Chapter Two
The double doors towered in front of her. The metal looked cold and hard, as if they would hurt to touch. As she got closer and stepped on the sensor, they whooshed open and out poured light to breach the dark. She hesitated before stepping from the anonymous night into the fury of the emergency room and the news that awaited her.
For a few seconds all she heard was the click of her shoes on the tiled floor and then the achingly familiar noise hit her like a tidal wave. Sounds of voices yelling, gurneys squeaking, charts being opened and closed, the phones ringing and pagers beeping filled the spaces of the room that wasn't taken up with rushing bodies and moving gurneys filled with injured citizens. As she walked further inside the volume became deafening, so different than the silent lab she had been stuck in day after day, night after night. It was, she realized in some disassociated part of her mind, the first time she had been in the hospital since before she had left. Taken, another thought reminded her and an image from her dream made her shiver. Left, she silently insisted, fighting against the old panic that offered to distract her from the new tragedy awaiting her.
"Watch it!"
She jumped back, just in time, and gasped as a gurney whipped past her. She blinked and let out a breath. She looked left. Then right. She recognized faces. Her colleagues. She tried to make sense of it all, to get past Epiphany's urgent voice echoing in her head.
"Immediately!"
Then the reports on the radio told her more than she wanted to know and less than she needed to know.
"Dr. Scorpio?" Dr. Alan Quatermaine's voice broke through the noise in the room and echoed in Robin's head for a moment before she realized it was real. She turned her head to look at him.
"Where is he?" she grasped onto the supportive hand touching her arm.
"Let's talk in here." Alan firmly gripped Robin's arm and pulled her around the desk into an empty exam room. "You're Uncle Mac is in surgery. We lost him a couple of times in the ambulance on the way in, but he's holding his own right now."
"Who's doing the surgery?"
"Patrick and Monica. The bullet nicked his heart and is lodged near the spine. He's getting the very best medical care possible," Alan said gently and confidently.
"I want to observe." The sluggishness of Robin's mind disappeared as she began to focus on the medical technicalities instead of the unknown of emotions.
"I don't think this is something that you should watch, Robin."
Something in Alan's words made Robin catch her breath. "Tell me the truth, is he going to make it?" Robin blinked hard and bit on her bottom lip.
"There's a chance with Patrick and Monica operating."
Robin closed her eyes and nodded. Tears streaked down her cheeks.
"You should be in the waiting room with your family. I'll take you." With her eyes closed, Robin didn't see the unspoken concern in Alan's dark eyes. Concern for both of his young doctors. One who had just returned from an ordeal and was still more fragile than he had seen her since Stone died and the other who was likely to lose on the table the Uncle of the woman he had finally let into his heart.
Jason tried to remember the first time he'd met Sonny. Probably through Robin, when she was dating Stone. He vaguely remembered not liking him - something to do with Karen Wexler, but he couldn't remember specifically. The memories were coming, but he couldn't control what or when. The truth was, he didn't want these memories, these glimpses into the man who was Jason Quartermaine. He wanted to forget. He needed to forget. Except… There were memories he was happy to have back. A baseball game with his dad, Christmas Eve with a young, innocent A.J. where the brothers tried to stay awake to meet Santa, a blizzard filled with snow angels… Steeling himself, he entered the Corinthos foyer and paused slightly before pushing his way into the inner sanctum.
The diminutive crime lord stood at his desk, yelling into the phone. He looked up at the sound of the door opening. "Never mind. He just walked in." Sonny hung up the phone and turned to face Jason. "Where the hell have you been?"
"We've got a problem," Jason responded.
"You don't say," Sonny deadpanned. "Jason, our business is all over the TV! Now tell me what the hell happened and where you've been. Why haven't you answered your phone?"
"The drop didn't go off as planned." Sonny scoffed at this, and Jason went on. "Alcazar's men showed up, I saw at least three of Masucci's men, and someone must have tipped off the cops because all of a sudden the waterfront was crawling with them."
"The police pick today to start actually patrolling?" Sonny asked incredulously.
"Giorgio Masucci or Diego Alcazar – I'm not sure who – took a shot at one of our guys and we were stuck in a full on gun battle between three mob families and half the Port Charles police force."
"I know. It's all over the news, Jason." Sonny paused and swept his hand over his mouth. "Mac Scorpio was shot." He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink.
Jason couldn't look at Sonny, and quickly made the decision not to tell him that he may have been the one to put a bullet in Mac's chest. "He must have been caught in the crossfire," Jason whispered.
"How many men did we lose?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know." Sonny laughed, and in a flash his demeanor exploded. "What the hell have you been doing all this time? We need containment!"
Jason's right temple started to throb. This was how it always started. He needed to get out of there and fast. "I'll take care of it." Jason grabbed the edge of the couch, hoping Sonny wouldn't notice he was having trouble keeping his balance.
"Where's your gun? We need to have Max dispose of it." Sonny picked up his glass of scotch and took a sip. "You know the cops will be sniffing around here for Mac's shooting. Not to mention they're still trying to pin Carly's murder on me."
"I'll take care of it." Jason felt the cold metal of the snub in his pocket.
"Jason-"
"I said I'll take care of it!"
Sonny looked at him over the rim of his glass as he took one last swig of the amber liquid and nodded. "OK." He walked over to the man he loved like a brother and trusted with his life. "This needs to end, Jason. Port Charles is my territory." Sonny's demeanor again switched and he smiled. "I've tried to be nice, but Alcazar and Masucci aren't getting the message. Well, I'm not holding back any longer." Sonny put his arm around Jason's shoulders and walked him to the door. "We're going to take them both out. It's time."
Jason nodded, desperate to get out before his headache became debilitating.
"I'm going to head over to the hospital to pay my respects to Robin and check on Mac's condition," Sonny said. "We'll meet back here in a couple of hours to talk next steps." Sonny stopped as they reached the front door and he opened it. "It ends now, Jason. If a war is what it takes, I'll do what it takes."
"Robin! How are you?" Anna Devane rushed over to her daughter the moment she came into view. She put her hands on Robin's arms and leaned in, taking in her daughter's pale face and the dark circles that told of nightmares that hadn't gone away yet. She stroked a cheek, feeling the telltale moisture that told of shed tears. Anna's heart shredded just a little bit more. Her baby had already been through so much because of who her parents were and Anna was once again helpless to protect her girl from the pain. She took Robin into her arms and stroked her hair.
"Where's Dad? He should be here." Robin pulled out of her mother's arms. "He'll want to know about Mac."
"Honey." Sean Donely walked over and put his hand on Robin's shoulder. "I've called Robert. He's not far from here. He'll be here as soon as he can."
"I hope it's soon enough." Robin wrapped her arms around herself.
"Robin, your Patrick is operating; your Uncle Mac is going to be fine."
"Your mother's right. Patrick might not be much in the field, but I'm sure he's better in the operating room." Sean smiled charmingly, but then the smile slipped when he saw that his attempt at levity had failed to lift his goddaughter's mood.
"Darling, is it really that bad?" Anna asked quietly, uncertain if the darkness in her daughter's eyes was knowledge or fear. She looked up as Noah approached. "Noah?"
Robin glanced over to where her cousins, Maxie and Georgie were sitting, their hands clasped and their faces worried. Tiffany Hill-Donely was sitting on one side, while Dillon was sitting beside Georgie. All the while Maxie was watching Lucky who was across the room with other cops. Robin sighed and struggled to compose herself for their sake.
"It's not good," Noah confirmed what Robin was trying to tell them. He looked at Robin questioningly. At her nod he continued. "He probably won't make it through surgery. The damage to his heart is just too devastating."
"Oh no." Anna clasped Robin's hand. "Should we prepare people? Georgie and Maxie?"
"I'm going to talk to them," Robin said softly. It was going to be so hard for them to lose the only reliable parent they'd ever had. She had long been on her own and it was hard enough. She walked over to them and sat down in the seat that Tiffany vacated for her and put her arm around Maxie's shoulders and put her hand over the sister's combined ones. "I need to talk to you."
Anna crossed her arms and watched her daughter put aside her own worry and fear to comfort her cousins. Two other children who had been abandoned by their parents' sense of responsibility and, she admitted, thirst for adventure. She sighed and tried to think of what she could do or say to make things better. So caught up in her study she didn't notice Noah moving closer.
"There's nothing we can do but be there to catch them," Noah whispered quietly.
His quiet, wise words caused her head to turn. "Seems like nothing under the circumstances." She sighed and shook off her reverie. "This shouldn't have happened, Noah. Not to Mac. Not to Robin or those girls. This city is under siege by these animals. And of course my ex-husband is off on some adventure while this is going on."
"Anna-" Sean started.
"No excuses, Sean. Robert is needed here and he's not here. I know I'm on thin ice, you don't need to say it."
"I'm going to go check on the surgery and get you an update." He squeezed Anna's arm before walking away. As he approached, the elevator opened and out came Aidan Devane with a battered looking brown messenger bag on his shoulder. "Aidan," Noah greeted him warmly.
The two men shook hands and exchanged some quiet words before Noah got into the elevator.
Aidan strode over to where Anna was still standing with Sean and now Tiffany. They all exchanged greetings. Aidan looked over at Robin. "How is she?" he asked.
"We're Devanes. We'll make it through. I'm sorry to have cancelled our meeting. Do you have it?"
He nodded and looked around. His expression went blank when he saw the cops on the other side of the room. "We shouldn't do this here," he said, his voice low. "I'll go talk to Robin, while you find us a room."
"This can't wait?" Anna asked.
"I heard it was Lucky Spencer who found Mac?" His eyes strayed back towards the knot of cops.
"Yes, that's true," Anna confirmed, her voice and expression startled by the question.
"It can't wait." Aidan strode over to his cousin. Anna looked between her family and the cops. As Anna watched, Lucky Spencer separated from the crowd and walked towards Maxie, watching Aidan closely. A chill she couldn't explain went down her spine.
"If this is about the hard drive then I should be in this meeting," Sean said at her elbow.
Anna didn't even bother to pretend to be surprised. "Fine. Then you go find a private room for us to talk." She turned her head and gave him a sour look.
Sean's expression was grim as he walked off to do as he was bid.
The ease of his cooperation and his knowledge about the hard drive ratcheted up Anna's suspicions. She looked back towards Aidan with her daughter and then at Lucky and back again.
"You!" Lucky Spencer yelled out across the hospital floor causing an abrupt end to all sounds on the floor except the ringing of the telephone. Sonny Corinthos, wearing a long black wool coat, was walking off the elevator surrounded by his towering protection detail. One of them was carrying an inordinately large flower arrangement and looking decidedly uncomfortable. He looked over at Lucky's accusing cry, an impatient expression on his face.
Lucky broke free of his partner and Maxie's attempt to restrain him and rushed past the surprised waiting room congregants and hospital staff and launched himself onto the much smaller man before the bodyguards could stop him.
"Lucky, no!" Maxie yelled out and rushed after him, one of the cops grabbed her around the waist.
The flowers dropped to the floor and many hands went towards guns secured at waist level, Max bent down trying to find a way to extricate his boss with a minimum of damage.
"Maxie!" Georgie cried out and went to rush after her sister, but Tiffany and Dillon restrained her. "Someone stop them!"
Robin Scorpio was way ahead of her. She was behind the nurse's station and put the phone on loudspeaker. "Stop it! This is a hospital not the gym! You!" She pointed at Max. "Break this up. You put your gun away. You," she told Rodriguez, "Take your partner and cool him off!"
Instead of Rodriguez, it was Aidan who had just come from down the hall with Anna and Sean who grabbed onto Lucky Spencer. He manhandled the squirming cop away from where Sonny was straightening his scarf and coat and trying to look menacing even though he had a split lip and was surrounded by the taller, younger men who all vied to one day take his place.
Aidan pulled a struggling Lucky away from the crowd and looked for a place to slip away with him when his eyes locked with Anna's grave looking ones. He sighed. "Calm down, Spencer, or I'll knock you cold." He shook Lucky once for good measure before tossing him away. He looked at Sean just as the room quieted down again.
He turned and from the hall behind him Patrick Drake was coming, a grave look on his face.
His first thought was the same as Robin's. "It's too soon."
END Chapter 2