Bobbie had never truly realized how long the hallway was between the
emergency room and the waiting area was, but as she continued down the path
that she had traveled countless amounts of times she did think that it was
taking longer than it should have. She supposed it could have just been her
nerves. After all, Bobbie was still very worried about what was going to
happen, and even more worried about what she was going to say to anyone who
had to ask her about Damian's condition. It wasn't like she had something
to say that would make it all better. She had no panacea for his ailment.
She wished she did, but knew that medicine would always be limited in that
way. Of course, that was something that people were constantly being made
aware of on a daily basis. Damian himself had been informed of the faults
of medicine at a young age, when he lost his mother.
"Bobbie!"
Bobbie, hearing her voice called out, turned and saw the distinct face of Mike Corbin racing down to catch up with her. "Mike..." She smiled. At least Sonny had called him, unlike with the jail incident, it hadn't taken forever.
"Were you with him?"
"Yeah, I was."
"And?"
"It could be better, Mike," Bobbie responded. "There's so much that could be going better, but that doesn't mean that it's hopeless. There's still so much that could go worse, too. He's alive, and he'll more than likely make it through everything without much trouble."
"I came as soon as I found out."
"Everyone did," Bobbie said. "There are so many people waiting around, just for him."
"I'm sure it'd make him feel better, knowing that the people that he loves are all waiting around and worrying for him."
"I think it does make him feel better, Mike," Bobbie said wistfully. "I want to believe that he can feel them all thinking about him, waiting him to be better."
"Where were you headed?" Mike asked.
"To go talk with my daughter and anyone else who is out there waiting. I'm a little nervous."
"Would it help if you had an old friend by your side?" Mike gave a smile that showed he only wanted to care for Bobbie in the best way possible. He only wanted to be there for his friend, for the grandmother of his grandsons, at least two of them by blood if not all three by spirit. They would never have a romantic attraction to one another, but they did have a deep and binding trust.
"There's nothing I'd like more," Bobbie hugged Mike. "Thanks."
"Just trying to help you out, Bobbie."
"You are."
"Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting," Mike and Bobbie walked down the hall together.
Outside General Hospital-
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Ric asked Elizabeth as she got into Ric's car.
"What?" Elizabeth looked at him as he positioned himself in the driver's seat. "What would I have to hide?"
"I scared you in the hospital, didn't I?" Ric hadn't yet looked at her, as if he couldn't. "The way I acted around Carly when I should have been more concerned over Damian's health. Look, Elizabeth, I went there because I care about the boy, but I'm not going to stand around and let anyone, especially Carly, tell me that I don't know what it's like to care about someone."
"I know you were just being defensive," Elizabeth said honestly. She did know that Ric had been backed into a corner by Carly and that it wasn't fair the way she jumped down his throat without any reason at all. "But I don't think that you should have been acting like that, especially in the hospital."
"I didn't mean to offend you, and I didn't mean to do it," Ric sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to caring about people. I spent so long being alone, being neglected. It's not exactly something that I can dive right into and become an expert at right away."
"At least you can feel something, right?" Elizabeth asked. "It shows that you're a better person than you once were, that you're able to open your heart more than you could in the past."
"Elizabeth... if you'd like... if it would make you feel any better not being alone, I could go to your place or you could come back with me."
"Ric..."
"Nothing has to happen," Ric cut her off. "I know that you're thinking that I'm just using this as a cheap ploy to get you in bed, but nothing could be further from the truth. I'll even sleep on the couch or the floor if you want."
"It would be nice..."
"I'd like it, too," Ric said. "I don't really feel like being alone tonight, and I know that I can't stay at the hospital without getting grilled by Carly, Courtney, Sonny or someone else at every possible instance. I swear to you, Elizabeth, I will do nothing that will violate you in any way tonight. Please... just come home with me. We can have a cup of tea or coffee and just hold each other."
"And pray..."
"If that's what you want," Ric grabbed her hand. "We're united in our grief and worry, Elizabeth. We don't get that many chances to be together anymore. I'd hate to waste it."
Elizabeth was silent. She was thinking to herself about what was going on. Ric wouldn't try to hurt her. He never truly tried to hurt her ever, and he certainly wouldn't while he was busy worrying about his nephew. Besides, she certainly didn't want to be alone on that night. Maybe she never wanted to be alone again. "I'd hate it, too. Please, Ric, let's go home."
Ric smiled and started the car, "You know how much I love you, right?"
"You don't have to tell me over and over that you love me, Ric," Elizabeth said.
"No, but I want to." He turned behind and looked out the parking lot, backing out and then driving off. They would both return sometime, they couldn't stay away.
Corinthos Household-
Jason had been alone since he returned from dropping Dillon off at the hospital. He felt that he should have done something more for Dillon while he was at the mansion. After all, they were family. As much as Jason tried to deny it to himself they would always be united by blood. Obviously, Damian was getting to him on more than one level. Dillon was different, though. Dillon wasn't the type of person that would hurt him or anyone else.
His questions had to be placed on hold when Leticia called him and asked him to come over as soon as he could. Jason was out the door as soon as he put the phone down. He couldn't run, but it didn't take long to get across the hall. "Leticia!" He called out as he closed the door behind him.
Leticia came out of the kitchen holding Morgan in her arms. "Thanks for coming so fast, Jason."
"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "Is Morgan okay?"
"Yeah, I was just warming him some milk... it's Michael that's the problem." Leticia rocked Morgan softly.
"What do you mean? How is he being a problem?" Jason had an idea, but he needed to know for sure.
"He's worried about Damian. Not that I blame him. I keep on trying to get him to sleep, Jason, but he won't. He'll say that he doesn't want to close his eyes because he's afraid that something is going to happen. I don't want to call Mr. or Mrs. Corinthos back from the hospital right now, and I know that Courtney is there, too. I was wondering if you could try and talk to Michael, make him feel better."
Jason knew that Michael was going to have a hard time dealing with the accident. "I'll do what I can, but I don't know how far I can get with him."
"You could do better than I did," Leticia replied. "He's shutting down to everyone, Jason. You're one of the only people that I could contact that can reach him."
"Just take care of Morgan, leave Michael to me," Jason walked up the stairs, which wasn't fun or comfortable with his injury, but Michael's wellbeing was much more important to him than his own pain.
Jason looked at the door, it was cracked open slightly. He could see that the room was a mess. Jason pushed the door open just a little more and he saw that Michael had basically tore his room up. Everything was scattered. His toys, his books, his clothes. Michael wasn't prone to acting up in a fit of rage like his father, but this showed that maybe he did have it in him. But more than anything else it only showed that Michael was having a very hard time dealing with what had happened.
Michael was sitting on the side of his bed, looking at the wall. He hadn't heard Jason come in, maybe he didn't want to.
"Buddy?" Jason asked softly.
"Leave me alone," Michael said.
"Michael, you know I'd never do anything to make you angry, I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to I'm right here."
"I don't want to talk..."
"Well, talking is a lot better than tearing your room apart," Jason took a few steps forward. "Look around, Michael. Look at the mess you made."
"I know..."
"Michael, you need to know that you didn't do anything wrong, not even with the way that you're acting. You're scared and hurt... and you don't know how to deal with what happened to your brother."
"Is he going to die, Uncle Jason?"
Jason felt himself become even more somber. Michael was thinking about something that was so depressing, something that no child his own age should have been worried about. Mortality shouldn't have been a concept to Michael, but it was and there was no way that he could change that.
"I know that everyone is going to die sometime," Michael added. "But I don't want Damian to die yet, Uncle Jason."
"Nobody does, buddy," Jason sat on the edge of the bed, since sitting on the ground really wasn't an option.
"I asked mommy, but I still don't know how much I should trust her."
"Michael, you should always trust your mother with everything. She loves you more than she loves anyone else in the world."
"But she doesn't love him," Michael said. "That's why I don't know if I can believe her. She wants to protect me, and maybe she wants him to live, but I know that I can't depend on her to give me the answer that I'm going to believe." Michael looked up, "Which is why I'm asking you. Everyone trusts you with everything."
"Michael, I can't really answer the question that you're asking because I don't decide who gets to live and who doesn't." Jason motioned for Michael to sit down next to him by lightly patting the part of the bed next to him. Michael got up and did what Jason asked. "But I know that your big brother is one of the strongest people that I've ever met. He's gone through so much since he was your age and he doesn't let anything beat him. I'm sure that, if he doesn't want to lose, he won't. He'll find a way to come back to you and to the rest of us as well."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Yeah, I do," Jason said softly. With Michael there was always some urge to give Michael everything that he could, to be the gentlest person that he could be. His fatherly instincts would never go away, even if he wasn't Michael's father anymore.
Michael hugged Jason, "I knew I could count on you."
"You can always count on me," Jason said, a small smile on his face breaking the blank plaster that he had worked so hard on in his life. "Now, why don't you get some sleep and tomorrow we'll clean up the mess that you made?"
"Could you wait for me to go to sleep and stay around in case I have a bad dream, Uncle Jason?"
"Yeah, buddy," Jason got off the bed and pulled down the covers, "I'll be happy to do that for you."
A few minutes later, Michael was in slumber land. Jason turned off the headlamp and walked out, looking at the sleeping boy that he cared so much about. He closed the door and hoped that he didn't tell Michael something that couldn't happen. In order for that to not come true, Damian had to survive.
"Bobbie!"
Bobbie, hearing her voice called out, turned and saw the distinct face of Mike Corbin racing down to catch up with her. "Mike..." She smiled. At least Sonny had called him, unlike with the jail incident, it hadn't taken forever.
"Were you with him?"
"Yeah, I was."
"And?"
"It could be better, Mike," Bobbie responded. "There's so much that could be going better, but that doesn't mean that it's hopeless. There's still so much that could go worse, too. He's alive, and he'll more than likely make it through everything without much trouble."
"I came as soon as I found out."
"Everyone did," Bobbie said. "There are so many people waiting around, just for him."
"I'm sure it'd make him feel better, knowing that the people that he loves are all waiting around and worrying for him."
"I think it does make him feel better, Mike," Bobbie said wistfully. "I want to believe that he can feel them all thinking about him, waiting him to be better."
"Where were you headed?" Mike asked.
"To go talk with my daughter and anyone else who is out there waiting. I'm a little nervous."
"Would it help if you had an old friend by your side?" Mike gave a smile that showed he only wanted to care for Bobbie in the best way possible. He only wanted to be there for his friend, for the grandmother of his grandsons, at least two of them by blood if not all three by spirit. They would never have a romantic attraction to one another, but they did have a deep and binding trust.
"There's nothing I'd like more," Bobbie hugged Mike. "Thanks."
"Just trying to help you out, Bobbie."
"You are."
"Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting," Mike and Bobbie walked down the hall together.
Outside General Hospital-
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Ric asked Elizabeth as she got into Ric's car.
"What?" Elizabeth looked at him as he positioned himself in the driver's seat. "What would I have to hide?"
"I scared you in the hospital, didn't I?" Ric hadn't yet looked at her, as if he couldn't. "The way I acted around Carly when I should have been more concerned over Damian's health. Look, Elizabeth, I went there because I care about the boy, but I'm not going to stand around and let anyone, especially Carly, tell me that I don't know what it's like to care about someone."
"I know you were just being defensive," Elizabeth said honestly. She did know that Ric had been backed into a corner by Carly and that it wasn't fair the way she jumped down his throat without any reason at all. "But I don't think that you should have been acting like that, especially in the hospital."
"I didn't mean to offend you, and I didn't mean to do it," Ric sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to caring about people. I spent so long being alone, being neglected. It's not exactly something that I can dive right into and become an expert at right away."
"At least you can feel something, right?" Elizabeth asked. "It shows that you're a better person than you once were, that you're able to open your heart more than you could in the past."
"Elizabeth... if you'd like... if it would make you feel any better not being alone, I could go to your place or you could come back with me."
"Ric..."
"Nothing has to happen," Ric cut her off. "I know that you're thinking that I'm just using this as a cheap ploy to get you in bed, but nothing could be further from the truth. I'll even sleep on the couch or the floor if you want."
"It would be nice..."
"I'd like it, too," Ric said. "I don't really feel like being alone tonight, and I know that I can't stay at the hospital without getting grilled by Carly, Courtney, Sonny or someone else at every possible instance. I swear to you, Elizabeth, I will do nothing that will violate you in any way tonight. Please... just come home with me. We can have a cup of tea or coffee and just hold each other."
"And pray..."
"If that's what you want," Ric grabbed her hand. "We're united in our grief and worry, Elizabeth. We don't get that many chances to be together anymore. I'd hate to waste it."
Elizabeth was silent. She was thinking to herself about what was going on. Ric wouldn't try to hurt her. He never truly tried to hurt her ever, and he certainly wouldn't while he was busy worrying about his nephew. Besides, she certainly didn't want to be alone on that night. Maybe she never wanted to be alone again. "I'd hate it, too. Please, Ric, let's go home."
Ric smiled and started the car, "You know how much I love you, right?"
"You don't have to tell me over and over that you love me, Ric," Elizabeth said.
"No, but I want to." He turned behind and looked out the parking lot, backing out and then driving off. They would both return sometime, they couldn't stay away.
Corinthos Household-
Jason had been alone since he returned from dropping Dillon off at the hospital. He felt that he should have done something more for Dillon while he was at the mansion. After all, they were family. As much as Jason tried to deny it to himself they would always be united by blood. Obviously, Damian was getting to him on more than one level. Dillon was different, though. Dillon wasn't the type of person that would hurt him or anyone else.
His questions had to be placed on hold when Leticia called him and asked him to come over as soon as he could. Jason was out the door as soon as he put the phone down. He couldn't run, but it didn't take long to get across the hall. "Leticia!" He called out as he closed the door behind him.
Leticia came out of the kitchen holding Morgan in her arms. "Thanks for coming so fast, Jason."
"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "Is Morgan okay?"
"Yeah, I was just warming him some milk... it's Michael that's the problem." Leticia rocked Morgan softly.
"What do you mean? How is he being a problem?" Jason had an idea, but he needed to know for sure.
"He's worried about Damian. Not that I blame him. I keep on trying to get him to sleep, Jason, but he won't. He'll say that he doesn't want to close his eyes because he's afraid that something is going to happen. I don't want to call Mr. or Mrs. Corinthos back from the hospital right now, and I know that Courtney is there, too. I was wondering if you could try and talk to Michael, make him feel better."
Jason knew that Michael was going to have a hard time dealing with the accident. "I'll do what I can, but I don't know how far I can get with him."
"You could do better than I did," Leticia replied. "He's shutting down to everyone, Jason. You're one of the only people that I could contact that can reach him."
"Just take care of Morgan, leave Michael to me," Jason walked up the stairs, which wasn't fun or comfortable with his injury, but Michael's wellbeing was much more important to him than his own pain.
Jason looked at the door, it was cracked open slightly. He could see that the room was a mess. Jason pushed the door open just a little more and he saw that Michael had basically tore his room up. Everything was scattered. His toys, his books, his clothes. Michael wasn't prone to acting up in a fit of rage like his father, but this showed that maybe he did have it in him. But more than anything else it only showed that Michael was having a very hard time dealing with what had happened.
Michael was sitting on the side of his bed, looking at the wall. He hadn't heard Jason come in, maybe he didn't want to.
"Buddy?" Jason asked softly.
"Leave me alone," Michael said.
"Michael, you know I'd never do anything to make you angry, I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to I'm right here."
"I don't want to talk..."
"Well, talking is a lot better than tearing your room apart," Jason took a few steps forward. "Look around, Michael. Look at the mess you made."
"I know..."
"Michael, you need to know that you didn't do anything wrong, not even with the way that you're acting. You're scared and hurt... and you don't know how to deal with what happened to your brother."
"Is he going to die, Uncle Jason?"
Jason felt himself become even more somber. Michael was thinking about something that was so depressing, something that no child his own age should have been worried about. Mortality shouldn't have been a concept to Michael, but it was and there was no way that he could change that.
"I know that everyone is going to die sometime," Michael added. "But I don't want Damian to die yet, Uncle Jason."
"Nobody does, buddy," Jason sat on the edge of the bed, since sitting on the ground really wasn't an option.
"I asked mommy, but I still don't know how much I should trust her."
"Michael, you should always trust your mother with everything. She loves you more than she loves anyone else in the world."
"But she doesn't love him," Michael said. "That's why I don't know if I can believe her. She wants to protect me, and maybe she wants him to live, but I know that I can't depend on her to give me the answer that I'm going to believe." Michael looked up, "Which is why I'm asking you. Everyone trusts you with everything."
"Michael, I can't really answer the question that you're asking because I don't decide who gets to live and who doesn't." Jason motioned for Michael to sit down next to him by lightly patting the part of the bed next to him. Michael got up and did what Jason asked. "But I know that your big brother is one of the strongest people that I've ever met. He's gone through so much since he was your age and he doesn't let anything beat him. I'm sure that, if he doesn't want to lose, he won't. He'll find a way to come back to you and to the rest of us as well."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Yeah, I do," Jason said softly. With Michael there was always some urge to give Michael everything that he could, to be the gentlest person that he could be. His fatherly instincts would never go away, even if he wasn't Michael's father anymore.
Michael hugged Jason, "I knew I could count on you."
"You can always count on me," Jason said, a small smile on his face breaking the blank plaster that he had worked so hard on in his life. "Now, why don't you get some sleep and tomorrow we'll clean up the mess that you made?"
"Could you wait for me to go to sleep and stay around in case I have a bad dream, Uncle Jason?"
"Yeah, buddy," Jason got off the bed and pulled down the covers, "I'll be happy to do that for you."
A few minutes later, Michael was in slumber land. Jason turned off the headlamp and walked out, looking at the sleeping boy that he cared so much about. He closed the door and hoped that he didn't tell Michael something that couldn't happen. In order for that to not come true, Damian had to survive.