Chapter 11

A noticeably thinner Starr Manning stood in the hallway outside Michael's hospital room listening to Diane recount her meeting with Johnny Zacchara. Starr had been devastated by Michael's suicide attempt but it had just been the straw that had broken the camel's back. Starr had been holding onto her grief and despair for far too long. She had, like her father, lashed out and sought retribution when her child died. She had focused her energies on helping Tea and Dani when the news of the baby switch had surfaced and she had chalked her father's role in that fiasco up as Todd trying to spare Tea any further pain but it had chipped away at her. Starr had remained steadfast and ever ready to help Michael when news of Jason Morgan's murder and Sonny Corinthos' commitment came to light. But seeing Michael on that gurney in the ambulance, a deathly shade of grey with a tube down his throat had unwound all of the feelings she had been trying so desperately to hold so tightly onto. While Michael slowly recuperated at General Hospital Starr fell into the depression those closest to her had expected right after the accident. Her great aunt had even written a prescription and given her mother a bottle of Wellbutrin fully expecting Starr to experience at least short term depression.

Blair Cramer had moved her two minor children into the hotel owned by her ex husband's lover in order to care for her oldest child. Dorian had warned her of this but it had taken a year to manifest itself. She now stood outside the room of the boy that had broken Starr's facade with Todd's lover and his lawyer listening as they discussed the case that could land Michael in prison for at least thirty years. She would be eternally grateful to him for saving her daughter's life and Blair had come to genuinely like him but right now her entire focus was Starr. If Todd's red headed attorney had bad news she wasn't sure what Starr's reaction would be. Blair had just gotten her to eat something for the first time since the incident five days before and Starr hadn't had more that three hours of sleep since he had been admitted. Blair glanced over at Carly Jacks the woman that had seemingly won Todd's heart and although she was experiencing the most intense jealously of her life she also felt the most intense sympathy. Blair hadn't felt this awful for a parent, with the exception of Starr at Hope's loss, since Jack had bullied the Morasco boy.

Carly felt light headed. She hadn't left the hospital since she had returned to Port Charles following her meeting with Johnny at Pentonville four days earlier. Michael would live but he still was unable to talk. Alexis and Diane had both kept her apprised of what was going on with Michael's case. AJ would plead guilty in return for a sentence of 40 years to life instead of life without parole. It was conceivable he would be paroled at some point but highly unlikely. Todd had told her he had fallen on that sword to save Monica who was rumored to have known about his escape.

"May I speak in front of them?" Diane bluntly asked indicating Blair and Starr.

Carly had been acutely aware of Blair's presence but she was here for her child. Carly understood that. How Todd felt about that or Blair for that matter was a discussion they had not had since he told her he loved her in the car on the way home from Pentonville.

"Yes, go on."

"John Zacchara told the District Attorney this morning, in a sworn affidavit, that he was aware of Anthony and Jason's deal to extract AJ from the country using Zacchara resources. He then told the DA that his grandfather had mentioned a visit from AJ Quartermaine during his last stint in Pentonville. Anthony had been proud of it, he told Johnny AJ was the secret weapon he needed to bring down Sonny and Jason. They planned for Anthony to raid all of Sonny's territory and effectively break him finacially as long as AJ was allowed to kill Jason Morgan."

"SO, what did the DA say?" Carly was too impatient to wait on one of Diane's trademark dramatic pauses.

"He said that it made perfect sense considering Michael's past of lying to protect his father or um fathers. He then thanked Mr. Zacchara for his cooperation. And said all charges against Michael were going to be dropped although.." Diane paused making sure she had their attention for her gossip,

"DA Meyers was disappointed that AJ took the fall for his mother. Apparently the Quartermaines backed his opponent during the last election, he was itching to prosecute Monica."

Carly took Diane's hands and pulled her to her kissing her on each cheek. Carly promised a ballgown of her choice from the boutique. Beaming Diane left the small group, Cartullo's Fall Couture collection dancing in her head.

"Thank God." Starr said her color clearly better as she and Blair watched Carly collapse.

Blair caught Carly before her head could hit the hard floor as Starr ran to the nurses station for help. Two hours later Blair and Starr were still waiting outside the ER cubicles for news of Carly. Unbeknownst to Blair, Starr had slipped off and called Todd to let him know about Carly but unable to reach him she chose not to leave him a voicemail until they knew more. Blair and Starr walked to the doctor they recognized as the one who had been treating Carly as he met them in the waiting area.

"Miss, your mother is going to be fine. It really was just exhaustion and she's a bit dehydrated. She didn't miscarry, though I must say after looking over her medical history that she conceived at all is truly a miracle. I'm going to admit her overnight just to get some more fluids in her but her OB/GYN will take it from there."

Noticing the shocked, confused and worried looks on Starr and Blair's faces, he patted Starr on the arm and tried to reassure her again.

"She really is fine, you look like you need some rest, you won't do your mother any good if she's worried about you."

The little doctor walked off. Neither Blair nor Starr had corrected him when he had assumed Starr was Carly's daughter. They had other news to digest. Both sat in the visitor's chairs dumbfounded for long moments. Finally, Starr rose,

"I'm going to go check on her. You'll let me know if there is any change with Michael?"

"Of course."

Blair sat back and absorbed the news that Todd was having a child with someone else. Again. It had been a shock with Tea but he had married Tea twice and spent years with her. How long had he and Carly been together? Blair had always believed she would be the mother of his children. First Tea had given him a child and now Carly was. Blair just wanted to go to Carly's fabulous bar and have a half dozen highballs.

Starr walked into the room where Carly lay on her side with her eyes closed. She looked down on the woman carrying her half sibling. The mother of her boyfriend. She touched Carly's shoulder and Carly turned to face her.

"You know?" Carly could tell by the way Starr's eyes skimmed her body in the flimsy hospital gown, she was looking for the visible signs.

Starr nodded.

"You can't tell him, Starr." Carly implored the young woman with tears welling up in her eyes.

"I can't have him stay with me because of this." Carly pleaded with an understanding Starr,

"Or because of Jason's death or because of Michael and I couldn't live with him knowing he's not with your mother because I'm pregnant."

"OK, please get some rest, I'll stay with Michael."

Carly watched her child's half sibling walk out. What she hadn't told the ER doctor or Todd's daughter was just how tricky this pregnancy might be. She had had to have surgery for a ruptured appendix month's after Joss's birth which had initiated adhesion formation on her Fallopian tubes. They had become distorted and blocked which led the doctors to tell her the only chance for another pregnancy was IVF. Carly had also been told that in the unlikely event that she should conceive she was at high risk for ectopic pregnancies. Carly hadn't experienced any symptoms and she knew she was keeping this child. This baby was a miracle. From the minute the doctor had told her she was pregnant she had loved it, no fallen in love with it. Carly knew they had conceived him, she already felt it was a boy, the night Jason died. Jason had guided her in those days and she believed he had guided her to Todd and given her this baby. She smiled thinking of Jason in heaven thinking a child would keep her from inventing any "plans". No, it didn't matter what her doctors said they weren't taking her final gift from Jason and no matter what happened with Todd a piece of him would always be hers. Carly would give her life if she had to.