Chapter Six
It was finally Halloween and having spent her work hours tormenting her brother with reminders of his drugged up request for a Dalmatian to be a fireman and the idea of an astronaut, Elizabeth had gone home, gotten her son ready then gone trick or treating, but not for Cam. No the candy had been gathered for Kristina at Steven's request, since the little girl had been so upset at missing out.
When she arrived at the hub, Elizabeth lifted Cam as she showed off her almost six month old son's costume after spending the early evening trick or treating. "What do you think, I made it myself."
"I think you are going to be paying huge therapy bills someday."drawled her brother as he looked at his poor nephew with the costume on. "Elizabeth, why on earth would you dress him as turtle."
"I thought it was cute." she said now pouting. Her brother was the second person to diss the rather adorable outfit. The first, well he had laughed, then promised Cam for now on he would help with his costume. The baby had only looked at him quizzically then gone back to gnawing on his favorite chew toy.
"Don't mind him, Elizabeth. Cam looks lovely." said Monica as she looked at the little boy wearing green camouflage colored clothes and a turtle shell with a turtle shaped hat and green socks and black shoes.
"He is wearing a shell painted on with acrylics." pointed out Steven."And to further confuse matters she keeps calling him pumpkin."
"Don't you have someplace to be?" she said glaring at her brother who held up his hands in surrender then came back to take the bag filled with candy. "Thank you for this."
"Hey, I will have you know, that this outfit was a hit with the other parents." she called out to him.
"Nurse Webber, we use our inside voice while in the hospital." said Epiphany who had lifted Cam. "Oh, I could just eat you up, you are such a cute little turtle. Aren't you?"
"I agree, I am quite handsome, now can you hand me back to my mother, you are scaring me." said a man behind the raised little boy.
"Why, Cameron Webber, its amazing, do that again, you sound just like Jasper Jacks." said Monica laughing as the nurse gave her student back her son. "Jax, is there something I can help you with?"
"I am actually looking for Elizabeth." he said with a smile at the lovely brunette. "Do you have a moment."
Off to the side, he said "When I was dating Chloe, you were always drawing, pen and ink a lot. Do you still do so?"
"On occasion, not as much now that I have Cam. Why?" Elizabeth had to laugh as Cam began reaching for Jax's tie, the brightly colored piece of silk drew her eye as well. It was not the usual tie for the Aussie.
"I seem to recall you had several drawings of old buildings around town. I was hoping to buy them from you." he said. "To hang at the Metro."
"What is the... oh, is that what you are naming the hotel?" she asked thinking she liked the simplicity of the name.
"Yes, so what do you say, do you still have them and would you be willing to finish up any that I find missing. Its for the penthouse suites and I am figuring on about twenty five drawings."
"I have about that now, there are a few unfinished ones." she admitted. "I am surprised you remember them."
"I saw something similar while my designer dragged me to Boston. I have to confess I had to ask Emily who it was that drew them. I had quite forgotten." he admitted.
"I can show them to you later this week if you want. I have to get them from my attic." she stated. "But they aren't framed, Jax."
"That is fine, I was a bit worried about offending you if I decided to change the frames." Courtney who had come to see Sonny narrowed her eyes as she listened to Jax speaking to Elizabeth.
"No, I mean, you would own them, why would I be offended."
"Okay, how about I meet you at six tomorrow night, we can take a look then figure out the next step including how much you want for them." he replied. "Is it all right if I bring my date. You might know her, she is a student nurse here, like yourself. Nadine Crowell."
"I had a few classes with her." she said hiding her surprise, she had thought that Jax was dating Courtney. "Its fine. See you at six."
Walking away, Jax never saw Courtney's stormy eyes as she left the hospital without speaking to Sonny about Carly's problem. Stopping at Jake's, she had several drinks then quickly left as Mitchell Coleman entered. Hurrying over to comfort Carly, she was thinking about Carly's odd suggestion, left on her voice mail regarding Lorenzo.
Seeing the South American, she decided she wouldn't go that far, but flirting with him, no, she could do that. Lorenzo hid his motives as he called Carly and let her get an earful.
Twenty minutes later, Courtney didn't know what was going on, but she was soon naked in bed with her best friends husband, rocking the bed and never hearing Carly entering the room.
Stunned, Carly had only made the suggestion to Courtney as a joke, but to see how far she would go for her, when Carly had done everything under the sun to help the other blond.
Leaving, she never saw Courtney looking at the other man in shock as the pleasure she had just been given, nor saw her reaching out and tugging the other man into Carly's favorite spot in the whole house, the very fancy shower she had insisted on Lorenzo having installed.
When she left Lorenzo a half hour later, she missed seeing his cold smile as he arranged for the tape to be taken to one of his studios. "I want it cleaned up, the audio fixed and the cover to show her spread out on the bed."
"Yes, sir." said the very happy man as he put in the tape, then whistled at what he saw. "Damn, she is almost bent backwards."
Across town the next night, after having had a bad day dealing with Jason not calling her back, Courtney had shown up at the hospital only to see him in with Sam. She had suggested that the other woman was trying to manipulate him, Jason had turned and walked away without saying a word.
Then she had run into Lorenzo who was at the hospital with Carly, she could feel the man's eyes on her, and felt dirty as she left and hurried off to the proposed hotel site. There she was brushed off by Jax who made it clear that she had been a disappointment the night they had been together.
Seeing Elizabeth talking to her brother as she stopped in at Kelly's, Courtney left only to run into the Jones girls who started giggling as she walked by. Certain that they were talking about her, she hurried to the pier, needing to get away from everyone.
When she heard voices coming from the lower part of the boardwalk, Courtney turned to see Nik, she grimaced when she saw Emily holding hands with him. "Nik, hello. If you get some time, can we speak about that recommendation so that I can work with those needy kids at the center."
"Hello Courtney." said Emily inserting herself between her fiancee and the other woman.
"Oh, hi Emily." she said frowning, since the day she had split with Jason, she had felt an icy separation between the other girl who had once been her friend. "How are you?"
"Just fine. I came to see Nik off, he has to go out of town on business. Madrid." she said then turned to hug the man who returned her embrace then told Courtney goodbye as he pulled Emily off to the side.
"Stay close to the house, Okay." he said then told her "I am worried with everything going on, that the Ruiz family might come after you because of what happened with Lucky."
Emily didn't tell him that Jason said she would be fine, she knew that her brother was a sore subject between them. When he had left, she turned, surprised to find Courtney still standing there, looking awkward. "May I talk to you?"
Emily sighed then asked "Sure, what can I do for you Courtney?"
"It about Jason, and this mess he is in with Sam McCall. Do you honestly think that his taking in that baby will be a good idea, especially since it is so soon after we lost our own child." she said intently.
"Courtney that was over a year and a half ago. My brother never knew about that child, he really never had anything to get over." she said. "You have had two different relationships since then and I assure you, my brother isn't pining over you nor some mythological child you seem to think he should be mourning. Whatever this is truly about, I want no part of it."
"What do you mean?" she asked blinking. "I am just concerned about Jason. I was sure that you of all people would understand that. I mean you know how much I loved him. When I miscarried, I was lost, I made mistakes but I promise, I will always want what is best for Jason."
"Really? And if what is best is Sam?" she asked intently. "What if being a father to her child is what is best for him?"
"But it isn't, Emily." she insisted glaring at the blond for even thinking that that tramp was best for Jason.
"You might be right about that, but I have always let my brother make his own mistakes, then comforted him when he realized it. I don't interfere and you should be glad for that." she stated.
"What? Why?" she asked.
Emily decided to make a few things very clear to the blond. "Courtney, because if I did interfere; my brother would have been told that you and him were nothing more than rebound after he lost Elizabeth. That you were a mistake created by his trying to prove something to himself that failed spectacularly and that just because you make a mistake and tell someone you love them when you don't, doesn't mean you have to give into family pressure and marry them."
Pulling back visibly, Courtney said "I thought we were friends."
"You thought wrong. I was hurting when I came back to town, I did something that had a snowball affect and you were always there, just like you were with Jason, always acting like you understood, and acting like you truly cared, but in truth, Courtney you are a user. You had AJ but wanted Jason, so you created a situation and with Carly's help got him to marry you. But you never truly had his heart and you know it." said Emily.
"You know nothing about your brother and my marriage." she said hotly not believing that Emily was treating her this way.
With a wicked grin, Emily said, "Oh I know all about it. You and Carly pressed him into marrying you, when all he felt was guilt. You got lucky then ruined it by hitting the one person, Jason will never forgive you for."
"Elizabeth? Oh please, Jason doesn't care about her." she said if Sam being with Jason was unwelcome, Elizabeth was horrifying.
"Courtney, I don't need to tell you how wrong you are, you already know it. And Courtney, go running to Carly, your equally delusional best friend, the two of you can prop each others fantasies about my brother up until the cows come home and it won't change a thing."
"What? What thing? Jason still cares about me, I know he does. We talk all the time." she said.
"Oh god, you really do sound like Carly know." she said laughing."Carly is a one night stand that never went away because she got pregnant with AJ's kid and you, you were a revenge fuck that Carly pushed into a rebound relationship. If the two of you didn't call Jason, he would never even think of you except to wonder what the hell kind of trouble you are into now."
With that she started to walk away then stopped. "And one more thing, stay away from Nik. He speaks to you because politeness is inbred into him, no other reason. I know that Jax dumped your ass after sleeping with you, I know you are on the make, well do everyone a favor, go back to that trailer park or no tell motel in Atlantic City, either way, stop trying to get back with Jason, it won't be happening."
Courtney watched her walk away, then felt the tears on her face. Wiping them on the arm of her coat, she took out her phone and called the house to speak to Carly. "Carly, I need you."
"I will be right there." Carly said with a smug smile as she turned to her husband and hoping he got nervous, very nervous at the idea of Courtney spilling tawdry secrets, said "That is Courtney, she is hysterical about something. I have to go."
Watching her leave, Lorenzo went to the phone. "Did you release it already?"
"They are being downloaded onto a disk even as we speak." said the man on the other end. "I called it Afternoon Delight with Daisy."
Georgie left Maxie who was laughing at her sister. "Stop Maxie."
"Sorry but you have to admit, it was funny." she said. "Dad getting a call to verify you were you. This boss of yours, I have to say I wish you would tell me what it is your doing."
"I told you, he has me shopping for the holidays." she said straight-faced. If only her sister knew what she was out there purchasing. Georgie didn't think anyone had that much money, not even the Quartermaines, Jacks not even Sonny had that kind of money.
"What kind of shopping can you be doing where your boss gives you a black AMEX card with your name on it?" she asked.
"Well I had to get the stuff for the kids, then there... look Maxie. I can't talk about it but if dad knows and is fine with it, you will just have to wait." she said with a smirk.
"Look, there is that man again," said Maxie pointing then frowning as she saw the bald man with the tattoos was gone again. "I wonder, he keeps turning up all over the place. He is scary looking."
Georgie signed, her sister was all about appearances, what was on the surface. While she found Mr. Ruiz to be scary to look at, even scary to think about considering his occupation, he was unfailingly polite the few times she had run into him.
He had seen her leaving Kelly's one day with lunch for her and her boss, he had held the door and even smiled at her thank you. Then gently offered to open her car door, saying he didn't want to frighten her by following her without asking.
She had at first hesitated then said yes. She had also seen him at the hospital a few times, his father having been admitted for a heart attack after the newspaper had ran an op ed piece saying Lucky Spencer should be freed for doing a public service in killing his son.
It was only later on that they had learned that Lucky's slimy attorney, Scott Baldwin had planted the piece, trying to get his beloved Laura's son freed. Instead it had done the reverse as someone had submitted an opposing article detailing all of the Spencer family problems that had engulfed the entire town in them.
"Why are you brooding?" asked the man who suddenly appeared as soon as Maxie had left.
"Where do you come from." she asked looking at the dark haired man. "I mean, you pop up out of no where, all the time."
Johnny grinned then said "I just came from the old cannery warehouses, like I told you, I am remodeling it into shops. Or my company is."
Glaring at him suspiciously since he didn't seem that much older than her, she said "It doesn't look like there is anything going on there."
"Building commissions, planning boards, there are all sorts of things that need to be done before a construction crew shows up." he said then asked"Besides, you never answered my question, what are you brooding about?"
"People getting away with murder. More specifically, Lucky Spencer who is trying to weasel out of prison." Georgie was well aware that several old friends of his father had tried to stage a prison break at Luke's funeral, her father and his detectives had been prepared and had put a stop to it before it had even begun.
"Spencer? You know him?" he asked looking at her.
Grimacing, she said "Yeah, we share an aunt. Bobbie Jones is his brother's sister and was married to my Uncle Tony. His father also had an affair with my mother, destroying my parents marriage."
"Your mother was involved with Spencer Sr." he asked skeptically.
"My mother other than my stepfather has had spectacularly bad taste in men." she said with a grimace. "Anyhow, I know the Spencers, they never face justice."
"Hopefully you are wrong this time." he said well aware that the Ruiz family was planning on insuring just that. "May I ask you something. The first day I saw you, in Crimson Point, where were you going?"
"What day was that?" she asked then heard his answer. "Oh at the office building. That is where I work, for North Pole Enterprises."
"Doing what?" he asked then looking around asked "How about I buy you a cup of coffee at that diner down the street."
"Can't."she said regretfully. "I uh, I used to work there and Aunt Bobbie is a little mad at me right now. She wanted me to keep working my other job and helping out when I am free but I just couldn't do it."
"Maybe at another time." he offered then watched her leaving. "Get your mind out of the gutter, John. She is still a kid."
Manny who was watching, let out a little laugh, clearly Zachara had feelings for the younger Jones girl. Well that was fine with him, since he knew her ex-boyfriend was soon to be facing hardships if he kept up his games trying to free Lucky Spencer.
Going back to the hospital, he closed the door and turned on the box that would prevent anyone from listening in and said "Williams is building a very solid case and I broke into Baldwin's office. He is using Spencer Sr was a hero cut down in his prime."
Standing at the window, Manny said "I miss the sunshine. I miss the comfort of a woman."
"We will go home as soon as your brother's murderer faces justice. There are no women here." asked Javier.
Scoffing, Manny said "Too many good girls like the Webber nurse. Or they are houri like that Corinthos woman or that McCall woman. I want an equal, a woman who will match me."
Javier looked at his son then said "Sounds like you need to settle down."
Brooding, Manny said "No, what I need is to get back to Miami. Am watching over things like we discussed. You are right, Trevor Lansing did screw over the Zacharas but he isn't fighting to get it back."
"Uem, now that IS interesting." said Javier. "And Anthony?"
"Insane, completely. I saw him at the doctor yesterday. He is ill. And Alcazar is up to trouble involving his wife, her ex-sister in law and Corinthos. Corinthos is ignoring the business, he is busy between his ex mistress and the mother of his daughter."
"Good, good. I gather Morgan is still looking into what is going on?" he asked with a raised eye brow.
Manny gave a cold grin and said "Corinthos will die, maybe not at our hands."
Leaving his father just as he went to sleep, Manny made his usual stop on the upper floor where the McCall woman was down the hallway from the Davis woman's dying child. Slipping into the chapel on that floor, he had no sooner begun praying when he heard two women shouting at one another.
That continued then he peeked up just in time to see the McCall woman grasp her stomach and shout for help. Seeing the satisfaction on the taller woman's face, he watched as medical personnel rushed in and took the woman away while Alexis was glaring at Morgan who warned her he hoped she didn't regret what she had done.
All three missed the old man humming as he walked down the hallway. At the car, he took out the main list and crossed one name off the list and changed it to the naughty list.
"You know Helena and Claudia, Tom and Trevor, Luke and Miguel... two more names... two more names... Maria." he said gleefully as he back out of the hospital parking lot then placed the phone call. "Did you take care of my request?"
The man just going to bed in Geneva yawned then said "All taken care of."
"I miss you too." Elizabeth told Jason, but knowing that he had to be there, so far Alexis Davis had gotten close to Sam twice when Jason had left. They were almost certain that Sonny had told Max to be lax in protecting the pregnant woman. Add to that, Sam's refusal to stay in her room and it was a volatile situation.
"Has Cam recovered from his embarrassment?" Jason asked with a chuckle when he heard Elizabeth's slight growl. When he had seen her working on their son's costume, he had made several alternate suggestions, all of which were shot down as not being cute enough. Personally he was more concerned about the poor boy's embarrassment when someday he saw himself as a chubby little turtle.
"Jax and Nadine should be here soon. I should go." she said reluctantly. "If things settle down, come home later."
"When they go, I am coming home and we are staying inside for a week." he said with a sigh as he heard Alexis arguing yet again with Ric and Sonny down the hall. Her hysteria was understandable, her attacking Sam however wasn't acceptable. Sam's daughter mattered to her just as much as Kristina mattered to Alexis.
"Sounds like you have to go." she said then heard him telling her I will see you later, just as the door bell rang. Elizabeth let in Jax and Nadine. The blond nurse with the southern accent was a riot to work with but at the same time she just couldn't see the very smooth and urban Australian with the sweet nurse.
"Hi there, Cam." said Nadine quickly going to greet the little boy in the playpen. He was trying to stand and kept letting go and falling back onto his rear but would grin and try to get up again.
"He has gotten so big." said Jax who had soon joined the nurse. "He looks a lot like you, Elizabeth."
"He is my little pumpkin." she said cheerfully as her 'guests' ignored her and were being entertained by Cam. Ten minutes later, she looked at the unopened book with drawings in it and she couldn't resist asking. "Jax, do you want to look at those pictures."
Flushing, he stood, rubbed his knees then sat on the sofa. "Sorry, Elizabeth. I got a bit distracted."
"I saw." she said reacting with humor as her son continued to babble at Nadine. "I am used to that lately."
Jax soon went through the pictures, asked about a few other landmarks from around town that were half done. "Elizabeth, do you have a price if I were to purchase them?"
"No idea." she said with wide eyes at the idea of selling her artwork.
"How about I ask around in New York, then we figure out a fair price for them." he suggested. "May I take these with me?"
Agreeing, Elizabeth happened to look over just as Nadine was using one of her wrist toys to play with Cam. "Nadine, just where did you have that stashed."
"My purse." she said lifting up a small clutch purse. With a shrug, she said "You never know when it might come in handy."
Jax hid his need to laugh but before they could get ready to leave, his phone rang. "Jax."
"Wait, what happened?" he asked then turned pale as he said "Oh god, where the heck was Lansing?"
Whatever the answer, he was about to hang up when Elizabeth's phone rang. She listened then looked at Jax before turning to look at Nadine. "Alexis and Sam?"
"Alexis and Sam." said Jax grimly. "I want to know where Lansing was. When we left, he was with her in Kristina's room. He promised he was staying there for the rest of the night."
"What is going on?" asked Nadine.
Courtney and Carly who had found out from her mother where Elizabeth lived, sat across the street, glaring at the house. "How the hell can she afford that place?"
"She must have gotten a really good settlement from Lansing." said Carly. Then ducking down, said "Shit, that is Mac Scorpio."
They watched as the man pulled into the garage of the house next door to Elizabeth's and then Carly said "You know, she claimed not to take money from Lansing, I say we let people know that she took money from that psycho. What kind of woman does that?"
Sneering, they watched as Jax came out the door, then frowned when instead of the homespun blond, it was Elizabeth leaving with him. "What on earth is going on?"
"I don't know, but I say we follow them." said Courtney as they pulled out behind the luxury sedan that seemed to be heading for the hospital. Sure enough, they were soon parking themselves. "What now?"
"Well something happened. We should go find out what." said Carly practically as she realized that more than likely they would alos get to see Jason who had all but moved in there to support that whore Sam McCall.
TBC