Chapter 6

 

Matt is in his home office thinking of all that was said this evening as he flips through a photo album of Ally. "Allison I love you. You may think I'm being mean or cruel, but I'm doing this out of love. I don't want you to be hurt by him, by these ruthless Ramseys."

"You may love me Daddy and I love you too, but right now you're hurting me more than anyone else ever could." Continuing to leaf through the pages as his mind resumes playing the earlier scene.

"Ellen I can't help how I feel. I'm trying to keep her from being hurt. This Jack might not think he's going to hurt her, but he will. He's a Ramsey, all they know is hurt."

"Are you listening to yourself? You're protective of the people you love Matt, it's one of your best qualities, but at this moment you're taking it to the extreme. Allison is in love with that boy."

"What are you talking about Ellen? She doesn't even know him. She's a child, what does she know about love?"

"Have you looked at your daughter lately? She's not a child, Matt, she's a beautiful young woman and she's in love for the first time. She might have just met Jack but it doesn't change her feelings. She talked to me about him, Matt. She's feeling these new, amazing emotions and it makes her happy but here you are telling her she can't feel these feelings for this young man because you don't like his uncle. Because you think he's a replica of Chris Ramsey and he'll cause damage to her like Chris caused damage to us."

"Yes that's it exactly Ellen. Chris Ramsey has almost killed our careers and us! I'm supposed to be happy that his nephew is sniffing around our daughter? Ally is upset, and I'm sorry, I hate seeing her like that, but if she gets any closer to this boy it will only get worse. That's what I believe. Ellen, don't be angry with me about this."

"Matt how can I not. Our baby girl is in a world of pain and it's your fault. Yes I'm angry, because you're being so unrelenting. This is not about you. This is about Allison. She needs to make her own choices. If she gets hurt then we'll be here for her, but you're making things worse with this behavior of yours and if you keep pushing this you're going to push her away; and then you're going to lose your daughter for what could possibly be forever. Now is that what you want? Because from where I stand that's exactly what you're doing."

He continues to flip through the album as he ponders the turn that has been taken between him and his daughter….

Lookin' out my window I see you playin' in the leaves

It's amazing how a little girl means all the world to me

When I tell you that I love you, I love you more than words could say

Smile say cheese or pretty please I want to take your picture

How'd you ever get so big I've gotta take your picture

Hold on to the memory before the whole thing slips away

I wish I could save these moments and put 'em in a jar

I wish I could stop the world from turning keep things just the way they are

I wish I could shelter you from everything not pure and sweet and good

I know I can't, I know I can't

But I wish I could

When you kiss me for no reason,

It goes straight to my heart

When I feel your arms around me I almost fall apart

It's time for bed and you whisper, Daddy we forgot to pray

I wish I could save these moments and put 'em in a jar

I wish I could stop the world from turning keep things just the way they are

I wish I could shelter you from everything not pure and sweet and good

I know I can't, I know I can't

But I wish I could

And when I watch you sleepin', all my worries fade away

A little bit of heaven on your angelic face

I wish I could save these moments and put 'em in a jar

I wish I could stop the world from turning keep things just the way they are

I wish I could shelter you from everything not pure and sweet and good

I know I can't, I know I can't, I know I can't

But I wish I could…

"Maybe I can't Ally," Matt said looking at a picture of her when she was five, "but I have to try. I just have to try."

Jack and Ally stood there holding each other for who knows how long when finally Ally began to speak. "Jack," she whispered against his chest.

"Shhh, it's okay," he silenced her, one arm wrapped tightly around her as his other hand held her head close to his chest, his fingers lost in the silky curls of her pinned hair while his right cheek rested on the top of her head. "I just want to relish this moment for as long as I can."

After holding each other a few moments more Ally speaks again, "I couldn't stay at home any longer, it was terrible."

Jack slowly pulls away, "What happened?" he asked, wiping away the remnants of tears from her eyes.

"Oh Jack," walking over to the park bench and taking a seat, "everything is so messed up." Jack takes a seat beside her. "My father told me the most incredible story tonight and then he punctuated it by reinforcing his "demand" that I stay away from you."

"I guess tonight is the night for incredible stories. Uncle Chris dropped a doozy on me, before ending it with his demand that I stay away from you. Do you want me to go first?"

Ally nods her head.

Taking her hand in his, "I went to the hospital to talk to him and when he found out that you were my date, well he went ballistic. I pressed him to tell me what happened between him and your father to cause the animosity between them, and he sidestepped me at every turn before he finally told me about some award that he said your parents caused him to lose. When I pressed him for the real reason he jumped totally off track and told me…I really don't believe this, but he told me your father killed his brother and that his family was…"

"The mob," Ally finished with him.

"It's true?" Jack asked.

"Oh yeah, I just found out tonight. All my life I believed Daddy got paralyzed in a skiing accident. When I pleaded with Mom to tell me why he hates your uncle so much, she said I needed to hear the whole story, so Daddy shares with my brother and me his life as the son of a mobster. Turns out my brother already knew, but that's another story."

"I thought Uncle Chris was lying."

Ally shakes her head, "Nope, he wasn't lying.

What else did he tell you?"

"Not much, which is what really ticked me off because I knew he wasn't telling me something. He got really angry. He can't stand your father, and aside from going on about some "lie" he said your folks told about him causing him to lose some Quartermaine award he just harped about how dangerous a person your father is. He said that he and your mother almost caused him to lose his life and career."

"Well that's something about the two adult males in our life, they both hate each other."

"No doubt," he agreed. "Did your parents tell you the whole truth, because Uncle Chris wasn't very forthcoming."

"They told me their truth, or Daddy did, he did all the talking. He uh…"

"Ally don't try and sugarcoat it for me, just tell me straight, I can handle it."

Ally tightened her hold on his hand. "Okay, he told me that your uncle was desperate to win that Quartermaine award and he felt like my father was a threat to him getting it so…wait let me go back a bit. You need to know first that my father's family is the mob, his brother shot him after their father placed a hit on him when Daddy heard and saw something he shouldn't have. The shooting caused his paralysis and after that happened he was placed in the Witness Protection Program and became Matt Harmon. It was during their internship that your uncle decided to delve into my father's past. He found out he was a member of the Mancusi family and called my grandfather--" She paused and took a deep breath, still having a hard time coming to grips with her familial background. "My grandfather, Sal Mancusi, and he sent my father's brother after him again. In the ensuing aftermath Daddy did end up killing his brother in self-defense, but not before his and my mother's life were almost taken and a friend of theirs got shot."

"Uncle Chris sicced your father's mobster family on him to keep him from winning some award?" Jack summarized with total disgust.

"Apparently so, and there's more."

What else could there be Jack thought closing his eyes before saying, "I'm listening."

"When they were interns my mother was the chief resident so she was their boss. Daddy was in love with Mom from like the first day but her position being what it was and lots of other reasons she kept him at arms distance even though she did care about him. Well uh Mom finally weakened and they started a relationship, and since the internship was going to end in a few weeks and they would be free to see each other openly they wanted to keep it quiet until then. Why make waves if they didn't have to was their way of thinking. Seems your uncle found out about their relationship and made it public."

"They could have denied it, who would believe him without proof?"

"Apparently he had proof, and it worked like a charm because Mom lost her position, and Daddy lost the award that Mom had told him was his. Whatever your uncle did, it couldn't have been good because he got stripped of the award when the hospital board found out what he did. Those are the reasons my father hates him."

"I knew it was something more. No wonder he didn't want to tell me. He didn't want me to know what a sleaze he was."

"Daddy was so angry when he was telling me about this. He really hates your uncle and he refuses to even consider the idea of me seeing you."

"Uncle Chris is the exact same way."

"Jack, I love my Daddy so much, when I was growing up no one could tell me he wasn't just the most perfect man and father in the whole world. He was like Christmas and my birthday everyday. I couldn't wait for the day to come when I'd be grown up and I could marry him like Mommy did."

Jack laughed.  "Little girls love their daddies."

"Big girls love their daddies too. All I ever wanted was to make Daddy as happy as he made me. I wanted to be just like him, which is weird because I was a girl, but I looked up to him, I thought, 'who could be more wonderful than Daddy?' He was a doctor, Mom was a doctor too, but Daddy cut people open and fixed their hearts when they were broken, so I wanted to be a doctor just like him. He went to Columbia, so I wanted to go to Columbia too. He was a vegetarian, I tried that but I liked cheeseburgers too much." Jack chuckled. "However, Daddy didn't mind." Fresh tears welling in her eyes, "Now today I find out Daddy had some secret life I never knew about, but it didn't matter, because I know he's not the mob, he's my wonderful, perfect father and nothing could change that. Even knowing from where his beginnings started and who and what his family is, I know my Daddy. Dr. Matt Harmon is a good and decent man, but he refuses to accept that the nephew of his worst enemy can be anything less than the scum of the earth he thinks his uncle is. He just won't budge on this, and that hurts me, that hurts me so much," tears streaming down her cheeks. "Daddy is supposed to fix hearts, but right now he's just breaking mine."

Jack brought her head to his shoulder and stroked her back gently until her sobs subsided. "For someone who makes me so happy, I hate seeing you so sad,” he said, wiping her tears away as his thumbs stroke either side of her cheek.  “Oh Allison this day has been one I will never forget, for so many reasons, however, none more important than that it was the day I found you. I consider myself to be a reasonably smart guy, I don't just jump into things or make decisions without weighing everything out first but you changed all that. Allison you make me feel things I've never felt before in my life. It's not just a physical attraction; don't get me wrong you are absolutely drop dead gorgeous, but its not that, it's you. Your mind, your heart, your spirit, your soul, everything that makes you you it just…it makes me so very happy. You have been on my mind from the moment our eyes met." 

He caressed her cheek. "Those eyes, you know you have your father's eyes, but they're encompassed in your mother's face and they reach deep into my soul and they warm me. God, you are just so beautiful Allison you absolutely take my breath away. I never thought that going to the mall would change my life so much or that love at first sight was anything more than a songwriter's favorite Muse. I am a convert. Cupid's arrow has hit me and its hit me really hard because there is no doubt in my mind that I love you more than anything in this world Allison Harmon and I can't imagine anything ever changing that. I hope I'm not scaring you, but I have to say these feelings scare me. They are the most intense, uncontrollable things I have ever felt and the very idea of not being able to see you scares me more than they do and with the way I'm feeling that is truly saying something. I don't care if Uncle Chris loses what's left of his mind after tonight or if your father's family owned half of Sicily, it doesn't matter. I can't stay away from you.  I can't even begin to imagine that. Alright I'm done now, how much of a fool have I made of myself?"

"None at all, why would you ask that?"

"I just tell a girl I met not quite seven hours before I'm madly in love with her, it might give one pause, especially given our male role models hate each other."

"Oh no Jack, I don't think you're at all foolish, if so I'm as loony as you are. I feel the exact way you do, that's why it hurts me so much that Daddy is so against our seeing each other. I can't imagine going against him, but at the same time I can't imagine not being with you. Jack you just make me feel so alive and it wasn't like I was dead before but it's just that I wasn't all together and with you I'm whole. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I can't imagine feeling this way about anyone else ever again. I love you Jack and I've known that since I first saw you and with every minute that passes that love just grows more and more. I have never felt so happy and so conflicted in my life. Your uncle and my father will not stand for us to be together and I know that I can't stand us being apart. It's like Romeo and Juliet revisited and I don't want us to end up like they did."

Cupping the side of her face, "Hey, Ally, we won't, we won't. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm going to make sure that we stay together. I won't let anyone or anything come between us." Looking at his watch, "It's getting late, I think I should walk you home."

As they stand from the park bench Jack pauses for a minute.

"What's wrong?" Ally asked.

"The moonlight, the way it's bathing your face and bouncing off your hair, it's like a halo. You are my beautiful angel." Cupping her face in his hands, they take the few steps that would close the space between them and the two share their first kiss. It was a soft, gentle, yet very telling kiss. The embers of passion smoldered just beneath the surface. They tasted and probed each other's mouths until the need for air snapped them back to reality.

"Okay," they both smiled, eyes glazed over, hearts racing, and lips still tingling from their kiss.

"I appreciate the offer Jack, but I think I should walk myself home. Daddy's probably waiting outside the house for me," Ally told him.

"Maybe I should just walk you half the way. I want to make sure you get there safely."

Having been watching ever so discreetly from a suitable distance MJ makes his presence known. "Ally!" he shouted, feigning just arriving.

"Who's that?" Jack asked.

"My brother. I'm over here, MJ!" she answered.

MJ made his way over.  "I've been looking for you for hours,” he lied.

"Well I've been right here," Ally shared with him. "Jack this is my brother Matthew Jr., MJ. MJ this is Jack." She smiled.

Jack was slightly three inches shorter than MJ and they were roughly the same build, but his resemblance to Matt was very intimidating, "Nice to meet you," he said offering his hand to MJ.

Picking up on Jack's wariness of him, MJ hit him playfully against his shoulder before taking his hand.  "Hey kid, loosen up.  I'm not my dad, I just look like him," he said with a laugh. "I think we should go now Ally, we don't want to compound the matter at home."

"Alright, can I have a moment please," she asked.

"Sure. I'll be right over here. It was nice meeting you Jack," MJ said walking over to the nearby shrubbery.

"You too," Jack called back.

"See, he's not so bad," Ally said.

"Yeah, too bad he's not your father."

"You had to go back there?" she asked in jest.

"Sorry," he said with a kiss to her forehead.

"So am I going to see you tomorrow?"

"And every day after that, yes. We'll find a way, don't worry. I'll call you, on your cell phone; thank heavens for technology."

"Okay, until then."

"Until then." They share one final kiss. "Goodnight Allison."

"Goodnight Jack."

"I love you," they both say before Ally rejoins MJ and they head for home.

"He doesn't seem like such a bad kid," MJ shared as he and Ally walked home. "You could do worse."

"Daddy would disagree with you on that."

"Don't I know it. Are you okay, I mean you had a lot to digest tonight."

"I'm still digesting it. I don't care about Daddy's past, I just care that he won't see that Jack is not his uncle. If he can't get past that idea, my relationship with him just may cease to exist."

"Ally don't assume the worse."

"It's the right assumption. Daddy is way off base with this, and as much as I love him I love Jack too. I don't want to have to choose between them because my choice might not be the one Daddy wants."

Once they arrive home Ellen is waiting for them. "Ally are you okay."

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm glad MJ called ahead. I really didn't feel like another confrontation with Daddy."

"Well he had to go back to the hospital, but you have to talk to him eventually."

"I know Mom, and I will but right now I'm just tired. I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep, it's been a long day." Giving Ellen a kiss

on the cheek, "Goodnight Mom."

"Goodnight Allison."

Noticing the rose Jack gave her earlier still lying on the coffee table Ally picks it up. Bringing the flower to her nose she smells its sweet fragrance before sighing softly and heading off to her room. "Is she really okay?" Ellen asked MJ after Ally left.

"I think so, she worried that Dad will never come around but that's all."

"That's all? She has reason to worry. I talked to Matt but I don't know how much good it did. He's like a pit bull when he gets these things in his head, and just like a pit bull he refuses to let go. He can't see pass the fact that Jack is Chris Ramsey's nephew, and as far as Matt's concerned all that means is no way is he dating his daughter."

Chris was thankful that it was a slow night. If he had to perform surgery he wasn't sure he'd be able to do it he was so angry and worried. Angry that Jack had managed to fall in love with Matt and Ellen's daughter, and worried that he'd find out all the things that he's done and Jack will hate him and he couldn't have that. Jack couldn't hate him. Jack was all he had and the most important person ever in his life.

"He has to stay away from that girl, from that family," Chris said out loud.

Chris was still pacing the floor of the doctor's lounge when Eve came in. Looking at him pace the area back and forth she spoke, "What are you trying to do Chris, build a new home? Sure weasels love holes but you live in a very nice penthouse."

"Don't give me this Eve, I have a lot on my mind."

"That doesn't take much."

"I thought you were my friend?"

"I am god help me. I still wonder as to why sometimes."

"Then stop needling me, I need a favor."

"Oh no, I'm just done, I'm going home."

"Home to what? You and Scott have been divorced for years, there's nothing waiting there for you. I really need a favor Eve."

"Oh what?" she grumbled.

"I need to run home and take care of something. I might be gone an hour tops. I need you to cover for me." "What's going on Chris?"

"Short version, Jack has fallen in love with Allison Harmon."

"What?" she said in shock.

"Yeah, he just met the girl today and he's just gone on her."

"Well she's a very beautiful young lady. I bet you're loving this," she smiled.

"Oh yeah, I'm on cloud nine," he sniped.

"Well what's home? Isn't Jack with Allison?"

"I don't know. God I hope not. He came in here raging like a bull demanding that I tell him why Matt Harmon threw him out of his house."

"Matt didn't?"

"He did. I can't believe Harmon and I actually agree on something. He did me a favor by throwing Jack out."

"Chris they're young, don't get in their way. Why do you care if your nephew dates Matt's daughter anyway?"

"Jack doesn't know what happened between Matt and me."

"Oh you mean he doesn't know that you almost got him and Ellen killed and you exposed their relationship to the world via some very candid photos?"

"Yes."

"So he finds out his uncle's a creep, big deal. Maybe he already knows."

"Don't even joke about that Eve. Jack is very important to me. I need for him to love me. I don't care about anything else."

"Then I suggest you not block his relationship with Allison, because if you do, you will lose his love."

"Sorry Eve, that's not an option. He just has to stay away from her…period. I'll be back."

As Chris waits for the elevator, it opens and Matt comes out.

Spotting Chris, "Oh this day just keeps getting better and better,'' Matt groaned.

"I can say the same Harmon. Why don't you just keep your temptress daughter away from my…" stopping himself, "Jack."

"Oh that would be my pleasure, but it seems your "Jack" is searching her out. So he managed to get good taste from somebody, but I am not interested, and I want him to stay away from Ally."

"What have you been telling him?"

"I haven't told him a damn thing, except stay away from my daughter. I have no intention of filling him in on your sordid past with me, I'll let him stumble upon that by himself and he'll do it. He's gotta have some smarts he fell for my daughter. When he finds out what a contemptible subhuman you are that will be his independence day, but I don't want him anywhere near my daughter in the meantime."

"You just make sure you and that daughter of yours stays far away from him."

"My pleasure," Matt said making his way around Chris.

Once inside the car Chris repeats to himself as he heads down, "I won't let Jack hate me. I can't lose him."

Racing into his home, Chris goes into his study and heads to a wall painting that is the cover for a safe. Once the safe is cracked he retrieves the strong box that is inside.

Removing the key from inside the safe he opens it and removes the contents. It was copies of the photos he took of Matt and Ellen along with the negatives, and also a letter from Jack's mother Janice. "Jack can never see these, not ever."

Tucking the pictures into his top left desk drawer, he takes a seat in his leather chair and open the letter from Janice and silently reads it.

Chris,
We promised never to speak of that night, but unfortunately we have to, well I have to. I was angry with Jack and I hurt him by turning to you. That was the biggest mistake I have ever made. Chris I'm pregnant and this child is yours. I have no intention of telling this to Jack and I want you to promise me that for all pretexts and purposes all you'll ever be to this child is Uncle Chris. His father is Jack, I love him and I will never hurt him so much as to tell him that the child he always desperately wanted is his brother's. I'm sending this letter by certified mail. Your receiving it says you agree to my terms. As far as I'm concerned this means that night and this letter never happened, and that's the way I want it to stay. I'm only giving you this because I feel you should know you're going to be a father, but all I'll ever want from you is your silence.
Janice

Chris has just finished reading the letter when Jack enters the study. Chris hurriedly folds the letter and places it in the drawer.

"Why so jumpy, Uncle Chris, more secrets?"

"Jack where have you been?" he asked closing the desk drawer.

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Out there," he said, pointing to the window of the study.

"You weren't with her were you?"

"I tell you what; I'll talk to you when you're ready to talk to me. Until then, what I do and whom I do it with is none of your damn business. Goodnight."

Jack left the room as Chris's real fear of possibly losing the love of his son began to take shape.

Song Credits ''I Wish I Could'' Peabo Bryson