TITLE: SHOOTOUT AT THE NIGHTSHIFT
----------------------------------
Gabriel followed his Dad around the hospital, it seems like this was all he was doing these past nights since his Dad was ordered to community service at the hospital. And with Spinelli hanging around in the hospital, it was lonely at the penthouse, so why the heck not?
Except, he seemed to lost track of his Dad, at the moment.
Turning around the corner, Gabriel saw his Dad speaking with Aunt Robin, and he smiled. Gabriel was glad that these nightshifts seemed to have brought Aunt Robin and Dad closer to being friends again. He knew all about the whole thing that went down between Dad, AJ, Aunt Robin, and Aunt Carly. The whole Michael situation was still a sore subject, but at least both Dad and Aunt Robin were mature enough to move past it and not let it affect their relationship anymore. Gabriel liked his Aunt Robin, she was nice and polite, and fun to hang around with. It wasn't that he didn't approve of his Dad's other relationships, he did, but it seemed like it was always disaster.
Gabriel to be honest, had really liked Sam, she was tough and could hang with Dad in a crisis no problem. But he didn't expect Sam to be so vengeful, and Gabriel was protective of his Dad, no one messed with his Daddy.
Elizabeth Webber-Spencer was another, Gabriel had never really liked Elizabeth. Sure she was nice and a very good mother, but a part of Gabriel always held a grudge against her for the times she broke his Dad's heart. Gabriel wasn't so hot on handing Elizabeth his Dad's heart again. She may be Jake's mother, Gabriel respected her for that, but it didn't mean that she was the right person for his Dad. His Dad deserved a woman who would put him first, a woman like Aunt Carly, minus the screaming and scheming of course.
Walking up to the pair, Gabriel smiled, "Hey Aunt Robin!"
Robin looked past Jason, spotting Gabriel walking up to them. Robin had always been fond of the little boy, Liam and Cassandra had raised a bright young boy, and Jason had continued to follow in their footsteps. For a boy growing up in the mob world, Gabriel was well adjusted.
"Well hello to you too Mister, what are you doing here?"
"Stalking." Gabriel simply said.
Robin raised an eyebrow and chuckled at the look of confusion on Jason's face. Even after nearly 12 years, little things still confused Jason.
"Oh really? And who are you stalking?"
Gabriel shrugged and cocked his head toward his Dad. It amused him sometimes to see his Dad so confused.
By now Robin had burst into laughter, making Jason even more confused.
"Someone wanna tell me what's going on?"
"Sorry Jason, but…this is just too funny." Robin couldn't control herself, it felt good to laugh again.
"I'm stalking you Dad, with the amount of time I spent following you, I might as well be stalking." Gabriel explained, laughing at the look of realization on his Dad's face.
Robin recovered herself first and said, "I gotta go back to work. I'll see you soon." And with that, she disappeared around the corner, her laughter still echoing down the hall.
Jason blinked a few times, and started to wheel the supply cart down the hall to Toussaint's room.
"Hey! Wait up!" Gabriel called as he scrambled to follow his Dad.
-----------------------------
Hours later, Gabriel had bought a few bags of chips from the vending machine, he was happily munching on them and watching his Dad mop the floor when Epiphany came flying around the corner, and he fell off the end of the gurney in shock.
"Ow!" Gabriel cursed under his breath and rubbed his bruised arm.
Catching on the tail end of his Dad and Epiphany's conversation, he knew it was about the mysterious killer and the possibility of the person would come after Toussaint. Dad was standing outside of the room for a reason after all.
As Epiphany left, Gabriel got to his feet.
"You really think Jolene is the killer and she's coming to kill Toussaint?"
His Dad nodded, "She'll try, and we have to stop her."
And it was then that Spinelli came bounding around the corner, "Greetings Stone Cold and Junior. I have discovered a most disturbing news."
Gabriel's eyes widened as he listened to Spinelli's story about Jolene and MedCam, but then again, this was Port Charles, strange things were meant to happen around here. MedCam must be desperate, but of course, Gabriel wasn't gonna let MedCam take over the hospital his Grandpa Alan worked so hard to maintain, not that easily.
His Dad gave Gabriel a look, he knew what that meant, it was planning time.
----------------------------
Gabriel poked his head around the corner, keeping a look out for Jolene. His Dad had used his stalking skills to their advantage. He was now stalking Jolene so to speak. If Jolene was doing anything suspicious or heading toward Toussaint's room, Gabriel was to text message his Dad.
And just his luck, Jolene went into a supply room and came out with what looked like a syringe in her hand as she slipped it into her pocket. Gabriel's eyes narrowed as he took out his phone to text his Dad, so Jolene really is the killer.
Jolene started to move, and Gabriel followed along, careful not to get himself caught. He noticed the direction they were heading, it was toward Toussaint's room. He text his Dad again to give the heads up.
As Jolene was about to enter Toussaint's room, Gabriel saw his Dad make his move and grab Jolene from behind, the girl tried to struggle but to no avail. His Dad pulled her with him, looking over to Gabriel and nodded for him to follow as they all headed out to the nurses' station.
----------------------------------
Jason pulled Jolene along with him, his son following on the other side.
"Doctor Ford! Doctor Ford!" Jason called as he found the acting Chief of Staff standing a few feet away, "I found her outside Toussaint's room, she was about to inject him with this." Jason handed Ford the syringe while Jolene pleaded her innocence.
It was then Jason noticed the air of tension inside the room, something didn't feel right. Jason looked around and saw three men sitting in the chairs, they didn't fit, Jason knew their type immediately, but he didn't think of it, until he saw a gurney carried a man he recognized from a few weeks ago. The three men were whispering, that was when Jason felt the danger, he knew what was coming. Jason looked to his son and noticed Gabriel looking tense too. No doubt his son had sensed what he did.
Gabriel didn't feel right either, there was an air of danger, a feeling he knew all too well.
Jason turned and whispered to the people around him "Get behind the desk! Get behind the desk now!"
As he pulled Jolene along with him toward the desk, the gunshots rang out.
Gabriel couldn't get to the desk in time, so he dropped down to his stomach and rolled towards under the chairs as bullets flew past him.
Shots flew everywhere in the ER, crashes, people screaming.
Jason peeked over the desk, his heart clinched at the sight of his baby boy hiding under the chairs with hands covering his head, amidst the gunfire. Crawling to the edge of the desk, Jason grabbed a gun off from a dead shooter and shot back.
Gabriel covered his head as gunshots bounced around him, this reminded him once again of the Cellar shootout when Alcazar ordered the hit on his Dad and Uncle Sonny. He may have been used to the shootouts, but he didn't like them, people always end up getting hurt.
Peeking his eyes out, he saw his Dad returning fire. Then another shooter aimed at his Dad when he was focused on someone else.
"Dad!!!!" Gabriel screamed out, but there was no time. The 11 year old burst out of his hiding place and tackled the shooter to the ground, swiftly swiping the gun out of the shooter's hand and as he did, the gun went off, and the bullet hitting the shooter right between the eyes. The man dropped dead as Gabriel landed on his stomach next to him.
Jason saw the whole thing play out, he immediately raced out and grabbed his son into his arms and pulled the kid out of the line of fire.
Gabriel turned around and hugged his Dad tightly, "I'm sorry Dad, I didn't mean to shoot him, I didn't mean to." Tears were starting to fill his eyes.
"Shhhh….it's okay buddy, you're okay. You did nothing wrong." Jason rubbed Gabriel's back, anger filled his mind. No one messed with his family, not his little boy.
Setting Gabriel on the ground next to Spinelli, Jason returned fire with more ferocity, picking off shooters one by one. Spinelli joined the fight as he chugged his bag at one of the shooters, leaving the teen in the line of fire as another opened fire, but Jolene jumped in and took the bullet.
Gabriel watched as people screamed or got hit, this was getting bad, and in the midst of it, his Dad was calm and accurate. Gabriel was glad for that, he knew with his Dad they were all safe.
Suddenly Aunt Robin ran past him to Spinelli and Jolene when a shooter grabbed her.
"Aunt Robin!" Gabriel scrambled to his feet wanting to help, but he felt his Dad's hand holding him back. His heart pounded faster and faster, he didn't want his Aunt Robin to get hurt, not his Aunt Robin. Gabriel watched his Dad communicate to Aunt Robin with his eyes, she ducked down as he opened fire. Gabriel watched in shock as both Aunt Robin and the shooter fell back against the doors. His Dad ran up, Gabriel followed not far behind.
A breath of relief left him as he saw his Aunt Robin hug his Dad, she was shaken, but okay.
Gabriel gazed around the ER room, blood and dead bodies laid across the floors, hell had just broken loose at General Hospital.
-----------------
---------------------
The police had came minutes later, asking questions, basically, being stupid as usual.
Gabriel held his Dad's hand the entire time, neither of them wanted to be apart right now. Cruz Rodriguez asked his Dad about the shooting and was now turning to Gabriel.
"Okay, Gabriel, can you tell me what happened?"
"Come on Rodriguez, you already know what happened, you don't need to ask him." Jason pitched in, his son had gone through enough already.
"Look Morgan, I get it, but he might have seen some details that you missed."
Jason sighed as Cruz turned back to Gabriel.
"Well, I was in the ER with Dad, and I felt something didn't feel right, then Dad told us to get behind the nurses' desk, and that's when they all started shooting." Gabriel recounted the story.
"Witnesses say that you tackled a shooter and shot him?"
Gabriel immediately tensed, his Dad's grip on him became tighter, "It was an accident…." He said softly, looking down on the ground.
"That I'm sure it was." Cruz didn't prod, it was obvious according the witness reports that it was an accident, the boy had been brave enough to save his Dad, and personally, Cruz didn't think Gabriel was wild to start shooting guns, for a mobster's son, he was polite and gentle most of the time, unless when it came to family.
Cruz walked away with a nod, but Mac had already stood in his place. Gabriel looked up at the police commissioner, wondering what he wants now.
"Did you hit any civilians?" Of course, Gabriel almost rolled his eyes, that was all Mac cared when it came to his Dad.
"No."
"Forensics will have to check that out."
"I understand."
"Robin can thank you all she wants, but keep in mind, you're still the worst thing that's ever happened to her."
That got Gabriel mad, "You're wrong! You have no right to say that!" Gabriel stood in front of his Dad. Mac's faced was one of shock, "Dad just saved Robin's life and you can't even muster up a thank you? No one's asking you to be best friends, but you can't even acknowledge the good he did! He's the reason she is alive! Is that a bad thing? Did you wan Robin dead!?! What, is everything in this universe my Dad's fault? A tornado blows through, hey, let's all blame Jason Morgan 'cause he's always the bad guy?!?! You're ungrateful! You know why this police department sucks? Because you and that idiot of a DA can't get rid of your little childish grudges. Why don't you all grow up! Then maybe you can actually CATCH the bad guys!"
Mac blinked a few times, mouth still open in surprise. He looked from Jason, then to Gabriel, and walked away.
Jason got down to his knees, "You didn't need to do that Buddy, Mac said the right things."
"No he didn't, and don't you think that!" Gabriel wasn't gonna let his Dad believe that garbage, "You are the greatest Dad in the world and I don't regret one single moment I spent with you. You made Aunt Robin love her life after Stone died, you made her happy again, you made her believe in living, and I won't let you think that you were the worst for her, you saved her life."
Jason smiled, he could always count on his son to stand by him, his little boy. He embraced his son, holding onto him tight. Gabriel returned his Dad's embrace, he had the best dad in the whole world, he didn't care what the world thought, his Dad would always be his hero.
--------------------------------------
Gabriel turned as he heard Dad and Aunt Robin's voices.
"Aunt Robin!" Gabriel ran up and gave Robin a hug, "I'm so glad you're okay."
Robin smiled, swinging the young boy around and ruffling his hair, "Me too, kiddo, I'm glad you're safe."
Together, the three of them walked outside as a limo pulled up, Gabriel saw his Uncle Sonny through the glass window and raced forward. The door opened to reveal the Don of Port Charles.
"Uncle Sonny!!" Gabriel exclaimed happily as he climbed into the car and gave Sonny a big hug.
"Hey big boy! Let me have a look at you..." Sonny looked the boy from head to toe, "You don't look any worse for the wear."
"They didn't touch me." Gabriel smiled.
Sonny was so glad, he didn't even want to think what would have happened if Gabriel had been hurt.
Jason got in the car a few seconds later as Gabriel released his grip, the three men turned to face the window, and collectively, all waved goodbye to Robin as the limo drove away.
Another shift done, another battle fought. And life continues…
