Chapter 39

Tony looked up from his notes on the Moss case as the door to his office was pushed open, "what the hell?" he asked shooting to his feet as men in dark suits entered, one talking into his hand.  "OK, whatever the hell my brother did, I don't want to know," Tony muttered as he put his hands up in front of him.

"Tell me, Doctor Jones, does your brother usually do things that require visits from Treasury?" Abbey asked as she entered the room, her notebook in one hand, and took a seat.

"I umm. . ."

"Cat got your tongue?" she asked with a slight smirk.

 "No."

"To which question?"

"Both," he said distractedly.  "Is there something I could do for you?"

"Believe me, you don't want the answer to that right now," she replied as she crossed her legs.

"Excuse me."

"Let's just say that I don't like attending meetings where the other people are unprepared."

"I wasn't aware we were having a meeting," Tony replied as he moved files to look at his calendar.  Meanwhile the door to the office opened again and Chris and Eve walked in bickering slightly.  "Guys, I know we were supposed to meet to discuss the Moss case, but apparently it will have to wait. . ." he told them without looking up.

Eve and Chris shared a confused look, before Chris turned his attention to the older doctor: "Umm. . . Dr. Jones. . ."

"Look, just tell the consulting physician when they get here that I can't talk.  Something more. . . urgent. . . came up."

"Tony. . ." Eve started, but was stopped by a pointed look from Abbey.  "Tell me, Dr. Jones," the older woman interrupted as she turned her attention back to him, her voice tinged with annoyance.  "How do you know that what I have to discuss with you is more urgent than what these young doctors have, especially when you clearly have no idea why I'm here?"

Tony looked at her, a touch of surprise on his face at her tone.  "Well, I have no idea because someone didn't include you on my schedule.  However, I'm sure that due to your reputation as a doctor that the case you're here on must be extremely important."

"And you don't feel that all cases are?"

"We place different amounts of urgency on different cases," Tony hedged.

"And because of say. . . the profile of the people involved. . . some get a higher sense than others?"

"I. . . umm. . . I suppose you can say that," he answered at a lost for where she was going.

"Actually, I, for one happen to believe that all patients deserve the best care possible, and the sense of urgency should be brought on by the condition of the patient, not by the profile of those involved," Abbey shot back as levelly as possible while Tony sank into his seat.

"I umm. . ."

"And for your information," she bulldozed on, "Drs. Ramsey and Lambert won't have to be informing the consulting physician of anything, you just did yourself."

"I'm sorry.  I don't understand."

"Fine.  Then I'll spell it out for you.  I'm here because I'm consulting on the Moss case as a favor to Leo McGarry, I believe you met him earlier today."

"I'm. . . I. . . um, I hadn't realized."

"Apparently. Now, let's make sure we're all up to speed on things. . ."

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CJ reentered Donna's room with cups of coffee for herself and Josh, who was standing quietly in a corner.  "Detail's back in the building, they should be up soon with some more information," she told him quietly as she handed him his cup and took a sip from her own, watching the other three occupants of the room out of the corner of her eye. 

"Yeah," he sighed as he closed his eyes and hit his head against the wall.

"Why don't you just take something for your back?" she asked him casually, causing him to open his eyes in surprise.  "What? Think I didn't notice? In case you forgot I am more observant than Larry, Moe, and Curly-Locks over there."

Josh laughed slightly at the description, "There's not much about you I could forget," he muttered before taking a sip of his coffee and grimacing, "and we thought Ed and Larry couldn't make it?" he muttered with a shake of his head, before leaning his head against the wall and looking at her from half-closed lids.  "Besides I took one before the war council.  Too soon for another."

From the other side of the room, Ned stared at them while Carly talked softly to Donna and Jax paced.  "Jax," he called softly, causing the other man to pause midstep, "you recognized her, right?"

"Yeah."

"How again?" Ned asked, still trying to place not only the woman but the man as well.

"She worked for Isobel."

"Who?"

"Sorry.  One of Jerry's former girlfriends.  She runs a public relations firm that J&J used to use on occasion.  Brenda and Lois wanted to hire her for some L&B stuff, but she had taken a job elsewhere?"

"Where?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Why don't you two just ask her?" Carly asked as she turned her attention to them.

"Like we'd get any straight answers from these people?" Jax asked. 

Carly rolled her eyes, "they're Donna's friends."

"Lot of help they've been to her," Jax muttered, unaware of the looks that Josh and CJ were sharing as they over heard the conversation.  As the two were about to cut in, Ned shot back a retort of his own: "and we did so much better?"

"Ned. . ." Jax started in exasperation as Carly reached back and took hold of Ned's hand.

"I'm just saying we shouldn't be casting stones anywhere else," Ned replied softly.

"Then why are you asking questions?"

"Because I can't place where I know them from," he admitted.

CJ shrugged as she played with the lid of her coffee cup, "he's going to be the one who figures it out," she told Josh in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Wouldn't doubt it," Josh answered just as quietly as he took a drink out of his own cup.  "I just hope we have more time to get things rolling." CJ nodded in response as Carly turned her attention to them.  "So, umm, CJ. . . when was the last time you spoke to Donna?"

CJ turned at that, staring at the younger woman, trying to figure out what she was up to.  "A couple of weeks ago."

"Really?" Carly asked, surprised.

"You sound surprised."

Carly swallowed slightly as she was put on the spot: "oh, Donna just didn't mention it.  I mean, it seems funny that she would've had a friend in town and not have said anything.  I mean I know someone was supposed to fly in. . ." she shrugged, letting her voice drop off, a touch of accusation in her tone.

"Well, I wasn't in town.  I was in Land View on business."

"What type of business do you do again?"

CJ narrowed her eyes slightly, after years of practice knowing just how much information to give away and keep was second nature: "public speaking."

"Do you people give non evasive answers?" Jax asked.

"Depends on the question," she shrugged as the door to the room opened, and Ron Butterfield walked in. Ned, Jax, and Carly watched him suspiciously while he merely eyed them before nodding to CJ and Josh and exiting the room.

"Now that was weird," Carly muttered as CJ turned to Josh, "I'd move away from the wall if I were you," she suggested.

"Yeah, I'm not in the mood for another lecture on my health."

"Another?" CJ asked with a raised eyebrow, watching as Josh looked down at his feet and shifted sheepishly.  "Oh, mi amore," she said on a sigh as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't ok.  Because, like Toby said, you're not here for me."

"Actually, he said we weren't just here for you," CJ countered, "and he'd be the first to tell you about the importance of each word."

Josh shrugged away from her touch as he started to play with the lid on his coffee cup, "don't ok? I just. . ." he shook his head.

CJ merely nodded, knowing him and his ghosts well enough to drop the subject. Taking a  sip out of her own cup she eyed the door as she only said: "just be prepared to move away from the wall," hoping he'd pick up on the underlying concern.

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Felicia moved through the halls of WLPC with a speed born of frustration.  Her only reasoning for being there being that if she couldn't be with Luke she might as well work on something.  And with the mood she was in, now was the perfect time to work on the feature she was producing on cheating and its effects on the people involved.  Taking a turn, she stopped short, her eyes narrowing slightly when she realized that someone was using Tiffany's office.  "I don't believe someone would have the nerve.  Hell, if I can't use her office no one else is going to either," she huffed as she started towards the door and pulled it opened.

At that sound of the door opening, Toby raised his eyes from the printout he was reviewing while talking to one of INN's assistant news directors on the phone.  Upon taking her in, he returned his eyes to the printout.  "No, that won't due," he muttered into the phone.  "Have Karen call Bruno in the morning.  Explain I'm out of town and if he wants the interview he works with you two, other wise he can damned well wait. . . we'll do it by phone tomorrow. . . Regular time. . . Keep me informed," he finished as he reached across the desk to hang up the phone before putting aside the printout without acknowledging the blonde's presence. 

Annoyed, Felicia started to tap her foot.  Glaring at him, she crossed her arms over her chest while he reached for then opened a file, continuing to ignore her.  Blowing out a breath as he started to read the contents of the file, she uncrossed her arms, "well?" she demanded.

"Well what?" Toby shot back evenly, not even bothering to look up at her as he shifted the chair so that he could compare the information in the hardcopy he held to what he had brought up on his computer sometime earlier.

"Your excuse. . ." she prompted.

Toby speared her a glance out of the corner of his eyes as his frown deepened slightly, "you deserve one on something?" he asked as he returned his gaze to the monitor and started scrolling down.

"This is Tiffany Hill's office," Felicia spit out.

"Yeah, I know.  Wanna tell me why you barged into it," Toby replied distractedly as he reached over a pile and picked up his coffee cup.  With his attention focused on the information on the screen, he brought it to his lips and tipped it, only to pull it away and stare into an empty cup. "Figures," he muttered as he shrugged and turned the chair, Felicia's presence registering fully for the first time.  "You still here?"

Felicia bit here cheek as she mentally counted to ten.  "Perhaps you didn't understand me.  This. Is. Tiffany. Hill's. Office."

"And clearly you didn't understand me.  Why are you in here?"

"I don't know who you think you are, but I'm calling Harry!"

"Harry?"

"Very big security guard."

"Good it will save me the trouble."

"Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"Oh, I know exactly who I am," he replied stiffly.  "There's the door, why don't you use it?"

"I'm calling. . ."

"Harry, yeah you said," Toby interrupted with a dismissive wave in the direction of the door as he returned his attention to the stack of papers in front of him.  "Make sure you close the door behind you."

"Actually, I'm going to call Tiffany."

"Whatever.  Just don't wake up her kid while you're at it.  It apparently makes her pissier than usual."

Felicia stared at that, "who are you?"

"A man trying to get some work done," he retorted as he sat back down.

"Look," Felicia started, only to be interrupted by a voice from the doorway, "Excuse him, he's grumpier than usual when he doesn't have someone to order around."

Toby looked up in recognition of the voice. "Ginger, what in hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"Nice to see you too, Toby," the woman in the doorway laughed as she slid into the room and crossed it to stop in front of the desk and put a bag on it.  "Pie and coffee."

"Thanks.  Now, what are you doing here?"

"See what I mean?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at Felicia while pulling off her jacket, before turning back to him.  "Did you really think that Margaret wouldn't call in reinforcements?"

"Don't you have a job to be at?"

"Forgot who I now work for, didn't you?" she asked.

Toby sat back in his chair and tapped his fingers against the wood desktop as he went through a mental list of where the senior assistants had ended up, then nodded in understanding as he remembered that she was now working for Stackhouse.  "Both he and Andy said to call if you guys need anything," she informed him.

"Who leaked?"

"No one.  She was there when I went in to ask for the time off to be here.  The rest of the Sisterhood would be here too, but. . ." she shrugged, knowing he'd understand what wasn't said.  "Now what do you need me to do?"

"Before or after you get rid of," he paused as he looked at Felicia.  "Who are you by the way?"

"Felicia Scorpio-Jones."

"Right," he sighed as he started going through papers.  "After you show her out, you can go downstairs and look at file footage.  I managed to pull up a partial list, I just have to find it. . ."

"And you really thought you'd get by without help here? Puh-lease!" Ginger laughed as she turned towards Felicia.  "While he's getting his act together, why don't you show me where the coffee machine is.  I have a feeling it's going to be a long night," she asked as she crossed the room and extended her arm behind Felicia.  Put off balance, Felicia allowed herself to be ushered out of the room, then upon realization, started to protest.  "But that's Tiffany's office."

"I'm sure it is.  And I make sure it's left in good order when we leave.  Now, about that  coffee. . ."

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Mallory O'Brien walked angrily into the restaurant of the Port Charles Hotel, her strapless purse keeping time with her strides as it slapped against her leg.  Nothing was going the way it was supposed to.  She supposed, as she headed towards the bar, that she should count her blessings as they were.  She was, after all, angrily walking around while her friend was lying in a hospital bed. However, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself.  Her plans to stay with V had been scraped due to the problems that were brewing with Jax.  It would just be better all around.  I mean, if you stay he might start to connect the dots and we really don't want him to right now.  We need more time to come up with a plan of action. . . her god sister had told her.  And while she agreed that the more time they had to come up with a way to making the idiot who had hurt Donna pay, she couldn't understand why they had to do it without letting Jacks and his cohorts in on the truth about who they all were.  "Damn power struggles," she muttered as she slid onto a stool and signaled the bartender, before turning slightly in her chair and scanning the room for her father, who not surprisingly was late once again.  "What the hell is he doing?" she muttered as she slid to her feet, ignoring the bartender as she crossed the room.  "Well, isn't this cozy," she said bitterly as she reached the table.  "Glad to see where your priorities are, Samuel."

Sam choked on his drink and started to bring the glass back to the table while wiping at the liquor that had spilt onto his tie.  "Mallory, I didn't realize. . ."

"A lot of things from what I hear.  Remind me to lose your number when I'm in need of help."

Skye turned slightly in her seat at the tone she heard in the other woman's voice, "we're in the middle of something," she said stiffly.

"Apparently," Mal answered with false sweetness, "must say, she's a step up from Laurie."

"Let me guess, former girlfriend?" Skye asked as she turned back to Sam, earning a grunt from Mal, "not even a long enough blip on the radar screen to be that, thankfully."

"What's with the attacks?" Sam asked.  "I thought. . ."

"Not a hell of a lot," Mal shot back.  "Why the hell. . ."

"I've already heard it from everyone."

"Not everyone, because you haven't heard it from me, Sam. I mean, you can defend the likes of a hooker, but not be there for one of your friends. . ."

"Can we not do this, you know, in front of. . ."

"The newest flavor?" she interrupted with a shrug, "and I'm not even commenting on how that's," she said with a tilt of her head towards Skye, "compounding things."

"Excuse me!" Skye said incredulous

"Ah, no, I don't think I will."

"Skye, excuse her, she's. . ."

"Don't you dare make excuses for me, Sam Seaborne, you have enough to make on your own."

"You want to talk about compounding things?" he demanded of her as he rose to his feet tossing his napkin onto the table.

Mal only rolled her eyes at him, "go back to your drink and your. . . whatever," she shrugged as she turned on her heel and started to stalk back to the bar, only to stop when she walked into her father, "what?" she asked at his glare.

"Nice performance," Leo muttered.

"I thought so," she said with a flip of her hair, as he took hold of her arm and lead her towards the table he had gotten for them.

"Want to explain it?"

"Reasons were two fold.  Blow off some steam, and make sure that when Sam screws up and Ms. Chandler-Quartermain either figures out or finds out why he's here, she'll think he's more on the outside than he actually is," she answered as she reached for a glass of water and took a sip, watching as her father leaned back in his chair and shook his head.  "What? Didn't think I learned anything from watching all of you?"

"Well, it certainly was an interesting, if not thought out display," he considered as he put on his glasses and reached for a menu.  "I suppose you got yourself settled with V."

"Not exactly," Mal returned as she reached for the other menu.  "She seems to think my staying there will complicate things.  But, she's arranged a room for me for the night and is talking to a friend of hers about renting an apartment from him."

Leo looked up from his perusal of the menu to stare at her, "why an apartment, or is this interview more of a done deal than you let me think earlier?"

"You really think I'd come this far for a number one?"

"I see.  So were you going to discuss your decision with me or just send a change of address card?"

"I'm well past the age of needing parental consent," Mal bristled. 

"That's not what I meant."

"Really? Besides when would you have liked to have had that conversation, it's not like I've seen you to tell you anything," she shot back annoyed, as she started to look over the

menu while fighting back tears.

"Mallory. . ."

"Forget it.  When I get board approval I'm signing the contract and starting over as a teacher at Port Charles Elementary. Now, what about Donna? What's the plan for bringing down this guy and why are you guys so against Jacks and company knowing exactly who you all are?"

From the other side of the room, Skye shook her head at Sam, "so let me get this straight, she's your former boss's daughter and she's blames you for your mutual friend being in the hospital?"

"Something like that," Sam shrugged as he swirled the liquid in his glass around and stared at it.

"She's not the only one, is she?"

"I can't help but think I could've prevented it if I had only heeded her calls for help. . ." he shook his head, only looking at her as she put her hand over his.

"Look, I don't know what's wrong with your friend, but I do know we're not responsible for anyone's actions but our own.  If they hurt themselves. . ."

"No," Sam interrupted forcefully as he pulled his hand from hers.  "It's not. . . she was hurt.  This guy. . ." he shook his head, knowing he was dangerously close to admitting way too much.  "Anyway, she did everything right.  They just. . . they told her it wasn't enough. . . she wanted me to come see her. . . to help. . ."

"And you didn't?"

"She told me it wasn't a big deal and I believed her.  The others wouldn't have."

Skye leaned back and watched him as he brought the glass morosely to his lips and took a swallow, "what bothers you the more, that you didn't get to help her or that they would've seen more in her words than you did?"

"Honestly," Sam sighed as he looked at her, "I don't know."