Chapter 10

Dixie gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from the flight attendant. Across the aisle, Tad sipped his. They were catching the redeye from Minneapolis. They'd visited the adoptive couple and daughter pretending to be researching Madden success stories for a documentary. They managed to obtain a photo of the little girl, and by a sheer stroke of luck Tad was able to swipe a lollipop that the little girl discarded.

Neither of them wanted to spend the night in Minneapolis - not with the upheaval back home. The last time Dixie called Zach, he had no news for her. He did confide in her his fear about Kendall's health. Things just kept getting worse and worse.

Tad glanced over at Dixie. "You know, it seems like a strange coincidence that you get the tip about Kate, and then Madden crawls out from under whatever rock he's been hiding and takes off with Erica and Spike. What do you think, are the two connected?"

The sarcastic inflection in his question irritated her so badly, she had to set her coffee down on the fold-out table to avoid flinging it in his smug face. She concentrated on adding cream and sugar. "What's occupying my mind right now is whether Brianna is our Kate."

Tad's expression sobered. "Speculating is a waste of time. We'll know for sure when the DNA test is finished." He had dropped the lollipop off at an overnight delivery service. It would be shipped to a lab that already contained DNA samples from Tad and Dixie. They'd have their answer soon.

Dixie stirred her coffee. "I didn't really feel a connection, Tad. She was a gorgeous little girl, and she was even the right coloring." She sighed.

Tad narrowed his eyes. "Of course you didn't feel a connection, Dixie. Why would you be bonded with a child you signed over to Madden?"

Dixie stared at him in horror. She took a deep breath, concentrating hard on not letting tears well in her eyes. After a few moments, she pretended like she hadn't heard his comment. "I really hope that the child we saw today was Kate. Because if she isn't, I don't know if we'll ever find Madden again. If he's kidnapped Erica and Spike, he's going to have a hell of a lot of incentive to find someplace remote and secure so that he can stay hidden a long time." She took a sip of her coffee, and winced at the acrid taste. "I just hope that when Zach and Ian find him, they keep him alive."

Tad stared at her. "Zach and Ian? Do they know each other, or something?"

Zach stepped into the gazebo and regarded Chris. "What have you done to find my wife's child?"

"I'm doing everything in my power to search for them, and you know that's saying a lot."

Zach's voice was flinty. "It's not enough. They're still out there. They wouldn't be out there if you hadn't messed up."

Chris made a cutting gesture. "If it weren't for me, Madden would be dead right now. Granted, a corpse wouldn't have abducted Erica and Spike. On the other hand, if he had died he would have taken Kate's whereabouts to the grave. Yes, I messed up - but I was trying to do a good thing. Dixie could be bringing Kate home, even as we speak."

Zach shook his head and sat down. "You always like to spin it so that you come out a hero. The truth is that you're nothing but a control freak."

Chris chuckled. "We're two of a kind, aren't we?"

Zach's expression was stony. "Don't compare yourself to me."

"Come off it! We're just alike and you can't stand it. You've always hated me, so it's hard for you to swallow that we both are the type of person that will do whatever it takes, break as many rules as necessary, to get the job done. We're both protective of women, we both have zero trust in anyone else. I could go on and on."

Zach stood up. "Spare me. We have more important things to discuss. Like getting Spike and Erica back."

"Sounds like a party I want to join." Ryan appeared out of the darkness and stepped up into the gazebo behind Chris. "Who's your friend?"

Chris could have kicked himself for not hearing Ryan's approach. He really was getting sloppy. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face his son.

Ryan stared at him for a long time. He was having trouble computing what he saw. "Chris?" Chris nodded almost imperceptibly. Ryan sat down on one of the gazebo benches. He spoke softly, as if to himself, "All these people that keep getting resurrected, and none of them are Gillian." He looked up at Zach. "What is your involvement with him?"

Zach sat down next to him. "Last night Kendall showed me a picture of Chris with Erica. That was when I realized that I knew him years ago - he went by another name at the time. I had no idea he was alive until he showed up at the hospital earlier today."

Ryan stared at Chris. "I should be furious that you pretended to be dead, but that would make me a hypocrite, wouldn't it?" He stood up and walked over to Chris. He stopped and stood there for a long moment, not taking his eyes off Chris. With a quickness that caught Chris by surprise, Ryan sucker-punched him. Chris fell back against the bench, sitting down hard. "That was for pretending to be my father! You have no idea how relieved I was that I had no biological connection with Patrick…but it was all a lie. A very good lie. If it weren't for that damn journal… Did you know about that, Chris? Erica found your journal and read about all the lies you told. Why did you leave it behind? That's a pretty stupid thing to do. Unless you wanted it to be found…" Ryan narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. What was truth and what was a fabrication. Chris rubbed his jaw, not saying anything.

Ryan went to the opposite side of the gazebo and sat down again. Zach quietly watching the proceedings. Ryan continued. "Why are you here, Chris? Did you find out Erica was kidnapped and you wanted to join the search?" He narrowed his eyes. "Or were you worried about…your grandson?"

Chris knew that Ryan was fishing for answers about whether he really was his father. "Spike is not my grandson."

Ryan laughed mirthlessly. "That comment could mean so many things. What is it you're trying to tell me, Chris? That you really aren't my father? That leaving the journal was just a stupid mistake? Or are you trying to tell me that you know about donor #1?"

A muscle ticked in Chris's jaw. This was not a confrontation that he ever anticipated having, and he wasn't really sure what he should reveal. "I know all about Madden. What he did to Erica. What he did to Kendall."

Zach broke in. "You don't know for sure what he did to Kendall. You're just speculating, same as us. What's relevant right now is what you did to Madden. Tell Ryan why you're responsible for his son's disappearance, or I will."

Kendall tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The frightening images of her son in danger would not leave her head. Even when she was able to convince herself that Erica was keeping Spike safe, she still imagined him missing his mother. Despite the circumstances of his birth and the fact that he spent a couple of weeks in an incubator, she and Spike had bonded. He knew she was his mommy, and no one else was going to do. Kendall kept hearing him crying in her mind. Tears flooded her eyes again and she felt utterly alone. "Come back soon, Zach. I need you."

She was just starting to drift off when she heard voices in the hallway. Jackson was telling someone to leave and come back later. It sounded like Josh. She threw back the covers and sprang from the bed. Opening the door, she rushed out. "Josh? Do you have news about your father?" She clutched at Josh's arm. "Are you here to give us information about where he might be?"

Kendall wasn't able to interpret the expression on his face. He looked…shell-shocked. "Kendall, I don't have any information about my…about Greg Madden that will help you in the search for your baby. I promise I'll try to think of something. What I need from you right now is the truth. Did you know about me and Erica? Did you know about what really happened when Greg was her doctor all those years ago?"

Kendall frowned. She didn't really want to deal with this right now, she had too much on her mind. "Josh, I don't know squat. I know my mother's hiding something big where your father is concerned, but that's it."

Josh's expression softened ever so slightly. "Well, at least I wasn't the only one in the dark. Look, we need to talk, Kendall. I know you're going through a lot right now, but this is big. Huge."

Kendall sighed. "Well, I guess whatever it is, it will take my mind off things for awhile. Let's go sit in the living room."

Erica slowly awoke and became aware that she was no longer in the jet. She was in the back seat of a car. She looked over and saw Spike asleep in a car seat. Glancing up, she saw that Greg was driving the car. Briefly she considered attacking him from behind, but he was going pretty fast. It would be inopportune if she managed to subdue him, only for the car to swerve into a tree.

It registered in her foggy brain that there was someone sitting in the passenger seat. The person's head barely peeped up over the front seat's head rest. Greg had an accomplice? Spike began to fuss, and the person turned their head to check on him. Erica gasped. "Greenlee?"

Greenlee's head whipped around. Her expression was grim. "You're finally awake." Greg glanced back at her briefly, but said nothing.

Erica stared at her agog. "What in heaven's name are you doing with this freak? After everything that he's done to you and to Kendall? Is this more revenge because you think she betrayed you? Or did you know all along about his sick plan to impregnate my daughter?"

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Would you put a cork in it? Of course you would think the worst of me if it casts your precious daughter in a better light. Even when I couldn't stand Kendall, I would never have participated in something so vile. I was just as fooled by his oily charm as she was."

Greg cleared his throat. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't disparage me while I'm present."

Greenlee looked at him and curled her lip. "As if you've even remotely earned a shred of respect from either of us, you disgusting maniac." She turned back to Erica. "I was at the airport, about to board a jet to Pine Valley when I ran into him pushing you in a wheelchair. He pulled a gun on me, and now here I am."

Erica narrowed her eyes. "Pine Valley? Things were finally starting to settle down, Greenlee. Why would you come back and stir up more trouble?"

Greenlee sighed in disgust. "I wasn't coming back to cause more problems for Kendall, if that's what you mean. Believe it or not, I want to make amends with her. I know she's been going through a lot."

"Yes she has been, and most of it is your fault. Look, maybe you weren't planning to make waves with your return, but it would have happened nonetheless. I was so optimistic about…" She broke off.

Greenlee cocked her head. "About what, Erica? What schemes would I have disrupted with my arrival? A possible reunion for Kendall and Ryan? I'm sure they've made a cozy little picture, the two of them with their adorable baby. Never mind that his conception wasn't based on a union between two people who love each other deeply, but instead was the product of Doctor Demento over here. I was long gone, and it was only a matter of time before Zach looked like an outsider. What a sweet, sweet dream that was so close to becoming reality," she sneered.

Madden bellowed, "Enough! I will hear no more about Ryan Lavery. He's genetic garbage - the product of an abuser and an alcoholic. He should never have procreated. A man like that doesn't deserve to father a child."

Erica leaned forward. "Because of you, he never will! You destroyed his last chance when you destroyed those samples."

Greg laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, if only that were true. I take it you haven't noticed Greenlee's abdomen from back there. Within the next couple of weeks she's due to give birth. I can only assume it's Lavery's spawn…God help us all."

Erica leaned forward even further and saw that Greenlee was indeed pregnant. Greenlee hissed at Madden, "You're the one that's garbage."

Erica slumped back against the seat. "Well, there goes any chance that Kendall had to win Ryan back."

Greenlee glared at her. "Are you delusional? You think Madden's driving the car towards Pine Valley and it's only a matter of hours before I'm back in Ryan's arms? We've been kidnapped. I don't know what he has planned for us, but I bet it involves us never, ever seeing our families again. Look on the bright side, Erica. I'm sure that Ryan and Kendall will bond over the search for their missing son. They'll eventually get back together and live happily ever after. Or at least as happy as two people can be who've had their child torn from them!" She directed the last few words at Greg.

Erica closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples. Greenlee was right, they were in dire straits. Erica was terrified over what would happen next, and not wanting to deal with it she had chosen to focus her rage on Greenlee. She opened her eyes again and saw that Greenlee was struggling not to cry. She was probably out of her mind with worry over what Madden would do once she gave birth. Well, Erica would see to it that she had no need to fear for her child. She would find a way to get them out of this mess, long before her baby decided to make it's appearance.