Chapter 2

Dr. Asher Thomas leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the corner of the mahogany desk, a small tape recorder in his hand.

"Today's session with Michael was a little more productive than in the past. Michael was able to stay the entire session, but bolted as soon as we were done. He ran straight to Jason. There is something unhealthy about that relationship. Michael seems to depend too much on Jason, taking Jason's word to be the say all and end all. I have expressed to Sam McCall that Jason was hindering Michael's progress more than helping. She became very defensive of Jason's feelings toward the boy. I wonder how much she knows about the extent of Jason's brain damage and his inability to really feel as we do. I think I was successful in persuading her to increase Michael's sessions without Jason's presence. It will be interesting to see how far Ms. McCall is willing to go to get Michael the help he so desperately needs."

Asher stopped the recorder, pulled the tape out of the machine and tucked it into Michael's file. He then slid the file back into his bottom drawer and locked it. Asher next turned his attention to the file in front of him. The name on the front read: SAMANTHA MCCALL. He smiled as he opened the folder.

"I can't believe you would let a woman come before your family, Jason," Carly said in an even tone. She still couldn't wrap her mind around what Jason had said. If she didn't know him better Carly could have sworn he was joking.

"Sam is now a part of my family Carly and I would appreciate it if you would stop bad mouthing her," Jason said, his voice hard and his eyes steady. He was not going to let Carly step all over Sam just because she was jealous. He wished Carly would move past the whole thing with Sonny and Sam and realize that Sam was not that person anymore. "I am not going to let you drive her away like you did all the others Carly."

Carly folded her arms over her chest, not backing down from the famous Jason Morgan stare, although she felt the effect as she resisted the urge to take a step back. "She's not good enough for you Jason," Carly insisted, determined to repeat it over and over again until it finally got through to him.

"No one is good enough for you Carly. I have finally found a woman who understands and accepts me for who I am and what I do; I'm just sorry you can't do the same thing." Jason had enough and walked out of the room, leaving Carly standing there alone.

Carly was still fuming over her discussion with Jason as she left Kelly's. Needing a female friend's sympathetic ear and some chocolate, Carly had called Courtney and made plans to meet at Kelly's, but she was not going to be getting that today. Courtney hadn't shown up, calling to say that she had a last minute meeting come up. Carly had tried to calm down on her own and ordered a large plate of brownies to do so, but it hadn't worked. So, after having Mike bag up the brownies for her, Carly headed to the park.

She was just sitting there, watching the kids play and eating the brownies when a shadow fell over her. Hoping it was Jason come to apologize, Carly looked up, her face falling when she saw who it was.

"Is there something you wanted John?" she asked, popping the last piece of brownie into her mouth and brushing the crumbs from her fingers. Carly regretted ever tracking down her biological father. Instead of finding a man who wanted to share in her life, she found a man who wanted to destroy her family and try to control her.

"I wanted to see how my grandson was doing," said John Durant as he sat besides her, not waiting for an invitation. "I understand he's seeing a therapist." (beside)

Carly rolled her eyes. "What does it matter to you that my son is suffering John? All you care about is taking down Sonny and Jason, not even caring how important they are to Michael," Carly said, her voice dripping with venom. She may be made at Jason now, but Carly knew how much Michael and Jason meant to each other. (mad)

John sighed, his chin dropping to his chest a moment before he turned to look at her. "All I am trying to do is look out for you Carly. You're my daughter and you deserve better than being married to a man who doesn't love you."

Carly had enough. She stood up, grabbing her purse and tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Look John, you know nothing about my relationship with Sonny. He is a good husband and father and Michael looks up to him. And you're one to talk about love!" she shouted.

"Carly, how can you claim Sonny loves you when all he does is put you and you're children in constant danger!" John exclaimed, standing to face his daughter. "When will it get through your head that you and Michael and Morgan are nothing more than property to that man? How many times has he tossed you out, threatening to keep you away from your children Carly? How many other women does he have to bed before you realize that you mean nothing to him? How many other illegitimate children have to be shoved in your face, that you are expected to accept?"

Carly stood there, staring at her father. All she wanted was to find her father and finally know who she was. Carly spent all of her life trying to belong; trying to find the love and attention she so desperately craved as a child. Carly admitted that she didn't exactly go about things the smart way when she tracked down her mother. Things had been rough between her and Bobbie when Carly fist came to town – although seducing and stealing her mother's husband hadn't been one of her shining moments – but things were better now, after a lot of hard work on her part. Carly just wanted to know where she came from and maybe understand why she acted the way she did. Now she knew why. John Durant.

"When I wanted to find out who my biological father was, I didn't listen to anyone – although that's nothing new," Carly said with a roll of her eyes. "I was determined to find out the truth. I pulled every trick I could think of to get what I wanted. I was hoping that finding you would help me to know more about myself. Things like, where do I get my junk food habit from? How do I come up with these wild and crazy schemes? Why can I never let anything just go? And now I know. These are all things I got from you John and I have to admit, it doesn't make me proud. It makes me sick to my stomach to know that the qualities that have made me who I am; the qualities that have shaped my life come from a man who cares more about his popularity and conviction rates than he does his own family. Sonny has his faults John, we all do, but at least he knows what's important in life. Sure, Sonny and I have broken up over and over again, but we always find our way back to each other. We have a bond that is so much deeper than what you see on the surface John. And that's something you will never experience or even come close to understanding."

Having finally voiced some of the things that had been boiling just below the surface for so long, Carly turned on her heel and walked out of the park, leaving John to stand there and watch her.

Lorenzo looked up from his table in the Metro-Court Restaurant when he heard a familiar voice nearby. His eyes fell on Skye Quartermaine, who was talking to a waiter nearby. When she turned, he caught her eye and she smiled and walked over.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," she said with a smile.

"Would you like to join me?" Lorenzo asked, indicating the chair across from him.

"I don't want to impose or anything," Skye said, wanting nothing more than to join him. She just hoped she wasn't making it that obvious.

"Please, you would not be imposing. I was planning on meeting Diego here, but he just called to say he wouldn't be able to make it."

"Oh, well then," she said as she slid into the seat. When the waiter came over to take her drink order, Skye ordered a sparkling water with lemon. "How are things going with you and Diego?"

Lorenzo found a small smile forming on his lips as he thought of his son. It had been a shock to the both of them when they found out about their connection to each other. Diego had been very resistant at first, wanting nothing to do with him and blaming Lorenzo for all the wrong that happened in his life. But Lorenzo persisted and remained nearby to make sure his son was safe and eventually, the two started getting closer. Diego was now living with Lorenzo in the new home he bought and finishing up his senior year at PCH.

"Things are going much better, thank you for asking," said Lorenzo, returning his attention and gaze to Skye.

"I'm glad to hear that. It's tough to not really know where you belong or who you're connected to," Skye said thoughtfully. She knew all about what Diego was experiencing and she was glad that he and Lorenzo had finally managed to get through their initial differences and move on.

Lorenzo watched her, thinking to himself how beautiful and fragile she seemed on the outside, but he knew that on the inside, she was strong and determined with a wild streak that he found very appealing.

Skye felt herself blushing under Lorenzo's intense gaze, his light blue eyes changing to a darker color as he looked at her. She lowered her eyes almost shyly. Not many men looked at her they way Lorenzo was looking at her now. Not even Luke. (the)

"You needed to see me Sonny?" Jason asked his boss. Jason had been on his way back to Sam when Sonny called him. They decided to meet at the docks instead of going all the way back to the house.

"I just wanted to check on Michael's therapy," Sonny said. "I saw Carly earlier and she was ranting about Sam and how she was losing you."

Jason rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, she and Sam exchanged some words. And I had to tell Carly something about our current relationship that she didn't want to hear. As far as Michael is concerned, he made it through the entire session today. He wouldn't talk much about it after," Jason said.

Sonny nodded. He knew Jason didn't trust Dr. Thomas, but Sonny also knew that Dr. Thomas had been one of the doctors to treat Jason after his accident and Jason hated all the doctors involved in his treatment. "I know you don't like the man Jason, but if Michael is making progress, I am willing to let this continue."

Jason sighed, but didn't argue. There were things about Dr. Thomas that bugged Jason, but he couldn't put his finger on it. But Jason did know that he was going to get to the bottom of all of this. Not for himself, for Michael.

Michael watched as Morgan rolled the ball into the bushes. "That's okay Leticia, I'll get it," Michael said shaking his head. He ran to the bushes, looking for the ball.

"Are you looking for this?"

Michael turned and saw a girl about his age holding the ball. She was wearing blue overalls and had short, straight blond hair. "Yeah, my brother rolled it over here," he said. "I'm Michael. Are you new here? I've never seen you here before."

The girl nodded as she handed Michael the ball. "My name's Jodie," she said. "I just moved here yesterday."

"Cool," said Michael. "Are you here with your parents?"

Jodie shook her head. "My mom died. I'm with a social worker. She said she's trying to find my dad and I have to go and live with him."

"You don't know who you're dad is?" Michael asked her.

"No. My mom did, but she never told me. She wrote a letter the social worker is supposed to give to him. Then I get to meet him."

"Well, do you know his name? If he lives here, maybe I know his name," Michael offered as they moved out of the bushes.

"I don't know his name yet. The social worker wouldn't tell me until she talked to him first."

"Oh. Well, do you want to come and play with me and my little brother Morgan? He's still a baby, but he can be pretty cool to play with," said Michael.

"Sure. Thanks!" Jodie said with a smile as she followed Michael back to Leticia and Morgan.