Joy- I didn't take it badly, I was being sarcastic. I, too, have a love for
my mindset and how I make it such that the characters in this story can
never really have a moment of peace. Let me tell you, it's not always easy
throwing in something that will cause some sort of conflict in their lives,
sometimes I seriously just have to pull something out of my behind and hope
that it is something that the people enjoy. So far I've gotten lucky. I
intend on having a few moments where they are happy, I really, really do.
They had the first date, isn't that enough!? No... guess its not. Anyway,
yes, people think Damian is innocent. I actually don't know how believable
I'm making that one, though. I want to make it seem like they really would
think that he wouldn't do something, but I might be taking it too far.
Scott's corrupt ways shall be dealt with, mark my words! Yeah, part of the
reason I included Dillon, other than my severe and unusual love for that
boy, is because I wanted to give him something that he's never gotten, a
long-term male confidant. I mean, I suppose Tom could be one if they went
that way, but he hasn't been around for awhile, so... I'm actually kind of
sad that Tom's been MIA. At first I hated him, but then I saw that Georgie
could make him a decent person if she tried, and I wanted to see her try.
Alas, it doesn't appear to be in the cards.
I don't really think Jason and Dillon being allies in this situation is all that unusual. Granted, he's the black sheep of the Q clan, but he is still a Q, regardless of how much he wants to deny it, and Dillon has stated that he does look up to Jason. Really, who wouldn't? Even though Dillon's pretty much stirred away from the mob part of the show (which is both bad and good, since if he was still IN the mob part he'd get more airtime, but at least he's doing something unique) he's still got that side of him that wants to do something, regardless of how dangerous it might be. I want to see them grow closer, too. Maybe it will happen in this story, maybe not. About Jason Quatermaine, I never got to see him as Jason Quatermaine!!! I want to see what he was like so much, since he was apparently totally different. I just want to see the contrast.
Story-
General Hospital-
As she had done so many times in such a short span of time, Maxie found herself seeking solace in her job. She hated sounding so morbid and self- centered, but at least she could immerse herself in the problems of other people. They had it bad, they had it worse than her in reality. But, as she would often find her mind drifting towards the fact that all she could think of when her mind wasn't occupied by something else was Damian in a jail cell, she knew that at least by working with those people it meant that she was thinking about someone or something else.
She hadn't even talked to Georgie about it, which was somewhat surprising since Georgie was often her most reliable confidant in any situation, but especially matters of the heart. When she was with Kyle, when she was in a relationship that on some level she knew was wrong, Georgie was the only one who continually tried to show Maxie the light. The one that wouldn't give up on her even when she had every reason to do it. Maxie didn't want to burden Georgie with yet another one of her many problems. She had depended on her little sister to be her rock for so long when it should have been the other way around. She was the big sister. She was the one that Georgie should have been coming to for advice and comfort. Maxie always managed to find a way to mess up everything that went on in her life, without fail.
She would often find herself asking about her path in life. It wasn't that uncommon, because she was at that age where it was expected that she should know what she was going to do with her life, but she didn't. Maxie really had very little desire to set her path in life. She knew that she enjoyed helping people at the hospital, and she had been looking towards Nursing, albeit halfheartedly. She didn't have enough confidence in herself to learn everything that no doubt came with the profession. She wasn't smart. She wasn't like Georgie, who could do everything and anything if she set her mind to it. Maxie couldn't do anything, no matter how hard she tried. She wasn't like Damian, who knew at such a young age that he wanted to be a doctor. Maybe because she didn't have the trauma that he did. Whatever the reason, she should have known or at least had a vague idea of her possible future, and yet she had nothing.
"Maxie?"
Maxie looked up and smiled, "Hi, Uncle Tony."
Tony Jones, her uncle through her father, was once one of the best doctors on the staff. He was still very important to the workings, but he was no longer able to do what he could once do. Carly had seen to that, however justified her reasoning was at the time, if she even had an actual justified reason. Now, however, Tony wasn't a doctor at the place that Maxie worked, he wasn't even her superior. He was just her uncle, the one somewhat constant link to her true father that she had. He didn't mind that Mac had taken the girls as his own, he was good with them, Tony saw that. "Are you okay?" Tony asked, having noticed that his niece was acting somewhat absentminded, even by her slightly lower standards.
Maxie's smile didn't fade. She didn't want to burden anyone with her problems. Not her sister. Not her uncle. No one. The only one who should have been worrying about her problems was Maxie alone. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Tony didn't waiver. He wasn't certain at all that she was as adjusted as she tried to make herself appear. "There's nothing that you want to tell me or talk to me about? We might not see that much of each other, Maxie, but I'm still your uncle and I still care about you very much."
Maxie never once denied the fact that Tony did care for herself and Georgie. She wasn't sure why he felt that he needed to state it again. "There's nothing wrong with me, Uncle Tony. I swear." Eventually, she had no doubt that her lie would catch up with her. It always did. But for now it was the only thing that she could do. She didn't want to talk about it, so she wouldn't.
"How's your mother?" Tony still thought of Felicia as a member of her family, even though she and Frisco were no longer together. He was genuinely concerned with how Felicia was holding up after her accident with the horse in Texas. He figured that Maxie, even with the abandonment issues that festered with her mother, would know. It would also be a probable reason for why she was acting like she was hiding something. Tony knew that she wasn't being entirely honest with him, but he respected her choice to let people into her life at her own discretion.
"I'm not really sure," Maxie admitted. "I don't pay that much attention to what's going on with mom. She seemed to be doing a lot better from the last thing that I was told. I'm sure that she'll recover. Dad said that it wasn't all that bad, she was just in the hospital for a couple days just as a precaution."
"Felicia's a tough woman," Tony stated. "She'd have to be in order to survive going a few rounds with my brother!" He chuckled and Maxie chuckled with him, although it was more out of respect than genuine interest in either of her biological parents. To her, as much as she didn't enjoy admitting it, Mac was the only one that mattered to her. Tony stopped laughing, "You know, Maxie, I'm really proud of you."
"For what reason?"
Tony leaned against the counter, "I can't believe you haven't noticed it, but you've changed so much from the immature teenager that you used to be. Look at yourself, Maxie, you've been volunteering here for years and you're one of the best that we have on staff. You help us when we need the help and you don't even try to slack off. You're all business when you're here, and that's something that we all respect, but I respect it more than most. I'm all too aware of the irresponsibility that comes with having our last name. You could have just as easily been the type of person that Frisco is. That thirst for adventure is part of your legacy, but you've ignored it and instead turned your life around to better the lives of other people."
"I'm nothing special, Uncle Tony," Maxie said softly.
"You're special to so many people, Maxie, you just don't want to see it. You're special to me, to Mac, to Bobbie, to Georgie, to Dillon, and you're very special to that boyfriend of yours."
Damian. Maxie tried to fight back the tears that came with remembering him again. She hated being so weepy, but she couldn't help it. "Thanks for the praise, Uncle Tony," Maxie grabbed a random file off the counter. "But, I really should check up on this patient. If you'll excuse me?"
Tony nodded, "I just had a few minutes and I wanted to let you know how much pride I have in you. I wish Lucas could have half the drive that you do."
The thought should have made Maxie feel proud about herself, but she was too busy going through another bout of depression about her boyfriend. She didn't even say anything to him, she just left.
Bobbie came up from the elevator as Tony was walking into it. "Could you do me a favor?" Tony asked his ex-wife.
"Depends on the favor," Bobbie responded.
"Watch Maxie," Tony told her. "She's depressed about something, but she's not telling me. Maybe she'll open up to you."
"I won't force Maxie to tell me anything that she doesn't want to," Bobbie stated. "She knows that she can tell me anything when she's ready."
"Just... make sure that she doesn't let herself get too far into her depression, Bobbie. Please."
She nodded. She couldn't deny him something like that. "I'll watch her, Tony."
"Thanks," Tony closed the door of the elevator and was gone in an instant.
Bobbie frowned, thinking of how sad Maxie may have been. She wasn't entirely sure why Maxie was sad. There was always the possibility of Felicia, but Maxie didn't seem to be very affected by her mother's plight, at least out of general concern for the woman. It was more than likely Damian.
Out of one of the other elevators came a surprise for Bobbie. Her daughter and Michael came out. Carly was holding Michael's hand. He didn't seem to be very pleased either. It only made Bobbie worry about what was going on even more. Like always, however, she was one of the last people to find out anything.
Bobbie knelt down and hugged Michael. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Grandma, do good people go to prison for not doing anything bad?" Michael asked.
Carly winced at the question. She never wanted her son to wonder about such questions. She wanted to keep him protected, even if that wasn't exactly the path with the highest success rate, given the life that they led. "Honey, why don't you go to the vending machine and get a soda or something?"
Michael looked up, "Okay." His voice was devoid of cheer. Even while he walked away his head hung to the ground low.
Bobbie watched Michael turn the corner. She was waiting for him to get far enough away before she went on a tirade. "What the hell happened?"
"Mom..."
"Carly, just tell me!" Bobbie stated angrily. "Do you know how hard it is for me to look at my grandson and see him hurt like that? I don't know what is going on, but I want to find out and help him through it as best I can."
"Damian was arrested last night, mom," Carly said.
Bobbie put a hand over her open mouth. "No... why?"
"The docks, the massacre. They said that he was involved with it."
Bobbie shook her head, "There's no way he could have been. He would never do something like that."
"Baldwin thinks differently," Carly pointed out.
"Scott?" Bobbie thought of the man that once shared, among other things, her heart. "Why would he do something like that?"
"Why else, mother?" Carly wondered. "Because he wants the fame that comes with a high profile arrest, it only feeds that man's sick ego trip."
Bobbie sighed. She knew that Scott could be ruthless, but this was too much, even for him. "Thank you for telling me..."
"Michael's taking it really hard, mom. I don't know what to do. I brought him here because I'm going to take him to Kelly's for some ice cream after we leave. I need to find something that will cheer him up. It's scaring me, mom."
"Just give him time," Bobbie said. "Children have a harder time dealing with such a situation than we do. The best thing we can do for Michael is wait for him to accept what happened and know that everything is going to be okay."
"It might not be okay, though," Carly said softly. "We might not be able to get him out."
"What?"
"I don't know, mom. Everything that is being stacked up against him is pretty iron clad. Even though it's all false evidence. Sonny wants to break him out, but Damian isn't complying with that."
"I'm surprised Sony's even taking someone else's feelings into consideration," Bobbie admitted with just a tinge of bitterness in her voice.
"Mom... Sonny doesn't want to lose Damian again. It happened once, he won't let it happen again."
"Good," Bobbie said. "He's realizing just how precious that young man is."
Elsewhere in the hospital-
Maxie lied about checking up on the patient. She didn't even go into a patient's room. She instead stayed hidden in the snack area. She leaned against the vending machine and sobbed.
"Maxie?"
Maxie knew that voice. She wiped her tears away, "Michael, why are you here?"
"Mommy took me to see Grandma so that she could tell Grandma about Damian." Michael looked up at her. "Why were you crying? Are you hurt?"
"No," She said in-between sobs. "I'm fine."
"I'm not," Michael admitted. "I'm afraid. The bad people are trying to make Damian seem like he's a bad person, too, but he isn't."
"No, he isn't."
"That's why you're crying, isn't it?" Michael observed. "You're worried about him."
Maxie couldn't lie to the boy. She was surprised that he knew. But since he did, there was no reason to try and hide anything. "Yes, I am."
"He wouldn't like it if he knew that he made you cry," Michael took a few steps towards her. "Don't cry for him, Maxie. You have to stay strong."
Maxie knelt down and hugged him. "I'll be strong if you'll be strong."
"I'm not strong," Michael said. "I can't be strong... but I'll try."
Maxie nodded, "So will I."
I don't really think Jason and Dillon being allies in this situation is all that unusual. Granted, he's the black sheep of the Q clan, but he is still a Q, regardless of how much he wants to deny it, and Dillon has stated that he does look up to Jason. Really, who wouldn't? Even though Dillon's pretty much stirred away from the mob part of the show (which is both bad and good, since if he was still IN the mob part he'd get more airtime, but at least he's doing something unique) he's still got that side of him that wants to do something, regardless of how dangerous it might be. I want to see them grow closer, too. Maybe it will happen in this story, maybe not. About Jason Quatermaine, I never got to see him as Jason Quatermaine!!! I want to see what he was like so much, since he was apparently totally different. I just want to see the contrast.
Story-
General Hospital-
As she had done so many times in such a short span of time, Maxie found herself seeking solace in her job. She hated sounding so morbid and self- centered, but at least she could immerse herself in the problems of other people. They had it bad, they had it worse than her in reality. But, as she would often find her mind drifting towards the fact that all she could think of when her mind wasn't occupied by something else was Damian in a jail cell, she knew that at least by working with those people it meant that she was thinking about someone or something else.
She hadn't even talked to Georgie about it, which was somewhat surprising since Georgie was often her most reliable confidant in any situation, but especially matters of the heart. When she was with Kyle, when she was in a relationship that on some level she knew was wrong, Georgie was the only one who continually tried to show Maxie the light. The one that wouldn't give up on her even when she had every reason to do it. Maxie didn't want to burden Georgie with yet another one of her many problems. She had depended on her little sister to be her rock for so long when it should have been the other way around. She was the big sister. She was the one that Georgie should have been coming to for advice and comfort. Maxie always managed to find a way to mess up everything that went on in her life, without fail.
She would often find herself asking about her path in life. It wasn't that uncommon, because she was at that age where it was expected that she should know what she was going to do with her life, but she didn't. Maxie really had very little desire to set her path in life. She knew that she enjoyed helping people at the hospital, and she had been looking towards Nursing, albeit halfheartedly. She didn't have enough confidence in herself to learn everything that no doubt came with the profession. She wasn't smart. She wasn't like Georgie, who could do everything and anything if she set her mind to it. Maxie couldn't do anything, no matter how hard she tried. She wasn't like Damian, who knew at such a young age that he wanted to be a doctor. Maybe because she didn't have the trauma that he did. Whatever the reason, she should have known or at least had a vague idea of her possible future, and yet she had nothing.
"Maxie?"
Maxie looked up and smiled, "Hi, Uncle Tony."
Tony Jones, her uncle through her father, was once one of the best doctors on the staff. He was still very important to the workings, but he was no longer able to do what he could once do. Carly had seen to that, however justified her reasoning was at the time, if she even had an actual justified reason. Now, however, Tony wasn't a doctor at the place that Maxie worked, he wasn't even her superior. He was just her uncle, the one somewhat constant link to her true father that she had. He didn't mind that Mac had taken the girls as his own, he was good with them, Tony saw that. "Are you okay?" Tony asked, having noticed that his niece was acting somewhat absentminded, even by her slightly lower standards.
Maxie's smile didn't fade. She didn't want to burden anyone with her problems. Not her sister. Not her uncle. No one. The only one who should have been worrying about her problems was Maxie alone. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Tony didn't waiver. He wasn't certain at all that she was as adjusted as she tried to make herself appear. "There's nothing that you want to tell me or talk to me about? We might not see that much of each other, Maxie, but I'm still your uncle and I still care about you very much."
Maxie never once denied the fact that Tony did care for herself and Georgie. She wasn't sure why he felt that he needed to state it again. "There's nothing wrong with me, Uncle Tony. I swear." Eventually, she had no doubt that her lie would catch up with her. It always did. But for now it was the only thing that she could do. She didn't want to talk about it, so she wouldn't.
"How's your mother?" Tony still thought of Felicia as a member of her family, even though she and Frisco were no longer together. He was genuinely concerned with how Felicia was holding up after her accident with the horse in Texas. He figured that Maxie, even with the abandonment issues that festered with her mother, would know. It would also be a probable reason for why she was acting like she was hiding something. Tony knew that she wasn't being entirely honest with him, but he respected her choice to let people into her life at her own discretion.
"I'm not really sure," Maxie admitted. "I don't pay that much attention to what's going on with mom. She seemed to be doing a lot better from the last thing that I was told. I'm sure that she'll recover. Dad said that it wasn't all that bad, she was just in the hospital for a couple days just as a precaution."
"Felicia's a tough woman," Tony stated. "She'd have to be in order to survive going a few rounds with my brother!" He chuckled and Maxie chuckled with him, although it was more out of respect than genuine interest in either of her biological parents. To her, as much as she didn't enjoy admitting it, Mac was the only one that mattered to her. Tony stopped laughing, "You know, Maxie, I'm really proud of you."
"For what reason?"
Tony leaned against the counter, "I can't believe you haven't noticed it, but you've changed so much from the immature teenager that you used to be. Look at yourself, Maxie, you've been volunteering here for years and you're one of the best that we have on staff. You help us when we need the help and you don't even try to slack off. You're all business when you're here, and that's something that we all respect, but I respect it more than most. I'm all too aware of the irresponsibility that comes with having our last name. You could have just as easily been the type of person that Frisco is. That thirst for adventure is part of your legacy, but you've ignored it and instead turned your life around to better the lives of other people."
"I'm nothing special, Uncle Tony," Maxie said softly.
"You're special to so many people, Maxie, you just don't want to see it. You're special to me, to Mac, to Bobbie, to Georgie, to Dillon, and you're very special to that boyfriend of yours."
Damian. Maxie tried to fight back the tears that came with remembering him again. She hated being so weepy, but she couldn't help it. "Thanks for the praise, Uncle Tony," Maxie grabbed a random file off the counter. "But, I really should check up on this patient. If you'll excuse me?"
Tony nodded, "I just had a few minutes and I wanted to let you know how much pride I have in you. I wish Lucas could have half the drive that you do."
The thought should have made Maxie feel proud about herself, but she was too busy going through another bout of depression about her boyfriend. She didn't even say anything to him, she just left.
Bobbie came up from the elevator as Tony was walking into it. "Could you do me a favor?" Tony asked his ex-wife.
"Depends on the favor," Bobbie responded.
"Watch Maxie," Tony told her. "She's depressed about something, but she's not telling me. Maybe she'll open up to you."
"I won't force Maxie to tell me anything that she doesn't want to," Bobbie stated. "She knows that she can tell me anything when she's ready."
"Just... make sure that she doesn't let herself get too far into her depression, Bobbie. Please."
She nodded. She couldn't deny him something like that. "I'll watch her, Tony."
"Thanks," Tony closed the door of the elevator and was gone in an instant.
Bobbie frowned, thinking of how sad Maxie may have been. She wasn't entirely sure why Maxie was sad. There was always the possibility of Felicia, but Maxie didn't seem to be very affected by her mother's plight, at least out of general concern for the woman. It was more than likely Damian.
Out of one of the other elevators came a surprise for Bobbie. Her daughter and Michael came out. Carly was holding Michael's hand. He didn't seem to be very pleased either. It only made Bobbie worry about what was going on even more. Like always, however, she was one of the last people to find out anything.
Bobbie knelt down and hugged Michael. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Grandma, do good people go to prison for not doing anything bad?" Michael asked.
Carly winced at the question. She never wanted her son to wonder about such questions. She wanted to keep him protected, even if that wasn't exactly the path with the highest success rate, given the life that they led. "Honey, why don't you go to the vending machine and get a soda or something?"
Michael looked up, "Okay." His voice was devoid of cheer. Even while he walked away his head hung to the ground low.
Bobbie watched Michael turn the corner. She was waiting for him to get far enough away before she went on a tirade. "What the hell happened?"
"Mom..."
"Carly, just tell me!" Bobbie stated angrily. "Do you know how hard it is for me to look at my grandson and see him hurt like that? I don't know what is going on, but I want to find out and help him through it as best I can."
"Damian was arrested last night, mom," Carly said.
Bobbie put a hand over her open mouth. "No... why?"
"The docks, the massacre. They said that he was involved with it."
Bobbie shook her head, "There's no way he could have been. He would never do something like that."
"Baldwin thinks differently," Carly pointed out.
"Scott?" Bobbie thought of the man that once shared, among other things, her heart. "Why would he do something like that?"
"Why else, mother?" Carly wondered. "Because he wants the fame that comes with a high profile arrest, it only feeds that man's sick ego trip."
Bobbie sighed. She knew that Scott could be ruthless, but this was too much, even for him. "Thank you for telling me..."
"Michael's taking it really hard, mom. I don't know what to do. I brought him here because I'm going to take him to Kelly's for some ice cream after we leave. I need to find something that will cheer him up. It's scaring me, mom."
"Just give him time," Bobbie said. "Children have a harder time dealing with such a situation than we do. The best thing we can do for Michael is wait for him to accept what happened and know that everything is going to be okay."
"It might not be okay, though," Carly said softly. "We might not be able to get him out."
"What?"
"I don't know, mom. Everything that is being stacked up against him is pretty iron clad. Even though it's all false evidence. Sonny wants to break him out, but Damian isn't complying with that."
"I'm surprised Sony's even taking someone else's feelings into consideration," Bobbie admitted with just a tinge of bitterness in her voice.
"Mom... Sonny doesn't want to lose Damian again. It happened once, he won't let it happen again."
"Good," Bobbie said. "He's realizing just how precious that young man is."
Elsewhere in the hospital-
Maxie lied about checking up on the patient. She didn't even go into a patient's room. She instead stayed hidden in the snack area. She leaned against the vending machine and sobbed.
"Maxie?"
Maxie knew that voice. She wiped her tears away, "Michael, why are you here?"
"Mommy took me to see Grandma so that she could tell Grandma about Damian." Michael looked up at her. "Why were you crying? Are you hurt?"
"No," She said in-between sobs. "I'm fine."
"I'm not," Michael admitted. "I'm afraid. The bad people are trying to make Damian seem like he's a bad person, too, but he isn't."
"No, he isn't."
"That's why you're crying, isn't it?" Michael observed. "You're worried about him."
Maxie couldn't lie to the boy. She was surprised that he knew. But since he did, there was no reason to try and hide anything. "Yes, I am."
"He wouldn't like it if he knew that he made you cry," Michael took a few steps towards her. "Don't cry for him, Maxie. You have to stay strong."
Maxie knelt down and hugged him. "I'll be strong if you'll be strong."
"I'm not strong," Michael said. "I can't be strong... but I'll try."
Maxie nodded, "So will I."