Alex chuckled at the spectacle of a grown woman hiding under the sheets. The way a child would hide from a ghost. Her reaction only intrigued him more. "Miss," he inquired softly.

"Go away. You're not real. You can't be real. You're dead." She kept a death grip on the sheets as he tried to pry them down.

"Last time I checked, I was real," Alex commented. Finally, he managed to pull the sheets off her head. She swung her arms at him. He grabbed her forearms and held them away from him.

"You're dead. I saw them bury you." She wrenched her arms away from him and proceeded to keep swinging. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists and gently lowered her hands down beside her.

"Ms. Mitchell, I'm not sure who you saw buried, but it wasn't me. I'm not, what's his name, Aidan?"

Laryssa nodded her head and eyed him warily. "Who are you?"

She tried to pull away, but he didn't relinquish his hold on her. He was going to make her see the truth if it was the last thing he did. Her latest reactions re-enforced his need to share who he was.

"My name is Alexander Richards. We've never met before I assure you." He was sure of that. There was no way he'd forget someone as beautiful as her. "I'm sorry if I frightened you." He wanted to say more, but a nurse walked into the room.

"Is everything okay in here? We really can't have her getting upset right now." The nurse looked at the clock on the wall. "I'm afraid that while we do allow family to stay, we really need her to get some rest so unless you're willing to let her sleep, you'll have to come back tomorrow."

He wanted to argue with the nurse but knew she was right when he looked back at Laryssa. She was tired personified, the dark bags under her eyes more evident than before. Alex didn't really want to leave, he wanted to pry more information out of her, but it probably was for the best. Maybe time alone and a good night sleep would allow what he said to sink into her mind. Hopefully, the next time he came to the hospital she would be more willing to speak with him. He grabbed his jacket and strolled out of the room.

As he sat in his car, driving home, the situation kept popping into his mind. Unease settled into the deepest part of him as he recalled the terror in her eyes when he walked in the room. Did he really look so much like this other man that she'd react so strongly? Maybe, she was just so distraught over her loss that everyone she saw looked like him.

He had heard of cases where a person had suffered such severe hallucinations because they couldn't accept the loss of a loved one. They wanted them to be alive so badly that they were able to convince their minds that their loved ones were still around. Would that have happened both times she'd met him? Or could there actually be something more to this than either of them realize? That was what he was going to find out.

***

The next morning, true to her word, Melissa popped in at the start of visiting hours. "Hey girl, how's it going today?"

"Lousy!" Laryssa sighed, cuddling deep beneath the covers. "What's wrong with me?"

"Do you want to talk about it?" her friend asked.

"I don't even know what to say." She leaned forward and whispered, "Hi, my name is psycho, I see dead people." Despite the absurdity of the situation, they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

After a few minutes, they calmed down and Laryssa leaned back against the bed. "Gosh, that felt good."

"Glad I could help," Melissa said grinning.

"I'm scared, Mel. If I keep having these hallucinations, they might take my babies away."

"Are you so sure they are hallucinations?"

Laryssa got up out of bed and walked toward the window, resting her hands on the window sill. She leaned her forehead against the glass and looked at the cars in the parking lot below.

"I'm not sure of anything anymore," she said honestly.

"Did Aidan have any family? Maybe Alex is a relative. That might explain the resemblance."

"If only it were just a resemblance. He looks exactly like him. Almost as if, nah, it's impossible."

"What, what's impossible?" Melissa joined her by the window and they watched a family climb in their car.

"What's impossible?" his deep voice spoke up from behind them.

Laryssa jumped and grabbed onto Melissa's arm. It was him. He said he would come back and now here he was. Her feet remained rooted on the floor and she couldn't make herself turn around. All she wanted was for him to go away. She didn't want to see him.

"Hello, Alex," Melissa said. "Laryssa, can you lighten your grip on my arm, it's going numb."

"Oh, sorry." She released her friend's arm, but reached out for her again when she started to move way. "Don't go."

"You'll be fine, don't worry. I'll check in on you again later." Mel gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then walked towards the door. "Alex, be gentle," she chided.

Laryssa's heart skipped a beat when the door clicked behind her, indicating that Melissa was gone and she was alone. Shoes squeaked on the polished hospital floor behind her. She stiffened at the sound. He was coming closer; and there was nothing she could do, but wait for the blows.

Breathe, Laryssa, in through your nose, out through your mouth. When his hands came to rest on her shoulders, she jumped.

"It's alright. Don't be afraid," he said softly. The pressure on her shoulders increased, just a little, in an attempt to turn her around. At first, she resisted, but knowing it was inevitable, she slowly turned around.

She stared at the floor, unable to find the strength to lift her head. He placed his hand under her chin and with great care lifted her face to look at him.

The tenderness of his touch undid her and helped her realize the truth. "You're not Aidan, are you?" she asked in a quiet voice. He led her to the bed and coaxed her to sit down next to him.

"Afraid not, Miss. Although, I have a feeling you don't want me to be, do you?"

Numbly, she shook her head. "This is some cruel joke."

"My apologies for startling you at the office yesterday," Alex let his hand rest on top of hers. She stared at his hand for a moment, then pulled hers away. She lifted her head to study his features. Her hand reached up to touch his face for a second time and he let her. Her fingers light on his unshaven face. A slight scar rested just under his left earlobe.

"I need to lie down."

Alex helped her swing her legs up on the bed, and lowered the head of it for her. Her eyes moistened and she closed them tightly. Tears slipped down her cheeks. He brought his hand to her face and brushed the tears away.

"Please don't," Alex spoke with a gentleness Aidan never used. "I hate when women cry, especially because of me."

Laryssa opened her eyes and looked at him."Why do you keep coming back here?" she asked suspiciously.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for women who fall all over me." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't fall all over you," Laryssa said defensively.

"You didn't exactly stay standing either," he said, winking at her.

"Touché."

A few moments later, the doctor joined them. "Well, Ms. Mitchell, all the tests came back okay. Babies are healthy. You're free to go. However, you'll need to start visiting the obstetrician once a week from now on and be sure to remember to take your prenatal vitamins. I also want you to rest as much as possible. No more working. We can't risk the babies coming too prematurely. I'm releasing you into your husband's care."

"My husband," she squeaked.

"Sure, Doctor. I'll make sure she's taken care of." Alex shook the doctor's hand.

"Just let the nurse at the front know when you're ready to go."

"Will do, thanks, Doc."

She watched the exchange. Husband? An uneasy feeling washed over her. If Alex wasn't Aidan, why would he allow someone to believe they were married? "Why didn't you tell him you aren't my husband?"

"If he knew you were going back to your house alone, do you think he'd have let you go?"

"How do you know I'm alone?" Laryssa asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh sure, you got a million men waiting in the wing. I don't think so." He pointed to her belly.

"There are many men out there who find pregnant woman attractive," she countered, holding her chin high.

"Oh I know," he said smugly, "I'm one of those guys. While you get dressed, I'll bring the car around. I'll phone my housekeeper, Joanne, and let her know we're having company."

"I don't know what gave you that idea, but I'm not staying with you." She widened her stance, ready to fight him.

"Yes you are. You heard the doctor, you need to rest."

"Look, you're welcome to drive me, but I am going home and nowhere else. You aren't my husband. I'm never having a husband again." Her words spewed out of her mouth with more vehemence than she meant to display.

Alex placed his palm against his forehead and let out a breath. "Aren't you the least bit curious as to why I may look like this Aidan fellow? God knows I am. I'm offering you a place to rest while we figure it out."

Curiosity didn't even come close to what she felt right now. She was an emotional mess, with anxiety and fear rolled into a ball, bouncing back and forth inside her stomach. "Thank you, but I—" she tried again.

"Good. Then it's all set. Get yourself dressed. You're staying with me," he said. "I'll go pull the car around. See that you're ready by time I get back."

She did as she was told, although, she had no intention of staying with him. She'd deal with that when the time came. Alex must have mentioned to the desk that they were ready to go because in came a nurse with a wheelchair.

"I'm fine. I don't need a wheelchair," Laryssa argued. She was not going to feel like an invalid who couldn't do things on her own. After Aidan died, she took great pride in stepping up to the plate and being master of her own life. There was no way she was going to let someone else take that control away from her.

If Alex thought she would just give in to him, well, he had another thing coming. Feeling pampered for once would be nice, but not at the expense of losing her self-respect. No man was going to boss her around and get away with it. If she didn't fight for respect, she'd never get respect. She had no plans on being any man's doormat again.

Laryssa stood there fighting with the nurse about the wheelchair when she heard a noise behind them, and looked up to see Aidan's look-a-like stroll in. If she was honest with herself, she did want to find out the story behind the face. And at the moment, his face looked pretty determined.

"Sit." Alex pointed to the wheelchair.

"Mr. Richards, I will not be told what to do. I lived with that long enough." Her temper flared, like a ball of fire inside her.

"I tried to explain that it is hospital policy. She won't listen," the nurse grumbled.

"Ms. Mitchell, sit! Or I will carry you to the car myself," he dared. A sparkle of humor danced in his eyes.

"You wouldn't," Laryssa gasped.

"Wouldn't I?"

Her mouth opened and she let out a squeak when he took a step towards her. The corners of his mouth curled up into a grin.