Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 27

“Good evening, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to the twelfth annual Nurses' Ball!” Lucy Coe-Collins said after striding out onto the stage in her first outfit of the night, a beaded gown in fuchsia with a high halter collar and a swishy godet skirt.

“Damn,” Luke said to Lorenzo Alcazar. “That one's going to be hard to come off. Maybe the next one.”

“Thank you all so much for coming,” Lucy continued. “Over the years, your support has meant so much as we continue to fight to find a cure for HIV and AIDS, and assist those living with the diseases. And we have to continue to fight, and assist. Medications are helping those with HIV and AIDS live longer and better, but that's not enough. We need a cure, we need to eradicate HIV and AIDS from the planet. And, as long as HIV and AIDS exist, we need to help those with the diseases live and die with dignity.

“Every year, I commit myself to making the coming Nurses' Ball the best, most successful one ever. And, thanks to you, I've met those goals. I want that to continue tonight. We have a wonderful evening planned – a delicious dinner and entertainment provided by some of Port Charles' most prominent and talented citizens. We'll also be holding auctions throughout the night, so please give generously. What you get will be much more than the item you win – you will also get the knowledge that you have made a difference.

“So, enjoy your meal, and I'll see you in a bit! Get those wallets and checkbooks ready!”

Lucy walked off the stage to applause. The background music began, and waiters appeared bearing trays of hors d'oeuvres – fluffy mushroom and egg quiches in puff pastry, tapenade and goat cheese crostinis, scallop ceviche in cucumber cups, caviar canapes, figs stuffed with chorizo then wrapped in pancetta and roasted, and beef sates in a southeast Asian sauce of ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, mint, garlic and cilantro.

Amid the mingling, Stefan came face-to-face with Nikolas and Emily as he returned from the bar bearing drinks for Anna and himself.

“Nikolas, Emily,” he said, trying to keep any pain over the estrangement out of his voice. “Welcome home. I trust your vacation was a happy one.”

“Uncle,” Nikolas said, almost shyly. He missed Stefan more than he cared to admit, but the Cassadine pride kept him from making the first move. “Yes, it was very good. The weather was perfect. We spent a lot of time down at the beach.”

“Yes, I know,” Stefan said with an ironical twang in his voice. Emily and Nikolas knew then that he'd seen the gossip magazine and both turned crimson.

“I'm sorry, Emily,” Stefan turned to her and said. “I just wanted you to know that I knew about it, so you don't have to wonder. It must have been a terrible thing for you to see.”

“Yes, it was,” Emily said, then had a terrible thought. “Did my parents see it?”

“They know about it, but I would not show it to them,” Stefan said. Emily let out a long breath of relief.

“Thank you for that,” she said.

“How is the estate doing?” Stefan asked Nikolas.

“Very well,” Nikolas replied. “Andreas oversaw the repairs to the retaining wall, and the secure wi-fi was added as you had requested.”

“Good, good,” Stefan said. “I guess any other improvements will be up to you, now. It's all yours, Nikolas. There's nothing for me there, now.”

“You sound like Mother and Alexis,” Nikolas said.

“We have good reason,” Stefan said. “We lived there with Stavros as well as Helena. Excuse me, I have to bring Anna her drink.”

Nikolas turned to watch Stefan go to Anna, touching her cheek gently after giving her her drink. He had not seen his uncle look like that since he'd been in love with Chloe Morgan.

“It's strange to see your uncle with a woman,” Emily said. “I'm glad ... he grieved a long time for Chloe.”

“You're a very generous person after the way he treated us,” Nikolas said stiffly.

“He tried to make us see the truth, that's why he was so harsh,” Emily said. “I wish we'd listened to him.”

* * *

Someone else was watching Stefan and Anna. Robin was talking with Gia, Linc, Elizabeth and Ric when she glanced over at her mother.

“You okay?” Gia asked.

“Yeah,” Robin said softly. “He really cares about her, doesn't he?”

“Seems pretty crazy about her,” Elizabeth said. “And she seems pretty happy, too.”

Robin looked down at the floor.

“It's still strange to see my mom with someone else,” she said. “But if it has to be, I'm glad it's someone like Stefan.”

* * *

Jeremy Logan delivered a glass of champagne and some of the hors d'oeuvres to his great-aunt, Audrey Hardy.

“Too bad Simone couldn't make it tonight,” he said.

“Her mother's been very restless at night lately, and it's been keeping Simone awake,” Audrey said. “She sounded exhausted when I spoke to her this morning. Mrs. Ravelle had tried to get out of bed and fell before the nurse could get to her. I don't know how much longer Simone is going to be able to keep up. I told her she should start scaling back, now, and handing off her less critical patients to her associates.”

“Poor Simone,” Jeremy said. “She must be worn to a frazzle.”

“She is,” Audrey said. “I hope she gets some rest tonight.”

Jeremy looked around the ballroom. His back was to Audrey when he saw Courtney Matthews, otherwise the flash of appreciation in his eyes would have been most disconcerting to her.

“Excuse me, Aunt Audrey,” he said. “I'm going to go say 'hi' to Courtney.”

Courtney had just come from getting a glass of champagne. Both stared at each other in amazement and admiration.

Courtney's dress was a strapless teal satin, draped to look wrapped around her, with a high slit on one side. She'd set her hair to fall straight and then turn under, but with more volume. Her makeup was a little heavier, with some smokiness around her eyes. Her earrings were simple, straight columns of gleaming platinum. A platinum omega necklace, with a pendant in a deep teal, plum and blue moonstone, completed her outfit.

While Courtney had begun her own little extreme makeover the previous weekend, Jeremy's was a big surprise for her. The man who only went to barbers after several weeks of brushing the hair out of his eyes had a short, side-parted cut, with the hair swept over a la George Clooney. He'd also gotten a professional shave, and his skin looked soft and caressable. He'd submitted to a manicure to clean up his hands, which had looked rough even though he'd long given up a nervous nail-biting habit.

His tuxedo carried him into first-class looks. He'd never owned one, but decided to buy one after seeing Courtney's new look. After all, if he was going to be living here, and a major philanthropic player, there'd be lots of occasions calling for a tuxedo. The exquisite fabric and custom fitting made him look taller, trimmer and fitter.

“Wow,” both Jeremy and Courtney said at the same time, then laughed.

“I had an inkling you'd be doing something new and bold tonight,” Jeremy said. “But ... wow, again.”

“Same to you,” Courtney said. “You look ... I don't know ... younger and more grown-up at the same time. Does that make sense?”

“If it does to you,” Jeremy said. “You were my inspiration, you know.”

“Me?” Courtney said, pleased and flattered.

“Yes,” Jeremy replied. “I figured if you can get over using white clothes as a shield of sorts, I could handle getting a haircut and tux.”

Sitting at their table, Anna Devane nudged Stefan Cassadine and discreetly nodded in Courtney's direction.

“Looks like your talk worked,” she said, admiring Courtney's style. Stefan stared at Courtney – in colors, she blossomed into her looks. It was like night and day from the pale, washed out, cold look she'd had in her all-white ensembles. He wondered about her sparkling demeanor ... was it the clothes, or was it the company?

* * *

Dinner was ready to be served. Everyone took their seats.

The first course was a coriander and ginger cream soup. Simple salads, with fresh croutons and two kinds of dressing – basil-sesame and lime-cilantro vinaigrette – were next.

Lucy had consulted with Heather about the main courses. Heather suggested adding meatless choices, as some of the guests were HIV and AIDS patients who eschewed meat.

The fish course was a pan-seared red mullet, with chestnuts, pumpkin and mushrooms. Heather had suggested duck as the poultry course, but Lucy, thinking of her late, beloved Sigmund, had rejected that idea with horrified gasps. Instead, it was an Alsatian coq au vin with crème fraiche macaroni. Instead of steak, the meat option was a veal chop cooked with rosemary, with twice-baked potatoes whipped with cream and fresh herbs. For vegetarians, there was a rustic vegetarian quiche or pasta with roasted vegetables and tofu.

“What are you doing on stage tonight?” Jason asked Alan.

“Your mother and I are performing together,” Alan said with a twinkle. “I'll let you be surprised about the rest.”

“There are a lot of surprises tonight,” said Carly, thinking of Michael.

“The biggest surprise will be your father keeping the beat,” Justus said with a sigh.

AJ smothered a snort of laughter, as did Alan.

“Is your dad really that bad?” Jason asked Carly.

“Yeah, he is,” she admitted. “He's got all the grace of a waltzing hippo. And, sadly, I got that gene. I can swim, do other athletic-type things, but put music on, and I'm comedy gold. At our wedding, all I would do is this shuffling slow dance for our first dance. Poor AJ,” she added, smiling at her husband. “All those years of dancing lessons and you get stuck with me.”

AJ took her hand and kissed it.

“I'll take you over any prima ballerina,” he said. Neither saw Jason roll his eyes, but Alan and Monica did. They thought it meant plain resentment over AJ being happy. Part of it was, but they didn't know it was also the jealousy he felt over Carly feeling that way over AJ.

* * *

Brooke Lynn Ashton had sulked at first when she found herself in the hospitality suite with Michael. They still think of me like a little kid, she thought resentfully.

But then Dillon, Maxie and Georgie Jones, TJ Hardy, Lulu Spencer, Serena Baldwin and Diego Alcazar showed up.

They ate dinner in the suite. Everyone but Michael got the same choices the adults had – Michael got a small steak with green beans and mashed potatoes.

“Guess we're still relegated to the kids' table,” Brooke said.

“Probably because of the open bar,” Diego said. “Everyone but Maxie and I are under 21. But I'd rather be in here. It beats being out there listening to the polite conversation and women gushing over clothes.”

“Or worse, have some of those nice old ladies patting you on the head and going on about how much you've grown,” Dillon said.

“By the way, what's the deal with you, Dillon?” Serena asked. “Are you going to film school?”

Dillon flushed.

“No,” he said. “I decided to stay here and go to PCU, for now at least. I really didn't want to leave Georgie, and there's the family to consider.” Dillon looked over at Michael, who had finished his dinner and was absorbed in a video game.

“This thing with Jason and AJ has made things pretty rough at home,” Dillon continued in a low voice. “I didn't want to leave everyone right now with things the way they are.”

“But what about your dream of becoming a filmmaker?” Lulu asked.

“I can still make it come true,” Dillon said. “I can do things here, and I have my own resources and connections. And I can always transfer.”

Everyone noticed Georgie's glowing face. She was thrilled when Dillon made his choice, although she would have stuck by him even if he did go away to school.

* * *

Several members of law enforcement – Mac Scorpio, Marcus Taggert, Andy Capelli, Brian Beck, John Durant and Ric Lansing – sat together. Also at the table was Felicia Jones-Scorpio, Elizabeth Webber, Mary Bishop and Faith Rosco.

Linc Murphy sat with Gia and her mother, Florence Campbell, at another table. Mac had asked Lucy to seat Linc and Marcus apart. Things were calm at work, but Mac didn't want to push his luck. Linc had also laid down a rule with Gia – no PDA beyond occasionally holding hands.

“I don't want to antagonize Marcus,” he said. “That's not the place for one of his scenes.”

Gia flared up at first, thinking Marcus was again dictating her life. But she gave in to Linc because she didn't want to make trouble for him. Also, who could say “no” to a smile like that?

Faith and Felicia were deep in whispered conversation. Faith was looking to invest in Stefan's proposed baseball team, but had some reservations.

“I know he's thinking of bringing in Lorenzo Alcazar as one of the investors,” Faith said. “But with his brother ... is his money all clean? And what about Stefan's money? God knows his parents did some terrible things with it before Stefan got it. I want to hire you to investigate all the potential investors. Here's the list.”

Felicia suppressed a sigh. Her work for Faith was lucrative, but she worried that she was too indulgent of Faith's mistrust of others.

“I'll do it, Faith,” Felicia said. “But you have to promise me, if I find nothing untoward, that you relax and stop worrying so much. You're too young to be so wrapped up in fear.”

Faith was stung by Felicia's straight talk, but knew she was right.

“Thanks,” she said. “I'll be right back.”

Brian Beck, sitting next to Faith, didn't notice her leaving. His attention was elsewhere – specifically, across the ballroom where Karen Wexler was sitting.

Brian had married young – his high school sweetheart had gotten pregnant while he was finishing up his criminal justice degree. They'd been drifting apart, and Brian had decided that it was time to break up. But before he mustered up the courage to face that scene, she'd called him with the news of her pregnancy. They waited until he got his degree, and was accepted into the police academy in Port Charles, before marrying.

His son, Henry, was his joy and delight. He and his wife settled into stable, if unexciting, domesticity in a rented house in Port Charles. Then one day his world was rocked. He came home from work to surprise his wife for lunch, and heard her in the living room talking with a girlfriend. His wife brazenly told her friend of how she'd tampered with the birth control, deliberately getting herself pregnant, to trap Brian into marrying her.

“I stuck with him all through his college,” she said, in a voice as hard and cold as steel. “I had to listen to him talk on and on about his precious career plans, and his classes, until it was all I could do to stay awake. After all that, damned if I was going to let him get out of that one-stoplight town in the North Country and into a cushy public job without me. He's been on me lately about getting a job when Henry starts school in a few years, so we can buy a house sooner and save for Henry's education. Fat chance of that happening – I got married and had a kid so I wouldn't have to work. By the time Henry starts school, another little 'oops!' will be on the way or already here.”

Brian crumpled against the side of the house. He had thought that, while he wasn't deliriously happy in his marriage, he still had a pretty good life. Instead, he had been manipulated by deceit and selfishness. But he had to keep things together for Henry. As much as the thought of being around his wife sickened him, he couldn't abandon his son. Henry was not going to be raised in a broken home. I can suck it up for another 15, 20 years, Brian thought grimly.

After that, Brian took a second-shift beat at the PCPD. It gave him time with Henry during the day, and allowed him to avoid his wife at night. She never knew that he knew, or that he'd begun making inquiries about a vasectomy. Then, one winter day, she was driving to the grocery store with Henry in the back seat. She hit some black ice going around a curve and lost control. She and Henry were killed in the wreck.

Brian thought the grief over Henry would destroy him. He tried to grieve for his wife, but felt nothing for her. In time, his grief eased. Lately, he'd thought about dating again.

Then he began to notice Karen.

Karen was completely different from his late wife. She was smart, accomplished, compassionate and independent. Brian knew her history – her rough childhood, her mother's drinking and men, the abuse she suffered, and how she'd nearly been destroyed by Sonny Corinthos taking her in as a stripper and getting her on drugs. The fact that she'd pulled herself out of that dangerous spiral impressed Brian all the more. He'd been on the force when Sonny was taken down. Karen had come down to the station to find out if it was true, and, after finding out, took herself out for a celebratory dinner at Kelly's. Brian liked her spirit.

He also knew that Karen had been married to a policeman, and that it ended badly. Brian wondered if that would make her not want to date another cop. Also, Jason Quartermaine had been her high school boyfriend – maybe she'd want to warm up that cold soup.

Brian looked away from Karen, and joined the conversation with the others at his table.

* * *

Zander sat with Cameron, Alexis, Robin, Karen, Gia, Linc, Florence, Stefan and Anna. They were several tables away from the Quartermaine table, but it took everything in Zander not to stare at Emily sitting cozily with her prince. Last year, that was us, he thought. He ate his dinner without tasting it, in near silence.

After the plates were cleared, coffee was served. Finally, Cameron couldn't take it anymore. He leaned toward Zander.

“Son, why are you doing this to yourself?” he asked in a low voice. “You seem to want to torture yourself by looking at them.”

Zander turned his colorless face to his father.

“I have to, Dad,” he said. “This is the first step, in a way. If I run away now, I'll always have that impulse to run away any time they might be around. If I can get through tonight, I can handle things better down the road. Let me do this, Dad.”

Tears of pride and grief sprang to Cameron's eyes. Zander was much stronger than he'd given him credit for being. But it still tore at Cameron's heart to see Zander hurting like that.

“Zander, I was wondering if we could get together soon,” Stefan said. “I have a proposal I'd like to talk over with you.”

Zander wondered what it was, but only replied, “We're leaving for Maine on Monday, but we can talk when I get back.”

Cameron had rented a house near Old Orchard Beach in Maine for two weeks. He, Alexis, Zander and Kristina were going, along with Ida to help with Kristina. The house was in a small Baptist community called Ocean Park. It was only a few miles from the tourist trap milieu of Old Orchard, but it seemed much farther. All there was in the little village was a general store, an ice-cream stand, shuffleboard courts, carriage bike rentals, and a small church nestled in the pines where, on weeknights, only wholesome movies were shown. Alexis would revel in cooking up clams and lobsters, and the rest would revel in eating them.

“That's right,” Stefan said with a smile. “I hope you have a wonderful time. It's a good time to get some rest and relaxation in before school starts again. You finish in December, correct?”

Zander nodded.

“After that,” he said. “I don't know, now ...”

“You'll find something,” Stefan assured him. “You're intelligent, hard-working and conscientious. Any business would be lucky to have you.”

* * *

Heather's dessert trays were irresistible. Lucy snagged three more cannolis, and signaled to Carly to head backstage. Carly followed, taking a cannoli for herself.

In addition to the cannolis, the trays bore tartlets of custard topped with fresh berries, pear and chocolate millefeuilles, wedges of luscious cheesecake, lemon cake, chocolate mousse in chocolate cups, small squares of tiramisu, passion fruit sorbet, and small glasses filled with a lychee fruit gelatin and topped with fresh meringue with a garnish of raspberries and homemade marshmallows strung on a vanilla pod.

Luke and Laura sat with Skye, Lorenzo, Bobbie, Jerry, Jax, Brenda, Lucky and Sam.

“I hear you've set a date,” Laura said to Skye.

“We did,” Skye said happily. “We'll be getting the invitations out in the next week or two. I'll send yours to the Deception office, Laura, because God knows what Luke would do with it if I sent it to the house here.”

“It'd end up as a bookmark for the latest issue of Soldier of Fortune,” Laura said with a laugh. “How are the plans going?”

“About as well as can be expected,” Skye said. “The chapel and country club are booked, I have my dress, and Lorenzo and Diego are handling the rehearsal dinner. Emily's going to be my maid of honor. My sister Hayley, Carly and Brenda will be my bridesmaids. I wish my other sister, Colby, could be my flower girl, but her mother took her and left town to get away from Adam and no one knows where they are. I can't blame Liza much, after all the crap Adam pulled, but I miss Colby. So Kristina Lewis will be my flower girl instead. Michael's going to be the ring bearer.”

“Keep Chucky on bread and water that day if you know what's good for you,” Luke warned with a wink.

“That's too bad about Colby,” Jax said. “I know Adam Chandler, so I'm not surprised Liza took off with Colby the way she did. It's a shame, though, that the rest of you are cut off from her, too.”

“Have you chosen your groomsmen yet?” Lucky asked Lorenzo.

“Diego will be my best man,” Lorenzo said. “AJ, Jason and Skye's other brother, JR Chandler, will be groomsmen.”

“Hope we don't end up with a steel-cage match between AJ and Jason,” Skye said sadly.

“It's gotten bad?” Laura asked. “I'm so sorry.”

“It's bad,” Skye said. “Jason's full of anger. Carly, Brenda and I came home last week to find him beating AJ. I got a glancing blow when I jumped in to stop it. It was so awful to see Jason so consumed by rage, and AJ just taking it. I'm really scared for AJ – I wonder if he'll ever feel punished enough for what he did.”

“How are Alan and Monica?” Laura asked. “As if they didn't have enough with Emily's and Nikolas' behavior the night of the party.”

“I think they're pretty overwhelmed,” Brenda said. “They're trying to help both AJ and Jason, but I think they feel pulled in two different directions. I'm glad Emily came home to help out.”

“I wonder if Nikolas feels the same way,” Laura whispered to Luke. “He's never been good at sharing.”

“Maybe Emily growing a spine will be the best thing for him,” Luke whispered back.

“Hey, Sam, I hear you're jumping into the real estate pool, too,” Brenda said. “Congratulations!”

Sam blushed.

“I had my first meeting with the Realtor this week,” she said. “We're working on the preliminary stuff right now – mortgage preapproval and such.”

“Good luck,” Luke said, thinking of what he'd seen backstage. “And if you need help with home improvement, I'm sure Mr. Tool Time there would be glad to pitch in,” Luke added with a nod at Lucky. “He only had to go to the emergency room, what, three times when he was doing his house.”

“I did not!” Lucky said in mock indignation. “There was only the unfortunate caulking incident.”

Sam raised an eyebrow.

“He caulked three fingers of his left hand together,” Luke said. Sam struggled to keep a straight face, not wanting to hurt Lucky's feelings, but the laughter around the table was too much. She joined in. Lucky blushed and grinned sheepishly.

“How are your house plans going?” Lucky asked Brenda and Jax, looking to divert the subject before the unfortunate paint incident came up.

“We got preliminary plans from the architect earlier this week,” Jax said. “It's just a basic floor plan and elevation, but it gives us an idea of layout and scale. We're going to tweak a few things, but it looks good.”

“What sort of tweaking?” Skye asked.

“We'll probably make the kitchen a little bigger,” Jax said. “And we were originally going to go with an open kitchen and family room, but that doesn't work as well for big parties, so we may do a half-wall with bookcases and columns in between, and then we can curtain off the kitchen if we have catering. And we're going to add some bells and whistles to the final plans – a dishwasher drawer for smaller loads, built-in coffeemaker, radiant heating on the driveway, walkways and patios. In lake effect country, you can't beat that – no shoveling or plowing.”

Laura quietly got up. “Be back in a few,” she whispered to Luke. She headed towards the ladies' room.

After washing her hands, Laura freshened her lipstick and checked her hair, humming a tune. Behind her, a stall door opened and Elizabeth Webber stepped out.

“Elizabeth!” Laura said. “It's so good to see you,” she added, kissing Elizabeth's cheek as Elizabeth washed her hands.

“It's good to see you, too, Laura,” Elizabeth said. She felt shy all of a sudden. She wasn't sure if Laura knew about Ric. Laura was kind enough not to keep her in suspense.

“I hear you're dating a certain DA,” she said with a raised eyebrow and smile. Elizabeth flushed.

“Lucky told us,” Laura said. “Don't feel bad, Elizabeth. You had to go on with your life. I would have loved to have had you for a daughter-in-law. But, like Gia, it wasn't meant to be. But that doesn't mean we can't always be friends.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I want that,” she said. “Thank you, Laura.” She and Laura embraced and walked out of the restroom.

“So it's been going well with Ric?” Laura asked as they walked down the quiet hallway.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said with a sweet smile. “He's really sweet and romantic, and respects me. He even asked me what color couch he should buy.”

“Sounds serious, if he's letting you make furniture choices,” Laura said with a laugh. Then she turned serious.

“I hope I'm not prying, Elizabeth, but ... have you told him?”

Elizabeth turned a little pale, and looked away.

“No,” she said softly. “We haven't ... gotten that far. He's been an absolute gentleman, not wanting to rush things. And that's without even knowing about ... the rape.”

“Then it sounds like he'll be understanding and supportive when you do tell him,” Laura said.

“I don't want to tell him,” Elizabeth burst out rebelliously.

“Why not?” Laura asked. “From everything you've told me, it sounds like he wouldn't be the kind to run out on you because of what happened.”

“No,” Elizabeth said. “But he'd never look at me the same way again. No man does – not even Lucky. Everything they do, it's in the back of their minds. If I tell him before ... we get intimate, it'll change that, too. Anything he does, he'll be wondering if it hurts me, or reminds me of what happened. I don't want that anymore! I just want to have a relationship like other women.”

Laura was devastated for Elizabeth, but knew she had to try and reach her somehow.

“Elizabeth, it will always be a part of you, like it or not,” she said gently. “You can't live with him in your life denying that side of yourself. I know what it's like to have a secret nearly destroy everything. I kept Nikolas' existence a secret, and it nearly broke up Luke and me. I had good intentions, trying to protect my loved ones, but it still blew up in my face. And keeping this secret will hurt you more than anyone, even Ric.”

“I can't, Laura,” Elizabeth said, looking at Laura with a pleading face. “Not yet ...”

Elizabeth turned and went back to the ladies' room to compose herself. Laura decided not to follow her, but to give Elizabeth time alone before she went back to Ric. Poor girl, Laura thought. I hope she doesn't make herself live with a lie. She returned to the table.

“Did the architect give you an idea on when the house would be finished?” Bobbie was asking Brenda and Jax.

“Probably not until next fall,” Jax said. “Hopefully, by then, we'll need it.”

“What do you mean?” Laura asked.

“Brenda and I may have found a child to adopt,” Jax said, beaming in his joy. Laura gasped with happiness.

“Oh! How wonderful!” she cried, jumping up to embrace them. Skye, Bobbie and Sam followed. The men shook Jax' hand and gave him congratulatory backslaps.

“Tell us all about the child!” Bobbie said. “I'm sure Jerry is laying in a supply of cigars for you to give out.”

Jerry grinned and squeezed Bobbie's shoulder. “You bet,” he said with a grin. “Kid's going to have one cool uncle.”

“He's three years old,” Brenda said. “His name's Benito; he's called Ben for short. He's got the sweetest eyes and smile.”

“Especially for a kid who hasn't had it easy,” Jax said. “His mother died in a gang shooting. His father's a drug addict who is God knows where by now. His parental rights were terminated long ago, but we have to make sure it's legally airtight before we proceed. We met with his caseworker last week. We haven't met him yet – we'll be visiting the foster home where he lives next week.”

Luke reached into his pocket and handed Jax a cigar. “I'll give you a head start on celebrating,” he said. “You two are doing a good thing. Barbara Jean and I know what it's like to have a tough beginning.”

Laura saw Anna Devane and several Quartermaines leave the ballroom.

“Guess it's time for us to go backstage,” she said.

“It's showtime!” Luke said. “If Lucy has another wardrobe malfunction while I'm backstage, please, someone be kind enough to take a picture. I'll make it the wallpaper on every computer on the Haunted Star.”