Chapter 6

"Maxie, what's going on?" Anna asked again.

"Anna," Maxie exclaimed, giving Anna an enthusiastic hug, "how are you? When did you get here?"

"Just now. Robin called me about something going on with Noah. She didn't give me any details, but told me he might need a friend right now."

"Robin was right. I'm sure she doesn't care if I tell you what's going on. Dr. Drake just found out he has another son," Maxie told her in a conspiratorial tone. "Matt Hunter is a new resident at GH. He was shot earlier today and when Uncle Mac was trying to find his family, Dr. Drake realized Matt was his son. I think Dr. Drake said he was going to his office for a bit, since Matt is in recovery. Then, he'll be in ICU on the fourth floor."

"Okay, I'm going to find Noah. It sounds like he does need some support," Anna said, turning toward the elevator bank to reach Noah's office.

Maxie gave a sigh of relief and turned away. She'd just dodged the bullet. Maxie knew her Aunt Anna could be as tenacious as a bloodhound. Thankfully, she'd distracted her.

"Oh, by the way, Maxie?" Anna called as she stepped onto the elevator.

"Yes?" Maxie said, turning back to Anna.

"We'll talk about the other thing later. I need to know what you're into," Anna replied just as the elevator doors closed. Maxie's premature relief evaporated. Anna wouldn't forget and Maxie had better have a good excuse. She could lie with the best of them, but Anna was a pro. How would Maxie ever keep her in the dark? And should she?

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"Lucky, are you sure the shooter is Jerry Jacks?"

"Nadine Crowell was an eye witness to the shooting. We canvassed the area for a gun and didn't find one. Hopefully, Jerry still has it on him. As far as we know, he has no idea anyone saw him."

"Good! Pick him up. Let's see what he has to say. If he still has a gun on him, let's see if we can get a match with the bullet they took out of Matt Hunter."

"Got it, Mac. We might finally have enough to put Jerry away for good."

"Let's hope so. I still want him for shooting Robin." Mac had been more than a little upset when he hadn't been able to hold Jerry on any charges after the MetroCourt bombing. Everyone knew Jerry was guilty, but there hadn't been enough evidence to put him behind bars. That was about to change. "By the way, what kind of protection do we have on Nadine Crowell?"

"Nikolas is taking care of her protection."

"Is that a good idea?"

"Nikolas has had his own run-in with Jerry Jacks. He won't let anything happen to Nadine." Lucky knew that Nicolas was not like his grandmother, but he wasn't above a bit of treachery when it protected those he cared about. Nadine was Nikolas' friend and after losing Emily, Nikolas didn't plan on losing anyone else close to him. It would be in Jerry's best interest to stay away from him.

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"Maxie? Why are you still here?" Robin asked as Maxie exited the elevator on the fourth floor.

"I'm waiting to see Matt."

"Oh. I would have thought you'd need to get to work or something."

"No. I called Kate and she was very understanding having been shot at before," Maxie explained. "She told me to take the day off. So, here I am."

"Where's Spinelli?" Robin asked making a final notation in the file she was reviewing when Maxie arrived.

"He left. He has some work to do for Jason. So, I'm just waiting."

"Well, you may not have to wait much longer. Matt was put in his room a few minutes ago, but he was asleep. According to Noah, he woke up for a few minutes in the recovery room and everything looks good."

"Great. Can I see him?" Maxie asked eagerly.

"Patrick is in with him now, but I'm sure you'll be able to see him very soon. How about grabbing some food while you wait?"

"I'm not really hungry, but why not? You're having a baby and you have to eat, so lets go," Maxie was her regular colorful self as she bounced back in the direction she'd come. "Hey, did you see your mom?"

"No, but I called her earlier. Is she here?" Robin asked, pressing the button for the basement where the cafeteria resided.

"Yeah, I saw her downstairs. I hope you don't mind, I told her the latest. She said she was going to see Noah."

"Of course, I don't mind. Right now, Noah needs her more than I do."

"Yeah, I figured. It's not everyday you find out you have brand new kids. Speaking of new kids, let's get you some food. I don't want my niece to go without. Let's get going." Robin smiled and shook her head. There was never a dull moment when Maria Maximilliana Jones-Scorpio was around.

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Patrick sat beside Matt's bed and wondered who Matthew Randall Hunter was. Yes, he knew he was a Drake, his brother, no less. But, what was he like? How did he grow up? Patrick didn't know what he hoped for at this point, but deep inside him he wanted to know his brother. My brother. Will I ever get used to that? It was amazing the revelations that could be revealed in a few hours.

After all the discussions Patrick had with Robin, he was still furious with his father. Yes, he'd made mistakes with Robin and he couldn't judge, but that didn't change the fury boiling in the pit of his stomach at the pain his mother must have felt to find that the husband she adored had cheated on her. Patrick had been avoiding Noah since their earlier discussion and he didn't see that changing anytime soon.

"Mmmmm," Matt groaned. Patrick's gaze was drawn to Matt's. Matt swallowed but didn't speak.

"Hi Matt," Patrick whispered. "How do you feel?"

"Not good. There's a burn in my stomach and I have a headache," Matt mumbled back, attempting to shift into any position that would alleviate the pain he felt.

"The drugs must be wearing off. I'll get a nurse to get you something for the pain," Patrick replied, picking up the chart to see the notation for pain meds.

"Why are you here?" Matt asked, after a few minutes of watching Patrick review his chart.

"You're my brother," Patrick acknowledged. "I thought I'd sit with you for a while."

"Thanks, but there's no reason for you to do that."

"How long have you known?" Patrick asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Since early this year when my mom died," Matt answered, and then attempted to end the conversation that was making him even more uncomfortable than the pain he was experiencing from surgery. "Look, you don't need to change how you treat me just because you found out we share DNA. You don't have to stick around and try to make things better for me."

"Yes, I do. You're my little brother." Patrick's conviction was unmistakable. Matt attempted to raise his head to look Patrick squarely in the eye, but the pain in his head was too intense. He settled for staring at the ceiling for a long moment.

"Dr. Drake, you don't even know me. We can just forget any of this happened." Matt's mother had been his whole world and he didn't feel like starting over with a family that he didn't know.

"Maybe you can, but I can't. You're right that I don't know you . . . yet, but I intend to change that."

"How are you gonna do that? I don't want a brother or anything else." Matt didn't know how many ways he could say it, he didn't want a new family. He was doing everything he could to prevent what happened to his mom from happening to anyone else. That's why he was in Port Charles. That's what he had to focus on and not allow Patrick to distract him.

"You say that, but you're here. Out of all the other hospitals where you could have done your residency, you chose General Hospital where you knew your father and brother worked."

"I was curious. I'm not anymore. I'm here to do my job and finish my training. That's it." So what, Matt wanted to know about his fam . . . Noah and Patrick Drake. He could be curious about where he'd come from, but not want to disrupt anyone's life including his own, couldn't he? Why didn't people just respect boundaries?

"You know, you are a lot like me. You're rude, obnoxious and have no people skills. I was the same way when I got to GH. I was angry with dad and life and I took it out on the people around me while I was busy making a name for myself as the best neurosurgeon in the Northeast. I am the best neurosurgeon in the Northeast, but I'm a better doctor for having realized the importance of the people around me, the people I work with, the people I love. When you realize that you want that, I'll be here." Patrick rose from the stool and moved to the door, turning just before going through. "I'll get that nurse in here to give you something for the pain."

"Thanks," Matt said with a sigh and a pained swallow.

"Anytime," Patrick replied with a smile, before adding, "I'll be back to check on you later."

Matt nodded finally realizing that neither Noah nor Patrick were going to leave him alone. He'd have to find a way to deal with both of them. Great, just what he wanted . . . a long lost family reunion.

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Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Anyone home?" Anna asked standing in Noah's office door carrying a two paper cups.

Noah glanced at the door and smiled in spite of his current predicament.

"Come in," Noah said rising from his chair and circling his desk. Relieving Anna of one of the cups, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you? I heard you got some news earlier today."

"I did. I'm a father again . . . of another surgeon on the staff at GH. How's that for surprises?"

Anna raised an eyebrow, before responding, "How is Patrick taking it?"

"He's angry. He has every right to be."

"You never answered me before. How are you?"

"I'll live," Noah replied, taking a sip of the coffee. "This is not how I imagined my first week back from out of town."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do you want to hear it?"

"I'm your friend and if you need to talk, I'm here." To emphasize that, Anna took a seat on the small leather couch in the corner of Noah's office. Noah moved next to her and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Matt's mother never told me about him. I knew she had a crush, of sorts, on me and she knew Maddie and I were having problems. The sex just happened one evening. I went home and confessed. From that day on, I was committed to making my marriage and my family work and I did until Maddie died. Then I lost it and I left Patrick. Just one of my mistakes, but I can't go back and change any of it. I just don't know why Julia wouldn't have told me about Matt."

"I'm not one to judge, Noah, because I've made so many mistakes myself," Anna said, thinking of all the choices she'd made for Robin and Robert over the years. "I didn't tell Robert about Robin until she was kidnapped and dropped on his doorstep. That could have been a disaster. It all turned out fine in the end, but I realize what my choice could have done to my daughter."

"I didn't know that," Noah said, fascinated by this new information Anna shared.

"It's not something I brag about," Anna said with a smirk, before continuing, "but I didn't want Robert to feel obligated to me or to Robin and to some day resent us since we'd only been married for a short time. We were still WSB agents and I wanted to protect Robin from any of our enemies. I made the wrong choice from what I still believe is the right place. The problem was I made choices for Robert without his consent and it sounds like Julia did the same thing, maybe for the same reason or a different one. The result is the same. The only question now is what you are going to do about it."

"I'm going to deal with it. I have one son who was shot and could have died; and the other furious with me for something that happened almost 30 years ago."

"As long as you don't give up, Patrick will eventually come around. As for the shooting, Maxie told me that Matt was hit. What happened?"

"I don't know. Matt just got out of surgery a few hours ago and I don't know if anyone has questioned him about it. Mac told me that Maxie didn't know anything, but the police are working on it and might have a suspect."

"Well, if there's something to find, Mac will find it."

"I know. What I don't understand is why anyone would take a shot at the Free Clinic. It doesn't make any sense. Matt and Maxie were the only ones there."

"Would you like me to look into it? I can ask around," Anna said, remembering her delayed conversation with Maxie. Maxie had been talking about a counterfeit drug ring. Anyone involved risked losing a lot of revenue if he or she was found out. Could Matt and Maxie have crossed the wrong people? There was only one way to find out.

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Maxie slipped into the room with Matt and at seeing his eyes closed, she tiptoed across the room to take a seat on the stool next to his bed. She watched him sleep for a few minutes, his long lashes resting on his cheeks. What most girls wouldn't give for lashes like his? He really was handsome when he wasn't talking. If only he could stay like this all the time, he'd be much more tolerable.

As she continued to watch him, Maxie wondered if Matt's beard was scratchy. She seen him rubbing it a few times when he was thinking and didn't know anyone was around. It always made noise. If he were awake, she wouldn't dare touch it, but he wasn't. Plus, he'd just gotten out of surgery. What were the odds he'd ever know?

She lightly ran a finger over his cheek and had to refrain from giggling. It was scratchy and it tickled. With one of her questions answered, she had to get an answer for the other. With no reluctance, she ran her fingers gently through his hair. As short as his hair was, the locks curled around her fingers. His hair was softer than she imagined. Not realizing that she was doing it, she ran her fingers through his hair again.

"What are you doing?" Matt whispered to her. She jumped, startled, as her eyes flew to his.

"Checking to see if you have a temperature," she lied. His temperature had been the last thing on her mind. "Last time I was here, Spinelli was getting an antibiotic that didn't work. I wanted to make sure the same thing didn't happen to you."

After moving her palm to his forehead, to reinforce her explanation, she moved as if to pull away, when Matt grabbed her wrist keeping her fingers slightly entangled in his hair.

"Don't stop," he said. Obviously, he was in pain or on some really good meds, as Maxie knew Matt Hunter would never ask her for anything. He clearly mistook her hesitation as discomfort, when it was an altogether different reason. "I have a headache that won't go away and that thing you were doing with your fingers made it feel better."

Maxie continued as much for Matt as for herself. Now, she had a legitimate reason for running her fingers through his hair and she took full advantage. As she massaged his scalp, he moaned in relief and locked his gaze with hers.

"Thank you," he whispered, never taking his eyes off her.

"You're welcome," she replied, then asked a question she'd been dying to know since she pushed him off her after the shooting. "Why did you save me?"

"I just reacted. Don't try to read too much into it."

"Really, you just reacted and risked your own life in the process? That makes no sense. You don't even like me."

"That's not true. I like getting on your nerves. It would be no fun if you weren't around to harass," he replied with a soft smile.

"Really? That's all." She knew she was pushing, but for reasons Maxie wasn't willing to explore she needed the real answer.

"Look, I saw the glint of the gun and knew something wasn't right. I reacted and grabbed you. I didn't want you to get hurt. I know this will go to your head, but the world would lose a bit of its color without you in it."

"That's pretty corny, Dr. Hunter."

"Doesn't make it any less true."

Maxie paused regarding Matt with a tilt of her head.

"Why didn't you tell me that Noah Drake was your father?"

"I didn't think it was important."

"Excuse me? You didn't think it was important? My cousin is carrying your brother's baby and you didn't think it was important," she said in an excited tone. "That does explain all the curiosity about the baby."

"I just wanted to know if I was gonna have a niece or nephew."

"See, it is important to you. No matter what you say, you want to know your family."