Chapter Five:
Kristina slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the room completely confused. Once again, she was laying in a hospital bed with tubes and monitors around her. All Kristina remembered was being at Pentonville with Johnny. His arms were wrapped around her. It didn't make sense for her to be in the hospital now. Kristina reached to get out of bed only to realize that she was restraint to the bed. She pulled at the chains holding her to the bed, but it was a faint pull. Kristina felt numb and struggled to focus on the task at hand.
"I suggest you try not to fight it," Elizabeth said walking into the door with some syringe and her clipboard. She walked to the counter and placed the closed needle on it. "They are there for a reason. Fighting the restraints only makes things worse. If you fight them too much, you will have to be sedated." She added checking Kristina's vitals. "Your vitals are steady improving. You're in a lot better shape than when the EMT first brought you in." The nurse insisted while writing something on her clipboard. It was several seconds before she stopped writing. She then placed the clipboard on the nearby counter. "Do you remember anything prior to being admitted to GH?" Elizabeth asked while shooting the needle through the tube connected to Kristina's arm. Kristina frowned and jerked back slightly while biting down on her lip. "Sorry I forgot to mention that it would sting." Elizabeth added pausing her thumb which was pressing down on the needle. There was still a little less than half the medicine left in the syringe.
"No, it's fine really," Kristina replied back before biting her lip in thought. Elizabeth began administering the rest of the medicine. "The last thing I remember was talking to Johnny at Pentonville after I broke out of the hospital in Connecticut." She paused to blush as she remember them hugging. Kristina tried to hide it quickly before Elizabeth could notice but she already had. Elizabeth slightly raised her eyebrow in response. Kristina didn't notice it and just kept talking. "We were talking while waiting for Diane. Maxie was there to talk to him about something that involved Lucky and her. Then she left to see Geor-?"
"Wait, back up a second," Elizabeth blurted out cutting her off completely intrigued by Kristina's story. This information sent Elizabeth in a frenzy. She was curious and needed to get as much out of Kristina as she could. "Maxie and Johnny were talking about Lucky? Do you know what they were talking about?" She asked placing the needle in the trash.
"I walked in on them at the very end of the discussion so I really don't know much about it," Kristina insisted squinting her eyebrow in deep thought which made her head hurt. Kristina came to the conclusion that she must've hit her head somewhere. She turned her head to see Elizabeth was still looking at her in anticipation. "If I tell you something will you promise not to tell anyone?" She asked looking away from the nurse to close her eyes for a second. The bright lights were making her eyes hurt.
"Kristina, I promise whatever you tell me will be our little secret." She insisted folding her arms with the clipboard in hand. Kristina reopened her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.
"I kept bringing the subject up to Johnny and he kept dogging it," Kristina paused feeling a little hoarse. Elizabeth grabbed a cup of water and handed it to Kristina. "Thank you." She replied before taking a quick sip. Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the bed and faced Kristina. "So like I was saying, after a while he revealed some information to me concerning that discussion. It's wasn't much but it was something. Johnny told me that it was too dangerous for me to get involved. I also overheard him practically telling Maxie that if she played by the rules like Lucky wanted then they would get killed. He even offered her Zacchara connections via Ethan's help." Before Elizabeth could respond back Molly, Sam, Alexis, and Sonny walked in.
"I'll leave you to your company now," Elizabeth said standing up and walking towards the door. "We'll continue this during your next round of medication." She added before stepping out of the door. Molly and Sam sat in a nearby sofa. Alexis and Sonny took the chairs on both sides of Kristina's bed. It was quiet in the room for a longtime. The clock just kept ticking. There was some much tension in the room. This was the part Kristina hated. She felt like she was 17 again and that she had to explain herself to them even though they had already had their minds made up. The only difference was that she was older, but they still treated her the same. They still treated her like a fragile, irrational child that they had to walk on egg shells around. They thought it was right to make decisions for her. This made her angry and frustrated .
"Well we might as well get it over with," Kristina blurted out getting everybody's attention. It really didn't matter what she said. They wouldn't really listen to her but at least she could tell them what was on her mind so she could get it off her chest. "You're disappointed that I endangered my health, broke the law, and broke out of the hospital," she insisted looking at her mom. "And you're pissed that I went to see Johnny even after you paid the guards to up the security whenever I go see him." Kristina added looking at her Sonny who shifted eye contact away from his daughter. "Yeah dad. I've known about that and all the other antics you've been pulling at Pentonville for a longtime. I was just waiting for the right time to bring it up. How dare you dad? He's my friend. You had no right to do that or go to Pentonville just to threaten him."
"You can be mad at me all you want Kristina. I did what I had to do and I'm not going to justify my actions to you," Sonny replied reaching to hold her hand. She tried to pull against her restraints away from him. "Johnny is not your friend, Kristina. He never was. He just uses you to spark a reaction out of me." Sonny added hands clasped together. He gestures to himself before gesturing towards her. "We've been over this time and time again. He paints me as the bad guy and your judgement is clouded so you go along with it. I am your father. It is my job to protect you from people like him."
"I DON'T need you to protect me," Kristina spat out in rage. " You think you're better than Johnny but you're not. You're in the mob and so was he. You both kill people. AJ is dead because of yo-"
"Kristina," Alexis yelled over her daughter to cut her off just as Michael walked in to hear the last part of their exchange. "That is enough. We are not discussing Sonny's actions." She added looking at him before looking at Sam and Molly. "We are discussing what you did." Alexis said turning to face her daughter. "You obviously broke out the hospital for some reason and we want to know why."
Johnny walked into the small familiar room with the guards behind him to see a red headed young man standing in a black peacoat. The man had his hands in his pockets looking at Johnny through piercing blue eyes. He was slimy built, pale, and tall. The man waited until the guards left the room before speaking.
"I'll try to be fairly pleasant considering that I see this as strictly business," the man insisted shifting back and forth on his feet which made the noise of rubber rubbing against each other. Johnny looked down to see the man was wearing knee high black rain boots. "I would not usually pair rain boots with a suit but I had to dress to accommodate the weather. It has been raining in Connecticut all morning." He paused briefly before extending his hand. "I am Heath Hawthorne. Kristina's husband." Heath said frowning slightly when Johnny did not return his gesture. "I take it my darling wife has told you about me." He insisted recoiling his hand back to his side before sitting down. "I hope it was all good."
"Not really," Johnny answered folding his arm. He didn't really have much reason to hate the guy considering that he didn't know him personally. Based on the little he had heard about the guy, Johnny had already determined he didn't like him. However, he came to the conclusion that Heath had a reason for coming to see him so Johnny decided he play nice long enough for him to reveal his reason for being there."She doesn't talk about you much and when she did it was never good. How is she?" He asked looking down at Heath who folded his leg and cupped his hands in his lap.
"I don't get the point in updating you on her health considering that there's nothing you can do for her in here, but I'll humor you," Heath answered with a little venom in his tone of voice. He had not intended for his tone to be so malice. "After she collapsed in your arms, Kristina was rushed to the hospital where she's being treated for a blood clot and an infection as we speak. I had her restrained to a bed and on 24 hour watch. Kristina will not be seeing daylight for a very long time." Heath finished with a very amused tone. He leaned back in his seat to observe Johnny's reaction to learning this information. Johnny wanted to smack that smirk off of Heath's face but considering his recent predicament, he knew he couldn't do that. He had to remain calm.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were actually enjoying this. You get some kind of sick pleasure out of Kristina being hurt and helpless. You love it that she is chained to a hospital bed like an animal and you are in full control," Johnny said raising his eyebrow before sitting down in the seat across from Heath. "I'm not one to judge-"
"You're damn right about that," Heath blurted out cutting him off. A smug laugh escaped the red head's mouth. "As far as your thoughts are when it comes to my wife, I am not concerned. She is my responsibility. We are committed to each other and I will deal with our issues anyway I see fit." He insisted though clinched teeth clearly agitated. Heath ran a hand roughly through his hair before exhaling loudly. "Which is why I am here. You will convince my wife to stay with me."
Everyone watched Kristina in silence waiting to hear her response to Alexis' statement. She really didn't feel like she owed them any explanation, but that didn't mean that they didn't expect her to give them one. She could shut down, and not tell them anything. It would just add more complications and possibly lead to some psychiatric evaluation or a family trip to therapy. She still believed talking was a total waste. It was still silent in the room. They all turned slightly at the sound of Sam's phone vibrating. She got up in a fast pace to exit the room.
"I don't understand why you need to hear my side of the story. I'm sure you pried the truth out of Molly," Kristina replied looking at her sister before turning to her mother. "Not to mention, talking about that type of stuff is a waste of time. Who do I need to talk to so I can get these restraints off and get out of here?" She asked attempting to pull away from the straps.
"You will not be getting out of here anytime soon," Alexis replied getting up from her seat. There was a hint of frustration in her voice that she was trying to hide. "After your little escape from the hospital, you contracted a blood clot and an infection. Heath agreed to let you remain here so you could be treated on the grounds that you are restrained." Alexis looked at her watch before standing up. "I have to go. There's a client I must meet in 30 minutes. We'll finish this discussion later maybe then you'll feel different about talking."
"That was the school nurse," Sam said as she ran into the room; her heel boots clicking loudly. She reached in the chair to frantically grab her purse. "Apparently Danny is not feeling very well and my car is still in the sho-"
"Say no more. I can take you by the school on my way to the office," Alexis said to Sam before turning around to kiss Kristina's forehead. "You might not be too pleased with me right but just remember I am doing this because I love you." She whispered in her ear before walking off towards the door."I'll see you all later," Alexis said walking out the door. She walked back quickly and leaned her head inside the room. "Oh and in case you consider escaping again Kristina, there's guards at your door and every entrance and exit." Alexis added before finally leaving. Kristina looked at her father who looked back at her. Molly and Michael watched their little exchange feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
"Molly, Michael. Can you leave us alone for a minute," Sonny said breaking Molly and Michael from their train of thought. They both looked at each other and then him in hesitation. "I assure you it will be brief." They turned to face Kristina. "Unless you would rather not talk to your old man."
"It doesn't matter if I want to or not. I'll have to at some point," Kristina answered back. She looked at Molly and Michael. "It's okay guys. We'll be done in 10 minutes." She added smiling lightly. Michael nodded at her before brushing past Sonny with Molly behind him. They were still in the healing phase and Michael overhearing Kristina talk about Sonny killing AJ just reopened a can of worms. She made a mental note to apologize to him later for doing that.
"Honey, I know that you are upset," Sonny insisted reaching out to touch Kristina but deciding otherwise when he noticed her attempt to fidget away. "But it means the world to me that you are not shutting me out." He added smiling lightly. "Regardless of how bad things gets, I love you. I always have and I always will. Everything I do, I do it out of love." Sonny paused for a second to think over the words he planned to say next. Kristina sighed as she suspected there was more to his declaration of love. "I know you think that Johnny is your friend and you think that you are obligated to keep up this- friendship while he's in prison." Sonny paused again and closed his eyes before looking back at her. He put his hands together and leaned forward. "You believe he's a good person and that he deserves to be free. You might even believe it's your duty to help him. I just don't want your faith in him to be wrongly placed."
"Dad, I understand that you have never wanted Johnny to be a part of my life so it is not a surprise that you are against me helping him or believing in him," Kristina stopped to bite her lip in thought. She didn't want to argue with her father. She wanted to be honest. She suspected there was more that he just wasn't telling her. "But why do I get the feeling that there's something you're hinting to but not telling me?"
"Now why would I do that?" Johnny replied back shaking his head. He got up from the chair. Heath swallows hard at his remark. "Whatever is going on with your marriage to Kristina has nothing to do with me. If she decided to leave you, there's not much I can do about that. She's very stubborn." He said flashing back to their discussion from yesterday.
"My god Kristina! You might be stubborn enough to risk your own life and Sonny is stupid enough to endanger it time and time again but I am not. The last time I dragged you into something dangerous, it involved a car bomb that could've cost you your life." Johnny paused and started walking towards her. He stopped a few inches in front of her and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. He remembered her smiling as she pretended to adjust his collar and let her hands linger on his neck.
Johnny shook his head slightly as he grinned about the exchange. He looked at Heath who seemed somewhat agitated and darker than before. "Not to mention, you don't exactly treat her well so there's no point in me lifting a finger to help you. I'd like to say it was a pleasure meeting you Heath but that would be lying on my part." Johnny paused to really look at the man who had stiffened in the chair across from him. He couldn't physically hurt the guy but he gave him one hell of a death glare. Heath met his gaze with confidence. "Send Kristina my regards. We are finished." Johnny said through clenched teeth before turning to walk away from Heath. Now he knew why Heath had come to see him and he was ready to end the discussion. Johnny walked a few steps before he heard the man speak behind him.
"Take another god damn step and I will destroy your chances of ever being free." Heath yelled as he stood smashing his hand against the table. Johnny stopped and turned to face him.
Maxie walked into the hotel room at the Metrocourt holding Georgie's hand. They had just snuck away to get some breakfast at Kelly's. Before she could use her room key, Lucky opened the door quickly looking distraught.
"Thank god you're here," he tells her as she walks past him into the room to see that it had literally been turned inside out. The contents of their suitcases were sprawled everywhere. Even the dresser drawers and furniture were thrown all over the place. "I have been worried sick about you. Why'd you just leave without telling anyone where you were going?" Lucky asked clearly upset with her. Georgie immediately placed the sack containing her food on the ground so she could go to the bathroom. Lucky placed his hands on Maxie's arms and pulled her to the side. "Someone tried to run you over yesterday. Someone tried to kill you again Maxie."
"I know. I know. I need to be more careful and watch my back. You worry too much Lucky," Maxie insisted smiling. The blonde wrapped her arms around his neck. "How about we eat breakfast and you can tell me all about Luke and Ethan's talk." Maxie added grinning in excitement. Her smile fell when she saw the blood dripping onto his shirt. She placed her hand behind his head to lightly massage it in his hair. When she moved her hand, Maxie's hand had blood on it. "Oh my god! Lucky you're bleeding. Why are you bleeding?" She asked him clearly worried. Before he could answer, Lucky felt himself losing consciousness and he fell to the ground. Maxie immediately kneeled to the ground beside him. "Lucky! Lucky!" She yelled before placing his head in her lap. He was bleeding so much and it was staining her clothes. Suddenly Ethan bursted in the door. "Ethan thank god you're here. Lucky and I were talking. Then he just passed out. He's bleeding. Something happened." Maxie's words just ran together frantically. She was shaking nervously.
"I don't understand." Ethan blurts out kneeling down next to Maxie who was cradling Lucky's head in her arms. "He was just fine a few minutes ago other than that nasty cut he got on his head when those guys broke in here. He told me it wasn't a big deal and that he was fine." Ethan paused as he saw Georgie walk back into the room. She had a cup of water in a glass that she dropped when she saw Maxie with blood on her and Lucky unconscious. Maxie placed Lucky's head in Ethan's lap before walking to kneel in front of Georgie.
"Mommy what's wrong? I saw blood in the bathroom and broken glass. Is Lucky okay?" Georgie asked looking in front of her at Lucky and Ethan. Maxie looked at Ethan before looking back at Georgie. Maxie had her arms folded around her body which was frantically shaking.
"Everything will be alright sweetheart," Maxie said to the blonde child stroking her hand in Georgie's hair to soothe her. She reached to place her hand under her chin, but stopped when Georgie stared at the blood on it. Maxie recoiled it back. "Lucky just has a boo boo so he's going to GH. They're going to give him a band aid just like the school nurse did that time you cut yourself on the playground. You remember that." Georgie nodded in response. While Maxie was talking to Georgie, Ethan had managed to call for an ambulance. "The only difference is that they are going to come get him and we will follow them. Now go put your shoes on?" Maxie added. She waited until the child was out of hearing range before walking over to where Ethan was and sat down next to him. Ethan placed Lucky's head in Maxie's lap. She sighed heavily in slight relief as Lucky started regaining consciousness again. His eyes fluttered slightly. Maxie held his head in her lap while she sat on her knees. It was just a matter of seconds before first responders from GH ran in with a gurney.
Sonny's facial expression was unreadable after Kristina's assumption. He reached again for her hand. Kristina humored him for the sake of learning the information he knows. Sonny placed her hand in between his.
"It's nothing really. Just I want you to be mindful that people and situations are not always as they appear. This," Sonny paused trying to think of the appropriate words to tell her. He removed one of his hands from hers to place it on his chest. "My line of work holds no boundaries. Nothing and no one is off limits."
"Dad, why are you telling me this," Kristina blurted out breathing heavy. She scrunched her eyebrows together clearly confused. Her dad never discussed the business with her which explained his trouble finding the right vocabulary to express what he wanted to say."What you're telling me I already know firsthand about the mob. I have the scar on my spine from the surgery to prove it, and a lifetime worth of bad memories," She added rolling her eyes. He dunked his head down in response. They both knew why. He caused the scar on her spine. He's caused a bulk of the bad incidents in her life. Kristina knew he'd never admit it to her. This was as close as she would get to a confession out of him. "Look dad, it's been great but let's cut to the chase. I'm not Michael or Shaun or Duke or Jason. You've never just openly discussed the mob with me before. What are trying to accomplish by doing it now?"
"Nothing, honey," Sonny responded back rather quickly. Too quickly to convince his daughter he was telling the truth. "Honey, there's just a lot you don't know about,-" Sonny stopped talking when he saw Molly and Michael walk in. Kristina looked up at them immediately in confusion. Then she realized that 10 minutes were up and they had came back like she told them to do. Sonny looked at Michael before looking back at Kristina. "I'll give you some time alone with your brother and your sister." He suggested getting up to place a kiss on Kristina's forehead. On his way out the door, he hugged Molly and patted Michael's shoulder. Michael didn't acknowledge him.
Elizabeth was just walking around the corner in the halls of General Hospital when she saw the ETM worker rush in a body. She stopped in shock when she realized it looked like Lucky. After checking up on Kristina this morning, Elizabeth was aware he had returned to Port Charles. It's all she's been able to think about all day. She was very excited and nervous about his return. Elizabeth saw Maxie and Ethan behind him. Maxie was holding onto Georgie's hand. Elizabeth took off running towards them.
Maxie covered her mouth with one hand as she watched the gurney roll off. It was the only gesture that could keep her from puking. She didn't have time to change. Her hand was still covered in blood along with her clothes. This whole thing was making her sick. She turned to face Ethan. She moved her head close to his. The ETM workers rushed in before Ethan could tell Maxie what happened before she came. "Back at the hotel, after Lucky passed out and you walked in, you mentioned that there was a break in and he hit his head." Maxie whispered to him. Georgie was standing on the opposite side of Maxie reading a book.
"Yes I did. Lucky didn't hit his head. The guys came in, knocked him over the head and ransacked the place," Ethan whispered back to her. Maxie stared at him trying to put the pieces together. Granted they had a lot of nice stuff but it all seemed in good shape despite being sprawled everywhere. "They knew exactly what they were looking for and they got it. The only guarantee we have, the only thing that has kept our asses alive is gone," He adds looking at her. Then it clicks with Maxie. She shakes her head fiercely not wanting to believe it. "I'm sorry Maxie. By time I got there it was too late. They were gone and so were the pictures."
"Oh my god! Is that-?" Elizabeth said stopping beside Georgie who stopped reading to fiercely grip Maxie's hand. Elizabeth looked over Maxie and Georgie towards Ethan for an answer. She didn't intend to stop mid sentence but she didn't quite know what else to say. Then she caught sight of Maxie's outfit. It was covered in blood. It was Lucky's blood. Elizabeth was sure of it.
"Yes Elizabeth. It's Lucky," Maxie answered ignoring the look of panic on Elizabeth's face. She looked down at her daughter and moves her hand hand away from her. "G, you stay here with Uncle Ethan okay sweetheart. Mommy wants to make sure the doctors take care of Lucky." The blonde paused to look at Ethan. "That's okay, right?"she asked looking at him in pleading way.
"Of course," Ethan answers back without thinking on it. Maxie mouths a thank you to him before turning towards the room where they took Lucky. She took off in a fast pace. "Hey Maxie," he yelled at her. Maxie turned around quickly. She accidentally making eye contact with Elizabeth. They averted their gaze. "Keep me updated and don't give 'em too much hell." Maxie nodded before disappearing out of sight. Elizabeth waited a few seconds next to Ethan before taking off in the same direction as Maxie. Ethan grabbed her arm. Elizabeth turned quickly to face him. "I can imagine you have a lot of questions Elizabeth."
"You're most certainly right I do. There are so many questions I want to ask," Elizabeth said pulling her arm from Ethan's grasp. She folds her arms. "Cameron, Aidan, and I haven't heard from Lucky in years. Then all of a sudden he's rushed to the hospital for some unknown injury and Maxie of all people is sniffing behind him. Given their past history, the fact that she's here apparently with him and he's been admitted to the hospital immediately sends off a ton of red flags," she paused thinking back to her talk with Kristina earlier. That talk and what just happened made her more confused. Nothing was adding up. She couldn't believe that Lucky would get involved with Maxie again, and that he would have abandoned the boys for so long. Then again, she did hurt him really bad. As much as she didn't want to believe it, that was the only story adding up for her. "I don't know what to think. There's just a lot that's not adding up and it would be really nice if someone could fill in the blanks for me." Elizabeth blurted out not even remotely talking to Ethan. He moved his head closer so that he could whisper in her ear.
"Elizabeth, I'd love to help you but really I can't," Ethan answered before looking at Georgie who now sitting in a nearby chair reading. "And it's not because George is here." He added almost audible because he was whispering so low. Elizabeth gripped the file closer to her chest while Ethan folded his arms. "Look when Lucky is of sound mind and body, he'll tell you what you need to know when he's ready. For now, you'll just have to piece the puzzle together the best you can until then." He added in a stern tone moving his head away from her.
"I should get back to work," Elizabeth answers through gritted teeth walking away from Ethan. She went a few inches before turning back around to face him. "Oh and Ethan. Kristina has been admitted to GH. I'm sure she'd like to see you again since you two are friends." Just as Ethan was about to ask her questions, Elizabeth turned away and walked off quickly. If he wasn't giving her answers, then neither was she.
"You're bluffing," Johnny said after several minutes of silence. Heath folded his arms and cocked his head back. He walked towards the red head. "I'm use to phony threats and ultimatums. Guys like you are all talk and no action."
"Be naive if you want Johnny," Heath replied back smiling slightly. He stood up from the seat to reach down for his briefcase. "You'd be wise not to underestimate me." He adds pacing back and forth with the locked briefcase on the table to place it on the table. "I had some associates of mine do a little digging and what I found was quite remarkable." He insisted as stopped pacing. He walked to the table and typed a code into the locked briefcase. It made a slight click noise as it opened. Heath reached in and grabbed a photo from the top. He pulled out a picture of Starr, Hope, and Cole from the briefcase. This was one of the pictures Maxie had shown him yesterday. Johnny's eyebrows shot up.
"How do you know about that? How did you get them?" he blurted out running a hand through his hair. Heath looked at him grinning somewhat pretending not to hear Johnny's question. He was now dangling the entire folder, that was once in Maxie's possession, in front of Johnny. "I highly doubt they just appeared on your doorstep with the morning paper and I wouldn't believe you found them so that means you took them." Johnny added folding his arms and staring at Heath who placed the folder back in the briefcase and securely locked it.
"It doesn't matter how I obtained them. They are now in my possession to use them at my discretion," Heath answered in a mischievous tone. "As for how I know about your little meeting with Maxie Jones and Kristina, well I have a vast amount of knowledge and resources at my disposal." He added pretending to swipe the lint off the shoulder of his coat. "Like I said earlier this is a business meeting. I am here to discuss business." Heath suggested getting up from his seat and grabbing the briefcase. "I am running for reelection. One day, I will be the next governor of Connecticut and hopefully I will make a presidential run someday. My image must be solid. A sudden divorce and messy custody battle is the last thing I need right now."
"So you just want to keep Kristina around because she's arm candy and you need a trophy wife to win," Johnny suggested looking at Heath who didn't respond back. He rolled his eyes and grinned. "You're not that smart if you think that Kristina is going to blindly go along with this idea of yours. We both know she's a lot of things but she's not stupid and she's certainly not absentminded trophy wife material. She's very opinionated and hotheaded. Not to mention she's the daughter of one of the biggest mobsters on the eastern sea board. Now remind me again, how exactly does that help your image?" He asked raising his eyebrow.
"It's simply just a technicality," Heath answers back rather quickly. "Besides I just need her around long enough to be. reelected. Then with proper time, I can divorce her and remarry some thoroughbred woman who's more fitted to be First Lady someday." He adds as if it is the easiest thing in the world." Heath shrugs seeming unaffected. "Until then. I need Kristina to actively be my wife. She cares about you and Hannah. All I have to do is dangle Hannah's life and your small chance for freedom in her face. A jerk of the chain, a little convincing from you, and Kristina will be putty in my hands." He suggested pacing back and forth in a straight line. The red head paused in mid turn laughing slightly. "I pegged you as a a man of opportunity. Surely you know a good deal when it's being presented to you. You can still screw my wife, write each other letters and keep your little prison friends with benefits thing going on. She stays married to me long enough for me to win my reelection. Then I'll arrange your freedom and you two can be happy together after I find my new wife. It's a win-win for everybody." Heath insists. "I'd love to stay and chat but I really must be going. One can only waste their time for so long."
"Let's get one thing straight. Kristina and I are just friends. There's nothing going on between us," Johnny blurts out in response. Heath turned around fast to face him. Giving him a look that emphasized that he couldn't be persuaded otherwise on the matter. He didn't feel like arguing with the guy. "Let's say I decided to go along with this scheme of yours minus the whole having an affair with Kristina part," Johnny said folding his arms. Heath's eyebrows perked up in excitement. "Don't flatter yourself okay. I still think you're egotistic loud mouth son of a bitch that doesn't deserve to be with a woman like Kristina. But I'm not exactly in a position to say no to you."
"That's the spirit," Heath suggested over exaggerating the excitement in his voice. "On behalf of our newfound partnership, it is considered fitting to seal the deal with a handshake." He added extended his pale hand to Johnny who starred at it for a second before returning the gesture.