Chapter 30

"Aren’t you going in?" Ally asked Jack as they stood outside Chris’s door.

Jack shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. After our wonderful night, I don’t want to start our first day as husband and wife like this." Images of Chris screaming at how Ally and her family stole him away played in his head. "Uncle Chris is not going to be happy. Maybe you should have stayed at the hotel. It’s not too late for you to go back if you want to. I’ll compl--"

She silenced him with a kiss. Jack wondered how one pair of lips had the ability to calm, excite, and comfort all at the same time. "I’m not going to let you do this by yourself. Your uncle might surprise us, but if he doesn’t I’m going to be here for you. I know how important he is to you and that you want him in your life."

"You’re right." Jack groaned. "As crazy as he makes me, and as disappointed as I’ve been by his behavior in regards to your family, I still love him." He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. "I should have told him we were getting married."

"You can’t change what’s done. As you said before, he would have had a cow."

"It would have had company with the two your parents had." He laughed nervously and squeezed her hand. "Let’s do this."

Jack inserted his key in the door and followed Ally inside. He was surprised to find Chris sitting in the easy chair facing the door, with his eyes on the newspaper in his lap. Jack swallowed the knot in his throat. "Good morning, Uncle Chris."

"I’m sure it is for you two." Chris finished what he was reading, then folded the paper and placed it on the floor. "I understand congratulations are in order."

Jack’s gaze met Ally’s. His uncle already knew. At least he wasn’t shouting; not yet, anyway. He walked over to the couch and sat in the corner nearest Chris. "How did you find out?"

"Eve told me. She ran into Ellen at the hospital last night." Chris motioned to Jack’s hand. "Plus the shiny new wedding band gives you away, too."

Jack looked at the gold ring on his finger. "Oh."

"What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me. You led me to believe that…."

"I didn’t lead you to believe anything, Uncle Chris. I told you the facts and you drew from that what you wanted. I may have been a bit vague, but I told you the truth. My relationship with Allison did change." Ally joined Jack on the couch and took his hand. "She’s no longer my girlfriend; she’s my wife."

"Yes, your wife." What suspiciously looked like a smile formed at the corners of Chris’s mouth. "My new niece."

"Are you all right, Uncle Chris?" Jack asked, becoming a bit uneasy with Chris’s calm demeanor.

"I’m fine. Why would you ask?"

"Because you’re fine. This isn’t the reaction I was expecting."

Chris chuckled. "Jack, what good would shouting do? What’s done is done. I would have preferred you two kids waited before making such a huge step in life, and I would have really liked to be there to witness it, but like I said, it’s done. I have to accept it, and I do." He covered Jack’s hand with his and gave it several pats. "You’re my family, Jack. I love you very much, and I’ll do anything to see you happy. Anything."

He gave Jack a hug and Ally a kiss on her cheek.

Had he not witnessed this himself, Jack would not have believed it. His uncle had actually given them his blessing, and kissed Allison. Jack was thrilled. He was sure his face shined like a beacon.

Chris took Allison’s hand. "Could you give me a few minutes alone with my nephew? I want us to have a little man-to-man talk. There’s a medical journal on my office desk with an article I think you’d be interested in reading."

"Cardiology?" Ally asked.

"Of course. I know you share your father’s interest in the field."

She stood from the couch. "Take as much time as you need."

Chris pointed toward the hall. "My office is around the corner, the first door on the left."

Ally gave Jack a quick kiss and proceeded to the office.

This was going too well, Jack thought. Was his uncle going to start ranting now that Allison was out of the room? "What is it, Uncle Chris?"

Chris sat in the space Ally vacated and reached into the breast pocket of his blazer. "Here," he said, extending a small black book. "I set this up for you a long time ago. I was going to give it to you on your twentieth birthday, but I decided to give it to you now. It’ll be more useful."

Jack’s eyes widened when he took in the six-figure number that reported the account’s balance. He had never seen his name followed by some many zeroes. "Are you kidding?"

"No. You take this, and you use it for you and your new wife. It’s going to be tough going for you, so this is like a cushion to soften things a bit."

"I can’t accept this," Jack said, handing back the book.

Chris shook his head, refusing to take it. "Sure you can. It was set up for you. Consider it a wedding present."

Speechless, Jack wrapped his arms around Chris. This was the uncle he loved. "Thank you. Not just for not blowing a gasket at my marrying Allison, but for this." He held up the bankbook. "This is really too much."

"No, I think just enough." Chris glanced in the direction of his office. "Yeah, just enough."

***

Ally walked into Chris’ office. She had never seen it before, but it was just as she thought it would be, big and full of expensive furnishings and knickknacks. She walked over to the desk. Tons of papers covered the oak finished desk. This didn’t surprise her either. She figured that to be a Ramsey family trait. When Jack helped her study for finals, he had spread her notes all over the kitchen table just like that. "How am I gonna find a journal under all of this?" she wondered. As Ally shuffled through the papers, she had to admit the doctor’s reaction was not what she expected. He never made a secret of his dislike for her parents, and though he had been civil to her, she didn’t expect him to take their nuptial news so well. With Jack being so happy, she couldn’t help being pleased, too. Who knows, perhaps the Harmons and the Ramseys could actually be one big happy family after all.

As Ally rifled through the papers in search of the well hidden journal, she came across a piece of pink stationery that was totally out of place amongst the sloppy handwritten doctor scribble on the yellow legal paper. The personal looking letter dated from just over twenty years ago got her attention. She knew she shouldn’t read it, but she did anyway. A soft swoosh followed Ally’s fall into Chris’ executive leather chair. "Oh, God," she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief as she reread the letter’s contents. She dropped the letter to the desk. "Dr. Ramsey is Jack’s father?"

"Allison?" Jack’s approaching voice shook her. She stuck the letter underneath a pile of papers and pushed away from the desk. Jack and Chris entered the office.

Jack made his way to her side and wrapped his arm around her. "You okay?"

"I’m fine. I didn’t find the medical journal, though" she said glancing at the paper-strewn desk.

"I should have warned you about that," Chris replied. "Perhaps you found something else that piqued your interest?"

Something about the way he said that and the hint of smugness on his face led Ally to believe Chris planted that letter for her to find, but why?

"Sweetheart, look what Uncle Chris gave us." Jack presented the bankbook to her.

Ally looked at the huge sum of money and turned to Chris. "What is this?" she asked of the near one quarter of a million dollars.

"It’s a wedding present," Chris answered. "I think you two can put it to good use."

Jack gave Ally a little squeeze, his smile blinding. "I was so worried about how this morning would go, but it’s gone better than I could have imagined. I think this moment deserves a toast. I’m going to the kitchen to get us some orange juice." Jack’s blue eyes peered into her brown ones. He rubbed her shoulder. "Allison, sweetheart, you sure you’re okay? You seem different."

She forced on a smile. "I’m fine. You go on to the kitchen and I’ll take this time to get to know Uncle Chris a little better."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Good, I’ll be right back."

When the door closed behind Jack, Ally wasted no time in her search for answers. "What are you up to?"

Chris scoffed and walked behind his desk. "You Harmons are so suspicious."

Ally shot him a hard look and placed her hands on her hips. "I’m a Ramsey now. Did you forget?"

He grunted. "Not hardly. What makes you think I’m up to anything? Jack’s happy, right? Isn’t that what you want for him?"

"That’s all I want for him. I thought that’s what you wanted, too."

He sat in the huge black chair. "What makes you think I don’t?"

"You’ve been lying to him all his life. You think giving him money is going to make up for that? Why did you want me to find that letter?"

"Letter? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

The heat of blind rage fanned her face. Ally shoved several of the papers to the floor and stared at Chris through narrowed eyes. "You know damn well what I’m talking about! Jack thinks you’re his uncle, but…" She felt ill thinking about it. The words stuck in her throat for several moments before she finally said them. "You’re his father."

Chris looked at her and shrugged. "Oh, that letter."

She smacked her hands against the desk. "Yes, that letter! How could you keep that from him?"

"You read the letter, it’s because his mother wanted it that way. Janine is dead. Are you going to break Jack’s heart and destroy the happy memories he has of her by telling him she lied to him all his life. What about your father? Huh? From what Eve told me, Harmon is not at all happy with this marriage. He thinks Jack is my nephew, when he finds out he’s my son, he’s going to lose the half of his mind this wedding didn’t destroy. Then he’s going to do all he can to get you two apart."

"Daddy wouldn’t do that." Surprisingly, that didn’t sound as convincing as she thought it would.

Chris snickered. "I see you really believe that." He clasped his hands together and reclined in the comfortable chair. "There’s always the flip side. You could keep quiet and have this big secret between you and Jack in your brand new marriage. Being the self-righteous Harmon you are that’s going to get old fast. You’re gonna spill your guts and Jack’s going to hate you for lying to him for however long it’s going to be. Then he’s going to kick you to the curb like he should have done the day he met you."

"Jack would never hate me, he loves me. I think you should be worried about yourself."

"It’s a chance I’ll have to take. Either decision you make I’m pretty sure it’s going to end this relationship you two have, and that’s what I want. You’re going to be out of my son’s life, even if I have to lose him to make it happen."

Jack entered the room with the juice. Chris moved to stand behind Ally and placed his hand on her shoulder. Jack smiled. "Now this is a great picture. My beautiful wife and my uncle standing together and nary a harsh word to be heard. If every day after marriage is like this, I’m going to stay the happiest man in the world," he said, extending the full juice glasses to them.

When everybody had a glass, Jack draped his arm around Ally’s shoulder. "Allow me to propose a toast," he said. "This is truly a moment I’ve dreamed of. To the Ramsey family and our continued strength, growth, and happiness. The future is looking extremely bright." He lifted his glass. "To the Ramseys."

Chris clicked his glass with Jack’s. "To the Ramseys," he said, giving Ally a sly grin.

It was hard for Ally to be cheerful knowing what she knew. Even worse, she was proving Chris right. She couldn’t stand the thought of bursting Jack’s bubble. Chris was as evil as her father said, and when he found out Jack was Dr. Ramsey’s son, he would move heaven and earth to see them apart. She had to stay quiet. Not telling Jack this truth wouldn’t be lying to him, she reasoned. This wasn’t her secret to tell. Chris wouldn’t win, and she wouldn’t lose Jack. She stiffened her chin, pasted on a smile and raised her glass. "Cheers."

***

The smell of brewing coffee, baking muffins, and frying bacon filled the air as Matt and Ellen entered the Port Charles Grille. The waiter showed Matt and Ellen to a table and gave them a few minutes to scan the many breakfast items on the menu as he left to get their juice and coffee.

The different aromas were quite appealing, but Matt’s hunger for Ellen was even stronger than his desire for food. He reached across the table and took her hand. "So, once we have breakfast we go back to bed, right?" he said with a grin.

Ellen chuckled softly as he stroked her hand. "Somebody is feeling a lot happier this morning."

"I think you know why," he said with a big smile. "MJ brushed me off when I tried to find out where Ally was, and Ally just…I don’t want to think about what she did yesterday. I’m making it my business to not worry about our grown children. They’re stubborn, Ellen. I don’t know where they get that."

Ellen laughed heartily. "You don’t?"

Matt cleared his throat and took another look at the menu. "They’re more stubborn than me."

"I’d say as stubborn. Look, it’s okay that we worry, but we don’t have anything to worry about. Ally getting married wasn’t the smartest thing she’s ever done, but Jack is a fine young man. Even with his relation to Chris."

"Don’t remind me. Uncle Chris." Matt rolled his eyes and trembled at the thought. "At least there are no female Ramseys. I’m glad MJ has taken an interest in Jensyn Scorpio. I really like that young lady."

"He really likes her, too. I think that’s why he got rid of you so fast when you kept calling last night. I know he was out on a date, maybe he was with her."

Matt looked over Ellen’s shoulder and to the restaurant’s entrance. "We can find out, MJ just walked in." He was about to motion him over when an aged but familiar face joined his son at the entryway. Matt’s blood ran cold. "Oh, my God. This is not happening."

"What?"

Matt couldn’t speak; he could only stare over Ellen’s shoulder. She turned around in her chair to see what held his attention. "What is he doing with Sal Mancusi?"

Matt wasn’t sure which emotion he was feeling stronger. Fear because his son had put himself in a situation that could very well get him killed, or anger at MJ for defying him when he told him to stay far away from Sal. Matt tried to gain control of his erratic breathing, but it was not to be. He realized that anger was indeed the emotion he felt stronger. He pulled away from the table and directed his chair to the front of the restaurant.

Ellen grabbed his hand. "Matt, what are you doing?"

"What do you think?" He heard Ellen’s chair scrape against the floor as she got up to join him. "What the hell are you doing!" Matt barked, pulling his son away from the hateful older man.

"Hello, Eric. I see your manners are the same as always," Sal quipped.

Matt shot daggers at his father. "Stay the hell away from my son."

MJ wrestled his arm away and gave his father a tight smile. "Dad, look, I can handle this."

Matt’s angry glare stayed fixed on Sal as he answered MJ. "You couldn’t be more wrong."

Ellen’s touch on Matt’s shoulder calmed him the slightest degree. She gently kneaded his knotted muscles as she spoke to their son. "MJ, please, come join us at our table. You don’t know what this man is capable of."

"You’re right, Mom, I don’t," MJ said, looking up at his grandfather. "That’s why I’m having breakfast with him, so I can find out."

Matt’s tense muscles tightened all the more. Ellen’s fingers stopped moving. Nothing short of Sal dropping dead on the spot would alleviate his tension, and she obviously knew that.

The maitre’ d approached the small group. "Mr. Harmon, your table is ready."

"Thank you," MJ said. "Mom, Dad, please excuse us."

MJ and Sal followed the waiter to their table as Matt and Ellen looked on in total disbelief.

"I think I spoke too soon," Ellen said as their son prepared to break bread with his evil grandfather. "It appears our worrying is just beginning."