Nikolas Cassadine felt a bit ashamed when he stepped out of the glass elevators on 5 East. He knew he had been shirking his volunteer responsibilities on Pediatrics, but Katherine had needed him. He was not going to apologize for standing by a friend! Unfortunately, his commitment to Katherine had caused him to overlook the needs of another dear friend. Apparently, his girlfriend, Sarah Webber, had been admitted to Pediatrics the day before. He had truly been unaware until he pulled up the Pediatrics census to work on the Pediatrics Halloween Party when Katherine was taken down for her echocardiogram. There in front of him, in block print, Sarah's name loomed large.

When Nikolas entered room 5532, he found himself face to face with a gaunt and sullen brunette. He noted that the other bed looked untouched and wondered if he had written the room number down incorrectly. "I apologize if I am in the wrong room. I was looking for my girlfriend, Sarah Webber," he said uncomfortably.

"Ah, you must be Lucky. What kind of name is Lucky anyway?" the brunette asked.

"I would not know. I am Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine," he said.

"Oh, you're the prince?" the brunette asked.

Technically he descended from Russian Nobility. Conflict with the Bolsheviks in the earlier 1900s had caused the family to retreat to Greece where they had taken possession of several isles, one of which Nikolas had been born on at the end of 1979. "That is what they tell me," he said.

The brunette laughed and then extended a cachectic arm. "I'm Rachel Berlin. Your girlfriend's Grandmother threw another tantrum and got her transferred to a private room. She didn't exactly leave a forwarding address, but I guess you could ask at the desk," she said.

"I will just pull up the census in my office and refresh the screen. I am sorry to have disturbed you, Miss Berlin," Nikolas said.

"You have an office? Do you work here? Isn't there some rule against dating the patients? There really should be!" Rachel ranted.

Nikolas was unsure how to respond to her. Neither his Uncle nor Sarah's grandmother would be impressed with any suggestion of impropriety. He would have been best served by keeping that last part to himself. However, perhaps it was still not too late for him to explain himself. "I am the volunteer coordinate for the teen volunteer program on Pediatrics," he said.

Rachel seemed to contemplate that. "So then doesn't that mean you're supposed to bring me magazines or something? I would love the latest copy of Cosmo! Why don't you see if that sorry excuse for a gift shop has a copy? I would probably forget all about your indiscretions once I was reading it," she said.

Nikolas decided it was past time that he took his leave. "Have a good day, Miss Berlin," he said as he backed out of the room uneasily. Once he was out in the hall, he had second thoughts. Perhaps retrieving the magazine would not be succumbing to blackmail but rather doing something for someone in an unfortunate situation. From her appearance, it seemed that the teen likely had some horrible cancer. With a sigh, he made his way back to the glass elevators.

XXXXXXXX

In Wyndham's Department Store, Lucy Coe Stanton smiled as she scanned another item for her baby registry. The scanning device made the process much more efficient and truly fun. It was almost like waving a magic wand.

"Are you finding everything you want, Mrs. Stanton?" a young woman with blonde hair, who's name badge identified her as Chyla Rimers, Associate Manager asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, Chyla, I can't seem to find any of those big sister t-shirts," Lucy said. Serena was going to be so excited about the baby. She was sure of that. She hoped Rex managed to pick up the keys to Serenity soon so she could get started on Serena's room and figure out which room they would use as a nursery.

Chyla smiled. "Oh, I know exactly where those are! I just bought one for my niece a few weeks ago. My brother and his wife are due to have their second right before Christmas! They're team Green but I am still so excited for them! How old is your daughter?" she asked.

"She is five."

"Oh, Margo just turned three. She wants a baby sister, my brother has kind of spoiled her so I'm not sure how she will handle it if she gets a brother but Ellie is definitely the voice of reason for the whole family so I'm sure she will handle it. If you want to follow me, I can show you where those shirts are," Chyla said.

As Lucy followed the perky and petite Chyla she decided she preferred another daughter as well. Of course, Rex might want a son and she supposed, since she was only getting Serena because of him, she could indulge that.

XXXXXXXX

Miguel Morez worked the mousse through his hair. As much as he had originally agreed to attend the Stone Cates Memorial Ward Dedication to support Brenda, he realized that it was something he needed to do independent of all of that. After all, Stone had been his friend. Then there was Ned.

Ned had been the one who had found him after Lily's death and had convinced him that he still had things to live for. He remembered how Ned had told him about Maggie his first love. She had been killed in an accident when they had been in college and Ned had shared his despair and loss from that time. They had connected over loss and become closer. Beyond that, Ned had been there for him during some of his darkest hours and he had a sinking feeling that perhaps it was time for him to return the favor.

December 11, 1996

Miguel Morez lit the novena candle and straightened back from the flame as there was a knock at the door. He wasn't expecting anyone. Heck most people didn't even know where he lived so it was tempting to ignore the knocking. They would go away eventually, right? Everyone did…his parents…his child…Lily!

For a moment he stood in the darkness except for the flame from Lily's Novena. If she hadn't been blown up by her own father, they might have celebrated her twenty fifth birthday today. Or not, if she was alive, she would probably be with her husband, Sonny Corinthos. That might be less than ideal but at least she would be alive.

"Miguel, Miguel!" a familiar voice called out over the knocking.

In some ways, Ned Ashton was the last person he expected to show up on his doorstep. Although Ned had been the one who had come and told him face to face about Lily's death five months earlier, they had spoken very little since then. He hadn't taken it personally. Ned was his friend; but Lois was also his friend and while he might agree that their divorce was the biggest mistake two people could make; being able to record in Brooklyn instead of Port Charles was exactly what he needed. That probably called into question how good a friend he really was, to either of them. But it was what it was.

With that final thought, he pulled open his own front door and faced Ned.

Ned looked uncomfortable as he stood there. "For the record, I did try to call first," he said.

Miguel shrugged his shoulders. "Uh, yeah, I think I turned the ringer off a few days ago," he said. It was actually probably more like a few weeks ago but who was counting? "So, you just hopped on the ELQ Jet and here you are?"

Ned laughed. It sounded more tense than carefree, but truly some of that was just Ned's persona. "Believe it or not, I have a meeting with Harlan Barrett on Friday. But I know this has to be a difficult time for you," he said.

Miguel sensed that Ned felt his words were an understatement. He wouldn't say Ned was wrong, he just wasn't sure what that meant. "So, you thought you would just show up and we could jam on the beach."

Ned shrugged his shoulders and then shoved his hands into his pockets of his jacket. "Sure, if that is what you want. I did bring my guitar," he said.

They had played more than talked. But it had been enough. After all, sometimes silence said way more than words ever could.

XXXXXXXX

Nikolas Cassadine returned to room 5532 with the magazines. Unfortunately, it was only after he had opened the door, that he realized Rachel was not alone.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Raymond Berlin said as he looked up from his Wall Street Journal and glared at Nikolas.

"Relax, Daddy! This is one of the teen volunteers. He brings magazines," Rachel said. She rolled her eyes as if she was so bored with the idea, but as Nikolas turned to leave, he was sure she winked at him.

XXXXXXXX

Marla Mears Quartermaine was annoyed. Apparently, Carly Ashton was pregnant so Hugh Lars, expected her to accompany him back to Port Charles next week for his ELQ Board Meeting and attend her baby shower. She hardly saw the point; it wasn't like Ned's wives ever stuck around long. Anyway, she already had plans, which Hugh Lars had failed to consider. He never did!

"Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me. I have a doctor's appointment next Friday," Marla said. She needed a tune up on the "mommy makeover" she had done in 1992.

Hugh Lars shook his head. "I thought you cancelled that appointment," he said.

"Why would I cancel? I have had this scheduled for months! Dr. Tyler is very busy! If I miss this appointment, then I have no prayer of getting my procedure done any time in 1998. Forget about 1997!" Marla fumed. She took a deep breath and then a sip of her seltzer with lime as she tried to find her peace.

"Because it can't be healthy for you to have so many surgeries! Anyway, you're gorgeous and practically perfect as it is! What is there to fix?" Hugh Lars said.

Marla preferred not to get into that. It was so depressing. It was kind of sweet for Hugh Lars to pretend she was still as beautiful as she had been the day the married even if he was lying through his teeth. "I'm doing this for you, honey," she said. Ok, so she was partly doing it to ensure that he wouldn't fall for some slip of a secretary half his age like her father had done. But in a way even that was for him. Her mother had kind of let herself go and taken a lot for granted. Marla held her partly responsible for her father's wandering eyes.

"So, does that mean, if I asked you to not have the procedure you would listen to me?" Hugh Lars asked.

"You don't understand!" Marla cried.

"I'm really trying to understand, honey, but I just don't think this is the answer. I'm sorry I have a meeting at two-thirty, so I have to get back to the office. We will talk about this more later," Hugh Lars said. He stood and offered her a quick kiss and then he was gone.

Marla dropped her head into her hands and cried. Why couldn't Hugh Lars just let her be?