Musical Inspiration:
In The End (cover) by Fleurie & Jung Youth
Time To Say Goodbye
Chapter 19
A Hard Lesson
.~*~.
"You really think the Zaccharas are behind all this?" Brenda asked, checking her reflection in the mirror and dabbing the last bit of lip gloss on her lips.
Jason came up and stood behind her, leaning his chin down on her shoulder. "Don't worry about that now. Just go have fun at the shower."
Brenda lifted her wrist to check her watch. She had to meet Carly in 20 minutes for their 'lunch'. In all actuality, lunch was just a fake excuse to get her friend into Kelly's, where her surprise baby shower was being held. Bobby wanted to take care of all the decorating.
She was a bit shocked Jason wasn't giving her more of a hard time about going out but she guessed that he realized this was an important event. It also helped ease her husband's mind that she was going to be heavily guarded.
Despite Jason's words, she was worried about the Zacchara situation. He had no proof the necklace came from Johnny but Jason claimed he was still the main suspect since he was the one to take notice of her interest in it.
"You should get going," Jason said giving her a peck on the cheek and leading her from their bedroom.
Once downstairs, the front door opened to Bryan popping his head through. "Mrs. Morgan, the car is ready."
"Thanks, Bryan. I'll be out in a second," she replied. Turning around, she smiled at Jason. "You sure you don't want to come? We are going to play baby bingo."
"I think I'll pass."
"Okay," Brenda pouted. "I'll save you some cake." With a quick smack of her lips on his, she left the penthouse.
It wasn't long before Carly was entering the back of the limo and they were leaving for Kelly's. "Ugh. Finally. I'm starving and been watching each minute flick by on the microwave waiting for you," Carly complained.
"We said we were having lunch at 2. It's 1:48," Brenda declared.
"Yeah, well, when your husband starts replacing your bacon with healthy shakes for the baby, you can gripe too," Carly grunted out.
"That bastard!" Brenda said, appalled.
"I know!"
A few moments later, the divider that separated them from the driver slowly rolled down. "We are here, Mrs. Morgan. Phil will be around to help—"
He wasn't able to finish as Carly interrupted him. "Thank God!" she said, leaping out of the car.
Phil rushed to help her while Bryan fumbled out of the limo behind them to assist Brenda. "Get that woman some food," the brunette joked.
"Ha-ha," Carly said sarcastically and wrapped her arm around Brenda's.
Together they walked into Kelly's. As soon as they entered through the doors, both girls looked to each other and yelled, "Surprise!" along with the rest of the occupants in the diner.
"Uh, it's your baby shower, Carly," Brenda explained.
The blonde shook her head. "No, it's your baby shower. I've been planning it all week."
"It's both of your showers," Bobby interrupted, walking up to the duo. "And Monica and I have been planning around your plans."
Brenda was impressed they had managed to pull that off. She smiled when she noticed half of the room was done in pink and the other half was done in blue. Each side had a heavily decorated chair in its corresponding color for Brenda and Carly to sit in. "You guys," she said, her emotional gratitude coming though, "I can't believe you did this."
Carly had the same reaction and went to hug her mother.
Monica came in for a hug with Brenda as well. "Stop that, you are going to make me cry too."
Brenda chuckled, releasing her mother-in-law. Clearing her face of any tears, she held her arms out as she saw Robin running toward her. The pair had their own squealing hugs before the guests surrounded Brenda and Carly. The diner was packed with women they cared most about.
Before any of the traditional baby shower festivities started, everyone sat down to eat. Carly stacked her plate extra high. She was sitting by an older light-haired woman that Brenda didn't know but from what Bobby told her, the lady's name was Tammy and she was brought back to Port Charles to run Kelly's again. Brenda thought she recalled seeing her once or twice back in the day.
After a few rounds of name that baby tune— which surprisingly, Lady Jane was kick ass at— and after guests decorated fabric squares to be made into future quilts, it was time for gifts. Georgie and Maxie were assigned to make the bow hats from the gift ribbons and the rest in attendance had their bingo cards ready. Carly and Brenda each took turns opening presents. There were a ton of 'awws' to be heard all around.
One gift, in particular, made Brenda's eyes water. It was an elegant silver picture frame. Inside, it held a rare family photo from one of the Quartermaine's annual Easter gatherings. In the back stood Ned, Tracy, Edward, Alan, and Monica. At the next level were Jason, herself, Emily, Lila, and AJ. They were all younger, smiling in the Spring warmth. The bottom of the frame simply read, 'You are loved by many.'
Brenda looked to the gifter. "Tracy, this is— this is beautiful. Thank you," she choked out.
Tracy nodded. "Family is important and every one of them in that photo, who is not here today, would have wanted to meet her," she said, feigning nonchalance. Brenda smiled seeing the woman's heartfelt emotions come through.
"That really was thoughtful of you, Tracy," Monica commented with a teary smile.
"Enough. Both of you stop getting weepy. I got her diapers too. Are you going to cry over those as well?" Tracy said and stood to go get a drink from the counter.
Brenda could see Monica laughing with her. It was a welcomed sight, the woman needed it. She was leaving for rehab tomorrow and they were not sure for how long. Brenda wanted to know how the board handled the news of her DUI but she wouldn't bring it up now. Instead, she let her eyes wander back over to Carly's side and smiled at the packed gift basket she just received.
She was holding up an adorable dress when it happened.
The emergency page beeped loudly from all the guards' phones. The sound made Brenda and Carly freeze.
The blonde looked at her in distress. It meant something was going down and it was bad enough that they would be extracted.
While Carly and Brenda stood, as guards surrounded them, Kate Howard, who was new to the drill, looked confused by her guard inching closer to her side.
Then, the phones started ringing. Brenda picked hers up immediately. "Jason, what's going on?"
Before he could answer, Carly was wailing into her own phone and running ahead of the guards, out the front door.
"Michael's been shot."
.~*~.
Jason was already at the General Hospital when the call came. He had heard Claudia was visiting her father and wanted to discreetly check in see if she revealed anything in their one-sided talks. He hadn't even reached the stairwell before hearing the hectic words through his cell phone. Michael was shot and being brought in by ambulance.
Rushing towards the ER, Jason triggered the emergency text to the guards and summoned everyone to the hospital. He pushed past the nurses and doctors waiting by the bay doors.
A frantic Sonny found him first and pulled him to the side. "What the hell happened?" his partner asked.
"Lance called and said Michael was shot. I don't have all the details yet."
The reality of Jason's words sunk in for both of them. Little Michael, a son they both took part in raising, was hurt. And for it to be by a bullet— that scared the pair even more. No matter what the outcome, they knew it was due to the violence they let creep into that boy's life.
"I'll kill whoever did this," Sonny whispered, running both hands through his hair as if trying to soothe the demons in his mind.
Jason understood his boss's behavior. He too, wanted to hunt down those responsible and make them pay. For now, all they could do was wait and hope Michael would be okay.
The ringing of sirens approaching had both men moving back to the doors. The flurry of activity had them being pushed out of the way by waiting doctors and nurses. As the stretcher came into sight, Sony began to call, "Michael. Michael, we're here."
"Sir, please just let us do our job," a nurse said putting herself in front of Sonny and Jason.
"That's my son!"
"And we are doing everything in our power to help him but we need you to keep your distance so we can do that," she said sprinting away.
He stood with Sonny as they watched Michael being rolled into the operation room. From his spot, Jason could see there was a bandage wrapped around Michael's head. His stance faltered. Michael was shot in the head. The situation was much dire than he imagined.
Michael could die, his mind sputtered. Those words shouldn't be able to form that sentence.
The sound of Sonny's shoes speeding across the floor brought Jason out of his haze. The children's guard, Lance, had just walked through the bay doors. His normally professional attire was stained with blood.
"Where the fuck were you?!" Sonny screamed, ramming the guard into the wall.
Jason took notice of a scared Morgan who was being shielded by the nanny. While others in the room scrambled away from Sonny's rage, he rushed towards his unstable friend. "Sonny, let him go."
"Why weren't you there?!" Sonny continued his pleas, his hand cutting of Lance's air.
Prying his boss's arms away, Jason pulled him back. "I'll get answers," he swore. "Go to Morgan."
The mention of his other son seemed to knock Sonny out of his bloodlust. Turning toward the frightened boy, he took a long breath and swallowed. Sonny wiped his eyes and went over to kneel before Morgan, pulling him into a hug.
Seeing Sonny was occupied, not only with Morgan but a nurse asking him to sign consent for Michael, Jason cornered Lance. "Tell me exactly what happened."
The guard massaged his neck and began, "We were on 4th street, a block away from the library." Attempting to clear his throat he continued, "I scoped the area as usual. I had my eye on all three of them, I swear. Morgan pointed out a car across the street. I made a quick assessment of it and realized that he was only directing our attention to it because he liked the color. In that split second, Michael gave me the slip. I don't know why he snuck away. He's never done that before. Michael's normally so good with staying in my line of sight," the guard said, his face the picture of confusion and shame. "I kept calling out his name as I secured Morgan. It was a minute into the search that I heard the gunshot. I followed it into the alley and found him on the ground. I didn't see the shooter."
Jason rubbed his face. This was a nightmare.
"Where is he? Where's my son?" a voice, Carly's, he determined, shrieked out.
He turned to see her and Brenda speeding towards their side of the room. Behind them, a bunch of familiar women in their Sunday best, following with concerned looks. Robin broke from the crowd and ran into the O.R.
At the same time, a frazzled Jax came from the other direction.
Sonny stood from his spot with Morgan and intercepted Carly.
"Jason?" Brenda said, taking the path straight to him.
He immediately reached for her like she was a lifeline that kept him from drowning. He needed this. He needed his arms around her to make sure she and his daughter were safe. As long as he had Brenda next to him, he could think rationally and be strong enough for his friends.
"Please tell me he is okay," Carly begged Sonny as Jax wrapped an arm around her waist. Bobby and Lady Jane stood just a step away, teary-eyed, and there for support.
Sonny glanced at Jason quickly before focusing back on the mother of his children. "He's in surgery. We are waiting to hear from the doctor."
"What happened? Where was he shot?" Carly asked, her voice hurried and filled with fear.
"We're not sure," Sonny said, not telling her of their clear assumption.
Bobby whispered to Jax about 'seeing what she could find out' before going to the front desk.
"What do you mean you're not sure," Carly questioned, ready to break down in hysterics. She eyed the room before her sight landed on a bloodied Lance. "Is that Michael's blood. There is so much of it," she said in a hushed tone, her hands clasping over her mouth. "Where was he shot?"
"Carly— " Sonny tried reaching for her hands but she pushed him away and marched to Lance.
"Where was he shot?" she demanded to know.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jacks. I'm so sorry," Lance said, swallowing. "The blood was coming from his head."
It was at that point, that all the men launched forward to grab Carly as her legs went out. Sonny got to her first and slid her down to the ground.
Jax knelt behind his wife and whispered that it was 'going to be okay', that 'Michael was a fighter'. Carly didn't respond, she stared off into the distance with unseeing eyes.
Brenda and Jason stepped closer, worried their friend had gone into shock. Jason was about to call a nurse over when Carly let out a loud scream and clutched her stomach.
"Oh, God. The baby," Brenda murmured in panic, crouching down to the ground next to a pained Carly. While Jax called for help, Brenda looked up at him with scared eyes. "Jason," she pointed to the knees of her pants, which were now darker than the rest of the fabric, "her water broke."
"No. No." Jax shook his head in distress. "She's only 27 weeks."
Jax didn't know that she was actually 31 weeks, same as Brenda, but it was still too early to have the baby. He watched worried as Carly was lifted into a wheelchair and rolled from the room. His instinct was to run after her but— Michael.
Brenda must have caught on to his inner battle because as he helped her up, she left her hand on his arm and gave him a squeeze. "Stay— stay with Michael. I'll go with Carly."
"I love you," he declared and gave her a quick but meaningful kiss. He was hoping Brenda was keeping herself calm along with all this chaos. He couldn't even think about her in Carly's position right now.
He watched her go with Lady Jane, who's arm was tucked around her own.
Monica spoke from beside him. "She'll be okay. I told one of the nurses to check her blood pressure when they get to the maternity ward."
"Thank you," Jason said with genuine gratitude. It eased his fear slightly so he could focus on Michael.
Pulling him in for a hug, Monica rubbed his back. "Before Bobby left she said that someone would be out shortly to tell us how the surgery is going."
Jason backed away and nodded. All they could do was wait.
.~*~.
Brenda watched Lady Jane kiss her son's cheek before leaving the hospital room. She figured it was her moment to go as well when she saw technicians moving equipment closer to their patient. As Bobby intercepted the nurse with questions, Carly caught Brenda's nod of goodbye. She was going to tell her she would be just outside when the blonde spoke up.
"Brenda, please stay."
The plea was so un-Carly like. She knew the woman was scared. Anyone would be in this situation and when you add the grief on top of it, Carly was a wreck. But Brenda noticed that the fear in her eyes went deeper. When Carly glimpsed at her husband, who sat holding her hand, she swallowed.
Her sight went back to Brenda and her silent frown pleaded with her not to leave. Brenda suddenly understood. There was no way Carly was going to get away with the lie anymore. Jax was going to find out.
Brenda nodded. She would stand by in silent support.
"Okay, Mrs. Jacks," their obstetrician began, entering the room, "We are going to check the development of the baby since you are in active labor. Due to you being early and since your water already broke, I'm setting you up with a steroid injection to help develop the baby's lungs. We are going to try to prolong this as long as we can."
The man, Doctor Revere, sat down beside her and placed the ultrasound wand over her stomach. Brenda wasn't a nail biter but she found herself unable to stop from nibbling on her thumbnail.
"The baby is head down so that's good. We should be able to do this naturally."
"You mentioned the steroid, will that help him breath on his own," Jax asked.
The Doctor nodded. "I've delivered preterm babies before. The steroid always helps. I would have been happier if we could have held out longer, but—" he looked at the monitor and hit a few keys, "31 weeks, many babies born in that time frame will need some extra help but can have a good chance at success in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We'll put him on some strong nutrients and build up that weight."
"I'm sorry. Did you say the baby is 31 weeks?" Jax asked.
Brenda tried not to outwardly cringe. And this— is where shit hits the fan.
"Hm," the doctor hummed out and nodded again. "I'd say about 31 weeks and 3 days given by the measurements." Turning, he smiled at the couple, unaware of the newest tension brewing. "I'd like to check Mrs. Jacks to see how far dilated she is"
"I'll be outside," Jax said, standing swiftly and unclenching his wife's hand.
"Jax," Carly cried out as he left the room. He didn't respond.
"Do you need a moment?" the doctor asked, concern pouring over his features.
"No," Carly shook her head and wiped her eyes. "The safety of this baby is more important than my issues."
The doctor looked uncomfortable but grabbed his latex gloves anyway.
"I'll be back, Carly. Promise," Brenda said.
Her friend gave her a sad smile in return.
Once outside the room, Brenda found Jax pacing back and forth in the hall. She felt bad for him. This whole night was a mixture of sadness for everyone but to have something like this added into the mix had to be heartbreaking. Brenda still thought Jax was an ass but despite her friendship with Carly, she didn't agree that this was the way to handle things.
"I'm sorry," she said, leaning against the wall.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew all long that child wasn't mine. You were in on the lie."
Brenda bit her lip, not happy to be in the middle of this. "She's my friend." It was a shitty excuse but it was the truth.
"So was I!" he said, his octave raised. Noticing his mother's head pop up as she bent over the coffee machine, down the hall, Jax lowered his voice. "We were friends too, long before you and Carly." He shook his head in disappointment. "Was this payback? Were you intentionally cruel because I said no? Because I couldn't marry a woman who was still in love with her ex? I guess you got your laughs out of this, didn't you, Brenda. No, I couldn't marry you over a kiss with Sonny but I could marry a woman who would repeatedly cheat on me by sleeping with him."
"This was never about me, Jax, it wasn't my business."
"Not your business? Isn't everything about Sonny, your business? Is that one his too?" Jax asked, gesturing to her stomach.
"Fuck you, Jax."
"Is everything alright here?" Lady Jane asked, studying them warily.
"Fine, mother," he said, loosening his tie aggressively, "I just need some air." Without looking back, Jax took off for the stairs.
"But, Carly?" Lady Jane inquired.
"It's okay." Brenda feigned a smile. "I'll go check on her."
.~*~.
Jason was on his third cup of coffee, watching the nanny read to Morgan, when Patrick came walking out of the O.R. He immediately stood. Monica and Sonny followed suit.
"Let's have a seat," Patrick said and motioned to the chairs away from Morgan. When they all sat circled around each other, he began, "Michael is out of surgery and is doing well." He gave them a moment to let out the breaths they were holding. "The bullet seems to have struck him close range. Because of that, the damage done to what was left of his ear was extensive. Thankfully all it did was skim by his skull. The ear, however— was not salvageable. We had to take away most of it."
Monica put a hand to her chest while Sony cursed. Yes, they were glad that Michael was alive and would survive but he would be permanently disfigured.
"I'm concerned that his hearing may be damaged as well. We are going to get a specialist in soon to test him once he's healed enough. But overall, he's lucky to be alive. A few centimeters to the right— that bullet would have been lodged in his brain."
"When can we see him?" Monica asked
"As soon as he's moved to his own room, I'll have a nurse tell you where to go."
They all stood. "Thank you, Drake," Jason said, shaking the man's hand.
"We should go check on Carly," Sonny said before going over to let the nanny know.
Monica sat back down, releasing the tension she previously held. "I'll stay here so we know where to go for Micheal."
Jason nodded in thanks before following Sonny to the elevator. Once the door closed, his boss unleashed his frustration like he knew he would.
"You know this has Zacchara written all over this. They had some son of bitch walked up and shot Michael close range. I want their heads," he said banging his fist again the wall. "No. I want their ears. Both of them. I want them to suffer."
Jason knew better than to comment. He wasn't 100% sold on the idea of the Zacchara. He needed proof first. This was a delicate situation that had to be handled cautiously, with all the information gathered. Rash actions sprouted wars.
With the ding of their destination the elevator doors opened. Together they walked out and turned a corner towards the maternity ward. Jason paused to narrow his eyes at the man coming in the opposite direction.
"Tom," Jason said, catching the startled man's attention. "What are you doing here?"
Standing straighter and smoothing down his suit jacket. Tom attempted to look non-plussed by the interaction. Jason read him better though, Brenda's old guard was nervous. "Mr. Morgan. Good to see you. I was just coming off my shift switch from Mr. Zacchara's room."
"Johnny has you watching over Anthony? Seems weird since the guy can't move."
Sonny who had been walking past them stopped at the mention of Anthony. He turned with a look like he wanted to pounce on the guard. Jason had to step in front of him.
"I go where my employer tells me," he said, his demeanor shifting to caution as he glanced at Sonny. "I should be going. Enjoy your evening." He walked away quickly, giving them a wide berth.
"He's one of Zacchara's men and he happens to be here after Michael gets shot?" Sonny asked, his eyes following the man's retreat.
"Yeah. Something is up with him."
Sonny clenched his fists. "Find out what happened so we can be done with them once and for all."
Together, they resumed on their path to Carly's room. They found Brenda first. She was sitting in a chair in one of the out-coves across from Carly's room. Leaning back, she had her eyes closed. Jason approached her slowly and rubbed her head gently as not to startle her. She opened her eyes to smile at him and stretch.
"How's Carly?" Sonny asked her.
"She still in labor but they gave her something to slow it down. Bobby's in with her now. She's drifting in and out of sleep. How's Michael?"
"He's going to be okay," Jason said, taking a seat beside her. "He lost his ear but he will recover."
"Poor kid. At least he's going to be alright," Brenda commented.
"I'm going to go check on Carly. Is Jax in there?" Sonny questioned, attempting to look through the glass window of the room.
Brenda gave Jason a look that he understood under the circumstances. "No. He and Lady Jane stepped out."
"Good. I'll go update her." Sonny said, leaving.
"He knows?" Jason asked, guessing Jax finally found out the truth. Receiving a nod from his wife, Jason continued, "How did he take it?"
"Not well. We got into a fight and then he took off. He didn't tell Lady Jane though so I don't know what he plans to do?"
Jason's face instantly hardened. "What did he say to you?"
"Nothing worth mentioning. He was in pain. He needed someone to vent at and I was an easy target."
"It doesn't make it right."
"No. But at the time, it was better it be me than Carly."
Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Jason pulled it out so see who sent him a message. It was from Monica. "We can go to see Michael now."
Jason stood and put his hand out to help his wife from her own seat. She smiled at him gratefully and he put an arm around her once she was upright. Before leaving the floor, Jason informed his boss so they could all go to the floor together.
Michael's room was at max capacity. He could tell Epiphany was looking the other way on the rules for this one and Jason was thankful. Though everyone surrounded the sleeping boy protectively, no one spoke. The sight of his small form, attached to wires, and bundles of cotton wrapped tightly around the right side of his head, made for a morose gathering.
So many questions prodded his mind. He methodically went over the list of enemies that would go this far. Unfortunately, the Zaccharas seemed to be at the top. Though there had been rumors of their organization going after women and children, that never seemed like Johnny's M.O. — but Claudia, Claudia was a wild card. They would have to get the information from Michael.
A stirring in the bed made the group move closer.
Michael blinked his eyes a few times before straightening up.
"Hey, buddy, relax. Your safe." Sonny inched closer, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Dad?" Michael looked at him blearily.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm right here."
Michael's eyes went from his father to the rest of the occupants in the room. He received smiles from his family.
As if beginning to recall what happened to him, Micheal lifted his hand to the right side of his head. When the felt the layers gauze, his eyes went wide with panic. Breathing heavily, he began to try and to tear away at the bandages. Jason moved forward, quicker than anyone else who attempted to stop him. He gently grabbed his hand it pulled it away. "You can't do that, Michael."
His nephew began to cry and laid back down, tucking himself into a ball. Jason rubbed his back. "Does it hurt?"
He didn't reply. Michael simply hid away and refused to answer anyone who addressed him.
The whole situation made Jason's blood boil with fury. He needed to do something. He needed to get the facts.
After Michael cried himself back to sleep, Jason pulled Brenda to the side. "You should go home and rest. This napping in chairs isn't good for you or the baby."
"I can't leave Carly. She needs someone with her and she needs the updates on Michael. Plus," she lowered her voice, "I'm the only one who knows the situation with the baby. She needs that added support."
"Brenda, you need sleep."
"I'll just ask them to put a cot in Carly's room."
Robin, who passed by Michael's room, must have heard the last bit of Brenda's words. She decided to chime in, "I'll take her to the on-call room. The beds there are really comfortable."
"But—" Brenda began to argue but Jason's no-nonsense look stopped her. With a sigh, she nodded. "Fine."
He squeezed her hand as Robin drug her away. Looking back at Michael's room, he could see that he would have people with him. While the boy slept, he decided to look into some things.
.~*~.
Jason wasn't sure how long he was staring at the dried puddle of blood on the ground. Ignoring the crime scene tape, he scanned over every inch of the area, looking for clues. He ended up with more questions than answers.
Why would Michael sneak away and come into the alley? There was nothing that stood out about the location. It was between a pizza shop and a bike store. There were iron steps on one side that led to a second-floor residence for the shop owner, he would have seen if someone was standing on those. The only thing on the back street was a dumpster and some trash bins. What was Michael doing?
Jason walked further toward the rear entrance. Whoever shot Michael would had to have come from that direction. Lance would have seen them arrive from the front. Confusion hit him again as he came up to a fence blocking the way. Was the shooter already in the alley when Michael entered? Was Michael meeting someone?
Retracing his steps to the front, Jason stood at the edge of the street. This area wasn't known for crime. It was the last bit of residential before the section of the docks started.
Pacing his way towards the waterfront, Jason took in each building. He hoped that something would stand out to make sense of this situation. 15 minutes later, he was at the piers— much further away from the original shooting spot. The link didn't match up between the two.
He was about turn and leave when he heard a foreign conversation being held back and forth. He crept around a crate to stay hidden and see what the shady looking characters were up to. Not having the best view he moved around another crate and bumped right into Sam who was crouched down as well. She put her finger to her lips and he raised a brow. Knowing something was definitely up, he stayed silent and watched as she did.
Three men in suits talked among themselves in Russian. Jason obviously didn't know what they were saying but their body language was telling. The tallest of the three had a bag full of pill bottles and he shook it angrily at a white-haired man. The last of them waved his hand passively. Jason took special note of him as he seemed to be the one in charge. Though he could tell this meeting had something to do with drugs, these men were not your typical street pushers. This was professional— this was another organization that decided to encroach on their territory in Port Charles.
After the men left, he and Sam stood from their spot.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in the normal dull tone he had adopted with her.
Sam rolled her eyes. "I'm following up on a lead about the medication."
"What are you talking about?"
Scoffing at him, Sam shook her head. "Gah. You are so pathetic anymore. You are so wrapped up in your little family bubble that you don't even know what going on in the outside world anymore."
"Just explain." His annoyance was reaching an all-time high.
"Those guys," she pointed to where the men had been, "they've been here for weeks, Jason, weeks. Karpov's organization has been doing shady dealings under your nose for that long. You really are slipping."
"I've been a little busy, Sam." He had. Between the Logan aftermath, the Zaccharas, and this necklace business, he had a lot on his plate.
"Busy playing protector to Brenda", she mumbled as he glared. "Nikolas asked me to look into fake meds at his clinic, it's led right back to those guys. I think they are planting it and stealing the real shipments."
"Where are they coming in from?"
"If you go to Pier 20, you'll see a big Russian cargo shipped docked there, the 'Odyssey'."
Jason internally groaned. Pier 20 was one of Alcazar's. It was now signed over to the Zaccharas. Of course, they would be mixed up in this.
"What are you going to do?" Sam prodded as he began to walk away.
"Get to the bottom of all this."
.~*~.
It only took one call to the guard tasked with watching Johnny Zacchara to find out where the kid was. It was now why Jason was entering Jake's bar at last call. His target was easy enough to spot, tucked away in one of the back booths. He didn't want to have this conversation while Johnny was drunk but Jason was slim on time.
He slid-in across the table from him.
"I don't recall inviting you over here," Johnny slurred, sipping his amber liquid.
"I have questions you need to answer."
"Don't you always?"
"First," Jason began, leaning on his elbows, invading Johnny's space a little more, "I want to know about Michael."
"Sonny's kid?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion, "Why would I know anything about him?"
"He's was shot."
The look of surprise on Johnny's face was genuine. "I don't know anything about that. I'm not my father," he spit out the last phrase with a strong venom.
"What about your sister?"
"Leave Claudia out of this. She wouldn't have a kid gunned down."
Jason couldn't. Not yet. Though he believed Johnny, he didn't know how far Claudia would go to make a point.
"Why did you invite the Russians to use your docks?" Jason continued his questions.
Johnny stayed silent. Jason wasn't sure if it was because he didn't know or if he had plans he didn't want spilled.
"We don't let drugs run through Port Charles. We never have and never will," Jason said, the threat clear.
He was about to say more but his phone rang and he could see it was from Brenda. Leaning back he lowered his voice as he answered. "I'm in the middle of something."
"Carly's having the baby," she replied.
"I'll be there soon."
Hanging up, Jason looked across from him to see Johnny smirking at him.
"How's the wife?" Johnny asked. He must have caught a hint of surprise from Jason because he explained his knowledge. "Your voice goes softer when you talk to her."
"While we are on the topic," Jason crossed his arms, "Did you send my wife a necklace?"
"Why? Did she like it?" Johnny grinned.
"Not the obvious threat that went with it."
Johnny took another large sip from his drink. "Don't chicks usually dig the whole bad boy, air of mystery thing?"
"Stay away from my wife, Johnny," Jason growled.
Johnny, not seemingly phased at all, continued to smile. "But, she's so pretty."
Jason felt his temper rising and knew any second he was about to lose his cool and punch the shit out of the kid across from him. The only thing saving him from doing so was another beep of his phone. It was obvious he really needed to get back to the hospital. "This isn't over."
Johnny babbled something incoherently into his drink.
.~*~.
Yawning, Brenda stared through the glass that housed the tiny babies of the neonatal room. Joshua Jacks was born at 2:16 AM, weighing 3 pounds, 2 ounces. Despite the concerns, the little boy was doing well. He had some difficulty with breathing but was helped along by some oxygen. Thankfully, the doctor said the outlook was positive.
Bobby had helped Carly through the labor while Jax opted to stay outside the room.
She didn't know how the parents were going to handle the paternity situation. Baby Jacks may soon be dubbed Baby Benson. Hell, if Carly gets any closer to Sonny it may as well be Baby Corinthos. The odd intimacy lately between Carly and Sonny had been quite the turn of events. It seemed like he stepped into her husband's shoes. While Jax flip-flopped on what to do, Sonny was there in the room with Carly at almost every turn. He would update her on Michael, bring her ice chips, and help her shift when she was uncomfortable. It made Jax scowl and Kate frown in confusion. Brenda guessed, for Sonny, it was simply taking care of the mother-of-his-child since Michael was shot. For Carly, it was the connection of this new child to her ex-husband.
It was all very dramatic.
Still, under stressful circumstances, the baby made it into the world healthy. Carly only spent 30 minutes with her new son— checking him over and seeing with her own eyes that he was fine before she asked to be taken to Michael's room.
Now, Brenda was charged with watching her godson. Yup, she was still shocked to be tasked with the title of godmother. Being asked by her old rival had surprised her but Brenda excitedly accepted.
Pausing her watch when she heard footsteps, Brenda turned to see her husband coming up the hallway. She smiled and held out her hand. He took it instantly as he stood beside her. "Joshua Jacks," she pointed to the second plastic container in the room.
"How is he?" Jason asked, stepped forward to get a better look.
"My godson is a strong little guy."
Jason raised a brow. "Godson?" He shook his head. "I never thought I would hear that."
"You and me both." She laughed. "She asked as soon as I entered the room after he was born."
"Where is she? I stopped by her room first but it was empty."
"Sonny took her down to see Michael. He's still not talking to anyone." She twisted her head to look Jason in the eyes. "They were hoping you could get through to him."
Jason nodded. "I'm going to try."
.~*~.
Entering Michael's room, he stopped to watch Carly as she lovingly stroked her son's hair. It was a soothing gesture that he imagined served a purpose for both of them. Sonny sat off to the side and other then the humming of the monitors, they all were silent. When the parents noticed Jason was there, a shadow of relief passed over them.
Carly was first to break the quiet rhythm. "Micheal," she whispered, leaning closer to his good ear. "Jason is here. He's going to sit with you for a bit. Your father and I are going to go back to my room. When you feeling better we will bring you up to meet your new baby brother, okay?"
When she received no reply, she bent over and placed a kiss on his forehead.
Sonny did the same before moving to place his hands on the handles of Carly's wheelchair. He pulled her out of the tight section between the bed and wall, guiding her towards the exit.
Jason bent down to hug her. "Carly, congratulations. I stopped up at neonatal before coming down. I'm glad he's doing well."
"My little fighter." Carly smiled before it loosened as she glanced at her eldest son. "Please get him to open up. I know he'll talk to you."
Jason's eyes also settled on Michael at her words. He felt a hand on his shoulder in hopeful support before Sonny took Carly from the room.
He pulled over a chair to replace the spot Carly had just left. Sitting down, he placed his elbows on his knees and stared at Michael. "I've been shot before," he said and subconsciously rubbed his stomach. "It hurts and leaves a nasty scar. But no matter what scars you have, they tell a story. A story that you're a survivor."
Michael buried his head further into his pillow.
"I know you're probably scared. I was scared too. But you have to let us know who did this to you, Michael. We have to stop them so they don't hurt anyone else."
His nephew began to cry again.
"Do you know who did this?" Jason asked, his tone soft.
Micheal nodded, his face still dipped into the fluffy fabric.
"Can you tell me?"
Shaking his head furiously, Micheal's back shook as he sobbed harder.
"Hey. Hey. It's okay. They can't hurt you anymore," Jason soothed. He heard the boy talking into his pillow but couldn't make out the words. "What? I can't understand you."
Michael finally lifted his head. With puffy eyes and a freshly soaked face, he sucked in a large breath before he spoke, "Nobody hurt me."
Jason was once again about to tell him not to be afraid, that he shouldn't let whoever did this scare him into not telling the truth but Micheal spilled everything before he got the chance.
"Nobody did this. I did this to myself!" he yelled angrily, hot tears falling onto his cheeks. "I just wanted to protect us. After what Logan did to Morgan— to Leticia, Emily, and Grampa— I just wanted to keep us safe. I bought the gun off some guys on the docks. I was going to keep it, just in case it was needed. But then— I found Morgan playing with it in my room. He thought it was a toy gun."
Bringing his clasped hands to his mouth in shock, knowing what could have happened, Jason waited for Michael to continue.
"I knew after that, I had to get rid of it. I put it in my backpack and when we were on the way to the library, I ran to the alley really quick. I knew there was a dumpster there but then, the lid wouldn't open right so I had to try and slip the gun through the crack. It just went off. I didn't pull the trigger, I swear. It just went off," he hiccuped.
Jason pulled him into a hug while his nephew cried.
.~*~.
Walking up the steps into the house, Tom pulled his light trench coat closer to his body. It wasn't cold out but this house gave him the chills. Crimson Pointe was one creepy place. Entering the main door and passing the security, Tom made his way straight to the office. He knocked on the door.
"Yeah, enter," The voice called out.
Taking his entrance, he nodded in greeting. "Miss Zacchara." Taking the envelope in his breast pocket out, he placed in on the desk that her feet were lounging on.
Picking it up with her fingertips, she rolled her eyes at her title on the front. "Oh, I'm on it, alright," she mumbled as she tore through the edge.
He waited as she opened it and read.
She let out a snort halfway through. "Phase two. Somebody's eager."
"Miss Zacchara, the Russians are already in place, it's time to move forward," Tom commented.
Waving the paper in her hand back and forth, she gave him a grin. "So, the enemy of my enemy is a friend— And if all goes as planned, the Zacchara organization will be at the top of the pyramid soon enough."
I realized, after that fact, that I turned Michael into a one-eared redhead and the only thing that popped into my mind was— "You must be a Weasley." Haha. Anyway, Fav/Follow/Review. :D