Chapter Two: Tensions Arising
Dara Jensen snap the file shut and sighed. Her feet ached, her head throbbed, and if one more Spencer burst through the waiting area, she was going to scream. She had been holed up in her tiny, cramped office for the past few days, reviewing case law. She had little doubt that Alexis Davis would be retained as Stefan Cassadine's lawyer. Another opportunity for Alexis and Dara to go one on one.
Shouts and blustering echo in the corridor that leads to her office. Taking a sharp breath, she reaches into her desk drawer and gropes for a blunt object. She may need this very soon.
"I never thought that you were incompetent before," Edward Quartermaine blusters as he barges into her office. His eyes lock with hers, refusing to break contact.
"Mr. Quartermaine, I understand that you're upset right now," Dara begins to explain before Edward silences her.
"I give enough money to that moron Shultz. I pay your salary missy. Is it too much to ask for justice in this town?"
"Mr. Quartermaine," she starts again, attempting to maintain her composure. "I understand that you're grieving right now. You and your family have suffered two terrible losses in such a sort time. Getting angry at me isn't going to help the situation."
"Ms. Jensen--"
"Mr. Quartermaine, listen to me. I will do everything in my power to put Chloe Morgan's murderer behind bars for the rest of his life."
Edward collapses in the chair opposite the desk and looks helpless for the first time before her. Dara isn't sure what to do. She only hopes that she can offer him some sort of comfort.
"The trial hasn't even happened yet."
"How reassuring. You couldn't even convict the man that kidnapped my great-grandson and the police caught him with Michael! You took a plea."
"The circumstances of Michael Morgan's kidnapping were.complicated," she defends delicately, as she always does when pushed on that issue. Dara has yet to explain or apologize for her relationship with Justus Ward and Alexis' subsequent blackmail.
"My family needs closure."
"They'll get it Mr. Quartermaine."
"See that they do," he murmurs, his shoulders sagging and his steps heavier than before. Dara has witnessed a broken man leave her office. A man that use to be indestructible has crumbled.
Her feet slip out of the high heels and she places them up on her desk. She reclines her head against the leather back of the chair and takes a deep breath. She isn't sure what to do, but screaming crosses her mind. Her eyes drift around the small room. Stacks of files in the corner. Some cases she won, some she lost.
"Performance Anxiety," a smooth voice husked in her ear. Dara turns and smiles brightly at him.
"I don't need this right now," she replies, pushing the glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I need to prepare my opening statement."
"Sometimes I worry about you Dara. You let that Baldwin intimidate you."
"I don't plan on it. His client is going to pay." He smiles brightly at her, depositing a kiss on her temple.
"I know you. You're brilliant. Like I said, I think that it's performance anxiety."
Unsure of how to take his comments, she laughs. Turning in her chair, she smiles at him. "It's good to have you here. You make my life fuller."
"Thank you," he sincerely says with a grin. "But I can't take all the credit. That cat seems to be doing something for you too."
Dara glances at her watch. Perhaps she should get something to eat. Lately, she has to remind herself of the most basic tasks. But, she better go before someone else barges into her office.
Chris Ramsey glances around the Nurse's Station, looking for his shoulder bag. It wasn't in his locker, or his car. He spotted Alan Quartermaine talking with a nurse, handing her a chart before heading his way.
"Dr. Quartermaine--" Chris calls, forcing the doctor to stop and smile at the Chief Resident. After Karen Wexler's drug relapse, he had been wary to appoint the scheming young doctor to the position of power. But, Monica wasn't.
"What can I do for you Dr. Ramsey?"
"I need to ask for a favor. I need to request some time off."
"This is rather sudden isn't it?" Alan asked, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't sure, but it seemed that the young man was up to something.
"It's my brother," he lies. "He's gotten into a scrape and he needs someone to bail him out. He's in Canada right now."
"Explain no more. I have a trouble-making sibling," Alan says with an ironic smile. "And despite our differences, I would bail Tracey out if she needed. Take all the time you need. I'm sure Ian Thornhart and Karen Wexler will figure out how to cover you."
"Thank you sir," he says Chris say before returning to the station. He tears at charts until he finally finds what he is looking for. Gabriela Garza looks at Chris suspiciously.
"Can I help you find something Dr. Ramsey?" she sweetly asks, looking him over carefully. He was definitely up to something.
"Uh no Gabby," he says quickly, stuffing the file into his bag. "I have a plane I have to catch."
"Going somewhere?" she asks as she files her chart away.
"I have something that I need to take care of." He grabs the bag and waves to Alan before hopping onto the elevator.
Alan nods and then notices his eldest child sitting on the couch.
"Your secretary told me that you were doing your rounds," Skye Chandler explains. Her eyes lock with Chris before he disappears. He isn't sure what that girl is up to, but he knows a schemer when he sees one. And she is up to something.
"I'm glad that you came to find me," he warmly says. She smiles coyly before offering him a seat.
"I just had left Grandfather," she chokes on the words. "He was a wreck."
"He cared for Chloe very much," Alan says. "And then, Mother's death." Skye rubs her father's shoulders, trying to sooth him
For a moment she feels a pang of guilt. Despite it all, Alan was at least a good man.
Carly Spencer stretches her arms high over her head and lets out a yawn. Beside her, Michael is curled into a ball, fast asleep. His chubby hands are balled into tiny fists as he snores soundly. She runs her fingers through her hair and she sighs.
What have you done now Caroline? she chastises herself.
You got out. You're in control now. the voice answers back. She knows that it's true. She finally in control of her life.
"Good morning," he husks, appearing from the bathroom. Carly smiles at him, taking his extended hand.
"Good morning to you," she smiles. "Did you sleep well?"
"I slept very well." He places a gentle kiss on her temple before releasing her from his arms. "And the little one?"
"He's perfect. He had fun on that boat with you. Michael loves the water."
"I could tell." Carly's companion pours her a cup of tea and offers her the seat next to him. She enjoys her lush surrounds. Despite her trouble with men, she has grown accustom to the opulent lifestyles of Jason, AJ, and Sonny.
"What is so amusing?"
"Nothing," she says, waving her hand to emphasis her point. Her brown eyes settle on Michael's sleeping body. "I've hurt my son so much."
"He is a strong boy Caroline."
"Amazingly, considering what I've put him through in three and a half years. Three fathers." She counts them off on her hand. "Jason, who he loved more than anything in the world. Those two were amazing together. Jason loved Michael so much. You'd think that he was the only thing in the world."
"And the biological father?" he prompts.
"I don't understand my relationship with him. He has this ability to stir such hatred in me. Mostly, I think that AJ is afraid to be a father to Michael. It's easier to think of his a bargaining chip."
"It is awful when parents do battle with you as a pawn."
"Is that what happened to you?"
He grins evilly. "My relationship with my parents is far different."
Unable to sit still, Carly jumps up. She never understood why people claimed that tea calmed them. It always seemed to make her more jittery. She knows what he's going to ask about next. Sonny. And he is the last thing in the world she wants to think about, much less discuss.
"Maybe if I mention my mother's name, I'll get a discount. Bobbie Spencer, Divorcee Queen. Maybe I'll get the third one for free."
"Planning your next marriage?" Stavros Cassadine asks, advancing towards Carly.
"Not exactly." She smiles seductively at him. "Maybe I should swear off men all together."
"Maybe you should stop toying with boys Caroline," he says softly, running his finger up the side of her jaw. "And get involved with a man."
"I have a bad track record. This is my second trip to the Dominican Republic in a year and a half. I don't come for the scenery."
He pulls her forward and kisses her deeply. Carly can't explain what is transpiring between the two of them, but she knows that she can't walk away from him.
"Maybe we should take this conversation back to your room," she suggests.
"Hello Uncle," Nikolas says, causing Stefan to jump from his seat on his cot. His face is etched with humiliation and pride.
"Nikolas, what are you doing here?"
"I know that you didn't kill Chloe Morgan. Despite your Cassadine traits, I know that you aren't a murderer."
"Thank you for your faith." Stefan turns from his nephew, his son in his heart. He can suffer humiliation after humiliation, but having Nikolas see him here is too much.
"Do you have an attorney?"
"Alexis has offered her services."
"She's returning to the family," Nikolas deduces. He nods, agreeing with his aunt's decision. Stefan studies Nikolas' face carefully. He is struggling with something.
"What is bothering you Nikolas?"
"I sent Gia away with Laura and Lesley Lu. Laura got spooked when someone broke into her home." Stefan bites back a retort about Laura's usual reactions, and inwardly cringes on Nikolas' diction.
"I assume that you suspect Helena of this intrusion."
"She left my father's engagement ring on her pillow."
"The same ring that sits on Elizabeth Webber's finger?" Stefan asks, steepling his fingers together. Nikolas looks at him surprised, and then shakes his head. Stefan is a collector of information. He always has been, why should jail slow him down.
"Helena has demanded that I return to the family. Uncle, I'm thinking of doing that."
"I thought that you did not want to be a Cassadine?" Stefan presses. "I don't think that Helena has changed from her murderous, manipulative ways. Nor have I changed your impression of me."
"Uncle, I've been a fool. I got caught up in a bond with my brother that was suddenly extremely strong. My mother--"
"Yes, Laura did seem to have time for you when her second-born son was thought to be dead."
"She had time for both of us," he answered. Stefan catches his eye and shakes his head.
"Nikolas, I understand what you're attempting to say. The family that you longed for suddenly was open to you with loving arms."
"That does not make my betrayal of you any more justifiable," Nikolas replies. Stefan is suspicious of Nikolas' sudden turn around. His willful defiance was juvenile, but to suddenly admit it. To cast Gia Campbell from his life? To return to the family?
"Protect your queen," Stefan says suddenly. Nikolas' eyes glaze over and he looks blankly at his uncle.
Things are far worse now. Helena is now approaching checkmate.