Rose didn’t appear to hear the question, just bit her lip and nodded, “Sure” she said, not taking her eyes off his. Alex smirked. Rose had known him less than thirty seconds and already wanted to have his children. Then she wondered if she’d been as bad when she first saw him. Nah, it must have been at least three minutes in my case, she thought wryly.
Dante caressed the back of Rose’s hand a final time and placed a kiss where his fingers had been. “You are an angel. Much too good for this place.”
He turned and led Alex towards her mother’s room. From memory it was only down the hall, which is where Dante looked to be heading. How the hell does he know? she wondered.
Dante ducked inside the door of her room and then turned back to where Alex was, standing still just outside the room.
“Dante…I can’t. She is not going to remember me. Please don’t make me do this,” Alex pleaded, shivering.
“Yes you can Alexandra,” Dante gently took her hand. “Come on.”
Alex walked inside with him, her hand wrapped in his giving her the strength to continue. The room was just as she remembered it. Stale and foreign, a typical hospital room complete with the smell of grossly overcooked vegetables. Finally, Alex saw her mother sitting by the window, dozing. Plump, and with more wisps of greying hair sure, but it was definitely her.
“Margaret…” Dante called reverently. Alex’s mother stirred and opened her eyes at the sound of her name. “Look who I brought with me.” But Alex had never mentioned her name to either Dante or Michelle.
“Have you been here? Do you know…?” Alex began softly, but then she looked over at her mother again and a tightness came into her chest and stomach. She was torn. She wanted to walk out. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t suffer that solemn look again. She didn’t want to hear her mother scream at her to go away. Now she was this close, she was angry that Dante and Michelle had not respected her feelings enough to just let it be. And yet, with a short glance up at Dante, he seemed so calm, so resolute. With great effort, she let her eyes find her mother.
Margaret turned towards the sound of his voice and spotted the two of them. It was one second, perhaps two. She looked at Dante and then back to Alex, and broke out into the most amazed look of happiness Alex had ever seen.
“My baby…” Margaret said, her voice thickening as she got to her feet. “I have missed you so much, Ally.”
Alex let go of Dante and covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Mum?”
Alex stayed still, not wanting to move. She wanted her mother to keep walking towards her, letting her know this was real. Not some vampire trick. Margaret did not disappoint her. She wrapped her arms around Alex’s shoulders and pressed against her. The moment contact was made both women wept with joy and relief. Also gratitude for this moment. That despite the past they were here right now, together.
“Dante,” Margaret said between sobs, refusing to let go of her girl. “You brought her back to me. And me to her. Thank you.”
Dante gave each woman a kiss on their heads and rubbed their backs. “I promised you I would.”
Chapter Nineteen
We Need To Talk
Alex did her best to get her thoughts under control as she sat with Margaret, smiling through happy tears on an empty bed, as she ran a hand affectionately over Alex’s face.
“I cannot get over how beautiful you’ve become.”
“I don’t understand,” Alex repeated, wiping her nose. “How is this even possible?”
“You mean how is it that I can actually remember you?” Margaret smoothed her hands over Alex’s hair.
“Yes, yes! I don’t understand.” She realized how repetitive she sounded but her brain could not form any other clear thoughts.
“I always could, honey,” her mother answered solemnly.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. Believe me it was necessary.”
“You lied all this time? Necessary? For what? Mum, I went through hell!” Alex felt a strange rush of anger along with anguish, threatening to burst through her chest. Her throat was tight and she could barely swallow. Her mother had known her all these years.
Margaret looked to succumb to tears again and mouthed. “I know.”
“Alexandra, I believe I can clear some of this up,” said Dante from behind her. “Your mother was once my donor and as such, very special to me.”
“Wait, what?” Alex asked, more confused than ever. “You two? When? What about dad?”
Dante furred his eyebrows, not understanding, but Margaret did.
“Ally, it’s not what you think. Dante was wonderful to me and as you can see he still is, but nothing ever happened between us. I was proud to be his but I never slept with him.”
Alex studied both of them for a minute. “You never? Not even once?”
Dante was the one that convinced her, shaking his head slowly from side to side. “She loved your father very much. He was also a friend of mine, although it did take him a while.”
“Dad knew?”
“Of course, I could never keep something like that from Ray.”
“So you’re saying my father was ok with a vampire feeding off you? Wasn’t he a pastor before he got sick? That doesn’t make sense.”
“He wasn’t ok with it to begin with, but he slowly saw how Dante was with me. Our friendship was nothing but healthy appreciation for each other. I met Dante only a few weeks before Ray actually. It took a
