Unsettling Realizations

By Didi

Disclaimer: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

Summary: Jason is torn, Carly is overwhelmed, Logan is surprised, Coop is endangered, Claudia is intrigued and Enrico is enraged.

Author's Note: Okay, I changed my mind, I want Esai Morales to play Enrico. He is so beautiful and have so much talent that I'm so surprised that he's not more insanely famous then he is. And can't you just see him being all dark and broody and mean then sweet and sarcastic the next minute? It would totally rock!

Also, while I'm not writing the Robin's baby saga from like three years ago into this story, assume that it's running in the background with all the people involved. It'll play in later but right now, it's just not something I need to rehash for anyone. (I didn't care of it if you must know.)

I currently hate GH. I can't even watch it anymore.

Rating: T

Key: "Spoken," "Thoughts." ("Spanish") Any questions?

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Chapter 29 – The Hits Keep Coming

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"Stop pacing please?" Carly asked softly as she held a hand over her eyes. "And can you turn the lights down?" Double clicks threw the room into darkness. "Thank you."

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really," she replied, "Especially with you hovering like this."

"Why did you faint?" Jason asked for the umpteenth time since he had rushed to the hospital with a semi-conscious Carly tucked protectively in his arms. He had a rather unpleasant flashback from ten years before, when they had been living in Sonny's old Penthouse and Carly had been heavy with child – pregnant with Michael. He had almost lost Carly that day; Michael too. It wasn't the first time he had held Carly like that, cradling her soft body against him, nor was the it the most dangerous times; but it was the first time he'd felt completely at a loss as to what to expect when she opened her eyes.

"For the last time, I don't know," Carly answered, leaning her head back and resting her neck against the soft pillow that wasn't doing anything in the way of support. "How about we let the nice doctor that just left tell me okay? Since you insist on coming to the hospital."

"Carly…" he started to say but the phone shrilled to life. Though he'd love to simply ignore it, there was business to attend to. And his line of business, it wasn't just money that could be a stake. "Morgan." Sonny's dark tone sent an alarm through his system. "When?" He glanced briefly at Carly and wondered if someone up there was trying to drive him crazy. "I'll try to get there as soon as…" Sonny Corinthos was one of those few individuals not born with any patience. "Carly is at the hospital and…" the spew of questions didn't help. "She fainted and…" the questions just kept right on coming.

"Go," Carly waved a limp hand blindly at him. "I'm fine."

"People that are fine don't faint," Jason informed her, not bothering to cover the mouthpiece.

"Whatever it is that needs to be taken care of, you should just go do it so all this can be over with and my boys can come home," she informed him dropping her arm over her eyes. She was tired, still dirty and still hungry. "Leave someone with me to take me home and report back to you with anything. Just go and do whatever it is Sonny needs you to do. Oh and I'm going to need a new phone. They took mine."

"Carly…" the warning was deep in his voice. He did not want to leave.

"I'll go back to your place," she conceded to expedite things, "at least for tonight." She peered at him from under her arm and lashes, "We'll discuss living arrangements tomorrow," just to give herself an out later.

He wasn't going to get a better deal than that and he knew it. Plus Sonny needed his enforcer twenty minutes ago. "Alright, I'm leaving Shane and Taber with you. Do not leave without them."

"I know the drill," she replied and shut her eyes again. "Get going."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he told her as he hesitated at the door. He really didn't want to leave.

"Good bye," she sang out, verbally shoving him out the door. The man was worse than her mother sometimes and all she wanted was to be alone for a few minute, his hovering was making her more nervous than she already was.

Granted she hadn't eaten in a few hours nor has she slept well for a few weeks but that was no reason for her to have a fainting spell. Girls like Caroline Benson do not faint… it was too embarrassing and weak. And she was anything but weak; plus she hated being embarrassed, only makes her want to fight back more. So… that leaves too many questions and no answers so far. Being run down could be a factor and god knows that damp cold tunnel she had to make her way around in probably didn't help. But Carly is usually the very picture of health and no wilting flower. So why?

A quick knock at the door was followed by Dr. Taylor, the receiving doctor in the emergency room when Jason had brought her in. One look at Jason's face had convinced poor Dr. Taylor, brand new in town, to move Carly Corinthos to the top of the waiting list. "Sorry it took so long, Mrs. Corinthos."

"Not a problem," she waved off the apology and winced when he flicked the light back on. "Headache."

Dimming the lights, "Is your husband gone?"

"Not my husband," she replied with a quick smile meant to charm anything male, "just a friend." She sat up and swung her mile long legs around. "What's the diagnosis?"

"Nothing to be concerned about," he assured her returning that smile automatically as men were wont to do. "More fluids, more rest and plenty of vitamins."

"I'll do all that but what's wrong with me? Why did I faint?"

He blinked and smiled nervously. This was one of those moments that left the unflappable doctor a little uncomfortable. "Well your blood test shows that you have an elevated count in your…"

"Simple terms doc," she interrupted with a held up hand. It was like a disease with the smart ones, round and round with the big words and yet they say nothing at all. "Just give it to me straight. I can handle it." God know she's had to handle a lot of things lately and…

"You're pregnant," which was pretty much as simple as it gets. "Congratulations!"

Holding herself perfectly still, Carly gave her mind a moment to replay the words in her head again. Then again. Then again. And because she was still having trouble processing it, she gave herself an other moment.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Corinthos?"

She swallowed and nodded her head slowly. "I was told I wouldn't be able to… that the chances of me having another child are…" she cleared her throat and look down on her hand, a little surprised by the fact that they had instinctively gone to her tummy, shielding the unseen child from the world. "Doctor… Doctor Lee was my… um… Can you get Dr. Lee for me? I need to talk to her."

"Of course, I assume she was your OB?"

"Yes," trying to focus on something other than… than… "Yes, I think I should talk to her and… and…"

"I'll get Dr. Lee for you," the ER doctor assured her and headed out. If there was one thing he couldn't handle, it was pregnant women. It was just one of those little quirks they all have in the ER. He'll leave the hormones and pregnancies to the experts.

Carly didn't trust her legs or she'd have gotten up and pace. She needed something to work off the build up of love and fear. A baby… a real baby. Another baby for her. Maybe a little girl this time? A precious little girl for her to love and hold and… protect and shield from the world that she's managed to entrench herself in for the last ten years. A baby. And not just any baby. She wasn't dumb or oblivious. She can count, count the number of men she's had in her bed in the past few months.

And there had only been one.

And it had only been the one time.

"Oh my god," she groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Oh my god."

-&-&-&-

Logan loaded his gun with a sure hand and slipped it into the hustler behind his back before throwing his shirt and jacket over it. It was too warm to be wearing a leather jacket but he needed it to conceal the weapon. He had let his private license expire and forgot to renew it. He was going to have to take care of it soon before something came up and he got into trouble for it; and he certainly wasn't going to count on the D.A. to help him out.

And he certainly can't use his Federal I.D. to get him out of a jam either, not that he's stupid enough to carry that around Corinthos or Lancing. Corinthos and Lancing may both think that Logan worked for them but things aren't always what they seem. The DEA has been putting pressure on him to get a report out with a confirmation or denial of illegal drug activities in Port Charles; of which he'd have to file a negative on the drug activity. Corinthos may be into a lot of things but drug weren't one of them. But Logan was in no hurry to leave Port Charles yet, not with Coop still in a jam. You don't abandon friends. That's not how his mother raised him. And his dear sweet old mother with her acid tongue would strip the hide off his back if she heard otherwise.

The pounding on he door made him frown. It was getting late and he was in a hurry to meet with Coop to work out a strategy. Plus he wasn't expecting visitors. And the person on the other side of the door was anything but welcome. "What do you want?"

"Have you had dinner yet?" Maxie warbled cheerfully as she barged in with a basket and bottle of wine. "I brought some great chicken. I found this place by the west side that…"

"I'm busy Maxie," he held the door open. The last thing he needed was Maxie Jones in his face. He was juggling enough as it was. "You need to leave."

"I just thought you'd enjoy a nice hot meal rather than those cold turkey sandwiches you run off with from Kelly's all the time," pulling out the hot meal one piece at a time. "I bet you don't even have anything in that frig of yours."

"What are you, stalking me now?" and if she was, he's losing his touch.

"I'm just trying to be helpful," she smiled invitingly at him.

"Well you're not," he informed her with a quick finger to the door. "And you're leaving because I have to be…" the rest of it was lost as two burly men came through the door. Logan had to resist the instinct to reach for his sidearm… which wasn't even there. Damn training. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"Mr. Morgan wants to see you," one of them said.

"Now," finished the other.

Logan nodded then turned. "Told you," he informed Maxie grimly. "Lock up when you leave."

-&-&-&-

"Mr. Barrett, how nice to meet you," the words rolled deliciously off the slick tongue with the careful pronunciation of every syllable. For a moment, Cooper could almost imagine that tongue being forked. "I'm glad you can take the time to see me."

Faking a fidget to mask the twitching of his hand that wanted so bad to go for his weapon and blow a hole in this guy's skull, Cooper cleared his throat delicately. "You said that you might be able to help me out with a… financial difficulty."

"Financial difficulty," the man smiled wide, "big words for a beat cop."

"Wasn't always a beat cop but you must have already knew that," Coop replied with a quick glance at the two men stationed at the doors. He didn't like that fact that his exits have been cut off. It was standard procedure in the army to cover your escape route, especially while they were in Iraq.

"Yes," the smile returned a little more widely.

"Let's not pretend anymore Mr…"

"Lancing, Trevor Lancing," he replied carefully. "And I like a man that is straight forward."

"And you are anything but that," Cooper couldn't help but think. "Looks, I find myself in need of a little extra cash flow and someone came to me and said you might have a side job I can do off hours. Let's hear it."

"I understand that you're under a lot of pressure to obtain large cash flow," Lancing pulled something from this breast pocket. "You owe quite a bit to the loan sharks. Not exactly certain why you suddenly needed the influx of cash but…"

"That's none of your concern," or anyone else's for that matter. The truth of the matter was that there was no money issue and the 'loan sharks' were Morgan's men put into place with a clear understanding of what their roles were to be. The 'loan sharks' visited once a week like clockwork for five minutes each time, they would have a drink with Coop then leave as scheduled. It was perfect.

And obviously it worked.

"Yes of course, you're right," Trevor inclined his head in a show of civility, "And it shouldn't be asked again. My only concern is how you're going to pay it off, this debt of yours."

"One penny at a time."

Trevor extracted a blue piece of paper from the pocket book he had pulled out, "Well, I think we can do better than that," and handed it over with a smile.

Cooper glanced briefly at it then did it again because he didn't feel it was convincing enough. "That's… quite a bit of money."

"Enough to cover your debt if I'm not mistaken," there was just enough smugness there to make Coop's skin crawl. "Consider this your new loan with repayments details to be discussed at a later date."

Okay, this was not what Cooper Barrett, or anyone else, could have been expecting. "Now what?"

-&-&-&-

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Sit down," Jason ordered not so nicely and then turned his back.

Logan took the seat before the wide desk and awaited orders… or his sentence. And he waited.. and waited… and waited. "Um… sir?"

"Be quiet," Jason replied.

"Okay," Logan nodded and did the waiting in silence again. He can do the waiting game if need be. It would be another ten minutes before the silence was interrupted.

"Bad time?" the woman that came in without a knock and dropped a purse on the table with a hard clunk. Either she had nice piece of rock in her purse or Logan would bet his next Uncle Sam paycheck that the lady was packing heat. And with those killer heels, he wouldn't doubt it for a second. She looked like she was dressed as an extra for the Sopranos.

"No," Jason tilted his head toward Logan. "Hayes, Claudia Zacchara."

"Zacchara?" Logan was certain there had to be mistake.

Blood red lips quirked up, "I'm the black sheep. The legitimate part of the family doesn't acknowledge me much."

He knew the game well. "Their loss."

"And your gain," Claudia smiled and rest the tilt of her hip against the edge of the table. "So what's the game plan? Why'd you call me?"

"Sonny's willing to play," Jason informed her checking his watch. Carly should be back at the penthouse by now. He wanted to get back there as soon as humanly possible. But plans had to be made and deals had to be brokered… and that means he had to handle Claudia Zacchara first.

"Where's Sonny?" Claudia wanted to know.

"With his boys," Jason replied calmly and looked her in the eye. "We keep the family out of this and that includes spouses and ex spouses."

"Carly was never part of my game, nor were any of their kids. I don't play it that way," she responded with full honesty. "And Carly and I have an agreement."

"And I'm telling you now that that deal is off the table. Keep Carly out of this."

"That's not your call," Claudia informed him with a shake of her head. "Mrs. Corinthos and I have a understand that you men don't have. We're going to keep our deal and we're going to play this the way we want it to play out. No one gets hurt but Trevor Lancing… and my father if necessary."

"You're willing to sell out your own father?" Logan asked, surprised as well.

Eyes like glacial turned on him, "My father sold me off at sixteen because he didn't like that way I held my little brother or the way I looked at his new wife. Of course it was on the advise of a man that hated me and my mother; so no sympathies for dear old dad or his sadistic right hand man."

Logan nodded his head like the wise man he was. "Got it."

"Logan here," Jason interrupted with a raised brow, "is going to be our go between. He's your eyes and my ears."

Claudia eyed him over once more. She understood where Morgan was coming from and would probably do the same in his place. You keep your friends close but your enemies closer. And an enemy of thy enemy is thy friend… kind of. "I can accept that. I'd prefer someone little less conspicuous but I can work with what I get."

"He's special forces," Jason informed her without reason. "He'll make sure your father doesn't get to you."

She laughed and then shook her head. "I'm sorry… for a moment there I thought you were actually concerned about my safety."

Jason glared at her. "We want the Zaccharas out of our territory. You seem to be our surest bet to accomplishing that with as little bloodshed as we can hope for in a territory war. It's in our best interest to keep you alive."

"And to keep an eye on me as well."

"Yes."

"Because I'm a Zacchara."

"Yes."

She grinned suddenly. "I can deal with that." She briefly wondered if Lorenzo Alcazar knew about this little arrangement. Turning to face Logan, she smiled viciously. "Well Mr. Hayes, looks like you're about to become my new best friend."

"A pleasure ma'am."

"Claudia," she replied, crossing her legs provocatively. "Get use to saying it because as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you're my new toy."

-&-&-&-

"We have a problem." That was a sentence that never bode well at the beginning of any conversation.

("What is it now?") Enrico glanced around the corridor of the hospital as he made his way to the ICU.

"The police has the place locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I can't get anywhere near the guy."

("Find a way.")

"You don't think I've tried?" the voice was tight with anger. "I need a distraction. Something to get me in there."

("I cannot help you here.") Lord knows he can already feel the eyes of the police on his back the minute he walked into the hospital. If he went anywhere near the emergency rooms where the police was currently keeping their newest prisoner, they'd be on him in a heartbeat.

"Enrico…"

("Keep your tongue in that mouth of yours and find a way to get to him. I do not want that man talking to the police at any lost.")

("I want that man dead too,") reverting suddenly to a language he's not spoken in years. ("Cruz is my brother as well, don't you forget that.")

("I don't forget such things,") Enrico replied as he came to the door he had been in search for, still vigilantly guarded by uniforms. ("Find a way.")

("When do I get to see Cruz?")

("Soon.")

("Brother…")

("Soon,") he repeated and hung up. His younger brothers have so little patience. "I'm here to see my brother." The officers glanced at each other. Obviously they've been warned and hesitated. "Feel free to ask his mother," because he had no intentions of causing a scene in the hospital.

"Let him in," Anita called out from beyond the door. She was too tired to argue with Enrico. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how Cruz was doing," he answered honestly as he closed the door behind him. "What has the doctors been saying?"

"Same as before," Anita silently counted her rosaries. "They're say the hopeful things and they prepare you for the worse. If he wakes up…"

"When," Enrico corrected firmly. "When he wakes."

"If," she said the word without flinching then closed her eyes at the pain it inflicted upon her, "if he wakes up, there will be damage from the accident."

"It was no accident," he replied, unable to process the meaning behind what she had just say for a moment. "What do you mean damage?"

"The doctors…" she seemed to collapsed in on herself.

("Senora… Please. What did the doctor say about my brother?") He braced himself for the worse.

("There was a lot of bleeding in his brain when he was brought in. The coma and the bleeding…") she looked up at him with eyes that devastated by her loss. ("He could have permanent brain damage if he wakes.")

("No,") he shook his head in denial. ("No!")

To be continued….


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