CHAPTER 19

"Mom, what's going on?" Emily asked, near tears, as Monica sped away.

"Everything's okay, sweetheart. Please don't cry."

"Where are we going? What's wrong with Dad?"

"We're going to A.J.'s. I'll explain about Dad there. Okay?"

Emily nodded.

"Here," she said, handing Emily her cell phone. "Please call A.J. to let him know we're on our way."

"What should I say?"

"Tell him we're okay but that I need to talk to him."

A.J. and Keesha were waiting when Monica and Emily arrived.

"Come in," A.J. said. "Here, Mom, sit down. What happened?"

"Emily, I know I told you that I would explain about Dad once we got here, and I will, but I need to talk to A.J. first. Alone. Keesha, would you mind taking Emily to Kelly's?"

"Not at all."

"Mom, I don't want to leave you. I want to know what's going on!"

"I know, sweetheart, and I'll tell you, I promise. But first, I need to work out a few things with your brother. Please understand."

Emily didn't like it, but she agreed to go with Keesha.

"Thank you," Monica said, hugging her daughter. "I need about an hour."

"You got it," Keesha said.

"What's going on, Mom?" A.J. asked, as they both sat down on the couch.

"It's your father's pills, A.J. I discovered them, the ones you had told me about, on his desk, so I confronted him about his misuse of them. He denied everything, so I took the pills. To my knowledge, he didn't have any at his disposal the entire day, and he came home tonight demanding them. I told him I had thrown them away. He came after me with fire in his eyes. I was trying to get out of the bedroom when he grabbed my wrist and held me back. Neither of us knew that Emily was there or that the door wasn't closed. I don't know how much she witnessed, but when she asked us what was going on, Alan dropped his hold, and she and I made our escape."

"Mom, I'm so sorry," A.J. said and hugged her.

Monica remained in A.J.'s arms for a long moment, needing her son's comfort. She composed herself and pulled away.

"I need your help."

"I'll do whatever you want."

"I haven't thought any of this through. I knew I needed to get out of the house, but beyond that..."

"Do you think the rest of the family suspects anything?"

"I don't think so, unless none of them wanted to say anything."

"Mom, I would like to talk with Dad one-on-one."

Monica looked at A.J. with surprise. His words were totally unexpected.

"I don't know, A.J. The way he's been acting and talking about you, I'm afraid you'd set him off even more."

"So what if I do? Maybe he'll get angry enough to admit something."

"I love you for wanting to do this, but I feel as though I'd be sending you into the lion's den. I can't let you."

"I *want* to, Mom. Actually, I need to. I think this could be the start of the healing process for all of us."

"He's not ready to face you, A.J. I don't think he'll let you anywhere near him."

"This is not about what he did to me, Mom. I won't mention it unless he does."

"Even if you could talk to him, what are you going to say when he throws your drinking and your latest slip into the conversation? And you know he will, A.J. How can you get your father to admit his addiction when you're still struggling with your own? As far as he's concerned, you could be, and probably are, drinking right now."

"But I'm not. And I know I'm not. I can be strong in the face of the truth, Mom, and the truth is I've been sober for six months."

"A.J., how can that be? Your father and I saw you passed out from drinking two months ago."

"No. What you saw was an attempt by a very sick person to make it look like I had been drinking. This is what I've been trying to work through, so I could tell you what really happened that night, but my trip to the hospital sidetracked me."

"What sick person are you talking about? What happened?"

"Carly Roberts. She drugged me that night, left me in the alley, and then made the phone call to you and Dad saying she found me there."

"Why would she do such a thing?" Monica asked, astonished.

"She had her own agenda, Mom, but her goal was to get me to leave town. She thought if I knew I had slipped again, I would leave Port Charles and go into rehab."

"A.J., this is an incredible story."

"And every bit of it is true. Do you believe me?"

"Of course, I believe you. I just don't understand why Carly would do such a thing. Why would she want you out of town?"

A.J. debated whether or not to tell his mom he might be the father of Carly's baby and then decided she had been through enough for one night. He would save that revelation for when the baby's paternity had been established.

"Like I said, she has a sick mind. I guess there could be any number of reasons."

"You confronted her with this information, and she didn't tell you why?" Monica was very confused, but she didn't have the strength or the energy to absorb what A.J. was telling her.

"She squirms her way out of things, Mom. I never know when she's lying and when she's telling me the truth."

"Well, if you can convince your father that you haven't slipped in six months, maybe you'll have a chance to help him realize his own addiction. Do you still want to talk to him?"

"Yes," A.J. nodded. "Absolutely."

"You'll probably find him at home tomorrow, unless he somehow manages to make it in to work. But after tonight, I don't have much hope."

"I'll go by the house."

"I don't think anyone else heard anything, but I'm sure the family is going to be suspicious."

"I think the important thing is to protect Grandmother. Grandfather, Ned, and Justus can deal with this, I'm sure. And, of course, Jason could care less, so there's no need to involve him, right?"

"Right," Monica said sadly.

"How much are you going to tell Emily?"

"I'm going to tell her everything that's been happening. We're staying at the Port Charles Hotel tonight. I'll talk to her once we get there."

"Don't be surprised if she's aware of more than you think."

"I don't understand any of this, A.J. I'm thankful you and Emily are on the right track. Now, we have to help your father."

"I'll do what I can, and I'm sure the rest of the family will, too."

"I'm so glad I had a change of clothes in the car. Please excuse me while I go freshen up."

A.J. knew she was on the verge of tears and wished he could make it all go away. But he knew his father faced a long road and that this was another less-than-stellar chapter in Quartermaine history.

Keesha called a few minutes later to make sure it was all right for her and Emily to return. A.J. told her it was.

"Who was that on the phone?" Monica asked, returning to the room.

A.J. saw from her face that she thought it might be Alan.

"Keesha. They're on their way."

"I hope Emily is all right."

"I think she is. She and Keesha are pretty close. Hopefully, they were able to talk."

"May I ask what the story is between you and Keesha? Lately, you seem inseparable."

A.J. smiled. "It's been incredible, Mom. Keesha has been my rock. Ever since my non-fall off the wagon, she's been with me every step of the way, helping me and advising me. She's an angel."

"Is she the only one who knows what Carly did to you?"

"Yes. Keesha was actually the one who started piecing things together that led us to the truth."

"Is it more than friendship?"

"We want it to be, or at least I want it to be, but we both know we have to take it slow. Very slow. But we're spending a lot of time together, and it's nice."

"For what it's worth, I'm very happy that Keesha is back in your life. I hope things work out the way you want."

"Thanks, Mom," A.J. said and smiled. "I think we're going to make it this time."

They were drinking tea when Keesha and Emily arrived. Emily wanted to know if everything was all right, and Monica assured her it was.

"When do I get the whole story?"

"Soon. We're staying at the Port Charles Hotel tonight. I'll tell you everything once we get there."

Monica finished her tea and thanked A.J. and Keesha for their help.

"Any time, Mom. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Page me as soon as you know anything."

"I will."

Keesha poured herself a cup of tea and joined A.J. at the table.

"How was Emily?" A.J. asked.

"She was hanging in there. Monica is going to be surprised that she suspected something like this. She just wasn't sure what Alan might becoming addicted to."

"I told my mom not to be surprised if Emily was more aware of the situation than she realized."

"Emily said that Alan had your mom by the wrist and was threatening her."

"That's what happened. My dad was desperate for his pills. My mom had taken them from him, and when he confronted her in their bedroom, she told him she had thrown them away. That's when he came after her."

"It's a good thing Emily showed up, but I wish she hadn't seen what she did."

"I'm also thankful my dad didn't close the door all the way."

Keesha nodded.

"What happens now?"

"I'm going to talk to my dad. Alone."

"I wish you good luck."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to need it. But I owe it to my family to try. After all the times my dad got in my face about needing to admit I'm an alcoholic, I think he owes me one time when I can look him in the eye and tell him he needs to admit he's hooked on his pain pills."

"And what do you do if he doesn't?"

"I'm not sure. An intervention, maybe?"

"I hope he listens to you, A.J."

"Me, too."

They drank their tea while A.J. filled Keesha in on the rest of his conversation with Monica.

"I told my mom about Carly and the night of my non-slip, but I didn't mention that I might be the father of her baby. I figured she had more than enough to deal with."

Keesha was elated to hear that A.J. had finally told someone in his family about that night.

"Monica must have been livid," Keesha guessed. "What did she say?"

"Not much, actually, because I think she couldn't focus on anything but my dad. I just hope she doesn't have a delayed reaction. I don't want her doing something drastic."

"To Carly? I can only hope."

"Keesha, you are starting to concern me. You should see the glint in your eyes whenever Carly's name is mentioned."

"Someday, A.J., she is going to know what her manipulating schemes have cost you, and she is going to regret ever having messed with you and your sobriety."

He looked at Keesha but didn't say anything.

"I know you're not ready to hear what I have to say, so I'm going to say goodnight."

"It's not that I don't want to discuss Carly, it's just that..."

"You have enough on your mind with your family. We'll save the Carly discussion for another time. You have a big day tomorrow. Get some sleep."


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