Quinn waited to hear the whir of the engines on their first lap of the race. The first lap of the Indy 500 was special. She imagined coming out of the first turn and accelerating, and knowing you were starting on the 500 mile race. Coming in last would be a thrill, if you could say you had raced in it.
The pack came around the bend with a great zoom – engines humming, they would soon be moving at more than 200 m.p.h.
Helio Castroneves from Brazil won the race. One woman drove in it; Sarah Fisher, who started ninth, and came in twenty-fourth. The race ended under the caution flags.
Quinn had never enjoyed the race so much. And everyone she loved best in the world was with her. That night at dinner everyone dissected the race and talked about the controversy over another racer who had passed Castroneves under the yellow flag, but who insisted he had already passed and that therefore, he was the real winner.
"Not like the old days, when telling who won was not a big problem," Joe Quinn said. He was Quinn's godfather and had even worked in the Pit Crews at Indy in the 1950s. He had been able to show them around and tell them all sorts of things that they couldn't show you at the Racing Museum.
Quinn's boyfriend Zander and his brother Peter were there. They had never been to the Indy race before, and were full of questions for Joe.
"I don't know if they'll let you go up to Notre Dame by yourselves," said Quinn's mother, Kathleen, who sat next to her. "They'll follow you in hopes of getting to drive Zander's car again."
"Everybody had their chance," Quinn said, laughing. "And Peter got to have his little joke turning off on that side road as if he and the boys were making off with the car."
The boys were Quinn's brothers, Tim, who was 17, like Peter, who would be 17 in a few weeks, and Brad, who was 14.
Quinn's father, Danny, had heard, and said, "Here's the plan: you two get that pilot of Oksana's to take you to South Bend, and we will make sure the Porsche gets home all right."
"We will take very good care of it," Peter said with a grin.
"No, I wouldn't trust them, Zander," Joe said, mildly. "You'll never see them again."
"You bet," Tim said. "We'd be on our way to California. The beach. The chicks."
"Well, I think not," Zander said, trying to be in on the joke, but feeling oddly mature. "I don't know these chicks, but I want to spare them. It's the human thing to do."
"Porsches and pilots," Kathleen said. "I never thought of knowing anybody with all that."
"I don't know where to find that pilot," Zander said. "I want to give my tutor a free ride. She loves flying."
"Are you sure it's not the pilot she likes?" Quinn asked.
"You two and your matchmaking!" Kathleen laughed. "How are Alexis and Jerry doing, by the way?"
"Not bad," Quinn said. "I think they've gotten together outside the Outback."
"We're going to succeed there, you watch, Kathleen," Zander said.
The van was headed back to Port Charles the next morning, but Quinn and Zander were going to take a side trip first.
She had planned it; she said it was no good to come out this far without showing him the place she had gone to college.
They drove the three and a half hours north to get to South Bend.
"Not much changed," she said, driving through the town.
"There is the famous football stadium," he said. "The Fighting Irish."
"Right! Good memory."
She showed him the Grotto, a little cave of candles, a one-seventh sized replica of the French shrine at Lourdes; the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and the Main Building of the University of Notre Dame, with its famous golden dome, Havican Hall at St. Mary's, where the nursing school was, the lakes, and her dorm.
They went inside the dorm, and Quinn knocked on a door on the second floor. There was a girl sitting on a bed, reading a textbook.
"Sorry, can I bother you? I used to live in this room."
"Sure, come on in. Has it changed?"
Quinn laughed. "Only the bedspreads and the posters on the walls."
"How long ago?"
"Two years," Quinn said, looking off wistfully. "Some ways, it seems longer."
"So you're an alum?"
"Yep. I see you're in nursing school, too."
"Oh," the girl said, "you recognize the anatomy textbook."
Quinn smiled. She walked over to the window and looked out for a minute. "Thanks," she said to the girl.
"That room is small," Zander commented. "How could you stand it?"
"I don't know! You saw the other bed, right? She has, and I had, a roommate, too!"
"Which you weren't used to at all, having no sisters."
"Right. I was spoiled that way. But it was interesting, too. And there is so much to do on a campus that you don't really stay in your room much. I remember being excited to meet my first roommate. I was hoping she'd be a similar size so we could swap clothes!"
"How did you do it?" he asked. "So far from Port Charles. Didn't you miss them?"
"I suppose I did. Yes. It was hard, the very first part. I kept telling myself that Fall Break would get there, and I already had tickets to fly home for it. Then you get involved in everything. You have your classes, and your roommate to get to know at first, then you meet other people in your classes. I called home a lot. I missed Scott, so I was always writing letters and was always on the phone. Then after that first time, when you go home for Fall Break, you know it's only a month to Thanksgiving, and then less than a month to Christmas. By Spring semester, you know people at school, too, so you have a life here too and don't feel too bad about home. My mind was all on classes, and Sean, and girl friends and their problems."
"If I had a family like yours I don't think I could have done it."
"The way you left home was way harder. And you were only sixteen."
"Yeah, but you have such a nice family."
"I think that only made it easier. I could call whenever I wanted. I got all kinds of emails. I really missed Brad and Tim, believe it or not, don't tell them. The silly stuff they would do and say. I saved my letters; I'll show them to you if I can find them someday. The ones from Brad still crack me up."
They were sitting in the Basilica for awhile. Zander was wide-eyed. "It's so intricate, like the Russian churches," he said.
"I wonder how it affects you, not having a religion," she said. "I don't claim to be all that religious. But I would think everyone needs some spirituality."
"Teach me to be a Catholic," he said.
"I'm not sure if that's right for you. Maybe you need to learn to be Russian Orthodox. Or maybe you need to start simple, like some Native American ceremony."
He put his arm around her in the pew.
"Let's try watching the sunset," she suggested.
"Does it make you nostalgic for college?" Zander asked her, as they walked along the lake. The sun set prettily there.
"Yes, a little. A happy kind of nostalgic. I had all those dreams in those days. Some were silly and that's OK now. Some are even come true."
"Come true?"
"I'm a nurse! A real, graduated, board-certified, R.N."
"Yeah. I didn't imagine that so much before. Once you weren't. And had to study, like that girl in your old dorm room. And not be sure you would ever be a nurse."
"You could have a dream like that."
"I'm not sure."
"That's OK. If you ever do, well, you can do the same."
"I think I don't dare think of it. I wonder if I passed that GED."
"I know you did."
"Do you score the tests?"
"Yeah, it's my side job."
He laughed, and hugged her for a second.
"What other dreams?"
"Oh, that I'd have a guy I really liked."
"You had Shyster Sean."
"Deep down I knew I'd meet a guy I really liked," she grinned, mischievously.
"Did you ever walk along here at sunset with Shyster Sean?"
"Of course. It's romantic. It seemed romantic years ago with Shyster Sean. So how much more so it must be now."
"I ought to take you to the barn where I used to meet Emily."
"Only you could make a barn romantic."
"Thanks, Quinn."
She laughed. "My craziest dream, which is still fun to dream, though it likely can never be true, is that I would be like Lyn St. James, back then, the only woman driving in the Indy 500. Like Sarah Fisher this time. In this dream, I only have to drive. I don't have to win."
"In my dream, you win," Zander said. "And I get to pour the milk over your head."
They were in a nice hotel, quaint, and not too commercial. Quinn didn't sleep all that well, thinking of all the memories she had from looking around the campus. She remembered sitting in the Basilica with Sean in a similar way. It had been romantic. At least, she thought she remembered it that way.
She looked at the sleeping Zander. She had missed home the first weeks of her freshman year, she realized. Maybe more than she had wanted to think of at the time.
But Zander had left home suddenly one day. She knew why, but she still didn't quite understand. She wasn't sure she could have done such a thing even in the same situation. Totally alone, and sixteen. She tried to push back her imagining of what that first night must have been like.
She felt a lump in her throat. It was dark, and he was asleep, so she let a few small tears escape. She hugged him as if she could somehow comfort the lonely sixteen year old.
He had been really angry, she realized. Maybe that had helped carry him through it.
She kissed his shoulder, then held him again. Soon she was asleep, too.
Backstage at the Port Charles Dinner Theater, the performers for the Nurse's Ball ran around, got themselves into tizzies, and tried to get ready.
Bobbie Spencer ran in, flustered. It had take until the very last minute to get the costumes Carly had designed and sewn at Ferncliff. She went in and looked at Joanna and Quinn getting dressed from time to time.
"Oh, you look so cute!" she said. "Carly would love to see this!"
"Do you have a camera?" Quinn asked.
"I didn't think of it!" Bobbie said.
"I'm sure somebody does!"
Fortunately, Lucky was able to oblige. When Quinn and Joanna were out of the dressing room, they found Tim and Lucky was able to take several pictures of them. Lisa watched, admiring them.
Lucky and Lisa had been able to rehearse two songs enough to feel all right about doing them on stage. He thought her voice was better than his, and wanted her to sing solo, but she didn't like that. He tried creating a harmony. Eventually, they were both happy with what they had.
Quinn noticed Emily in the dressing room. She made a wry face. Joanna saw, and smiled.
"Well, are you ready?" she asked Quinn.
"Ready as I will ever be," Quinn answered.
Zander had felt good about the test, but he was still nervous opening the results. He took a deep breath and opened the envelope. He sighed. He had passed.
Now he could move on. He was elated and didn't know who to tell first.
He decided Amanda Friel deserved his first call.
"I knew it," his tutor said. "Take some time to celebrate. Then we can go to PCU and start working on them. But not yet. Take some time."
"OK," he said. "I'm going to treat you to a flight. You love flying in that charter plane. Somewhere fun."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, Zander," Amanda said. "But we can go to Boston or New York, I have a lot of things to show you in those cities."
Then he called Kathleen, who warmly congratulated him and promised to tell the rest of the Connors, then he called Quinn, then he called Alexis, then Joe Quinn and then Oksana, and then Sergei. He worried a little about the order in which he called his parents, but figured Oksana had done the more of the work.
He was so happy; he hardly knew what to do with himself.
He went off to the Nurse's Ball. He and Quinn were sitting at a table with Alexis, Jerry Jax, Jasper Jax and V. Ardanowski, Stefan Cassidine and Oksana. Alexis had arranged this for everyone.
Quinn wasn't there yet; she wouldn't be there until after they had performed their number.
Oksana was sitting next to him on the other side. She talked to Stefan in Russian. Every once in awhile, Zander said something in this conversation. Stefan wasn't doing too badly. He didn't know many words, though.
Zander looked across the room, seeing many people, and thought he was better off if he didn't. He saw where the Quartermaines sat and decided never to even look over in their direction.
AJ wasn't with the family; Zander saw him at a table with a bunch of nurses. He looked like he was having a good time, flirting with all of them.
Dr. Alan Quartermaine sang first. Zander barely listened to him.
Lucky Spencer and Lisa were next. Zander thought they weren't half bad.
Then to Zander's displeasure, Ned and Emily came out. They did a little duet. Then Ned played while Emily sang. Good for her, thought Zander. It was unexpected. Then he wondered why. It was the right time of year for college students to have arrived home.
"Her voice is very sweet," Oksana said.
"No doubt she could have been a big star," Zander muttered. "I think Lisa's better. But that's all personal opinion."
Dr. Tony Jones was next.
Finally, Peter, Paula and Mary came up. Zander smiled. Joanna's shoulder length hair curled into a big poofy hair style. She wore a short black dress with short sleeves. Quinn's long hair was pulled back straight from her face and fixed into a big bun at the back of her head. She too wore a short black dress. Hers was sleeveless. Both of them wore a lot of eyeliner and a lot of blue eye shadow.
Tim had let his hair get down to his shoulders. Then they'd cut it in the style of the Beatles, when they first showed up in the U.S. He wore a suit and a thin tie.
They sang "500 Miles," "Day is Done," "The Unicorn Song," "If I Had a Hammer. and "Blowin' in the Wind." They did a harmony of three on each one, but Zander could hear Quinn. She had a nice, low voice that was sweeter and prettier than that of anyone else who had been on that stage.
Zander paid little attention to the rest of the show.
After the show, there was the dinner, and then the dancing.
Quinn came back, after she had changed. Her hair was up the same though. She wore a red gown and was stunning.
"You were terrific," everyone said.
Quinn beamed.
Lucky and Lisa were sitting at a table with Nicholas and Gia, Cheryl and Scott, and Detective Taggart and Dara Jenson.
Lucky introduced everyone to Lisa.
The wedding of Nicholas and Gia was the general subject of conversation.
"All of the dresses are in," Gia said. "Yours too, Cheryl."
"It's going to be really nice," Dara said.
"Thank you," Gia said. "And I'm glad you'll be there. Marcus is going to look really nice in the tux. You see how he looks tonight."
Lucky explained to Lisa how everyone else at the table was involved in the wedding.
"It looks like I'm the only one who has nothing to do with it," she smiled. "Maybe I can do the flowers."
Lucky said, "you know, I'd really like it if you'd go to the wedding with me."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "You don't have to ask me to avoid my feeling left out at this table. I was kidding about the flowers." She smiled.
He thought she had a beautiful smile.
"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered. "I can't think of better company here or there."
"Then I would be happy to go," she answered.
Later, when the dancing started, Lucky asked Lisa to dance. Out on the dance floor with her, he was happy. He hadn't felt this way in a long time.
Later, he told Nicholas he was bringing Lisa as his date to the wedding.
"But you're bringing Emily," Nicholas said.
Lucky had forgotten about that. "I can't now."
"We really need someone to keep an eye on her," Nicholas said. "Gia is worried she'll do something. Like she did for the engagement party."
"Her whole family will be there," Lucky argued.
"I hope they do a better job than last time," Nicholas said.
"Oh for crying out loud," Lucky said. "Just because Emily had some trouble that one night, doesn't mean she has trouble every single night."
Nicholas smiled. "OK, I was getting caught up in Gia's stress. She thinks Emily gets into trouble whenever she can."
"Yeah, like her old boyfriend Zander," Lucky answered. "No, Emily is not that bad."
Lucky found Emily and introduced her to Lisa.
Later, Lisa was talking to Gia and V., and Lucky was hanging around. Emily came up to him. "Is this your new girl?" Emily asked.
"I don't know. Maybe. I'm going to take her to the wedding," he said.
"I thought you were taking me to the wedding!"
"I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding a date."
"Well, as I have not been living around here, it may not be so easy as that. I can't think of anyone off hand."
"I guess you didn't make up with Vinnie, or meet another guy down at school yet?"
"I didn't think of that. I could ask someone to come up for it. Worth a try, anyway."
"I'm sure one will come."
"It's an eight hour drive."
"What's that, to do a favor for a beautiful woman?"
"Gee thanks, Lucky. Well, see you later."
Zander had gone to get drinks for Quinn and Alexis. He was waiting for the bartender, when Emily appeared beside him.
"I need a date to Nicholas' wedding," she said. "Wanna go?" she added, mockingly.
"I'm not going on any date with anybody other than Quinn," he answered. "Which you well know."
"I wonder if she realizes this exclusivity exists," Emily replied. "If she did, she might run for her life. I can't help but hear the other nurses and doctors talk. She doesn't want to be tied down."
"Thanks for the advice," he said, sarcastically.
"I bet she never says she loves you."
"Who cares what people say?" he retorted. "It's what they do that counts. You can say that as many times as you want, but if what you do doesn't match, it's nothing but words."
"If they don't say it," Emily rolled her eyes, "then it isn't so."
"Better than saying it and not meaning it," he retorted.
"If you mean me, that wasn't true. How can you say that? I explained to you what happened. It's you who is unforgiving."
"No, that would be you. Any third party can tell you anything about a guy and you believe it and it's over. Boom. You can blab you love them all you want, it only lasts until somebody else destroys it."
"You shouldn't let someone else destroy it! You shouldn't have!"
"You did that – never mind. Forget it. You're right. It's all my fault. But it's also all done. And quit trying to tell me things about Quinn. You and your gossip can't know Quinn as well as I do, so forget about it. I won't let it bother me the way you intend."
"I don't intend anything to bother you," she said. "Only to warn you that you are obviously way too far in with someone who does not want to be all that seriously involved with you, so you are going to get dumped again if you're not careful."
"Shut up."
"Wow, you're so polite. Oh, here's your mother. Another fact you kept from me."
Oksana put her arm around Zander's shoulders. "You need help with these drinks?" she asked. "Hello," she said, to Emily.
"Hello," Emily said, her tone suddenly courteous.
The bartender brought the drinks. Zander handed one to Oksana to carry and looked at her as if he expected her to come to Emily's defense.
But she took the drink and walked off with him.
"Why were you telling that girl to shut up?" Oksana asked.
"You weren't there for the rest of that conversation, Mom."
"I know. I did not say you were wrong."
"Oh no? Well, if you must know, she was annoying me. She intended to, and she knew she was doing it. No reason to feel sorry for her. My telling her to shut up was mild compared to what some people might do."
"Very well," Oksana answered.
But Zander was still in the middle of the fight, and did not realize it was over. "She still is trying to get me to take the blame that she chose to break up with me over what her family told her. So she is trying to sabotage my confidence in Quinn. Which is all none of her business, and she has a lot of nerve, and - "
"She is surely a witch," Oksana interrupted him to agree.
He stopped suddenly, realizing he was not in the argument anymore.
"Well thanks, Mom," Zander said. "Nice to know you are on my side for once."
Oksana let it go, rather than reciting why she thought she had always been on his side. She knew he was upset and was saying anything he could think of. She patted his shoulder. "Of course," she said.
Quinn noticed he looked upset when they went out to dance.
"Little Emily," he explained. "I'll get over it."
"Do I even want to know what she said?"
"Same old thing," he said. "You're not serious about me. How does she know you so well, anyway? Or claim to, or why does she think I would believe you have ever told her anything? She must think I'm stupid that her opinion of your feelings could carry any weight."
"I never talk to her. You do realize that?"
"Yes," he said. "Reassure me some."
She smiled. "OK," she said. "I am so crazy about you! If Little Emily ever tries to give me any lip, I will tell her that. I'll tell any part of the hospital gossip mill any time. So you'll know she is making it all up if she keeps it up with you."
"Thank you," he said, leaning down and kissing her.
"I'm wild about you," she whispered.
