Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler studied her son as she made her way to his table in the Olive Branch. His lunch invitation had caught her off guard because spontaneous lunch dates were just not something they did.

Ned stood as she reached the table and pulled out a chair for her.

Tracy smiled slightly as she sat down. Ned's grandfather had taught him well; chivalry was not completely buried at the end of the twentieth century. "So, what is wrong?" she asked.

Ned gave her a look of reproach. "Why does something have to be wrong? Is there a law against taking my mother out for lunch?"

"Well, no, but we're not exactly Monica and AJ. We don't do this. Half of the time you don't even call me if you really need something," Tracy said. Actually, it was probably more like ninety percent of the time Ned wouldn't call her if he needed her, she decided as she took a sip of the water in front of her.

Ned didn't say anything. He opened the menu in front of him and at least pretended to be interested in the entrees.

Tracy sighed. "Darling, I can't help you if I don't know what it is. I do want to help you. Is everything ok with the baby?" she asked.

Ned's jaw tensed. "Carly had a significant bleeding ulcer. Alan hopefully got everything cauterized and she is stable now, but she is still in the ICU on a ventilator," he said.

"I'm sorry, Ned," Tracy said. She looked down at the table. The words sounded so empty. Sometimes she wondered how things had gotten so off course. She had once heard Lois explain that, at best her mother-in-law hated her less than her predecessor. Yet, Lois had been very mistaken. The truth was she had really liked Lois and even had found hope in Ned's second marriage. She still believed that Brooklyn's birth had been the happiest day of her son's life.

August 10, 1994

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler looked down at her newborn granddaughter in her arms and smiled as the baby seemed to meet her eyes. "Well, Brooke Lynn, you definitely inherited the Quartermaine chin. It's a nice chin though and don't ever let anyone tell you differently. You also got your Mama's nose, and don't tell your daddy but I think that was a good thing too. Your Uncle Dylan and Aunt Shannon can't wait to meet you. Shannon may not completely understand you aren't another doll to play with she's only a few years older than you."

Brooke Lynn yawned and shut her eyes again.

Tracy smiled down at her granddaughter again and then looked up and saw her son standing in the doorway to the nursery. "She really is beautiful, Ned. The kids will be so excited to meet her. Dylan made me promise to bring him a picture."

"Thank you, Mother."

"Is Lois alright? You look troubled."

"She's resting. Sonny took Gloria home so she could call and tell the rest of the world about her first granddaughter."

"I thought Lois' brother had a daughter. Who was the little flower girl at your wedding?"

"A peace offering on Lois' part."

"I'm confused."

"Angela Morelli, the daughter of Lois' high school boyfriend, Donny Morelli. Or at least he was Lois's boyfriend until he got her cousin pregnant."

"Oh," Tracy said. She wasn't sure what else to say.

"So, yes, you and Lois do have something in common, Mother."

Ned's words had been far from exact. She supposed he had been implying that they had both been betrayed by someone they had loved. At the time, Tracy had been sure that there were more differences than similarities in their situations. She had been sure that Donny Morelli wasn't Lord Lawrence Ashton which was probably a positive thing for Lois. Of course, Lawrence had betrayed her with his secretary. Donny had apparently betrayed Lois with her cousin. Tracy hadn't been able to imagine that.

Then in September 1996 she and Lois had something else in common. They had both ended marriages due to infidelity. Tracy had never seen that coming and it had been difficult to see her son make the same choices his father had. Yet, even when Lois had first fled back to Bensonhurst, Tracy had presumed that there were probably more differences than similarities between her situation with Lawrence and Lois' situation with Ned.

Not that Ned would talk about that with her or, Tracy supposed, really with anyone except Lois and she had made it quite clear she never wanted to speak to him again. Although Tracy was sure she would never really understand what had happened, over time the picture had become a little clearer after she had learned about the child Lois and Ned had lost. Of course, in some ways that just made the current conversation even more concerning. "Is there anything I can do, Ned?" she finally asked.

"I don't think so," Ned said after far too much silence.

"Well just know that Ryan and I will both be praying for Carly and your baby," Tracy said. Once again, the words sounded so empty.

XXXXXXXX

In one of the ICUs at Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Lois Cerullo injected lidocaine just above the L5 spinous process and released a breath. She had an ominous feeling even before she began the lumbar puncture that the results were going to be anything but encouraging. Regardless, she reaffirmed the landmarks and then inserted the spinal needle until she felt the resistance change indicating she had punctured through the dura. She removed the stylet, saw cerebral spinal fluid at the hub of the needle and connected the stopcock with the manometer. She frowned when as the fluid rose in the column. It was what she had anticipated but it still stunk for the patient. She adjusted the stopcock and collected the spinal fluid then removed the manometer, reinserted the stylet and removed the needle. As she placed a bandaid and then took down the sterile field she tried to convince herself that although it was only two years later there had been a lot of advancement in treatment options. There had, and sometimes that just made her miss Stone even more.

XXXXXXXX

Celia Anne Quartermaine had a distinct impression that the man seated across the table from her in the dining room at the Valley Inn had everything to do with the emergency call that had pulled her colleague, Brian Bodine, away from the table. That left her alone with a convicted rapist which should terrify her.

Of course, her first marriage was the stuff that people wrote novels about, mistaken identity, attempted murder, and international espionage. In short, the man she married was an international terrorist and had married her due to her family's presence in the international mineral market. He had tried to kill her. She had been rescued by FBI agent Robert Scorpio, the new husband of her boarding school friend, Holly Sutton. So perhaps, Ross Chandler Cortlandt's past shouldn't really scare her. Perhaps…"So, Mr. Cortlandt what questions did you have about the environmental impact study?" she asked.

Ross Chandler Cortlandt offered a wink. "Why don't you just start with a general overview?" he asked.

Celia rolled her eyes. Clearly, he hadn't even bothered to read her report. "The most significant concern with any development of the site is the abandoned coal mine. There is significant concern that site disruption would likely ignite a coal seam fire. I made this extremely clear in my report, so I was a bit surprised when you requested this meeting," she said.

"Perhaps you could help us find an alternative site," Ross suggested.

"That isn't really a focus of ELQ's Mineral Division. Our consulting team will do site surveys and environmental impact studies only on identified sites. Having said that, I can advise you that Pennsylvania has approximately fifty current fire zones. You would probably do well to look out of the state and ideally even outside of the Appalachian region," Celia said.

Ross winked again. "And miss out on all of the tax credits for new jobs? Are you seriously suggesting that we not support the local economy?" he asked.

Celia winced and then shook her head. He had a point, at least about the local economy. There were large swaths of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio that been financially devastated by mine closures. "If you're really concerned about that then you need to invest significantly in clean technology upfront. It won't be cheap and you're looking at a long-term investment. The dividends will more be recognized by your grandchildren both financially and in terms of the environment that they inherit. That is the strategy that my Grandfather and Edward Quartermaine have utilized with our mining and steel production operations. We've never specifically developed an overall environmental strategic plan for an outside company but that might be something we could consider," Celia said.

Anger flashed in Ross's eyes. "My daughter won't let me see my granddaughter so I doubt she will care about spending the money," he said.

It took Celia a moment to remember that after he had married his second wife in 1984, they had adopted a teenage runaway. She had been the one to convince him to confess moments before the jury likely would have returned a not guilty verdict. Apparently, she had witnessed the whole incident. There really wasn't a great way to respond to his outburst so she just didn't. "If you're serious about a strategic plan I can discuss that with some of the other executives and get back to you. We have a three-hour drive back to Port Charles and I have an evening meeting there so I really should be going as soon as my colleague returns," she said.

"So, you'll be in touch," Ross asked.

"I, or one of my colleagues, will be in touch," Celia said.

"I'm only interested in working with you," Ross asserted.

Celia knew her father would kibosh that plan in short order. But her curiosity got the better of her. "May I ask why?" she asked.

"I trust you. I saw what you did for Dr. Grant Putnam. You restored his reputation," Ross said.

"Dr. Putnam was completely innocent," Celia said. Then she stood and walked out of the dining room.

XXXXXXXX

Ned Ashton leaned down and gently brushed his lips across his wife's forehead. He was surprised at how warm she felt. That probably meant the fever had returned which was a concern he was sure. He was still contemplating that when he realized that Carly's eyes were open. He gave her hand another squeeze and then stroked her hair. "It's ok, honey. You and the baby are going to be ok. Just try to rest right now," he said.

Carly's lids slid closed again and she seemed to drift back to sleep.

Ned figured that was probably for the best as he dropped down into the chair beside Carly's bed and reached for her hand again.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. David Hayward infused the last of the interleukin, interferon, and tumor necrosis factor cocktail into Lucy Coe Stanton's IV and then turned to regard his client, her husband. For a moment he almost felt sympathy for the woman. She was definitely going to be in for a few rough days although ultimately if all went well, she would only feel like she was dying.

"So, explain again what this does," Rex Stanton said.

"This should give her two or maybe three days of fever, fatigue, malaise, severe weakness, and myalgias. If she seeks medical attention, people will think she has early Influenza and some of the antigen detection tests are notorious for false positives so she might even test positive," Dr. Hayward explained.

Rex Stanton seemed to consider his explanation carefully. "So, you're saying that this won't be traceable in any way and I can just whisk her away to the hospital once she starts whining about feeling feverish. Between you and me, this woman doesn't have any kind of pain tolerance, and her whining is worse than nails on a chalk board," he said.

Dr. Hayward laughed. "That is why women will always be the weaker sex. Basically, everything I gave her is produced in the body in response to infection. We're just skipping right to the good part without any infection. But, yes, feel free to dump her on the nearest unsuspecting Emergency Department. Just be sure to circle back a few times to at least appear concerned," he said.

"How long until this takes effect?" Rex asked.

"The TNF-alpha will cause the first fever spike probably in another sixty minutes or so. The TNF-alpha is biphasic though so expect another spike around four or five hours which will be augmented by the circulating interleukin and then that will take over. More importantly, the sedative will wear off in another thirty minutes or so. So, that means that it's about time for me to take my leave. You might want to do the same," Dr. Hayward said as he deftly removed the IV from Lucy's forearm.

Lucy Coe Stanton stirred a bit in her sleep but did not awaken.

Dr. David Hayward exited the hotel suite followed by his client. "If there isn't anything else, I have a three o'clock meeting with Stefan Cassadine," he said.

Rex Stanton raised an eyebrow. "At the hospital?" he asked.

"We are discussing a potential employment matter, but he felt it best that we meet off-site. We are meeting in his study at Wyndemere," Dr. Hayward said as they made their way towards the elevator. Women might be the weaker sex but despite that some women could be very hard to live without.

XXXXXXXX

Marla Mears Quartermaine was used to cramps. No one who had taken more than daily laxatives for more than ten years wasn't used to cramps. Usually, she timed her dose to hit about twenty minutes after her meal and considered the cramping and diarrhea her necessary penance. It was just part of the drill of being thin and beautiful, so she took a deep breath, flushed twice, showered and moved on. She had doubled her dose in preparation for what she anticipated would be a decadent breakfast with Lila Quartermaine then she had been afraid it wasn't enough, so she chugged an emergency bottle of magnesium citrate. Now, she had spent more than two hours doubled over holding her tummy on the toilet and she was starting to wonder when it would be over. Sweat poured off her, her heart seemed to be racing and she felt so weak. She didn't want to disturb Hugh Lars at his meeting though, so she was just going to have to try to ride it out.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine made eye contact with Leila Matthews the dark-haired nurse coming out of Carly's room in the ICU. "How is she doing?"

"A lot better after your wife did that Bronchoscopy. We've been able to wean the oxygen down to 30% and she looks comfortable. Dr. Meadows said everything looks good with the baby and no signs of labor. I just hung the next dose of antibiotics," Leila said.

"Good! I just wanted to check before I got tied up in something over on L&D," Alan said. He started towards the sliding glass door that led into Carly's room.

"Oh, her husband is in there. He kind of fell asleep in the chair and I didn't have the heart to wake him. I imagine he didn't get much sleep last night," Leila said.

Alan chuckled. "No, probably not. I'll try to be quiet," he said. Despite his efforts, Ned was rubbing his eyes and yawned when he entered the room.

"I was actually trying not to wake you. Everything looks a lot better. I just wanted to check on Carly before I headed back over to L&D. Apparently, Dr. Newman is threatening a mutual patient with a cesarean section," Alan said.

"So, the bleeding stopped?" Ned asked.

"We hope so. Her hemoglobin has been stable so that is a good sign. If everything goes well tonight, then we will try to get her off the ventilator in the morning and then plan to transfer back to L&D presuming they can do a Protonix Drip there," Alan said.

"Is that for the ulcer?"

"Yes, and I want to infuse it for at least two days to reduce the rebleeding risk. Then we can switch over to an oral version which she will be on for at least three months until we repeat the endoscopy," Alan said.

"I appreciate this," Ned said.

"Of course, and right now I really am just doing my job, but please understand that Monica and I both want to help you and Carly."

"Thank you. I met with Jake Meyers earlier," Ned said.

"I think that was wise," Alan said. He was afraid that things were going to get a lot more complicated after Carly delivered. He saw no sign that his colleague was accepting that he just wasn't the father of Carly's baby. He saw even less evidence that his colleague was going to be logical, rational, or kind in his attempt to assert paternity.

"Jake feels rather confident that we can get the court to compel evidence of paternity before they allow Dr. Jones to file anything else. The truth is on our side so ideally once Tony submits a sample that excludes him as a potential father for our child he will be barred from further filings," Ned said.

"So, you will present the baby for testing?" Alan asked.

"Should we not? They can just do a swab of his cheek, right?"

"Right, it shouldn't hurt him. I think you're right that is likely the best approach and perhaps once Tony sees the truth on the paper in front of him in black and white, he will back down," Alan said. Unfortunately, nothing he had seen in the past few weeks made him at all confident that Tony would back down at all.