Helena may not have heard the crashing of the tea cup but someone else had. Irenie had just left the library down the hall when she thought she heard something from the Master bedroom. Turning back she glanced around the corner and frowned. No guards? Biting her lower lip, she nervously decided to investigate and hurried down the hallway. She rapped the oak door tentatively, "Mrs. Cassadine? Is everything well?" she called. Hearing no response, Irenie debated entering the bedroom, normally she would be thrown off the island for such disobedience, literally, but perhaps this was a necessary trespass. She opened the door and crept inside, taking careful steps to not make any noise, "Mrs. Cassadine?" she called again but gasped as the words came out. Rushing to Ekaterina's side, Irenie pulled Ekaterina up from her slumped position and noticing the pale face and blue lips, she immediately turned to the telephone, punching the emergency button before removing the tray and placing it on the ground. "Mrs. Cassadine? Please wake up, are you alright?" she begged frantically as she lightly slapped Ekaterina's cheek, dancing lightly from one foot to the other.
Within moments the two guards who were at the door previously rushed into the room and on their heels was Mikkos and a doctor. The first guard grabbed Irenie and pulled her away as the doctor quickly set to work. A few of the nurses on staff rushed into the room to assist the doctor and they worked feverishly to revive Ekaterina. Mikkos stood by wordlessly, though his fear became evident with each passing moment. No one noticed Helena slipping back into the room, unable to speak, her shock and fury thankfully unnoticed. Irenie craned her neck to see but was roughly pulled back by the guards flanking her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doctor pulled away, relieved.
"A mild heart attack I think, she'll need to be on a respirator for the next little while, can anyone tell me what happened?"
Mikkos stormed over to Irenie, "explain yourself!" he thundered.
"I-I-I was coming out of the library wh-when I heard a noise from this room. I noticed there we-we-were no guards and so I thought it would be best to investigate and that's how I found her. I pushed the emergency button," Irenie explained, her stuttering being the evidence to her great fear as her eyes were wide, staring back at Mikkos's dark ones.
Mikkos was taken aback, she had done the right thing, but he couldn't very well praise her for disobeying the rules, but she had saved his Mother's life, so he instead turned to the guards, "where were you! You have strict orders!"
The first guard stepped forward, "Miss Helena told us to escort a servant back to the kitchen for security purposes, sir."
"I don't care what Miss Helena instructed you, my Father gave you your orders before he left for Athens, why did you leave her?!"
"The thefts in the home sir, Miss Helena swore she would remain with Mrs. Cassadine until our return." The guard stepped back, trembling, praying that Mikkos would understand. Mikkos's eyes flickered to Helena as he breathed heavily, contemplating what to do.
"You are all lucky my Father is away, he would have your worthless lives for this! None of you are to speak of it again and you two are now being moved to grounds security. Go!" he barked and the two guards scurried out, thankful for their lives. Mikkos went to the phone and ordered for new guards and another servant before turning his attention to Irenie.
"As I told the guards, do not speak of this moment to anyone, now go, you have chores." Irenie nodded and without a backward glance, she hurried out of the room, still shaking.
"When my Father returns you will report the heart attack to him but will make no mention of the missing guards or the servant girl's presence. You will tell him that Helena summoned aid and was shaken by the entire incident. I want a nurse here around the clock for Mother's aid, and that is all, clear?" Mikkos's voice rang with authority and the doctor and two nurses nodded silently before gathering their things and leaving. The servant and new guards arrived just as the doctor left.
"No one but myself, my Father, the nurse and doctor are permitted inside this room. You disobey my orders and you will be shot understand?" The two guards nodded and quickly posted themselves outside the oak doors. Mikkos wandered over to Ekaterina as the servant finished cleaning up the broken glass from the cup and left with the tray.
Ekaterina, asleep, was now hooked up to machines, her face covered with a breathing mask, an IV drip hooked up and sending precious nutrients to her recovering body. Her face was no longer pale and her lips were once again rosy along with her cheeks, indicating an immediate sign of improvement but the beeping from the heart monitor reminded anyone that all was not good. Mikkos touched his Mother's hand gently before stepping back and turning to Helena. Before he could say anything, a nurse arrived, prepared for the first watch.
"You will be relieved in eight hours, watch her condition and make note of any changes," he instructed the nurse as he took Helena's hand to leave the room. The two walked down the stairs turning down the various corridors until they reached Mikkos's room. He prodded her inside before locking the door behind him. Helena sat gently on his bed, her mind racing, she would have to do this exactly correct if she wanted to survive another day.
"How could you? How could you leave her alone without any guards posted?" Mikkos whispered, still facing the doorway, his anger and disappointment just bubbling beneath the surface.
"I did not send the guards away Mikkos, I swear my life on that, I have no idea why they left their post but I am not angry with their transferring the blame onto me. They are simply trying to cover up their mistakes. I left the room to fetch another knife for Mother, I was surprised the guards were not there and so I went to look for them. I must have just not heard the noise that the servant girl did, you can imagine my horror upon returning to the bedroom. Mikkos, please, my behavior was deplorable and I understand your rage, I have only tried to please you and your family and I'm afraid I might have been too eager and in doing so, made a grave error in judgment."
That was it, it was her plea, her lifeline and Helena held her breath waiting for his response. Mikkos debated her plea, she sounded sincere and pained with her confession and she had done many things to please the family. Perhaps the guards had left their post, but maybe she had lied in covering up for herself about the fear of another attack from the thief. He frowned and turned to face her, Helena's face, streaked with tears as her lower lip trembled. She prayed the tears would work on Mikkos.
And they did.
"I forgive you, but you will be no longer allowed in the Master chamber until further notice, understand?" he said, his voice trying to be stern.
Helena nodded and she threw herself at Mikkos, wrapping her arms around his waist as she fell to her knees, sobbing, "I'm so very sorry, you know how much I love her, I would never dream of doing anything that might harm her," she wept, her sobs seemingly uncontrollable.
Mikkos pulled Helena to her feet and held her arms tightly as she stood inches from him. "Control yourself," he demanded and she obligingly grabbed a tissue and wiped her tears from her face. Helena knew that her next move had to be the clincher. She gently touched his cheek with her delicate fingers and ran them down the line of his jaw, her eyes flashing with delight as he trembled slightly from her touch. "Thank you Mikkos, how can I ever show you my gratitude?"
Despite the fact that his Mother had been at death's door just minutes ago, that thought was the furthest thing from his mind as he gazed into her clear blue eyes. He had been strangely aroused at her throwing herself at him and once again her scent was stirring emotions in him he was normally able to hold back around her, but no more. Mikkos took Helena by surprise as he pulled her in a searing kiss, aroused even further as she immediately wrapped her arms around him and responded eagerly, deepening the kiss. The two, arms wrapped around each other tightly, thudded against the door as their kissing became more raging, their tongues greeting each other as their need became more feverish. Mikkos whipped Helena around so that her back was now against the doorway and he hungrily devoured her neck. For Helena, this was no longer a means to an end, she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. She raked her hands through his hair and tilted her neck back, groaning with approval as she rubbed one leg up and down his. He moaned as she bit down on his earlobe before running her tongue against it gently and he responded further by running his hands down her chest, groping for her breasts. "Yes, Mikkos, yes," she panted as he began to pull at her blouse and he suddenly stopped.
*~*
********************************
Bobbie approached the warehouse Jason's directions pointed her to and for the hundredth time, checked her rearview mirror to see if anyone was following her. She rounded the warehouse that was located just near the docks, closer to the highway and parked near a doorway. She made her way to the door, carefully observing her surroundings before knocking gently on it. The door opened and Johnny's face peered out, "come on in, no one followed you Ms. Spencer?"
Bobbie shook her head, "I was very careful, just like Jason asked. Where is he by the way?" she asked as she surveyed the sparse warehouse.
"He's in the office with your guy, follow me," Johnny instructed.
The two walked in silence as they approached the windowless room. Johnny knocked once before opening it. "Ms. Spencer is here boss."
Jason met them at the door, "thanks Johnny, come on in Bobbie," he said stepping aside for her to pass.
Bobbie let out a gasp as she got a look at the room. "It's like the ER at GH," she marveled as she walked slowly down the main hallway. There was a main desk, and just past it were various vestibules with the tools commonly found in ER trauma centres. It wasn't as high tech as General Hospital's ER but even the walls were sterile white. Jason nodded as they made their way down the hallway, "this is the place where we take our guys when they're hurt, just minor stuff really. For major surgery, we've got another place but you won't see that. Cassadine is just finishing up wit his CAT scan."
"You have a machine HERE?" Bobbie asked, completely awed as Jason shrugged nonchalantly, "we got it for a good price so why not?"
The two approached the door and Jason opened it, and Dr. Jacobs greeted them with a nod. Two technicians were chatting quietly at the other end of the room, engrossed in the computer.
"Well, we did the scan and thankfully, all looks well. No swelling or damage of any kind. We did more thorough testing on his reflexes and such, you know the procedure Ms. Spencer, and found no problems. He's quite lucky really since we are conducting these examinations several days after his injuries were sustained," Dr. Jacobs relayed, putting his hands in his lab coat pockets.
"Where is Stefan now?" Bobbie queried as she peered into the examination room.
"Just outside, one of my assistants is retaping his ribs. At this point, I don't believe he needs to be admitted to Albany, but my assistant will give you the necessary information for a speedy recovery."
Bobbie nodded and turned her head to Jason, "I'm going to go check on him okay?"
Jason nodded, "I'll be out in a second."
Bobbie smiled at Dr. Jacobs and left, crossing the hall and entering one of the closed off vestibules. Stefan was sitting on the bed with his back to her. The assistant was just finishing the taping when Bobbie coughed and made her way around the bed. Stefan looked up, he was tired and seemed anxious but his face relaxed when he saw her.
"Okay, you're all taped up, I'm gonna go get the medication you'll need, I'll be back in a minute okay?" the woman instructed.
There was a moment of silence after the woman had left before Bobbie reached out and squeezed Stefan's hand, "how'd it go?"
"Very well, things run more quickly here than at GH I must say," Stefan remarked.
Bobbie rolled her eyes, "yeah well, here you don't have to worry about things like procedure, insurance and liability. How are you feeling?"
Stefan tilted his head to one side, "much better, they injected me with some sort of medication earlier, it's easier to move and breathe," Stefan said, his eyes meeting Bobbie's, "thank you Barbara, for everything you have done for me, I will not forget this."
The assistant reappeared and handed Bobbie and bottle of pills. "Two pills three times a day until they're finished, that'll take care of the pain in the ribs but if that doesn't start to work after a few days, inject him with this before taking the pills but I doubt you'll need to. I was told you were a nurse at GH so I trust you don't need further explanation?"
Bobbie quickly looked at the medication and nodded, "I'm familiar with them, I'll do just fine."
The assistant nodded before turning to Stefan, "plenty of rest and no pool playing okay pal?
Stefan furrowed his brow, "playing pool? What makes you think I would willingly become involved in that kind of event?" he asked, highly insulted.
"Thank you very much, we'll be going now," Bobbie smoothed over as she pulled Stefan off the bed and out of the vestibule, ushering him down the hallway, "she assumes your involved Stefan, it's nothing personal."
Stefan said nothing as Bobbie helped him with his coat. Catching her hands in his Stefan looked at her seriously, "I really am grateful for this Barbara, thank you for coming to my aid."
Bobbie sucked in her breath slightly, becoming slightly uncomfortable with his penetrating stare but did not look away or pull her hands from him.
"Well, your welcome," she responded softly.
***************************
Cedar Crest Apartments
Dara Jensen clicked the door of her apartment behind her, locking it before turning on her lights. She kicked off her heels and with a relieved smile, walked towards her dining room table, placing her coat and briefcase on it. As if on cue, she did a half turn and like a pro basketball player, she shot her keys across the room and watched them land on her desk.
"Yes, three points!" she crowed doing a small spin on the spot before unbuttoning her jacket and throwing it over the back of one of the dining room chairs. Walking into the kitchen, she untucked her blouse, leaving it hanging as she hit the 'Message' button on her answering machine and went immediately to the fridge.
"Dara, sugar baby, I'm just calling to remind you about your facial this Saturday at 2pm. Sharla, Dru and I are going together, if you want me to pick you up just call okay? Byyyyyyyyye!!"
Dara shuddered, "Dru? Lord knows that one can't stop her lips from flapping for two minutes, no thanks Coral." Dara pulled out an apple and shut the door as the second message came.
"Dara? Uh, I um guess you're not home huh? Well, it's Marcus Taggert and...."
Dara leaned forward on the counter, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, a charmed smile growing across her face as she listened to Taggert stutter along through his message.
"....geez, you know I hate answering machines, so anyway I was wondering if you would like to join me sometime this weekend for dinner or something else if you'd like. I guess I'll call you later okay? Right, bye."
Dara giggled slightly as she took a bite from her apple and began to file through her mail when the third message came through.
"Dara? It's your Mother sweet, listen I know you weren't expecting my call until Sunday but something important's come up sweetheart so put down that apple and listen carefully."
Dara stopped chewing, slightly annoyed by the fact that her own Mother from across the country knew exactly what she was doing. Nevertheless, she put the apple down.
"Honey, your Father, well, he's had a small heart attack."
Dara sucked in her breath, her mouth wide open as her Mother's voice hurried on.
"Now, don't get all frantic, he's in the hospital and he's fine but he would like you to come home if you can for a little while. Actually, we both would. Give me a call when you get this message okay baby?"
Before the final beep had finished, Dara had rushed to her phone and dialed the long distance number. She paced nervously as the phone on the other end rang until their answering machine kicked in.
"Mom, I got your message and I'm on my way. I'm taking the first flight from Port Charles to San Fransisco okay? I'll take a cab from the airport so I should be there in about eight hours. Love you!"
Dara quickly hung up the phone and dashed down the hallway to her room to pack. Thirty minutes later she was ready to leave. After having left messages with Sharla and D.A. Schultz, she reluctantly dialed Taggert's home number.
"You know what to do," came the abrupt message as Dara's heart sank that he wasn't there.
"Marcus? It's Dara, listen, there's been a family emergency and I've got to go home to San Fransisco. I'll call you when I get there okay? Don't worry I'll be fine."
Pausing for a moment, Dara caught her breath before adding the last bit.
"And I'm sorry about this weekend, I'll make it up to you okay?"
With that Dara grabbed her handbag and suitcase and rushed downstairs to catch the waiting taxi.