When Cassadines Fall

Lucky rises early the next morning fortified with a caffeine direct drip. (Wishful thinking in that but what he really wishes for.) As soon as Lulu wakes, they head out to his dad's favorite ice fishing spot. On the way out the door, Lucky leaves a note on the dry erase so nobody will be surprised by their absence.

Lesley, who doesn't need as much sleep as she used to, wakes just after Lucky and Lulu leave. She wanders around the house checking the place out. Her Grandson has done a good job. Lesley looks around and nods. The place is... interesting. Everything is of the highest quality but not cluttered with dusty relics like most Cassadine holdings. And there are homey touches; the quilt on the wall, the afghans over the back of the couches and chairs, not too many cut flowers more plants.

After checking out the living room and study, she wanders back to the kitchen. The coffee is on and she thinks about it for half a second before reaching into the fridge and pulling out a Pepsi. With her good hand tied up with the bottle she pushes the door shut with her foot. Going over to the table she props the bottle between her legs to hold it steady and unscrews it with her good hand. This is going to be a pain. Thinking of pain, she reaches into her housecoat pocket and pulls out the bottle of painkillers the doctor had given her down in North Carolina. She'd found out the hard way to take the pill at the onset of ache rather than waiting for the screaming, throbbing pain that followed. This is still aftermath from being slammed into the door in the accident. Nothing hurt as bad as the break before it had been set but it is just nagging, stiffening.

Cinnamon rises from the rug at the foot of the basement door and wanders over to Lesley. She plants her head in Lesley's lap and looks up at the new addition to the household with her big brown eyes. "Don't start with me, dog." Lesley mutters. "I am not a dog person. Foster is bad enough." Cinnamon's ears perk up as Lesley talks to her. Lesley sighs. The dog is just not getting it. Setting the painkillers on the table, she reaches down and absently scratches Cinnamon behind the ears. "Don't get used to this. This is a one time only deal." Cinnamon replies with a low rumble, closer to a sigh, as she tilts her head and closes her eyes, her massive head resting even more heavily on Lesley's leg.

Maddy comes out of the basement dressed in her fuzzy socks, thermal bottoms and an oversized sweatshirt. She reaches automatically for the coffee pouring herself a cup before she turns around to the table. "Hey. You must be Dr. Webber."

"Not too many others running around in a Frankenstein type cast." Lesley says wryly. "You must be Maddy."

"Sorry I wasn't here last night when you got in. Nik didn't tell me the last time you talked when your ETA was. Nik freaks on things abit."

"I'd not noticed." Lesley says with sweet mendacity. She takes a sip of her Pepsi.

Maddy takes the seat across from her. She looks at the table and the bottle of painkillers in front of Lesley. She reaches over and takes the bottle examining the top and then with quick twist while applying pressure she opens the bottle. "I'd love to meet the moron who gave you a child safety bottle. Or do you think that Nik's little sis is going to get into your pills?"

"No, Lulu wouldn't and yes, the guy was a moron." Lesley agrees. She shakes a pill out onto the table and then hands the bottle back to Maddy who doesn't cap the bottle but instead goes looking for a different container in all the drawers in the kitchen. She finally comes up with an individual sized container for like salad dressing or something with a poptop lid and dumps Lesley's pills in them. "The only time I took them outside the hospital was on the plane. and then I put it off too long. Lucky gave me one but I wasn't paying any mind to the container." Lesley looks over at the clock on the stove. "Lulu is normally up by now."

"She is up." Maddy agrees. She tilts her head in the direction of the dry erase board. "Lulu went fishing with Lucky." Maddy takes a sip of her coffee. Cinnamon pads from Lesley to Maddy. "Hey pup. You want to go outside?" Maddy puts emphasis on the last and Cinnamon's tail whipping back and forth beating up on Lesley's lower leg. Maddy rises and lets the dog out in the enclosed back yard and then uses the time to set up a dish for Cinnamon when she comes back in. That fast the dog is done with her business and on the way back in. She sits down on the rug inside the door and holds out a paw. Maddy grabs the rag left by the door for this and starts wiping down the dog's paws one by one. Maddy looks up at Lesley. "Don't know if you have been tracking this one but we're working on our third week of snow-straight. Every dang day."

"It was something I noticed cause the boys were up here but it wasn't something I concerned myself with. Until now." Lesley shivers.

Maddy studies Lesley for a long minute. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way.. I'm going to get my hair done today. You want to go?"

"But it's Sunday!" Is the first thing that occurs to Lesley.

"Yeah, the gal who does my hair knows that any other day of the week is impossible. So she works a halfday on Sunday for people like me. You want to go?"

"I would love to."

"It'll take awhile. It might even end up being an all day project." Maddy warns. "If she gets into the middle of a story and the middle of someone's hair."
 

Jane Jacks wipes the thin sheen of sweat from her brow and steps from the exercise machine. "Blast." She mutters to herself. There is already a call into Jerry but he'd yet to return her call and she isn't exactly anxious to let him know how she screwed this whole situation up.

John wanders into the spare room that they'd set up as an exercise room in their leased brownstone just down the way from Jerry and his family. He carries a small glass of juice. "Fresh squeezed just like you prefer, Milady." John takes Jane's place on the machine and setting the tension the way he prefers starts to smoothly roll into a cross country skiing type motion. "You didn't sleep last night, Lady Jane." If his wife of so many years didn't pick up on that hint then he was going to get really blunt.

"I had a lot of things on my mind." Jane takes a small sip of the juice. She grabs the front page of the Herald and starts to read the local news.

"Anything you'd care to share?" John asks. "Because something has been praying on your mind for some time now."

Jane sighs and sets the paper aside. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to screw things up but it's too late for that now."

"Something with the Caroline situation?" John asks. His wife had made her displeasure over his efforts known ever since the horseshow when Caroline had offered to do eye surgery on him using only a hoof pick. "I thought Thanksgiving went rather well-- all things considered. But this is something that has been bothering you since before the holiday."

"I think we have another grandchild-a biological grandchild."

John brings the machine to a quick halt and steps off. "Excuse me?"

"When Jerry was in New Orleans back in the early eighties. He. acquainted himself with a woman named Lisa or Lisette. Her daughter is here in Port Charles. The age is right; the circumstances of her birth are right. So I was asking a few questions. I didn't want to go to Jerry until I knew for sure."

"Early eighties. so she isn't actually a child. How is Barbara reacting to your suspicions?"

"Very well according to Jerry. She knew that Jerry was no saint from the day she met him. The child though..." Jane shakes her head.

"An opportunist eh? Someone planning on hooking herself to the Jacks gravy train?"

"And this is why I didn't want to tell you!" Jane protests. "No. She wants no part of it. She looked at me like I was a candidate for Bedlam. Jerry is going to be furious with me. He wanted to talk to Madeliene first. Evidently the girl is very suspicious of questions being asked about her and my inquiries made their way back. She started questioning me about minding her business. I finally had to tell her why I was so curious. Jerry is going to be furious." Jane laments again. "And the girl. She is evidently up to her ears in Cassadine family business."

"Cassadine!" John recoils.

Jane nods. "Jerry tried to go talk to her where she is staying. Stefan Cassadine opened the door and rebuffed Jerry. Told him to quit asking questions."

"That is unacceptable." John asserts flatly. "The Cassadines have been nothing but trouble from our first dealings with them. They're snakes. No, they are like scorpions. They'll use a person until they're done with them and then sting them just cause they can. You can't tell me different. I know that the Cassadines had something to do with the disappearance of Emily Quartermaine's kidnappers. The boy. Nikolas, I think it was he. With or without his uncle or grandmother's help, he appeared too obsessed with Emily Quartermaine to leave her kidnappers to the authorities. Strange lad. Manners of a prince, every earmark of rich boy entitlement but he had the hands of a laborer."
 

"Nikolas is very involved at the hospital according to Monica." Jane tells her husband. "All the Cassadines are, but Nikolas seems to actually care about the facility rather than using it for a battleground. And Barbara thinks of Nikolas as one of her kids. so you'd best mind your tongue about him around her."

Stefan comes into the kitchen already dressed for his day but Cassadine casual for Sunday. More familiar with the kitchen of Wyndemere Lite than his own he reaches for a cup and pours his own coffee. He'd slept uninterrupted also an unusual occurrence. It must be a good sign. Neither Maddy nor Nikolas' return had woken him. Stefan glances up at the dry erase board. A passive Mrs. Lansbury if you will. A way of communicating location of occupants without servants. Lucky and Lulu have gone fishing. Maddy and Dr. Webber have gone on an errand but are on the cell. The door to the basement opens. Nikolas comes out wearing the same clothes as the day before. "Nikolas, would you care for some coffee?"

Nik starts, not expecting anyone to be in the kitchen. "Uncle! I was just checking on how Maddy was doing this morning."

"Or perhaps you'd like to shower and shave." Stefan doesn't even respond to the obvious lie.

"That would be best." Nik makes a quick exit. He catches at a glance the board and silently swears to himself knowing that not only is he busted but he is busted with a bad lie.
 

Liz races to catch up with her Grandmother outside of Porter's. "Hey Gram! Sorry I'm late." She comes to a sliding halt in front of the doors. "Lucky messed with the alarm this morning and I slept through."

Audrey frowns. "Lucky is a day sleeper. Why is he messing with the alarm clock?"

"He took Lulu fishing this morning. They all got back late last night: Lucky, Nik, Lulu and Dr. Lesley."

"How is Lesley?" Stepping to the front of the podium, Audrey starts stripping off her gloves and heavy coat.

"She has to be hurting. Even if she isn't hurting from the break she's casted up like this." Liz demonstrates and then quickly strips out of her coat, gloves and muffler as well.

Rita walks up to the podium. "Two for brunch?"

"Rita! You're working! You're off restriction." Liz exclaims in congratulations.

"Daddy relented after all my character witnesses came in. Vicki even came through for me." Rita picks up two menus and has Liz and her grandmother follow her to a table. She helps them settle in and then hands the menus. "Would you like some tea this morning, Mrs. Hardy? Your usual?"

"That would be lovely, dear."

Liz pips up. "I'll take tea this morning too. Has Ricky stopped by today?" Rita looks at her blankly. "It's okay; he comes into Kelly's sometimes too. I can know if he's around."

"He was in before we opened. I'll get your tea."

"So Gram, you were going to get me some names for me to give to Dr. Lesley?"

Audrey reaches into her purse and pulls out a post a note that is adhering to today's date in her organizer. "This is the name of an agency. They'll be able to come up with someone to do as much or as little as Lesley needs. I'll stop by later today to visit with her if that is okay?"

"That should be fine. But you should call ahead to make sure she is home. I think I saw her leave with Maddy this morning."

"Really?" Audrey bites her lip. "How unusual. I mean I would think she would be home resting. Do you mind, dear, if I.." Audrey reaches into her purse and pulls out her cell phone.

"No problem." Liz carefully calls out Maddy's cell number.


The ringing phone is a distraction that is ignored for as long as possible. Finally the beautician points at Maddy's bag and has it brought to her. "Maddy Reynolds. Right-- she is right here. Dr. Webber, it's for you."

"Me? Who the hell would be calling me?" Lesley takes the phone. "Hello?" She asks curiously. "Audrey?! How did you get this number? Oh? Well yes, I'm doing as well as can be expected. Madeliene has a hair appointment and twisted my good arm to get me to go along." Audrey grins over at the beautician who is snorting and nodding in laughter. They'd been having a good time since showing up at still dark thirty.  Maddy had brought the coffee of course and picked up some pastries at some place called Porter's before they'd even been opened. They'd made their way out to the Deception spa. The one hairdresser in the whole dang town who could work with Black Hair actually rented a station from Carly! The hair dresser knowing Maddy is coming in for a rebraid rather than a touch up brought her daughter along to help and hadn't scheduled any other appointments. A coworker who'd come in to do some ordering while it was supposedly going to be quiet had been drawn into the fray. She'd managed to drape a protective cape over Lesley cast and all and set about giving her a shampoo, scalp massage and condition. They'd actually ended up under the dryers at the same time. Once Lesley had come out her hair had been curled and styled. Maddy is still in the second step of the process having her hair straightened enough to be braided.

"Dr. Webber, if you want have Liz's grandmother pick you up. I'm going to be here for a while yet."

"Oh no! I haven't had this much fun in I don't know how long!" Lesley says with her hand over the mouthpiece. "Audrey, I'd love to see you but I don't think we're going to be back to the house until.." She looks over at the hairdresser who holds up two fingers. Lesley mouths-- two hours? The dresser shakes her head. Lesley nods. "We won't be back to the house until at least two-- probably closer to three." The hair dresser gives her a thumbs up. Lesley hangs up the phone. "Okay and then what happened?"

"Well I told that sumbitch that he wasn't man enough to handle me and his little chicky on the side and I told him to get out with what he brought. The raggedy clothes on his sorry ass and that was it!"

"I never liked him." The daughter nods in Dr. Lesley's direction. "But would mom listen to me? Oh no." She continues sectioning Maddy's hair for braiding.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The hair dresser takes the ribbing easily. "What about you?"

"Well I think I'm divorced. I never did quite check into that after I came back to town the first time. I haven't heard from my husband in." Lesley frowns. "My gracious. I think it's been almost twenty years! He thought I was killed in a car accident and married someone else."

"Bless your heart!" The hairdresser exclaims. She pauses in her combing but then skillfully returns. "And you haven't said word one to him?"

"They left town." Lesley does a one armed shrug. "What am I suppose to do. to say? Oh your wife is back from the dead? They make movies and soap operas out of that kind of thing. And it was more important to me to get back on my feet."

"Well then thank goodness you didn't bust up your legs. I know just the man for you. Professional man-has his own business, own house."

Maddy and the hair dresser's daughter moan. Lesley just shakes her head. "No sale."

"Maddy. How about you, Honey?"

"Oh no way. I'm flying solo thanks. I got things to do. school, work." Lesley listens carefully to Maddy's answer.

"Are you listening?" The hairdresser refers to her daughter. "See. School first and then the boys. You girls have time enough to do it all. So. Maddy, how tight is Taggart with your Aunt anyway?"

"You just booted one out!" Maddy protests handing the woman an elastic as she does so. "And besides Aunt Dara is keeping that man dining at home!"

Brownstone

Jane takes a deep breath as she walks up and knocks on Jerry's front door. Not unexpectedly it is Lucas who answers the door. "Hey Lady J." Lucas is sliding on his jacket. "Mom is in the kitchen. See you later."

"See you later." Jane calls after Lucas' back. She walks into the brownstone and into the kitchen. Bobbie takes one look at her and pulls the kettle off of the stove. It would just have to be hot enough, dang it. She pours hot water into the teapot.

"What happened."

"Madeliene Reynolds figured out I was asking questions about her."

"Jerry and I knew that. Stefan Cassadine knew that." Bobbie reminds.

"Yes, but the next time I went to get a cup of coffee down at the Promenade, Madeliene confronted me."

"Oh dear. You didn't. Jane, please tell me you didn't."

"She is a very forceful young lady, Barbara. She boxed me in." Jane admits.

"Oh mum." Jerry mutters from behind Jane having finished searching the basement. In his hand are some snowshoes Lucas requested earlier. "Lucas wanted these?" He holds them up.

"One of his friends called and he went down to the boys club to play basketball." Bobbie explains. "So he is out of the house. Too many people know, Jerry. We're going to have to tell him."

"It would be nice to talk to Maddy first so I can at least give Lucas an idea of the temperature of the water!" Jerry looks at his mother again and shakes his head.

"Your father knows too. But I think he learned his lesson after what happened with Caroline." Jane figures she might as well come clean with all of it.

Jerry drops the snowshoes and runs an impatient hand through his hair not carrying about the cobweb he just deposited from the snowshoe to his hair. "Oh mum." Jerry mutters yet again. His life is a getting more confusing than ever. There must be something in the water in PC. Bobbie slides in next to him, leaning into him her presence a nonverbal indication of support and comfort.

She reaches up to the disarray her husband has made of his hair and pulls out the cobweb. "Honey, it'll be okay."

"Right."

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