In the Ward C staff room, after cowering in the corner and crying for about
10 minutes, Christina composed herself as best she could, straightened her
clothes, wiped off her smeared eyeliner, and walked out of the room. She
rode the elevator back to the ground floor, and when she got there, was met
with a flurry of activity. The first thing Christina noticed was Frank
rushing a gurney through the hospital doors, with a bloodied body strapped
to it. Jack, Jamal, and Alison were running beside it. Oh no, Christina
thought. Please not Raven! I've already had enough pain for one day,
haven't I?!
Christina watched helplessly as Ian met Frank and they, along with Jamal and Alison, whisked the gurney off into the emergency room. Jack hung back. "Jack?!" Christina cried, hurrying over to him. "What's going on!" she demanded, grabbing Jack's shoulders. "It's Raven, she's been in an accident," Jack said solemnly.
"Oh God!!" Christina cried out. Her hand went to her mouth in a void attempt to muffle it. She felt she might be sick again as the tears formed in her eyes. "H-H-How....bad is it?" she finally stammered. "We don't know yet. We'll just have to wait and see," Jack said. He pulled Christina into him, and wrapped his arms around her. She wailed into his chest. "Jack!" Livvie cried, coming through the hospital doors. Eli was close behind. "I came as soon as I could! How is she?" Livvie's eyes shone with tears. Raven was like a niece to her, and she, Jack, and Eli all loved her very much.
"We don't know yet. Ian's with her right now, so we should probably know something soon, I would hope," Jack said. "Oh, Christina, sweetie," Livvie crooned stroking her hair. "I'm sure she'll be fine." "So am I," Ian said, coming through the emergency room doors. "What?" Jack and Livvie chorused. Christina's looked up. "She's got quite a concussion, and some lacerations from the glass, but she's going to be fine. She's stable now. She should be able to go home by tomorrow," Ian reported brightly.
"Oh, thank God!" Livvie breathed, clutching her chest, and grabbing a fistful of her hair. "Can I see her?" Christina asked, sniffling, as she lifted her head from Jack's chest. "Actually, Christina, she's still unconscious, but she's stable. She should wake up sometime tonight," Ian said apologetically. "By the way," Ian added, "Has anyone contacted my boy?" The patrons of the waiting room looked at each other. "I'll call him, Dr. Thornhart," Christina said, and made a beeline for the pay phones.
*
Sascha couldn't breathe when she saw what was in the box. And she suddenly understood why her mother hadn't wanted her to see it. It was her baby pictures all right, but that hadn't shocked her. It was who was in them with her and her mother. Not Frank, but Ricky.
"Oh my God......" Sascha whispered, her hand going to her mouth. She flipped through the photographs. There was one that appeared to be one of the first taken of her. Karen was in a hospital bed, looking exhausted, but still beaming at the camera. She held baby Sascha up to the camera, and Ricky had his arm around Karen, and baby Sascha was squeezing his finger. Another shot was of Ricky feeding her with a bottle, one of him burping her, sleeping with her on his chest, holding her tiny hands as she stood up unsteadily, one where Sascha appeared to be about a year old, where she was sitting on Ricky's shoulders, with her head laying on top of his, and several other shots, leading up to Sascha at about age 2 or 3. Then they stopped. But perhaps as equally perturbing were the other pictures in the box were the ones without Sascha in them. They were various pictures of Karen with Ricky, kissing him, hugging him, sitting on his lap. Sascha was completley in awe. And I thought I was adopted! she thought cynically. Then she remembered the envelope.
She pulled it out from under her bed, and opened it. Inside, she found what appeared to be legal documents. Then again.... They were legal documents. One document stated the Ricky Garza surrended all rights of his daughter, Sascha Ryelle Garza, to Karen Wexler. Sascha couldn't believe this. The other document was an adoption document. It certified that Frank Scanlon was the legal father of Sascha Ryelle Scanlon.
"No way. Ricky's my father?!"
* Frank and Karen had finally headed for home after checking on Raven one last time. She'd regained conciousness just before they had decided to leave, and Alison and Danny were going to stay with her. In the car on the way home, Frank was trying to think of a way to tell Karen he was going with Chris to find Julie.
"Say, Karen," Frank began, shifting in his place at the steering wheel. "Hmm?" Karen asked. She'd nearly dozed off in the passenger seat. "I was, uh, thinking about taking a little vacation," he continued. Karen didn't open her eyes, "Mmm-hmm, that'd be nice. We could take the girls someplace nice." "No, honey, no, I meant just me." Karen sat up a bit and squinted.
"What? Frank, what're you talking about, just you?" "Well, uh, me and Ramsey were going to go on a trip together," Frank said. "Chris Ramsey? But baby, you hate Chris Ramsey," Karen said, settling back down to sleep. "Oh, come on, Karen, sure we can!" Frank insisted. "Especially when we've got a common goal." Karen sat back up. "A what?"she asked. "A common goal." "Oh really? A common goal, huh? And what might that be? Tell me, Frank, because I'm really very curious to know anything that you and Chris Ramsey might have in common?!" she said. Frank hesitated.
"Well, uh...." "I'm waiting!" Karen insisted. "All right. I'm going to level with you, Karen. We're.....we're going to try and find out what happened to Julie." "Julie?" Karen said. "Frank, sweetie, Julie died, a long time ago!" she continued gently. "Yeah, but see, that's the thing, we don't know that for sure!" Frank insisted excitedly. "Frank, no! Even if by some strange twist of fate she is alive, she chose to leave all of our lives, and I don't want her to come back into it now, after all this time, after everyone is happy and settled!" Karen cried, suddenly upset.
"But Karen-" Frank protested as he pulled into the driveway. "Frank, look." Frank stopped arguing just long enough to notice that Sascha's light was still on.
* Back in the GH waiting room, Jack and Livvie were still hanging around with Jamal. Alison and Danny had already settled in with Raven.
"So I'm going to head for home and get some stuff to bring back for Raven, then I'm staying at the house tonight. Raven should be able to come home tomorrow," Jamal said. "All right. Drive safely," Jack said seriously. He had his arm wrapped around Livvie. Eli was curled up on a naughahyde sofa, sleeping. Or so it seemed.
"Jack, I don't want to go home," Livvie whimpered. Jack rubbed Livvie's arm reassuringly. "Livvie, we're going to go home, and everything's going to be fine." "But what if it's not? What if he's waiting there for us?" "Sweetheart, even if Caleb comes around, he's not going to hurt you again, do you understand me? I won't let that happen, I'll protect you," Jack said.
Livvie stepped away from Jack, and took his hands, looking up at him. "Jack, as much as you and I both wish that was true, we both know it's not. Caleb is far too powerful. And now that Lucy's lost her power, and Rafe's gone, there's nobody that can stop him Nobody." Now, more than ever, after hearing that, Eli was determined to find out what his parents were talking about.
Christina watched helplessly as Ian met Frank and they, along with Jamal and Alison, whisked the gurney off into the emergency room. Jack hung back. "Jack?!" Christina cried, hurrying over to him. "What's going on!" she demanded, grabbing Jack's shoulders. "It's Raven, she's been in an accident," Jack said solemnly.
"Oh God!!" Christina cried out. Her hand went to her mouth in a void attempt to muffle it. She felt she might be sick again as the tears formed in her eyes. "H-H-How....bad is it?" she finally stammered. "We don't know yet. We'll just have to wait and see," Jack said. He pulled Christina into him, and wrapped his arms around her. She wailed into his chest. "Jack!" Livvie cried, coming through the hospital doors. Eli was close behind. "I came as soon as I could! How is she?" Livvie's eyes shone with tears. Raven was like a niece to her, and she, Jack, and Eli all loved her very much.
"We don't know yet. Ian's with her right now, so we should probably know something soon, I would hope," Jack said. "Oh, Christina, sweetie," Livvie crooned stroking her hair. "I'm sure she'll be fine." "So am I," Ian said, coming through the emergency room doors. "What?" Jack and Livvie chorused. Christina's looked up. "She's got quite a concussion, and some lacerations from the glass, but she's going to be fine. She's stable now. She should be able to go home by tomorrow," Ian reported brightly.
"Oh, thank God!" Livvie breathed, clutching her chest, and grabbing a fistful of her hair. "Can I see her?" Christina asked, sniffling, as she lifted her head from Jack's chest. "Actually, Christina, she's still unconscious, but she's stable. She should wake up sometime tonight," Ian said apologetically. "By the way," Ian added, "Has anyone contacted my boy?" The patrons of the waiting room looked at each other. "I'll call him, Dr. Thornhart," Christina said, and made a beeline for the pay phones.
*
Sascha couldn't breathe when she saw what was in the box. And she suddenly understood why her mother hadn't wanted her to see it. It was her baby pictures all right, but that hadn't shocked her. It was who was in them with her and her mother. Not Frank, but Ricky.
"Oh my God......" Sascha whispered, her hand going to her mouth. She flipped through the photographs. There was one that appeared to be one of the first taken of her. Karen was in a hospital bed, looking exhausted, but still beaming at the camera. She held baby Sascha up to the camera, and Ricky had his arm around Karen, and baby Sascha was squeezing his finger. Another shot was of Ricky feeding her with a bottle, one of him burping her, sleeping with her on his chest, holding her tiny hands as she stood up unsteadily, one where Sascha appeared to be about a year old, where she was sitting on Ricky's shoulders, with her head laying on top of his, and several other shots, leading up to Sascha at about age 2 or 3. Then they stopped. But perhaps as equally perturbing were the other pictures in the box were the ones without Sascha in them. They were various pictures of Karen with Ricky, kissing him, hugging him, sitting on his lap. Sascha was completley in awe. And I thought I was adopted! she thought cynically. Then she remembered the envelope.
She pulled it out from under her bed, and opened it. Inside, she found what appeared to be legal documents. Then again.... They were legal documents. One document stated the Ricky Garza surrended all rights of his daughter, Sascha Ryelle Garza, to Karen Wexler. Sascha couldn't believe this. The other document was an adoption document. It certified that Frank Scanlon was the legal father of Sascha Ryelle Scanlon.
"No way. Ricky's my father?!"
* Frank and Karen had finally headed for home after checking on Raven one last time. She'd regained conciousness just before they had decided to leave, and Alison and Danny were going to stay with her. In the car on the way home, Frank was trying to think of a way to tell Karen he was going with Chris to find Julie.
"Say, Karen," Frank began, shifting in his place at the steering wheel. "Hmm?" Karen asked. She'd nearly dozed off in the passenger seat. "I was, uh, thinking about taking a little vacation," he continued. Karen didn't open her eyes, "Mmm-hmm, that'd be nice. We could take the girls someplace nice." "No, honey, no, I meant just me." Karen sat up a bit and squinted.
"What? Frank, what're you talking about, just you?" "Well, uh, me and Ramsey were going to go on a trip together," Frank said. "Chris Ramsey? But baby, you hate Chris Ramsey," Karen said, settling back down to sleep. "Oh, come on, Karen, sure we can!" Frank insisted. "Especially when we've got a common goal." Karen sat back up. "A what?"she asked. "A common goal." "Oh really? A common goal, huh? And what might that be? Tell me, Frank, because I'm really very curious to know anything that you and Chris Ramsey might have in common?!" she said. Frank hesitated.
"Well, uh...." "I'm waiting!" Karen insisted. "All right. I'm going to level with you, Karen. We're.....we're going to try and find out what happened to Julie." "Julie?" Karen said. "Frank, sweetie, Julie died, a long time ago!" she continued gently. "Yeah, but see, that's the thing, we don't know that for sure!" Frank insisted excitedly. "Frank, no! Even if by some strange twist of fate she is alive, she chose to leave all of our lives, and I don't want her to come back into it now, after all this time, after everyone is happy and settled!" Karen cried, suddenly upset.
"But Karen-" Frank protested as he pulled into the driveway. "Frank, look." Frank stopped arguing just long enough to notice that Sascha's light was still on.
* Back in the GH waiting room, Jack and Livvie were still hanging around with Jamal. Alison and Danny had already settled in with Raven.
"So I'm going to head for home and get some stuff to bring back for Raven, then I'm staying at the house tonight. Raven should be able to come home tomorrow," Jamal said. "All right. Drive safely," Jack said seriously. He had his arm wrapped around Livvie. Eli was curled up on a naughahyde sofa, sleeping. Or so it seemed.
"Jack, I don't want to go home," Livvie whimpered. Jack rubbed Livvie's arm reassuringly. "Livvie, we're going to go home, and everything's going to be fine." "But what if it's not? What if he's waiting there for us?" "Sweetheart, even if Caleb comes around, he's not going to hurt you again, do you understand me? I won't let that happen, I'll protect you," Jack said.
Livvie stepped away from Jack, and took his hands, looking up at him. "Jack, as much as you and I both wish that was true, we both know it's not. Caleb is far too powerful. And now that Lucy's lost her power, and Rafe's gone, there's nobody that can stop him Nobody." Now, more than ever, after hearing that, Eli was determined to find out what his parents were talking about.