Title: A Little Respect
Author: Misty Flores

Teaser: Pursuing a relationship with Aiden after discovering Bianca in bed with Babe, Maggie begins to question even her own self worth when she finds herself delving deeper into a baby kidnapping mystery, and an intense love triangle.
Timeline: Before Paris, Before Jonathan, and right after an 'I Never' confession.

PART FOUR

Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else
Someone like you makes it easy to give, never think of myself
Someone like you makes it hard to think about somebody else

If I listened long enough to you
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
I'd find a reason, a reason to believe
And though I want you, you're just not what I need

-- A Reason To Believe, Rod Stewart

--

Dani wasn't the most articulate person when she was worried. Her words tended to blend together, and her tone went screechy high. That, coupled with the fact that Maggie was openly trembling, did not make for a safe driving duo.

"WATCH THE ROAD!"

Maggie cursed, wincing as she jerked the wheel, ignoring the obnoxious honk of the car she nearly rear ended, swerving into the hospital parking lot.

"Wear a friggin' seatbelt!" Maggie snapped, slapping her foot on the brake and jerking into the first available parking spot.

She fumbled for hers, unclipping the snap and reaching for the door, glancing back at Dani and doing another double take when she realized her young friend was literally heaving, eyes darting and wild, like a caged cat.

"Dani!"

"That's it!" Dani stuttered, pointing at her wildly. "I'm having you arrested! Reckless driving! I'm calling Daddy!"

The ridiculous threat wasn't even worth the justification of the eye roll and huff Maggie reacted with. "Just get out of the car, Dani."

She jerked her car door open, slamming it behind her, already headed for the hospital ER. Dani caught up with her, her friend's worry for Jamie obviously winning through her paranoia.

Maggie didn't know whether to be furious, frightened or in hysterics. This was Jamie, her buddy, her roommate, her sex buddy. The guy who coached her through her confusing evolution of her feelings for Bianca, the guy that taught her stick!

And he had to go and get himself stabbed.

Seriously, when did her friends become morons? Babe must have been leaking stupidity pheromones or something...

Dani grabbed hold of her elbow, and as they turned into the ER, Maggie's heart jumped, Jamie's family gathered around, worry etched on each and every face.

Brooke English caught her eye, and Maggie found her eyes watering with tears. "Oh, guys," she began. "We just- we just heard."

"Is Jamie..." Dani clamped tighter to her elbow, a painful grip. "He's all right, isn't he?"

Brooke glanced away, and Tad clamped his mouth. Maggie's heart suddenly lobbed into her throat. "Isn't he?" she croaked.

"We don't know," Tad finally told her.

They didn't know. Maggie sucked in her breath, trying to breathe past her panic, darting past the faces of the people who cared about Jamie, lingering on Babe, who stood in the corner, face drawn and tight. "What's going on?"

"We don't know yet," Tad repeated.

Helpful. Thanks, Mr. Martin.

Brooke must have seen the desperation on Maggie's face, because thankfully, Jamie's level-headed mother broke in.

"He's in surgery." Brooke shuddered, glancing back toward the closed hospital doors. "How long has he been he been in there?"

"Too long," Tad muttered.

An appropriate pall fell over the group, and Maggie closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying hard to stave off her emotion. Beside her, Dani's immaculately manicured fingertips dug hard into her elbow. Maggie was too distracted to shrug her off.

Jamie, she found herself thinking, If you were stupid enough to get yourself killed over all this... I'll kill you.

It was a paltry threat at best, but under the circumstances, Maggie decided it was good enough. Because she was friggin' pissed.

Dr. Joe Martin entered, causing her heart to jump and Dani to dig in deeper, creating an unexpected wince on Maggie's part.

"Joe?"

"How is he?"

Dr. Joe folded his hands, looking at boy parents kindly. "Jamie's come through the surgey."

Maggie bit her lip, holding her breath as she placed a palm over Dani's excruciating hold on her elbow, clamping on tight.

"But how is he?" Brooke asked for all of them.

"Is he stable?"

Dr. Joe's face broke into a smile. "I expect that he's going to make a full recovery."

Dr. Joe was just a beautiful, beautiful man.

Maggie sagged with relief, eyes on Brooke as Jamie's mother collapsed into sobs, folding into Tad Martin.

Dani did a little screech and a dance, and Maggie's face broke out into a soft smile, oblivious to anything else when she looked at Dr. Martin, in all his amazing brilliance.

"See?" she breathed, not caring now who was listening, "This is why I want to be a doctor."

The statement was solidified in her heart, she felt it pounding. For a brief moment, she thought of Anna, and it genuinely ached. Maggie both loved and hated the hospital.

It would only be a matter of time until she was fighting in there with Dr. Joe - trying to keep all her stupid friends from killing themselves for stupid idiotic tramps.

Jamie's family rounded Dr. Joe, and suddenly they were talking about private rooms and visiting, and they were moving. Dani had finally let go of her, but Maggie stayed put.

As relieved as she was, if she saw Jamie now, she would had wrung his neck.

For a brief moment, she had a vivid flash of the situation, straddling Jamie and choking the light out of him, while Brooke fainted in Tad's arms, and Dani screeched at her to get off.

Not the best solution.

With a bitter smile, she found her attention drawn back to Babe, Bianca's best friend standing by herself in a corner, palm tight against her mouth.

Her sigh hitched in her throat, sudden tension causing her fists to clench. Maggie shuddered at the sudden anger.

Jamie had been through this because of Babe and her thoughtless devotion to her dick of a husband, J.R. Because of Babe and her damned loyalty to an ass who had framed his brother, going so far as to get him stabbed, her best friend had almost died.

Maggie really, really hated Babe.

They were alone now, in the waiting room, and Babe finally saw her, really saw her, the flash in her eyes, the open hostility.

For a second, Babe actually looked frightened.

Maggie had never been one to hold her tongue, and she saw no reason to do it now.

"You know, Babe. J.R. is responsible for all of this."

Babe's eyes were glistening with unshed tears, but Maggie was unmoved. Babe's lower lip shuddered, and she looked genuinely conflicted.

"He is my husband," she said, in this weak tone that told Maggie even Babe knew it was a crap argument.

"So you're just going to stand by him?" she snapped, tone acidic. "What, are you going to be the dutiful protective wife no matter what he does?" Babe and her beautiful Bambi eyes put on quite a performance, looking away sadly, torn between her brothers. A perfect Greek tragedy. Maggie shook her head in disbelief. "How can you live with him?" she breathed. "And how can you live with yourself knowing J.R. almost had Jamie killed?"

Babe didn't respond. She just looked at Maggie with that fucking wounded look, like Maggie was destroying her with every word, and maybe she was, but Maggie didn't care.

She deserved it.

Maggie stared expectantly. "What are you waiting for?" she said, waving a hand, deferring the floor to Babe. "Be the loving wife that you are. Tell me, TELL me, what a misunderstood, great guy he is."

And suddenly the damn broke, as tears burst from Babe's eyes, and she snapped, "I can't. I can't defend anything."

And just like that, Babe ran, leaving Maggie behind.

It irritated her more than anything. Maggie had been itching for a good fight, and Babe hadn't delivered. No, the whiny blonde brat had run away from her like a dog with it's tail between its legs.

"Seriously," she muttered. "What the hell do they see in her?"

Left alone in the hallway, Maggie shuddered once again, trying hard to get rid of the tension inside of her.

It wasn't working. Her head was ringing, her heart was pounding, and the adrenaline that came with the entire day had her severely agitated.

Again, the thought of seeing Jamie like this smacked of a bad idea - she would have crawled on the bed and whacked him in this state.

"Okay," she whispered, palm to her forehead, "Calm down, Stone."

Fresh air. That's what she needed. So she went, moving fast, already pulling out her cell phone and dialing, letting it ring as she stepped into the sunshine, away from the ambulances and the people ambling outside of the Pine Valley Hospital.

Anna flashed in her head.

"Hello?"

Her eyes closed in relief. "Bianca," she answered, a smile floating on her face. "Thank God."

"Maggie? What is it?"

"Jamie," she said rapidly. "Jamie, he's been-"

"Stabbed!" Bianca interrupted, voice stained with worry. "I know. I was there with Babe when-"

Augh. That was all Maggie needed to hear. Her eyes flew open, and she bit her lip unconsciously, nearly drawing blood, tension rushing back into her veins.

It wasn't until there was a pause that Maggie realized she had been so busy being startled and angered by Bianca's little activities with the Blonde SuperBabe she had completely missed Bianca asking her a question.

"Huh?"

"How is he?" Bianca repeated. "Do you know anything?"

"He's fine," she said mechanically. "He just got out of surgery, and he's going to be fine."

"Oh, Thank God," Bianca breathed. "Really, that's great news."

"Yeah," she said dully.

"I know Babe was worried, and J.R.-"

Maggie really didn't want to hear anymore. "Hey, Binks?"

Interrupted, Bianca was at least nice enough to answer, "Yeah?"

Maggie crossed her arms, suddenly nervous, tired. "Will you be home later? There's kinda something I wanted to talk to you..."

"Oh, Mags, honey I would, but there's the fundraiser for the Miranda-"

Right. Her heart sunk in her chest, and Maggie nearly kicked herself for her thoughtlessness. "Right," she said, bobbing her head, like Bianca could see her. "At the casino. Of course."

"I'm sorry. It's tomorrow, and I've been tied up with things-" Bianca took in a breath. "But maybe you can tell me now?"

Maggie smiled sadly, glancing around the stark parking lot, the ambulance waiting at the front of the ER. "No," she lied numbly, "It's nothing important. Don't worry about it. Good luck with the fundraiser."

"Okay. Love you, Maggie."

"Yeah," she said automatically, "Love you too."

The line disconnected, and Maggie sighed, sinking down onto the hot concrete bench.

Miranda. Maggie glanced back at the hospital behind her, suddenly overtaken with a small memory, of a fuzzy blotch on a sonogram.

Loving Bianca had always been easy. It had also been confusing, frustrating, hard and completely worth the effort.

But Maggie never remembered it being this painful.

And now Jamie had gotten himself stabbed like a big dumb idiot, and she couldn't even whine to him about it.

Her phone buzzed suddenly in her hand, jumping, and surprised, Maggie scrambled, fumbling for the phone. It took a couple tries to try to answer it, but when she finally did, it was worth the effort.

"'Lo?"

"Maggie?"

For a moment, the voice confused her, until the accented edge came to her, and she found herself smiling. "Aiden! What's up in that secret spy world of yours?"

"Work," he said chirpily. "Double crossings. Secrets. Lies. It's all very exciting."

"Ooh. Is there any gossip you'd be willing to share?" she asked happily, smile widening.

"Now, Maggie," he chided. "That's against my ethics!" Maggie laughed, a genuine chuckle, and it felt good. "No, I was calling to see how you were."

Her smile faltered, and she rubbed her neck nervously. "Umm... I'm okay. Anna's still in my head, but I'm trying hard to keep focused."

A small pause, and than Aiden said warmly, "That's good, Maggie."

"Any news?" she asked hopefully.

"No," he admitted, "But I'll keep you informed. It wasn't the reason I was calling."

"Oh?" Her brows furrowed together. "Then what?"

"I was at the hospital earlier today, talking to Anita, and saw Jamie Martin brought in. He's your roommate, isn't he?"

Startled, she nodded slowly. "Yeah," she managed. "Yeah, he is."

"How is he?"

"Good," she said automatically. "Alive and recovering, at least. It's a start."

"And how are you?"

His concern was genuine. Maggie wondered how pathetic she was, that just the gesture touched her so intimately.

It had been a long day. Maggie found herself overwhelmed, shoulders slumping down, elbows on knees, head supported by her palm, curtain of hair hiding her emotional breakdown.

"I'm fine," she said softly. "Thank you, Aiden."

"Just glad to hear you're all right," he told her. "I have to go back to work but I'll keep in touch, Maggie."

"I'd like that."

"Bye, Maggie."

"Bye." Maggie clicked a button, ending the call. She stared at the receiver in disbelief, before she smiled again and manipulated the controls, saving Aiden's cell number into her phone.

Finally, the calm she had been desperately seeking warmed inside of her, and Maggie placed her phone into her bag, pushing to her feet and heading back into the hospital to see Jamie.

end chapter