Chapter Sixteen

Next morning (Saturday)

Lucky woke up to the smell of something cooking.  It took a moment for it to register where he was.

“Well it’s nice to see that you’re finally awake.  I was beginning to think that I was going to have to wake you up for breakfast.”  Erin said walking out of the kitchen carrying some plates.

“Did I fall asleep last night?  You should have waken me up.”  Lucky said walking over the dinning room table.

“I wasn’t going to let you drive home half asleep.  So I just let you sleep.  Hope you’re hungry.”

 

Jason’s apartment

Robin was still asleep in Jason’s arms.  Jason looked at her and smiled.  He couldn’t help but feel lucky to have her.  They had been through so much and where still together.  He kissed the top of her head.  Robin opened her eyes and smiled.

“How long have you been awake?”  Jason asked.

“Not long.”

“What were you doing?”

 “Just listening to how quiet it is.  I was thinking how crazy things have been around here lately,” Robin snuggled up against Jason.  “I was thinking that we should take a short vacation.  Not like right now but in a few weeks when thing settle down a little.”

“I think that is a great idea.  How about Montog?”  Jason asked with a knowing smile.

“Just what I was thinking.”

 

Luke & Jason’s office at Luke’s

“Hay Jason, do you have a minute?”  Lucky asked poking his head in the door.

“Sure, I’m just working on the books.”

“Did you know that tomorrow is Erin’s birthday?”

“No I didn’t.  What about it?”  Jason could tell that he was planning something, Luke would get the same look when he was getting ready to do something that only he could bet away with.

“I was thinking that we should through a surprise party for her.  You wouldn’t have to worry about a thing, I’ll take care of it all.”

“That sound like something that a Spencer would think of.  It’s fine with me.  Where do you want to have it?”

“The easiest thing would to have it at her house.  All I would need you to do is find some way to get her out of the house for a few hours, can you do that?”

“Sure I can come up with something.  What time?”

“Well I would need her out of the house maybe from noon till two.”

 

The next day (Erin’s Birthday, Sunday)

Erin and Brenda were sitting at a table finishing up their lunches.  Robin had asked Brenda to take Erin shopping for a few hours so they could set up for her birthday.  At first Brenda had been a little wary of Erin but so Brenda felt just as comfortable with her as with Robin.

“This is so nice of you to take me shopping.”  If someone had told her six months ago that she would be shopping and actually enjoying it she would have told them they were crazy; but there was just something about Brenda that she liked.  Not only did she have good taste in close, Erin could see a fire in her.  The same fire the Sonny must have fallen in love with.  All her life Erin had kept her distance for everyone because she had never really felt comfortable with any one except Sonny, Carrie, and her father.  She had even kept her distance from her mother, but that was for a different reason.

“No problem.  Is till can’t believe you’ve never been to a mall before,” Brenda gave Erin a winning smile.  “I have a black belt in shopping so I know where to go for the best stuff.  Normally it isn’t the mall but I you haven’t lived till you’ve been to the mall.  So are you ready to hit the stores again?”

“Ready as ever.”  Erin joked.

“I think now we have to hit some of the stores with the good summer cloths.  You’ve never experienced a heat wave till you’ve been here in the summer.”  Brenda and Erin smiled and hurried off back to the stores.

 

Erin’s apartment

“I think we are done.  I had no idea that it would take so long to get this place set up.”  Robin said tying the last balloons together.

Jason walked in carrying a medium size cake box.  “Don’t you think you went a little over board?” Jason asked looking at the streamers and balloons.

“No, I think it turned out just perfect.” Lucky said stepping back to look at the living room.  It was decorated in blue and silver.

Robin’s phone rang.  She talked for a moment and then hung up.  “Brenda and Erin are going to be here in a few minutes.”

 

Ten minutes latter

“Thank you Brenda.  I had a great time.  I never knew shopping could be fun.  I always thought of it as something I only did if I had to.”

“Well it looks like you are going to have a lot to learn.”  Brenda said, she placed her hand on her stomach and smiled.

“If I’m still around I’d love to help you teach the little one the joys of shopping.  But if she’s anything like you she’ll be a natural.”

Brenda smiled at the though of her baby being a girl.  “Well we won’t know for a few more weeks if it’s going to be a girl or boy, but to tell you the truth, I’m hopping it’s a little girl.”  Brenda and Erin got off the elevator and headed to Erin’s door.

“Would you like to come inside?  You’ve got to be tired after all that walking,” Erin asked opening the door.  Inside everything was black.  “That’s funny.  I thought I had left the shades open.”

Just then the lights turned on and everyone jumped up and yelled “Surprise!” (The everyone only consisted of Robin, Jason, Lucky and Brenda, but it was enough to make Erin jump.)

“Happy birthday Erin.”  Robin said coming up to her and giving her a hug.

“Yah, happy birthday.” Brenda said giving her another one of the smiles that made her famous.

“Okay, whose idea was this?”  Erin asked looking strait at Lucky.

 

Thirty minutes into the party

In the midst of the festivities the phone rang.  Erin answered it laughing, “Hello?”

“Is this Miss Brown?”

“Yes it is, who may I ask is this?”  Erin asked sill giggling watching Robin and Brenda try to explain to Jason the concept of birthday candles, blowing them out, the wish, the birthday spanking and everything else that went along with birthdays.

“I’m sorry to bring you such bad new, but there had been an accident in England…” Erin didn’t hear any more, she dropped the phone and slid to the floor.  She knew what he meant by and accident.  Her father was in England; correct that had been in England.  He had left in first class and now he was going to return in the cargo hold in a black box.

Jason and Lucky ran over to Erin the moment she had dropped the phone, followed closely by Robin and Brenda.  “Erin? Are you okay?  What’s wrong?” Robin asked kneeling down to her.  She looked up at Jason worried when Erin didn’t respond.  She only proceeded to hug her knees and rock back and forth.

“Hello?  Who is this?”  Jason asked angrily into the phone.

“This is officer Manchee.  Who am I speaking to now?”  asked the man on the other end, in a thick English accent.

“This is Jason Morgan.”

“Ahh…yes.  Mr. Brown said that you were taking care of his daughter.  Mr. Brown was in a car explosion.  He regained conciseness just long enough to give up the information to call you and Erin.  He died just a few hours ago.”

“Oh,” Jason sighed sadly.  “If you can give me your number I’ll get back to you in a few hours and you can give me the details.  I have to go.”  Jason wrote down the number and hung up.  Erin was now crying hysterically in Robin’s arms.  Jason scooped her up into his arms and carried her up to her room.  Robin followed silently behind him.

Lucky stood and watched everything unfold like a bad dream.  This was meant to be something to take Erin’s mind off how tragic her past birthday’s had been.  Now by the looks of it everything had taken a tragic turn.  Him and Brenda looked at each other.  “We should leave her be for now.  Do you need a ride home?”  Brenda asked.

“Yah, that would be nice.  Could you drop me off at the club?”

 

Erin’s room

Jason and Robin sat with Erin for three hours before she finally cried herself to sleep.

“Robin I have I go to a meeting.  Could you sit with her till I get back?”

“Sure, though I don’t think I’ll be able to help her.”

“Yes you will.  You can help anyone,” Jason walked over to where Erin lay asleep on her bed.  He bent down and kissed her forehead.  Robin looked on and smiled sadly. “I’ll be back in a few hours.  I’ll try and keep it short.”  Jason and Robin kissed goodbye and Jason walked out the door, softly closing it behind him.

Robin looked at Erin sadly.  She thought about what it was like when she lost her parents.  She wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone, but here was a sweet innocent girl having to go through the same pain she did.  I silent tear slipped down her cheek.  Robin walked out of the room when she was sure that Erin wouldn’t be waking up in a wile.

“Mom, dad, you’ve helped me so many times.  All those time it was because I was the one in pain.  Now I need you to help me help Erin.  How do I do that?  How can I help her?  I don’t even know how I got through loosing you.”  Robin prayed quietly to her parent’s spirits.

Robin could feel the presence of her parents, Anna and Robert Scorpio.  “Robin, just being there for her will help her.  All you can do is be there and listen when she needs to talk.  That is something you were always good at.” Anna said placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“Another thing you can do is help Jason find the person who did this.  Charlie was a good friend to all.  Don’t be shocked when people start coming out of the woodwork to try to help, but remember to be careful whom you trust.  The person responsible for this isn’t done yet,” Robert warned her.  “We love you.”  With that Robert and Anna disappeared.

“I love you too.”  Robin whispered sadly.  Robin when down stares to fix herself something to eat.