Can’t change this feeling
I’m way out of touch
Can’t change this meaning
It means too much
Never been so lonely
Never felt so good
I can’t be the only one
Misunderstood
– Somebody Else’s Song, Lifehouse

---

Monday, October 20, 2008

General Hospital: Kate’s Room

“Careful—” Nadine held out her hands, one on either side of Kate, ready to brace the older woman in case she fell or lost her balance.

But Kate had been working hard in physical therapy for the last week, completing the last round only that morning, and though she was a little unsteady when she’d first stood up from the hospital bed, she was able to make the short distance between the bed and bathroom unaided.

Kate braced her hand on the door frame, took a careful breath, then flashed a smile at Nadine. “You’ll have to reassure Dr. Hunter that I’m perfectly capable of being discharged. I’m ready to get back to my life.” Her smile slipped briefly. “Such as it is.”

“I am definitely going to be giving you full marks — as soon as you can use the bathroom and get back in bed without my help. I’ll be right here if you need me,” Nadine said, and Kate nodded. She went into the small room, leaving the door only slightly ajar.

I’m ready to get back to my life. Such as it is.

Nadine couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Kate to leave the hospital, return to her work at Crimson, carry on as if…

Well, as if her entire world hadn’t been upended. She’d been shot on her wedding day, in and out of consciousness, and before she’d even really understood her injuries, Sonny had ended up two floors above them, comatose. What a difference a few days could make — Kate’s life had changed irrevocably, and so had Nadine’s.

She glanced down at the simple gold band she wore on her left hand, twisting it back and forth. Kate was the one who was supposed to be married, not Nadine—

“Enjoying the fruits of your lies?”

Nadine snapped her head up, wincing when she saw Maxie at the entrance of the room. “Maxie. I thought you were coming later—”

“Looking to ingratiate yourself with another wealthy patient?” the slender blonde demanded, stalking past Nadine and dumping the paper bag she held on to the hospital tray. “You might have replaced Lulu in Johnny’s bed, but don’t think you’ll be able to do the same with Kate—”

“Maxie.”

Both women turned to see Kate back in the doorway, a bit pale, but still on her feet. “I have to ask you not to aggravate the hospital staff. Nadine is here to do a job, nothing more and nothing less.”

Maxie looked as if she wanted to argue, but just threw Nadine a scorching glare before practically sprinting to Kate’s side. “Of course. I brought you a salad, and I also have proofs from the Karlie Kloss shoot — I think you’ll be very pleased. We don’t need you anymore,” she said to Nadine, hovering as Kate walked slowly to her bed.

“Of course. As soon as — ” Nadine watched as Kate reached the bed and sat down, wincing only slightly. “There we go. I’ll update Matt and I’m confident he’ll give you a discharge date. Enjoy your lunch and your visit.”

Drake Condo: Living Room

“I feel like one of the boats in the harbor,” Robin grunted as her mother helped her sit down on the sofa. She winced, and tried to smile at Elizabeth, seated in the armchair. “How do you deal with feeling like you’re suffocating from the inside out?”

Elizabeth made a face. “It’s awful, right? Their little legs and arms kicking, the somersaults—I felt like all my organs had to be squashed up under my lungs. Just terrible. It was worse with Jake — because he was moving less by the time I made it to my due date. I went early with Cam, so I didn’t know what to expect.”

“I didn’t know that. Was he a preemie?” Robin asked. She accepted the water her mother handed to her, then looked at Anna. “Cam is Liz’s oldest. He’ll be—what—five in May?”

“Five, yeah. And I guess technically he was a preemie but not by much, but he just had to spend a few nights in the NICU. He and Jake are only a week apart, birthday wise. I’m so glad that with everything else that happened with my delivery, Jake was very healthy. And that Kelly was on hand. You’re in excellent hands.”

“There’s no one I’d trust more than Kelly. You’ll meet her at the shower,” Robin told her mother. “But she was as cool as a cucumber with your case, Liz, so I know I’ll be okay.”

“Was your delivery particularly difficult?” Anna asked.

“I had placenta previa, grade three, the worst kind. And there were no symptoms — it just—” Elizabeth shuddered. “It just happened. I was alone at the house, and I could have bled out—” She looked down at her hands.

“But Jason found her, rushed her to the hospital,” Robin added, and Elizabeth looked up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up—”

“No, I did. It’s just hard to think about. A lot was going on, but Kelly really was amazing. And well, I know Patrick has Nadine and a few of our best peds nurses on hand for the delivery.”

“I’m sure he’s pulling all the strings—” Robin rolled her eyes. “I’m just glad we have nurses left we can call the best. Other than you, I mean,” she told Liz.

Anna raised her brows. “Is there trouble with the nurses at GH? I remember their program was one of the best in the state — under your grandmother,” she said to Elizabeth.

“The new board closed our nursing program as one of their cost saving procedures,” Elizabeth said, bitterly. “Bobbie was forced into early retirement—I don’t care what she says, Robin. We both know she was pushed into taking the buyout. Epiphany’s doing the best she can, but—” She sighed. “It’s just been hard.”

“Cost-saving?” Anna pursed her lips. “Does this have anything to do with the chief before Patrick? You were never happy about him,” she said to Robin. “You said you had more than a few arguments with him.”

“It’s just hard,” Robin admitted. “I was used to Alan. He was just friendlier, you know? Warmer? Plus, he’d watched me grow up, and he’d been my doctor. And Liz, you were around the family all the time. Dr. Ford never wanted to get to know us. Which is fine, I guess.”

“Yeah, he was a lot colder than Alan, but I never felt like he was particularly bad at his job. It’s just—” Elizabeth hesitated. “Things were harder after Jolene.”

“Jolene?” Anna pressed when Elizabeth didn’t continue. “I don’t think I know that name—”

“You might remember what the papers called her,” Robin said. “The Angel Without Mercy? She was sabotaging patients last summer.” She rubbed her belly. “A medical group was trying to buy out General Hospital and wanted to drive down the prices. They paid her to screw with patient care—”

“And Jolene went further than they asked. Instead of just tanking patient care and staff morale, she killed patients. Lawsuits were filed, and board members resigned or sold their shares. The president of the hospital was fired, and the new one is an asshole,” Elizabeth said. She sighed. “I mean, I know it’s hit the hospital bad, and Patrick’s killing himself to work out of it. But closing the nursing program saved money short-term—”

“But long-term it’ll cripple the hospital. We used to have a pipeline for the best trained nurses in the state, and now—well, Liz, you probably know the problems better.”

“They bought out some of the older nurses — Bobbie, who was running the nursing program, and others like her that had been there for thirty years — the ones who make the most money.”

“Ah,” Anna nodded. “That’s quite typical, I’m afraid. When I was with the police department here in Port Charles, we had a budget shortfall and it’s always the older, more expensive officers who get the retirement packages. I’m so sorry to hear that the hospital is having such issues. I know you’ve always dreamed of working there, and well, your grandparents practically built it,” she said to Elizabeth.

“Gram was heartbroken when she found out. I really want to do something to bring it back, like maybe we can do a foundation or organize something like the Nurse’s Ball, you know?” Elizabeth said to Robin whose eyes lit up. “I just know my grandmother would be on board to help, and so would Bobbie. It would be an amazing morale boost for the nursing staff.”

“Oh, as soon as I pop out this baby—” Robin nodded. “We’ll get started. I’ve always wanted to do something big for the hospital, and this is my shot. We know people with money.” She brightened, looked at her mother. “So do you. I’m glad you’re going to be around so I can snag that little black book—”

“I’ll happily contribute to anyone who would be interested. I think it’s a lovely idea. But first—” She laid a hand on Robin’s belly, smiled when the baby kicked. “We need to finish planning your baby shower.”

General Hospital: Lobby

Johnny took a step towards the security desk only to turn in a circle and wander back to the wall where there was a large display about the history of the hospital, complete with pictures of the first building and a timeline of important events.

He made a study of reading it, telling himself when he reached the last event, he’d go to the desk and ask for a security pass to see Sonny Corinthos. And this time, he would actually do it.

Johnny had just reached the beginning of the sixties when he heard someone clearing their throat beside him. He jolted when he realized Nadine had joined him. “Oh. Uh, hey. Did you know the hospital opened its emergency room in 1963?”

Nadine lifted her brows, but then looked at the wall where he pointed. “Yeah, I did. Every time someone brings up Steve Hardy, it comes up. He’s revered here like a god. The security guard called me. Said they thought something was wrong. You’ve been here like half an hour, just loitering. Did something happen?”

“No. No.” Johnny folded his arms, continuing to stare at the wall. “I thought I’d come to see Sonny.”

There was silence next to him, and he sighed. “It’s a stupid idea, isn’t it? This is the last place I should be.”

“It’s not a stupid idea. I’m just surprised—”

“Because I shouldn’t be anywhere near him, I know.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t tell me. I could run interference, make sure that Carly doesn’t see you. She’s the only visitor he gets regularly,” Nadine added when Johnny finally looked at her. “His dad came in a few times, but he went back to Rochester last weekend.”

“You talked to his dad?”

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy. Didn’t seem surprised by where he found his son.” Nadine folded her arms. “Johnny, everyone who knows the truth — no one thinks it was on purpose. They know it was self-defense.”

“I know.”

“You were protecting me, too.”

“Yeah.”

“I know you try not to think about it very much, and that’s kind of how I deal with it when I’m not here. Because we were minding our business and someone tried to hurt us. It was him or us, Johnny.”

“Does that—” He looked at her briefly before focusing on the display again. “Does that work? Just telling yourself it was justified?”

“Most of the time. When I feel guilty again, I think about your trial, and the way the PCPD didn’t even bother to investigate what happened that night—”

“They could have if we’d gone to them, maybe. Maybe if we’d called them, if we’d told them—”

“Maybe Lulu would still be here,” Nadine finished, and Johnny flinched.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“No, but it’s true. Maybe. Or maybe Scott Baldwin would still go after Lulu. Maybe it’d be worse because he’d have focused entirely on her, and she’d get sick faster. Maybe you gave her more time,” she said gently. She touched his arm. “You did the best you could, Johnny. I know that. I wish you did—”

“Well, is this just so sweet.”

Johnny turned at the sound of a new voice and saw Maxie standing a few feet away, her face flushed, one hand fisted at her hip, the other clutching a purse so tightly her knuckles were white.  “Maxie—”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve flaunting yourself here, you son of a bitch.”

Kelly’s: Dining Room

Bobbie flicked pencil shavings from the ledger, glancing up briefly at the jingle of the bell. When she saw Alexis, she returned her attention to the books, only to look up a few moments later when she realized the other woman had stopped by her table.

“Can I help you?” Bobbie asked, lifting her head.

Alexis sat across from her, setting her purse in her lap. “I…I spoke with Sam this morning. I thought you might like an update if you hadn’t spoken with Lucky or Nikolas recently—”

“Why exactly is your daughter updating me about my niece?” Bobbie wanted to know. She laid down the pencil. “Could it be because Lulu’s worthless brothers won’t pick up the phone to call me after ignoring my messages?”

Alexis winced. “I suppose that could be part of it—”

“If Lulu had recovered, I’d know. Because she’d have kicked her brothers into the Pacific Ocean and hitchhiked home already. Or stolen Nikolas’s credit cards to book a first class flight. So—” Bobbie picked up the pencil. “And since that hasn’t happened, we won’t have to worry about trading information. Lulu is in the same condition Sonny is.”

Alexis pressed her lips together, looked away, and Bobbie sighed. She rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. That was a low blow, and unnecessary—”

“It’s all right. It’s not easy, I’m sure, knowing Lulu is so far away with only her brothers to look after her. And I’m sorry that they’re not calling you. It’s just—there is no change. She’s not worse,” Alexis added, “but she’s not better.”

Bobbie nodded, then sighed again. “I’ll get word to Luke. He’s…somewhere in Europe. Running as usual. I spoke to him when Lu got sick, but—well, he’s not in a hurry to come home and see her look the same as her mother. He never really got over that. My brother was great in a crisis — as long as it wasn’t personal,” she added.

Alexis smiled wryly. “Yes, he could be counted on to keep a cool head if no one he cared about were involved. And he always did better when there was something he could do. With this—”

“It’s in the hands of the medical doctors, which certainly isn’t easy. And that’s probably why Nikolas isn’t contacting me. But Lucky? Oh, if he’s smart, he’ll stay away from me and Port Charles a little longer. The way he walked out on those boys while Elizabeth was in surgery? Just dumped them on Audrey? That was despicable, and I do not want to hear that he was under a lot of pressure. Jason managed just fine while juggling Elizabeth’s care, Sonny’s situation, the boys, and God knows what else. But I don’t need to tell you that.”

“No, you don’t. You’d think it would affect my life more,” Alexis admitted. “But Sonny had curtailed visitation after what happened to Michael, and I was relieved at the time. Now—it’s so sad,” she murmured, “to wonder if the world is better off without him in it.”

General Hospital: Lobby

Nadine sighed, removed her hand from Johnny’s arm, then rubbed her temple. The last thing she needed was another run-in with Maxie today. “Maxie—”

“I guess I was wrong upstairs,” Maxie snarled. “Maybe you’re not on the lookout for your next victim—”

“Don’t let us keep you from your next shopping spree,” Johnny said, taking Nadine’s arm and heading towards the elevator, but the only way to do that was to pass the irate blonde who swung her bag just as Johnny came near her and it hit him in the chest. “Oof—knock it off, you crazy bitch—”

“How dare you talk to me like that! After everything—”

“After what?” Johnny demanded, releasing Nadine’s arm to face Maxie squarely. “Listen, you lunatic, you have no right to judge anyone, and you damn well know it. You think you’re so pure? So perfect? The stories Lu told me—”

“Shut up—” Maxie whacked him with her purse again and he snagged it from her before she could swing again. “Give that back—”

“Stop it—” Nadine hissed, yanking on Johnny’s arm. “Come on—” She winced when she saw the security guard approaching. “Johnny—”

“I’m going to have to ask you both to leave.” The guard stepped between them. “Give the lady back her purse, and Miss Jones—” the guard looked at the red-faced Maxie. “Stop committing assault with the purse, or you’ll have to explain it to the commissioner—”

Johnny held out the purse, and Maxie snatched it from him. She stalked towards the parking garage.

“Maybe you need to go out the front,” the guard told Johnny. “You can use the garage entrance from the street.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Johnny looked at Nadine. “I’ll see you at home.”

“Yeah, fine.” Nadine folded her arms, watched him leave. “Sorry,” she told the guard, who just rolled his eyes and headed back to his desk.

She dragged her hands through her hair, took a deep breath, then went back to work.

The sky glows
I see it shining when my eyes close
I hear your warnings but we both know
I’m gonna look at it again
Don’t wait, don’t wait
The road is now a sudden sea
And suddenly, you’re deep enough
To let your armor down
– Don’t Wait, Dashboard Confessional

---

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Nadine’s Apartment: Bedroom

Nadine retrieved the clothes she wanted from her dresser, then tried to close it as quietly as she’d opened it, glancing over her shoulder to see if any of her actions had disturbed Johnny.

But he was exactly as he’d been since she’d awakened two hours earlier — sprawled across one side of the double bed, laying on his stomach, still sleeping. Her nose twitched at that — she’d been awake at the first light and had already gone jogging, had a cup of coffee, showered and was now dressing for her shift that day — the last in her five-day rotation.

Nadine crept out of the bedroom, pulled the door closed, then changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before looking through the fridge for something quick for breakfast. The first week of their marriage had gone relatively well, she thought — mostly because they only interacted for a few hours. She worked all day, and he slept through the morning. When she got home, it was usually some dinner, arguing over what to watch on television, and then going to bed.

And the bed part was still a terrible idea, Nadine thought, sliding the bagel slices in the toaster. Every time, she told herself that she really needed to be firmer in that whole let’s not complicate this thing—but it was nice, Nadine thought, to have company, and she could finally acknowledge that she’d been a little lonely since moving to Port Charles.

Eventually they’d start irritating each other — she’d be off for a few days, and they’d have to figure out what to do with themselves without work to break up the monotony.

But for right now, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to have someone to come home to, and she decided to enjoy it for as long it lasted.

Coffee House: Office

Jason scrawled his name at the bottom of a contract, then shoved it across the desk at Diane, his attention already moving to Cody, waiting somewhat impatiently.

“This should be the last of what the city needs to issue the permits,” Diane told him, sliding the paperwork into her bag. “But if it’s not—”

“I’m not having one more meeting,” Jason said with a scowl. “No more politicians, Diane. That’s the end of it—”

“You have made yourself entirely too clear,” Diane said, but Jason didn’t miss the roll of her eyes as she turned away. “Good luck with him, he’s in a rotten mood.”

“I’ll keep that in mind—” Cody walked her to the door, then looked back to Jason. “Are you really in a bad mood or did that stack of contracts put you in one?”

“The council keeps putting up roadblocks. Every time she comes here, it’s another problem—” Jason shook his head, tossed the pencil aside. “But I don’t have a lot of time,” he told his lieutenant, glancing at the clock. “So I hope you don’t have bad news.”

“I don’t, just an update from our guy at the PCPD which I confirmed with your friend in the DEA. Karpov has his hands full fighting the government — they did a civil forfeiture on the entire ship. I don’t like the guy, but that’s a hell of a thing to fight, especially as a foreign national with a shady past. He’ll be buried in paperwork until the end of time.”

“Good.” Jason shoved back from the desk. “And he won’t want to come at me with that heat on him. That’s not the only property I can tie up for a few years.”

“It’s not the solution I was expecting, but it did the job without any violence or damage that keeps the PCPD on our ass.” Cody rocked back on his heels, watched Jason pick his jacket up from the sofa. “We’re just about done the security upgrades on Mrs. Hardy’s house, so when she heads home, her place will be as secure as the Towers. We’re going to start on the Lexington Street house next.”

“Good.” Jason shrugged into his jacket. “Elizabeth’s still on concussion protocol for a few more weeks, so Mrs. Hardy is staying with us. But we’ll both feel better if her grandmother’s place is safe once she goes home.”

“Yeah, no problem. When she heads home, we’ll get a rotation of guys on her place. Any idea when that’s happening?” Cody followed Jason as he headed down the back hallway to reach the exit to the rear parking lot.

“I don’t know. That’s up to Elizabeth. Maybe through the holidays. Karpov hasn’t even been gone a week.” Jason hesitated at the door of the SUV, considering the question. Karpov wasn’t the only worry on his mind, although things had been quiet the last few days. Anthony Zacchara remained a threat. They hadn’t dealt with one another much before the Black and White Ball, but things were different now. Anthony’s hold on reality was tenuous, and Johnny’s marriage tied him to Port Charles for the long-term.

And Anthony was unpredictable in ways that couldn’t be measured.

“I don’t know,” Jason repeated finally. “But I want the house ready as soon as possible. Having somewhere safe that the boys are familiar with is preferable to a safehouse they’ve never seen.” He needed to make sure even those were outfitted for Cam and Jake if the worst happened. “Is that it, because—”

“Just Greystone.”

Jason’s hand gripped the edge of the door, grimacing. But when he turned back to Cody, his face was expressionless. “What about it?”

“Max has been keeping the place running — the housekeeper is live-in, there’s gardeners and a rotation of guards.”

“Right.” Jason exhaled slowly. Sonny didn’t live in a penthouse with occasional maid service. He’d bought an estate that rivaled the Quartermaines. “For right now, tell Max to keep everything like it is. If Francis can use the guards somewhere else, fine. I have to go.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s everything. See you tomorrow.”

Cody stepped back, watched Jason climb into the SUV, then back out of the parking lot. If anyone had told him a few weeks ago, he’d be trying to fit in meetings around Jason Morgan picking up and dropping a four-year-old at some school, Cody wouldn’t have believed him.

But every day for the last week, Jason broke off whatever he was doing, rain or shine, and trotted off to sit in a preschool pick up line. Cody snorted, then shook his head and headed back inside.

Morgan Penthouse: Hallway

“I could have done that,” Elizabeth complained, leaning against the door frame watching Audrey put laundry away in the dresser the boys were sharing. “I’m not on permanent bed rest, you know.”

“But you are still on concussion protocol, my darling, so—” Audrey lifted the empty basket, rested it against her hip. “Let me spoil you a little longer. Who knows how long I’ll be able to be as active as I am today?”

“That’s a low blow,” Elizabeth muttered, trailing after her grandmother down the stairs. “You’ll out last us all—”

At the foot of the stairs, Audrey turned to look at her with raised brows. “Are we quite done with our tantrum? My, it’s as if we’ve turned back the clock a decade or more and I’m asking you to make your bed. Is it really so awful to let me take on a few household chores while you recuperate? Wasn’t that the purpose of asking me to stay here?”

“Yes, but—” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose, then sighed. “You’re right, you’re right. I’m being a giant baby. It’s just—I’m not used to this—”

“You should be.” Audrey set the empty basket on the floor, folded her arms. “You should be used to relying on someone to take care of you when you’re not feeling well. To pick up the slack. But you decided a long time ago that you couldn’t depend on anyone but yourself and I suppose asking you to break that habit in a week is unrealistic.”

Elizabeth remained on the landing, resting her hand on the low wall.  “It’s not a decision I made, Gram. It’s what was true. I couldn’t rely on anyone. Lucky died, and even when he was around, he was the one depending on me. You refused to let me grow up. Jason wouldn’t stay and let me make my own choices. Nikolas wouldn’t accept that I could choose my own friends. And Emily was always in the middle of her own crises. Let’s not get started with Ric or my family. I didn’t decide that I couldn’t ask for help. No one decides that. They get let down repeatedly until they learn to stop asking.”

Audrey pressed her lips together, looking away. “I suppose that’s fair—”

“And I am beyond grateful that you’ve come to stay here. That you love my boys the way you do. That you’re giving Jason another chance — no, that you’re giving him his first chance to show you who he really is. But give me a break, okay? It’s not easy to throw out a lifetime of experience overnight.”

“Yes, but—”

“Because you won’t be here forever, Gram. You’ll go back to your house and your life. And Jason can’t possibly pull double duty with drop off and pick up forever. That’s not how life works. You’re both overcompensating, and you know it. So stop acting like there’s something wrong with me because I don’t want to get used to something that won’t last.”

As she spoke, the door behind her opened and Cameron bounced in, Jason on his heels, one hand gripping the doorknob, the other holding Cameron’s discarded backpack. And the expression on his face told Elizabeth that he’d heard her.

Patrick’s Condo: Living Room

Patrick barely grunted when Robin set the pizza box in the middle of the table, his head bowed over a stack of paperwork that included the budget, reports from Risk Management, patient charts, and everything else he’d dragged out. No matter what he seemed to do, the to-do pile just seemed to keep growing and growing.

“I’m not hungry,” he said, then looked up again, frowning at the pizza box. “Again?”

“You were supposed to come home early and make pasta.” Robin dropped a slice of pizza on her plate, then lowered herself into the chair across from him. “But then there was an emergency, and well—” She rubbed her belly. “The baby wanted pizza.”

Patrick winced, then sat back, dropping his pen on the table. “I forgot. Damn it.”

“It’s okay. I like pizza. The house Maxie and I looked at today is two blocks from Mama Mangione’s. Oh, and across the street from Liz on Lexington.”

“Oh.” He furrowed his brow. “That’s the two-story colonial right? You liked that even before you went to see it.”

“Yeah, and, well, I forgive you for not coming home early if you forgive me for putting in an offer.” When Patrick just stared at her, Robin shrugged. “You told me you didn’t care. I can call the agent—”

“No. No. That’s fine—” He put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m leaving all the important stuff up to you, and—”

“Patrick.” When he looked up, she continued, “We can’t keep going on like this. Not because I can’t handle it. I can. I can buy a house without you. I can cook dinner—or dial—I can do these things, and it doesn’t bother me. But you are literally trying to be everything to everyone and it’s just not possible. You know that, don’t you?”

“I—” Patrick fiddled with his pen. “I should be able to do this. I watched Alan do both jobs like it didn’t even faze him—”

“After years of practice. He also wasn’t always the best at the job,” Robin told him. “You can’t measure yourself by Alan. What the hospital is facing right now — cleaning up after a nurse who killed her parents, the threat of losing our accreditation, it’s so much pressure, and instead of taking it seriously, the board just seems to keep cutting our feet from under us.”

He rubbed his cheek. “The nursing staff is a disaster. Even without the dispensary machines. We’re short-staffed, and the loss of the nursing program is crippling us. We’re not keeping up with research, so we can’t attract grants or medical staff. I don’t know how to fix any of this.”

“One step at a time,” Robin said. “First, you actually don’t have to read everything. You have an assistant. Let her be the gatekeeper and only the most important things end up on your desk. And the nursing situation—” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. It’s a bigger problem than just you. Let’s just focus on getting through the here and now. Let’s eat our pizza, talk about the house, and—”

She broke off at the sound of a knock on the door. Patrick held up a hand. “I got it. Knowing my luck, it’s more bad news.”

When he pulled open the door, it took him a minute to process who he found on the other side. “Anna?”

“What?” Robin pulled herself to her feet, and then squealed, barreling past Patrick, knocking him out of the way. “Mom!” She threw her arms around her mother, beaming.

Patrick rubbed his shoulder. “Hey, Anna. It’s good to see you.”

“You, too. And look at you—” Anna laid a hand on Robin’s belly. “There’s my precious little girl. Oh, she’s awake and kicking!”

“You’re not kidding,” Robin said with a roll of her eyes. “It really is so great to see you. Please tell me you can stay for a few days! I’m looking at houses this week, and it’d be great to have your opinion—”

Anna wrapped her arm around Robin’s shoulders and squeezed. “Well then, you’ll be happy to hear that I’ll be in Port Charles for the foreseeable future.”

Robin’s eyes lit up. “Really? You’ll be here when the baby is born?”

“I’ve missed so much of your life, my darling girl.” Anna hugged Robin again. “I couldn’t bear to miss another moment. As long as Patrick doesn’t mind me hanging around—” She looked at Patrick, her eyes raised expectantly.

Patrick furrowed his brow. “No, no. I mean, we don’t have a second room right now—”

“I’m staying with Mac, so don’t worry about anything. I’m just here to lend a hand and spend some time with my daughter.”

“This is the best news I could have gotten,” Robin told her. “You’re really here, and you’re not going anywhere?”

“No where else I’d rather be.”

Zacchara Estate: Terrace

Claudia leaned against the low stone terrace, a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. She ignored the sound of the doors opening behind her, and the footsteps against the flag stones until Ric sidled up next to her.

“Those things will kill you,” he told her, sipping from a tumbler of bourbon.

“Someone who expects to live a long life might care—” She exhaled a long thin stream of smoke in his face and he grimaced. “But we both know reaching fifty isn’t normal in this world. Look at your brother.”

Ric pressed his lips together, then looked out over the view. “He could wake up.”

She snorted, took another drag. “Okay. I didn’t know we were exchanging fantasies. I could tell you one about tying you to my headboard—” When he just scowled at her, Claudia shrugged a shoulder. “Did you have a point in coming out here or did you just want to bother me?”

“Things have settled down,” Ric said. “It’s been almost two weeks since what happened to Kate. A week since Sonny.” He paused. “Since your brother got married and moved out. He hasn’t come back once.”

“No, he hasn’t. You wanna take bets how long my father puts up with that before taking action? I could put fifty—”

“I’m serious, Claudia. When your father gets anxious, he tends to make it everyone’s problem,” Ric cut in. “The last time he threatened to snatch one of Jason’s kids—”

“Hey, hey, give him some credit. He was just gonna take the bastard, not the actual heir to Daddy’s throne.”

“I don’t know why I bother with you,” Ric muttered. “You’re incapable of taking anything seriously—”

She released another stream of smoke in his face, smirked. “And you take everything too seriously, Ric. You’re so busy trying to be six steps in front of everyone that you can’t enjoy the here and now. Like you said, things are quiet. Jason made his deal with the devil, didn’t he? John put Sonny in a coma, but since Jason wants those rugrats to keep breathing, he’s not gonna do a damn thing about it.”

“What about your father? We don’t know what he’s planning—”

“What makes you so sure he’s planning anything?”

“Why arrange to have Kate shot if he wasn’t going to do anything about it?” Ric demanded. When Claudia looked away, he nodded. “Good. You’re not denying it—”

“Look, all I know is that my father didn’t pull the trigger, okay?” Claudia dropped the cigarette, ground it out with her heel. “He’s in a wheelchair, so the damage he can do is limited to the power he wields, and that goes through your father, not mine. So whatever Daddy wants to do, it usually has Trevor’s seal of approval.”

“Don’t remind me,” he muttered, then dragged a hand through his hair, disheveling the dark locks. “Your father doesn’t do anything in small measures. You know what he was planning to do if Johnny didn’t check in on Anthony’s arbitrary schedule.”

Claudia wrinkled her nose. “He was just going to take the kid for a few hours. You act like he was going to do something ruthless. If Daddy was serious, he’d have taken the little one. Or the nurse.”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve come into contact with Jason. You saw him after Michael went into that coma. What do you think would have happened if Anthony had kidnapped Cameron?”

She pressed her lips together, considering the question. “You have to understand. My father wouldn’t have seen it as a terrible thing. He doesn’t—he doesn’t value people the way others do. The older kid isn’t Jason’s biological kid. No blood involved.”

“That shouldn’t matter—”

“To Jason, no, and maybe a lot of people. But my father? He’d see it like grabbing a nephew or a cousin. A warning shot. Look at how close I can get to you.” Claudia set her wine on the ledge, dug out the pack of cigarettes from her pocket. “He wouldn’t have hurt the kid. Not the first time.”

“You can’t think that matters—”

She lit the cigarette, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, but didn’t you kidnap a pregnant woman and threaten to kill her and take her baby?” Claudia demanded. “You’re going to stand there in moral outrage over this? Are you serious—” Her brows lifted. “Oh. Oh, no it’s not morality you’re protesting. It’s who my father would have hurt. The nurse used to be your wife—”

“That has nothing to do with it—”

“Sure.” She smirked, took another drag. “You were around when she was pregnant—that’s when you got divorced, isn’t it? Did she cheat on you, Ricky?” Claudia stepped closer to him, her eyes dancing with glee. “Is that why it fell apart?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ric said finally, his tone tight and controlled. “I’m just cautioning you not to play around with Elizabeth’s children. Jason accepted Ian Devlin as Michael’s shooter because he needed it to be true. But you open that door again, you’re not going to like what’s on the other side.”

Claudia’s smile fell. “What does that mean?”

“Your secrets, Claudia, aren’t as safe as you think they are. So you had better hope that your father doesn’t do anything stupid and doom us all.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

They hadn’t spoken alone all evening — there hadn’t been a chance with Cameron full of news and excitement about a spelling contest he’d won. Then Jake had woken from his nap, and the afternoon had just gotten away from her —

But it weighed on Elizabeth that Jason might have heard what she’d said to her grandmother and internalized it as criticism. They’d come a long way since that night he’d nearly walked out on her, when they’d had that terrible fight. But that didn’t mean everything had been resolved. It had only been a week.

He still wasn’t talking a lot about Sonny — or going to see him — and she was still hesitant to believe that everything that had happened in the last few weeks would stick.

So she waited until dinner was over, until Spinelli had left to spend the night with Maxie, and they’d tucked the boys in. That was new, too, Elizabeth thought. Jason being there at night, keeping a boisterous Cameron from waking up Jake who went to sleep earlier. Jason sat in the living room while Cameron played, showing Jason every single item in their toy box, making up a new story to act out with his superhero figurines and assigning roles to Jason who did his best to play them out.

The first time they’d done this, Elizabeth had watched with fascination as tough, gruff Jason Morgan pretended to play the role of Deadpool and accepted every critique and suggestion from her four-year-old son. Cameron was patient with Jason, and seemed to almost pity the older man who had explained he didn’t remember playing as a kid because of his accident.

The second night, she’d reached for her sketch pad, and now by the fifth time she’d watched Jason make a much better impression of the comic book hero than she’d ever managed, she’d filled more than half of her pad. Her fingers itched for her watercolors, something that hadn’t happened in months. Maybe longer.

But too soon, the clock struck eight, and Cameron reluctantly cleaned up, piling the toys back in the box. Audrey remained downstairs to watch television, and Jason and Elizabeth headed up the stairs with Cameron to wash and get ready for bed.

At every step, Cameron tried his usual tricks. He was four and half now, he’d told them. The half was important, so he should be able to stay up a half hour later. And he needed to tell them something else that happened in school, and the funny thing he’d watched on television, and—

But soon enough, Cameron was tucked away in bed, falling asleep almost before Elizabeth had reached the second page of their Percy Jackson book. She set the book on the table between the bed and the crib, smoothed the blanket over him, then kissed his cheek.

She found Jason lingering in the hallway, just as he had every night for the last week, and the guilt washed over again.

“Hey, do you—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Do you have to go out or anything—”

“No.” Jason seemed hesitant, too, and this wasn’t new either. When the boys were around, they seemed sure of themselves. She knew how to be a mother, and he was rediscovering fatherhood—

But being in a relationship? That was harder. She remembered Bobbie’s advice to her. They’d never really done the relationship thing, and now they’d jumped headfirst into living together, being a family — if she was feeling unsure about everything, maybe he felt the same.

“Then we have a little time for you and me.” She took his hand and tugged him gently — she didn’t have to try very hard. He followed her inside the bedroom and watched as she closed the door.

“If I ask how you’re feeling, am I going to be in trouble?” Jason asked.

Elizabeth looked at him, then tipped her head to the side and smiled. “No. I’m okay. Sore. A little tired. I’m definitely pushing too hard to get back to normal, and it does help that you and Gram are doing so much of the heavy lifting, even if I complain about it. I haven’t had a headache today, so that’s a good sign.”

“Good.” He exhaled on a short breath. “Good. Uh, was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah, but first—” She leaned up on her toes and kissed him, lightly at first, her hands resting at his collarbone. His hands came up, framing her face, careful to avoid the bruise still healing along her cheek bone. The embrace deepened, her hands sliding under his arms, wrapping around his shoulders.

“Can’t believe I get to share a bed with you every night and all I get to do is sleep,” she said, pulling back with a sigh.

Jason’s laugh spread over her, warming all of her like a hot chocolate. “It’s okay. I like waking up next to you.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then led her over to the large armchair by the window. He pulled her down with him, carefully to avoid the healing wound from her surgery. She leaned into his arms. “If you’re worried about earlier,” he said, his breath fluttering the hair at her temple, “it’s okay.”

“I was just—”

“Saying how you feel. It’s okay.”

“I saw your face.” Elizabeth sat up slightly so that their eyes met. “You didn’t look like it was okay.”

“I…” Jason faltered then tipped his head back. “Okay. Maybe in the moment. But you know, I’ve had a few hours to think. And you’re not wrong. I won’t be able to pick Cameron up every day. Or drop him off. There will be days when it’s you. Or maybe we can work something out with Carly. She’s tried to spend more time with Morgan since last spring. But right now, I can make it happen, and I like doing it.”

“Really? It’s usually the bane of my existence.”

“I like the extra time with Cameron,” Jason said, and she fell silent. “He talks like you do. Anything and everything that pops in his head. The way you used to,” he corrected softly. “When we first met. Before you started weighing every word and worrying if it would hurt someone.”

“You do that, too.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jason picked up her hand, traced a pattern in her palm. “I thought about what we talked about the other night. About how I’m waiting for you to go, and you’re waiting for me to let you. That’s not something we fix in a week.”

“No.” Pressure built behind her eyes and she closed them. “But I want to.”

“One day at a time. It’s all we can do. One moment.”

“Things happen fast,” she said. “But you have to live through them slow. You told me that once, a long time ago. Do you remember?”

“I remember everything,” he told her, and she smiled. She touched his lips with the tips of her fingers.

“We’re going to be okay, you and me. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

Mac glanced up at the light knock on the door frame, then grinned. “Well, where did you come from?”

“A stork brought me,” Anna said, stepping inside. “What are you doing at work so late?” She closed the door.

“Too much paperwork,” Mac complained, rising from his desk, and coming around to embrace his former sister-in-law. “You’re here to see Robin?”

“Yes, I’ve just come from the condo. I told her I’d be using your guest room so she wouldn’t worry about me, I hope that’s all right.”

“Of course, of course. Any time. The house has been empty—” Mac’s expression faltered and he looked down, took a deep breath. “Anyway, plenty of room. How long are you staying?”

“Well, hopefully long enough to meet my granddaughter,” Anna said, “though that depends on you.”

“On me?”

“Yes. I’m hoping you’ll bring me up to date on everything you know about Jason Morgan and Andrei Karpov.”