The Long Road Home
by Terry

Chapter 4

Entering the parking lot of the sanitarium, Johnny pulled to a stop and shut off the motor. He sat for a few minutes trying to collect his thoughts. He needed to be able to give Alexis his full attention, but knew that before he could do that he needed to put to rest the events of the day.

Regrettably he had turned Sonny's world upside down today. No, that was being too kind. Johnny knew that in the space of just a couple of hours he did what no other enemy had ever been able to do to Sonny Corinthos. And that was to totally annihilate his sense of worth, his peace of mind, his ability to function rationally and the newly found tenuous trust he placed in the woman he called his wife. Johnny single handedly took down arguably the most dangerous, calculating, richest man in the world of organized crime. Johnny knew that until Alexis was well and back in Port Charles, Sonny would be useless to his organization and to anyone else who needed anything from him... except for Michael, his son. Johnny didn't want to leave Sonny in the park to face his crumbling world alone, but there was nothing more he could do for Sonny now, except take care of the one woman who in that same two hours once again became the center of Sonny's world. Opening the door and stepping down onto the pavement, Johnny realized that he was now responsible for the care of two lives.

Reaching into the bed of the truck he picked up Alexis' suitcase and his own duffel bag and headed toward the front door of the sanitarium. As he walked he unconsciously drew his shoulders back and lifted his head slightly. His new purpose in life had just become so much more significant. He physically felt the responsibility for the two lives he felt charged to care for. He would not fail them. He would see this thing through to the end and in the end both Alexis and Sonny would come out of this mess whole. It was a promise he made to himself on their behalf.

Entering the building, he stopped at the front desk and asked the receptionist if Alexis Davis had been moved yet.

"May I ask who you are, sir? We don't give out information to just anyone. We have to think of the welfare of our patients. I'm sure you understand."

He heard the tone of impatient annoyance in her voice and chose to ignore it. Maybe she was just having a bad day or something.

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense. Sorry. I'm Johnny and Dr. Collins can vouch for me being here. I’ll be staying with Miss Davis for a while."

The receptionist who had not looked up once since Johnny stepped up to her desk became instantly flustered when she heard him introduce himself. She was told earlier by her supervisor that Miss Davis' companion was to be treated with the utmost respect and given anything he needed without hesitation. Those were Dr. Collins orders and one didn't question or ignore an order given by Dr. Collins. Standing quickly and reaching out to shake Johnny's hand she accidentally hit the can of Diet Coke that was in front of her sending it flying toward Johnny.

Stepping quickly out of the way of the oncoming spill, Johnny laughed a bit self-consciously. His reception was anything but normal this time, but of course he was arriving later than usual and this particular girl was not familiar to him. Reaching out he picked up the coke can and set it back down upright then let his gaze fall once again on the girl who was stuttering so much it was hard to understand her.

"Uhh... I... dddiddn't kknow wwwho you wwwwere. I... I'm ssssorry."

Wanting to put the girl at ease, Johnny gently interrupted her. Looking at her nametag he spoke calmly to her.

"Dee, it's ok. No problem. Really it’s fine. I’m guessing you’ve already been told I was coming to stay with Miss Davis. So, I'll be on my way if you'll just point me in the right direction."

Paying a little more attention to the man standing in front of her, Dee nearly lost her composure again at the sight of the most virile man she had ever laid eyes on. Gorgeous just simply didn't adequately describe the hunk standing in front of her. Feeling the goose bumps rise on her arms she fidgeted with the papers on her desk for a moment in an attempt to calm her nerves and hopefully appear a little older than she actually was. When she felt a bit steadier she looked back up at Johnny and smiled sweetly.

"I would be more than happy to take you to Miss Davis' new quarters if you like. It would be easier than trying to explain how to get there."

Taking a step back at the unadulterated lust in the girl's eyes, Johnny blushed profusely. He did notice when he stepped up to the desk that she was rather cute, but his focus was firmly planted on a much more beautiful woman he was trying to get to and simply didn’t have any time to waste.

"That would be fine, Dee. But, I need to hurry. Can you just leave the desk unattended or do you have to call someone to cover for you. I mean, I don't want to sound rude, but I need to check on Miss Davis as soon as possible."

Well, that takes care of that Dee thought. The guy was telling her very effectively that he was not interested. Sure was a waste though to have such a delicious fantasy shot down before it ever got off the ground.

"I'll just lock the door for a few minutes and take you on up. It won't take but a couple of minutes since she's not that far from here. Come on, I’ll show you."

Dee reached down to press a button underneath her desktop and Johnny instantly heard the door behind him lock. Watching her climb the stairs then turn toward the eastern corridor he followed silently hoping she wouldn't pull him into conversation. His focus was totally on Alexis now and he didn't have time to play around with little girls who had stars in their eyes.

Turning the final corner, Johnny immediately noticed a change in the décor around him. He was now in an area of the sanitarium that looked more like a hotel. Pleased that Alexis was no longer forced to reside in the dull grayness of her previous accommodations he drew to a stop just behind Dee at a door that hosted one small circular privacy window.

"Here you are Johnny. Miss Davis was moved here about an hour ago. Our normal dinnertime will be in an hour unless there were special arrangements made and I'm told that you would know if any were. Here is your key to the suite and I'll just leave you to settle in on your own now."

Watching Dee walk away he raised his voice slightly to thank her then turned back to the door in front of him missing the wave of Dee’s hand as she disappeared from sight. Lowering his head slightly as he studied the key in his hand, he thought to himself. 'Ok Johnny boy, this is it. This is your life now for as long as she needs you. Nothing less than your best will do. Not only is she counting on you, but so is Sonny. So let's get busy.'

Sliding the key into the lock, Johnny turned it slowly and pushed the door open. Entering the room he curiously looked around. It appeared to be a small dining space. It was a nice room; decorated in tans and yellows with plants scattered around. He thought how similar the colors were to Alexis’ home. Jumping slightly at the sound of someone entering the room he relaxed as he saw Joy Martelli walking toward him. He met Joy the first day he came to Ferncliff to see Alexis. She was the nurse assigned for Alexis' personal care and he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was.

"Hi Johnny, you’re a little earlier than I expected, but it's fine. I just finished settling Alexis in the living room. I see by her new schedule that she is to have dinner in an hour. So if you don’t mind I'll leave her in your care for just a moment while I go get her tray. And once she’s eaten then I'll get her settled for the evening so you can do the same."

Johnny shyly glanced at her before dropping his duffle bag and Alexis’ suitcase.

"Thanks, Joy. How did she do today?"

Drawing closer to Johnny, Joy gazed at him compassionately upon hearing the hesitant hope in his voice.

"There's no change yet, Johnny. I'm sorry. But, remember, the new meds were only started this morning. It's really too soon to expect a change. Give it a couple of days. Dr. Collins is going to keep a very close eye on her and so am I. You do your best to hold up your end of our little arrangement here and we’ll do our best to hold up ours and if we all do the best that we can, and that includes Alexis, then we will all reap the benefit we are so hoping for.”

Joy hesitated just long enough for Johnny’s eyes to meet hers then she leaned just a bit closer lowering her voice to a quiet whisper and tried her best to further reassure him.

“We'll pull her through this Johnny, just you wait and see." Lightly tapping his arm comfortingly, Joy left the room.

Watching her leave Johnny felt a spark of panic race through him as he turned back toward the room where he would find Alexis. Holding still once more he reassured himself that he could do this. Stepping forward he turned the corner that led to the living area and saw her sitting on the sofa staring straight ahead. He quietly walked over and sat down cautiously beside her. Hesitating a bit he considered what to do first. Raising his eyes to her face he gently touched her arm and began moving his hand back and forth against her skin.

"Hey Alexis, it's me Johnny. Looks like you're going to be stuck with me for a while. How’s that for a real humdinger. Just me and you together; who would have ever thought we’d get thrown together like this. And guess what, I did it. I really did it. I finally got wise and quit my job. What do you think of that? And now that I don't have anything better to do, I thought maybe I'd just start hanging out with you. Hope that's ok with you. But, if it's not, I won't know it unless you tell me. So I guess it’s up to you now.”

Moving his hand to lay on her abdomen just where he thought the baby would be, he began to caress the child. Immediately feeling quite intrusive he quickly removed his hand as he wondered how he was going to be able to accomplish this particular task without feeling like he was abusing her trust or something. An idea suddenly presented itself and he slowly reached over and took Alexis’ hand and gently guided it to lay where his had been. Holding her hand beneath his he again started to caress the child. He smiled at his ingenuity, satisfied that it was Alexis herself who now caressed the child. Remembering the Doc’s advice, Johnny leaned a little closer and whispered.

"Hey peanut, my name is Johnny. Don’t you worry none about me being here. Your mom and I are friends. I'm just hanging out here for a while to help you guys out and I thought maybe you and I should probably get to know one another a little better." Sliding his eyes up towards Alexis he included her in the conversation. "That ok with you, Alexis? You mind me getting to know your daughter?"

Watching for any sign of recognition, Johnny let go of her hand, but left it lying against her abdomen. Any touch he could provide the child would be good even if it were inadvertent.

"You know counselor, I'm going to have to come up with some way of filling our time together. It won't do to just sit here and stare at each other. I brought some of your law books in to read to you. That could get pretty weird for me considering my former career. I would love to know what you find so interesting about the law that you would devote your life to it much less be known all over the country as one of the best. There’s just so many rules and stuff to keep straight. Guess that’s why I like hanging on the side of everything... it’s simple. Things tend to get more complicated when you start adding a lot of rules. Just give me a job and tell me what’s expected up front and don’t go changing things around a lot. Guess that’s why I did good as a bodyguard. My job was simple... protect the man. Nothing to think about... no hard decisions to figure out... just protect the man. Not really living though, is it? More like just existing. Aw listen to me go off... just putting a lot of garbage out there just to hear myself talk. Let’s change the subject, okay?"

It wasn’t often that Johnny let go of his private thoughts. In his mind it just wasn’t worth the hassle. He had seen and done too much to start questioning himself now. He silently berated himself for letting go of such negative thoughts around Alexis.

“Why don’t we make a pact right here and right now, partner? How about we agree to not talk about or let anything negative come into this place until you’re ready for it? How’s that?” Knowing he would not get a response, he answered for them both. “Good, then we’re agreed. No negative around Johnny and Alexis.”

Johnny sat and talked to Alexis for the next hour and frequently forced her to caress her child. He became so engrossed in talking to her and the child that he didn't notice Joy return with a dinner tray for Alexis. Standing easily and confidently when Joy entered the room he was suddenly amazed at how comfortable he now felt with Alexis.

"Hi Joy, looks like it's time for dinner. I'll leave you to it if you don't mind and go get settled in my room. I need to take a shower and grab a bite to eat myself. How long do you think you'll need before you need me back here?"

"Take your time Johnny. I'll be here until you get back. There is a small kitchenette down that hall right there and it's stocked. Go take care of what you need and I'll settle Miss Davis for the night. When it’s time, just guide her into her room and put her into bed. No sudden movements... just lay her down and cover her. She’ll go right to sleep."

Smiling at the warmth and care he heard in Joy's voice he ducked his head shyly trying to find the words to say thanks to her.

"It’s kind of weird the way she’s not aware of anything around her, but she eats when it’s time and she sleeps when you lay her down. Doesn’t really make a lot of sense, does it?”

Joy smiled at the gentleness she heard in Johnny’s voice. The richness of his devotion to Alexis touched her deeply. She was curious about Johnny. Where did he come from? What was it that inspired him to be so gentle with her? What happened in his life to cause such sadness to be reflected in his eyes; a sadness that only dissipated when in the company of Alexis Davis? Her thoughts were broken when she heard his quiet shy voice reach out to her.

"Uh, you've been great with her, Joy. I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of her. I don't know what I would have done if she had been given one of those people who call themselves a nurse but are just in it for the money. She deserves so much more than that. And you’re giving it to her. I just... ". Words failed him as his gratitude for what she was doing for Alexis overcame him. He finally whispered, “Just thank you.”

Setting the tray down on the coffee table in front of Alexis, she reached over and placed a light touch on Alexis’ arm before standing back up to face Johnny. His eyes were shyly lifting to meet hers and in that moment she knew. It was okay to tell him why she was here. She knew it in her heart. She didn't know why she was so convinced that she could trust him, but she knew Johnny would hold her secret just as safe as she did.

"Johnny, I wasn't assigned to Miss Davis. When I saw her brought in that first day, I couldn’t believe it. But, I knew that I wasn’t about to let anyone else in this place take care of her. If she had to be here... if something ‘out there’ had hurt her so badly that she ended up here with us; then she would get the best we could give her... she would get the best that ‘I” could give her. So, I asked Dr. Collins if I could be her personal nurse and once I explained why, he agreed without question. I am allowed to tend to her care every day in return for his silence concerning the reason I wanted to take care of her. You see, I owe her."

Recognizing that there was more to this than he should probably know, Johnny tried to cut her off.

"Joy, it's not necessary to tell me why. It is enough for me to know that Alexis has someone who genuinely cares about her working with her."

"No, I want you to know. I want you to be reassured that Alexis will always be my first priority here... her needs will always come before my own while she is in my care. You see, Alexis saved the life of my father not too long ago. He was wrongly accused of embezzlement a few years ago and was convicted. They sentenced him to quite a few years in the worst prison you can imagine. In his first week there, he was brutally beaten and left for dead. He wouldn’t play along with their game, if you know what I mean. I had to get him out of there so I started looking for someone to represent him that would care about him and not just the fees they could get out of his case. My father was more than a case number, but that’s how he was treated; just a case number to be dealt with and put away. I heard about Miss Davis. I read all the stories about how she kept Sonny Corinthos out of jail time and time again. And every time I saw their picture in the paper or in the news... I don’t know, she just had this look about her. She cared about what happened to him. He wasn’t just a client. I decided I wanted her to represent my father, so I went to see her and asked if she would take over his case. She was so warm... kind. I didn't think there were any really kind people left in the world. I told her I didn't have any money to pay her, but she said not to worry about it and that she would look into the whole mess pro bono. Well, she did and it wasn't a week later that my father was released from prison. She saved my father's life and got him his job back. So you see, I owe her so much more than I could possibly repay her in a lifetime."

Johnny couldn’t help the smile that peeked out in pride for a woman who time after time proved she cared for all people and their right to be treated fairly.

"That sounds so like her. She was always fighting for the underdog, the wrongly accused. In fact, she fought for anyone she felt was getting a raw deal. I have admired her for so long. I guess maybe I have a bit of a schoolboy crush on her.” His head once again ducked shyly as he prepared to leave her company. “Well, I guess I had best get to that shower."

Walking toward the door to his room he suddenly remembered the suitcase he brought for Alexis.

"By the way, I brought some of her own clothes so we could get her out of the hospital garb. I left her bag by the door."

****************

A little more than two hours later Johnny lay in bed rehashing the events of the day. He was totally exhausted. Who knew such a change in lifestyle could be so demanding. Alexis was in bed now and Joy quickly left after reassuring him she would be back at 7:00 in the morning with Alexis' breakfast and to dress her for the day. Glancing over toward the bedside table, he checked to make sure that the monitor connecting him to Alexis' room was working then turned over and allowed himself to finally rest. It had been a good day and he felt good about himself. Smiling with content, he slept.

chapter 05