Written in 56 minutes.

Forest Hill House: Porch

Leticia Juarez’s gaze was still slightly unfocused, pulled from sleep by the knock at the front door. She remained in the doorway, not giving any indication that she intended to let either Mac or Capelli inside.

“Ms. Juarez,” Mac began, “we just want to confirm what time Carly left here. That’s all. I don’t need to come inside—”

“Why are you here?”

The voice came not from the bewildered nanny but behind them, from the front walk. Mac turned, and Capelli took a few steps towards the edge of the porch. Courtney stood there, at the base of stairs.

“Where’s Carly?” she asked. “Why are you here? Leticia—”

“They say Mrs. Corinthos has been shot,” Leticia said when Courtney joined her at the doorway.

“We were going to look for you next, to ask you some questions—”

“Carly’s been shot?” Courtney pressed a hand to her mouth. “By who? When? Where? Is she at the hospital—why didn’t anyone call me?”

“We’ve been trying to track down Sonny all night. Maybe you can get us in—” Capelli began but Courtney cut him off with a slice of her hand across her chest.

“No, you answer my questions first, damn it! Where’s my sister-in-law?”

“In surgery. It happened at Kelly’s,” Mac said, hesitated. He didn’t believe Courtney was involved, other than needing to be crossed off the list. “Carly was shot, and so were Ric Lansing and Elizabeth Webber.”

The blonde’s eyes bulged at that and she looked away for a minute, took a deep breath before returning her gaze to Mac. “Are they alive?”

“Last I heard, yeah. But we have just as many questions as you do.”

“Well, I don’t have any answers for you. So why don’t you go ask someone who can tell you something?” Courtney turned to the nanny. “Stay with Michael. I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

General Hospital: Hospital Room

The night continued to crawl by in excruciating seconds, minutes, and hours. Carly remained in surgery and would for several more hours. It was delicate work repairing the damage done by the bullet to her head, and they wouldn’t know anything until closer to dawn. Elizabeth had fallen asleep after their brief conversation, a more natural rest.

Jason only left her side briefly to allow Audrey some time, and to check on Bobbie. To talk to Leticia, assured that Michael was safe. He spoke briefly to Max — Sonny was at the Towers. He’d just showed up. No one knew if he’d left the building or when he’d returned. But he was locked up tight, and no one would leave the door again.

He couldn’t find the room to think about what happened next, if he should tel the police about Sonny or find another way out. It went against everything he believed in to turn Sonny over to the police, particularly when he knew the cops wouldn’t care about a mental health crisis.

Though right now, watching Elizabeth sleep, knowing he’d have to tell her there’d be possible nerve damage and that their baby, this precious gift that they’d barely begun to appreciate, might not survive—Jason was finding it hard to care about the mental health of the man who’d put her in this bed. Or was responsible for the bullet in Carly’s head that might take her life, and leave her children without a mother.

It was too awful, too painful to think about, so he didn’t. He shut it down and put it away, and sat next to Elizabeth, making a promise that he’d never leave her again.

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Bobbie accepted the coffee that Felicia handed her, wrapping her hands around the plastic thermos that her friend had brought from home. She’d brought a second one for Audrey, though it remained untouched on the table next to her.

“This is so awful,” Felicia said, sitting in the chair across from Bobbie. She readjusted the hair clip in her messy blonde hair, then smoothed a hand down her neck. “How are you both holding up?”

“No news is good news,” Bobbie said. She sipped the coffee, letting it soothe her throat, sore and tired from crying. “As long as she’s in surgery, there’s hope.”

“I’ve failed so terribly,” Audrey murmured. Both women looked at her. “I let her drift away from me. Just as I let my Tommy drift. What kind of mother am I? What kind of grandmother?”

“Tommy drifted all on his own, Audrey. The phone works both ways,” Felicia reminded her. “That one isn’t your fault.”

“But Elizabeth is,” Bobbie said flatly. Then she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault, Audrey—”

“To walk in here tonight, to learn that my granddaughter had been married to a monster I encouraged her to be with—that she’s pregnant and wouldn’t tell me—”

Felicia’s brows shot up, and Bobbie winced. “Audrey, they—well, maybe it’s useless now. But they were going to keep that quiet. Jason only told me because—well, I suppose he wanted to tell someone.”

“Jason and—” Felicia pursed her lips, absorbed that. “What’s this about Ric?”

Briefly, Bobbie filled her friend in on the basic details, watching her blue eyes widen until it was nearly comically, and Audrey’s face lost what little color had returned.

“I don’t understand, he works for the DA’s office now,” Felicia said slowly. “How could they—how could Scotty do this?”

“He thought it was his ticket to finally gaining power over Sonny,” Bobbie said bitterly. “What did my daughter matter? What did Elizabeth matter? Not when they could finally throw Sonny or Jason in jail.” Her eyes filled again and she put her head in her hands. “I was so scared for so long, and I thought I had her back, but instead, she might be lost forever.”

Audrey put an arm around Bobbie’s shoulder, tucked her in. “Carly’s strong, Bobbie. You know this. As you said, no news is good news. Your daughter will recover, your grandson will be born, and you will have them both to spoil. And I—” She took a deep breath. “I will have a great-grandchild to love. It will be so lovely to share that with Lila. She’s so fond of Jason. What’s done is done. We must look forward. I’ve made my mistakes. My judgments. It ends tonight.” She looked at the clock, noting it was just after four. “It ends this morning,” she corrected.

Harborview Towers: Lobby

Mike slapped his hand against the front desk. “What do you mean you won’t wake him up! Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Corbin.” The man swallowed hard. “But I have strict instructions—”

“I’m going upstairs, and if you want to stop me—” Mike started towards the bank of elevators, but they opened before they reached them. Max jogged out, his eyes rimmed red with exhaustion.

“Mr. Corbin. Hey. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I had to get someone to cover the door. Let’s talk.” Max gestured towards a grouping of sofas and furniture. “Jason told me to talk to you, so I’m talking.”

“I don’t want—” Mike broke off. “You’ve spoken to Jason.”

“That was part of the wait. I had to call him. See what he wanted me to do. You’re Mr. C’s dad, you know? I didn’t want to just let you sit here or send you away. It’s not cool.” Max hesitated. “Jason said you know that Mr. C’s not well.”

Mike closed his mouth, exhaled slowly. “Did he have problems tonight?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Bad ones. I had to sedate him. That’s why you can’t come up. There’s no reason. He’s not gonna wake up until morning, you know?” Max rubbed his chest. “And no one’s saying it, but we lost Sonny for a little while earlier. We found him, but we just—we don’t know.”

“Christ. You’re saying it might have been—” Mike turned away for a minute, absorbed that. “Okay. Okay. Yeah. That’s fine. I’ll talk to Jason in the morning.”

General Hospital: Hospital Room

Jason didn’t know when he’d closed his eyes, didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he heard his name being spoken, he jerked awake and sat straight up.

Elizabeth’s head was turned toward him, her eyes open. “I didn’t…mean to wake you. I just…” Her lashes fluttered. “I woke up. I saw you—”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” He came forward on the chair, sitting on the edge, raising her injured hand to his lips, kissing the inside of her palm. “I’ll get a doctor. Are you in pain?”

“No…” Her voice was soft, almost floating. “No. Numb. What…happened?”

“What do you remember?” he asked carefully.

“Kelly’s.” Another flutter of her lashes, then her eyes focused on his, some of the glaze fading. “Carly. We talked. Then…Ric came. Did he—” Her voice broke. “I can’t move my arm. What did he do? I don’t—I don’t remember anything. The baby—”

“Is fine,” Jason finished. “Can you hear that sound over there—”

She closed her eyes. “The beeping. Yes.”

“That’s your heart. The faster one is the baby. Okay?”

“Okay.” Elizabeth swallowed hard. “What did Ric do? Where’s Carly?” Her voice was stronger now.

“Carly’s in surgery. I don’t know what happened. You’d—you’d all been shot by the time we got there. You were shot in the shoulder. But you’re going to be okay.”

“All of us—” She pinched her brows together. “What? Who—”

“The police don’t know yet,” Jason said, which was the truth. He didn’t want to burden her yet with information he hadn’t confirmed. “It’s okay. Let me go get a doctor. All right? Just rest.” He kissed her hand again. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

General Hospital: Hallway

“Scott. Hey.” Mac got up from the bench as the district attorney approached them. “Did you hear back from the state yet about a special prosecutor?”

“No. No. But it’s only six in the morning, so—” Scott dragged a hand down his face. “We get the report in from the crime scene guys?”

“Nothing definitive, but none of our theories are ruled out, so there’s that.” Mac sighed. “We couldn’t get in to see Sonny, though I’m not surprised by that. Courtney said she didn’t know anything. She show up here?”

“Not yet. I’ve been keeping a list of who goes up to surgery—” Scott glanced down at his notepad. “So far it’s just Morgan, Bobbie, Audrey, and you know Felicia joined them about two hours ago.”

“No Courtney or Sonny. Weird,” Capelli said. “Did you get confirmation from Morgan about the baby?”

“More or less, yeah. Audrey Hardy didn’t know anything, and Bobbie let it slip, so I think it was something they were keeping quiet. Which, yeah, that tracks if Morgan’s father.”

“Bet the fiancee doesn’t know,” Mac said. “She didn’t seem to have a reaction when we talked to her at Carly’s. So we don’t know anything new?”

Scott hesitated. “I wouldn’t say that—uh, Ric woke up for a little while. He…told me it was Morgan. Tried to kill Ric, and the women were accidents.”

“Ric—” Mac closed his mouth, just stared for a minute. “Are you serious?”

“It fits the theory of Ric being the target,” Capelli pointed out, but Mac just shot him a dirty look. “Well, it does.”

“Yeah, but—” Scott began, but he was cut off when he heard someone calling out Mac’s name behind them. Courtney was there, likely having just turned the corner.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t—” she inhaled sharply, tears glimmering in her blue eyes. “I didn’t know what to do. I can’t live with this anymore.”

“Can’t live with—” Scott stopped, looked at her hands. At the towel-wrapped item she held. “What is that?”

“I was there. Tonight. At Kelly’s.” Courtney sucked in a sob. “He told me to leave. He gave me this and told me to hide it, so no one would know. I didn’t know Carly was hurt. I thought she fell. I didn’t know. So I went to get it, and I knew I had to give it to you, but you have to believe me, it was an accident, okay?”

“What was an accident?” Mac prompted.

“He just hates him so much! He’d never hurt Carly or Elizabeth, but—” Courtney’s lips trembled. “Jason just hates Ric more anything.”

+41

Written in 62 minutes.

Harborview Towers: Lobby

“We should have just gone straight to the hospital,” Capelli muttered, stepping away from the guard at the desk. “They’re not going to let us upstairs.”

“No, not without a warrant.” Mac squinted at the elevators. “But it’s interesting, don’t you think—Sonny’s here. They said as much. Why isn’t he at the hospital already? Pregnant wife shot in the head after being kidnapped this summer? Something’s not right.”

“Do you think he’s the shooter?”

Mac hesitated, then gestured for the other man to follow him towards the lobby’s doors. When they were outside, back on Harborview Road, he turned back to look at the building, at the top floors. “I don’t know what I think. Ric Lansing is a pile a garbage that Scott decided was worth the risk of keeping around. I can think of ten people who might have a reason to shoot him. I can also think of a few people who might not be sorry to see Carly Corinthos go down, though not as many as it used to be.”

“But both of them and Elizabeth Webber?” Capelli shook his head. “That’s where I keep getting tripped up. Maybe we’ve got two shooters. Ric shoots Liz and Carly, and someone else shoots him—”

“Maybe. Maybe.” Mac scratched his jaw. “Ric’s got reason to hate Carly. And Elizabeth. But who shoots him and flees? No calls to 911 other than Bobbie’s.”

“Do we know where the sister is? Sonny’s,” Capelli added. “You heard Morgan when he got in the ambulance. Elizabeth is pregnant. They’re clearly sleeping together. Maybe Carly knew?”

“I’ve met the sister. She’s a ditz who can barely tie her shoes.” Mac grunted. “But yeah, maybe we snip off that end. Wonder if she knew about the baby.”

“Only one way to find out.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Scott hesitated at the entrance to the room, watched as Jason Morgan paced the room, the restless energy radiating even on the other side of the room. Bobbie sat slumped in one of the chairs, her eyes staring ahead blankly, puffy and red from crying. Beside her, Audrey Hardy sat stiffly, her eyes watching Morgan suspiciously, darting back and forth.

But then she saw him, and got to her feet. “Scotty! Oh, thank heavens. Tell me—” The older woman came across the room, and Scott reached for her outstretched hands, squeezed them, and kissed her cheek. “Tell me you know something.”

“They’re still gathering evidence at the scene,” Scott said, reassuring his parents’ oldest friend. “I’m so sorry about this, Audrey. Bobbie. This is—this is awful.”

“One more tragedy for my daughter to live through,” Bobbie said, her tone clipped. She slowly rose to her face. “I don’t know what happened, but it starts and ends with Ric Lansing. Somehow, he’s at the root of this. And if you’d done your goddamn job, you worthless coward, he’d be in jail and those girls would be on their feet—”

“What is she talking about?” Audrey demanded, whipping her head back to look at Scott.

Scott grimaced, averted his eyes but unfortunately looked straight at Jason Morgan whose malevolent gaze could probably felt in China. “Carly’s disappearance this summer—there were many rumors, and we couldn’t prove them—”

“Elizabeth gave a statement,” Jason said, flatly. “You found the damn panic room—”

“And Carly was still gone. Elizabeth left Ric. The word of an angry estranged wife with no corroboration?” Scott rubbed his chest. “We couldn’t do anything with the statement. Not then.”

“Panic room—” Audrey pressed a hand to her cheek, took a step back. “Will someone tell me what happened to my granddaughter?”

“Elizabeth found Carly in the damn panic room right before she had the pulmonary embolism,” Bobbie told her friend, and the older woman’s lips parted, almost as if to form a denial. “She saw her, Audrey. Carly was screaming for help, but Elizabeth collapsed first. And Lorenzo Alcazar swooped in to kidnap Carly again—”

“That wasn’t corroborated either—”

“Oh, evidence is important to you? Really?” Bobbie snorted, stalked away. Took a deep breath, looked at Audrey. “You think I don’t know what you’ve been thinking since I called you? What did you say when I told you—”

“Bobbie—”

“You said I thought she was done with all that. I thought she’d come to her senses about what a danger Jason Morgan is.” Bobbie stabbed a finger at the man in question. “Well, that man is the one standing here and the one you wanted for her kidnapped my daughter and hid her in a panic room in his own home for weeks! Don’t stand there and pretend that you had no idea what a monster he was—”

Audrey pressed her trembling lips together. “Bobbie, we’re both upset—”

“No, no, you don’t get to do that. You’ve looked down on Jason from the beginning, from the moment he came into Elizabeth’s life, and he’s the only one who’s never hurt her! Ric Lansing is the kind of man you wanted for her, don’t pretend you didn’t encourage her!”

“She never told me—”

“She shouldn’t have had to,” Jason said, and both women looked at him, started. “But that’s not important right now. It’s not.” He dragged hands over his face. “What happened this summer, what Baldwin didn’t do—none of it matters right now.” He sat down, exhaled slowly. “There’s nothing they know?” he asked, his voice quiet. “No leads?”

“No. We’re waiting on the crime scene techs to come back.” Scott shifted again. “But they’re thinking there were ricochets. Maybe one of them wasn’t the target. We think maybe Carly—”

“What?” Bobbie looked at him blankly. “Why?”

“Initial intake report—” Scott slid his hands in his pockets. “I read them before coming up. Ric was shot twice. One of those wounds still has a bullet, but the other has an exit wound. Went in the back, out his chest. I asked them to run the bullet they take from Elizabeth—I think she was hit with the same bullet. You heard more than one gunshot,” he said. “You don’t know how many, but it was more than one.”

“Felt it wouldn’t stop,” Bobbie murmured, pressing both hands to her face, closing her eyes.

“Three,” Jason said, and Scott nodded. “I only heard three. Unless they shot before we got there—”

“Two for Ric, and a nick in the brick suggests that at least one shot ricocheted.  I’m just—it narrows it down. Ric being the target, Elizabeth and Carly being bystanders.” He hesitated. “The DA’s office is recusing itself from this case. We can’t prosecute an crime done to one of our employees. We have a conflict. The state’s going to send a special prosecutor.”

“So you do have some ethics,” Bobbie said bitterly. “Nice to know—”

“I only—” Scott cleared his throat. “I only meant that I’m not here—I mean, I’m here to help the investigation. But it’s not official. It’s not. I think maybe—” He forced the words from somewhere inside. “I know you’re right, Bobbie. If I’d pushed harder this summer, if I hadn’t—maybe the blame for this comes back to me. You get blinded sometimes by the rage, by the frustration of someone always getting away without consequences—” He stared down at his hands. “But Carly and Elizabeth shouldn’t be here right now.”

“No, they shouldn’t. You’ll have to live with that,” Bobbie said tightly. “And if my daughter dies, if something happens to my grandson, to Elizabeth and her child—”

Audrey gasped, but Bobbie kept going. “If anything happens to any of them, the blood will be on your hands. I hope you choke on that rage, Scott. I hope it keeps you warm at night because no one else ever will. Get out. And don’t come back unless we have an attorney present.”

Harborview Towers: Lobby

She’d forgotten her suitcase.

In the mad flight from her brother’s penthouse, Courtney had forgotten to grab the suitcase she’d left at the elevator, and had had to go back for it.

Now, as she lugged it towards the doors, Wally, the front desk guard, called her over. “What? Do I have to turn in my key or something?” she demanded.

“Uh—” The man looked baffled. “I don’t know. Jason didn’t—I mean, that’s not why—you’re staying with Mrs. C, aren’t you?”

And then Courtney remembered the cover story that explained her absence. So Jason hadn’t told anyone about their breakup. “Why does it matter?”

“I can’t get a hold of Jason, and Mr. C isn’t taking calls. At all.” Wally hesitated. “But the cops were here. I thought maybe Mrs. C or you could let Jason know. We didn’t let them up.”

“Didn’t you try to call her?”

“Yeah, but she’s not picking up either.”

I killed her. I killed her. Oh, God. I killed her.

Courtney took a step back, took a deep breath. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let Carly know. She’s…she’s probably asleep or something. Thanks, Wally.”

“Sure thing, Miss Matthews. Have a great night.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Audrey Hardy looked five years older than she had when she’d arrived after Bobbie’s diatribe — or maybe it was the news that Elizabeth was pregnant, Jason thought, glancing over at the elderly woman. He hadn’t known Audrey had encouraged Elizabeth to stay with Ric, though it made sense. Harvard educated lawyer who dressed in suits—

He looked back out the window, saw himself reflected back. On paper, Ric Lansing had been everything Jason wasn’t. Hard to blame Audrey for wanting better for her granddaughter than a coffee importer with ties to the mob who rode a motorcycle and had been responsible for Elizabeth’s kidnapping. And a bomb in her studio. And being shot at—

Maybe Jason wasn’t what every grandmother wanted, and that was fine. But one look at Elizabeth, and Audrey would have seen that she was unhappy. She’d never looked deeper than that. Maybe it wasn’t fair to be angry at her for pushing Elizabeth towards Ric, but he was tired of being angry with himself or frustrated with Elizabeth for it.

The minutes ticked by, the clock on the wall taunting them with every spin of the second hand, the longer minute hand crawling towards one in the morning. He sat for a while, then paced again.

Thought about who had done this—though as soon as Scott had related the medical reports, Jason knew. Who would want Ric dead and be crazy enough to shoot wildly around two innocent bystanders, one of whom was his pregnant wife?

It had to be Sonny.

Despite that conviction, the certainty, Jason did nothing with the suspicion. He didn’t tell Mac or Capelli when they’d come knocking, had sent them away with nothing more than he didn’t know. But he also didn’t call Max to check on Sonny, to start making arrangements to get Sonny out of the country—

He’d spent his entire life protecting Sonny from the world, from rivals, and from himself, and now because Jason hadn’t acted quickly enough, hadn’t forced Sonny to get help years ago—because Jason had been paralyzed by the decision, Elizabeth was in surgery and might lose their baby, and Carly might die.

There was a snick of the door when the handle turned and a whoosh when it was pushed open. Tony came in, dressed in green surgical scrubs, a matching cap on his head, the mask pulled down around his neck.

Bobbie half-rose from her chair and Jason turned to face him. “Is it—”

“Carly’s still in surgery. That will likely take all night,” he told Bobbie. “I’m scrubbing in shortly. But Elizabeth was my priority. The bullet was near a nerve in her arm—” He stopped, looked at Audrey, then at Jason. “She’s in recovery. We think we were able to repair any damage to the nerve, though she might have some loss of strength and movement in that arm. In her hand.”

“Her hand—” Jason swallowed hard. Flexed his own in response. “She’s an artist.”

Audrey simply closed her eyes, pressed a fist against her lips. “Tony—”

“We just won’t know,” Tony said. He touched Audrey’s shoulder, then hesitated, looked at Jason. “Does…does she know—”

“Yes. And Elizabeth will ask as soon as she wakes up—” If they lost the baby, and Elizabeth lost her art all at once—he couldn’t finish his question. Couldn’t put the words into the world.

“So far, so good. We monitored the fetal heartbeat, and there were no signs of miscarriage. She’s not out of the woods. The risk remains high, especially if she develops an infection or there are any complications,” Tony warned. “Dr. Meadows will be in with more, but right now, the news is good. Someone will be in to let you know when we move her into her own room. I’m going in to handle Carly’s case now—”

“Tony—” Bobbie came forward. “Thank you, thank you for—”

“Don’t thank me yet, Bobbie.” But he squeezed her hand, and left.

Audrey looked at Jason, her eyes damp. “The baby…are you—”

“Yes.” Jason lifted his chin. “It’s mine. And I love your granddaughter.”

“You should—” Audrey took a seat, took a long careful breath. “You should be in with her. She should see you when she wakes. You’re right. The first she’ll want to know is if the baby is—she should see you first.”

Grateful that it wasn’t an argument, Jason nodded. “Thank you.”

“Bobbie, I’ll stay with you until we know about Carly. I’m—I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for all of it.”

General Hospital: ICU

When Ric Lansing was moved from post-op to his own room in the ICU wing, there were no tearful family members. Just a reluctant Scott Baldwin who wished he’d been anywhere else.

“He’ll be groggy if he wakes from the surgery,” the nurse said as she walked Scott into the room. “Press the call button.”

“I’m probably not—” Scott stopped when he realized the nurse had already walked away. He headed towards the bed, wondered what the hell he was supposed to do.

Ric’s head turned slightly, and his eyes opened. Scott sighed. Of course, he’d wake up. He had shit for luck, didn’t he?

“W-hat—where am I?”

“Hospital,” Scott said gruffly. “You got shot. You know who did it?”

Ric’s brown eyes were bleary, glazed over. “Lizbeth.”

“Fine.” Scott shoved his hands in his pockets. “So is that a no?”

Ric licked his lips. “She’s okay?”

“Fine, fine. Shot to the shoulder, concussion, but fine. Just answer the question.”

“Concussion.” Ric closed his eyes, turned his head away, was quiet for so long, Scott thought he’d drifted to sleep. But then he looked back, lifted his gaze. “He didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“He? Who?”

“Shots…must have gone wild. He’d never—he’d never hurt them.”

“Listen—”

“Thought he was smarter than that.” Ric closed his eyes. “Thought Jason knew how to handle a gun. Guess I was wrong.”

+47

Written in 57 minutes.

Kelly’s: Parking Lot

The SUV passenger door closed with a slam, and Bobbie stood for a minute squinting at the familiar car parked in the spot across from Jason. “Did Carly tell you she was coming here?”

“No,” Jason said. “No, she didn’t, but—”

Pop pop pop—

A smattering of gunshots, mixed with screams that cut off abrutply stopped Jason dead in his tracks, but only for a second. His heart racing, he broke into a run, crossing the small parking lot and running around the brick wall that separated the courtyard—

Then the world fell away. His vision grayed, and he had to swallow hard, had to just a moment for his brain to catch up with the rest of his body, to process what his eyes had already seen.

Carly and Elizabeth crumpled next to a table, lying close together—Elizabeth’s arm slung over Carly’s shoulder, and Carly’s hand flung out near Elizabeth’s head. Beyond them, near the street exit, Ric lay on his stomach, groaning, a dark spot of blood visible on his upper shoulder.

Bobbie stumbled into Jason, cried out, and dashed around him, breaking Jason’s paralysis. She slid on her knees behind Carly, and Jason crouched by Elizabeth, bile rising in his throat when he saw the gunshot in her upper chest, near her shoulder. He carefully rolled her onto her back, and saw blood trickling down her cheek.

But her skin was still warm, and the hand he clutched to his chest still had a pulse, thready, but present. He was already digging his cell phone from his pocket when he looked at Carly.

Her mother had also rolled her just slightly onto her back, and the blood on her forehead continued to ooze from the bullet wound that began at her hairline and furrowed into her blonde hair, the strands changing color.

“Oh my God, oh my god—” Bobbie pressed two trembling fingers to Carly’s neck, muffling a sob. “She’s breathing.”

“D-Don’t move them anymore. Don’t—” He didn’t know what else was hit, didn’t know what damage he might cause—how was this happening? What the hell had happened? How had all three of them ended up with bullet wounds—where the hell were the guards—

Bobbie snatched the phone from Jason and frantically dialed the emergency number. Reluctantly, Jason placed Elizabeth’s hand on her chest and went over to look at Ric. He kicked the man over, hoping like hell to see a gun somewhere in the vicinity. It wouldn’t explain everything, but it would give him somewhere to start.

But there was no gun. Someone else had been here.

Jason returned to Elizabeth’s side, took the scarf Bobbie shoved into her hand from her bag and bunched it up against the shoulder wound, putting pressure on it. They couldn’t do that for Carly—couldn’t chance dislodging the bullet in her—

God. The bullet in her head. Had it penetrated the skull? Was Carly dying before their eyes? Would Elizabeth—

“What the hell happened?” Bobbie demanded, snapping the phone closed. “What the hell is  this?”

“I don’t know.” Sirens whirled in the distance, and Jason swallowed, staring down into the too pale,still face of the woman he loved, praying to a God that had forgotten him long ago. “I don’t know.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Courtney dumped the suitcase by the door, then went over to the shelf to snatch down some of the things she’d brought over to make it feel like home. But it had never been home. She’d never been more than a rest stop, she thought bitterly. Now that Jason had his perfect Elizabeth back, Courtney wasn’t necessary.

She shoved the things into her suitcase, zipped it back up, then dragged it out towards the elevator. Before she pressed the button, she glanced over towards her brother’s penthouse, and made a face. She should probably check on him, especially since she’d dropped the break up on him and had left. And also mentioned Elizabeth, Courtney thought with a wince. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but maybe it hadn’t been the smartest thing to do.

Not that Courtney gave a tinker’s damn about that damn whore, but it would be another crime Jason would be happy to add to the list of reasons it was okay he’d cheated on her.

“Sonny—” Courtney stopped, frowning when she realized the door was slightly ajar, and she could hear weeping.  “Sonny?” she repeated, pushing it open.

The room was dark, lit only by the barest hint of moonlight through the clouds. Sonny sat on the floor, his knees drawn up, his back against the sofa. His shoulders shook with sobs. Well, this wasn’t good, she thought. She flicked on a lamp at the desk, and Sonny’s head jerked up, his hair and eyes wild.

“Who’s there?” What’s going on?” He lurched to his feet and Courtney fell back a step. “Who are you?”

“It’s Courtney. Your sister.” Courtney held up her hands, backed up again when he came forward. “Courtney—”

“I don’t have a sister. I never—” Sonny dragged his hands down his face, looked around. “Where is she? What did you do with her?”

“With who—Sonny—”

“Lily—” He lunged again and this time, he grabbed Courtney, shook her so hard her teeth rattled. “What did you do to my wife?” he roared, spittle flying from his mouth. She flinched, turned her face away.

“Let me go—” Courtney tried to struggle, but Sonny’s grip was so tight, she could almost feel it down to the bone. “Let me go, Sonny! Lily’s dead! She’s dead!”

Sonny flung her away, and Courtney went flying, hitting the side of the desk with her hip. She winced.

“I know she’s dead! Do you think I’m stupid? That’s what you all think, isn’t it?” He turned back, shaking a finger at her. “You think I’m nothing more than Puerto Rican street trash dragged in by your cousin!”

“My—” Courtney stared at him. “Sonny—”

“You’re no better than all the rest of them, thinking that you’re better than me! Go, go to your damn fancy college. What the hell do I want with some bitch who can’t stand next to me? Who’s too scared?”

“Sonny—”

He grabbed her again, his eyes fervent, filled with rage. “No one walks out on me! Not even you, Connie! You wanna go? You wanna go be some rich bitch who’s too good for Benson hurst, then go! But I’m the one doing the leaving—” And then he shoved Courtney away again and she hit the door, slamming it shut.

Trembling, Courtney just held her hands up again. “Stop, stop!” she sobbed. “I’m your sister! I’m Carly’s best friend Stop!” she screamed, but Sonny had already grabbed her again, throwing her towards the sofa. She hit it with a thud, then fell to the floor, the wind knocked out of her.

“Don’t you ever talk about Carly! Don’t you—” He broke off abruptly. He put his hands at his head, his fingers ripping into the disheveled curls. “Carly. Carly. I killed her.”

“W-What—” Courtney struggled to her feet. If she could just get to the door— “What—”

“I killed her. I killed her. Oh, God. I killed her.” He stared down at his hands. “The blood.” He held them out. “Do you see it—it’s all over me—the blood—”

The door opened behind Sonny, and Max was there, his eyes wide. “Oh, no, Miss Matthews. Are you okay?” He came around Sonny, his foot kicking at something metal. It went flying across the room, slid under the sofa. “Mr. C—” He avoided Sonny’s fists, then came forward with a syringe plunging it into Sonny’s shoulder.

Sonny continued to fight for another minute, maybe two, but then finally slumped, and Max half-dragged, half-walked him towards the sofas, leaving him lying there.

Shellshocked, Courtney just stared at her brother, at the madman. “What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. We couldn’t find him, but then he just showed up back here like he was never gone—” Max grimaced, looked at her. “He hurt you. He’s going to be so upset when he realizes it. I have to call Jason—Do you—”

“I’m leaving,” Courtney said, backing up. “I’m leaving and I’m never—I’m never coming back here alone. You tell Jason that. You tell him I’m done. This is his problem to fix.”

And then she fled.

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Rage coursed through his veins, but there was nowhere for the anger to go, no one to blame, nothing he could do except pace the length of the waiting area again and again. He’d tried sitting still, but his foot had started to tap, and he’d had to get up.

From one wall to the other, pausing only to scan the parts of the emergency room he could see from here, hoping to see a doctor or a nurse, or someone that could tell him how Elizabeth was, how Carly was—

Behind him, Bobbie sat, pale and shaken, her hands clasped together in a fist that she had pressed against her mouth, her eyes closed. The ride in the ambulance had been like a long waking nightmare with paramedics shouting out procedures and numbers that Jason only half-followed. He knew that Elizabeth’s condition had been more stable than Carly’s, but that could change in an instant.

Hadn’t the whole world crumbled around him in less a few seconds?

What if Carly died? What if she was dead already and they just hadn’t told them? What if Elizabeth—what if she lost the baby—or what if the head injury was worse than they thought—

Tony Jones appeared out from behind a curtain and seemed resigned as he walked towards them. Neurosurgeon, so it could be either woman. Jason didn’t even care that Tony hated him, that he hated Carly. He just wanted the man to tell him that both women had survived.

“Tony—” Bobbie rasped out his name, struggling to her feet. Jason put an arm around her waist, steadying her. “Tony. Tell me.”

“Carly’s still in the trauma room,” Tony said gently, his tone not  giving any hint of the deep history that existed between them, beyond his fondness for Bobbie. “Right now, I can tell you that her condition is critical. They did an X-ray and the bullet didn’t fully penetrate the skull. But they need to take her into surgery to be sure since they don’t have the bullet to remove. A nurse will be out with some paperwork.” He hesitated. “Is Sonny—”

“I have her power of attorney,” Jason said numbly. “In case he’s not available.”

“Of course.” Tony paused. “I nearly called Audrey Hardy as Elizabeth’s next of kin, but she came around in the trauma room—”

Jason’s head jerked up. “She’s awake?”

“She asked for you.” Tony’s lips were thin, disapproving. “And gave consent for you to handle her treatment.”

“She’s pregnant,” Jason blurted out. “The paramedics—”

Tony nodded, looked down at his notes. “There’s no sign of miscarriage, though surgery and anesthesia raises that. Along the stress this kind of injury can do to the body. We’re monitoring, and Dr. Meadows is sending in a resident to observe surgery.” He paused. “She’s critical, but stable condition. We’ll be able to upgrade her if the surgery goes well.”

“Go see her, sit with her until the surgery,” Bobbie told Jason, her hand wrapped around his arm. “You’ll feel better if you can talk to her.”

“I—”

“I’ll stay with Bobbie,” Tony said. “You should go before they put her under. We’ll bring the paperwork for Carly when we can.”

“Thank you.” Jason squeezed Bobbie’s hand, then hurried away.

Tony stared after him, his eyes squinted. “Wasn’t he engaged to another woman?”

“God, Tony. Really?” Bobbie said, then sat back down, put her head in hands and wept violently.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

Scott Baldwin ducked under the yellow caution tape, grimaced as he approached Mac Scorpio and Andy Capelli standing by the entrance to the diner. “Do we have any fucking clue yet?”

“Crime scene’s going over it now,” Mac said. “Right now, all we know is Carly and Elizabeth were both shot from the front, and Ric in the back.”

“Witnesses can’t say how many shots,” Capelli said, flipping through the notebook. “Morgan’s statement was brief and terse. He was climbing in the ambulance and right after he told me to go fuck myself, he said he heard three. Bobbie Spencer thought it was five. I’ve got as few as two and as many as seven.”

“Surveillance camera’s down,” Mac said, with a sigh. “So that’s not much help. Tech thinks there are some ricochets — one of the bullets has blood on it. Carly’s the only one without a bullet in the wound. I’m thinking she got nailed with a ricochet aimed at either Elizabeth or Ric.”

“Well, see, who the hell would want to shoot them both?” Scott demanded. “If it’s just Ric, then it’s Morgan all day—”

“No way he opens fire with Elizabeth and Carly so close. Especially since he told the paramedics Elizabeth’s pregnant.” Mac paused. “And, uh, judging by the way he looked—”

“Great. Morgan and Corinthos Junior at the scene of the crime.” But Scott sighed, crouched down, saw the blood stains from where the women had been laying. “I wish I disagreed with you, but as much as I hate Corinthos and Morgan, this doesn’t feel like them. Especially with Bobbie in the picture.”

“We need to get over to the hospital, get better statements from Morgan and Bobbie,” Capelli said. “And Sonny. Where the hell is he?”

“Probably at the hospital by now.” Scott got to his feet. “You guys take the victim’s families. I’ll wait on Ric. He was shot in the back, but we don’t know anything yet.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

She was swallowed up by the white surrounding her—the sheets, the pillow beneath her, the pallor of her skin, her lips dried and cracked. The only color was the pale blue hospital gown and her brown hair laying across the stark white of the pillow.

The hospital gown been pulled down off her shoulder, and a protective, temporary dressing over the bullet wound, where blood still seeped. Her heartbeat pulsed from a machine behind them, steady. He let that be a comfort, he thought, lifting her pale hand to kiss the inside of her palm.

Her eyelids fluttered, and just a sliver of blue appeared. “You’re here,” the words falling out in barely an audible whisper. “I told…them…to find…you.”

“I’m here. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He stroked her face, hoping she couldn’t see the fear in his eyes or feel it in his touch. “You’re going to be okay.”

“What…what…happened…”

“I don’t know yet. Don’t worry about that right now. You just focus on getting through surgery.”

Her lashes fluttered, then her eyes opened again. “But…the…baby. Don’t…can’t…won’t survive losing….”

“Tony said so far so good, okay? So we’ll just focus on that. You’ll both be okay.”

“Kay…” Her voice slurred. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

There was a slight clearing of the throat from behind him, and Jason looked to find Tony behind him. “We have to take her into surgery now.  You should call her grandmother.”

“I will. I will.” Jason kissed Elizabeth’s hand once more, then backed away, watching as the hospital staff rolled her out of the room, down the hall—

And out of sight.

+51

Written in 64 minutes.

Kelly’s: Dining Room

Elizabeth leaned over cut-through window connecting the kitchen to the dining room. “Hey, DJ. After that last table, you can start clearing down. We’ve only got thirty to close.”

“Felt like it was never gonna slow down.” The cook flipped the patty, glanced over at her. “You looked tired, Lizzie.”

“Definitely looking forward to having tomorrow off.” She pushed away from the window with a hand against the shelf, then scanned the remaining diners.

Just her one table with two dinners on order, a coffee drinker and a teenager nursing the remains of the soda they’d ordered three hours earlier. She smiled softly. She remembered those days, hiding out in Kelly’s until the ice had melted, not wanting to go home to Sarah and Gram’s disappointed expressions.

She touched her belly, still half in denial that there was life growing inside. Not just any life but one she shared with Jason.

DJ set two dinner plates down, hit the bell. “Order’s up!”

Elizabeth delivered those final orders and glanced up when the door jingled, and Carly stepped in, one hand protectively curved over her own belly — not so different from the gesture Elizabeth had made earlier.

“Hey. You said near closing was better. Um—”

“Why don’t you take a table near the back? I just have to finish up a few things. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“Water.” Carly hung up her things and headed for a table. Elizabeth delivered the final checks, retrieved a glass of water and set it down in front of Carly, then she sat across.

“I was….surprised to hear from you,” Elizabeth said, folding her hands on the table. “You asked me not to call Jason—”

“I just didn’t want him to worry about me. I’m not fragile. I refuse—” Carly pressed her lips together, rubbed a temple. “I refuse to play victim anymore. I’ve been blind and I’m trying to find the anger. I do better when I’m angry. Well, not better,” she muttered. “That’s usually when I screw things—never mind. Never mind.”

Elizabeth hesitated. Carly didn’t sound angry at her and hadn’t on the phone, but she still wasn’t sure what Carly had to tell her that she couldn’t have told Jason.

“Um, I guess I should start with—” Carly paused. “I know. About you and Jason. The night Emily almost—I know.”

“Oh—”

“But that’s not why I’m here. I just—I wanted to lay it out on the table because it’s part of this. I thought  about just telling Jason. I’m sure you’re thinking why am I bothering with you—and it’s because—this isn’t about him. I mean, not really. It is, but—” She made a face. “I’m sorry. I feel really scattered, and I’m just—I can’t keep my thoughts straight.”

“It’s okay.” Elizabeth saw her teenager leaving. Down two tables. “Take your time.”

“I need you to answer a question for me, and not ask why. Okay? Just—has Ric been bothering you?”

“Oh.” Confused by that turn, Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry—”

“I’m going to worry,” Carly interrupted. “How often?”

“I was working the opening when I came back to work. Ric came in nearly every morning. I switched shifts, to closing. And he came almost every night.”

“Opening and closing. Slow, fewer customers. Skeleton staff. It’s just you and the cook right now, right?”

“Yeah. DJ waits around when Ric’s here. Carly—”

“Anything could have happened to you. He wouldn’t have cared about some cook. He didn’t care about Michael, did he?” Carly sipped her water, her hand trembling. Water sloshed over the sides. “He didn’t care about you. Did you know he drugged you the night he kidnapped me?”

“I—”

“I got out of the panic room that first night. Ran around, nearly got away—” Her face was pale. “And you never stirred. I thought he’d killed you.”

Elizabeth rubbed her chest, feeling that familiar burn in her lungs, the horror of what she’d allowed in her life. “How did you find out about what Ric’s been doing?”

“I was late today. I guess that’s lucky for me. And I overheard Ric and Courtney. You know she was telling him your schedule. Jason told me that much.”

“He did. I’m sorry, Carly—”

“Me, too. Me, too, because I think maybe she really hates you, and I guess I get it. I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever been friendly with any woman who’s slept with Sonny. You and Jason—it was wrong, and I’m sure I’d have so many opinions about it if this were a normal situation. But it’s just not. Because Courtney—she knew something Jason didn’t. That you don’t.”

Elizabeth frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“She knew exactly how little Ric valued your life. I told her everything. Everything he did to you when you weren’t watching.”

Brownstone: Living Room

“This is a good list to start from. Thank you for putting it together so quickly,” Jason said, skimming over the names.

“Well, once I got started, I couldn’t stop. We can’t let this sit,” Bobbie said, taking a seat on the sofa, wrapping her cardigan around her more tightly. “Sonny’s only getting worse. What you told me about his going to Kelly’s and the way he focused on Elizabeth—I just hope he’ll accept the help.”

“I—I’m prepared for that. I might need to have it done with his consent. Going to the island or something.” He sighed. “I’m sorry—”

“No, that’s not uncommon, actually. Sonny’s hit rock bottom, he just isn’t lucid enough to see it. And this is the last thing Carly needs so close to delivery.”

“There’s something I should probably update you on because she was really upset. You should check on her tomorrow.” Jason briefly related the conversation Carly had overheard and watched Bobbie’s eyes go flat. “Yeah, it’s not exactly  great news.”

“I can’t believe that girl would do this—to turn to a psycho who’s already proved he’ll go beyond the pale to get what he wants.” Bobbie surged to her feet, paced towards the window. “I know my daughter isn’t exactly great at inspiring loyalty, but she did nothing to deserve this from Courtney—” She paused. “Have you thought about what Ric might do when he finds out Elizabeth’s pregnant, that you’re the father?”

“I haven’t spent a lot of time worrying about anything but Elizabeth and Sonny,” Jason admitted. “But yeah, now that you’re bringing it up, I can’t imagine it’s going to be a good reaction. We’re going to try to keep it quiet. Only you and Emily know.”

“Well, the secret’s safe with me.” Bobbie touched his arm. “And if I didn’t get to say it earlier, Jason, I’m so happy for you. Both of you, of course, but especially you. You’re so good with Michael. You deserve a family of your own. You guys are going to be great at this.”

“Thank you.” Jason squeezed her in response. “When things are calmer, I’m looking forward to just focusing on Elizabeth and the future.” He saw the clock on the table behind her. “I have to head over to pick her up in a little while, but maybe you can tell me which doctors you think I should start with.”

Kelly’s: Dining Room

“The night he kidnapped me, he gave you some pretty hard core drugs to knock you out.” Carly kept her eyes on the water glass. “I told you that. I don’t know if you remember that.”

“No. No, I just remember waking up without—” Elizabeth pressed her lips together, looked down at her hands.

“Yeah. I didn’t tell Jason. I couldn’t. Because this is…it happened to you. It wasn’t just those drugs—when you got sick from the lemonade. He was in the panic room with me,” Carly said. “He watched Faith poison the lemonade—”

“F-faith—he watched Faith poison it—”

“He could have stopped you,” Carly said. She lifted her eyes finally. “If he’d opened that door, you’d have found out, but you never would have drank the lemonade. You nearly died. He waited for you to pass out.”

She exhaled slowly, her vision blurred from tears. “The embolism. I knew he did something. But I could never—you know, don’t you?”

“Birth control pills so you wouldn’t get pregnant and not want my baby,” Carly confessed. Elizabeth covered her mouth, swallowed the sob, tasted bile as it rose in her throat.

God. God. It was so much worse than she’d ever imagined. All of it. Poison. Birth control pills. Sedatives so strong she didn’t remember Carly trying to escape. She didn’t remember sleeping with her own husband—

She turned her face away, drew in a shaky breath. “I can’t—I can’t—you told Courtney this?”

“I—I made up my mind that I’d tell you if you looked like you were getting back together with Ric. I know how manipulative he can be, a-nd they weren’t pressing charges. I just thought if you didn’t need to live with it, why should I tell you? But he’s not going away, and Courtney knew—she knew everything he’d done, and she’s working with him anyway.”

Behind Carly, her coffee drinker tossed some money down and left. The late dinner table was finishing up, their plates nearly clean. Elizabeth focused on these details until she could breathe again.

“I know she did this because she thought Ric would use it to keep you away from Jason. I understand, I do. A-and if she’d been working with Lucky or Zander, someone who just—who isn’t evil, maybe I could just let it go. I could, I think, because I don’t know if I like you or the idea of you back with Jason, and I know that’s none of my business, but—” Carly closed her eyes. “I could have forgiven her so many things, but not Ric. Not him. I’ve done some terrible things in my life, but Ric is a monster who keeps slithering free. He always seems to have one more card to play.”

Elizabeth’s lips trembled, her hand shook as she laid them on the table. “I—I don’t know what to do with any of this.”

“I mean, you could tell Jason and we won’t have a problem tomorrow. My vote is that,” Carly muttered. “But you could also tell your lawyer. I’ll—I’ll tell them, too. I’ll testify or write an affidavit. Whatever I have to do.”

Oh.” Elizabeth blinked. “Right. Thank you. No, thank you,” she repeated when Carly just shook her head. “I know you’re going through it right now. Sonny came by last night,” she said with a sigh. “And he wasn’t having a good night.”

“And Jason talks to you,” Carly said. Her smile was faint. “Just like he always did. Well, then I don’t have to tell you that I didn’t need to find out my supposed best friend was working with the man who did this to Sonny. Whatever Sonny’s issues, we were handling them until Ric came along and ruined everything, you know? But Ric destroyed it all. And she knew that. God, how could she do this to us? She kept telling me how much she and Jason loved us, how they’d be there for us, and the second she could, she stabbed us in the back—what kind of person does that?”

The couple left, the last set of diners. Elizabeth rose to her feet and locked the door so that no one could come in. “DJ,” she called. “You can head out whenever you want. I got the closing.”

DJ stuck his head into view. “You got a ride, Lizzie? Or—”

“Jason’s coming to pick me up. He’ll be here any minute. I locked the doors, so we’re good here.”

“Okay.”

“I should get going,” Carly got to her feet, headed for the hooks by the door. “The last thing I need is from Jason is a lecture about resting.”

“Well, let me go get your guard to help you to the car. Is he in the courtyard—” Elizabeth craned her neck, trying to see out the windows.

“There’s no guard. Don’t look at me that way,” Carly said when Elizabeth looked at her with wide eyes. “Okay? You’d do the same thing. The guards work for Sonny. He doesn’t know where I’m staying. And not enough of them know what’s going on. He picks up a phone—”

“Oh. Well, okay, that makes sense, but then just wait for Jason—”

But Carly was already pulling open the door, heading for the parking lot. “It’s fine. I’m an adult. I can take care of myself—”

“Right, but then Jason’s going to wonder why I let you leave—”

“And you remind him that I’m an adult who can do what she wants,” Carly snapped. She whirled around in the courtyard, her eyes snapping. “I’ve spent months listening to everyone else and what did it get me? No where! I’m done!”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I was—I appreciated you coming by, and I felt bad just letting you leave when you’re upset.”

“Well, you’re not going to fix it, okay? I’m not in the market for a new friend. Not when the old one just screwed me over—” Carly closed her eyes. “It’s what I’ve done to Jason, isn’t it? The irony—”

“Well, I don’t know about that—”

“Karma. It always comes back.” Carly sighed. “Look, tell Jason you couldn’t stop me. He’ll understand. He could never stop me either—”

“Well, isn’t this just my lucky night?”

Even before Elizabeth completely registered the owner of the voice, her body knew. She whirled around, standing in front of Carly as Ric sauntered through the arched entrance to the street.

“Good evening, ladies. Fancy seeing you both together.”

Brownstone: Foyer

“So, I’ll start with Dr. Winters tomorrow,” Jason said as Bobbie walked him to the front door. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“I’d appreciate that—” Bobbie paused when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just—hey, Max, what’s up?”

“Uh, I don’t mean to alarm you or anything,” the guard began, a thread of nerves laced through his tone. “But it’s just Sonny isn’t in his room or anywhere else in the penthouse.”

“What? Damn it.”

“I had to deal with a security thing, and I locked the door but—I’m sorry.”

“Stay there. Keep looking. Find out of if he left the building.”

“Jason, what’s wrong?” Bobbie demanded when Jason hung up with Max, then dialed another number.

“Sonny’s not at the penthouse. Yeah, Rocco. Tell Carly to stay put—what? She’s not there? How the hell did she get out without you?” Jason dragged a hand down his face. “Great. Thanks.” He clicked the phone shut. “Carly’s not there.”

“Where—”

“I don’t know. But Sonny might have headed for Kelly’s. I’m going to go pick her up—”

“I’m coming with you,” Bobbie said grimly, snatching her coat from the hook. “And then I’m never letting my daughter out of my sight again.”

Kelly’s: Courtyard

“What did Jason tell you about showing up here again?” Elizabeth demanded, angling herself in front of Carly. Her heart pounded. She’d only sent DJ home sure that Carly’s guards were here. She never went anywhere without them.

But now it was just the three of them in this courtyard—and despite being outnumbered, Ric was never out for long.

“It’s a public space. I can go where I like—”

“Jason’s on his way,” Elizabeth cut in. “You need to leave because he knows Courtney’s been talking to you.”

“That’s Courtney’s problem,” Ric said with a shrug.

“What’s the plan?” Carly demanded on a rush of shaky breath. “Why are you here?”

Ric came closer, and Elizabeth backed up, directly in Carly. “Because I can. We’re due in court next week,” he told Elizabeth. “You need to know that I’m not going anywhere. So you can either sit down to mediation—”

“I will never as long as I live listen to another word you say. Get away from me, and stay away.”

“If you just gave me a chance—” Ric took another step and Elizabeth stepped back, pushing Carly with her.

“Oh, you idiot, I’m not important to him anymore. He’s here for you—” Carly shoved Elizabeth out of the way. “So maybe you stand behind me, because if anything happens to you, Jason will kill me for letting it happen—”

“Well, this is sweet. No wonder Courtney was so eager to work together. Were you already replacing her in Carly’s life, too?”

“Last chance,” Carly said. “Or I’m calling for my guard—”

Ric just laughed, and Elizabeth’s blood ran cold. “Oh, Carly, if you had any guards, they’d already be here. I just came to talk, but you know this is a little fun—”  He faked lunging at them, and Carly yelped, backing up.

“Get away from her!” The roar barely registered in Elizabeth’s brain before she heard footsteps and then seconds later, gunshots ripped through the night. Carly screamed, and they both shoved at each other, tripping—Carly went to the ground hard, and Elizabeth cried out when something burned her shoulder. She fell back, and then hit her head hard, her last memory was falling to the ground, seeing Carly’s closed eyes, blood seeping from her forehead.

And it all went black.

+47