You guys are the cat's pajamas. Toodles!Chapter Fifteen
“Jason,
dear! How wonderful to see you.”
Lila smiled as she watched
her grandson approach. From a distance, he looked like the man she
had known for years – poised, self-possessed, tranquil, but,
underneath the mask he wore for the outside world and sometimes she
wondered if not for himself as well, she could see the turbulence of
emotion swimming through his crisp, blue eyes, eyes so much like her
own. On one hand, his obvious disturbance worried her, but, on the
other, the Quartermaine matriarch relished the depth of feeling she
was witnessing within her grandson.
For so long, he had
simply seemed... empty. Though it had been years since she had
physically seen him, Jason had never failed to get word to her one
way or another while he was traveling to reassure her that he was
still alive. Whether he was healthy or not had been another story,
but Lila mused, sitting in her rose garden, that beggars could not be
choosers. However, even over the distance of a telephone call or
through the tone of his letters, she had been able to decipher how
alone her grandson was, how dead inside, and it had frightened her.
While pain and fear were not the emotions she wanted him to
experience in life, at that point, she'd take what she could
get.
Once he had taken a seat next to her (Reginald purposely
positioned an extra chair beside her wherever she chose to spend her
mornings just in case someone stopped by to visit), Jason immediately
went straight to the point. “The others...?”
She smiled
indulgently. “You picked a good day to come and visit me, dear.
Edward's been in the city for nearly a week, and his meetings aren't
scheduled to conclude until tomorrow, and both Alan and Monica are at
the hospital. Even Cook has gone to the market.”
“Good.
I'm glad. Thanks.” Nervously, she watched as Jason ran his palms up
and down the coarse fabric of his faded blue jeans. “And you,
grandmother? How... are you well?”
“I'm as well as any old
woman can expect or even hope to be. I'm more concerned about you
right now. Is there something wrong?”
“No,” he was quick
to assure her. Too quick. She waited for him to say more, and, when
he didn't, Lila allowed her gaze to become pointed, demanding. She
rarely attempted to push Jason, realizing that he was the type of man
who would get around to talking when he was ready to and no sooner,
but she sensed that whatever was on his mind was a topic that was
difficult for him to broach... even with her. “It's nothing,
really.”
“If that were the case, you wouldn't be here.”
When he went to protest, she held up a stiff, arthritic hand. “Do
not try to fool your grandmother, Jason. While I know that you love
me, you're not one to make social calls. I learned that about you
many years ago and have come to accept it.” If she was going to be
blunt, she figured she might as well not hold anything back. “No,
you're here today because something is bothering you, something
obviously personal and important to you, something that you believe I
might be able to help you with. So ask. I'll tell you whatever I
can.”
“Tell me about Elizabeth.”
Ah, she should
have known.
Smiling serenely, Lila closed her eyes.
Instantly, the face of the beautiful brunette in question appeared
before her dark lids. For several moments, while she gathered her
thoughts, they sat in silence, and she could fairly fear the
intensity and tension sizzling off her grandson. “She writes to me,
you know,” Lila posed rhetorically. “No matter how long her
letters are, though, she doesn't really say much... at least, not
about herself. After you left....”
“Yes,” Jason
interrupted her. Opening her eyes, she found him leaning forward
anxiously on the edge of his chair. “Tell me more about that time,
about after I left. What was she like then? How did she seem to you?
What happened to her to make her leave town as well?”
Instinctively,
Lila reached out and grasped one of his hands in her own. “I'm
afraid I can't answer all of your questions, Jason.”
“That's
okay. I just... what do you know?”
“Well, after you left,
her grandmother seriously started to pressure her into moving back
home, but Elizabeth resisted. Not only did the rift between them seem
to get worse, but Elizabeth also distanced herself from almost
everyone else in her life, too. I won't lie to you, Jason. Most
people blamed you, but she came to see me a few times that winter,
and I have to say that I disagree with them. It was like she... grew
up. Almost overnight, she went from being a scared, timid girl to
this confident woman. We didn't talk much when she came to visit,
and, when we did, it was mainly about her artwork or I would tell her
stories about my life, but she didn't seem depressed or angry; she
seemed... at peace, hopeful.
“I know that she and Mr.
Corinthos grew closer during that time. I think it was because he was
her last link to you. Of course, I never saw anything myself, but I
had heard that they spent many hours down on the docks together just
watching the water and talking. I do believe he became her
confidant.”
“What about Emily,” Jason asked, startling
Lila out of her recollections. “You said that she pushed her
friends away. Were they not as close after I left?”
“Actually,
no. I do believe they were as thick as ever.” Laughing wistfully,
she explained further, “those two girls just about gave Nikolas a
fit. Whatever it was that changed Elizabeth, that made her eventually
leave town, Emily knew what it was. Other than Mr. Corinthos, Emily,
I think, was the only other person who did know. Elizabeth,
apparently, made her promise not to tell anyone, and that extended to
your sister's husband. Nikolas didn't like that too much.”
Dourly,
her grandson remarked, “I bet not.”
“Anyway, everything
seemed fine with Elizabeth. A week before she left, I remember she
came to see me, and she just seemed so happy. School was going well.
She said that never before had she been so inspired to paint. She
then went on to ask me about you. She wanted to hear stories both
about Jason Quartermaine as a child and about your life as Jason
Morgan before she met you. When she suddenly disappeared a few days
later, I was stunned.” Pausing momentarily, Lila rethought her
previous statement. “Actually, what I really believed was that she
had gone somewhere to see you. But then she never came back, and you
never said a word about her when you called or wrote, and, by the
time I received my first letter from her more than a year later, it
was obvious to me that, whatever peace and happiness Elizabeth had
temporarily found, she had lost it.”
After several quiet
moments – it was evident that Jason was deep in thought, Lila
tentatively asked, “have you spoken to Mr. Corinthos about this?
I'm sure he'd be able to tell you more than I could.”
“Sonny's...
changed.” Struggling, her grandson tried to explain himself. “He's
not the same man he was five years ago, Grandmother. It's like I
don't even know him anymore.”
“Yes, I have noticed that as
well,” she admitted somewhat reluctantly. Whatever Jason's
currently feelings towards Sonny were, at one point, the two men had
been closer than brothers. She did not want to offend any loyalties
Jason might still possess towards his former mentor. “I was frankly
surprised when he left Carly and it was revealed that Alexis Davis
was pregnant with his child. Whatever their faults, Sonny and Carly
seemed good together. And then, of course, there's little Michael to
consider as well. Have you seen him yet, Jason?”
“No. I'm
not really sure if that's a good idea, Grandmother. I love Michael,
and I always will, but I'm not his father, and, to become a part of
his life again, especially now with everything that has happened
between his parents, I just don't think that would be good for
him.”
“Well, I'm sure you'll do what's right.” Squeezing
the hand of his that she still held, Lila smiled confidently,
comfortingly in her grandson's direction. “As for Elizabeth,
though....”
“I can't talk to Sonny, and, whatever Emily
knew, she took that knowledge with her to her grave.” Solemnly,
they both sat completely still for a few seconds, remembering their
lost loved one. Eventually, Jason cleared his throat and asked, “do
you know where she is? Do you know where I could find Elizabeth?”
As
her grandson stood up beside her, Lila met his gaze without blinking.
Though she wouldn't say a word and refused to express her relief
towards his decision to question her about Elizabeth's whereabouts,
she was sincerely thrilled. Not only was it obvious that Jason needed
answers, it was also apparent that he needed something more or,
perhaps more accurately, someone more in his life. “I do believe
she's in New York City, dear.”
With a fleeting grin, Jason
slipped away into the depths of her garden.
} ~ {
They
had decided to meet on neutral territory – meaning neither were
they at Wyndemere nor her apartment, Nikolas' lawyer's office nor
Alexis' penthouse. Rather, the four of them had elected to congregate
at the P.C. Grill. Although Nadine would have preferred a more
private venue for yet another divorce arbitration meeting with her
soon-to-be ex, the hotel restaurant was better than the alternative.
She was the first one there – early, as was her habit, and
she fidgeted nervously with the glass of ice water sweating before
her. The Grill's central air was cooling, but, still, a puddle of
condensation had pooled upon the thick, heavy, dark grain of the
polished mahogany table, and, restively, she drew the tip of her
right index finger through the moisture. The shapes and designs she
made were random but distracting.
“And here I thought I was
going to be late,” Alexis announced unceremoniously as she sat down
in the chair to the left of Nadine. Sighing in pregnant exhaustion,
the expectant mother asked, “we did say to meet at ten, didn't we?”
Without waiting for a response, she continued. “Well, it's five
after now, so, obviously, Nikolas still isn't taking this – or you
– seriously. We'll soon fix that.”
The last thing she
wanted to do was think about Nikolas or their mess of a marriage. No
matter what Alexis' expectations were concerning her divorce, Nadine
knew the procedure was going to be long, drawn out, and painful. Her
attorney's optimism was appreciated but not a very good diversion.
Instead, while they actually had an opportunity to do so, the young
mother decided that she'd focus on something more positive, more
uplifting.
“You look wonderful today, Alexis.
Lighter.”
The older woman beamed profusely in her direction.
“Really? You think I've lost weight?”
While she had never
actually been pregnant herself, Nadine knew enough about expectant
mothers and women – after all, she was one of the latter herself –
not to contradict the lawyer's assumption regarding her observation.
It was quite apparent that Alexis was not enjoying her sojourn into
maternity, and, during their brief professional relationship, she had
heard her make more than one derogatory remark regarding her physical
appearance. So, instead, she simply said, “you look amazing and so
much happier, like this major weight has been lifted off your
shoulders. Did you get some kind of good news?”
“Well,
Sonny's still an ass, I'm still a hippopotamus, and they just
discontinued my favorite type of ice cream, but my favorite
ex-husband and best friend is in town.”
Perplexed by the
admission, Nadine settled for a befuddled, “oh.”
Alexis
laughed. “Jax and I were married purely for legal reasons to help
out a friend, and it was a long time ago, but it was the healthiest
relationship I've ever had, and I do love him. I just seem to
function better on the platonic level when it comes to men.”
Apparently enjoying their conversation, the attorney leaned in closer
and asked, “you do know about my run-away wedding, don't you?”
“I
can't say that I'm familiar with the story, no.”
“It
caused such a stir, you'd think my nephew would have brought it up at
some point during your marriage.”
“Yeah, well, Nikolas is
better at concealing than he is at confiding,” Nadine remarked
dryly.
Equally sarcastic, the older woman offered, “he is a
Cassadine, after all.”
“Something you've obviously never
been able to claim yourself, especially in light of yet your latest
betrayal towards the family.”
“Good morning, Nikolas.”
Nadine nearly snickered at her lawyer's sickeningly sweet tone as
Alexis ignored her nephew's caustic remark. As she spoke, both
Nikolas and his attorney took their respective seats around the
table. “I'm so glad you could squeeze us into your busy
schedule.”
“Really, Ms. Davis, I don't think that's the
most productive way to start this meeting,” Mr. Elsberry
chastised.
“I'm just following his lead. After all, what's
good for the gander should be good for the goose, too, am I not
right?”
“I do believe that's what's good for the goose is
good for the gander.”
“If you think that I'm a gander, Mr.
Elsberry, I'm going to wonder how you passed high school biology let
alone got through law school,” Alexis retorted
mockingly.
Interrupting their little playful spat, Nikolas
snapped, “cut the crap, Aunt.
What the hell do you think you're doing siding against the family in
the matter of my divorce?”
“Well, the last time I checked,
you're wife would be a part of the family.”
Nadine's
soon-to-be ex glared. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I
definitely do, and, to be frank, Nikolas, I barely recognize you.
You're far more a stranger to me than a nephew, so I don't feel as
though I'm betraying anyone. The
mother of your children needed
a lawyer, because you were threatening to keep her son away from her;
I'm a lawyer, hence my decision to represent her.”
“Spencer
is Emily's son.” Nikolas could barely say the words between his
clenched teeth.
“Biologically, yes, but Emily died in
childbirth. The only mother your son has ever known is Nadine.
Putting aside your grievances with her, real or imagined, Spencer
needs a maternal influence in his life. For most of your life, you
lived in ignorance where your own mother was concerned, and look how
you turned out.”
“Again Ms. Davis,” Mr. Elsberry
protested, “I really must insist that you act more professionally.
While you and my client do have a personal relationship, that cannot
play a part in these proceedings.”
“You're absolutely
right. So, with that in mind, let us put all our cards on the table,
shall we,” Alexis suggested. Nadine squirmed in her seat, knowing
that the spotlight would soon shift towards her direction. “Mr.
Cassadine refuses to acknowledge my
client's
parental rights regarding their son Spencer, and, now, in light of
some recently acquired knowledge, we fear the child will be exposed
to a less than satisfactory maternal influence.”
Speaking
up, Nikolas protested, “Spencer's nanny is highly qualified and
even more highly trained. She has a duel degree in childhood
psychology and elementary education. She's also been through
extensive medical training as well.”
“It's not your nanny
that we object to but your mistress.”
Picking up where the
older woman left off, Nadine said, “if you think I'm going to allow
Carly Corinthos anywhere near Spencer, you have another thing coming,
Nikolas.”
Scrambling, Mr. Elsberry protested, “these are
just baseless and tawdry accusations. You have nothing to support
your claims, and I resent the fact that you would resort to such
underhanded tactics.”
“I don't know about baseless,”
Alexis remarked casually, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back to
sit more comfortably in her chair. “But you can sure as hell say
tawdry again. I do believe that's Carly's middle name. Or maybe
that'd be trashy.”
Meeting her soon-to-be ex's intense,
irate gaze, Nadine calmly added, “you can deny it all you want,
Nikolas, but we have a witness.”
For several moments, there
was a tense silence that enveloped their table. Finally, Nikolas
smirked, narrowed his gaze, and threatened, “so, how is your
brother, Nadine? You know, it's really a shame how dangerous college
campuses are these days. Robberies, rapes, murders. Just about
anything can happen to a guy on his way to class. It'd be just
terrible if something like that would happen to Damien. If I were
you, I'd tell him to watch his back... from one educated man to
another.”
“And this meeting is over,” Alexis announced,
standing up. She waited long enough for Nadine to join her before
adding, “Mr. Elsberry, you'll be hearing from me soon. If I may be
so bold, get your client on a leash before he does something you
can't fix for him.”
Somehow, and it took every last reserve
of strength and composure that she possessed, Nadine waited until
they were safely away and into the hotel lobby before exclaiming, “oh
my god, Damien!”
“You just let me worry about Mr.
Spinelli's - or is it Crowell's...? - welfare. If Nikolas wants to be
a bully, fine. I'll just call someone who is well versed in the art
of or, at least, someone who knows people who breaks
kneecaps.”
“Technically, it's Crowell, but he'll answer to
both. Spinelli is his middle name. And I really don't think you
should involve your husband in this,” she tentatively advised.
Her
attorney laughed. “Oh, don't worry. Sonny's the last person I have
in mind for this job.” Nadine waited nervously as she listened to
Alexis dial her phone. “Hello, Diane? This is Alexis Davis calling.
We have a situation. Meet me for dinner tonight at the P.C. Grill,
say seven?” Although she couldn't hear the other lawyer's response,
she knew it was agreeable when Alexis smiled. “Perfect. See you
then.”
As the older woman snapped her cell phone shut, she
met Nadine's worried gaze. “Crisis averted. Now, what do you say we
go have breakfast, my treat? I'm starving.”
“I guess I
could eat...?”
“Or, better yet,” Alexis suggested. “What
about a movie? I'd kill for a large theater style popcorn with extra
butter.”
As they walked off together, Nadine wondered if her
attorney's words were actually hyperbole. She hoped so.
} ~ {
He
couldn't help himself. Watching the young woman who sat across from
him, Alan felt a surge of parental protection. It wasn't so much that
he was overly fond of Robin – which he was – but the fact that
she just reminded him so much of Emily. Though their situations were
extremely different, both girls had been abandoned by their birth
parents – Emily's through death; Robin's through a damaged set of
priorities. Both girls were petite with dark hair and dark eyes. Both
girls were warm and friendly, caring, more concerned for others than
about themselves. And both girls had been dealt a shocking blow just
when they were on the verge of true womanhood. Robin's, however, had
been a living death sentence; Emily had just died.
“So, I
hear you had a rather unpleasant experience here yesterday. On behalf
of Doctor Drake, I apologize.”
“No, I should be the one to
apologize,” Robin argued. “It was immature and unprofessional of
me to break our appointment like that... no matter how impertinent
and rude Doctor Drake might have been. However, he's immaterial at
this point. I didn't come here today to talk about your newest
neurosurgeon; I wanted to talk to you about a job.”
Unsure
of where she was headed with her proposed discussion, Alan
questioned, “is there a particular case that you're working on that
you need help with? I know that I've been your doctor for years now,
but HIV and AIDS is not my specialty. Not to be indelicate, but I
took your case out of necessity, not because of my confidence in my
ability to treat you. Now, over the years, I have done my fair share
of reading and research into the topic, but I'm nowhere
near....”
“That's not what I meant, Doctor Quartermaine,”
Robin interrupted, saving him from saying more. “As you know, I've
been living and working in Paris since I graduated from medical
school.”
“Rumor has it that you've been doing more than
that. This is a little late, but congratulations on the adoption. Mac
showed me pictures of your daughter the last time we met up at yet
another of this town's endless charity functions. She's
beautiful.”
He noticed the proud smile that lit up the young
woman's face as that of a loving parent's, and he wondered, just
briefly, what his own daughter's face would have looked like if she
had been given an opportunity to actually raise her son. Nadine had
always tried her best to include he and Monica in Spencer's life,
but, now, with her divorce from Nikolas, Alan feared what would
happen with his relationship with his grandson. They'd already lost
so much. He didn't even want to contemplate losing yet another person
that he loved.
“... and she's actually the reason why I've
decided to move back home – to Port Charles – if you'll have
me.”
Admittedly, he had been distracted while Robin was
talking, but he didn't want to reveal his train of thoughts to his
young patient or ask her to repeat herself and make it seem as though
he was uninterested in what she was saying. Instead, he pieced
together the fractured bits that he had managed to hear and asked,
“are you hinting for a job, Robin?”
She laughed. “Yeah,
I guess I am... if you're hiring, of course. Please, don't fire
someone to open up a position for me or sacrifice a necessary part of
your budget. If you don't have room on staff for me, I can always
look elsewhere. I just... well, GH has meant so much to me over the
years. It feels like this is where I belong, do you know what I
mean?”
“I do,” he assured her. “And, in fact, your
timing could not be more perfect. Monica and I were just discussing a
few weeks ago how desperately this hospital needs some fresh blood
around here. We've had a lot of younger doctors and nurses moving
away from the area, and our staff is old.” When she went to
protest, he stopped her, chuckling. “No, don't deny it. It's true.
Besides, we raise millions annually for HIV. I think it's high time
we put that money to use here with our own HIV specialist.”
Now,
it was her turn to tease him. “Are you saying that there just might
be an opening available to me?”
Alan stood, moving around
his desk to give the younger woman a hug. “I'd say welcome to the
family right now, but you've long since already been a part of it.”
Releasing her, he added, “but it's good to have you back,
Robin.”
“It's good to be here.”
“And as for
Patrick Drake.... If I can survive marriage to Lucy Coe, I think I
can keep a young rake like him under control.”
Robin giggled
as she left. “Hey, if nothing else, at least we'll be on different
floors and in opposite wings of the hospital, right?”
Yes,
at least there was that.
Although he didn't say it out loud,
Alan had his doubts about corralling Patrick Drake's playboy
persona... especially in regards to Robin. It seemed to him that a
little innocent flirtation and fun never hurt anyone... or, at least,
anyone who wasn't a Quartermaine. Come to think of it, he noted to
himself, maybe he should check to make sure that Drake didn't play
tennis... just in case.



