Chapter 8

Zach and Kendall arrived at the hospital for the second time that day. Kendall asked at the main lobby if Josh Madden was on duty. She was told that he was not working today. A passing nurse informed her that Josh came in not too long ago as a patient, and suggested she try the ER. Exchanging bewildered glances, Zach and Kendall went off in search of Josh.

After asking at the nurse's station in the ER, Kendall finally found Josh's room and knocked on the door. He opened it, raising his eyebrows when he saw who it was. He invited Kendall and Zach to enter, then resumed buttoning his shirt. Kendall frowned. "Are you okay? I came here expecting you to be in doctor mode and was told that you're a patient."

Josh scowled. "I'm fine. I just wanted to be examined for any possible frostbite. I was trapped in a meat locker for quite a while."

Kendall put her hand on his arm. "Oh my God! How did that happen?"

Josh shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. You came to see me, Kendall. Are you feeling alright?"

She squeezed his arm tightly. "No, Josh, I'm not. I guess you haven't heard yet. Your father kidnapped Spike. And he may have Erica, too."

Josh stared at her. He pulled his arm away from her. "I don't believe this. Not you, too. I thought you cared about my father! You trusted him more than anyone else. In what twisted universe would my father take a baby from his mother?"

Zach laughed harshly. "You're joking, right? Dixie has been looking for her daughter for four years now. Greg Madden has refused to give her any information on Kate's whereabouts."

Josh jabbed a finger at Zach. "That's different. Dixie gave Kate up of her own free will. Her actions then and now show her to be a complete flake, and I agree with my father's resolve to make sure Kate stays in the happy and loving home that she's known all her life."

Zach clenched his fists, itching to wipe the smug look off Josh's face. This was his brother-in-law? He kept his cool, knowing that a right hook wasn't going to make Josh more cooperative.

Sensing that Zach was striving for control, Kendall stepped between them. "Listen to me, Josh. Spike was taken from the neonatal unit. The nurse on duty had to go answer an emergency call. She left Spike with your father. When the next nurse came on duty, they were both gone. Greg Madden took my son. And now my mother is missing, too. Please Josh, please help me find them."

Josh's jaw tightened. "I'll tell you what happened. Erica came to visit her grandson and found him here with my father. I'm sure she freaked out because she hates him. He gave her the baby and then left. Erica is probably off with Spike somewhere, right now."

Kendall shook her head. "My mother was supposed to fly to New York for a very important interview. She missed the flight, Josh. Your father tried to kidnap her before, I think he really did it this time."

Josh circled around them and put his hand on the doorknob. "My father did not kidnap Erica or Spike. That's insane! I like you a lot, Kendall, but I've had it up to here with everyone in my face telling me horror stories about my father. He was a good man, a brilliant doctor, and a wonderful father."

Josh opened the door and almost ran smack into Jeff Martin. Jeff gave him a concerned look. "Josh! I was worried about you. I heard you were being treated for frostbite."

Josh held up his hand. "I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it. I just want to get out of here." He headed down a hallway.

Kendall tried to go after him. "Dammit Josh, you get back here!"

Zach held her back. "You're not going to get any answers out of him right now."

Jeff folded his arms. "My father told me about Madden taking your baby. And the possibility that he might have Erica, as well. I'm terribly sorry, Kendall. This is beyond awful."

Tears streamed down her face. "I was hoping Josh would tell me something about where Greg might have taken them. But he's got his father on this pedestal, and nothing anybody can say will convince him otherwise."

Zach took note of the thoughtful look in Jeff's eyes. He knows. Jeff cleared his throat. "I'm one of the few people in this town that Josh trusts. I'll talk with him, try to get him to listen to reason."

Kendall frowned. "What do you think you can possibly say to him that hasn't already been tried?"

Jeff rubbed his chin. "I'll just point out to him that if he helps us find Greg, it will clear his father's name. If Madden doesn't have them, then the police can move on to other suspects. I'm sure that will work." He gave each of them a nod and walked off.

Zach knew that he wasn't being entirely truthful. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Josh would soon learn the truth about his real parents. It was the only thing that was going to shock him into cooperating, and Jeff knew it He put his arm around Kendall. "Let's go back to the mansion. Maybe someone there has gotten some new information."

Kendall nodded wearily. They started to walk out of the examining room, when Kendall halted abruptly. She swayed and would have dropped to the floor if Zach hadn't caught her. He swung her up in his arms and carried her over to the examining table. "Kendall, what's wrong?"

She pressed the heels of her hands against her forehead. "My eyesight is blurry and I feel dizzy." She squeezed her eyes shut. "This has happened a few times since I got out of the hospital, but it's never been this bad."

Zach made her lay down, terrified by how pale she looked. He strode over to the door and barked at a nurse to come into the room. He explained to her what just happened, and that Kendall woke up from a coma a month ago. The nurse went over to a desk phone and dialed the extension to Kendall's neurologist. She spoke with him for awhile, then hung up. "He's on his way down."

About ten minutes later, the neurologist came in and examined Kendall. "Your recovery after waking up from your coma was amazingly quick. You are doing unusually well for someone with a traumatic brain injury. True, you've had a few dizzy spells, but you happen to be under an enormous amount of stress. Judging by newspaper accounts alone, you've attended two court appearances, formed a new business venture, and let's not forget your child was fighting for his life in the neonatal unit. I'm not surprised that this most recent terrible development would bring on more severe symptoms." The doctor closed the chart and regarded Kendall kindly. "It would be stupid of me to tell you to lower your current stress level – your mother and child are missing. I can recommend to you that you get as much rest and nourishment as possible. I can't keep you from worrying, but I can tell you to please look after yourself." He gave Zach a look that indicated he expected her husband to enforce the mandate. Zach nodded in agreement.

Erica managed, while holding Spike, to open a bottle of water. As she quenched her thirst, she thought about Ryan, and how devastated he would be if he knew the truth about Spike. What Greg did to her daughter…she paused her sipping for a moment as she tried to quell the nausea. She looked over at Greg. That horrible man inseminated Kendall with his own sperm. He explained to Erica that he'd been in awe of how brilliant Josh turned out, with his Martin /Kane genes. He fantasized about how much more amazing a child would be that had Madden/Kane genes. Greg rambled about his late wife, and his horror upon discovering that she could not bear children. His parents would not hear of him sullying their name by divorcing her, so he had satisfied his desire to procreate in other ways. When he met Erica, he regretted even more his hasty decision to marry his college sweetheart.

It appalled Erica to hear him say all these things. He actually thought it was clever that he had been able to keep a part of her for himself. He also kept bringing up the Martins. She had no idea what was going on there, but she was glad when he finally stopped talking and started making notes in his journal. She looked down at Spike again. Poor, poor Ryan. She didn't even want to think about what it would do to Kendall. Why was it her family's fate to be violated in such evil ways?

Erica started to feel drowsy. She looked at Greg warily when he stood up and approached her. "I think it would be a good idea if you handed me the baby."

Erica shrunk back. "Don't touch him! I don't care if he is your son, you don't deserve to hold him!"

Greg shook his head. "Erica, I must take him so that he isn't harmed when you pass out."

Erica blinked at him, and the room felt like it was starting to spin. "What? Oh my God. What have you done?"

Greg deftly scooped Spike into his arms. "I just put something in your water to help you to sleep. We're going to be landing soon and I want there to be a smooth transition from the jet to the car."

Erica wanted to curse him, but her tongue would not cooperate. After a few more moments, she slid quietly into darkness.

Leo stood outside Greenlee's door, trying to work up the courage to knock. He was going to tell her the truth. He was going to tell the world the truth. No more hiding, no more working for Chris. Leo du Pres would be resurrected from the dead.

Leo placed his hand on the door. She would hate him and he would deserve it. She would never forgive the fact that he chose his family over her, and he wouldn't blame her. But she would hate him even more if she found out the truth from someone else. He needed to be the one to tell her.

The door suddenly opened, and Greenlee appeared. She gasped softly, obviously not expecting him to be standing there. He looked down and saw that she had a suitcase. "Greens…"

She made a cutting gesture with her hand. "Don't you dare! I don't know where you found out how to call me that, but the charade is over. Find some other mark. I'm going back to my husband, the father of my child. He's very rich, you know. He could make life pretty damn miserable if you don't leave me the hell alone."

Leo's hand fell to his side. "You're going back to Pine Valley? Back to Ryan?"

Greenlee folded her arms over her huge belly. "I was angry at him for a long time, because he betrayed me. My best friend betrayed me, too. But life's too short and I have a child growing inside me that needs me to be a mature adult that can forgive mistakes. He's probably going to make a lot of them. I know I will. I know I have. So I'm going to be a big person and pretend that you never said what you said. I'll pretend like you were just a nice man that I spent an unforgettable evening with when I was feeling very lonely and afraid. Do you think that you could possibly do me a favor and pretend the same thing?"

Leo stared down into her beseeching eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell me that you're going back to Ryan because you love him…not just because he's the father of your child."

Greenlee wiped away her tears. "After Leo died, for the longest time I thought I had nothing left. Even when I found out who my real father was, I still felt empty. Ryan made me feel whole again. I was willing to do anything for him. I shudder at the things I did do for him, to try and win his love in return. I should never have walked away…we belong together. We were initially bonded by our love for Leo…" Her voice trailed off. She cleared her throat. "Ryan and I will work things out. I'll work things out with Kendall. We'll get past the hurt for the sake of our children. We'll be happier than ever." She tried to smile, but it faltered. In a shaky whisper, she said, "I need for it to work. I can't deal with any more complications in my life. Please just say goodbye and walk away."

Leo glanced up at the ceiling, unable to look any more at the weariness in her delicate little face. No more complications. He wanted to tell her the truth, but how selfish would that be? Leo took a deep breath, his expression wistful. "Wow, you must be pretty tired. The other two times you told me to get lost were much more impressive." He wanted to touch her. As his fingers twitched, he reminded himself that he didn't deserve to touch her. He stepped back. "I don't want you to miss your flight."

She regarded him solemnly. "It's my grandfather's jet. It won't take off until I've boarded." She was silent for a moment longer, then moved past him to the elevator. Because it was very early in the morning, the elevator was still there from when Leo exited it. Greenlee got on and the doors closed behind her.