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When Cassadines Fall ~ The Detour
Valentine’s Day
It’s a tough day to ignore. Red hearts and flowers
everywhere, whole sections of the paper are dedicated to dinner, dancing and
honeymoon suites. Valentine’s day sucks. Lucky looks over at Elizabeth who is
using the sitting Indian Style on the bed and trying to sketch. Trying is about
right. There are crumpled up pieces of paper littering the floor around the
waste basket. Elizabeth is a great artist in the making but her aim is for ****.
Course it could be the time of year. Maybe her aim would be better around Easter
or Arbor Day or the Fourth of July.
Elizabeth doesn’t need any external prompts about Valentine’s day. She’s got
plenty of memories of her own. It has been three years. She could go months
without a nightmare. Cept in February, then it was just doing good to get thru
the night. But she didn’t talk about it to any of her girlfriends. Maddy
probably doesn’t know. Em is caught up in Johnny and hell that’s the way it
should be. No use in saying... “Oh I’m so glad you’re all wrapped in your
romantic plans with your guy... this is the three year anniversary of me being
beaten, raped and left to freeze to death in the park. Have a nice day.” The
year after it happened they’d basically pled their troth like one of those
romance books Elizabeth hides in her bedside table. It had been an all white
ceremony– white flowers, white dress. She looked beautiful. Course it didn’t
change the fact that it never should have happened. Elizabeth should have been
with him. They were supposed to go to the dance together, and he ditched her to
go with her sister. Elizabeth had let him off the hook then and after and
every day since. They both grew up that night.
You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone....
Almost. He’d almost lost it all before he even had a chance. He knew exactly what he had and no way was he going to lose it. “Elizabeth, put down the sketch pad. It’s not working.”
“I know.” Elizabeth sighs. “I just can’t get focused.”
Lucky shuts down the computer. “Me either. You know what we need?”
“What?”
“Brownies. I’m thinking double batch. And just because I am the most excellent boyfriend in the world; I will assist you in the cleanup.” Lucky offers with overblown graciousness.
“Lucky, it doesn’t count as assisting with the cleanup when you lick the bowl.”
“Beaters too and I’ll put them in the dishwasher after.”
“You are the bestest boyfriend in the world.”
“Yeah, but we won’t spread that around.”
“Damn straight.” Elizabeth agrees.
Dr KC Ryan sits in a comfortable chair with her feet up
on the desk. Her name isn’t on the door, after all she isn’t on staff. Amazingly
enough she does have business cards, a full schedule and pager that works.
Tonight she even volunteered for the ER on call so that all those doctors who
had been working 18-20 hour days between hospital and office could go home to
their put upon spouses and play nice for one night before taking them for
granted for the rest of the year.
With a recorder in one hand and one patient file after another in her lap, KC
dictates her notes for each of the patients: consult, pre-op, post-op. Coming
from John Hopkins every case is a training ground, and her notes are detailed
and meticulous with the goal of being able to reconstruct the events whether it
is a week from now or 5 years. She looks up at a knock on the door. “Hey. Come
on in.”
“I tried to get hold of you last weekend.” V Ardanowski comes on in at her old friend’s direction and takes a seat across from KC.
“Sorry. Stefan and I went out of town. He knew I was going to be working today.”
“Ah.” V grins. “So how does a Cassadine do Valentine’s day?”
KC plays up the nonverbal *get this* cues. “We stayed at the Royal York up in Toronto. Evidently the place royalty stays when they are staying in the city.”
“Brrr. Toronto.” V shivers dramatically and then shakes her head. “Miami? Rio? Someplace I don’t know... warm?”
“Takes too long. I only had the weekend. Toronto is only about an hour by air and then that’s mostly up and down.”
“So more time to what?”
“See Swan Lake at the Hummingbird Center. Have dinner at a restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel. That was just amazing. I packed the Valentine’s Day Care Package that Maddy and Nik sent over. It ended up being a really great weekend without a lot of time spent in airports or airplanes.”
“Ah.” V nods. She’d see Stefan in airports thanks to Jax’s adventures into sabotage. While Stefan appeared to handle the inconvenience well, anyone around him could just feel the seething rage coming up from under the surface. For such a patient guy, Stefan Cassadine is really impatient.
“Car met us at the airport, took us straight to the hotel. The only time we spent outdoors was time we decided to spend outdoors. And really it wasn’t that much colder than here. Upstate New York/ Toronto.” KC offers up both hands in a weighing gesture and then shrugs. There really isn’t that much of a difference.
“True.” V agrees. “But if you’re sticking with cold and close why not New York City?”
“I really don’t know.” KC frowns. “Maybe it’s a manners thing. Canadians are known for being polite.”
“So we know he’s never been to a hockey game.” V suggests slyly.
KC laughs. “What a great idea! I love it. Although you know Russian and everything maybe he would like hockey.” She smiles at the memory of the perfect weekend. She’d given over everything to Stefan and his plans and hadn’t thought of work once. Definitely what Stefan had in mind. “So what do you have planned for the big night?”
“Jax is being pretty secretive but I’m betting there are some truffles in my future.” V says with a shrug. “He knows they make me crazy. He isn’t talking about Valentine’s really.” V frowns and shakes her head. “Romantic he can do in his sleep. It’s automatic for him really. He’s stressing over Easter. Which is his own fault because I didn’t invite him.”
“That’s because he’s not stupid. He knows enough to know it’s important but Jax doesn’t know what he’s getting. Yes, it’s meeting your family and meeting all your family on one of the two most important holidays. Lots of traditions there-- not just Polish but yours as well. It’s entirely possible that he’s going to get his ass handed to him by your father, your brothers or a combination there of.” KC agrees. “And if they don’t put him thru the chipper then there are the aunties. You’ve always been Arminda’s favorite. He steps wrong and he’ll never make it to the Babka Wielkanocna or the Krupnik– and I’m not talking Aunt Arminda’s barley soup that she’d give us after a morning of cross country skiing.”
“The krupnik is what I’m afraid of.” V shakes her head. “I know the saying is In vino veritas. But there is entirely too much too truth to be had at the bottom of a bottle of Fire Vodka especially the way my father makes it. Sodium pentathol has nothing on that stuff. The plan now is to stay all the way from Friday and then fly back on Tuesday.”
KC whistles. “Jax is taking his plane though right?”
“Yes, definitely. We can leave anytime.”
KC looks at V with some concern. She knows how important family is to the Ardanowskis and how important V is to the family as the only daughter born to the Ardanowskis since Great Aunt Arminda– the first in three generations. Jax might be able to leave anytime during the holiday but if he did then his relationship with V would be over. It might be sooner or might be later but it would be over.
“Dr Ryan,” Stefan raps on the door and then opens it.
KC puts her feet down. “May I help you, Mr Cassadine?”
V looks from one to the other and rolls her eyes. Workplace relationships are a pain which is one reason she didn’t hook up with Jax until she quit working for him. “I’ll talk to you later. Hope you aren’t too busy today.” V pauses at the doorway to pass Stefan on the way in.
“Hopefully there won’t be too many head injuries.” KC shrugs. “And if it’s slow I can always get caught up on my paperwork.”
“Right.” V grins as she leaves. “Don’t forget to lock the door after me.”
Stefan does as V suggests and when he turns around sees KC on the phone. “I hope you are requesting that your calls be held?”
“That’s the next call. I just have to make one call first.”
“This is Jax.” Jax answers his cell phone absently as he watches a private plane land at the Port Charles airport. Jerry is there along with John, all of them waiting in the Quartermaine Hanger. If nothing else Valentine’s day had brought together the Jacks men. Presents were being flown in from Europe: Belgian truffles for V, Irish Lace for Jane, a Leather coat for Bobbie from Italy.
“We should have gone.” Lucas suggests to his step father. “I would have helped you fly the plane.”
Jerry grins at him. “Oh I’m sure you would have offered. Maybe next year.”
“Is the plane here yet?” AJ comes in at a rush.
“Just arrived.”
“I hope that smoked salmon works as well as fresh.” AJ worries. His wife’s cravings had actually stayed constant throughout this pregnancy: grits or Icelandic salmon. They would be celebrating Valentine’s this upcoming weekend when Michael is with Jason and Li. It’s hard to believe that Carly is already in her seventh month of pregnancy. Or at least that is what the doctor had said at her last appointment. Carly had demanded to know the sex of the baby so she could get the room ready at the Happy Family house. Their baby girl could be here anytime. Normally people figured 9 months but after what Carly had gone thru with Michael they knew it could be anytime. Luckily Dr Meadows indicated the baby is good sized and no sign of any of the problem that Michael had, had when he was born. Still the bag is packed and in the back of the SUV. After the last appointment, Carly had gone back to having a driver on call at all times. The weekend trips away have been put on hold. AJ doesn’t want her further away from the hospital than he can get her to within about ten minutes... if there are red lights.
Jax shuts his cell phone with a quick sharp slap. “Damnit.”
“What is it, son?” John asks.
“That was KC Ryan. She was filling me in on some of the Easter Traditions at the Ardanowskis.” Before it had been a curiosity. V’s family isn’t something she shared. She’s as closed mouthed about them as about her first name. And he knew he’d hurt her feelings after Thanksgiving. The trip to Poland with Cassadine had eased things some but KC had put a spin on things.
“Hey one holiday at a time.” Jerry protests. But then he studies his brother’s face. He doesn’t remember seeing Jax looking... panicked. “Are they expecting you to dress up like the Easter bunny or something? Because if they are-- we really want pictures.”
Jax’s hands tighten into fists.
“Boys.” John warns firmly his voice enough to have both of the Jacks brothers backing off from each other.
“An Ardanowski Easter couldn’t be any worse than a
Quartermaine Thanksgiving.” AJ offers helpfully.
“The Ardanowskis don’t have a habit of screwing Easter up. Quite the contrary.”
Jax says grimly. “If it were only Sunday services and an Easter Egg hunt for the
children that would be one thing. Easter is actually a four day holiday that
starts on Friday and goes thru Monday.” KC hadn’t beat around the bush but had
instead been very blunt. She’d heard what had happened after Thanksgiving and
made it perfectly clear. The Ardanowskis are very proud of their religion, their
family, the fact that they are of Polish extraction and the life they have made
in America. If Jax screwed up on any one of the points, then he would be
forcibly reminded that first and foremost V is an Ardanowski.
“You were planning on being there that long anyway.” John reminds his youngest. “Son, I don’t see what the problem is. Go. Be charming. Enjoy yourself.”
Jerry grins at his little brother. “Yeah, be yourself. That’s been working so well for you lately.”
Carly strides thru the mall. She is talking on the cell phone while pushing Michael in the stroller. Michael is really too big for the stroller but it keeps him contained. “Jason, I shouldn’t have to tell you this! It’s Valentine’s Day. AJ and I have Michael that means that you and Li have a romantic evening. Romantic that means– dinner, candles, wine, dancing you know... romantic. And a present and not a new wok or something. I don’t care if Li said she needs another wok. You can get her another wok tomorrow. Romantic. It doesn’t have to be extravagent or huge it just has to be special. I don’t have my fur coat anymore but I’m still using my key ring– it’s my touchstone to remind me you were my first friend, my best friend here in Port Charles. Li makes you every meal morning, noon and night... take her out... to the No Name. Even as loyal as Johnny is you probably won’t be able to get a table at Porters tonight. Johnny’s been booked since New Years. How do I know? Rita told me. But no pressure. Have fun.” Carly snaps her phone shut. Looking across the concourse she sees Maddy in the florist shop and makes her way across. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Maddy finishes the last of her check off– everything has either been delivered or is already in a van being delivered. She turns around to greet Carly.
“You look tired.”
“You too.”
“I have an excuse. This one thinks Mama getting horizontal is an excuse for tapdancing on my bladder.” Carly pats her stomach. “What’s yours?”
“Valentines and Mother’s day, I swear. Guy f’s them up and he’s toast. They’ll leave their Christmas presents in my hands but it gets down to the wire on Valentines and they start panicking.” Maddy sighs. “I need to check in at the kiosk... you want a steamer or something? You still rationing out your caffeine– or given it up all together?”
“Bite your tongue! I think I can risk a small one.” They change direction. Luckily there is an enclosed play area by the kiosk so that Michael can be freed from his stroller and let loose to play while Carly and Maddy catch up at a nearby bench where they can both keep a close eye while taking a quick break.
“So what are you getting AJ for Valentine’s?” Maddy asks.
“That sweet tooth thing that Edward has is passed down. Johnny hooked me up with a few things. But the real celebration isn’t going to be until the weekend when Jason has Michael.”
“Same here I guess. Nikolas told me to clear my schedule for President’s Day weekend. But he isn’t saying anything after that.” Maddy looks at Carly. Carly looks back with a smug look on her face. “You know what he has planned.”
“I might have given him a hint. But he’s a bright guy– for a Cassadine.” Carly teases. “Bright enough to figure out that there was no way in hell you were going to taking today off so that he could wine and dine ya.”
“He reads my kiosk logs. Niknik knows it’s been insane.” Maddy rubs the back of her neck. It’s been go, go, go all day long. Luckily this will be it for awhile. After this it would be normal birthday and anniversary reminders and a few concert tickets here and there. But it wouldn’t be a 24 hours push like this again until Mother’s day. “I’ll be on call all night long checking things out to make sure that everyone stays on schedule. My phone is going off at midnight and then I’m going to sleep until I wake up.”
“Where’s that dog of yours? Out in the Van?”
“Yeah,” Maddy looks at her watch. “Another reason why I have to get going.”
Rita turns away another couple at the door. Porter’s has been booked for months. Well month anyway... since right after New Years. Cookie had done mucho prep for today while Johnny had been baking up a storm to make sure there is a varied selection of desserts that would drive anyone out of their collective minds and send pheromone levels thru the ceiling. All the wait staff had been called in. It meant fewer table per waitress but with the tickets being higher they’d make up the difference. The concern is flipping the tables to allow the next couple in right around the time of their reservation.
Luckily a lot of the bookings are Maddy’s customers. She’d known to book early. Only the names had changed as the schedule had been filled in. And she’d made sure that everything but the latest reservation had somewhere else to be– theater, movie, dancing at one of the local clubs. It made the schedule tight. People had to be seated within minutes of their set reservation time. So it wouldn’t look the couples were being rushed by the wait staff, Rita has been the one going around to the tables with the tabs in their leather folders. “I’ll just leave this with you now... no rush but Maddy did say that you have reservations. Did you want me to box up an extra dessert for later?” Normally the guy would pull out his credit card then and there. That and request cherry cheesecake for two to go.
Really should have gotten commission on those extra desserts. At ten even though the after theater dessert crowd would still be going strong she’d have to leave. The money is good but tomorrow is a school day. Em had already offered to give her a ride home. Daddy and Cookie are doing the Valentine’s thing leaving Frank and Johnny to handle the actual shift. It’s a good thing. Cookie would have killed Frank by 6.
“I’ll be right with you.” Rita tells the people standing in front of her. She grabs two menus and talks to the people who just walked in. “Lt Taggart, Ms Jensen, your table just opened up. This way please.” Dara and Marcus follow Rita back to a table that would normally have cost a big tip to get. “Your waitress will be right with you. And I’m supposed to tell you to leave room for dessert because Maddy and Johnny put their heads together and planned something special just for you two.” Rita goes back up to the front. “Hello. Sorry, to keep you waiting. Do you have a reservation?”
“We don’t mind waiting.” The young man tells the little girl who is standing between him and making a good impression.
Rita winces. She leans in so that only the guy can hear what she is saying. “Waiting isn’t going to help. Unless there is a cancellation, there isn’t going to be an opening until tomorrow night at 7. Nobody’s been cancelling. I’ve been taking reservations for Easter Brunch.”
“You’re kidding?!”
“No. I’m not.” Rita declares. She pulls out a cell phone. “French, Steak or Italian?”
“Excuse me? Italian, I guess.”
“Okay.” Rita hits redial. “Marco? It’s Rita again. Do you have anything? Half an hour?” Rita looks at the guy in front of her questioningly. He quickly nods. “It’s booked now. Don’t give that table away to anyone but....”Rita waits for the young man to give her his name and quickly repeats it to the Maitre D’ of the No Name. “Thanks.” Rita hangs up the phone and picks up one of the business cards from her stand. She writes down the address of the No Name on the card. “This is where Johnny, the owner of Porters, goes when he doesn’t want to cook and is craving pasta. The food is great– especially the seafood. The ambiance is pretty good too.” Rita hands the card over with a warning. “If you want reservations for Easter here you better call me tomorrow– early. Our number is on the front.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” The guy slips Rita a ten when he takes the card.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Here.” Nikolas puts a brownie and a cup of coffee down by Maddy’s elbow. Mir is spread out on the floor of the basement like a bear skin rug. He’d opened one eye when Nikolas had opened the door to the basement but then had gone back to sleep. “The coffee is decaf. Couple more hours to go and then the phone is turned off.”
Maddy looks at the clock and then at her book. It’s a little after ten pm. She’d promised herself that the phone would be turned off at midnight. And it sounds as if Nikolas is going to hold her to it. She shifts her head around to get the crick out of her neck. Things are going smoothly. There had been a few foul ups along the way but they hadn’t been hers even though she’d apologized multiple times and made it right, or at least made it different. “Did you make it?”
“The coffee yes. The brownie– no. Elizabeth and Lucky made them. And yes, they cleaned up the kitchen afterwards.” He comes up behind Maddy and starts rubbing her shoulders. He brushes her braids over one shoulder so that he can get access to her neck.
“Not my problem.” Maddy grins at Nik tilting her head back so that she can make eye contact. “You’re the one that would have had to deal with it. Elizabeth, Granny Lesley and I are at Lady’s Night tomorrow night. The dishes could be stacked to the ceiling and Lucky wouldn’t care.”
Nik picks Maddy up from the chair and then seats himself on the chair and pulls her down onto his lap. One hand rests at her hip and the other slides between her knees. “I could call Mrs L and be pitiful.”
Maddy laughs. She slides a hand along his shoulders and uses the other hand to balance on the table, The table in the basement is normally used to fold clothes but is being used as her Operation Valentine’s Day command center. Her old room has been converted into an office for the business with all of her kiosk supplies stored there– except the propane which is stored outside away from the house. “I’m going to start inviting Mrs L to Thursday nights and then what are you and Mr C going to do with yourselves? Pitiful is right. You might even have to play a game of chess.”
She pinches off a bite of brownie and holds it to Nikolas’ mouth. He takes a bite and then she licks the crumbs from her fingers. His eyes half close as he watches Maddy scrape a stray crumb from her thumb with her bottom teeth. His hand slides from her knee up her thigh resting there warm and firm against her jeans. He can feel the way her breath catches as if for a minute she forgot to breathe. “Maddy.”
Madeliene groans. “We can’t be doing this. I have to answer the phone. What if something happens?”
Nik pushes the chair away from the table and adjusts Maddy on the chair so that she is straddling him. “Chastity belts have nothing on Levi Strauss.” He claims wryly knowing he is setting himself up for hours of torture and teasing and he is going to love every minute of it.
“As long as they stay on.” Maddy leans in and presses a kiss to the small scar at the front of Nikolas’ neck. Nikolas slides his hands from Maddy’s denim clad rear up separating her sweater away from the jeans and easing his hands over her silky warm skin. His hands come all the way to her shoulders. Maddy nips at his jaw and then leans back trusting that Nik will support her while she ducks out of the sweater.
“You’re beautiful.” Nik throws the turtleneck to the floor. He’s already impatient with the sweater. Even holding it is blocking his hand from touching her skin. With the back of his hand he rubs the middle of Maddy’s chest, running a hand down her cleavage hooking his front finger at the center of her bra. He tugs her to him even as he unhooks the bra.
“You’re overdressed.” Maddy murmurs as she starts unbuttoning the front of Nikolas’ shirt.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Nik growls in her ear as he flings the bra from them and drags Maddy even closer to him.
“Gimme a sec.” Maddy leans back against the table arching her back and and fumbling for the cell phone not wanting to turn away to actually look for it. Her hand brushes against it and she grabs it bringing around so she can see what she is doing. She turns it off. Let the voice mail pick up. “Happy Valentine’s day, Candy.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
Mir snorts as he is hit with the bra. He pads to the top of the stairs with Maddy’s bra still laying across his back. He plops down in front of the door. The door clicks shut at his full weight falls against it. With a rumble he closes his eyes and goes back to sleep.