Chapter Four

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Corinthos Penthouse: Bedroom

“Elizabeth was a match?” Courtney asked, doubt lacing her voice. “Why? How?”

“She and Sonny have the same blood type,” Carly murmured as she finished packing another drawer into suitcases.

“It’s just…it’s weird that she’s not related and she’s a match. It almost doesn’t seem fair.” Courtney sat on the windowsill. “Carly, why are you packing? Sonny hasn’t made anything official.”

“But he will,” Carly replied. She pulled another bag out of her closet and opened her drawer of panties, bras and other undergarments. “And I just want to be prepared.”

“Carly, you can’t just give up on your marriage–”

“Courtney, I’m not giving up. I’m accepting the facts. Since Sonny and I married for the first time four years ago, we have separated no less than five times–twice in the last year alone. I cannot keep doing this, Courtney. I cannot keep giving my heart and my life for him only to be cast out when he feels I’ve betrayed him. I’m not putting my boys through it anymore.”

“Are you sure about this?” Courtney asked.

“How sure were you when you divorced Jason?” Carly asked. “You weren’t. It was until months after it happened that you were okay with your decision. Well, no I’m not sure. But I really don’t have a choice in the matter.” She closed the newly emptied drawer. “How is the situation with the police?” she asked, changing the topic. “The charges were dropped against you, right?”

“They were,” Courtney replied. “But Diego is still facing rape and assault charges.” She shook her head. “It just doesn’t feel right. I can’t believe he would do that–he cares about Brooke Lynne. Why would he hurt her?”

“You’ve known Diego a month, Courtney. People I’ve known for years are capable of things I can’t imagine happening. I wouldn’t be quick to support him over a girl who’s been raped.”

“I’m not supporting him,” Courtney remarked, a little stunned. “I’m just…surprised.”

The sound of a baby crying broke the tense silent and Courtney frowned. “I thought Morgan was with Bobbie.”

“He is. That’s Cameron,” Carly said, crossing to her closet and perusing more clothes. “He’s staying with Sam and Jason while Elizabeth’s recovering from surgery.”

Courtney narrowed her eyes. “Why with them? Why not her brother? Or her grandmother? Even Emily and Nikolas. Why Jason?”

“Sam volunteered them,” Carly said absently. “Something about practice.” She shut the lid the suitcase. “Courtney, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not Elizabeth who’s getting her claws in Jason, it’s Sam.” She hesitated. “And I’m not even sure I care anymore. Jason’s a big boy and he can make his own decisions.”

Courtney squared her shoulders. “You’re usually the first one to head off someone going for Jason. It’s the reason you and Elizabeth are always at each other’s throats.”

Carly sat on her bed and sighed heavily. “I can barely run my own life, Courtney. I can’t pretend I have any control over Jason’s life anymore. Maybe when I figure mine out, I’ll ask Jason what he’s doing hanging out with Elizabeth’s son, okay?”

Taken aback at Carly’s sharp retort, Courtney cleared her throat and stood. “Right. Well, I should go. Jax is coming over and he wants to discuss my legal options. Give me a call when you and the boys are settled.”

“Courtney…” Carly after her halfheartedly as the blonde exited the room.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“Aren’t we just the cutest little baby in the whole wide world?” Sam cooed, ticking Cameron’s feet. “Yes, we are, yes we are.”

The little boy giggled and Sam laughed right back. “Jason, stop looking at the clock.”

“She should be out of surgery now.”

“She probably is.” Sam lifted Cameron into her lap. “Go see her.”

“I can’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “Daddy’s having a freak out,” she said confidentially to the little boy. “You’re her friend, aren’t you?”

“If we’re around each other too much, it’s hard.” Jason rested his hands on the desk and stared at the phone as if willing it to ring with news of Elizabeth. “Because we have to pretend we don’t feel anything.” He glanced at Cameron. “I have to pretend he’s nothing more than the son of an old friend.”

“Must be next to impossible.” Cameron held his arms out to his father but Jason stayed across the room. “You won’t be able to keep this secret forever. He’s going to get bigger, Jason. He’s going to start talking and maybe the first few times he calls you Daddy in public, people will think it’s cute, but not forever.” Sam hesitated. “Unless he’s not going to call you that even in private–”

“Sam…” Jason closed his eyes. “That’s not fair.”

“Well, it’s not really fair to Cameron or Elizabeth either is it?” Sam set Cameron on the floor and watched him crawl across the floor to where he had some stuffed animals on a blanket.

“At least she gets to see him every day,” Jason murmured. He sat on the floor next to Cameron and the boy immediately abandoned his toys to crawl towards the big man whose voice he recognized.

“Sure she gets to see him every day,” Sam replied. “But she can’t share her life with his father, the man she loves. I know how she must feel.” Her voice softened and she looked towards the windows. “When Carly moved back into the penthouse last spring and Sonny told me he’d come by when he could…” She twisted the hem of her gray sweater in her fingers. “It made me feel so low, Jason. So dirty. Like trash.”

“Elizabeth–she doesn’t feel that way. She has to know…” Jason shook his head. “It’s not like that, Sam.”

“Hmmm.” Sam got to her feet and pressed her hand against her lower back. “I think I’ll go to the hospital. Do some visiting.”

“Sam.”

“Spend time with your son,” she murmured as she moved to the closet and struggled into a jacket.

“Sam, this isn’t something you need to fix–”

Sam pulled the door open and smiled at the guard. “Hey, Tommy right? Yeah, I’m going to General Hospital–my friend’s out of surgery.”

“Mr. Morgan?” the guard spoke past her.

Jason sighed. “Yeah. Take her and don’t let her out of your sight.”

When the door shut, Jason sighed and pulled Cameron into his arms. The baby giggled and touched his face. “I miss you when I’m not around,” he said softly. “When you’re with your mother and I can’t be there…” he closed his eyes and hugged his son close. “I wish it could be different.

General Hospital: Brooke Lynn’s Room

“Okay, so I could do the whole silence awkward thing,” Georgie began, “but I’ve decided that it’s overplayed.”

Brooke smiled hesitantly. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, so here are the flowers,” the perky blonde set an arrangement of tulips on the table next to the bed, “and the card.” She tossed a card onto the bed. “Okay, so let’s get on to other stuff.”

“Other stuff,” Brooke said slowly.

“Yep.” Georgie twisted her fingers together. “Kristina’s got a donor, did you hear?”

“Yes,” Brooke nodded. “I also heard she’s not my biological sister.”

“Oh. Well.” Georgie shrugged. “Blood’s not everything. I mean, Mac’s not my biological father.”

“True.” Brooke shrugged.

“And it’s not like Kristina’s got any other sisters,” Georgie reminded her. “I mean, yeah, Sonny’s got one on the way and two sons but every girl needs an older sister.” She wrinkled her nose. “Even if it’s Maxie.”

“Maxie’s great,” Brooke said. “You guys are lucky to have each other.”

“Yeah, I did luck out that way. And hey, as crazy as family is, they come in handy. You’ve got Dillon.”

“He hasn’t come to see me,” Brooke murmured. She toyed with the edge of her blanket. “I know…I know there’s some bruises…”

“No, no.” Georgie took Brooke’s hand in hers. “Hey, babe, listen. Dillon…he’s destroyed by this. I mean, he loves you so much, he just…he doesn’t know what to say. None of us do. Do we push you to talk about it? Do we pretend it didn’t happen? What do we do? What do we say?” She shrugged. “We don’t want to hurt you, Brooke, we want to help.”

“I appreciate that, I do. I just wish…” Brooke bit her lip. “I wish this hadn’t happened. I wish I knew why…” Tears clung to her lashes. “I thought he was our friend, Georgie. Why did he do this to me?”

Georgie launched her self off her chair and sat on the bed, pulling Brooke into a loose hug. “Because there are people out there who just really suck.”

“Can you ask him?” Brooke closed her eyes and sniffled. “I want to know why.”

“I’ll find out,” Georgie promised, “I’ll find out.”

General Hospital: Pediatric Ward

“Hey…” Sam touched Alexis’s arm. “Did they take Kristina already?”

Alexis nodded and crossed her arms tightly. “Elizabeth’s surgery went more quickly than they expected. There was no reason to postpone Kristina’s.”

“So, it went well? She’s all right?” Sam asked.

“She’s been moved to a room,” Alexis answered. “Cameron’s staying with you while she recovers, isn’t she?”

“Mmm…and so is Elizabeth when she’s released. Jason doesn’t want her on her own with the baby until she’s stronger.” Sam bit her lip. “Anyway, do you know what room she’s in? I wanted to go see her.”

“Oh, no…no, I don’t. But I’m sure someone can help you at the nurse’s station.”

“Thanks…I’m glad Kristina’s going to be okay,” Sam told Alexis. “I can’t imagine the terror you went through.”

Alexis smiled weakly. “Give your daughter another few months. Every fall, every cut, every drop of blood will terrify you. I only hope that fades when they get older. It can’t be good to be terrified for your children all the time.”

“Maybe it just means you love them,” Sam murmured with a smile.

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Elizabeth was awake when Sam entered her room, but her movements were listless and slow. “I feel like I’ve run a marathon,” the brunette confessed with a weak laugh.

“Well, Cameron’s doing great at the penthouse. I think Jason’s real happy to have him around.” Sam bit her lip. “You know that Jason told me…about everything.”

“He said he might.” Elizabeth blinked and turned her head. “So…how’d you take it?”

“I knew something was different the last few months,” Sam replied. She laughed and looked away. “I thought it was me and my daughter. I–I thought…well you know Jason. You know how easy it is to fall in love with him.”

“I do know,” Elizabeth replied softly. “I’m sorry, Sam.”

“It’s not your fault. No, he seemed–not happy. Settled, maybe. He’d disappear for a few hours; sometimes a whole night and I could never reach him by cell. That’s part of the thing you have. His cell is off when you’re together?”

Elizabeth nodded and closed her eyes. “His idea,” she murmured. “When we were together before, that damn phone rang every time something was about to happen between us. When we decided that we wanted to be together, his first suggestion was the phone was off when we were together.”

“He wants to have a life separate from Sonny,” Sam nodded. “If it can’t be me, then I’m glad it’s you.” She patted her abdomen. “As long as my little girl doesn’t lose Jason as her father, that’s all that matters.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes and blinked a few times. “I–I don’t understand.”

Sam frowned. “Well–Jason and I–we–we’re raising her together. He comes to all my appointments.”

“W-What about Sonny?” Elizabeth asked, struggling to sit up a bit. “He’s her father.”

“Yes, but he’s preoccupied with Morgan and Michael. His other family. My daughter needs someone who puts her first…” Sam trailed off. “Didn’t you know?”

“I–” Elizabeth shook her head. “No. I–he can’t,” she whispered. “He can’t claim your child and raise her when he can’t claim Cameron. No. It’s–it’s not fair. It’s not right.”

“Hey, hey, don’t–don’t get upset, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that.” Sam thought fast. “Maybe Jason was just humoring me–I mean, none of us knew the truth about Cameron. Maybe he had no intention of–”

“No, you know Jason’s not like that.” Elizabeth’s voice was thick now and she leaned back, closing her eyes. “You can’t understand what it’s like, Sam. He’s known the truth for months and I keep waiting for the day he walks through the door and tells me that he’s gone public. He’s claiming Cameron and we’re going to be a family.”

“You are a family,” Sam whispered. “You are.”

“Not in any way that counts. My little boy can’t see his father unless Jason finds the time to come by and most of the time, it’s only quick visits. Half an hour and he spends most it with Cameron. He loves him so much and I know it’s killing him to be away from Cameron but I just–I can’t watch him be a father to another child while my son waits for him.”

“No, no of course not. I didn’t realize you didn’t know. Nothing’s–nothing’s set in stone, Elizabeth. This is all up for discussion and now that I know the truth, man, we are going to work this all out. You and I can be friends, right? And you can bring Cameron over all the time and you and Jason can have more time together. And Cameron can have a sister.” Sam nodded fervently. “It’s all going to be fine, Elizabeth. I promise.”

Thursday, November 4, 2004

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room Later That Night

Elizabeth opened her eyes at the feeling of someone watching her. Jason was seated at her side and he smiled when she opened her eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she murmured. “What time is it?”

“Just after 3 AM,” he answered. He took her hand in his. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Elizabeth turned her head to face him. “Sam was here earlier.”

“I know…” he exhaled slowly. “Elizabeth, I–”

“How could you not tell me you planned on raising Sam’s baby with her?” Elizabeth asked, her voice husky with unshed tears. “Putting her daughter in front of our son.”

“That’s–that’s not the way it is,” Jason tried to explain. “I promised Sam before I knew about Cameron.”

She closed her eyes. “That doesn’t excuse you not telling me. We promised honesty, Jason. Complete honesty with no omissions.”

“I thought you knew,” he told her. “Everyone did.”

“I’m not everyone,” she said sharply. She reached for the controls of the bed and raised the head up so she could see him more clearly. “I’m supposed to be the woman you love, the mother of your child–sorry, one of your children,” she bit out. “How do you think it’s going to make Cameron feel when he finds out you were willing to claim Sam’s child publicly but not him?”

“That’s–that’s not how this is. Everyone knows Lila isn’t my baby. Sam lives with me. It’s not such a leap to think that I’m going to be involved in the baby’s life.” He took a deep breath. “It is, however, harder to explain that while I was engaged to someone else, I had an affair and she got pregnant.”

“An affair,” Elizabeth said slowly. Her eyes burned with tears but she held them back. “You know that Cameron and I…we’re not a package deal. You don’t have to be with me to be his father, you’re aware of that.”

“Don’t–don’t do this, Elizabeth. You know I love you.” Jason stood and crossed to the door, needing room to pace but unable to find it. “I just…”

“What Sonny thinks is important to you, I get that. You don’t really want him to know that you cheated on his sister. Fine. I get that. I just…I don’t know if I could handle seeing you playing daddy to someone else. You know that Cameron is attached to you. He’s getting older and he’s going to see you in public and he won’t understand why you don’t come to him. Why you don’t hold him and when he begins to talk…” Elizabeth shook her head. “I can’t tell him you’re not his father when we’re not at the cottage–”

“I’m always his father,” Jason interrupted with irritation. “And it’s not like this is easy on me–”

“And it is on me?” she challenged. “You think my family doesn’t wonder how I can afford the cottage? You think that it’s easy for the other nursing students to invite me to single mother’s night?”

“What?”

“It might not occur to you, Jason, but to the rest of the world, I’m a single mother who got knocked up by some guy who later got himself killed by the cops,” Elizabeth said harshly. “It’s not a walk in the park for me, Jason, so don’t pretend that it is.”

“At least you get to see Cameron,” he muttered. He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Jesus, Elizabeth, I don’t feel right unless I’m with you. With him. If I don’t spend the night at the cottage, I don’t sleep well. If I don’t see Cameron or hold you, I’m in a rotten mood all day. And I wish I could change it. I’m working on it. I just–I just need you to be patient. Just a little while longer.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. “All right.”

Jason returned to her side and perched on the bed. He laced their fingers together and used his free hand to brush her hair off her forehead. “Get some sleep. I didn’t–I didn’t mean to argue with you tonight.”

“Thank you for coming,” she murmured. “Is Cam okay at the penthouse?”

“Yeah, we’ve got him in the nursery. Sam said something about breaking in the crib. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him during the day…I didn’t realize he was crawling so much.”

“I had to baby proof the cottage,” her words were slurring and he knew she was drifting towards sleep now. “Get gates and those little plastic…electric…coverings…”

He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “I love you, Elizabeth.”

“Love you too,” she mumbled.

Port Charles Police Department: Squad Room

“Diego Sanchez,” Lorenzo Alcazar told the desk clerk. “When he is being arraigned?”

The officer at the desk was shuffling through paperwork when Mac appeared behind him. “Why so interested?”

“I have to bail him out,” Lorenzo said after a moment. “When will he be arraigned?”

Mac folded his arms. “Why?” he repeated.

“I don’t feel that you need to know that,” Lorenzo said instead.

“I could pick up the phone and let Lois know you’re interested in bailing out the piece of shit that raped and beat her daughter.”

The apathetic expression fell from Lorenzo’s face and was quickly replaced by shock. “He’s being charged with that?”

“Yes. There’s no doubt about it–we’re just waiting for test results.” Mac narrowed his eyes. “What’s your interest in this case, Alcazar?”

“I need to see him,” Lorenzo snapped. “Now.”

Knowing that he could observe the conversation, Mac nodded and went to arrange it. Ten minutes later, Diego–dressed in the same clothes he’d been wearing two nights ago–was in the interrogation room. Mac was behind the mirror and Lorenzo was glaring at him from across the table.

“Took you long enough to show up,” Diego remarked. “How long before the charges are dropped?”

“I’m not taking care of this for you. Not this time. Do you know what you’re accused of?”

Diego shrugged. “A little slut who should have known better says I raped her.”

Lorenzo snarled. “That’s Brooke Lynn Ashton you’re speaking of, you little punk. If you think I’m getting these charges dropped, you’re out of your mind.”

Diego smirked. “What’s the matter, Pop, don’t want to do a favor for your dear old son?”

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