Moments before he pulled open the door to Kelly's Diner, Scott Baldwin caught sight of a familiar face. He paused and turned to his companion. "This truly is just one of those small city coincidences but if you would rather not be seen with me, we can go somewhere else or we can just skip the hot cocoa."
Eve followed his glance and then frowned as she saw her current attending devouring apple pie a la mode with his wife and twin daughters. "I realize you think this is all just a big joke, but it isn't that easy for me."
"Now you're putting words in my mouth, or presuming this was anything but a coincidence, or both," Scott said.
Eve rolled her eyes. "Am I expected to believe you just randomly picked this place?"
"No, but you're expected to trust that I didn't pick it to try to flaunt that you're with me. I like Kelly's Diner."
"Somehow I doubt that."
Scott decided to address the latter contention because it was easier. "Kelly's was the place to lunch back in the 80s. Everyone ate there. Lucy even lived there for a while. But, I guess, most importantly, it was where I really met my daughter for the first time."
Eve shrugged her shoulders. "Was that your choice?"
"She picked the meeting place. Her husband and one of her best friends lived there when he was just a beat cop and she was still finding her niche in the modeling industry."
"Her husband lived with her best friend?"
"He wasn't her husband then and he didn't live with Brenda they just both rented rooms upstairs above Kelly's. Brenda moved into the dorms at PCU the next fall and then ended up becoming my sister's kids' nanny after her stepmom dismantled her trust fund."
Eve rolled her eyes again. "Life is hard."
"Sometimes it can be. How about hot cocoa to go?" Scott can be.
XXXXXXXX
Edward Quartermaine settled into a wing chair in the sitting area of his bedroom suite in the west wing. "Dinner with the Longworths turned out surprisingly well, even if Monica barely returned home from the hospital in time to host them," he said.
"I think you need to be more mindful of the fact that Monica has a more than full time job at the hospital and it is neither her responsibility nor desire to host your business dinners," Lila said sharply.
"But, Lila…"
"No, Edward, it is past time that you listened! We moved in with Alan and Monica to help. I think we've become much more of a hindrance. If we were even a help in the beginning. Alan is right and these last-minute business dinners which Monica is expected to pull together and host need to stop."
"I shouldn't need to ask permission in my own home!" Edward protested.
"This is Monica's home. A home she is gracious enough to allow us to live in and spend time with our grandchildren," Lila said.
"It's only her house because my son gave it to her!" Edward fumed.
XXXXXXXX
In Paris France, Lucy Coe felt unsteady as she exited Le Tambour clinging to Rex's arm at almost 3 AM. She supposed she had indulged in a bit too much champagne with dinner. Of course, how often did one honeymoon in Paris?
"You certainly are a wild woman, Lucy Coe! I like it!" Rex said as they trudged up the street to the taxi stand.
"I feel alive with you, Rex!" Lucy murmured. The words had just slipped out but Lucy realized how stifled she had been with Kevin. She had always been tiptoeing around waiting for the next disapproving look or the next pained Lucy! It really was different with Rex. He respected her and treated her as an equal. Kevin had always treated her like a project. The irony of that was not lost on Lucy, especially since apparently Kevin was the one in need of actual professional help.
"The feeling is mutual, ma chre," Rex said.
XXXXXXXX
Carly Ashton tucked her feet up under her and curled deeper into the couch in the family room. As usual, Ned had headed upstairs to bed promptly at nine o'clock leaving her to surf channels aimlessly. Abandonment was a common theme in her relationships. Tony had always been abandoning her to go back to the hospital. Jason always left her for whatever Sonny needed. Theoretically Ned hadn't left, he was merely upstairs, asleep. Carly wasn't sure if that was actually better or not.
XXXXXXXX
As they walked along the Elm Street Pier with hot cocoa, Dr. Evelyn Lambert wondered if her life really had come full circle. Her mother, when semi-sane and somewhat sober had worked at the Fish Market on the Elm Street Pier. In between those periods there had been a few brief periods when the family had camped out on the pier while in between apartments. The worst of those had prompted the move to the Bronx after a caseworker from Children and Family Services started to take too much of an interest in Eve and her younger sister Shelley.
"So, are you still in a waiting game like you said the other night?" Eve asked.
"Basically, at least until the grand jury indicts," Scott said.
"Is that a good sign that they haven't yet? Like maybe they realize charging you in the first place was ridiculous?" Eve asked.
"In NY state, if the defendant isn't remanded, then the DA has six months from the original arrest to secure a felony indictment," Scott said.
"Then if they can't, does that mean that the charges get dropped?"
"If the defendant didn't waive speedy trial or their grand jury rights and there isn't some other extenuating circumstance that the judge allows then, yes," Scott said.
"Six months is a long time though," Eve said.
"Yes, especially for a five-year-old," Scott said sadly.
"So, you almost wish they would just indict you and get this over with?" Eve asked. She thought she would even if there wasn't the additional high stakes custody issue at play.
"At this point, it is kind of all I can hope for," Scott said.
"Well, maybe the grand jury won't indict. You have an alibi and if there is any DNA evidence that could actually clear you right?"
"Perhaps, but the prosecutor doesn't necessarily have to present all of that to the grand jury. It is a bit of an ethical gray area. You shouldn't withhold evidence, especially exculpatory evidence, but you also don't have to exactly serve as honorary defense counsel."
"Is that why they say the grand jury will indict a ham sandwich if asked?" Eve asked.
"Basically," Scott said.
"Have you ever done that?" Eve asked.
After an uncomfortable silence, Eve regretted the question. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that, I guess," she said.
"No, it's a fair question. I don't want to think I have but when you're prosecuting something you tend to get a bit of tunnel vision. Sometimes the focus is more on proving the alleged offender's guilt than being sure they really are guilty in the first place. I don't think I've ever tried someone who wasn't guilty but I'm sure that not everyone in Pentonville thinks I'm a great guy," Scott said.
Eve took another sip of her hot cocoa and contemplated that.
XXXXXXXX
Dr. Monica Quartermaine exited the ensuite bathroom and returned to the master bedroom. It had been a long day and it was so tempting to just crawl into bed with her husband but the conversation she had been both avoiding and dreading most of the day needed to happen sometime. It would probably only get harder later.
Alan was sitting in one of the wing chairs by the fireplace flipping through Annals of Surgery when Monica positioned herself on the arm of his chair.
"Well, hello, there," Alan said. He closed his medical journal and reached to pull his wife a little closer.
"There is something we should talk about," Monica said as she moved into his lap.
"Of course," Alan said but Monica heard the apprehension in his voice. They had survived so much, yet, sometimes their marriage still seemed so tenuous.
Monica turned to face him and met his eyes. "So, I had my own awkward encounter with Tony this morning," she said.
"Did he hurt you?" Alan asked.
"Not physically, he was just so angry. He was shaking his fist and stomping. He thinks we're all plotting with Bobbie to take away all of his children."
"I'm sorry. I tried to encourage Bobbie to stay in Port Charles. I was even going to reach out to Monseigneur Farrington about her taking a position at Mercy Hospital. She is a great OR nurse so it would have been a loss for PCGH but I understood how it was awkward for her to continue to work with Tony and I was optimistic that some space would allow them to come together and co-parent," Alan said.
Monica wondered if Alan had wondered that because of the period of their marriage where they had been friendly professional colleagues and collaborative co-parents but not lovers. Alan had admitted that it had been lonely but he still considered it preferable to divorce. "I agree, I encouraged that as well. I think she considered all options but she just felt like she was drowning. Or that was what she said that night we had dinner a week before she left. But, Alan, this isn't just about Lucas. Tony believes that we're still plotting with Bobbie and that Ned is just part of the scheme."
"I don't see how this can end well. I wanted us to try to just support Ned and Carly and support Tony without being caught in the middle but now I don't really see how that is even possible. I think I need to give Ned a heads up that Tony is likely going to file a paternity petition with the court," Alan said.
"I understand why you feel that way. I'm just not sure if there is anything which Ned can do about that. The laws have changed since 1989 when we got caught in the middle of something like this with Scott and Lucy. Scott was able to file for a prenatal paternity test order but Tony won't be able to file anything until after the baby is born," Monica said.
"I guess I just think this is not the kind of thing someone needs to throw at them unexpectedly when they're sleep deprived with a newborn. I actually think it might be better to just get this all resolved before the baby comes and then at least they will have peace when they bring their child into the world," Alan said.
Monica could understand Alan's point. "You might be right," she said.
"But you don't really think I am?"
"I'm not saying that. However, I suspect that there was already a prenatal paternity test and I can't believe that Carly didn't share those results with Tony."
"So, you're afraid that Tony won't accept the second test results either?" Alan asked.
"That is one concern. I'm also remembering the whole scene between Tony and Damian Smith at BJ's Funeral," Monica said.
"Ned is usually pretty levelheaded so perhaps logical minds will prevail there. Of course, Carly seems like a loose cannon so who knows?"
"Once again, we're not going to solve this tonight and the kids have swim practice at 4 o'clock in the morning so I think we need to sleep." Monica said as she extricated herself from Alan's lap.
"You can be my voice of reason," Alan said as they made their way across the room to their king size bed.
"Only on the days I don't need you to be mine," Monica said as she started to stack extra pillows on the bench at the foot of the bed.
Alan laughed. "I really love you, I do," he said.
"I love you too, Alan," Monica wasn't really that simple or maybe it as she got into bed beside her husband Monica knew there was no one else's arms she wanted to fall asleep in.
XXXXXXXX
As he slipped from their hotel room, Rex Stanton congratulated himself on his manufactured circumstances. Lucy was out cold and unlikely to awaken for at least eight hours. That gave him plenty of time to meet with Jerry Jacks, Stefan Cassadine, and Faison but still slip back into bed without Lucy having a clue he had done anything but lie beside her.
Bonne Nuit, Ma Chre! Rex thought as he strode down the hallway to the elevator.