Monica curled her hands around the delicate stem of her wine glass. She wasn't entirely sure how a casual coffee date had escalated into a full-blown three course meal at her favourite restaurant but she was thankful for any excuse to avoid her insufferable sister-in-law. "You know, I would be remiss to ask the obvious question here."

"Which is?" Jeff raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he silently motioned the nearest waiter for a replacement bottle of Bordeaux.

"Well…" her lips twisted in contemplation of the appropriate formation of her words. "Just that you hopped on a plane and never looked back in thirty years. In all that time, you didn't visit Port Charles for the holidays, or Steve's funeral and yet here you are."

"What's the question?"

"Why?" Monica spluttered, without filter. "Why are you here? Why now?" She didn't totally buy Jeff's explanation that he had returned purely for Elizabeth's welfare. If he hadn't bothered to meet either one of her sons, especially after the traumatic circumstance of Jake's birth, then a relatively minor house fire would have caused him little concern.

"Carolyn served me with divorce papers," he candidly confessed, his tone darker than the last time they discussed the separation from his wife. "Pathetic, isn't it?" There was a reluctance in his manner as he relayed the obvious. "I'm a sixty-something with nowhere to call home and no more than an acquaintance to his own children." The Webber children were scattered across the planet - Steven in Japan, Sarah in Paris and Elizabeth in Port Charles - while he and Carolyn toured the southern hemisphere with the offer of their medical expertise. "This seemed like the most sensible place to put down roots." Jeff's eyes drifted to Monica's with a small smile, "and there's always been a lot to like about Port Charles."

Monica felt her cheeks warm to a blush pink. He had developed a slick charm since his youth. Every now and then, Monica could have sworn he was flirting with her. "Well," she cleared her throat, certain that she had misinterpreted the remark. "General Hospital could always use a doctor of your calibre."

"I'm pleased you feel that way since I have an appointment with your Chief of Staff tomorrow," Jeff declared. "Dr. Ford would like to discuss the possibility of a permanent position on staff which leads me to my question for you; why aren't you the Chief of Staff?"

The sensation of a vice-hold around her throat rendered Monica lost for words and she shook her head softly. She didn't know quite how to relay the depths of her sadness or the loss of confidence since Alan's death; the blame she laid at her own feet because of her failure to save him and how any attempt to throw herself into her work had only deepened her anxiety and insecurity. "Oh, you know, paperwork and pandering to a board of directors has never been my style," she leapt for the easiest excuse before she devoured the Bordeaux in hearty swallows.


Jason barrelled into the E.R. department of General Hospital where Bobbie lay in wait for him. It was serendipitous that she had been late to leave her shift, or she wouldn't have been present when Carly was stretchered in from the ambulance. "Bobbie," he almost slammed into the petite nurse.

"Jason, she's okay. Dr. Lee is with her now."

"What - - what happened?" She had called him in her usual level-headed tone of voice - the distinct opposite from Carly, which often caused him to wonder if they were truly related - and informed him that her daughter had been in an accident but failed to volunteer any further detail. Her composure calmed Jason almost immediately and he recalled the one phrase which stuck out like a sore thumb. "You mentioned Sam on the phone."

Bobbie escorted Jason away from the entrance, in order to introduce more privacy into their conversation. "Sam was attacked on the docks. She's fine," Bobbie offered reassurance to ease the startled look in his eye. In spite of the volatile end to their relationship, Jason would have never wished harm upon the woman he had loved once upon a time. "It seems that, in her effort to escape, Sam ran into the road. Her attacker followed but he was hit by a car - Carly was the driver. She lost control of the car and crashed into a guard rail. She's lucky to only have a few cuts and bruises."

"Okay," Jason released a heavy exhale. "So, the killer is probably hurt which means he'll want to keep a low profile. I'll have Spinelli look into hospital admittances -"

"No, Jason," she softly interrupted his external thought process. "Sam's attacker died at the scene."