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Chapter 52

Johnny woke up and looked at the sleeping woman in his arms. Last night had been terrifying for him. The drive to the hospital took three lifetimes and he wanted to rage watching his girl get stitched up from a gunshot wound. Spinelli would already have the footage of what happened. Johnny would find the fucker who hurt Nadine and he would kill him.

Ritchie had tried and so had Vincent. Johnny realized he never checked on Epiphany last night, hadn't even seen her after she told him Nadine was hurt. He would call her today and make sure she was okay. He'd also check and see who Jason assigned to her. Tonight was the stakeout of Sonny's meeting and honestly Johnny wasn't sure he was in any shape to go. Work had been the primary focus of his life until last night when his phone rang. At least Nadine wouldn't have to spend years fighting to come first like Liz had. Nope Johnny now had his priorities straight.

"Uhhh." Nadine said shifting slightly before sucking in a sharp breath.

"Try to be still baby." Johnny knew that her arm would hurt for a few days.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Nadine said trying not to whine.

"Okay." Johnny rolled from bed and carefully lifted her. He got her into the bathroom and helped her get situated before stepping out of the room. He gave her a few minutes before heading back in.

"This is so embarrassing. My boyfriend has to help me go to the bathroom." Nadine's face was bright red.

"I'm not embarrassed." Johnny said putting her back under the covers. "You need me and I'm going to take care of you. Maybe later if you're good I'll give you a sponge bath."

"Okay." Nadine said before turning her face into his shoulder and crying.

Johnny just held her. He knew that this was in reaction to being shot. Same thing happened to Liz after Zander shot her. Jason had been with her in the ER but it was Francis who drove her home. He and Johnny had checked on her the next morning and she had cried all over Francis. "Feel better?" He asked grabbing a tissue.

"I was so scared." Nadine told him. "I wasn't even sure what was happening at first. He shot Dr. Ford right after he walked in and then people were screaming and yelling. He was aiming for this older woman in a wheelchair and I pushed her out of the way. I felt this really intense burning and then pain." She looked up at her boyfriend as tears rained down her face. "I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again."

"I'm right here baby girl. You were so brave and I'm so proud of you." Johnny told her. "I love you Nadine. Last night when Piph said you were hurt all I could think was that I might never get to tell you."

"I love you too." Nadine said looking up into his eyes. When he leaned forward she tilted her face up to receive his kiss. She sank into him and just at the kiss was getting good she bumped her arm. "Ow." She hissed.

"Shit. I'm sorry." She'd gotten shot last night and he was making out with her. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Rain check." She said trying to ignore the pain.

"Definitely. Right now I will get you a pain pill." Johnny said sliding off the bed. "I'll be right back." Johnny headed downstairs for meds and coffee.


Jason had regretfully left his house early this morning. Leaving Liz when she was all soft and sleepy was damned near impossible. To make things worse they would be apart all day. It would be well after midnight when he returned home. Sitting in his office he drank coffee as his meeting with Spinelli and Francis wrapped up. Since Johnny was not coming tonight Francis was taking his place. So Cody and Hank were taking the meeting in the park.

"If that is all the Jackal will head to the Fortress of Goddessitude." Spinelli said putting his computer away.

"The where?" Francis asked wishing the kid would speak English.

"Stone Cold's abode." Spinelli cleared up.

"Why are you calling my house that?" Jason asked confused.

"Well the lovely ladies of Port Charles are gathering there as we speak to coo over the Wee One and make sure the Nubile Nurse is doing better. As well as checking on the Hot Healer. The Leggy Lawyer mentioned the gathering when I was in her office yesterday." Spinelli just smiled at his friends. "With such delectable examples of the feminine form there I feel it will be a good time to visit. Gentle Georgie and the Divine One will also be in attendance."

"The only ones I know for certain are the Wee One, the Hot Healer, and Gentle Georgie." Jason said looking at Francis.

"That's one up on me." Francis knew the Wee One was Jake. "Who is the Hot Healer?"

"Elizabeth." Jason said still not liking the nickname. When Francis laughed Jason glared at him. "Chuck it up. I am fairly sure the Leggy Lawyer is Diane."

Francis glared at the younger man. "Same rule for me applies to my wife."

"Yes sir." Spinelli swallowed hard.

"Who are the rest?" Jason asked knowing he shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself.

"The Nubile Nurse is Nadine and the Divine One is Ellie." Spinelli cleared up.

"Johnny will kill you if he hears about that nickname." Francis warned the hacker. "Now is not the time to piss him off."

"I meant no disrespect." Spinelli assured him.

"Why are you going to my house?" Jason still wasn't clear on that.

"Johnny wants a report on the shooter." Spinelli didn't have much, but he would tell what he knew. "Would you like for me to tell you as well?"

"Not right now. Tomorrow." Jason didn't need that in his brain right now. "Have the manager give you a tin of hot chocolate. We don't have any at the house." Jason told the young man.

"Will do. Good day to you both." Spinelli said as he left the office.

"You should consider drug testing." Francis said shaking his head.

"Maybe." Jason leaned back in his chair. "I spoke with Maximus this morning. A contract has been taken out on him."

"Sonny?" Francis said looking over at Jason.

"No one seems to know, but I'm guessing yes. If it's not him then it will be either Zacchara or Karpov." Both would be targets for possibly forming a partnership with Sonny.

"This has the potential to get very ugly." Francis was worried.

"Make sure Diane is ready to leave if necessary. I will have Milo talk with Georgie. Johnny will speak to Nadine and Epiphany. The plane is being watched around the clock and can leave within an hour of my call." Jason had everything ready, he hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

"Elizabeth is ready?" Francis knew the answer would be yes, but Jason needed to talk this out.

"Yes, but Audrey is not going." Elizabeth had spent twenty minutes arguing with the older woman. Her Gram would not change her mind. "So for the time being she will be staying at the house. Elizabeth didn't even try to say she wanted to stay here."

"When are Johnny and Nadine leaving your house?" Francis asked sipping his coffee.

"Tomorrow morning. Would you like Diane to stay tonight as well?" Having her close to Johnny might make Francis feel better while they were on stakeout duty.

"She packed a bag last night." Francis shook his head. "Did you ever think this would be us? Making sure our wives, fiancées, and girlfriends are safe."

"No." Jason grinned. "I wanted a life with Elizabeth, I just never thought I could have it. Now that I do, I'll put Sonny in the ground myself if I need to so that I can keep it." All this drama Sonny was creating couldn't come at a worse time. "I want to take Elizabeth to Italy." Jason was thinking they'd need about a month.

"Honeymoon?" Francis knew she wanted to go. He and Johnny had sent her several places around the globe, but she refused to go to Italy. Some part of her never gave up that dream either.

"Yeah." Jason said grinning.

"We will get this straightened out and then plan the wedding and such." Francis was going to have to fight Johnny to see who walked Liz down the aisle.

"Let's go over everything one more time." Jason said getting back to business.


Monica sat in her office and tried to figure out how to handle what she needed to do. There was a part of her that was terrified to take her findings to her son. Jason wouldn't forgive the intrusion into his privacy or the fact that she had known for over a week now and kept quiet.

In her defense things had been bad lately. Emily's hit and run, the revelation of her drug addiction, and now Dillon's death. On top of that the shooting at the hospital. Things seem to be spinning rapidly out of control. It was like the universe was trying to keep her from seeing her son.

And those were just excuses. Monica should have found time to talk to Jason and Elizabeth. She was sure the nurse didn't know either. There was no way she saw Elizabeth keeping this information from Jason. She had a chance to lie about Jake but didn't so she wouldn't have done it about Cameron.

Looking at the paper Monica couldn't help but smile. Jason had two sons. Somehow Cameron was biologically his as well. When she ran the test the computer only confirmed what her eyes already told her. Cameron was the spitting image of Alan at that age. When Monica first suspected she had gone to Lila's parlor and looked at the pictures in the many albums. There was no doubt Cameron was a Quartermaine.

The computer had the original DNA test run on Ric and Zander. It came back to the now dead boy. Monica wasn't sure who was responsible for that but when she ran a new test using the samples of Ric, Zander, and Jason the test came back to her son. All six times. Monica managed to get a sample of Jake's DNA and ran it against Cameron as well. It came back a full sibling match. Same mother. Same father.

Monica folded the paper and put it in her desk. She needed to get to the funeral home. They'd been doing banner business lately. This morning Dillon was being laid to rest, later this afternoon they would have a wake at the mansion. Jason wouldn't be attending which was for the best. He and Tracy didn't get along during the best of times. She knew Jason had already spoken to Ned.

Sometime today she would need to talk with her son and his fiancée. They needed to start figuring out who did what to keep this a secret.


"Wow, this is one hell of a house." Brenda said looking up at what Jason had built for Elizabeth. She'd been surprised when the younger woman called and invited her out today.

"Jason loves Liz." Cody said from behind her.

"How come none of you call her Ms. Webber?" Brenda hated being called Ms. Barrett when she dated Sonny.

"She would hurt us." Cody grinned as he rang the bell.

The door opened and Elizabeth stood there smiling. "Hi, come in." She stepped back so they could enter.

"This is so not what I envisioned Jason living in." The model said as she stripped off her coat. "But it's nice." Despite its size it felt welcoming and warm.

"I like it." Elizabeth ignored the subtle dig to Jason's taste. Last night he had told her that he and Brenda took a perverse joy in insulting one another. Elizabeth was going to do her best not to rip Brenda's head off. Especially since the other woman was already black and blue. "We are in the back. Cody maybe you can drag Johnny into the living room."

"How is Nadine?" Brenda had worried about her new friend.

"Cranky." Elizabeth said shrugging. "Come on."

"There aren't any brownies back there?" Brenda was trying to avoid those at all cost.

"Four different kind." Elizabeth said with a wicked grin. If she couldn't have sex she would have chocolate. Not that she needed the extra calories. "Coffee." She pointed to the pot and Cody veered off. He could see that everyone was in the sun room. "Brenda, that's Diane and that's Georgie, my Gram will be back shortly everyone else will be here a little later. Johnny go keep Cody company." Elizabeth had been trying to stop him from hovering all morning.

"He can come in here." Johnny countered. He didn't want Nadine out of his sight.

"Johnny go." Elizabeth said in her mommy voice.

"Fine. Call me if you need anything." Johnny said pouting as he left.

"Thank you." Nadine looked gratefully at her friend.

"Enjoy it, when you go home tomorrow I won't be there." Elizabeth snickered.

"So, is that him?" Brenda pointed to the small bundle under the blankets.

"That's Jake. Cameron is having a morning nap." She pointed to the monitor. "He will be up shortly."

"Can I see?" Brenda was curious what Jason's son looked like.

"Sure." Elizabeth gently picked up her son. She wasn't worried about waking him. Jake was already a world class sleeper.

"He looks like Jason." Brenda said as if surprised.

"He has his father's eyes as well." Nadine said smiling. She was wondering what a child of hers and Johnny's would look like. Would they have blue or green eyes? Dark hair or light?

"So does he change diapers?" Brenda handed the baby back.

"That is a good question." Diane wanted to know.

"Yes. He has practice from watching Cam." Elizabeth said smiling. "He also does midnight feedings, because I know that is the next question. What I want to know is what it felt like to kick Carly's ass."

"Pass me a brownie and I'll tell you." Brenda said liking Elizabeth more as the minutes passed.


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