Title - Gray Areas IV
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new
life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right
reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm
staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
Gray Areas
Part IV
* * * * * * * * * *
After checking downstairs with Tammy to see if Ray had returned, Jarod
heads up with Sonny and Jessie to search the man's room. They didn't
find much of anything and decided to wait around until he showed back
up. They decide to go back down to the diner to watch out for him.
"This guy's been gone all day," Jarod says. "According to Tammy, she
hasn't seen him any more today since he left earlier."
"Which means he's got to come back soon," Sonny guesses. He looks
towards the door when he hears it open. He sees a little boy holding it
open for a woman pushing a stroller. The woman had legs for days and
Sonny gave her an appreciating once over.
"Check her out," he whistles. "I bet she's the most popular mommy in
the PTA."
Jarod turns around to see what he's talking about and can't hide the
smile on his face when he sees her. He stands from the booth and
practically runs over to her.
"Parker," he says a little louder than he intended. She jumps in
surprise before recognizing his voice.
"Jarod?" she asks, spinning around and wasting no time falling into his
arms.
The door opens again, this time revealing an annoyed looking Lyle.
"None of the neighboring store owners recognize him . . ." Lyle starts.
His eyes immediately falls on Jessie, sitting at the table still with
Sonny while she finishes up her sandwich. The little girl looks up when
she hears his voice and immediately runs to him.
"Daddy," she screams.
"Are you alright, Pumpkin? Nobody hurt you, did they?" he asks her,
pulling away long enough to check her out for himself. Satisfied that
she's unharmed, he pulls her back into his arms.
"I'm fine," she tells him. "I was so scared. And I wanted to go home.
But they wouldn't let me." She clutches him tightly around his neck and
cries into his shoulder.
"It's okay. Daddy's here now," he whispers in her ear. He walks over
to where Jarod and Miss Parker are standing. "I guess I should thank
you for finding her and keeping her safe. But we wouldn't have been in
this mess in the first place if it weren't for you." He holds Jessie
tighter and walks over to where she was sitting before so that she could
finish her dinner.
"I guess I deserved that," Jarod sighs. He allows Miss Parker to pull
him into her arms.
"I'm sure deep, deep, *deep* down, he's really grateful, Jarod," she
says hopefully. "He just has a hard way of showing it."
"That doesn't matter. I don't think your brother and I will ever get
along. But he's not the Parker I'm worried about getting along with,"
he smiles just before covering her lips briefly with his own.
"Hey, don't think you're off the hook, Mister. I'm still upset with you
about this whole thing," she scolds him playfully.
"What whole thing?" His voice has taken on a deeper tone that started to
seduce her senses. And what the voice didn't lure, his light kisses on
her neck did.
"Umm . . . the whole thing with, uhm. . . Lyle going to jail," she
manages to say, even though she was getting more and more distracted by
the second.
"I paid my penance for that, remember? I put up that crib the other
night." His lips find hers again and he quickly kisses her before
moving on to the other side of her neck. "Then I got up the next
morning and kept the kids quiet so that you could sleep in." More
kisses heat her over sensitized skin.
"Yeah . . . right . . But, uhm, what about . . . stop that," she says
suddenly, pushing him away from her. She holds her hand against his
chest to form a physical barrier. "I'm serious, Jarod. This last
little trip of yours had me scared to death. I was so worried something
would happen to you."
"I'm fine," he says, pulling her into his arms. But this time he just
holds her, reassuring her that he really is okay. He feels her arms
tighten around his chest, pulling him even closer to her.
"I know," she finally says. "No matter what happens, you're always
fine, aren't you? You're my little cat with nine lives." She smiles
and leans up to kiss him, immediately pushing through his lips with her
tongue to convey how much she missed him.
"Alright, you two. This is a family restaurant," Sonny laughs. "You're
going to have to take that upstairs."
"Sorry about that," Jarod laughs back, pulling away from Miss Parker,
but not letting her out of his embrace. "She just can't get enough of
me, I guess."
"Jarod!" she exclaims, her cheeks instantly staining. She playfully
jabs him in his ribs with her elbow before bending over to pick up the
baby from the stroller.
"Come here, buddy," Jarod says softly, reaching his arms out. She
places the child in his arms.
"Joshie missed you," she tells him, giving the baby a kiss on his cheek.
"So did Zach. He kept on asking for you."
"These your boys, Jarod?" Sonny asks, bending down until he's eye level
with Zach. "This one looks just like you." Zach gives him a shy smile
before going over to the jukebox where Jessie now is.
"No," Jarod replies. Miss Parker is surprised to hear a bit of
disappointment in his voice. And a bit surprised that she never really
noticed the resemblance herself.
"They're with me, actually," she chimes in, offering her to Sonny to
shake. "I assume you're Sonny Corinthos. I should thank you for
keeping this big jerk of mine out of trouble."
"And you must be the infamous Miss Parker," Sonny smiles. "Jarod's told
me so much about you."
"Infamous?" she asks with a laugh. "He must have told you the *really*
good stories, then."
They all laugh, not noticing the door to the diner opening again. They
don't notice anyone sneak over to the jukebox where Jessie and Zach are.
They only notice the deafening snick of the gun cocking just as Jessie
lets out a scream.
"Daddy," she yells, instantly alerting Lyle all the way across the
restaurant. He leaps to his feet, ready to run to her rescue. He
instantly recognizes him as the man who took Jessie from the police
station in Blue Cove. The man who pretended to be her father. The man
who's had his baby girl for days now, probably scaring her and possibly
hurting her. That thought causes him to take another step towards the
man, intent on doing nothing but killing him with his bare hands if
necessary.
"Not so fast, Pops," Ray says, abruptly halting Lyle's motion. He grabs
around Zach's neck with one hand and holds the gun on Jessie with the
other. "I can kill them both in a split second. I suggest you stay
where you are."
Miss Parker narrows her eyes in anger. She somehow manages to keep her
cool exterior while inside she was dying seeing the children in danger.
The situation was quickly getting out of hand and she looks to Jarod for
a clue on what to do. He catches her eyes and sees the fear in them.
He had to do something fast. He couldn't reach his weapon with the baby
in his arms. Looking to the stroller, he sees that he can possibly
distract Ray long enough for Miss Parker and Lyle to draw their weapons.
Jarod goes to put the baby back in the stroller, hoping to draw Rays
attention.
"I said, nobody move!" Ray yells, tightening his grip on Zach. Miss
Parker lets out a small cry as the little boy's eyes pop open wide in
pain.
"I was just putting the baby down," Jarod says calmly, switching to
hostage negotiator mode. "Nobody needs to get hurt." Jarod tries again
to put the baby down, but this time Ray allows it. He stands up, hands
straight up in the air, and starts to walk slowly towards Ray.
"That's enough," Ray tells him. "Not another step."
"Let the children go," Jarod pleads. "If you want a hostage, go ahead
and take me."
"No can do. The boss wants the girl dead. That's what I came to do."
"You mean Sorel?" Sonny asks angrily. "He's still hiding behind his
hitmen I see."
"You can still walk away from this," Jarod tells Ray. "Just put the gun
down and go. The police are searching for Sorel as we speak. He's
going to jail for a long, long time. If you kill the girl, you'll be
there with him."
Jarod's words catch Ray off guard for a second. He takes a moment to
think about what the other man was saying, wondering if it could
possibly be true. Wondering if Sorel could really be headed for prison.
Lyle takes advantage of that moment and uses it to sneak up on Ray. In
an instant, he's at the man side and has a grip on Jessie. He pulls her
away and ducks quickly between the jukebox and the wall. Miss Parker
follows suit and reaches for Zach. Before she can get to him, Ray has
recovered from the initial shock and moves to stop her. He brings the
butt of the gun down on her head, sending her into dark oblivion. He
then turns the gun on Zach, aiming and getting ready to pull the
trigger.
"No!" Jarod yells as he throws his body in front of the young boy. He
feels the burning hot metal enter his body before his mind actually
registers the sound of the gun shot. His body falls over Zach's,
forming a shield for the little boy. Blood covers the child and Jarod
finds himself using his last moments of consciousness to whisper a
prayer that it doesn't belong to Zach, not once thinking he should be
praying for himself.
* * * * * * * * * *
General Hospital
Port Charles, NY
"Daddy," Jessie says from across the room. She had been sitting over
there, quietly coloring to stay out of the way. The nurses offered to
take her to the play room with the other kids, but Lyle wouldn't hear of
it.
"Yes, Baby," he answers her, unable to take his eyes off of her. The
few days she was gone felt like a lifetime to him and he needed to
constantly have her near.
"Is she going to be alright?" she points to the bed holding an
unconscious Miss Parker.
"The doctor said she's going to be fine. She's just sleeping right
now," Lyle explains, moving over to the side of the room where she was.
he lifts her up and sits her on his lap.
"What about Zachie? When can we go see him?"
"He's going to be okay, too. Just a broken arm, Kiddo. He's going to
be just fine," Lyle promises her. "We'll see him tomorrow. He's in the
children's wing. The doctor's gave him something to help him sleep
tonight."
"Mmmm..." Miss Parker groans. Lyle quickly sets Jessie down and runs
over to Miss Parker's bedside.
"Parker? Can you hear me?" He grabs her hand and gives it a gentle
squeeze.
"What happened?" she slowly blinks the sleep away from her eyes,
squinting them shut when the lights make her head pound.
"Just a concussion. You were out cold for a few hours, though," Lyle
says with a smile. "Glad to have you back with us."
"You got Jessie back," she whispers as she looks around the room.
"Where are the boys? Where's Jarod?" Her voice is now strained with
panic and she tries to sit up.
"Not so fast, Sis," Lyle warns her. "You'll be a little dizzy. Take it
easy."
"Lyle, where are my boys? And where's Jarod?" she demands to know.
"Joshua is fine. That mob guy your boyfriend was so buddy buddy with
offered to bring his nanny to watch him. Zach is fine, too. Just a
broken arm. He's resting now."
"Broken arm? My poor baby," she cries. "Where is he." She tries to
sit up again. This time she has a glare in her eye that warns Lyle not
to try to stop her.
"And I told you that you're not going anywhere," Lyle says firmly, but
from a few steps away just in case.
"I have to go to him, Lyle. He'll be scared." She manages to sit up
and swing her legs over the side of the bed. After taking a few moments
to get used to being vertical again, she starts to slowly push herself
up off the bed. "Is Jarod with him? Is that why he isn't in here with
me?"
"Get back in the bed. Please," Lyle says gently, unable to hide the
sadness in his tone.
"Lyle, you're scaring me." She falls back onto the bed. Not so much
because he told her to. But more because her legs would no longer
support her. The fear she felt at the start of the trip was starting
back up full force.
"Parker, Jarod was hurt," Lyle starts. He moves over to the bed and
sits next to her, taking her hand in his again.
"Hurt? Is he . . . is he dead?"
"No. He's here at the hospital, too. Gunshot wound to the back. I'm
not going to lie to you, though. Dr. Jones, his surgeon, said that it
doesn't look good."
"What happened?" she gasps, trying desperately to hold back her tears,
but failing miserably. A numbness starts to settle throughout her body,
starting down with her toes and working its way up.
"That guy knocked you out," he tells her. "Then he turned the gun on
Zach and pulled the trigger. Jarod jumped in front of Zach and took the
bullet."
"I have to go to him," she says, her mind made up. The look in her eyes
tells him that there was no changing her mind.
"I'll go get your doctor," he relents. He stands up and heads out the
door.
* * * * * * * * * *
Lyle's stopped at the door when it suddenly opens. A tall, black man
dressed in a nice suit enters, pulling out a badge. He introduces
himself to Lyle as Lieutenant Taggert of the Port Charles police
department.
"Mrs. Daniels?" he asks, addressing Miss Parker. He looks down at his
notepad to double check his information when he sees the strange look
she gives him. "Mrs. Jarod Daniels? Is your husband the FBI agent who
was shot?"
"Yes," she answers quickly, realizing now the pseudonym Lyle must have
given them. "That's me. Sorry. I'm still a little confused. Head
injury." She gingerly fingers the bandage on the back of her head.
"I understand," he smiles easily before looking over at Lyle and Jessie.
"Can you two excuse us? I need to ask Mrs. Daniels a few questions
about the shooting."
"I'd rather my brother stay, if you don't mind," Miss Parker interrupts.
"That would be no problem, ma'am." He smiles again and Miss Parker
finally realizes how good looking his is. Good looking, but not Jarod.
No one can take the place of Jarod. Although this man was a close
second.
"I don't know how much she can tell you. She was hit in the head and
was unconscious for the shooting," Lyle explains.
"I didn't actually see anything," she agrees. "But, can I ask you a
question, Lieutenant? Is my family still in any danger from this guy?"
"We don't know where the shooter is. But from what other witnesses have
told me, he has something to do with Joseph Sorel. And if Joseph Sorel
is involved, I'd have to say that your family is indeed still in danger.
I don't know who's more dangerous, Sorel or Corinthos. But you all
appear to be in between the two. That's not a good place to be,"
Taggert tells them.
"Sonny Corinthos is a good friend of my husband," Miss Parker says
coolly, not liking what the lieutenant was implying. "We aren't afraid
of him."
"You should be, ma'am," Taggert says. "When Sonny's around, people tend
to end up like your husband. Including Corinthos himself. He was shot
at Christmas. Quite possibly by the same people responsible for Agent
Daniels' injuries. You people are in the middle of a turf war. You
should watch out. You do know the kind of man Corinthos is, don't you?"
"A good one. The kind my family can count on," Miss Parker says
defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think I've answered
your questions, Lieutenant. I'd appreciate it if you left now."
"Yes, I think that's all I need from you," Taggert says. He smiles one
last time before making his way out of the door.
"The nerve of that man," she fumes, still upset about the mud he was
slinging about Sonny. "But at least he gave us a good idea about who
we're dealing with."
"Listen, I know you trust this Corinthos guy, but I can't risk Jessie
again," Lyle sighs. "We need to go. You think you're up for
traveling?"
"I'm not leaving, Lyle. Not without knowing Jarod's going to be
alright."
"Parker . . ."
"Don't 'Parker' me, Lyle. Jarod and I have grown closer these past few
months than we've ever been since we were kids. I can't leave him. And
I won't," she professes.
"What about this Sorel guy? To hear Lieutenant Taggert tell it, there's
something major going on with him and your friend Corinthos. I can't
let Jessie be in the middle of that."
"I understand," she says. "But understand that I can't leave. You go
ahead and go back. Take the jet. After I make sure Jarod's okay and
safe from the Centre, I'll head back with the boys."
"You sure?"
"Go," she insists. "Take care of that little girl. *Your* little
girl."
"My little girl," he smiles, looking down at the sweet angel holding
onto his hand. He picks her up and leans her over Miss Parker.
"Jessie, kiss your old Auntie good-bye."
"Bye-bye," Jessie giggles as Miss Parker kisses her nose.
"Good-bye, Sweetie. You take care of that brother of mine, okay? Make
sure he stays out of trouble."
"I will," Jessie promises. "And you take care of Zach and Joshie."
"We'll be home before you know it," Miss Parker says, choking back a
sob. The kids had been separated long enough. Now, just when they were
finally together again, this happens.
"Alright. None of that crying. You two don't go getting all girlie on
me," Lyle teases, though holding back his own emotions. He sets Jessie
back down and takes his turn at the bedside. "Sis, you take care of
yourself. Watch your back."
"I'll be fine, Lyle," she smiles. "Thanks for caring, though."
"Yeah, yeah. That's what brothers are for, right?" He stands awkwardly
at her side, battling internally with his feelings. The realization
that he's tired of hiding his emotions helps him come to a final
decision about something. He leans over her to whisper something in her
ear.
"See you soon," comes out in a gentle breath, followed by an equally
gentle brush against her cheek with his lips.
She looks up at him, shocked at the outward display of affection towards
her. His actions prompt her to make her own gestures.
"Lyle, I . . . I mean I just wanted to say that . . . uhm, I lo.. I'm .
. . really glad you're my brother," she finally manages to say.
"Good," he says with a genuine smile that lit up his whole face.
"Because you're stuck with me." With one last wink, he scoops Jessie
into his arms and walks out the door.
* * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Tony Jones wanders down the hall towards the children's ward and is
less than surprised to see his missing patient.
"Mrs. Daniels," he calls to her. "I thought you were supposed to stay
in bed."
Miss Parker smiles, more to herself than to the doctor when she hears
him call her by her fake name. She was getting used to being 'Jarod's
wife'. It was nice. It felt like she truly belonged to him. And
better yet, that he truly belonged to her.
"I wanted to check on Zachary. And then Jarod," she says a bit
somberly.
"Let's check on Zach first," Dr. Jones offers. "Then we can find your
husband and see how he is." Tony reaches for the chart at the end of
the bed and starts flipping through the pages for a summary on Zach's
diagnosis.
"I don't understand why he has to stay overnight," Miss Parker says.
She picks up his other hand and kisses it gently. "It's just a broken
arm."
"Normally, that wouldn't be necessary. But Zach had some blood taken.
We wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he gets his strength back."
"Blood?" she asks, confused at what the doctor was saying.
"Oh, I see here. Your brother signed the authorization as next of kin
since both you and your husband were being worked on," Tony mumbles,
realizing her source of confusion.
"Dr. Jones, why did Zachary need blood taken? Did he have tests done?
Is something wrong with him?" She starts to panic a little.
"No, he's fine," Tony says quickly. "The blood was for your husband.
Jarod lost a lot of blood when he was shot. But we still needed to go
in and repair the damage to his kidney that the bullet did.
Unfortunately, Jarod has a very rare blood type. Nothing we have on
stock. Nothing that was in stock in the entire New York area, in fact.
Your brother didn't know of any Jarod's siblings we could contact. So,
we tried the next best thing - Jarod's son."
"Jarod and Zach have the same blood type," she gasps suddenly.
"You didn't know that?" Tony eyes her suspiciously.
"Of course I did," she covers. "What kind of mother and wife would I be
if I didn't?" As usual, she displays a cool exterior while her insides
were shaking like jello. What did this all mean, she wonders to
herself. It was one thing for Jarod and Kyle to share the same blood
type as a random stranger who just so happened to need a heart
transplant. But Jarod and Zach, both Centre labrats, sharing the same
blood type was more than a coincidence. She was sure of it.
"Anyway, we didn't take a lot of blood from Zach. He should be fine in
the morning. Your husband is another story," Tony sighs. "He needs a
lot more blood than we were able to give him. But fortunately we have
more coming. A private clinic just happened to have that blood he
needs."
"Private clinic?" she asks, not really wanting to know the answer. She
was starting to get that sick feeling again. "Where are they located?"
"Maryland, I think," Tony says, bringing instant relief to Miss Parker.
"No, actually. I was wrong. It was Delaware. Blue Cove, Delaware."
The room starts to swim and Miss Parker has a hard time keeping focus on
what Tony was saying. They knew. They always seem to know. They must
have instructions with hospitals to be notified if anyone needs that
rare blood type. All they had to do was sit back and wait for Jarod to
fall into their laps.
"Jarod," she gasps, leaping to her feet, trying her hardest to keep her
balance. She stumbles out the door before she realizes she has no idea
where to find him. "Where is he? Where's my husband."
"Calm down, Mrs. Daniels," Tony admonishes. "You're just coming off of
a head injury yourself. You need to slow down."
"You don't understand," she yells. "I have to get to him. We have to
get out of here."
"How about I get you back to your room?" Tony offers. "Then I'll go
find out what I can about Jarod."
"No," she screams, before realizing she's in a hospital. She sees the
way Tony was looking at her and forces herself to appear sane before he
had her sedated. "Just take me to him. Please. I have to get to him."
"Alright," he relents. He flags down an orderly and gets a wheelchair
for her. Once she's settled, they head for the elevators. "He's on the
9th floor in ICU."
They arrive upstairs to Jarod's room and Miss Parker is suddenly very
glad she was sitting. She wasn't prepared to see Jarod like that. So
quiet and still. Lifeless.
"Oh Jarod," she whispers, as a tear slips down her face. She allows
herself a moment to sweep her fingers across his forehead before she
remembers the urgency of their situation. Wiping away her tears, she
steels herself to face the doctor.
"Dr. Jones, is it safe to move him?" she asks.
"I wouldn't recommend it. You husband needs rest to recover from his
surgery. He needs to be here to help ward off infection. He hasn't
even regained consciousness yet. I believe this is the best place for
him."
"But can he be moved?" she asks again.
"He can be moved relatively safely if done by professional medical
staff," Tony admits reluctantly. "But I really can't allow you to . . "
"And I can't allow him to stay here," she insists, showing Tony that
there was no changing her mind.
"Very well then. If I can't persuade you to let him stay. Then I guess
there's nothing I can do. But realize you're doing this against medical
advice," he says, giving her one last chance to back down.
"I understand that, doctor. Could you ask Sonny to step back in here?"
"Sure." He goes to the door and calls Sonny from the waiting area.
"I'll get a list of medical supplies you'll be needing."
"What's he talking about?" Sonny asks her after Tony leaves.
"Sonny, I know you've already done so much for us. But I need one more
huge favor."
"Tell me what it is. I'll tell you if it's huge or not," Sonny says,
flashing her an adorable grin.
"We need to disappear for awhile. Me, Jarod and the boys."
"That's not so huge," he sighs in relief. "When Jarod gets better, then
I'll . . ."
"No," she stops him. "I meant now. Right away. As soon as possible.
We can't afford to wait. They'll be here for him soon."
"Who will?"
"The Centre."
* * * * * * * * * *
Nurse Amy Vining is sitting at the information desk watching the parade
of men in suits walk by. She wondered briefly to herself if there was
some kind of hospital board meeting going on. She doesn't have to wait
long for the answer to that question when one of the men, a handsome
dark skinned man wearing a trench coat, stops at the desk to ask her a
question.
"Hello. My name is Amy. What can I do for you?" She flashes him her
most dazzling smile and hopes to at least get a date out of him.
"I'm looking for this man," he croons in his smooth, deep voice. He
pulls out a picture from his pocket and holds it out for her to see.
"His name is Jarod."
Amy takes the picture and stares closely at it. It was a picture of an
equally handsome man with dark hair. So many men wandering around and
Amy wonders to herself why she's so lonely. With a sigh, she returns
the photo to him.
"Sorry," she apologizes. "But I just got on shift. Is he a patient
here?"
"We think so. We got a call about this man needing some blood from our
blood bank," the man tells her. "We were told he was in serious
condition from a gunshot wound."
"Let me check the records for you," she smiles easily at him before
turning to the computer. She types in a few commands and pulls up the
surgery schedule for the previous few hours.
"Okay, we have a male patient listed. Gunshot wound. Type matched
blood being flown in from The Centre Medical Clinic in Blue Cove,
Delaware," she reads.
"That's our guy . . ."
"I'm not sure," Amy interrupts him. "Says his name is Ray Benson. Not
Jarod."
"Well how about you point me in that direction and I'll go see for
myself," he suggests, trying to keep his patience with this woman.
"I wish I could. Mr. Benson died an hour ago. His body's probably down
in the morgue. And that's reserved for medical staff only. Sorry," she
apologizes once more before turning to log off the workstation.
"Listen, I get off in . . ." she starts, intent on inviting him out for
a drink. But she sees her words are in vain. The man is gone. And
there's no sign of the other gentlemen either. She lets out a
disappointed sigh.
"Don't worry, Amy. Someday your prince will come," she says to herself.
Looking around one last time, she realizes he's really gone and gets
back to work.
* * * * * * * * * *
General Hospital
Morgue
"This is him. Toe tag has him listed as Ray Benson," the sweeper says,
trying hard to keep his stomach from rebelling. Working for the Centre
had it's difficult times, but he never thought he'd ever find himself
knee deep in bodies. "Now, can we get out of here?"
"Go ahead. Your work here is done. I just have to make a phone call."
The other sweeper doesn't hesitate a minute before practically running
out the door, leaving Willie alone in the morgue. Willie takes out his
cell phone and dials the Centre.
"Mr. Parker, it's me," he says. "We're at the hospital now, but there's
no sign of him. Any record of him ever being here has been erased. And
now they're claiming that the blood was for some thug, who's now
conveniently dead."
"What about the boy, Willie? Any sign of him? How about my daughter?"
"No trace of them, Sir," Willie reluctantly tells him.
"We have to find, Zachary. Neither Jarod nor my daughter can find out
the truth. Is that clear? Find the boy. Find my daughter. Find
Jarod. Or else we're all going to be sorry."
* * * * * * * * * *
Isla de Sol
Coast of Puerto Rico
The tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico was to home to very little.
It was a short boat ride to an off shore casino run by Sonny Corinthos.
It was across the beach from a private chapel for use by Sonny
Corinthos. And it was surrounded by arguably the most beautiful stretch
of beach Puerto Rico had to offer with a home right on the edge of the
water built especially for Mr. Sonny Corinthos. And now, it was a safe
haven for Miss Parker and Jarod as well.
Miss Parker closes her eyes and lets out a loud yawn, stretching her
aching back in the process. She takes a deep breath, smelling the
fresh, salty scent of the ocean water in her nose. The sounds of the
children playing on the beach brings a smile to her face. It was a
sound she never would have imagined loving before, but now, she doesn't
know what she would do without it. Looking back over at Jarod, she's
surprised to see him staring at her with a confused look in his eyes.
"Jarod," she gasps, falling to her knees at his side. "You're awake.
You're finally awake." She drops a tiny kiss on his forehead and sweeps
the hair from his eyes.
"Wa . . ." his scratchy throat groans. He reaches his weakened arm out
and points to the pitcher of water.
"Just a little," she warns, holding a glass to his lips. He drinks
greedily anyway, and she has to stop him before he choked.
"Where . . . " he grunts again.
"Someplace safe," she smiles. "Someplace where they're not going to
find us."
"Who?"
"Jarod, do you remember what happened?" she asks him, not sure if she
was going to have to break the news of his injury to him. She watches
as he searches his memory of recent events.
"Zach," he moans, trying to sit up. The panicked look on his face lets
her know that he remembers the shooting. "Where's Zach?"
"Don't try to move," she orders, gently holding him down. "Zach is
fine. He's out on the beach with Josh and Ayanna." A look of total
bewilderment crosses his face and she has to keep herself from laughing.
"Ayanna's the nanny. And this beach belongs to your mob friend Sonny
Corinthos. He's letting us hide out here."
"Hide from what?" A fit of coughs rattle him for a few moments. Miss
Parker gives him some more water and waits for him to settle down.
"Jarod, you were shot trying to protect Zach. During your surgery, you
needed blood. But your blood type is so rare, that they didn't have any
at General Hospital or the surrounding hospitals. They had to make a
nationwide plea. Unfortunately, they got a call back from a so-called
'private clinic' in Blue Cove."
"The Centre," he whispers. She just nods the confirmation.
"I had to get you out of there before they showed up for you. But I
couldn't do it alone. Lyle had already left to take Jessie back. Zach
was in a cast. I still had a concussion. There was no way I'd be able
to move you and the boys by myself. All I knew was that we had to
leave. Sonny helped. This is his own private island. No one's going
to bother us here."
"Sounds like you've got everything under control," he chuckles lightly,
wincing at the pain it causes.
"Nothing for you to worry about but getting better," she smiles,
grabbing his hand from the bed and placing a kiss in his palm. Closing
her eyes, she suddenly feels the prick of tears trying to break free.
"You scared me, you know. I was so afraid I was going to lose you," she
whispers.
"You're never going to lose me," he vows. "I'm going to be with you now
and for always. For richer. For poorer. In sickness. And in health.
But even death won't be able to part us. I'll be with you even then."
"Jarod, that was beautiful," she says through her tears of joy. "And it
sounded suspiciously like a proposal."
"What if that's exactly what it was? What would you say?" His eyes get
a big, and he stares at her wondering how she would accept his spur of
the moment proposal. All he knew is that he felt right about it. Being
there with her and the kids. Being a family.
"You said it all perfectly. So now, I guess there's really only one
thing I can say." She tries to look serious, but gives him a small,
secretive smile anyway.
"And that is?" He whispers, suddenly hypnotized by the expressive
colors her eyes are deepening to. He watches as she climbs into the bed
next to him.
"I say . . ." she pauses, pasting on a bigger smile and moves closer to
him, laying her head on the pillow right next to him. ". . . that you
may now kiss your bride."
His own smile grows to match hers. And with as much care as he can
patiently take, he lifts up gently on his elbow and reaches out to touch
her face with his other hand. His fingers trace her face slowly before
making a path to the back of her neck. Not able to wait another second,
he hastily pulls her head towards his own, their mouths instinctively
finding each other. Joining their bodies as well as their souls.
The kiss grows in intensity and all of Miss Parker's worries melt away.
They could deal with everything else later. Making sure they stay ahead
of the Centre. Getting the Father to come and officially bless their
'marriage'. Telling Jarod her suspicions about his connection to Zach.
All that could wait. Right now she was finally where she was always
meant to be. And that's where she intended on staying.
The end.
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG to PG-13 (for some violence)
Category - JMPR/MPL
Summary - Lyle meets someone who changes his entire life. That new
life is threatened when Jarod's actions, although done for the right
reasons, turn out wrong for all involved.
Disclaimer - Most of these characters don't belong to me. But I'm
staking my claim to Jessica and Zachary. They're all mine :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
Gray Areas
Part IV
* * * * * * * * * *
After checking downstairs with Tammy to see if Ray had returned, Jarod
heads up with Sonny and Jessie to search the man's room. They didn't
find much of anything and decided to wait around until he showed back
up. They decide to go back down to the diner to watch out for him.
"This guy's been gone all day," Jarod says. "According to Tammy, she
hasn't seen him any more today since he left earlier."
"Which means he's got to come back soon," Sonny guesses. He looks
towards the door when he hears it open. He sees a little boy holding it
open for a woman pushing a stroller. The woman had legs for days and
Sonny gave her an appreciating once over.
"Check her out," he whistles. "I bet she's the most popular mommy in
the PTA."
Jarod turns around to see what he's talking about and can't hide the
smile on his face when he sees her. He stands from the booth and
practically runs over to her.
"Parker," he says a little louder than he intended. She jumps in
surprise before recognizing his voice.
"Jarod?" she asks, spinning around and wasting no time falling into his
arms.
The door opens again, this time revealing an annoyed looking Lyle.
"None of the neighboring store owners recognize him . . ." Lyle starts.
His eyes immediately falls on Jessie, sitting at the table still with
Sonny while she finishes up her sandwich. The little girl looks up when
she hears his voice and immediately runs to him.
"Daddy," she screams.
"Are you alright, Pumpkin? Nobody hurt you, did they?" he asks her,
pulling away long enough to check her out for himself. Satisfied that
she's unharmed, he pulls her back into his arms.
"I'm fine," she tells him. "I was so scared. And I wanted to go home.
But they wouldn't let me." She clutches him tightly around his neck and
cries into his shoulder.
"It's okay. Daddy's here now," he whispers in her ear. He walks over
to where Jarod and Miss Parker are standing. "I guess I should thank
you for finding her and keeping her safe. But we wouldn't have been in
this mess in the first place if it weren't for you." He holds Jessie
tighter and walks over to where she was sitting before so that she could
finish her dinner.
"I guess I deserved that," Jarod sighs. He allows Miss Parker to pull
him into her arms.
"I'm sure deep, deep, *deep* down, he's really grateful, Jarod," she
says hopefully. "He just has a hard way of showing it."
"That doesn't matter. I don't think your brother and I will ever get
along. But he's not the Parker I'm worried about getting along with,"
he smiles just before covering her lips briefly with his own.
"Hey, don't think you're off the hook, Mister. I'm still upset with you
about this whole thing," she scolds him playfully.
"What whole thing?" His voice has taken on a deeper tone that started to
seduce her senses. And what the voice didn't lure, his light kisses on
her neck did.
"Umm . . . the whole thing with, uhm. . . Lyle going to jail," she
manages to say, even though she was getting more and more distracted by
the second.
"I paid my penance for that, remember? I put up that crib the other
night." His lips find hers again and he quickly kisses her before
moving on to the other side of her neck. "Then I got up the next
morning and kept the kids quiet so that you could sleep in." More
kisses heat her over sensitized skin.
"Yeah . . . right . . But, uhm, what about . . . stop that," she says
suddenly, pushing him away from her. She holds her hand against his
chest to form a physical barrier. "I'm serious, Jarod. This last
little trip of yours had me scared to death. I was so worried something
would happen to you."
"I'm fine," he says, pulling her into his arms. But this time he just
holds her, reassuring her that he really is okay. He feels her arms
tighten around his chest, pulling him even closer to her.
"I know," she finally says. "No matter what happens, you're always
fine, aren't you? You're my little cat with nine lives." She smiles
and leans up to kiss him, immediately pushing through his lips with her
tongue to convey how much she missed him.
"Alright, you two. This is a family restaurant," Sonny laughs. "You're
going to have to take that upstairs."
"Sorry about that," Jarod laughs back, pulling away from Miss Parker,
but not letting her out of his embrace. "She just can't get enough of
me, I guess."
"Jarod!" she exclaims, her cheeks instantly staining. She playfully
jabs him in his ribs with her elbow before bending over to pick up the
baby from the stroller.
"Come here, buddy," Jarod says softly, reaching his arms out. She
places the child in his arms.
"Joshie missed you," she tells him, giving the baby a kiss on his cheek.
"So did Zach. He kept on asking for you."
"These your boys, Jarod?" Sonny asks, bending down until he's eye level
with Zach. "This one looks just like you." Zach gives him a shy smile
before going over to the jukebox where Jessie now is.
"No," Jarod replies. Miss Parker is surprised to hear a bit of
disappointment in his voice. And a bit surprised that she never really
noticed the resemblance herself.
"They're with me, actually," she chimes in, offering her to Sonny to
shake. "I assume you're Sonny Corinthos. I should thank you for
keeping this big jerk of mine out of trouble."
"And you must be the infamous Miss Parker," Sonny smiles. "Jarod's told
me so much about you."
"Infamous?" she asks with a laugh. "He must have told you the *really*
good stories, then."
They all laugh, not noticing the door to the diner opening again. They
don't notice anyone sneak over to the jukebox where Jessie and Zach are.
They only notice the deafening snick of the gun cocking just as Jessie
lets out a scream.
"Daddy," she yells, instantly alerting Lyle all the way across the
restaurant. He leaps to his feet, ready to run to her rescue. He
instantly recognizes him as the man who took Jessie from the police
station in Blue Cove. The man who pretended to be her father. The man
who's had his baby girl for days now, probably scaring her and possibly
hurting her. That thought causes him to take another step towards the
man, intent on doing nothing but killing him with his bare hands if
necessary.
"Not so fast, Pops," Ray says, abruptly halting Lyle's motion. He grabs
around Zach's neck with one hand and holds the gun on Jessie with the
other. "I can kill them both in a split second. I suggest you stay
where you are."
Miss Parker narrows her eyes in anger. She somehow manages to keep her
cool exterior while inside she was dying seeing the children in danger.
The situation was quickly getting out of hand and she looks to Jarod for
a clue on what to do. He catches her eyes and sees the fear in them.
He had to do something fast. He couldn't reach his weapon with the baby
in his arms. Looking to the stroller, he sees that he can possibly
distract Ray long enough for Miss Parker and Lyle to draw their weapons.
Jarod goes to put the baby back in the stroller, hoping to draw Rays
attention.
"I said, nobody move!" Ray yells, tightening his grip on Zach. Miss
Parker lets out a small cry as the little boy's eyes pop open wide in
pain.
"I was just putting the baby down," Jarod says calmly, switching to
hostage negotiator mode. "Nobody needs to get hurt." Jarod tries again
to put the baby down, but this time Ray allows it. He stands up, hands
straight up in the air, and starts to walk slowly towards Ray.
"That's enough," Ray tells him. "Not another step."
"Let the children go," Jarod pleads. "If you want a hostage, go ahead
and take me."
"No can do. The boss wants the girl dead. That's what I came to do."
"You mean Sorel?" Sonny asks angrily. "He's still hiding behind his
hitmen I see."
"You can still walk away from this," Jarod tells Ray. "Just put the gun
down and go. The police are searching for Sorel as we speak. He's
going to jail for a long, long time. If you kill the girl, you'll be
there with him."
Jarod's words catch Ray off guard for a second. He takes a moment to
think about what the other man was saying, wondering if it could
possibly be true. Wondering if Sorel could really be headed for prison.
Lyle takes advantage of that moment and uses it to sneak up on Ray. In
an instant, he's at the man side and has a grip on Jessie. He pulls her
away and ducks quickly between the jukebox and the wall. Miss Parker
follows suit and reaches for Zach. Before she can get to him, Ray has
recovered from the initial shock and moves to stop her. He brings the
butt of the gun down on her head, sending her into dark oblivion. He
then turns the gun on Zach, aiming and getting ready to pull the
trigger.
"No!" Jarod yells as he throws his body in front of the young boy. He
feels the burning hot metal enter his body before his mind actually
registers the sound of the gun shot. His body falls over Zach's,
forming a shield for the little boy. Blood covers the child and Jarod
finds himself using his last moments of consciousness to whisper a
prayer that it doesn't belong to Zach, not once thinking he should be
praying for himself.
* * * * * * * * * *
General Hospital
Port Charles, NY
"Daddy," Jessie says from across the room. She had been sitting over
there, quietly coloring to stay out of the way. The nurses offered to
take her to the play room with the other kids, but Lyle wouldn't hear of
it.
"Yes, Baby," he answers her, unable to take his eyes off of her. The
few days she was gone felt like a lifetime to him and he needed to
constantly have her near.
"Is she going to be alright?" she points to the bed holding an
unconscious Miss Parker.
"The doctor said she's going to be fine. She's just sleeping right
now," Lyle explains, moving over to the side of the room where she was.
he lifts her up and sits her on his lap.
"What about Zachie? When can we go see him?"
"He's going to be okay, too. Just a broken arm, Kiddo. He's going to
be just fine," Lyle promises her. "We'll see him tomorrow. He's in the
children's wing. The doctor's gave him something to help him sleep
tonight."
"Mmmm..." Miss Parker groans. Lyle quickly sets Jessie down and runs
over to Miss Parker's bedside.
"Parker? Can you hear me?" He grabs her hand and gives it a gentle
squeeze.
"What happened?" she slowly blinks the sleep away from her eyes,
squinting them shut when the lights make her head pound.
"Just a concussion. You were out cold for a few hours, though," Lyle
says with a smile. "Glad to have you back with us."
"You got Jessie back," she whispers as she looks around the room.
"Where are the boys? Where's Jarod?" Her voice is now strained with
panic and she tries to sit up.
"Not so fast, Sis," Lyle warns her. "You'll be a little dizzy. Take it
easy."
"Lyle, where are my boys? And where's Jarod?" she demands to know.
"Joshua is fine. That mob guy your boyfriend was so buddy buddy with
offered to bring his nanny to watch him. Zach is fine, too. Just a
broken arm. He's resting now."
"Broken arm? My poor baby," she cries. "Where is he." She tries to
sit up again. This time she has a glare in her eye that warns Lyle not
to try to stop her.
"And I told you that you're not going anywhere," Lyle says firmly, but
from a few steps away just in case.
"I have to go to him, Lyle. He'll be scared." She manages to sit up
and swing her legs over the side of the bed. After taking a few moments
to get used to being vertical again, she starts to slowly push herself
up off the bed. "Is Jarod with him? Is that why he isn't in here with
me?"
"Get back in the bed. Please," Lyle says gently, unable to hide the
sadness in his tone.
"Lyle, you're scaring me." She falls back onto the bed. Not so much
because he told her to. But more because her legs would no longer
support her. The fear she felt at the start of the trip was starting
back up full force.
"Parker, Jarod was hurt," Lyle starts. He moves over to the bed and
sits next to her, taking her hand in his again.
"Hurt? Is he . . . is he dead?"
"No. He's here at the hospital, too. Gunshot wound to the back. I'm
not going to lie to you, though. Dr. Jones, his surgeon, said that it
doesn't look good."
"What happened?" she gasps, trying desperately to hold back her tears,
but failing miserably. A numbness starts to settle throughout her body,
starting down with her toes and working its way up.
"That guy knocked you out," he tells her. "Then he turned the gun on
Zach and pulled the trigger. Jarod jumped in front of Zach and took the
bullet."
"I have to go to him," she says, her mind made up. The look in her eyes
tells him that there was no changing her mind.
"I'll go get your doctor," he relents. He stands up and heads out the
door.
* * * * * * * * * *
Lyle's stopped at the door when it suddenly opens. A tall, black man
dressed in a nice suit enters, pulling out a badge. He introduces
himself to Lyle as Lieutenant Taggert of the Port Charles police
department.
"Mrs. Daniels?" he asks, addressing Miss Parker. He looks down at his
notepad to double check his information when he sees the strange look
she gives him. "Mrs. Jarod Daniels? Is your husband the FBI agent who
was shot?"
"Yes," she answers quickly, realizing now the pseudonym Lyle must have
given them. "That's me. Sorry. I'm still a little confused. Head
injury." She gingerly fingers the bandage on the back of her head.
"I understand," he smiles easily before looking over at Lyle and Jessie.
"Can you two excuse us? I need to ask Mrs. Daniels a few questions
about the shooting."
"I'd rather my brother stay, if you don't mind," Miss Parker interrupts.
"That would be no problem, ma'am." He smiles again and Miss Parker
finally realizes how good looking his is. Good looking, but not Jarod.
No one can take the place of Jarod. Although this man was a close
second.
"I don't know how much she can tell you. She was hit in the head and
was unconscious for the shooting," Lyle explains.
"I didn't actually see anything," she agrees. "But, can I ask you a
question, Lieutenant? Is my family still in any danger from this guy?"
"We don't know where the shooter is. But from what other witnesses have
told me, he has something to do with Joseph Sorel. And if Joseph Sorel
is involved, I'd have to say that your family is indeed still in danger.
I don't know who's more dangerous, Sorel or Corinthos. But you all
appear to be in between the two. That's not a good place to be,"
Taggert tells them.
"Sonny Corinthos is a good friend of my husband," Miss Parker says
coolly, not liking what the lieutenant was implying. "We aren't afraid
of him."
"You should be, ma'am," Taggert says. "When Sonny's around, people tend
to end up like your husband. Including Corinthos himself. He was shot
at Christmas. Quite possibly by the same people responsible for Agent
Daniels' injuries. You people are in the middle of a turf war. You
should watch out. You do know the kind of man Corinthos is, don't you?"
"A good one. The kind my family can count on," Miss Parker says
defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think I've answered
your questions, Lieutenant. I'd appreciate it if you left now."
"Yes, I think that's all I need from you," Taggert says. He smiles one
last time before making his way out of the door.
"The nerve of that man," she fumes, still upset about the mud he was
slinging about Sonny. "But at least he gave us a good idea about who
we're dealing with."
"Listen, I know you trust this Corinthos guy, but I can't risk Jessie
again," Lyle sighs. "We need to go. You think you're up for
traveling?"
"I'm not leaving, Lyle. Not without knowing Jarod's going to be
alright."
"Parker . . ."
"Don't 'Parker' me, Lyle. Jarod and I have grown closer these past few
months than we've ever been since we were kids. I can't leave him. And
I won't," she professes.
"What about this Sorel guy? To hear Lieutenant Taggert tell it, there's
something major going on with him and your friend Corinthos. I can't
let Jessie be in the middle of that."
"I understand," she says. "But understand that I can't leave. You go
ahead and go back. Take the jet. After I make sure Jarod's okay and
safe from the Centre, I'll head back with the boys."
"You sure?"
"Go," she insists. "Take care of that little girl. *Your* little
girl."
"My little girl," he smiles, looking down at the sweet angel holding
onto his hand. He picks her up and leans her over Miss Parker.
"Jessie, kiss your old Auntie good-bye."
"Bye-bye," Jessie giggles as Miss Parker kisses her nose.
"Good-bye, Sweetie. You take care of that brother of mine, okay? Make
sure he stays out of trouble."
"I will," Jessie promises. "And you take care of Zach and Joshie."
"We'll be home before you know it," Miss Parker says, choking back a
sob. The kids had been separated long enough. Now, just when they were
finally together again, this happens.
"Alright. None of that crying. You two don't go getting all girlie on
me," Lyle teases, though holding back his own emotions. He sets Jessie
back down and takes his turn at the bedside. "Sis, you take care of
yourself. Watch your back."
"I'll be fine, Lyle," she smiles. "Thanks for caring, though."
"Yeah, yeah. That's what brothers are for, right?" He stands awkwardly
at her side, battling internally with his feelings. The realization
that he's tired of hiding his emotions helps him come to a final
decision about something. He leans over her to whisper something in her
ear.
"See you soon," comes out in a gentle breath, followed by an equally
gentle brush against her cheek with his lips.
She looks up at him, shocked at the outward display of affection towards
her. His actions prompt her to make her own gestures.
"Lyle, I . . . I mean I just wanted to say that . . . uhm, I lo.. I'm .
. . really glad you're my brother," she finally manages to say.
"Good," he says with a genuine smile that lit up his whole face.
"Because you're stuck with me." With one last wink, he scoops Jessie
into his arms and walks out the door.
* * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Tony Jones wanders down the hall towards the children's ward and is
less than surprised to see his missing patient.
"Mrs. Daniels," he calls to her. "I thought you were supposed to stay
in bed."
Miss Parker smiles, more to herself than to the doctor when she hears
him call her by her fake name. She was getting used to being 'Jarod's
wife'. It was nice. It felt like she truly belonged to him. And
better yet, that he truly belonged to her.
"I wanted to check on Zachary. And then Jarod," she says a bit
somberly.
"Let's check on Zach first," Dr. Jones offers. "Then we can find your
husband and see how he is." Tony reaches for the chart at the end of
the bed and starts flipping through the pages for a summary on Zach's
diagnosis.
"I don't understand why he has to stay overnight," Miss Parker says.
She picks up his other hand and kisses it gently. "It's just a broken
arm."
"Normally, that wouldn't be necessary. But Zach had some blood taken.
We wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he gets his strength back."
"Blood?" she asks, confused at what the doctor was saying.
"Oh, I see here. Your brother signed the authorization as next of kin
since both you and your husband were being worked on," Tony mumbles,
realizing her source of confusion.
"Dr. Jones, why did Zachary need blood taken? Did he have tests done?
Is something wrong with him?" She starts to panic a little.
"No, he's fine," Tony says quickly. "The blood was for your husband.
Jarod lost a lot of blood when he was shot. But we still needed to go
in and repair the damage to his kidney that the bullet did.
Unfortunately, Jarod has a very rare blood type. Nothing we have on
stock. Nothing that was in stock in the entire New York area, in fact.
Your brother didn't know of any Jarod's siblings we could contact. So,
we tried the next best thing - Jarod's son."
"Jarod and Zach have the same blood type," she gasps suddenly.
"You didn't know that?" Tony eyes her suspiciously.
"Of course I did," she covers. "What kind of mother and wife would I be
if I didn't?" As usual, she displays a cool exterior while her insides
were shaking like jello. What did this all mean, she wonders to
herself. It was one thing for Jarod and Kyle to share the same blood
type as a random stranger who just so happened to need a heart
transplant. But Jarod and Zach, both Centre labrats, sharing the same
blood type was more than a coincidence. She was sure of it.
"Anyway, we didn't take a lot of blood from Zach. He should be fine in
the morning. Your husband is another story," Tony sighs. "He needs a
lot more blood than we were able to give him. But fortunately we have
more coming. A private clinic just happened to have that blood he
needs."
"Private clinic?" she asks, not really wanting to know the answer. She
was starting to get that sick feeling again. "Where are they located?"
"Maryland, I think," Tony says, bringing instant relief to Miss Parker.
"No, actually. I was wrong. It was Delaware. Blue Cove, Delaware."
The room starts to swim and Miss Parker has a hard time keeping focus on
what Tony was saying. They knew. They always seem to know. They must
have instructions with hospitals to be notified if anyone needs that
rare blood type. All they had to do was sit back and wait for Jarod to
fall into their laps.
"Jarod," she gasps, leaping to her feet, trying her hardest to keep her
balance. She stumbles out the door before she realizes she has no idea
where to find him. "Where is he? Where's my husband."
"Calm down, Mrs. Daniels," Tony admonishes. "You're just coming off of
a head injury yourself. You need to slow down."
"You don't understand," she yells. "I have to get to him. We have to
get out of here."
"How about I get you back to your room?" Tony offers. "Then I'll go
find out what I can about Jarod."
"No," she screams, before realizing she's in a hospital. She sees the
way Tony was looking at her and forces herself to appear sane before he
had her sedated. "Just take me to him. Please. I have to get to him."
"Alright," he relents. He flags down an orderly and gets a wheelchair
for her. Once she's settled, they head for the elevators. "He's on the
9th floor in ICU."
They arrive upstairs to Jarod's room and Miss Parker is suddenly very
glad she was sitting. She wasn't prepared to see Jarod like that. So
quiet and still. Lifeless.
"Oh Jarod," she whispers, as a tear slips down her face. She allows
herself a moment to sweep her fingers across his forehead before she
remembers the urgency of their situation. Wiping away her tears, she
steels herself to face the doctor.
"Dr. Jones, is it safe to move him?" she asks.
"I wouldn't recommend it. You husband needs rest to recover from his
surgery. He needs to be here to help ward off infection. He hasn't
even regained consciousness yet. I believe this is the best place for
him."
"But can he be moved?" she asks again.
"He can be moved relatively safely if done by professional medical
staff," Tony admits reluctantly. "But I really can't allow you to . . "
"And I can't allow him to stay here," she insists, showing Tony that
there was no changing her mind.
"Very well then. If I can't persuade you to let him stay. Then I guess
there's nothing I can do. But realize you're doing this against medical
advice," he says, giving her one last chance to back down.
"I understand that, doctor. Could you ask Sonny to step back in here?"
"Sure." He goes to the door and calls Sonny from the waiting area.
"I'll get a list of medical supplies you'll be needing."
"What's he talking about?" Sonny asks her after Tony leaves.
"Sonny, I know you've already done so much for us. But I need one more
huge favor."
"Tell me what it is. I'll tell you if it's huge or not," Sonny says,
flashing her an adorable grin.
"We need to disappear for awhile. Me, Jarod and the boys."
"That's not so huge," he sighs in relief. "When Jarod gets better, then
I'll . . ."
"No," she stops him. "I meant now. Right away. As soon as possible.
We can't afford to wait. They'll be here for him soon."
"Who will?"
"The Centre."
* * * * * * * * * *
Nurse Amy Vining is sitting at the information desk watching the parade
of men in suits walk by. She wondered briefly to herself if there was
some kind of hospital board meeting going on. She doesn't have to wait
long for the answer to that question when one of the men, a handsome
dark skinned man wearing a trench coat, stops at the desk to ask her a
question.
"Hello. My name is Amy. What can I do for you?" She flashes him her
most dazzling smile and hopes to at least get a date out of him.
"I'm looking for this man," he croons in his smooth, deep voice. He
pulls out a picture from his pocket and holds it out for her to see.
"His name is Jarod."
Amy takes the picture and stares closely at it. It was a picture of an
equally handsome man with dark hair. So many men wandering around and
Amy wonders to herself why she's so lonely. With a sigh, she returns
the photo to him.
"Sorry," she apologizes. "But I just got on shift. Is he a patient
here?"
"We think so. We got a call about this man needing some blood from our
blood bank," the man tells her. "We were told he was in serious
condition from a gunshot wound."
"Let me check the records for you," she smiles easily at him before
turning to the computer. She types in a few commands and pulls up the
surgery schedule for the previous few hours.
"Okay, we have a male patient listed. Gunshot wound. Type matched
blood being flown in from The Centre Medical Clinic in Blue Cove,
Delaware," she reads.
"That's our guy . . ."
"I'm not sure," Amy interrupts him. "Says his name is Ray Benson. Not
Jarod."
"Well how about you point me in that direction and I'll go see for
myself," he suggests, trying to keep his patience with this woman.
"I wish I could. Mr. Benson died an hour ago. His body's probably down
in the morgue. And that's reserved for medical staff only. Sorry," she
apologizes once more before turning to log off the workstation.
"Listen, I get off in . . ." she starts, intent on inviting him out for
a drink. But she sees her words are in vain. The man is gone. And
there's no sign of the other gentlemen either. She lets out a
disappointed sigh.
"Don't worry, Amy. Someday your prince will come," she says to herself.
Looking around one last time, she realizes he's really gone and gets
back to work.
* * * * * * * * * *
General Hospital
Morgue
"This is him. Toe tag has him listed as Ray Benson," the sweeper says,
trying hard to keep his stomach from rebelling. Working for the Centre
had it's difficult times, but he never thought he'd ever find himself
knee deep in bodies. "Now, can we get out of here?"
"Go ahead. Your work here is done. I just have to make a phone call."
The other sweeper doesn't hesitate a minute before practically running
out the door, leaving Willie alone in the morgue. Willie takes out his
cell phone and dials the Centre.
"Mr. Parker, it's me," he says. "We're at the hospital now, but there's
no sign of him. Any record of him ever being here has been erased. And
now they're claiming that the blood was for some thug, who's now
conveniently dead."
"What about the boy, Willie? Any sign of him? How about my daughter?"
"No trace of them, Sir," Willie reluctantly tells him.
"We have to find, Zachary. Neither Jarod nor my daughter can find out
the truth. Is that clear? Find the boy. Find my daughter. Find
Jarod. Or else we're all going to be sorry."
* * * * * * * * * *
Isla de Sol
Coast of Puerto Rico
The tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico was to home to very little.
It was a short boat ride to an off shore casino run by Sonny Corinthos.
It was across the beach from a private chapel for use by Sonny
Corinthos. And it was surrounded by arguably the most beautiful stretch
of beach Puerto Rico had to offer with a home right on the edge of the
water built especially for Mr. Sonny Corinthos. And now, it was a safe
haven for Miss Parker and Jarod as well.
Miss Parker closes her eyes and lets out a loud yawn, stretching her
aching back in the process. She takes a deep breath, smelling the
fresh, salty scent of the ocean water in her nose. The sounds of the
children playing on the beach brings a smile to her face. It was a
sound she never would have imagined loving before, but now, she doesn't
know what she would do without it. Looking back over at Jarod, she's
surprised to see him staring at her with a confused look in his eyes.
"Jarod," she gasps, falling to her knees at his side. "You're awake.
You're finally awake." She drops a tiny kiss on his forehead and sweeps
the hair from his eyes.
"Wa . . ." his scratchy throat groans. He reaches his weakened arm out
and points to the pitcher of water.
"Just a little," she warns, holding a glass to his lips. He drinks
greedily anyway, and she has to stop him before he choked.
"Where . . . " he grunts again.
"Someplace safe," she smiles. "Someplace where they're not going to
find us."
"Who?"
"Jarod, do you remember what happened?" she asks him, not sure if she
was going to have to break the news of his injury to him. She watches
as he searches his memory of recent events.
"Zach," he moans, trying to sit up. The panicked look on his face lets
her know that he remembers the shooting. "Where's Zach?"
"Don't try to move," she orders, gently holding him down. "Zach is
fine. He's out on the beach with Josh and Ayanna." A look of total
bewilderment crosses his face and she has to keep herself from laughing.
"Ayanna's the nanny. And this beach belongs to your mob friend Sonny
Corinthos. He's letting us hide out here."
"Hide from what?" A fit of coughs rattle him for a few moments. Miss
Parker gives him some more water and waits for him to settle down.
"Jarod, you were shot trying to protect Zach. During your surgery, you
needed blood. But your blood type is so rare, that they didn't have any
at General Hospital or the surrounding hospitals. They had to make a
nationwide plea. Unfortunately, they got a call back from a so-called
'private clinic' in Blue Cove."
"The Centre," he whispers. She just nods the confirmation.
"I had to get you out of there before they showed up for you. But I
couldn't do it alone. Lyle had already left to take Jessie back. Zach
was in a cast. I still had a concussion. There was no way I'd be able
to move you and the boys by myself. All I knew was that we had to
leave. Sonny helped. This is his own private island. No one's going
to bother us here."
"Sounds like you've got everything under control," he chuckles lightly,
wincing at the pain it causes.
"Nothing for you to worry about but getting better," she smiles,
grabbing his hand from the bed and placing a kiss in his palm. Closing
her eyes, she suddenly feels the prick of tears trying to break free.
"You scared me, you know. I was so afraid I was going to lose you," she
whispers.
"You're never going to lose me," he vows. "I'm going to be with you now
and for always. For richer. For poorer. In sickness. And in health.
But even death won't be able to part us. I'll be with you even then."
"Jarod, that was beautiful," she says through her tears of joy. "And it
sounded suspiciously like a proposal."
"What if that's exactly what it was? What would you say?" His eyes get
a big, and he stares at her wondering how she would accept his spur of
the moment proposal. All he knew is that he felt right about it. Being
there with her and the kids. Being a family.
"You said it all perfectly. So now, I guess there's really only one
thing I can say." She tries to look serious, but gives him a small,
secretive smile anyway.
"And that is?" He whispers, suddenly hypnotized by the expressive
colors her eyes are deepening to. He watches as she climbs into the bed
next to him.
"I say . . ." she pauses, pasting on a bigger smile and moves closer to
him, laying her head on the pillow right next to him. ". . . that you
may now kiss your bride."
His own smile grows to match hers. And with as much care as he can
patiently take, he lifts up gently on his elbow and reaches out to touch
her face with his other hand. His fingers trace her face slowly before
making a path to the back of her neck. Not able to wait another second,
he hastily pulls her head towards his own, their mouths instinctively
finding each other. Joining their bodies as well as their souls.
The kiss grows in intensity and all of Miss Parker's worries melt away.
They could deal with everything else later. Making sure they stay ahead
of the Centre. Getting the Father to come and officially bless their
'marriage'. Telling Jarod her suspicions about his connection to Zach.
All that could wait. Right now she was finally where she was always
meant to be. And that's where she intended on staying.
The end.