Carolyn Belden navigated her way through Gepetto's Workshop, a wooden toy store nestled along the South Bank of the Port Charles River Walk. Halloween would be celebrated on Friday, so it was past time that she got started on her Christmas Shopping. She liked to have completed her Christmas purchases before Thanksgiving. Otherwise, everything just appeared picked over.
"Carolyn! Hello," Ellen Sharpe called warmly.
"Oh, hello, Ellen. With everything, I am just getting started on my Christmas shopping now," Carolyn admitted aloud.
"Of course, I can't imagine what your family is going through. If anything happened to Ephraim, I would lose my soul, I seriously would," Ellen said.
Carolyn nodded silently. She was so afraid that was a distinct possibility for Kurt and Cynthia. But perhaps it didn't have to be that way. Perhaps Ellen's earlier offer was meant to be their salvation. "The situation you mentioned after church on Sunday, is your husband still looking for a willing family?" she asked.
"He is," Ellen said simply.
"Could you maybe ask him to hold off for just twenty-four hours. I think that baby and Kurt and Cynthia might be both a blessing and balm for each other," Carolyn said.
"Oh, I agree, I agree," Ellen gushed.
Carolyn nodded again. Now she just had to help Kurt and Cynthia see things her way.
XXXXXXXX
As she lay in a bed on the High-Risk Obstetrical Unit on 3 East, Carly Ashton resigned herself to the reality that she wasn't going to find a comfortable position. Everything ached, she felt way too warm, so nauseous, her heart was pounding, and she was exhausted. Dr. Meadows had suggested that she should just rest, and they would talk more about all the options in the morning. That sounded good but Carly was too uncomfortable to fall asleep.
"Here sweetheart, how is that?" Ned asked as he laid a wet and cold washcloth over her forehead.
"Thanks," Carly struggled with the word as the room started to spin again. She shut her eyes and willed herself not to vomit again. She honestly didn't have the energy.
"Can I get you anything else?" Ned asked.
Carly shook her head and then winced at how much worse that made everything spin.
Ned laid a hand firmly on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, honey, I'm sure I have no idea how hard this is for you but I'm right here and I'm not leaving you. Would it help if I held you or with the fever do you think that would make you just feel more overheated?" he offered.
"I think it might help," Carly said. It was hard to physically string the words together and even harder to admit that she felt so weak and unsteady.
Ned lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms. "I've got you honey, just shut your eyes and try to rest. I'm right here, Carly, and we're going to get through this together," he whispered.
Carly clung to Ned's words because she didn't know what else to do.
XXXXXXXX
Trevor Lansing climbed the front steps of the PCPD on his way to see his client who was still in the Lockup/Holding Unit in the Basement of the PCPD. Detainees awaiting arraignment and remanded misdemeanor detainees awaiting preliminary hearing were held there. Technically his client was still in the latter group, but Trevor doubted the DA wouldn't come away from the grand jury with an indictment. As he made his way downstairs to the basement, he debated how was the best way to broach that reality with his client.
XXXXXXXX
Ned Ashton sighed as he carefully extricated himself from Carly's bed without waking her. It was a pattern they had fallen into over the past few days where he would hold her until she was able to fall asleep. He still worried that none of Carly's sleep was truly restful but perhaps it was a start. He had to pray it was.
"Mr. Ashton, there is a phone call for you at the desk," one of the nurses said as she came into the room to hang some antibiotics.
Ned left the room with some trepidation and made his way to the centralized nursing station. Unlike the Labor and Delivery unit one floor below, the High-Risk Obstetrical Unit had rooms wrapping around the nursing station. "Hello, this is Ned Ashton," he said into the phone that was extended to him.
"Hi, Ned this is Simone Torres, Carly's friend. I thought she was going to call me after her appointment this morning and I just wanted to make sure everything was ok," Simone said.
Everything was very far from ok, Ned just wasn't sure exactly how many details he was supposed to provide, especially over the phone. "I guess Carly must have let you know that she was being readmitted. She has been, and they are monitoring her and the baby very closely," Ned said.
"Actually, she didn't call me, so I tried to call her cell phone, but I guess it is off. I followed my hunch that this meant she was back in the hospital. How is she really doing?"
"Not well," Ned admitted.
"I was afraid of that," Simone said.
Ned heard the uncertainty in her voice loud and clear. He could relate. "I will tell Carly that you called, and you are thinking of her. She just fell asleep, or I would have the nurses transfer the call into her room," he offered.
"Thank you," Simone said.
Ned sensed that Simone likely wanted to say more but had no idea how to say it. He could relate to that as well. "I can call you if anything changes significantly or when the baby is born. I think it is pretty much inevitable that he will need to be born early. Carly has done everything possible to carry him as long as possible, but I don't see her body being able to hold on much longer," he said.
"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that. Not that she is still so sick or that the baby is likely going to need to be born very prematurely but that you understand that Carly is a person too, not just a human incubator!" Simone said.
Simone's words caught him by surprise. He almost wondered if she was attributing feelings from another situation to their current challenge. He wasn't sure exactly how to respond to what seemed like an accusation. He took a deep breath and tried to find the right words to convey that when he committed to raising Michael with Carly, he viewed Carly as an integral piece of their parental dyad.
"I'm sorry, maybe that wasn't fair. Carly and I had another friend who didn't survive childbirth and I think this is just hitting too close to that," Simone said.
Ned supposed he had been correct, at least about the attribution. "I'm sorry, I really had no idea about that. I can only imagine that heightens all of Carly's fears. Thank you for telling me so I can try to be more sensitive to how Carly is feeling."
"Her name was Charlotte, although we called her Charli, in case Carly mentions it," Simone said.
Ned filed that away for reference. "Thank you, for telling me about her," he said.
"I'm sorry. I know it is a different situation for many reasons. It just feels a little too familiar," Simone said.
"I understand, I really do," Ned said. He did because although his Uncle Alan kept pointing out all the things which should give Michael a much better chance at survival than Carmina had he frequently still found himself fearing the worst.
"I should let you get back to Carly. I'm sorry about before, I was out of line there," Simone said.
"I understand, you're worried about your best friend. As much as I wish I could tell you there is nothing to worry about, I think the best I can do is promise you that I believe Carly is getting the best care possible," Ned said.
"That is far more than Charli's husband ever did so I hope that makes the difference," Simone said.
Later, after a few more awkward closing pleasantries, when Ned hung up the phone and made his way back to Carly, Simone's words stuck with him. He desperately hoped things would be different as well.
XXXXXXXX
Girolamo Palerno resented the implication that he was a sexual predator just because he was willing to pay for sex. Everyone paid for sex! Some used less tangible currency, but everyone paid! "How was I supposed to know she was only twelve years old? Am I really expected to ask her for her birth certificate?" he asked his attorney.
Trevor Lansing didn't bother to cover his smirk. "I agree that the charges are an overreach. We can certainly argue the affirmative defense at trial," he said.
His attorney's smirk peeved Girolamo a bit. It wasn't like the man was in any place to judge. Perhaps if Trevor Lansing had patronized a few prostitutes, then maybe he would have left his boss's daughter alone. Girolamo was certain that Claudia Zacchara had been younger than twelve when Trevor Lansing had stolen her innocence. "More importantly how are you doing on getting me bail? I have things to do," he said.
"After the grand jury, you will have a proper arraignment. That will be the time to make our case for bail," Trevor said.
"Which is what?" Girolamo asked.
"You have responsibilities as a business owner and obligations as a son. Your mother's personal physician is sending a letter," Trevor said.
Girolamo almost appreciated the effort, especially since his mother lived with his sister, Gina, in Patterson, NJ. "Why don't you also look into whether I was set up? It's far too convenient that this whole raid happens when I'm in bed with a hooker that Marco Dane set me up with," he said.