~*~ Chapter 6 ~*~
Jagger sat at the counter at Kelly's sipping a cup of coffee and staring at the newspaper. Although not actually reading the paper, his thoughts strayed to Karen. The look on her face when she saw him in her father's office was haunting him like a nightmare. He thought about the way Scott held her like a little girl afraid of a monster in the closest. Things were so much different for her now, so much better.
"Somehow I thought I would find you here…" he heard a voice from behind him. He turned to see his sister behind him.
"Gina…" he said with a smile as the got up to give her a hug. "Hey, want a cup of coffee?"
"Sure" she said sitting down next to him. "So how was the first day?"
"Well, it was okay until about 10:00. I had to go see the DA."
"In trouble already, big brother?" she asked teasingly.
"No, he wanted to warn me to stay away from Karen. But he was a little too late, because while he had stepped out of the office for a minute, Karen walked in. And let's just say that our first meeting since the divorce didn't go well."
"Well, Jagger, did you think that it would?" Gina asked disbelievingly.
"I didn't think that it would be as bad as it was. Gina, it was like she was afraid of me. It's like she thought I was going to hurt her or something."
"Jagger, you ripped her heart out and mailed it to her federal express. And you just expected that she would understand. Now she is finally happy. She has her sister and her father in her life. She's getting married. Naturally, seeing you made her feel like all of that might go away."
"Wait, she's getting married? To who?"
"Jagger, are you listening to me?"
"Yes, she's getting married. To who?" he asked again.
"Chris Ramsey," she finally answered as she put her head down. "He's a doctor at the hospital." Gina looked at the solemn look on Jagger's face. "Jagger, she's moved on, you need to move on too. You can't keep living in the past. That's how you got in this situation in the first place." Gina stood up and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, "Maybe Scott is right, maybe the best thing is to just leave her alone. Thanks for the coffee."
As Jagger watched Gina leave the restaurant, he took a couple of bucks out of his pocket and threw it down on the counter. "I can't do that Gina, I've at least got to try to clear the air with her." He said to himself as he walked outside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey Eve, have you seen Karen?" Scott said as he walked through the hospital doors immediately noticing Eve at the desk.
"Hi Scott, how are you? It is a lovely day today," she replied.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, how are you today?" he said taking the hint.
"Nope, too little too late." She smirked at him. "And, no. Karen's not here."
"She's not? Hmm…"
"Why, is something wrong?"
"No, well at least I don't think so, I'm was just a little worried about her. She stopped by my office this morning and she was rather upset when she left. I just wanted to check on her. You know, make sure she was okay." He explained.
"Well she looked okay to me when she left. She left early today, Chris was taking her out for a romantic evening."
"Chris, huh? Well maybe he'll take her mind off of everything…"
"Are you developing a soft spot for Chris?" Eve chastised.
"No…it's more of a tolerance."
"Well call her tomorrow, she's busy all night tonight." Eve said with a smirk as she walked away.
"I don't even want to think about that…" he turned and yelled back to her as he noticed Kayla coming down the hallway.
"Scott…what are you doing here?" she asked with a disgusted tone.
"Ah, hey Kayla. Karen told me that you were working here for a couple of months, so I thought I would stop by, you know, say hi," he explained.
"Oh yes, Karen, and how is she doing today. Did she clean you out yet?"
"Kayla, that's enough. We need to get a couple of things straight. Here," he said handing her one of the wedding invitations that he had requested from Karen so that he could invite a few acquaintances.
"Great, you can't call me in years, but you can invite me to your wedding to a floozy."
"Just open it, Kayla…" he said getting frustrated with her.
"Fine if it will make you go away, I'll open it." She took the envelope and tore it open pulling out the invitation from inside and began to read it.
Ms. Rhonda Wexler
And
Mr. Scott Baldwin
Request the honor of your presence
At the marriage of their daughter
Karen Marie
To
Dr. Christopher Ramsey
On Saturday the fourteenth of August
In the Versaille Room at the
Port Charles Hotel at
Two O'Clock pm.
123 Charles Street
Port Charles, New York
"Oh my god…she's your daughter" she said in shock and embarrassment. "Oh Scott, I am so sorry."
"You can bring guest if you like," he said as he turned and began to walk away.
"Scott, wait…please." She pleaded running after him as he ignored her and kept walking.
"Scott please, let me apologize."
Scott stopped and quickly turned around. "I'm not the one that you need to apologize too. You had every right to treat me the way that you did, but not Karen. You wouldn't let me get a word in as you stood there and insulted my daughter. I was wrong to never call you once I found Serena and decided to stay in Port Charles. But Karen is the reason I stayed. I finally had both of my daughters in my life and I wasn't going to give that up. You just assumed that she was my new flame because of a ring that you saw on her finger."
Eve came around the corner behind them, to pick up chart that she had forgotten, when she saw Kayla and Scott in a heated discussion. Eve stood there and watched them as she quickly realized exactly what Scott was explaining to her.
"I am so sorry," her face turned bright red with embarrassment, "You always told me that you had another daughter in San Francisco, but I always assumed that she was younger. A little older than Serena."
"Kayla, I told you she was going to medical school, did you think my daughter was Doogie Howser?" Scott asked in disbelief.
"I guess I never really paid attention, I just developed a preconceived idea and never bothered to change it. Why didn't you tell me who she was in the first place?"
"Kayla, I tried. You wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise!" he retorted. "I'll see you at the wedding." He turned and walked away from Kayla leaving her standing in the hallway embarrassed as Eve finally approached the desk to get the chart.
"What do you want?" Kayla snapped at Eve when she finally saw her.
"Nothing, just picking up chart that I had forgotten." Eve began to walk away again when she suddenly stopped and turned toward Kayla. "By the way, do you need a bigger shovel for that hole that you're digging?" she asked turning to leave again.
Jagger sat at the counter at Kelly's sipping a cup of coffee and staring at the newspaper. Although not actually reading the paper, his thoughts strayed to Karen. The look on her face when she saw him in her father's office was haunting him like a nightmare. He thought about the way Scott held her like a little girl afraid of a monster in the closest. Things were so much different for her now, so much better.
"Somehow I thought I would find you here…" he heard a voice from behind him. He turned to see his sister behind him.
"Gina…" he said with a smile as the got up to give her a hug. "Hey, want a cup of coffee?"
"Sure" she said sitting down next to him. "So how was the first day?"
"Well, it was okay until about 10:00. I had to go see the DA."
"In trouble already, big brother?" she asked teasingly.
"No, he wanted to warn me to stay away from Karen. But he was a little too late, because while he had stepped out of the office for a minute, Karen walked in. And let's just say that our first meeting since the divorce didn't go well."
"Well, Jagger, did you think that it would?" Gina asked disbelievingly.
"I didn't think that it would be as bad as it was. Gina, it was like she was afraid of me. It's like she thought I was going to hurt her or something."
"Jagger, you ripped her heart out and mailed it to her federal express. And you just expected that she would understand. Now she is finally happy. She has her sister and her father in her life. She's getting married. Naturally, seeing you made her feel like all of that might go away."
"Wait, she's getting married? To who?"
"Jagger, are you listening to me?"
"Yes, she's getting married. To who?" he asked again.
"Chris Ramsey," she finally answered as she put her head down. "He's a doctor at the hospital." Gina looked at the solemn look on Jagger's face. "Jagger, she's moved on, you need to move on too. You can't keep living in the past. That's how you got in this situation in the first place." Gina stood up and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, "Maybe Scott is right, maybe the best thing is to just leave her alone. Thanks for the coffee."
As Jagger watched Gina leave the restaurant, he took a couple of bucks out of his pocket and threw it down on the counter. "I can't do that Gina, I've at least got to try to clear the air with her." He said to himself as he walked outside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey Eve, have you seen Karen?" Scott said as he walked through the hospital doors immediately noticing Eve at the desk.
"Hi Scott, how are you? It is a lovely day today," she replied.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, how are you today?" he said taking the hint.
"Nope, too little too late." She smirked at him. "And, no. Karen's not here."
"She's not? Hmm…"
"Why, is something wrong?"
"No, well at least I don't think so, I'm was just a little worried about her. She stopped by my office this morning and she was rather upset when she left. I just wanted to check on her. You know, make sure she was okay." He explained.
"Well she looked okay to me when she left. She left early today, Chris was taking her out for a romantic evening."
"Chris, huh? Well maybe he'll take her mind off of everything…"
"Are you developing a soft spot for Chris?" Eve chastised.
"No…it's more of a tolerance."
"Well call her tomorrow, she's busy all night tonight." Eve said with a smirk as she walked away.
"I don't even want to think about that…" he turned and yelled back to her as he noticed Kayla coming down the hallway.
"Scott…what are you doing here?" she asked with a disgusted tone.
"Ah, hey Kayla. Karen told me that you were working here for a couple of months, so I thought I would stop by, you know, say hi," he explained.
"Oh yes, Karen, and how is she doing today. Did she clean you out yet?"
"Kayla, that's enough. We need to get a couple of things straight. Here," he said handing her one of the wedding invitations that he had requested from Karen so that he could invite a few acquaintances.
"Great, you can't call me in years, but you can invite me to your wedding to a floozy."
"Just open it, Kayla…" he said getting frustrated with her.
"Fine if it will make you go away, I'll open it." She took the envelope and tore it open pulling out the invitation from inside and began to read it.
Ms. Rhonda Wexler
And
Mr. Scott Baldwin
Request the honor of your presence
At the marriage of their daughter
Karen Marie
To
Dr. Christopher Ramsey
On Saturday the fourteenth of August
In the Versaille Room at the
Port Charles Hotel at
Two O'Clock pm.
123 Charles Street
Port Charles, New York
"Oh my god…she's your daughter" she said in shock and embarrassment. "Oh Scott, I am so sorry."
"You can bring guest if you like," he said as he turned and began to walk away.
"Scott, wait…please." She pleaded running after him as he ignored her and kept walking.
"Scott please, let me apologize."
Scott stopped and quickly turned around. "I'm not the one that you need to apologize too. You had every right to treat me the way that you did, but not Karen. You wouldn't let me get a word in as you stood there and insulted my daughter. I was wrong to never call you once I found Serena and decided to stay in Port Charles. But Karen is the reason I stayed. I finally had both of my daughters in my life and I wasn't going to give that up. You just assumed that she was my new flame because of a ring that you saw on her finger."
Eve came around the corner behind them, to pick up chart that she had forgotten, when she saw Kayla and Scott in a heated discussion. Eve stood there and watched them as she quickly realized exactly what Scott was explaining to her.
"I am so sorry," her face turned bright red with embarrassment, "You always told me that you had another daughter in San Francisco, but I always assumed that she was younger. A little older than Serena."
"Kayla, I told you she was going to medical school, did you think my daughter was Doogie Howser?" Scott asked in disbelief.
"I guess I never really paid attention, I just developed a preconceived idea and never bothered to change it. Why didn't you tell me who she was in the first place?"
"Kayla, I tried. You wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise!" he retorted. "I'll see you at the wedding." He turned and walked away from Kayla leaving her standing in the hallway embarrassed as Eve finally approached the desk to get the chart.
"What do you want?" Kayla snapped at Eve when she finally saw her.
"Nothing, just picking up chart that I had forgotten." Eve began to walk away again when she suddenly stopped and turned toward Kayla. "By the way, do you need a bigger shovel for that hole that you're digging?" she asked turning to leave again.