General Hospital presents Elizabeth Webber; #021

"The Tipping Point"

Previously…

At the ranchero style home of Jeff and Carolyn Webber…

After digging through his cluttered closet, Jake pulled out the Nike shoebox that contained the old 36 Special pug- nosed handgun, and opened in.

Aiden's eyes were wide opened. He had seen guns being used on TV shows, but this was real life.

"Can I hold it?" Aiden asked innocently.

Jake nodded his head, and then carefully lifted it out of the box, trying his best to avoid touching the trigger, not knowing if the gun was loaded or not (it was…it had one live bullet in the cartridge wheel...but Jake didn't know that).

And then, Jake held it out to Aiden, who then took it by the handle. Aiden's right index finger gently touched the trigger as he pretended to be a cop.

"Put your hands up," Aiden said with a playful smile, "I'm taking you to jail you mobster scum!"

And then without even thinking, Aiden aimed the gun at Jake's chest and then he pulled the trigger!

Our story continues…

The trigger struck, and the cartridge spun, but that was it. Even though the gun was loaded with one bullet (which neither boy was aware of), luckily for both boys, the bullet had not been in the firing chamber. But thanks to the spin of the cartridge, the bullet had now rotated up one slot and was now in the firing chamber. This meant, the next time someone pulled the trigger, the gun would fire.

Jake took the gun back from Aiden.

"Hey," Jake said to his little brother, "why did you pull the trigger?" Jake asked as he put the gun back into the shoebox.

Aiden seemed confused.

"That's what they do in the movies, or on TV," Aiden replied. "They shoot guns at the bad guys."

With the box back inside the closet, Jake began to stack the clutter they had removed from the closet back on top of the box, so as to keep it and the gun inside hidden.

"Well, moron," Jake said, as Aiden handed him more stuff to put back into the closet, "you never pull the trigger on a gun unless you know it isn't loaded. Everybody knows that."

Aiden nodded his head and would remember. He was glad that he had older brothers as smart as Jake and Cameron.

Just as Jake closed the closet, there was a knock at the door and then Grandma Carolyn entered, with a basket of socks and underwear.

"Grandpa just called," Carolyn told the two boys, "and he will be running an hour late. Now, if I recall, it's your turn," Grandma said to Aiden, "to sort out the clean socks and underwear. So come on," she told the younger grandson of hers', "I'll take these into your room. Jake, you finish up your homework," she added, after seeing an open math book on Jake's bed.

Jake shot Aiden an intense stare; a brotherly reminder not to tell grandma about the gun…Aiden nodded his head.

Nearly 20 minutes later, Jake was still finishing up his math homework when he heard a strange scraping sound coming from his window. He dismissed it as a gust of wind, but then it came again.

After stepping off of his bed, Jake went over to the window and opened the drapes. And then to his astonishment, his dad, Jason Morgan, stood outside the window!

General Hospital Boulder Colorado

It was nearly 5pm as Elizabeth and Grayson met up at her office. They had each showered and had changed into casual clothing, and were now ready to go on their second date.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Grayson asked, as he held out his hand and helped her stand up out of her chair.

Liz was dressed in a nice but simple black evening gown, with a dark maroon scarf. The dress clung to all the right areas, and she could tell that Grayson liked what he saw. She had missed the sensation of a man being attracted to her, and it felt very good feeling the exciting urge of arousal it caused inside.

Grayson wore a causal cream colored suit jacket over a dark brown shirt, no tie, and the top three buttons were undone.

"I like your outfit," Liz said, as she liked what she saw. "You look like Don Johnson on Miami Vice."

Grayson arched his eyebrows twice as they left her office and walked down the hallway.

"Don Johnson; really?" Grayson came back with. "You're too young to have watched that show."

Liz chuckled.

"Actually, when I was a kid, my dad used to watch all those old 1980s shows," Liz came back with. "His favorite was MacGyver."

And with that, they made their way down to the main lobby. On the way out, Liz caught a quick glance of Dr. Garth Landru, and as usual, his arrogance shown through.

Hemet California; the Blue Terrace Mobile Home Park…520pm

KariAnn was in her room with her ear-buds on, and was watching an episode of Breaking Bad on the screen of her I-Phone. She had just taken a shower and with only her robe on, she was on her bed applying polish to her toe nails. Suddenly her door opened, and Brad stood in the doorway holding a bottle of beer in each hand.

One night ago, she had tried to follow Brad on her motor scooter so as to prove to her mom that he was having an affair. Unfortunately, KariAnn was unable to keep up with him and his truck.

KariAnn could tell by looking at Brad that he was drunk, and the look in his eyes worried her even more. Her mom, Shyera, was working and wasn't due back home for several more hours.

"Hey," KariAnn said to Brad after lowering her ear buds, trying to not to make any more eye contact with her repugnant step-father.

At first there was just silence, as she applied more polish to her toe nails. But she could hear him breathing, and could smell his drunkenness from where she was on the bed.

This wasn't the first time she had been alone with Brad in the trailer while her mom was at work. Yet each time it happened, he seemed to do something more forward. But tonight, Brad's drunkenness was more than ever, and KariAnn knew something might happen; she was right!

But even going as far back as the first time she was alone with Brad on one of her mom's work nights, KariAnn had always kept a pair of scissors under her pillow. She had caught Brad leering at her in the past, and had even told her mom about it when she had first started dating the loser, but her mom said it was all in her head.

"KariAnn," Brad finally said with a fake smile. "Why don't you come out to the livin' room and have a beer with me," a slight southern draw could be heard with his slurred words. "My buddy Greg is coming over so maybe you can do your nails in the livin'room and watch some TV with us."

KariAnn reached over to her history book, and showed it to Brad.

"I can't," KariAnn said, as she applied more polish, "I have homework."

Again, silence came to the room; but then Brad tried again.

"Well," Brad came back with, "can you at least come out and show Greg and me a peak under that robe of yours when he gets here?"

KariAnn looked up at him; his words had crossed a line; a dangerous line for her.

"Brad," KariAnn said to him, trying to calm him down, "you're a little drunk. Just leave and close the door before you do something stupid."

But Brad did the opposite and stepped into her room from the doorway, and slammed the door shut.

His eyes were burning with a drunken rage, fueled with lust and anger.

"Girl, you do nothing' but live here rent free," Brad said to her. "You ain't do nothin' but eat my food like some free loader. I've had it girl," Brad said as he dropped the two unopened beer bottles to the ground. "Either you take off your robe, or I will."

KariAnn reached under her pillow as Brad got on her bed and watched as he reached out his right hand and put his fingers on the back of her exposed calf. He inched closer and slowly slid his hand up her calf.

"That's right girl," Brad said, as his hand reached the back of her thigh.

And then, without hesitation, KariAnn thrust the scissors into Brad's neck; blood gushed out as he fell limp to the bed.

At that moment, KariAnn heard the front door of the trailer open and then a voice called out.

"Hey…Brad, where are you!?" the voice of Greg Hollings yelled out.

Greg Hollings was one of Brad's loser friends who came over occasionally.

Knowing she didn't have much time, KariAnn quickly changed out of her robe and into some jeans and a shirt. Blood was still gushing from Brad's neck as she snatched up her phone and her purse, as well as the keys to her motor scooter, and crawled out her window.

Moments later, KariAnn sped out of the mobile home park. She didn't know where to go, but she knew she had to keep going. She thought about calling her mom, but her mom had never and would never believe that Brad was the creep he was; so blinded by the alcohol, drugs and wild lifestyle he plied her with.

In her panic filled rush, KariAnn didn't notice that her I-Phone had slipped from her hip pocket and smashed to pieces upon hitting the hard cement road surface. Her world was falling apart, and there was only one person who could help her; Grayson Wayne…her father.

Continued….

This issue featured

Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Webber

Joshua Jackson as Grayson Wayne

Jason Davis as Aiden Spencer

Hudson West as Jake Spencer

Millie Bobbie Brown as KariAnn

Walter Goggins as Brad Polk

David Anders as Garth Landru

and

Special Guest Appearance

Steve Burton as Jason Morgan