AJ sat quietly with Chelsea until a nurse came in and told her she needed some rest.  At first she didn’t want to and the nurse was kind of pushy but AJ was able to talk her into it, promising her he would stay until she fell asleep.  When he was sure she was resting AJ slipped his hand from hers and quietly left the room. He walked out into the hallway and saw Nadia still sitting in the chair by the door, Kevin was sitting in the other one.

“How is she?” Kevin asked as he stood up.

“Sleeping right now, nurses orders.” AJ told them.  “She’s scared and confused which is to be expected.”

“So she talked to you?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah” AJ nodded.  “I asked her what she knew so far and I told her that we were married, I told her if she needed me I would be there for her, if she didn’t than I would respect that too.”

“And?” Kevin asked.

“And…” AJ said a little annoyed.  “She told me she was scared and confused, she didn’t ask me to stay until the nurse told her she had to go to sleep.” AJ told them.  “I came out to check on Nadia.”

Are you hungry?” He asked her as he turned to her.

“No Kevin took me down to the caf.” She told him.

“I’m going to go see Mom.” Kevin said to AJ and then walked away from the two. He figured Kevin was giving them their space.

“Well it’s good she remembers you.” Nadia said as he went to look at her but then something caught the corner of his eye.  Jerald was standing at the end of the hall, Kevin talking to him and Anne beside him but he stared right at AJ. Then he broke away and walked down the hall towards them.  “Ah Christ.” AJ moaned as he looked away.

“Go back into her room.” Nadia said quickly.

“And leave you here, no.” AJ replied.

“You’re not going to tell her about Nadia are you?” Jerald asked. 

“Uh, what?” AJ replied confused and pissed at the same time.

“She thinks she’s sixteen you think she can handle it?” Jerald said to him and AJ was surprised he was some what calm.

“She seemed to handle it fine, locked up by her dad and finding out. I think she’s able to handle finding out even with the memory loss.” AJ said as he looked at Kevin letting him know he wasn’t impressed.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, we should see what the Doctor says.” Jerald snipped.

“You don’t even listen to them anyways. AJ snapped back.  “Dr. Adenhall, remember him Jerald?”  The eldest Richardson stayed quiet. “Chelsea’s second Doctor, the one that told everyone the best thing for her was for her to stick with me, the one that said I would be able to get her to trust again, make her feel safe again so she could get better.”  AJ paused and then continued.  “And what happened?  You ignored everything he said, you even got a subpoena against her to make her come back while on tour with me, you kept ripping me away from her, when her Doctor said that was the last thing any of us should have done.”

Everyone was silent but AJ had to get one last comment in. “And you want me to pay attention to anything you say right now?”

“Mom!” They heard someone shout from behind the door to Chelsea’s room. “Mom!!”

Everyone went running into the room to find Chelsea sitting up in her bed crying.  AJ was the first to reach her beside.  “Chels?”

She looked at him confused and then looked at everyone else who were looking at her. “Oh, I thought that I was dreaming she was gone.” She spoke in a whisper.

“No hun, I’m sorry, it’s not a dream.” AJ told her as he sat down beside her.

“We’ll take you to see her when you get back to Kentucky.” Jerald spoke up, AJ’s head snapped towards him and then he looked at Kevin who stood there with his eyes closed, like Jerald had just exposed a secret.

“Kentucky?” AJ said as he looked at Jerald and then Kevin again.

“Well you don’t think she’s staying with you?” Jerald replied.  “She thinks she’s sixteen, she’s not going to be acting like a wife she needs her family.”

“I am her family.” AJ snapped with as much control as he could.

“Really?” Jerald replied sarcastically and then the two began to bicker.

“Stop” Chelsea spoke up and everyone looked at her.  “Why are you guys fighting?”

“I just want what is best for you unlike some people.” Jerald said as he looked at AJ.

Then someone started cracking up laughing at first they were confused especially with the sarcastic tone it took.  AJ knew who’s laugh it was and he looked past everyone to Nadia standing out in the hallway.  When she realized everyone was looking at her she stopped.

“Could have fooled me.” She mumbled before looking down at the ground.

“Excuse me?” Jerald replied confused and then looked at AJ.  “What the hell have you been telling her?” He demanded.

“Noth…” AJ was about to say nothing but Nadia cut him off.

“Nothing.” She spoke for him.  “I saw the fight you two had this morning, and I was right there when you yelled at him again just now in the hallway.  You don’t care about her; you just hate him so much you’ll do whatever it takes to get him to get pissed off and like snap.”

“It’s ok.” AJ said but inside he was proud of her, even if she did swear.

“Jerald outside.” Kevin said as he grabbed his brother’s arm and practically dragged the man out into the hallway.

“I hate not knowing what’s going on.” Chelsea sighed as the room started to clear out.

“Jerald’s not happy about us.” AJ told her.  “I really don’t know why he’s so against it but he has a serious hate on for everything we do.”

“Alex?” He heard Anne say and he looked up.  Her head was poking around the door.  “I’m going to get a coffee, did you want one?”

“Please.” AJ replied.

“I’ll take her with me ok?” She told him.

AJ nodded.  “Ok.”

“Y-You have a daughter?” Chelsea said as the door closed.  “I-I mean I guess I was gone for a while and everything.” AJ looked at her, his words wouldn’t come out; he just didn’t know what to say. “I just kind of figured cause she looks like you and all.” Still his words wouldn’t come out.  “I hate this, was it like this when they found me? I don’t know what’s going on anymore, I’m so lost…and…” She started crying again.

AJ took her hand and she looked at him as she wiped her eyes.  “Chelsea, that girl outside is our little girl, she’s our daughter.”

“Wha…” Chelsea replied shocked.  “B-but she looks like she’s twelve or something.”

“Fourteen actually.” AJ replied.  “You didn’t know…” He paused forcing the words out of his mouth.  “You didn’t know when your Dad took you that you were pregnant.  You started to get sick and showed other signs of pregnancy while you were being held captive by your Dad.”  He paused again letting his words sink in for her.  “When she was born you had her for a couple of days but then your Dad and some nurse he paid off took her from you, it hurt you so much you blocked it out.  When we found you, you started having these really bad headaches, I took you to see some specialist and they couldn’t find out what was wrong.  One doctor said it might have been memory suppression, of course I thought the worse...”

“Nadia…” Chelsea said her voice in a soft whisper.  AJ stopped and thought back, he wasn’t sure if he said her name yet. Then he thought back to the argument just moments ago and no one said her name then.  Her breathing quickened as she stared at the door and wall in front of her, her expression was blank, and she looked like she was in another world.

“Chels, you ok?” AJ asked wondering if he should get up and get the Doctor.

Then slowly her head turned and looked at him. Her eyes glossed over with tears and his heart started to race.  “You found her.” AJ inhaled sharply and his body went numb for a split second. Chelsea looked back at the door and then back at AJ.

“You…You remember?” AJ blurted out.

“Alex…” Chelsea spoke as her face fell with a little panic but most of all it showed longing.

“I’ll go get her right now.” AJ told her as he stood up and quickly walked out of the room.  With a slight skip in his step he hurriedly walked down the hallway to the waiting room.

“Anne back yet?” AJ said to everyone as he entered through the open door.  Not caring that Kevin and Jerald were still yelling at each other, or that Howie, Brian and Nick had shown up.

“What?” Brian asked as Kevin and his brother stopped yelling.

“I’m right here.” Anne said as she walked into the room from the other door and handed him his coffee.

“Nadia come with me.” AJ said motioning for her to follow him.

“You told her didn’t you?!” Jerald snapped.  AJ didn’t even look at him as he waited for Nadia but he replied anyways.

“I didn’t have to.” AJ said still looking at his daughter but with a soft smile.

“Huh?” The other replied.

“What do you mean?” Nadia asked.

“I started to tell her but before I got a chance to even say your name she said it, and then she kind of zoned out, she wants to see you.” AJ told her.

“She remembers?” Anne said hopeful.

“I don’t know how much she remembers but she remembers Nadia.” AJ said as he looked back at his daughter.

“I’ll go get the Doctor.” Kevin replied.

“Just ask him to give us a few, ok?” AJ told him.

“Of course man.” Kevin replied.

“Ready?” AJ asked Nadia and she nodded.

“You should wait for the Doctor.” Jerald said but AJ didn’t care he was already walking down the hall towards Chelsea’s room as he walked Nadia down to meet her.