~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hold my hand inside your hands,
I need someone who understands.
I need someone, someone who hears,
For you, I've waited all these years.

For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come.
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you'll come, and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ric!" Alexis shook him again, but he continued to remain still.

He was lying atop her in an awkward angle, his upper body was splayed across her chest, his lower body angled off to her right and his head was turned away from her.

"Ric, wake up." Her hands trembled as she tried to shake him. She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not like this.

"'Lexis," finally came the moan in reply.

"Oh thank God," she whispered softly.

"Are you guys ok?" Sonny asked them worriedly coming to crouch next to Alexis.

"Call--call an ambulance for Alexis," Ric groaned. "She fell, the baby . . ."

"Ric," Alexis began.

"I'm on it," Sonny told him quickly pulling out his cell phone. "Stay here, I'm gonna see if I can find out what happened."

"Sonny, wait!" Alexis called after him, but he was already gone. He left in a hurry running towards the direction of where the gunshot came from, his phone pressed to his ear barking orders for am ambulance to get to the city park.

Her gaze went back to Ric who was trying to lift himself off of her. "Ric you're the one that needs the ambulance. You're bleeding."

"No, I'm ok," he told her, wincing in pain.

With as much effort he could muster, he rolled himself off of her as gently as possible. Stars filled his vision and the searing hot white pain he felt in his side consumed him. Alexis's eyes widened when she saw the large blood stain that covered the left side of his once white dress shirt.

"Oh God, Ric," she began nervously.

She crawled to him quickly and Ric had to fight to keep conscious.

"I'm ok," he told her again. His eyes squeezed shut.

"You are not ok," she told him angrily kneeling next to him on his left. Her vision began to blur with tears as her hands began to search the area where the blood was pooling. She finally saw the hole in his shirt the bullet had made near his left ribcage and she pushed down on his side hard.

"Gah!" Ric cried in pain.

The tears began spilling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ric, but I need to slow down the bleeding." The fact that too many people had been shot in her life was a reality and she instinctively knew what needed to be done.

"Alexis?" he groaned. "You ok?" She didn't answer him, her eyes transfixed by the blood seeping between her fingers. "Lex?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she finally answered him trying to keep the crack out of her voice. "But you're not." The tears continued to stream down her cheeks as her eyes darted to his face.

"I'm ok," he chuckled hoarsely and then winced at the effort. "You-you're ok though, right?"

"Yes," she nodded quickly.

"I fell--I fell on top of you."

She took his left hand and placed it on her stomach. "We're both ok, Ric. It's you I'm worried about."

She sniffed back her tears and her free hand went to his forehead brushing back the hair plastered to his forehead. His face was pale and his brow was covered in sweat. Ric's eyes began to flutter open at her touch but the pull to fall into unconsciousness was too deep.

"Ric?" Alexis began, her hand tapping his cheek. "Ric, don't you do this to me." Her breath hitched in her throat. "You told me that you wouldn't give up on us. Don't break your word now."

"Alexis." he removed his hand from her stomach and dragged his arm up his body to grasp the hand that was cupping his cheek. "Don't worry 'bout me," he mumbled. "Think--think of the baby."

"Ric!" she called to him frantically.

"'Lexis . . . love you."

His hand slid off of hers as his world plunged into darkness.

"Ric!" her hands where shaking now, slapping at his cheek to revive him. "Ric!"

She finally heard the sirens approaching and Sonny rushed over to her frantically. His eyes widened when he saw Ric splayed across the ground.

"He was hit?" he muttered in disbelief.

Alexis ignored him, her free hand searching for a pulse at his wrist. She found it and took in a shaky breath trying to calm herself.

"Alexis, are you hurt?" Sonny asked her. She wouldn't respond, her eyes still on Ric. "Alexis." Sonny grasped her by her shoulder. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"Ric," she whispered, her hand beginning to move over his face as her other hand continued to put pressure on his wound. "Ric . . . Ric, I love you, hang in there."

The paramedics finally rushed towards them and Alexis began to move away so that they could work on Ric. Sonny ran a hand down his face as he tried to help Alexis to her feet. She quickly shrugged out his grasp and stood on her own.

"S-she's pregnant," Sonny began nervously speaking to the paramedics. "She fell. The baby." His mind was in overdrive. Putting two words together was a miracle on its own.

One of the paramedics quickly looked up at Alexis and noted her pale face and then glanced back down at Ric.

"We gotta bag him and get him to GH," the other paramedic told him as he began to do what he said.

They quickly readied Ric for the trip to the hospital and loaded him in the back of the ambulance. The paramedic rushed over to Alexis and took her by the elbow leading her to the ambulance as well. "You can ride with us and I'll check you out on the way to GH."

"My husband, is he going to be alright?" Alexis asked him, letting him lead her to the ambulance.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, we won't know anything until we get to the hospital."

He helped her onto the back of the ambulance and Sonny raced after them.

"I'll follow you to the hospital," he told Alexis.

Her cold eyes finally turned to him and he froze in place. "I think you've done enough, Sonny. Don't you?" she asked him bitterly.

He watched as the paramedic slammed the doors shut and the ambulance raced off to the hospital. She was right. Alexis was right. Everything he came in contact with rotted beneath his touch. He was cursed. He pulled out his cell phone as he raced to his waiting car.

"Courtney, it's Sonny, is Jax there . . . Jax, you need to get to GH now. Ric's been shot and Alexis isn't doing so . . . I don't know what happened . . . Mac was already searching . . . Jax, shut up and get to GH." He ended the call even as Jax continued to yell on the other end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the ambulance arrived at General Hospital, Jax was already there waiting. Alexis didn't notice him, her hand clutching Ric's as they wheeled him into one of the trauma rooms. She finally let him go when they wouldn't allow her to go any further.

Jax came to stand behind her and he placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Alexis?" he called gently.

She turned around and fell into his arms. "I can't lose him, Jax," she told him quietly.

"You won't," he assured her, kissing the top of her head. "He's too stubborn to leave you, Alexis. Believe me."

She nodded her head and stepped away from his embrace. She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but the red stain on her hand stopped her cold. She was covered in Ric's blood.

"Use this," Jax began handing her his handkerchief. "We need to get you cleaned up and looked at."

"No, I'm not leaving this spot until I know what's going on."

"Alexis, you might be hurt."

"No," she waved him off. "One of the paramedics examined me on the way here and he said I was fine."

"Actually her blood pressure is high," came the voice from behind them. They both turned to face said paramedic. "I suggest that you have your OBGYN give you a more detailed exam." His warm eyes focused on Alexis. "I'll keep your husband in my prayers," he told her softly and walked out of the emergency room.

"Alexis--"

"Jax, don't. Not now."

He took her by the arm and led her to the row of chairs in the waiting area. "Well at least sit down," he sighed. "I'm going to get you some water. I'll be right back."

Unnoticed by all, Sonny had come through the doors earlier and he was keeping his distance far from Alexis.

"Sonny?" came the call from behind.

He turned his head to face Carly. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I was visiting my mother." Her eyes narrowed worriedly. "Why are you here? Is it the boys?"

He shook his head slowly. "Ric. He was shot at in the park."

Her large eyes widened further. "Is he gonna be ok?"

"I don't--I don't know."

Carly's eyes surveyed the waiting room and winced when she saw Alexis. "How's Alexis?"

He simply shrugged his shoulders. Carly stepped forward, but stopped when Sonny placed a restraining hand on her elbow.

"Don't, Carly. Don't mess with her right now."

"I wasn't," she defended herself. "I was just gonna see if she was ok."

Again he shook his head. "Leave her alone. She won't want to see either of us."

"Is she blaming you for this?" she asked him incredulously. "Of course she is! Everything is your fault according to Alexis," she stated angrily.

Again she tried to move forward, but he still had a hold on her.

"Leave her alone, Carly, I mean it."

She glared at him angrily and finally shook off his hand. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "After all this time you still defend her. You call her names, you try to destroy her life, but you still defend her? What's wrong with you?" she asked him and finally walked away to stand in another corner of the area.

A few seconds later, Nikolas came rushing through the doors his eyes frantically searching for his aunt. "Alexis," he sighed in relief when he spotted her and quickly ran to her. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she sighed tiredly. "Ric is in there. He-he was shot."

He crouched in front of her, placing his hands on her knees. "I know - Jax called me." He took in her appearance and frowned. "Alexis, have you seen a doctor?"

"Yes," she lied. "I'm fine."

Her mind was traveling insanely fast. Thoughts hitting her before she could even process them. She couldn't believe that this was happening. After everything they had been through. After all their trials and tribulations. They were finally making their way back to each other and then bang! Just like that her world was thrown for another loop. She couldn't lose him. She squeezed her eyes shut. The bright fluorescent lights of the hospital were intensifying her already pounding headache. Kristina. Her eyes popped open at her newest thought and her gaze went to Nikolas who was still watching her worriedly.

"Where's Kristina?" she asked him anxiously.

"She's with Viola and Emily at Wyndemere. I called Viola as soon as I heard from Jax. She's fine, Alexis. They'll take care of her."

"But--"

"No one can get on that island. There are guards posted at every tunnel entrance. She'll be safe there."

She nodded slowly believing her nephew. "Sonny," she began her tone of voice changing.

"Will not go near her," he promised.

She let out another breath in relief, but her worry went back to Ric. Her mind racing remembering all the time they had spent fighting, lying, and not even speaking. All that time lost that she wouldn't be able to get back. A tear slid down her cheek and she didn't bother to wipe it away.

Nikolas silently watched her, his worry beginning to increase by the second. But before he could note his concern for his aunt, Steven Webber came out from the trauma room. Alexis stood up quickly and walked over to him, her heart pounding frantically in her chest.

"Steven?" her eyes danced across his face. "Steven, is he going to be ok?" Her arms were crossed across her chest trying to conceal her shaking hands.

Steven looked at her sympathetically not wanting to worry her any further. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his unruly locks.

"Steven, please. Tell me," she pleaded with him.

"I don't know, Alexis," he told her honestly. "We need to get Ric into surgery ASAP to remove the bullet. It doesn't appear that any organs have been ruptured, but we won't know the full extent of the damage until we get him up there."

Her eyes began to fill with tears as she took in his words.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. She nodded quickly and he grasped her arm and gave it a squeeze in reassurance. "I promise we'll do everything we can, Alexis."

He let go of her and quickly rushed back to Ric as they began to wheel him away to perform the surgery. Jax and Nikolas both stood next to Alexis offering any type of support they could give. Sonny was standing away from the protective group formed around her, but he made his way toward her, Carly following behind.

"Alexis, he's gonna be ok," he told her softly.

Her eyes turned away from where they took Ric and landed on Sonny. He sucked in a breath when he finally saw her face. She was extremely pale and covered in blood.

Her husband's blood.

His brother's blood.

"This is your fault," she told him, her voice calm and sure.

"You can't blame this on--," Carly began.

"Shut. Up." Alexis simply said, her eyes never leaving Sonny's.

Jax put a hand on her shoulder to help calm her down, but it went unnoticed by Alexis.

"It's always you, Sonny. When is it going to stop? When will enough be enough? Your wife, your children, your brother. Who has to die next before you realize that you're nothing but a danger to the people around you?" Her voice was rising with every word she spoke, but her eyes remained fixated on him. "If he dies," her voice hitched. "If Ric dies--" Sonny's eyes fell downcast to the ground. "Look at me you, bastard!" she yelled and his eyes darted back to her face. Her breathing becoming more erratic by the second. "If my husband dies--"

Sonny reached out to grasp her arm meaning to calm her. "Alexis, you need--"

She quickly snatched her arm away and pointed in his direction. "If he dies, you will pay," she gasped for air. "Do you hear me?" she screamed at him. "You will pay for this!"

Her breathing became worse and it felt like she was suffocating. She tried to catch her breath, but the large pang in her chest came once again, but this time it wouldn't stop. Her world turned to black just as Jax caught her by the waist preventing her from falling to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jax paced the waiting area nervously. Neither Dr. Meadows nor Monica had come out to inform them what was wrong with Alexis. He inwardly kicked himself for letting her get so worried. Jax glanced about the area taking note of everyone there. Courtney had arrived earlier and although he insisted that his new wife go home, she wouldn't leave his side. Nikolas stood away from everyone else, the worry evident on his face. And even though his presence was obviously unwanted, Sonny continued to sit in a corner alone.

Jax ran a hand through his hair as his thoughts fell to Alexis once again. He should be grateful for the little things he realized. As far as they knew, Alexis was fine. Ric was still in surgery and no news could be considered good news. And Kristina was tucked away safe. The little things, he needed to think of the little things. He sat down in the seat next to Courtney and she squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"She'll be fine, Jax," she consoled him.

He nodded his head and stood again to pace. He was too restless to sit still for longer than five seconds.

"What is taking so long?" he finally yelled angrily. "Why the hell aren't they telling us anything?"

Nikolas crossed and uncrossed his arms. The long wait was taking its toll on him as well.

"Is anyone going to tell us what's wrong?" Jax continued to yell.

"You need to calm down," came the quiet steady voice from the corner.

Jax's sharp eyes turned in Sonny's direction. He was itching for a fight and he was just handed one on a silver platter. Jax strode over to him angrily and Sonny in turn stood from his seat.

"Why are you even here, Corinthos?"

"I want to know what's goin' on with my brother and the mother of my child," he goaded.

Jax's face grew red with anger. "What the hell happened out there, Sonny?" he asked him accusingly. No one had questioned Sonny about what had happened in the park until now, their worry over Alexis and Ric their dominant concern.

"I don't know," Sonny sighed. "When I got up to the hill, Mac and another cop were there. They wouldn't tell me anything."

"If this comes back on you-- Oh who am I kidding?" Jax chuckled humorlessly, interrupting his own thought. "Of course it will."

"Jax," Courtney began.

"No, Courtney," he interrupted, his stare still burning into Sonny. "Alexis was right, Sonny. You're nothing but a danger to everything and everyone around you. If something happens to either of them . . . I'll kill you myself."

"Jax!" Courtney gasped.

He looked at his wife and didn't bother to apologize as he angrily walked away. He spotted Ned walking in through the doors and headed in his direction.

"What the hell happened?" Ned began. "I got a call from Emily telling me Ric was shot." His eyes darted about. "Where's Alexis?"

"She's in with Monica and Dr. Meadows."

"Is she alright?"

"I don’t know," Jax answered honestly. "Ric's in surgery and Alexis," he shook his head slightly. "She became distressed and her blood pressure spiked."

"Great. Just great," Ned muttered angrily. "Do you see now why I didn't want her involved with Lansing? Anything associated with Sonny leads to disasters like this. You should have listened to me," he hissed. "We wouldn't be here if you had."

Jax's eyes narrowed at his friend. "Listen to me, Ned. Alexis's husband might not live and you obviously don't seem to care. The fact is that the shooter was most likely aiming for Sonny. That could have been me and Courtney or you and Lois. Don't blame this on Ric because he has the misfortune of being Sonny's brother. You have a problem with Ric, I get it, but I don't care. If this is how you're going to act when Alexis wakes up - you need to leave now. This is the last thing she needs, understand?"

Ned looked down ashamed. "You're right . . . I'm sorry," he apologized.

Nikolas joined the two men and his eyes traveled to Jax. "Is it really taking a long time or does it just feel like it?"

Jax glanced at his watch and sighed. "It's only been twenty minutes."

Nikolas shook his head in disbelief. "It feels like twenty hours."

"I know."

"She's going to be fine," Ned told them. "This is Alexis we're talking about. She'll be fine."

"They'll both be fine," Jax clarified. Over the past month, although he'd never admit it, he and Ric had become friends. And right now, he was worried about both of them.

Mac walked into the emergency room of the hospital, his warm eyes searching. He had spent too much time at GH as of late and although he was concerned for Ric, he was anxious to leave as soon as he could. He finally spotted Nikolas, Ned and Jax and walked over to them quickly.

"Where's Alexis?" he asked them, running a hand through his hair.

Jax shook his head sadly. "They admitted her a few minutes ago. Her blood pressure spiked after getting some news about Ric."

Mac's eyes grew concerned. "Is she ok?"

"We don't know yet," Jax sighed.

"What about Ric?"

"He's in surgery. They're removing the bullet, but they don't know how serious the damage is."

"Do you know what happened?" Nikolas asked Mac, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah and it's not good."

"What is it?" Jax asked concerned.

"The shooter was Reese Marshall. We caught her trying to flee the scene. According to Reese, she was aiming for Sonny. Payback for him breaking things off with her."

"Is she telling the truth?" Jax asked him.

Mac shook his head slowly. "I don't know. She was visibly upset when I told her she hit Ric and almost hit Alexis."

"Is she going to pay for this, Mac?" Nikolas asked him angrily.

"She won't walk. Not if I can help it." Mac's eyes fell onto Sonny. "Excuse me," he told the small group and walked over to Sonny. "You need to come with me down to the station. We need your statement."

"I'm not leaving here, Mac," Sonny told him with a shake of his head.

Mac narrowed his eyes at the smaller man. "We caught the shooter. You need to come to the station and provide a statement. Now. It's not a request."

"Fine," Sonny sighed. His eyes turned to his only ally in the room and walked over to her quickly. "Will you call me if there's any news?" he asked his sister.

"Yeah, Sonny, of course I will," Courtney agreed.

He nodded his head and followed Mac out of the hospital.

A few minutes later, Monica and Dr. Meadows emerged from Alexis's room. The small group consisting of Jax, Nikolas, Ned and Courtney stood quickly as they approached.

"I have news," Monica began. "Alexis is stable for now, but she's still unconscious."

"What does that mean?" Nikolas asked her, the concern in his voice evident.

"With the understandable stress Alexis has been under, her blood pressure elevated tremendously which aggravated her heart murmur which in turn is affecting the blood flow to the baby."

"Unfortunately," Dr. Meadows began, "If her blood pressure doesn't stabilize and continues to rise, Alexis may have a stroke or heart attack and the baby may be at serious risk. In order to prevent that from happening, we may have to consider performing a c-section."

"Isn't it too soon for that?" Nikolas asked worriedly.

"Alexis has entered her third trimester," Dr. Meadows informed them. "It is early, but the baby would have a good chance of survival. But there is another problem."

"Of course there is," Jax muttered.

"We are concerned that a c-section may be too large of a shock to Alexis's body. There is no knowing what could happen, so it is a last resort."

"Are you saying she could die?" Ned asked stunned.

"I'm saying that there is a possible danger to Alexis if we should go that route," Dr. Meadows told him calmly.

"Right now, we are concentrating on deescalating her blood pressure," Monica told the small group as she cleared her throat. "Now normally, even though Alexis and Ric are estranged, they are still married and he would be the one to consent to the procedure should we need to go that route. Unfortunately, with what's going on with Ric, the consent will have to given by a family member." Her eyes went to Nikolas. "That would be you, Nikolas."

His mouth opened in disbelief. "You cannot possibly ask me to make a decision like that. I have no right."

"You're the only family Alexis has aside from Ric. Unless he wakes up, it will have to be made by you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three hours. It had been three hours since Ric was taken to surgery and Alexis's blood pressure rose to the point where she and the baby were at serious risk. Jax pinched the bridge of his nose, the thought that there was nothing he could do for either of them eating away at his gut.

He looked up as Ned emerged from Alexis's room and shook his head. No change. They had been taking turns sitting with Alexis, talking to her, soothing her as much as possible. But Jax knew that there was only one thing that would make Alexis better. Ric.

"Wake up, Alexis," he pleaded silently.

Although Monica had informed them that her blood pressure was decreasing, it was still too high. His thoughts fell to his other friend. Ric had been brought up to recovery after his surgery not that long ago and Dr. Webber declared that it had been a success. No organs were ruptured and aside from a few broken ribs, Ric would be fine. Unfortunately, he too had yet to wake up.

Steven passed by the small group on his way to check on Ric again. He nodded silently at Jax and Nikolas as he entered Ric's room.

"This is ridiculous," Nikolas began. "Why can't they give us more information? All they say is that we need to wait and see."

Jax shook his head wordlessly not having answers for the younger man.

"I'm going to speak to Steven," Nikolas told him walking into Ric's room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ric could hear voices that sounded as if they were miles away. They were familiar voices that much he knew. He listened closely fighting the pull to slip back into sleep. There were a few words he could make out and he tried to concentrate on what was being said.

Surgery. Baby. Unconscious. C-section. Alexis.

A surge of adrenaline shot through him when he realized that they were talking about his wife. He had to fight the pull to slip into unconsciousness again. His body was screaming at him to let it rest, but he couldn't. Alexis was in trouble.

"'Lexis," he whispered hoarsely.

Nikolas glanced over at the bed almost sure he had heard Ric speak. "Is he waking up?" Nikolas asked Steven anxiously.

Steven checked Ric's vitals again. His eyes narrowing, but just as quickly he shook his head.

"How long is he going to be like this?" Nikolas asked him worriedly.

"I can't presume to say, Nikolas." He pulled his penlight out and checked Ric's pupils, his eyebrows wrinkling in curiosity. "Huh," he muttered softly.

Nikolas's sharp eyes went to him. "What? What is it?"

"I think Ric may wake up sooner than expected."

He sighed in relief. "Thank God. Alexis needs him right now and he needs to be the one to make this decision, not me. This is his baby we're talking about. His wife. This should be no ones decision but his."

"There might not be enough time," Steven told him calmly stepping away from the bed. "If Alexis's blood pressure doesn't drop significantly, they may have to perform the c-section."

Nikolas shook his head walking towards Steven. "All my aunt wanted was to have a normal pregnancy. To carry this baby to term. Now this." He stopped his own line of thinking and glanced back at Ric. "Come on, Ric, wake up."

Ric could hear them speaking clearly now. He recognized Nikolas's and Steven's voices, but he was still struggling to wake up. The pull to rest was heavy and he was beginning to lose the battle.

"Ric," Nikolas called, coming to stand next to his bedside again. "You need to wake up. Alexis needs you."

It was all Ric needed to hear. Although his body was protesting with every fiber in his being he continued to fight. "'Lexis," he groaned. His eyes began to flutter open and Steven quickly went back to his side. "What's wrong with 'Lexis?" he muttered groggily.

Steven tried to calm him down as he struggled to fully wakeup. "Ric, you need to relax. You're lucky to be alive, don't push it."

"'Lex . . ."

"Ric, calm down or you're going to make it worse."

His eyes opened and he tried to blink back the blinding light of the hospital room. He finally saw Steven on one side of the bed and Nikolas on the other. His eyes darted in Nikolas's direction. "What happened?"

"You were shot," Nikolas told him.

Ric tried to shake his head, but the room began to spin as a result. He squeezed his eyes shut, beginning to feel nauseous. "No, Alexis, what's wrong?"

Nikolas's focus went to Steven who quickly shook his head no. He needed Ric to remain calm.

"Alexis is fine," Nikolas lied.

"No," Ric croaked out. "You-you said c-section."

His eyes widened in return. "You heard us?"

"Yeah," he tried to lick his dry lips, but his tongue was just as dry. He attempted to raise himself from the bed, but Steven held him down.

"Ric, if you don't calm down, I'll have to restrain you to the bed," he told him seriously.

"Alexis."

"Let me finish checking you out and then we'll talk about Alexis. Here," Steven popped an ice chip from the nearby bucket into his mouth. "Chew on this and stay still."

Ric nodded his head and did as he was told. Nikolas rushed out of the room to inform the others of Ric's condition.

"He woke up," he told them. "Ric woke up."

Jax breathed in relief. One down, one to go. "Hang in there, Alexis," he whispered softly.

Steven came out of Ric's room moments later, quickly scribbling in the chart in his hands.

"Steven?" Jax began. "What did he say about Alexis?"

Steven looked up from his chart for the first time and took in the gathered crowd before him. "I didn't mention Alexis's condition to him," he explained. "He just went though major surgery and I don't know what this type of news will do to him. It could very well hinder his recuperation."

"He needs to know," Jax argued. "For Christ's sake, Dr. Webber, we're talking about his wife and unborn child."

"If I inform Ric that Alexis is unconscious, that her blood pressure is dangerously high, it could backfire and result in him being in even more serious trouble."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Nikolas asked him, his anger matching Jax's. "Monica said earlier that Alexis may need an emergency c-section. Ric is her husband. Ric needs to give his consent to the procedure. If he doesn't know what's going on, how can he make that decision? What are we supposed to tell him when he asks to see Alexis? Lie and say she's resting at home?"

"Where's my wife?"

All eyes turned to see Ric clinging to the doorframe of his room. The IV in his arm had been pulled out roughly leaving a trail of blood in its wake. He was deathly pale and his face was contorted in pain.

"Ric," Steven began moving towards him quickly.

"Where's my wife?" he demanded with more force than they thought possible.

"I'll take you to her," Jax told him stepping forward. "But you need to slow down, Ric. You're bleeding all over the floor. Get back in bed while we get a wheelchair."

"Fine," he hissed. "Five minutes," he winced in pain. "Five minutes and then I'll tear this hospital down and find her myself."

His grasp on the doorframe weakened and he had to use his entire force to keep himself upright. Steven grabbed him by the waist to help him back to his bed calling for a nurse to assist him.

"This isn't a good idea, Ric," Steven told him with a shake of his head.

"Don't care," he muttered. "I need to see Alexis."

"Alright. Just . . . just settle down, ok?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, after having his IV reinserted, Ric was being wheeled out of his room and over to Alexis. His head was throbbing as was his side, but he wouldn't rest until he knew what was wrong with her. They had yet to inform him of what was happening.

"Steven, tell me what's goin' on," he demanded, his voice gravelly.

They stopped in front of another room, not that far from his own, and Steven came to his side crouching down to look at him directly. It was then that Ric realized that he wouldn't be sharing good news.

"It's her heart," he began.

That's all Ric heard. Steven's lips continued to move, but he couldn't hear anything outside the blood pounding in his ears.

"Ric?" Steven grabbed his shoulder and gave him a slight shake. Ric's eyes focused back onto his face. "Did you understand what I said?" he asked him slowly.

He shook his head no.

"Alexis's blood pressure spiked and it's affecting the heart murmur, which is in turn is affecting the flow of blood to the baby. Her heart is working too hard. At this rate, if her blood pressure doesn't stabilize, there's a risk of a stroke or heart attack and we may have to consider performing a c-section. It would be our last option, Alexis is far enough along, but her body might not be able to take that kind of shock . . . Ric, I know this --"

"Stop," Ric muttered. He couldn't hear anymore. The prospect of possibly losing Alexis or their baby was too much.

"I know it sounds bad," Steven continued on regardless. "But Alexis's blood pressure has dropped since she was admitted. It's a good thing you're awake, maybe hearing your voice can relieve some of her stress."

Ric nodded wordlessly, his mind in overdrive.

"I know you want to spend some time with her, but you have to consider your own recovery too, Ric. You just had a bullet removed and you're lucky it didn't cause any irreversible damages. You have a few broken ribs and the last thing you need is for your stitches to pull out. Just try to take it easy ok?"

He didn't respond, his eyes glued to the hospital door. "I want to see my wife," he told him determined.

"Alright," Steven sighed knowing that Ric was unworried about himself and completely focused on Alexis. He wheeled him into Alexis's room and next to her bed. He set the brakes on the wheelchair and walked out without another word.

Ric's eyes welled with tears as he took in his wife. "Oh, God, Alexis," he whispered. "What have I done to you now?"

She was pale and even in sleep her eyebrows were knitted in worry. It seemed as if there were tubes and monitors attached to almost every part of her. He grabbed her hand, kissing the middle of her palm. He strained to reach out and touch her face with his left hand, but the effort caused a piercing pain in his side. His hand began to shake at the obvious hurtful attempt and he clenched and unclenched his fist trying to control the tremors. He released a breath and stared at her face intently.

"I love you, Alexis," he whispered. "Please don't leave me. Not like this." His voice was unsteady and it felt like he had swallowed a glass of sand. "I'm too greedy. Too selfish. You need to fight, sweetie. You need to fight for yourself and our baby. You're the stronger of the two of us, Alexis. You can do this." He kissed the back of her hand, the tears beginning to stream down his face. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Alexis. You made me into a better man. I'm not perfect, we both know that. But with you I'm better than I've ever been. I want to wake up with you wrapped up in my arms and Kristina jumping up on our bed when we're too slow to get to her. I want to be able to go to the park with you and Kristina and our baby and just enjoy being a family . . . God, I love you. Come back to me. Come back to our family, Alexis."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All Alexis could see was darkness. She wasn't afraid, that much she knew. She began to walk forward and eventually she could see a light ahead of her. She tilted her head to the side curiously as she continued to move forward and finally the darkness disappeared and was replaced with a bright blue sky and deep green grass at her feet. She didn't stop walking and finally came across a large stone house. She smiled at the serene feeling that engulfed her. It was beautiful.

"Hey."

She turned around quickly at the sound of his voice. "Ric!" she called happily.

He was standing a few feet away from her, a large smile on his face and his hands were shoved into his jeans' pockets. He came forward and engulfed her in a hug.

"You're ok!" she exclaimed.

"Of course I'm ok," he told her continuing to clutch her tightly. "I told you I'd never give up on us."

They finally let one another go, but their hands continued to remain intertwined.

"What is this?" she asked him curiously, her gaze back on the house.

"It's a house," he laughed.

Her amused eyes fell back to him and she smacked him playfully on the arm. "I meant whose house is it?"

"It's ours," he told her softly. "We built it."

A curious eyebrow rose in question. "When did we build a house?"

"I'll show you," he explained.

He began to walk around the house and led her into the backyard. The yard was as beautiful as the house itself. A large oak tree sat towards the end and bushes and flowers were scattered about, the bright colors and green causing her to smile. A swing set was sitting on one side of the large yard and a sandbox sat in the middle. Ric silently led her to the sandbox and released her hand as he sat down on the edge. She sat down next to him waiting for him to explain.

His hand reached down into the sandbox and scooped up a pile of sand. "See this?" he asked, showing her his hand.

She watched as some of the small grains of sand fell through his fingers. "It's sand," she told him with a small shrug.

"Yes and no," he began.

He took her hand and passed the pile of sand into her palm. "All of these little pieces of sand make up our life. It's unstable. See how eventually all the pieces just slip out of your fingers?"

"Ric, you're not making any sense," she told him her brows wrinkling in confusion as she released the sand back into the sandbox.

He shook his head at her and began to create a small pile in the sandbox. "Add a little bit of water and it's a little more stable."

He poured water onto the small hill he created and began to pat more sand in, creating a larger hill.

"That's a pretty bad sandcastle," she commented.

"It's not a sandcastle. It's a house," he told her, his eyes dancing across her face in amusement.

"It's a pretty bad house."

"It's symbolic of a house," he smirked.

"If you say so," she shrugged. "But it's still a bad house. It's more of an ant hill than a house."

"This is your dream, Alexis, not mine. So technically, it's your house."

"It's a good house," she conceded.

"Can I continue?" he laughed.

"You may," she grinned in return.

He concentrated back on the hill he was creating. "This was our house," he told her sadly. "But it was weak, it had no foundation. It couldn't last. We can keep adding all the water and sand that we want, but it would eventually collapse. It can't sustain any pressure. That was our life, Alexis. All of our secrets, our lack of trust - our little house of sand couldn't stand the pressure we created and so it collapsed." He flattened the small hill down with his hand and Alexis frowned at his action. "All of our love couldn’t compete with the bad things."

She continued to frown at him, his explanation saddened her. "So there's no future for us?"

He smiled at her and brushed back a lock of her hair. "Of course there is."

He stood and took her hand again, leading her back to the large stone house. "This is our house now, Alexis, or it can be. If we can rebuild our trust. If we can learn to share our fears and wants with each other, our foundation will last a lifetime. This," he pointed, "isn't a house of sand. It's a house of love. A house of trust. A house of hope. A house of joy. Our house, Alexis. Our home. And if you want it - if you want that home with me, if you want that home with our family, all you have to do is let go."

"Let go?" she repeated curiously. He didn't respond and she could feel his hand slipping out of hers. "Ric, what do you mean 'let go'. Let go of what?"

But he still wouldn't answer her and his hand finally slipped out of her grasp with ease. A deep sense of dread filled her and her breathing became labored. The bright blue sky above her began to turn a dark grey.

"Ric!"

But he was gone. The sandbox was gone. The stone house was gone.

"Ric!" she yelled again. Her breath hitched in her throat and her world suddenly turned white.

Alexis blinked quickly and the unmistakably fluorescent lights of a hospital room greeted her in kind. She began to take stock of her surroundings - the steady beep of the monitors was now equal to chirping birds outside in the morning. She groaned lightly. She might as well have her own room here - she'd been there so many times.

As she tried to remember the last thing that happened, her hands instantly went to her stomach and she sighed in relief. Their baby was ok. It was then that she became aware of the heavy weight at her legs. Her eyes flew in that direction and she saw the problem. Ric's arm was splayed across her left thigh. Her eyes pricked with tears as she watched him sleep. If he was at her side, it meant he was ok. They were ok. Ric, the baby, and her. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as her left hand went to his head, softly running her fingers through his hair, not wanting to wake him.

Her dream came back to her as she watched the rise and fall of his back and she finally found her answer. Let go of the fear. Let go of the hurt. Let go of the regret. Let go of the bitterness. Let go of the distrust. If she could let go of all of that, she could finally have the home and family that she always wanted. And so could Ric. Let it all go and embrace the fact that she was loved by this man and that she loved him in return. That she finally found the happiness that eluded her for so long in her life. He was her husband. The father to her children. He was it. There were no others and there wouldn't be. Just let it go. She released the breath she was holding and a smile crossed her lips.

Jax came in quietly and a smile lit up his face when he saw her. "You're awake!" he exclaimed in a loud whisper mindful of Ric.

Her eyes flew in his direction and her smile widened. Jax went to her quickly and kissed her forehead. His eyes danced across her face and the elation he felt was evident in his shining eyes. He sat in the empty seat on the other side of the bed and took her hand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her softly.

Her smile didn't leave her face. She felt serene. She felt at peace. She felt--"I feel great," she told him honestly. "What happened?"

His smile widened in relief. "What didn't happen you mean. You know for someone who claims to hate being the center of attention, you sure put yourself there a lot," he teased. "I'm beginning to think you’re a closet attention seeker."

She laughed despite herself. "I am not." Her eyes danced across his face and she finally noticed his red rimmed eyes and the bags under his eyes. "Jax, what happened? Why do you look like you haven't slept in days?"

He squeezed her hand and released a breath. "You're ok. All three of you are ok, that's what matters."

"That doesn't answer my question," she told him quietly. "How did you know I was awake?"

"I didn't. I was actually looking for Ric. I went to his room to check on him and he was missing. Again. I wanted to find him before Steven came back. He threatened to restrain him to his bed if he moved again. He already popped his stitches the first time he came in here and Steven wasn't too happy about sewing him up again."

Her eyes widened and glanced back at Ric. "Is he ok?"

"Yeah. Just in a lot of pain I think. Not that he'd ever admit it. Steven said they removed the bullet with no complications. It was a clean shot so aside from a broken rib or two, he's fine."

"And me? What happened?" she asked him again.

"You, my beautiful ex-wife, worried yourself into exhaustion." He squeezed her hand softly. "Your blood pressure spiked hard and it aggravated your heart murmur and it was affecting the blood flow to the baby."

Her eyes widened at Jax's information.

"It's my fault," he continued. "I shouldn't have let you get so worked up over Sonny."

"Don't, Jax. I should have known better." The memories of her yelling at Sonny finally coming back to her. It was the last thing she did before she blacked out. "The paramedic warned me my blood pressure was high. Is the baby ok?"

"Yeah. Absolutely." He wrinkled his forehead in thought unsure if he should tell her the extent of the seriousness she was under. "They talked about a possible c-section," he finally confessed. "But it was a worst case scenario type of situation. Just awhile ago, Dr. Meadows said you were doing much better and your blood pressure began to normalize again."

Alexis squeezed her eyes shut as she took in Jax's information. The hand that was still in Ric's hair paused and her other hand went to her stomach. She could have lost all of this.

"You're all ok," Jax whispered to her.

"I know. I'm just relieved," she sighed deeply, her eyes traveling back to Jax. "I don’t want to lose any of this, Jax."

"You won't," he smiled. His eyes went to Ric and he shook his head. He was just as relieved that Ric had managed to come out of this mess relatively unscathed as well.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked him curiously.

His gaze flickered back to her. "Alexis, I have a confession I need to make. I've been helping Ric try to get you back."

"I know," she smiled as she took his hand.

"How?" he asked her shocked.

"Considering the fact that you continued to let him stay at the Metro Court and you hired him as your, quote unquote, attorney. Not to mention the fact that you invited him to your wedding. Trust me it really wasn't that hard to figure out."

"I should have known I couldn't fool my beautiful ex-wife," he grinned.

"Should have," she agreed.

He smiled at her softly, his eyes flickering to her hand on Ric's head. "So does this mean you're going to work things out with Ric?"

"I think it's safe to say yes," she told him softly, her fingers traveling through Ric's hair again. "This has taught me not to take advantage of what we have. We still have some things that we need to work out, but nothing that will keep us apart . . . I love him."

"And he loves you," he told her softly. "Anyone who threatens to tear down a hospital in his condition is proof enough."

She laughed softly. "I'm glad the two of you became friends out of this."

"He's not my friend," Jax quickly denied.

Alexis rolled her eyes in response. "Liar . . . I think it's kinda cute."

"You need to stop now," he frowned.

"Ok," she laughed. Her eyes fell to Ric again. "How's Kristina doing?"

"She's fine, Alexis. Nikolas just came back from Wyndemere a bit ago. She's been having fun with Emily and Viola, no need to worry."

"Good," she told him relieved, her eyes going back to him. "So that just leaves you. Why don't you go home and get some rest."

"Alexis, I'm--"

"Could you keep it down, people are trying to sleep around here," came the muffled interruption.

Alexis's eyes widened and quickly glanced at Ric. "Ric?" she called excitedly.

He lifted his head from the bed, his eyes puffy from lack of sleep and shed tears. "Hi, sweetie," he whispered.

Unshed tears welled in her eyes as she ran her hand down his face. "Oh thank God you're ok."

"I can say the same about you," he told her, the emotion heavy in his voice.

"It's good to have back among the living again, Lansing." Jax smiled as he rose from his seat and made his way to the door. "I'm going to get the doctor. You two take care of each other."

"We will," Ric whispered in response.

"God, Ric, I was so worried about you," she sighed.

"I know," he nodded. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. It's my fault."

She shook her head at him incredulously. "This wasn't your fault, Ric," she argued.

"Reese . . . Reese was the shooter. She was aiming for Sonny, but if I hadn't done what I did . . . if I had done what I promised you when we first got married, we wouldn't be here right now."

She continued to shake her head at him. "When are you going to learn," she began, "that not everything is about you?"

He laughed softly and inwardly winced at the jarring movement. Alexis didn't notice and the smile on her face widened.

"This is not your fault," she told him again. "I'm just grateful you're ok."

"You scared the hell out of me." He blinked quickly trying to keep his tears from falling. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you."

"Ditto."

She squeezed his hand and Ric tried to raise himself from his wheelchair to kiss her.

"Hey now, what did I tell you, Ric?" Steven began coming into the room and interrupting their reunion. "Stay in that wheelchair until I say it's ok or you're going to pull your stitches out. Again. And I, for one, do not want to sew you up for a third time."

Ric grinned in response. "I want to kiss my wife."

"I'll do it for you," Steven smiled and kissed the top of Alexis's head.

Ric narrowed his eyes at the young doctor. "Hey!"

"It's good to see you awake, Alexis," Steven told her ignoring Ric's protests. He checked her blood pressure and nodded to himself satisfied with the results. "Your blood pressure is back to normal. How are you feeling?"

"Great, believe it or not. I feel like I just woke up from a long nap."

He grinned in response. "I'm glad to hear that."

He continued to check her vitals and Ric's eyes went from Alexis and back to Steven. "Is she ok?"

"Everything looks fine," he told them honestly. "Dr. Meadows is going to be coming by shortly to check on you, but from what we saw earlier, you and your baby are doing just fine. He or she is a strong one."

"Of course she is," Alexis grinned proudly.

"He is after all our child. Stubborn as the both of us combined," Ric added.

Steven smiled at his two patients. "I believe Dr. Meadows is going to want to keep you here for a day or two just for observation," he told Alexis.

"And what about me?" Ric asked him anxiously.

"You, my friend, will be stuck here for a few more days. I really need for you to be in bed resting."

"Can we get an extra bed in here?" Ric asked him hopeful. "I won't leave her, Steven."

"I'll see what I can do," Steven told him. "But don't get out of that chair until then. I mean it, Ric. As soon as Dr. Meadows finishes with Alexis, it's back to your room."

"Fine," he sighed unhappily.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he told them as he made his way to the door.

Ric nodded and his gaze went back to Alexis. Her color had returned and she looked peaceful for the first time in months. He grabbed her hand and kissed the middle of her palm. "I thought I was going to lose you, Alexis. I-I can't lose you. You're my world now. I never thought I was capable of loving someone as much as I love you. Steven said you and the baby are fine. You're going to stay fine. I've messed up, Alexis, so many times, but you're always there with me in the end."

She leaned over to kiss him lightly on his lips. "And I'll always be there," she told him softly. "You're right, Ric, this mess that we seemed to have gotten ourselves into--it opened my eyes too. We've already wasted so much time. We still have issues that we need to work out, but it's not enough to continue to keep us apart. I love you. I love our family. I love our life together." A small tear went down Ric's cheek and she brushed it away with her thumb. "I think it's time for you to come home," she told him softly. "For good."

His eyes pricked with tears again. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded, the tears beginning to fall down her face as well. "It's where you belong."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's so good to see the two of you together," Dr. Meadows told them sincerely. "Alexis, you're blood pressure dropped as we wanted and has stabilized, but we'd like to keep you overnight just to remain cautious. You'll be able to go home tomorrow."

She began spreading the cold gel on Alexis's stomach for the sonogram and they waited for the baby to appear onscreen.

Their baby finally appeared and Dr. Meadows smiled at them. "Baby Lansing Davis is doing very well." The strong heartbeat echoed in the room and Ric and Alexis both sighed in relief. "Would you like to know the sex now?" she asked them curiously.

"Yes," they both responded, not looking at the other.

Dr. Meadows chuckled at their response. "Well, I'd like to introduce you to . . . your son."

Alexis smiled widely at the news. She was going to have a son. It honestly didn't matter to her one way or another, as long as their baby was born healthy. She glanced at Ric and couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. His jaw had dropped in shock. He had being teasing Alexis for days that she was carrying a boy, but he never truly believed it. He continued to watch the image on screen. He was going to have a son.

"Wow," Ric finally muttered his eyes glassy. He turned his eyes to Alexis and she was fighting back her own tears.

"We're having a boy," she laughed happily, a small tear falling down her cheek.

He squeezed her hand speechless as his eyes danced across her face. "I love you," he told her softly.

"I love you, too," she smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, Ric had managed to get out of his bed that was placed next to Alexis's and he limped his way to the chair beside her.

"Ric, you really need to stay in bed," she frowned at him. "I can tell you're hurting more than you're letting on."

"I'm fine," he sighed as he sat down.

She shook her head at him and reached out for his hand. "You need to be resting."

"I will," he told her with a wince. His frequent movements were beginning to take their toll on his body. "After I tell you this, I'll let the morphine fly."

She chuckled at him despite herself.

"I have something for you," he told her softly.

An eyebrow rose in curiosity. "And what would that be?"

He took the hand he was holding and turned it over so that her palm was outstretched. His other hand placed the object there, closing her fingers over it as he did so. She eyed him curiously before opening her hand. There in her palm was her heart necklace.

"I've been carrying that around with me since you returned it. I never went anywhere without it."

Her eyes welled up as she fingered the heart. "I've missed it," she told him softly as she clasped it around her neck. Her fingers ran over the pendant when it was securely attached. "I've missed you," she told him softly.

"Me too," he whispered. "We can do this, Alexis."

"You're right, we can."

He took her hand again and the smile on his face matched her own.

"You know we never took that honeymoon you promised me," she smiled. He chuckled softly as he kissed the back of her hand. "Remember, nice tropical island, hot beach, piña coladas?" she told him with a grin.

"Whatever you want, Alexis, I'd give you the world if I could."

"Not the world. Just you and Kristina and our son."

"That's all I want too," he smiled. "It's all we need."

Fin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: Aw, I can't believe we're done. I'd like to thank everyone who has read this little story of mine. To those of you who left feedback, you definitely helped me in the writing process believe it or not. I never thought that this little idea that started with a two or three chapter outline would become this. I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Now I can go and read everyone else's fic :D I usually don't read anything else while I'm writing because I'm always afraid someone has the same idea as me and I freak out, lol. So thanks again everyone, it's been fun. Hugs to all my Rexis peeps!

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