Note – Dun dun dunnn…And I'm not talking John Donne, either.
The Right Girl 38
It had taken him and Claudia a week, but they managed to finish all those fortune cookies Nadine sent. Cook was a little miffed at the fact that after every meal, the siblings would drag out the giant plastic containers in which they had to divvy up and store the cookies and chomp them down instead of so much as asking her what she had made, but there were more than enough guards around to consume her flan and tiramisu and rice-and-cinnamon pudding. Plus, Claudia and Johnny didn't let anyone else in on their stash. Reivers got one, but only because he was Reivers.
Even now, as he walked along the docks, he had a few fortunes tucked away in his pocket. They were his favorite ones out of his lot (Claudia read hers and then promptly burned them, saying that she made her own luck) and he liked having them around.
Some were quite funny: He who throws dirt is losing ground. A closed mouth gathers no feet. A fanatic is one who can't change his mind, and won't change the subject.
Some were quite promising: A thrilling time is in your immediate future. Plan for many pleasures ahead. Your everlasting patience will soon be rewarded. (That one had to be about Claudia.)
Some were so dead-on, it was scary: Excitement and intrigue follow you closely wherever you go. You have a fine appreciation of the arts and music. Fame, riches, and romance are yours for the asking.
And some reminded him of Nadine: A friend is a present you give yourself. (That had her name all over it.) A friend asks only for your time, not your money. (And would probably kick him in the nads if he tried to get her a really expensive gift.) A secret admirer will soon send you a sign of affection. (She was hardly his secret admirer, but still.)
Yeah, he'd eaten a lot of fortune cookies.
He turned the corner, heading away from the waterfront and inward toward the Taylor properties that Claudia had purchased right out from under Sonny's nose back in the fall. The sound of footsteps could be heard somewhere close by and he stopped, every muscle tensing, and reached behind him for his gun.
It was a good thing that he didn't grab it, because the next person he saw was decidedly not an enemy and all of thirteen years old.
"Michael Corinthos?"
The boy spun around, his eyes growing large when he saw his father's enemy standing a few feet away.
Johnny frowned and looked around. It didn't look like there were any guards on the kid, and this was a dangerous part of town. "Hey, are you sure you should be out here, all alone? Don't you have any guards with you?"
The boy still glared up at him warily. "…No. I just, uh, got lost."
He was lying, but that was his business, not Johnny's. He arched a brow at the kid, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was an idiot for 'getting lost' in this area. "You should probably head back into town, or at least toward one of your dad's warehouses where someone can get you home. This part of the docks is really dangerous; you never know what might happen-"
He didn't have a chance to finish that thought. Before he could even see what was coming his way, Johnny was grabbed by the shoulder and slammed up against the brick wall so hard he saw white spots in front of his eyes.
Max Giambetti, one of the men in the Corinthos entourage, was practically breathing down his neck as Sonny glowered over his shoulder. "Michael, get back behind your dad, kid."
The boy did as he was told, and Sonny immediately reached for his son. "Michael, you all right, buddy?"
"Yeah, Dad, I'm okay-"
It was all Sonny needed to hear. His obsidian eyes blazed at he glared at Johnny, who barely managed to push Max's arm off his windpipe in order to draw breath. "Is this how you conduct business, Johnny? Stop threatening my kid."
"I wasn't threatening him," Johnny snorted, trying to roughly shove Max back. The guard looked over his shoulder and upon receiving a nod from his boss, took two steps back. "We were just talking. You should really keep an eye on your kids."
Sonny's lips settled into a grim line and he looked down at his son. "Michael, what were you doing here all alone?"
"I, uh, was out behind Kelly's to get some air," he started, his eyes darting nervously back and forth between the three men. "And I heard footsteps so – so I started running and then I came here and I was lost and then – and then he came up and started saying that the docks were a dangerous place to be alone and that I should watch out."
He scowled up at Johnny and inched partially behind his father. "He was threatening me."
Johnny stared at the kid in shock, reflecting that he probably shouldn't have been surprised at what a fucking brat he was since this was Sonny Corinthos's demon spawn, after all, and knew his fate was sealed.
"Do you see Trey over there? I want you to walk straight toward him and get in the car. Don't look back, just run to the car, okay?" Sonny gave his son a little push, and Michael did what he was told. As soon as the boy's back was turned, Sonny pulled out his gun and quietly clicked off the safety feature.
"I should have done this a long time ago," he murmured. "You showed up at my wife's house before, where both my boys were, and I told you to back off. Should have listened, kid. There's no one around to save you this time. You come after my family? You will get hurt."
He pointed the gun at Johnny's chest, and for a minute, Johnny couldn't breathe. He stared at the barrel, willing the weapon to go off because at least that would end the interminability of the moment. The silence, one or two seconds at most but feeling a lot longer, was deafening.
And then a gunshot sounded.
Fortunately for him, it didn't come from Sonny's gun.
Max immediately had his weapon drawn when two more shots were fired near Sonny's feet. The mobster jumped in the air, hopping again as soon as he hit the ground. It was almost comical, like something out of an old Western flick, and Johnny couldn't help but smile.
That smile unnerved the two men, he was sure, but not as much as the woman that stepped out from the shadows with two men at her side.
"And you come after my family?" Claudia kept her weapon trained at Sonny's feet to emphasize her point. "You'll be hurt a lot worse. And that's a promise."
Max exchanged nervous glances with his boss, seeing that they were outnumbered, and shakily lowered his weapon.
Claudia remained as she was, advancing a few steps until she was at Johnny's side. "Go back home to your little waif, Sonny. Give her a yellow bonnet, talk about the funnel cakes at Coney Island, and leave business to the big kids. Get."
It took a few intimidating looks and a couple equally intimidating steps forward before Sonny and Max withdrew, and it was only when Claudia heard his car pull away that she let out a sigh of relief. And then she turned around and smacked her brother upside the head.
"What the hell, John?"
He batted her hand away angrily and snarled. "I didn't need your help. I don't need to be protected from that psychopath. I would have handled it just fine, I don't need you thinking you have to protect me."
He was being petulant, and they both knew it. Claudia sighed and slipped her weapon back into the holster she wore under her black jacket. "Obviously, you do, John, because you weren't handling yourself right."
"What the fuck do you know about-"
"Hey." She cupped his chin and looked him directly in the eyes. "I'm not going to have this argument with you. It's pointless. All I'm saying is that I know it makes you angry when an idiot like Corinthos can best you and surprise you like that. But you need to be smart about it, John. Accept help when you need it."
He looked away from her well-meaning but stern gaze and took a step back. "I'm fine," he grumbled, shoving his way past the guards. "And I'm late for a board meeting."
"Hey, baby." Nadine tickled Jake under the chin, smiling when the baby squirmed and cooed. It was a distressed sound, but at least he wasn't crying anymore. Elizabeth was off tracking down Dr. Scott, her most trusted pediatrician who was off for the day in about five minutes, and she had left Jake with her for five minutes. "I know you're sick, and I know you're not having any fun. Ear infections are the worst."
She shifted him in her hold, cradling him in her arms. Being upright made him wail, and this was the only position the infant could stand. "But, tell you what? Your mom's going to make Dr. Scott stay a little longer so he can check you out, and you're going to get some medicine and you're going to be just fine. I used to get ear infections all the time, and my Aunt Rayleen would sing me TV show theme songs. That was the only way I'd calm down enough to go to sleep."
Nadine frowned down at Jake, who was staring up at the googly eyes on her Goofy hat with unabashed interest. "That's probably pretty sad, huh? And it explains a lot about me."
"I'm back," came a breathless voice, and Nadine looked up to see Elizabeth trotting over to her. "Thank you so much for watching him. I found Garrett in the Oncology lounge with Ian and he agreed to examine Jake. Thanks again."
"No problem," she replied, handing the baby over to her. "I hope he gets better soon."
The elevator doors slid open as Elizabeth situated her son in her arms, gently rocking him when he started to cry, and Nadine looked over to see Johnny step out onto the tenth floor. He saw her almost immediately and smiled, but she could read the troubled expression in his eyes. She smiled back, beamed, really, in way of compensation. Elizabeth looked up, saw him standing there, and managed a polite smile before ducking away to get her son to his doctor.
Johnny watched her go and, since she was heading down the same hallway he needed to in order to get to the boardroom, he let her get a bit of a head start. He spotted his girlfriend coming down the other hall toward the elevators, no doubt back from visiting her father if the confiscated cigars in her pocket were any indication, and was relieved when she only barely glared at Nadine as she came up to him. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, promising to get together with her later, and waited until she was in the elevator and out of view before heading to his meeting.
It was an emergency meeting about a few last minute clearance items on Nikolas Cassidine's health insurance foundation, so thankfully, it was a quick one. He placed his votes, signed a few contracts, and they were all out of there. These were the meetings he could fully get behind: the less time he had to spend in an over-air-conditioned room with a bunch of bald, old white men.
He waited until the rest of the men cleared out, spending those few minutes chatting with Nikolas. The prince was an amiable man, reasonable and slow to emotions, and the reminder of his own mortality lent him an even more distinguished air as he occasionally punctuated his words with a gentle thump of his black cane on the floor.
After chatting about the foundation for a while, Nikolas admitted that he was tired and would like to retire to his room. Johnny walked with him out of the room, shook his hand, and the men parted ways. He had barely gotten to the end of the corridor when he spotted Jason Morgan lurking around. This was strange, especially given Johnny's confrontation with Sonny just an hour or so ago.
Curious now, he studied Jason from afar. The enforcer appeared edgy and tense, and was being careful to blend into his surroundings as best he could. He dodged the various nurses and orderlies scurrying around and took off down the hall, his stride decidedly purposeful.
He didn't quite know what made him follow the man – really, it was quite the ill-conceived idea – but Johnny did so anyway. He nodded politely at the nurse stationed at the hub, the one that had looked so much like his mother that fateful night on Spoon Island, and hurried down the same hallway that Jason Morgan had disappeared down.
He rounded the corner and stopped when he saw Jason standing at the other end of the hall, fidgeting and drumming his fingers against his thigh with impatience. Johnny's patience paid off because a few minutes later, the door to an exam room opened and a tall doctor with silver hair and a necktie boasting the likeness of a Jim Henson muppet came out. He closed the door behind himself and walked down the hall, taking little notice of Jason.
As soon as he was out of view, Johnny watched Jason spring into action. He hurried down the hall, glancing this way and that for any sign of nurses or other doctors, and Johnny only barely managed to duck in time. He heard the sound of a door opening and when he looked again, Jason had ducked into the hospital room that the doctor had emerged from.
Now this was interesting.
Mindful of the fortune in his pocket (his patience would soon be rewarded), Johnny pushed himself away from the wall and slowly ambled down the hallway, casual and oblivious to all watching bystanders. He slowed as he passed the exam room and was thankful that the door was left open a crack.
Inside, he saw Jason Morgan holding Nurse Webber's son in his arms and pressing a kiss to the boy's downy hair as the infant yawned and fisted his black t-shirt with a little wail.
"What'd the doctor say?"
He could hear Elizabeth's voice, though he only saw her hand as she ran it gently up and down the baby's back, then brushed a lock of hair away from Jason's eyes. It was a remarkably tender gesture, and Johnny listened carefully to the exchange.
"He says Jake had a cold which led to an ear infection. He gave me antibiotics for him and said to watch him for a day or two, and that Jake should be fine."
Johnny could see Jason smile, and the enforcer further surprised him by affectionately nuzzling the little boy who was attempting to suck his shirt into his mouth. "Hear that, son? You'll be just fine."
He clamped his mouth shut to prevent any sort of noise that could have possibly escaped (he was known to choke on his saliva when he was caught off-guard and it was hardly attractive) and when he was certain that Jason wasn't about to burst into the hall with a gun trained to his face for eavesdropping, Johnny backtracked and quickly turned the corner, his mind racing with what he had just heard.
Jason Morgan was a father. He had a son, and more than that, a secret son. With one of the town's reputable 'good girls,' a sweet, even-tempered nurse at the hospital. Jason Morgan had tapped that and now he had a freaking kid to show for it. A kid that no one else knew about.
He leaned back against the wall in a sequestered part of the corridor, just to catch his breath, and wondered just what he would do with this new information.