Outside of Kelly's-

Carly waited for her mother to come. They had scheduled a visit together because Carly needed to see what was going on with her. They had spent such a long time being at one another's throats, with Carly unjustly hating her mother for something that Bobbie had no control over. Carly would never be able to truly make up for the mistakes that were made, the way that she broke up Bobbie's married with Tony, the way that she forced Lucas to not have his parents together, but, they managed to find some sort of common ground, and Carly would always be appreciative of that. Still, if she could do something to tip the scales back towards the center instead of having it be completely leaning against Carly's side she would do it. Bobbie had helped her many times in her life, including, in some strange way, by giving her up. At first, Carly may have hated the fact that she wasn't 'wanted' by Bobbie, but she understood now that Bobbie did want to keep her, Bobbie wanted her more than anything else in the world, but there was only so much that a mother like Bobbie could do for a child. Carly deserved the chance that she would get with some other parents. She deserved the opportunity for stability. While it was true that Carly didn't get that, that Carly got a home life which was just about as bad as anything that Bobbie could have given her there was no way that the girl could have known that when she gave up the baby. All Bobbie knew at that time was that she was giving her baby up to what could have been a better life. It had taken Carly a little while, but she had eventually realized that it really was done for the best reasons, with the best of intentions. Bobbie couldn't be faulted for doing the same thing that every mother would probably think about doing.

In some ways, it mirrored the mothers that were directly involved in her life. If she didn't have Jason with her there was no telling what she would have done with Michael. The way that the post partum struck her, made her want to avoid touching the baby at all… if that had happened and she didn't have someone that she could trust at her side what would have happened? Deep down she didn't want to admit the answer, but she knew that it was there, she would have felt forced to do the same thing that her mother had done with her. She would have been forced to give Michael up, because she wouldn't have been able to offer him anything that he deserved, not even the love of a parent. Carly owed so many people for so many things, and Jason was, like Bobbie, at the top of that list. But, she understood that each time she tried to do something that would help Jason she almost always made it worse than it had been. Despite the best of intentions, and she always had the best of intentions, or at least she thought she did, Carly made a mess of everything. A mess that rested solely on Super-Jason's shoulders. But he could handle it, because Jason could handle anything.

However, Carly wasn't the only mother that was mirrored by Bobbie's prior predicament. No, the same thing had happened with that lady, Damian's mother. Ana-Maria? A small part of Carly would always feel sad when she walked by the picture that was hanging above the piano in one of the parts of the penthouse. After all, Ana-Maria had given Sonny something that Carly had thought was hers. She had given Sonny his first child, his real first child. Morgan was supposed to be that child, in the technical sense of the word, and Carly would have been completely content knowing that she had given Sonny the one thing that he wanted the most in the world, a child that was his, both in the emotional and physical sense. She didn't even have that much time to savor her victory, though… because he came and swooped it out of her clutches. Before she would have blamed Damian, and his mother, for taking away something that was, by all rights, hers. But she wasn't that person anymore. Yes, there would be some inherent animosity, but she wouldn't act upon it. She had done that before, and the secret that they shared together would always loom over their heads. If it got out there was no telling what would happen. The damage that would be wrought from that small piece of information coming out.

Carly looked at the time on her watch a she continued to wait, periodically looking down at Morgan in her arms, who was busy playing with a rattle, bashing it against the table that they were sitting at. Morgan was safely bundled up in layer upon layer of clothing in an effort to keep him from catching any sort of cold. He'd gotten sick before, really sick… and she could have lost him if it wasn't for the fact that he had a half-brother who could give him something that he needed. There were things that Carly couldn't protect her children from, she acknowledged that and begrudgingly accepted it, but the things that she could keep Michael and Morgan from she would fight tooth and nail to keep them from, the things that hurt them, like germs and cold. Some people might look at the layers of fine clothing that was on her infant child and scoff, but Carly would only smile and know that, deep down, they would have done the same thing if it was their child and they were in the same situation.

"I figured that you might have decided to come on inside at one point or another, Carly," Mike said as he walked out of the restaurant with a hot cup of coffee, just the way that Carly enjoyed it. He knew the way that his family and friends liked their coffee, having served at least half a dozen cups to them during his time working as the manager of Kelly's. It was a job that he didn't think he deserved, a chance to create some stability in his life where there had once been none. Bobbie had done him a great service, one that he figured he would never be able to repay her for. "But, I can't have you getting cold out here…"

"Thank you, Mike," Carly said with a smile, but out of the corner of her eyes she was looking for Bobbie to appear on one end of the walkway or the other. Still, there was nothing. "I'm just waiting for my mother."

"You finally managed to get some time with her?"

"I had to tell a little white lie in order to do it," she said after a brief nod. "I had to tell her that Morgan really missed his grandma and that he wanted to see her. It's probably true, but I can't really know one way or the other if he's actually missing her." Carly looked down at the child, who was transfixed by Mike, his arms reaching out towards the older man. "But, I'm pretty sure that's a signal that he missed his grandfather."

"Come here, champ," Mike placed the coffee down on the table and quickly grabbed his grandson, hoisting him up with a soft grunt. "Someone's sure growing up quickly, pretty soon I'm not going to be able to pick you up, you're going to get so big! But that's not a bad thing, no it isn't. We all want you to be healthy and happy…"

"That's what I want for my mother, too…"

Mike looked over at Carly. "What are you saying? Do you think that Bobbie's sick? Carly, I know she hasn't told you much about what's going on with her, but I know that if she was sick, if she was really sick, she would find a way to make sure that she told you. She's not that kind of person, she wouldn't hold that kind of secret from you."

"I don't think she's sick either, Mike, but what about happy? I'm not so sure that my mother is happy right now. Every time I've seen her over the past few days there's always been some underlying sadness that she tries to keep hidden from everyone around her. Sometimes it works, sometimes people don't notice, but I do… because I can't help but notice when she's hurt. I've caused that kind of look on her too many times in the past to not know what it looks like."

"Bobbie's always got a lot going on in her life, Carly, you know that. She's the head nurse at General, after all. She might have lost some patient and it was just bothering her. She's been doing the job for a long time, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't feel when she loses someone that she was trying to save." Mike doubted that any doctor, no matter how trained they were in the craft, was really able to accept it when they lost someone. They were just too human not to feel some sort of grief when one of their charges died. At least that was what Mike thought, and he hoped it was true.

"I know when my mother's finished working, though. At least for the most part. When I see her it's usually on days when she isn't working, that way I don't keep her from something that she would need to do… that's how I know that the way she looks… it isn't work related, unless there's something happening at work that she doesn't talk to me about. She usually answers me when I ask her what's wrong, she'll usually tell me… but she hasn't lately, and I'm getting worried."

"Well, it looks like you'll get the chance you want to ask her again, Carly," Mike saw Bobbie turning around the corner. "I'll leave the two of you alone. Just let her know that if she needs me to help her in anyway at all she doesn't need to hesitate in asking. And, you might want to take Morgan back for a little while, that way your lie doesn't seem that bad." Mike winked at Carly, handing the baby back to his mother.

"Hello, Mike," Bobbie said in her cheery voice as she walked passed him.

"Bobbie, how are you?"

"As good as can be expected for a woman of my age, I suppose…" it was an excuse, a way of deflecting any of the interrogation that could have followed. She didn't want anyone to know about the threat that John had made to her early in the morning. Didn't want anyone to know that he was going to make it his intent to tell Carly everything, no matter what happened, no matter who got in her way.

"Bobbie, you know you look as beautiful a woman half your age…"

"You're just saying that."

"Did it work?"

"I didn't tell you to stop, did I?" She said with a soft chuckle. "But, if you'll excuse me, I have something important to do. Our grandson wants to see me… and how can I say no to a face like that?"

"I don't know, I've never found a way. Do you want something to drink? I can bring it out in a few if you do…"

"No thank you, Mike. I don't want anything to drink right now." Even if she did she wouldn't say that she did. She wanted some time to be alone with Morgan. Was it selfish of her? Maybe, but she wasn't going to be faulted for loving her grandson as much as she possibly could.

"Look, Morgan, there's grandma," Carly turned the baby around so that he could see Bobbie. "Say hi to grandma, sweetie," she picked up his hand and made him mockingly wave, "Hi, Grandma!"

"There's my baby… the most handsome baby in the whole wide world!" Bobbie always loved it when she got to spend some time with her grandchildren. Now that Lucas was old enough to be away from her she knew that he really didn't want to spend that much time with her, and she didn't want to be the type of mother who forced herself on her children. Overbearing and intrusive. Besides, when they hit a certain age they really pushed away from their authority figures. Morgan was at the perfect age, the age where he didn't care what kind of person Bobbie was, all he cared about was getting attention. And attention he would get. "Look at you… I feel like you're a different person each time I see you. Soon you're going to be a completely different little man and I'll have to learn about you all over again…"

"Don't say that, momma," Carly said, "I don't want to lose Morgan like that! I want him to stay a cute baby, my cute baby, forever."

"But if that happens then what are you going to do when he wants to grow up? You'll miss out on all the good times in his life. You'll miss out on being a grandmother yourself…"

"I'm a little too young to be thinking about that, don't you think?"

"I wasn't even forty when you had Michael… I thought I was too young to think about things like that, too. They have a funny way of sneaking up on you."

"I don't want either of the boys to become parents at the same time you did…" Carly said softly, and then she realized how it may have sound. "Mom, you know what I mean, right? You know I didn't mean it as an insult towards you for having me so young… I just…"

"I know what you're talking about, Carly. Don't worry about it. I want the same thing for them, too. I want them to be old enough to provide for their children, I want them to be mature enough to actually handle the responsibilities that they would find themselves dealing with…"

"I don't know if anyone can really be old enough to accept the responsibilities that come when someone's a parent for the first time. Everything seems to pound on them, every little mistake that they might make becomes so huge…"

"Those people end up becoming the best parents, though," Bobbie commented. "They're the ones who take such a vested interest in the wellbeing of their child. Some people aren't really ready for that." She thought of Tracy and the way that she just sort of accepted the fact that she was mother to her children, but that was it. She never really acted like a mother to Dillon or Ned.

"There you are…"

Bobbie felt her blood run cold as she looked behind her shoulder to see Durant standing there, a smug look on his face. Carly, also less than thrilled to see the man, sneered as he came their way. "Don't you know how to take a hint? I don't want to see you…"

"Oh, but I think you do."

"John, just leave. Please."

"Why would I want to leave during such a touching family reunion?"

"Because this is a family reunion. You know, family. People who are related." Carly stood next to her mother. "My mother, my child, me… nobody else is around."

"What about your father?" John asked.

"What the hell are you talking about? My father isn't here, I don't even know who he is…"

"Carly…" Bobbie reached over and touched her daughter's hand gently. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"Momma?" Carly couldn't understand what her mother was apologizing for, or why she looked so scared and hurt. "What's going on?"

"Why don't you give daddy a hug, Carly?" John asked. "Because, surprise… I'm him."