As he laid the ingredients for omelets out on the long island counter in his kitchen, Ned Ashton debated his choice. Carly had ordered an omelet, when they had gone out to breakfast one morning during their time in Utah, so he figured it was a safe choice. Plus, all the necessary ingredients could be found in his refrigerator. That was definitely an added bonus; as he had no interest in braving the lines at the local Wegman's Supermarket on a Saturday morning.
As he cracked eggs into a glass bowl, Ned smiled when he recalled how his former mother in law had been impressed that he made breakfast, not just right after Lois had the baby, but most mornings. Truth be told, Lois had been the better cook, and she had her mother, Gloria, to thank for that. But Lois had never been the morning person he had been, and mundane cooking was not something Lois had ever enjoyed. Breakfast occurred in the morning, and tended towards the mundane, hence it had become his responsibility.
Ned hadn't spoken to Gloria Cerullo much since the divorce. He supposed it would have been much like his grandmother having a regular connection with Larry Ashton. Mothers usually weren't close friends with the men who broke their daughters' hearts. Although it had never been his intention, he could accept that was exactly what he had done to Lois. He cringed at that thought as he tossed the egg shells into the garbage disposal and returned the carton of remaining eggs to the refrigerator.
As he grated fresh parmesan into the egg mixture Ned's mind forced him to go back over the night that had seemingly destroyed everything. It had started so innocently, or he had thought it had. He had been supposed to meet Katherine Bell at Deception Cosmetics Headquarters to review the contracts for Wyndham's and Logan's Department Stores. Katherine's office at Deception had been being painted so they had relocated to her suite at the Port Charles Hotel.
September 5, 1996
Ned Ashton rubbed at his temples as he turned the page in the contract he was reviewing. "This doesn't even make sense, Katherine."
Katherine sat down on the couch next to him and wrapped an arm around him. "What doesn't, darling?"
Ned moved to his left increasing the distance between them before he answered. "Your accountant thought these numbers worked? He seems to have misunderstood the simple concept of supply and demand."
"Well I'm so glad that we asked you to look at this then. Maybe you could give me a little tutorial later," Katherine purred.
Ned grimaced at Katherine's flirtations. He wished Deception Cosmetics hadn't become an ELQ subsidiary. But the company had been struggling after Dominique Baldwin's death and as other shareholders lost faith and sold Edward had insisted that ELQ buy up those shares to protect their own interests. Ned suspected that Jax had been planning to raid Deception just as he had raided Strawberry Fields. That hadn't happened but ELQ Diversified had ended up with controlling interest and Edward had pushed the subsidiary option while they explored if Deception needed a new CEO.
"AJ could give you a tutorial, this is basic freshman year economics. Personally, I don't see the kid as the future corporate mogul Grandfather does, but he did get an A in Econ 101," Ned quipped.
"AJ is a mere child," Katherine scoffed.
AJ was nineteen, and not half as cynical as he had been at thirteen, so for the most part Ned could agree. "Sure, but what is your accountant's excuse?"
Katherine smiled and reached for Ned's hand. "Competent help can be so hard to find these days," she purred.
Katherine really did have a nice smile, when she wasn't sneering, Ned decided. It didn't compare to Lois's, but he hadn't seen Lois smile at him in weeks. Often, he wondered if he ever would again. He winced as he felt another figurative anvil hit his head. He reached into his briefcase and fumbled for some more Imitrex. As he opened the bottle he realized it was empty and remembered he had meant to pick up a refill.
"Are you alright, Ned?" Katherine asked.
"I'll be fine," Ned said. He knew that was a lie but what else was there to say?
"You don't look fine. I'm sorry. This has been very insensitive of me asking you for help with all you must be going through."
Ned wasn't sure he wanted to know what Katherine thought he was going through. "When Deceptions became an ELQ subsidiary then I gained new responsibilities. It comes with the job description, not your fault. But it is getting late so maybe we can finish this up in the morning. How about nine o'clock in my office at ELQ? You can ask your accountant to join us."
"I am sorry for your loss, Ned."
"My loss?"
"Your child. I'm sorry, Brenda mentioned it and I know that Lois and I have never been close, but I do feel her pain and yours as well."
Ned grabbed his head again in pain and frustration. "Brenda shouldn't have mentioned that to you," he said tersely. But what he was really wondering was who else Brenda had mentioned it to. Had she told her boyfriend, AJ? That could be an even bigger disaster than Katherine Bell knowing.
"I won't say anything to anyone," Katherine said.
Ned wondered if he could believe that. He supposed he didn't really have much choice. "I would appreciate that. It isn't easy for Lois to talk about right now and I think that more people knowing would just make it harder for her."
"That may be true for Lois but is that fair to you?"
"Katherine, please," Ned began.
"I won't say anything, Ned. I give you my word on that, but I know what you're going through and I want to help."
Later, Ned had learned that Brenda had never said anything to Katherine. Katherine had overheard a conversation between Lois and Brenda at Brooke Lynn's second birthday party the month before. However, Katherine had kept her word and, as far as Ned knew, she hadn't told anyone. If things had ended there; maybe there still would have been a chance that he and Lois could have worked things out. Maybe…
That hadn't been the end of it though. In his bitter moments, Ned reflected that if Lois didn't want him sleeping elsewhere, she shouldn't hang up on him when he called her needing a ride home. She probably shouldn't have, but he also knew that he could have called Alan, he could have called a cab and he hadn't so perhaps he was just grasping at straws.
September 5, 1996
"Lois," Ned said desperately. "Don't hang up," he added as a defeated afterthought as the dial tone echoed in his ear. The noise only intensified the throbbing of his head, so he returned the phone to it's cradle and dropped his head back into his hands.
"You're welcome to stay here, Ned," Katherine offered.
On many levels Ned suspected that was probably a bad idea. Katherine might be involved with Commissioner Scorpio but that didn't mean she believed in fidelity. However, he did believe in fidelity, so nothing would happen. Katherine's couch sounded much more appealing than calling his uncle.
Alan meant well. Ned was sure he did. He could even understand, he and Monica had lost a child years earlier. Yet, Alan couldn't really understand because their loss hadn't been shrouded in secrecy and shame. Alan knew only because he had been the trauma surgeon on call that evening. As a surgeon he was obligated to keep their secret. As an uncle he encouraged them to tell the rest of the family the truth. But Lois couldn't, or wouldn't, go there.
"You obviously can't drive when you're in this much pain," Katherine said.
No, he couldn't, or he definitely shouldn't. "I wouldn't want to impose," he said.
"You wouldn't be. Mac is doing some police thing or something."
"I'll just call a cab," Ned said. He started to reach again for the phone as more pain seared through his eyes.
Katherine laughed. "Do Quartermaines take cabs?" she asked.
"Well, no, not usually," Ned admitted.
"Why don't you just stay here?" Katherine purred. "Let me help you, Ned."
The truth was that Ned remembered very little beyond that conversation. He remembered taking some Ibuprofen and stumbling into Katherine's guestroom. What happened after that he really didn't recall. The next thing he did recall was the horror he had felt to wake up, unclothed, next to a woman who wasn't his wife. His stomach had rebelled at that point and he had barely made it to the bathroom before he had vomited. Eventually he had pulled himself together at least enough to dress and make his egress down to the office in the hotel his family owned. There he had debated internally but eventually he had called his Uncle Alan. He certainly hadn't been able to even think of facing Lois.
He had spent the rest of the morning in the Emergency Department at Port Charles General. After a few liters of IV fluids he almost had felt human, until he remembered the feelings of the moment he had first awoken. It was tempting to try to bury those feelings and just forget. That seemed to be the approach Lois was trying to take towards any memories of their daughter. But somehow, he had known that wasn't the right approach.
So, he had gone to Lois, told her what little he had managed to piece together, and begged for forgiveness and mercy. He had told Lois he had never intended for any of it to happen, that he still loved her, and he always would. He had offered to go to counseling, anything, to get their marriage back on track. Lois had just silently asked him for a divorce. She had returned to Bensonhurst the next day and taken their surviving daughter with her. He was still choking on the regrets.
XXXXXXXX
Dr. Gail Baldwin smiled at the sweetly sleeping child curled up on their couch with her afghan and stuffed rabbit. Serena had spent the prior night at her older sister's apartment and Karen had dropped her off at their home on her way to make morning rounds at the hospital. Serena had sleepily stumbled across the living room and promptly fallen back to sleep on the couch. Gail could only hope that her eldest grandchild had gotten a bit more sleep than her sister since she was on call and would be at the hospital until late Sunday morning.
Serena stirred in her sleep, then opened her eyes, sat up and looked at her Grandmother. "Were you watching me sleep? Daddy does that, I'm not sure why." Serena asked.
"Your father loves you very much. I suspect sometimes he is awestruck by just how wonderful you are. Now that you're awake, why don't you come into the kitchen and you can help me make French Toast."
"Will daddy be joining us for French Toast?" Serena asked as she followed her into the kitchen, still carrying her rabbit, and climbed up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.
Gail hesitated before she answered her granddaughter. Saturday was usually her day to spend with Serena. She didn't have to work. Serena didn't have school and that left Scott and Lee free to catch up on any work that spilled over into the weekend. For that reason, it made perfect sense that Karen had dropped Serena off at their house on her way to the hospital. Unfortunately, Karen had admitted that she had dropped Serena off at their house because she had wanted to risk interrupting, or witnessing, her colleague, Dr. Eve Lambert, sneaking out of her father's house.
To an extent, Gail didn't believe that Scott's relationship with Eve, or really with any woman, was a part of his life she should expect any say in or control over. He had celebrated his forty fifth birthday in May and was beyond a fully autonomous and consenting adult. It was well past time when she and Lee should have stepped back and allowed Scott to live his own life. They had for the most part but that didn't mean they didn't worry. Scott was a supportive son, a devoted brother, and an engaged and responsible parent but romantic relationships were just not his strength.
"I think your dad was going to meet your Grandpa at the office. They have some work they need to finish up before Monday. That is ok, because it just means that we will have more time together today at the children's museum!" Gail finally said as she pulled a bowl down from the cupboard and grabbed eggs and milk out of the refrigerator.
"I wish Karen could come with us," Serena said.
"Yes, that would be fun, but Karen is on call at the hospital today. Maybe she can come with us next week. Do you want to crack the eggs?"
"Yes! Aunt Monica taught me a new trick to keep the shells from getting in," Serena said as she reached to pull the box of eggs across the counter towards her.
XXXXXXXX
Brenda Barrett stretched underneath the covers a few times before she opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock but, it was Saturday so Quartermaine family breakfast was much more of come downstairs when it suits you and serve yourself. Edward Quartermaine hated that!
A gentle knock pulled Brenda from her thoughts. "Come in," she called as she sat up in bed.
The door opened, and thirteen-year-old Emily Quartermaine stepped into the room. "I'm sorry if I woke you up," she began.
"You didn't. I'm just working on summoning the motivation to actually get out of bed." Brenda said.
Emily laughed. "AJ is taking me to school because the bus for the meet leaves at 8:30. He can come back and take Katelyn to junior swim team practice at ten as well but I think she wants an audience, so it would be incredibly awesome if you went with them, and grandfather."
"Was this Edward's idea?" Brenda asked. She had already agreed to go Katelyn's lesson and had no real intention of backing out, but she really hoped that Edward wasn't still trying to reunite her with his grandson.
"I think it was grandmother's idea that grandfather tag along. His plan A involved descending on Ned and Carly since, as he put it, Ned was not exactly forthcoming with information regarding whatever patent he and Celia were working on last week. Grandmother basically put a full stop to Plan A, decreed that Ned and Carly deserve a little newlywed privacy, and suggested that he go support a different grandchild. I'm sure mom and dad will be instructed to drag him to my cross country meet for similar reasons."
Brenda shuddered at the idea of Ned and Carly but smiled at Lila's efforts. "I guess I overreacted, I was afraid this was another of Edward's efforts to push AJ and I back together," she said.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think that grandfather was much more interested in pulling you away from Sonny than really tying you to AJ. Of course, I don't think he is much more in favor of Jax so who knows?"
Brenda decided not to admit to Emily she wasn't so sure she was any more in favor of Jax than Edward was. She knew she was just going through the motions with him and she suspected he was doing the same. As wrong as it might be, her heart was still wrapped up in Sonny and she was afraid it would be for a long time to come.
"You're probably right and, on some level, even Edward is probably right. I know that Sonny ended our engagement for my safety. The problem is that sometimes hearts defy logic," Brenda said as she turned back the quilt and got out of bed.
"Isn't that the best explanation for Ned marrying Carly?" Emily asked.
Brenda smiled. "Excellent point! Good luck at your meet, I may join your parents if I get enough studying done after Katelyn's lesson. I have a test on Tuesday in statistics."
"Ok, maybe I'll see you later. Enjoy your Chi-squares!"
"Oh yeah, always, although, sadly, you may actually know more about them than I do," Brenda said. She was kind of joking, but only kind of.