the telephone.

Alexis takes a deep breath and tries to calm down.

“I’m relaxed…”

Kristina picks up the receiver and presses it to her ear.

“Hello?”

Alexis studies Kristina’s face as she listens, watching for any signs that the call is news about Sonny’s condition. For some reason, she has a gut feeling…

Kristina’s expression turns serious – at least that’s what Alexis thinks. When Kristina looks over and their eyes connect, Alexis doesn’t like what she sees.

“What is it, Kristina?” Alexis asks, nervously. “Is it about Sonny?”

“Hang on,” Kristina says into the telephone. She looks at Alexis and takes a deep breath. “Mike says that Sonny developed a blood clot…”

Alexis’ heart starts to beat wildly.

“And?” she asks – almost too afraid to hear the answer.

“And,” Kristina continues, “…he went into cardiac arrest…”

Oh, God…

“But he is alive…isn’t he?” No answer. “Isn’t he?”

“They’re operating on him right now…”

The words roll around in Alexis’ head – blood clot, cardiac arrest, surgery – causing her to feel light-headed once more. But she will not fall apart. She can’t fall apart – not now.

Sonny needs her to be strong - as always.

She holds herself together – as always – and walks purposefully past Kristina and over to the front door.

“Alexis?” Kristina calls as Alexis opens the door.

“We have to go to the hospital,” Alexis instructs Francis as she walks past him on her way to the elevator.

“Yes, Miss Davis,” Francis says as he follows along quickly.

“Alexis,” Kristina calls – still holding the telephone receiver in her hand, “wait a minute…”

She hears the elevator doors open, hears the sound of footsteps.

And then she hears the elevator doors close.

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