I really am trapped in a society page nightmare!I hope Carly appreciates the things I do for her! Simone Torres thought as she listened to the conversations of the rich and famous swirl around her as she sat in the Quartermaine Ballroom awaiting Carly's arrival at her own baby shower. She was supposed to be decorating a onesie with fabric paint which seemed ridiculous when she highly doubted that Ned Ashton's child would actually be wearing bulk undershirts decorated with puff paint. Or maybe that was exactly the point.

"Do you think it will be much longer before Carly joins us?" a very thin and very blonde woman probably about their age who had spent the past five minutes painting blue polka dots on her onesie asked.

"I am sure that Carly and Ned will be down soon," Beth Quartermaine said. She had sought out Simone and introduced herself. Apparently, she was married to Dr. Mark Quartermaine and they had a toddler. She seemed to think that Carly was her new BFF which Simone found almost as ridiculous as the onesies.

Miss Polka Dots turned a shade of crimson. "I was wondering if I had time to check in with the babysitter. I guess I'm still a little nervous leaving Audra, you know," she said.

Beth smiled warmly. "I can only imagine, after the ordeal you all went through. How is Audra doing?" she asked.

"Actually, she is doing really well. Dr. Quartermaine repeated the echocardiogram at our appointment last Thursday and said it looked basically perfect, but she wants us to continue the aspirin because I guess there is still risk of it hurting the arteries to the heart. We go back next month for another echocardiogram," Miss Polka Dots said.

From earlier swirling conversation, Simone figured out that Miss Polka Dots must be Jeannette Longsworth. At least her husband's aunt believed that she had trapped him with a baby which she had named Audra as a tribute to his mother, Audrey, in an effort to pull the wool over her eyes.

"I'm so glad that she is doing so well. Mark and I were both praying for her," Beth said.

"Thank you. Dr. Monica Quartermaine was really amazing. We are definitely very fortunate to have access to doctors like her and all the services at PCGH," Jeannette said.

Simone heard the earnestness in the young woman's voice. She felt a little badly mocking her Polka Dot monstrosity.

"Oh, yes, definitely. PCGH is an amazing hospital!" Beth agreed as the Carly and Ned Ashton appeared in the doorway to the ballroom.

Somehow even AJ's mention of the recent hospitalization hadn't prepared Simone for picture in front of her. Carly was extremely pale; but more than that she just looked ill. Then there was the issue that despite her clearly gravid abdomen, Simone was almost certain Carly had lost weight since the last time she had seen her a month earlier. Simone herself had never been pregnant, but she was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen.

When Ned guided Carly to the empty seat next to her, Simon noticed how securely Ned had an arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders. She supposed that was better than other alternatives.

"Oh, wow, Simone! I'm so glad you're here!" Carly said.

Simone leaned over and hugged her friend. "Of course!" she said.

XXXXXXXX

Nikolas Cassadine felt helpless as he watched Katherine writhe with intolerable muscle pain. At least she was out of the ICU, but it physically hurt him to see her in such distress.

"I'm sorry, Katherine. I wish there was something I could do," Nikolas said with defeat as he patted her head.

"Please, please, just hold me," Katherine panted. Her words came out ragged and raspy.

Nikolas lowered himself onto the bed and took Katherine into his arms. She molded her body against his chest and clung to him.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Lois Cerullo added soap to the dishwasher, closed the door, programmed the run cycle and pushed start. "You do realize that my mother still thinks I'm likely going to hell for being so dependent on my dishwasher, right?"

Sonny Corinthos seemed to contemplate that for a minute. "What?" he asked.

"She considers it fallout of the larger problem, that I divorced my husband," Lois said. Technically her mother might be more correct than she realized. She had rarely used the dishwasher during her marriage to Ned but mainly because he used the dishwasher at least twice daily so there was no need.

"I thought she was coming around about the divorce," Sonny said.

"So, the public floggings have stopped, now she just expresses her displeasure and disappointment in private. I suppose from your perspective that could appear like she is coming around about the divorce," Lois said.

"I'm sorry," Sonny said.

Lois shrugged her shoulders as she wiped the counters down with a sponge. "It's not your fault, and if it was just me, I think I'd just tune it out but there is so much downstream carnage from this that Ma doesn't even consider."

"You mean that her comments about single mothers also apply to Liv?" Sonny asked.

"I hadn't considered that but, yeah, I bet those comments sting for her as well. Poor Olivia, maybe I owe her more than an amazing Christmas gift for all that she has helped out with Brookie," Lois said.

"You know she would say you don't owe her a thing. You're both good moms and good Aunts you do what you have to do," Sonny said.

Lois considered that. Olivia Falconeri Cerullo hadn't had a choice about being a single mom. Dante had only been four weeks old when his father was murdered. She supposed from her mother's standpoint, if she really was a good mom then she would have stayed with Ned for Brooklyn's sake. Her mother had stayed with her father after Vinny's death. But their marriage was different. They had been able to grieve together. Heck, they had been able to grieve period!

Lois might have only been seventeen when her brother died but she was also about to graduate from college and start medical school. Her mother had an empty nest and was free to spend entire days in bed, praying with her rosary, whatever worked. Lois had been forced to bury a daughter she never got a chance to hold and then immediately return to raising an active twenty-three-month-old. She knew that she had shelved more grief than she had ever dealt with, but she hadn't had a choice because Brooklyn had needed her.

Lois took a deep breath and tried to release the unpleasant memories. "Sorry, I'm guessing that this was not what you wanted to talk about when you came in here," she said.

Sonny shrugged his shoulders again. "Nah, it's fine. You know I'll always be here for you," he said.

"I know, and I love you for that, but I'm sensing you had something specific on your mind. So, what's up?"

XXXXXXXX

Sonny Corinthos squeezed his chin contemplatively as he sat at Lois's kitchen counter and searched for the right words. He thought about how everything had ended with her first fiancé and then how everything had ended with her first husband. How was he supposed to explain that he had it on pretty good authority that she was being stalked by Jasper Jacks?

"Ok, so maybe I should just tell you," Sonny said but then lost whatever nerve he had worked up.

"Yeah, that's generally how it works, Corinthos!" Lois retorted. "Listen, if this is that you were back in Port Charles for Stone's Dedication and met the newest Mrs. Ned Ashton, I already know. Ned called me and let me know he was remarrying, why I don't know but maybe it's one of those advanced etiquette things they teach in finishing school. I wouldn't know," Lois said.

Sonny definitely wouldn't know anything about that either. He also didn't remember anyone with Ned at Stone's Wing Dedication. "Ned remarried?" he asked.

"Yes, some local Port Charles girl, I guess. He mentioned her name but I'm pretty sure I'd never heard it before. Anyway, it's his life, and on some level, I guess I even hope he's happy, they're happy whatever. So, if it isn't that, then what is it?" Lois asked.

"Do you remember the PI I hired to help locate Lily's son?" Sonny asked.

"Not specifically, but Miguel mentioned that you gave him what information you had. I think that was the right thing to do and what Lily would have wanted," Lois said.

"She and Miguel were supposed to meet Juan," Sonny said. He squeezed his chin again instinctively and dropped his head. He felt Lois lay a hand over his free hand.

"We all lost a lot that summer Sonny. Maybe we need to focus on what we still have. Maybe Miguel will get a chance to meet his son and maybe you just trust that Lily is watching over yours in heaven," Lois said.

Sonny noticed that how her voice broke. Maybe she had enough already to deal with. Maybe it was better if he just didn't mention anything about the stalking. Paul Williams had assured him he had no intentions of giving Jax any useful information. He already had guards in place for Lois and Brooklyn and it would be fine.

"So does this mean that Mr. Williams found Juan again?" Lois asked more brightly.

"No, he actually reached out to me about another matter," Sonny said. He felt spineless.

"Sonny, I love you, but this is worse than pulling teeth," Lois said.

"Candy Boy reached out to him about a job," Sonny finally said.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Ok, so if I was picking a guy for Brenda, Jax wouldn't be my first choice, but I think when you ended the engagement that didn't really give you the right to have input on what she did from that point," she said.

"This actually has nothing to do with Brenda. Or I don't think it does," Sonny said.

Lois rolled her eyes again. "So, then what is this about?" she asked.

"Candy Boy commissioned a deep background check and an extended surveillance project, on you!" Sonny said.

Lois blanched, then gasped. "What?" she asked.

"Mr. Williams and I have an agreement, and an understanding. He has a sister of his own, so he assures me he didn't give Jax anything more than he had already gotten from some other PI, Alex Masters, as far as the background and he fudged the surveillance. But why is Candy Boy stalking you?"

"Why does Jax do anything?" Lois asked.

Sonny realized he didn't have an answer for that question. "I can add more security," he said.

"To protect me from Jax? I'm sure it's just some one upsmanship game with Ned. He must have missed the memo that Ned has moved on. I'm not sure how since I thought Brenda brought him to that reception Lila threw as her date," Lois said.

Sonny wondered about that. He supposed he had missed the memo that Ned had remarried in the first place so maybe Candy Boy was equally oblivious. He didn't really believe that though. "Just know, I'll always be there for you," he said.