Working on his tenth cup of coffee, trying his best to stay awake, Cameron sat by his mother's bedside. They gave her a mild sedative to help her rest while they worked on coming up with a cocktail that will help his mother instead of making her sicker than she's ever been. People have come and gone, leaving flowers and saying that his mother was in their prayers. Though he was used to it by now, Cameron really hated hearing that his mother's in people's prayers. It made the situation that much worse.

Christmas is a couple weeks away and he knows that his mother is going to want to be the one to shop for everyone's gifts. He wants to help her as much as he can, but she was still his mother. She's just as stubborn and proud as always. One of the many things they had in common was the need to do everything for themselves. It was hard for either of them to accept help, even when they need it. Running his fingers through his hair, Cameron downed what was left of his coffee before tossing it into the trash bin.

"Cam, why don't you go grab some breakfast?" Steven spoke from the doorway. "I'll stay with her."

"I'd say no, but I have to go check on Jake and Lily." Cameron sighs, standing up from the chair to stretch. "Call if she wakes up?"

"The very second she does." Steven promises, wishing that his nephew would accept help from someone. "Do me a favor and take a cab."

"I'm fine." he assures. "I'm used to working on no sleep. I'll be back once we drop Lily off at Aunt Sarah's and my assignments at my advisor."

With that, Cameron grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room. It was going to be another long day and he's working on nothing but caffeine. Some days are better than others, but this day is a day he believes there's more caffeine than blood in his body. After picking up another large cup of coffee from Kelly's, he made his way to the house to check on his siblings. Finding Jake sitting on the couch next to a sleeping Emma, he made his entrance a quiet one. With Jake's gesture to the stairs, Cameron went up them to find his sister in her room, going through her album.

"Hey you." Cameron greets his sister. "You okay?"

"Mom's getting worse, isn't she?" Lily questions without looking up from the photos. "Is she going to die?"

"No." Cameron says with conviction, sitting down beside her. "None of us will let that happen. It was just a bad reaction to her treatment...they'll put another one together."

"What if it doesn't..."

"You remember Emma's parents, right?" Cameron cuts her off. "They're amazing doctors, aren't they?"

"Yeah." Lily looks up at him. "They're great...they saved Jake when that car hit him."

"Exactly." Cameron smiles slightly, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "They'll save mom. I know it."

"Okay." Lily closes the album, taking a deep breath. "If you believe it...so do I."

"Good. Mom needs good thoughts to help her get through this." he says pulling her up into a hug once he sets the album back on the shelf. "She'll make it for us. I promise you that."

"You're dropping me off at Aunt Sarah's again, aren't you?" Lily asks, pulling away to look at him. "Why can't I go to the hospital?"

"Not this time, pretty." Cameron kisses her forehead. "Get ready and meet us downstairs."

Jason was getting back from his assignment, making his way to Sonny's estate to update him on the situation. Walking past the guards, Jason found him in his office, only he wasn't alone. Sitting in front of Sonny was the one person that Sonny hasn't refrained from voicing his disgust and vice versa. But there they were. Both men were calm and no threats are being exchanged. They actually looked to be reaching some sort of agreement.

"Ah, Jason." Sonny waves him in. "I'm glad you're here. Johnny and I have finally reached an agreement."

Johnny? Since when are they on first name basis.

"Sonny and I have finally decided to put our assets together now that my grandfather is no longer an issue." Johnny elaborates, noting the confused look on Jason's face. "It'll be official by tonight."

"You should get going." Sonny says to Johnny. "I'm sure you want to check in at the hospital."

"You're right." Johnny stands up, shaking Sonny's hand. "I'll send over the information if I can't get away."

"Of course." Sonny stands as Johnny walks out the door. "What's with the look?"

"Since when are you and Johnny on good terms?" Jason countered, truly confused by what he just witnessed. "Last time I checked, you both wanted to kill each other."

"If you can't beat them, join them." Sonny says simply. "We've realized that we had too much in common to continue the war."

"You've always had a lot in common." Jason challenges. "What's different now?"

"Elizabeth." Sonny concedes. "I'm sure you know she has cancer."

"I've heard." Jason says seriously, wondering how long Sonny has known.

"I figured." Sonny shakes his head. "Johnny came to me the other day and told me that he wanted to combine both our organizations, but we still head our own divisions. I wanted to tell him to take a flying leap, but then he brought up Elizabeth and I couldn't turn him away."

"What does he have to do with Elizabeth?"

"He's the one that's been protecting them." Sonny can see the pain in his eyes, but doesn't point it out. "Its because of Johnny's security that she felt safe in turning you away."

"I guess I owe him a lot." Jason states, hating that Johnny is the one that Elizabeth turned to. "Do you want an update?"

"Not just yet." Sonny shakes his head. "I'm heading to Jocelyn's high school concert. We'll touch base tomorrow."

"Okay." Jason was a little skeptical about this whole thing, but left the estate regardless.

Checking in with his wife, Jason was informed that his daughter was at the hospital. Something about her spraining her ankle when she took the stairs two at a time going down. Shaking his head, Jason got into his SUV and rushed to the hospital. He was on his way to the nurses' station when he spotted Cameron, Jake, and Emma coming off the elevator next to his. The three of them stopped dead in their tracks when he came into view. Jake's hands clenched into fists, it made Jason smile slightly, knowing that his son controlled his anger the same way he did.

"Jake." Cameron says loud enough for it to sink into his brother's fog. "Hey!"

"What?" Jake turns his head to look at his brother.

"Take the aloe drink to mom." Cameron holds out the bag. "Go."

"Come on Jake." Emma says softly, slipping her hand into his. "Your mom needs it."

Reluctantly reaching out his hand, Jake takes hold of the bag and allows Emma to guide him away from Jason to his mother's room. He wasn't happy with being told what to do, but they were both right. The last thing his mother needed was for him to cause a scene in the middle of the hospital. Cameron, on the other hand, stood his ground against Jason. It used to be that seeing Jason would have made him feel relieved, but that was a long time ago. Now, it just pisses him off.

"What are you waiting for?" Cameron questions. "I'm sure you're not here for us."

"How's your mom doing?" Jason counters, not acknowledging the disdain in his voice.

"She had a bad reaction to her treatment." Cameron concedes. "The Drakes are coming up with a new cocktail that'll be more affective."

"That's good." Jason says, tapping his fingers on the side of his leg. "Is there anything you guys need?"

"Sure...but not from you." Cameron says sternly. "She's been going through treatment for five months and you just show up now?"

"I just found out."

"Oh really?" Cameron scoffs. "I told your wife the day after my mother started treatment. I told that best friend of yours, Carly, and I even went as far as calling that geek you used to live with. Don't tell me that none of them told you."

"They didn't." Jason was taken aback by that information. "I found out when Jake was arrested."

"If that's true, I'd take it up with the people in your life." Cameron states, having enough of him. "I have a family to take care of...and I'm sure you'd rather get back to the one you have."

"Cameron!" Jason calls out to stop him from walking away. "Can we just talk?"

"You? Talk?" Cameron laughs at the irony. "Since when does the almighty Jason Morgan ever want to talk?"

"Please." Jason says, knowing that Cameron had every right to hate him as much as the other two.

Taking a deep breath, Cameron shrugged and walked with him to his uncle's office. He knew that he would still be at his mother's room so it would be empty. Jason walks past him into the room before Cameron closes the door and keeps his distance from him. There's a lot that Cameron has wanted to say to him and now was his chance, he knew he probably wouldn't get another.

"You know what I don't get?" Cameron voices, getting his thoughts together. "I don't get how you can raise a child that doesn't even belong to you, but the two that do get tossed out like nothing."

"How do you know..."

"That Robyn's not yours?" Cameron shook his head. "I know a lot of things. I know more than even my mother knows. Your wife has a big mouth."

"That's beside the point." Jason scratches his temple. "I didn't toss Jake and Lily out like they're nothing. They're my life."

"Oh please! Tell that to someone who didn't live through it." Cameron states. "I was the one that was there for them. Not you. Not Lucky! ME!"

"I know."

"No, you don't know." Cameron snaps. "You don't know anything that me and Jake has had to go through because of you. You don't know how much you broke Lily when you pushed her away. You don't know a damn thing about it!"

"Now's your chance to tell me." Jason counters, knowing that he needed to get it all out there. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm all ears."

"Too little, too late." Cameron pulls open the door. "I have a family to get back to."

"Cam." he says to stop him once again.

"Its Cameron to you." Cameron states, letting out a deep breath. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone your little secret. Your daughter can go on living a blissfully ignorant life."

"I didn't think you would." Jason says, watching Cameron roll his eyes before walking out of the office, his phone ringing moments later. "Yeah?"

"Where are you?" Sam asks, holding her daughter's hand. "Munchkin's asking for you."

"I got sidetracked." Jason takes a deep breath. "I'll be right there."

"Okay. We're in exam room 4." Sam says before he ends the call.

Jason walked out of the office and was heading to where Sam and his daughter were, but was stopped by the voices he heard coming out of an open door. It looked to be the waiting area for families with loved ones in surgery. The door was slightly open and he could hear Jake with Johnny Zacchara.

"You can't keep letting your anger get the best of you." Johnny tries to get through to him. "He's not worth it."

"Every time I think I'm over it, he pops up and I just..." Jake slams his fist against the wall. "Why can't he just stay gone?"

"Father's don't do that." Johnny remembers how many times he wanted his father gone, only to find out it wasn't his father. "We just have to live with it."

"Lily's the one I'm more worried about." Jake sighs, plopping down on a chair. "She doesn't know how to say no to him and I'm afraid that he'll use that. She can only turn him away for so long..."

"But she wants him." Johnny says knowingly. "You'll just have to be there for her when he screws up."

"I don't want to go through that again." Jake says sternly. "I want to prevent it if I can."

"You can only do so much." Johnny reminds him. "The rest is on Lily."

"You're right." Jake sighs. "Thanks for this. It helps talking to you."

"I get what you're going through." Johnny assures him. "You ready to head back?"

"Sure." Jake stands up. "If I'm fortunate enough, he'll disappear the way Lucky did."

"Not likely." Johnny chuckles, walking over to the door, forcing Jason to make a hasty exit.

Jason got to the exam room just as the doctor finished wrapping up Robyn's ankle. The smile on his daughter's face had him feeling a little better as he took the spot next to her and held her hand. He had a lot of work to do with Jake and Lily, Cameron included, but for now, he'll take care of Robyn.

"How about some icecream, huh?" Jason asks, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Cookies and cream right?"

"Yes!" Robyn exclaimed with a smile, all but forgetting her ankle is hurt. "That's my favorite!"

"I know." Jason laughs softly, eyeing his wife. "I am your father after all."

"I love you, daddy." Robyn hugs him once the doctor moves from her ankle. "You're the best dad in the whole world."

"I love you too." Jason assures, overlooking the last part of what she said.

Jake and Johnny got back to the room, finding Emma and Cameron sitting with Elizabeth, laughing at something. Both men couldn't help but smile at the scene before them, seeing Elizabeth laughing and better than she looked a few hours ago put them in better spirits too.

"Focus on this." Johnny said as he clasped a hand on Jake's shoulder. "This will help you deal with him."

"Yeah." Jake shook his head, staying by the door as Johnny walked into the room.

"Hey you." Emma walked over to him. "You okay?"

"Sure." Jake shrugged. "Better than before."

"That's good." Emma smiled slightly. "I could go for some hot cocoa...wanna come with?"

"Sure." Jake took a deep breath before turning to her. "Lead the way."

Giving his brother the nod, Jake followed Emma out of the hospital and onto the streets of Port Charles. A part of him, a very small part, wanted his father to keep trying. To keep fighting until he got through to him, but Jake knew better than to hope for that. He knew better than to hope that his father would be the man that his mother described. The man that his mother told him about, the one from years before, that man no longer exits in his father. Not as far as Jake can see. He's going to be seventeen when May rolls around and a year after that he'll be eighteen. He's survived this long without a father, he can survive the rest of his life without one.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews.

Let me know what you think.

-ROCkER