A/N: Thanks so much for the patience and also the lovely feedback. The class I've been teaching (a senior-level psychology seminar on evaluating and treating addictive disorders) is writing-intensive for the students, which translates into grading-intensive for me! So, bear with me for the rest of the semester, please! Hopefully, my schedule will ease up and I'll be able to write more then …
Chapter 35
Port Charles
Sam waited impatiently while Jerry finished his phone call. She couldn't believe what he had told her yesterday afternoon. Her unborn child was the son or daughter of one of the richest, most powerful men on the east coast?
She just couldn't believe she had gotten so lucky. But he had insisted he recognized the picture, and he had proceeded to spend the entire afternoon on the phone with various contacts, trying to learn everything he could about the man. She also couldn't believe that they had stumbled across the likely reason why Corinthos-Morgan was investigating her.
Once they had all the information they could get about Jason Morgan, they would figure out how to put it to use to make as much money as possible. Maybe he would buy the baby or something.
Jerry finally hung up and turned to her. "Well, Samantha, darling, it seems we've stumbled into a potential gold mine. Jason Morgan is, as I told you yesterday, both wealthy and powerful. He's apparently extremely loyal to those he considers family, and also quite unforgiving when he, or anyone he's close to, is crossed. He's also extremely generous with people he cares about. Which, as I see it, means that we simply have to get him to consider you family, and then he'll almost certainly give you anything you want, which you, of course, will share with me."
"Is he married? Or otherwise attached?" Sam paused, considering, then added, "What I don't get, Jerry, is why someone who's so devoted to family would have been a sperm donor in the first place. Are you sure it's him?"
"Well, darling, apparently the man was in a car accident years ago, which led to amnesia for his life before, as well as a dramatic shift in his personality and his loyalties. He made the donations before the accident. And no, he's definitely not married. Apparently, he had a casual relationship with Corinthos' sister, but they seem to have had a falling out and she recently married AJ Quartermaine."
"Oh," she said. "How does he even know about me, or, for that matter, the sperm donations, if he has amnesia?"
"I'm not entirely sure, darling, but I don't believe in coincidence, so that's the most reasonable explanation for why he's been looking into your background. Unless, of course, you know something else that you haven't shared with me?"
"No, Jerry, I told you, I've never run across Corinthos-Morgan or anyone involved with them before this. So I guess it must be the sperm donations."
"Well, considering the man's reputation, we must be extremely careful not to tip him off to the fact that we're planning anything that involves him."
"Do you and I need to have a public argument or something?" Sam asked. She was surprised to find that she didn't really like the idea that she would have to avoid Jerry. She glanced at Jerry. "How does he treat women?"
"Well," Jerry replied, answering her second question first, "By all accounts, he's devoted to Brenda Barrett Corinthos, who you've met, and to his sister, Emily Quartermaine Webber. He also doted on his grandmother before she died, but he merely tolerates his mother."
"No, I don't mean family – I mean women. Does he go for sluts? Damsels in distress? Maternal types? Girls next door? Does he like blondes or brunettes or redheads? Is he into smart women or dumb ones? If I'm going to become the woman of his dreams, I need to know what that is."
"Ah, so that's how you went after Jax. Let me guess, you were smart and amusing and independent with just a hint of sex on display."
She rolled her eyes. "Can we forget about Jax, please? I need to focus on Jason Morgan. Our plan needs to be foolproof, since I have no intention of winding up dead at the end of all this, and I assume you plan to live through it, too."
"Of course, darling. The man will never know what hit him. Unfortunately, it's hard to say what he looks for in a woman. Thus far, his longest relationship was with Corinthos' sister, and from all accounts, he wasn't all that broken up when she up and married his brother. Sadly, the man apparently doesn't share personal information with anyone who might share it with us."
"Well, Jerry, we better figure something out. I can't go into this blind if we have any hope of it working."
"All right, darling, relax. I'll figure something out." He trailed a finger down her arm and added, "In the meantime, allow me to distract you."
She rolled her eyes. "Is that all you think about?"
"Of course, darling, except when I'm helping you plan this little con. Now," he said, pressing a kiss to her neck, "Are you sure you don't want to be distracted?"
And suddenly, she wasn't sure at all.
Damn him.
The Island
Courtney came down to breakfast resolved to make nice with AJ for the time being. She had done some serious thinking overnight, and had realized that it would be significantly easier to do what needed to be done if she could get him to trust her at least a little.
She really needed to get back to Port Charles to see Jason, and she had the definite feeling that Sonny wasn't going to let her come home until he heard that she was getting along with her husband – and from someone other than her. Plus, when she wasn't stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere, it would be so much harder for AJ to keep tabs on her every move.
It would be best if she could convince AJ that she had had a change of heart. Failing that, she needed Tony to believe she and AJ were getting along better, since she was pretty sure he was reporting back to Sonny. And of course, she also really needed to keep Tommy under her thumb, just in case she needed to take action here.
It was going to be tricky. She would probably have to "confide" in Tommy that she was trying to keep the peace with AJ because she was so afraid of him. She might even have to pretend to be in love with Tommy. She felt fortunate that such a gullible young man was around for her to use in her plans.
Meanwhile, it was time to start lulling AJ into a false sense of security, so she breezed into the kitchen and smiled at him. "Good morning, AJ."
He visibly started and did a double take at her cheerful greeting. Nevertheless, he smiled back and said, "Good morning, Courtney. You seem to be in a much better frame of mind than yesterday."
"Well," she said, "I did some soul-searching last night and I realized that even though I'm not really happy with the situation I'm in, I need to make the best of it. You were right – we do need to learn to get along for the baby's sake."
He watched her through narrowed eyes for a long moment, before replying calmly, "I'm glad you've come to that conclusion. I think it's best for everyone, and especially the baby, if we learn to be civil to one another." He paused, and when she merely smiled innocently, he added, "Would you like to have lunch with me at the casino this afternoon?"
"Yes," she replied, even though she thought she would really rather poke her eyes out with hot needles. "I would like that very much."
Port Charles
Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon with Jason, Johnny, and Maxie. They went all over Port Charles – besides Kelly's, they went to Wyndham's Department Store, where Maxie shopped and Johnny teased her mercilessly. They stopped in at an art gallery, and then Jason showed them the docks and the warehouses that housed the coffee business he and Sonny co-owned. The offices seemed rather low-key, but then, she didn't know much about importing businesses, and she supposed it was practical to have offices on site at the warehouse. Next, they drove past ELQ headquarters, which made Jason even quieter than usual, and then headed to the Metro Court hotel.
Late in the afternoon, they pulled up at General Hospital. "What are we doing here?" Elizabeth asked, curious.
"Well," Jason said, "You're planning to stay here in town for a while, aren't you?"
"Um, yes," she replied, confused. "At least, I hope so, if everything goes well."
"Then you'll need a doctor, and the best doctors are here at General Hospital."
"Oh," she said. "Well, there's no rush, is there?"
"No, but is there a reason to wait?"
"I guess not, but this has gotta be boring for Maxie and Johnny."
"No," Maxie chimed in, "It's fine. We might as well get you an appointment now, that way we can plan our trip to New York around that."
Elizabeth gave in. "Okay, let's go."
As they walked into the hospital, Elizabeth noticed something, and whispered a question to Jason. "Why is everyone staring at us?"
"Maybe they all wonder how Johnny and I got so lucky," he teased. "Two beautiful women escorted by regular guys like us."
Her cheeks turned pink. "Jason! That's not it and you know it! Do people always stare at you?"
"Well, since the accident, it happens sometimes," he allowed. "But who cares? We're not doing anything wrong, so let them stare if they want to."
They reached the desk, and Jason said to the nurse on duty, "We need an appointment for my friend to see Dr. Lee, as soon as possible."
Another woman, whose back was to them, turned at the sound of his voice. "Jason!" she exclaimed, and Elizabeth heard joy and anxiety intermingled in her voice. "I heard you were back. How was your trip?"
"It was fine," he replied simply. "I – I was gonna call you –"
"It's okay," she interrupted. "Emily said you were helping her sister-in-law get settled in." She looked curiously between Maxie and Elizabeth.
Jason said, "Yeah, I was." He gestured toward the two women in turn as he made the introductions. "This is Steven's sister, Elizabeth, and her friend Maxie. They're staying with Emily and Steven for a while." He turned to Elizabeth and said awkwardly, "This is – this is Monica Quartermaine, my – my mother."
"It's nice to meet you, Elizabeth, Maxie," Monica said brightly. "I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of you while you're with Emily and Steven – I use any excuse to see my grandchildren, you know."
"It's nice to meet you, too, Dr. Quartermaine," Elizabeth said.
Maxie added, "Yeah, it's great to meet you. We were just getting Elizabeth an appointment."
"Oh," Monica frowned. "Are you all right? We'd hate for you to get sick just when you got into town."
"Oh, I'm fine," Elizabeth said cheerfully. "I'm – um – actually, I'm a little over three months pregnant, so we figured it would be a good idea for me to get a doctor here in town, since I'm hoping things will work out and I can live here permanently."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Monica said sincerely. "Congratulations! Is this your first?"
"Yes, it is," Elizabeth said, "And I'm alternately thrilled and terrified."
Monica laughed. "That sounds about right." Turning to the nurse, Monica said, "Amy, we need to get Elizabeth an appointment with Dr. Lee."
"Yes, Dr. Quartermaine, I was just about to say that we actually had a cancellation for tomorrow morning at ten, if that works for you?"
"Oh, um, yeah, I guess," Elizabeth said. "I just have to figure out how I'm gonna get here."
"Don't worry about that," Jason said.
Johnny added, "Yeah, one of us will get you here, no problem."
"Okay, now, I'll just need some information from you for our records," Amy said, handing her a clipboard. "You can sit over there in the lounge to fill this out if you want."
"Okay," Elizabeth said, then turned to Jason, "Listen, this will probably take a few minutes, so if you guys want to go get coffee or something, this would be a good time."
"I don't need coffee, but Johnny and Maxie might."
"Is the coffee any good here?" Maxie asked Johnny. "And remember, I'm from Seattle, so don't try to whitewash it."
Johnny laughed and said, "Why don't you see for yourself? The coffee shop is this way."
Jason said to Elizabeth, "Go ahead and sit down – I'll be right there. I just want to talk to Monica about something for a minute."
"Okay." Elizabeth headed over to the lounge and took a seat. As she began filling out her medical history, she couldn't help glancing over at Jason and his mother occasionally. They had stepped away from the nurses' station and were speaking quietly, their expressions serious. She repeatedly forced herself to suppress the curling heat that she was growing accustomed to feeling whenever she looked at Jason, and she briefly wondered what was going on, but then she got to a question on the form that she wasn't sure how to answer. She chewed on her lip, trying to decide what to write in the space marked "insurance information." Since her insurance was through Lucky's work, it seemed likely that to include it might be to give him a way to find her.
On the other hand, she wasn't really sure how she would pay for her medical care if she didn't include it. Sure, she had what seemed like a lot of cash that she had taken out before leaving Seattle, but babies were expensive, and she didn't want to spend it all on prenatal care.
Sighing, she skipped that question for now and continued filling out forms.
XXXXXXXXXX
Jason kept an eye on Elizabeth as he spoke with Monica. Mindful of Amy's presence, he kept his voice low as he said, "I hear everything's in place for the bone marrow drive. Thank you for working so hard on it."
"It was my pleasure, Jason. I'm just happy I can help you with this." She paused, not sure if she should ask what she was dying to know. Finally, she said, "You don't have to answer this, of course, but Emily says you've become – close – with Elizabeth. I was wondering … what if she goes back to her husband?"
"She won't," Jason said confidently. "She's realized that he was emotionally abusive and she doesn't want her baby to be raised in that environment. And we've become friends."
"But what if she decides that the baby needs contact with its father?"
He said even more quietly, "It wouldn't make a difference." Monica started to ask something more, but he said, "Trust me on this, there is nothing that will get her to go back to him. He has no claim to the baby, and he doesn't even know she's pregnant, which is how she wants it to stay."
He glanced over at Elizabeth and saw she was frowning at the form. He said to Monica, "Listen, I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. I have to get back to work."
He headed over to the lounge, where Elizabeth was still frowning at the form. "What did that piece of paper do to you?" he asked.
She started, then smiled at him. "Don't sneak up on me like that! And it's not the form's fault that I don't know what to put for half of this stuff."
"Why not? Don't you know your medical history?"
"I know my medical history. I just don't know the medical history of the baby's father off the top of my head."
"Oh," Jason said. He debated whether he should tell her that he knew she had used a sperm donor, and that he thought he himself – or his alter ego, anyway – might have been that donor, but she spoke again before he could decide.
"Lucky couldn't – well, he – um, we had to use a sperm donor," she stammered, blushing. "So I have the information in a file somewhere, but I didn't memorize it or anything, and I'm not really sure where I packed it."
"Oh," he said. "There's something I should probably tell you."
"Oh, what's that?" she asked, curious.
"I – um –" Jason tried to figure out what to say, but again he was interrupted before he could get the words out.
"Are you done yet?" Maxie asked cheerfully, as she and Johnny returned from the coffee shop. "I brought you some ginger tea, since I know you like that." She handed Elizabeth the cup, adding, "Careful, it's hot."
"Thanks, Maxie." Elizabeth smiled. "And yeah, I'm done with these for now. But I'll have to dig through my stuff soon to find some information I need. Or I suppose I could just call the clinic and have them re-send it."
She started to stand, but Jason said, "Stay there and enjoy your tea. I'll bring the forms over to the desk." He took them from her and headed over to the desk.
Amy glanced through them, and immediately commented on their incompleteness. Jason said, "She has the information on the baby's father at home, so she'll bring that to her appointment tomorrow."
"What about her insurance information?"
"That's at home, too. For now, just bill me for anything her insurance doesn't cover."
"Oh, okay," Amy said. "That's awfully nice of you, Jason." Her voice held a question she apparently didn't dare ask.
He answered it anyway. "She's family." He left before she could speculate any further.
New York City
Lucky continued to watch Georgie for another day. He was becoming more and more convinced that Maxie wasn't coming, after all. Late that afternoon, he sat once again on the bench in the park across from the Bobst Library, waiting for Georgie to re-emerge.
He was surprised when a pair of cops approached him. The taller of the two asked aggressively, "Do you have any identification, sir?"
"What?" Lucky asked, bewildered about why they were talking to him. "Why do you need my identification?"
The shorter one said, "Sir, what are you doing sitting here?"
"What, isn't this a public bench?"
"Sir, please answer the question."
"I'm taking pictures." He waved the camera. "Last I heard, that wasn't a crime."
"Now, see, that depends on what you're taking pictures of, and what you're planning to use them for. May we see the camera, please?"
"Look," Lucky said, pulling out his badge, "I'm a cop from Seattle, and I'm trying to locate a witness in a crime back home."
"Well, sir," the shorter one said, "We haven't heard about anything like that, but we have had a complaint from a student here that you've been stalking her. Now, why don't you come down to the station with us and we can straighten this out?"
Lucky protested, "What's to straighten out? I just told you that I'm on a case."
"But we have no official record of that," the tall guy pointed out. "What we do have is an official complaint against you. Now, I don't know how things work out there in Seattle, but here in New York, we take our citizens' complaints very seriously. So, why don't you gather your things and come with us?"
Finally realizing that he wasn't going to talk them out of this, Lucky stood and said, "Fine. But I really think this is a bit much, don't you?"
They ignored that, and walked on either side of him back to their police car.
At least they didn't cuff me, he thought wryly.