Chapter 16
Brenda, Faith, and Carly were huddled downstairs with cups of hot tea and blankets. A storm had begun and the loud thunder made Carly jump each time. The children were all tucked away upstairs in bed. They were sharing a nursery and the girls were going to share the guest rooms upstairs. Faith only lived across the hall, but she didn't want to go over there alone; she didn't want to leave Carly.
Carly was feeling so alone and cold even though her friends were there to comfort her. What she really wanted was Sonny to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. She felt guilty that she didn't need Mark's comfort. Sonny was the only one who could truly make her happy.
"They'll find them," Brenda assured her as she put a hand on Carly's knee. "Don't worry."
"When Michael was a baby, I would swear to him that I'd never let anybody hurt him. Now this . . ."
"This wasn't your fault."
"I should have kept a closer eye on him!" Carly cried. "I should have . . ."
"This was an accident, Carly!" Faith replied. "Listen to me. Those kids love you very much and they trust that you're going to find them. They're strong. They'll be okay."
"Cadence wanted to call me mommy but she wasn't ready yet," Carly whispered. "She told me she would call me mommy one day. But she didn't get the chance. What if they're . . ."
"They're fine," Brenda replied. "Carly, maybe you should go get some sleep. You should relax."
"I can't sleep until those kids are found," Carly replied. "I should be out there looking for them."
"Going out there and getting yourself sick isn't going to help anything," Brenda reminded. At that moment, Faith put her hand over her mouth and ran upstairs for the bathroom. Brenda and Carly looked at each other with surprise.
"What the . . ." Carly began. When Faith descended the stairs, she looked rather pale and tired.
"Faith?" Brenda asked.
"I was going to tell you both," Faith began, "but when I found out Michael and Cadence were missing I figured it wasn't the best time."
"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Carly asked. Faith nodded meekly. She managed a small smile.
"I just found out today that I'm due in April. I'm having twins," Faith replied.
"Congratulations," Carly said softly, putting her hand on Faith's. "Does Jason know?"
"Yeah. I told him first," Faith replied.
"I'm happy for you," Brenda said. They all knew it wasn't the time for celebrating. They would put that off until the kids were found. Carly looked at Faith and she sighed.
"I hope you and Jason will be happy with your twins," she said with a grin.
"Thanks sweetie," Faith replied. A knock came to the door.
"It's Bianca," came Bianca's voice. Faith walked over and unlocked the door. She let a soaking wet Bianca in and locked the door behind her. Carly stood and went over to Bianca quickly. She took Miranda out of Bianca's arms and hurried her over to wrap her in some dry blankets. She handed Bianca a blanket too.
"Th-thanks," Bianca stammered as she shivered. At that moment, lightening flashed and the electricity went out. The girls freaked out for a moment before Carly walked over and lit a candle.
"There are more candles in the closet upstairs," Brenda said. She slowly made her way upstairs and came back down with a bunch of candles. After all of the candles were lit, the girls built a fire and Bianca sat next to it with Miranda in her arms.
A while later, Bianca and Miranda were in dry clothes and Miranda was sleeping upstairs. Bianca looked at Carly with worry in her eyes.
"What is it?" Carly asked.
"I saw Lorenzo Alcazar lurking outside of the building," she replied slowly. Carly's heart began to race and she quickly ran over and made sure the front door was secure and she locked the balcony door.
"I'm so scared," Carly whispered with tears in her eyes. She paused for a moment and a look of realization came over her face. "Oh God. He's out there . . . he must have the children somewhere."
"Jesus," Brenda said, shaking her head. "And I thought his brother was bad news . . ." Carly shook her head.
"If he's got my kids, I want to know where they're at." Carly jumped up, grabbed her coat, and hurried out of the penthouse. Faith and Bianca stood quickly to after her. Brenda would have if she hadn't been extremely pregnant. Carly got on the elevator and headed down to the lobby. She stormed out of the building and into the pouring rain. She saw Lorenzo standing out in the rain with an umbrella over his head.
"Carly," he began.
"Where are my kids?" she asked coldly.
"They're safe," he replied through clenched teeth. "You can see them for a price."
"What price?" Carly asked.
"If you'll be with me. Leave your husband and be with me."
"Go to hell," Carly replied angrily. "You're insane. If you don't tell me where my kids are right this instant, I will call Ric Lansing at the PCPD and I will have your ass arrested quicker than you can blink." She reached into her pocket for her cell phone and she began to dial the number for the PCPD.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lorenzo threatened.
"Why not?"
"Because all I have to do is push this speed dial button and your kids will be dead."
"Who are you working with?"
"Why would I tell you that?" Lorenzo asked. "You hurt me, Carly. You broke my heart. I am in the position to break yours too."
"There's no way you could do that. My heart has already been shattered into a million pieces because of what you've already done. The damage is done. Killing my kids would be the final blow," Carly replied.
"Well, your children deserve much more than that stupid husband of yours. They deserve a man who can teach them respect and can teach them what . . ."
"Who? You?!" Carly interrupted.
"I love you," Lorenzo replied.
"You're crazy!" Carly screamed.
"You have a week to decide between me or your family."
"If I say no to you?"
"You don't want to go to your children's funeral do you?" he asked with a snarl.
"I'll see you in Hell before I ever let you hurt my kids!" Carly sobbed. Lorenzo walked away and Carly realized that the rain was pouring down on her. She didn't care. She just wanted her kids back.
"Hey!" came a voice from behind. Carly turned around to see Lucky running past her. He ran for Alcazar and he tackled him against a car.
"Lorenzo Alcazar, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Sonny Corinthos . . . and for the kidnapping of Michael Corinthos III and Cadence Conrad." As Lucky read Lorenzo his rights, Carly watched with hatred in her eyes for the son-of-a-bitch that took her kids. Lucky put Lorenzo in the back of his police car and turned to Carly. "I got the whole thing on tape. He's not going to hurt you anymore." Lucky took off with Lorenzo while Carly stood there wondering where her kids were and who was with them.
**
Sonny, Jason, and Mark entered Jake's bar. Nobody was there drinking, dancing, or playing pool. Coleman, the manager of the bar, was seated behind the counter polishing some shot glasses.
"Evening gentlemen," he said with a nod.
"Have you seen anybody come near here that looked suspicious?" Mark asked quickly.
"I see a lot of suspicious people, buddy," Coleman replied. "Including you three."
"Have you seen any kids? A little boy with red hair and a little girl with blonde?" Sonny asked.
"I haven't seen any kids around here," Coleman replied. "You gotta be twenty one to be in here."
"Well, we all know you aren't for following the rules," Jason remarked. Coleman ignored Jason's comment.
"Besides, you aren't going to find anybody out in that storm, if you're lookin'. Can I buy you boys a drink?" Sonny's cell phone rang and he quickly picked it up.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Sonny," came Carly's shaky voice. Sonny's eyes went wide.
"Carly? What's wrong?" he asked. Mark looked at Sonny.
"Let me talk to my wife," he said, reaching for the phone. Sonny smacked his arm away.
"Carly? What's wrong?" Sonny asked.
"I saw Alcazar," she started. "He said he has the kids. He's working with somebody. He said that with a press of a button on his cell phone, the kids would die. That means somebody is waiting for his call. Sonny, Lucky arrested him. Now we don't know where the kids are or who they're with . . . Sonny, I'm so scared." She began to bawl. Sonny got so angry when he heard this that the rage built up inside of him. Both of his legs jerked and Jason and Mark looked at Sonny as if he was a bomb that was going to explode.
Sonny realized that talking to Carly and getting angry about Alcazar had helped him feel more in his legs. The situation had given Sonny more to think about than just himself and he was now able to feel more than he could before because he hadn't been thinking about the paralysis. A spark of hope rose for Sonny and he took a deep breath.
"I'll be at the penthouse and soon as I can," he said quickly. "We're going to get our son back and . . . we'll get Cadence back too." Sonny hung up and he headed for the door.
"I'm going with you," Mark said quickly.
"You're staying here with Jason. I don't have time to argue with you. Carly's worried and I need to get to her." He turned to Jason. "Please, just keep looking for the kids." Sonny left Jake's bar and Mark turned to Jason.
"I'm going to follow him," he started.
"No you aren't. Cadence needs you and Sonny is going to be back as soon as he gets to Carly," Jason replied quickly. "You and I are better off looking for the kids because we can hide a lot easier than a guy in a wheel chair. Now are you going to help me or not?" Mark took a deep breath and nodded.
"Let's go."
**
Bianca had taken Miranda upstairs to put her down in a crib to sleep. Carly was now sitting by the fire with a blanket over her shoulders. Her hair was still wet from the rain. She was waiting for Sonny to arrive. She almost wanted Mark there too, but she knew that Sonny was what she needed to comfort her right now. Carly's cell phone rang and she quickly picked it up.
"Sonny?" she asked.
"No. It's Lucky," her cousin replied. "I just wanted to tell you that we're holding Alcazar and we're questioning him on the whereabouts of your kids. He's going to be tried for attempted murder and for kidnapping."
"Thank you so much, Lucky," Carly breathed.
"You take care of yourself. We're going to find your kids." Carly hung up and she put her head in her hands.
"He's going to jail," she said with a sigh of relief. The women all hugged Carly. Just as Brenda was hugging her, she groaned loudly. Carly pulled back and Brenda clutched her belly.
"What's wrong?!" Carly asked.
"Sharp pain . . ."
"Like a contraction?" Faith asked.
"I don't know," Brenda replied.
"Here, let's get you up on the couch," Bianca replied. Bianca, Faith, and Carly helped their friend onto the couch and Brenda groaned again.
"Another one?" Carly asked. Brenda nodded and squinted her eyes in pain.
"You've got to get me to the hospital," Brenda cried. "The baby isn't due until December . . ."
"We'll get you to the hospital," Carly replied gently. She hurried out to the hallway.
"Mrs. Conrad?" he asked.
"I need you to get the limo pulled around here. Brenda's going into labor and it's too early. We've got to get her to General Hospital. Call up here when the limo's reads." Tony took off for the elevator and Carly joined the other girls in the living room.
"Dammit!" Brenda screamed as another pain ripped through her body.
"Shh, it's okay," Faith whispered.
"Just breathe," Bianca urged. Brenda breathed heavily. A few minutes later, Tony came into the penthouse.
"What's going on?" Carly asked.
"The roads to the hospital are flooded. There's no way we can get her to the hospital," Tony said quietly.
"What?!" Brenda asked. "Oh God!"
"Okay. Just . . . okay. It'll be okay," Carly whispered. Tony left and Carly, Faith, and Bianca looked at each other. They told themselves to keep calm for Brenda's sake. They had to figure out how to get help for Brenda before it was too late.
**
Sam's phone rang and she wondered if that was the call from Lorenzo to kill the little brats. She saw that it was actually one of Lorenzo's thugs. She answered it quietly.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Mr. Alcazar has been arrested," he said slowly. Sam shook her head and threw her phone down. She pulled her gun from her pocket and turned toward the door of the old food cellar. She bit her lower lip.
"I should kill the little brats right now," she said with a greedy smirk. That would be two less headaches." Then she got a gleam in her eye. She beamed happily. "Or I could return them to Carly. I would be the hero!" She was obviously insane as she worked up yet another scheme to make herself look good. "If I am the hero, Sonny will want me back. He'll be mine." She clapped and laughed happily. She turned toward the cellar again. "Time to go home, kiddies."
Brenda, Faith, and Carly were huddled downstairs with cups of hot tea and blankets. A storm had begun and the loud thunder made Carly jump each time. The children were all tucked away upstairs in bed. They were sharing a nursery and the girls were going to share the guest rooms upstairs. Faith only lived across the hall, but she didn't want to go over there alone; she didn't want to leave Carly.
Carly was feeling so alone and cold even though her friends were there to comfort her. What she really wanted was Sonny to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. She felt guilty that she didn't need Mark's comfort. Sonny was the only one who could truly make her happy.
"They'll find them," Brenda assured her as she put a hand on Carly's knee. "Don't worry."
"When Michael was a baby, I would swear to him that I'd never let anybody hurt him. Now this . . ."
"This wasn't your fault."
"I should have kept a closer eye on him!" Carly cried. "I should have . . ."
"This was an accident, Carly!" Faith replied. "Listen to me. Those kids love you very much and they trust that you're going to find them. They're strong. They'll be okay."
"Cadence wanted to call me mommy but she wasn't ready yet," Carly whispered. "She told me she would call me mommy one day. But she didn't get the chance. What if they're . . ."
"They're fine," Brenda replied. "Carly, maybe you should go get some sleep. You should relax."
"I can't sleep until those kids are found," Carly replied. "I should be out there looking for them."
"Going out there and getting yourself sick isn't going to help anything," Brenda reminded. At that moment, Faith put her hand over her mouth and ran upstairs for the bathroom. Brenda and Carly looked at each other with surprise.
"What the . . ." Carly began. When Faith descended the stairs, she looked rather pale and tired.
"Faith?" Brenda asked.
"I was going to tell you both," Faith began, "but when I found out Michael and Cadence were missing I figured it wasn't the best time."
"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Carly asked. Faith nodded meekly. She managed a small smile.
"I just found out today that I'm due in April. I'm having twins," Faith replied.
"Congratulations," Carly said softly, putting her hand on Faith's. "Does Jason know?"
"Yeah. I told him first," Faith replied.
"I'm happy for you," Brenda said. They all knew it wasn't the time for celebrating. They would put that off until the kids were found. Carly looked at Faith and she sighed.
"I hope you and Jason will be happy with your twins," she said with a grin.
"Thanks sweetie," Faith replied. A knock came to the door.
"It's Bianca," came Bianca's voice. Faith walked over and unlocked the door. She let a soaking wet Bianca in and locked the door behind her. Carly stood and went over to Bianca quickly. She took Miranda out of Bianca's arms and hurried her over to wrap her in some dry blankets. She handed Bianca a blanket too.
"Th-thanks," Bianca stammered as she shivered. At that moment, lightening flashed and the electricity went out. The girls freaked out for a moment before Carly walked over and lit a candle.
"There are more candles in the closet upstairs," Brenda said. She slowly made her way upstairs and came back down with a bunch of candles. After all of the candles were lit, the girls built a fire and Bianca sat next to it with Miranda in her arms.
A while later, Bianca and Miranda were in dry clothes and Miranda was sleeping upstairs. Bianca looked at Carly with worry in her eyes.
"What is it?" Carly asked.
"I saw Lorenzo Alcazar lurking outside of the building," she replied slowly. Carly's heart began to race and she quickly ran over and made sure the front door was secure and she locked the balcony door.
"I'm so scared," Carly whispered with tears in her eyes. She paused for a moment and a look of realization came over her face. "Oh God. He's out there . . . he must have the children somewhere."
"Jesus," Brenda said, shaking her head. "And I thought his brother was bad news . . ." Carly shook her head.
"If he's got my kids, I want to know where they're at." Carly jumped up, grabbed her coat, and hurried out of the penthouse. Faith and Bianca stood quickly to after her. Brenda would have if she hadn't been extremely pregnant. Carly got on the elevator and headed down to the lobby. She stormed out of the building and into the pouring rain. She saw Lorenzo standing out in the rain with an umbrella over his head.
"Carly," he began.
"Where are my kids?" she asked coldly.
"They're safe," he replied through clenched teeth. "You can see them for a price."
"What price?" Carly asked.
"If you'll be with me. Leave your husband and be with me."
"Go to hell," Carly replied angrily. "You're insane. If you don't tell me where my kids are right this instant, I will call Ric Lansing at the PCPD and I will have your ass arrested quicker than you can blink." She reached into her pocket for her cell phone and she began to dial the number for the PCPD.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lorenzo threatened.
"Why not?"
"Because all I have to do is push this speed dial button and your kids will be dead."
"Who are you working with?"
"Why would I tell you that?" Lorenzo asked. "You hurt me, Carly. You broke my heart. I am in the position to break yours too."
"There's no way you could do that. My heart has already been shattered into a million pieces because of what you've already done. The damage is done. Killing my kids would be the final blow," Carly replied.
"Well, your children deserve much more than that stupid husband of yours. They deserve a man who can teach them respect and can teach them what . . ."
"Who? You?!" Carly interrupted.
"I love you," Lorenzo replied.
"You're crazy!" Carly screamed.
"You have a week to decide between me or your family."
"If I say no to you?"
"You don't want to go to your children's funeral do you?" he asked with a snarl.
"I'll see you in Hell before I ever let you hurt my kids!" Carly sobbed. Lorenzo walked away and Carly realized that the rain was pouring down on her. She didn't care. She just wanted her kids back.
"Hey!" came a voice from behind. Carly turned around to see Lucky running past her. He ran for Alcazar and he tackled him against a car.
"Lorenzo Alcazar, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Sonny Corinthos . . . and for the kidnapping of Michael Corinthos III and Cadence Conrad." As Lucky read Lorenzo his rights, Carly watched with hatred in her eyes for the son-of-a-bitch that took her kids. Lucky put Lorenzo in the back of his police car and turned to Carly. "I got the whole thing on tape. He's not going to hurt you anymore." Lucky took off with Lorenzo while Carly stood there wondering where her kids were and who was with them.
**
Sonny, Jason, and Mark entered Jake's bar. Nobody was there drinking, dancing, or playing pool. Coleman, the manager of the bar, was seated behind the counter polishing some shot glasses.
"Evening gentlemen," he said with a nod.
"Have you seen anybody come near here that looked suspicious?" Mark asked quickly.
"I see a lot of suspicious people, buddy," Coleman replied. "Including you three."
"Have you seen any kids? A little boy with red hair and a little girl with blonde?" Sonny asked.
"I haven't seen any kids around here," Coleman replied. "You gotta be twenty one to be in here."
"Well, we all know you aren't for following the rules," Jason remarked. Coleman ignored Jason's comment.
"Besides, you aren't going to find anybody out in that storm, if you're lookin'. Can I buy you boys a drink?" Sonny's cell phone rang and he quickly picked it up.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Sonny," came Carly's shaky voice. Sonny's eyes went wide.
"Carly? What's wrong?" he asked. Mark looked at Sonny.
"Let me talk to my wife," he said, reaching for the phone. Sonny smacked his arm away.
"Carly? What's wrong?" Sonny asked.
"I saw Alcazar," she started. "He said he has the kids. He's working with somebody. He said that with a press of a button on his cell phone, the kids would die. That means somebody is waiting for his call. Sonny, Lucky arrested him. Now we don't know where the kids are or who they're with . . . Sonny, I'm so scared." She began to bawl. Sonny got so angry when he heard this that the rage built up inside of him. Both of his legs jerked and Jason and Mark looked at Sonny as if he was a bomb that was going to explode.
Sonny realized that talking to Carly and getting angry about Alcazar had helped him feel more in his legs. The situation had given Sonny more to think about than just himself and he was now able to feel more than he could before because he hadn't been thinking about the paralysis. A spark of hope rose for Sonny and he took a deep breath.
"I'll be at the penthouse and soon as I can," he said quickly. "We're going to get our son back and . . . we'll get Cadence back too." Sonny hung up and he headed for the door.
"I'm going with you," Mark said quickly.
"You're staying here with Jason. I don't have time to argue with you. Carly's worried and I need to get to her." He turned to Jason. "Please, just keep looking for the kids." Sonny left Jake's bar and Mark turned to Jason.
"I'm going to follow him," he started.
"No you aren't. Cadence needs you and Sonny is going to be back as soon as he gets to Carly," Jason replied quickly. "You and I are better off looking for the kids because we can hide a lot easier than a guy in a wheel chair. Now are you going to help me or not?" Mark took a deep breath and nodded.
"Let's go."
**
Bianca had taken Miranda upstairs to put her down in a crib to sleep. Carly was now sitting by the fire with a blanket over her shoulders. Her hair was still wet from the rain. She was waiting for Sonny to arrive. She almost wanted Mark there too, but she knew that Sonny was what she needed to comfort her right now. Carly's cell phone rang and she quickly picked it up.
"Sonny?" she asked.
"No. It's Lucky," her cousin replied. "I just wanted to tell you that we're holding Alcazar and we're questioning him on the whereabouts of your kids. He's going to be tried for attempted murder and for kidnapping."
"Thank you so much, Lucky," Carly breathed.
"You take care of yourself. We're going to find your kids." Carly hung up and she put her head in her hands.
"He's going to jail," she said with a sigh of relief. The women all hugged Carly. Just as Brenda was hugging her, she groaned loudly. Carly pulled back and Brenda clutched her belly.
"What's wrong?!" Carly asked.
"Sharp pain . . ."
"Like a contraction?" Faith asked.
"I don't know," Brenda replied.
"Here, let's get you up on the couch," Bianca replied. Bianca, Faith, and Carly helped their friend onto the couch and Brenda groaned again.
"Another one?" Carly asked. Brenda nodded and squinted her eyes in pain.
"You've got to get me to the hospital," Brenda cried. "The baby isn't due until December . . ."
"We'll get you to the hospital," Carly replied gently. She hurried out to the hallway.
"Mrs. Conrad?" he asked.
"I need you to get the limo pulled around here. Brenda's going into labor and it's too early. We've got to get her to General Hospital. Call up here when the limo's reads." Tony took off for the elevator and Carly joined the other girls in the living room.
"Dammit!" Brenda screamed as another pain ripped through her body.
"Shh, it's okay," Faith whispered.
"Just breathe," Bianca urged. Brenda breathed heavily. A few minutes later, Tony came into the penthouse.
"What's going on?" Carly asked.
"The roads to the hospital are flooded. There's no way we can get her to the hospital," Tony said quietly.
"What?!" Brenda asked. "Oh God!"
"Okay. Just . . . okay. It'll be okay," Carly whispered. Tony left and Carly, Faith, and Bianca looked at each other. They told themselves to keep calm for Brenda's sake. They had to figure out how to get help for Brenda before it was too late.
**
Sam's phone rang and she wondered if that was the call from Lorenzo to kill the little brats. She saw that it was actually one of Lorenzo's thugs. She answered it quietly.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Mr. Alcazar has been arrested," he said slowly. Sam shook her head and threw her phone down. She pulled her gun from her pocket and turned toward the door of the old food cellar. She bit her lower lip.
"I should kill the little brats right now," she said with a greedy smirk. That would be two less headaches." Then she got a gleam in her eye. She beamed happily. "Or I could return them to Carly. I would be the hero!" She was obviously insane as she worked up yet another scheme to make herself look good. "If I am the hero, Sonny will want me back. He'll be mine." She clapped and laughed happily. She turned toward the cellar again. "Time to go home, kiddies."