Chapter 20
General Hospital, ICU
Sonny and Carly sat in Michael's room. Sonny's face was grim, while Carly sobbed quietly. Sonny's pager vibrated, and he glanced at it. The message said "911 - see Dr. Q." He shot to his feet, but when Carly looked at him wide-eyed, he tried to look nonchalant. "Doctor Quartermaine just paged me. I'm going to see what she wants." Carly narrowed her eyes, then stood. "I'm going with you." He opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged. They walked over to the other side of the hospital, where Monica's office was located. Sonny knocked and heard a faint "Come in." They walked in, and Monica looked up from her desk. Her eyebrows went up when she saw who her visitors were. "There's nothing wrong with Michael, is there? The nurses should have informed me the second anything happened." Sonny held up his hand and shook his head. "He was fine when we left him. We came because you paged us." Monica frowned. "No, I didn't. Are you sure you got the message right?" Sonny put his hands on his hips. "It said to see Dr. Q." Carly put her hand on Sonny's arm. "Maybe it was Alan that paged you." He looked at her. "Why would Alan want to see me?" Carly shrugged. He looked at Monica and she shrugged. Sonny nodded and turned to go out the door. He and Carly walked down the hallway to Alan's office.
Alan waved them in and asked them what was up. "Did you page me?" Alan shook his head. "No, no I didn't. Say, I haven't talked to Monica since before the surgery. How's Michael?" Sonny was preoccupied by the odd pager message, so Carly answered for him. "Michael's pretty stable right now. The surgery went well, and we think after a few more days of observation he should be able to go home." Alan beamed. "That's great! I'm so happy. I'd like to go down and visit him later, if you don't mind." Sonny paused, and then nodded his head. "Sure. I guess that would be okay." Alan's smile faded, not happy to be reminded that he couldn't be a regular part of his grandson's life. "Well, I have a meeting to get to, so I'll catch you later." Alan ushered them out the door, then walked in the opposite direction. Sonny and Carly were heading towards the elevator, when they caught sight of Courtney. "Hey you guys! I was just about to go ask Doctor Quartermaine how Michael's doing." Carly repeated to her what she had just told Alan. Courtney smiled. "I'm so happy. He's such a little trooper." Suddenly it dawned on Sonny where the bogus pager message must have come from. He took off down the hall, leaving a shocked Carly and Courtney in his wake.
Skye walked through the ICU, looking for Michael's room. When she found it, she was surprised to see through the observation window that AJ was sitting by Michael's bed. Had Sonny and Carly actually allowed him to visit his son? She touched the glass, her heart filled with sadness at the look on AJ's face. He finally got to see his son, and Michael wasn't even aware that he was in the room. She sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I knew it!" She whirled around to see Sonny standing there, his face a mask of fury. He pointed a finger at her. "You were the one who put the phony message on my pager." She frowned at him. "What are you talking about?" Sonny's jaw clenched. "You wanted to sneak your brother in to see Michael, but you had to make sure we were out of the way. Are you going to deny it?" Skye was about to deliver a scorching reply, when she saw Carly and Courtney running down the hall. Carly's eyes widened when she saw Skye. "What the hell are you doing here?" Then she saw AJ through the window. "Damn you, AJ!" She lunged for the door, but Sonny held her back. "Don't make a scene, we don't want to disturb Michael." Carly took a deep breath and backed off. She glared at Skye. "You meddling bitch!" Sonny made a cutting motion with his hand. "Carly, that's enough!" She looked at him in surprise. "I'm going to call security." Carly stalked off.
Sonny turned back to Skye. "You haven't answered my question. Do you deny that you were the one who lured us away?" Skye opened her mouth to reply, but saw Courtney and paused. Courtney was looking at Skye with anguish. Skye realized that it was Courtney who had deceived Sonny. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what she should do. If she told Sonny that Courtney had done it, she would be off the hook. Sonny would be angry at Courtney for a while, but he would eventually forgive her because she was his sister. On the other hand, Skye and Sonny would always be at odds with each other. What would it matter if he was angry at Skye for one more thing? Better to take the heat of his wrath than subject Courtney to it. Skye looked down, hating to see the condemnation in Sonny's eyes. Steeling herself, she looked up again, wearing a mask of hard indifference. "I'm not going to deny anything. I am so sick and tired of this feud between you and Carly and AJ. You choose to hold onto your pain and anger rather than face the simple truth that AJ loves his son, and deserves to know him. You give him no benefit of the doubt that maybe he has changed in the past few years. You have before you a reliable witness to that fact. Maybe you won't believe me or AJ, but can you believe Courtney? Unless you think she's gullible enough to have been fooled by him all this time, she can tell you that he makes her very happy and is very good to her."
Sonny looked at Courtney. She nodded. "Sonny, I love AJ. Like Skye said, he's very good to me. I too am sick to death of this whole thing. It has to end some time. What happens when AJ and I have children? I'm sure they'll play with Michael. Are you going to make me lie to them and say that he's their cousin, when he's really their brother? What happens when Michael grows up? Someday he'll discover the truth that Uncle AJ, who he was never allowed to see, is actually his father. Do you think he'll be hunky dory with it? I was furious with my mom when I found out she had lied to me about dad. I knew she thought she was doing the right thing, but it hurt me a lot and I'm still trying to get past it. Do you want Michael to look at you with that same pain and anger?" "Enough!" Sonny closed his eyes, fighting for control. He opened them again and stared at Skye, his eyes filled with hurt and anger. She knew what he was thinking. He hated to see Courtney, his own sister, siding with his enemy. He looked at Courtney, his voice trembling with emotion. "I wish I could believe you, Courtney, but I can't. I'm not going to turn Michael over to a man I don't trust." They were all startled to hear another voice chime in. "I don't want you to turn him over to me." They all looked over to see AJ standing in the doorway to Michael's room. He walked over and stood in front of Sonny. "I've lost forever the chance to be a father to him. All I can ask for now is to be a part of his life. I want to be able to visit Michael in the role of his favorite uncle. You or Carly can supervise the visits, I don't care. When he's old enough, you can tell him the truth of who I am. The bond between you and him is already strong enough that he will always think of you as his father." A muscle worked in Sonny's jaw. He turned and walked away. Courtney put her hand on AJ's arm. "He'll come around. I know he will. I'll work on him some more." AJ shook his head. "He'll think I put you up to it, and that'll just fuel his anger." Skye leaned in. "I think we better go before Carly gets back with security." AJ looked at Skye. "Thanks for taking the heat, sis." Skye shrugged, not letting him see that her heart was breaking.
General Hospital, ICU
Sonny and Carly sat in Michael's room. Sonny's face was grim, while Carly sobbed quietly. Sonny's pager vibrated, and he glanced at it. The message said "911 - see Dr. Q." He shot to his feet, but when Carly looked at him wide-eyed, he tried to look nonchalant. "Doctor Quartermaine just paged me. I'm going to see what she wants." Carly narrowed her eyes, then stood. "I'm going with you." He opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged. They walked over to the other side of the hospital, where Monica's office was located. Sonny knocked and heard a faint "Come in." They walked in, and Monica looked up from her desk. Her eyebrows went up when she saw who her visitors were. "There's nothing wrong with Michael, is there? The nurses should have informed me the second anything happened." Sonny held up his hand and shook his head. "He was fine when we left him. We came because you paged us." Monica frowned. "No, I didn't. Are you sure you got the message right?" Sonny put his hands on his hips. "It said to see Dr. Q." Carly put her hand on Sonny's arm. "Maybe it was Alan that paged you." He looked at her. "Why would Alan want to see me?" Carly shrugged. He looked at Monica and she shrugged. Sonny nodded and turned to go out the door. He and Carly walked down the hallway to Alan's office.
Alan waved them in and asked them what was up. "Did you page me?" Alan shook his head. "No, no I didn't. Say, I haven't talked to Monica since before the surgery. How's Michael?" Sonny was preoccupied by the odd pager message, so Carly answered for him. "Michael's pretty stable right now. The surgery went well, and we think after a few more days of observation he should be able to go home." Alan beamed. "That's great! I'm so happy. I'd like to go down and visit him later, if you don't mind." Sonny paused, and then nodded his head. "Sure. I guess that would be okay." Alan's smile faded, not happy to be reminded that he couldn't be a regular part of his grandson's life. "Well, I have a meeting to get to, so I'll catch you later." Alan ushered them out the door, then walked in the opposite direction. Sonny and Carly were heading towards the elevator, when they caught sight of Courtney. "Hey you guys! I was just about to go ask Doctor Quartermaine how Michael's doing." Carly repeated to her what she had just told Alan. Courtney smiled. "I'm so happy. He's such a little trooper." Suddenly it dawned on Sonny where the bogus pager message must have come from. He took off down the hall, leaving a shocked Carly and Courtney in his wake.
Skye walked through the ICU, looking for Michael's room. When she found it, she was surprised to see through the observation window that AJ was sitting by Michael's bed. Had Sonny and Carly actually allowed him to visit his son? She touched the glass, her heart filled with sadness at the look on AJ's face. He finally got to see his son, and Michael wasn't even aware that he was in the room. She sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I knew it!" She whirled around to see Sonny standing there, his face a mask of fury. He pointed a finger at her. "You were the one who put the phony message on my pager." She frowned at him. "What are you talking about?" Sonny's jaw clenched. "You wanted to sneak your brother in to see Michael, but you had to make sure we were out of the way. Are you going to deny it?" Skye was about to deliver a scorching reply, when she saw Carly and Courtney running down the hall. Carly's eyes widened when she saw Skye. "What the hell are you doing here?" Then she saw AJ through the window. "Damn you, AJ!" She lunged for the door, but Sonny held her back. "Don't make a scene, we don't want to disturb Michael." Carly took a deep breath and backed off. She glared at Skye. "You meddling bitch!" Sonny made a cutting motion with his hand. "Carly, that's enough!" She looked at him in surprise. "I'm going to call security." Carly stalked off.
Sonny turned back to Skye. "You haven't answered my question. Do you deny that you were the one who lured us away?" Skye opened her mouth to reply, but saw Courtney and paused. Courtney was looking at Skye with anguish. Skye realized that it was Courtney who had deceived Sonny. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what she should do. If she told Sonny that Courtney had done it, she would be off the hook. Sonny would be angry at Courtney for a while, but he would eventually forgive her because she was his sister. On the other hand, Skye and Sonny would always be at odds with each other. What would it matter if he was angry at Skye for one more thing? Better to take the heat of his wrath than subject Courtney to it. Skye looked down, hating to see the condemnation in Sonny's eyes. Steeling herself, she looked up again, wearing a mask of hard indifference. "I'm not going to deny anything. I am so sick and tired of this feud between you and Carly and AJ. You choose to hold onto your pain and anger rather than face the simple truth that AJ loves his son, and deserves to know him. You give him no benefit of the doubt that maybe he has changed in the past few years. You have before you a reliable witness to that fact. Maybe you won't believe me or AJ, but can you believe Courtney? Unless you think she's gullible enough to have been fooled by him all this time, she can tell you that he makes her very happy and is very good to her."
Sonny looked at Courtney. She nodded. "Sonny, I love AJ. Like Skye said, he's very good to me. I too am sick to death of this whole thing. It has to end some time. What happens when AJ and I have children? I'm sure they'll play with Michael. Are you going to make me lie to them and say that he's their cousin, when he's really their brother? What happens when Michael grows up? Someday he'll discover the truth that Uncle AJ, who he was never allowed to see, is actually his father. Do you think he'll be hunky dory with it? I was furious with my mom when I found out she had lied to me about dad. I knew she thought she was doing the right thing, but it hurt me a lot and I'm still trying to get past it. Do you want Michael to look at you with that same pain and anger?" "Enough!" Sonny closed his eyes, fighting for control. He opened them again and stared at Skye, his eyes filled with hurt and anger. She knew what he was thinking. He hated to see Courtney, his own sister, siding with his enemy. He looked at Courtney, his voice trembling with emotion. "I wish I could believe you, Courtney, but I can't. I'm not going to turn Michael over to a man I don't trust." They were all startled to hear another voice chime in. "I don't want you to turn him over to me." They all looked over to see AJ standing in the doorway to Michael's room. He walked over and stood in front of Sonny. "I've lost forever the chance to be a father to him. All I can ask for now is to be a part of his life. I want to be able to visit Michael in the role of his favorite uncle. You or Carly can supervise the visits, I don't care. When he's old enough, you can tell him the truth of who I am. The bond between you and him is already strong enough that he will always think of you as his father." A muscle worked in Sonny's jaw. He turned and walked away. Courtney put her hand on AJ's arm. "He'll come around. I know he will. I'll work on him some more." AJ shook his head. "He'll think I put you up to it, and that'll just fuel his anger." Skye leaned in. "I think we better go before Carly gets back with security." AJ looked at Skye. "Thanks for taking the heat, sis." Skye shrugged, not letting him see that her heart was breaking.
