Katherine Bell glared at Dr. Tracey Adams' with furor. How dare the woman suggest that she was in some way responsible for her situation? She had been in the hospital for five days so it was past time that they should have fixed whatever the problem with her kidneys was. "Maybe if you have no idea what you're dealing with you should consult a physician who does!" she threatened.

"Ms. Bell, unfortunately there isn't a magical cure for rhabdomyolysis induced renal failure, myoglobin is not cleared by our dialysis filters, so the management is supportive. Your creatinine has hopefully peaked and will plateau and then eventually start to decline. If that happens then it is unlikely that you will require dialysis, at least this admission. I would not be doing my job if I didn't caution you that any further drug use, especially before this acute kidney injury has fully resolved could cause further injury that may not be reversible," Dr. Adams said.

"How dare you treat me like some common drug addict!"

"I have no opinion on whether your substance abuse is due to addiction or recreational use. Regardless, you need to understand that further use could severely compromise your kidneys, and likely your other organs, but I'm a nephrologist so I have my biases. With that, I have other patients to see as well. If you would prefer that you be cared for by a different nephrologist Dr. Quartermaine can certainly consult my colleague, Dr. Fogarty," Dr. Adams said before she just left the room.

Katherine seethed with anger as the door closed. Then she picked up her phone and dialed Nikolas's number. Clearly Dr. Adams needed to find a new hospital to work at.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Kiran Desai was a fifth-generation physician. In his culture, medicine was considered the most honorable profession due to the sanctity of human life. Then there was the karma thing. He had been nine when his family fled Syria in 1967. His father had worked as a laborer while he retook his exams and even completed a residency to retake his place. Twelve years after his father returned to medicine, he had graduated from medical school and started his Internal Medicine residency at Detroit Receiving Hospital. It had been an uphill battle to an extent medicine always was, but that climb was so much steeper when one was foreign and brown, and he was both.

But he held his karma, and persevered. He matched into a Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship after residency. He completed that in 1990 and followed his destiny to Port Charles where he was married to Veena Sharma. He met her only two weeks before the wedding, it was an arranged marriage. Her father, Sanjay Sharma, owned the Port Charles Train Station and her brothers Vikram and Vishal were both biomedical engineers at ELQ. It was a bit intimidating but two weeks later on August 4, 1990, they were married, and their marriage would be forever sacrosanct as their culture demanded.

As he watched his patient fail another spontaneous breathing trial he wondered if her husband considered their marriage forever sacrosanct. He had a feeling that Rex Stanton had considered marriage much more of a transaction than he and Veena ever had, or ever would. Perhaps it was all part of whatever agenda he was working against Dr. Monica Quartermaine. Most people would be forever grateful for the cardiologist that was willing to put in their spouse's balloon pump for cardiogenic shock. In contrast, even as Mrs. Stanton was improving with the balloon pump, Mr. Stanton continued to criticize and chastise.

XXXXXXXX

When he disembarked onto the launch on Spoon Island, Jasper Jacks felt like an errand boy. He resented the implication, especially coming from his older brother but he was a bit desperate for Jerry's help, so he didn't have a choice. With that thought he trudged up the steps to the front door of Wyndemere.

"Master Cassadine is in his study. He has been expecting you," Alfred, the Cassadine Family butler announced once Jax stepped into the gloomy and imposing foyer of Wyndemere.

Alfred led the way through the foyer presuming Jax would follow him. Although Jax once again resented the implication, he did just that.

XXXXXXXX

Stefan Cassadine scrolled through a list of Cassadine Industries assets on his computer. Although he was the current CEO of Cassadine Industries, that would all change in just over another seven years when Nikolas would turn twenty-five. Then, as a result of patrilineal primogeniture, Nikolas Eduardei Stavrosovitch Cassadine, the rightful Cassadine heir would take his place and take control of Cassadine Industries and the Cassadine Family Fortune. Some days that reality rankled a bit.

Stefan had assumed control shortly after his own twenty fifth birthday when both his father and brother had been killed by Luke Spencer. He had done well for them: he had increased their holdings; raised their grandson and son as if the boy had been his own; and tolerated Helena's matriarchal harping. He might have been the default selection since his Uncle Anthony had predeceased his brother and his Uncle Victor was still paying for their crimes in a US Federal Penitentiary, but he liked to feel he had earned his place.

There had been a time he had believed that he would happily turn the reigns and holdings over to the nephew he had truly loved as a son. That had been before Nikolas had outwardly disobeyed him; thwarted his authority; and insisted on continuing a relationship he had forbidden with a woman who was practically old enough to be his mother and actually was his aunt. Of course, neither Nikolas nor Katherine knew the last part of the equation and with a gulp Stefan realized he had no choice but to reveal the truth, at least to Nikolas.

Stefan surmised that Katherine would argue that she was also entitled to the truth. After all, entitlement was practically her middle name. Truth on the other hand, well that was something that had always been a struggle for Katherine. Discretion was also challenging and for that reason Stefan was quite certain that Katherine could not handle the truth. That he came to that conclusion just as Jasper Jacks entered his study held a certain irony. He knew all about their failed Summer 1996 plot and he had known long before Alexis attempted to enlighten him nine months earlier.

"Mr. Jacks," Stefan said as he extended his hand.

"Stefan," Jax said.

Stefan bristled a bit at the younger man's assumed familiarity. They were not, and would not be, friends. Regardless, his brother was willing to get his hands dirty in a way most of his net worth were not and that was needed much more than financial capital. Of course, to maintain at least an air of legitimacy he would allow the Jacks family to contribute financial capital as well. "Your brother assures me of your discretion; however, I must admit that the company you keep gives me some pause," he said.

Jax glared. "I hardly see how that is any concern of yours," he said.

"Perhaps it is not until it impacts our business deal which is a definite possibility from my vantage point," Stefan said.

"So, then, when it does you can bring it up. Until then I am not a child you can rebuke. Now my brother said that you had some stock certificates I needed," Jax said.

"Very well, just know that Cassadines do not tolerate incompetence," Stefan said. Yet even as he said the words, he knew that a wiser man would, could, and should call him out on that statement. The fact that Jax did not almost proved his point.

XXXXXXXX

At PCGH, Nikolas Cassadine attempted to console Katherine. She had called him an hour ago sobbing. "There, there, Katherine, I am right here," he whispered as he patted her back and she clung to his chest.

"She was just so mean!" Katherine wailed.

"Who was mean? Are you referring to Dr. Quartermaine?" Nikolas asked. He still lacked the full story or even a significant partial story.

Katherine raised her head from Nikolas's chest and looked into his eyes. "Monica may be a complete witch but supposedly she saved my life a few days ago," she said.

It had actually been almost a week ago. Nikolas still shuddered when he thought about those moments in the Emergency Department when he had literally watched Katherine slipping away and felt so powerless. Emily and Allison's mom had seemingly swooped in and saved a life. He really believed that. "She definitely saved your life but that does not give her the right to treat you unkindly now. What did she say?" he asked.

"I actually wasn't talking about Monica. I was referring to Dr. Adams. She had the nerve to suggest that my kidney failure was somehow my fault!" Katherine fumed.

Kidney failure? Nikolas hadn't been aware that there was anything wrong with Katherine's kidneys. He felt naïve and ignorant, but he had just presumed that moving out of the Intensive Care Unit had indicated that Katherine would be alright. "I was unaware that your kidneys were harmed. What else did Dr. Adams say?"

"That there is no cure, and I am going to need dialysis!" Katherine wailed before she collapsed back against his chest in a heap of fresh sobs.

"It will be ok, I promise," Nikolas said as he patted her back. But internally he accepted that it was time he accepted his uncle's dinner invitation. He might not yet be in a position to fly in a renowned specialist, but his Uncle Stefan certainly was. So, he needed to put himself in position to convince his uncle to do exactly that.