Chapter Fifty Two
1pm
Cooper and Maxie walked into Logan's hospital room. He was dressed and standing next to a wheelchair, which Georgie was trying to get him to sit down in.
"Aw, come on now, Angel. I don't need that thing," he complained.
"Rules are rules," Georgie said, as if that explained everything.
Maxie said, with a smirk, "Yeah, rules are rules, Hayes. Be a good little patient."
"Jones," he glared at her playfully.
"Yes?" She asked with smile.
"I can't believe you were ever a candy striper," Logan said to her. "Isn't one of the requirements being nice?"
"Hey there," Cooper warned him.
Maxie said to Logan "I didn't taser you and throw you in that chair. I think that was nice. But if you give my sister anymore trouble..."
He sat down.
"So, man," Cooper said "you looking forward to getting out of this place? Don't you think it's a little soon, considering your injuries. Maybe I better go talk to that Dr. Ford."
"You do that and I will shoot you dead," Logan joked. "I've had my fill of this joint."
Georgie teased him, with a sexy little smile, "And it has had its fill of you."
"Oh yeah?" he asked, locking eyes with her.
Maxie sighed loudly. "Cooper, turn the hose on them."
Cooper only laughed. "You all ready to get out of here? We have a wedding to plan and only days to do it. My Aunt Brenda is not going to be put off for much longer. If that ex of hers, Morgan, tells her its time for us to leave town, she will have me on the next plane out of here. And when she wants something, she gets it. Or gets Morgan to get it for her."
"I'm ready," Logan said "Get me out of here. I never want to see the inside of a hospital room again."
"I'm sorry I put you in here," Georgie apologized.
"I'm not," he said "Because if I wasn't then that bullet would have went in you and that...I don't think I could imagine anything worse than seeing that happen."
Maxie rolled her eyes. "Aw, ain't he sweet? Am I the only one who finds this guy phony as hell?"
"Yes," said Cooper and Georgie together.
Logan chuckled.
Maxie smiled and told him. "Watch yourself. Don't let me find out you stepped out of line with my sister or you won't have to worry about being in a hospital bed, because you will never make it to one."
Logan asked Cooper, "She don't make you nervous?"
"Nah, not in the least."
"Good luck, man. You are gonna need it."
Georgie said, "I don't think it is a matter of luck. Its about if they are meant for each other or not and," she smiled "I'm pretty convinced they are."
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1:15 pm
Skye was racked with guilt. She couldn't believe Lorenzo was really dead. He'd never come home again; she had been party to his murder.
Lila Rae cried all morning, until Skye had herself convinced the baby sensed her father was gone forever.
Skye shook with pain, and then told herself she had no right to feel that way. She had made her choice- for herself, for Lila, and for her unborn baby- it was the only one that would set them free from this mob lifestyle. She told herself, over and over, I did what I had to.
But all she could see was Lorenzo's eyes right before Jason took him from their bedroom. He had wanted her to save him, and Skye knew she could have with just a few words spoken to Jason, but she hadn't.
I can't live with myself, she thought, I can't even face myself in the mirror. What have I done?
Dialing the phone, she listened to it ring, and when the man answered she said "Alan, I need to see you...do you have the time? Yes, right away. I'm on my way over."
Scooping up her baby daughter, Skye hurried from the mansion, unable to stand feeling Lorenzo's presence in every room. She rushed to the only place she might feel safe now- into the arms of the man she called her Dad.
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1:20 pm
Alexis turned the corner in the hospital and stopped short. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Max Giambetti standing in front of the doors marked LAB.
It was obvious Jason's mind had went to the same place hers had. There might only be enough antidote for Sonny or Carly, not both of them, and there was no way she was leaving the decision up to the doctors, chance, fate or anyone but her.
She walked right up to Max, and tried to reach around him to open the door to the lab. "Excuse me."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Davis, but I can't allow you in there. Doctor Robin is working and Mr. Morgan insists she not be disturbed."
"Well, Mr. Morgan might run your world, but he doesn't run mine. Unless you plan on physically restraining me-"
Max broke in, quickly assuring, "I would never assault you, ma'am, being Miss Kristina's mother and meaning so much to Mr. C and all. Plus you're a nice lady and I know you're only looking out for my Boss right now but..."
"But," she drug out the word while raising on eyebrow " you are more scared of Jason than you are me?"
He nodded.
Alexis said, in a tight crisp tone that could break glass, "I can see why. Jason is a trained killer and beyond that he is a very selfish, short sighted man who can only see, think, or hear one thing and that is Carly. Her needs. Her wants. Her children. But, you see Max, Jason is not the only person around here who can make your life very, very much not worth living anymore if you get in their way. And me, I don't need a gun to get the job done. So, kindly, move your ass, before I lose my sense of humor and decide to bring you up on the long list of charges that I know I could easily get convictions against you on because, you and I both know, you commit a felony each and everyday of your life. I usually couldn't be bothered to prosecute such a small time hood but if you slow me down today, of all days, I will not forget it...and you don't want to be a name on my list. Because that...that is something truly worthy of being scared of."
Max stepped aside.
Alexis slipped into the lab and found Robin working. Robin's eyes jerked over to meet hers. "Did something happen? Did Sonny or Carly start showing symptoms of being poisoned?"
"Sonny's running a fever."
"It could be coincidental," Robin said, trying to stay positive but the look in her eye was anything but.
"Or it could be the poison kicking in," Alexis said. "And if its not then it will be soon. Do you know how many times I have pictured, over the last week, him having a seizure, shaking and sweating...how many times I've woke up screaming because in my nightmare he had a heart attack and no matter what anyone did they couldn't bring him back? Do you have any idea what is going through his mind right now? He's thinking about Stone and what it was like...those last few days...what it is like to die slow."
"I hope you believe I am doing all I can.. I have been from the moment Jason told me."
Alexis cut to the chase, unable to spare another minute away from Sonny. "Have you been able to make any more of the antidote?"
"Not yet. I'm not sure it can be done in the time restraints we have. But if we can keep Sonny and Carly stable, buy us some more time...maybe..."
"Maybe just isn't good enough, Robin." Alexis eyes swept the room, before settling on the antidote.
Robin said "If it comes down to a choice, then a team of doctors will make it. We have a protocol for situations like this."
Alexis spun on her heel, and headed for the door. Over her shoulder, she said in a cryptic tone "You're not going to need your protocol this time."
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Knock.
Lucas stuck his head into Carly's room. He spotted Jason sitting on the edge of her bed, clutching her hand. Their eyes were locked on each other and, it was clear as far as they were concerned, no one else in the world existed.
Lucas heard Carly softly joke with Jason, "Going upstairs with me was the best mistake you ever made, and you know it."
"I can't even drive by that bar without picturing that night,"Jason said in a low tone filled with heat and memories.
"Good," Carly said, laughing.
Knock. Knock. Knock. "Hey there, sis."
Slowly, Carly pulled her gaze away from Jason. She smiled at Lucas. "You didn't have to come home from college just because of this...I'm fine."
"Of course you are," Lucas agreed. "It takes more than poison to take out a Spencer."
He stepped inside the room and handed Carly a stuffed bear he had bought down in the gift shop. Now, it seemed small and silly to him, but five minutes before buying it had felt like doing something useful. And for Lucas, in this family, he was always trying to find a way to be the one who did something to save the day...though he never had been able to yet. For any other family, it wasn't expected that you could defuse bombs, play poker like a pro, and run cons from age twelve but then again the Spencers never tried to be like other families.
Jason stood up and said "I need to go check on some things. Will you stay with her?"
"Sure."
Jason looked over at Carly, hesitant to walk away from even a moment.
She said, "We'll be fine. I'll just be grilling Lucas about who he is dating and all the things he won't tell Bobbie."
Jason chuckled and said "Go easy on him."
Once they were alone, Lucas said "We are not talking about my love life."
Carly smiled. "You would deny me, now? Are you really that cruel?"
"Yep."
"Jerk."
"Brat."
"You came home to call me names?" Carly pouted.
"Pouting doesn't work on anyone but Jason."
"Pouting works better on Sonny, really. Jason sees right through it."
"But Jason sometimes gives in to it while Sonny only told you to go up to your room and think about how to stop being crazy."
Laughing, Carly said "He never put it that way but...yeah, basically."
Lucas pulled a chair up and sat down next to her bed. Carly said "Don't get too comfy. I don't want you hanging around the hospital. You should be out, partying or catching up with your friends. Go by Kelly's and eat some apple pie with Georgie. Put it on my tab."
"Like you ever paid for a meal in Kelly's in your life."
"Hey! I did. When I first moved to town. That's more than you ever paid for there."
"I had to work there. You somehow got out of that Spencer family tradition. You better get well soon so you can don your apron. I don't think its safe to let you cook but you can always wait tables."
"I don't think so."
After a moment, Lucas asked "Is there anything I can do for you...I want to do something."
"You're here. That's doing plenty." Carly reached for her brother's hand. "You know I love you, right?"
Through the lump in his throat, he said "I know."
"Good. And don't forget it...ever. I might not have been the older sister you wanted but I'm the one you got so...deal with it," Carly smiled, though her eyes were teary. "And I want you to know something else too."
"Listen, you don't have to say this stuff. You're going to be better soon."
"Of course I am," she said shakily "but you still need to hear this. There are a lot of different ways to be a Spencer. Sometimes its being loud and reckless and rushing head first into places a sane person would run away from. And sometimes its being brave, its wrestling the devil and winning. But other times...it is just being steady. Loyal. Hanging on through the absolute worst hell on earth, holding on tight to the people you love and letting them know that nothing could drive you away. That's just as important as being able to shoot straight or lie on cue to cover your ass...and you, Lucas, you are the most steady person in our family. Never underestimate how important that makes you to all of us. Never feel like less because...you're not! Okay, you're not. Tell me you know that."
"I know that," he said to make her happy.
Carly pulled him into a hug, resting her teary face on his shoulder. She slapped him lightly on the back. "You shouldn't lie to your sister. I'll get you back for that."
Lucas smiled. He hoped she got the chance to do just that. Because he didn't think he could stand to visit another grave on holidays and leave flowers for a person that should still be here.
Coming up: Skye and Alan scene, Sexis, Milu
