~*~ Chapter 4 ~*~
At the nurse's station, Karen was finishing up some scut work, getting ready for rounds. "Hey beautiful...Come here often?" Chris greeted as he approached.
"Oh...hi honey, just trying to get this stuffed finished." She replied as the phone rang again. "Uhh...I'm going to take that phone and throw it down the elevator shaft," she moaned in frustration.
"Relax, I'll get it...Sixth Floor, Dr. Ramsey speaking...sure, she's right here...hold on."
"It's Serena's school," he said handing Karen the phone.
"Hello...this is Karen Ramsey."
"Dr. Ramsey...this is Mr. Rico, the assistant Principal at Port Charles High School."
"Yes, Sir, what can I do for you," she said.
"I am calling in regards to Serena Baldwin. We have been trying to get a hold of her father to no avail and you are listed on her emergency contact form."
"Our Father is out of town on business. Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"Well, Dr. Ramsey, it seems your sister has skipped her afternoon classes and we have no record of her being signed out by a parent or guardian," he explained. "She is not on school grounds, therefore, I need to turn this matter over to her parents or the police."
"With my father out of town, I am her guardian. I will take care of the situation. Thank you Mr. Rico," she said hanging up the phone.
"What's going on?" Chris asked.
"Serena skipped school this afternoon...Chris can you cover for me, I need to find her."
"Sure go ahead. I'll handle things here.... where are you headed?" he asked.
"The Firehouse." Karen said in a huff as she headed for the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At the firehouse, Serena and her friends were sprawled out on the floor. They just finished their game and the bottle of whiskey. Being able to hold their alcohol better, the two boys were more coherent than the girls. Seth reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the small plastic bag with the four joints wrapped inside. "Hey guys, I brought one more goody for the party," he said as he began to unwrap the plastic when Karen walked through the door. He quickly shoved the baggy under the couch cushion. But in his drunken haste, part of the bag was sticking out.
"What the hell is going on here? Why aren't you in school?" Karen began to yell as she noticed the game and bottles.
Jessie sat up and began to laugh "Serena, your sister's home!" she drunkenly announced.
"Hey sis! Want some?" she offered picking up the bottle realizing it was empty, she turned it upside down. "Oh...sorry...some how it all went gone. What happened to the stuff in here?" she asked looking at Todd.
"Serena, your drunk...go upstairs and sleep it off. Then we'll talk." Karen said turning her towards the stairs. "Now...you three...I'm calling your parents."
As Karen began to thumb through the phone book for the kids phone numbers, Todd began to pick up the twister game. He kicked the box over toward the couch and plopped down next to it. Eyeing Karen as he hastily folded the game mat, he pulled the plastic bag from under the cushion and folded it into the mat just as Karen turned to pick up the phone to begin making the calls.
"Mrs. Thompson...hi this is Karen Ramsey. Serena Baldwin's older sister...yes...I just arrived here at my Father's house to find Serena, your daughter, and two other friends drinking...Yes...I received a call from the school as well...Yes...Well my Father left for a business trip this morning...so I looked here first. No...I don't know where they got the alcohol. My Father doesn't keep it in the house. No...Thank you, I'll see you soon."
"Karen finished the calls and awaited the arrival of the teens respective parents. The two boys sat quietly on the couch and Jessie was asleep on the floor. Karen looked disgusted at the boys. "So...where did it come from?" she asked.
The boys looked at each other, each hoping the other would come up with an answer that wouldn't get them in more trouble. Todd just shrugged his shoulders and Seth put his head down and looked towards Jessie and mumbled, "I don't know." Trying to pass the blame to a passed out Jessie hoping maybe to get Karen off his back.
Karen glanced at Jessie passed out not believing the answers that she had received. She was about to question them again when the doorbell rang. "Hello, please come in." she greeted to the group of parents on the doorstep. The boys remained on the couch as each of their parents began to grill them for answers.
"Where is Serena?" one parent asked turning to Karen.
"I sent her to her room to sleep it off. Nobody has offered me any information but here is what I found when I came in" she answered pointing to the empty whiskey bottle and partially full vodka bottle.
"Did they get it here?" Another parent asked.
"I don't think that they did...my Father doesn't generally keep alcohol in the house. I haven't questioned Serena yet, though. She could barely make it up the stairs let alone give me a coherent answer to any questions."
"Well thank you for calling...we'll be in touch." Seth's father said to Karen.
After everyone left, Karen sat down on the couch. She looked down at the twister game on the floor and began to think about the day. What was going on with Serena? She knew better than this. She knows the family history, all the struggles her grandfather and Rhonda went through. "She knows the temptations that mom and Lee struggle through everyday," she whispered to herself. "Mom..." she said again "Oh...god, what am I going to tell Scott? How am I going to tell Scott?" She picked up the twister game and took it upstairs with her as she went to check on Serena, unaware of what was really inside the game.
At the nurse's station, Karen was finishing up some scut work, getting ready for rounds. "Hey beautiful...Come here often?" Chris greeted as he approached.
"Oh...hi honey, just trying to get this stuffed finished." She replied as the phone rang again. "Uhh...I'm going to take that phone and throw it down the elevator shaft," she moaned in frustration.
"Relax, I'll get it...Sixth Floor, Dr. Ramsey speaking...sure, she's right here...hold on."
"It's Serena's school," he said handing Karen the phone.
"Hello...this is Karen Ramsey."
"Dr. Ramsey...this is Mr. Rico, the assistant Principal at Port Charles High School."
"Yes, Sir, what can I do for you," she said.
"I am calling in regards to Serena Baldwin. We have been trying to get a hold of her father to no avail and you are listed on her emergency contact form."
"Our Father is out of town on business. Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"Well, Dr. Ramsey, it seems your sister has skipped her afternoon classes and we have no record of her being signed out by a parent or guardian," he explained. "She is not on school grounds, therefore, I need to turn this matter over to her parents or the police."
"With my father out of town, I am her guardian. I will take care of the situation. Thank you Mr. Rico," she said hanging up the phone.
"What's going on?" Chris asked.
"Serena skipped school this afternoon...Chris can you cover for me, I need to find her."
"Sure go ahead. I'll handle things here.... where are you headed?" he asked.
"The Firehouse." Karen said in a huff as she headed for the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At the firehouse, Serena and her friends were sprawled out on the floor. They just finished their game and the bottle of whiskey. Being able to hold their alcohol better, the two boys were more coherent than the girls. Seth reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the small plastic bag with the four joints wrapped inside. "Hey guys, I brought one more goody for the party," he said as he began to unwrap the plastic when Karen walked through the door. He quickly shoved the baggy under the couch cushion. But in his drunken haste, part of the bag was sticking out.
"What the hell is going on here? Why aren't you in school?" Karen began to yell as she noticed the game and bottles.
Jessie sat up and began to laugh "Serena, your sister's home!" she drunkenly announced.
"Hey sis! Want some?" she offered picking up the bottle realizing it was empty, she turned it upside down. "Oh...sorry...some how it all went gone. What happened to the stuff in here?" she asked looking at Todd.
"Serena, your drunk...go upstairs and sleep it off. Then we'll talk." Karen said turning her towards the stairs. "Now...you three...I'm calling your parents."
As Karen began to thumb through the phone book for the kids phone numbers, Todd began to pick up the twister game. He kicked the box over toward the couch and plopped down next to it. Eyeing Karen as he hastily folded the game mat, he pulled the plastic bag from under the cushion and folded it into the mat just as Karen turned to pick up the phone to begin making the calls.
"Mrs. Thompson...hi this is Karen Ramsey. Serena Baldwin's older sister...yes...I just arrived here at my Father's house to find Serena, your daughter, and two other friends drinking...Yes...I received a call from the school as well...Yes...Well my Father left for a business trip this morning...so I looked here first. No...I don't know where they got the alcohol. My Father doesn't keep it in the house. No...Thank you, I'll see you soon."
"Karen finished the calls and awaited the arrival of the teens respective parents. The two boys sat quietly on the couch and Jessie was asleep on the floor. Karen looked disgusted at the boys. "So...where did it come from?" she asked.
The boys looked at each other, each hoping the other would come up with an answer that wouldn't get them in more trouble. Todd just shrugged his shoulders and Seth put his head down and looked towards Jessie and mumbled, "I don't know." Trying to pass the blame to a passed out Jessie hoping maybe to get Karen off his back.
Karen glanced at Jessie passed out not believing the answers that she had received. She was about to question them again when the doorbell rang. "Hello, please come in." she greeted to the group of parents on the doorstep. The boys remained on the couch as each of their parents began to grill them for answers.
"Where is Serena?" one parent asked turning to Karen.
"I sent her to her room to sleep it off. Nobody has offered me any information but here is what I found when I came in" she answered pointing to the empty whiskey bottle and partially full vodka bottle.
"Did they get it here?" Another parent asked.
"I don't think that they did...my Father doesn't generally keep alcohol in the house. I haven't questioned Serena yet, though. She could barely make it up the stairs let alone give me a coherent answer to any questions."
"Well thank you for calling...we'll be in touch." Seth's father said to Karen.
After everyone left, Karen sat down on the couch. She looked down at the twister game on the floor and began to think about the day. What was going on with Serena? She knew better than this. She knows the family history, all the struggles her grandfather and Rhonda went through. "She knows the temptations that mom and Lee struggle through everyday," she whispered to herself. "Mom..." she said again "Oh...god, what am I going to tell Scott? How am I going to tell Scott?" She picked up the twister game and took it upstairs with her as she went to check on Serena, unaware of what was really inside the game.
