a fanfic by SonnyandAlexisGal
Chapter Three
Alexis stares out into the dark as the town flies past - the sound of the siren ringing in her ears.
Her hands are clenched at her sides.
I hope that Mr. Lawrence has been released, she tells herself. I'm not even sure how I managed to have the presence of mind to get Taggart to give that form to another officer...Still even a couple of hours is too long to be locked up when you've done nothing wrong and it is my job as his attorney to see to it that he is released...
As Alexis watches the sights go by, she never loses contact with the powerful thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump inside her chest and the feeling of her fingernails pressing against the palms of both hands.
Alright Alexis, her mind says as the sense of panic begins again, keep focused. This is Tuesday evening. When you get home, Kristina will no doubt have left some of that delicious soup that she made for dinner last night. You can have some soup and a bit of bread for dinner tonight. Then you can take a nice and warm bath and...
Is he alright? Is he even alive? I keep thinking that somehow I would feel it if he wasn't...This is like some awful suspense novel - there has been an explosion. A car has simply exploded. But what of its occupants?
Alexis begins to feel as if she has forgotten how to breathe.
She closes her eyes and forces herself to inhale deeply and to exhale very slowly, all the while replaying Sonny's voice in her head. Inhale, Alexis, he always tells her. Her eyes sting as the tears start to form.
But she cannot allow herself to fall apart - not yet. She has to believe that Sonny is alright and she has to keep right on believing it until she can believe it no longer.
It's the only thing that she has to hang onto right now.
Slowly Alexis begins to smell something that makes her queasy. It is a nauseating smell of burning.
Her eyes shoot open to see the signs of it - the explosion - the one that may very well have obliterated her future and that of the child inside of her.
She looks through the front windshield as the car that she is sitting in races toward a thick cloud of black smoke that seems to be streaming out of the parking garage in front of them - the one directly beneath the Harborview Towers - the one where Sonny's cars are always parked.
Alexis has never been overly religious but, at this moment - seeing the police cars and the ambulances surrounding the area with siren lights flashing all around -- she silently prays as hard as she can.
Almost absentmindedly, she rubs her stomach.
Don't worry, she communicates to her baby - Sonny's baby - their baby. Your father's alright, sweetie.
He's got to be...
___________________________________________________________________
Carly sits behind her desk at Club 101, going over the numbers from the previous night's receipts and feeling pleased with herself. The club is definitely a success and she is the one who made it a success. Jax provided the money but everything else happened because of the work that Carly put into it.
Club 101 is truly Carly's club and no one can take that away from her.
Sonny would be so proud of me, her mind quickly tells her.
She shakes off the thought.
Sonny has moved on with his life, she reminds herself. It almost kills Carly to even think about it but the truth is that Alexis is having Sonny's baby - the baby that Carly didn't have. Alexis Davis, of all people.
The anger begins to rise as it always does when she thinks about it. Alexis lived next door and she took every opportunity to work her way into Sonny's life. First it was as his lawyer and then as his friend. One mistake from Carly and now Alexis is the one who's having Sonny's baby.
Carly quickly stands up from the desk and paces around the office. She can't let this affect her, she tells herself. Her marriage to Sonny is over. She made a calculated move that completely destroyed his trust in her and everything that they had managed to build between them.
Sonny has moved on, Carly tells herself. It's time for me to do the same thing.
She walks back to her chair and sits. She pulls the telephone closer, wondering where Zander is.
As she is about to pick up the receiver, the telephone rings, startling her.
She picks up the receiver.
"Club 101," she answers, proudly.
"Carly," comes her mother's voice. "You're still there..."
"Of course I'm still here, Mom," Carly says. "I told you that I'd be working tonight..."
"You haven't heard then?"
"Heard what?"
"Oh Carly..."
"Mom," Carly says nervously, realizing that something terrible must have happened. "You're scaring me. Now, what's happened?"
"A news report just came over the television," Bobbie says. "It said that Sonny's car exploded..."
Carly stands up.
"What do you mean Sonny's car exploded? Is he alright?"
"They didn't..."
"Is he alright?" Carly demands.
"They didn't say," Bobbie answers.
"Okay, where? Where did this happen?"
"The Harborview Towers parking garage."
"I've got to get over there!"
"Carly..."
"I'm going!" she insists. "And Mom...please don't let Michael hear anything about this - not until we know something..."
She slams down the telephone and opens the drawer in her desk. She takes her pocketbook out of the drawer, hurries to the door and grabs her coat, and runs out of the office.
___________________________________________________________________
Mike sits at the counter at Kelly's Diner, reading the newspaper and finishing up a dinner of Salisbury steak and mash potatoes.
"Oh, my God," Elizabeth quietly exclaims, causing Mike to look up from his paper.
"Elizabeth?" he questions. "Is something wrong?"
"Mike," she begins in a shaky voice, her eyes beginning to water, "I..."
Mike puts down his newspaper. He stands up and walks behind the counter to where Elizabeth is standing.
"What is it?" he asks.
Elizabeth tries to explain but the words don't come out.
"Repeating our top story..." comes the newscaster's voice over the radio. Elizabeth reaches over and turns up the volume.
"There is a breaking news story. Port Charles police are at this moment responding to reports of an explosion in the parking lot of the Harborview Towers. Early reports indicate that a car parked in the parking lot beneath the Harborview Towers has exploded. According to police sources, the car involved in the explosion is a car belonging to reputed racketeer Michael Corinthos, Jr. also known as Sonny Corinthos. No word on injuries at this time..."
Mike's mouth drops open.
"My God, Michael..." he manages.
Elizabeth opens her mouth to say something but, before she can utter a word, Mike turns around and rushes out of the diner.
___________________________________________________________________
The police car screeches to a halt on the street outside the parking garage and next to a couple of the other several squad cars lining the street. As soon as the car comes to a complete stop, both Taggart and the officer doing the driving open the car doors and step out onto the street.
Alexis is too nervous - too afraid of what she will see - to move as quickly. She locates the handle on the back door, pushes open the door, and steps out of the car - her eyes moving from car to car, police officer to police officer, flashing light to flashing light - trying to get her bearings on the dark, smoky street.
She sees the thick black cloud of smoke still pouring through the driveway leading down into the garage. The smell fills her nose and her throat, forcing her to clear her throat several times.
"Alexis," Taggart says as he approaches, "you stay here. Until we get word from the fire department that nothing else down in that garage is going up, nobody goes near it, understand?"
"Where's Sonny?" she asks, her eyes scanning the area, only having half-heard what he just said.
"I don't know," he answers. "But we'll find him. You stay here, okay?"
Alexis nods as Taggart runs off.
As soon as he is out of sight, Alexis begins to move around the frenzied scene, her eyes moving over face after face - in search of one particular dimpled one.
A couple of fire engines are visible on the street outside. She even spots a firefighter covered in black soot emerging from inside the garage. The firefighters in the area seem to be relatively calm, indicating to Alexis that the immediate danger has been brought under control.
There is more than one ambulance at the scene. She spots one with the back doors open. As she moves closer to it, she sees a man sitting in back of the ambulance on one of the benches, an oxygen mask covering his nose, being looked at by someone in an emergency services uniform.
Not him, Alexis tells herself.
Someone on a gurney is quickly wheeled to a second ambulance. Alexis rushes over to see who it is.
She holds her breath and looks at the face. Then she exhales. This isn't him, either.
Alexis stands and looks around her at the various people scurrying about the scene and the general feeling of total chaos.
And no Sonny in sight.
Okay now, Alexis' mind tells Sonny, you're scaring me. I...need to see you, Sonny. I need to know that you're alright...I know that you wouldn't...leave us...like this - not without...You just wouldn't leave us...
She continues to look around for him, becoming more and more frantic as the moments pass without seeing him.
Only I need to find you because...I'm getting scared and...I just need to see you...
___________________________________________________________________
Carly pushes her way past a uniformed officer when a second one tries to hold her back from the scene.
"Listen," Carly insists as she squirms in the officer's grasp, "I am Mrs. Sonny Corinthos and I need to know if my husband is alright so let me go!"
"I'm sorry," the young officer begins, "but I can't let anybody in through here!"
"Let me go!"
___________________________________________________________________
Alexis' breathing becomes somewhat labored as she scans the area.
Then she sees a squad car just a bit further down the block - down past the area where most of the people and their vehicles are congregated. She begins to walk towards it.
As she gets closer, she looks through the window of the car and sees a man on the other side who is leaning over and listening to someone who sits in the backseat.
Her steps quicken along with her pulse.
The man who was leaning over is now standing next to the open car door, doing a bit of scanning himself. Then he turns a bit to his side and Alexis recognizes his face.
"Johnny..." she mutters.
There is movement in the backseat of the squad car as she reaches the far side of the trunk.
She holds her breath and freezes - to afraid to move, too afraid to blink.
The person - a man - steps out of the car and makes his way to a standing position.
He is in shirtsleeves, his shirt is a bit rumpled, not tucked into his pants, and his hair is messier than usual. But it's dark, the arms are muscular, and the face, even though dirtied - by smoke fumes, Alexis guesses - is a dimpled one.
Alexis stands frozen in place in that spot at the rear of the car and stares as tears spring to her eyes.
He and Johnny turn toward the movement.
His eyes connect with her teary ones.
"Alexis," Sonny whispers at that moment, relieved at the sight of her standing there. He steps toward her and waves at her to come to him.
Alexis takes first one tentative step and then another and then another and rushes into his outstretched arms.
She wraps her arms around him and buries her face in his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" she manages in a shaky voice.
"I'm okay," Sonny answers, savoring the sensation of holding her in his arms at that moment. "I'm okay..." He lets go of her and takes a small step backward. "You?"
Alexis moves into his arms again and holds on tight.
"I'm fine now," she says.
Carly stands off in the distance, watching. Her heart resumes its normal rhythm as she takes in the sight of Sonny standing there - alive.
She wants to run over to him but she thinks better of it.
The only person that Sonny wants to see at that moment is there in his arms and, as much as she hates it -- as much as it hurts -- Carly knows that it's true. If she follows her instinct, she will only be in the way and it's a position that she will never allow herself to be in.
Slowly she turns and begins to walk away.
"Carly!" Mike says as he appears in front of her. "Where's Sonny? Have you seen him? Is he alright?"
She turns and looks back.
"He's over there," she says.
Mike rushes past her, on his way over to where his very much alive son is standing.
Carly turns and continues to walk away, forcing down her anger and disappointment.
You have your life, Sonny, she thinks. She turns back around and watches with envy as Sonny and Alexis hold each other, so completely oblivious to anything and anyone else.
"And I'm going to have mine..."
Alexis holds onto Sonny, so loving his arms around her - something that she was beginning to wonder if she would ever feel again.
"I was so afraid," she whispers.
Sonny kisses her forehead and holds her a bit tighter.
"I know, I know..."
She lets go and studies him - searching for something - anything -- that looks wrong.
"And you're not hurt or anything?"
"Sweetheart," Sonny begins as he takes her face in his hands and looks into her eyes, "I'm okay..."
"Michael," Mike calls as he approaches. "It's...good to see you...I heard about the explosion. Are you..."
"I'm fine, Mike," Sonny answers with a wince as Alexis touches his arm.
"You hurt your arm?" she asks.
"Probably did it when the car exploded...It threw me backward..."
"But someone was hurt," Alexis says. "I saw them put someone in an ambulance..."
Sonny looks down at his feet.
"Ryan..."
"Ryan? What - who's Ryan?" She gasps when it dawns on her. "Your new driver?"
"He went to start the car," Sonny explains, "and...all of a sudden..."
"Oh, my God..."
Sonny notices how wobbly she looks.
"Look," he says, "you need to sit..."
"I'm...I'm okay. Is Ryan...Is he..."
"They took him to General Hospital. That's all I know right now...Can you sit down now?"
"I don't need to sit..."
"Sonny's right, Alexis," Mike adds. "You need to relax..."
"I'm fine..."
"Just the same," Sonny says, "I'd feel better if you...if you just sit down for a few minutes...Please?"
"You want me to sit down," she mutters as she sits on the backseat of the squad car. "There. I'm sitting...Satisfied?"
She grabs hold of his hand -- unwilling to not feel him close to her.
Feeling the exact same thing, Sonny's grasp on her hand firms just a bit.
"How did you get here?" he asks. "You didn't drive yourself, did you?"
"I was at the PCPD when Taggart got the call. He brought me..."
"You look tired," he says.
"So do you..."
He leans over toward her.
"Alexis," he begins quietly, "you are...the best thing...that's ever happened to me...Protecting you and the baby...are the most important things to me right now...So can you...can you help me do that, okay?"
Alexis reaches out and touches his face.
Taggart walks over.
"Alright, Sonny boy," he begins in his customarily smug tone, "let's hear it. Who's after you now?"