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When Cassadines Fall
Snow day
Lucas comes racing down the stairs hollaring at the top of his lungs. "No School! No School!" He's doing a little happy dance in the middle of the living room. Lucas races over to the stereo and turns it on to the radio station he'd woke to. He does a little of the white man shuffle mixed in with shadow boxing as the news of all the closings come over the air again.
Bobbie laughs as she sees her son getting down at the good news. "Well then it's a good thing that the teachers are all online now so you won't be behind when you get back into class."
"AW Mom!"
"Don't aw mom me-- I'm the one who is going into work today. They don't close the hospital because of a little white stuff."
"A little?! Mom, it's like more than a foot out there!"
"Yep, it's beginning to look a lot like Alaska out there." Jerry agrees coming down the stairs. He'd dressed for the weather layering a heavy flannel shirt and jeans over his thermals. "Wonder if Lady Jane packed my snowshoes 'cause that will be about the safest way for you to get to work."
Taggart comes out of his apartment. Like Jerry, he is dressed not in his normal suit but in winter gear. Today is going to be a bitch. Hopefully the homeless had sought shelter last night in one of the soup kitchens otherwise they'd be plucking human-cicles out of snowbanks. All available manpower had been called in for street duty. Those on graveyard would be getting OT until their relief arrives. "Bobbie, they're sending a 4x4 to pick me up. You want a lift to the hospital?"
"Marcus, that would be great." Twenty years of winters in Port Charles has Bobbie not afraid of the white stuff but respectful of it. "Right now I'm glad to be working a day shift. Hopefully this will all just be slop by the time I get off work. All the elective surgeries will be postponed but I bet I get pulled down to the ER. All the kids off school will be coming in with sprained and broken wrists, elbows, knees, ankles-- broken collarbones. And then there will be the heart attacks from out of shape guys shoveling out their own walks." Bobbie sighs heavily. It's going to be a bitch of a day.
Jerry looks at Lucas. "She takes all the fun out of it, doesn't she?"
"Yeah. I bet Carly is having fun." Lucas agrees. "Lets go over to her house!"
"First things first." Bobbie interrupts. "Breakfast. Marcus, will you join us? I made a big pot of oatmeal-- for some reason it sounded like just the thing this morning."
Taggart nods. It was just the thing. If he was going to be out in the cold all day then he was going to need to be warm from the core out.
Jerry drops a hand on Lucas shoulder. "Going over to your sister's sounds like a plan. I have a few things to go over with her anyway. But first things first like your mum says. Right after breakfast, we've got to get the walks cleared so nobody slips and sues your mother."
"Should probably do your Mum and Dad's place too, hunh? I mean since he's already had one heart attack." Lucas points out as he is digging through the kitchen cupboards for all the fixing for the oatmeal... brown sugar, honey, and his sugarless strawberry fruit spread. He brings them back to the table along with the milk from the fridge. Bobbie brings out the bowls of oatmeal dealing them out to the guys.
"You've got a point." Jerry agrees.
Ricky shivers as he comes out of the courthouse complex. He'd been there when the news had come down. Everything was cancelled today-- all non- essential services. Even the morning incustody arraignments had been shoved off to the afternoon. His boss had told him to expect to have the day off tonight. With nobody coming into work during the day there wouldn't be much of a mess to clean up later. Already the place is like a ghost town with nothing moving. He'd put in a couple of hours just to make it to daylight not wanting to try to find his car in the dark and navigate the roads.
Ricky tosses his brand new set of work keys in the air. He'd gotten what is necessary for the next stage of the plan. Now all he needs is to set up at home to make duplicates. He could have gotten some of them sooner if he'd been okay with making molds of the keys in paraffin-- but that didn't work as well as actually grinding from the original. You always ended up filing on the molded keys to make them work which took time on the wrong end of the job. Ah the benefits of a boarding school education. After his first attempt to break into the dean's office had taken too dang long, he'd sent away for one of those become a locksmith at home kits they advertised on late night tv. It seemed more useful than tv repair or getting his GED. Some people can pick a lock faster than a normal joe can turn the key but he wasn't one of them. A little advance preparation made for silk when the time was right.
He checks for landmarks to locate his car having learned his lesson the day before. Ricky keeps to the cleared areas walking over to his car until he nearly falls on his ass on a slick spot and then moves to the shoulders of snow along the sidewalk. The car unlocks easily and he fires it up revving and then setting on the defrost. Grabbing the scraper from the front passenger he gets out and starts clearing windows.
Edward checks the house alarm and frowns. He goes over to the phone and calls the alarm company to verify his misgivings. Emily didn't come home last night. She'd driven the new car over to pick Johnny up for dinner and then driven him home after but never come back. "REGINALD!!"
Reggie comes out of the kitchen carrying Lila's tray. He already knows what Mr Q is going to ask. "Emily called last night. The roads were too nasty on her way to the restaurant so she decided to stay put when they finally got there."
"She what!"
"Yeah, I guess she doesn't buy into that death before dishonor thing." Reggie quips. "You taken a look outside yet?"
Edward goes to the front door and throws it open. The glare of white hurts his eyes. "Well goodness."
"And there's a sheet of ice for a base." Reggie informs him. "Rather than wrecking herself or the car she stayed in a safe place."
Edward harrumphs. "Depends on your definition of safe. Next Monday make sure there is a room prepared for Emily's beau. If there is going to be any sleepovers it's going to be where I can keep an eye on them."
"Mrs Q has already picked out a room. Far away from Emily's."and yours.
Maddy wakes up and stares at the ceiling. She glances over at her clock and sees that it is blinking twelve. "Oh hell." Maddy flips on the light next to the futon; she grabs for her watch on her milkcrate endtable. Eight AM "OH HELL!" She throws on a ripped up sweat shirt over her flannel bottems and oversized tshirt. "Where is my phone?" Just then she remembers she left it upstairs in the kitchen last night. She races up the stairs and throws the door open. Nik sits at the dining room table with Cinnamon under it. He has her cell phone beside him and a sheet of paper.
"I've been making a note of calls."
"Why didn't you wake me up?!" Maddy protests.
"Because you wouldn't have been going anywhere. Nobody is." Nik indicates the kitchen window.
Maddy crosses to the window. "Oh boy." It looks like a postcard outside. A very pretty, very white, postcard.
"I already called up to the stables. Luckily the vet student doesn't have to go into class today either. Everything has been canceled. She will take care of Sheba and the other horses. They have stopped announcing closures and are instead indicating only things that are open. It's been suggested that if you must work to do so at home."
"You're making that up." Maddy says suspiciously. Nik flips on the radio for Maddy to hear the weather report... and the traffic report. Sure enough the morning personalities are calling off their own top ten things to do on snow days-- encouraging all workaholics to find something to do at home if they couldn't find something fun to do like cuddle up with a significant other. "The power went out."
Nik nods. "Sometime during the night but it was quickly restored. I was thinking of getting a back up generator anyway. I saw yours down in New Orleans."
"In case of a hurricane. Which is stupid cause it's stored where the waters would flood anyway." Maddy says absently. "I guess I'm not going over to the Q's today."
Nik refers to the list of phone calls. "Nope, your tutor has already called in according to Mrs Quartermaine. You are already aware of your assignments and are to work on your own."
"Considering the weather I guess it's a blessing that Larry is in the hospital." Maddy tries to find the bright side. "I don't think that the shelters take dogs. Both of them are at least safe and warm."
"True."
Ricky arrives at his room over the motorcycle shop. It had been hairy getting home. He'd actually taken one corner sideways... unintentionally. He unlocks the door to his room. There is a chill in the air. He'd risked leaving the space heater on low last night before going to work. Ricky exhales and can still see his breath. It's warmer than it is outside but that isn't saying much. He goes over to the window and can't write his name in the condensation on the window.
Then he realizes it's not condensation but ice. "Jeez, Dad is going to owe me big time for this one." Ricky cranks the heat on high. The room has the advantage of cutting the wind... mostly. He really should make the keys but.... He looks at the bed with it's layers of down comforters and electric blanket. "I'll deal when I wake up." He hurriedly strips out of anything that is wet: shoes, socks, outter layer of clothes and jumps into bed pulling the covers over his head. He cranks the electric blanket to the max and finally gets warm for the first time since leaving work.
Jerry and Lucas arrive at the Happy Family house. A quick knock on the door gains them entrance. "I've got the kettle on." Carly says rubbing her hands. Just opening the door was enough to send the shivers. "I can't believe you are out driving in this crud. I already told AJ if I'm going out I'm using the service. But then I thought about it... there is nothing I need to do. Where is Mama?"
"Mom had to work." Lucas explains. "The cops picked her up and took her to GH."
"Excuse me?" Carly double takes.
"The cops picked up Taggart and your mum. And Taggart says unless you have another bomb delivered he doesn't want any calls from you today. He's going to be pulling people with less sense than you out of their stuck cars. So leave the speeddial alone." Jerry unzips his coat and pulls off the scarf around his neck.
"I resent that!"
"I said less sense than you."
"Yeah, but he didn't. You didn't know I wasn't driving until I told you. So I can guess what he really said."
"You said something about hot water on?" Jerry goes for the distraction.
"Yeah, hot chocolate, marshmallows and this year Michael can help with the snowman." Lucas rubs his hands together. "You got better snow than at our place; there is no room over there. Where is my nephew?"
Carly gets right into Lucas' face and brings out the magic mom finger. "The only think you're going to teach Michael today is how to build a snowman, capice?!"
"What about snowangels?"
"Okay, snowangels too... but no writing his name in the snow if you catch my drift."
Jax makes his way up to the brownstone that his parents rented. The walk is neatly shoveled and there is a snowman in the little front space. He recognized his father's scarf and hat. "Dad? Lady Jane?"
"We're in here, son." John calls out in his deep professorial tones. Jax follows the voice to the living room of the brownstone. There are his parents sitting across from each other a backgammon board between them. There is a cheerful fire in the background.
"Someone already did your walk... Dad, you didn't..." Jax watches his father's color carefully-- any sign of pallor or sweats.
"No, son." Lady Jane interrupts. "Jerry and Lucas stopped by after Barbara went to work. But your father did do his three miles on the treadmill this morning to make up for missing our regular walk. You didn't bring V with you?"
"She's working."
"On a day like today?!" John protests. "The city has shut down! What on earth could she be doing?"
"She's drawing over at her place. The work she ought to be doing full time rather than working for Ashton and Alexis."
Lady Jane rolls a dice and makes her move. "Oh I'm sure that went over well when you told her so." Jane looks up at her youngest. "While I Thank God you finally chose someone different-- maybe you are the one that needs the reminder that she is neither Brender nor Mirander content to be solely on your arm. V has always been independant minded since back before you were stranded together on that island."
"Lady Jane, leave the boy alone. He knows what he is doing." John protests in a low rumble.
"So he's proven thus far." Jane rebukes. "It wasn't Jerry who decided to shovel the walk today; it was Lucas. It wasn't Jerry who found us this house; it was Barbara. All that the two of you have done lately is teach foul language to my great grandson and tick Jerry off even more. I'm beginning to think that perhaps you both need to go on a cruise until I can get this mess cleaned up-- a very long cruise." Jane gets up to get herself another cup of tea.
Ricky wakes after a solid six of sleep. He peeks out of the covers and exhales. A good sign... he can't see his breath. He sits up and puts his feet on the floor and pulls them back up fast. Didn't mean that the floor wasn't still icy. He races across the room to his dresser grabbing thick dry socks and hopping as he puts them on. Then does the same with fresh clothes and shoes. Reaching into the bottom of the closet he pulls out a hard plastic suitcase. Ricky unlocks it and flips open the top. Picking the most solid surface, he clamps the grinder to the table. Setting it up with the skill of long practice, he is soon ready to make some keys. Tonight would be the perfect time to do a little recon. Maybe this snowfall would be good for something other than worrying about losing some toes.
Carly sets the guard around the fireplace. It had been a good day. Jerry, Lucas and Michael making a snowman. Hot chocolate and hot soup for lunch. The guys had hung out until it was time to pick up Bobbie. She stretches out on the rug curling an arm under her chin so she can watch the gentle fall of flakes out of the study windows. AJ wanders in to the study knowing where he'd find his wife. Kneeling down next to her he brushes her hair away and then plants a kiss on the middle of the back of her neck. Carly shudders. She turns over. "Your lips are cold. Come 'ere." Carly pulls him down to her and warms him up.
"You have a good day?" AJ asks as he leans back brushing a finger along the edge of her jaw. "I saw the snowman."
"Jerry and Lucas stopped by. They wore Michael out. He crashed about five minutes after they left. Jerry left the info for ground school." Carly rolls her eyes. "They have like hours of classes before they take you up in the air."
"I'm sure that Jerry will take you up plenty before."
"Lucas tried to get me to talk Jerry into letting him take sky diving lessons too."
AJ groans. "What did you say?"
"Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Jerry told Lucas that he has never jumped out of an airplane. He prefers to land them, fix them and then go flying again."
"You think it worked?"
"I don't know. Lucas had that look."
"The one you see in the mirror?"
"OhmyGawd, you're kidding right?" The laughter is clear in Maddy's voice. "What did he walk in on? Em, you're lying! That's like a scene out of Stripes!"
Nikolas walks into the living room. He expects to see Maddy but instead all he sees is her fuzzy sock clad feet hanging over the back of the couch. He walks around to the side of the couch and looks down at his roommate. She is sitting backwards on the couch with her legs over the back and her head hanging upside down near the floor. Cinnamon is sniffing at Maddy wondering what the heck she is doing. Nik tilts his head further to the side until he makes eyecontact with her. "Are you okay?"
"Oh hell." Maddy summersaults off the couch ending up on the floor. "I got to go; I'll talk to you later. I want details. Lots." She hangs up the phone.
"Details of what?"
"Em got a new car. She was out testdriving yesterday... She ended up over at.... a friend's house when the weather got nasty. So she stayed the night. Mr Q went over to pick her up this afternoon."
"And walked in on her and Johnny playing on the counters with kitchen utensils?" Nik takes in Maddy's look of disbelief. "Billy Murray night at the videos; Lucky picked them out-- Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack and Groundhog Day. His movies seem to have a running theme of preserverance over adversity."
"He was trying to kill a gopher!" Maddy protests.
"A particularly wily gopher." Nikolas indicates with a hand. He grows serious. "Maddy, don't try to duck around Emily being with Johnny Cook. Nobody knows better than I. I don't want you to be put in the middle. Emily has chosen to be oblivious to my affections for her believing it will preserve our friendship. Maybe if we wish hard enough it will be so."
"Niknik..."
"Now since there is nothing else to do this evening, Lucky and Elizabeth have moved up video night. I think you'll be relieved to know that Elizabeth picked the movies this time. And I am providing my Aunt's secret recipe."
He offers some popcorn from an oversized bowl. Maddy hesitantly takes a kernal popping it in her mouth and chewing. "'Candy, this is Orville Redenbacker extra butter flavored."
"I guess her secret is out."