Robin paced back and forth in front of the closed courtroom doors. Anxiety plagued her overwrought body. Even the constant movement did little or nothing to help. What would she do, how would she survive, if the judge chose AJ to be Morgan's parent? She didn't want to think about it, to even consider the possibility, but how could she ignore it? Just because Lucky had gotten to keep Cameron…but then, he was Cameron's biological father and he had rights. What rights did she have?
She had no rights. If she had any say in her son's life, this could have been avoided. Surely there was some way this could have been avoided. Should she have taken custody of Michael as well? Would that have solved it? Did relinquishing him to AJ give him too much power? Was that her first mistake? Had there been something she had missed, something that had nothing to do with her? There must be something she could do. Something she could pull out and show the court.
"Please sit down." Patrick suggested, tugging on her wrist and pulling her toward him.
"I can't. I can't sit still." Robin argued. "What kind of world allows one person to decide the life of someone else? It's ludicrous. What if the DNA results prove what AJ's been saying all along? Will they automatically give Morgan to him? Will it even matter what we say?"
"You're depending on the judge to make a rational decision? Patrick, he and Morgan were brought into a house of unspeakable things. If Sonny hadn't insisted that the boys live with me—my point is, AJ probably looks great in comparison to Sonny and Carly."
"And you look better than all of them." Patrick insisted, squeezing her hands tightly beneath his. "You have done everything for Morgan that a mother is supposed to do and so much more. He knows he's loved and that's more than my cousin and your old friend ever did for him or his brother. The only reason AJ wants Morgan is to have something else to hold over Sonny. The fact that he's dead means nothing to him."
"Is this supposed to be making me feel better?" Robin laughed hollowly.
"I thought I'd just talk until she comes back with a decision."
She let him pull her into the seat beside him. "I love you. I love you so much. Please."
At her vague question, he nodded and hugged her. "I promise. I promise." He repeated the words to her until she relaxed against him.
The doors flew open. "Judge Parker asks that you come back inside." The court officer informed them. They stood, dutifully, and returned to their seats, neither of them sneaking more than a glance at AJ who was already standing across from them.
"Do you think he knows?" Robin whispered to Patrick as they waited for the judge to come into the room.
"Shh, here comes the judge." Patrick cautioned, putting his hand on the small of her back.
Judge Parker entered the room and readjusted her reading glasses. "I've looked at eye witness testimonies, police reports, and the notes from the child's social worker when he first came to stay with Mrs. Drake. Throughout the last several weeks, I've been given a multitude of information, some being accurate and some completely falsified. I do not appreciate being lied to. The last thing I want is for my courtroom to turn into a circus." She took the glasses off completely on a groan.
"With so many children lost in the foster care system, it is a rare and wonderful occurrence to see that this one has so many people that love him. Though I'm sure you all believe you have his best interests at heart, I have to wonder if you really know what that means. In such a case, it's a shame that there's no way you could come to an agreement and share custody. I'm not wrong in assuming this." She waited for the resounding no's and then went on.
"I have the DNA report and I will divulge the results to both parties shortly. What I've seen of this case has been interesting to say the least. The amount of danger this young boy has been put it at one time or another over the last two years is absolutely unbelievable, not to mention the six years prior to that, none of which any of you are responsible for. It's an absolute miracle that either boy survived, let alone both of them, and they seem to be living full, rich lives. Mr. Quartermaine, the first test you took of your own regard, your driving force for bringing this case to my attention, was incorrect. The second test, the one this court required you to take proved that you are not Morgan Corinthos's father and your claim for custody has been rejected."
"Your Honor, thank you." Robin replied emotionally.
"You can't do this!" AJ bellowed. "Morgan will be dead within a year if he stays with them! You've seen...look at the reports. Look at the danger they've kept him in! They're no better than—" He broke off, shaking.
"Mr. Quartermaine, lower your voice or I will hold you in contempt." Judge Parker warned firmly. "You have every right to be upset, but you must understand why I couldn't grant you custody."
"I don't understand any of it!" AJ continued on. "So he's not my son? So what? He's not hers either! Why should it matter when I love him like I do?"
"From what I can tell Mr. Quartermaine, you only wanted Morgan to complete your collection. Besides that, I was given a piece of information that I think you and Mr. and Mrs. Drake will find quite intriguing." She held out a piece of paper. All three of them hurried to the bench to retrieve a copy. "Through the help of a private detective, it was proven that not only were you privy to the location of Morgan Corinthos, Kristina Davis-Corinthos, and Leslie Lu Spencer during the course of their kidnapping, but also that you and your despicable family footed the bill for it."
"You—you..." Patrick lunged at him.
"Mr. Drake, restrain yourself or it'll be you I hold in contempt." The judge warned. "I understand your reaction, but I should think you have more important things to worry about than revenge."
"Yes." Patrick agreed, wrapping Robin in his arms. "Yes. More important things."
"Bailiff." Judge Parker ordered, nodding in AJ's direction. "Mr. Quartermaine, you are under arrest for three counts of kidnapping..."
*****
Smiling to himself, Ric knocked on her apartment door. Maxie wasn't going to know what hit her tonight. "Maxie." He called through the door. "Open up."
Maxie met him in the hallway, grabbing a loose white jacket from the coat rack before locking the door behind her. "Hi."
"Hello." He grinned at her as he tilted his head to kiss her cheek. "I hope you are ready for tonight."
"What should I be ready for?"
"Now that will ruin the surprise."
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, following him to his car.
"You really can't just let me surprise you can you?" Ric teased as he opened the car door for her.
"Well they don't always work the way I plan." Maxie reasoned. "Like this rental car. I didn't know they still made these."
"Cute." Ric nodded as he slipped behind the driver's wheel. "Keep talking that way and I change my mind and just take you to the movies."
"Nah. You wouldn't do that."
"You don't know what I'm fully capable of." Ric winked at her as he eased down a nearby side street. "I've been holding back on you."
"I can't stand it. Where are we going?" She reached over and grabbed his hand.
"Here." Ric announced as he pulled in front of a non-descript building.
"Have you been hiding bodies in your spare time?"
"Not quite. Come on. Follow me."
"Okay. Lead the way." Maxie gestured toward the building, still holding his hand as they left the car.
Holding her hand tightly in his, Ric led her through the front door and up the stairs, stopping at the second door on the left side of the hallway. "Go on. Open it." He encouraged her.
"Do we know these people we're visiting?" Maxie wanted to know. Uncertainly, she pushed the door open.
"There are no people." Ric assured her.
Maxie couldn't remember the last time she had been stunned into silence, especially not over something so beautiful. The door Ric had suggested she go through led to a bright, expansive living room with a gray couch placed in front of three large windows, their lilac drapes pulled back to provide the perfect view of the city. Two cream armchairs sat perpendicular to the couch and all of the furniture, including a velvet purple stool, sat atop a purple and white checkered rug. An entertainment center was placed behind the armchair to the left, but she could tell by its location that it was nothing more than a fixture. No one in this room actually watched television. Across from the entertainment center was a closed wooden door and she could only guess what it led to. "How?"
"How what?"
"Who lives here?"
"What do you think of the place?" Ric pressed her, avoiding her question.
"Are you kidding? It's like walking into a dream."
"So you could see yourself living here then."
"Have you and Hunter come to some kind of arrangement I don't know about?"
"Not exactly." Ric moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I figure I should find a place to stay if I'm moving out here. And Hunter snores."
"You...you're...?"
"You have been the one who keeps saying I need to move out here if I want to be with you right?"
"Do you have to make it sound like an ultimatum?" Maxie rubbed her hands up and down her arms, stepping deeper into the room.
"Isn't that what it was?"
"Well, yes, but I...I guess I underestimated you."
"I'm still waiting for your answer." Ric reminded her. "Can you see yourself living here? With me?"
"You're serious, aren't you? You would uproot your entire life..." Maxie knew that if she faced him, she wouldn't be able to keep her emotions in check, and she was too scared to let that happen.
"It all depends on your answer."
"I...I don't know. I don't know."
Ric moved closer to her, spinning her around so she could look in his eyes. "This isn't a joke Maxie. It's not a game. You want me out here, I'm here. But only if you're with me."
Maxie had a little trouble breathing, let alone getting any words out. What he was suggesting was far beyond anything she had been expecting. Of course, what alternative had she really given him? He would do anything to convince her he was for real, that he wasn't going anywhere this time. She hadn't thought he would carry it this far. "I want to be with you."
"Then I'll sign the lease today."
"Wait! Wait, this is so sudden. I'm still trying to process that you even want..."
"Well we've never done slow have we?"
"No. I guess we haven't, but this is different. Right now there are still some secrets between us. We move in together and that goes out the window."
"I want to know all your secrets."
"You say that now. Just wait until you see me in a face mask."
"You'd look adorable."
"Are you sure we're ready for this? I don't want you to move out here just to prove a point or because you think I'm being stubborn."
"We'll never be ready for anything unless one of us pushes the issue." Ric pointed out. "And I know a few people at Cedars Sinai. They are confident I can easily fit into their department."
"Okay, let me rephrase. I don't know if I'm ready."
"What would you need to be ready?"
"I don't know. That's a terrible answer, but I really don't know."
"I have two weeks before I have to tell General Hospital if I'm coming back or not."
"Two weeks." Maxie repeated slowly. She couldn't keep the dread from entering her mind. If he went back to Port Charles...
"Two weeks Maxie. You have two weeks."
Somehow she managed to keep from begging him aloud to stay without him expecting her to make the same level of commitment. In all of her fantasies, she had never even considered this. Something about her and Ric never seemed quite this final. Signing an apartment lease would be a big step. Didn't he understand what would happen if it didn't work out? "I'm afraid." Until she noticed his eyes flicker she didn't realize she had spoken the words aloud.
"Afraid of what? Of me?"
"No. Not of you."
"Then of what?"
"That I'll say yes and then something will go wrong."
"Blondie things always go wrong. That's what makes them so fun."
"There's no coming back from this. Once we sign a lease, that's it. I won't be able to run away and you won't get to protect me from every bad thing."
"I'm sure you'll try to run, but I'll have better odds at catching you."
"Would it be cliché to say that I love this place and I don't want to look anywhere else?" Maxie smiled.
Ric matched her smile. "Then let's get the landlord."