CHAPTER NINE

TONY’S OFFICE, GENERAL HOSPITAL:

Tony(entered his darkened office, when suddenly the lights came on. He was blinded by the light for a second.)Who’s there?

Helena:(smiled)Hello, Dr. Jones. I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time. It seems you’re a very busy boy these days.

Tony: Mrs. Cassadine, what do you want?

Helena: Oh, so impatient. So anxious to be rid of me. So desperate for the good people of Port Charles not to see him associating with the likes of me. It wasn’t that long ago it was a much different story, wasn’t it, Dr. Jones.

Tony: I asked you before. What do you want.

Helena: My son has come to see you as a patient, recently. I want to know why.

Tony: I’m afraid I can’t discuss that with you. Doctor/patient confidentiality.

Helena: I’m afraid you’ll have to break it. I’m afraid your Hippocratic Oath doesn’t take precedence over the debt that you owe me.

Tony: What debt? I don’t owe you anything.

Helena: How soon they forget. Without me, you’d be where all good babynappers are supposed to be. Rotting in some prison somewhere. And if you don’t do what I ask, that could still happen. I could make it happen. Don’t doubt that one bit.

Tony: You’re bluffing. I’ve served my time. There’s nothing you can do to me.

Helena: You think so, do you? If you do, then you don’t know me very well. You see there were some improprieties involving your case. If they were to become known, I’m afraid you’d have to be retried on the old charges and this time you wouldn’t get off so easy.

Tony: What improprieties.

Helena: Alexis came across some damaging information against Dara Jensen courtesy of me and she used it to blackmail her into giving you a light sentence. If it were to become known, both Alexis and Dara would be disbarred and you would be retried on the kidnapping charges.

Tony: What do you want from me.

Helena: I already told you. I want to know why my son came to see you and I want to know now.

SONNY’S BEDROOM, THE PENTHOUSE:

Sonny(awoke to find Carly staring at him)What are you doing?

Carly: Watching you sleep. Do you know you look just like a little boy when you’re asleep. Your face gets all scrunched up and you even sort of suck your thumb in your sleep. Just like Michael does sometimes.

Sonny(became affronted)I do not.

Carly: Yes, you do. You even do this kind of sexy little snort like a little piglet. It’s kind of cute. Didn’t your other bed partners every tell you that.

Sonny: No they didn’t because I don’t! I don’t snort like a pig in my sleep. You’re making that up. You take that back.

Carly: How would you know what you do? You’re asleep when you’re doing it.

Sonny(declared hotly)I know I would not make pigs sounds in my sleep.

Carly(suddenly starts laughing)You’re right, you don’t. I was just pulling your leg. You’re so much fun to tease. You should have seen the look on your face when I said you sucked your thumb in your sleep. And you looked like you were going to have apoplexy when I said you snorted like a pig.

Sonny: So, how was it? You know, our first night spending the night together.

Carly:(cuddled up to him as she laid across his chest)It’s the first night I’ve been able to sleep the whole night through since what happened.

Sonny: Me, too. (he ran his fingers through her hair)It hurts more when we’re pushing each other away and trying to handle this on our own than when we’re together. Lila told me we needed to grieve the baby together not apart from each other.

Carly: Bobbie said the same thing. It looks like they were both right. Do you think we’ll be able to get back to where we were before we lost the baby.

Sonny; I don’t know. We just have to take it one day at a time. Even without the baby, you, me and Michael are still a family. Maybe we will be able to get back to what we had before. Maybe we won’t. Who knows? Maybe we might even find something better this time around?

Carly(closed her eyes and sighed)That would be nice, wouldn’t it. If something good were to come out of this horrible situation.

THE GATEHOUSE, THE QUARTEMAINE MANSION:

Ned(smirked at Alexis as he buttered his toast)Would you please pass the strawberry jam, Alexis.

Alexis(shoves it across the table towards him)Don’t gloat, Ned, it’s not attractive.

Ned: Come on, Alexis, aren’t you proud of me. I refused to help, Grandfather. I am a gatekeeper no more. And you can do the same thing too. Just tell Stefan if he needs a kidney to go to the local organ bank and find somebody else’s.

Alexis: I’ll give you that you turned down Edward, initially. But that doesn’t mean you won’t cave and do what Edward wants, eventually. Let’s see how strong you stay when Edward really starts pulling his stuff on you to get you to help him. I still think you’re a card-carrying member of the Gatekeeper’s Society. And whether you help Edward or not makes no difference in regards to my decision to give Stefan my kidney. If my brother need a kidney, than I’m giving him one of mine. I’ve got two. I can give him my spare. According to Tony you only need one and the other one is like a spare tire. It’s only there in case you need it.

Ned: And what should happen to you if sometime in the future you should need it. Do you think he’s going to give it back.

Alexis: Ned, my mind is made up. Let’s change the subject. What are your plans for the day.

Ned: I’m going to go and pick my Uncle Alan’s brain for enough facts to convince you not to do this. (he throws down his napkin on his plate like a gauntlet)Excuse me.

GENERAL HOSPITAL:

Bobbie(smiles at Stefan as he steps off the elevator)Good morning, Stefan.

Stefan(eyes her suspiciously)Good morning, Barbara. Have I any messages.

Bobbie(checks)None so far.

Stefan: Thank you. (he starts to walk away)

Bobbie: How are you feeling, Stefan.

Stefan: Why would you ask? Why would you even care?

Bobbie; I was just trying to be polite.

Stefan(suddenly smirks)Oh, I know what this is about.

Bobbie:(suddenly worried)You do?

Stefan: You found out I tried to get you fired while you were off playing Bonnie to your jailbird boyfriend’s Clyde, didn’t you? Barbara, this is a hospital. We don’t need nurses who aren’t totally committed to their jobs working here.

Bobbie: How dare you question my commitment to my job. I worked very hard to become a nurse.

Stefan: Really? One couldn’t tell by the way you behave.

Bobbie: Just what is that supposed to mean?

Stefan: Ever since your aunt died and you and your brother took over the running of her diner you’ve only been half here. I’m sure the lion share of running that waterfront dive falls entirely on your shoulders, since your brother is known to shirk most of his responsibilities.

Bobbie: Just leave my brother out of this.

Stefan: Gladly, but when his irresponsibility begins to effect the running of this hospital, he has to be brought into it.

Bobbie: You know nothing about my brother.

Stefan: I know he blatantly neglects his daughter to go off chasing after another man’s wife.

Bobbie: You’re hardly one to talk about chasing other men’s wives.

Stefan: At least I didn’t neglect my child to do it. And because of your brother’s pursuits of that faithless creature Mac Scorpio had the bad judgment to marry...

Bobbie: Just leave Felicia out of this.

Stefan: Oh yes, she’s a friend of yours, isn’t she. Now where was I? Oh, yes. Just how many nurses on staff have you had cover for you so you could sling hash at that dive you laughingly call a restaurant. (he waited for her to answer him and when one wasn’t forthcoming he continued on)What’s the matter, Barbara, has it been too many times for you to count? It is not the responsibility of the nurses on this staff to cover for you so you can wait on tables in that low class watering hole. If the tips are so much better waiting on tables, then I suggest you resign your position here, immediately, and take up slinging has permanently.

Bobbie: How dare you! I was working at this hospital long before you even came to this town, and I’ll still be working at this hospital long after you’re gone.

Stefan: Not if you continue on as you have, recently. Take for instance your recent absence from your job. I believe you were off cavorting somewhere with your jailbird boyfriend. Once again, your friends on the nursing staff had to cover for you. I’m putting you on warning, Barbara. If you can’t give one hundred percent to your job here, move aside and let someone take your place who can.

Bobbie: What about you? What about the way you’ve taken off recently to chase after Luke and Laura and to try to prevent them from finding Lucky. You’ve been shirking your responsibilities here. too.

Stefan: Ah, but there’s a big difference between you and I, You see, I happen to own this hospital and you don‘t, so I can do what I please. (he heads over to the elevator, then turns back to her)One more thing, Barbara. Save your solicitations for you Convict Casanova. I’m sure he needs them far more than I do. And a word to the wise, I’d enjoy him while he’s out, because I’m sure it won’t be long before someone of his ilk is back behind bars wearing prison blues where he belongs. Lifers like him can’t make it on the outside, and they always end up going back.(with that he stepped on the elevator and the doors closed behind him)

Bobbie; Just keep it up, Stefan. You’re making it so easy for me not to tell you the truth.