Breaking Ties - An Umbrella Mystery

Maggie was in the small kitchen that Victor had had built just for her when she moved in, kneading dough, when Jennifer came in. “Aunt Maggie!” Jennifer said. “It smells fantastic in here.”

“I just took the first loaf of bread out of the oven,” Maggie said. “I think I might make flatbread out of this leftover dough.” She glanced up at Jennifer. “Whenever Victor’s away, especially if I have something on my mind, getting in here and baking just makes the time fly by.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Jen asked.

“Yes, actually. As soon as I get this in the oven, you can start mixing up a batch of those famous donuts Alice taught you to make.” Maggie flipped the dough over and went on kneading it. “You sounded frantic on the phone, Jennifer Rose. Maybe baking can help you the way it helps me.”

“I’m fine, Aunt Maggie, really.” Jennifer scooped flour out with a measuring cup and poured it into a bowl.

“If I had a dollar for every time you said that when you were the opposite of fine, my fortune would rival Victor’s.” Maggie pulled her dough apart into chunks. While she was getting a rolling pin out of a drawer, she asked, “What’s really going on?”

Jennifer sighed. “Kim suggested I call you, and I went back and forth because I don’t want to push JJ away any more than I already have, but we’re already barely talking, so I have nothing to lose. He’s out of control, Aunt Maggie, and the only thing I can think of to do is stage some type of intervention.”

“I see,” Maggie said. She floured her rolling pin and began rolling out her flatbreads. “And what has that young man gotten into this time? I hope it’s not drugs again.”

“No, not drugs. At least I don’t think so.” Jennifer sighed. “Aunt Maggie, maybe this is crazy, but don’t you think that if a kid like JJ who has been in so much trouble keeps hanging around people who are still doing stupid things, it’s just going to drag him back onto the path he was on?”


“What are you gonna do to her?” Cole asked Jeff.

“It’s sweet you’re so protective of your girl, but you’d better just do what I say or I’ll start thinking things you don’t want me to think. Tie her up and then go in the bedroom and go through her purse. We might as well get something out of this.”

Cole grimaced, but he did as he was told, forcing Bev onto the couch before tying her hands behind her back.

“Now,” Jeff said after Cole had disappeared into the bedroom. “What did you hear?”

“Nothing,” Bev protested. “I swear. I - “

“Liar!” Jeff slapped Bev across the face. She winced but refused to allow herself to cry. He knelt down by her, pressing his hand over her mouth and putting the knife against her throat. “I own you now, sweetheart, understand?” he said softly. “And I want to know exactly what you heard. Got that?” Bev nodded. “Now let’s try this again,” Jeff said. “What did you hear?” He took his hand off her mouth.

“Okay, you’re right.” Bev blinked back tears. “I heard you tell Cole how JJ took your job and how you’re going to get him and Rory. But I only listened in because I love Cole so much. I’d do anything for my man, so I wanted to know what was going on so I could help him.” Jeff looked puzzled. “I’m not going to tell anyone, I swear. In fact, I have a plan you can use.”

“Yeah, right.”

“No, really. But it’ll only work if you let me go.” Bev’s fingers were moving behind her back, trying to find the knots in the rope so she could untie herself, but so far nothing. “Look, I’m more useful to you out in the world than if you keep me tied up in Cole’s apartment. Rory’s my best friend, right? So he trusts me. And JJ… he’s like a big, dumb puppy when it comes to Rory. I don’t think he even likes Rory but he hangs around him anyway waiting for him to become a Boy Scout or something.”

“Get to the point.”

“I,” Bev said slowly, trying to sound flirtatious rather than scared out of her mind, “can lure Rory or JJ to wherever you want them to be.”

Jeff nodded slowly. “Maybe we can use you,” he said. “But don’t get me wrong...I’m not letting you go.” He pulled her to her feet by the rope around her wrists. As he ran his hands through her hair, he said, softly, “You go out there and do your thing til we’re ready for you. I’ll send Cole whenever I need you and you do whatever you’re told, no questions asked.”

Bev nodded. “Following orders is my specialty. Just ask Cole.”

“Good.” Jeff tilted Bev’s head up, as if he were going to kiss her. “So hear this. We’ll let you out for now… but if you breathe one word about any of this to anybody, especially the cops or those loser friends of yours, all of you are going to get very hurt.” He cut the rope with his knife, freeing her hands. “Get the hell out of here and don’t come back til I send for you.”

Bev left the apartment. As soon as the door closed behind her, she leaned against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut and letting her shoulders shake for a second.


Paige heard someone calling her name as she pressed the elevator button in the apartment building’s lobby. She turned around to see a slightly out of breath, pregnant woman looking at her. She crossed her arms. “What do you want, Jill?”

“You must get that attitude from your mother. She acts like she’s all that too. I’m going to have to take her down a peg or two, because I just can’t live with that.”

Paige glared at her. “So,” she said. “You take my boyfriend out from under my nose. You have his baby and think I’m never going to find out about it. Now you’re taking digs at my mother?”

“Look, I didn’t take anybody. JJ, he’s just a typical little college boy, don’t be so mad at him. That’s what parties are for.”

“If you’re looking for money for your love child with him, don’t ask me. And stop asking my mom, too. She might have a soft spot for you because of her past, but I see right through you.”

“Oh, I don’t want money. Not from you, anyway.” Jill moved towards Paige. “I just wanted to tell you that I think you and I should make peace. After all, I’m going to be living with your mom, so we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. Maybe you can get over what happened between me and JJ. It was only one night, after all.”

The elevator came. “I’m going upstairs,” Paige said, “and I’d appreciate it if you’d stay out of my elevator.” She pressed the button for Eve’s floor and stepped back, crossing her arms against her chest as she watched the elevator close in Jill’s face.

Jill smirked at the closing doors. JJ’s baby, huh? she thought, giggling to herself. This could work out even better than I thought.
 
JJ sat on a park bench, strumming his guitar and trying to clear his head. Nicole wasn’t going to need him until she was ready to write up the bail hearing, he didn’t have class for a while, and he had no idea what to do next. So much for the instincts Nicole insisted he had.

There was a lot of loud noise coming from behind the bushes. JJ quickly packed his guitar up, just in case. Rory came around the corner the next second, laughing hysterically. “Dude!” Rory said between giggles. “I… good thing I ran into you man.”

JJ crossed his arms. “Rory - “

“You won’t believe Bev,” Rory said. “She… she… wow I’m so baked dude… anyway, can you believe she left the party with Cole?”

“Must have been some party, dude,” JJ said, trying to choose his words carefully. “You’ve been free an hour and you’re already stoned out of your mind.”

“Yeah, it was great. You should… you should have been there, man.” Rory noticed JJ’s guitar in its case. He tried to open the zipper but seemed to be having trouble. “The music’s a little stuck, dude,” he said.

“Leave my guitar alone,” JJ said, pulling it away. “This thing’s expensive, dude, and the way you are right now you’re gonna knock it to the ground.”

Rory’s eyes narrowed. “Dude! You’re so uptight when you’re sober.”

JJ got up. “I gotta go.”

“What?” Rory crossed his arms. “I’m good enough for you to spring from jail but not good enough to hang with?”

“Come on man, don’t do this. You know I don’t like being around weed, and what if I’d been hanging with Marissa? You think I want her to see you like this?”

“So I’m an embarrassment now?”

“No. I didn’t mean it like that, Rory. I just meant - “

“You know what, just go do whatever boring thing you were gonna do. You’re killing my buzz anyway.” Rory glared at JJ. “And here I thought you helped me out, got me that fancy lawyer cause you cared.” He made a face. “I’m not your charity case, dude. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or something, you want to help the needy so bad.”

“You must be so baked you don’t know what you’re saying, man. Hit me up when you’re sober.” JJ picked up his guitar and started to walk away.

“That’ll be never,” Rory said. “You know why, JJ? Cause I’m not ashamed of who I am, and if you were really my friend, you wouldn’t be either.” JJ turned around again but Rory said, “Keep walking, dude. You did your good deed, now get away from me.”



Maggie took out a heavy pan before she answered. Putting it on the stove, she said, “Temptation can certainly be a problem. It has been for Brady. But it doesn’t have to be. With all the alcohol Victor insists on leaving out in plain sight, I have never once wanted to touch it. Well, that’s not completely true. Why do you think I stayed with you when we went through that rough patch last year?”

“That’s the thing. Ever since JJ and Paige broke up - “

“Which I still say is a good thing--do you really think having Eve Donovan in your lives is good for any of you?”

“Paige was nothing like Eve. She was so good, and so good for JJ. She was like a daughter to me. She’s the kind of girl I want for JJ, down to earth and sober and going somewhere in life.”

“But she’s not what JJ wants?”

“I don’t know. That’s all beside the point, though, Aunt Maggie. The problem is, since their breakup he’s gone back to that stupid pothead friend of his, and he thinks he’s going to change that kid for the better. But the truth is, Aunt Maggie, Rory is changing JJ for the worse again and he just refuses to see it. So, since JJ won’t listen to me, the only thing left to do is some kind of intervention.”

Maggie turned on the stove and threw a piece of flatbread dough into the pan. “If you really think that’s what JJ needs, I’ll help. But Jennifer Rose, I’m not convinced that he needs that. Some of JJ’s behaviors are just normal parts of growing up, and he’s just going to have to learn on his own that he can’t change the world.”

“You should have heard him, Aunt Maggie. My son is making some big mistakes again, and I can’t just stand by and let him.”

“You know,” Maggie said, flipping the flatbread, “I remember a wild-eyed young woman I knew once, who insisted on living on the pier and was sure she knew everything about how to live. I never would have guessed that same girl would be standing in my kitchen trying to figure out the best way to help her son.” Maggie put the flatbread on a plate and put another piece of dough in. “For that matter, if you’d told me two years ago that both Brady and JJ would be sober and productive, I don’t know that I would have believed it. But if we had given up on them, we would have cheated ourselves out of the pleasure of seeing them turn their lives around. JJ’s come a long way, Jennifer Rose. Don’t panic. No matter what missteps he’s taking now, I’m sure it’s not as bad as when he was doing drugs morning, noon and night.”


Daniel followed Chloe out into the hall next to Kayla’s office. “Listen,” he said, as Chloe pulled out her phone. “I know you gotta make some calls… I got people I need to call too. But can we… can we talk for a minute please?”

Chloe nodded.

“First of all, I know I haven’t been checking in with you or with Parker enough. I want you to know, it’s not cause I don’t care. It’s cause I care too much and I… I needed to shut down, to be by myself til I could get through some of what I was feeling.”

“I know,” Chloe said.

“The other thing, Chloe… the other thing is… at this point, in addition to all the adults we both need to tell, we gotta figure out together what to tell Parker. I mean, Maxine’s gonna be giving him medication and he might need surgery, and he’s been lying in that hospital bed not feeling 100% and not knowing why he’s here or what’s happening to him. I didn’t want to scare him unnecessarily but now that we know, I think he deserves to get an age appropriate version of the truth. And I think it has to come from us, from both of us.”

Chloe sighed. “I… I can’t think… I mean, yes, you’re right, he needs to know something, but I’m afraid. Daniel, what do I do if he looks at me with those big eyes of his and says, ‘Mommy am I going to die?’”

“He is not going to die!” Chloe flinched and Daniel said, more softly, “He’s not dying, Chloe. I promise. And that is what you tell him. You tell him, he is going to get better and that we are working with the best doctors there are to make sure of that.”

“And are you going to be there for this conversation or did you really mean, Chloe tell our son he’s very sick while I hide in my office?”

“Of course I am going to be there. Didn’t I say it has to come from both of us?” Daniel tapped his phone. “I’m just making a phone call or two and then I will be right in his room with you. I promise.”

“I’m going to make a call too.”

“All right, then we’re agreed? Meet in Parker’s room in 20?”

Chloe nodded.

Daniel started to walk off. Chloe started dialing Philip’s number. Daniel turned around again. “Oh, and Chloe?” She looked up, hoping she didn’t have a look on her face that would make him question anything. “When you tell your parents, if you want to ask your dad what he thinks of what’s going on… I won’t be upset.”

“Um...okay, maybe, if he offers.”

Daniel left. Chloe called Philip and said, “You know how I didn’t want you to see Parker in the hospital? I’m sort of wavering on that point. He has… he might need heart surgery and if he does… I don’t care what anyone thinks, Philip, you should be there too.”
 
Bev could hear Rory and JJ arguing from the other side of the bushes. JJ was saying, loudly, “I’m not walking away, dude. 24 hours ago you were singing a different tune, but the second you get out of jail the only thing that’s important to you is where your next high’s coming from.”

“Time was when you used to worry about that too. But now you’re so high and mighty, too good for a stoner like me.” Rory shook his head. “I’m not like you, man. I don’t have a stuck up mommy to please. Me getting high’s good enough for Kurt, and if you were being yourself it would be good enough for you.”

“I don’t care that you get high,” JJ said. “I’m just saying, man, you were high when you got robbed, the cops threw you in jail cause you had weed on you, what’s gonna happen next?”

“I know!” Rory giggled. “That’s the fun of it, man. The cops or whoever can only do so much to me, and then when I get free I go right back to doing what I want to do.” JJ frowned and Rory said, “Dude, didn’t you break up with Paige? What’re you carrying her face around with you for?”

“You know what?” JJ said. “I’m tired of having this same conversation over and over.”

“You’re not the only one.” Rory crossed his arms, but then he seemed to relent, saying softly, “Dude, stop worrying about me. No matter what happens, I’ll still be standing at the end of it. You got that hot new Marissa to take your mind off everything, don’t mess it up giving me a lecture when you could be hanging with her.”

Rory walked off. Bev let the branches of the bushes go so she could follow him. She had to find some way to warn him without it getting back to Jeff.


Eve held the key she’d made for Jill in the palm of her hand, staring at it. There has to be another way to get rid of that Jill besides making her think she’s crazy, she thought, making a face. Paige’s key turned in the lock just then, so she quickly hid the one she was holding in a desk drawer.

“Hi sweetheart,” Eve said, putting on her best smile. “It is so good to see you. How was your breakfast with your friend?”

Paige glared at her mother. “Is it true that you’re letting that girl move in with you?”

“What girl, baby? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The one that was here yesterday. The one who’s pregnant, and who you didn’t want to let in here because you don’t want to take care of her baby.”

“Oh, her. Well… tell you what, sweetheart, come sit down and let’s talk about it.” Eve patted the couch next to her. “Now I didn’t mention this on the phone because I thought we should discuss it in person, but apparently she was so excited she beat me to it.”

“How could you let her move in here, Mom? She helped JJ break my heart.”

“JJ would have done that sooner or later, Jill or no Jill,” Eve snapped. “For all you know, she had no idea he had a girlfriend. Now come on now, you saw what that girl’s like. She’s about to have a baby, Paige, and she’s all on her own. Now, if I hadn’t had your Grandpa Shane and Grandma Kim’s help when I was pregnant with you, I might have had to bang on some stranger’s door begging for a place to stay too.”

“I doubt she begged.”

“Now look, where’s your heart, Paige? Aren’t you the same girl who used to cry if I stepped on a bug or tell me I was being too close minded if I said something thoughtless about those who aren’t as fortunate as we are? Come on, Paige, you know better than to be so mean, sweetheart, especially knowing what you know about me. You know that before I reconnected with Grandpa Shane I did some things I wasn’t proud of. Now how could I turn my back on a girl your age who’s all caught up in the same situation I was in? I thought about what you said, but sweetheart, it just wouldn’t be right.”

“Helping girls get off the streets is fine, Mom, but what about me? Why is this girl more important to you than your own daughter?” Paige blinked hard. “Mom, she’s having JJ’s baby! How do you think it feels, knowing she’s in my room, sleeping in my bed?”

“How do you know the baby’s even JJ’s? Come on now, Paige, aren’t you jumping to conclusions just a little?”

“No, Mom. I know because she told me.” Paige turned her back on Eve.

“She did? Did she say anything else?”

“Just that she thought we should get along since she’s moving in here.” Paige shook her head. “I told you before, Mom, I can’t be here if she’s going to be.”

“Okay fine. I’ll make sure she stays out of your way, even though I think you’re being very coldhearted, and that’s just not like you, Paige.” Eve rubbed her temples. “Get me my purse, baby. I think I feel a headache coming on.”

Paige rolled her eyes but she handed Eve her purse. Eve searched through it. “Now where is… damn it, I must be out. Baby, can you run to the pharmacy real quick and get me another bottle of ibuprofen? I forgot, I used the last of it last night.”

“I guess,” Paige said, sighing. “But I’m not staying long. I’m just getting the last of these boxes so Jill can have my room.” She picked up her purse and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Eve smirked. Well, Jill, she thought, looks like you’ve earned your keep after all. She picked up her phone and texted Jill to come get her key.
 
Chloe was singing to Parker when Daniel walked into the room.

That little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine.

Parker giggled. “More, Mommy!”

“Maybe later, angel. Daddy’s here.”

“Don’t go away,” Parker begged.

Chloe smiled at him. “I’m not going anywhere. Actually, Daddy and I want to talk to you together. Don’t worry, we’re not mad at you, and you’re not in trouble.”

Daniel pulled up an extra chair and sat down next to Parker. “How you feeling buddy?”

“I don't know,” Parker said. “I like when Mommy sings.”

“I bet you do.” Daniel sighed. “The thing is, Parker, the reason you’ve been in the hospital is cause, uh, well your heart, it’s a little sick.”

“My heart’s sick?” Parker sounded surprised. “But I love you and Mommy and Nicole and Jennifer and both Grandpas and Grandmas.”

“My sweet angel,” Chloe said. “It’s not the part of your heart that loves that isn’t working right. That part is just fine. But did you know there’s another part of your heart that goes boom boom boom and sends blood all over your body to do the things your body needs it to do?”

“Boom boom boom. Boom boom boom,” Parker said, giggling.

Chloe looked at Daniel. “Hey Parker, look at us for a second,” he said. “The thing is, buddy, your heart...it’s not beating the way it’s supposed to and that’s why you’ve been so dizzy and why you need that tube in your nose to help you breathe. But the good news is, now that we know that, starting tonight, Maxine is gonna give you some medicine to help your heart. So when she gives it to you, you need to take it, even if you don’t like it, okay?”

“Is it gonna be yucky?” Parker asked.

“Yucky? No way! Cause you know what, even if you have to get used to how it tastes, it’s gonna make you feel so much better that after a few times, you won’t even notice.”

“And then we going home?”

“In a few days, Parker, maybe,” Chloe said. “The doctors have to make sure your heart is better first.”

“And then I can go to your house and see trains with your friend?”

“What friend?” Daniel asked.

Chloe said, “I’ll tell you later.” She ran her hands through Parker’s hair and said, “As soon as you get better, we’ll go see the trains first thing, okay angel? So do what the doctors tell you, and if you’re scared just tell me or Daddy, and one of us will be right here next to you.”
 
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Marissa stood in line at the pharmacy, looking at the prescription Marlena had given her. She wasn’t sure why she needed an anti-depressant, since she wasn’t depressed, but Marlena wouldn’t prescribe a straight sleeping pill, so she took what she could get.

It wasn’t that long ago that she’d stood up in the back of the huge auditorium where Introduction to Psychology was being held and said, loudly, “I think these psychological medications are a cop-out. I mean, if someone’s anxious or depressed, they don’t need medicine. They need to deal with whatever it is that’s making them feel that way. If you’re going to dope them up, you might as well send them to the streets to try out illicit drugs.” There were gasps from her fellow classmates.

The professor glared at her; she could feel his anger without looking at the video monitors set up around the room so that students in the back could see and hear properly. “Young lady,” he said, “I would love to introduce you to some of the patients whose lives have been changed by these medications, but unfortunately I’m not legally allowed to. So I will just say this. I hope that you never find yourself in a situation where you need this type of medicine, and that if you do I hope the mental health professionals you’re dealing with are not as judgmental as you are being right now. Now please do not disrupt my class further with these opinions. I would prefer, in fact, that everybody think before they make a comment, and make sure that it is contributing to the class rather than merely interrupting my lecture.”

The professor’s words cut deep now, and so did her own. Marissa almost crumpled the prescription, but she had to face the fact that she wasn’t functioning well enough on her own, and that she had to listen to what her doctor was telling her to do. She sighed deeply as the pharmacist called her to the counter. She stepped forward, slowly, and handed in her prescription.
The pharmacy clerk smiled at her sympathetically as she put the prescription info in the computer. “We’ll text you when it’s ready. About 20 minutes, okay?” Marissa nodded and walked off.

She sat down in the waiting area and stared at her phone, then dialed a number. “Hey,” she said when JJ picked up. “I hope I’m not bothering you. I just… look, when I finish running some errands, do you think we could meet up? I’d really like to get through a conversation without the cops interrupting us. Cool, thanks, JJ.”

The door to the pharmacy opened as Marissa hung up her phone. She turned to see who had come in…

...and found herself face to face with Paige. JJ’s ex-girlfriend had a hard, angry look in her eye as she stared at Marissa.



Cole slipped out of the bedroom soon after Bev left. “I wouldn’t trust her, boss,” he said under his breath. “There’s one thing I know about Bev, and that’s that she’s only in it for herself.”

Jeff crossed his arms. “Oh, I don’t trust her. She has something we can use, that’s all. Besides, she was right, keeping her imprisoned here would be more trouble than it’s worth right now, especially if we don’t want to get caught.”

Cole nodded. “So what’s the plan for Rory and JJ, dude? Another robbery?”

“Nah. Too obvious. Besides, robberies aren’t big enough for what I want to do. The cops, they noticed for about 30 seconds, but now that there hasn’t been one for a day or two, they’re gonna call the crime wave a done deal and move on to something else. I want to make a bigger impression, especially on the people who crossed me.”

“Like what?”

“Every minute of every day of the rest of their lives, I want them to think of me and realize what a mistake they made. I want them to hurt the way they hurt me, especially JJ.” Jeff’s eyes blazed. “He took my job from me and he doesn’t even care about journalism, and he’s gonna know soon what it feels like. Cause I’m gonna take everything from him that he cares about. I just need to do a little digging to find out who and what he loves the most.” Jeff turned the anger off all of a sudden, grinning at Cole. “So what’d we gain from your girl’s things?”

“A fat wallet, man. Wish I had a dad who gave me hundreds of dollars. A couple joints of weed that haven’t been tainted by Rory’s germs yet. And this.” He handed a phone to Jeff. “She has the fanciest, latest smartphone. Spoiled *bleep*.”

“Good job,” Jeff said, going through the phone. “This’ll come in handy if we need to get in touch with our enemies. Empty out her wallet and go give her back her purse. I wanna make sure she hasn’t forgotten our deal.”


After their conversation with Parker, Daniel went to check with Kayla about the exact medications Parker would be on. He went to his office to research them, planning to tell Maxine himself exactly how they were to be administered to Parker.

It seemed like there was a knock on the door almost the second he settled into his seat. “Come in,” he called.

Victor came in. “I take it you don’t want to be in the same room as that tramp you used to be married to either, since Chloe is sitting with Parker by herself.”

Daniel held his hand up. “Spare me the venom about Chloe. She’s still a friend of mine, and more importantly, still Parker’s mother.”

“I had been hoping she’d be one of those absentee mothers who parents via Skype from now on.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“All right, all right. It’s your office so I guess I can respect your request. Actually, I was hoping to see Parker today so I wanted to check the calendar for when his mother wasn’t going to be in the room.”

Daniel crossed his arms. “I could take her out for a cup of coffee while you sit with him. Or, and I know this is rough, you can swallow your pride and tolerate Chloe’s presence while you look in on him.”

“You know, you’re probably about the only man who could get away with talking to me that way. But you’re right, I suppose. I learned a long time ago that wishing away distasteful facts never gets you anywhere.” Victor turned to go, then turned around again. “Speaking of swallowing your pride, I have a proposition for you.”

“About…”

“About Parker’s care. Now, I know you know what you’re doing, but I’m not so sure about the other doctors around here. I mean, this is a no-name hospital, not a heart care facility.”

“The cardiologist has 12 years of experience with cases like Parker’s.”

“And I’m sure she’s a fine doctor for the false alarms and minor heart murmurs Salem sees when a parent gets overly anxious, but Parker’s ailment is the real thing. Anyway, I still have contacts with that heart clinic in Switzerland. Just say the word and I can have any one of the world’s top heart specialists in Salem within a day.”

“Victor, I appreciate the offer, but - “

“Now who’s not swallowing their pride? I know you wish you could handle Parker’s case yourself, but since you’ve been demoted from surgeon to parent, you might as well take advantage. Let me make a call.”

“Tell you what,” Daniel said, realizing Victor was not going to give up. “Why don’t I think about it while you go look in on Parker?” He stood. “Come on, I’ll take you down the hall to him. I promised I’d be back in his room soon so I’m on my way there anyway.”

“All right,” Victor said.. “I guess that’s the best I can hope for, but when you’ve had a chance to come to your senses, the offer still stands.”
 
Chloe took out the hospital set that that psychologist had left them to try to show Parker what was going on. “Look,” she said, putting a doll of a child in one of the hospital beds, “this little boy is sick in the hospital too.”

“I want that,” Parker said, pointing to an ambulance in the box for the toy.

Chloe handed it to him. He drove it all over his nightstand, making ambulance siren noises. “Truck takes Parker home,” he said.

“Talk like a big boy,” Chloe told him wearily.

The door opened. Chloe turned to see Nicole, who was holding a big balloon. “Oh,” Nicole said. “I didn’t realize you were having a private moment with him. I’ll come back later.”

“Wait,” Chloe said. Nicole turned around again. “Look,” Chloe said, “I didn’t mean for you to get kicked out of here the other day. You’ve been good to Parker, and to Daniel. You deserve to come see him anytime you want.”

“Thanks.” Nicole played with the string attached to the balloon.

“We good?” Chloe asked.

“I guess.” Nicole glanced over at Parker. “I mean, we have to be for his sake, right? But look, Chloe, I thought you were about the only one left who didn’t judge me, and I really appreciated that. Here in Salem, rubbing in my face what I did to Eric is pretty much a citizenship requirement.”

“Come on, Nicole, don’t you know me better than that? I don’t care about some stupid shredded papers that you forgot to mention for a few months. If that’s what passes for scandal these days, Salem must be more full of saints than I remember. Besides, I think I’ve done a lot worse than that.”

“So have I. Including to you. And to Daniel. That’s why both of your friendships mean so much to me.” Nicole smiled. “So if it wasn’t that, then what was up with the bitchiness the other day?”

“It didn’t have anything to do with you at all. It was just… everything seemed like it was slipping out from under me. I’d just gotten the news, I’d driven all night… then some doctor I never saw before made it sound like Parker was…” Chloe glanced at her son. “...well a lot sicker than he is. If I was mad at anyone, it was God. And probably Daniel. He got the same news I did and he disappeared. I got more comfort from Jennifer Horton than I did from him.”

“Yikes. Salem’s patron saint stopped by to soothe you?” Nicole made a face.

Chloe laughed for the first time since she’d gotten the news. “You know, I really missed you.”

“Me too! Salem hasn’t been the same without the two of us taking to the streets together.”

“I was a rotten friend yesterday though,” Chloe said. “But how about I make it up to you? Let me tell you something I haven’t told anybody here yet.”


Paige advanced towards Marissa. “So you’re JJ’s new girlfriend.”

“Not yet,” Marissa said coldly, “but I will be.” She crossed her arms and glared back at Paige.

“Oh, I don’t care what he does,” Paige said. “In fact, if you want him, you’re welcome to him. See, JJ’s a great guy, as long as he stays sober. When he was doing well last summer, he made me fall in love with him. But I’ve learned the hard way that sooner or later, he’s going to slip back into the way he used to be, and when he does, he breaks people’s hearts.”

Marissa took a step towards Paige. “I think if I can handle being held at knifepoint and tied to my bed, I can handle a night of JJ being stoned. Unlike you, I don’t see the world as so black and white. The guy who broke into my room--he’s a bad guy. A guy like JJ who has a lot of good in him but also sometimes smokes or drinks...he’s not.”

Paige’s face softened. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t know. So you’re the girl in Daphne’s dorm...well in my dorm.”

“Yes, that’s me. Now I bet you feel bad about coming after me with a lot of garbage about JJ.”

“I wasn’t trying to upset you,” Paige said. “I just wanted to warn you. See, JJ, he’s easy to fall in love with, but when you fall off of cloud nine, it really hurts.” She turned her back to Marissa. “He didn’t just get drunk or high or whatever. He cheated on me. He says he was drugged, that it was an accident, that he can’t remember… I just hope if he has one of those slips or whatever, he doesn’t do the same thing to you.”

“JJ cheated on you?” Marissa was surprised. “I mean, you know him better than I do, but that seems weird.”

“Yeah, it does. And even weirder, the girl he did it with is back in town, and she’s pregnant. JJ says it’s not his but I’m not so sure.” Paige shook her head. “It just goes to show you never know a guy’s true colors til you’ve been with him a while.” Paige picked up a bottle of ibuprofen. “I’d better get back. If you still want to be with JJ, maybe it’ll be better for you than it was for me. Just… be careful.”

“You be careful too,” Marissa said. “The guy who attacked me… the cops can’t find him.”

Paige turned white but she just nodded and went to pay. Marissa thought, Too bad she’s JJ’s ex. Under other circumstances, I might have actually made a friend. Her phone buzzed and she sighed as she went to get her medication.


“Here,” Eve said, pressing the key into Jill’s hand. “I guess that little story you told my daughter was worth this, even if you did it behind my back.”

“Hey,” Jill said, putting the key on her ring, “I had to think of something. I mean, I was in the lobby when she came in and she was going to ask questions anyway. I didn’t exactly want to tell her the real reason I’m staying with you, though if that’s what you want…”

“What I want is for you to stay out of her way. When she’s here--like she will be in a few minutes--make yourself scarce.”

“I’m going, but only because I have someplace to be. I have a baby to think of, you know. By the way, that boy you had me drug… do you know, like, his parents or anything?”

“That boy you decided to drug is out of my daughter’s life for good, so now you can leave him alone.”

“I don’t think so. See, I have a baby to provide for, and since we’ve decided he’s the daddy, that makes me entitled to some help from him, doesn’t it?”

Eve thought for a minute, trying to weigh the pleasure it would give her to see the look on Jennifer’s face to hear her precious son was the father of a prostitute’s baby against her guilt over Jill having gone too far last time. “You’re right,” she said. “You certainly do, and I happen to know that his mother is just rolling in money.”
 
Paige meant to go straight back to Eve’s to give her mother her headache pills and collect her stuff, but her conversation with Marissa had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. For one thing, she’d expected JJ’s new girlfriend to be a total *bleep* like Bev, who had been the one before her, had been. Marissa seemed like a perfectly decent girl, one she might have been friends with if they hadn’t had JJ in common, and she felt terrible about what had happened to her. Plus, Marissa was right--the robber was still out there and he could attack Paige and Daphne just as easily as he had her.

I can’t let my mom see me like this, Paige thought, and pulled into the Club TBD lot instead.

She almost decided to go to Brady Pub instead when she saw that idiot Cole sitting at a table. Cole had once tried to steal her phone out of her purse, and she found out later that Bev had put him up to it to scare her away from JJ. She took a deep breath. That was another lifetime. She wasn’t going to let Cole, or anyone else, scare her away.

“Hey Paige,” Ben said as she came up to the bar. “What can I get you? Soda or ice tea today?”

“Lime soda,” Paige said, “and if T’s here, could you ask him to come over for a second? Not that there’s anything wrong with you,” she added quickly. “I just owe him something from the other night.”

“Coming up,” said Ben, and went in the back to find T.

Cole watched as T came up to the bar, playing with Bev’s purse and hoping he’d run into her here soon. Taking her phone meant he couldn’t get ahold of her very easily, and he’d wasted a lot of time already trying to find her.

“You actually wanted to see me?” T said to Paige. “To what do I owe this honor?”

“I don’t know,” Paige said. “I guess I owe you an apology. A real one. I was afraid if you and I got to be friends, sooner or later I’d forget about JJ.”

“And now?”

“Now I want to forget him.”

(Cole’s ears perked up at the mention of JJ’s name.)

“Oh man,” T said. He wiped the counter as he went on talking to Paige, making himself look busy. “Wait, I’m not your...what do you call it, your rebound dude, am I?”

“No,” Paige said in an annoyed tone. “You’re just the one I almost let get away because I was too wrapped up in the past.”

Just then, Cole saw Bev walk past the club, probably on her way to get high with that loser Rory. Cole ran outside, hoping to catch her before it was too late.


JJ had taken his guitar out again, but he put it back when he saw Marissa coming. “Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Um…” Marissa pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’ll tell you in a sec. I just need to get my thoughts together.”

“Okay…” JJ’s stomach tightened. Paige used to do that same thing with her hair when she was upset with him. Were all girls like this? he wondered. “Well, why don’t you sit down, anyway?”

Marissa nodded. She sat down next to JJ and said, “It’s good to see you. I always imagined someday I’d be sitting with a boy and his guitar.” She smiled slightly at him. “It’s been a hell of a day.”

“I bet.” JJ squeezed his hands together nervously. “So um, what’d Hope want?”

“I’ll get to that. Kind of working up to it.” Marissa glanced at JJ, then away. “Is it okay if I ask a really dumb question first?”

“I guess.”

Marissa turned towards him. Her eyes were wide. “That pregnant girl that I’ve seen at the park a couple times… um… you don’t have anything to do with how she got that way, right?”


“Bev!” Cole said, running to catch her. She sighed but she turned around, knowing she had no choice.

“I’ve been trying to catch you all afternoon,” Cole went on, gasping to catch his breath. “Here, you forgot this at my apartment.” He handed her the purse. Bev took it and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw how empty her wallet was. “You forgot my phone,” she said.

“Beggars can’t be choosers. Come into the alley with me. We need to talk.”

“Can’t it wait?”

“I thought you were good at following orders.”

“All right, fine.” Bev followed Cole into the alley behind the club. “What does Jeff need?” she asked.

“Just some 411, for now.” Cole crossed his arms. “That girl you wanted me to set up that time, the one who was into JJ, what’s her story?”

“Paige? She doesn’t have one.” Bev rolled her eyes. “She’s just a loser who was into JJ for a while, but he finally woke up and dumped her at the beginning of last semester. So Jeff won’t be able to use her to get to JJ, because they’ve been done since the fall.”

“That’s for him to decide. He might find a way.”

“What are you up to?” Bev asked. Cole gave her a look and she pushed her hair behind her ear, adding in a flirtatious half whisper, “How can I help if you keep me in the dark?”

“Sorry, no can do. Orders from Jeff, you know. But you’re cute.” Cole kissed her lightly. “The rest of the day, he wants you to keep track of Paige. Meet me in the park at sunset, tell me exactly where she’s been.” He walked off.

Bev made a face, but she sighed and headed into the club to see if Paige was there.


“Oh my God,” JJ said. “You talked to Paige, didn’t you?”

“No,” Marissa said. “I mean, yeah, I ran into her in the pharmacy, but that’s not why I’m asking. I figured she was just vindictive or jealous or something, but - “

“Yeah, she is. I didn’t think she was like that.” JJ shook his head. “I was really in love with her once, and I can’t believe she turned out to be just like her mom, scheming and spreading gossip and doing whatever it takes to mess things up for me.”

“Her mom? What does - “

“I am so tired of explaining myself to people. That’s why Paige and I didn’t work out, and if you’re gonna start off with accusations too, then we’re done before we begin.” JJ picked up his guitar.

“JJ!” Marissa said. “What the hell? I didn’t accuse of you of anything, and I sure as hell didn’t come here to argue about some stupid girl who belongs in your past.”

“Then what did you come here for? You said you wanted to talk but the first thing out of your mouth is some stupid rumor that anyone who knows me would never believe.”

“Here we go again.” Marissa’s voice wavered. JJ hated how scared she sounded. “Look,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to start trouble, and I didn’t believe a word Paige said, okay? I just thought maybe part of what makes you so scared of me is this girl or her pregnancy or whatever, and that maybe you’d feel better if you got it out. That’s all.”

JJ shook his head. “No matter what I do, the lies follow me. It’s like, karma for my past or something. I have messed up a lot, Marissa, like I told you before. But at least I can say I never got a girl pregnant and left her to fend for herself. Believe me or don’t, but I never did anything with Jill.”
 
Marissa was quiet for a second. Then she said, softly, “Paige sure did a number on you, didn’t she?”

“It’s not just Paige.” JJ pulled his knees up to his chest. “I’ve made a lot of enemies, Marissa, and I guess I deserve that, or some of it anyway. But one of the reasons I didn’t want to get involved with you is cause there are a ton of people who are gonna try to fill your head with garbage about me, just to mess with us. Paige, she tried as hard as she could to ignore them, but with everybody constantly telling her what a bad guy I was, it wore her down and she… she began to believe the worst about me.” JJ blinked hard.

“I’m sorry,” Marissa said, touching JJ’s shoulder.”What’d she think - “

“I don’t wanna talk about it, okay?” JJ pulled at the grass by his feet.

“That’s cool.”

“Really?”

“I want to know everything about you,” Marissa said, “but… you know, maybe I owe you a big time apology for that. Since I was attacked it seems like that’s all anyone wants me to talk about. Hope keeps asking me about it--and I get it, she has to do something to feel like she’s making progress on catching the *bleep* who did it--but it’s not just her. It’s everybody. I feel like when I walk down the hall in my dorm, people are… they’re looking at me and they’re saying to themselves, there goes that girl who got attacked, poor thing. Like… like that’s who I am, that’s who they see me as, and while everyone is busy talking about it and trying to get me to talk about it… I’m stuck with the memories of it running through my head over and over, and I wish I could just get a break from it all.” Marissa took a deep breath. “Anyway… what I’m trying to say is, I guess that’s probably how you feel about your breakup with Paige too.”

JJ nodded. “Yeah.. it is, kind of.”

Marissa found herself reaching for JJ’s hand. Her fingers brushed his. He looked surprised, and she wasn’t sure he wanted it, so she pulled her hand away, quickly. “I know I came here to talk,” she said, “but I don’t feel much like it either.”

“Sorry if I ruined it for you.”

“Nah.” Marissa eyed JJ’s guitar. “I thought we could just hang out. Maybe… you could play the guitar for me?”

“I don't know.” JJ picked up the guitar but didn’t play. “I’m really not that good, Marissa. I mean, my mom thinks I’m like, this huge talent, but that’s in her head. There’s probably ten guys walking around this campus who are better than me.”

“What do I care how good ten other guys are? I’m sitting here with you, aren’t I?” Marissa tried to smile. “Seriously, JJ, you don’t need to try to impress me. Good, bad, whatever… it’s just you.“

“All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Shut up and play, will you?”

Marissa thought she saw a smile flicker across JJ’s face as he began to strum. She lay back on the grass next to him, listening.



“Let me guess,” Nicole said to Chloe. “The real reason you snapped at me is because you’ve developed feelings for me. It’s kind of a pattern.”

“Not exactly,” Chloe said, giggling. “The thing is, I have developed feelings for someone...or rediscovered them.”

Nicole’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

Chloe nodded. “Philip. It started last summer.”


Chloe had started jogging through Humboldt Park on days when Parker was in Salem with Daniel. It took her mind off how empty her apartment seemed without him, and exercising put her in a good mood. One August day, it was too hot to jog, really, so she just walked through the park carrying a bottle of water and telling herself it was good to get out.

Someone called her name. She turned and saw a tall, regal-looking man, wiping his brow. Any other man would have had his shirt off, and she couldn’t help wishing this one would have too, even though the time for such thoughts was in the distant, distant past. “Philip?” she said, questioning if she even had the right man as opposed to just a memory.

“I thought that was you,” they both said at the same time.

Philip smiled. “We still finish each other’s sentences after all these years.”

“What do you want, Philip?” Chloe didn’t return the smile.

“Chloe, what…? I thought you’d be as happy to run into each other as I am. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered calling your name.”

“Yes, you would have.” Chloe sighed. “And no matter what I feel… I can’t help answering.”

“So I’m probably an idiot for asking this, but what exactly is it you feel?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Philip. Maybe that it’s three years too late.” Chloe started to walk away.

“Chloe, come on. That’s not fair and you know it. You were the one who said that Parker deserved to have both his parents together. You were the one who said that if I stayed in Parker’s life, it would just confuse him. You were the one who acted like the only reason there ever was any us was because it was better for Parker to think we were a family, when really you were lying to him--and to me--the whole time.”

“I wasn’t in my right mind,” Chloe protested. “I’m sure you knew, because everybody knew, and anyway I’m sure your father couldn’t wait to gloat to you about how that tramp you used to love turned out to be a basket case.”

“I wouldn’t have listened to him! I didn’t know what to do, Chloe, I thought maybe all the confusion over Parker’s paternity was what caused your mental breakdown. So when you were in the hospital, I stayed away in order to stop confusing you so you could heal. I swore to myself that as soon as you got out, as soon as you were strong enough, I’d call you, but then…”

“But then you had more important things to do.”

“No. Then a voice in my head said that if I looked you up, maybe it would make you relapse. I didn’t know how strong you were or weren’t. I didn’t know if you were the girl I fell in love with or the… the other one… the one who wanted Daniel at all costs. So I thought, cut your losses Kiriakis, you were lucky to have Chloe for as many years as you did, but it’s over now.”

“It didn’t have to be,” Chloe said, “but now it does.” She tried again to walk off, but Philip followed her. “I can’t do this anymore, Philip. I’m not 16 anymore. I’m not your ghoul girl. I’m a grown woman with a little boy to take care of, and I have to leave the past in the past before I end up with any more regrets.”

“If you walk away now, that’s exactly what you’ll end up with.” Philip crossed his arms. “You may not be 16 anymore, but neither am I. I’ve grown and changed, you’ve grown and changed, but one thing that’s constant for me is the thought of you. I was a coward, I admit it. I was too afraid to fight for you after we found out about Parker, because I didn’t want to face the possibility that maybe the only thing you loved about me was that I was his father. But for three years, Chloe, for three years the thing that kept me going was the thought that someday I’d run into you somewhere and we’d have the chance to make up for lost time and to get it right this time. So walk away if you want, leave me in your past if you want, but just know, that to me, you will always be my present and my future.”

Chloe crossed her arms, but the anger was fading and she knew she couldn’t hold onto it. “We can’t just pick up where we left off.”

“I know. But we can start again. How about we just go for a walk together?”

Chloe found herself nodding. Philip reached for her hand, but she didn’t take it, not yet. Instead she just walked beside him.
 
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“I was going to re-introduce Parker to Philip this week,” Chloe said to Nicole, “and if that went well face Daniel and whatever reaction he might have to our son being around his ex-father. But obviously with Parker’s illness, all that’s taking a back seat. I was going to keep it all to myself, but I had to tell someone. And after the way I lashed out at you, I thought a juicy best friend secret was in order.”

Nicole smiled. “It’s safe with me. And thanks.”

“You don’t think I’m crazy for wanting to get back with him again, do you?”

“This is coming from a woman who shreds evidence to hold onto a man who turns out not to be worth it, so you might want a few buckets of salt… but no, I don’t. I’m just glad somebody’s happy. You are...happy, aren’t you?”

“With Philip? Yes, of course! Just this Parker thing has thrown me for a loop, that’s all. But wait, what do you mean, at least somebody’s happy? Aren’t you happy with Daniel?”

“Daniel is my best friend, besides you, and I’m glad he’s in my life, but we’re not anything more than that. Not that I haven’t tried, mind you.”

“Oh. I don’t know why I assumed you were together and Daniel just hadn’t gotten around to telling me yet.”

“Probably because you’re looking at the world through Philip-colored glasses. Anyway, everybody thinks me and Daniel are an item, except him. And me, of course.” Nicole shrugged. “Anyway, back to you. So are you and Philip - “

“Are you and Philip what?” interrupted Daniel, who had just walked in. Chloe and Nicole both gulped. To make matters worse, Victor came in behind Daniel.


Paige and T were still talking to each other in low voices when Bev slid back into Club TBD. She watched them, wishing she was off with Rory, getting high somewhere. She glared at the back of Paige’s head.

“So I was wondering,” T was saying to Paige, “a girl like you wouldn’t… you don’t like basketball, do you?”

“That was random,” Paige said. “But do you mean watching or like, actually playing?”

“Either one,” T said, shrugging. “I mean, I’d love to hang out with a girl who actually plays, but that’s probably out of my reach.”

“Why do you say that?” Paige asked. “I mean, despite the awful way I used to treat you, you are a nice guy. You should go for whatever you want.”

“All righty then,” T said. “I guess what I’m asking is, would you like - “

Bev purposely knocked her drink off the table; the glass shattered all over the place. “A little help over here!” she called loudly.

T made a face. “Hold that thought,” he said. “Ben’s on break so I kind of have to take care of this.” He hurried to the back to get the broom and dustpan.

As soon as he was gone, Bev slid up to Paige. “Hi,” she said brightly. “Can you believe I was so clumsy? I guess I was just surprised to see you actually talking to a guy. Good for you, though. That bartender’s cute, and unlike JJ, he doesn’t belong with someone else.”

Paige crossed her arms. “What do you want, Bev?”

“Oh, nothing. Just to congratulate you.” Bev played with her necklace, twisting the chain over her fingers. “And to warn you.”


After they finished baking, Maggie had headed off to a meeting, so Jen found herself with too much time on her hands and too much on her mind. She went into the bookstore that JJ had destroyed--would she ever stop associating that store with her son at his worst?--and wandered around. Maybe the parenting section would have some book that would tell her how to deal with the situation, though she doubted it.

The parenting aisle was full of books about disciplining difficult children and helping strong willed children accept your authority. Images of all the arguments she’d had with Jack over JJ’s behavior flashed through Jennifer’s mind. No words, just images...just the way Jack looked when he was passionately defending their son, the way she herself had cried, the time she’d looked over Jack’s shoulder in the middle of an argument to see her six-year-old son standing in the doorway to their bedroom, staring at them with wide eyes, how unhappy JJ had looked the day they dropped him off at that boarding school for the first time…

Jennifer ranher fingers over the spine of a book titled Disciplining Your Strong Willed Child Without Destroying Your Relationship. Too late, she thought, moving on to the next row.

“Excuse me,” a voice said behind her. Jennifer took a second to compose herself, swallowing hard and pushing a stray lock of hair back into place, before she looked up. She found herself face to face with a girl about JJ’s age, blonde, pretty, clearly pregnant.

“Um, hi,” Jennifer said. “Do I know you?”

“No. Not yet, anyway. But you’re JJ’s mom, right?”

Jen crossed her arms. “Yes. I am. What - “

“Okay, good, I have the right person.” Jill rubbed her belly. “I’m Jill,” she said, holding out her hand to shake Jennifer’s. “I’m the mother of your grandchild.”
 
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