| Hidden Within Chapter 7 |
| Author’s Note: This is for entertainment purposes only. The characters in this story belong to ABC TV and “General Hospital”. ********************************************************************************************************** Skye wrung her hands as she awaited the return of Jax’s parents. She was anxious to hear a first-hand account of Jax’s condition from someone other than hospital staff. If she wasn’t allowed to go in and see Jax, then at least she could take some small comfort knowing that his parents could go into his room and sit with him. Looking at her watch in annoyance, Skye wondered what was taking Rae so long to get their drinks, and where A.J. was… he was supposed to be there over an hour ago. Just then, she saw Courtney step off the elevator. Skye waved her over, secretly glad that she no longer had to sit by herself, with only her foreboding thoughts to keep her company. “Hey!” Courtney greeted Skye, giving her an easy smile. Even though she had been harsh to Skye in the past, she knew that now was not the time to hold grudges. Skye gave Courtney a half-smile as she looked around in surprise. “Where’s A.J.? I thought he’d be with you.” “Oh, well, he said he had to make a phone call on his cell and that he’d be right up,” Courtney explained, ignoring the warning pang in her stomach. She didn’t know exactly what the reason was, but something didn’t feel right. ********************************************************************************************************** Alexis hurried to her penthouse door as the persistent knocking continued. “Alright, I’m coming!” she yelled, finally reaching the door and throwing it open. Her eyes locked with Ned’s, who was holding a bag from her favorite bakery on the other side of the threshold. “May I come in?” Ned asked teasingly after a moment. “What? Oh, um, yes… of course,” Alexis stammered, flustered at this unexpected visit. “Uh, I can get Kristina for you.” Ned set the bag down on the table, then turned to Alexis. “I’m not here to see Kristina,” he told her quietly, resisting the urge to take her hands in his. “You – you’re not?” Alexis managed to get out, hoping that Ned couldn’t hear her heart pounding like a jackhammer inside her chest. “No, I’m not.” Ned studied Alexis for a moment longer, then turned and opened the bag. “Here, just for you – your favorites.” He held out the bag to her. Alexis gratefully accepted a muffin from the bag, giving Ned one of her embarrassed smiles. “Um, I would offer you coffee, but I burnt it,” she hedged. Ned’s eyes twinkled as he once again stared at Alexis. “Why am I not surprised?” he told her with an irresistible grin. “Ned!” Kristina appeared at the top of the stairs, then came down to join the duo. “I didn’t know you were here.” The truth was that she’d been listening to Ned and Alexis’ exchange from the minute he had entered the penthouse, but she wasn’t about to let them know that. “Hey.” Ned moved to give Kristina a rather awkward kiss on the cheek, which seemed forced to all three people in the room. Silence then descended over the small group. “Well, I think I’ll make some coffee,” Ned offered, but Kristina grabbed his arm before he had a chance to go into the kitchen. “Ned, wait.” Her face serious as always, Kristina looked from Ned to Alexis. “I have to tell you both something… I’ve made a decision.” After a small dramatic pause, Alexis could feel her frustration building. “Well? What is it, Kristina?” she prodded. Kristina sighed as if the world’s weight was on her shoulders. “I’ve decided to move back to Europe,” she announced with a flourish. Alexis and Ned’s mouths both dropped open in surprise at this sudden news. “What – why?” Alexis stammered. “I just think it’s for the best,” Kristina said assuredly. She turned and studied Ned. “And I think it will be easier this way,” she said cryptically, narrowing her eyes at Ned but giving him a small smile at the same time. Confused, Ned was still speechless as he tried to process everything. “I… uh…” Kristina put her hand up, as if to stop Ned’s words from coming out. “Ned, it’s okay – you don’t have to say anything. Now, if you both will excuse me, I’m going to start packing.” With one more dramatic look, she turned and flounced up the stairs. Alexis and Ned simply stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. Thoughts swirled through each of their heads, but neither was willing to share them with the other person. “Well, I guess I’ll go make that coffee now,” Ned offered. Alexis nodded and swallowed hard. “Good idea,” she agreed. ********************************************************************************************************** Rae rounded the corner with a cup of coffee in each hand, fuming slightly that it had taken the cafeteria cashier so long to break her $50 bill. Her head down, Rae didn’t notice the two men in front of her until she was almost on top of them. Luckily for her, she managed to dodge them at the last moment before contact. She quickly apologized to the two men, then started on her way again, but paused when something caught her attention. Pretending she lost something, Rae set her cups of coffee down and casually searched through her purse as she continued to eavesdrop on the two men. “So, there are definitely two sets of skid marks,” Taggert mused, rubbing his chin. Mac nodded. “Yes, and the question now arises – who really hit Jax? Was it Carly, or was it the other car that left those skid marks going the opposite direction?” “Carly said she was going to meet Jax at his lake house, right? Do we know how that meeting was arranged?” Taggert pondered. “Carly said that her nanny called her and told her that Jax needed to see her as soon as possible. Sounds like a lead that you should follow up on.” Mac grinned at his star detective as he playfully slapped him on the back. “Great, just what I need – more work,” Taggert grumbled good-naturedly as the two men passed Rae on their way to the elevators. Rae zipped up her purse and picked up the coffees once again. Her mind was reeling as she tried to piece together all of the clues she had learned thus far. ********************************************************************************************************** Jane and John Jacks slowly came down the corridor that led to the waiting area. Jane dabbed at her eyes while silently cursing herself for getting worked up… she wasn’t normally the emotional type. As if he could read her mind, John put his arm around her to comfort her. Jane looked up at her husband and noticed just how weary he looked. She patted his chest as she pulled away a bit. “Our boy, he’ll be fine, ya know,” she said, trying to sound confident. John nodded, but his eyes remained clouded over. “Yes, he’ll pull through this, he’s a fighter,” he mumbled, more to himself than to Jane. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the image of Jax lying in that bed, hooked up to all of those monitors and IV’s, out of his mind. Jane noticed the glint of fear in his eye. “C’mon, old boy… we need to show Skye there’s no reason to worry,” she told him determinedly. John nodded as he followed his wife out to the waiting room. He watched as Jane marched straight up to Skye and sat down next to her, then took Skye’s hands firmly in her own as she reassured Skye that Jax was going to pull through. John’s eyes wandered the waiting room and eventually locked with Rae’s searching gaze. He involuntarily flinched as Rae seemed to sense what was truly on his mind. Embarrassed, John looked away and sat down in a corner. A.J. and Courtney stood near Rae, chatting about different topics, trying to make the time go by faster. Rae had been keeping a close eye on A.J. – for some reason, she just didn’t trust him. She had noticed how he seemed to be skittish around Skye, as if he wanted to be there to support his sister, yet at the same time didn’t want to be there because he was afraid of something… but what? As Rae continued to eye AJ somewhat suspiciously, A.J. suddenly turned and met her gaze. He seemed startled at first to find Rae studying him, but then gave her one of his reassuring smiles as he put his arm around Courtney. Rae returned his smile, but his reaction only made alarm bells go off in her head. *********************************************************************************************************** Unsure how much longer they should stay, A.J. and Courtney were just about to leave when Ned and Alexis entered the waiting area. Seeing John sitting by himself, Alexis went straight over to her ex-father-in-law, leaving Ned standing by A.J. and Courtney. “So, how’s Jax?” Ned asked the newlyweds. A.J. and Courtney exchanged a worried look, then A.J. spoke up. “Well, his parents are trying to tell everyone that he’ll be fine, but Mom and Dad aren’t sure if he’ll come out of this coma,” A.J. told Ned grimly. “Damn!” Ned muttered, sitting down and putting his head in his hands. Jax had been just about the only friend that Ned had made in a very long time – he couldn’t imagine the world without the noble Jasper Jacks in it. “Where’s Kristina?” Courtney asked Ned. “I thought she’d come here with you.” Ned raised his head to look at Courtney, his eyes a mixture of confusion and sadness. “Kristina has decided to leave Port Charles,” he said quietly. “What?!? When is she leaving?” Courtney asked, shocked at the unexpected news. Ned shrugged. “It looks like she’s going to be leaving very soon,” he relayed. Courtney turned to AJ, her eyes filled with concern. “A.J., Kristina was the first friend I had here. I need to go say good-bye to her.” AJ nodded and rubbed her back gently. “You go do what you need to do, okay?” “Yeah, but what about you?” Courtney asked uncertainly. “You’re exhausted… maybe you should go home and get some sleep.” A.J. smiled at his wife, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re so sweet to worry about me, but I’m fine. Besides, I haven’t really gotten a chance to talk to Skye today.” “Okay, if you’re sure.” Courtney gathered her belongings and headed for the elevators, leaving A.J. alone. Ned had joined Alexis in talking with John. A.J. looked around the waiting room and observed the others present. Jane was still talking to Skye, her arm around his sister’s shoulders. A.J.’s eyes roamed to the other side of the waiting room, where he once again noticed Rae studying him. The expression on her face sent chills down his spine – her eyes seemed to look directly into his soul. A.J. debated whether or not he should confront Rae or remove himself from the situation. Deciding that it would appear suspicious if he left, he mustered up some courage and strode confidently over to Rae, giving her his best smile. “Rae, it’s good to see you.” A.J. leaned over and kissed Rae on the cheek. Rae raised her eyebrows in surprise, but recovered quickly as she returned A.J.’s smile. “So, A.J. – I want to thank you for being so supportive of Skye. She tells me you’ve been wonderful ever since Jax’s accident.” A.J. shrugged, his expression ever-so-humble. “I’m just trying to be a good brother,” he replied honestly. “She’d do the same for me.” Rae nodded slowly, the suspicious look still in her eyes. “Yes, I suppose she would,” she agreed. “It’s just a shame the two of you were on the outs for awhile. I hear you had quite an argument the night of Jax’s accident.” A.J.’s pulse quickened slightly, but he showed no signs of panic outwardly; instead, his face adopted a look of regret. “Yes,” he sighed, “I’m afraid I was a bit hard on Skye. She was only trying to help me, and I see that now.” “Do you.” Rae’s voice dripped of sarcasm. Her eyes narrowed as she moved closer to A.J. until their faces were mere inches apart. “I’m only going to say this once. If I find out you’re using my daughter in any way that is hurtful to her, you will be sorry. And for the record, I think you’re lying through your teeth.” A.J. managed to keep a straight face as Rae backed away, a smirk on her face. He watched as Rae walked over to Skye and sat down next to her, then took Skye’s hand in her own as she shot A.J. one last warning glance. He couldn’t take it anymore – he had to get out of that hospital. It was all too much, and he was practically suffocating. As A.J. started to walk over to Courtney to tell her that he needed to leave, Alan came rushing out to the waiting room. Skye and the others immediately stood, fearful of what Alan had to say, until they saw the smile on his face. “Jax just woke up,” Alan told the small crowd, then looked at Skye. “He’s asking for you, Skye.” Skye’s mind was flooded with relief. She didn’t even consider giving Alan a hard time about not allowing her to see Jax until now – the relief was so great that she couldn’t think of anything else. “How – how is he?” she managed to ask. “Well, he’s surprisingly well,” Alan admitted. “He is stable and appears not to have any permanent damage from the head trauma.” He looked over to the relieved faces of John and Jane Jacks. “Of course, he wants to see his parents as well,” Alan told them. Jane nodded emphatically, as she once again dabbed at the tears in the corners of her eyes. “Well, we don’t want to keep our boy waiting, now do we?” She purposefully linked one arm through Skye’s and her other arm through her husband’s, then nodded at Alan. “Lead the way, doctor.” Skye numbly followed Jane’s lead, not entirely comprehending what was happening. Five minutes ago, she hadn’t known whether Jax was going to live or die. Now, by all accounts, it appeared that he was going to be just fine. It was all just too much for her to process – she felt like screaming at someone for having to be put through all of the grief and agony, yet she wanted to shout for joy and hug every single person she came into contact with. As they rounded the corner and walked toward Jax’s room door, Jane paused and gently held John back while at the same time gently giving Skye a small push forward. Taking her cue, Skye hesitantly walked into the room and paused at the foot of the bed. Jax’s eyes were closed, but she could see his chest moving up and down from his steady breathing. Afraid to wake him, Skye started to turn back towards the door. “Don’t you dare leave.” His voice stopped her in her tracks. Turning back toward the bed, Skye had tears in her eyes as she looked at Jax’s smiling face. “Get over here,” he said softly, his blue eyes full of warmth. Skye moved slowly to the side of the bed and stood there, transfixed by Jax’s intense stare. Jax held out his hand, and she took it in her own. “How do you feel?” she finally asked in a hoarse whisper. Jax shrugged, then winced from the movement. “I’ll live,” he said simply, giving Skye an impish grin. His simple statement was enough to make Skye’s emotions bubble over. Throwing her arms around his neck, Skye buried her head against his pillow as she sobbed uncontrollably. Startled, Jax tried to put his arms around Skye, but couldn’t due to the various IV lines and monitors attached to his body. He could feel her body shaking as she leaned against him, continuing to cry. Unable to do anything else, Jax finally turned his head toward Skye’s and kissed her cheek over and over again. Finally, her crying subsided, and she pulled away, wiping her face with her hands. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, as John and Jane came up behind her. “Ya have nothin’ to be sorry about,” Jane assured her, patting her on the shoulder, then moving to hug her son. “Ah, Jax my boy, it’s good to see ya up.” Starting to tear up herself, Jane turned away to compose herself. “It certainly is, Jax.” John leaned down and gave his youngest son a kiss on the cheek, then squeezed his shoulder affectionately. “Now, don’t you ever give your mother and I a scare like that again, okay?” Jax smiled weakly at his father, touched by the show of emotion by both his parents and Skye. “Well, it was kind of out of my control, Dad,” he pointed out. “Yes, I’d like to hear more about that.” Lieutenant Taggert entered the room and made his way to one side of Jax’s bed. “Mr. Jacks, it’s good to see you awake.” “Thank you, it’s good to be awake,” Jax replied, trying his best to be jovial despite the obvious pain he was in. “I apologize for interrupting, I’m sure you all want to spend time with him, but I do need to ask him a few questions,” Taggert explained somewhat regretfully. “Well, go ahead,” Skye urged. “You won’t get any argument out of me. Whoever did this has to pay.” Taggert turned toward Jax, who in turn grabbed ahold of Skye’s hand once more. Taggert cleared his throat as he opened his notebook. “Now, Mr. Jacks, can you tell me what happened on the night in question?” Jax turned to look at Skye, his eyes gazing into hers searchingly. Skye returned his gaze, slightly confused, then squeezed his hand. “Go on, tell him,” she encouraged him. Jax turned back to Taggert, his brow knitted in concentration. “I’m sorry, Taggert – could you repeat the question?” “Sure,” Taggert nodded understandingly. “Do you remember what happened on the night you ended up in the hospital?” “Yes, I do,” Jax replied, his mouth set in a grim line. “I remember everything.” |