A hastily erected call center to help find Morgan and Kristina was set up in the Lakeview Shopping Center. The owners of the empty storefront had offered up the space in the early hours after Kristina's disappearance made the news, a space for the people who wanted to do something for the little girl stolen from her bedroom to gather and work with the investigators. When Morgan followed in his sister's footsteps, the number of volunteers swelled. Even though the evening hours were beginning to march toward night, the room remained full.

Throughout the room, volunteers answered the ringing phone writing down all the tips from members of the community. Another table was staffed with people sorting the tips into categories, similar descriptions, similar overheard conversations, the truly out there theories. The back wall was covered with a large map of Port Charles, currently decorated with pushpins. Tips regarding locations where indicated with blue pins. Search areas were red. A police officer spoke with a former Marine about the best way to start a search in the early morning hours.

Audrey moved easily through the tables, offering coffee to anyone who needed it. She had already decided to volunteer after hearing about Kristina's disappearance, but Elizabeth's panicked phone call after Morgan went missing had sent her straight here. Audrey had lived through the years of the mob running this town and had thought she had lived to see her home regain a reputation as a peaceful place to live. She had a great grandchild coming into this world in a few short months and a town where he or she wasn't safe in their own bed was not the place she wanted that child to live.

She smiled softly at the young woman in the PCU sweatshirt currently sitting cross-legged on the floor, organizing the newly printed flyers. With her soft brown hair that flowed over her shoulders, the young girl reminder her of Elizabeth. Audrey sent up a grateful prayer none of her children had experienced this nightmare firsthand, quickly followed by another plea whoever responsible was caught before another family experienced any pain.

The rumor going through the center was AJ Quartermaine was taking Michael out of the country for his own protection. Although Audrey doubted the kidnappings were directly related to Sonny Corinthos, she couldn't fault AJ for his caution. The youngest Quartermaine had made a brief stop at the center to set up a reward for the return of the children. While she did not fault the gesture, Audrey just couldn't shake the feeling there was something else behind AJ's willingness to help his son's half-siblings. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on just yet, but she was confident she would figure it out sooner or later.

"Toffee? Oh that's late!" A young man with sandy blonde hair that hung in his eyes raced toward her tray, grabbing at a cup.

Audrey shook her head. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" She questioned him. She must have heard him wrong.

"Coffee. That's great. Thank you." He responded, clearly puzzled by her request.

"Yo…you...you're welcome." It felt as if her tongue had suddenly expanded at least a foot as she struggled to get the words out. She had never thought of herself as old, but now she was wondering if her age was finally catching up with her. First she didn't hear the young man correctly and now she couldn't even speak properly.

Raising her hand to massage her temple, Audrey felt the headache that had been lightly throbbing for the past hour start to gain power. Even after her most stressful shift in the hospital, she had never felt a pain like this. If she had ever imagined what it would feel like to have a power tool drilled directly into her head, she would safely say it would rival this. The throbbing caused her to sway, stumbling into the woman standing next to her.

"Are you alright?" The red headed stranger asked, her voice laced with concern. "Maybe you should sit down." She gestured to a nearby chair, but before Audrey could protest, she was startled by the presence of a hand resting on her left arm. Looking over, she saw the police officer standing next to her, his hand resting on her forearm, his face calm but concerned. When had he moved? Audrey wondered. How long had he been standing there?

"Ma'am? Are you feeling alright? Do you need any help?" The officer asked her.

She tried to move her arm out of his grasp but it wouldn't budge. She tried to tell her feet to move just one inch, but nothing was happening. Opening her mouth to speak, she could feel half of her mouth refuse to move. She could feel the words on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't get the words to form. Panic began to course through her veins. What was happening to her?

The police officer eased her into a nearby chair and nodded at the red headed woman, who still stood nearby. "Call 911. I think she's having a stroke."

"Audrey Hardy? Excuse me do you know where Audrey Hardy is?" Elizabeth pounded on the desk of the nurse's station trying to get some answers to the questions that had been running through her head since the phone had rang ten minutes earlier. All she knew was her grandmother had been brought in after some sort of collapse at the search center. A police officer had called 911 and her grandmother was brought here. A brief stop in the ER had directed her to the sixth floor. And still no one had answered a single one of her questions.

All she knew was what the nurse had briefly told her over the phone. And now she couldn't find anyone to tell her anything else. This was her fault. She had moved out and left her grandmother alone. She should have been there. Her grandmother shouldn't have collapsed in a crowd of strangers, Grams should have been with her, her family. And now her grandmother was in the hospital again, most likely scared and she was having to find a nurse to play twenty questions with.

"Excuse me? Excuse me?" Elizabeth continued without success to get the attention of the nurses as they walked by her, heads down and seemingly intent on studying the charts in their hands. Weren't they supposed to answer questions, be more available than the doctors? She felt a tear course it's way down her face and she paused to wipe at furiously, trying to resist the urge to stomp her feet in frustration. Although she in no way wanted to be a stereotype of a hormonal pregnant woman, if someone didn't answer her questions in about two minutes, this floor was about to see a mood swing they would be talking about for years to come.

"Hey. Hey." Lucky came up from behind her and placed his hands on her arms. She had left him in the dust once she had been told what floor her grandmother had been transferred to. It was probably the fastest a pregnant woman had ever moved. Now she realized Lucky may have stayed behind a moment longer to ask a few questions Elizabeth now desperately wanted to know. What had happened? How was she? What did the doctors think? "Did you find her yet?" he asked softly.

"No. I can't even get anyone to stop." She gestured wildly around her at the nurses and doctors still passing her by.

He steered her toward the waiting area. "You sit down. I'll find out where she is."

"No." Elizabeth shook her head stubbornly. "I have to find out what's going on. I have to call my parents and tell them, Sarah. Oh God. I have to call Steven." She pushed her hand haphazardly through her hair as she bit her lower lip. Outside of her brother this would be the first time she would speak to her family since the disastrous Christmas. She had to do this right. She had to have answers and be in control. That meant she had to find answers.

Lucky held firm. He was worried about Audrey as well, and he could see Elizabeth working herself up to a hysterical level. Not that he blamed her for it but her having a panic attack in the middle of the floor wouldn't help matters any. It may guarantee him a seat in hell but he wasn't above using emotional blackmail to get her to slow down just a bit. "And I'll help you do all that. But first you need to let me find out some answers. We'll handle this, whatever it is. But you have to calm down first. The last thing Audrey would want is for you to go into early labor over this."

Elizabeth shot him a dirty look. With every passing day, he found a new way to play dirty she discovered. He was right, damn him. She pursed her lips at him as she sat down. "Don't think I don't know this is a low dirty manipulation."

"Whatever it takes baby. Whatever it takes." He leaned down to kiss her forehead and went off to corner a nurse. Elizabeth rolled her eyes when she noticed the same ones who had ignored her mere moments earlier just about fell over themselves to talk to Lucky. Typical, Elizabeth thought. I would have had better luck if it were male nurses and I didn't look like I swallowed a beach ball.

She watched him talk with the nurse for a few minutes before clearly thanking the little bimbo and then jogging back to her. Lucky perched himself on the edge of the table in front of her. "Ok. I couldn't get much out of her since I'm not family but Audrey is here and they are running a few tests. She's going to tell the doctor you're here and he'll be out to update you."

Nodding her head, Elizabeth raised her hand to cover her mouth as tears filled her eyes. She had always hated waiting and right now there was nothing else she could do. She could call her family but if it turned out to be nothing; her grandmother would be horribly embarrassed about all the fuss that was made. You know it's nothing, she told herself sternly. If it was nothing you would have seen her by now. Blinking back the tears that threatened to spill out of her blue eyes, she met Lucky's concerned gaze. "I'm so scared." She admitted brokenly.

Moving himself into the chair next to her, Lucky pulled her into his arms and kept rubbing her back. "I know baby. I know."

He kept his arms around her, half hoping the doctor would come soon and half hoping Elizabeth wouldn't realize how long it was taking if he didn't. With all his heart he hoped it was truly nothing and the tests were just precaution, but he was far too much like his father to hold out much hope for that. If it was really and truly nothing, they would have never moved Audrey out of the ER. They would have been able to take her home from there. No moving Audrey to the neurology floor meant one thing. It was serious, serious enough to warrant test and specialists.

Lucky kept one eye on the clock as the minutes ticked by and Elizabeth quietly sobbed into his chest. This wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He had known Audrey Hardy distantly his whole life and she didn't deserve to collapse in a crowd of strangers. She had given her life to caring for the sick of this town and now it looked as if she was about to be as ill as some her former patients had been. Finally a doctor, looking not much older than Lucky did, rounded the corner.

"Ms. Webber?" He asked.

"Yes?" Elizabeth raised her head but clung onto Lucky's hand tightly. This was it. The next few minutes had the potential to rearrange her life, exactly like the moments while she sat in Dr. Lansing's exam room awaiting the results of her pregnancy test. "I'm Elizabeth Webber."

Approaching them, the doctor took up a seat on the same table Lucky had perched on minutes ago. "I'm Dr. Holzman. I'm the neurologist that's been examining your grandmother. It looks like she had an ischemic stroke."

"A stroke?" She fell back and was thankful Lucky was behind her, keeping her from completely falling out of her chair.

Dr. Holzman continued on as if she had barely spoken. "She was very lucky she came in as quickly as she did. It looks as if the bleeding is treatable with medication right now but the next 48 hours will be critical. The CT scans look good but of course we will be monitoring."

"Right of course." Her mind was reeling. A stroke? Her grandmother had a stroke. The rest of the words the doctor was rattling off flew right past her as she tried to focus on those six little letters. Strokes were things people who weren't active, who didn't watch their diets, who didn't' take care of herself. Her grandmother didn't fit any of those categories.

"The main thing is we are not thinking of a surgical option at this point. She's in her room resting and you can go back to see her. We can talk about further options tomorrow once all the tests are in."

"Options? What options?"

"As I said we'll know more once all the tests are in, but right now it looks like she has at least partial paralysis on her right side."

"Aunt Lu?" Cameron's voice interrupted her recitation of The Lion King book that sat across her lap. "Aunt Lu when is Daddy and Lizzie coming home?"

Lulu didn't answer right away because she had a strict "Don't lie to Cameron" philosophy and had managed to live by it in her nephew's four short years of life. Playing with the top edge of the front cover of the book, she slowly met his eyes. "I don't know, Cameron." It wasn't a lie at least. She had no idea how long it would take. She was just thankful that Lucky had called her to baby-sit. He may not trust her entirely just yet but he would.

"Daddy reads the story better than you." Cameron sighed as he settled back farther into his pillow.

"That's because I don't do the voices." Lulu muttered to herself.

Cameron nodded and then scrunched his lips together as a thought occurred to him. "Grandma's not going to the hospital too is she?"

Lulu smiled at his curiosity and closed the book, realizing he wouldn't be able to concentrate on it any more tonight. "No, buddy, Grandma's not going to the hospital."

"How you know?"

"I just do." Lulu inwardly cringed. She sounded exactly like her mother. "Do you want me to pick out another book?" Despite his laid-back lifestyle, Lucky was almost Hitler-like when it came to Cameron's bedtime.

"Aladdin!" Cameron clapped his hands.

"Does the monkey remind you of Grandpa Luke or Cruz?" Lulu wanted to know.

"Grandpa."

"Figured." Lulu slid off the mattress and collected the book, complete with Cameron's Abu stuffed animal. "Okay, scoot over shorty." She told him, letting out a dramatic sigh and "forcing" her way onto the bed to reclaim her spot.

"Aunt Lu?" Cameron looked up at her and smiled. "I'm glad you're back home."

Lulu met his smile and raised him a couple dimples. "I'm glad too."

"You be here for the baby right?"

"Of course. Someone has to make sure your Daddy doesn't drop it." Lulu's grin grew and she stroked Cameron's soft brown curls absently. She hadn't realized she had missed him so much.

"Lizzie says that's her job."

Lulu laughed. Now that sounded like Elizabeth. "Are you going to hush so I can start the book or do you want to read it?"

"You read." He settled into her side and hugged his stuffed monkey to his chest. "And use the voices."

"Just don't tell Daddy." Lulu held out her pinkie for him to shake. Once their fingers crossed she said, "Now remember the rule: I get your pinkie if you lie."

"Pinkies don't come off Aunt Lu."

"You don't know. Yours could just fall off. You saw what happened to Pinocchio when he lied."

"Pinocchio is just a story."

"You got me there." Lulu released her loose hold on his pinkie and opened the book. "Now...let's see."

General Hospital was the first place that had sprung to Georgie's mind when her cousin had turned her away, not even coming out of the bedroom to tell her herself that she didn't want to see anyone. Arguing with Patrick had been about the most pointless decision, she soon realized, because he wasn't willing to go against Robin's wishes. Any other time she might have considered his loyalty an admirable trait, but any other time he wasn't standing between her and Robin.

This wasn't anything like she had thought she would be coming home to when she booked her flight. Ronnie and Lindsey had helped her do some last-minute packing and her professors had told her that her family was in their prayers. Maybe it was the way they had said it that made Georgie inwardly shiver. What was with the insinuation that her family wasn't going to recover? She didn't like it and she had burst into tears at the mere indication. Steven hadn't been there to pick her back up because he had been called back to the set for an "emergency." From what Steven told her, all things opposite the movie production were considered emergencies as far as the director was concerned.

Maybe it was the way the lights hit their still forms, but Lucky Spencer and Elizabeth Webber were the last two people Georgie had expected to find. Sure, they cared about Maxie and Alexis, but it made little sense for them to be here checking on them with such grim expressions on their faces. She had spoken to Maxie earlier and knew her sister was only a few days from some pretty intense physical therapy. Alexis was starting Chemo the same day. "Lucky? Liz? What are you two doing here?" She approached them quietly so as not to disturb them.

"Georgie?" Lucky gave the younger woman a startled glance. "I didn't know you were home."

"I just got in a few hours ago." Georgie clarified. "It's really sweet of both of you to come, but I'm afraid I'm a little confused as to why."

For a split second Lucky was confused by her statement but then he realized Georgie must be referring to Maxie and Alexis. If she just got in, there was no way she would have heard about Audrey's stroke already, even with the lightening fast Port Charles gossip chain. "Audrey had a stroke," he explained softly, holding Elizabeth tighter to him as she winced with the words being spoken out loud.

Georgie's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea! I've been behind all day it seems. I just now heard about Morgan." She took a seat next to Elizabeth and waited for Lucky to continue.

"It's ok. It just happened." Elizabeth offered a watery smile at the younger woman who reminded her so much of Robin at times. "I've barely had time to call my family, much less alert the whole town."

Georgie had to bite back her blush even as she felt it creeping into her cheeks. Damn him! She was supposed to be here on a strictly supportive intention, but one mention...she was getting ahead of herself. "How bad?"

"They won't know for sure for another few hours. But it looks like she'll need lots of therapy in the future." Lucky explained

Why did things like this have to happen? Mrs. Hardy had always been the nice old lady at the end of the block who made it her mission to have milk and cookies waiting for her and Maxie as soon as school let out. Over the years they hadn't visited as they should have. "But she's okay?" Georgie squeaked out.

Elizabeth nodded with more conviction than she felt. "I think so."

"How's the baby?" Georgie asked, remembering a conversation she had had with Steven over his dramatic Christmas vacation.

"The baby's fine. How are Maxie and Alexis?" Elizabeth asked, trying to focus on someone else's family drama over her own.

"I haven't seen them yet." A look of pure guilt spread across Georgie's face. "I was on my way to see them when I remembered I have no idea where their rooms are."

"I think they are on the next floor down." Lucky offered. "You're on the neurology floor."

"I am?" Georgie tilted her head to one side in confusion. Could this day get any weirder?

"Yeah. Just blame the jet lag. It will be alright." Lucky joked.

"It's already tomorrow in Paris." Georgie smiled, waving. "I'll be by to check on the two of you later."

"Thanks." Elizabeth checked her phone and sighed. "He should have his flight information by now. Why hasn't he called?"

"Steven will call and then we'll deal with getting him here." Lucky reassured her. "If he got the first flight out to New York, he may already be in the airport."

"I couldn't help but overhear...did you say your brother is flying in?" Georgie asked in her most "I don't actually care" voice.

"Yes. But he hasn't called yet to tell us when he's getting in. Or how he'll get here. He has this bright idea he'll just call a cab." Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"In Port Charles? I thought you said he had been here before." Georgie giggled. He was so clueless to Port Chuck life.

"He has. But I'm not convinced he hasn't confused it for New York."

"Well I have to check on my family, but I have my car with me. I could pick him up if you want." Georgie offered. Please don't see through me, she begged. Please don't see through me.

"Georgie...you don't have to do that." Elizabeth protested. "You have your own family drama to deal with."

"Honestly..." Think, damn it. Think! "I need to feel like I'm doing something important."

"If you're sure..." Elizabeth said slowly.

"I mean, it's not a big deal. If you don't want me to, I don't have to. I just want to help." Georgie stammered.

"No. No. It's not that. I just don't want you to feel obligated when you have your own stuff to deal with." Elizabeth assured her.

"Ok, you're both way too nice here. Georgie thank you for your offer. We'll call you when Steven tells us his flight plans. If there is something going on then just tell us and we'll get someone else to do it ok?" Lucky smiled. The way these two were going, Steven could row a boat across the ocean before they would reach a decision.

"That sounds like a plan." Georgie saluted him and then walked off giggling.

"Yo." Cruz answered his cell phone. Bobbie teased him about the greeting so much, he felt obliged to keep it going.

"Bobbie hasn't stopped you from saying that yet?" Despite the drama of the day, hearing his friend's customary greeting brought a smile to his face.

"How's everything on your end?" If he knew anything about his aunt, it was she was panicking over Morgan's kidnapping. He had felt bad about not running over to see her the second he found out, but he had his own family to protect. Aunt Bobbie would understand that perfectly.

"It's been better." Cruz admitted with a weary sigh. "You?"

"Don't freak out but we're at the hospital."

"Why? Why are you at the hospital?" Cruz demanded, ignoring his friend's warning. They were getting a new hangout.

"Audrey had a stroke."

"Oh man..." Cruz went silent. He wanted to comfort his friend, but he needed to focus all of his energy on his wife. "Is she alright? I mean, is she conscious? What did the doctors say?"

"She'll be ok. We think. Or at least that's how I'm interpreting doctor talk." With all the doctors he had dealt with in the past few months neurologists, Lucky decided, were the worst. Arrogant as hell and condescending, which he supposed they needed to be if they were going to play God with someone's brain.

"Is there anything I can do?" Cruz wondered, sneaking a glance into the bedroom where Bobbie was quietly talking to their daughter.

"Mom and Dad are at your place right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"We left in such a hurry I left Cam alone with Lulu. And I was hoping someone would go check on them." He was trusting his sister a tiny bit more where his son was concerned but he still wasn't entirely comfortable leaving Cameron alone with her for extended periods of time.

"So you want me to head over and casually check on her without letting her know that that's why I'm there?" Cruz assumed.

"If you could. I'd ask Mom or Dad but Lulu would figure out what I was doing pretty quickly and all hell would break loose. A Lulu fit is the last thing anyone needs tonight."

"No problem. I'll let you know what I find." Cruz promised.

"Thanks man. I owe you one."

"Yeah. You do." Cruz agreed, disconnecting the call. "Baby?"