As Time Flies.....Chapter 29
Last time: Sam learned the devastating news that he is not Matthew's biological father. Sam lost a son, his composure, and his dentures all in one move. Asa was thrilled to gain a grandson, and Renée came to a startling realization.
Llanview Hospital - Room #416
The tension in the room was heavy. Nora, Bo, Sam and Larry were looking at each other, simply dumbfounded. It was obvious that Asa, Renée, Viki and Ben were having some sort of battle, but they had no idea what about.
Asa broke the temporary silence. "Renée, what's the matter with you? Whaddya mean 'if' Ben isn't a Rappaport? Of course he's a Rappaport! Can't you see his horns?" Asa laughed snidely.
"Asa, I'm in no mood for your insults, and I think you owe your son an apology. Right now!" Renée's eyes were blazing.
"My son? What in tarnation are you talking about, woman? I think you've gone over the deep end! Larry, can you do something for my wife over here?" Asa sneered.
"I'm perfectly sane, Asa. I really am. If you don't believe me, ask Ben yourself." Renée patted Ben on the shoulder and continued to stare Asa down.
"I will do nothing of the kind. Maybe Ben should start explaining on his own!" Asa snorted.
Sam interjected. "Yeah, Ben, what is Renée talking about? I'd like to know, too!" Sam gnashed his gums. It was obvious he was still upset over the news about Matthew.
Ben looked at Viki. She nodded her assent, but her eyes remained questioning. Ben knew that she was silently telling him, "If it's okay with you, then it's okay with me." Ben wanted nothing more than to continue life as a Rappaport, but he knew it was too late now. He had to come clean, if not for his own sake, then his mother's. He thought the world of Renée, and if the truth were told, he already loved her very much. Asa, however, was a different story. Ben leaned over and grabbed Sam's hand.
Viki put her arm around Ben as a confidence booster, but he'd already made up his mind. He took a deep breath.
"Listen, Asa, Renée is telling you the truth. Max isn't your son. I am. I hate it as much as you do, but it's true. I have the adoption certificate if you don't believe me. Max, Blair, and Skye have all known the truth for months. It's really true, Asa. Sam, I'm so sorry." Ben tried to squeeze Sam's hand as reinforcement, but Sam was out of his chair like a shot.
Sam jumped to his feet. His face was maroon again, and his gums were gnashing a mile a minute. A bit of saliva traveled down his chin.
"Ben, are you crazy? You're my brother! How can this be? I won't let it happen! You're NOT a Buchanan, you're a Rappaport, and don't you forget it!"
Ben sighed. "I wish I really were, Sam, but I'm not. I'm Asa and Renée's biological son. I've only known about it for a few months myself. I was devastated when I found out, and I'd decided never to tell anyone, but getting to know Renée and Bo helped to change my mind. Not to mention Larry's medical sleuthing." Ben nodded at Larry. Larry was one hell of a doctor.
Bo jumped up and hugged Ben. He knew in his heart that this was true. He'd never believed Max was really his brother, and in his opinion Ben was definitely an improvement.
"Welcome to the family, Ben! I'm so glad to have you as my brother! I knew Max just didn't measure up, and now I know why. He had some pretty big shoes to fill!" Bo laughed.
Bo clapped Ben on the back. He was genuinely happy at the turn of events. He thought the world of Ben. Ben hugged Bo back gratefully. He'd always known that he'd like having Bo as a brother. That was the good part, Bo and Renée. Asa was the bad part.
Asa was floored. He couldn't believe it, but when he thought back on the last few months, he knew in his gut that Ben was telling the truth. Too many things with Max and Blair had seemed shady, and Skye certainly hadn't helped matters, either. Asa had no idea what Max saw in either one of those tramps, but he knew Ben had dumped Skye like yesterday's garbage. Now Ben was going to marry Viki, his former daughter-in-law, whom Asa had always liked and respected. Asa thought that was one mark on the Buchanan side. Ben certainly had good taste in women, and the good sense to get rid of them when they weren't.
Then there was Ben's fire and persistence. Ben had never backed down from him, even when Sam had retreated. Ben was a worthy adversary, and as much as Asa had hated him, he'd respected Ben, too. He would've never admitted it, but he did. Asa was also grateful that Ben had saved his life when he'd had his heart attack. It dawned on Asa that Ben must have known then that he was their son. And Ben had helped to save Nora, without a second thought for his medical license. Family, however loathsome, obviously meant something to Ben.
The final confirmation for Asa was Renée. Renée adored Max, and if she believed this, then it had to be true. Renée had the instincts of a lioness and she wasn't easy to fool. Asa watched Ben intently, and he could swear if he looked closely enough, he could see parts of himself and Renée in Ben. He'd never thought that about Max, and he'd looked, plenty of times. The more Asa thought about the possibility of Ben being his son, the more he liked it. Not to mention the pain this would cause Sam. That would be icing on the cake.
Asa walked over to Ben and peered into his eyes. Ben stared back, never flinching. "What are you looking at, old man?" Ben asked.
A tense silence filled the room. Nobody moved.
Asa guffawed. "You know, gang, the more I think about this, the more I like it! Ben, you do have the marks of a Buchanan, which in a Rappaport I can't stand, but in a Buchanan I'd say are mighty fine traits. We'll find a way to work this out, boy, I'm sure we will. Welcome to the family!" Asa boomed and gave Ben a bear hug.
Ben was amazed. He'd thought plenty of times about this day, and when it came how ugly it would be, but it had actually gone rather smoothly. He credited Renée with helping Asa to take the news so well. Renée was one tough lady. She certainly knew how to stand up to the old goat! Ben just stood there, arms at his sides, not moving. He was dazed, still not sure if he was ready to trust and accept Asa.
The moment was cut short when Sam rushed over and pushed the two men apart. "I don't buy it, Asa! Not for a minute! You get your mitts off my brother!" Sam pushed Asa again. It was hard enough to force Asa to take a step back.
Sam foamed at the mouth like a rabid dog. This was just too much! In one day, he'd lost the love of his life, his son, and now his brother. What more could he take? If it weren't for the damn Buchanans, he'd have everything he'd ever wanted! Asa was gonna pay if it was the last thing he did!
Sam clenched his fist and pulled it back. Before anyone noticed his gesture, Sam punched Asa in the face. Because Asa was so much taller than Sam, the blow caught him on the underside of his chin. Asa reeled back into the wall. Sam punched Asa in the face once more, then rabbit-punched him in the kidneys.
Bo was the first to reach the two men, and Larry was a split-second behind. Bo grabbed Sam by the shoulders and slammed him to the ground. Bo put his knee on Sam's back and handcuffed him once more. Sam was screaming unintelligible rantings and spitting all over the place. Amazingly, however, his dentures remained safely in his pocket.
Bo finished handcuffing Sam and Asa was rubbing his face. Larry attended to Asa. After an initial exam of the old man, he thought Asa's pride was hurt far worse than his body, but he knew that Asa would never let it go. He was right.
"Bo, I want that son of a bitch arrested right now! I want to press charges! You saw what he did to me!" Asa's voice thundered in the small room.
"Asa, please don't do that! Sam's lost everything today. Everything! His son and his brother. Don't you have one ounce of compassion? Please let it go." Ben pleaded.
"Sorry, son, but no way. The Rappaports are vermin, and now that you're a Buchanan, you'd better start realizing it! I'm not letting him get away with this!" Asa boomed. "I wanna file every charge I can! Take him away, Bo!"
Bo looked down at the floor. He couldn't believe it had come to this. Sam was so stupid! But even so, Asa didn't have to be such a jerk and press charges when the man was clearly having the worst day of his life. Bo shook his head and walked over to Nora. He stroked the top of Matthew's head and took Nora's hand. He was so grateful that at the end of the day, this was still his family. His beautiful wife and his child. Well, Nora wasn't his wife at the moment, but that was only a temporary condition. He felt sorry for Sam, but he had to do his duty.
Ben turned to Bo. "You're not really arresting him, are you?"
"Yeah, Ben, I am. I'm sorry, but I have to uphold the law. Sam broke the law when he assaulted my father. Er, I mean our father. That's gonna take some getting used to!"
Bo tried to smile. He really felt for Ben, too. Ben and Sam had lost everything today. Even though he knew Ben hated Asa and it had been more than mutual, Bo was thrilled that Ben was his real brother instead of Max. Yeah, so Ben lost being a Rappaport, but being a Buchanan didn't mean he had to lose Sam totally.
Bo thought Sam just needed time to calm down. A very small part of Bo was glad for Sam's suffering, but if he thought about it too much, he knew he'd feel guilty. Bo really hated Sam, but he'd tried to make peace with him for Nora's sake. But ever since they'd discovered Nora was alive, Sam had been acting like an incredible ass. Bo was glad Sam was gonna get some time to cool off and come to terms with everything. Bo told himself to remember that he felt sorry for the man so he'd try not to enjoy hauling him off to jail too much.
"Bo, if this is what being a Buchanan is all about, then I'm never gonna get used to it!" Ben grimaced. He walked over to Sam and hugged him.
"Sam, I still love you like a brother, even though we may not share the same blood. You'll always be my brother, in my heart, where it counts. I hope you still feel the same way about me. I love you, Chip."
Sam muttered something under his breath and ignored Ben. Sam kept his head down as Bo led him from the room.
Ben walked over to Asa. "This is not the right way to start things out, Asa! Even though I should know better, I'm very disappointed in you!" Ben grabbed Viki's hand and the two of them walked out of the room.
Larry followed. He could see he wasn't needed anymore. Asa had refused to go for tests, saying he felt fine and he'd lie down when he got home. Well, what he'd actually said was that no lily-livered lawyer was gonna get the best of him, and he didn't need an x-ray to prove it. Renée was still angry with Asa, but she'd deal with him later. They said their good-byes to Nora and Matthew, and kissed both of them before leaving.
Nora smiled down at Matthew. They were alone. Matthew was tired and so was she. She put her arms around her son and they snuggled in. The two of them fell asleep almost immediately.
Bo found them in that position a couple of hours later when he poked his head in. A rush of love overcame him and his legs became weak. God, he was a lucky man! He leaned against the door frame, just watching them sleep. He didn't have the heart to disturb them. Tomorrow was another day.
To Be Continued…
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