A/N: My goal has been achieved-Gracie likes Livvie. And yes Nat-3
chapters til the next arc. Until next time-ya'll are the best. PCGirl
~~~~~~~~
"Rafe! Caleb!" called Ian as he sifted through the rubble. He had been standing outside with Jamal when the place blew up. He heard a coughing sound as he got towards where the chapel used to be, following the cough he saw Caleb lying there, a piece of wood seeming to be millimeters from his heart, "Too bad it didn't hit you in the right place," he said as he pulled it out, and had Caleb hold some cloth against his skin.
"Find Rafe," said Caleb weakly. "I'm fine," he said as Jamal came over to help him up and out of the destroyed building.
Ian continued to walk to the front of the building looking for any sign of Rafe. He saw an arm sticking out from under a beam, and began to try and move it, "Rafe, can you hear me?" he said trying to get him to help. As he grabbed his wrist for a pulse he felt a very faint one, "Jamal! I need your help," he called out as Jamal came back. Alright, we're going to lift on three, ok? One-two-three," he said as the two tried to push it somewhat out of the way. "There, that is worth a start."
"Here, let me help," said Caleb who had come back in. They again pushed the beam the rest of the way off, "Hey, wake up," he said slapping Rafe in the face.
"What are you doing? He's barely alive."
"He'll live, trust me," he said as they began to try and get Rafe safely out of the building before it finished collapsing. As they carried Rafe out Caleb looked around for a sign of Annette, but figured it could wait-he wanted to get back to Olivia now.
-------
"I can't believe you really are going to steal my son away," hollered Courtney in Frank's face as they stood outside the court room.
"Courtney, I'm not stealing him away, he has made it clear he wants to live with me. And when the day comes that he wants to live with you again I'll let him-he's getting older and can make his own decisions. Of course, you telling them I was a vampire wasn't very good for your reputation. Made you look possibly loony," he laughed at the end.
"You were drinking blood, I know it."
"It wasn't blood."
"Are you two still arguing about that?" asked Jack as he walked up.
"Hey, what are you doing here? I figured you would be with Livvie and Lucy- how is Alison doing?"
"No better than before, and I just burned a few bridges with them so I figured I'd come over for the end of the hearing. Then we can work on the remodeling."
"The judge is ready," said Kate as she walked past them and into the courtroom. Courtney and Frank followed, while Jack went and took a seat on an outside bench.
-------
Chris walked into the apartment and was surprised to see Elizabeth sitting on the couch reading a magazine, "Hi. I was planning on changing out of my work clothes and going back to the hospital to be with you. Give me a few minutes and we'll go together."
"No, don't-I don't feel like going back today," she said, barely making eye contact with him.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened and that's just it. Chris, I can't stay there day after day and not be able to do anything to help my little girl. I just got her back in my life, and this happens," she said as she began to tear up.
"Hey, come here," he said as he sat down next to her and pulled her close. "It's going to be alright, everything's going to be fine soon."
--------
"Caleb," said Livvie as he walked in through the doors, and she rushed over to him. "Are you ok? What happened?"
"I'm fine," he said as Ian and Jamal came in behind him still carrying Rafe. "He'll be ok. How is Alison doing?"
"She's getting worse, they say the brain activity she had is slowing down, and it's not a good sign. You need to get checked out," she said noticing the amount of blood on his shirt.
"Alright, but first I want to talk to Alison. I've got something to tell you both, and maybe it'll get her to wake up," he said as they went to her room.
"Hey," he said walking up and sitting down next to her. Livvie walked over and sat on the other side. "I know you can hear me, and I want you to listen to me good. You have got to fight and survive. Tonight, Rafe and I both died," he said as he looked at Livvie who had a shocked look on her face. "We were given a choice of either love or hate. If we chose hate we were dead-end of story. But we realized something, that with the love of a woman," he said looking up and smiling at Olivia, "nothing else matters. So you've got to pull through, because if you don't then we might as well have not even signed that stupid thing."
------
"This custody hearing was a very difficult one," said Judge Ellsworth as he spoke to Courtney and Frank. "We've got two parents that both seem to care for a child, but in different ways-and seem to have a different perspective on what is right for the boy. Of course-he's not a boy, but in the beginning stages of a young man. When I spoke with him he told me that he wants you to both be happy, and also told me how he enjoys living with his father. What caught me off guard about that was the fact that he has barely lived with you, Mr. Scanlon, but has a bond. I am going to go with his request though, and offer custody to you.
"And to you Mrs. Kanelos-just because your son does not want to live with you right now does not mean he doesn't love you. Do not hold a grudge against him for doing this, he needs to make his own choices and learn from those also," he said as he stood up and left.
"Well, you got your way," said Courtney as she walked over to Frank.
"I didn't get my way Courtney-all I've been given is the chance to be a father to my son," said Frank as he walked on past her and went to meet Jack outside.
-------
"Are you feeling better now?" asked Chris as he walked back into the living room from changing clothes.
"Yeah, I am. I guess I just hate feeling helpless, especially when it concerns a child."
"I know the feeling. Did you know I helped Julie give birth to Christina?" he said, slightly proud.
"Really?"
"Yeah, and then I had to watch Lucy raise her for a little while-I couldn't say anything," he said as the phone went off. "Hello?"
"Ramsey, its Ian-we're at the hospital with Rafe and Caleb."
"Do you need me there?" he asked as Elizabeth tried to figure out who it was.
"You can come if you want. Rafe is pretty banged up, but we've got it under control."
"We'll be there in a few," he said as he hung up the phone. "Rafe is at the hospital, he's banged up, but should pull through," he said as she went to get her coat and head on over to the hospital.
~~~~~~~~
"Rafe! Caleb!" called Ian as he sifted through the rubble. He had been standing outside with Jamal when the place blew up. He heard a coughing sound as he got towards where the chapel used to be, following the cough he saw Caleb lying there, a piece of wood seeming to be millimeters from his heart, "Too bad it didn't hit you in the right place," he said as he pulled it out, and had Caleb hold some cloth against his skin.
"Find Rafe," said Caleb weakly. "I'm fine," he said as Jamal came over to help him up and out of the destroyed building.
Ian continued to walk to the front of the building looking for any sign of Rafe. He saw an arm sticking out from under a beam, and began to try and move it, "Rafe, can you hear me?" he said trying to get him to help. As he grabbed his wrist for a pulse he felt a very faint one, "Jamal! I need your help," he called out as Jamal came back. Alright, we're going to lift on three, ok? One-two-three," he said as the two tried to push it somewhat out of the way. "There, that is worth a start."
"Here, let me help," said Caleb who had come back in. They again pushed the beam the rest of the way off, "Hey, wake up," he said slapping Rafe in the face.
"What are you doing? He's barely alive."
"He'll live, trust me," he said as they began to try and get Rafe safely out of the building before it finished collapsing. As they carried Rafe out Caleb looked around for a sign of Annette, but figured it could wait-he wanted to get back to Olivia now.
-------
"I can't believe you really are going to steal my son away," hollered Courtney in Frank's face as they stood outside the court room.
"Courtney, I'm not stealing him away, he has made it clear he wants to live with me. And when the day comes that he wants to live with you again I'll let him-he's getting older and can make his own decisions. Of course, you telling them I was a vampire wasn't very good for your reputation. Made you look possibly loony," he laughed at the end.
"You were drinking blood, I know it."
"It wasn't blood."
"Are you two still arguing about that?" asked Jack as he walked up.
"Hey, what are you doing here? I figured you would be with Livvie and Lucy- how is Alison doing?"
"No better than before, and I just burned a few bridges with them so I figured I'd come over for the end of the hearing. Then we can work on the remodeling."
"The judge is ready," said Kate as she walked past them and into the courtroom. Courtney and Frank followed, while Jack went and took a seat on an outside bench.
-------
Chris walked into the apartment and was surprised to see Elizabeth sitting on the couch reading a magazine, "Hi. I was planning on changing out of my work clothes and going back to the hospital to be with you. Give me a few minutes and we'll go together."
"No, don't-I don't feel like going back today," she said, barely making eye contact with him.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened and that's just it. Chris, I can't stay there day after day and not be able to do anything to help my little girl. I just got her back in my life, and this happens," she said as she began to tear up.
"Hey, come here," he said as he sat down next to her and pulled her close. "It's going to be alright, everything's going to be fine soon."
--------
"Caleb," said Livvie as he walked in through the doors, and she rushed over to him. "Are you ok? What happened?"
"I'm fine," he said as Ian and Jamal came in behind him still carrying Rafe. "He'll be ok. How is Alison doing?"
"She's getting worse, they say the brain activity she had is slowing down, and it's not a good sign. You need to get checked out," she said noticing the amount of blood on his shirt.
"Alright, but first I want to talk to Alison. I've got something to tell you both, and maybe it'll get her to wake up," he said as they went to her room.
"Hey," he said walking up and sitting down next to her. Livvie walked over and sat on the other side. "I know you can hear me, and I want you to listen to me good. You have got to fight and survive. Tonight, Rafe and I both died," he said as he looked at Livvie who had a shocked look on her face. "We were given a choice of either love or hate. If we chose hate we were dead-end of story. But we realized something, that with the love of a woman," he said looking up and smiling at Olivia, "nothing else matters. So you've got to pull through, because if you don't then we might as well have not even signed that stupid thing."
------
"This custody hearing was a very difficult one," said Judge Ellsworth as he spoke to Courtney and Frank. "We've got two parents that both seem to care for a child, but in different ways-and seem to have a different perspective on what is right for the boy. Of course-he's not a boy, but in the beginning stages of a young man. When I spoke with him he told me that he wants you to both be happy, and also told me how he enjoys living with his father. What caught me off guard about that was the fact that he has barely lived with you, Mr. Scanlon, but has a bond. I am going to go with his request though, and offer custody to you.
"And to you Mrs. Kanelos-just because your son does not want to live with you right now does not mean he doesn't love you. Do not hold a grudge against him for doing this, he needs to make his own choices and learn from those also," he said as he stood up and left.
"Well, you got your way," said Courtney as she walked over to Frank.
"I didn't get my way Courtney-all I've been given is the chance to be a father to my son," said Frank as he walked on past her and went to meet Jack outside.
-------
"Are you feeling better now?" asked Chris as he walked back into the living room from changing clothes.
"Yeah, I am. I guess I just hate feeling helpless, especially when it concerns a child."
"I know the feeling. Did you know I helped Julie give birth to Christina?" he said, slightly proud.
"Really?"
"Yeah, and then I had to watch Lucy raise her for a little while-I couldn't say anything," he said as the phone went off. "Hello?"
"Ramsey, its Ian-we're at the hospital with Rafe and Caleb."
"Do you need me there?" he asked as Elizabeth tried to figure out who it was.
"You can come if you want. Rafe is pretty banged up, but we've got it under control."
"We'll be there in a few," he said as he hung up the phone. "Rafe is at the hospital, he's banged up, but should pull through," he said as she went to get her coat and head on over to the hospital.