Chapter 66 & 67
GH2005.66 Old Friends
The brisk breeze of autumn brushes over Jason Morgan's skin as he kneels
near a familiar headstone. Running his fingertips over the name "Michael
Corinthos Jr." He let's out a sigh of frustration. "It's happening
again..without any sort of warning-- drugs slip into Port Charles and
another innocent kid lays on the ground dead. Damn it, Sonny! You and I
made it clear last time that this wouldn't be tolerated. I've been over
every detail of the incident. Similarities, but not enough to scream out
that the same people are behind it." He holds his head in his hands as
he fights to control his voice "I know the same people can't be behind
it. We put the last of that nightmare six feet under years ago. You
know, I have Benny looking through every organization's files..trying to
find one iota of evidence to lead me to whoever is behind this. Yet, I
know he'll find nothing. I have those files memorized..I know the people
detailed in them. I did as you directed...I earned respect, and
respected my associates.. It doesn't make sense for this to be
happening."
He jumps as he feels a hand grip his shoulder. Relaxing as he catches a
whiff of the familiar perfume, he scolds lightly. "You know better than
that."
Robin studies her husband for a moment before kneeling beside him. " I
let Joseph know I was here besides, I had a feeling I'd find you here.
Is it helping any?"
"No, not really. I never understood why people went to people's
gravestones and talked to them; I watched Sonny do it a couple of times
with Lily. After he died, I finally understood. I come here when I need
to be near him-- remember all the things he taught me, think how he
would have handled a situation. I know it won't help me through whatever
is happening now, but this is the only way I feel close to him." He
smiles down at the flowers she holds in her hands. "How did you know
where to find me?"
"Like you said, whenever you are frustrated, and it's not something you
can share with me, you come here. I can't tell you the person's name of
course, but we had a young girl brought into the clinic today suffering
from a heroin overdose." Her voice is filled with sadness.
"How old is she?"
"She was just fourteen." Robin watches as the color drains from his
face.
"Was? She didn't make it?" He watches tears fill his wife's eyes as she
whispers no. "She was the same age as Emily was when she almost took a
header off the roof. This has to stop!"
Placing her hands over his she looks deeply into his eyes. "I know
you'll do whatever needs to be done, all I ask is that you be careful."
Looking at the headstone, and wiping a tear from his eye he whispers
hoarsely. "I made that promise to Sonny a long ago, and you know I'm a
man of my word. Can you tell me where she came from? I mean she was
brought into the clinic rather than the hospital right?"
Robin thinks for a minute and then shakes her head. "I don't know
exactly where she was from. Her mother brought her in, but was adamant
we not take her to the hospital. It was already too late to argue with
her, Mai Ling passed away."
"Mai Ling..Chinatown probably. Joseph encountered a couple of teen hoods
down there a few months ago. They were trying to set up a protection
racket. He told me about it, but when I picked up your humbow a couple
weeks ago and asked around down there, everyone denied knowing anything
about." He grows silent and then lets out a curse word. "Of course they
were quiet, they stick to themselves why would they have any confidence
in an outsider's guarantee of protection."
Watching the wheels turn in her husbands mind, Robin is intrigued.
"Maybe they won't talk to you; no offense honey, but you are quite a
presence. If I were to pick up some Chinese for dinner tonight and
asked Leanne she may talk to me. I helped bring her son's fever down a
couple days ago, and she wanted to repay me with a free dinner for us."
Jason shakes his head, clearly not pleased with what she is suggesting.
"I don't like you involved in this type of stuff, Robin. It's bad enough
that people can associate you with me by your last name, and the press
fiasco at our wedding, but I never want to give anyone the impression
that you know anything about my lifestyle. You're married to an ELQ
business man."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smiles lovingly at him. "You know
I adore how sexy you look when you get all protective, but Jason, I'm
getting us dinner. If something happens to fall into my lap while
conversing with the restaurant owner, then great. If it doesn't then I
guess I'll prepare for more kids to die on my table."
The coldness in her voice as she spits out the last sentence strikes his
protective shell. He can see how hurt she is by losing the patient. "A
simple conversation, Robin. Nothing more."
Kissing him gently, she whispers. "I promise."
Crystal walks by the docks quickly. The feeling that someone is watching
her has been bothering her for the past few blocks. She pats her stomach
gently and speaks to her child. "We're almost home, Baby."
"Hey beautiful, what's the rush?"
Turning around at the familiar voice, her eyes focus on the ruggedly
handsome man leaning on a trash can. His bright green eyes are filled
with a kind of wild and dazed look one can only associate with being
high on something. "I've been trying to catch up to you for the last
half mile or so. Where's Marky??"
Walking over to him, she smiles proudly. "He's working. Mark got himself
a really good job. I was just about to go grocery shopping."
Snorting he looks down at her stomach. "So, he did that to ya eh? You
know you and I never had that problem."
Giving him a cold hard look she says harshly. "Maybe he's just better in
the sack. Look, I gotta go."
Holding up a package of white powder, the young man leers at her. "Now,
now, what's the hurry? I was thinking you and me could celebrate the
little bundle of Joy and Marky's new job."
Temptation getting the best of her, Crystal fights the strong urges that
wash over her. "I don't do that stuff anymore. Those baby books say it's
bad for the baby."
"You gonna believe a bunch of crusty old men who ain't never going to
have a baby? This stuff won't hurt you, it'll make you feel good. You
remember how good you used to feel, don't you?"
Crystal shakes her head, and says with a little less conviction,"I said
I don't do that stuff anymore. Mark will leave me if I go back on it. I
know he still checks my arms for new track marks. I gotta get him to
trust me again. Besides, we're friends with this Doctor Lady, she'll
know If I start using again. John, I thought you stopped using a while
ago."
John leans on the pole next to him, and smiles. "I did, but then I got a
hold of this stuff. I'm telling ya Crissy, it's the best stuff I ever
had. If you are so worried about Marky and this Doctor bitch, then shoot
up between your toes."
She looks at him curiously. "I never tried that. It looked like it would
hurt."
He laughs at her naivety. "And shooting in your arm didn't? Look, I
wanna have some fun, and if all it takes is for me to inject ya, then
hell, I will do it for ya."
She considers for a moment then smiles. "Okay..let's go. I gotta drop
you off before I go shopping though."
Wrapping his arm around her, he leads her to the parking lot. "Show me
to your car and we can party a little."
A couple hours later, Crystal is driving to the supermarket. She begins
to nod off and looses control of the car. The car veers off the road and
plows into a tree on the right side of the street. Her head slumps over
the wheel as blood trickles down the side of her face. She slumps
unconscious on the wheel of the car as the horn blares.
GH2005.67 Assumptions
The ambulance arrives at the scene as Det. Garcia checks for a pulse.
The EMT's approach the car, and look up at Garcia.
EMT1: "She breathing?"
Garcia nods and moves away so they can check Crystal's vital signs.
"Looks like she lost control of the car and skidded off the road. I
found no signs of alcohol in the car, but you might want to take a blood
test to be sure."
EMT2: "We know how to handle accidents, Detective. Okay, Jim, on
three-- we lift her."
Garcia looks at the side of the Ambulance and mutters. "Yeah, you Mercy
guys have such a great reputation."
Ignoring him, the EMT's gently put Crystal on the stretcher and head
toward the ambulance.
Jason and Robin sit in their livingroom dining on egg rolls and sweet
and sour chicken. Robin feeds Jason a bite of chicken and smiles. "This
is heaven."
Nodding, Jason looks at her eagerly. "You haven't told me what the owner
said."
"Sorry, I got that phone call and guess I got distracted. Anyway, Jase,
it's bad. Leanne says that she has been paying protection money for
months now. I asked her why she didn't just stand up to them, but her
response was they didn't take no for an answer. I'm worried about her
and the other shop owners. Isn't there something that can be done?"
Feeding her a bite of his eggroll, Jason looks at her with determination
in his eyes. "Consider it handled. I can't have you walking around that
neighborhood if it's not under control. And I know you well enough to
know that you won't give up your clinic work or your Chinese food."
Laughing she makes a face at him. "You love it as much as I do."
Shaking his head he groans. "No, I wanted pizza and beer, I just settled
for Chinese food since you settled for the little black nighty that I
bought you."
With a mischievous smile, she lets out a yawn. "Gee suddenly I'm really
tired. Maybe I should head off to bed now." She gets up and sprints from
the room giggling.
Grabbing the boxes of food, he yells after her. "You can run, but you
can't hide, Morgan. I have your food with me."
Evan gently carries the sleeping toddler into his nursery. Setting him
down gently into the crib, he feels a strong hand grip his shoulder. He
looks up at his father and smiles. "He's a great kid isn't he?"
Mac beams proudly. "The best... and you're a natural. He instantly knew
you were his father, the bond is there."
Evan looks over at Mac with surprise. "I never expected him to remember
me. I mean I know he doesn't really remember me, but he had no problem
allowing me to take care of him. I'm going to miss him."
Mac leads him out of the room and out into the back yard. "Ev, are you
sure you want to leave him again? A lot of time has passed, and I was
talking to Bob and Linda. They're hoping that you'd want to spend some
real time with him. They seem to believe as much as I do, that you'll be
a great father to Ian."
Evan looks up at him tearfully. "I don't deserve to be his father. I
left him. They've done such a good job with him. They seem so tired
though."
"Evan, they're getting up there in age. It takes a lot of energy to
raise a child, especially a toddler. Grandparents should have the
opportunity to be with their grandchildren, but they shouldn't raise
them, unless absolutely necessary. Son, if you want to start raising
your little boy again, then now is the time to start. Bob mentioned he
wanted to travel for a couple of months, why not offer to take Ian for
four months. Really bond with him and then, let them come back and we
can all talk about it together. I want to help you, as does Felicia, but
I really think you will be just fine raising him."
Taking a long look at his father, Evan smiles. "Thanks Dad. I needed to
hear that. I really wish you could have been around when I was Ian's
age."
Embracing his son tightly, Mac whispers. "I do too. But we can't change
the past, and I'm looking forward to bonding with my son and my
grandson."
The Doctors look at the fetal monitor and exchange worried glances. "The
accident has already put the fetus in distress, patient has yet to
regain consciousness, the best course of action is to go ahead with a
caesarean."
A nurse clears her throat. "Doctor, I think you better run a drug scan
on the patient."
The assisting doctor, ignoring the nurse, looks down at Crystal's chart
and nods towards the Senior Physician. "I concur, the labs aren't back
but we're going to lose the baby, maybe both of them, if we don't get in
there."
The fetal heart monitor alarm begins beeping rapidly. The Senior Doctor
looks at his assisting physician. "There's no time to wait. She is
unconscious due to a car accident. Nothing more. Call the OR, we have to
do this now."
The nurse stands in front of the Doctor's, looking at them intently.
"Doctors, When I was putting in the IV.."
Pushing her aside, the Senior Doctor barks at her angrily. "This is my
patient, and both Dr. Kincaid and myself feel we must move immediately.
If you can't go along with our instructions then kindly dismiss yourself
from this case."
Evan sits on the kitchen stool and waits for someone to pick up the
phone at his apartment. "Em?"
Emily Quartermaine flops down on the couch, happily cradling the phone
to her ear. "Ev, Honey, how is Ian? Are you having fun together? Has he
spoken yet?"
Laughing, Evan looks over to where his son is playing with Mac and
Felicia. "He's doing great. He's two, so he says a few things, but
mainly a lot of no's and some jibber jabber. Baby, I need to ask ya
something..."
"Shoot."
"I want to bring Ian back with me for a few months. I need to be a
parent to him, or at least to give it my best try. He's growing up so
fast, and I've already missed so much. This will mean some major changes
though, so if you aren't ready to hear the pitter patter of little feet,
just let me know. Dad has offered to put both me and Ian up." Evan hears
her groan on the other end of the line.
"Evan! If you'd allow me to get in a word edgewise, rather than assuming
the worse case scenario, you'd hear me say, I'd love to have Ian here.
In fact, I will head over to Wyndam's and pick up some great stuff for
his room. What do you think about fire trucks?? Big bright red
firetrucks sheets, pillows, and all kinds of stuff. I'll pick up some
toys, and a high chair as well. Oh, we'll need a toddler seat for him."
Emily continues to rattle off a list of items as she hears Evan bust out
laughing. "What is so funny?"
"You are, baby. You tell me that I don't let you get in a word edgewise
and now you're talking about buying out Wyndam's. Put the Quartermaine
Gold Card away, most of his stuff is already bought. Though I like the
idea of Fire trucks."
Mark Drake rushes into the ER just in time to watch the Doctors wheel
Crystal towards the OR. Running up to them, he asks desperately. "WHAT
ARE YOU DOING? WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HER?"
A nurse pulls him back. "Young man, please get a hold of yourself."
Looking at the nurse, he pleads with her. "That's my girlfriend. The
cops called and said she was in an accident and was taken here, she's
pregnant with my child. I need to know what's going on."
"Are you married? Do you know who to call as her next of kin to notify
of the surgery?"
"NO, Damn it, I have to know what's going on with my girlfriend and
baby. Please, tell me what's happening?"
Mark watches as the nurse shake she her head. "I'm sorry, but our rules
state that only family members can receive that kind of information."
She walks away as Mark runs to the pay telephone. He dials Robin's cell
phone from the card she gave Crystal. "Dr. Morgan?"
Robin rises from bed. "This is Dr. Morgan..Mark?"
Mark pleads into the telephone. "I'm at Mercy Hospital. Crystal was in a
car wreck, they won't tell me anything. They'd tell you since you're her
doctor. Please hurry, it looks serious."
"I'm on my way." She hangs up the phone and hurries over to her closet.
"Jason, that was Mark, Crystal has been in an accident. The baby could
be in danger as well. You want to come with me? He's going to need
someone to keep him calm."
Jason pulls on his shirt and jeans and heads towards the door. "Let's
go."
Twenty minutes later, Jason is sitting next to Mark and Robin is
standing at the nurses station. She taps her hand angrily on the
counter. "Hello?? I was informed that one of my patients was brought in.
Her name is Crystal Monroe."
The older nurse looks at the young woman in front of her. "You're a
Doctor? You don't look old enough to be out of High School, let alone
Med School."
"I can show you my age in a court of law if you don't tell me where I
can find my patient." Robin takes down the information and rushes
towards the OR where she hurriedly puts on a mask before entering the
room.
Inside the OR, The doctor hands a tiny baby boy to his assistant. "Now,
let's close her up."
The assistant looks at the heart monitor and panics. "Doctor, we have a
problem.." Before she can finish her sentence Crystal begins to flatline
on the table.
Robin walks in just as they begin to try and revive her. "What's going
on here?"
The nurse looks at her angrily. "Only medical personnel in here."
Robin flashes her Medical ID. "I'm Crystal's doctor; what's happening?"
Working on reviving his patient, the senior Doctor looks up at Morgan.
"Why would she flatline? Does she have any prior heart condition?"
"Didn't you check her medical records? No, she has no previous heart
condition, but she has a history of drug abuse. She's been clean for
months, but I'm sure you ran a blood screen-- correct?"
Noticing the looks on the doctor's faces, Robin turns pale. "Oh My God..
I want all of her records when this is over."
The doctors continue to work on Crystal until finally the senior Doctor
speaks. "Call the time please."
Tear welling in her eyes, Robin turns to the doctors angrily. "I demand
that an autopsy be performed on this patient." She looks down at the
records the nurse handed her and gasps. "Why wasn't she just given a
local ANESTHETIC or a spinal? Your own records, as inadequate as they
are, indicate a head injury?!" Robin's voice rises as she looks at the
bewildered Doctors. "What in the hell happened in here??"
Mark paces in the waiting room. "What's taking them so long???"
Jason offers him a cup of coffee that he immediately refuses. His eyes
lay on a very somber Robin who walks over to them. "Mark, please sit
down."
Mark looks from Robin to Jason. "What?? Just tell me? Is it the baby?
Crystal?"
Taking a deep breath, Robin places her hands on top of Mark's. "You have
a son, he's perfect but very underweight. The hospital will be keeping
him for a while."
Mark lets out a sigh of relief. "But he'll be okay right? When can I see
Crystal?"
Robin squeezes his hands tightly. "I'm sorry, Mark, Crystal didn't make
it."
Jason and Robin watch the young man sink to his knees and wrap his arms
around himself, hugging tightly. Sobs begins to wrack his bodies as he
let's out a long ragged moan. Robin kneels beside him and wraps her arms
around him. He doesn't respond to her as he cries in the middle of the
hospital. Jason bends down on one knee and places his hand on Mark's
shoulder. He says nothing as he tries to sooth the broken young man.
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