Here's the next chapter. This chapter ends in kind of wierd place because this is only half of the original chapter. It was originally extremely long so I decided to cut it in half and make it two chapters and where I ended it was the most logical place. You should get the other part as chapter 12 soon. Any way please let me know what you think. Oh by the way I need to make sure everyone knows these characters are not my property, I own nothing. This is just for fun. Thanks again for reading.

Chapter 11

Emergency Room

Starr stared at her phone while she waited for her dad, wondering about everything that had happened today. It had been a crazy day. First she had to deal with everything going on with Michael. Then Lulu called her to come to the hospital, scaring her half to death that something had happened to her dad or Michael. But when she gets here she find out her cousin had been attacked and was in the hospital. The day just got stranger after that. She had no idea of the things that had been going on with Natalie. Her mom had told her things were weird right now with the Buchanans, but she never even hinted that things were as bad they seemed. She knew that Natalie was having problems with John, obviously since he was here in Port Charles and she was in Llanview with Liam, but she had no clue about her being in an accident or a coma. None of it made any sense to Starr. How can anyone, even a family as powerful as the Buchanans, keep something as serious as someone being in a car accident and almost dying a secret. The pregnancy would have been easier to hide because she was early enough along that all she had to do was to stay out of sight as much as possible and wear baggy clothes when she had to go out in public. Starr knew that very well from her on personal experience. But to keep a life threatening situation from the entire town when it involved a prominent citizen was almost impossible to believe. Though, according to Natalie, that was exactly what happened.

Sighing, Starr shakes her head in disgust as she puts her phone in her purse and looks over at the elevator doors. She wasn't exactly sure what happened to Natalie but it must have been pretty bad to make her cousin want to turn to her dad instead of John. Natalie and Todd had never gotten along, not since her dad had given Natalie to Mitch Laurence to save Blair. Natalie had never fully forgiven Todd for that, not that Starr blamed her, though. Sure Todd didn't know that Mitch planned to cut out Natalie's heart, but he knew that Mitch Laurence was a psychopath who had kidnaped Natalie as a child and kept her away rom her family for years. And for him to willing give her over to the man who had caused her so much pain was unforgivable for Natalie. So why would she insist on seeing Todd now? Unable to come up with an answer, Starr moves towards the elevator as the door opened and her dad walks out with Carly. "Glad you could come Dad. I was beginning to think you had decided not to."

"I'll always come when you call." Todd tells her. "Now what's going on? Why are you in the ER? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. Its..."

"Is it Michael?" Carly interrupted. "Is he ok? I was with you father with you called and I had to come with him to make sure the both of you are alright. I hope you don't mind?"

"Its alright. And as far as I know Michael is still with the Quartermaines. He's not the reason I called."

"Then what is it?" Todd asked. "You had me scared to death. I thought something was seriously wrong with you."

"I'm sorry I scared you, but I needed to get you here and I knew you wouldn't come if I told you who was here. There is someone here from Llanview who wants to talk to you." Starr explains.

"Who? Is it you Mother? Is Blair here? Jack? Danni?" He asks but looks confused when Starr shakes her head. "Then who? I know it can't be Tea. She still doesn't want anything to do with me cause she thinks I had something to with the baby switch."

"No, its not Tea. No matter what may be going on between you and Tea, you would still come if she called. And before you ask, its now Aunt Vicki, Jessica, or little Sam either."

"Well, then, there's no one else in Llanview I care about spending any time with. So I'm going to leave then. Carly and I were kind of in the middle of an important discussion. I'll see you later." He turns away from her and starts towards the elevator."

"Wait!" Grabbing his arm, Starr pulls him around to face her again. "You're not going anywhere except upstairs to see your niece."

"My niece? You said that it wasn't Jessica. It couldn't possibly be Bree. She wouldn't be here without her mama or grandma. So that only leaves Sarah. I haven't see her since she was a child and if she's anything like her Mother I don't care to see her again. That covers all of the nieces I know about."

"Not all of them. You left out the one you probably owe more then anyone else except for maybe Tea."

"I don't owe her anything." Todd says shaking his head. "After what she did to Jessica I don't owe her the time of day."

"What happened between her and Jessica is between them and doesn't involve you. You owe her for all the crap you did to her. And the least you can do is go see her when she asks for you."

"I never did anything to her she didn't deserve." Todd defends.

"Oh really? So she deserved to have you turn her over to the man who was going to cut her heart out, did she? What could she have possibly done to deserve that? And don't bring up the things she did to Aunt Vicki and Jessica when she first came to town. She was young then and was acting on some false information she was given by Alison Perkins. Besides Aunt Vicki and Jessica have both forgiven her for that so you can't still hold that against her."

"Maybe not but that still doesn't mean I have to have anything to do with her now. And the heart thing was a long time ago too. I was trying to protect your Mother so you can't hold that against me just like I'm not suppose to blame her for what she did when she first came to town."

"Ok, then, we won't bring the heart thing up. But what about what you did to her just recently? And don't try to act all innocent, you know exactly what you did to Natalie just like I do." Noticing Todd's confused look, Starr through her hands up in disgust. "The picture, Dad! The picture you sent to Natalie of John and Sam kissing."

"Wait a minute. The niece you two are talking about is John McBain's girlfriend, right?" Carly asks.

"Yeah that's right." Todd answers before turning back to Starr. "And I'm not responsible for that picture. Heather Webber took it. Besides it was John who was cheating in the first place. I just felt like she deserved to know her boyfriend was being unfaithful."

"So you made sure she found out in the worst possible way. If you had just kept out of it and let John tell her in the first place, then they might have just found a way to work everything out. But instead John came here and Natalie stayed in Llanview with Liam. She had to face a bunch of stuff by herself because of it. Now she's here needing to talk to you and you owe it to her to listen to what she has to say. And don't try to argue with me, cause you are going to see her. She's family, even if you refuse to acknowledge it and its time you start treating her like it."

Needing backup, Todd looks over at Carly. "Hey, don't look at me for help. I agree with Starr. I always thought you sending your niece that picture was dirty and I told you that at the time you did it. If your niece needs to talk with you, I would say that's the least you owe her."

"And look at it this way, Dad. If Natalie truly needs help and you refused to help her, then how would Aunt Vicki react if something bad was to happen to her. She would never forgive you." Starr needles him.

Todd sighs. "Fine, I'll see her, but I'm not making any promises."

"That's all I'm asking, just try to help her if you can." Starr leads the way onto the elevator.

John's Apartment

John watched with a smile on his face as the son he had missed so much slept on his bed. He couldn't believe it had been four months since he had seen him. Longer then that really if you take into account the amount of time he had voluntarily spent away from his family while he was off fighting his ghosts. He couldn't believe he had let things get as bad as what they did. And he couldn't fool himself into believing that most of what happened wasn't his fault. That his decision to stay in Port Charles for as long as he did instead of going home to his family had been the catalyst of it all. It had really hit home when Natalie was telling him about how much she needed him when Liam was sick and he had refused to come back to Llanview. If he had just came home like Natalie had begged him to do, then he would have never gotten closer to Sam and that stupid kiss would never have happened. And if the kiss hadn't happened, then he wouldn't have been away from his family for four months. He would have been home to watch Liam make new discoveries everyday. He would have been there when Natalie found out she was pregnant again. "A baby, a new baby," John smiles. He couldn't believe how happy he was about Natalie being pregnant again. When she had first told him at the hospital his first instinct was to not believe the baby was his. Despite that instinct, though, he couldn't deny that the instant he heard that she was pregnant that he knew without a doubt the baby was his, no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise. He could feel it, just like he always felt Liam was his even when he thought there was a test saying he wasn't. And what few doubts he might have had at first were quickly erased the moment he found out how far along she was. Natalie would never have cheated on him before she was sent the picture, so if she was four months along the baby was definitely his and had been for the past four months. Four months he had missed.

The pregnancy wasn't the only thing he had apparently missed in the last few months. If Natalie was to be believed, then he had missed her almost dying and being in a coma. That was just so hard to believe. How could all this stuff happen to his girlfriend and he not know anything about it? Even with them having problems right now, he still should have known. Someone would have told him, wouldn't they? Well, he needed some answers and he knew just who to call to get them. Placing a kiss on Liam's head he moves from the bed to the window, takes out his phone and dials the number of a person he still hoped to call a friend.

"Hello," the person answers the phone.

"Bo, its John."

"John, how are you doing?"

"I'm good, I guess. Other then the fact that my son and pregnant girlfriend suddenly show up after months of not being allowed to see or speak to them."

"Good, they made it. I was beginning to get worried when I didn't hear from her. She was suppose to call me everyday, but she's been gone for a week and I've only heard from her twice. How are they? Is Natalie ok?"

"Liam is fine. He's here with me actually. Right now he's sleeping on my bed."

"And Natalie? Is my niece ok?"

"If you call being in the hospital ok, then she's just fine."

Bo cursed under his breath. "What happened? Is she alright?"

"She should be in a few days. They are keeping her for observation to make sure she and the baby I knew nothing about are both ok. She was attacked by two men on the docks just after she got in town. And you'll never guess who they were."

Bo sighs. "I think I might have an idea, but why don't you tell me anyway."

"It was Bluestein and Swartz, or as they prefer to be called Blue and Black. The two men your brother likes to use to make people do what he wants. It seems they were trying to make Natalie come back to Llanview with them. Do you have any idea why he would send them after his own daughter?"

"Now why do you think I would know that?" Bo stalls.

"Because you don't seem all that shocked that they were here after Natalie. You need to cut the crap, Bo. You know what's going on and I need to know what it is." When Bo doesn't say anything, John almost shouts in frustration. "Bo you need to tell me everything you know. I need answers so I can protect my son and girlfriend!"

Bo sighs in resignation. "Alright, I don't know much but I will tell you what I do. About three months ago, I received a call about an accident involving a red BMW. It seems the driver had wrapped the car around a tree and was still trapped in the car. When I heard about it I rushed to the scene cause I knew that Natalie drove a red BMW and that she had been very upset over the last few weeks since she got the photo of you cheating."

"I wasn't cheating! It was just one kiss!" John practically shouts before looking over at a restless Liam on his bed. "Ok, that doesn't matter now. Besides the only person I need to talk with about that is Natalie. So this accident, when was it exactly?"

"Right around the last of August or the first of September just a couple of weeks after you left. But like I said, I rushed to the scene cause I knew Natalie drove a red BMW and had been upset for a few weeks. When I got there my suspicions that it was Natalie were confirmed. She was trapped in the car, in and out of consciousness. It was clear that she had some sort of head injury. We got her out of the car and rushed her to the hospital. I went with her cause I didn't want to be alone and called the family on the way."

"Why didn't you call me? You of all people know what she means to me."

"Yeah, I thought I did before Natalie told me about you and that other woman. Besides the last time I even mentioned you to my niece she told me in no uncertain terms that she never wanted to even hear your name again. So anyway, I called the family. When we got to the hospital they rushed her into an exam room and that was the last time I was allowed to see her until Natalie got in touch with me a few weeks back."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't you see her for two months?"

"Clint wouldn't let me. Like I said, they rushed her into an exam room the minute we got her to the hospital. They wouldn't let me follow so they could have some room to work on her. I hadn't been waiting outside the exam room long when Clint, Vicki, and Jessica showed up. Clint immediately took charge. He started making all medical decisions for Natalie. When they came out and told us she needed brain surgery, it was Clint who signed the release form."

"What was exactly wrong with her? Why did she need surgery?"

"I don't know or understand all the medical terms but it had something to do with bleeding on the brain. They said if she didn't have the operation she would die. So they took her to the OR. We knew it was going to be a long surgery and I couldn't bear to wait around the hospital for word so I left to go back to the accident scene to investigate it. I couldn't stand the thought of just waiting around for them to tell us she had died. I had to have something to keep my mind off of how worried I was so I left. When I came back to check on her she was out of surgery and in the ICU. Jessica told me that the surgery had went good but it was still touch and go because her brain was swelling and it was going to be a couple of days until they knew for sure if she was going to be ok. When I was asked to see her, I was told that only immediate family was allowed in her room. I pointed out that I was her favorite uncle so I was family. But they said only Clint, Vicki, and Jessica were allowed to see her. I thought it was some new rule the hospital had come up with, but I found out later that Clint had told them not to let anyone else in."

"Why? Why would he want to keep everyone away from her?"

"I don't know. But he was adamant about it. He even went so far as to hand pick a doctor and nurse to care for her and they were the only ones from the hospital allowed in the room. If I had to guess, he wouldn't have even let Vicki and Jess near her if he thought he could get away with it. So, anyway, after they refused to let me see her I left telling Jessica to call me if anything changed with Natalie. About four days passed and I hadn't heard anything I went back to the hospital. Only when I got there, she wasn't there. Come to find out, Clint had signed her out and took her home."

"But she had just had major surgery! Was she ok? Shouldn't she have been in the hospital for longer?"

"You would think so, but apparently Clint didn't think so. After I left the hospital, I went to Llanfair. But when I got there I wasn't allowed in the door. Clint stopped me. He told me I wasn't allowed to see Natalie, that she needed her rest. That pattern continued over the next two months. I never once made it past the front door. And as far as I know, no one else did either. I wasn't even allowed to talk to her. Every time I called some woman I didn't know would answer and tell me that Ms. Natalie was resting. And I'm not the only one who wasn't allowed to talk to her. Rex called me several times to complain. Each time one of her brothers would call from London, they were told by Clint that Natalie was just fine but was to busy taking care of Liam to talk to them. And Clint was the only one they were allowed to talk to. They were never allowed to talk to Vicki or Jessica either, other then to say hi."

"Some woman I didn't know answered Natalie's phone every time I called her too. She refused to allow me to speak to Natalie, said that Natalie had found someone who was more suited for her then I am. Why was Clint so intent on keeping everyone away from Natalie?"

"Your guess is about as good as mine. All I know is that no one but her parents, sister, nurse and, doctor was allowed to see her from right after she had her accident until the day Jessica helped her leave Llanfair."

"Natalie claims she was in a coma for two months. Is that true?"

"That's what Jessica and Natalie both said. But like I said, I truly don't know anything about what was going on with her for the past few months. I wasn't allowed to see her and no one volunteered any information. The few times I was able to talk to either Jessica or Vicki all they would say is that Natalie was fine, that she was getting better everyday. They would never tell me what was wrong with her, just that she should be well soon."

"You said Jessica helped her leave Llanfair. You make it sound like she had to sneak out."

"That's basically what happened. From what the girls told me, it seems like Clint was virtually keeping Natalie a prisoner. She wasn't allowed to see anyone outside the house. And her visits with the ones inside the house were limited, even with Liam."

"He kept her from Liam? Why?"

"That seems to be the question of the hour and I don't have the answer to it. All I know is that Jessica asked me to find a cabin for her and the kids to stay in for a couple of days, said she needed to get away fo awhile. Come to find out, she needed to the cabin for her and Natalie to hide in until they could get everything ready for her to come here. I don't know how they got away from the house, they wouldn't tell me that. But once they did get away, they went to make sure the baby was ok, then went to the cabin and called us. They told Nora and I everything that had been going on and asked us to help. I've got to tell you man, we were shocked by what they told us. You see, we didn't even know that Natalie was pregnant. But as soon as we heard what Clint had been doing we agreed to help. I got her a car, money and identification. Nora went to work on getting the restraining order removed. They stayed in the cabin for about a week until everything was ready, then Natalie left with Liam to go to you in Port Charles."

"That still doesn't explain why Clint would send his goons after her to try to force her to come home."

"I know it doesn't and I can't tell you anything that would. Though the girls insisted that Natalie needed to get as far away from Llanview as she could before Clint found out she was gone."

"And now with him sending Black and Blue after her, it were seem her fears were justified. Well I don't care what Clint wants, he's not taking my family away from me now."

"If that's how you feel about it, then why haven't you been fighting for them?"

"I have been. When I first received the restraining order, I tried to call Natalie but Clint answered. He of course wouldn't let me speak to her and all he would say was I was getting what I deserved. So I decided to try the legal route. I wanted to come home but my lawyer convinced me not to. We both knew I couldn't possibly stay away from my family. She started fighting the restraining order right away, but we never seemed to make any headway."

"That doesn't make much sense." Bo says absently.

"What doesn't?"

"That your lawyer couldn't break the restraining order. Nora didn't have any problems. She had it done in a little over a week. Why was it so hard for your lawyer to get anything done?"

"I don't know. I will find out, but right now I can't really concentrate on that. But I can promise you this, no matter what I have to do, I'm not going to lose Natalie and my children now that I have them back." John turns to stare at a sleeping Liam as he closes his phone.