Back at Alison and Jamal's, the Ali and Livvie were bundled together
in a quilt in front of the fire. Even though it was summertime, neither
could seem to get warm. They stared into the flames, each envisioning the
worst possible thing that could be happening to the ones they loved most.
"Ali? Livvie? You all right?" Jamal asked, exiting the kitchen with a glass of ice water, wearing only his shorts, sweat beads on his brow. He didn't say anything about the blanket and the fire, but he wondered.
"Stupid question," Alison said sullenly. Livvie didn't answer. Jamal sat in a chair, trying to put his own worries about his stepdaughter to rest.
"Actually, I'm okay still," Alison said thoughtfully. "What do you mean? How can you possibly be 'okay' right now?! I mean, for all we know, all three of them could be dead...or worse by now!" Livvie shrieked, tears brimming in her eyes. Alison took her hands and looked at her with empathy. She then placed one hand on her heart.
"This is how I know that Raven is alive and okay," she said softly. "I can feel it. I know my daughter heart and soul, inside and out, and if anything happened to her, I would know it instantly. I could feel it," she said.
She then took Livvie's hand and placed it over her heart, covered by her own hand. "And that's how you know Jack and Eli are okay, too. You sense it inside. And that's how we'll always know that they're all right," said Alison.
A single tear streamed down Livvie's cheek. "Or not."
*
Karen and Sascha had fallen asleep on Karen's bed together, poring over photo albums, old love letters, and every other shred of their connection with Ricky Garza. Everything was on the table, and Sascha felt relieved. Karen had assured her that everything would be fine between Sascha and Frank, that he was still and would always be Dad, and that they had planned to tell her someday, later. But they both felt better now. Karen was awakened by the sound of the phone ringing.
"Hello?" she asked, disoriented. "Hey, honey, it's me," Frank said. "Frank, hey baby," Karen said, sitting up and looking over at Sascha, who was still soundly snoozing. She stood up and walked into the living room.
"So how is everything? Did you find Julie?" Karen asked. Frank hesitated on the other end of the line. "Well, not yet. We're close though. Listen, there's-" "Frank," Karen interrupted cautiously. "Yeah, Kare?" Frank asked.
Karen took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something, and I don't know how to. So I guess I'm just going to say it," Karen said.
"Wait, is this about Ricky?" Frank asked quickly. "Yes, but it's not what you think. Sascha found out that he is her father," Karen said timidly, holding the phone a safe distance away from her ear and cringing.
"Oh, wow...that's....yeah, how did she take it?" Frank asked, blown away. "Pretty well, actually, after she got over the initial shock of it. But she knows that you're always going to be Dad. You've got nothing to worry about, sweetie," Karen assured him. Another awkward silence. Frank chuckled nervously.
"Something funny, Frank?" Karen asked. Frank mumbled something into the receiver. "Huh? What did you say?" Karen asked. Frank spoke more clearly this time. "Touché."
* "What is it, Nurse?" Chris asked, following her to a small room off the corridor. Frank had gone to call Karen to check in. "Dr. Ramsey, Ms. Collins health is in jeopardy," the nurse said stoically. Chris's heart sank.
"What? What do mean? She seems all right to me," he said. "She might seem all right on the outside, but on the inside, she's at great risk. Her womb is terribly fragile, like an egg without the shell. She and her baby could both be in danger unless she's put on immediate bed rest," the nurse replied.
"But we're not from around here, obviously. We can't just admit her here! We're not even sure how long we're going to stay," Chris exclaimed. "Well, then I suggest that we transfer her to your home hospital as soon as possible, Doctor. Otherwise, there could be tragic consequences."
With that, the nurse left Chris alone.
*
Caleb realized that Little Miss Slayer was a chip off the old block, and wasn't going to lose without exhausting herself first. Fine with him. It made victory taste even sweeter, literally.
"Why don't we continue this in the morning," Caleb suggested, making his first move. He put his arms around Raven and linked his hands at her neck. He felt Raven's resistance become futile, and grinned. This was the supernatural equivalent of putting the girl in a headlock and pinning her pressure point, leaving her completely vulnerable. Raven felt her resistance snap too, but the brainwash quickly followed, and she forgot her mission.
Raven nodded as her determined gaze became empty and disoriented. Caleb put his hands on her shoulders and guided her up a spiraling staircase that extended from the floor of an old fashioned, Victorian-like room. He led her down a long corridor, and if Raven's mind would've been coherent, she would've been amazed at how out of place this mansion was in Port Charles. It looked more like it belonged in Transylvania about a thousand years ago.
"Here we are, Raven," Caleb soothed, opening a heavy door into a dark bedroom. There was a big canopy bed against one wall, and straight across from the door, the curtains to a tall open window fluttered passively. Caleb noticed it, and went to the window, shutting it and locking it with a skeleton key. "I wouldn't want anything to come in, bugs, bats, that sort of thing," Caleb said. He returned to Raven, who had taken a few steps into the room.
"I'll leave you for now. I'm sure everything will look better in the morning," he said, clasping her hand. He let go, and her hand remained in his for a moment, and as Caleb left the room, he beamed with satisfaction. It was even easier than he had thought. One night and she didn't want to let go.
"Ali? Livvie? You all right?" Jamal asked, exiting the kitchen with a glass of ice water, wearing only his shorts, sweat beads on his brow. He didn't say anything about the blanket and the fire, but he wondered.
"Stupid question," Alison said sullenly. Livvie didn't answer. Jamal sat in a chair, trying to put his own worries about his stepdaughter to rest.
"Actually, I'm okay still," Alison said thoughtfully. "What do you mean? How can you possibly be 'okay' right now?! I mean, for all we know, all three of them could be dead...or worse by now!" Livvie shrieked, tears brimming in her eyes. Alison took her hands and looked at her with empathy. She then placed one hand on her heart.
"This is how I know that Raven is alive and okay," she said softly. "I can feel it. I know my daughter heart and soul, inside and out, and if anything happened to her, I would know it instantly. I could feel it," she said.
She then took Livvie's hand and placed it over her heart, covered by her own hand. "And that's how you know Jack and Eli are okay, too. You sense it inside. And that's how we'll always know that they're all right," said Alison.
A single tear streamed down Livvie's cheek. "Or not."
*
Karen and Sascha had fallen asleep on Karen's bed together, poring over photo albums, old love letters, and every other shred of their connection with Ricky Garza. Everything was on the table, and Sascha felt relieved. Karen had assured her that everything would be fine between Sascha and Frank, that he was still and would always be Dad, and that they had planned to tell her someday, later. But they both felt better now. Karen was awakened by the sound of the phone ringing.
"Hello?" she asked, disoriented. "Hey, honey, it's me," Frank said. "Frank, hey baby," Karen said, sitting up and looking over at Sascha, who was still soundly snoozing. She stood up and walked into the living room.
"So how is everything? Did you find Julie?" Karen asked. Frank hesitated on the other end of the line. "Well, not yet. We're close though. Listen, there's-" "Frank," Karen interrupted cautiously. "Yeah, Kare?" Frank asked.
Karen took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something, and I don't know how to. So I guess I'm just going to say it," Karen said.
"Wait, is this about Ricky?" Frank asked quickly. "Yes, but it's not what you think. Sascha found out that he is her father," Karen said timidly, holding the phone a safe distance away from her ear and cringing.
"Oh, wow...that's....yeah, how did she take it?" Frank asked, blown away. "Pretty well, actually, after she got over the initial shock of it. But she knows that you're always going to be Dad. You've got nothing to worry about, sweetie," Karen assured him. Another awkward silence. Frank chuckled nervously.
"Something funny, Frank?" Karen asked. Frank mumbled something into the receiver. "Huh? What did you say?" Karen asked. Frank spoke more clearly this time. "Touché."
* "What is it, Nurse?" Chris asked, following her to a small room off the corridor. Frank had gone to call Karen to check in. "Dr. Ramsey, Ms. Collins health is in jeopardy," the nurse said stoically. Chris's heart sank.
"What? What do mean? She seems all right to me," he said. "She might seem all right on the outside, but on the inside, she's at great risk. Her womb is terribly fragile, like an egg without the shell. She and her baby could both be in danger unless she's put on immediate bed rest," the nurse replied.
"But we're not from around here, obviously. We can't just admit her here! We're not even sure how long we're going to stay," Chris exclaimed. "Well, then I suggest that we transfer her to your home hospital as soon as possible, Doctor. Otherwise, there could be tragic consequences."
With that, the nurse left Chris alone.
*
Caleb realized that Little Miss Slayer was a chip off the old block, and wasn't going to lose without exhausting herself first. Fine with him. It made victory taste even sweeter, literally.
"Why don't we continue this in the morning," Caleb suggested, making his first move. He put his arms around Raven and linked his hands at her neck. He felt Raven's resistance become futile, and grinned. This was the supernatural equivalent of putting the girl in a headlock and pinning her pressure point, leaving her completely vulnerable. Raven felt her resistance snap too, but the brainwash quickly followed, and she forgot her mission.
Raven nodded as her determined gaze became empty and disoriented. Caleb put his hands on her shoulders and guided her up a spiraling staircase that extended from the floor of an old fashioned, Victorian-like room. He led her down a long corridor, and if Raven's mind would've been coherent, she would've been amazed at how out of place this mansion was in Port Charles. It looked more like it belonged in Transylvania about a thousand years ago.
"Here we are, Raven," Caleb soothed, opening a heavy door into a dark bedroom. There was a big canopy bed against one wall, and straight across from the door, the curtains to a tall open window fluttered passively. Caleb noticed it, and went to the window, shutting it and locking it with a skeleton key. "I wouldn't want anything to come in, bugs, bats, that sort of thing," Caleb said. He returned to Raven, who had taken a few steps into the room.
"I'll leave you for now. I'm sure everything will look better in the morning," he said, clasping her hand. He let go, and her hand remained in his for a moment, and as Caleb left the room, he beamed with satisfaction. It was even easier than he had thought. One night and she didn't want to let go.