So tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
I’m sick of all the insincere
So I’m gonna give all my secrets away
This time
Don’t need another perfect lie
Don’t care if critics ever jump in line
I’m gonna give all my secrets away
– Secrets, OneRepublic

---

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Sun peeked around the edges of the shades, and Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, blinking to clear out the remnants of sleep. Her body felt stiff and sore—and her head was pounding, all of which made sense — she’d had surgery the day before and the back of her hand still pinched where the IV had been inserted.

Beside her, the bag of fluids had mostly run dry, and Elizabeth knew it had been some time since the last dose of pain medication. She licked her lips, dry and cracked, then twisted her head away from the sun, toward the other side of the bed —

Jason was still sleeping — a rarity, she thought. They’d only shared the bed maybe once or twice for the whole night, and she’d never woken before him. But he was lying on his back, one arm stretched above his head, the other resting on his stomach, his chest rising evenly, slowly. How much sleep had he managed in the days since her accident and the shooting at the church? And when had he actually let himself fall sleep last night?

Between them, Jake was also laying on his back in his usual morning sleeping position — which Elizabeth was startled to see mirrored his father’s. One arm flung across his middle, and the other over his head. His tiny mouth was parted slightly — they looked so alike, lying next to one another.

This was what she’d deprived them of all these months — what she’d taken from Jason in keeping him away from his son. She couldn’t fix the last sixteen months, Elizabeth thought, but going forward — the future — that was in her grasp. And she promised herself Jason and Jake would have more mornings like this.

They would have each other.

She winced, as she tried to sit up and didn’t get far. Her core muscles refused to obey the signals sent from her brain, and her legs felt shaky — they trembled even as she slid them a few centimeters towards the edge of the bed.

But, oh, man, she really needed to get up and into the bathroom.

She must have made a sound or maybe jostled the bed slightly because Jason’s eyes were open, and he was already on his feet before Elizabeth really processed that he was awake.

“Oh, I didn’t mean—”

But he was already bending down to help her sit up just enough so that he could pick her up from the left, keeping the right hand with its IV free to wrap around the pole so it moved with them. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice a little rough from sleep. “I’ve got you.”

“I know, but—” she sighed, and decided not to argue. He nudged the bathroom door open, then set her down on the counter. “I can do it from here,” she said, her cheeks flushing as he lifted the lid on the toilet.

Jason hesitated — and she knew it was silly — the man had seen her naked on many occasions, and he’d been up close and personal with that area, she thought as her cheeks burned even hotter.

“All right. I’ll be out here if you need me.” He kissed her forehead, his unshaved skin rough against hers.

“Thanks.”

It wasn’t easy, but Elizabeth wasn’t a stranger to pain or pushing herself when she didn’t feel one hundred percent. And still, by the time she’d finished and washed her hands, she was trembling from head to toe, but she pulled the door open to call him.

She was already in his arms before she was done speaking, and they were on their way back to bed where Jake remained sleeping like the dead, though he’d rolled over, more towards Jason’s side of the bed.

“I hate having surgery,” she muttered. “It took almost two weeks after Jake was born before I could get up and move around—”

“You almost died,” Jason reminded her. “Then and now,” he added. He drew the sheet up over her bare legs. “And Patrick wanted me to tell you that as far as he’s concerned, you have as much time as you need from work. And don’t even say a word about the money,” he said when she opened her mouth.

“You’re not going to just pay for everything—”

“I am, and we can argue about it all you want later when you’re able to stand on two feet to do it right.” Jason leaned down, rested his forehead against hers. “You’ve always taken care of me when I’ve needed it. Let me do the same for you.”

“You were a terrible patient. Every time,” she grumbled. “It’s a miracle you survived. Moving around, pulling stitches, checking out after getting an artery repaired, running down bad guys with a bullet in your leg—”

“And I’m still here because of you.” He kissed the back of her knuckles. “I should get your grandmother. She told me that you needed another IV change and some meds when you got up.”

“Oh, don’t—”

“She’s in charge,” Jason added, getting to his feet. He hesitated. “I have to go to the coffee house this morning after I drop Cameron at school, but I’ll be home this afternoon.”

“Home,” she repeated softly. She relaxed against the pillows. “It seems so strange to think about that being true after everything we’ve been through.”

He paused, as if unsure what to say next.  “We talked about it at the hospital, so I thought—”

“I know. I guess…maybe it’s not fair, but I keep waiting for it to change,” she admitted. “It’s just happened so much so fast, and my head is still spinning. And I still don’t know why I’m not still in the hospital.”

Jason sat back down on the edge of the bed, though now he kept his back to her, his forearms resting on his thighs, his hands dangling loosely between his legs. “I know it’s been confusing. I’m sorry for that.”

“What did you always say to me? I don’t want you sorry, Jason. I just want to know what’s going on.”

“Yeah. I know.” He exhaled slowly. “The penthouse isn’t really home, I know that. The boys need a yard, I know that’s important to you. It’s important to me. I’m doing everything I can to make sure I can make them safe. I just know that I want home to be wherever you are. Where they are.”

“I want that, too.” Elizabeth stroked the back of his arm with the tips of her fingers. “So that’s where we’ll start. And when you come home later today, you can tell me what’s going on. As much as you can anyway.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” He shifted his weight and now he was facing her more fully. He leaned down to kiss her gently. “I better get your grandmother.”

“All right. Not like I’m going anywhere.”

Drake Condo: Kitchen

“I am getting too big for this place,” Robin grumbled, maneuvering her eight-month pregnant frame out of Patrick’s galley-style kitchen into the more open living space where a dining table was tucked by the windows. She set down the herbal tea and bowl of granola cereal, then lowered herself carefully into the chair.

At the other end of the table, Patrick barely made a sound and that was a bit alarming. He’d been so overprotective that Robin had mostly wanted to murder him, but not today. She knew his suspicions were preying on his mind. The guilt that something was happening under his watch, of not immediately escalating it to the board —

“Patrick—”

“Dane Callahan is on this list.” He looked up. “He’s one of ours.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, remembering the patient. He’d had an aneurysm—a ticking time bomb. She’d used her protocol to shrink it, and he’d operated it. Successfully. And he’d been in recovery until a stroke two weeks earlier. “I saw his name, but—Patrick, we can’t let this be personal. Let ourselves be blinded and look for connections that aren’t there. Let’s start with what we know for sure. The dispensary machines have been misfiring for months, and Elizabeth got the wrong medication three times—”

“The exact same mistake across two different floors,” Patrick reminded her. “You’re right. We need to be objective.” He set the file aside, focused on her. “The machines have been malfunctioning, and the nurses have developed their own systems of double-checking. Epiphany and I were just talking about ways to standardize those systems and roll out a hospital wide training program.”

“The fact that the same mistake happened across two floors, with two nurses, and two machines is what makes me agree that Elizabeth looks like deliberate sabotage. She never got a single dose of the correct medicine, and the wrong one three times. I just don’t see that happening randomly like the other incidents. I know Dane was a hard loss. The ICU rates have been higher this year. I think we had a run of bad luck, and maybe the nursing staff is too overworked.”

“It doesn’t mean it’s not related—”

“I went through some of these last night. A stroke is a known complication of that surgery. Dane knew the risks, Patrick. We all did. Nearly every file you pulled can be explained that way.”

“I was thinking about the last time I talked to his wife. He had kids, Robin. They needed him to come home. I’m going to be a father,” he added. He rubbed his mouth. “Elizabeth’s boys. Maybe Dane’s family deserves to know—”

“Dane’s family doesn’t need any extra weight on their shoulders right now. Not before we know more. And Elizabeth’s family knows what happened to her, don’t they? You spoke to Audrey. Jason knows. They’re telling Elizabeth, I’m sure.”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

“I’m not saying that you don’t look into it. We should. That hospital means a lot to us both. It’s where we fell in love, and it matters. We took an oath. But I think your instincts to keep this quiet were right. We don’t know what this is yet, and the hospital was already under investigation after last year. And with the link to Jason—we need to eliminate that as a possibility.” Robin tipped her head. “What’s the plan? What are you doing next?”

“Spinelli texted me earlier. He’s looking into the dispensary machine. Because he brought up the same point you did. So I’ll wait to see what he turns up and try to let that be enough.” He rounded the table, dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Zacchara Estate: Foyer

“And if you don’t call me—” Claudia stopped just at the entrance to the living room, then pressed her back against the wall, hissing into the phone at her ear. “I will track your ass down, John, so stop avoiding me.” She tucked the phone in her cleavage, then sauntered in the living room where Anthony’s chair had been tucked under the breakfast table.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Anthony eyed her malevolently as she sank into a chair across from Trevor and next to Ric. “No. I bet you slept like the Jezebel you are—”

Claudia rolled her eyes, broke off a piece of a croissant, then leaned back in the chair to cross her legs. “You really need new material, Daddy. It’s tired. Jezebel, harlot, blah, blah—”

“Heard from your brother?” Anthony asked, because of course, Johnny was the only person that mattered to her father.

“Not since the last time you asked.” Claudia poured coffee into her cup, keeping her tone bored. She fluttered her lashes at her father, “Then again, maybe I’m lying.”

Anthony bristled and Ric made a face. “Is that helpful?” he asked her.

She shrugged. “I’m just playing the role Daddy gave me. Useless parasitic dilettante.” She popped another piece of croissant in her mouth.

“Always good to play to your strengths,” her father retorted.

“And I do it so well.”

“We gave John a deadline, Anthony,” Trevor reminded him. “He still has—” His dark eyes flicked towards the clock on the side table. “Four hours.”

“Three hours and forty-seven minutes.” And with that ominous correction, Anthony rolled backwards from the table, then maneuvered himself out of the room.

“Isn’t he a ray of sunshine?” Claudia lifted her coffee. “Another happy morning in the Zacchara household. I wonder how long it will last.”

Jacks Estate: Foyer

Carly stepped back, allowed Bobbie entrance. “I didn’t expect you.” She furrowed her brow. “Unless you called while I was out. I took the boys to school.”

“Oh, did you have Cameron last night?” Bobbie asked, hanging her coat on a hook in the hallway, then looping the strap of her purse over top. “I thought Elizabeth had been discharged—”

“I stopped by this morning and ran into Jason in the parking garage. I’m just—I’m trying to help where I can.” Carly wrapped one arm around her waist, then with the other, rubbed at her temple. “I keep trying to make up for how horrible I was the other day. Or any other day. Jason seemed grateful, and Morgan—well, I’m trying to keep him as happy as possible before I tell him—”

“You didn’t tell him yet?” Bobbie asked, quirking one eyebrow up. “You’re not worried he’ll hear at school?”

Carly sighed, then went to the kitchen, her mother following. “If his preschool teacher or classmates are talking about a gangster getting shot in the head yesterday, then I’ll have an entirely new problem to solve.” She took down a coffee cup, handed it to Bobbie. “I wanted to tell him, but then I had Cam for a while after school, and Morgan—” She slid onto a stool, watched her mother pour some coffee from the carafe. “He was so happy. He doesn’t know anything’s wrong, and he finally has someone to play with. I didn’t want to ruin that.”

“Carly—eventually someone will say something. A passing comment between two adults who don’t realize a child is listening. At Kelly’s. Waiting for pick up—Morgan should hear it from you,” Bobbie said.

“I know. I know.” Carly rubbed her forehead. “I just…I wish Jax were here,” she murmured. “He always knew how to do this. To start these conversations. Or to be right there to pick up if I faltered—How could I do this? How could I ruin the best relationship I ever had? I threw it all away, and for what? For Sonny?”

“I’ve made mistakes of my own. Similar, not identical.” Bobbie sat across the island from her. “When we lost BJ, the day we lost her, Tony had found me with another man. I was so foolish,” she murmured. “I can’t even blame grief or loss for the affair with Damian Smith. Just boredom. I was bored being married to the kindest, gentlest man who’d ever made the mistake of loving me.” Bobbie stared down into her coffee cup. “Tony threw me out that day. We came home from losing her, and he’d just—he couldn’t face it.” She lifted her eyes to Carly’s. “We patched things up, I suppose. But we did nothing to fix the cracks. Maybe we should have. You and Jax — what you have is real, and you know that, sweetheart. You know that you fell in love, you married, and now you’re separated. You’re taking this time to breathe. To reset. It’s necessary, even if painful.”

“I think maybe he’s back to thinking I’m not worth the trouble. He didn’t like me much before we bonded over losing Courtney.” Carly toyed with the cuffs of her long-sleeved shirts. “I haven’t really given him much of a reason to think I’ve changed.”

“All you can do now is put one foot in front of the other and continue to do your best. Jax will make his own choices, and you can’t force him.” Bobbie straightened her shoulders. “Are you going to the hospital or the hotel?”

“Hotel first, I have a meeting. Then the hospital—Sonny might go in for another surgery if the swelling has reduced enough, and there’s paperwork to sign. I don’t want Jason to deal with any of it.” Carly forced a smile. “The least I can do is make his life a little easier. Better late than never.”

Las Vegas, Nevada

Mandalay Bay Resort: Hotel Room

As his family plotted his future at the breakfast table in Crimson Pointe, Johnny rolled over and buried his face into a soft pillow, still half-asleep. It was just past six, and he rarely woke before the sun had been high in the sky for several hours.

When he moved, he slid closer to the middle of the bed and his leg brushed something else — smooth, bare skin — and his eyes snapped open, startled. Nadine was also curled on her side, her arms curled around the pillow, and one of her legs curled up towards her chest.

The events of the last few days — hell, just the last day slowly filtered through his rusty brain, and he saw the edge of something gold flashing on Nadine’s left hand, half-shoved under the pillow.

He raised his hand above his face, saw a thick gold band on his own left ring finger and swallowed hard. It was real. He’d shot Sonny Corinthos, left him for dead on the pier, dragged Nadine around town and then across the country, guilted her into marrying him and now—

She was sleeping next to him, wearing a wedding ring he’d chosen hastily from the small selection at the wedding chapel where they’d opted for a minister instead of an Elvis or Johnny Cash impersonator. They’d also been offered the option for a mini-Elvis impersonator, which would have just made the whole damn thing perfect, Johnny thought.

He rolled onto his back, stared at the ceiling above the bed. He was married. He’d done it to protect Nadine, sure, but he’d also protected himself. And Jason had helped arrange it, so maybe Sonny wasn’t too badly hurt—

But if Sonny was okay, wouldn’t he just tell everyone who’d shot him, and that Nadine had been there? Oh, man, what if Sonny wasn’t okay? What would happen then—

“You think really loud.”

Johnny jolted again as the sleep slurred words pulled him back into the moment, and he looked over. Nadine’s eyes were still closed, but she was awake now. He didn’t know how he knew that—only that he did. “You can’t hear me think.”

“Yeah, I can.” Nadine sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eye, her mussed blonde hair falling down over her shoulder, and a strap of the sleep tank she’d bought the night before sliding down her arm. Blearily, she rolled towards the other side of the bed, where she’d left her phone on a charger — that reminded Johnny — he hadn’t plugged his in, so it was definitely dead now.

Her arm stretched out, and Johnny thought he was probably going to hell anyway, so why not enjoy the way Nadine’s tank rode up, revealing an expanse of golden skin between the top of her shorts and—

“Hey. Yeah. This is Nadine. Hey, Regina.”

Johnny snapped back into focus when he realized Nadine had the phone to her ear. “Yeah, I’m enjoying my time off.” She folded her legs to sit cross-legged, shoving the strap back onto her shoulder. “I, um, was listening to the news, though, and I thought maybe…yeah, it’s crazy, right? Yeah, I just—you know, I was still in Pediatrics when poor Michael was a patient, and I guess seeing the story just made me think about it. I know you can’t give me details, but the news wouldn’t say anything — yeah. Yeah, right. Thanks.”

Nadine closed the phone, looked at him. “He’s in the ICU in critical condition,” she told Johnny. “He’s scheduled for surgery later today with Patrick.”

“Patrick. Neurosurgery. That’s—” He felt a little ill. “That’s brain—”

“Or spinal,” she reminded him. “But—Regina said he’s on life support. She wouldn’t tell me what kind,” she added, “but combining all of it — critical, life support, more surgery—I don’t want to lie to you, Johnny. If I were talking to a patient’s family, I wouldn’t give them a lot of hope. It’s, uh, similar to what we said about Michael. Back in April.”

Johnny nodded. He sat up, raised one of his knees to his chest. “I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“I know.”

“I tried to get away.”

“I was there.”

He dragged a hand down his face, but the cool metal stopped him, and he stared at his hand instead. “I’m sorry I got you mixed up into this.”

“Me, too.”

Johnny looked over at her now and saw her studying her own ring. “I don’t really know what we’re supposed to do now,” he admitted. “I thought—it felt like I did yesterday but—”

“You slept on it and this all seems insane now. Yeah, same.” Nadine bit her lip, slid a little bit closer to him. “I think we should get on a plane, go home, and go tell your family we got married.”

Johnny looked at her, a bit incredulously. Her blue eyes were clear — not a hint of a joke. “You’re serious.”

“Yeah. Yeah. They’re the ones you’re most worried about. I mean, they probably heard about what happened to Sonny, and you haven’t called them.” Nadine shrugged. “We go home, and we try your plan. Announce that we got married in Vegas and say that’s why you ducked out of contact. Then you pack your things, and you come to my apartment.”

“Your…” Johnny drew his brows together. “Your apartment?”

“Well, sure. I work in Port Charles. You’re supposed to sell this as you got all—” She wiggled her fingers. “You know, overcome with whatever, so you can’t be doing that in Crimson Pointe when I’m in Port Charles.”

“Overcome with lust,” Johnny clarified, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite himself. “You can say it.”

“Why? You’ve got it covered. Sure. I made you go crazy with my—” Nadine made a face. “You’re making fun of me.”

“Absolutely not.” But the snort escaped his lips anyway and she smacked him lightly.

“You are! See! This is why this won’t work!” She huffed, her chest expanding with indignation. “You’re laughing at me when I’m just trying to tell you the plan, and it was your idea in the first place! We need a different reason—”

“No, I think we’ll be fine—”

“This was such a stupid idea,” she muttered, shoving the blanket at him, and starting to slide out of bed, but Johnny just sighed and reached for her, wrapping his hand around her upper arm.

“I’m not laughing at you—”

“That—” Nadine twisted back, stabbing a finger at his mouth. “That is a smile—”

“Yeah, but I’m not laughing at you—”

“Well, it’s sure as hell not with me since I am not smiling or laughing—”

“Just wait, okay—” Johnny grappled as Nadine tried to tug away, but he wasn’t going to cede the point— and rolled her until she was on her back, and he was over her, lightly holding her arms against the mattress. “Do you always jump to conclusions?”

Nadine glared up at him. “I am not—”

“We settled this yesterday, didn’t we? I have no doubt we can sell this—”

“Yeah, okay, because you’re you and I’m me, sure, everyone will completely buy that I lost my head over you, okay? But the only—” Nadine paused, closed her eyes, and some of his amusement slid away as he realized she was serious. “No one is going to believe it’s me. Okay? I have blonde hair and blue eyes, Johnny.”

“Yeah, okay—” He stopped. “People are going to compare you to Lulu, you mean.”

“Yes. Okay? I didn’t think of that yesterday, but I hadn’t slept. Now I have and this was stupid, so maybe we just think of a different plan—”

“I don’t think of Lulu when I look at you.” Which was a troubling thought all on its own, Johnny thought, but he shoved it away for later. Much later.

“Well, that’s because you’re not an asshole,” she muttered. “But we’re selling a story, right?”

“Right.”

“So—”

“So you’re doubting me,” Johnny said, and because he’d always been a little impulsive and stupid, he went with the first thought that popped in his head. He released one of her hands, trailed his fingertips down her chest, between her breasts, lightly dancing down past her hips until they reached the soft skin under her knee. He gripped her leg, moving it just a bit until his body was cradled between her thighs.

Nadine’s chest was rising more rapidly now, her eyes on his, the blue darker than they’d been only minutes earlier. “What are you doing?”

“Giving into my baser urges,” Johnny admitted, then dipped his head to claim her mouth, and after a moment, her free hand dived into his hair and kissed him back.

I’m looking for a place
I’m searching for a face
Is anybody here I know
‘Cause nothing’s going right
And everything’s a mess
And no one likes to be alone
Isn’t anyone trying to find me?
Won’t somebody come take me home?
– I’m With You, Avril Lavigne

---

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason closed the door behind him, slid the deadbolt across, then dropped his keys on the desk. He scanned the darkened room — there were little pieces of evidence that the penthouse was no longer inhabited only by him and Spinelli. A playpen had been moved into the corner by the windows, with a large cotton bag sitting next to it, toys spilling over the top.

The boys were home — Jason had picked them up from Carly after he’d left the coffee house and had brought them to Audrey, staying long enough to grab Johnny and Nadine and deliver them to the airport for their flight. He’d waited until they were safely on board, then departed. Now that the pair was in the air to Las Vegas, they were no longer his problem. He’d kept them out of sight while the dust from the shooting had settled, and now it would be up to them to keep their ruse straight and stay out of trouble.

He’d step in if it looked like Anthony was going to do something to Nadine, but Johnny had been smart to tie them together — unless Anthony had lost his mind again, he wouldn’t rock the boat by going after Johnny’s wife. Not with the double shootings still under investigation.

Jason had to rely on Trevor and Ric Lansing to keep Anthony under control — not a prospect he enjoyed, but just one more thing he didn’t have a choice about. Not with everything else that had happened since the wedding. Since this morning.

But the day was finally over. The sun had sunk below the horizon on the lake hours ago, and it was almost midnight. Time to let it go. If he could.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor, taking just a moment to open the door to the converted guest room.

Between the toddler bed and crib, there was a night light on the table leaving the room dimly lit. Cameron lay on his back, the sheets kicked off, half off the bed, the other half twisted under his body. Jason carefully adjusted it, tucking him back in before turning to the crib where sixteen-month-old Jake was also sleeping on his back, his mouth slightly parted.

It seemed almost like a strange dream, Jason thought, returning to the doorway and taking another moment to look back at the two boys fast asleep, safe and secure in Jason’s home. Not so long ago, he’d given up on ever having any real contact with his son, on being part of Cameron’s life. Michael’s tragedy had robbed him of that dream. Even with the changes Jason had made, part of him had never really truly believed he’d ever be able to bring them home.

And now, the penthouse was the only piece of Jason’s world that did feel safe. He’d tucked away nearly all the people left in the world that mattered to him. Elizabeth, her boys, Spinelli, and he’d dragged Elizabeth’s poor grandmother along for the ride. Audrey Hardy was essential to the people Jason loved, so she’d become essential to him.

Carly was across town, but her home was as safe as any could be — practically a fortress protecting her and Morgan. But that was it, Jason thought almost bleakly. The list ended there. So many others were gone now. Emily. Michael. And now Sonny.

Couldn’t really think about that yet. Had to keep moving forward. Jason turned away and headed for the last door down the hall, the master bedroom.

General Hospital: ICU Elevators

Spinelli carefully set his laptop bag down on the side table, then sat on the sofa next to Maxie who was curled up in a corner, her elbow propped on the arm of the sofa, her fist pressed against her mouth. “Maximista, you should really go home. Get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I know. I mean to, but—” she looked at him, her eyes red. “It’s just a lot, you know. I kept focusing on Kate waking up because I thought that would solve everything. Kate would know what to do. She’d make that horrible woman go away, she’d let Sonny come see her, and I don’t know—maybe I even thought she’d be able to fix Lulu.”

She sniffled, looked at the tissue crumbled in her other hand. “And Kate asked me, she asked me when does it stop? And I can’t answer that. It never seems to. It just goes on and on. The deaths. They never stop.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard. “Jesse was shot in the head. You weren’t around—”

“The Jackal is aware of him. The ever Faithful Georgie told his tale.” Spinelli reached for her hand, set the tissue aside, then wrapped his fingers around hers. “The Jackal is sorry that such woe has fallen upon such undeserving shoulders.”

“I don’t know about undeserving,” she muttered. “There’s a reason you used to call me the Bad Blonde One. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I bring the death. Jesse and Georgie and Cooper and Logan—”

“The Glacial One hasn’t left the mortal plane, and well, Mr. Sir isn’t your responsibility, either—”

“But I could have done more. I could always do more. Or the right thing. I wanted to keep my job. I needed it. I needed my access, so I shut Sonny out, but maybe I could have done more. He came here, Sonny, I mean. He came to the hospital today, and Kate was awake. But I forgot to tell her Olivia blocked Sonny at the lobby, so he never got past the elevators. If I’d told her, she’d have changed that—” Her mouth quivered. “And I wouldn’t have had to tell her what happened. I could have done more.”

“Perhaps but Mr. Sir might have just had the tragedy befall him later, at another time. He was rather reckless, and the Jackal knows it has stressed Stone Cold to no end having to account for his unpredictability.”

“Maybe I could delayed it then. Maybe Kate would have had a chance.” Maxie let her feet fall to the ground, forced herself to smile at him. “But maybe you’re right. Maybe all of this was always going to happen. I just—I wish Lulu had been here. She’d have known what to do.”

“I also wish the Blonde One was with us,” he said. “But until she returns, the Jackal fears it’s just you and me.” He got to his feet, held out a hand. “Let me give you a ride home.”

“Yeah, okay. Will you stay with me tonight?” Maxie asked, looping her purse over her shoulder. “I don’t—I don’t want to be alone.”

“Anything for you, Maximista.” Spinelli put his arm around her and walked her towards the elevators.

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth heard the door close down the hall. She planted her elbows on the mattress and grimaced, lifting her upper body slightly so that she wasn’t lying flat on her back anymore. When Jason opened the door and saw her, his eyes widened, and he rushed forward. “You shouldn’t be sitting up—”

“It’s—” she winced. “It’ll be fine—can you—a pillow or something—”

Jason put a pillow behind her, giving her another source of support. “Your grandmother thought you’d sleep through until morning,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

“Mmm, I asked her not to give me another sedative—I know when I’m being drugged,” she added, and he sighed. “I don’t need to sleep, Jason. I need answers.”

He stared down at the carpeted floor, his fingers almost digging into the mattress. His shoulders were tight, tense. “I know.”

“I had more surgery,” Elizabeth said. “But you checked me out of the hospital — with help.” She gestured at the IV still in her arm, at the metal stand next to the bed where a bag of fluids was half filled. “Epiphany gave me pain meds herself — and a sedative strong enough that I didn’t even know I was leaving the hospital.” She bit her lip. “And my grandmother is cooperating with it. That tells me something is really wrong. I should have been in the hospital for another two or three days. Minimum. Whatever is happening, it’s bad, isn’t it?”

“It could be,” Jason said finally. He looked at her. “But you’re safe here. You and the boys. I promise. I never would have brought you here otherwise. Or your grandmother.”

“I never doubted that.” She touched his arm—the muscles beneath his shoulder were almost like stone to the touch. “I know we talked about all of this before—before whatever happened to me today. I know we were planning this, and that Gram was going to come. I just don’t understand why it had to happen now. This way.” She lifted her wrist to emphasize the IV.

“I guess maybe I’m just…I’ve been unconscious for a lot of this, you know. I feel like my head is spinning, and every time I wake up, something dreadful has happened. First, Lucky took off to California, and dumped the boys on Gram, and then…” Her voice faltered. “Sonny? How is he?”

“They don’t—” Jason tilted his face to the ceiling. “Patrick didn’t want to say it, but he doesn’t expect Sonny to wake up. There’s another surgery in a few days, but…”  He shook his head. “He went after Johnny on the pier, and there was…it was self-defense,” he said slowly. “Johnny came to me. He wanted me to know. To protect Nadine. She was with him, so she was a witness,” he added.

And how terrible it must have been for Jason to agree — to offer protection to the man responsible for putting Sonny in a hospital bed, even if Johnny had only been protecting himself and Nadine. Elizabeth stroked his shoulder, wishing she could take him in her arms, hold him tight. But she couldn’t.

There was more to all of this, of course, because what had happened with Johnny and Sonny didn’t explain why Elizabeth had been whisked out of the hospital, almost certainly with both Epiphany and Patrick’s approval. But maybe it was enough for the night. If she was overwhelmed by how much she’d missed while unconscious, how would it have felt to have lived through every minute of the last few days?

“What can I do?” she asked, and he looked at her again, his eyes hard to read in the dimly lit room. “What do you need from me?”

“I just…I want to lay down, close my eyes, and wake up next to you in a few hours,” he admitted, and she smiled.

“Well, that’s something I can handle. Get changed, and we’ll both try to get some sleep.” She clutched at his shirt then, pulling him towards her. Jason dipped his head down, kissed her lightly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas Boulevard

Nadine stepped out of the taxi, casting her eyes dubiously at the little wooden building in front of her, before turning back to look at the Strip, all lit up with bright, flashing signs. “This is the place?”

“Yeah.” Johnny shoved some cash at the cab driver. “The guy at the airport said it did 24-hour weddings, and it’s across from the Mandalay—” he gestured absently at the large building across the street and down the block a little — a towering white building with its name etched into the exterior.

They’d stopped at the Marriage License Bureau on the way in from the airport — which was, according to the sign, open until midnight every day of the year, and then Johnny had given the driver a new address. And now here they were, in front of a wooden church that looked like it had been ripped from an episode of Green Acres or Beverly Hillbillies — or one of Aunt Rayleen’s other favorite Western television shows from Nick at Nite.

“You ready?” Johnny asked, holding out a hand.

“I thought I was,” she murmured. A four-and-a-half-hour flight, another thirty minutes in the airport — then twenty more to get to the chapel — she’d been numb, maybe. Or not ready to confront the insanity of what she was about to do. Now there was no choice except to face the reality of her situation.

She was going to marry Johnny Zacchara in Las Vegas so he could avoid being railroaded into another murder charge and to maybe offer her some vague protection from his crazy family.

“Nadine?” Johnny prompted. He dropped his hand, shifting so that he fully faced her now. His face was hidden in the shadows, lit only from the back by the chapel. The sights and sounds of the Strip were still a few blocks away. “If you don’t want to do this—”

“Want is such an interesting word,” she said. “You know, I’ve never been married before. Never even came close. So, no, I don’t want to get married tonight, Johnny. Do you?”

He sighed. “No. No, I don’t.” He closed the distance between them, reached for her hands. “But here’s what I do want.” She could see his face more clearly now that he was standing closer, and his eyes held her attention with that intensity that always caught her by surprise. “I want you to be safe. And I want to avoid being locked up again.” His voice faltered for just a moment, and Nadine wondered if he was thinking about the padded room he’d talked about earlier instead of his time in the PCPD lockup awaiting trial. “What about you?”

“I want…” She sighed. “To live in a world where these aren’t the choices, so maybe that’s not really helpful. I guess I want you to be treated fairly. The system is supposed to protect us, and that’s not what happened with you. And maybe if Scott hadn’t pushed Lulu, none of this would be happening right now. You didn’t want to hurt Sonny. You shouldn’t be punished for what happened. I want to protect you from that. And maybe I also want to avoid your father blaming me for anything again,” she added. “So I guess that means we have to get married.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what it means.” Johnny dropped one of her hands, but kept the other entwined in his, walking her towards the door. “Do you want an Elvis or Johnny Cash impersonator to marry us instead of the minister? Apparently, there are options if we pay extra.”

Nadine considered it — and shook her head. “Maybe it’s silly,” she said as he ushered her into the lobby. “But it’s my first wedding. I kind of want it to be a minister. Is that okay?”

“Yeah.” He squeezed her hand. “Yeah, me, too. Let’s get married.”

“So romantic,” she teased, and he flashed her a quick grin before stepping over to the desk to make the arrangements.

They opted for the basic package — they didn’t have any guests, and Nadine argued when Johnny wanted to pay extra so that she’d have a full bouquet of roses rather than one single one — they compromised with seven pink blooms.

And then he was walking her down the aisle towards the minister — without music because apparently a true walk down the aisle was another surcharge. Nadine was almost relieved when she realized he’d chosen the version of the vows where all they’d have to do is answer “I do” instead of repeating every line — there was something that felt a bit wrong about saying the words she didn’t really intend to honor —

But before she knew it, the minister had completed the ceremony, and Johnny was looking at her — and she was looking at him—he kissed her—just a brief brushing of their lips which gave her some relief. She’d been a bit frazzled by what happened at the penthouse, and it was better to start this whole thing the way she meant to continue — just business.

And then they were married.

Jacks House: Morgan’s Bedroom

Carly slid Morgan’s dangling foot back onto the bed, tucking it beneath the covers. She stroked his hair just once before heading to the door and gently pulling it shut.

Since that terrible day in April, she’d woken randomly throughout the night with the urge to look in on Morgan, to breathe him in, to remind herself that he was okay. That he was healthy and not lying in a bed with little hope of ever waking.

Just across from Morgan’s bedroom, Michael’s door was firmly closed. Carly touched it with the tips of her fingers, then twisted the doorknob.

Other than a few days earlier, when she’d found Morgan in here, Carly had only been in the room a few times— the cleaning service had been asked to do nothing more than dust and vacuum — Carly wanted everything Michael had touched to remain exactly where he’d left it.

As if her baby would come home to her and pick up the shoes he’d left strewn across the carpet or finally remember to put away the stack of clean laundry that had been left atop his dresser.

Carly sank onto the bed, sitting in the dark, the silence of the house wrapping around her. It had been such a horrible year, she thought. Starting all the way back with the death of Leticia, the nanny who had been with her boys almost since Michael had been born. Then Carly had had her miscarriage—then they’d lost Michael—

She’d broken her marriage by making a terrible mistake with Sonny, and Jax had left her.  Now Sonny was lying in a hospital bed, just like the son they’d lost.

She closed her eyes. She hadn’t told Morgan yet what had happened to his father. He’d had a great day at school, and he’d been so excited that his new best friend was going to come over and play. How could she wipe that smile from his face?

Another loss for her little boy — how did you begin such a conversation? At what point did Morgan just close himself off and stop letting himself love anyone? Leticia, Michael, Jax, Sonny — all these people her baby had lost in such a short time.

Carly wiped at tear as it slid down her cheek and looked at the photo frame on Michael’s nightstand. At Christmas — Carly on a sofa with her arms around both her boys, Jax smiling, an arm stretched behind them both.

It seemed like another universe. A life that only existed in her dreams now.

Tomorrow, she’d have to tell Morgan. Before he heard it from someone else, Carly had to make sure he knew.

But she’d let him have one more sleep before the world broke apart again.

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

There was a light sound coming from the baby monitor on Jason’s nightstand, and he jerked awake—unused to hearing the stirring of a baby. It had been so many years since he’d listened for Michael in the night, he thought, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

He glanced over to see Elizabeth still sleeping, her breathing deep and even, filling the silence of the dark room. He switched off the monitor so it wouldn’t wake her while he was gone.

Jason crossed the hall, listening for a moment to the rest of the penthouse — then pushed open the door to the boys’ room.

Nothing woke Cameron up — something Jason remembered Elizabeth telling him. Her oldest son slept like the dead, a trait he’d inherited from his mother, Jason thought, though Cam had turned over since Jason had last seen him. He now slept on his stomach, his face almost smushed into the pillow, the sheets kicked off again.

In the crib, Jake was sitting up, his face scrunched. “Hey,” Jason said softly, though he was a bit wary. Jake didn’t really know him — and maybe he’d be startled by Jason in his room in the middle night when he was likely expecting a more familiar face. His grandmother, his mother.

Or Lucky.

Jake lifted himself onto his chubby legs, his hands gripping the sides of the crib. “Mom.” He lifted one leg up, then brought it down. “Mom,” he repeated. “Mom.”

“I can take you to your mother,” Jason said. He lifted his son into his arms, and Jake went easily, pointing at the door. “Yeah, Mom’s across the hall. Let’s go before we wake your brother.”

“Cam sleep.” Jake peered over Jason’s shoulder as they went to the door. “Mom.”

Jason carried Jake back into the master bedroom, then switched on the night stand light with one hand. “Mom’s asleep,” he said softly, setting Jake onto the bed. The toddler crawled across the king size bed to his mother, frowning when he saw the metal IV stand next to her. He pointed at it.

“Mom?” Jake said, his tone puzzled.

Elizabeth’s eyelashes fluttered, then she blinked, smiling blearily. “Jake.”

“Mom!” Jake bounced, clapped his hands, clearly delighted. “Mom. Mom.”

Jason sat on the bed, ready to reach for Jake if he moved too quickly or close to Elizabeth, but she was already trying to sit up. Jason put the pillow behind her and she smiled at him.

“I got hurt, baby,” Elizabeth said, “so be careful. Jason—can you—”

Reluctantly, because he’d rather Elizabeth not move at all for few more days, Jason helped Jake snuggle in on Elizabeth’s left side, keeping the right where she’d had her surgery safe . He sighed happily, leaning against her shoulder.

“Mom. Miss.”

“I missed you too.” With her left hand, she stroked his hair. “But you had Gram and Cam and Morgan—”

“An Car.” Jake’s little fingers traced a button on his mother’s sleep shirt. “Mawgin’s mom. An Car.”

“Aunt Carly,” Jason said, with a little wince when Elizabeth looked at him. “When they found out Bobbie is Carly’s mother…”

“Ah, that explains it.” She smiled ruefully. “Did you have fun with Aunt Carly and Morgan?”

“Big room. Toys. Miss you.”

“I missed you, too,” Elizabeth repeated. “But I’m here now, and you get to be with Jason now.” She bit her lip, met Jason’s eyes. “You know him, don’t you?”

“Mom friend.” Jake’s head turned. “Jayse.”

“He has another name you can call him,” Elizabeth said.

“You don’t have—” Jason started, but she waited for Jake to look at her again.

“He’s your daddy.”

Jake’s little face scrunched up again. “Daddy?”

“Jason’s your daddy because he…” She paused, searching for the right word. “He gave you to me. And he’s going to be part of our family from now on.”

Jake was young enough that anything his mother told him was accepted, so he rolled over so that he was facing Jason now, though still snuggled against Elizabeth. “Daddy? You?”

Jason’s throat was a little tight, and he found it difficult to force words out. He hadn’t expected this tonight—but maybe he’d needed this moment. This little piece of normal. Apart from all that had gone wrong today —

He needed this moment with just the three of them for the first time since the day Jake had been born. “Yeah. That’s me. Daddy.”

“Okay.” Jake sighed, then closed his eyes. “Sleep here?”

“Yeah, you can sleep here,” Elizabeth said, stroking his hair again, and his breathing evened out. “I should have warned you — he sometimes gets up in the middle of the night, has a short conversation, then goes right back to sleep.” She smiled wistfully. “He reminds me of you, you know. You always dropped right off to sleep. No trouble.”

Jason carefully laid down on his side, propped his head up on an elbow, just watching Jake sleep, watched Elizabeth stroke his hair. “You didn’t have to do that tonight.”

“Yeah, I did.” She met his gaze, and he saw the regret there. “For all the nights I didn’t. You love him so much, and I want him to know that.”

“Thank you.”

“I missed my boys so much.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “But they’re here, and they’re safe. That’s all I need.”

Her final words were quiet, and Jason wondered if he realized that she’d done just as Jake had — woken for a conversation, then right back to sleep.

When he was sure that they were both deep in sleep, Jason gently repositioned them so that Jake couldn’t roll into his mother and hurt her, and so that Elizabeth was laying down again.

Then he switched off the light, turned back on the baby monitor in case Cameron needed him, and laid down to sleep.

Mandalay Bay Resort: Hotel Room

Johnny switched on the light, illuminating a large beige room with blue accents and a king-sized bed dominating the area.

Nadine slid in behind him, rubbing her eyes. He remembered now she’d worked the overnight shift the night before — and had been working twelve hour shifts straight for at least few days. He’d dragged her across country without even a change of clothing —

Which was why she was carrying a bag from one of the shops still open on the casino’s main floor with clothes to change into the next morning, and something to sleep in. He had his own bag which he set down.

“It’s nice,” Nadine said, going over to the window, peering out over the bright lights of the strip.

“Sorry. I would have gotten a double—”

“But someone might have looked at what room we booked,” Nadine finished, tugging the curtains over the windows, blocking out the obnoxious casinos. “You said so down at the front desk. It’s fine. A bed is a bed.”

Johnny dragged a hand through his hair, watched as Nadine glanced around the rest of the room, disappeared into the bathroom for a minute. Nadine. His wife. Hell. After all the debate whether or not to get married—

They hadn’t really talked about what happened after the wedding. He’d told her they’d sell this whole thing as an impulsive decision based on lust, and he’d kissed her to prove they could do it—

Now, they were married and in a hotel room with one bed—

Nadine emerged from the bathroom. “Uh, we should probably get some sleep. Or I will since I haven’t slept in more than twenty-four hours. And before you say something stupid like you’ll take the couch or floor,” she began when he opened his mouth, “that’s a king-sized bed. I promise you, I’m so tired I won’t even notice you’re there.”

“That’s flattering,” he said, hoping it sounded like a joke, and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. And then maybe tomorrow—”

“Tomorrow will be there when we wake up,” she said firmly. She picked up her bag from the casino clothing store. “We can have all the conversations about what’s next after I’ve slept and had an infusion of caffeine.”

“Smart. Good.”

She closed the door behind her, and Johnny sat on the edge of the bed staring at his hand. The chapel had even featured a selection of rings, so now he wore a thick gold band around his left ring finger. He twisted it, the feeling of it odd against his skin. He was married, and this was proof. The tiny ring with the fake diamond on Nadine’s hand—he would have to replace it, he thought, kicking off his shoes. No one would believe he’d buy his wife a cheap diamond—

Lulu’s face popped in his head, maybe for the first time in a few hours, and Johnny closed his eyes, thinking about her. She’d understand, Johnny thought. She’d grown up adjacent to this life, so she’d understand why it would have to be this way—

Though maybe Lulu wouldn’t really understand why Johnny had kissed Nadine or she’d kissed him back. That was the problem with acting on impulse all the damn time, he thought. He’d promised to go to the wedding with Lulu, and she had refused to let go of it. Instead of checking with her family, thinking it through — he’d offered it, and she’d been so happy, he’d ignored all the red flags and warnings.

Now she was locked in her own mind, and Johnny had gone on to make more rash and stupid choices. Showing up at the hospital, hoping for another chance to make his case — dragging Nadine to the pier to listen to his sob story—

What was the result of that? They were in Vegas, married, and there still weren’t any guarantees Nadine would be safe from all the chaos he’d dragged her into—

“Did you need the bathroom?”

Johnny jerked out of his thoughts at her voice, glancing over to see her standing in the doorway to the bathroom, wearing a soft pink tank with thin straps, a matching pair of sleep shorts — her face was clean—though she hadn’t been wearing makeup, he realized now that he thought about it—

“No. No. I mean, yes. I need to change. But no.” Johnny got to his feet, yanked his own bag of clothes up and went towards the door. They brushed past each other, and Nadine stumbled slightly, her cheeks pinking up. “Um, go ahead to bed. I’ll be there—I mean, you don’t have to wait up—”

“Right. Right.” She bit her lip and darted away, hurrying around to the other side of the bed. Johnny closed the door, dumped the bag on the counter, then splashed some cold water on his face before looking at himself in the mirror.

“You are an idiot.”

We say, yeah, with fists flying up in the air
Like we’re holding onto something that’s invisible there
‘Cause we’re living at the mercy of the pain and fear
Until we dead it, forget it, let it all disappear
Waiting for the end to come
Wishing I had strength to stand
This is not what I had planned
It’s out of my control
– Waiting for the End, Linkin Park

---

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Jason looked back at Leo Julian. “What happens next?” he asked, almost mechanically. The hospital was under attack and Elizabeth was in danger every moment she was here. Sonny had been shot. Johnny Zacchara was demanding Jason talk to him. Karpov was out there, stirring up trouble and unrest.

It didn’t seem to stop, and he didn’t know what to do with all of it or understand how it was connected because none of that even included the damned shooting at the church that had started it all.

“We’ve stabilized Mr. Corinthos for now,” Leo said, looking down at the chart. “And we’re getting an OR prepped. We need to see…” He looked at Jason. “The bullet wound to the chest didn’t hit anything vital, so we removed it in the trauma room. We’ll do a more exploratory look in the operating room to be sure there’s no internal bleeding. The real problem is the head wound. The bullet looks like it’s in the right occipital lobe, but it’s dangerously close to the cerebellum. And we don’t know what damage was done—we can’t do detailed imaging until we get it out.”

He understood the words, but it was as if they went right through him. Sonny had been shot in the head. The bullet was in his brain.

It was a nightmare that wouldn’t end, and he was right back where he’d been six months earlier, standing in this emergency room, listening as a doctor explained Michael’s condition.

“Who—” Jason stopped. Tried again. “Who’s doing the surgery?”

“I’ll be doing the exploratory on the chest, and Dr. Drake is scrubbing in on the head.” Leo hesitated. “He has that list you need for Elizabeth, so you don’t—”

“It’s…” He rubbed his mouth. “Yeah, no, that’s, um, fine. We’re…someone is sitting with her. Always. And no one—” The words were running through his brain, kept skittering and stopping. “Do I need to sign something?”

Leo handed Jason the form, and he scrawled his signature across the bottom. Jason handed it back. “Is—is he going to be…I mean, can you say—”

The doctor hesitated. “I don’t know,” Leo said finally. “Patrick’s an excellent neurosurgeon, you know that. But it’s a tricky surgery, and we won’t know until we get in there. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Okay. Thank you.”

Leo left, and Jason went to find Carly, sitting blankly in the chair. He sat next to her, staring down at the floor.

“Another shot to the head, Jason,” Carly said, her voice dull, empty. She squeezed eyes shut, rested her elbows on her knees, leaning forward. “It’s happening again, and I’m getting all these flashes back to all that horribleness, and Patrick telling me my baby will never wake up. I go to visit him, Jason, and he just lays there, and everything that made him ours is gone—”

Jason touched her shoulder, and Carly shuddered. “How—how could Sonny—how could this be happening? I know he was upset about Kate. I know he was frustrated with you for being too focused on Elizabeth, but there were no guards. It’s exactly—” Her voice broke. “It’s exactly what he did six months ago. He took himself out into the world without any protection when he knew there was a chance someone wanted to hurt him, and now he’s lying in the hospital—and there’s a bullet in his goddamn head—”

She broke off, shook her head. “I’m so tired, Jason. And I can’t even begin to think what you’re dealing with. Elizabeth almost died today. And now this—” When Jason said nothing, Carly looked at him. “Jason?”

“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” Jason said carefully, because it was a true statement, but it also didn’t feel entirely honest. Carly didn’t know what was happening with the hospital or Elizabeth, and he couldn’t drop that on her — not with everything resurfacing with Michael.

And Jason had to consider the timing of the attempt on Elizabeth’s life. Patrick suspected the meds had been swapped last night — right around the time Andrei Karpov had showed up at Sonny’s, claiming he had a lead on Kate’s shooter that led directly to Johnny Zacchara.

And Elizabeth’s crisis had hit just as Sonny was demanding Jason do something about that — maybe Patrick was right and there were other issues at the hospital, but what if this attack had been deliberate to distract Jason from seeing to Sonny?

He had to get Elizabeth out of the hospital. And he needed to deal with Johnny Zacchara.

“I need to take care of things,” Jason told her. She looked at him, bewildered, a bit lost, but he didn’t have time to hold her hand. He didn’t have the space for that. He had to keep moving, to find out what the hell was going on, and how he could make it over. How could he make it all just stop?

She squeezed his hand. “You do what needs to be done. I can handle this. I’ll call my mother and ask her to pick up Morgan and Cameron from school. God. I’ll have to find a way to tell him about all of this.” She wiped her eyes, gathered herself. “I can do this. I have to do this. There’s just no other choice.”

Harborview Towers: Lobby

This was not how her day was supposed to go after she’d worked the overnight shift. Nadine had planned to grab some lunch, go home, and soak in a bubble bath because damn it, she’d earned it.

Instead, she’d been cajoled into offering romantic advice to Johnny Zacchara, then shot at, dragged from the pier, shoved into a car, driven around aimlessly and now—

For almost an hour, they’d been cooling their heels in the corner of the lobby at Harborview Towers, under the suspicious eyes of three security guards at the front desk.

Nadine nibbled at her thumbnail, the other four nails already bitten to the quick. She watched Johnny glare at his phone—it was flashing so she knew there was a call, but it must be on silent. He pressed a button on the side to make it stop.

“Avoiding someone?” she said, hoping it sounded like a tease or a joke, but it came out wobbly, and he looked at her. “The world, right? Same. Not by choice, but well—”

“They know.” Johnny shot another look at the desk, his foot tapping restlessly. “They all know what happened by now, so they know it was me, and they’re looking at me and my family is calling and I don’t know what the hell to do—” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Nadine bit her lip. “Are you sure I can’t just go home, and you go home, and we both pretend it didn’t—yeah, okay, I hear how stupid that sounds,” she muttered when he shot her an incredulous look. “Look, you can’t avoid your family forever. Didn’t you try that last year? I thought you said bad things happen when your family worries. You should tell them you’re all right.”

“I answer that phone, they’ll be able to find me. I’m not doing that until Jason promises to keep you safe.” Johnny shot to his feet, paced around the small seating area, restless.

“What would you be doing if I wasn’t with you today?” Nadine asked. “I mean, listen, maybe you just leave me here—”

“No. You don’t understand what my family can do if they find out about you.” Johnny shook his head. “Not happening.”

“Mr. Zacchara.” One of the security guards approached them, his expression unreadable. “Mr. Morgan has asked us to escort you upstairs. He’s been delayed but will be here as soon as possible.”

“Okay. Okay. Good. Let’s get this done.” Johnny looked at Nadine, held out a hand. “Let’s go.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about all of this?” she muttered. Because she was involved, and everything she did always ended in catastrophe. That’s why Nikolas had told her it was exhausting to know her, and he hadn’t meant it as a compliment.

Zacchara Estate: Terrace

Claudia could hear her father’s rage-filled tirade even through the closed glass doors. She leaned against the stone railing overlooking the gardens and watched him in the study, screaming at Trevor.

All hell had broken loose about twenty minutes earlier when they’d learned about the shooting. Sonny Corinthos had been sent to the hospital with a bullet in the head, and Johnny wasn’t answering the phone.

Claudia looked down at the device in her hand, her jaw clenched. She pressed redial, lifted the phone to her ear again, listened as it rang. And rang.

And rang.

“Pick up. Pick up the damn phone—”

When the voicemail clicked in, Claudia closed her eyes and turned away from the house. “John, you better have a damn good reason for going off the grid right now. Daddy’s going through the roof, and I don’t know if Trevor can talk him down this time. So if you don’t want him to start razing things to the ground, you’d better call in. Damn it, John. You’d better be okay wherever you are.”

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Whatever Johnny Zacchara wanted to tell him—and how it involved Nadine Crowell — it would have to wait. Jason wasn’t going anywhere without making sure the security on Elizabeth’s room was rock solid. Audrey was sitting with her now, and she knew that no one but Epiphany or Patrick was allowed in the room to dispense medication.

One thing at a time. That was all he could handle right now. Getting Elizabeth out of this damn hospital was something he could control. Once she was home and safe, Jason could focus on everything else.

The top half of Elizabeth’s bed had been lowered slightly so that she was laying a little flatter. Her face was pale, strained, and Jason grimaced, realizing that the normal post-operative drugs she’d be on hadn’t been administered. Patrick had planned to do it himself, not trusting anyone else, but he’d been called to handle Sonny’s case.

“Jason.” Audrey rose, her expression strained. Elizabeth turned her face slightly so that she was looking in his direction, but every movement was stiff and tense. “We were hoping for an update about Mr. Corinthos.”

“Is Sonny okay?” Elizabeth managed. She bit her lip, then closed her eyes. “Gram, can you…I can’t find my call button.”

“Can you get Epiphany?” Jason asked Audrey. “Patrick’s in surgery. He can’t…”

“Of course.” Audrey touched Elizabeth’s arm, then left quickly.

“Jason. What’s going on? Something’s wrong. Everything hurts—and Sonny…” There were beads of sweat breaking on her upper lip, and he hurried to her side. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s…your grandmother is getting Epiphany—”

“She doesn’t…” Elizabeth swallowed hard. “She doesn’t do post-op. Please.” Her eyes were shadowed and tense. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not.” He sat in the chair, drew it as close to the bed as possible. “I can’t get into it all right now. I can’t. It’s not…there’s something going on. You’re right.” He dipped his head, hating every minute of this. It was her life that had been on the line — that still was — but she was in so much pain, and he didn’t know who was listening. “I promise. As soon as I can. Okay?”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then looked at him, her eyes shimmering with tears. Her hand raised in the air, found the side of his face. Her fingers were cool, dry. “Sonny?”

His breath caught, and he closed his eyes. “He’s in surgery,” Jason managed. “It’s not…I don’t know anything yet. I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry. What…can I do?”

He covered her hand with his, pressing it against his cheek for a moment, then kissed her palm. “Rest. Get better. I need you to be okay. The boys need you.”

“The boys.” She closed her eyes again, nodded. “Are they…if Gram is here…oh, God. Carly. Sonny was shot. Is she all right? Are they all right?”

“She’s…I don’t know. Cam is still at school, at least for a little while. Monica is with Jake, and Bobbie is going to pick up both boys. They’re okay. I promise.”

“Okay. Okay.” She grimaced, then bit her lip as her free hand fisted in the hospital blankets. “It really…it really hurts, okay? Why—” Elizabeth forced her eyes open, looked at him. “I’m…a surgical nurse. This isn’t right. Jason.”

He opened his mouth, but mercifully, he saw Audrey and Epiphany hurrying towards them. “It’s coming. Epiphany is here, okay? Let’s take care of this.” Jason stood and went to the door. “It’s bad,” he told the nurse. “Can you—”

“I’m sorry, I got caught up in the ER, I meant to be here—” Epiphany bustled past him, already carrying a syringe in her hand. She reached for Elizabeth’s IV line. “You should be feeling better in just a moment, Elizabeth.”

“But why…” Elizabeth’s words were already fading as the medication took effect. Jason took his first easy breath as he watched her visibly relax, then her eyes closed.

“She’s not an idiot, Morgan. When she wakes up, she’ll have questions,” Epiphany told him.

“As long as you’re here to give her another round of pain meds, she’ll be waking up at home and I can tell her anything she wants to know,” Jason said. He took a deep breath. “But I still have a lot to do before that can be done.”

General Hospital: Operating Suite

Patrick stripped off his gloves and gown, dumped them into the bin, then went to the sink to wash his hands. Next to him, Leo was already drying off.

“What are you going to tell them?”

“The truth.” Patrick looked through the window that looked into the operating room. Sonny had already been removed from the room, rolled to the post-op ward where he’d be monitored. He could dimly see his reflection in the glass.

“Are you…okay to do that? It’s been a pretty rough day.” Leo leaned against the sink, his back to the operating room window. “No one would blame you for passing it off to a nurse—”

“I’d blame me,” Patrick muttered. He shook off the excess water then went to dry his hands. “Six months ago, I told this family their ten-year-old would never open his eyes again. And now, I get to do it again. And that’s after Elizabeth almost died on my watch in my hospital—”

“In her hospital, too,” Leo said gently, and Patrick flashed him an irritated glance. “You took over as chief in July. How much crap have you been cleaning up? Ford let this place rot since the moment he took it over, and we all knew it. Whatever we think might be going on, there’s no doubt it started with him or because of him. And remember, we don’t even know for sure that anything is going on.”

“Leo—”

“We suspect, sure. But the only actual sabotage we can prove today is what happened to Elizabeth, who is very notably tied to Jason Morgan. Let’s take a deep breath, pull the ICU records, look at what we have, and get to the bottom of it. But put that aside right now—”

“I performed the surgery, Leo. I’m going to handle the rest of it. That’s my job. I can do my job.” Patrick jerked the door open and left.

After a moment, Leo followed him and ran into Matt Hunter leaving another operating suite. He stopped short of bumping into the younger man. “Hey—”

“Hey,” Matt said, watching the end of the hallway where Patrick was hitting the button for the elevator. “Dr. Wonderful couldn’t save the day?”

“Not much you can do with a bullet to the brain,” Leo said, making a face. “I don’t envy him the job of telling the family. Especially after April.” When Matt’s brow creased in confusion, Leo added, “I forgot you didn’t start until June. The patient — Sonny Corinthos. His ten-year-old son was shot in the head. Patrick’s case. He ended up in long-term care, basically no chance of waking up.” The beeper at his waist sounded, and he reached for it. “I have to go.”

General Hospital: Surgery Floor Waiting Room

Carly shook her head and pushed herself out of the chair to cross to the window. “I told you, Mac. Sonny and I barely speak right now. I have full custody of Morgan, and Michael…” She pressed her lips together, staring unseeingly at the street below. “Well, we don’t need a lot of communication there. I saw him a few days ago, but I honestly don’t know what was going on. And I still don’t.”

“He didn’t say anything about Kate’s shooting?” Mac wanted to know. He tapped his pencil against the notepad. “Maybe he wanted to get some help talking to Jason. I hear Jason’s spent a lot of time at the hospital. Maybe Sonny was frustrated by that.”

He had been, but Carly would never say a word. She half-turned. “Where would you expect Jason to be?”

“Since the majority of the world was unaware of his relationship with Elizabeth Webber, I don’t know if I really thought about it—”

Carly looked back out the window. “I can’t tell you what Sonny was feeling about any of this, but I hope he understood that Jason’s attention was exactly where it should be. On his family. When Jason wasn’t at the hospital, he was looking after the boys, making arrangements for them. Since Lucky just dumped them and ran.”

“Yeah, okay, fair enough. But—” Mac’s phone buzzed. “Give me a minute.” He stepped out to take the call. When the door opened again, Carly prepared for another round with the commissioner. Instead, Patrick stepped in.

“Patrick.” Carly took one step forward, then stopped, searching his eyes. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s…it’s…I’m on my way to tell Jason, but…” He grimaced, looked down at his hands. “Right now, we removed both bullets. But initial tests for function aren’t coming back with a lot of hope.”

There weren’t any tears left, Carly thought. Not after Michael. There was just cold, slowly sliding under skin until she couldn’t feel anything but the chill. “That could change, couldn’t it?”

“It could. He’ll need another surgery in a few days when the swelling goes down, I may be able to get some better results. But I’d be—” Patrick shook his head. “I don’t want to give you hope, Carly.”

“No, I guess you wouldn’t.” She exhaled slowly. “All right then. When you tell Jason, let him know I went home. I have the boys until he’s ready to pick them up. There’s nothing left for me to do here.”

She left the waiting room, walking past Mac as he hung up from a call with Harper. Mac opened his mouth to call after her, then looked at Patrick. “Bad news?”

“Not great. If you’re hoping he’ll wake up to give you a suspect, you’ll be waiting a long time.”

Harborview Towers: Hallway

Johnny frowned when the guard escorting them upstairs made a right out of the elevator rather than a left — “Uh, where are we going?”

“Where you’re told, unless you want to leave.” The guard lifted a brow, gestured down a short hallway with a door that matched the layout leading to Jason’s place. “This is where Mr. Morgan wants you to wait for him.”

“Johnny, we could really just go—” Nadine said, tugging on his jacket sleeve. “Let’s just go—”

“No. No. This is the right choice.” Jason would believe him about self-defense, and he’d make sure Nadine was safe from everyone. He’d dragged her into this—

The guard shoved the door open, and Johnny went in first, flipping on a light switch. It was another penthouse, darkly decorated and furnished with a thin layer of dust. Across the room, next to the stairs, there was a wall of windows overlooking downtown Port Charles.

“What—” Johnny turned, but the door had closed behind the guard, leaving them alone. He cleared his throat. “This must be Sonny’s old place,” he said finally. “Lu told me he used to live across from Jason.”

“Oh. It reminds me of him.” Nadine wandered towards the large fireplace, with the heavy furniture. “Dark, brooding.” She bit her lip. “Kind of like you.”

“Can we hold off on comparing me to Sonny—” Johnny’s stomach tilted as he thought about the man he’d shot. He hadn’t aimed, hadn’t tried to kill him, but what if he’d hurt him badly? He didn’t want to be like his family—

There were footsteps in the hallway, and then the door opened. Jason stepped in, said something to the guard, then closed the door, leaving the three of them alone.

Jason looked at Nadine for a long moment before focusing on Johnny. “He shot at you first, didn’t he?”

The rush of relief as Johnny realized he’d been right flooded him. “I didn’t—I was just on the pier. I tried to leave, but I thought—I just wanted him to leave me alone. Leave us alone. ”

“He wouldn’t even let me walk away by myself,” Nadine said quietly, and Johnny looked at her. “Johnny really did try.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I figured as much.” Jason crossed his arms, his face hard to read. “Elm Street Pier. Broad daylight. Someone will have seen you.”

“That’s why I brought Nadine here. Because the cops are still pissed about the Hayes trial, and, uh—” Johnny slid Nadine a glance. “She didn’t make any friends then, either. So they’re not going to believe or care it was self-defense.”

“Not to mention your father. Or Claudia,” Jason added. He hesitated. “I can give some protection against them,” he said slowly. “But if someone saw you, Johnny, they saw her. And she’s still a witness.”

“But, like, can’t I just say no? I know what the PCPD will do with my information, they won’t listen to me, and I’ll end up in contempt again,” she muttered, folding her arms. “And I bet a second charge will be the one that does me in.”

“They can arrest you as an accomplice,” Johnny said. He dragged his hands through his hair. “Maybe you could go back to Iowa—”

Nadine scowled. “First of all, it’s Ohio, and I’m not picking up my whole life and running away—”

“I don’t have time for this,” Jason interrupted. “Figure out how to solve the witness thing on your own,” he told Johnny. “Until you do, stay here. If the cops knew where you were, they’d be here already. I have to deal with something else. When I get back, tell me what you want to do.”

“Well, wait—” Johnny started, but Jason was already leaving, and the door was slammed in his face. “That went well,” he muttered. “He didn’t even tell me how Sonny was—”

“Johnny.”

He turned back to face her solemn expression. “What?”

“Jason’s not worried about Sonny telling the cops about either of us.” She swallowed hard, her eyes wide. “I don’t think he’s okay.”

“I—” He grimaced, stripped off his jacket. He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus. She was right, of course. Jason hadn’t once mentioned Sonny. Not by name. Or by condition. Was Sonny dead? In a coma? Still in surgery? “What do you want to do?” he asked finally because she was the only innocent person in the room. And maybe she didn’t want to be around a violent killer.

“I want to go tell Mac and Harper that Sonny came after us. That he pulled a gun and took the first shot.” Nadine stepped towards him. “I want to believe in the cops I watched on TV growing up, you know? The good guys. But even if Mac or the PCPD believed me, there’s still Scott. And I don’t like the idea of you being dragged into court again for something you didn’t do.”

“I did this—” Johnny bit out. “You were there—”

“You were minding your own business, standing on the pier, and Sonny tried to kill you. So, what I want to do Johnny isn’t really a relevant question. We need to figure out something that keeps us both out of trouble.” She bit her lip. “We could both go to Ohio, I guess. Or you could go somewhere where they can’t make you come back.”

That was always an option, but if he ran now, he’d have to keep running, Johnny thought. And Nadine wouldn’t have much choice either — if he ran, she’d have to go, too. But how was he supposed to get her out of this mess? How did he keep her from being dragged into the PCPD—

Johnny looked at her. “You want to stay in Port Charles?”

She drew her brow together, suspicious. “Yes. Why?”

“Because I think…” He swallowed hard. “I think I know what to do. Jason said he can make sure you’ve got protection. But I know how to keep the PCPD from coming after you. From Scott Baldwin. And maybe my father, too. Maybe,” he added, because Anthony Zacchara was always unpredictable.

“Okay. What? What’s the plan? What do we have to do?”

“Spousal privilege.”

It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?
– Viva la Vida, Coldplay

---

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s ICU Room

Elizabeth was drifting in a sea of gray, slowly rising towards the surface, her eyelids fluttering a few times — Jason was beside her — and then she was in darkness again.

When she could finally open her eyes and keep them open, she couldn’t quite understand what was happening. Jason was on the wrong side of the bed — the chair hadn’t been there before—

She turned her head on the pillow, staring blankly at the clear walls of the ICU. Was it…was it real? Had any of it happened? Had she dreamed all those days?

“What’s…” the words were barely air escaping from her lips. She turned back, her neck almost refusing the movement. “Jason…”

“Hey.” He slid forward, perching on the edge of the chair. He picked up her hand, though she couldn’t really feel it. “Hey. You’re okay.  They had to take you back into surgery. But it’s alright now.”

“Tired of…” The words faded, and she closed her eyes, nearly sank back into the gray. “Getting annoyed…”

“Elizabeth?”

“No more…” She tried to lick her lips, but her tongue felt almost swollen, difficult to move. “Don’t…why…. surgery?”

“There was some more bleeding. You should rest. Okay? It’s okay.” She felt his warmth hovering, then a gentle stroking at her forehead. “Just rest. I’ll be right here.”

“Was…fine. What—” Her throat was on fire, and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep, to slip into the comfort of nothing, but something wasn’t right, and if she fell asleep she’d never be able to tell him — “It doesn’t…make…sense…”

“I know. I know. But it will be.” His voice faded for a minute, and she could only vaguely make it out. “No, she’s awake. She’s asking questions.”

Another voice came in. “Elizabeth, darling?”

“Gram?” Elizabeth opened her eyes, blearily taking in the figure of her grandmother at Jason’s side. “Gram. You’re here.”

“I’m here, darling. Jason and I are right here. Now you just close your eyes and rest. You need all the strength you can muster for those boys.”

Her boys. Yes. Yes. Elizabeth needed to be strong for them, to get better for them. She closed her eyes and slid back into sleep.

Elm Street

“Oh my God, oh my God—”

Nadine stumbled, and hit the ground, her knees grinding into the pavement, her hand slipping from Johnny’s. He grunted, grabbed her hand, and hauled her back to her feet. “Let’s go! We gotta get out of here!”

“But—” She tried to twist, to look over her shoulder, but Johnny kept her moving, flying through an alley and down a back street until they came out to Elm Street where he’d parked his car — thank God for keyless entry, he thought, shoving his other hand in his pocket and yanking out his keys.

He jerked the passenger door open, shoved Nadine inside, then slammed the door behind her.

“Oh my God, we should call 911, right? We should—” Nadine’s fingers were trembling as he got in, slammed his own door, started the engine, and pulled out into traffic, desperate to put as much space between them and the pier as possible—

Because holy shit.

“Can they trace those calls?” Johnny muttered. “They’ll know you called. That you saw. They’ll never believe it was self-defense. They never do.”

She knew he was right, knew he spoke from experience. But she was a nurse. She saved lives, she didn’t take them.

Nadine said nothing for a long moment. He took a few more turns, getting on the ramp that would take them out of town.

“I can use star sixty-seven,” she said finally. “It blocks numbers. But I can’t do nothing, Johnny. Don’t ask me to do that. I know you’re right. I know—I know what you went through this summer, and I don’t want to help them do that to you again. But—”

“I just—” Johnny exhaled slowly, then pulled over to the shoulder of the road. He dragged his hands down his face. “Yeah. Make the call. Do what you have to do.”

General Hospital: Hallway

Jason murmured something to Audrey, then stepped out to meet Patrick in the hallway. “Did something go wrong in surgery—”

“No. No. I mean—look, just come with me.” Patrick gestured for Jason to follow, and he did reluctantly, though he didn’t like the look on the doctor’s face. What if they hadn’t stopped the bleeding? Or the bleeding had had more complications — sometimes there were blood clots, weren’t there?

He followed Patrick into a conference room. “Just tell me how bad it is. What’s going on?”

“Barring infection, Elizabeth should make a full recovery,” Patrick cut in. “But you need to get her out of this hospital.”

Jason stared at him because nothing about that statement had made any sense. “What are you talking about? She just had major surgery—she coded—her heart stopped. What do you mean, get her out of the hospital?”

“What I’m about to tell you—” Patrick rubbed his jaw, shook his head. “I don’t know for sure what the hell is going on, but I can’t guarantee this morning won’t happen again.” He prowled the conference room, stopping by a window. “Elizabeth’s bleeding was caused by an injury to her kidney noted during the original surgery as being likely to heal on its own. We re-confirmed that diagnosis by looking at the surgical video after we finished today.”

“Okay,” Jason said slowly. “Then how did it start bleeding?”

“I ordered pain medication for Elizabeth after she reopened the sutures.” Patrick gripped the back of a chair, leaned over it. “She received the first few doses up here in the ICU, then two more after she moved floors. After the surgery, we ran a toxicology report. Instead of fentanyl, she was given warfarin.”

“That’s…” Jason tensed. “That’s not a pain medication.”

“No. It’s meant to break up clots, and to give it to a patient with a bruised organ, it could have been a death sentence. Maybe we could say the first time, it was a mistake, but it was three times across two floors, with two different dispensary machines for the medications and two different nurses. I ran the numbers—three doses would have been enough to cause the bleeding necessary for what happened today. Elizabeth went into shock and would have died.”

“Three doses. Two different—that’s not a mistake.”

Patrick’s gaze was intense. “And there’s a chance Elizabeth isn’t the only victim. Maybe Spinelli last month, but we’ve had an uptick in patient deaths. Not anything too surprising. Mostly on the ICU where the rate is always high. But it’s been more patients unresponsive to medication. We’re pulling the records, but I can’t just…I don’t know if Elizabeth was a target or if it was just random, I can’t tell you that. But what I do know is that you need to get her out of this hospital. I can’t guarantee her safety here. Even with a guard on her. Because I can’t guarantee the safety of anyone if the machines are malfunctioning at those rates—and if it was an attack against Elizabeth personally, then I really can’t guarantee anything.”

Jason remained silent, his head spinning. Elizabeth had nearly been murdered. She could have died. And if she stayed in the hospital, there was no guarantee she’d be safe. Who knew what the hell could be injected into her IV? Jason wouldn’t know the difference even if he put a guard on her a door, watched her like a hawk.

Patrick dropped into a chair. “You have the money to set up something at your place. The resources to get whatever equipment you need to monitor. I know Audrey worked post-op before she took over the nursing program. But I can’t focus on this problem if Elizabeth remains at risk.”

“If it’s not just Elizabeth, then it could be someone going after the hospital again. Like last year.”

“Yeah. And if I make a call to the authorities, they’ll shut us down. Maybe that’s the right thing to do. I don’t know.” Patrick put his head in his hands. “I need more information, okay? Right now, Elizabeth is the only person I can say for certain has been a victim of sabotage. And as long as that’s true, she’s not safe here. You can make her safe.”

Jason scrubbed his hands down his face, absorbing all that Patrick had shared. He’d always hated hospitals, but he’d never felt unsafe in one before. Not like this. How many times had he placed his trust in the doctors here at General Hospital? Patrick was right. Elizabeth couldn’t stay here.

“I’ll get it done. You get me a list of what she needs, and I’ll make it happen. If you don’t want to call the cops, fine, Patrick, but this hospital—” Jason exhaled slowly. It had been Emily’s dream to be a doctor here. His father had spent most of his life here. Monica.

Elizabeth loved this place. Her grandparents had practically built it. This would devastate her. And he knew what she’d want him to do. She couldn’t help right now, so he’d do it for her. “I don’t know if I can help, but I have contacts. If you can think of something—”

“You have enough on your plate, but yeah. Yeah. Maybe I might need some help from the other side.” Patrick said. He rose. “Let me get that list together.”

Harborview Road

After Nadine had placed a call about hearing gunshots on Elm Street Pier, Johnny pulled back out onto the road, but he continued driving aimlessly, making turns until they were heading back into town, though he hadn’t said anything about where they were going.

It had begun to rain as they drove back into downtown Port Charles, and the only sound in the car was the repetitive squeak of the windshield wipers back and forth. The sky was gray, overcast, dimming the light in the car.

“They’re going to question me,” Johnny said finally, pulling the car to a red light. “And someone at the hospital might remember you were with me.” He looked over at her, and their eyes met. He looked haunted, his eyes almost hollow. “You’re a witness.”

“It was self-defense. I’ll tell them that. I’ll tell them you had your hands up and everything until the last second—”

“That won’t matter to some people.” His fingers tightened around the wheel. “You’re a witness.”

“You keep saying that. Who’s gonna know? Or care?” Nadine furrowed her brow. “If you’re worried about Jason Morgan, I don’t think he’ll get mad if I just tell the truth. Even if it’s about his friend—”

“No. No. Not Jason. My family,” Johnny said bleakly. “With Logan, they knew I wasn’t guilty. They knew the trial was a joke. I was never in danger. But this? I did this. And if Sonny doesn’t make it, it’ll start all over again, and they’ll arrest me, and put me in jail again.”

The light changed to green, and Johnny looked back at the road. But she kept looking at him, still not sure where he was going with any of this.

“The only person who knows I was there is you. You don’t know my father—”

“I do, actually. He tried to kill me,” Nadine said faintly.

“Yeah, well, that was just a taste of what can he do. After everything with the trial—I don’t know what he would have done if…” He flexed his hands, staring hard at the road in front of him. “I don’t care what they do to me. I’m a Zacchara. It’s part of the package.”

“Doesn’t seem fair.”

“Yeah, well, that’s how it works. But you—you, I can make sure you’re safe. From my family,” Johnny added. He nodded. “Yeah, okay. That’s where we’re going.”

“Where?” Nadine said. “Johnny—”

“I’m taking you somewhere where I know you’ll be safe. You just have to trust me.”

Elm Street Pier

By the time Nadine’s 911 call had been received by dispatch, authorities were already on the scene. The shots had been heard by residents of the nearby buildings, and while gunfire wasn’t exactly unheard of in the neighborhood, it wasn’t normally in broad daylight.

When Mac had arrived on the pier, accompanied by Harper, Sonny had already been transported to General Hospital. His condition was considered critical, though Mac had heard that before in reference to Sonny and would let the doctors handle it.

His job was to discover what had happened here and hope for better results than he’d had in the Kate Howard shooting — but once again, when it came to Sonny Corinthos, Mac was pessimistic about the chances.

“That’s a lot of blood,” Harper said, one hand on his holster. He crouched down at the bloodstains that hadn’t yet been washed away. “We know what it looked like when the paramedics arrived?”

“Uniform said it looked like Sonny hadn’t been moved.” Mac wandered around the area, looking at the wood of the dock stairs and the bench below them. He scrutinized a nick in the top of the bench, followed it down to chunk of missing dock— “How many shots were reported?”

“Not sure. Dispatch said a few reports came in. Scattered. Something like three or four. Why?”

“Sonny was laying here—” Mac gestured at the outlines of the blood. “Facing away from these stairs. So, he was shot from—” He moved a bit, to get into position. “Here. And he’s got a gun in his hand.” He indicated the marks he’d located. “And these are bullet marks. I don’t think this was an execution. There was an exchange of gunfire. Sonny shot back. Or took the first shot.”

“I’ll get CSU to sweep the area, look for bullets and see if they match the gun we took into evidence.” Harper pulled a notepad from his trouser pocket, jotted down a note. “Who do we want to track down first? Morgan? Or one of the current enemies du jour? Zaccharas? That Karpov guy? I mean, it’s connected to the Howard shooting. It has to be.”

“Jason’s at the hospital,” Mac said absently. “I talked to Robin a little while ago, and she told me Elizabeth Webber had a setback. Emergency surgery. I gather Jason’s been there most of the day. I’ll look him up when I go to get an update on Sonny. As for the suspects?” The commissioner exhaled slowly. “I don’t know that we could even talk to anyone on that list yet. Why don’t you check on Elm Street for any business cameras. See if we can find anything interesting. I’ll head over to GH.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Epiphany slid a chart into the slot, then leaned over to check the dispatch report. “Gunshot victim arriving shortly—did we page a trauma surgeon?” she asked the desk clerk next to her.

“Dr. Julian is on his way down.” The clerk popped her gum. “And I cleared trauma room two.”

“Good, good.” Absently, Epiphany wound the stethoscope around her neck as she approached the door, scanning the area for the doctor. After she finished with this incoming emergency, she’d get someone to cover for her, go check on Elizabeth.

“Hey. You here for the gunshot victim?” Leo asked, jogging up, his curly dark hair fluttering. He headed for the doors leading to the ambulance bay. “What do we know?”

“Not much. Just that he’s coming in from the docks. Not the first time—” The ambulance backed up to the building, and the doors popped open. A paramedic jumped down and started to reach for the stretcher.

“Gunshot to the upper chest and head,” the paramedic said, reeling off vital statistics. “Lost him a few times in the ambulance, but—”

“Holy shit,” Leo breathed as Epiphany stared down at the man on the gurney.

“I need—” She took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get him into the trauma room. Then I need to make a call.”

Jason Morgan’s day was about to get a whole lot worse.

Harborview Towers: Lobby

“You can say it until you’re blue in the face,” the guard at the security desk said, his expression stone-faced and unchanged. “You’re not going upstairs until I talk to Jason.”

Johnny scowled, leaned in, but Nadine tugged on his arm. “Being rude to the guy with the gun seems like a bad choice right now,” she hissed, and he looked at her with a mixture of bewilderment and frustration.

He needed to get Nadine somewhere safe before all hell broke loose. How long before the PCPD was able to tie them together? How long before his crazy family found out there was a witness to Johnny’s latest mess?

After what his father had tried to do to Lulu—after what he’d actually done to Johnny’s mother, the last thing Johnny needed was the blood of another woman on his hands.

There was no guarantee Jason would believe what had happened with Sonny had been in self-defense, but he knew Nadine would be safe with him. Jason wasn’t like the rest of them — he didn’t believe in collateral damage. In hurting innocents.

But if Jason wouldn’t even talk to Johnny, then how—

“Then call him now,” Johnny said flatly. “Because I need to talk to him. And he’s going to want to hear this.”

General Hospital: Conference Room

Audrey removed her reading glasses, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re telling me that, somehow, Elizabeth was intentionally dosed with warfarin to induce bleeding in hopes of killing her.” She looked to Patrick, then back to Jason. She set the chart on the table. “Patrick. What on earth is happening?”

“I don’t know yet. We knew there was an issue with the machines, but nothing has ever happened like this. I can’t understand how this could happen across two different floors—” Patrick took a deep breath. “I need to get Elizabeth out of here. I can’t take the chance that it was targeted against her.”

Jason avoided looking at Audrey, convinced that she would start to think she’d been right all along about Elizabeth and her safety around him. But the thought of lying to her, of coming up with a grand excuse as to why Elizabeth had to come home now, didn’t sit right with him. Not after the conversation they’d had.

Audrey exhaled slowly.  “All right. I can certainly look after Elizabeth at the penthouse provided you get me all the same equipment,” she told Jason, who looked up, startled at her easy agreement.  She hesitated. “We may need to discuss transportation — I don’t know how the elevator will work, but let’s get the materials first. Now, Patrick.” She focused on the chief of staff. “How do you plan to attack this problem? Since you’re asking Jason to arrange for the necessary materials to care for Elizabeth, I can only surmise that we’re not involving the authorities at the moment.”

“I…” Patrick swallowed. “Mrs. Hardy—I know you retired a few years ago, but I’m sure you know what happened after Jolene—”

“Yes. I know that the hospital was given an immediate jeopardy notice by the Joint Commission.” Audrey clasped her hands. “You fear what happens if we report this. That we’ll be closed.”

“I think we’ll lose our Medicare funding, that the research programs will close down and everything—” Patrick grimaced. “And that’s a domino effect that we can’t come back from. If this is a problem I can fix quickly and quietly, if Elizabeth is the only patient affected like this, I can’t bring myself to involve the authorities.”

“Elizabeth would probably agree with you,” Jason told Patrick, who nodded. “I don’t—I don’t mean to speak for her, and I’m not. But I know what this place means to her.” He paused, his throat tightening. “What it meant to my sister, and my father. They wouldn’t want this to jeopardize the hospital either.”

“My husband built the emergency department,” Audrey murmured. “He brought this institution into the modern age. It was the center of his world. Of mine, as well. If not for this hospital, perhaps Steve never learns that Jeff was his son. Maybe Elizabeth never comes into our lives,” she told Jason. She touched his hand, squeezed it gently. “And Monica and Alan? Their story is written in these walls. The good Emily would have done if we’d had her a little longer. General Hospital is more than the sum of its parts.” She looked to Patrick. “People come to us to care for them, to look after them. To save their lives if we can, or to let them go with grace. Jolene Crowell did irreparable damage to our mission, crippled our ability to build the next generation. When they eliminated the nursing program, oh, it broke my heart. It was my pride and joy, but that was necessary to save the whole. We’ll bring it back one day.”

She patted Jason’s hand again, then released it. “Now you’re telling me someone else may be attempting more sabotage, to once again threaten the future of this hospital.” She folded her reading glasses, placed them back in their case. “No. I won’t allow it. Whether this is a personal attack against my granddaughter or not, they’re using my hospital to do it. We cannot allow it to stand. You get me what I need to look after Elizabeth,” she told Jason, “And I want your promise—yours as well—” she said to Patrick, “that you’ll find out what happened so that we are never in this position again.”

“You have it,” Jason told her.

“I’ll get the equipment list you need,” Patrick said. He got to his feet. “I’m going to save the hospital, Mrs. Hardy. I promise.”

Audrey watched him go, then looked to Jason. “You didn’t have to include me in this,” she said, tilting her head. “I’m sure you could have hired a private nurse for Elizabeth. Whisked her away somewhere else. Found a way to explain it.”

“I—” Jason seemed unsure how to handle that question but settled on the truth. “You said it yourself. This hospital meant a lot to your husband. To Elizabeth’s grandfather. I know what it means to her. What you mean to her. And she should be with the boys while she gets better. I could never take her away from all of you. Or lie to you about what’s happening.”

Audrey studied for him another moment. “You continue to surprise me,” she said. She sighed. “I do wish Steve were here. He always knew what to do in a crisis. It would break his heart to see General Hospital under attack again.”

“I—” Jason’s cell rang and he frowned at the notification. It was the security desk at Harborview. “Wally?”

“Boss, we got Johnny Zacchara in the lobby demanding to see you.” There was a pause. “With some blonde—the one who made the news after the trial.”

Which probably meant Nadine Crowell, but Jason didn’t know what the hell Johnny wanted. “Tell him—wait.” He had another call incoming. He switched over when he saw the name. “Epiphany?”

“You have to get down to the ER. They just brought Sonny in. He’s been shot and it doesn’t look good.”

Returning home I find myself
Wishing I was already gone
But how long does it take to find me
Well I’m waiting for someone
I think I’m drowning
Can someone lend a hand?
Can someone save me?
Cause I don’t think I can
– Drowning, Saving Abel

---

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Harborview Towers: Elevator

There were few silver linings to the last few days, and Jason knew it would be weeks, if not longer, before they could be sure the crisis had passed. Too many unknown pieces — Kate’s shooter and who he’d been working for, Elizabeth’s recovery, Sonny remaining in control, and whether Andrei Karpov had really given up and moved on—

But right now, as the elevator climbed towards the fifteenth floor, most of that felt very far away. He held Jake in his arms, and his son was coming home. Or what would be home until it was safe to go back to the house on Lexington Avenue.

He wouldn’t have to spend another night away from Jake, and the one-year-old would never remember a time when Jason hadn’t been his father. The toddler with his curious blue eyes and sunny blonde hair was looking around the silver walls of the elevator, taking in the rows of buttons, the lights above the doors with the floor numbers — then looking over at his great-grandmother.

They’d already dropped Cameron off at school that morning, and Jason was planning to get Audrey and Jake settled in the penthouse before going back to the parking garage for their bags. But he very much wanted to show Audrey how important it was to have the boys here, and for her help with Elizabeth—

Though Audrey Hardy had been supportive the day before, and she was willing to move in temporarily, he knew she was still nervous. She would be confronted with the realities of what Jason lived with in ways that weren’t possible if she’d remained in her home on Maple Avenue where she’d be able to pretend he really was a coffee importer.

But at the Towers, there were guards with visible holsters. He’d asked Audrey to use a driver while she was at the penthouse, with a guard to take her to and from the hospital. He’d said it was only temporary for a few weeks, but he didn’t know how to explain to her that the reason Carly could pick up the boys without a driver was that both her cars were bullet proof.  He hoped Elizabeth would help him navigate that request for Audrey at a later time.

But right now, none of that mattered because Jake was in his arms. In a few days, Elizabeth would come home, and Jason would be able to breathe with the people that mattered most in one place.

The elevator opened, and Jason stepped out, walking just slightly ahead of Audrey so that he turned towards his penthouse first, stopping short when he saw Sonny lurking outside. He grimaced, tightened his hold on Jake.

Sonny glanced up, exhaling slowly as he saw Audrey behind him. “Whatever you’re doing has to wait,” he said to Jason. “We have a problem.” Jason couldn’t see Elizabeth’s grandmother but couldn’t imagine she was thrilled to see Sonny.

Jason tensed, shook his head. “You’re the one who will have to wait, Sonny. Go across the hall to your old place. I’ll be over as soon as I get Jake and Mrs. Hardy settled—”

“This is an emergency—”

“Then go deal with it,” Jason said flatly. “Or give me ten minutes and I’ll be over. Your choice.” He slid his key into the lock, twisted it and pushed open his door. He stepped aside to let Audrey through first, then set Jake on his feet. “Give me a minute,” he told her, then closed the door and turned back to Sonny. He kept his voice low. “This is my home. We talked about this last night. I told you I was bringing the boys here and that it would be off limits. If you need me, you call me first.”

“You pawned me off to Cody when I did that—”

“You sent everyone to me when your family needed you,” Jason said shortly, and Sonny closed his mouth. “You wanted to be out, Sonny. This is what it means to be out. Now, are you going across the hall or not?”

“I’ll go,” Sonny said tightly, his face flushed. “And we’re going to settle this.” He stalked around the corner, and a few moments later Jason heard the door slam. He sighed, then went inside where he found Audrey setting her purse on the coffee table.

“I’m sorry about that—”

“I imagine Mr. Corinthos has a great deal on his mind,” Audrey said. “It must be difficult with what’s happened to his fiancée. To not have answers.”

“Sonny doesn’t like not having answers. There are four bedrooms upstairs. Spinelli has one, and there’s a guest room with its own bathroom. I thought you’d want to use that for some privacy.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary—”

“You do not want to share a bathroom with Spinelli,” Jason said dryly, and at this, Audrey smiled. “One of the bedrooms has already been set up with the boys. I’ll have some of the guards bring up the bags from the car, and we can make more trips if you need to.” He went towards the back of the penthouse. “The kitchen is back there. There’s another bathroom, a laundry room, and a room that used to be a maid’s room. I don’t use it for anything other than storage.” He came back into the living room. “I had the place looked over for child-proofing—”

“I’m sure you did everything you needed to do. You should see to Mr. Corinthos.”

Jason hesitated, shoved his hands in his pockets. Watched Jake discover the bin of toys Spinelli set up in the corner by the entertainment center. He didn’t want to go across the hall. There was nothing he could offer that Jason didn’t already have access to. There were no rumors on the street about Kate’s shooting, and the PCPD files were thin. The trail had been cold almost from the moment the shot had been fired.

But he didn’t want Sonny to get impatient and come back, and he needed to assert the boundaries. It was important to start all of this off on the right foot — Audrey Hardy had to see that Jason was taking this seriously. That his home was a safe place for the boys, and that they came first. Because if she believed it—

Well, maybe Elizabeth would, too.

“All right. I’ll go. Make yourself at home. I mean that,” Jason added. He went over to the desk, tapped a manila envelope. “Keys to the penthouse, access card for the parking garage and the elevator. You can’t get into either without them. Wally on the front desk holds all visitors and calls up, unless they’re on a pre-approved list. I left the list here. You can add anyone you want. Oh. And the driver—just call down to the front desk about ten minutes before you want to go, and one will be waiting.”

“Thank you. I mean that. This has been…” Audrey paused, considered her words. “It’s not how I expected the last few days to unfold, I’ll be frank, but I appreciate what you’ve done to make it easier. I’ll worry less about Elizabeth trying to do too much if she has support with the boys. And if I’m here to look after her. Between the two of us, we ought to be able to make her rest.”

“I’ll worry less, too. Elizabeth can be pretty stubborn.” Jason smiled when Audrey snorted. “But you know that better than I do.”

“I certainly do.”

He glanced towards the door. “I’ll go handle what I need to do.”

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Patrick tapped lightly on the open door, his brow furrowing when he saw Elizabeth hold up a hand, weakly gesturing for him to come in. “Hey, I wanted to check on you before I started my rounds. How are you feeling this morning?”

“Tired…” She cleared her throat. “Some pain, actually. Maybe from the new sutures?”

“Maybe.” Patrick flipped through her chart. “The nurse came in with the pain meds, didn’t they?”

“Mmm…” Elizabeth licked her lips. “Yeah. Last night. Before they moved me from the ICU down here, and then after dinner again.” She shifted slightly, her mouth tight. But she forced a smile. “Jason brought the boys.”

“Oh, yeah, it must have been good to see them.” Patrick leaned down, flashed a light in her eyes. She winced. “Sorry.”

“My head really hurts. Maybe I did too much again. But it—it was really good—” She licked her lips again, then her eyes fluttered.

“Hey. Hey. Can you look at me?” Patrick frowned.

“I’m…looking…it just—my…stitches…they feel a little…” She wiggled her fingers. “Weird. That’s where the pain is.”

Patrick looked at the chart again. Her third dose of fentanyl had been just an hour ago. She shouldn’t feel any pain at all.

He looked up at Elizabeth. “Let me check the incision, okay? Do you mind?”

Elizabeth shook her head, and Patrick bent down to draw up her hospital gown, his blood running cold when he saw her abdomen. It was slightly swollen—something visible even without removing the bandage.

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked, her voice low, almost slurring. He glanced up, and her eyes were glazed over. “Patrick…”

“It’s…it’s fine. I, uh, need you to trust me, okay?” He drew back down her gown. “We need to—” And then she closed her eyes, her head lolled to one side—

Beside her, the machine monitoring her vitals began to beep wildly, then the line measuring her heartbeat flattened.

Patrick slapped a button on the side of the machine, triggering an alert to the nurse’s station. A moment later, there was an announcement over the intercom system.

“Code blue, Room 314. Code blue, Room 314.”

Penthouse Four: Living Room

“I’m getting tired of you throwing your weight around every time I try to get you to do your damn job!”

Jason sighed, closed the door behind him, then leaned against it, absorbing Sonny’s furious opening volley. He hadn’t been in this penthouse in a few years, not since Sonny had moved out of it. It was cleaned regularly and kept ready in case of emergencies, and Jason had already decided that it would be where business was handled.

There would be no sending his family upstairs, refusing them free use of their own home — he would try like hell to keep every piece of that life from touching them.

But it would never work if Sonny didn’t let him handle the business. If Sonny didn’t respect Jason and the position he’d wanted Jason to take on.

“I am doing my job,” Jason said slowly.

“If you were doing your job, then how come Karpov found the damn shooter before you did?” Sonny demanded. Out of sheer habit, he stalked towards the end of the room where the minibar sat empty. No decanter of bourbon to medicate his anger.

Jason stilled. “Karpov?”

“Oh, yeah, I see that got your attention—” Sonny whirled back to face him. “He showed up at my place last night.”

“Why didn’t you—” Jason pressed his lips together, looked down to take a deep breath, then looked up. “You didn’t tell Cody that when you called—” And Max hadn’t passed it along either, something he filed away for later.

“Because I don’t report to your underlings! I don’t report to anyone!” Sonny hurled back. “You take orders from me—”

“Not anymore,” Jason said quietly, and Sonny’s face was florid. “And if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I don’t know how to fix that. Do you want to talk to me about Karpov now or shout at me more? Because I have to go to the hospital—”

“Oh, shut the hell up about the hospital!” Sonny sliced his hand through the air. “You got my sympathy that first day when you didn’t know if Elizabeth would live or die, all right? But it’s been days and she’s coming home, isn’t she? You get to see her, don’t you?”

Jason sighed, rubbed his temple. “Yeah. Okay—”

“No, you don’t get it. What’s it going to take for you to understand—maybe you need to see the woman you love walking towards you, then crumple to the ground, blood soaking her wedding dress—Is that what it is? You don’t think Kate matters enough to take seriously?”

“I am taking Kate seriously. I hate that this happened to her. And if you have a lead on her shooter, I want to know it.” Jason kept his tone even, though the image Sonny had painted wasn’t a pretty one, and it wasn’t one he wanted to linger.

“I told you. Karpov found the shooter,” Sonny bit out. “He brought him to the house last night. The bastard told me who hired him — Johnny Zacchara. Said the guy was young and talked about having the perfect cover. After all, didn’t you tell me it wasn’t him because of what happened to Lulu?”

Jason opened his mouth, then closed it, bewildered at this turn of events. There was nothing — outside this story— that connected Johnny with any of this. The only violence Johnny had ever been involved in had been connected to Anthony. In Anthony’s mad desire to control his son, he’d found himself on Spoon Island during the Black and White Ball. He’d hurt so many people —

He’d made Elizabeth stand on the edge of the parapet — her heels against the slick stone had nearly paralyzed him —

But all of that had been about Anthony. Johnny had never done anything, and Jason was supposed to think the younger man’s first foray into violence had been to order a hit on Kate Howard, to use Lulu and her fragile mental state as a cover for his actions? It didn’t fit with anything else Jason knew—but how did he get Sonny back on his side?

“I understand why you want to believe this,” Jason said, with some hesitation. “But Karpov found this guy when no one else could. How? Who did he talk to? Who was he?”

“I don’t know,” Sonny said derisively. “Johnny hired a Russian. Wanted to frame Karpov probably. What else do you need?”

“Something that isn’t self-serving,” Jason said. “How would Johnny even know to frame Karpov? Come on, Sonny. Think about this! Karpov wanted you to join him, didn’t he? Now he’s handing you what you want without a fight? He’s given you the shooter and the guy who hired him? Something no one else could find—”

“Not no one else. You couldn’t find them. You were too distracted. You didn’t give a damn—”

“I can’t find what’s not there,” Jason retorted. “But it’s awfully convenient Karpov could. What’s the guy’s name? Maybe we can find something that links them—”

“I never got it,” Sonny muttered. “There’s no—” He hesitated. “There’s no way to ask. Karpov executed him.”

“Oh, because that makes sense,” Jason muttered, fishing his vibrating phone out of his pocket, not even looking at it before he answered. “Yeah?”

“Jason? Jason? You have to get to the hospital—”

“Epiphany?” Jason turned away from Sonny, his pulse pounding. “Epiphany, what’s wrong?”

“Elizabeth. She coded, and she—Patrick had to rush her into surgery. You need to be here—”

“How the hell could that happen? She was fine!” Jason was already moving towards the door, yanking it open, Sonny on his heels. “They moved her out of the ICU.” He jabbed the elevator button, then swore as he realized his keys were in the other penthouse. And that he’d need to say something to Audrey. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there. I’ll be right there.”

Sonny had followed him out of the penthouse. “Where are you going? Damn it, we’re not done!”

“I don’t have time for this!” Jason snapped. He shoved open his penthouse door. “Take care of it yourself!”

General Hospital: Kate’s Hospital Room

Maxie tapped her fingers nervously against her clipboard and slid a careful glance at Olivia. They’d had an uneasy truce since her blow up the day before, but there was no telling if the crazy cousin would change her mind and throw Maxie out. That couldn’t happen. Not when Kate had finally regained consciousness.

“Sonny…” Kate licked her chapped lips, and Maxie immediately started to reach for the lip balm in her purse. “Where’s Sonny?”

“Not here,” Olivia snapped. She glared at Maxie as if to keep quiet about the daily battles Sonny had fought trying to get access to the room. Maxie widened her eyes to express her innocence. “Maxie, go find a doctor. Get us some water or something.”

Maxie pursed her lips. “Fine. But here’s something for her lips.” She held out the little metal tin and Olivia reluctantly took it. She looked at Kate, her guru. “I’m really glad you’re awake. I missed you.”

“I missed…you, too…I think.” Kate attempted a smile, and it was almost spooky, so Maxie hurried out of the room to find someone. It didn’t seem right for Olivia to be lying to Kate, she thought, dashing down different hallways, passing other ICU rooms with their clear walls.

How annoying it was to be in the ICU, she thought. Open to the world and on display like circus animals or a freak show. She knew it was for monitoring reasons, but who would actually want that? Maxie shuddered and looped around to the next hallway, stopping at the desk.

“Hey. You. Kate Howard is awake. I need a doctor.”

The nurse on duty tipped her glasses down. “Excuse me?”

“A doctor. Someone. I don’t know. Kate’s awake. And we need to oust the Bensonhurst Mussolini.” Maxie planted one hand at her hip and tapped the desk with the other. “Let’s go. Chop chop.”

The nurse rolled her eyes but reached for her phone. Maxie fished her phone from her purse and texted Spinelli. Now that Kate was awake, Maxie wanted to be able to tell Sonny immediately.

And there was nothing Olivia could do to stop her now, she thought brightly. The reign of terror was nearly over.

General Hospital: Surgery

“You keep hovering, Drake, and I’m gonna punch you,” Leo Julian bit out. He peered at Patrick over the edge of his mask.

“You keep getting distracted, and you won’t have to throw the first punch,” Patrick shot back. “Do your damn job—”

“Boys, why don’t you both stop bitching at each other and worry about the patient on the table,” Epiphany cut in sharply, and both men fell silent. For a few moments, there wasn’t much to be heard beyond the sound of medical instruments being replaced, the beeps of the monitors—

Leo muttered a curse. “Simpson, can you keep up with the suction or not?”

Patrick stepped closer, swallowing hard as he saw the bloody towels being discarded. His only consolation was the steady beat of the monitors — Elizabeth’s vitals were stable for now, though they’d crashed for a second time at the beginning of surgery—

And they still didn’t know the cause of the bleeding. The liver laceration hadn’t reopened—those stitches were still holding strong but clearly, they’d missed something in the first surgery. Had she been slowly bleeding out all this time?

“Bladder and bowels are clear as the source,” Leo reported. “But—” He exhaled slowly. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What is it?” Patrick’s pulse skittered. “What’s wrong?”

“The kidney—there’s…there’s an injury, and—let me just—” He tossed aside something, and reached for a different instrument. “I found it.  Let’s repair it, close up, get her into recovery, and then we can talk about what the hell is going on.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Maxie tapped her foot nervously, watching from a distance as doctors went in and out of Kate’s room. She nibbled on one of her nails, and Nadine gently reached forward, touched her hand.

“You’ll hate yourself later for jagged nails.”

“Oh. Oh—damn it—I swear all of this has me so messed up. It’s been days, days! And I thought I’d be happy when Kate woke up and I’d be able to get rid of the dictator, but—” Maxie pressed her lips together. “Now the doctors are saying they’re running more tests. What if she can’t walk again? And, oh my God, how am I going to tell her about Lulu?”

“You’re going to take it one minute at a time,” Nadine said. “Do you want me to hang around a little longer?”

“No. No. Yes. I don’t know.” Maxie dragged a hand through hair, then narrowed her eyes at something behind Nadine. “What are you doing here?”

“Working,” Matt said shortly, stepping up into the station, looking through the stack of charts. He looked to Nadine. “Do you know who took over for you in post-op?”

“I think maybe Regina. Or Leyla. Why?”

“Because I got stuck with Leo and Patrick’s rounds, and I need someone to catch me up—” Matt continued to flip through the charts. “Elizabeth got pulled into emergency surgery—”

“Wait—what—” Nadine stopped him, placed a hand over the chart. “What do you mean? She got moved out of the ICU last night! She’d been stable for days!”

“That explains why Spinelli is late,” Maxie muttered.

“I don’t know. I didn’t get the newsletter,” Matt retorted. “All I know is I got my workload doubled—”

“Oh, poor baby,” Maxie said in a mocking tone.

“You’ll get used to it,” Nadine said, and the doctor just rolled his eyes, grabbed a stack of chart and disappeared. “It’s awful about Elizabeth. I hope she’s okay. This is the last thing any of us needs.”

“Seriously. I need Spinelli, and he’ll just be worrying about Jason with this.” Maxie made a face. “How much longer are they going to be in there? I need to tell them to hurry up because if Sonny gets here and he still can’t see Kate, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stick around a little longer?” Nadine asked. “I was just going to get lunch. We can go to the cafeteria—”

“No, no.” Maxie sighed. “No. It’s fine. I’m an adult. I don’t need anyone to hold my hand. Thanks anyway.” She headed back down the hallway, probably to lurk outside Kate’s room to wait for a single moment alone with her boss.

Nadine just shrugged, then headed to the elevator. When the doors opened, she blinked in surprise. “Johnny? What are you doing here?”

Johnny placed a hand on the doors to keep them closed. “Looking for you actually.”

“Oh. Well, I’m on my way to Kelly’s for lunch, so—” She stepped inside the car, pressed the button for the lobby. “You can walk me to my car.”

“I’ll do you one better. I’ll pay for lunch in exchange for some advice and drive you back afterwards.”

“Sold.”

General Hospital: Surgery Floor

Every action Jason had to take between getting the phone call and arriving on the surgical floor felt like three times as long as reality. Stammering out an update to Audrey, leaving her stricken and worrying, the drive to the hospital, parking—

The elevator ride.

Finally—finally—the doors slid open, and he rushed out towards the desk, relieved when he saw Robin talking with his mother. Monica rose to her feet as Robin remained seated, her cheeks tearstained.

He swallowed hard. “What—is she—”

“In surgery.” Monica touched his arm, her eyes kind.

“Leo and Patrick are in with her. They’re the best.” Robin brushed her cheeks, cleared her throat. “Sorry, I was just—um, Leo. that’s Dr. Julian. They think it’s more internal bleeding.”

“How could there still be bleeding?” Jason demanded. “They told me she was fine—they moved her out of the ICU—” He’d gone home—he’d left her—

“They don’t know, Jason,” Monica said, guiding him to the chair. “It can happen sometimes with a small injury. You deal with the obvious one and you miss the small one. That’s why we monitor. It’s why we don’t release patients until we’re sure—”

“But it’s been days! Internal bleeding isn’t supposed to take almost a week—”

“We’ll have more answers when they’re out of surgery. Because you’re right. Internal bleeding is supposed to be immediate. So whatever this injury is, it wasn’t enough to cause concern until now.”

“Can I see her? I need to—I need to call Audrey. I have to—” Jason dipped his head, everything swirling. It was too much. He didn’t know how to juggle everything at once. Sonny was blaming the Zaccharas again, Karpov was back, the boys were at the penthouse which meant they were safer, but he’d also put a larger target on them—

And Elizabeth was back in surgery. Robin had said she’d coded, and Jason knew what that meant. Her heart had stopped, and she’d nearly died.

“Jason?” Monica touched his hand. “I’ll call Audrey. And I’ll go sit with her and the boys—”

“I just…I took them to my place. I mean, no. No. Cam’s at school. Jake and Audrey are the penthouse.” He dragged his hands through his hair.

“Oh. Oh, well—” Monica pressed her lips together, realizing she must have missed something, and for a brief moment Jason felt the rush of guilt. There was always someone else he hadn’t told, someone else who didn’t know. “I can go there, can’t I?”

“Yeah. You’re on the list…” He met her eyes. “It’s not just…it’s not because of Elizabeth that they’re there. I mean, it’s not just—” He winced. “Yes, it’s because of her. But it’s…Jake’s my son.”

“Your—” Her eyes filled, and she pressed two fingers to her lips as she absorbed it. “Oh. Oh. And now you’ve…you’ve brought him home?”

“Yes. Audrey knows. We told her the other day,” Jason added so his mother didn’t think her old friend had known so much longer. “I just—” He looked back at Robin. “How much longer?”

“Soon, I hope. She’ll be back in the ICU, okay? And then you can be with her.” Robin laced her fingers through his. “It’ll be okay. You know I wouldn’t tell you that if I didn’t believe it. I’ll stay with you until my appointment.”

“Okay.” Jason exhaled slowly, looked straight ahead at the bland walls of the waiting area. All this time they’d wasted, he thought. Weeks and months and years. What if Robin was wrong? What if Elizabeth didn’t recover? What if this was how it ended after all they’d been through?

If he had the chance, he thought, if he could just get Elizabeth through this, he made a promise to himself that he’d never waste another moment.

General Hospital: Lobby

Sonny slapped his hand against the counter. “What the hell do you mean I can’t go upstairs?” he demanded.

The security guard behind the desk offered a bland stare. “Visitors to the ICU have been limited, and you are not on the approved list for Ms. Howard—”

That damn woman knew how to hold a grudge better than any woman Sonny had ever met. He’d gone behind her back with her cousin a lifetime ago, and Olivia was going to hold it against him forever—he knew Kate wasn’t behind this. He knew she’d want to see him—

“Did Miss Howard say that?” Sonny demanded.

“I have my orders, sir. You can leave the premises or—”

“Elizabeth.” Sonny banged the counter again. “Elizabeth Webber. There was some emergency with her. Where is she?”

The security guard sighed, then nodded to the receptionist who tapped a few keys. “Ms. Webber isn’t in a room at the moment, so you’ll have to wait—”

“This is some goddamn bullshit—” Sonny began, but then he saw something out of the corner of his eyes. The elevators opened and a blonde he vaguely recognized stepped out—and behind her Johnny Zacchara.

She turned to say something to him, and he smiled, then they walked towards the front doors located near the bank of elevators.

Everyone else might have written Johnny Zacchara off because his precious girlfriend had been present and had a mental breakdown, but the bastard didn’t look so broken up about any of it, Sonny thought darkly. So maybe he should follow the asshole and figure out what the hell was going on.

Without another word, he stalked away from the security desk and headed for the doors.

We can all hang ourselves from gold chandeliers
And drink goodbye to all, all the pain and fears
Loose lips have sunk this ship to a shallow grave
Washed up upon the rocks
I won’t be saved, I won’t be saved
– Can’t Be Saved, SensesFail

---

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

General Hospital: Operating Suite

Patrick ripped off his gloves, balled them up with the yellow gown he’d worn in the operating room, then dumped them in the trash can. He whipped off the cap covering his hair and looked at Leo with fury. “How the hell did you miss that?”

“I didn’t—” Leo exhaled slowly, removing his own gown and gloves at a much slower pace. “I didn’t miss it. In the chart, I noted the kidney was bruised but would heal on its own. It never should have bled like that. Patrick, come on—you know as well as I do if she’d been bleeding since the accident, she’d be dead by now.”

“Damn it, damn it—” He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Then what the hell would cause something like that?”

Leo pressed his lips together. “A blood thinner, maybe. We’ve been having trouble with the dispensary machines in the ICU. What medication was Elizabeth on? We can check the lists the nurses have been keeping, see if it’s one of the issues.”

“Fentanyl, I did a round of it after she reopened her sutures yesterday. Yesterday,” Patrick repeated. “I did the sutures myself yesterday, and her wound didn’t look like that. She’d have been in pain the whole time.” He shook his head. “But even if a dose of fentanyl got mixed up with something, it wouldn’t have done this. Not just one dose.”

“I think we’d better run some toxicology reports to be sure.” Leo’s mouth was grim. “It was a matter of time, Patrick, before those damned machines screwed us.” He paused. “Look, let’s just run the reports, get some answers. Maybe this is exactly what we need to get the board to finally replace them.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one that has to explain to Jason Morgan why Elizabeth almost died,” Patrick bit out. “Order the damned tests.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“Oh! Monica! Please tell me that you have an update.” Audrey stepped back to allow Jason’s mother entrance. Monica swept her eyes over the room, her gaze homing in on the toddler playing with his blocks.

“No, no, I’m sorry. Nothing yet. She was still in surgery when I left.” Monica put a hand on Audrey’s arm. “But you know she’ll have Patrick’s full attention, and there’s no one I’d trust more on her case. And Leo, of course.”

“I just don’t—” Audrey folded her arms, closed her eyes. “It’s too much, you see? Too much. The accident, and then Lucky just walking away—and moving the boys in here this morning—and now Elizabeth is back in surgery—”

At the sound of his great-grandmother’s distress, Jake stopped playing, turned his head to give her a quizzical look, and Monica lost her breath.

“Oh, it’s really—oh, it’s true, isn’t it?” She stepped towards Jake, touched her mouth, then looked at Audrey. “Oh, he’s Jason all over again. How did we not see it? How—” She took a deep breath, steadied herself, looked back at Audrey. “I know this is a lot. It’s been quite the morning for me — but I’m going to be right here with you until we know more. All right? Elizabeth is strong, and she’s tough—”

“We both know that isn’t always enough,” Audrey said, and Monica nodded. “I’m sorry. That’s hardly fair—”

“But it’s the truth.” She touched Audrey’s shoulder. “Right now, there’s nothing we can do but wait. So, why don’t we sit down, and you tell me everything there is to know about my grandson—no, not just Jake. Both of them. I want to know both of them.”

Bannister’s Wharf

Nadine shoved her hands into her pockets, listened to the sound of the water lapping gently against the wharf, hoping Johnny would say something. But the man just glared at the dark water below them, brooding.

“I’m sorry, Johnny. Nikolas didn’t give me any information about where he was going, and I can’t look up the transfer records without being assigned to her case.” She stepped towards him. “And even if I did learn that information from her records—”

“You couldn’t tell me, yeah I know. Laws and whatever.” Johnny sighed, and finally raised his gaze. “I thought I was okay with all of this, but I woke up this morning, and I couldn’t stop thinking—what if I’d seen her just one more time? You know? I could always bring her back before. They just didn’t let me try this time. I brought her to the hospital, they took her away, and that was it.”

“I won’t say I’m sorry again, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am. I just don’t have the power to do anything about it.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Elizabeth might know where Lucky is because of the boys, but she just went back into surgery, so you couldn’t ask her right now.”

“I thought she was in the clear?” Johnny said.

“I thought so, too, but I’m not on her case, so I can’t say. But—” She squared her shoulders. “I’m going to think positively, okay? She’ll be fine. So that’s our new plan. We’ll ask Elizabeth.”

“She wouldn’t tell me,” Johnny muttered. “She probably agrees with Lucky and his stupid brother.”

“Maybe not. Jason Morgan hasn’t left her side for like a minute since they came in. I don’t know much about them, but there’s all kinds of rumors. Which means she probably knows a little something about dating someone who, uh—” Nadine broke off when Johnny looked at her. “I don’t know how to finish that statement.”

“Jason and I are very different people. He might have Sonny to deal with,” Johnny retorted, “but it’s not the same thing as my father. You know that. He tried to kill you.”

“I know. But it’s still the same idea, right? Loving someone who has, um, baggage, that they can’t really do anything about. I don’t know. It just feels like she might have some sympathy. And you know what they say, right?”

“You’re going to tell me, aren’t you?” he asked sourly.

She smiled weakly but soldiered on. “If you don’t ask the answer is always no. Maybe Elizabeth does agree. But she might not. The worst she can say is no. And since you already think she will, what do you have to lose?”

Johnny narrowed his eyes. “Why does that make sense?”

“Because I’m right.” Nadine took him by the arm, forced him to start walking towards Elm Street Pier and Kelly’s diner just beyond it. “Come on. I want to go grab some lunch before I go home and drop from exhaustion. Walk with me, and I’ll help you come up with just the right way to ask her. The words will matter.”

“Why do you care?” Johnny asked sullenly but allowed himself to be dragged forward.

“Because I like Lulu, because I think you both were treated horribly after what happened to Logan Hayes. Maybe you didn’t handle it well,” Nadine continued, “but you were trying to protect someone you cared about who was struggling, and you were willing to get convicted to do it—”

“Well, you did your best to keep that from happening,” Johnny said, with a smirk. “The only enjoyable part about being up for a lethal injection was watching you on the witness stand.”

“I’m glad one of us was having fun,” she said, making a face. “I got held in contempt for speaking the truth. You’d think that would matter in a court room. Whole thing was a sham. Scott prosecuting his son’s murder, Edward Quartermaine serving on a jury when his former step-granddaughter was dating the defendant—” She snorted. “I’m just sorry I didn’t keep going.”

“Sometimes I am, too.” He followed her up the stairs leading from the pier towards Kelly’s parking lot.

A few steps behind them, but not close enough for either Johnny or Nadine to notice, Sonny followed.

Metro Court Hotel: Restaurant

“I thought you weren’t expected in today.”

Carly looked up to find her estranged husband in front of her. “Is there a problem with me being here?”

Jax shrugged. “No. No. I just thought you’d be out this week since Sonny’s in crisis—”

Carly closed her eyes, took the hit. She deserved it after all. She’d broken her marriage vows and ruined the best relationship she’d ever had. But man, it got old hearing it every time, especially when she’d barely seen Sonny. “Sonny’s in crisis, not me. I took a few days because I was doing Jason a favor, and it was good for Morgan to spend time with Elizabeth’s boys. I took point on them so that Jason and her grandmother could focus on Elizabeth.”

“Oh.” Jax frowned, straightened. “I didn’t—”

“Expect me to do something nice for someone else? No, I don’t suppose you would. But Elizabeth was moved to a regular hospital room last night, and they’re moving the boys to the penthouse today, so I wasn’t needed.”

She returned her attention to the seating arrangements on her clipboard for the charity benefit that night and made another adjustment. When she realized Jax hadn’t left, she looked up again. “Is there a problem?”

“So, Sonny’s out, and Jason’s back in—”

“I’m sorry, did you stop by just to be a smartass, or did you need something?” Carly set the clipboard on the counter. “Because I happen to know you’ve been out for a few days looking after Kate. What’s the matter? You’re not enjoying your own dose of revenge? You think I don’t know why you’re being petty and cutting Sonny out of Kate’s care—”

“Let me guess—Sonny came running to you. Did he ask you to plead his case? Because he can go to hell—”

“You are so damned frustrating!” Carly said, fighting the urge to stamp her foot. “You can’t even see—”

His phone rang and he held up a finger. “Hold that thought,” he said, turning away.

Carly glared at him, then snatched her own vibrating phone from the counter. “Yeah? What?”

“Carly? Is—Is this a bad time?”

At the sound of Jason’s hesitant voice, Carly forgot all about her irritating husband. “Jason? Hey. How are you? What’s going on?”

“I need—I need you to pick up Cam from school. Take him for a few hours. Elizabeth—” There was a pause. “She’s back in surgery. She—coded and had to be rushed into surgery.”

“Oh my God! Oh my God. Of course. I’ll pick him up. I’ll take care of him. Jake—”

“Audrey’s coming to the hospital, and Monica is at the penthouse. I’ll call you, okay?”

“Of course. Anything you need. Keep me posted.” Carly clicked off the phone and looked back at Jax. “I have to go—”

“So do I. Kate’s finally awake—” Jax hesitated, catching her arm. “Are you—was something wrong? You look upset.”

“Elizabeth. She was supposed to come home tomorrow but something happened, and now she’s in surgery, and Jason sounded upset. He needs me to get Cameron.” Carly took a deep breath. “But that’s good about Kate. I mean that, Jax. I never wanted her to be hurt. I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”

“I know. I know that. It’s just—” Jax looked away, his eyes slightly unfocused. “Just feels like it’s all been wrong for months, and I don’t know how to get back.” Then he looked at her. “I don’t even know if I want to go back.”

Carly pressed her lips together. “And I can’t fix that for you. I did what I did, and if you can’t forgive it, there’s nothing more we can say. I have to go. Give my best to Kate. Whatever that’s worth.”

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Jason set the phone aside, reassured that Audrey would be able to come straight to the hospital and see for herself that Elizabeth had made it through another surgery. Monica was happy to look after Jake, and Cameron would be in good hands.

He dragged his hands down his face, then sat down in the chair next to the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, watching Elizabeth as she slept, still intubated from the surgery. Her skin was pale, the bruise on her cheek even starker in contrast now. Her chest slowly rose, then fell—and for a long time he just watched her breathe.

She’d nearly died again, and no one could explain how internal bleeding could be missed for so long without causing death. Jason wasn’t going to let that go — something wasn’t right, and he could see it in both Monica and Robin’s reactions.

He’d have Audrey look over the medical chart when she came, and maybe she could explain it. He needed to know if Elizabeth was safe this time—if she was truly going to be okay—

How was he supposed to think about anything else?

Jason grimaced, leaned back, and reached for his phone. He hadn’t given Sonny a second thought since the call had come in. And it was never a good idea to ignore Sonny that long.

He pressed the speed dial and waited for the call to connect, but it rang until it was sent to voicemail. Jason took the phone from his ear to look at it for a long moment, wondering if Sonny was already doing something that they’d all regret later?

But the thought only lingered for a moment, interrupted when he saw Audrey down the hallway. By the time Elizabeth’s grandmother had reached the room, Jason had put it—and Sonny—out of his mind again.

General Hospital: Kate’s Room

“I heard you the first time, Olivia. I understand that I was shot.” Kate leaned back against the pillows, closed her eyes. “I didn’t ask what happened. I asked where Sonny is.”

“I just can’t understand how you could want to see that man after what he’s put us through—” Olivia turned away, looked at Jax. “Can’t you speak some sense into her?”

“I—” Jax opened his mouth, but Kate sliced her hand through the air. The gesture wasn’t as sharp as it might have been a week earlier, but the dismissal was no less clear.

She looked to Maxie, standing quietly by the door. “Maxie. You’ll know. You always know. Where’s Sonny?”

“I don’t know,” Maxie answered truthfully, avoiding Olivia’s death stare.

Kate’s brow furrowed. “He didn’t tell you when he’d be back?”

“Well,” Maxie said slowly, “No, because he hasn’t been allowed in this room.” And with Kate awake and asking questions, that meant she could start talking.

“What?” Kate raised her head, then whipped it around to look at her cousin. “What is she talking about?”

“Nothing. Nothing in that head but fluff and fashion—”

“Kate’s awake now, so you can’t threaten to kick me out anymore,” Maxie interrupted. She folded her arms. “Olivia refused to let Sonny come see you, okay? And she threatened to cut me out, too. And so, I let her, I’m sorry for that.”

“You refused—” Kate scowled. “Olivia!”

“Well, you’d just been shot, okay! What was I supposed to do? Let him in and bring all that back to you again?” Olivia huffed. “So, he’s been cut out for a few days. He’ll get over it.”

“I’ll deal with you later. And you,” Kate said flatly, glaring at Jax. “Maxie? Find Sonny.”

“On it!”

General Hospital: Conference Room

Patrick and Leo hunched over the laptop on the table, watching the tape of Elizabeth’s original surgery. As a teaching hospital, they’d recorded it, and Patrick knew Leo wanted to be sure he hadn’t mistaken the kidney’s condition at the time. They were still waiting on the results of the toxicology reports.

Epiphany came into the room, a sheaf of papers clutched in her hands. “The dispensary in the ICU and Elizabeth’s floor both recorded doses of fentanyl being dispensed at the times recorded in the chart.”

“Different nurses?”

“Hailey Bell in the ICU dispensed one dose before Elizabeth came down to the general ward, and Nyla Sanchez administered two more — one in the middle of the night, and one about an hour before she crashed.”

“Were we having issues with the dispensary on that floor?” Patrick asked, reaching for the papers.

“Not that I know of, but some of the nurses floated enough to pass along the new routines. Hailey’s off the schedule for three days, but I can ask Nyla. Hold on—” Epiphany went to the door when there was a knock, and Patrick looked over the records, confirming Epiphany’s report.

He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up. Epiphany returned with more papers in her hands. “What is it?”

“Toxicology.”

Patrick snatched it from her, then stared dumbfounded. “Warfarin—but—”

Leo’s head snapped up, and he paused the video. “Warfarin? How much?” Patrick read out the number, and Leo winced. “That’s not just one dose.”

“There’s no trace of fentanyl at all.” Patrick took a deep breath. “Just the warfarin. I’d have to—” He cleared his throat, found it difficult to speak. “I’d have to do the math. Look at the dosages. Robin—she’d, uh, know. But she never got any fentanyl at all. Not according to this.”

“Then—but how could the machine make the same mistake three times?” Epiphany asked, furrowing her brow.

“It wouldn’t. Maybe if she hadn’t been moved—but this is two different machines, two different floors. Two different nursing codes. That’s—” Patrick rubbed his chest. “That’s just not possible.”

“Then what are we talking about?” Leo asked.

“You know—this reminds me of what happened last month,” Epiphany said. “Damien Spinelli was admitted to the hospital. He had a fever spike that couldn’t be controlled with medication for hours,” she told them. “He didn’t respond to a few different medications.”

Leo frowned, leaned forward. “We’ve had a higher post-op infection rate on the surgery floor. And didn’t you say ICU deaths were up this year?”

“Nadine was talking about it, yeah.” Patrick rubbed his mouth. “What are we talking about here? What are we saying?”

“I don’t know, but it seems like a whole lot is going wrong these days. And now we’ve got one of our own being deliberately dosed with a medicine guaranteed to cause issues, possibly even fatal complications. How badly was her kidney injured in the accident?” Epiphany asked.

Leo twisted the laptop around so that the screen was visible to them. “Light bruising which I noted in the chart during the surgery. I said it would heal on its own as the patient recovered from the liver laceration repair. Instead, warfarin exacerbated the bleeding, and she nearly died. If she was getting the warfarin instead of pain meds, we were maybe minutes away from tragedy. Had you acted any slower, Patrick—”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“Are we saying there’s sabotage going on here?” Leo wanted to know. “I mean, come on. Let’s forget we’re talking about Elizabeth for a second. Okay? The same day Kate Howard gets shot, the other woman attached to the Port Charles mob gets into a car accident and nearly dies—let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Even Epiphany can really only point to one other possible case, and it’s linked to Jason.”

“Kate Howard got shot. That’s not news in the world of Jason and Sonny. It’s a normal day,” Epiphany said grimly, and Patrick looked away, remembering that her son had died because of that world earlier that year. “Medical sabotage, if that’s what we’re talking about, that’s different.”

Leo nodded, took that in. “I still say it’s mob related, but I won’t pretend I have the experience. But I don’t like the alternative of another Jolene Crowell haunting the halls. Both options suck.”

Patrick looked at the ceiling, then breathed in, long and deep. Medical sabotage. Elizabeth had nearly died because somehow, someway, the hospital where she worked had injected her with enough blood thinners to nearly kill her.

“Patrick? Should I call the hospital’s attorney? Get Risk Management on the phone—”

“No. No—” Patrick looked at her. “Not yet. Let’s just—one step at a time. Okay? I have to talk to Jason. I have to bring him in on this. If we go to the cops, that’s it. That’s the hospital. After last year, we were lucky to have a chance to rebuild. We won’t survive another round of bad press. The state will come in and take over.”

“So we keep it quiet?” Leo demanded. “Patrick, come on—”

“We figure out how it’s being done and fix it,” Patrick said. “Unless you want to look for another job, Leo. We don’t even know anything’s wrong except for what happened to Elizabeth, and if I report that to the cops, then—” He paused. “We need time to figure this out. Leo—”

“I know. I know. You’re right. GH won’t survive another Jolene Crowell,” the surgeon said with a sigh. He got to his feet. “I’ll pull my surgical records going back at least a month. Let’s see if we can’t figure out some patterns.” He lifted his brows. “You go to tell the head of the Port Charles mob your hospital nearly killed his girlfriend. I’m glad I’m not you.”

Elm Street Pier

Nadine rolled her eyes, stepped off the last stair, and turned to level a glare at Johnny. “I do not talk too much!”

“You absolutely do,” he returned, jogging down the last few steps. He held a white sheet of paper in his hand — the speech Nadine had scrawled over the back of a takeout menu from Kelly’s while they’d had lunch. “You don’t really think I’m going to say all of this? Most of it doesn’t make sense—”

“You weren’t even listening,” she grumbled. She yanked it from his hand. “It’s branches of conversation, okay? Best possible answers. What if she asks about your dad? What if she asks about Jason, what if—”

“What if the sun falls from the sky?” Johnny quipped, yanking the paper back because while it might be mostly nonsensical, it was a place to start, and he appreciate the effort she’d given.

“Aren’t you supposed to be smarter than that? The sun can’t fall from the sky—” Nadine scowled. “Oh. You were just making fun of me, weren’t you?”

“You catch on quick,” Johnny drawled. He folded the paper and slid it in his pocket. “Why don’t you just come with me when I do this? Jason won’t let me in the room on my own, but if you were there—”

“You’re just being dramatic—” Nadine turned away from him, and he grabbed her arm to stop her from flouncing off.

“Seriously. Everyone likes you. Even Scott was almost laughing at you, and you were screwing up his case. Come with me. I need you.”

She looked at him, paralyzed for a moment by the intensity in his dark eyes, then opened her mouth to respond—until a voice from the other side of the pier stopped her cold.

“You work fast.”

Johnny glanced up, his mouth pinching as Sonny sauntered down the shorter set of stairs that led from Bannister’s Wharf. He stepped in front of Nadine. “We’re just leaving—”

“I’m supposed to think you had nothing to do with shooting Kate because of what happened to Lulu,” Sonny bit out, and Johnny tensed. “But here you are with another blonde like Lulu never existed. Or maybe you don’t notice the difference in the dark. One’s as good as the other, huh?”

Johnny held out a hand, as if to warn Nadine to keep quiet, but the normally bubbly nurse had fallen silent. He wanted to look at her, to reassure her, but he was afraid if he looked away —

Something was different today. Sonny was different. Something had changed, and the hatred was more intense than Johnny had ever experienced.

“I didn’t have anything to do with Kate,” Johnny said a bit slowly, trying to sound patient. Understanding. “I’ve been focused on Lulu. Her brothers took her to California. I can’t see her. Talk to her. Nadine’s helping me. She’s a friend. Why don’t you let her be on her way, and you and me can talk about this—”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Nadine muttered, but he ignored her.

“You think you can talk your way out of what I know?” Sonny demanded. He reached inside his suit jacket—and now the gun was pointed at Johnny. At Nadine just behind him because bullets missed all the time, just like they had when he’d been a kid and his mother had paid the price.

He’d dragged Nadine out here to pick her brain, and now she was standing near a trigger-happy asshole who never gave Johnny the benefit of the doubt, even though Johnny had never done a damn thing to deserve any of this. Except be born with the wrong last name.

Johnny held up his hands, edged even more firmly in front of Nadine. This would be a great day for someone to walk by, to see this — but apparently the docks were going to be a ghost town.

“I don’t know what you know, all I can say is what happened. I took Lulu to the wedding. She was so excited to see Kate. I knew she was doing better, and that’s all I cared about. I would never put her in danger, Sonny. I love her. I miss her—”

“You don’t love anyone. You’re just as crazy as your damn father—”

Johnny saw Sonny’s finger clench around the trigger—Christ, the man had lost his damn mind—How was he going to get out of this without getting himself or Nadine killed?

“Let Nadine go. She’s not part of any of this—” Johnny started again, but when Sonny lifted the gun slightly, adjusted his aim, he made his move.

He whirled around, grabbed Nadine around the waist, and tackled her—shoving her behind the bench just beyond the stairs. He heard gunfire in their wake, but felt nothing—

“What the hell—” Nadine yelped, but Johnny shoved her head down, reaching beneath his jacket.

He never traveled to Port Charles without being armed. Not after he’d been kidnapped and shoved into an abandoned insane asylum.

“Stay here,” he ordered, then got to his feet — Sonny was almost on them, but Johnny didn’t bother trying to aim for a lower extremity—he wanted to live, and he didn’t want another woman to suffer because of him.

He squeezed off two shots, and had grabbed Nadine’s hand to haul her to her feet before Sonny had even hit the boards of the pier.

“Oh my God, oh my God—”

“Go, go, go!” He pushed her in front of him, all but shoving her up the stairs. “Run!”

Nadine finally got moving, and they bolted from the pier, leaving Sonny laying on the ground, staring up the sky, blood soaking through his shirt and beneath his head.

How did we get here?
When I used to know you so well?
Yeah, how did we get here?
Well, I think I know
Do you see what we’ve done?
We’re gonna make such fools of ourselves
Do you see what we’ve done?
We’re gonna make such fools of ourselves
– Decode, Paramore

---

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

General Hospital: ICU

“You know, there’s no law that says someone has to be here every single minute,” Elizabeth said, watching curiously as Jason came in, followed by her grandmother. “And there’s no reason both of you—”

“Hush, sweetheart, and don’t argue about being the center of attention,” Audrey said. She leaned over and kissed her granddaughter’s forehead before settling into one of the chairs by the bed. Jason went towards the window to make sure the shades were drawn, and no extra light was leaking into the room. “There was a time when you would have relished all this extra attention.”

“Yeah, when I was fifteen—” Elizabeth sighed, leaning back against the pillows. “But the boys—”

“Cameron is in school, and Bobbie’s looking after Jake for a few hours. I’m going to the house to collect a few more things they’ll need or want. To pack some clothes for you.”

“Mmm, did anyone check on the luggage from the plane?” Elizabeth rubbed her temple. “They said it might be up to ten days—”

“I’ll call the airline later,” Jason promised. “We’ll—I promise, we’ll reschedule the trip.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” She closed her eyes. “You both look so serious, so I’m guessing there’s a reason you’re both here at the same time. And I’m sure it’s not to discuss packing.”

“Well, no. I spoke with Jason yesterday, and we both agreed that—” Audrey paused, and Elizabeth opened her eyes, focused on her grandmother. “We agreed that I ought to tell you a bit more about what happened when Lucky left on Sunday.”

“There’s something worse than just leaving without saying telling me?” Elizabeth asked. She fumbled for the bed controls, raised herself slightly, wincing at the pressure on her sutures. “Did he say something to the boys?”

“No. No. He never saw them. He came over a bit early, before they’d come down. He’d brought the bags you’d packed the day before—I don’t think he’d even opened them,” Audrey said, and the bitterness in her tone and the pinched expression on her face startled Elizabeth. “He simply dropped the bags on the floor and said he was leaving.”

She closed her eyes. “He told me about the whole thing the same way. Like it was already done, and there was nothing I could say. I would have warned you, Gram, but it wasn’t—it wasn’t supposed to happen. Lucky was always supposed to go weeks from now, to follow with Laura.” She rubbed her temple again.

“Are you in pain? Should I go get a doctor?”

“My head,” Elizabeth murmured. She closed her eyes, continued to talk. “Gram, I’m sorry—”

“Darling, Cameron was on the stairs when we argued. He heard some of it, and he saw Lucky leave.”

Her eyes flew open, and Elizabeth jerked up, gasping. Jason reached for the call button, and Audrey took the bed controls, lowered her back down. “What do you mean he saw Lucky?”

“He asked if his Daddy was going away,” Audrey said. “Don’t upset yourself. Oh, I shouldn’t have said anything—”

“No, no, it’s—” Elizabeth swallowed hard, took another deep breath. “It’s my fault. I didn’t mean to react that way. I just—Cameron saw him? What did Lucky say? What did he hear?”

“I don’t know how long he stood there. He can move so quietly when he wants to—but if he was there for any length of time, I’m sure he heard the yelling. I don’t know what he’d understand, but he knew enough that Lucky was leaving. That he was going away. Oh, I’m sorry—”

Patrick appeared in the doorway, breathing hard. “They paged me. What’s wrong? Did her sutures open up?”

“I don’t—I moved too fast—” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “And my head is killing me. Don’t blame them,” she added quickly when Patrick opened his mouth. “I had to—there was something I needed to know about Cameron.”

“Is he okay—” Patrick rolled up the hospital gown to take a closer look at the sutures, grimacing. “Okay, you tore some open—”

“Oh—” Audrey clasped her hands together. “I’m so sorry—”

“I’m the one who told you to tell her. We should have waited,” Jason said, “but I just—”

“No, he’s my son. I have to know—” Elizabeth looked at Patrick, scribbling at her chart. “He saw Lucky at my grandmother’s. He saw him leaving. And Gram says he overheard the argument.”

Patrick’s expression eased. “Is he okay? Cameron?”

“Yeah—”

“Fine. I’ll grant that it couldn’t have waited. But from now on, no more news until the sutures heal. I’ll go get the supplies, restitch, and do a round of pain meds to take the edge off.”

“Patrick, any intern can do this—”

“You think I’m trusting my best nurse to those hacks?” Patrick snorted, scribbling something in the chart. “I’ll take care of it. You rest. I mean it this time.” He looked at Jason and Audrey. “And you should clear out. She’ll feel obligated to be awake, to talk if she has visitors.”

Jason clenched his jaw, but Elizabeth reached out for his hand, squeezed. “Go. You probably have a thousand things that are piling up. And spend time with Jake,” she suggested. “That would make me really happy.”

“All right,” he said, though grudgingly. He leaned down, brushed his lips against her forehead. “Rest. I’ll come by with some dinner.”

“Sounds great.”

When they’d both left, Patrick went to get suture supplies. When he returned, he administered the first dose of pain medication. While she waited for it to kick in, Elizabeth opened her eyes to watch him work. “Don’t be mad at them.”

“I’m not,” Patrick muttered, squinting down at the suture site. “I’m mad at Lucky Spencer, the aggravating jackass who started all of this by abandoning his kids. And it doesn’t matter if they’re not biologically his. Especially not with Cameron.”

“All I can hope is that Cam won’t remember this,” Elizabeth murmured. “Do you remember anything from the year you were four?”

“I—” Patrick paused, considering the question. “A day at the beach. Maybe only because I have pictures of it, you know? I don’t know if I remember it or if my mother told me the story enough that I created a memory. Either way, it’s in there.”

“Is it a good one?”

“Yeah. Yeah. It’s—she’s smiling. And so is my dad. And I’m laughing.” Patrick looked at her. “But that’s it, that’s all I’ve got from year four. Cameron might have flashes, maybe he’ll remember Lucky, maybe he won’t. But you’ll spend the rest of his year four surrounding him with love, and you keep doing that, and one day isn’t going to matter in the long run.”

“You’re going to make such a great dad, you know that?” She closed her eyes, already beginning to float away. “Your baby is lucky to have you.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. Now be quiet and let me work.”

Coffee House: Office

After leaving the hospital, Jason had wanted to go directly to Carly’s where Bobbie was babysitting Jake, but he also knew he did have a few things to deal with, and wouldn’t it be better if he cleared all of that out of the way so nothing intruded on his time with Jake?

Though now that he was sitting in the office, grimacing at contracts Diane had left for him, it now seemed like a terrible idea.

“You got a minute?” Francis knocked on the open door. “Cody said you were here, and I figure I’d catch you while I could.”

Jason set the paperwork aside, gestured for him to come in. Francis closed the door behind him. “Cody said things were good—”

“Yeah, yeah, and I’m not judging you. You’ve been at the hospital, which is exactly where you should be. Can I just say on behalf of everyone else who already knew the truth, I am very grateful we’re done pretending Jake Webber isn’t your kid.”

Jason frowned, got to his feet, and approached the other man. “What does that mean? When did you—”

“I started working for Sonny before you did, Jason.” Francis shoved his hands in his pockets. “Did he ever tell you I was Elizabeth’s first guard? Back when you left. Sorel went after her at Kelly’s, so—”

“No. He never said—”

“Because you almost never called in those first few months. Sonny handled it, and she was fine. I was around for a few weeks until Sorel realized you really weren’t coming back, and Elizabeth fell off the radar. For a little while. Jason, you had guards on those kids for the last six months. You’re going to tell me you never thought anyone was going to have questions? Especially after the trial.”

“I—” Jason sighed. He leaned back against the desk. “Maybe I wanted to believe I could still protect them from all of this. But you’re right. There were enough breadcrumbs that anyone could have found out. Is that what you wanted to say?”

“Partly. Max has been keeping us in the loop as to Sonny’s whereabouts. He mostly bounces between Greystone and the hospital. The cousin still isn’t letting him in the room, but Spinelli’s been keeping tabs on the case through Maxie. He said Sonny tried to get some info through Maxie directly, but Jax cut it off.  Spinelli knows to let us know if Kate’s condition changed for the worse, so we’d be able to do damage control before Sonny got wind of it.”

Jason had barely thought about Kate the last few days and winced at that. “She’s still unconscious?”

“Been in and out, but nothing long-term, Spinelli says. She had to go in for more surgery, but they’re thinking sometime today or tomorrow. All signs still look good. Sonny’s been better since we got Spinelli all set up as the intermediary.”

“Good. Good. What about the shooting?”

Francis shook his head. “Nothing’s moved on our end or through the PCPD, as far as we can tell. Russian gun, Russian ammunition, but Karpov is still working with Rochester. I put some feelers out to his lawyer, maybe suggesting that we could do something behind your back, but she wasn’t interested. We had our chance, she said, and Karpov has found a more willing partner.”

“I don’t like the way that sounds,” Jason muttered.

“Neither did Cody or me, but other than the shooting? We’ve got nothing to work with. The only possibility is Anthony Zacchara hiring someone, but if he did that, there’s no hint of that anywhere.”

“And I’m not accusing that lunatic without some proof. He might be in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get things done if he wanted to.” Jason nodded, folded his arms. “But other than that, everything is quiet?”

“Business as usual. Bound to be quieter with half our clients going elsewhere for their needs.” Francis paused. “You’re serious about shutting this down?”

“I can’t ever get out. Not all the way. There are pockets of the business I can’t reroute,” Jason admitted. “And I figure it’s better me than someone else. But yeah, the shipping routes that everyone has been trying to get for ten years? I’m not going to miss those. In another month or two, they’ll be permanently gone, and someone in Rochester can put a target on their back. But it’s not going to be me.”

“And you’re not worried that Sonny might find out and think it’s up to him to change it? Wouldn’t be the first time you tried to get out and he pulled you back in—”

“Sonny can do whatever he wants. But by the time he figures it out, it’ll be too late to get it back without using force.” Jason went back around the desk. “I’m not who I was a decade ago. I guess we’ll find out what kind of man Sonny wants to be. He said he wanted out. All I did was make sure it was permanent.”

PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

“We’re on day four of this investigation and Scott Baldwin is still on this college trip in California?” Harper shook his head and took a seat in front of Mac’s desk. He flipped through his notebook. “What did you have to sacrifice to the gods for that?”

“I have no reason to call him,” Mac said. Harper lifted his brows. “He’s a special prosecutor, and we don’t have a reason to be in contact with the district attorney’s office yet. After the way Baldwin butchered the Hayes case, they’re not letting him near this case.”

“He’ll just make a call to Floyd, and we’ll be stuck with him,” Harper muttered. “You know they’re not going to let the DA’s office have another crack at any case dealing with Corinthos and Morgan. Not after Jason Morgan walked on two murder cases in four years, and Corinthos somehow never ends up committing a crime in just the right way for charges. I mean, he shot his wife in the head for Christ’s sake.”

“Yeah, I fully expect the DA to hand it over to Baldwin, but unless you’ve worked some magic of your own—” Mac gestured at Harper’s notebook. “I don’t think we’ve got a reason to worry.”

“No, you’re not wrong there.” Harper sighed, glanced down. “No witnesses remember anyone up in the vestibule, which makes sense. Shooter probably blended in with the wedding guests fleeing for their damn lives—” He made a face. “We don’t have any open cases that match the gun we found which is good and bad news.”

“What about Sonny? What’s he been up to?”

“After that first night when he went after Johnny Zacchara, not much. Our guys have him going down to Crimson Pointe a few days ago, but nothing reported from that. He went in, came back out. He’s gone out to Carly Jacks, probably to see the kid he’s got left, and he’s been to the hospital. And home,” Harper added. He flipped the notebook closed. “As for Johnny Zacchara, he was in Port Charles that first day, went home, and he came yesterday, I figure because Lulu Spencer was transferred.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know about that.” He rubbed his forehead. “What about Jason? I know he was at the hospital, but—”

“That’s pretty much it. Hospital to the Towers, and back again. I don’t have today’s report yet, so we’ll see how that goes, but he’s been sticking close to Elizabeth. That’s a hell of a thing, isn’t it?”

“Always figured it was coming sooner or later. So no signs of retaliation? Maybe we’re going about this wrong. Maybe it’s not connected to the groom, but to the bride. What’s Kate’s background?”

“I’ll start digging into that, but I gotta say I don’t think Kate Howard’s going to have the kind of enemies that shoot you in the back. Stab, maybe. Metaphorically speaking,” Harper added. He got to his feet. “I don’t know what to tell you, Mac. This case felt cold almost from the beginning. If we’re lucky, it’s isolated.”

“That’d be a first,” Mac muttered.

Jacks House: Driveway

Carly pulled her car to a stop by the garage, then smiled in the rearview mirror when she recognized the car behind her. “Hey, guess what? Jason’s here!” she said, twisting in her seat to look at the two boys belted into booster seats.

Morgan grinned and Cameron pumped his little fist in the air. “Uncle Jason is the bestest,” Morgan told Cam. He looked at his mother. “Mom, if Cam is my cousin, is Uncle Jason his uncle, too?”

Cameron shook his head. “Mommy said Jason’s my friend. I got an Uncle Nikolas. And Aunt Lu.” His mouth drooped. “But no daddy. He left.”

Carly busied herself unbuckling her belt and reaching for the door handle. She tucked away Cameron’s comments to pass on to Jason. It felt like the sort of thing his mother should know, but Carly wasn’t going to mess up again talking to Elizabeth. Not until she was out of the hospital, at least.

“Hey, it’s good to see you.” Carly hugged Jason when he reached the car. He waved through the windows at both boys who waved back. “Are you here to get them?”

“Yeah, I’m going to bring them to the hospital when I pick up dinner.”

“Oh, that’s good. But I thought kids couldn’t come to the ICU.”

“She was supposed to get moved to the general ward at some point today.”

“By the way, uh, Cam made a comment to Morgan just now—he doesn’t have a daddy because his left. Is that—” When Jason winced, then clenched his jaw. “That doesn’t seem like news to you.”

“Audrey said Cam overheard some of the argument the day Lucky dropped off their things. She wasn’t sure what he understood, but he knew Lucky was going away.” He braced his hand on the window, then looked at Carly. “What exactly did he say?”

Carly related the brief exchange, and Jason just shook his head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “He’s such a great kid. I don’t know how that happened since his mother’s a twit, but miracles happen—”

“Carly—”

“I promised to mind my tongue around the boys and Elizabeth. While she’s in the hospital. I never promised to lie.”

“Really? This is the time for this?” Jason demanded, and she made another face. “Look, let me call the hospital, find out if Elizabeth can have visitors, and then I’ll take the boys with me. Bobbie has Jake inside, right?”

“Yeah, but, oh, don’t be mad, Jason. I’m trying to make this up to you, but you can’t go and be mad about this, too. You know I don’t like her. I’m sorry she’s hurt, and I’m sorry her ex sucks. But she picked him and thought he was a better choice than you—”

“Okay, I’m opening the car door because it’s the only way you’ll shut up,” Jason said, tugging on the door. The irritation vanished entirely when he saw Cameron. “Hey! How was school?”

Carly watched him for another minute, unfastening Cameron’s seatbelt, then lifting the four-year-old out of the car and setting him on the ground. Cameron slipped his hand in Jason’s, chattering away about preschool and his teacher and the gold star that Mommy would love—

And Jason walked him towards the house, listening intently to every word. Carly sighed, then went to fetch her own son. Okay, so maybe she needed to be a little more careful about what she said.

Because Cameron and Jake were a package deal, and somehow, Carly was going to have to figure out how to deal with their mother even if it killed her.

Which it very much might.

Greystone: Living Room

It had been days since his aborted wedding. Days since his bride had been shot in the back and had nearly died, blood soaking her wedding gown, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears, in pain—

Days without answers.

Sonny prowled the length of the room, stopping every once in a while to glare at the desk where his cell phone lay next to the land line, both suspicious and furiously silent. Jason had spared him, what, two conversations since that night? His family was safe, Sonny thought bitterly. His son was healthy. Breathing. His loved one might have been injured, but no one was keeping Jason from being at Elizabeth’s side—

And he was tired of being told who it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be Anthony, the fucker didn’t walk. It couldn’t be Claudia, there was no evidence she possessed the skills. It couldn’t be Johnny, why would he expose Lulu to the violence? It couldn’t be Trevor, he was still too fond of Kate. It couldn’t be Karpov, it wouldn’t serve any purpose—

He didn’t give a shit who it wasn’t — why wasn’t anyone telling him who it was —

Sonny stalked over to the mini bar, jerked the glass stopper from the decanter of bourbon. All he had were suspects but —

“Hey, Boss—” Max knocked on the open door, his face grave. “Andrei Karpov is outside. He says he has something for you on the shooter.”

Sonny scowled, poured a tumbler of his favorite dark liquid. Jason would tell him not to take the meeting. Not to meddle. Sonny had wanted out, hadn’t he? He needed to stay that way.

Well, if Jason wanted to have some damn input on what Sonny did, he might have to return a fucking phone call.

He lifted the bourbon to his lips. “Sure, show him in.”

Max hesitated but shrugged and disappeared for a moment. Then, another man strode in. He was nondescript in all the ways—from his height to his build to his facial features. You would walk past this man without looking at him twice.

Unless of course you saw his eyes — the gunmetal gray that reminded one of a shark ready to sink his teeth in.

No, you’d cross the street if you came across Andrei Karpov.

“Zdravstvuyte,” Karpov said, speaking one of the few words in Russian Sonny understood.

“Don’t waste my time with greetings,” Sonny bit out. “What do you want?”

“I would like to renew my offer to, ah, how do you say?” Karpov touched his chin. “Join forces, yes?”

“The answer hasn’t changed,” Sonny grunted, taking another swig of bourbon. “So if that’s all—”

“Ah, but what if I could give you your heart’s desire? Viktor.” Karpov turned towards the foyer. “Viktor, idite syuda. Come here. Bring our friend.”

Another man, shorter but bulky came in, shoving someone else whose hands were tied in front of him with duct tape.

Sonny lifted his eyes. “And what’s this?”

“I ask around for you. I find a surprise.” Karpov clapped the hostage on the shoulder. “My friend, you tell this man what you tell me.”

“I do the shoot.” The words were barely comprehensible through the thick Russian accent, but he was clear when he raised his hand, extending his finger and holding up his thumb, mimicking a gunshot. “Me. I do the shoot.”

Sonny’s hands gripped the glass more tightly, his eyes burning into the man standing in front of him. “What?”

“Shoot. I do the shoot. Pretty girl. I shoot the girl in the dress.” He cleared his throat, looked at Karpov, said something in Russian Sonny couldn’t understand.

“No, no, you must tell him everything, my friend. Do not worry. Have I not promised to look after you?” Karpov said with a wide smile. The shooter looked skeptical then looked at Sonny again.

“Man hire me. Need Russian gun. Russian man. He say it how it has to be. So I do the shoot. I try to get away. To leave country.” The man wrinkled his nose. “But I cannot go, you see? Need permission to go. I am found. He tell me you not kill me if I tell you who give me order.”

Sonny’s face was white. “Who hired you?”

“His name is…” He furrowed his brow. “Zacchara,” he said, sounding out the syllables as the word did not come easily to the Russian tongue.

“Old or young?” Sonny asked softly.

“Young. Dark hair. Say no one suspect. Russian shoot. He say he have perfect…how you say…blanket? No. No. Cover. Yes. This is word. He have perfect cover.” The shooter looked at Karpov. “I tell him all. You let me go?”

“Ah, my friend. I promised to look after you, yes? And so I shall. Viktor—”  Karpov gestured to the hulking brute behind them who stepped forward.

And then so quickly Sonny could scarcely take it in, Viktor whipped a plastic bag over the man’s head, pulled it tight, then pressed the barrel of his gun against the man’s head—

And pulled the trigger.

A world that sends you reelin’
From decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Let’s shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end, we hear the call
– Welcome to the Black Parade, My Chemical Romance

---

Monday, September 29, 2008

General Hospital: ICU

Jason stepped off the elevators, hesitating when he saw Audrey Hardy at the nurse’s station. “Mrs. Hardy. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. I was hoping you might have a few minutes to speak with me. Perhaps we might get a cup of coffee? I think we ought to have some time to get to know one another. Particularly since we may be sharing a residence for the foreseeable future.”

“Ah. Yeah. Okay.” Jason stepped back, indicated she should precede him to the elevator. He pressed the button. He didn’t know what to say, how to convince Elizabeth’s grandmother to throw away more than a decade of mistrust and suspicions to move into his home, to entrust him with her great-grandchildren. But whatever he came up with, he hoped it would be enough.

He asked her to wait at a table in the hospital cafeteria, to get the coffee himself, buying more time. And yet, even after he’d placed the drink in front of Audrey, Jason still had nothing.

“This is terribly awkward,” Audrey admitted, and she took a deep breath—and Jason realized she was just as nervous as he was, which was oddly comforting. “I spent the last thirty minutes planning what I wanted to say to you, from the moment Elizabeth suggested all of this to me, and yet, I find myself at a loss where to begin.”

“I understand that. I think—” Jason waited for a beat. “I know it might be hard to believe, but Elizabeth, Cameron, and Jake are the most important people in my life. I love them and having them in my life is the only thing I want.”

“I do believe that. I might not have prior to this weekend,” Audrey admitted, “but I think we can both agree that our worldviews have been shaken. I had thought Lucky to be a decent father, though a terrible husband. I thought you were a mistake in Elizabeth’s past that she regretted and from which she had moved on.” She wrapped both hands around the blue and white disposable cup. “It is humbling to realize how much of my granddaughter’s life that she felt she had to hide from me.”

“Some of that—”

“If you are about to take the blame for that, Mr. Morgan, then I think you do yourself an injustice.”

Jason closed his mouth, then frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Elizabeth decided a very long time ago that I was not to know the deepest parts of her. That I could not have access to her true feelings. I was cut out of the most important aspects of her life. She thought she could not trust me to listen to her, to support her, to respect her choices.” Audrey smiled faintly. “She would have been correct, of course. At every turn, I have disappointed her. It will be the greatest regret of my life to know that the girl I was given the blessing to raise, to guide into adulthood, that I failed so terribly.”

“Elizabeth loves you—”

“She does, and it’s to her credit that I have this chance to correct my course before it’s too late. Even if I had not begun to revise my opinion of you, I would agree to her request to stay with you temporarily. Because I never want to be in the position that I was in on Sunday. To feel so ignorant of what Elizabeth was facing—” Audrey paused, collected herself. “You took the time to communicate with me. To include me. And I don’t know if you sent Carly and Bobbie to me with the offer for the boys to stay with Carly—”

“I didn’t. That came from Carly.”

“Ah, well, likely Carly reached out because of her connection to you. In any case—I did not hear about the accident from a member of the police department. I did not hear from Lucky. Instead, he came to my doorstep with suitcases that I know he had never unpacked, bags Elizabeth had given him for their children, and he dropped them in front of me like garbage.”

Jason clenched his jaw, looked away. He’d known the bare facts, but he hadn’t thought about what Audrey had gone through. Her perspective. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I. Lucky left those children without a second thought. He did not wait for them to wake up, to talk to them, to say goodbye. He simply left. And I just—” She made a fist, took a deep breath. “Oh, it broke my heart. I wondered if this was the man Elizabeth had seen, if this was the Lucky she’d been dealing with, and I wondered if maybe I had simply ignored it. If I had looked past it.” Audrey cleared her throat. “And once I realized that everything I had believed about Lucky was false, I knew that I had to see you with new eyes. To look past what I’d heard or believed, and really give you a chance. To find what Elizabeth clearly has known from the beginning.”

“I—” Jason leaned back. He hadn’t expected any of that. “I’m sorry. I’m just—I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s perfectly fair. My judgment is still forming, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you better. I welcome the opportunity to look after Elizabeth, Jake, and Cameron while she recuperates, and I can understand why that would be better at your residence, though I imagine we won’t speak of why that is.” Audrey tipped her head. “Because, Mr. Morgan—Jason, if I may—Elizabeth, Jake, and Cameron are the most important people in my life, too, and I think as long as that’s true for both of us, we’ll do just fine.”

She cleared her throat. “I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to clear the air, to set the tone, so to speak. And in that regard, there’s another matter—something I haven’t spoken with Elizabeth about yet, and I don’t know if I should. I’d like your opinion as to whether or not I should.”

“Sure. Sure. Anything.”

“It’s about Cameron.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Johnny was relieved when Nadine was the first face he saw after stepping off the elevator. He headed over to the counter, but she came out and met him halfway. “Hey. Listen. I got your text. You said they’re moving her today?”

“Yeah, but wait—” Nadine reached out, took him by the elbow. “But listen, I sort of pissed Nikolas off a little bit, so maybe you don’t mention I tipped you off, okay?”

Johnny hesitated, then frowned at her. “What happened?” Then he remembered and winced. “Oh, damn—I didn’t even think about it. You and Nikolas, you were dating, weren’t you? That’s why he told you he was going to California.”

“I mean, dating is apparently a strong word for what we were,” Nadine muttered. “I certainly thought we were dating, but I guess I was just a convenient bed buddy—” Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head. “That’s not important, okay? I just—he’s not exactly happy with me, so any chance you have at seeing Lu before—”

“I don’t care about that—well, no, I do. But he’s an asshole if that’s how he broke up with you, and if he wants to be pissed you’re keeping me in the loop about my girlfriend who would want me here if she—” He closed his mouth, just shook his head. “She’d want me here,” he said grimly. “And she’d be angry about what Nikolas is doing. And how he’s treating you. She likes you—”

“I like her, too. And I hate how all of this is happening. I hate what’s happened to Lulu so much, Johnny. All of this is so unfair, and—” Nadine stopped, making a face. “Damn it. Damn it. I meant to be gone—”

“I don’t know what you’re doing here,” Nikolas said coolly, and Johnny turned to find the Cassadine prince at the desk. “But Nadine wasted her time in calling you.”

“On Saturday, you seemed like a decent human being,” Johnny retorted. “You said you’d call for me if she asked for me. You said you didn’t blame me—why the hell can’t I just say goodbye—”

“I told you not to waste your time waiting for her,” Nikolas finished. “And that’s exactly what this is. She doesn’t know you’re here, Johnny. She doesn’t know any of this is happening—” He looked at Nadine for a long moment, then back at Johnny. “But even if all that weren’t true, it doesn’t matter. She’s already gone.”

“What—” Johnny took a step towards Nikolas. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I just watched her being loaded onto the patient elevator.” Nikolas waited for a beat. “I intend to keep my promise. If my sister recovers—”

“When she recovers,” Johnny cut in.

Nikolas looked away, and some of the arrogance melted away and he suddenly looked tired, beaten down. “I pray to God that’s true. But my mother—she slipped away just this quickly. We could get her to come back, but she’d just keep drifting until one day, one last trigger—and she went inside herself. She’s never come back. Six years,” he murmured. He rubbed his cheek. “I don’t know. I wish I’d acted more quickly. Done more. And maybe, for that, I do blame you.” He looked at Johnny. “Just like Luke. You kept Lulu away to save yourself, even when she was struggling. He kept my mother away at a crucial moment when she might have been saved. Just two selfish men trying to play hero to a woman they sacrificed for their own ego. I couldn’t save my mother from Luke Spencer, and now I’ve lost my sister because of you.”

“That’s not fair, Nikolas—” Nadine protested.

Johnny swallowed hard. There was nothing he could say to that. It was true, wasn’t it? He’d taken Lulu on the run, so sure that he was doing the right thing. But it had been the worst thing. Could coming clean earlier have saved her?

“At any rate, it doesn’t matter. If she recovers, if she wakes up, and she asks for you, I promise you I will be so relieved that I’ll give her whatever she asks. For all our sakes, I hope that day comes. But until it does, I don’t recommend waiting around. It’s not—” Nikolas grimaced. “It’s not what Lu would have wanted for you. For any of us.”

Nikolas strode to the elevator, pressed the button, looked once more at the pair. “She’d hate what we’re doing,” he said to Nadine, and Johnny looked at the blonde, her eyes shimmering. “You’ve got it right on that. I hope she kicks my ass for doing this. But by God, if this works, then it’ll be worth it.”

He stepped on the elevator, turned around to face them, and then the doors closed.

Johnny sighed, looked to Nadine—then blinked. She was gone—he caught her dashing away towards the service stairs. After a moment, he followed.

General Hospital: Cafeteria

The conversation had gone better than Audrey had hoped for, and she thought she might understand what Elizabeth had meant all those years ago when she’d talked about the way Jason had listened to her, and how that had helped.

“I understood from my conversation with Elizabeth that she is very disappointed in how Lucky handled all of this. Until then, she hadn’t told me that Lucky had initially refused to even take the boys for this week.” Audrey finally sipped the coffee, took the moment. “It’s baffling to me that he never asked for more time. That he seemed content with haphazard weekends and the occasional overnight. But he told me he had to go, had to look after his family.” She looked up, found Jason’s eyes on hers. “His family, he told me, as if his sons weren’t asleep upstairs. I understand what’s going on with his sister but, my God, it just—” She stopped.

Her throat was tight, and she had to force the words out. “He doesn’t consider those precious angels part of his family. And I wish that was the worst thing that happened that day. But, oh, Jason—” She leaned forward. “Cameron was on the stairs. I never saw him until Lucky was gone. But he was there. And he looked so devastated. And asked me if his daddy was going away.”

“Cameron—” Jason rubbed his mouth, looking away for a long moment. “Cameron heard this?”

“I don’t know how long, but he certainly knew enough that his father was leaving him. That he was going away. I know he’s not quite five—”

“But he knows something isn’t right,” Jason said, and Audrey nodded. “Kids always know. They might not understand the details, but they can feel the tension in the room. The anger.”

“Oh. Oh, yes, you’ve hit it exactly.” And her estimation of Jason went up another notch. “I wasn’t entirely sure how to phrase it, but that’s precisely what I felt. Now, he’s bounced back because his brother is so happy and sweet, and he’s had Morgan. But I worry that he heard it, that he’ll realize his father left, and I just—I hesitate to tell Elizabeth because she’s already so upset over everything else, and well, I can’t imagine it would be news to her how Lucky feels about the boys.”

“No. No, it wouldn’t. I don’t—” Jason looked away again, was quiet for another moment. “It’s hard to hear that Cameron overheard any part of what I’m sure was an angry conversation. I know it would upset Elizabeth, but she has to know. Cameron’s her son. We can’t—we shouldn’t protect her from anything she might need to know to help him through this. I—you’ve talked to Elizabeth. You know that I want a life with her. And that’s always included the boys.”

“She said so yes, and she’s told me that the boys know you. They’ve spent some time with you.” Audrey tipped her head. “You’re doing an excellent job of masking just how furious you are, and that’s commendable. I’m not sure I did as well when I spoke to Cameron that day.”

“I don’t understand how Lucky could have been given that chance, the opportunity to be their father, and not want it. Not—” Jason shook his head. “Elizabeth and I—we made a decision that we wanted Jake to have a family. I wanted him to have his brother and his mother all the time. I wanted him to have normalcy. But it was a mistake. Because kids don’t care about any of that. They know when their parents love them. When the people in their lives are happy. And when they’re not. I let myself forget that. I won’t make that mistake again.” He met Audrey’s eyes. “I’m Jake’s father, and that’s what I’m going to be. I respect that Cameron sees Lucky as his father, and I’m not going to force myself into that role. But I’ve always loved him, and I promise you, I won’t waste this chance.”

“No, I don’t think you will. And you’re right, of course. I want to protect Elizabeth from one more harsh truth, but she is Cameron’s mother, and she’ll need all the information in order to guide him through this next phase. I am very glad she’ll have you by her side while she does so. That they all do.”

General Hospital: Kate’s Hospital Room

Already in a rotten mood, Maxie stopped at the threshold when she saw the look Olivia’s face, and the matching expression on Jax’s. Damn it. What did she do this time? “Is there something on my dress?” She looked around. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did you talk to Sonny and tell him about Kate’s case? Without my permission?” Olivia demanded, getting to her feet.

Maxie shot Jax a hot look. “We had a deal!”

“Sonny and I had a deal. He broke it. Olivia caught him sneaking in earlier, so there had to be consequences.” Jax leaned back, shrugged.

“I didn’t do anything—” Maxie shot back, hot tears burning her eyes. She stomped her foot. “What is wrong with you, you psycho?” she hurled at Olivia. “Don’t you even care what I’m going through?”

“No, actually, I don’t. I care about protecting my cousin—”

“Oh, never mind. You’re basically a monster, and I’m so sick of pretending to give a damn what you think.” Maxie dismissed her, glared at Jax. “For your information, Lulu was transferred today. She’s gone. Did you even know that? She had a breakdown, okay? And when I wasn’t in here, I was sitting with her, and I’ve had, like, no time, okay? This awful for everyone, not just you! Kate is going to be devastated when she wakes up and finds out what happened to Lulu—”

“Lulu. The blonde from the wedding?” Olivia asked, looking at Jax. “What’s going on?”

Jax sighed and some of his disdain had melted. “It was…a difficult summer for Lulu. For Maxie, as well,” he admitted, and Maxie just sniffed. “Maxie was attacked in the Crimson offices. Lulu stopped it—she killed the attacker. It was self-defense, but Lulu—she struggled with it, mentally. It was her ex-boyfriend,” Jax admitted. “She had a breakdown and was recuperating. Seemed to be on the mend before the wedding. And then, well—”

“She’s gone, okay? Her mind just shut down, and we can’t get her back,” Maxie finished. “And I get to tell Kate all about it when she wakes up, but that doesn’t matter to you, does it?”

“I didn’t—” Olivia looked to Maxie, and some warmth came into her eyes. “I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t care. You don’t care about any kind of life Kate had here, just what you want for her, okay? Lulu’s messed up because she tried to help me, and I thought this wedding would be good for her. She was doing so well, and I picked out her dress, and she was happy—” Maxie looked away, her throat tight. She pressed a fist to her mouth, then looked at Olivia. “Kate liked her, too. Did everything she could to make Lulu a part of this. And just like that, Lu’s gone. Okay? Just gone. And maybe she never comes back, and now you’re threatening to take Kate away from me just because I told her fiancée she was stable. What is wrong with both of you? Do you hate Sonny so much you’re going to take it out on me?”

“All right, maybe we both should just take a step back here—” Olivia began, rubbing her forehead.

“Maybe you should take a step back all the way to Bensonhurst because I am sick of doing this. I’m done.” And with that, Maxie stormed out.

General Hospital: Roof

Nadine burst through the door, but then there was nowhere else to go — just the edge of the roof with the drop to the ground beyond it. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to lose herself in the sounds of Port Charles, the traffic below, the rush of the wind as it whipped around the hospital building.

She heard the door behind her, but Nadine didn’t look to see who it was. She didn’t care. She just wanted the world to go away, to stop thinking about all of it—

“You okay?”

Nadine jerked her eyes open to find Johnny sitting on the edge of the roof, reclining against the flat stone lip. “You should be careful where you sit,” she said dully.

Johnny raised his brows, twisted, and leaned so that he looked over the edge. Nadine hissed, yanked at his sleeve. “I know how to keep my balance. You didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m fine.” She released his sleeve, stepped back and folded her arms again. “It’s just been a tough couple of days.” Weeks. Months.

“Yeah, I hear that.”

“Do you ever feel cursed?” Nadine asked. “Like everything you touch turns to dust and dirt and nothing?”

Johnny tipped his head. “Do you not remember what my last name is?”

“That’s your family.” Nadine sat next to him, angling sideways — she wasn’t so cavalier about sitting with her back to the rest of the world. “I’m talking about you—”

“My father was jealous of how much my mother loved me,” Johnny cut in. “He wanted all her attention on him, so he decided to get rid of me. But my mother wasn’t really on board with that. She stepped in front of the bullet. I was five, by the way. So yeah, hard not to feel cursed when that’s your first memory.”

He stared straight ahead while recounting the story, his eyes locked on the metal fire escape across from them. Nadine exhaled slowly. “I don’t remember my mother. Or my father. Aunt Raylene used to say that some people weren’t meant to be parents, and somehow they were the same people who were more fertile than a rabbit.” She smiled faintly. “Her language was a little more colorful, but you get the point. Mama never married Daddy, and he stuck long enough to make me and Jolene, but I’m told he was gone before the ink dried on the birth certificate, and Mama followed him before I blew out my first birthday candles.”

“Jolene. That’s the sister who—”

“Took money to cause a little trouble here at the hospital. Mostly when doctors and nurses kill their patients, they’re pretending to be angels of mercy or just straight-out sociopaths. Not Jolene. She always liked the way cash felt in her hand—” Nadine held out her palm. “Nothing’s feels as cool and crisp as a fifty, Deene, don’t you know? I’m gonna get mine, you just wait and see.”

She blew out air. “But that’s not as bad as knowing your daddy killed your mama, so I’m sorry, Johnny. That shouldn’t be your first memory. Kids deserve better. Maybe I should go back to working in pediatrics,” she said with a sigh. “But then I’d just bring my luck with me, and those kids have enough problems.”

“Back to that curse thing?” Johnny said. He looked at her. “Because of a breakup?”

“Just add it to the list of catastrophic disasters I’ve been involved in. Got to Port Charles, and well, there was the Black and White Ball,” she said, which made him wince since she’d been attacked by Anthony who thought she was Lulu. “Then Diego tried to kill me. I thought things were a little more quiet, but well—”

“You got involved with my little problem,” Johnny said, and she wrinkled her nose. “Yeah.”

“I did the right thing. I have no regrets, even if I did get hauled off to jail for my troubles.” She shook her head. “Then there was the clinic. It burnt down with me in it, and Nikolas said it was exhausting to know me, which I know he didn’t mean the way I took it, but well, there you are. But I had my job, you know? And I was good at it. Then I got put in the ICU last week and I lost two patients. One after another. Then all of this with Lulu, which just upsets me because it’s so unfair. And, yeah, maybe because of Nikolas. I don’t think it was soulmate love, but I thought I meant something to him.”

Nadine fisted her hands in her lap. “It just feels like a dark cloud is over my head and has been ever since I got here. I don’t know why I thought I could make up for what Jolene did.” She took a deep breath. “But there’s no point in feeling sorry for myself. I have good things, you know. My job here. And well, I guess I still have Jolene, even if she’s in a coma and isn’t ever gonna wake up.” She made a face.

“You could have my sister,” Johnny quipped, and Nadine smiled again, though it was a little more genuine.

“Yeah, I think I’ll keep the comatose sister.” Nadine got to her feet. “I should get back to work. Thanks for keeping me company while I felt sorry for himself. It was awfully nice of you to come after me when I know you’re having your own problems.”

“Don’t go giving me too much credit,” Johnny said, following her to the door and holding it open for her. “I just wanted to think about someone other than myself for a little while.”

“Well, you did a good job. Thank you.” She flashed him a hesitant smile. “You should let me return the favor sometime.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I build myself up
And fly around in circles
Waiting as my heart drops
And my back begins to tingle
Finally, could this be it, or
Should I give up?
Or should I just keep chasing pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere
– Chasing Pavements, Adele

---

Monday, September 29, 2008

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Spinelli padded out from the kitchen, a glass of orange soda clutched in his hand. If anyone had pointed out to him that it was barely eight in the morning, he’d only look at them in confusion. What was the difference really between orange soda and orange juice?

Spinelli had spent the night before in his own bed, a pleasant upgrade from the plastic chair in the waiting room at General Hospital the night before, and he was ready to move on to his next task: assisting his guru in locating the dastardly villain who had ruined everything, sending Kate Howard to the operating room, the Original Blonde One to California — and possibly responsible for the Fair Elizabeth’s car accident.

It was that crime he was investigating now, having finally laid his hands on the traffic lights at the intersection in question, and he was absorbed in watching them when he heard a key in the lock.

Spinelli leapt to his feet, a bit confused but delighted when Jason came in, his hair disheveled and his face worn. “Stone Cold! You’re home! And just in time—”

Jason closed the door, dropped his keys on the desk. “Yeah. I’ve got some things to take care of.” He furrowed his brow. “Did Cody come by?”

“All systems are a go, and I followed your directive to prepare one of the rooms for the Littlest of Dudes and Stone Cold the Sequel.” Spinelli beamed. “The Jackal is delighted that the little tykes will be joining us—”

“I don’t know—” Jason paused, shook his head slightly. “I don’t know yet if they will. But I wanted to be ready.” He paused at the knock on the door. “Were you expecting anyone?”

“No.” Mystified, Spinelli closed his computer. “And there was no call from the front desk—” That meant it was someone on the allowed list. Not so many people left there, Spinelli reflected.

Jason pulled open the door, his eyes widening when he saw Carly—and in her arms, Jake. He hadn’t seen his son since before it had all gone horribly wrong—since before the church, the accident— He itched to take him in his arms. “What—”

“I dropped Morgan and Cam off at preschool, and I knew you wouldn’t close the door in my face if I had this adorable boy with me.” Carly grinned at Jake, and the little boy grinned back at her. “He’s just the sweetest, Jase. Most people don’t like me right off, but Jake and I are the best of friends already.” She looked back at him. “Um, you know—I mean, do you—”

“Yeah, Jake and I know each other, don’t we?” Jason asked, holding out his arms, and Jake immediately lifted his. Carly completed the transfer, and Jason stroked Jake’s back, touched his hair. “How were the boys last night?”

“Good as gold. And just what Morgan needed. All three of them fell asleep in Morgan’s bed—don’t worry, I put Jake in the portable crib, but I left him in the room with his brother. I know I say a lot about their mother, but she’s got some great kids.”

“Mommy?” Jake looked back at Carly, then at Jason. “Where Mommy? Miss Mommy.”

“Gram told you that she was sick, didn’t she?” Jason asked, walking over to the sofa. He looked at Spinelli. “Can you go—”

“I will locate something for the, uh, sequel to play with,” Spinelli said, saluting Jason with two fingers. Then he bounded up the stairs.

“Mommy’s sick but Gram’s taking care of her, and tomorrow or maybe the day after, we’ll go see her, okay?”

“K. Snelli!” Jake said, raising both arms when Spinelli returned with a few choices. Jason sat Jake down, and Spinelli got him settled.

He focused back on Carly. “Not that I’m not happy to see him, but—”

“Less happy to see me, I know. And I know helping out for one night or even a few isn’t going to fix what I did wrong.” She folded her arms, looked to Spinelli who stood up, returned to his laptop. “Hey. How’s Maxie?”

“Bearing up bravely. Should the Jackal leave Stone Cold alone with the Valkyrie—”

“No—did you ever get your hands on those videos we talked about? And no offense, Carly—” he looked at her. “You can wait.”

“What videos?” Carly asked.

“Traffic.” Spinelli fetched his laptop, placed it on the desk, and flipped it open, making sure to angle it so that Jake couldn’t see even a little sliver of the screen. “The Jackal was investigating when you arrived. The PCPD has the driver in custody according to their reports—”

He pressed play, and the trio watched as Elizabeth’s car approached an intersection with a red light. It switched to green, and her car began to travel across. When she was midway, a car blew the red light at the cross street. Not just a car, Spinelli thought, but an SUV which explained why Elizabeth’s smaller car hadn’t just been hit—the hood had been demolished, and the speed of the crash had sent her car careening into oncoming traffic where it was hit by another SUV moving at full speed.

Carly pressed her hands to her face watching wordlessly as the smaller car flipped over once, twice, then a third time before coming to a rest mercifully right side up which had made the rescue much easier.

“The Fair Elizabeth was wearing her seatbelt,” Spinelli said, drawing Jason’s attention. “And the other vehicle hit the hood of her car. Small mercies. That’s what the preliminary crash investigation states.”

Carly exhaled slowly. “She’s lucky to be alive,” she murmured. She touched Jason’s arm. “You okay?”

Jason cleared his throat, then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. Uh—you said the driver was in custody—” he looked to Spinelli.

“The Jackal is waiting for full reports — a background check, financials — but right now, there doesn’t seem to be a link to anyone suspicious. Just a guy who wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see the oncoming car. So he says,” Spinelli added. “Right now, Stone Cold, the Jackal doesn’t see any connection with what happened at the church.”

“You thought they were—” Carly closed her mouth. “Of course you did.”

“Thanks, Spinelli. Let me know if you find anything else. Or if the PCPD gets any leads on Kate’s shooting.”

“The Jackal is eager to serve.” He scooped up the laptop, then headed over to keep Jake occupied, leaving Jason with Carly.

“Are you all right?” Carly asked softly, and Jason looked at her. “I didn’t know how bad the—I mean, I knew it wasn’t a fender bender,” she added. “But—” She wrinkled her nose. “If that SUV had hit her head on instead of just the hood of the car—”

“Did you want something, Carly?” Jason interrupted, not needing the reminder that it had been a matter of inches that had kept Elizabeth in his life. “Do the boys need anything? I have to get back to the hospital—”

“I wanted to apologize. To really apologize. Um, I think sometimes I’m a little irrational when it comes to Elizabeth—okay, more than a little,” Carly admitted when he just lifted a brow. She folded her arms. “I’ll work on that part. I really am sorry that she was hurt or that I added to it. I know that helping like this—that’s a drop in the bucket in making it up to you—”

“Carly—” He rubbed his face, exhausted already. “I know you’re sorry. I know you regret it. But it’s not the point, okay?”

“No, I know that, too, right? Because I always do this. I do the terrible thing, and then I regret it. And I apologize. This is our cycle, and you’ve been annoyed at it forever. I need to stop doing the terrible thing. I wish I could promise that’s going to happen. I will say I’m going to make a better effort. For a selfish reason. Morgan—oh, he had such a good time yesterday. He had someone to play with, someone to chase, and I just—I feel like Elizabeth did me the favor, you know? So I want to protect that friendship. I want to do right by Morgan when we both know that I did so much to screw up Michael.”

Jason exhaled, looked over at Spinelli and Jake, listening to the sound of his son giggling. “This is my family, Carly.”

“I know. And I should have listened when you told me that it was all you wanted. Last year, when you screamed it at me,” she added, when he just looked at her. “I was angry at you when you said it, but I should have listened. I can’t fix that. I can just promise to do better, then actually do it this time. I promise. I’m going to try.”

“Okay. Thank you for looking after them. Audrey’s amazing, but I know Elizabeth is happier with her there more.”

“You’ll see, Jason. I can help and not make things worse, I promise.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Nadine exited the elevator, frowning when she spied Nikolas at the nurse’s station. “I thought Lulu had already been transferred,” she said, stepping up behind the counter. “I saw her name on the discharge papers this morning.”

Nikolas lifted the papers on the counter. “Paperwork,” he said. “It never seems to end.”

“No kidding.” Nadine tapped a few keys, then glanced over at him. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do for Lulu before you guys go?”

“No. No. Thank you.” His eyes found hers. “For everything. I didn’t—I wish I’d handled things better.”

“There’s no handbook for any of this, Nikolas. You’re putting your family first. Before Saturday, when Lulu was still…” Nadine chewed on her bottom lip. “I might have had a problem with what you’re doing but seeing her that way — I want you to do whatever you can to bring her back.”

“Thank you.” Nikolas tipped his head. “But I know that look, and you’re not done, are you?”

She made a face. “It’s just — you said you guys put your mom in a hospital in London not long after this happened to her. And she’s only come back with medication. Maybe doing the same thing to Lulu isn’t the best idea.”

“I’ve—I’ve wrestled with that,” Nikolas admitted. He slid the paperwork across the counter. “But this facility has researchers looking at this specific condition. If there’s a chance it’s genetic, we need to know. And we need to be right there. I hate that it’s right now. With everything going on with Elizabeth—will you keep me in the loop?” he asked her. “How she’s doing?”

“I mean, I can tell you what we know publicly, but why can’t Lucky just—” Nadine closed her mouth. “He’s still going with you?”

“He went ahead of me yesterday to arrange for temporary housing. To talk to the facility and make sure everything is ready. I, uh, don’t expect Elizabeth to be all that happy with him when she gets a chance to talk to him.”

Nadine pressed her lips together, looked at her computer screen. She didn’t know what to say to any of that. “Yeah, I’ll pass your message to Elizabeth. If she wants you informed, I’ll take care of it.”

“Nadine—”

“I know you think you’re doing the best thing for your sister, but I just can’t shake the feeling that you and your brother are creating more problems than you’re fixing. He just walks out on his kids and their mother while she’s still recovering in the ICU, you’re ripping Lulu away from everything familiar in her life, and she can’t even fight back about it. She won’t even know it’s happening. There’s something so sad about all of it.”

Nikolas sighed, slowly twisting the cap back on the pen, setting it on top of the forms. “This is what’s right for my family—”

“Are you going to let Johnny have a chance to say goodbye? You let Maxie and Spinelli in to visit Lu, but I can’t help but notice his name was never on the list.” Nadine lifted her brows. “You were so kind to him the other night, I thought you knew this wasn’t his fault—”

“Is he your next project?” Nikolas wanted to know.

“That’s an awful thing to say. He’s a friend—”

“Since when?” Nikolas challenged. “You got tossed into jail over him, and now you’re angry at me on his behalf—”

“On your sister’s,” Nadine snapped back. “Because you know this isn’t what she would have wanted. I don’t understand how the right thing to do is to leave people behind. One day your sister is going to wake up—she is—and she is going to be so angry at what you and Lucky have done. The people you’ve hurt and abandoned in the name of saving her. I hope she kicks your asses.”

“The people I’ve abandoned? What, Elizabeth? Or are you talking about yourself?” Nikolas wanted to know. “Because if that’s what this tantrum is about—”

Nadine closed her mouth, looked down, tears stinging her eyes. She took a deep breath, then lifted her gaze to his, not even bothering to blink them back. “You don’t think very much of me, do you? I like Lulu, Nikolas, and I know how she feels about her brothers. I also know how much she loves her nephews. What is she going to think when she wakes up and Lucky’s abandoned them? Walked out while Elizabeth is recovering from major surgery? What is she going to think when she finds out you won’t even tell Johnny where you’re taking her?”

“I don’t have the luxury of worrying about a day that may never come. What part of that is so difficult for you to understand? If my sister wakes up and is furious with me over how I chose to save her life, if she never talks to me again, it will be worth any price I had to pay to see it done. And if you have such an issue with my brother’s decision, take it up with him—” Nikolas shook his head. “I don’t understand why you’re so damn angry with me! I thought you understood! That I have to do whatever I can to bring Lulu back!”

Nadine inhaled a shaky breath, returned her gaze to the computer screen, the words blurry. “You’re right. You’re right. None of this is any of my business. You’ve made it very clear that I don’t have a say in what happens to you. That I don’t matter.”

“That’s not—” Nikolas stopped. He rubbed his forehead. “It’s not that I didn’t think about you, it’s just that—”

“I wasn’t important enough to factor into the decision. I shouldn’t be. I know that much. I’m being stupid. We’ve barely even started to—” She cleared her throat. “You have to do what’s right for your family. I understand that. I hope this works. I really do.”

She snatched charts from the counter and hurried away from the nurse’s station. And he didn’t try to stop her.

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s ICU Room

“What happened to going home and getting some real sleep?” Elizabeth asked when Jason came in. She smiled, though, resting her cheek against the pillow. “I finally got Gram to go home—”

“I know, I talked to her this morning. To give her an update on the boys.” Jason set a brown bag on the tray that hung over the bed. “But if you want to me to go, and take the food I brought with you—”

“Well, that depends on what you brought me.”

“Ruby’s chili. You’re not allowed to have more than a few bites because it’s spicy,” Jason warned, removing the container from the bag. “I cleared it with Patrick first to make sure, but I thought you’d be tired of hospital food.”

“I eat it for a living, so I am beyond tired.” Jason helped her raise the bed, and she winced only slightly when she reached for the small takeout container he handed her. “I feel like I slept most of yesterday.”

“It…was a long day. You needed the rest.”

“It all seems surreal, you know? I got in my car at the airport, and my life was one way, and then I woke up, and it was like the world changed while I was in surgery.” She swirled the spoon in the chili. “You’re communicating with my grandmother, bringing me food, the boys spent the night with Carly—” She bit her lip, looked at him. “I like that part of the change, by the way. Well, jury’s out on Carly, but the rest of it—it’s good.”

“I—I like it, too,” he confessed, then made a face. “Not where I’m visiting you in the ICU, but—yeah.” He paused. “There’s…there’s something I have to tell you.”

Elizabeth paused, the spoon halfway to her mouth. “What’s wrong?”

“I told you that I’d—that I talked to Lucky on Saturday. After you were brought in. Do you remember that?”

“Yeah, a little bit. It’s a little hazy. So much happened yesterday,” she admitted. “Waking up to all of that, Lucky, talking to my grandmother—did Lucky say something about California?”

“Not—not that. No. He—” Jason grimaced, rubbed the side of his face. “When I told him about the accident, he was irritated. And he started to call Sam.”

Elizabeth dropped the spoon back into the chili, her appetite drained. “Sam. Why?”

“To pick the boys up from Audrey’s.” Jason met her eyes. “I took the phone from him, hung up, and told him he couldn’t play games like that with you in surgery. He—” He paused. “He didn’t take me seriously. He was going to do it anyway, even though I know you’d made it clear she couldn’t be near them.  So I told him if Sam went near the boys, I’d have Diane file an injunction to stop him. And that Amelia would be part of it.” He waited for a beat. “And that I’d file paternity papers today if that’s what it took.”

“You—” She opened her mouth, then closed it, processing that information. “You told him—”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that without talking to you, I just—I knew what you wanted, and maybe I should have waited—”

“I need a minute. I need—” She set the container on the tray. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting any of that.”

“I know. I’m sorry—”

“No, don’t—that’s not what I meant. I’m just—my head is swirling a little, and that’s—that’s a lot to take in. This happened Saturday?” she asked.

“Yeah. Uh, right after they took you up to surgery. I’m sorry—”

She laid her head back against the pillow. “Don’t ever apologize to me for protecting the boys. For protecting your son. You’re right. I didn’t—and still don’t—want that woman anywhere near my son. Our son. And after the stunt she pulled in the park—” Her lips thinned as she pressed them together. “I told him if he did that, I’d have him in court, too, so you didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have.”

“Oh.” Jason furrowed his brow. “I don’t think you—I told him in the middle of the emergency room. I didn’t—I didn’t think about everyone who might listen—”

“I don’t care about any of that. I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes, tears stinging the lids. “I’m sorry I put you in that position.”

“Hey, don’t—you didn’t do anything—”

“You’ve always wanted Jake,” Elizabeth managed, the tears spilling down her cheeks. She looked at him. “From the moment I told you in the elevator. I know it’s been me—”

“It’s been me, too.” He reached for her hand, kissed the inside of her palm. “We’ve both made this decision.”

“But I started it—”

“I’m the idiot who listened to Carly and told you it was for the best,” Jason interrupted, and she laughed, swiping at her tears with her free hand.

“Okay, well, we can sit here taking the blame for a terrible decision no matter who made it,” she said, “or we can just…be so glad we’re ending it. That we’re telling the people who matter. My grandmother. You should tell Monica.”

Jason looked down at the bed, at the hand he still held. “Yeah. Yeah, I will. I just—I’m sorry.”

“Jason—”

He lifted his gaze to hers, and she was caught by the intensity.. “I keep thinking—if I hadn’t been in the Emergency Room when they brought you in, would I know? Would anyone have told me? Waiting until it’s the middle of the night to visit you in the hospital, until no one can see—I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want it for either of us. You—you and the boys. You’re everything.”

Her throat tightened, and the tears started again. “Okay. Okay. I’m just—God—it’s stupid to cry when it’s exactly what I want to hear, and you have to know it’s the same for me. I hope you know that. Please—”

“I do know that—” He leaned forward, cradled her face with his other hand. “I do.”

“B-Because I made so many stupid mistakes, you know? And I was scared, and I thought you wouldn’t love me the way I loved you, so I hurt you and I stayed with Lucky and I just—God. I hate it. I’m so mad at myself, and I don’t know why—”

“Don’t—don’t. Hey.” His voice faltered, and he took a breath, steadied himself. “If you get too upset, those monitors are going to start beeping, and then you can’t have your chili.”

She laughed, the sound slightly choked, then winced when the movement put pressure on her stitches. “Okay. You’re right. You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Don’t take away the chili, okay? You have no idea how terrible this food is.” She paused. “Well, actually, you do.”

“Yeah, I’ve spent more than enough time here.” He handed her back the chili. “You can finish this, but only if you promise not to cry again.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“You said you knew about California. When did he tell you?”

She waited to finish the last bite of chili, then put it aside. “Can you—” She gestured at the water cup, and he handed it to her. “Thanks,” she said, after washing away the spicy aftertaste. “I was going to talk to you, actually. Once we got to Italy. Lucky sprang the whole idea on me when he picked the boys up. He was planning to go out there—with Sam—and he didn’t plan on coming back until Lulu recovered. He thought I’d put the boys on a plane to him at Christmas, summers. Vacations. So they could fly out there and spend time with him and Sam. I told him no.”

“Because of Sam?”

“As a starting point, yeah. But I just—I knew what would happen next. The same thing he’s done for the last year. How long before he’d make the first excuse, cancel the first visit? If I thought there was a chance he’d still be in Cameron’s life in any way that mattered, that’d be different. He’s always been Cameron’s father. The only one my baby has ever known. But my sweet boy wasn’t enough for him. Never enough. Not enough to stay clean for, not enough to keep his vows—he loves Cameron, but not the way Cam deserves to be loved, you know?”

She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, focused her gaze on him. “Jake is yours, and I never had a right to take him away. To ask you to give him up, to pretend that you aren’t the best choice, the only choice. So if you hadn’t done it on Saturday, I was already going to ask.”

Jason nodded. “Okay. That’s settled. What—what about Cameron?”

“I—I know what you’re going to say. It’s just—I don’t know how to handle that. I know that Lucky’s type of love isn’t what he needs or deserves. But he’s four. He knows who his father is supposed to be, you know? I don’t want to do anything that hurts him.”

“Neither do I. I just—I can be in his life however you want. I love him, you know that. I always have.” He took her hand, brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “We don’t need to formalize it with titles or labels. I’ll treat him exactly the way I treat Jake, and we’ll just see where it goes.”

“I really love you,” she murmured. “You always know exactly what to say—”

“I wish that were true, but we both know it’s not.” He waited for a beat. “When you get released, you’re going to need someone around. You know that. The concussion, the stitches—but—”

“But my house isn’t secure the way it would need to be secure if you were also there,” she added. He grimaced, then nodded. “Well, we can talk about that, but—I don’t want you to worry about that right now. We haven’t even talked about what’s happened with poor Kate. And Sonny—I can’t imagine how he’s struggling—”

“It’s—not great. Kate’s been in and out of consciousness since it happened. And Sonny’s been barred from the room. Which he isn’t handling well.” Jason grimaced, stared down at her fingers. “He was arrested twice that night, and I left him in jail so I could focus on you.”

“Oh, Jason.”

“He calmed down a little, I guess. But the investigation is stalled, and I haven’t really gotten into it. I’ve been a little preoccupied.” He paused again. “And that brings me back to where I started. I want the boys to stay with me at the penthouse. I want you to come there when they release you.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply, but Jason continued. “I understand if it’s too soon or if you’re not ready for it, but you need to know it’s what I want, what I’ve always wanted. We—I can find someone to help out while you’re getting better, but I want to be there. I want to be with you and the boys. And—”

“Jason—” She squeezed his hand, and he closed his mouth abruptly. “You don’t have to sell me on this. I don’t want you to miss one second more of Jake’s life. And it means so much that you’d bring it up. I want the boys with you. At the penthouse, where I know there are layers of security, and no one can get to them. My grandmother’s house—there’s only so much you can do.”

She smiled. “And I actually have a great idea to go with yours. Instead of hiring some stranger the boys don’t know, let me ask my grandmother to come stay with us or come over during the day when you can’t be there. I want her to know you.”

Jason opened his mouth, then closed it. “What are the chances she’d actually go for that?”

General Hospital: Lulu’s Room

Maxie finished the topcoat on Lulu’s last finger, then gently laid the hand back against the bed. She capped the bottle and returned it to her kit. “There,” she told Lulu. “I can’t send you off to California with chipped polish. What will those doctors and nurses think? We have standards, you know.”

She waited a beat, watching Lulu’s face, the eyes that seemed to do nothing but stare straight ahead, like those of dolls Maxie had once played with. Maxie fiddled with the edges of the blanket.

“I talked to Sam before she left, and she promised to make sure that someone was looking after you. I mean, I know medically, you’re all solid. But your hair and your skin—we’re only young once, and we have to take care of ourselves.”

She heard footsteps behind her and forced a smile on her face. “And look, here’s Spinelli. He probably thinks this is all foolish because boys don’t know how much work any of this is.”

Spinelli stepped up behind her, rubbed Maxie’s shoulder. “The Jackal thinks the Blonde One and his Maximista are perfect just the way they are, but he also knows when to shut up.”

“I’ve never seen any evidence of that,” Maxie said. “And I know Lulu would agree with me.” She looked back at Lulu, half-hoping that somehow, somehow, the blonde would wake up and begin to argue with her.

But Lulu remained quiet. Empty.

“Well, you’re all set for your trip. Just as long as no one messes with your hands for at least thirty minutes.” Maxie got to her feet. “I hope—I hope we see you soon. Even though this is my chance to show Kate once and for all I could have done this all by myself—” Her voice faltered. “Except I can’t. Okay? I need you to push me. Because I could never have been as good as I am without you telling me I couldn’t do it. What’s the point of being the best if you’re not going to be there so I can rub your face in it?”

The taunts didn’t work anymore than the friendly chatter. Nothing worked. Lulu was locked inside of herself, and they couldn’t dig her out.

“Maximista—” Spinelli began, but she shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s your turn to do this part, okay? You can have some time to v-visit and I’m going to go check on Kate. She had to go in for more surgery a-and well, someone has to keep the Bensonhurst Mussolini in line.”

Maxie looked back at Lulu, her vision blurred. “I really hated you for so long, everything you did to hurt my sister. I never could understand how or why Georgie could forgive you. She was a better person than both of us, you know. And it’s not fair that of the three of us, I’m the one that’s left. You need—you need to come back, Lulu. You just—you just need to come back.”

Jacks House: Living Room

Carly darted ahead, catching Jake just as he toddled towards the steps. She picked him up and planted him in the opposite direction. He offered a sunny smile then wandered towards his brother and Morgan —

She folded her arms, smiling as she watched the two older boys playing with Morgan’s Lego set. She should have done this a long time ago, she thought. After all, her mother had spent time with Cameron. Bobbie had always considered the little boy part of her family because Lucky had been raising him.

But Lucky was gone now. Carly’s smile slipped, and she winced at the memory of how she’d handled that conversation. Probably should have let someone else be the one to tell Elizabeth her ex-husband had taken off without even bothering to wait for her to wake up from surgery.

She heard footsteps behind her, but didn’t have to look to see who it was. Morgan told her everything she needed. His face lit up, and he got to his feet. “Daddy!”

He hurled himself across the room, and now Carly turned as Sonny scooped Morgan up. “Hey, buddy. How are you?”

“I’m good. I’m playing with my cousins. Did you know I had cousins?” Morgan asked.

“Uh—” Sonny lifted his brows to look at Carly. “Can’t say I did.” He set Morgan down and the younger boy ran back to play with Cameron and Jake. “Those are Elizabeth’s kids.”

“I have Jake during the day, and I picked the boys up from preschool while Audrey is at the hospital with Elizabeth.” Carly went closer to Sonny so that the kids didn’t hear. “And I don’t know if you know this, but we’re going to be seeing a lot more of the Webbers around Jason.”

“Yeah, I got that feeling when I couldn’t peel Jason from her side even when they knew she’d be okay.” Sonny exhaled slowly, rubbed his cheek. “Sorry I didn’t, uh, return any calls.”

“Yeah. Well, you’ve been busy.” Carly glanced back at him. “Have you been able to see Kate yet?”

His expression darkened. “No. Her cousin still refuses to let me in, and when I tried to get more information from Maxie, your husband cut it off.”

She winced. “He’s—he’s just being protective, Sonny. He loved Michael—”

“Michael was my son—”

“Is.” When he just looked at her, Carly clenched her jaw. “He is your son. He’s not dead, damn it. And the doctors said there’s little hope that he’ll wake up. Not zero. And until that day comes, no one is going to treat my son like he’s already dead and buried, including you! What are you even doing here? Looking for sympathy? Do you really think you’re going to find it here?”

Sonny scowled. “You know, Kate and I were getting married—”

“And when she wakes up, maybe you still will. She’s not dead, Sonny. You just have to be patient. That’s it. You wait a few days, Kate wakes up, lets you in, and bam! You’re right back on track! That doesn’t get to happen for everyone!”

“Mommy. Are you and Daddy fighting?”

Carly looked over to see that Morgan had stopped playing, but Cameron had his head down, continued playing with the blocks, handing them to Jake. “No, baby, you know Daddy and I are just loud, right? Grammy’s always saying that. I’m sorry.” She looked to Sonny. “I’m sorry this happened, okay? I really am. But this can’t be my problem. I have enough on my plate—”

“Taking care of Elizabeth’s kids,” Sonny said. “Yeah, I can see how actually caring for more than one kid would be tough on you since you’ve never parented on your own in your life—”

“No, I was married last year when our children’s nanny was murdered,” Carly cut in sharply, pitching her voice at a low hiss, and Sonny winced. “And don’t start walking around acting like father of the year. Because we had two children until you took one of them into a warehouse and got him shot in the head—”

“You know what, I’m not doing this with you. I don’t know why I even bothered to come here. You’re watching the kids, good. That means Audrey’s at the hospital, so Jason won’t have to be.” He scowled. “He can focus on what the hell is going on.”

“Or he’ll keep delegating it just the way you would have. The way you always did. You sent Jason out to do the job while you concentrated on your family.” Carly’s stomach tightened. “And you’re expecting him to do the same thing now. Aren’t you? To focus on your family. On Kate. Just like you did that day. ”

“That’s not fair—”

“You left Jason in charge, so now he’s at the top. He’s sending his guy out to deal with the dirty jobs so he can focus on his family.” She pressed her lips together. “Maybe Elizabeth isn’t who I would have picked for Jason, but that’s what we’ve got. And she’s in the hospital. I saw the car accident on the little traffic camera. Did you?”

“No—”

“It was awful. I could see him running it through his head over and over again. She almost died. And that didn’t have to happen. So Jason is focusing. Stop being angry because he just isn’t doing it the way you want.”

Someday, somehow
I’m gonna make it alright but not right now
I know you’re wondering when
You’re the only one who knows that
Someday, somehow
I’m gonna make it alright but not right now
I know you’re wondering when
– Someday, Nickelback

---

Sunday, September 28, 2008

General Hospital: Hallway

Jason furrowed his brow, considered the information Cody had shared in a hushed voice. “It could be a trick,” he said. “How easy is the ammunition to get?”

“Not difficult at all,” the other man said. “But you don’t see it used much outside of hits made by the Russian mob.”

“It’s still not enough,” Jason said, “but, okay, yeah it might point back to Karpov. That’s all we can get?”

“PCPD doesn’t have much to go on either,” Cody said, almost apologetically. “The gun wasn’t left behind, so the shooter obviously had an exit plan or was able to blend in with the wedding guests who were running from the building. Honestly? Whoever pulled this off knew what they were doing.”

“Sonny’s not going to want to hear that,” Jason muttered. He glanced back into the ICU room to make sure Elizabeth was still sleeping. “Okay. Everything else?”

“Running smoothly. You were planning to be gone for a week anyway, so we’re all good. Really,” Cody said when Jason looked skeptical. “I’d tell you.”

“Okay. Uh—” Jason rubbed the side of his brow with his thumb, trying to order his thoughts. He would need to get some real rest soon. “The penthouse. I need a security audit of the entire floor. We haven’t done an upgrade since Sonny moved out.”

“Yeah, sure. You, uh, thinking of moving in some small humans?” Cody asked, attempting a smile. Jason just raised his brows. “Okay. I’ll ask it straight out then. Are we done pretending Jake isn’t your son?”

Jason’s jaw clenched, and he looked away.  “I’m not getting into that right now.” At least not with Cody. Not before he told Elizabeth about Lucky and their confrontation in the emergency room. “But get Spinelli to do whatever he needs to with one of the guest rooms for Cameron and Jake. Crib, toddler bed. Whatever.”

He didn’t wait for Cody’s answer, but returned to the room, taking the chair next to the bed. His eyes felt gritty, throbbing with a dull ache from lack of sleep. He leaned over, resting his elbows on the bed, putting his head in his hands.

There was too much swirling, too much to keep straight. Kate had been shot less than twenty-four hours earlier, and they didn’t know a damn thing. Sonny could be making everything worse. Lucky had dumped the boys with Audrey, quit his job, and left for California because Jason had dared him to make a choice. And Cody was asking him about Jake, making it clear that no one had actually bought the fiction he and Elizabeth had spent the last year trying to sell.

He didn’t remember closing his eyes or even drifting into a light doze. Only vaguely became aware of someone touching him, lighting combing through his hair. He sat up, blinked, and saw Elizabeth looking back at him. “You’re awake. How—” He looked around. “When—how long?”

“A few minutes. You look so tired,” she said. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

“I don’t—” He squinted. “I don’t remember. A little. I don’t need a lot of sleep—”

“But you still need some,” she said gently, and he sighed, looked down at the bed, his hands still laying atop the thin, scratchy white blanket.

“I’ll sleep tonight. I promise,” he added when she looked skeptical. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay. I think. Patrick gave me some of the stuff that makes you fuzzy. Like—” She lifted her hand just a few inches off the bed. “I’m here, and I can sort of think. But I feel like I’m floating.”

“But no pain?” he pressed.

“No. No. Um—Patrick and Carly—they’re gone?”

“Long gone. It’s been a few hours.”

“I hate that,” she muttered, shifting slightly, and fumbled in the sheets for the bed controls. He found it, handed it to her, and helped her to slowly raise the bed. “We—were arguing, Carly and me. I think.”

“No. Should I get Patrick? Do you want him?”

“No. No.” She licked her lips. “Can I have some water?”

“Yeah, sure. Okay.”

When she’d sipped a little, he set the cup back on the table, the straw dangling. “What do you need now? Something to eat? I can—”

“I need to understand what’s going on.” Elizabeth waited until he looked at her. Her brows were drawn together. “You’ve been here all day. Carly said you were here all night—”

“Don’t worry about that—”

“People will see—” Elizabeth turned her head, looked through the clear walls of her room, at the bustle of the hospital. “They can see you.”

“I know. I don’t care.”

“You—” She looked back at him, licked her lips. “You don’t?”

“No.” He took her hand in both of his, brought it to his lips. “All that matters is that you’re okay. That’s it.”

“I feel like there’s—” She stilled, then her eyes sharpened, and her head jerked back towards the door, then to him. “Carly. She was here. She said Lucky went to California.”

Jason winced. He’d hoped she’d forgotten that. “Don’t worry about that just yet, okay?”

“I can’t—”

“I called your grandmother last night, and I’ve spoken with her a few times. She has the boys, and they’re fine. Bobbie went over to help, and she’ll stay with them so your grandmother can come see you.”

“Right, but California wasn’t—” Elizabeth swallowed hard. “I was going to tell you. In Italy. B-Because Lucky told me yesterday. But we were supposed to have time. He wasn’t supposed to go yet—”

“I know that, too. I—” Jason hesitated. “I talked to Lucky yesterday. There was a setback with Lulu. The wedding—”

Elizabeth’s expression crumbled. “Oh. Oh, no. I didn’t even think about that—is she all right? What happened?”

“She’s—I didn’t get a lot of the details, but Spinelli can find out more. I’ll call him. I just know that she’s…”

“Is it like Laura? Like her mother? They can’t get her back.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes. “I’ve known her since she was a little girl, you know. Constantly on the move, and then when Laura got sick, she was passed around to relatives until Luke was forced to deal with her. And now she might be…”

“I’m sorry.”

She looked at him. “Carly said Lucky resigned from the PCPD. So he’s just…gone. Like that. Without talking to me.”

“I—I think so,” Jason said carefully. “He stopped by your grandmother’s with the bags you packed for the boys.”

Elizabeth turned away from him, closing her eyes, but he could see the tears slipping past her lashes.

“But they don’t know anything yet,” Jason said quickly. “They just think they’re staying with your grandmother while their aunt is sick. They don’t even know you were in an accident.”

“I hate it. I hate that this is happening. That he did this in a way so that I can’t fight him—” Her voice faltered.

This was the moment — the time to tell her that Lucky might have had a slight push out the door, but Jason didn’t say anything. She was upset enough, and he remembered Patrick’s warnings.

So, instead, he stroked the back of her hand, the inside of her wrist, and waited for her to look at him. To open her eyes—even if the tears still shimmering nearly broke his resolve.

“I’m so sorry,” she managed.

Startled, Jason shook his head. “Why are you sorry?”

“B-Because I p-picked him. I asked you—God, I ask you to let that man raise your son a-and he j-just left—”

“Hey, we made that decision together. For Jake’s safety. His happiness. And he is happy,” Jason told her. He kissed the inside of her palm. “He’s smart, happy, and healthy. He’s perfect. He’s such an amazing kid, and you did that. Both of them. That’s what you promised me, Elizabeth, and you’ve kept that. You promised to give my son a family and he has that. You and Cameron and Audrey—”

“He should have you,” Elizabeth managed. “I want him to have you.”

“I want him, too. We’ll talk about all of it. I promise.” He kissed her hand again. “But you can’t get upset because your monitors will start beeping again and Patrick will kick me out this time.”

She smiled then, and the tightness in chest eased. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of Patrick. Not Stone Cold Jason Morgan.”

“He’s not impressed by that,” Jason told her, and her smile just deepened.

“Someone who isn’t cowed by the infamous stare? That never happens.”

“Not very often,” he admitted, and was rewarded when she laughed. “You never were.”

“You’ve never used it on me.” She closed her eyes. “And I don’t think you could pull it off on me now.”

“Definitely not.” He pressed another kiss against her knuckles. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Kelly’s: Dining Room

“Oh, thank God.” Carly rushed up to the counter, catching Bobbie’s hand when her mother reached for a brown bag on the counter. “I was hoping I’d run into you. I need your help.”

“I can’t—I have to get this back over to Audrey’s. I promised I’d pick up some food and sit with Jake and Cameron so she could finally get to the hospital—”

“Oh, that’s perfect. That’s perfect. Because that’s what I need help with.”

Bobbie hesitated, looking at her daughter more closely. “I don’t understand.”

Carly grimaced, then folded her arms. “I made a small mistake. I took Jason some clothes at the hospital, and he asked me to sit with Elizabeth for a minute while he dealt with Sonny, and don’t make that look, Mama, I was nice to her, that’s not where I messed up.”

“Carly—”

“I didn’t mean to do it, but I just—I was so irritated because she was already talking about Lucky, and Jason was the one sitting with her—”

“Stop—” Bobbie held up her hand, glancing around them. The diner wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t empty either.  “Stop. Let’s take this conversation somewhere else.” She grabbed the bag and headed for the courtyard, then the parking lot. She reached her car, then turned to level an irritated glare at her daughter. “I really shouldn’t be the one telling you not to do this where people can hear you. You know better, Carly. Do you really think Jason wants his business blasted everywhere?”

“No. No.” Carly dragged her hands through her hair. “And I know you’re right. Damn it. I keep doing this. It’s exactly what happened at the hospital. I overheard about Lucky and California. When Elizabeth started talking about Lucky and the boys, I messed—”

“You told her? She just woke up from major surgery—”

“I know. All those machines started to go wild, and Patrick came in. She had to be sedated. I guess she got upset.” Carly bit her lip. “Jason’s really pissed at me. He told me to get away from him. I have to fix this.”

“You fix this by going home and spending time with your son. Morgan’s been through enough—”

“But that’s what makes this perfect! You’re going to go hang out with Elizabeth’s kids! Morgan already knows Cam. They’re in the same preschool class. I can take the boys. And you, of course, you, too. And I can get Cam to school tomorrow, and Audrey won’t have to worry at all.”

Bobbie hesitated.  “It’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had,” she admitted. It would solve a few problems, and it would actually be good for Morgan to be around the boys. He was lonely with his brother gone. It would take the pressure off Audrey— “I don’t think Jason would complain since it solves a few problems at once—and keeps you away from the hospital. But if Audrey says no, then we shut it down. No arguing.”

“Got it. I won’t even say a word. Thank you. I just know Jason is going to appreciate this, and he’s going to realize that I can think about someone other than myself. You’ll see. This is the best idea for everyone.”

General Hospital: Hallway

Maxie darted a look over her shoulder, then hissed at Spinelli. “You keep watch, okay?”

“The Jackal is here to serve.” He offered her a two fingered salute, then Maxie ducked inside the conference room and closed the door.

She took a deep breath and flashed a harassed smile at the man waiting for her. “Sorry. I just have to make sure Benito Falconieri doesn’t find out that I’m giving you any information—”

Sonny’s brows creased together. “Benito—” Then a smile curved his lips. “That’s not a bad one, actually. I’m not looking to get you in trouble, Maxie—I just want to know what’s going on.”

“Totally. It’s just—there’s not much of an update. Kate spent most of the night in spinal surgery.” Maxie rubbed her arms. “They said it was successful — removed the bullet and all, but there’s still, like, swelling in the cord. And that she might be unconscious for most of the day. I’m sorry. I wish it was better news.”

“Yeah, me, too—” Sonny closed his mouth when he heard the door behind them, the twisting of the knob.

Maxie spun around, bracing herself for the full wrath of Olivia Falconieri, but was instead confronted with Jax—though the Australian didn’t look happy either.

“I thought I might find you in here,” Jax said blandly. Behind him, Spinelli looked miserable.

“You had one job, Spinelli,” Maxie hissed.  She held a finger up at him. “Just the one!”  Then she flashed a bright smile at Jax. “Listen—”

“Sonny was just leaving,” Jax interrupted. He stepped aside, held the door open, and Maxie shivered from the tension in the air.

“Was I, Candyboy?” Sonny said, tilting his head. “I’m not so sure.”

“You can leave now, or I’ll make sure that Olivia knows what Maxie is up to.”

Stricken, Maxie looked at Sonny, and the other man sighed, rubbed his face. “Kate would not want me locked out of this,” he muttered. “And you damn well know it—”

“Well, we don’t know that for sure, not since she’s been shot for the second time because of you” Jax’s scowl deepened. “I suppose we should all be grateful that it wasn’t worse. That she’s not the next resident of Silver Water.”

Sonny flinched, then looked away. “When she wakes up, I’ll be the one in the room, and you’ll be the one on the outside looking in.”

“I look forward to having that argument with her. Until then—”

Sonny stalked past Jax and disappeared from Maxie’s view. Then Jax looked at Maxie. “I find you passing information to him again, you’re out, too—”

“Does it make you feel good to throw Michael in his face?” Maxie demanded. Jax grimaced. “Are you so perfect, have you made so few mistakes that you can stand here and act like you’re in the right? Kate is going to be furious when she wakes up and realizes what you and Olivia did—”

“But we both know you’re going to do exactly what I’ve said,” Jax cut in coolly, and Maxie glared at him. “Because you’re too selfish to risk losing your access to Kate. Do what you do best, Maxie, and think about yourself. Leave the rest of it to the adults in the room.”

Hardy House: Living Room

Audrey pulled the door open, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Bobbie, carrying the promised dinner from Kelly’s. “Oh, thank goodness. The boys were getting hungry, and—Carly.” She forced a smile on her face when she realized Bobbie’s daughter was hovering behind her on the porch. “Ah, it’s so nice to see you.”

“You too, Mrs. Hardy.” Carly clasped her hands behind her back.

“Well, come on in. Thank you so much for getting dinner, and for agreeing to stay with the boys for another hour or so.” Audrey closed the door behind the women, then gestured towards the sofa. Cameron was laying in front of the coffee table, staring up at something on the television and next to him, Jake was building a tower from plastic blocks. “I just know that I would feel so much better if I saw Elizabeth, even for a little a while.”

“Well, Carly thought—and I agreed—that we might be able to go a little further.” Bobbie set the bagged dinner on the table. “Cameron and Morgan are in the same preschool class this year.”

“Oh.” Audrey looked at the boys blankly for a second. “I’d forgotten about school tomorrow. I didn’t even—I’m not even sure what the drop off process is—”

“I can help,” Carly volunteered. “Um—I know Cam and Morgan get along well. He talks about him sometimes. I can do the drop off. I’ll come by tomorrow morning and pick him up. Or—” She swallowed hard. “Maybe you’ll let me take the boys overnight, at least tonight so you can get organized with everything, you know? This—you weren’t planning to have them, and I know firsthand how much little boys eat—” Her voice dropped slightly, and she looked away.

“It’s a lovely offer,” Audrey said slowly, “but I wouldn’t feel right without talking to Elizabeth. You and my granddaughter aren’t exactly friends,” she said to Carly.

“That’s true. But Jason and I—ow—” Carly flinched when Bobbie elbowed her. “What? Oh. Um, well, then Mama and I will hang out here while you go see Elizabeth and you can ask her. It’s really cool whatever you guys decide. It’s just—once I thought of it, I really thought it might be a good idea. Because—Morgan—he could use some kids around.” She cleared her throat. “He’s…not used to being an only child.”

Audrey exhaled slowly, her heart aching. Of course. Michael had been gone for six months. “I’m so sorry, Carly.”

“You’d really be doing me the favor. So, like I said, you can run it by Elizabeth. I’m up for whatever makes things easier. I can do the drop-off, the pick-up. Anything.”

“Well, I can certainly suggest it to Elizabeth,” Audrey said after a minute, then nodded. “All right. I’ll go see Elizabeth, and I’ll call you as soon as I have an answer. Thank you. For thinking of me. I just—I need to see my granddaughter.”

“Of course, Audrey. Whatever I can do.” Bobbie squeezed Audrey’s hand. “We’ll get through this.”

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Elizabeth winced as she sat up, smiling gratefully when Patrick put another pillow behind her. “Thanks. I’m tired of lying flat on my back. I keep falling back asleep—”

“Good. You’re supposed to rest,” he said with a grunt. “What is it with women and not listening to their doctors?”

Elizabeth smiled faintly. “Problems with Robin?”

“No. No. She’s great—” He rubbed his face. “She’s supposed to be taking it easy. That’s the whole point of reducing her hours, cutting back on patient load.”

“Oh, you’re not going to comment on someone not respecting a work-life balance, are you?”

Patrick made a face. “If this is a judgment about my schedule, I’m not the one carrying a second person—”

“No, just the weight of an entire hospital, in addition to a pregnant fiancée—and did I miss the part where you cut back on patients when you took the desk job?”

Patrick opened his mouth, then made a face. “I don’t like that you have a point.” He picked up the control for her bed. “Thanks for not mentioning the other thing.”

“The other thing?” Elizabeth frowned, then made a face. “Oh, you mean finding out about Matt.”

Patrick stared at her blandly, then wrinkled his nose. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“But you did.”

“Because I thought you were avoiding talking about it. Not that you’d forgotten,” he muttered.

“Concussion, it took me a second,” she reminded him, and he rolled his eyes. “Let me just say one thing—”

“You have never, not once, in your life, been able to limit yourself to one thing.”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, then pouted slightly. “I was going to argue that you haven’t known me that long, but you’re not wrong. So—okay, stop distracting me.”

“Caught on to my clever plan.” When she didn’t smile, Patrick sighed. “Okay, say your one thing, and then you’re cut off from this topic.”

“Don’t worry, I’m mostly on your side about this. If you don’t want to talk to Matt or your father, that’s your choice, and I support you.”

“That’s not your one thing, is it?” Patrick asked.

“Nice try. No. But not seeing or talking to either of them doesn’t actually make this go away. We both know it’s in the back of your mind whether you want it to be or not. I just know as someone who’s kept that kind of secret — it’s not an easy one to live with. Even if it seems like it might be. Or should be. Because ignoring it won’t change the fact that you know. And until you find a way to deal with it, it’ll keep popping back up.”

He was quiet for a long moment, then exhaled. “It just messes with everything I ever thought about my parents. My father dove into the bottle after we lost my mother, and I hated him for it. It wasn’t easy to get past that, but after meeting Robin—” He looked at Elizabeth. “I could understand loving someone so much that losing them that way, blaming yourself, could destroy you. But now I know that’s not what happened. Because how could my father love her like that and have an affair? He had another child that he knew about and walked away. What kind of man does that?”

He played with the threads of the frayed blanket. “I didn’t know if I wanted to be a father, but Robin went out of her way to make sure I had a choice. Lied to me to make sure I had that choice,” he added, and Elizabeth smiled. “I had to force my way in, you know? Fight to be part of it because she was so sure I didn’t want it. I can’t blame her for that. I’m the one that convinced her I didn’t want kids.”

Patrick looked at Elizabeth. “You said you lied to Jason about Jake. And Lucky. Jason let you do that—I don’t know, maybe that’s because of his job—but how do you let go of that? How do you ever look at Lucky in the face knowing that he’s left for California without telling you?”

“I think,” Elizabeth said carefully, “it’s not a good idea to compare the situations. What Lucky’s chosen — it’s not the same. Initially, I didn’t exactly give Jason the choice either. I kept the secret for months. And after I told him, when we were trapped in that elevator—oh, he was upset, disappointed. But then he was happy.”

She closed her eyes. “I asked Jason to give Jake up. Because I thought Lucky and I could get back to where we’d been before the drugs. Before Maxie. I asked him to let the lie stand. Because of how hard it would be for Sam, because of his job—I threw all of that at him. I knew he’d agree. I knew he didn’t want to, but I asked anyway. Jason agreeing to do it is on me, and never him. He has nothing to atone for. Nothing to forgive.”

“That’s…” Patrick sat up. “Okay. Okay. Yeah, I guess when you layer it up that way, maybe it makes sense that he agreed. Can I say that was a shitty thing for you to do?” he asked. “Because—”

“Absolutely, without a doubt, one of the cruelest conversations I’ve ever had with Jason, and I wish I could tell you there weren’t others. I’ll regret that choice for the rest of my life. For taking those final months of my pregnancy from Jason, from taking this first year from him — I can’t ever take any of that back, Patrick. I don’t know if Noah’s haunted by what he chose. Only he does.”

She shifted, wincing at the pain flashing in her temple. “As for Lucky, I have less sympathy. He’s the one that decided that the baby was his reason to be sober. He tied his sobriety to that little boy, a weight no child deserves, and I think less of myself for allowing that to happen. I wasn’t enough. Cameron, that little boy who adores him? Wasn’t enough. But a biological child, that was enough. But I didn’t see it then, and I’ll regret it every day for the rest of my life. He found out after the ball last year, and if he’d decided to walk away from them both, I’d have understood. He had every right to be furious, to never speak to me again. What I did was horrible, to him and to Jason.”

“But he stayed,” Patrick said.

“He did. And I would never, ever take Cameron away. Jake is more complicated — I want Jason to have that relationship with Jake, and if he chooses it now, I’ll be glad. But until Lucky started talking about leaving for California and just seeing the boys on holidays, putting them on planes to go see him and Sam—” Her mouth pinched. “I was already furious and planning how to respond. But this? Walking away from them without even speaking to me? I can’t understand that.”

“Especially since he didn’t have to go right away,” Patrick said. “Lulu isn’t even being transferred until tomorrow. Yeah, I’m with you. He can kick rocks. Cut him out. What he did to your poor grandmother is ridiculous. So you get it. You get why I can’t forgive my father.”

“I do. I think if you and Matt decide to never speak to Noah Drake again, he’s more than earned that. But—”

“Oh, man—” He scrunched his nose.

“I’m just going to say one thing and you have to let me because I’m injured and my head hurts,” Elizabeth said.

“This is like your third thing, but fine.”

“I was building up to this part. You don’t have to pretend you love him or even like him. You’re not obligated to be his brother in anything other than name. All you share with him is a biological relationship. And you are not required to give him more than that. He’s not required to do more than that. You could have grown up together and walked away with nothing but that tie. I mean, do you see my siblings in this room? My parents? Loving each other—that’s a choice. And no one should force you or Matt to make it.”

Patrick dipped his head, took a long breath. “But you have an opinion on the matter.”

“I’m sure looking at him is hard right now. Maybe it’s hard for him to look at you, too. He knew the truth and said nothing, right? He sees the son your father chose, and you see the proof that your father is a terribly flawed man—of someone who lied to you, to your mother maybe, to the woman he was with, and to that boy he threw away. That’s a lot of resentment and hurt to carry. Maybe the two of you will never be more than colleagues. But I think you might want to think about giving yourself permission to forgive Matt for existing. Because he never asked to be, and he’s certainly not begging you for more.”

“That—” Patrick lifted his gaze to hers, his mouth curved in a half smile. “Is not terrible advice actually.” He cleared his throat. “So, uh, where’s Prince Charming? This is the longest he’s left you alone since you came in—”

“I told him to go home and take a shower. Sleep. That was a few hours ago, so I hope he’s doing it.”

“Good, then that gives me time to move on to my next topic.” He rubbed his hands together. “How soon can we get together with your divorce lawyer and cut the damn cord with custody?”

“I like how your priorities are always in order,” Elizabeth said dryly. “You don’t even want to say anything about Jason?”

“No, because now you have me feeling sorry for the lousy bastard. I’m more interested in the good stuff. We get to eliminate Lucky completely. Best news all day. Seriously.”

She rolled her eyes, then looked towards the hallway, her breath catching a little as she realized Jason was walking with her grandmother, talking. Gram was smiling, then Jason—

“Huh, you know I always thought if I actually saw his mouth make a smile, it’d be creepier,” Patrick said. She shot him a dark look but said nothing before the door slid open, and Gram was there.

“Darling.” Gram came across the room, kissed her forehead. “I ran into Jason in the hallway—but you didn’t tell me she was sitting up—” she said to Jason.

“Because she’s supposed to be resting.” Jason studied the pillow behind Elizabeth’s head, then looked at Patrick. “You’re not concerned with the concussion?”

“I’m sorry, you’re telling me you know how to tell her what to do? Because, please—” Patrick got to his feet. “Share. We could all use that information.”

“Oh, that would have been very useful when she was a teenager.” Audrey eyed Jason meaningfully. “Though she ran away or moved out every time I tried.”

Jason scratched his temple and went around to the other side of the bed, avoiding her grandmother’s scrutiny, and Elizabeth was startled to see some amusement in Audrey’s expression. Were they—was Jason getting along with her grandmother? What had happened while she was unconscious?

“I think this is a good time for me to head out. Thanks, by the way. For the advice.” Patrick kissed Elizabeth’s forehead. “Do me a favor, and actually rest.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Patrick left the room, and Elizabeth was left alone with her grandmother and Jason.

It was time to take her own advice and learn from her own experience. “Gram. I’m so glad you’re here. There’s something I need to tell you.” She looked at Jason, then back at Audrey, remembering Carly’s words, annoying though true. It’s what you decide, and you damn well know it.

“We need to talk about why Jason’s here. And Jake. We really need to talk about Jake.”

Crimson Pointe: Foyer

Sonny might have left the hospital without further argument, but he wasn’t willing to just let the situation sit idle. Or go home to sleep. How was he supposed to lay his head down and close his eyes knowing that Kate was in the hospital — knowing that someone was getting away with trying to kill her— maybe Jason could sit back and wait for information to come to him, but Sonny sure as hell wasn’t built that way.

And so Sonny found himself commanding Max to drive him to Crimson Pointe to confront Anthony on his own turf, letting his fury build every minute of the long drive.

He stalked past the guard who had let him in, through the foyer into the front parlor where Anthony was waiting, reclining in his wheelchair, flanked by Ric and Claudia on either side. Johnny was by the windows, his jaw clenched.

Refusing to meet Sonny’s eyes. Damn it. The kid didn’t have a poker face — he knew something.

“How’s the stick?” Claudia asked, fisting a hand at her hip, a smirk on her lips, painted a deep, dark red. “Last we heard, she was bleeding out in the chapel—”

“Claudia, that’s not helping, ” Ric said. “Sonny—”

“You don’t get to speak,” Sonny told his brother with a jab of his finger. “You’ve done more than enough. I came here for one reason and one reason only—”

“Because you’re a moron?” Claudia offered. Sonny glared at her.

“She may be a lying bitch, but she’s not wrong,” Anthony said. Claudia rolled her eyes, barely taking offense at her father’s barb. What a twisted, horrible relationship. “You come here on your own, and what? We parlay or something? Trade information—”

“No. I know you’re involved. You know you’re involved. And you’re weak enough that you dragged your own son into this—”

“You leave my brother out of this.” Claudia stepped forward, shrugged off the arm Ric tried to grab. “Haven’t you blamed him for enough? He didn’t shoot your little waif this time or the last — ”

“Your days are numbered, old man,” Sonny said, ignoring the furious woman. “Make your peace with God.”

“He won’t have me.” Anthony sneered. “Anything else? You got more threats?”

“Why would anyone want to hurt Kate?” Ric said, still attempting to broker a peace. “Sonny, you’re out. You made that clear when you turned down Karpov a few months ago. Why aren’t you looking at the Russians—”

“You think I’m stupid. You don’t have a clue what you’ve started, you crazy bastard. But you will.”

He stormed out, slamming the door in his wake. Johnny stared after him, then looked at his father. “Is he right? Were you involved?”

“Why would any of us want to harm sweet little delicate Kate Howard?” Anthony said with mock concern. “Sonny doesn’t have the juice anymore. Morgan’s got the power. Though my people tell me he’s not moving much on this. I hear he’s distracted.” His lips curved into a smile. “It’d be a shame if someone took advantage of that.”

Ric tensed, and Johnny straightened. Even from the sofa, Claudia’s smile faded. She sat up, suddenly looking less combative.

“What exactly does that mean?” Ric said.

“Oh, relax—” Anthony made a face. “I know my limits. I go after the nurse Morgan thinks none of us know about, and I might as well write my own obituary. Especially right now. Your ex-wife is safe,” he told his lawyer.

“Anthony—” Ric began, his tone warning.

“But there’s lots of other ways we could have a little fun. I should go find the other useless lawyer I’m paying. I’ve got some thoughts.” He wheeled himself towards his study, and Ric reluctantly followed.

“Do you think he did it?” Johnny watched Anthony disappear from view. “Claudie—”

“What we know and what we’re going to tell anyone are two different things.” Claudia rose to her feet. “But you may wanna stay out of Port Charles right now. It’s a little too hot up there.”