As Time Flies.....Chapter 28
Last time: Sam and Asa sniped at each other. Larry delivered the good news that Matthew was a bone marrow match for Ben. Asa thought Ben's bone cancer was a scam. Larry had more news to deliver.
Llanview Hospital - Room #416
Larry shifted his weight back and forth. "Are you sure you guys don't want Asa and Renée to leave? I think this is gonna get very personal, and..."
Asa interrupted. "All the more reason we should stay, Larry. Don't you think so, Bo? We certainly can't leave now!" Bo ignored Asa.
Nora was worried. Her first thought was that Matthew's tests had turned up something wrong with her precious little boy. Bo could see she was worried, and he moved closer to her and took her hand. Sam fumed.
"Larry, are you gonna tell us that there's something wrong with Matthew? If you are, just tell us already. I can't take any more waiting. Is my little boy all right?" Nora's voice had a frantic quality.
Larry smiled. "Yes, Nora, Matthew is fine. Really he is. He's gonna be a great donor for Ben, and nothing's going to happen to him. But I did some additional tests on him, and I found out something you'd all be very interested in, I'm sure."
Sam cut him off. "Of course Matthew will be great donor for Ben. He's my son!" Sam licked his lips. He was worried, too. He didn't like the sound of this.
Larry continued. "Well, Sam, that's just it. It seems Matthew isn't your son. I did a paternity test on Matthew using Nora's blood and the lab samples from when you and Bo tested for Ben..."
Sam jumped to his feet. "You did WHAT? Are you crazy? Who gave you the authority, Larry? How dare you!" Sam's face turned red and his eyes narrowed to slits.
Larry looked directly into Sam's beady eyes. "Look, Sam, I've been a friend of this family for many years. I know when something isn't right. Frankly, the way the three of you had been acting so strangely got me thinking, and I took the opportunity to do something about it. I wanted to help. Then I overheard you guys talking last night, and I knew I'd been right to do a paternity test. Besides, it's not like you weren't gonna get another one done, so what's the difference? I'm sorry, Sam, I really am, but I thought Nora and Matthew deserve to know the truth. So do you and Bo, and Bo is Matthew's biological father."
Asa flew out of his chair and slapped Bo on the back so hard that Bo almost fell over. "Hot dog, Bo! I knew Matthew was your son! The Buchanans live on! Nora, honey, thank you so much for making my dreams come true!" Asa gave Nora a big smacking kiss on the cheek.
Sam went nose to nose with Larry. He pointed his finger in Larry's face. "You have some nerve, Larry! I'm gonna sue you and this hospital for every penny you've got!"
Larry sighed and took a step back. "No, you're not, Sam. The results are fully verified. You're just gonna have to accept it. Again, I'm very sorry, but it's the truth. You've been excluded from the possibility of being Matthew's father, while Bo's DNA has been proven to 99.9% certainty that he is Matthew's father. The test results don't lie, and if you like you can even call Alan Gelb to do another test, but I'm sure even he would come up with the same results."
Nora was shocked. She was so happy she'd been rendered speechless. Bo was delighted, and he squeezed her hand in response to the good news. Nora squeezed Matthew. Nora couldn't believe her dream had come true, too. She figured Asa wasn't the only one with a rich fantasy life. She smiled to herself, but she felt terrible for Sam.
Sam's face turned a deep maroon. His dentures clacked furiously, as his fists clenched and unclenched. He looked like a wild lobster. He lunged at Larry.
Just before Sam's fist connected with Larry's jaw, Larry ducked and Sam's fist hit the wall. The force of the blow made his dentures fly out of his mouth. They landed on the floor.
Bo and Asa jumped on Sam. Asa held him down while Bo handcuffed him. Sam thrashed like a fish out of water. Bo finished cuffing Sam and threw him back in his chair.
"Calm down, Sam! You're being ridiculous! I know this is tough, and I'm sorry, but we were gonna find out one way or another. It just happened to be sooner rather than later."
Sam spit at Bo. He gummed his answer. "Cut the crap, Bo! You make me sick! I hate you! You've tried to steal everything that was mine!"
Nora's door opened. Ben and Viki rushed in. They had heard the commotion from across the hall and couldn't imagine what was going on in there. Ben saw Sam handcuffed in the chair and hurried to his side. Viki ran to Nora's other side.
"What the hell is going on in here, Bo? Why is my brother in handcuffs?" Ben's eyes were blazing.
"Ben, it's okay. Calm down, buddy. We just got some traumatic news, and Sam took it a little hard, that's all. I'm gonna keep him cuffed until he can control himself." Bo tried to smile.
"What kind of news? What the hell is going on?" Ben looked at Sam but he was looking at the floor.
Asa smirked. "Looks like the Rappaports lost one and the Buchanans won one for a change, Benji boy.
"Pa! Just shut up, will you? This is hard enough without you sticking your two cents in." Bo sighed.
Ben was getting angry. "I asked you guys a question. I want to know what's going on in here. If it's about me, then I have a right to know."
Viki gripped Nora's hand. She was afraid. Did Asa know about Ben? She looked questioningly at Nora but Nora was watching Bo. Sam was watching his dentures on the floor. Asa was watching Sam, and Renée was watching Asa. It was a tense moment.
Ben couldn't stand to see Sam in handcuffs. He asked Bo to remove them. Bo obliged. He felt sorry for Sam. The man certainly had had his share of humiliation today. Sam stood up as Bo unlocked the cuffs. He darted across the room and scooped up his dentures. He stuffed them into his pocket and sank back down into his chair, scowling all the while.
Larry cleared his throat. "The news we were discussing is not about you, Ben. It's about Matthew."
Ben looked worried. He had been so relieved to know that Matthew was a match. Was there some unforseen complication? He didn't think about Asa being in the room. "Is he okay, Larry? Is everything all right for him to donate?"
"It's just fine, Ben. I'm sure it's still okay with Nora and Bo, right?"
Now Ben looked confused. "With Bo? What does Bo have to do with Matthew?"
Sam spat through his gums. "Because your brother lost another son today, that's why! Learn it now, Ben, the Buchanans always win."
Larry ignored Sam. "We found out that Matthew is not Sam's son, Ben. He's Bo's son. The interesting part is how Matthew so closely matches your genetic markers. Bo came very close as well, and you all exhibit the same familial traits and patterns. However, when I tested Sam, he showed no similarities. It's really baffling."
Ben sank into the chair that Asa had vacated. Viki rushed to his side. She put her arms around him and whispered into his ear. "You don't have to say anything. Chalk it up to coincidence."
Ben shook his head, bolstered by Viki's confidence. "It's not baffling, Larry. So Sam and I don't match. Happens in families all the time." He squeezed Viki's hand.
Renée stood silently next to Asa. She hadn't said a word the entire time. She was in shock as well. She'd been trying to digest everything, Ben having cancer and Matthew's true paternity, but Larry's words had struck a chord. They kept repeating over and over in her brain.
You all exhibit the same familial traits and patterns...
Renée traveled back in her memory. Ben had been such a good friend to her, in spite of the feud between the two families. Renée had thought it was strange, but Ben hadn't been surprised at all to know that Max wasn't really her son. Even more strangely, Ben had promised he wouldn't tell Asa. She couldn't begin to understand why he didn't want to tell Asa, knowing that it would completely destroy him in one fell swoop. She'd simply thought that Ben was a good man and a good friend, and he didn't want to make trouble for her or cause her any pain. And when he'd said that he couldn't help her to find her real son, she had attributed it to him not wanting to revisit his past.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Oh my God! It all made sense now. No wonder why Matthew and Ben were such close matches, and so genetically similar to Bo. Matthew was Bo's son, and Ben was her real son! Before her brain could stop her, Renée flew over to Ben and threw her arms around him. She was crying and laughing and moaning all at the same time.
Asa shouted at her. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman? The Rappaports are scum! So Benji has a disease. No Buchanan is gonna help a Rappaport, I can tell you that!"
Renée hugged Ben and Viki and all three were crying. They knew exactly what the score was. Renée was tired of the lies, and even though she'd figured out Ben didn't want Asa to know it, Ben was her son, too. Asa be damned. She'd lived far too long without her son, and if he and Asa didn't like it, they'd have to find a way to work it out. She was a mother who needed her son, and plainly her son needed his mother.
Renée straightened up. She put her hand on Ben's shoulder. Her voice was like steel. "Maybe not, Asa, but a Buchanan will help a Buchanan. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I'm sure you won't either. You claim to be so big on family, here's your chance to prove it."
Asa snorted. "What are you talking about, woman? Have you gone loco? Bo isn't sick, Ben is. And no grandson of mine is gonna help a Rappaport!"
Renée looked Asa directly in the eye. "And what if Ben isn't a Rappaport?"
To Be Continued…
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