Episode 158

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Episode 158

Scene 1:

Football practice over, Chris trotted home, bag slung across his back. The party at Dylan's was tonight and the school had been abuzz over it. He couldn't stay away now. Not if he wanted to prove how wrong Dylan was about his place on the football team. Besides, it wasn't like he was the starting quarterback. He was a back up, that was it. If Jamie had bought his place on the team, he hadn't paid very much for it. He paused at a corner, waiting for a light to turn. Two girls were there waiting for the light to change as well. He knew them both from school, though not very well.

"Hi Chris!" The tall brunette greeted him. Her name was Deana something, he remembered. She was in his Chemistry class. "Going to the party tonight?"

"Sure," he replied jogging in place to keep his heartbeat up. "Are you?"

"Oh yeah. I hear everyone will be there. Some people are talking about it being the party of the year."

The 'walk' light flickered on. "Well, I'll see you there then," he called taking off at a quicker pace. Stupid party, he thought. He was only going to show Dylan what a jerk he was. He rounded the corner of his block and skidded to a halt. His father's car was in the drive along with a few he didn't recognize. He walked the rest of the way, catching his breath as he went.

At the house, Chris used his key in the door to let himself inside, being careful not to attract attention. He started to tiptoe past Jamie's office to get to the kitchen but paused at the mention of Jesse and Lily's names. Their names were not spoken willingly in Chris' presence for some weird notion that Jamie had about it upsetting him. It didn't upset Chris so much as piss him off. After all, Dad had just let them all go without so much as a fight.

"I don't want my kids growing up in an environment like that," Jamie was saying.

"That's not your decision, Jamie," Jude replied calmly. "You gave up the right to raise them when you signed on the dotted line for your divorce." That's right, Chris thought angrily. "Besides, think about what interfering now will do to them."

"What it will do to them? Michaela is living with a man who isn't her husband. I cannot let them be exposed to that."

Chris snorted silently. What a hypocrite, he thought remembering back to when Jamie had come into his life. He had been too young to realize it then but Jamie and Michaela Robinson had practically been living with each other then. And no one seemed to care. Now, here Jamie was talking about how morally wrong it was for Michaela to live with another man. Hypocrite. Thankfully though, Jude was right there to call him on it.

"Did that make a difference to you when you were living with her in Colorado?"

"That's different," Jamie snapped.

"No, it isn't. Now cut this nonsense out before it gets out of hand," Jude advised. There was some more mumbling from Jamie but it sounded like the conversation was about over. Chris turned around, making a beeline for the kitchen. The phone rang just as he hit the door and he snatched it up quickly.

"Hello? Hey Jason...Yeah I'm going...I better not hear a word about how Dad bought my spot on the team though...I don't know what I'll do. Something," he added more to himself than to his friend.

Scene 2:

"Mr. Rollins?"

The man stood at Gwen Mason's appearance in his office, the cigarette in his mouth nearly falling out as his jaw dropped in surprise. His was not the kind of establishment that a woman like Gwen Mason would appear out of no where. Sure, he had done business with her niece and a few other hoity-toities in the Glen but not the Queen herself. She stood in the doorway surveying him with a sharp eye wearing what he thought looked like the most expensive coat he had ever seen that wasn't a fur.

"You are Mr. Rollins, aren't you?" She asked waiting for an answer.

Collecting himself, Buck Rollins removed the cigarette from his lips and smashed it out in the ashtray on his desk before leaping forward, hand outstretched to Mrs. Mason. "Yes, that's me, Mrs. Mason. What an honor to meet you!"

Gwen's lips pursed slightly in a mixture of disgust and amusement. She took his hand and shook it lightly. "Is it then? Well, perhaps you could spare a moment of your time for me then?"

"Yes, yes! Of course! Please come in." He motioned to the straight backed chairs cluttering his office. They were a set of old dining room chairs he had picked up at an estate sale years ago for a deal. They were far from comfortable but they were fancy enough for the types of clientele he attracted. Gwen looked them over once and took a seat without comment. "Can I get you some coffee?" Rollins asked.

"No thank you. I don't have long."

"All right. What can I do for you, Mrs. Mason?" He sat back in his own chair and leaned forward eagerly.

"You worked for my niece, Hallie Lennox, once. Didn't you?" Gwen began, her manner crisp and businesslike.

"Ah...yes ma'am," Rollins replied. His eyes dropped to his desk and he picked up a pen. That job had been about Gwen Mason. "Your niece is very-"

"Don't tell me how pleasant or charming she is, Mr. Rollins. Not if you want my business," Gwen interrupted. "Hallie is a shark who looks out for herself. I'm not here about myself. I'm here about my children."

"I see..."

"I have three. Two sons and a daughter. Unfortunately, two of them have no sense and the other isn't willing to take on a problem himself. So, I have to step in for all of them." She reached into her purse and laid a file folder on his desk. "This is my son Jamie. He is in the middle of a divorce right now from this woman." She opened the file and pulled out pictures, laying them on the desk for him to see. "This is my daughter Ellen. She just married this man. His name is Ian McCormick. And this is my son Jude. He is living with a woman by the name of Maura Conlan. She's a very lovely woman but she has this ex boyfriend who is making trouble for them."

"Quite a family you have there," Rollins remarked.

"Yes quite. What I need from you, Mr. Rollins is information on each of these three people." She pointed to Michaela, Ian and Rick Upton. "To start with, I want anything you can find out about any of them. I don't care how insignificant it seems to you. In all likelihood, it will probably mean a great deal to me. Now, after you've completed that and I'm satisfied, we'll see what else you can do for me."

Scene 3:

Honey Manning. She liked the sound of her new name. It was still new to her. Josh had come home from his meeting with Jamie Mason and announced that he was taking the job after all. She had been thrilled for him and sorry that she would lose him at the same time. But Josh had done something that surprised her even more than agreeing to Jamie's job offer. He had proposed!

Josh had gotten down on one knee and pulled out a small ring and asked her to marry him. She had been so surprised that she didn't answer for a moment and he had gotten angry, though she could tell he was only embarrassed. Seeing it, she accepted immediately and put the ring on her finger. He had all the details worked out ahead of time of course. That was very Josh, she knew. Right down to the dress she would wear.

There had been nothing remarkable about the ceremony which disappointed her but couldn't be helped they were in a hurry. Jamie Mason wanted them in Virginia ASAP and Josh meant for them to get there faster. They packed up their meager belongings with a promise from Josh that he would replace anything they couldn't take with them. She didn't care. Half of her things were so ratty, she would be more than happy to get a replacement.

Their new home was a small rented house near to the hospital. Close enough, Josh said, for him to walk. He needed the exercise after all the laying around he did in New Orleans. And as for Honey, it was close to Downtown and all the shopping she needed to do or wanted to do. She had mentioned finding a job but he had shut her down almost immediately.

"You worked to support me for a year, Honey. I don't intend to let you work anymore," he said and ended the conversation. What she would do with her free time, Honey had no idea, but she was willing to figure it out.

For the moment, she was happy right where she was. Married to the man she loved more than life, in a new town with new possibilities. There was nothing else she needed. All Honey wanted was to see Josh happy again and maybe, she hoped, just maybe Conlan's Glen was the right place for that to happen.

Scene 4:

The sun was beginning to set as Josh pulled up in front of the forbidding brick Victorian Jamie Mason called home. It wasn't as monstrous as his mother's house, but it was definitely Jamie's style. He climbed out of the car and made the trek to the front door, ringing the bell. A tall blond boy who was the mirror image of Jamie opened the door. The other boy wasn't Jamie's and looked nothing like him. This had to be Chris.

"Hi, You must be Chris. I'm looking for your father," Josh said.

"Hang on," Chris muttered. He disappeared down the hall replaced by Jamie a few moments later. His face brightened a bit at the sight of Josh on his steps.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting you for another week."

Josh shrugged. "I'm here now. I figured I might as well get here as soon as possible. Nothing for me there anymore."

"What about Honey? Christ, Josh. After everything she's done for you?"

Josh rolled his eyes. Leave it to Jamie Mason to jump to conclusions. "I didn't leave her there. In fact, I married her so you can get off your judgment horse now. She's waiting for me at home."

"Home? Well, good then. I hate to see such a nice girl used like that..."

"As if you're so frickin' innocent there," Josh muttered. "Look, I just came by to tell you we're here. When do you want me at the hospital?"

"Don't get angry," Jamie returned in a placating voice. "Come inside and have a drink with us. My brother is here."

"Brother?" Josh echoed stepping inside. He was never one to turn down a drink at any time. Besides, he hadn't had a drink since leaving New Orleans. This was long overdue. "When did you get a brother?"

"Always had him, apparently. Just found out about it last year. You know him. Jude? Turns out my parents weren't married when he was born so he was raised by my mother's brother." He explained the whole thing as if it were just a matter of course that this happened on a daily basis. "How's your brother?"

That surprised Josh. He hadn't thought about Aaron in a while. "Married, I think. To some actress. Last I heard anyway."

"And your sister?"

"Jessica? She's living in Miami with her son." He dropped it at that, not wanting to discuss that whole mess. It had been part of the reason he had left Florida in the first place. They entered the study where Jude sat on a leather couch leafing through a magazine. He hadn't changed much, Josh decided, since their college days.

"Josh. How are you?" Jude asked after barely glancing at him.

"All right, I suppose," Josh answered taking the glance Jamie offered him. He swallowed the alcohol quickly feeling relief at the old familiar taste. "You?"

"Oh you know. It's a laugh a minute at the Masons." He got to his feet. "Better run, Jamie. Good to see you Josh." Jude departed leaving Josh and Jamie alone in his study, each holding an empty glass and staring at the decanter on the desk. Jamie lifted an eyebrow at last.

"Another?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Josh replied offering his glass for a refill.

"I see you can still put the alcohol away. I hope you have this under control," Jamie remarked filling the glass before turning to fill his own. Josh rolled his eyes but bit back the comment he wanted to make about Jamie's own drinking habits. The man had been a fish in college. Probably why he ended up with a kid from a one nightstand. "The board won't like it if you're drinking interferes with your job."

"Don't worry, it won't. Not an issue, Jamie."

"Good. Now about the hospital. Here is the deal. You remember Ian McCormick?" Josh nodded, taking a drink. "Good. He's at the hospital right now. ER head. He also happens to be married to my sister now."

That surprised Josh, making him cough on the whiskey. "When did that happen? I thought you had pretty much banished Ian from Four Winds."

"I did. Ellen found a way around it. Trust me, no one is happy about it. Not even Ian. You should see how he glares at her. She tricked him into it no doubt. She always was more like Mother than she let on. If I had to guess, I would say she promised him Chief of Staff. It's the only possible explanation."

"And does he have a lock on it then?" Because if he did, Josh thought feeling some resentment toward Jamie and Ian bubbling below the surface, if he did then this was just a waste of his time.

"No. I won't let Ellen's games with him play a part in how I manage my hospital. She had no right to promise him anything. I'll make it a fair decision with the Board, but you have my vote and backing. That alone will hold a lot of weight with them."

Josh finished the drink and set the glass down on the desk. "Good. Because I swear to God, Jamie, if this is all some weird pretense to screw me again, I will make you regret it."

"Save your threats for someone else, Josh. They make you sound ridiculous," Jamie replied with a hint of annoyance. "I've done you the biggest favor of your life. You'll get the job...as long as you don't screw it up yourself. You should get home to your wife. Tell her you have to be at the hospital tomorrow at nine. And Josh? Don't show up with a hangover."

Josh glowered darkly at him before turning away to leave. He didn't much care what Jamie Mason or the damned Board thought of him. He did, however, owe it to Honey to make this work. She had done as much as any one person could do to save him and this was her reward: an idyllic life in an idyllic town with a man she loved. He only wished he felt the same way for her.