Chapter 3

 

The tone of Matt's voice seemed to rattle the house.

Jack looks over at Ally, "That's your father?" he asked a bit perturbed.

"Yes," Ally confirmed for him.

"You said he was nice."

"He is," taking his hand, "don't worry."

"Allison is there something you didn't tell me?" Ellen asked, "Like maybe Jack's last name is Ramsey or something to that effect?"

"Mom I didn't think it mattered. Yes Dr. Ramsey is his uncle but Jack is not him."

"And you think that will make a difference with your father?"

"Daddy's not that closed minded."

"Oh boy," Ellen breathed not believing her daughter would think Matt would be receptive to this.

"Ellen what the hell is Ramsey's car doing outside our house?!!" Matt demanded to know, temples flaring as he made his way into the living room. Noticing the young man seated next to his daughter on the couch, "who's that?!" Ally and Jack rise from the sofa.

"Daddy this is Jack, he is so nice and…"

"Jack what?!!" he interrupted not allowing her to finish her string of adjectives.

"Matt the kids were just about to go out we don't want to hold them up," Ellen said walking over to him and taking his hand in an attempt to soothe him to some degree.

"I'm just asking a question Ellen. How long does it take to answer a simple question?" His eyes never once leaving Jack.

Deciding to finish making the introductions he felt neither Ellen nor Ally was in any hurry to do Jack went up to Matt and extended his hand, "Hello sir, my name is Jack Ramsey."

"Ramsey?" Matt repeated.

"Yes sir," deciding to put his hand to his side once seeing Matt had no intention of taking it.

"Why are you here?"

"Daddy we have a date," Ally informed him.

"What?!" shaking his head in disbelief, "wait a minute, you're Ramsey's nephew?"

"Yes sir, Chris Ramsey is my uncle."

"Oh well I'm sorry you made a wasted trip."

"What? Daddy you're not serious?"

Turning his focus to Ally, "Oh I am very serious. No way any daughter of mine is going out with anything related to Chris Ramsey, not in this lifetime or any other. In short you will go out with this boy Allison over my dead body." Looking back at Jack. "You can leave now."

"Matt I think you're being a little…" Ellen began.

"What? Unfair? I don't think so. You know how I feel about Chris Ramsey, this should not come as a surprise to you."

"Yes but he's not Chris."

"His name is Ramsey Ellen that's all I need to know. I will not have my child be a casualty of their way of thinking. I think it's time you left young man."

"Dr. Harmon I assure you I have the most honorable of intentions towards Allison. I would never hurt her." Jack informed Matt as his eyes swept over Ally before he locked eyes with her and took her hand.

Not at all happy with the way they were looking at each other, "You'll have to forgive me if I don't buy that for a second, now I won't you to leave," now staring daggers at Jack's hand as it held on to Allison's.

"If you make him leave Daddy I'm leaving with him."

"Allison don't be ridiculous," Matt told her.

"I'm not the one being ridiculous, you are."

"Ally look, I don't want to cause any dissention between you and your father, I'll leave," Jack offered.

"NO! you don't have to," she insisted as tears pooled her eyes.

"YES!! he does!" Matt countered.

Jack made his way to the door with Ally following close behind.

"I'm sorry Jack," Allison said with tear filled eyes.

"This isn't your fault," wiping the tears from her eyes, "please don't cry. I'm leaving now, but this isn't goodbye."

Stroking her cheek softly with his thumb, "I don't know how to explain it Ally but you've done something to me. From the moment I laid eyes on you in the CD store I can't stop thinking about you, and the way that makes me feel it's like I'm floating on air. I don't think I could stay away from you if I tried. You are just so beautiful." "This is not how I thought this evening would go."

"Me either, but I got to see you and meet your mother, she's really great."

"You should be saying that about my father too, he is a wonderful man but…"

"My uncle makes him see red, do you know what that's about?"

"No. All I do know is that something happened a million years ago when they were still interns and he hasn't forgotten about it."

"ALLISON!" Matt called for her.

"Oh man," Ally said looking down, totally not believing Matt's behavior.

Lifting her chin with his thumb and index finger, "Don't worry Ally, everything is going to be fine. I'm going to talk to Uncle Chris and find out just what the hell happened and he's going to make this right, and your father is going to like me, I promise." He placed a whispery soft kiss on her cheek, "I will see you tomorrow, okay."

"Okay," she smiled at him, "goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Ally watched Jack get into the car and drive away before she returned to the living room.

"What were you thinking?!" Matt asked her once she entered the room.

"What was I thinking? What were you doing? You threw Jack out the house."

"Jack? You know that's a perfect name for him, considering his uncle's an ass. I don't want you anywhere near that guy, you understand?"

"NO!!" Ally shouted in response to both his question and the very idea of staying away from Jack.

Ellen decides to intervene, "I think you're both a little worked up and you should calm down before things get out of hand."

"They're already out of hand Ellen, they got that way when Ally met that jerk. How long have you known him anyway?"

"I met him today but it feels like I've known him forever. And how can you call him a jerk Daddy, you don't even know him."

"I know his uncle and that tells me plenty. And after knowing this guy a few hours you can write a bio on him? I don't think so. This will make not seeing him just that much easier."

"I will not stop seeing Jack Daddy! I WON'T!!!" with that Ally ran off to her room in tears.

Staring at Matt for a few seconds that seemed like hours from the extreme quiet, Ellen finally spoke. "After twenty-five years of marriage I can say without hesitation you have truly outdone yourself today."

Matt was just about to offer an explanation when MJ entered from the front door. "Whoa what's going on in here? I'm coming up the drive and had to double check the numbers on the house, with all the raised voices I thought I took a wrong turn and ended up in front of Madison Square Garden on fight night. What happened?"

"Ask your father," Ellen said as Matt spoke at the same time saying "Ask your sister."

Jack made his way to the hospital and after checking at the nurse's station and finding out Chris was in the doctor's lounge he made his way there.

"Jack?" Chris said surprised to see his nephew, "I didn't expect to see you so soon, in fact not all I was going to take a cab home."

Tossing the keys in Chris's direction, "You can take the car, my date got cancelled."

"What? She flaked on you?"

"No, her father threw me out of the house," joining Chris at the table.

Chris laughed, "You mean you tried to score in the girl's house on the first date? That's my boy."

"It's not all about scoring Uncle Chris. This girl means a lot to me. Her father threw me out because he hates you." "Me? What do I have to do with any of this?"

"That's what I want to know. Ally's mother was great but when her father came home…"

Stopping Jack mid-sentence, "Ally? Wait a minute, this babe times ten million you were talking about isn't Allison Harmon?"

"Yes, that's exactly who it is," Jack confirmed for him.

"Well then I owe Harmon a dept of gratitude, he did me a favor. You stay away from that girl."

"What?!"

"You heard me, I don't want you anywhere near Harmon's seed."

"Well you don't get a vote in this. I didn't come here to get your approval; I came here for some answers. What the hell did you do to him to make him hate you so much?"

"You spend a few minutes at that Harmon house and you already assume "I" did something wrong?"

"It would make sense," Jack said staring intently at his uncle.

"Look I didn't do anything to Harmon. Everything that happened to him he did to himself. I'm not going to say this again, you are not to go anywhere near Harmon's daughter, do you understand me?!"

"No I don't!"

"What's wrong with you? I'm the only family you have left and you're willing to defy me for this girl? Harmon's daughter, someone you just met?"

"We may have just met, but I feel like I've always known her. I'm not gonna stay away from Ally and I don't care what you think. Allison Harmon means the world to me and I'm not going to let you or her father keep us apart."