dreamlikenewyork | Entries tagged with [character] alexis harrington

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Mom Partners-in-Crime
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Gen pulled up in the driveway of the Campbell home and shut off the engine. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel and closed her eyes, exhaling heavily as she let her head hang and her shoulders slump. This brief moment between leaving the hospital and coming back here to freshen up, she needed to pause and just breathe for a bit. Everything that just happened with Mark that pushed Justin into a psychotic episode, on the back of all they were already trying to deal with, it just wasn’t possible to keep up with the emotional juggling act anymore. She had done all the crying. All the fear, frustration, anger. It wasn’t sustainable. At some point, you had to remember to let go of what you had no control over so you could keep your head in a game that seemed to have no ending in sight.

Being a wife and mother were two of the most important things in her life and she had been far from perfect at it and had fucked it up more than she cared to admit. Yet, they made it over those hurdles, but the blows kept coming. She knew Justin was safe where he was, even if it was heart-wrenching seeing him in a closed psych unit for his own safety. That part of being a mom never got easier. In fact, she was pretty sure it got harder each and every time. There had also been a couple of moments in the past where Mark’s health took a dive and they came close to losing him with the weakness in his heart. But this? This was a terror she wasn’t sure she had felt in her marriage before. She had a suicidal son and a suicidal husband, the latter who was in the grips of a gruelling alcohol addiction relapse and mental health crisis. The former’s life was falling apart quicker than he could catch his breath and Gen felt so fucking helpless and useless with all of it.

( Yet, still. What she knew was that she had to persist... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Sam Campbell
What: Chain Reaction
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

By the time Mark managed to wake up with more lucidity to comprehend what was going on, Sam was nearly falling asleep sitting at his bedside in the hospital. The lights in the room were dimmed and Sam had his elbow resting on the edge of the mattress with his head propped up on his hand but he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He watched as his twin managed some slow and groggy blinks as he tried to get his bearings.

“Sammy…” Mark croaked and tried to clear his throat, becoming aware he had an oxygen mask on and he was definitely in a hospital bed. He hadn’t hallucinated that some shit had gone down. The last thing he really had a clear memory of was being with Justin in the rehab gym and beginning to feel really sick with pains in his chest, then not much of anything else but a suffocating sense of foreboding.

( Sam offered a faint smile but he was just too bloody wiped out to manage much else, though there was a rush of relief that flooded through him seeing Mark was awake and finally aware of his surroundings... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell and Alexis Harrington (with Justin Campbell)
What: Treading Water
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Sam murmured a thank you to the nurse who admitted him into the secured acute mental health unit and followed her down the long corridor she was leading him to the wing she said Justin had been admitted to. It didn’t have the overbearing bleakness people might assume was stereotypical of a ‘closed’ or locked mental health ward. It looked just like the other units in this hospital, which was state of the art in every sense. It just didn’t have the same hustle and bustle as other inpatient units. Visitation would be limited to likely only a couple of people at a time and shorter visiting hours. This was outwith those hours, so that would be contributing to comings and goings in the corridor to staff and patients. Even then, patients would likely be restricted to where they could go. They had been given an exception because technically, it wasn’t a normal visit because Justin was sedated and his room would be locked until he was awake and they could assess the risk of harm to himself and others. The visiting leeway to a handful of authorised family members was there today because they were waiting to see if Justin had caused himself damage while he was psychotic and re-injured himself physically or internally, potentially setting back the progress he had made with his rehabilitation.

Spotting Alexis leaning into the wall outside the room the nurse guided him to, he came up beside her, putting his hand softly on her back so he didn’t startle her. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?” he asked, following her gaze through the large observation window to where Justin was unconscious, unmoving in the bed by the window. The depressing and dreary view was a grey wall of the neighbouring building and the room seemed cold and bare. It was never easy to see the poor kid like this. It would never get easier either.

( Alexis blinked out of the numb haze she had been lost in, taking Sam’s hand... )

LOG, COMPLETE

tearsofpearls

Who: Justin Campbell, Alexis Harrington, and Arian Alcott
What: Going Through the Motions
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Around the time of this

Justin wished his brain would just work. For once, all he wanted, was for his brain to do what it was supposed to. But for everything Ava had just sat down and explained to him — followed by a doctor who he couldn’t remember meeting but who seemed to think they had spoken before — about being transferred to this new bed… wheelchair… thing so he could be taken to Sash’s bedside, he retained none of it. They told him he could ask questions about what they said but he was too scared to admit he didn’t remember a word they just told him in case they took it all back and changed their minds.

He was conscious there was a gathering of people in his room, some in scrubs, a couple in lab coats but he couldn’t take his eyes off this thing that really did look like the lovechild of a bed and a wheelchair. Suddenly, it felt like he had so fucking much to panic about without completely identifying it all or what he should be freaking out about first.

“M—Mum. I’m scared.” Justin reached out to where his birth mother was standing back against the wall waiting with his Social Worker, Arian.

( Alexis stepped over to Justin and took his hand, then wrapped her other arm around his shoulders... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington and Sam Campbell
What: When support is all you can do
Where: Campbell Home - Sydney, Australia
When: Late evening, after this

When Alexis got home to the Campbell house from the hospital, she found Sam sitting out the back by the pool nursing a bottle of Gatorade and staring tiredly at the waterfall feature trickling leisurely into one end. Mark was still back at the hospital with Justin and when Gen came to join him, Alexis knew it would be okay to head home to see how Sam was holding up. They had spoken earlier by video call so she knew most of what had gone down in the wake of the mess that hit with Mark's relapse. But she had only really gotten the information from Sam like he was giving a handover report on a work shift. She didn't know how he was feeling or holding up after Mark's heavy bender and sudden suicide attempt. She would say they didn't see it coming but she was pretty sure Sam saw the danger and had been already trying to pass it off before it hit. He'd been too late.

After shifting some of the cushions, she sat down with Sam on the day bed and pulled him close, giving him a gentle kiss. He didn't look well and she was worried but it was so hard to know what to broach him with first. He would sacrifice his own wellbeing for Mark and Justin - or anyone in his family - but he needed to be taken care of too. He should be on chemo but he kept delaying it and it was beginning to scare her. It was a near-impossible situation to navigate with some seriously injured kids in the middle of the mess. How the hell could anyone be okay?

"They're giving Justin something to get him to sleep. Gen's going to bring Mark home once Jus settles. There's a small window of opportunity for you to get some rest before whatever part is coming next." She raked her fingers through his hair, tucking some curls behind his ear. "Are you going to be okay, sweetheart? I'm worried about you. How are you going to get through this?"

aussielawyer

Standing at the far end of the corridor looking out the window at the sprawling hospital carpark, Mark took a few deep breaths with his hand on his stomach trying to alleviate the anxiety and agonising bite of craving he couldn't shake. He looked at the lights of the city in the distance and shook his head to himself, taking his phone out to bring Gen's name up on his WhatsApp contacts.

While it rang, he double-checked he had privacy where he was standing but at this time of night, there were only staff coming and going here and there. He had to not do that thing that ran through the Campbell male gene pool of walling up and trying to fight shit on his own to protect the people he loved. He had to let his family help him or he knew he was going to drown. Times like this - as much as he struggled with the reality - he was starkly reminded that he battled mental illness too. This was just the worst time it could rear its ugly head. He almost forgot what it felt like like to crash and burn.

asskickingblahniks

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Mom Team
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this and this

Gen came back to the tiny table for two in the corner of the hospital cafeteria that, thankfully, didn't have many customers this time of night. She put the two cups of tea down and took the muffin on a plate balanced on top of one of the cups in the middle of the table. "I hope you're not allergic to strawberries like your son. This is all they had left. Even if eating is the last thing we feel like doing, we have to somehow at least try to pretend we've got our shit together. For strength, if nothing else."

"How are you holding up?" She slipped into the seat across from Alexis, hooking her handbag over the back of it. "It's okay to lie when you answer. I still remember the first time he was rushed to hospital once Mark and I sorted our relationship out, decided we were going to make a go of it as a family. I remember every moment of it, some of it even feeling like it was going in slow motion."

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Justin, then later Gen, Alexis, Sam
What: The shit that keeps on giving
Where: Sydney, NSW, Aus
When: After this and this

Mark had almost forgotten what hangovers felt like. Almost. What he had managed to forget was that the longer you went without booze, if you hit it hard when you fell off the wagon, the inevitable hangover would be raging. Mix it with a cocktail of shock and stress, then it was going to have its claws in even deeper. He flushed the toilet and went over to the sink to rinse his mouth and splash some cold water on his face. As much as he wanted to avoid it, he took in his reflection in the mirror, hands brace on the rim of the basin. He looked like utter shit and there would be no masking it.

With a sigh, he looked out through the door of the bathroom into the private hospital room where Justin was still out after his emergency surgery. They had finally ruled out a c-spine injury and removed the neck brace but seeing him so banged up was painful. The emergency surgical repair to his bladder had apparently gone well but now it was just a waiting game to see how he was when his system cleared the anaesthetic more. Yanking some paper towels from the dispenser, Mark wiped his hands and face then pulled his facemask back up from where he yanked it under his chin in a hurry. They were compulsory at the moment for all visitors in the critical care units.

“Dad…”

( It was barely audible but Mark was so ultra-tuned in for even the slightest sound from his kid, Mark heard it just as he was shoving the used paper towels into the bin... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Sam Campbell, Gen Hart-Campbell, Mark Campbell and Paris Hart
What: The waiting game...
Where: Sydney, NSW, Australia
When: After this

Gen paced back and forth in front of the window, hugging herself and rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try to combat the deep chill she was feeling inside and out. “This is so fucked up! Why aren’t there any updates yet? Why is it taking so long? He’s my son! I should be in there with him!”

“I know, sis, but Sam said he’d come with an update as soon as he could,” Paris murmured, resting his crystal-adorned walking stick against the window so he could take Gen’s hand. “We’ve got to remember, it’s covid climate. They’d let you and Alexis through to be with him if they could. Nan and Granddad said this is the best place he could possibly be.”

( Alexis quietly watched the exchange between Gen and Paris, sitting forward on one of the seats with her elbows on her knees and her head resting against her hands... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark, Sam and Justin Campbell
What: Emergency
Where: South Coast, NSW, Aus
When: After this

Shock set in quickly for Mark following that blood-chilling phone call. He kept it together just long enough to call in a desperate favour from a Sydney businessman mate to charter an urgent helicopter flight to the South Coast so he and Sam could get to the hospital with Justin ASAP. He would’ve bought a fucking helicopter himself if it would’ve gotten him to his son quicker. He ended the call and gripped his hand around his phone, feeling like the hospital walls were going to collapse in on him, barely remembering the words that came out of his mouth while he was on the call. Thank fuck Sam made him put it on speaker.

He put his other hand out to hold himself up on the wall when it felt like his legs turned to lead. “I can’t breathe. I need to get outta here,” he choked out, trying to suck in a big enough ragged breath to reach his lungs.

( Sam grabbed Mark’s arm to hold him up because he looked like he was about to pass out. He didn’t know if he’d have the energy to peel Mark off the floor if it happened... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Processing
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

After the meds finally began to do their job and Sam managed to get some decent sleep and take a shower without that constant feeling of being about to throw up or pass out abating, he began to feel a little more human. Until then, he hadn't had the energy or strength to process the diagnosis he had been given. In truth, he had suspected it. Not necessarily as quickly as he should have (he might be a doctor, but he had been as sick as a dog, so give him a break), but once he saw his bloodwork - and armed with the knowledge he had gotten worse on antibiotics, not better - he knew it was a distinct possibility. Letting it sink in and absorb, however, it was going to take more time.

When he came out of the bathroom, Alexis helped him back into his bathrobe, taking advantage of the temporarily disconnected IV line to help him get a little more comfortable now they knew he'd be there for a few days. He sat on the side of the bed and patted the spot beside him for her to join him. Once she was seated, he gave her a faint yet apologetic smile. "Not really what you signed up for, huh? I'm sorry I haven't really been able to... verbalise how I'm feeling. I wanted to. I know what it's like to be in your shoes. Mark's usually the expert in internalising his feelings. It's okay if you don't want to do any of this. Focusing on Justin should be your priority."

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Sam Campbell and Mark Campbell
What: Family Matters
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Alexis was just finishing up a phone call with Molly to fill her in on where things were up to with Sam when Mark came up behind her in the hospital corridor, patting her shoulder to get her attention. “I’ve got to go, Mols. I’ll give you a call in the morning, okay? Love you.” She pocketed her phone, giving Mark her full attention.

“Sammy’s awake, hon. He’s asking for you. I told him I’d track you down.” Taking his wallet out, Mark went over to the nearby coffee machine and tried to decide if braving the crap that was hospital machine coffee or he could push through the tiredness. He had spent many hours in hospital corridors with Justin and James with his diabetes when they were younger.

“You’re wiped out, hon. If you want to go home and have a bit of a snooze, I’ll stay with him. I know you’re worried but he won’t want you stressing yourself into exhaustion.” Alexis perused the options in the coffee machine. “That’s some abysmal offerings.”

It was early evening and Sam had been sleeping for a few hours now that he finally could without his stomach disrupting any attempts to get a decent rest. He was also like Justin in that anaesthetic wiped him out, so the best thing was to just let him sleep it off.

( When the ambulance arrived at the Campbell home to collect Sam, Alexis told Mark to go with him and she could head to the hospital with his parents when they got back from his auntie’s place but Mark wouldn’t have it... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington and her best friend, Molly, then later, Justin Campbell, Sasha Stanford, Mark Campbell, and Sam Campbell
What: The year that keeps on giving
Where: Campbell Home, Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Alexis brought two wine glasses out onto the patio and set them down on the table. “Okay, it’s a little earlier in the day than I’d normally drink but I think it’s safe to have a glass or two,” she said to her BFF with a grin.

“I just realised this might not be okay. Is it okay if we have this here?” Molly asked, hand resting over to top of the bottle of prosecco before she even attempted to open it.

“You mean Justin? Or because Mark’s in recovery?” Alexis opened the packet of chilled raspberries Molly had brought with the prosecco. “There’s no problem. The family drinks socially but any they keep here is locked in a cabinet so Justin can’t access it if he’s not having a good day. He’s still currently in the ‘never touching the fucking shit again’ mode after his hangover from hell and Mark doesn’t have issues with other people drinking.”

“Well, in that case.” Molly gave her wink and peeled the foil off to pop the cork. “Speaking of, where is that darling son of yours? Not to sound like a desperate fan or anything. I promise I won’t scream in his face and traumatise the poor kid,” she joked.

( Alexis smirked and dropped a couple of raspberries into each glass... )

chanceworthtaking

So, I need some big sisterly advice. But first, how's my fave nephew going? I miss you guys. Australia's a fucking universe away.

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Tag Teaming
Where: Campbell Place, Sydney, AU
When: After this

Mark didn't realise how long he had been on the conference call to New York until he took a mouthful of his decaf coffee and it was tepid and probably tasted as bad as piss. He gulped the mouthful down and cursed the mug as he set it back on the kitchen table. He was toying with the idea of making another cup or dragging himself to bed to try to get some shut-eye when Alexis came into the kitchen. He glanced at the clock at the corner of his screen, raising his eyebrows as he closed the laptop. "Pulling an all-nighter, hon? How's the patient?"

Not that Mark could talk. His all-nighter was inevitable when he had to sit up to ungodly hours to participate in work conferences when it was the middle of the day in New York. Pandemic or not, the justice industry was still essential and had continued on the best it could. He was glad he lived in the age of rapidly-advancing technology and could still conduct business meetings when he had to be on the other side of the globe for his safety having a heart condition and the safety of his kids. Even if he went to bed, his brain wouldn't switch off to let him sleep and there was only so much missing-your-other-half wanking you could do. Skye sex just didn't fucking cut it.

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington and Sam Campbell
What: Inevitable Relationship Milestones
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Few days after this

“Fucking hell, I just can’t believe you found him.” Alexis’ friend, Molly, took her hand and gave it a squeeze as she gazed in awe at the photograph of Alexis and Justin taken at the beach the day before.

Alexis laughed putting her other hand on Molly’s arm in excitement. “I know, right? How many nights did you sit up with me in grad school listening to my drunken ramblings about my lost baby son? And he was right there the whole time, in the flesh. He’s just so beautiful and half Australian, girl.” She flashed a grin at Sam, who smiled back but the poor guy was probably bored out of his brain with this catch up.

Molly and Alexis were roommates at Yale grad school and by complete coincidence, Molly was Australian and received a prestigious scholarship to study a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking at Yale and she was now an internationally successful documentary maker based in Sydney. They hit it off from day one and got extremely close, and Alexis inevitably confided in her about her past and being the victim of a kidnapper who stole her baby from hospital when she was fighting for her life. Molly had been so supportive. She even took it upon herself to try to find out what happened when it was still too painful for Alexis, but ultimately hit the same dead-ends. She sat up with Alexis many nights while she cried after they had a few drinks and the emotions kicked in. Those were the years Alexis was so convinced her son was dead but Molly helped her hold onto a sliver of hope.

( They never lost touch, even though they lived in different countries... )

likefatherlikeson

Who: Justin Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Letting it be
Where: Nana & Granddad Campbell's home, Sydney, Aus
When: Day after this and this

Justin bounded down the stairs, listening to the tail-end of a conference call on speaker on his phone. He paused at the kitchen table to give his nana a hug and kiss on the cheek where she was sitting having a cup of tea reading a magazine, and headed out the bifold doors onto the back deck. "Guys, I have, like, three seconds because I have a date with my mom, so I'm going to have to love you and leave you. I'm serious, I'm turning my phone off." He listened briefly to his team throwing a few reminders at him and he nodded, even if they couldn't see him. He did the Zoom thing but he refused that morning because he had plans and didn't want to get stuck in a business meeting longer than he said he could. "Yeah, I'll get the live stream stuff sorted. I'm okay to go with it, I'm feeling better. Just get the team to start the promo. If anything changes, I'll let you know."

He said his goodbyes as he headed over to the picnic table by the pool, grinning at Alexis as he approached. "Oh my god, I'm so glad I worked out this morning," he laughed, taking in the spread of cake, gelato and gourmet hot chocolate they had delivered from a nearby cafe. Loads of eateries were doing home deliveries now and it seemed like a perfect way to hang out with Alexis and spend some time with her. The night before, during his date with Sash, he shot Alexis a text and asked if they could hang out the next day after his call with his team, now he'd had the chance to talk with Sash about everything on his mind. Turning his phone off, he tossed it aside on the table and gave Alexis a hug. "Thankfully, I have now taken a shower and don't smell like I've been working out all morning."

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Moonlight Beach Walk
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Same time as this

The global pandemic was tough on everyone and quarantine was hard. Sam was glad he could be in Australia with his family — especially his parents were retirement age — but it was difficult for him as a doctor to not be at work in New York, one of the cities being hit the hardest in the world. He would never have been able to stop himself helping with this, so he went to the hospital he did his residency with here in Sydney and took on some emergency shifts so his skills weren’t going to waste. Being a respiratory illness, cardiac care was vital and he couldn’t not be a doctor at this time just because he was away from his usual place of work.

But it meant red-raw hands from so much washing and sanitizing. It meant sore ears from constantly wearing and changing face masks. It meant long shifts and decontaminating himself before he went home. It meant getting home exhausted, reeking of antiseptic and sweat, tired and grumpy and not at all conducive to these early ‘relationship’ days with Alexis when they hadn’t even defined what their connection was. They hardly had any time together, to the point Mark actually pulled him aside after a shift and asked him if he and Alexis decided not to keep going with anything. Not for any particular reason beyond the fact he was getting twin spidey senses. But it wasn’t that. It did make him realise he had to take some time out to rest for his own sanity. He was a workaholic just like Mark and they both had tendencies their whole lives to overwork themselves to their detriment.

In amongst that, Justin had an intense down then up episode. He spent over two weeks bedridden with depression. He stopped eating unless he was practically forced and Sash helped him with the bathroom and showering. The only other person he let help him with anything like that. He didn’t want to be touched and he didn’t want to talk. They just had to let him sleep and ride it out. No one was really prepared when he shifted from depressed to manic and it wasn’t even a fun manic episode either. He was wired and crabby, fighting with pretty much anyone who got close enough to him. It probably couldn’t even be all put down to his bipolar. A lot of it was hormones too because he was a teenager and that was never an easy mix with mental illness. It was an understandable existential crisis with his tour put on hold with the pandemic after months and months of prep work and rehearsals.

In the middle of one of his rants about, as far as Sam could decipher, the humidity and how it made bread go mouldy in Australia if it was left out. That’s how agitated he was, that bread shitted him off and triggered a rant. And somehow managed to slide into the rant the fact he had been offered a movie deal and he wasn’t taking it because fuck movies and fuck deals. That one even threw Mark off but Sash seemed to be in on the news. They just had to weather it until he stabilized and they could get Justin’s rational take on the situation. Which he did, and he was now taking a little drive to a nearby beach with Sash for a mini date. He was always better after alone time with Justin.

So, Sam decided he would take a leaf out of the kids’ book and take Alexis for a twilight walk along the beach with ice cream from a food truck providing takeaway from a neighbour’s front yard (within Sydney’s quarantine guidelines). Mark jokingly shoved a strip of condoms into Sam’s jacket pocket when they were getting ready to leave, only for Jamie to discover them when she gave Sam a big hug before they left the house and excitedly declared he had the ‘same balloons as Justin and Sash’s bedroom!’ On that note, Sam and Alexis left Mark with that awkward little daughter moment to sort out. That’s what karma looked like.

Their childhood home where their parents still lived backed right onto a beach that didn’t get a lot of public thoroughfare like the more well-known coastal areas. It wasn’t conducive to surfing like the bigger beaches but it was peaceful and perfect for some alone time together with Alexis. But he was nervous, like he was on some teenage first date. He felt silly for it, especially as they had been walking a little bit with their ice cream and not even making small talk, so he laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’m so nervous and I don’t even know why. Can I blame being overworked and stressed? I know I’ve not been the most pleasant person to deal with. Mark was worried you and I had called it quits.”

beautifulday

Who: Mark Campbell, Sam Campbell, Alexisharrington, Sasha Stanford and Justin Campbell
What: Hangover from Hell
Where: Nana and Granddad Campbell's place, Sydney
When: Morning after this

Mark came downstairs stretching and yawning loudly, and wandered into the kitchen. “I need a brew, fucking stat. I think I got about 46 minutes of sleep.”

“Shhh! Keep your voice down,” his mum chastised, giving him a soft tap in the back of the head and gestured over to the sofa in their sitting room with a cup of coffee before she handed it to him.

“Lexi said he came down last night to get his migraine meds from his bag and they got chatting but he fell asleep. And you got more like four hours,” Sam told him, sipping his tea from where he had been sitting at the kitchen counter reading the news on his iPad while their dad was in his element outside cooking breakfast on the barbie.

Mark was about to tease Sam for calling Alexis ‘Lexi’, the nickname her family used, when he realised what Sam just said. “Jus is upstairs on his own? Shit! I thought—”

( Before Mark could take off back upstairs in his haze of fatherly panic, Sam grabbed his arm... )

LOG, COMPLETE

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford and Alexis Harrington
What: Overdue heart-to-heart
Where: Waterfront Campbell home, Sydney
When: After this

Despite the fact Sasha knew he would never escape the 'Loving having a little bit of Austalia in him' jokes, Sasha was never going to get used to the Aussie heat. He had made a few trips Down Under with Justin since they started dating and the things he loved most about Sydney were Nana and Granddad Campbell's ducted airconditioning and pool. He woke up in a ball of sweat and discovered Justin had rolled over into Sasha's back in his sleep and pushed all the bedcovers on top of him. Justin was a sweaty mess himself and he was a snorer when he was drunk.

Checking his phone, Sasha found he'd probably only been asleep for a little over an hour. He shoved the covers onto the floor at the end of the bed and carefully leaned over Justin to make sure he hadn't thrown up in the bucket again but it was thankfully empty. Sasha laid back down again but sleep evaded him in the heat and lingering jetlag from the trip over. Not to mention the fact he was usually a light sleep and Justin's snoring (though not terrible) made it difficult to tap back into sleepiness again. He went to the bathroom and when he was washing his hands, realised the headache he had earlier when Justin was an absolute drunken mess was coming back, now in that sharp spear of ache behind one eyeball which wouldn't end well if he didn't take his preventative migraine medication now.

Which he dropped at the front door downstairs when Justin showered the foyer's tiles with more puke when they got back from the city earlier. He already had to take a dose when they were at the nightclub after the parade because the loud music and strobe lights threatened a migraine and it had been too early to fold on the night. Despite the fact a drunk Justin stressed him out, he had a good time. The parade was out of this world and he had friends cousins from back in the US who sent him texts saying they saw him and Justin on the live stream of the parade, telling him how cool they thought it was that Justin had the ace pride flag tied around his hips. Sasha had to admit that part meant a lot to him too. He didn't mind that people wondered how Justin - someone that oozed sex appeal - could be engaged to an ace person but sometimes fielding those questions was exhausting. There were only so many ways you could explain being asexual wasn't celibacy, nor did it mean a hate of sex. Some aces were sex-repulsed but he wasn't one of them. He just didn't want to explain what ace-flux or grey-ace meant all the time, or the fact you could be both gay and ace, and why.

"Shit," he cussed softly, realising he had to go downstairs. He turned the tap on low so he could splash some cold water on his face and went out to find a tank top to pull on over his purple silk boxer shorts. Or, more accurately, they were Justin's. Sasha was a cotton guy, to match his usual preference of living in jeans, snapbacks, and t-shirts. The only clean tank top he could find was Justin's limited edition black Footloose one that celebrated the show's 800th performance. That was a perk of being gay, there was no issue in sharing each other's clothes. His hair was sticking up all over the place because he laid down on it while it was still wet after a shower to wash away the vomit. Curly hair was a pain in the freckle, as Justin's Aussie family would say. He grabbed Justin's phone and propped it up beside the lamp on his side of the bed with the camera pointing on his supine form on the bed, bringing up what was basically a baby monitor app. They used it sometimes when Justin was in a really bad way to keep any eye on him while he slept. Considering he drank his weight in cocktails at the party, this definitely constituted.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs and headed around the corner into the open-planned living room, he jumped and put a hand over his mouth before he shrieked in fright when someone was sitting on the chaise end of the modular sofa. Alexis was sitting reading a book in the soft light of the standard lamp. "Oh my god, I'm so glad I peed before I came down or I would've just totally embarrassed myself."

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford, Justin Campbell, Mark Campbell, Sam Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Pride & shit
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Backdated: Sydney Mardi Gras

Sasha had expected life to get crazy beyond belief lately but he could never have anticipated ending a night with Justin — dressed as a shirtless sparkly rainbow angel complete with wings and a halo — flanked by two 6’4” drag queens singing the the popular Aussie power ballad, You’re the Voice at the top of his lungs in the middle of Sydney. There weren’t a lot of scenarios Justin would forget lyrics but being blind drunk on fuck only knows what mix of cocktails and running on adrenaline and very little sleep was one of them. At least he nailed the chorus with the help of his friendly queens doing their bit for the greater good and making sure one of the Junior Gay Icons, as Justin had been dubbed that night, got home without ending up Mardi Gras roadkill.

“Oh, honey, are you sure we can’t call you a taxi? I don’t want to end up on the dirty end of a lawsuit for not making that fabulously hot daddy lawyer has his first-born delivered home safely. I’m still not convinced you two aren’t twelve years old. Such a baby face.” Miss Excess-Success patted Sasha’s cheek but took a quick sidestep when Justin abruptly cut himself off singing with a heave.

( Sasha quickly took over, looping his arm around Justin’s waist to free-up the ladies to go back to the party... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell, Alexis Harrington, Justin Campbell, Sasha Stanford, Mark Campbell, Gen Hart-Campbell and Chance Marsden
What: Rainbow Phoenix After Party | Family Connections & Promises
Where: New York City
When: Backdated - After this and this

Sam would never get tired of those moments when he saw Mark get so emotional with pride over his kids, he ended up breaking down and sobbing. Mark didn’t cry a lot and if he did, it was behind closed doors. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or anything like that. All four Campbell brothers had been raised to be sensitive to their feelings and it was okay to cry. Mark was just the least sensitive of them all… about everything but his kids, of course. He always made sure Justin knew there was no shame in showing his emotions and he had definitely softened since becoming a father but the only other times Sam had seen Mark cry this hard about his son was when Justin opened on Broadway and when Sasha proposed to him and they got engaged.

Mark kept it together pretty damn well throughout the show. Sam had sat next to him and wanted to be on hand in case anything - god forbid - went wrong. There reported hiccups earlier in the day. First, Justin disappeared and everyone panicked he had gotten cold feet and done a runner, only to discover Reecy had unexpected and suddenly given birth in the early hours of the morning six weeks before her due date and Justin took off to the hospital to meet his newborn guidedaughter. No one was doing to stop that, no matter how much they tried reminding him it was his tour’s opening night. Then Justin’s stage fright and anxiety had ramped up to a high level and he needed medical intervention to get his shit together again. That was okay. They were prepared for that and had provisions in place. All in all, there were no unexpected disasters and Justin opened without a hitch. Not even a wardrobe or set malfunction to speak of.

( Mark was teary when Justin opened with a high velocity three rock anthem extravaganza with all the bells and whistles anticipated. All his family and friends knew what he was capable of when it came to his talent but Sam was pretty sure no one expected it to be as explosive as it had been... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell, Alexis Harrington, and Justin Campbell
What: Shifting Dynamics
Where: Sam's Apartment, NYC
When: Australia Day

NYC Time

With Sam's parents still in town and the dynamics in their family very much shifted with the discovery of Alexis being Justin's birth mum, they decided to celebrate Australia Day together, even if it was in New York. They were going to have all their old favourite Aussie foods they grew up with, listen to some Aussie music, hang out, relax and celebrate. But Sam had to work the night before so they were going to do dinner so he had the chance to get some sleep and not feel like the Walking Dead while everyone else was having fun.

He was just getting out of the shower when he heard the doorbell ring. He grabbed a towel and stuck his head out the door of the bathroom. "Can you get that, love? I'm just out of the shower!" he called out to Alexis, wherever she was in the apartment. She had been battling over an Aussie recipe book for the better part of three days trying to pick something to make because she wanted to get into the spirit of the Cambpell Family Australia Day Celebration. She had been grilling Sam on what Justin did and didn't like so she didn't mum!fail her first attempt at experiencing her son's half-Aussie culture.

irockthemic

Who: DJ Wes-K and Everyone else at the New Year's Party!
What: Happy New Year!
Where: Manhattan, NYC
When: New Year, after this

Wesley didn't realise how much he missed DJ'ing until Justin asked him to for the New Year's party. He almost said no, considering everything going on with Merlin and Brandon. But when he told Merlin, his BFF told him to stop being basic and to go along and have plenty of fun for all of them. That lead to Wes being in his absolute freaking element, especially when he discovered the DJ System he would be using was ultra state-of-the-art, better than anything he had ever mixed on. If this thing was a person, he'd want to fuck it. He had no qualms telling Noah that either, who laughed his head off at the imagery of Wes hugging the system. Then to top it off, Justin told him it was his to manage and use whenever he wanted and Wes decided if he wasn't already thoroughly taken by Sash, he'd want to sleep with Justin too. He was that much of a music junkie.

Still, something even better than that came before the party and music really kicked off. Just after he went to get Justin to get the show on the road, Merlin called him to tell him that Brandon's doctors just confirmed his meds were working and he was officially out of the woods again. He still had the whatever thing where Merlin's bone marrow was trying to attack his immune system - or something along those medical lines that Wes didn't completely understand - but it was being well controlled and that meant Brandon was feeling a little better overall. Things were looking up and Merlin was happy he got to kiss his husband for New Year, even if it was in a hospital isolation room. Brandon still had a pulse and was still breathing. It was good news, all things considered.

So, Wesley had the awesome job of leading the countdown to midnight and as soon as the ball dropped, he and Noah shared an epic kiss, and he started to lead a sing-a-long of Auld Lang Syne, while all the party-goers hugged, snogged, sang, cheered, laughed, and all those awesome Happy New Year things. It definitely hadn't been the best year of Wesley's life but some awesome things outshone the worst. He was glad to see the back of last year, though. Once the New Year was officially rung in, he put the rock version cover of Auld Lang Syne by Dropkick Murphys and sat back with his bottle of Coke to enjoy the view of everyone having celebrating and enjoying themselves.

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Justin Campbell, Sasha Stanford, Chance Marsden, and Wesley Knight
What: Goodbye 2019
Where: Manhattan, NYC
When: New Year's Eve

Just after Christmas, when Alexis was still trying to figure out how to connect all the dots of integrating into Justin’s life, he called her up on FaceTime and invited her to a big New Year’s party that was apparently a tradition for their family. Family and friends from all over, including people flying in from Australia, joined them to celebrate the holidays and it was always great music, great food, great company, and lots of laughs. He told her that the year had been a tough one, so everyone was more than ready to have some fun and relax. Not only that, he didn’t just invite her. He invited her, her immediate and distant family, and any friends she wanted to bring along too. It took her by complete surprise because, up to then, he hadn’t said much about how he felt making it known that he was the victim of infant kidnapping in a high profile case. He hadn’t been sure he wanted to go public about it, knowing it wouldn’t be long before people connected the dots that he was the missing New Hampshire baby eighteen years ago.

The call was quick and he seemed to be busy, out of breath and dressed in training gear. He ended the call with a breathless, ‘Seriously, invite whoever you want. It’s cool.’ Then he told her he loved her and went hung up. That was the part that had her heart soaring. He said those words. He said he loved her and she said it back. There weren’t enough ways for her to describe how happy that made her. She immediately Skyped her family and told them, leading to her parents and siblings to promise to book flights to New York for New Year, ASAP.

( Then she panicked, psyching herself out that maybe Justin only said that out of a sense of obligation, and when push came to shove, he really wouldn’t want to be inundated by a bunch of strangers during his family celebrations... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington and Sam Campbell (with Justin Campbell and Sasha Stanford)
What: Helping Out
Where: Cardiac ICU, Mount Sinai
When: After this

Alexis spent the better part of the morning trying to convince herself she hadn’t completely fucked up with Justin. He seemed to make it pretty clear he didn’t want her accompanying them - and by them, she was sure he meant Sam - to the hospital. She didn’t want to make assumptions about a kid’s feeling when she still didn’t know him too well and he was in a highly stressful situation with his dad possibly having more complications with his heart. Mark had told her the first day they spoke when she reached out to him that one of Justin’s biggest fears was losing him after trying to find him for so long.

So, rather than letting her insecurities about bonding with Justin get to her, she busied herself in the morning making coffee for all the guests at the house and helping make breakfast. Before the meal was even done, Mark and Sam’s mom received a call from Sam who told her that there was definitely something going on with Mark’s heart and they were having him flown back to New York to admit him to hospital for further testing and treatment. Gen, Sam, Justin, and Sasha were flying back with him… which is how Alexis discovered Gen and Paris, via their massive world-renowned fashion magazine corporation, owned their own private jet.

( At first, Alexis felt the best course of action was to drive back to Boston with her parents and siblings, leaving Justin’s extended family to deal with everything. But her big sister, Matilda, pulled her aside and told her she needed to fly to New York for Justin... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell, Alexis Harrington, Justin Campbell, Mark Campbell and Gen Hart-Campbell
What: Conditions of the Heart
Where: Vermont Lakehouse
When: Morning after this

It took a few moments for Alexis to get her bearings and realise she wasn’t in her own bed. She wasn’t in her house, or even her state. This was Vermont, not Stamford, and she wasn’t waking up to a usually empty bed. She took a deep breath and slowly rolled onto her side, biting her lip when she was met with a soundly sleeping and very naked Sam in bed with her.

Last night was fresh in her mind and at the time, it seemed like a good idea. No, it was more than good. It was thrilling and tender, and felt incredible… while it was happening. Now it was morning, and it was setting in that Sam was Justin’s uncle and Mark’s twin brother. This could end up way more complicated than she ever anticipated. Then again, she didn’t anticipate any of this. She didn’t come into the family gathering last night thinking about sleeping with her son’s uncle. She couldn’t even claim that it ‘just happened’. There was a bit of alcohol involved, but neither of them were drunk. They wanted it and at the time, Alexis was just caught up in the moment. But reality had to set in eventually.

( And it felt like so long since she lay awake watching someone sleep... )

LOG, COMPLETE

likefatherlikeson

Who: Justin Campbell and Alexis Harrington with her parents, and sister, Matilda, and brother, Chance
What: New Family Chapters
Where: Vermont Lakehouse
When: After this and before this

Justin thought he was prepared for meeting the rest of his long-lost family but once Cassidy managed to wrangle the Karaoke mic from him, he climbed off the coffee table where he had been leading a sing-a-long and almost walked right into them when he was heading to the kitchen for a drink of water. He stopped short before he barged into anyone. “Oh, shi— sorry!” he quickly caught himself before he swore, eyes sheepishly shooting to his new grandparents. There were a couple of beats where he hesitated before stepping up to give them a hug, smiling. “Hi! We’re so glad you could come.”

“It’s so wonderful to see you again, honey.” Jacinta, his grandmother, gave him a warm secure hug that he could feel the love melting out of. He found himself clinging to her maybe a little longer than was necessary, clocking that she was wearing the same perfume as the day he met her and immediately connecting it with her. “We could’ve listened to you singing all night but I’m sure we have to get some food into you at some point.”

Justin laughed, moving on to hug his grandfather, Mark (he and Justin’s dad had the same name, which was a bit of a mindfuck for Justin, considering it was his middle name). “It’s okay, I hate turkey. Was the drive okay? The snow’s been pretty steady all day.”

( Then Alexis finally had the chance to wrap her arms around her son again... )

LOG, COMPLETE

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford and Justin Campbell + Everyone at their Family Thanksgiving
What: Thanksgiving Dinner
Where: Vermont Lakehouse
When: After this and this

All in all, the spontaneous joint family Thanksgiving in Vermont had been a huge success. Sasha had lost track of everyone who was here but they were all family and he had been mingling on and off all evening until everyone sat down for a huge meal. The best part was when everyone had to write down one thing they were thankful for and put it into a jar. Later, they were read out over dessert and it was the best freaking way to mark what was their first blended Thanksgiving their family dynamics had grown.

Now everyone was relaxing and chilling out, enjoying the company and the huge open fire while a steady snowfall continued outside. After dinner, Justin and Sasha went and changed into their pyjamas and slippers with matching flannel Harry Potter pants and long sleeve t-shirts so they could completely relax and chillout.

Now, they were slowdancing again in front of the huge glass doors with views out onto the snow-covered lawn. It was just like their date night, only with better views and brilliant company. They were caught up in their own little world for a bit. Sasha gave him a kiss, smiling. "You okay, baby? Not too overwhelmed with everyone here or anything? Somewhere along the line, our family has mutated into a small army. That's super cool." He bumped his nose against Justin's and they shared a kiss

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington with her family
What: Pre-Big Interconnected Family Thanksgiving
Where: Justin and Sasha's Vermont Lakehouse
When: Thanksgiving Evening

Thanksgiving was only going to be the usual for Alexis and her family. She would fly into New Hampshire to her parents, her brother and sister would fly in from Miami and Brazil respectively, then they'd all meet at their grandmother’s place for an early lunch. She was their only remaining grandparent and even though she still lived in her own home and had a live-in nurse, she had advancing dementia and barely remembered Alexis or her siblings. She definitely didn’t remember Alexis had a baby, so they couldn’t talk about Justin and confuse her. Which made it really freaking difficult because she knew her brother and sister had so much they wanted to ask her about her long lost baby boy.

( What none of them expected was to receive an invitation from Justin to come to their extended family Thanksgiving dinner at the lakehouse he and Sasha owned in Vermont… which was less than three hours drive from Grandma Marsden’s place in New Hampshire... )

COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Hi, hon. I just wanted to check to see how Justin's doing after the visit. I thought things went well but I know I don't know him well enough yet to be sure what he's feeling. Is he okay?

likefatherlikeson

Who: Justin Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Mother & Son Time
Where: Alexis' Home, Stamford CT
When: Morning after this

As soon as Alexis knew Justin wanted to give her a chance and welcome her into his life - and him into hers - she had called her boss and requested she take a month of her leave she had banked up. She was a workaholic and rarely took time off, so she had it there. If having her lost teenage son come into her life wasn’t a perfect reason to take it, what was? Not that she told her boss the complete ins and outs. She said something serious had come up with her family and she needed some personal leave. At this stage, jury was still very much out on how this would all play out logistically. The information in the wrong hands could mean breaking open the cold case of Justin’s disappearance when he was a newborn and it would be a media frenzy. That was way too much to lay on him right now, if ever. Mark had ideas on how they could tackle it, but he wanted to talk it all out with Justin first. Which is exactly how it should be.

Because she was a teacher who commuted to work each day, she was always a very early riser. She liked to go for a jog before the sun was even up but that day, she decided that seeing as she had a house full of guests, she could forgo exercise that morning. But her body clock still woke her at 4.30am and the house was quiet, still, and in darkness. Making sure she was quiet so she didn’t wake anyone, she went to the kitchen and made some coffee, then went to read the newspapers on her iPad in the living room.

( She was there about half an hour when Justin shuffled into the room looking like he just woke up... )

LOG, COMPLETE

asskickingblahniks

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell, Mark Campbell and Alexis Harrington with Mark and Jacinta Marsden (Alexis' parents)
What: Getting on the same parenting page
Where: Alexis' place, Stamford CT
When: After this

At the last minute, Gen ditched her business trip to LA and flew back home so she could go up to Stamford where Justin was in the midst of meeting - and spending time with - his birth mother he never knew existed. Mark was already there with him and had been texting and FaceTiming with Gen as much as he could to give her updates and reassure her Justin was holding up pretty well, all things considered. She knew Sasha drove up to be there with him, which was inevitable if he felt well enough to get out of bed. But this was Sash… he would have to be practically on his deathbed to prevent him being there for Justin during one of the hardest moments of his life.

Gen knew she had to get there. Justin was her son and number one priority. Even if she was so conflicted and scared about his birth mother usurping her mom spot in his life, she had to meet Alexis and be a united team with Mark for this. Especially once she heard Justin’s emotions had triggered a bad night of flashbacks and sickness but all of this was dredging up his past and needing him to confront the fact the woman who abused him so viciously and left him open to repeated neglect and harm wasn’t - and never had been - the woman who gave birth to him.

( It was about 9pm by the time she arrived in Stamford... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Mark Campbell, Justin Campbell and Sasha Stanford, with Jacinta and Mark Marsden (Alexis' parents)
What: Getting to Know You
Where: Alexis' home, Stamford CT
When: After this

Nothing really turned out how Alexis anticipated meeting Justin. During their walk at the park together, he had been much more open and honest with her. She hadn’t expected him to tell her there was no way he could just go on like this hadn’t happened and not get to know her as the person who gave birth to him. But after that, he seemed to lose his steam and became more quiet and subdued. She asked him if he wanted to call his dad to come get him, but he wanted to spend more time with her so they stuck with their plan to go back to her place to watch a movie.

They decided to go with Rocketman when Alexis told Justin she was a big Elton John fan but hadn’t had the chance to see the movie yet. While she made them popcorn, Justin told her he and Sasha had been at the New York premiere of the movie and it was excellent. He was happy to watch it again. Beyond that, he wasn’t chatty at all and she had to fight the urge to keep asking him if he was okay, remembering everything Mark schooled her on. Justin had ups and downs. Sometimes he could talk the legs off a table, and others, he wouldn’t speak at all. It turned out he was just exhausted from what he had managed to talk to her about because he crashed on the sofa with Dory in his lap about twenty minutes into the movie.

( So, Alexis just turned the volume down and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful and it gave her a few moments to process this was really happening... )

LOG, COMPLETE

likefatherlikeson

Who: Justin Campbell and Alexis Harrington (and Mark Campbell)
What: The Moment of Truth
Where: Stamford, Connecticut
When: After this

It had been a hell of a long week for Justin. ‘Emotional rollercoaster’ didn’t even cut what he had been going through. He was exhausted but considering everything, he was feeling okay. It was the nervousness that had taken over everything else. He lost count of how many times he needed his dad to stop on the drive up to Stamford so he could use the bathroom. They played loud music on the way up and had a road trip sing-a-long to a playlist of both their favourite songs. If nothing else, it was some quality father and son time.

The location Justin was going to meet his birth mom was a place called Cove Island Park in Stamford. Apparently it was nice, quiet, and peaceful, near the water with lots of quiet places to sit and talk. Talking was the part Justin was packing shit about. Justin and his dad were going to stay the night in Stamford and if things went well, tomorrow was open to spend more time with her. That was where the giant heavy question mark was hanging over everything. For now, once Justin met her and if it went okay, Mark would leave them to it and make himself scarce. At first, Justin got himself into a mess of anxiety and panic and wanted his dad there for the whole thing. But once he settled down and his meds kicked in, he changed his mind and wanted to at least try to face this on his own.

( Justin and his dad were standing at the water’s edge waiting for Alexis to arrive... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Justin Campbell
What: Big Scary Decisions
Where: Casa de Campbell, NYC
When: Few days after this

Justin crashed hard after Mark had to deliver him the news about his birth mother. Other than being woken at regular intervals so he could take his vital medication and use the bathroom, he slept for almost four days straight. It gave Mark the chance to fill Gen and his brothers in on what had happened and how it all played out. He also Skyped his parents in Sydney and had to give them the whole story in finite detail. It was getting easier the more he spoke about it. They were inevitably shocked but not because it was any sort of sordid family scandal and all because it was hard to learn Justin had been kidnapped as a baby by the woman who did vile and horrific things to him for a decade and a half. No one in their family ever coped well hearing more of the tragic things Justin endured during his short life. In the wake of a hospital stay recovering from the overdose complications, it wasn’t any wonder Justin had fallen into an exhausted depression and went into shutdown mode. It could last for days, or even weeks. They could only wait it out.

Which is why Mark was so surprised when Justin came through to the kitchen freshly showered, shaved, dressed in a clean tank top and sweatpants, blonde hair still damp and combed back out of his face. Showered was a really good sign. “Hey, kiddo. You’re up. How are you feeling?”

( Justin smiled, pocketing his phone after making a phone call and came to sit at the kitchen table with his dad... )

LOG, COMPLETE

likefatherlikeson

Who: Mark Campbell, Justin Campbell and Sasha Stanford
What: When everything changes
Where: Casa de Campbell, Upper East Side
When: After this

Mark left work early that day after an important meeting to get a sworn deposition signed, sealed, and delivered. He made sure everyone knew he was taking a few days family leave now Justin was out of hospital and there was a massive elephant in the room that needed to be addressed before Justin figured out something was going on. He was discharged the day before but obediently followed doctor’s orders and went to bed as soon as he was home and crashed, relieved to be back in his own bed with Sasha.

When Mark arrived home, he heard the piano up the hall, which didn’t surprise him at all. It was a good sign that Justin was in a better headspace. He wasn’t going like a bull at a gate with the piano like he did when his depression was set in. He put aside his briefcase, taking a folder from the top of it. After he changed out of his work clothes into some jeans and a t-shirt, he went through to the chillout room where Justin’s grand piano now lived, along with anything else a bunch of teens could possibly need when they hung out together… something they hadn’t done here in a little while. Justin was sitting at the piano in his cotton bathrobe but he was keeping an eye on Sash while he played, who was sitting on the sofa, arm draped over the back of it and using his elbow as his pillow.

“Is this what bed rest looks like now, kiddo?” Mark asked Justin when he came over and ruffled his hair and kissed his head. The thing was, if Justin could sleep on a piano, he probably would. “You okay, Sash?”

( Justin stopped playing and gave his dad a sheepish smile... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Results are in
Where: Campbell Page & Waterston, NYC Headquarters
When: After this

What a difference a few days could make. Justin went through with making a brief public statement about his latest episode and overdose, including the fact he was receiving dialysis treatment for complications resulting from it. He confirmed he was in hospital and it worked as a decoy for Merlin’s ‘accidental’ outing of Brandon and the fact Brandon was a patient at that very hospital too. It gave Merlin breathing room while Brandon had the bone marrow infusion and the difficult wait to see if it could be successful began. Merlin called Justin to thank him for what he did and broke down as soon as he got the words out. Justin sat on the phone with him for almost half an hour while he cried. If ever there was evidence of why friendship was one of the most important things in the world, it was this.

While that was happening, Ali came and saw Mark at his office, hand-delivering the DNA results on Justin and Alexis that she pulled strings to have fast-tracked. It took Mark a night of sitting at a bar nursing a double scotch on the rocks to get the balls to call Alexis and tell her the results were in. He didn’t put the glass to his lips once and never had a drop. The glass was a security blanket and he hated himself for even being tempted.

( Eventually, he pushed it away and sent Alexis a text asking if she could come to New York because the results were there... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Dr. Alexis Harrington
What: News that could change everything
Where: Campbell Page & Waterston, NYC
When: After this

As soon as Mark was out of his staff meeting and saw there were three missed calls from Sam, he called his twin back straight away. He made his way back to his office with a pile of large files under his arm, and ahead of him, his paralegal was pushing even more in a file cart. He was relieved Sam’s calls weren’t an emergency or anything ultimately serious. He headed back into the executive suite still on the phone, giving his Personal Assistant a wave. He nearly continued through to his office but she flagged him down to stop him.

Mark paused at her desk, picking up the mail from his inbox, checking through the envelopes. “No, look, just tell them not to push him. He’s still having bad days and he’s going to be in bad moods, all things considered. If he doesn’t want the as-needed meds, he’ll just escalate if they keep trying to coax him. If he just wants to rest and play his music, let him go. He’ll find a way to play no matter what’s attached to him. Get Alec to drop in on him and I’ll be there in a few hours. But call me if he gets any worse, yeah? Thanks, Sammy. Yeah, love you. Bye.” He handed Wendy a couple of the envelopes. “Can you file these for the Lawson case conference next week? What’s up?”

“Someone’s here to see you, boss. She insisted on waiting.” Wendy leaned over her desk, dropping her voice. “I know you’re not keen on drop-in meetings after what happened with Justin’s fan and her father but she comes with credentials and cleared security, so it all checks out. She said has a private matter to discuss with you. She’s been here almost two hours.” She handed Mark the business card she was given.

( Mark took the card and read the name. Dr Alexis Harrington, from Yale School of Music... )

LOG, COMPLETE

Profile

Dream Like New York

Page Summary

asskickingblahniks - "This storm will pass, and soon it will be better. We're all in this together."
aussielawyer - "Cause I spend all my time recovering from the sight of what I should be".
breakablehearts - "Looking out for love in a little bit of darkness."
tearsofpearls - "And let your two hearts reunite."
alexisharrington - "You cannot stop the rain, no way. Holding an umbrella when the grey clouds come over again."
aussielawyer - [ WHATSAPP VIDEO CALL ] To Gen & Alexis
asskickingblahniks - "Moms are very different. But moms can't be indifferent."
aussielawyer - "Wake me up, I'm drowning."
alexisharrington - "We had our family, tried to master this thing called parenting"
aussielawyer - "This is the anatomy of a car crash."
breakablehearts - "And we will cry together. And we'll fight this together. And we'll be strong together."
alexisharrington - "Sing a song confessional. For the heart, mind, and spirit, for the medical professional."
alexisharrington - "Oh, we could use a break from the hurt and pain."
chanceworthtaking - [ TEXT MESSAGE ] To Alexis @ alexisharrington
aussielawyer - "But this family table's held together by love."
alexisharrington - "Comfort quickly fading with the sickness setting in."
likefatherlikeson - "There will be an answer, let it be."
breakablehearts - "There's something tender in the moonlight."
beautifulday - "A bad hangover's something I can't stand."
beautifulday - "Even when it's not your home, I smell the blood of an Australian."
beautifulday - "It's the pride that makes you feel that you belong."
breakablehearts - "Phoenix from the Flames, we will rise together."
breakablehearts - "I still call Australia home."
irockthemic - "I'm so glad that I found you here, so you could be my Happy New Year."
alexisharrington - "So many stories of where I've been, and how I got to where I am..."
alexisharrington - "Get right to the heart of matters. It's the heart that matters more."
breakablehearts - "Here comes the heartache..."
likefatherlikeson - "Soon, a brand new family will call you their own."
beautifulday - "Thanksgiving, a touching celebration."
alexisharrington - "I will enter his gates with Thanksgiving in my heart."
alexisharrington - [ TEXT MESSAGE ] To Mark @ aussielawyer
likefatherlikeson - "Mom, I didn't know that I loved you so."
asskickingblahniks - "She called him her own, her beautiful son."
alexisharrington - "Come into my world, my child."
likefatherlikeson - "Look who's here, it's your long-lost loving son."
aussielawyer - "There are things that make me sad, You are not one of them."
likefatherlikeson - "A web is spun for every mother's son."
aussielawyer - "If I was your mother, would you let me hold your hand?"
aussielawyer - "Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?"

"I'm making my way."

Entries tagged with [character] alexis harrington

Page Summary