Making Adjustments
4
How far is Alexis willing to go?
Jason knocks on the door for the third time and then checks his watch. 10:00 am. This is when Sam told him to come for her, hoping that Alexis and Ric would be gone for work by then. So why isn't she answering the door? For that matter, why isn't anyone answering the door?
Jason frowns slightly, trying not to get worried despite the feeling in his gut that something has gone horribly wrong. He's about to pull out his cell phone and give Sam a call when the door cracks open.
"Hello?" he calls out, waiting for the door to open some more. A nervous looking woman peeks her head outside, the fear on her face plain to see.
"Viola, right?" he says, remembering her name from the one time Kristina introduced them. "I'm Jason Morgan. I'm here to pick up Sam. Can I come in?"
"It's better that you don't," Viola says, about to close the door.
Jason doesn't know why, but he puts his foot in the way to keep the door open. The frightened woman jumps out of the way, giving him the space to come inside.
"Don't be afraid." He holds up his hands to show her he's no threat. "I just came for Sam. Is she here?"
"I think you need to leave."
"Sam asked me to come over and get her," Jason explains. "I don't want any trouble. I'm just doing as she asks."
When Viola doesn't say anything, Jason makes a decision to end this once and for all.
"Listen, I'm going to go get Sam. I'm not here to hurt anyone or cause anyone any trouble."
He turns to go up the stairs, calling out Sam's name since he doesn't know which room she's in. After getting no answer, he opens all the doors until he finally finds the right one, the one with a picture of the two of them on the bedside table. He picks it up and smiles, remembering when the picture was taken. He sets it back on the table and moves to her closet, noting it still full of clothes, her duffel bag still on the shelf. He moves to the drawers and sees them full as well.
He scratches his head in wonder. The last he spoke with Sam, she was on her way here to pack. But it doesn't appear she made it back here. There's no indication that she has been here since he last saw her. He can't find the clothes she was wearing yesterday. And he notices that her daily dose of birth control pills is still there.
Stumped at where she could be, he decides to go home and put Stan on it. If Alexis stashed her away again, she's probably had a good head start on them. If she hides her as good as she did last time, Jason fears he may never find her.
He runs down the stairs, and on his way out the door, a flash of something catches the corner of his eye. He walks back into the house to check it out, shocked when he finds Viola knocked out on the floor. Checking her pulse, he's relieved to find her still alive. But when he checks her for a head wound, his hand comes back bloody. She needs help and she needs it right now.
In the distance, he hears sirens coming and starts to panic. Something tells him he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the sight of him in the house of the new DA bent over an unconscious body with her blood on his hands . . . probably won't go over too well. So he follows his first instinct, even though it may be wrong. He runs.
From the shadows, a gloved hand turns off a camera, an unseen smirk on her face.
"Gotcha."
- - - - - - - - - -
Jason rushes home, stunned to find the cops already there waiting for him.
"Jason Morgan, you're under arrest."
He looks around, trying to not to react to the sight of about seven different officers carrying boxes of papers and files out of his house.
"What's all this about?"
The arresting officer points to the streak of blood on his pants. Viola's blood. He silently curses at his carelessness.
"Want to tell me who that blood belongs to? Is it Sam McCall's?"
"What?" Jason gasps, shocked out of his normal stoic routine at the mention of her name. "What about Sam? Did something happen to her?"
The officer just scowls and shakes his head, grabbing Jason's arms roughly behind his back. He shoves him into the wall next to the door and puts on the cuffs a lot tighter than necessary.
"Take him to the station," he says, shoving Jason out the door to two officers waiting just outside. "Make him tell us where the girl is. Or from the looks of him, where he buried the body."
He turns back inside to his other officers, giving them further instruction.
"Clean it out. Take everything, even the garbage. Make sure we find something for the DA to hang this lowlife mobster with."
- - - - - - - - - -
The police station is a media frenzy, the story obviously having gotten out. Local Mob King Pen offs Daughter of DA. She realizes that now is the time for the performance of a life time.
The cops parade Jason inside and just as they reach the interrogation room, she runs up, smacking him across the face. The whole room gets so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
"Where is she, you monster? What have you done with my daughter?"
"Alexis, calm down. I didn't do anything," he tries to say.
"You were in my home. You assaulted my nanny. And you took my daughter," Alexis accuses him. "You're going to fry for this."
She nods her head at the officers and they take Jason into the interrogation room. She turns to the reporters, giving them their photo op.
"Ms. Davis, do you believe Jason Morgan killed your daughter?"
"Ms. Davis, will you prosecute this case yourself?"
"Ms. Davis, is it true your Nanny Cam caught Mr. Morgan in the act?"
"Ms. Davis, was this a warning to you as the new DA from the local mob?"
On and on the questions came, but she declined to answer them. She has to get out of here. Now that Jason's tucked away nice and safe and out of her way, there's one other thing she needs to take care of.
- - - - - - - - - -
Mac looks over the so called facts of the case, the knot in his stomach growing bigger and bigger with each word he reads. This just doesn't add up. Not at all. He's known Jason for a long time. And the man may be a criminal, but nothing like this.
He next flips through Jason's statement, his eyebrow raising in shock at the man's attention to detail. He'd make a fine detective if he already weren't entrenched on the wrong side of the law.
"So according to your statement, you estimate Sam went missing sometime yesterday?" Mac asks him, trying to find the woman rather than participate in Alexis' obvious witch trial against Jason. The man may be guilty of a lot of things, but this isn't one of them. "You claim the last time you saw her was yesterday afternoon."
"When we came in here, yes."
Mac nods, remembering that visit. They refused to make a statement, but they came to him 'unofficially' to let him know their suspicions about Manny being the one who shot Sam. After their explanation of the event of the shooting that night, Mac couldn't help but agree with them that Jason wasn't the target. He agreed to put extra men on finding Manny. But what if Manny found Sam first? What if this is his work?
"Do you think it's possible Manny took her?" he asks Jason, voicing his internal question. "Maybe he really is the one responsible for shooting Sam and just wanted to finish the job."
Jason bites his lip, as if thinking hard before shaking his head.
"No. There wasn't a struggle. Sam wouldn't have gone peacefully with him, no matter how hurt she was. Plus, I'm sure the nanny would have heard something. Although," Jason frowns, pausing to think some more.
"What are you thinking?" Mac asks, finding himself truly interested. Something weird is going on here and for the first time, Mac doesn't think Jason has anything to do with it.
"Viola. The nanny. She was acting strange this morning. I think she may know more than she's letting on. I think she's covering."
"For who?" Mac's eyes grow wide as soon as he asks the question, realization suddenly sinking in. "Alexis? You think Alexis is behind this?"
"Wouldn't be the first time," Jason shrugs. "She took Sam from the hospital after her surgery. She took Kristina when she was a baby. Alexis tends to . . . go to extremes when she's determined. Maybe Sam told her we were back together and that she was coming home with me today. Maybe Alexis didn't like that and decided to stop Sam any way she could."
"You may be on to something," Mac says, nodding his head in agreement. "As little sense as it makes for the DA to be behind this, it oddly makes more sense than you being behind this."
"Thanks . . . I think?" Jason says, unsure if that was a compliment or not.
"This just didn't feel right, blaming you for this," Mac comments. "Jason, you'd just as soon die before hurting a woman you loved. I saw it when you were with Robin. I saw it last night when you were in here with Sam."
"So, am I free to go? I need to find Sam."
"Not quite. There's still a matter of all the files we confiscated from your home. I'm sure Alexis used the accusation of you kidnapping and hiding Sam as grounds to obtain a warrant to search your home. I'm sorry to say that if anything illegal shows up, then . . ."
"They won't find anything," Jason shrugs nonchalantly. "In addition to the Manny situation, Sam and I also discussed, um . . . a change in career for me. I became a legitimate business man as of 6:45 this morning."
"Not that you were anything but before," Mac adds with a smirk. "I hope this doesn't come out sounding condescending, but I'm proud of you. You're a talented young man with a lot of promise. You can make a real difference in people's lives if you put your mind to it."
Jason has to hold back an unexpected rush of emotions.
"Um, thanks," he says, clearing his throat. "No one has ever told me that. Not that I can remember, anyway. No one's ever believed I could do anything worthwhile. No one except for Sam."
"Right now, I believe Sam is believing in you to find her," Mac reminds him. "If what you say about your business is true, then you're free to go. I'll go get the paperwork started."
"Commissioner Scorpio," a clerk calls to him on his way out the door. "Officers Laarson and Drayton called in. They tailed DA Davis to a private hospital on the other side of town. They thought you might like to know."
He nods his thanks and waits for the young woman to leave before turning to Jason.
"You had her followed?" Jason asks.
"After what you and Sam suggested about Manny yesterday, I wanted to make sure the DA and her family were safe. But they couldn't go on duty until this morning, so that would have given Alexis plenty of time to take Sam away without anyone noticing. Maybe to this private hospital?"
"It's worth checking out," Jason shrugs. "If you go, then I'm going with you."
Mac just nods. He was expecting that. And oddly enough, he wouldn't have it any other way.
- - - - - - - - - -
Alexis parks her car and gets out, unaware of the car that followed her stopping halfway down the block. She has a feeling that someone is watching her, but can't see who it could be and proceeds inside the hospital. She takes the elevator to the psychiatric ward and signs in.
"How's my daughter today?" she asks the nurse on duty, giving her a cheerful smile.
"Not a bit of trouble. She's been sleeping peacefully since you brought her in. You can go sit with her. The doctor will be ready to begin treatment shortly."
Alexis thanks her and walks down the hall to Sam's room. She warned the doctor to keep Sam sedated. Fortunately he seems to have heeded her warning if Sam's been asleep this whole time. If she wakes up before it's time, it would ruin the whole thing.
"Hello, Sweetheart," she says cheerfully to the unconscious woman, kissing her on the forehead. "The nurse tells me you had a very good night. Hopefully, you'll be waking up soon and all of this will be behind us. You'll be able to have a fresh start with your life."
"That's the plan."
Alexis looks up to see the doctor walking into the room with a big smile. He's carrying a syringe full of a brownish colored liquid, something Alexis has paid dearly for. But it'll all be worth it.
"Will this hurt her at all?" Alexis asks as the doctor injects the contents of the syringe into Sam's IV. "What are the side effects."
"A few headaches. And of course some confusion due to her memory lapse," the doctor explains.
"And you're sure you've used this before . . . successfully," she wants to be sure.
"It was a medicine developed here for the treatment of depression. But the side effects I mentioned - the confusion and the memory gaps - proved to be useful with other patients as well. Patients who needed to stop smoking, drinking, or gambling; patients trying to lose weight; and patients, like your daughter, who are in dangerous and unhealthy relationships."
The doctor monitors Sam closely as her heart and brain activity begin to increase.
"It's working," he smiles. "She'll be coming around soon. And like I said, there will be some confusion. Just talk to her. And whatever you tell her now, will replace in her subconscious the negative habits and inappropriate behaviors from before."
Alexis is skeptical, but she does what the doctor says. For nearly an hour she sits and talks to her, hoping against hope that it works. This has to work. Because if it doesn't, there's only one other thing she can do to keep Jason away from Sam. But she's not quite sure she's ready to have his blood on her hands.
"Ms. Davis, there's a situation out here. Police Commissioner Scorpio would like to speak to you."
Alexis sighs and reluctantly leaves Sam's side, giving her forehead one more kiss. She doesn't know how Mac found her so quickly, but it doesn't matter. Sam's treatment is done and that's all that counts. He'll probably want to know how Sam got here when not two hours ago she was accusing Jason of taking her. But she'll make something up. Who's Mac going to believe, the DA or a mobster? She's not worried.
She walks down the hall and bumps into a doctor with his face buried in a chart. But she doesn't pay any attention to him and continues on her way.
The "doctor" holds his breath in anticipation until she passes, sighing a sigh of relief when he makes it to Sam's room unnoticed. He takes off the doctor's outfit and tosses it in the corner of the room before heading over to the bed.
"Sam," he whispers reverently. He lifts her hand and presses a kiss there. "Sam, can you hear me? It's Jason."
Her eyes scrunch as if she's in pain before they slowly blink open.
"Wha . . . what are you doing here? What do you want?"
He sits back in shock at her words, stung when she jerks her hand away from him, hurt at the angry expression on her face.
"Sam?"
"You need to leave," she cries, fearful tears streaming down her face. "Where's my mom? She said she'd take care of me and make sure you didn't bother me again."
"Sam, what's going on?" Jason asks, her confusion scaring him. "You love me and I love you. I came to get you from Alexis. She took me from you."
"Before you could kill me," Sam accuses. "Get away from me before I scream. Leave now!"
"Okay," he agrees, stepping away from the bed. "I won't touch you again, but you've got to listen to me. I love you, Sam. I won't hurt you."
"That's what they all say," she says, rolling her eyes. "You're no different. All you've done is hurt me. I don't love you, Jason. I let you control me and use me. That's not love. That's a sick addiction to an even sicker situation. I won't let you abuse me anymore."
"What has Alexis been telling you?"
"Just the truth."
Jason spins around to find Alexis behind him, a contrite looking Mac standing next to her.
"My daughter wants you gone. I think you should go," Alexis warns him.
"What did you do to her? You people are sick here, messing around in her mind like this. Alexis, how could you let them do this to her?" Jason yells, jerking out of Mac's grasp when the man tries to pull him out of Alexis' face.
"Leave her alone!" Sam screams, finally making good on her promises. "You're just a monster who hurts me and the people I love. Get out of here. Get out of my life. I never want to see you again!"
Jason stands in shock, his stare bouncing from Sam to Alexis and back again several times before her words fully sink in. But even if she didn't say anything, the hate in her eyes is enough to tell him all he needs to know. Alexis swore she's keep Sam from him. Looks like she finally succeeded.
"Let's go, Jason. I don't want to have to arrest you," Mac says gently.
Jason just nods, not knowing what else to do.
"I do love you, Sam. And you love me," he says. "Your head may not believe it, but your heart knows it. Listen to your heart, Sam. You didn't let Alexis win before. Don't let her win now."
With one last look, he does the one thing he never swore he'd do to her again . . . he walks away.
To be continued . . .