Would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in
Don’t be surprised if I collapse down at your feet again
I don’t want to run away from this
I know that I just don’t need this
‘Cause I cannot stand still
I can’t be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening
– Somewhere in Between, Lifehouse

---

Friday, November 14, 2008

 General Hospital: Chief of Staff’s Office

“Is it wrong to be relieved that this killer nurse doesn’t work here?” Leo asked, flipping through Jolene’s preliminary autopsy report. “What do we think caused the digoxin toxicity? The mysterious IV fluids?”

“Yeah.” Patrick rubbed his forehead. “I’m on my way to meet with my lawyer. Just to make sure I’m covered before we make any official reports.”

Epiphany pressed her lips together. “I don’t know if I’m on board with going to the WSB. I understand that we’re trying to protect the hospital, but Jolene Crowell didn’t exactly have family who is going to raise a stink. Nadine works here.”

“Yeah, that’s a good point.” Leo set the report aside. “We’re still within a reasonable amount of time to make an official report. We call the PCPD, make a report, and turn this over to them. We can point to an issue with security — that’s not a medical situation. You’re not liable. Nadine won’t sue. With any luck, it doesn’t escalate further.”

“And Anna might suggest that we make an official report. But that could still lead back to the problems in September.” Patrick leaned back against the desk. “I asked Spinelli to start databasing all the code misfires he could find in the system so we can match to patients. I want to be assured that we caught the majority of those issues before they were passed on to the patients. I’m just looking to limit our liability.”

“Plus, the board could want your head as a scapegoat. This happened after you took over,” Epiphany said. “It won’t matter that you inherited a faulty network of machines.” She looked at Leo. “I’m comfortable with waiting to see if maybe the WSB is willing to look into this quietly. But Nadine, she needs to know what happened to her sister.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Let us know how things go with Anna,” Leo said, handing the report back to him. “But believe it or not, this is good news.”

As he and Epiphany left, they passed Matt on his way in. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, closing the door behind them. He turned back to Patrick. “Car accident in the ER.”

“You didn’t miss much.” Patrick handed him the autopsy report. “Something caused a digoxin toxicity which induced cardiac arrest. It’ll be a couple of weeks before we know specifically which medication did it, but we have what we need. And, uh, I’m meeting with Anna later to go over what we know so far. Did Nadine add anything?”

“Not that would help you, I don’t think. But she thinks I called Johnny Zacchara to come to the hospital. She thanked me for it,” Matt muttered.

Patrick sighed, dragged a hand down his face. “Yeah, we need to bring her into the loop, but I was hoping we could do that after we talk to the authorities. I want her to have answers. And I don’t like that there’s a possibility her own husband is involved. Because unless someone else called him — and I doubt that —  he showed up on his own. He knows something.”

“Do we think Nadine’s in danger?” Matt asked, flipping through the report, lingering on the toxicology report.

“No. If I thought that, if any of us thought that, we’d do something now. But there’s too many unknowns involved.” Patrick folded his arms. “Thank you. For keeping this quiet. I know I’m asking a lot.”

Matt handed the file back to him. “If you wanted to keep it quiet and make it go away, I wouldn’t be on board. But we’re trying to get answers and protect other patients. That’s something even we can agree on.”

Coffee House: Jason’s Office

Cody knocked on the open door. “Uh, Jase, Anna Devane is out front — asking if you have a few minutes.”

Jason shifted, moving Jake to the side and closing the book they’d been reading. “Yeah. Tell her she can come back.”

His second hesitated. “Do you want me to call Diane or something? You know she’s from the WSB—” When Jason just stared at him, Cody nodded. “Right, of course, you knew that. Uh, okay then.”

“Hey, Jake, I have to talk to someone for a few minutes, and then we’ll go back to reading, okay? Do you want to color while you wait?”

“I make pic for Mommy.” Jake happily settled at Jason’s desk, standing in the chair so he could reach the surface.

Anna appeared in the doorway, pausing when she saw the toddler behind Jason. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d have your son with you. I can come back— ”

Jason folded his arms, leaned against the desk. “You have five minutes right now or nothing at all. Your choice.”

Anna pressed her lips together, then stepped over the threshold. “You really want to discuss this where your son could hear? I thought you were a different kind of man.”

“Robin told me stories about you,” Jason said, “so I guess we’re both disappointed now that we’ve met.”

She flinched, looked away briefly, then returned her attention to him. “I understand that you and Robin have remained close. I was hoping that you might want to make all of this go away. For the sake of your family as well.”

Jason’s expression didn’t change. “Don’t pretend to be concerned for my family. We both know you don’t care. I have nothing to say to you without my attorney. Cody will give you her contact information.”

Anna bristled. “I simply want the best outcome for everyone, including my daughter. I know that Elizabeth Webber nearly died in the hospital six weeks ago. Was that hospital negligence or Andrei Karpov? You can answer that question now or in an interrogation room.”

“Now that Robin knows you were just using her, I guess the gloves are off.” He straightened. “Cody?” he called, raising his voice. The other man appeared in the door way almost immediately, clearly waiting. “Agent Devane is leaving now. And she’s not coming back. Make sure she has Diane’s information.”

“Got it.” Cody turned to Robin’s mother. “After you, Agent Devane.”

“This isn’t over, Mr. Morgan. When I find out what you and my daughter are hiding, you’ll wish that you’d cooperated,” Anna warned. She stalked off, followed by Cody.

Jason just shook his head, then looked at his son. “You ready to get back to our book?”

Crimson Pointe: Study

Anthony steered the chair towards his desk, smoothly rolling behind and locking the brakes. He considered the men standing in front of him — each of them worthless in their own ways, he thought, but today, well, today, one of them should prove to be quite useful.

“I’ve arranged for flowers to be delivered to the funeral home,” Trevor said, taking a seat in front of the desk. “Have you decided if you want to make the trip?”

“Oh, I think we have to,” Anthony said, with a smirk. “Because Morgan and his little nurse will be attending, won’t they? We can’t let them outshine us.” He steepled his fingers in front of him. “In fact, I think we should make a little trip of this excursion. Arrange for a suite of rooms at a hotel not owned by that blonde harpy,” he told Trevor.

To Ric, he said, “And you—make contact with Morgan’s lieutenant. I have a proposition for them that you’ll deliver.”

Ric hesitated. “You want me to make the contact? I’m not sure that’s—”

“You wanted more responsibility,” Anthony said, irritation lacing his words. “You telling me you can’t negotiate with Morgan’s people? Then you’re basically worthless—”

“I’ll do it,” Ric interrupted. “What’s the proposition?”

“Well, my boy says there’s some unrest in Port Charles unrelated to Jason Morgan. Someone’s making threats against his wife. He’d like me to cloak the little missus with my protection.” Anthony tipped his head. “Interesting this request comes only days after his sister-in-law dies under somewhat murky circumstances.”

Trevor pursed his lips. “You think he’s lying about Morgan?”

“No,” Ric said before Anthony could, then winced. The older man just lifted his bushy brows at the lawyer. “I’m sorry. But this isn’t Jason’s style. Killing an innocent bystander, even a comatose one, to send a message? He wouldn’t threaten Nadine, either. He’d just eliminate Johnny and move on.”

“You have a high opinion of the man—”

“I don’t. I just know him better than either of you. Jason’s no altar boy,” Ric continued, “but he operates under a code which is what makes him a reliable, trustworthy partner. It’s why the rest of the syndicate have left him alone. No major threats since the Ruizes, and even that was mostly Manny on a personal rampage. He doesn’t attack families, and he doesn’t create unwanted attention.”

“He doesn’t enjoy chaos. It makes him boring but dependable,” Anthony agreed, with a disappointed sigh. “I’m going to miss Corinthos. We had a better shot of him screwing up and making mistakes, but I suppose that kind of reckless living was always going to end up with him in a body bag or out of power.” He nodded. “Okay, so it’s not Morgan behind these threats.”

“There are still some small time gangs in the city, mostly on the waterfront.  The drugs, the small guns sales — that’s all from groups like the Hernandezes and—” Ric furrowed his brow. “Courtland Street used to be the Escobars but I don’t know who’s taken that over since Jason eliminated them.”

“John’s in trouble. Why doesn’t he just come home?” Trevor demanded. “Tell him that’s how you make his nurse safe. Put her in this house until that murder case goes cold, and then pay her off in a divorce—”

“He said that was a possibility, but he couldn’t commit to it just yet. The nurse needs time to grieve, to bury her sister back on whatever farm they came from.”

“Then no deal until he’s back—”

“I think that’s short sighted,” Ric interrupted his father, and Trevor sent him a scathing glare. “It just is. Johnny hasn’t given any indication that there’s a time limit on this marriage, and Nadine Crowell hasn’t given you any reason for concern. In fact, I think it’s a good sign that Johnny’s coming to you for help. He easily could have asked Jason. Jason’s there, he knows the players. He’s protected Johnny before. But Johnny’s asking you. When’s the last time he did that?”

“Never,” Anthony admitted. He leaned back, stroked his chin. “I was already inclined to grant his request, but I think we should go a step further. Ric, when you meet with the lieutenant, tell Morgan I want to put an offer on the table.”

“And it’s one he shouldn’t refuse?” Ric said dryly, rising to his feet, fastening his suit jacket. When Anthony just smirked, Ric sighed. “Yeah, all right. I’ll take care of it.”

PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

“She’ll call,” Mac reassured Anna, rounding his desk and taking a seat. “She said she and Patrick would talk to a lawyer, then call you—”

“She doesn’t need a lawyer to speak with me. I’m her mother.” Disgusted, Anna folded her arms. “I don’t understand why she can’t simply understand that I was multi-tasking. I took advantage of this assignment to spend time with her—”

“And investigate her fiancé behind their backs,” Mac said dryly.

“Well, I didn’t know that at the time. I thought Karpov was involved with the clinic. I didn’t even suspect anything was happening at GH until you told me that Elizabeth Webber had been discharged shortly after surgery.” Anna stood, began to pace the length of the office. “He’s an international crime lord, Mac. I had no choice but to use what I knew.”

“Sure.”

She scowled. “Don’t say it that way.”

“What do you want me to do, Anna? Do I look happy that Robin and Patrick might have gotten themselves mixed up with Jason Morgan? They just had a baby. I don’t want to arrest either of them—”

“You won’t be arresting anyone—”

“You don’t get to decide that. You’re here unofficially. The WSB can’t just walk in and take over my cases. You have to go through the channels. Anna—” Mac leaned forward. “It’s only been a few years since she learned Robert was still alive and that he chose to stay away. She had the two of you together, as a family, for only seven years. She’s just had her first child, she thinks her mother is here to spend time with her, and instead she overhears you threatening to haul her fiancé in for questioning.”

Anna pursed her lips. “I suppose when you consider it from that perspective, there’s an argument to be made that I could have handled this better.”

“You think?” When Anna just glared at him, Mac smirked and reached for the ringing phone. “Commissioner Scorpio.” He listened to the voice on the other line, then took a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m definitely interested in that. I’ll call back with a statement.” He set the phone down, looked at Anna. “A reporter got wind from their obituary department. Seems like a funeral home is holding services for Jolene Crowell next Tuesday.”

“Jolene Crowell? That’s Nadine Crowell’s sister.” Anna tensed. “The Angel Without Mercy. When did she die?”

“Tuesday, middle of the day. Good news, Anna. I finally have a reason to talk to Patrick.”

Coffee House: Office

Cody knocked on the ajar door, then pushed it all the way open. “This isn’t going to make your day any better,” he told Jason, “but Ric Lansing is out front. He says Anthony sent him.”

Jason set aside the invoices, then made a face. Anthony Zacchara knew Jason hated Ric almost more than any other man alive, so of course he’d sent him as a messenger.

Should have killed the asshole years ago.

“Yeah, fine. Can you call Bobbie and tell her I won’t be picking up Jake when I thought I would?” He made a face. “And—”

“And I’ll ask her to grab Cameron. You might want to rethink the nanny thing,” Cody pointed out before disappearing down the hallway to give Ric the message.

A few moments later, the bane of Jason’s existence strolled through the doorway. He set a briefcase down, then removed his coat.

Jason leaned back in the chair. “Don’t get too comfortable,” he said flatly. “You’re not staying long.”

“Always a joy to see you,” Ric said coolly. “Anthony has a request, and I think you’d be wise to say yes.”

The impulse to say no just because it was Ric asking wasn’t a mature one, so Jason forced it down. But the day would come when Ric would go too far and without Sonny around—Jason would finally be able to make this animal pay for what he’d done to Carly and Elizabeth.

“You’ve got five minutes.”

“All right. Johnny is eager to secure his father’s public approval for his marriage to Nadine Crowell,” Ric said. “With the recent events — what happened to Kate Howard and—” Here, he paused, took a deep breath. “To Sonny, even Michael—”

“This isn’t making it quick,” Jason cut in. “Get to the point.”

“Anthony intends to have dinner at the No Name Restaurant with his son and his daughter-in-law. Likely Claudia will be in attendance as well, though I’m not sure. Anthony thinks this is a good opportunity for the world to see that the bad blood between your family and his has been resolved.”

Jason exhaled slowly, looked away. “What does he want from me?”

“He’d like you and…” Ric grimaced. “You and Elizabeth would be having dinner that night as well. She’ll come over to the table, greet the newlyweds. Extend your well-wishes, and then she’ll go on her way. It’s a bit of an old tradition,” he admitted, “but you know Anthony’s an old-school guy.”

The no was fully formed on the tip of his lips and Jason had to physically swallow to prevent it from being spoken. The thought of Elizabeth being in the same room as Anthony Zacchara after what he’d done to her last year—he fisted his hands in his lap, out of sight from Ric.

“I’ll let you know the answer by the end of the day,” Jason said. “Anything else?”

“You don’t have to like me—”

“Good, because I don’t.” Jason got to his feet, and Ric took a step back. “But it’s not about you. If you demand an answer right now, it will be no, and somehow I don’t think you want to go back to Anthony with that. So, Ric, I’ll let you know by the end of the day.”

“This is an olive branch,” Ric said, picking up his briefcase, tossing his coat over one arm. “Like it or not, you chose to make Elizabeth part of your world. If she’s seen congratulating Anthony’s son, the protection goes both ways and you know it. Anthony can’t touch her either. Or those boys. You’d think you’d jump at that chance.”

“Anthony Zacchara is a ticking-time bomb whose promises mean nothing to me,” Jason said. “He needs me more than I need him and he knows it. So either leave and wait for my answer, or take the no now.  Your choice, Ric.”

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